The Current Sports Illustrated Issue

A couple of comments on the current issue of Sports Illustrated, dated February 13, 2017, which arrived in the mail yesterday.

• At least half of the issue, as should be expected, was devoted to the Super Bowl of last Sunday.  At least half of that story was devoted to a fawning deification of Tom Brady that read like a mid-1960's issue of Tiger Beat writing about Paul McCartney or Davy Jones.  Hey, five days ago in this blog I stated that Brady is the greatest QB of all time, and I maintain that position, but this syrupy story by Greg Bishop certainly contributes to why so much of America outside of the greater Boston area dislikes Tom Brady so much.
• Quoted extensively in that article is Frank Edelman, the father of Julian Edelman.  Wow, wait 'til you read those quotes.  They make Mr. Edelman worthy of this citation:

(Photo courtesy of Dan Bonk Enterprises.)

• The balance of the magazine is comprised of eleven stories that focus on Stories that will shape the 2017 sports year.  A good premise, but here are two of the stories that indicate the National Enquirer-ization of Sports Illustrated.

1.  A story that focuses on the likelihood of O.J. Simpson getting paroled by the State of Nevada in 2017.  I know that Simpson was the subject of an acclaimed documentary and an award winning TV mini-series in 2016, but, still, a story like this in SI smacks of cheap exploitativeness.
2. A story about a 15-year old high school freshman basketball player in Arizona named Nico Mannion.  It seems the SI wants to follow in its rich tradition of deifying (there's that word again) snotty nosed high school kids like Todd Marinovich, LeBron James, and Bryce Harper with this puff piece on this kid.  (To be fair, James turned out to be the Real Deal, and is seemingly a good guy to boot.  Marinovich flamed out big time.  Harper is a great baseball player and already an MVP, but that SI story about him when he was only 14 years old is in large part why Harper is so disliked by many people outside of the Washington Nationals fan base.)  Anyway, the story about this Mannion kid talks about what a "regular kid" he is.  He has to do chores at home, turn off his cell phone at 9:00 every night, has problems with acne, and is obsessed, yet still unsure, about girls.  Just like any 15 year old kid.  Oh, and he has over 15,000 Instagram followers, has over a dozen pairs of free shoes (that retail for $150 -$250) in his room, is being courted by Under Armour as a possible Steph Curry successor, has a dedicated cell phone for college recruiters only, and already has received a half dozen scholarship offers.  And he has a former NBA father who pushes him in this direction, but still treats him like a "normal kid".  Yeah, right.  I wasn't going to read this story, but like the traffic accident you see on the freeway, I had to take a look at it.  I'm about halfway through it, but I'm not sure I have the stomach to finish it.

As I have often said, a half dozen or so times every year, Sports Illustrated delivers a story that is so good and so well written, that it is worth the price of a subscription, but, on the whole, SI just ain't what it used to be.

Yet A Few More Post-Super Bowl Thoughts

I mentioned in my post on Monday how I felt about Robert Kraft's comments on the podium during the Lombardi Trophy presentation.  Upon further thought, I have decided that Mr. Kraft has earned a very special award for his behavior.  Hey, Bob, this one's for you!

Jockey's silks will be a blue shirt with a white collar.

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I also read today about Rob Gronkowski at the victory parade in Boston yesterday.  Gronk, who, I'll remind you, didn't play throughout the playoffs,  took off his shirt and chugged beer throughout the parade.  Very classy.  A special citation for The Gronk here.

********

Finally, I love this quote attributed to Bill Belichick on Monday.  "Winning yesterday was nice, but it also means that we are five weeks behind every other team in preparations for the 2017 season."

Yeah, you gotta love Coach Bill.

Non-Football Super Bowl Thoughts

We all know that the game itself is only a part of what the Super Bowl is all about, so, herewith, my Non-Football Super Bowl thoughts.

The Halftime Show

Yes, the Lady Gaga Halftime show was overblown, overproduced, and a complete sensory overload, but here is something else it was - totally entertaining and totally enjoyable.  Lady Gaga is complete and total musical talent.  Great voice, great stage moves and presence, and beautiful to boot.  Her show lasted thirteen minutes and I could have watched at least another half hour of it.  It was great.

