Queue the "Dukes of Hazzard" Theme Song

Alright. Got a day off, and I've got plenty to say about my re-entrance into the realm of industry hospitality, and I'm certain that will entertain a grand total of nobody. In the interim, however, I've got to sort out a few things about the good ol' Kansas City Chiefs, the good ol' Denver Broncos, and the good-ol'-boy-network known as the National Football League.

If you're unfamiliar with my ramblings on this blog, it may be news to you that I am not a fan of Colorado's professional football club. I'm not going to bash them today, though. They stunned everyone -- most notably Mike Tomlin's Pittsburgh Steelers -- yesterday by advancing to the divisional round of the NFL's post-season. Yes, the Steelers were badly hobbled, and no, nobody thought Tim Tebow and company would orchestrate a 300-yard-passing afternoon. Here's the long and short of the contest, though: You're the number-one passing defense in the league. You lose the coin toss to start overtime, and you therefore, are perhaps thinking of coming up with some huge defensive schemes and plays in order to gain possession of the football.

Yes, that was the debut of new post-season overtime rules, so yes -- you might want to come out prepared for the first play from scrimmage. And, by "prepared," I mean send someone into pass coverage. Someone. Anyone. I mean, you don't wanna get torched on an 80-yard touchdown pass and get sent packing before the first overtime commercial break, do you?

Nevertheless, a Denver win. Congratulations to John Fox and his squad.

That brings me to today, though, and if you are familiar with my tiresome drawl on this site, you know that I think the incestuous nature of this league is filthy and disgusting. Every regular season concludes with some head-coaching vacancies, and inevitably, the same old retreads get drug out from behind the last wood shed to which they were cast, and we see the same has-beens give it a go in a new city.

It's annoying, yes, but for the most part, tolerable.

There appears, though, to be some sort of leap-year cycle in football, wherein the whole concept of good ol' boys giving their good, old pals new jobs in different regimes, finds new ceilings, and right now we're in the midst of one of those unprecedented -- at least in my football-viewing liftime -- heights.

I'm not documenting all of this to educate anyone. Rather, it's an exercise for myself, one in which I can attempt to make some sense of it all.

Several seasons ago, Mike Shanahan was fired by Pat Bowlen, and shortly thereafter, Clark Hunt and newly appointed Scott Pioli opted to not retain the services of Herman Edwards. As you may know, Pioli -- then dubbed the top G.M. candidate in football -- is betrothed to a young woman whose father goes by the name of Bill Parcells.

Now, us fans (and lowly bloggers) never know what really goes on inside the NFL's inner circles, so we're left to speculate, and this is what I'm doing here, so keep that in mind.

Pioli gets the job in Kansas City, and it was reported that he wanted to -- shocker -- go to the New England Patriots staff and pick his coach from that crew of knuckleheads, his choice being none other than then-Patriots-offensive-coordinator Josh McDaniels. Denver Bronco G.M. Brian Xander, however, beat him to the punch and hired McDaniels first. This left Pioli to go all Galactic and call up his father-in-law for some advice.

Parcells, having worked with Todd Haley in both New York and Dallas, recommended the then-Arizona-Cardinals offensive coordinator, who happened to have just been one Santonio Holmes touchdown catch away from winning a Super Bowl, so it made sense.

Next, Pioli needed a quarterback for his Chiefs, so he -- shocker -- went to the New England well again, and pulled a trade to get the then-franchise-tagged Matt Cassel, which was who McDaniels also wanted to get to call signals for his Broncos. Somehow, word of this Denver-based desire leaked out, and pissed off then-incumbent-starter Jay Cutler, who threw a tantrum and demanded a trade, which he got.

The swap of Cutler for Kyle Orton, if I remember correctly, netted the Broncos a nice bundle of draft picks, which McDaniels then, quite literally, blew the following season, so he could obtain the services of Tebow. Meanwhile, in Kansas City, Pioli went -- yes, a third shocker -- back to his Foxboro roots once more and obtained the services of Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel to coordinate both sides of the non-special-teams football.

In the midst of McDaniels' and Haley's second seasons in charge of their respective clubs, the former's squad crushed the latter's and an infamous post-game display of unaffection ensued:



Later in the campaign, Haley's Chiefs (barely) defeated McDaniels' Broncos and the latter was relieved of his duties, courtesy of both a late-season collapse and some hidden-camera shenanigans that McDaniels likely -- shocker number four -- learned from watching his boss Bill Belichick in New England.

