Armchair Weekend in Review (January 5-7, 2007)
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by user JB82
Welcome to the first Armchair Weekend in Review of 2007, and we've got plenty to talk about this first weekend of the New Year. So, let's get to it!
NFL Wild Card Weekend from the Armchair
- The Dallas Cowboys had all but floundered into the playoff picture thanks to struggles by quarterback Tony Romo, but the man once considered the backup to Drew Bledsoe pulled an unfortunate choke as his team went for a field goal to win the game.
- It had been a nip-and-tuck battle between the Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks, and it had all come down to one kick. While it was a good snap, Romo got a bad handle on it and tried to perform a jailbreak manuever to turn three points into six, but Romo fell short and the Seahawks prevailed, 21-20.
- Four years ago on "Wild Card Weekend", the New York Giants had the same misfortune put upon them, but it was a bit more nuttier. Long snapper Trey Junkin got off a snap, which the holder bobbled and and soon threw into the end zone. The Niners prevailed, 38-34. Also, one year ago, Big Blue wound up black-and-blue after a 38-0 shutout against the Carolina Panthers.
- Last year's NFC East champs came into this postseason as the wild card, and looked to wash the bad taste of last year and the 2006 regular season out of their mouths. While Eli Manning managed to overcome a second-down-and-30 situation brought on by three offensive line penalties in a row to tie the game, the Philadelphia Eagles came back and let the game end on a 38-yard David Akers field goal, 23-20. The Iggles will face the Saints next week, while the G-Men will all but show Tom Coughlin the door.
- It was double elimination for Big Apple football, as the New York Jets got a 7-0 lead only to see it salted away against the New England Patriots, 37-16. It was still a great season for Eric Mangini's squad, though, so hats off to them.
- The other AFC matchup was to have featured big plays from big players such as Larry Johnson, Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Eddie Kennison and others. But, it was the Indianapolis Colts that hogged the spotlight as they battled it out and won against the Kansas City Chiefs, 23-8.
NBA Western Conference Finals Revisited
- In one of the more thrilling Conference Finals to date, the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks duked it out, only to see the Fighting Mark Cubans head to the NBA Finals. This time around, as the teams met, the Mavs had an 11-game win streak and looked to make it an even dozen Friday night.
- The two teams played it close and tight, and while the Spurs dominated the game, the Mavs managed to pull out the win, 90-85, led by Dirk Nowitzki's 36 points.
Bits and Pieces from the NHL
- On the ice, the Los Angeles Kings looked to not extend a losing streak to an unlucky 13 in a row. The Detroit Red Wings, a team they knocked off in the first round in 2001, happened to oblige as the Kings took the win, 4-2.
- If you're the Toronto Maple Leafs, how do you follow up a ten-goal outburst? By scoring only three in a home loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The Leafs scored literally one goal per period as the Sabres got back to their winning ways.
The FA Cup as Viewed By Someone Who Lives on the Other Side of The Pond
The FA Cup is sort of like the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament; there are smaller, lesser-known teams that are capable of knocking off the bigger programs (and it's been done in both cases)
- One example of the above was Southampton, who took down Manchester United to clinch the Cup three decades ago. In 2007, the Saints moved on with a 2-0 shutout of League Two side Torquay United. Americans can imagine George Mason beating Duke in the National Championship for an upset like that.
- When last anyone heard of him, Ole Gunnar Skolsjaer scored a dramatic come-from-behind winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final. This time around, Skolsjaer helped to seal the deal in United's 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.
- The FA Cup itself is up for graps, as Liverpool will walk alone with a 3-1 loss against Premiership rival Arsenal.
After doing this segment, I could probably wonder if the US soccer system, such as it is, could have a tournament like this while the sport is in season. But, that's another column for another time.
Back on campus
- Licking their wounds from their first loss, the University of Oregon Ducks decided to take it out on the top-ranked University of California Los Angeles Bruins. It was another nip-and-tuck game, but the 17th-ranked Ducks stuck it out and handed UCLA its first loss of the year, 68-66. The team that gave the Ducks their first notch in the loss column? Ironically enough, it was UCLA's crosstown rival, the University of Southern California Trojans.
- Amongst the upsets of the young conference schedule was Virginia Tech's win over Duke University's Blue Devils. Last year in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Hokies fell to the Fighting Krzyzewskis when Sean Dockery nailed a 40-foot shot as time expired. This time, the Boys from VPI blocked a potential game-winner and hung on for the W, 69-67, in overtime.
- Better late then never: congrats to the Caltech Beavers as they beat the Bard College Raptors, 81-52, to snap a losing streak which dated back to 1996. The streak spanned an astounding 207 games – 207 GAMES, JERRY!!
Odds and Sods
- What was American football doing in Canada on Saturday, you ask? It was the Intercontinental Bowl, which pitted the Western Michigan University Broncos against the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. While it was strange for our friends north of the Border to not see a 55-yard line and a yay-big end zone on Saturday, it was still an exciting game as the Bearcats had to fight off blowing a 24-0 lead to beat the Broncos, 27-24. This was the first college bowl game to be played outside the US in 70 years. The last time was the Bacardi Bowl, where the Auburn University Tigers and Villanova University Wildcats played to a 7-7 tie in pre-Castro Cuba.
- Condolences to supporters of the England cricket team, as the latter's Aussie counterparts blew the doors off them in the Ashes, striking the final blow in Friday's final test at Sydney by ten wickets. Not since the Pakistan bowler ball scandal last August have I mentioned cricket in this space.
That's all for this week
Until next time, let's all be good sports.