The Commercials

Quick and random thoughts...

• The Intel commercial with Tom Brady had a funny ending
• Like the #weaccept piece
• Liked the 84 Lumber one.  You had to go online to see the full thing.
• Liked the Justin Bieber one for T-Mobile that also featured Rob Gronkowski and Terrell Owens
• Liked the Honda CRV bit with celebrities' year book photos
• Liked the one with Christopher Walken and Justin Timberlake for some sort of beverage
• The Terry Bradshaw Tide commercial was a good one
• LOVED the Mr. Clean commercial
• LOVED the Verizon ones with the fifty shades of gray theme
• Peter Fonda "Born to be Wild" bit for BMW (or maybe it was Mercedes Benz)
• I never, not once, watched the TV show "Baywatch", but I just might have to go see the movie version with Dwayne Johnson
• Melissa McCarthy for KIA...very funny
• Oh, and that Fabreze Halftime Bathroom Break one was a great one if you have the mind of a fourth grade boy, otherwise, pretty disgusting.

And finally, a salute to our forty-first President, George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Bush at the coin toss.  Thank you, Mr. President.

Patriots Win. I Believe I Had That!

We all know what happened in the Super Bowl last night.  Atlanta bolted to leads of 21-0 (in the second quarter) and 28-3 (midway through the third quarter).  Patriot haters across the country were rejoicing as Tom Brady was looking every bit like a 39 year old quarterback.  And an extra point attempt that clanged off of the upright seemed to just add to the debacle that New England was experiencing.  But as we all know, you don't tug on Superman's cape....

Add a New England field goal after that missed PAT, then a touchdown and a two point conversion, and all of a sudden, it's 28-20.  Atlanta begins a march down field that included a remarkable Matt Ryan to Julio Jones pass completion, and it looked that at the very least, the Falcons would kick a field goal that would ice their victory.  Then Ryan does the one thing that a quarterback absolutely cannot do in such a situation.  He takes a sack.  Then Atlanta gets hit with a holding penalty. Then Atlanta punts, and even though the Patriots were starting at their own nine yard line, did anyone have any doubt that Brady was going to lead the Pats down field and score the TD and two point conversion that would tie the game and send it into OT?  I didn't.  At that point I made this post on Facebook: "The sonsabitches are going to pull this one out."  And they did.

They tie the game. They win the coin toss.  They march right down the field and score a touchdown.  Atlanta never sees the ball again.  34-28, Pats win!

And I will say it right now.   Bill Belichick is the best coach ever in the Super Bowl Era, and possibly of all time.  Tom Brady is the best quarterback ever.  Ever.   As my buddy Dan put it last night, we never got to see Babe Ruth play, but we are seeing Tom Brady play, and thus, we are witnessing true greatness.

A word on Pats owner Robert Kraft.  He could have taken the high road in the trophy presentation, but he didn't.  He chose to be a jagoff and take his shots at the Commissioner.  No, I am not defending Roger Goodell, and yes, Kraft could have said a lot worse.  However he could have chosen to be a bigger man, but he didn't, so he can eat it, as far as I'm concerned.

And speaking of owners, how about Arthur Blank appearing on the Atlanta sideline early in the fourth quarter?  I really detest showboating, egomaniac owners standing on the sidelines, so when I saw Blank down there so early, a part of me began to root for the Patriots.  I am only sorry that the Fox cameras weren't on Blank as Brady undressed his Falcons to tie, and then win that game.  I'd have paid to see that.

Oh, and I heard whining on the radio this morning that the NFL's overtime rules aren't fair.  Now, to be fair, I am not sure if the Falcons themselves are making that complaint, but if they are, then here's what you need to do.  First,  When you have a twenty-five point lead with twenty-two minutes or so left in the game, DON'T give up twenty-five unanswered points to the other team.  Second, if you lose the coin toss to start overtime, DON'T turn into Swiss cheese and let the other team go seventy-five yards down field and score a touchdown.