That brings us to this year, which featured McDaniels leading an inept St. Louis Rams offense to a two-win effort, and Haley getting fired with three games to go in the regular season. Mind you, the future of the Denver franchise that McDaniels rolled the dice on (read: #15) took over the starting job for Orton, and the former Bear was cut. Kansas City, being without the services of Matt Cassel, claimed Orton off of the waiver wire, and promptly defeated the lossless, defending-Super Bowl-champion Green Bay Packers.

The Chiefs then lose an overtime contest to the Oakland Raiders, courtesy of not one, but two, field-goal attempts blocked by former Patriot Richard Seymour. Kansas City then travelled to Denver, and won a snooze fest over the Broncos, 7-3. It should be noted that said snooze fest featured Orton returning to Denver to defeat his former backup. Tebow and crew, however, eked into the playoffs thanks to a San Diego Chargers victory over the Raiders.

As the buzz of the regular season was still fizzling, New England sent the NFL TPS reports to obtain the services of the now-fired-from-St. Louis McDaniels, who, rumor had it, Pioli had been eyeballing for some position or other in Kansas City.

Following the conclusion of yesterday's wildcard weekend, McDaniels is now on the Patriot staff as an offensive assistant, and will be the club's coordinator next season, meaning that his first assignment is to help guide New England to victory over the franchise that fired him, a franchise led by the quarterback for whom he mortgaged the club's draft picks obtained in the Cutler-Orton trade.

And, back in the midwest, the Chiefs have named Crennel the new head coach, while the Rams appear ready to ink a deal with Jeff Fisher. Reports from Twitter over the weekend indicated that the recently fired Haley and Tony Sparano will be involved in hedging the new offensive plan for St. Louis. Sparano is coming off a once-impressive, mostly disappointing tenure as main man in Miami, and was put there by Parcells. Parcells, no longer employed by the Dolphins, is suspected to be replaced by Carl Peterson, who Scott Pioli replaced in Kansas City.

Basically, the only fresh face in the mix is John Fox in Denver. He has McDaniels' old job and McDaniels' old quarterback. Kansas City has Denver's old quarterback, New England's old quarterback (both of whom are also McDaniels' old quarterbacks), New England's old defensive coordinator, and if you want to add another layer to the mix: the third quarterback on the Chiefs roster is a kid out of Iowa, one of Pioli's favorite places to draft since he's chums with coach Kirk Ferentz.

Haley's in line to take (some form of) McDaniels' old job, along with Sparano, who came from Parcells, who will likely be replaced by Peterson. And McDaniels, in case you didn't catch it, is charged with attempting to defeat the signal caller he so coveted two drafts ago.

In other NFL playoff news, the Saints -- semi-loaded with former Chargers A.J. Smith decided not to keep -- will attempt to knock off Jim Harbaugh (former Bear QB) and the San Francisco 49ers, while the Packers will take on Eli Manning -- who refused to play for the team (San Diego) that drafted him and the New York Giants. Tom Coughlin's Giants made a mockery of the Thomas Dimitroff (another branch of the Pioli tree)'s Atlanta Falcons yesterday, leaving Tony Gonzalez -- who didn't want to stick around for yet another Kansas City rebuild -- with one less playoff win than Tim Tebow (Editor's Note: I'm still kicking myself for not tweeting that first yesterday.).

The other AFC matchup will feature Harbaugh's brother John and the Baltimore Ravens versus the Houston Texans, led by former Shanahan assistant Gary Kubiak.

So, there. None of that's news, really. I just had to suss it out for myself, and decide, after doing so, if I really felt as coated in six layers of Arkansas-truck-bed sibling lust as I thought I did.

Verdict: I do.

Gross.

Go Broncos! (Note: No, not really.)
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This Week in Blogstralia: An Interview with Kristi Colvin

Every so often I'll sit down with an interesting Internet personality and discuss what goes on in their neck of the Web woods. This week's guest is Kristi Colvin.

bankmeister: We “met” in strange way, which is to say that we’ve technically never met, but I knew that you were a fascinating person right out of the gate. My buddy brought me to a SportingKC game, and at the conclusion of the national anthem, I saw you hunker down over your iPad and get to work on Twitter. This intrigued me for two reasons: (1) I was taking notes in a pocket-sized memo pad for the sake of a blog post on the game, and (2) believe it or not, not that many people I know are on Twitter. At first I thought you were simply going to check in via Foursquare or something like that, but when I saw you pull up Twitter, I was surprised. Before we get into that, though, tell me a little bit about yourself.