As I said to Marilyn this morning, that game last night is why you watch sports.  Not every game you will watch will be a classic.  A lot of games that you watch will be pretty much unmemorable.  But every so often, you will see a player like Tom Brady, and  a team like the Patriots, turn in a game like we all watched last night, and THAT makes all the dull games and even the downright lousy games that you sit through worth the effort.

There's nothing like it.

Edelman's Amazing Catch 

on the game tying drive.

White's TD Wins It in OT

The MVP

Oh, and as for the headline on this post, I did predict a Patriots win in the Super Bowl, although I certainly never envisioned that it would happen in quite the way that it did.  I finish the NFL Playoffs Season with a prediction record of 9-2.  Yeah!

To Absent Friends - Mike Connors, Barbara Hale

In a final bit of "catching up" from my recent vacation, The Grandstander pays tribute to two Absent Friends, Mike Connors and Barbara Hale, both stalwarts of 1950's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and even 90's television,  Barbara Hale and Mike Connors, each of whom passed away last month.

Barbara Hale

1922-2017

Barbara Hale was 94 years old when she died, and IMDB lists 102 acting credits for her, dating back to 1943.  She was a pretty, young actress who had appeared in a lot of B-movies and westerns who she hit the acting jackpot when she was cast as Della Street, Perry Mason's loyal, steadfast, and platonic secretary in "Perry Mason".   The show ran from 1957 to 1966 and 271 episodes.

When that show went off the air, she did the usual guest gigs on various TV shows, including one episode of "Ironside" with old co-star Raymond Burr, and she also played Dean Martin's cuckolded wife in "Airport".  In 1985, she reprised the role of Della Street in a Perry Mason TV movie, and then went on to do twenty-nine (29!!) more Mason TV movies with Burr over the next ten years.

Mike Connors

1925-2017

Mike Connors acting career began, according to IMDB, in 1952, and extended over the next fifty-five years and included 109 credits.  He starred in a detective TV series called "Tightrope" in 1959-60, but will forever be known as private eye Joe Mannix in the series "Mannix", which ran for 194 episodes from 1967 to 1975.   I seldom missed "Mannix" and loved seeing Joe driving his cool convertibles and wearing a plaid sport coat every week (as compared to his contemporary, Steve McGarrett, who always wore a navy blue suit).  

As my buddy Tim Baker noted, "when you consider that on his show he was shot 17 times and knocked out 55 times, making it to (age) 91 was quite a feat."

RIP Barbara Hale and Mike Connors.

Funny T-Shirt

I got a dealt dose of humility in Disney World last week when I saw a guy wearing a tee shirt that had this on it:

MORE PEOPLE ARE READING THIS TEE SHIRT

THAN READ YOUR BLOG

He couldn't have been referring to The Grandstander, could he?

Super Bowl Prediction Time

The Grandstander brings an 8-2 NFL Playoffs Predictions record to tomorrow's Super Bowl.  Pretty good, but that second loss on the ledger sure did hurt.  Oh, well, time to put that behind and start anew.

The Patriots-Falcons match up doesn't seem to be generating a lot of buzz nationally, but by all indications it shapes up to be  a high scoring affair and a close game.  It pits the presumptive NFL MVP Matt Ryan - and hasn't he been great in the Playoffs? - against four time Super Bowl winning QB, the Golden Boy, Tom Brady.   The Pats are a narrow favorite,  and many of the so-called experts are actually calling for an Atlanta win.  

Not me.

Hate them all you want, but it cannot be denied that Bill Belichick may well be the greatest coach in NFL history (yep, I said that), and Tom Brady may well be the greatest quarterback in NFL history. 

 That being the case,  and with an historic fifth Super Bowl win for this tandem at hand, I'm calling it a Patriots victory tomorrow.

I'll also throw in two other predictions:

• The Patriots will cover the -3 point betting spread.
• Over/Under is 59.5.  OVER will win that bet.

As always, watch, but don't bet.

I will close with some pictures of everyone's favorite football party animal.  The guy is the epitome of "Wild and Crazy", don't you think?

Oh, and for any Cleveland Browns fans who might be reading this, don't you wish that this was still the case?

 

Enjoy the game, everyone!