You’ve since tweeted me something about the term “nut nut” possibly being a Texas thing. Do you hail from the Lone Star State? Give me all the deets: born and raised there? High school? College? And how’d you wind up in Kansas City?

Kristi Colvin: I was technically born in Oklahoma, but adopted immediately so transported to Texas two days later, where I have always lived prior to moving to Kansas. I was raised in Wichita Falls where my Mother still lives, but spent most of my adult life in Houston and Dallas. I did go a couple of years of college there but did not graduate -– at the time nothing seemed to work as an actual degree for me (I’d never heard of a commercial art degree.) I am primarily self-taught and have learned on the job, my entire career.

bankmeister: Once my post from that game was published, you had a humorous reaction to it and said something to the effect of your husband threatening to give you a yellow card for excessive tweeting during games. By this I of course deduced that you are married, which leads me to ask if you have kids, and if you do, what are their ages and what sort of parameters do you have on them – and if you don’t, kindly pretend that you do – for using technological apparati? More specifically, how young is an appropriate age for kids to have cell phones, and should kids be limited on the amount of daily time they spend on varying devices?

Kristi Colvin: My husband attempts to give me Yellow and Red Cards during every game, but I ignore him and keep tweeting anyway. I don’t think he understands that for me, part of my enjoyment of the game is the sharing of it with my online friends. He has a Twitter account but never tweets, so you sort of have to be immersed in this lifestyle to truly understand what I mean.

I don’t have children though I desperately want them. I suffered miscarriages in previous marriages, and when I moved to Kansas to marry Tim the plan was that we would have children (neither of us do) but my previous employer ended up changing his mind about me working remotely, and I was plunged into being unemployed and living in a rural area where I knew no one but my new husband’s family within two weeks of moving here. So the loss of income and building my self-employed business took priority. Now it just doesn’t seem it will ever happen.

I do think that parents need to set boundaries around technology use, but not discourage it. I also think monitoring their usage and communications is critical as they grow – I had always planned to have family Macs in public view, not in a child’s room, and cell phones should probably not be something parents rush into before a child can handle one responsibly. Social-media channels shouldn’t be rushed into either -– there’s something to be said for growing up, as I did, without my every move being documented online somewhere.

bankmeister: Walk me through your linear career, starting with your first job, and maybe touching on some of your stops along the way to present day.

Kristi Colvin: My first job was in retail, at a boutique called Marianne’s in the mall in Wichita Falls. It was there that I learned I liked doing visual merchandising, so I did that at JC Penney’s and eventually Dillard’s. From there I got into waiting tables and doing catering for On the Border, and eventually got tired of the late nights and went to work at Whole Foods Market while taking some college courses. I passed up an opportunity to go into a training program to be a visual merchandising director at JC Penney –- I loved that work, but knew if I got into the program I would never leave retail. It was a good decision.

In college and at WFM I learned to use a Mac Classic, and it was really there that my design career began. We would make newsletters (to mail, not e-mail) and store signage of all types on the computer and color it in with markers and pens to make it cute. We didn’t even have a full-color printer. The newsletters were professionally printed so I learned to deal with printers. Eventually I offered my services as a print designer, and when I got pregnant (and ultimately miscarried) I taught myself Web design. I wanted to produce a parenting site called Babyville. When I lost the baby I went another direction and created a vegetarian community called Good Karma Café, which I wish I had not taken offline.

I ran it like a monthly magazine but this was prior to blogging, so it wasn’t nearly as easy. All of my time was spent writing, designing, adding site features, creating recipes and redesigning the homepage in HyperText Markup Language like a magazine each month. It was too laborious to keep going, though at one time on some lists it was the number two vegetarian site. The focus was distinct from most -– it encouraged meatless eating rather than condemning non-vegetarians, which is why it got so much attention from reviewers. From there I moved into the creative services space, offering print and Web design. One of my first clients was a software developer, so I learned to do user-interface design and user experience.

All of the jobs and projects have contributed to what I do today: print design, digital design, software design, promotional design, understanding customer service, merchandising of products, selling goods, advertising, and communicating via social channels.

bankmeister: Let’s talk Fresh ID. You’re officed downtown. Has that always been the case, or did y’all grow out of somebody’s basement? How long has it been around? Where did the idea come from, and how has the ratio of enjoyment/hard work fluctuated, if at all, since getting the project off the ground?

Kristi Colvin: Fresh ID has been the name of my company since 2002 when the company I worked for was acquired. It was called Fresh Pages in the ‘90s. I have been primarily self-employed since 1993, but twice I put my business on hold and went to work for software companies as a user experience manager -- 2000-2002 at Pentasafe, 2006-2007 for SigmaFlow -- where I worked when I met my current husband Tim and ultimately left to come to Kansas. I usually worked from home but have had offices at various times as well, so in a way we have grown out of a second bedroom.

When I moved here I met Lisa Qualls and Tom Jenkins, who are now my two business partners and we worked on freelance projects together as a team. I asked Lisa to join me and take the helm as CEO in 2009 and we restructured Fresh ID from a Texas DBA to a Missouri-based LLC and brought Tom on as Chief Technology Officer in June, 2011. Though some might find it odd I asked Lisa to be Chief Executive Officer instead of taking that position myself; since I founded the company and ran it for years, to me it made perfect sense. I am the Chief Creative, and what I do is create design and marketing and products that we can sell. I couldn’t maximize my creative potential and do the selling and business administration and focus well enough on finances to grow before bringing her on board. With Lisa here as CEO, we have grown exponentially –- she’d have to tell you the exact percentages though, as I don’t have to focus on that anymore. Her contribution has been significant though, and with Tom filling the deep-technology-experience role we needed, we are poised for even more growth over the next couple of years.

The work we do is what I have always done for clients, though it has shifted a little bit. We do a ton of custom WordPress design and development, and for years I mostly did Web sites, not content-management-systems-based sites. We also do a lot of marketing work for monthly retainer clients, much of which involves multiple social media channels.

bankmeister: Help me understand the premise behind the company. I mean, the intelligent design portion of the Web site is pretty self-explanatory, but how did you develop the clientele portrayed in the portfolio? More specifically, do you have to outreach a significant portion of your customers or do they come to you? Has that changed since Fresh ID was born?

Kristi Colvin: I have always provided services for business-to-business clients, with a few retail clients but not as many business-to-consumer companies as I initially desired. We don’t do any marketing (that will change in 2012) and so word-of-mouth has resulted in one B2B client sending their friends and connections to talk to us, and that keeps us pretty busy. I have never done much marketing –- virtually all my clients have come from some type of referral, plus a few people who found us using organic searches online. These days, the referrals come via social-media connections, or someone seeing us say something on a social channel that makes them realize we could meet a need. Or they are sent from in-person connections we have. We’re about 50/50 on in-person vs. online referrals.

With the active use of social media, we ended up meeting the sports teams in our portfolio, and they have fulfilled a lot of my desires for B2C interaction with direct customers of a client. Plus we really enjoy working with them. We have also increased our work with retail goods and restaurants, so the hotel industry is the only missing group I’d really like to work with that we haven’t yet serviced.

bankmeister: It seems that most of your clients either offer a product or a service they’ve not been able to maximize in terms of reach and availability. Is it safe to assume that that’s where your team comes in? Again, the outlined services seem obvious: You get brand-name-recognition projects going, improve Web sites, spruce up blogs, and sort of implement the use of digital and social media for companies that either aren’t using them or aren’t using them well enough. Is that fair?

Kristi Colvin: We do this for a lot of clients, yes, and also help startups with brand identity and awareness from the beginning. Since I went into business in 1993 I’ve done a lot of redesigns or brand upgrades -– I guess that goes with a designer’s territory. The bulk of our social-media retainer clients are companies who have some level of success offline but need to figure out how to communicate with random strangers online, and how to mix social channels into their existing traditional marketing.

bankmeister: Have you found that portions of your customer population don’t engage in the services Fresh ID offers because they don’t have the time, don’t know how, or some combination of both? What if you’re networking with a potential client and they’re apprehensive? Are there means of proving the sort of method to the madness? What are some of the most unique and some of the most typical clients that hire Fresh ID? Have any trying-to-market-themselves writers ever approached the company?

Kristi Colvin: Some of our clients listen to us regarding social engagement more than others -– it does take time, it is an extra step to get used to in a day…we know all about it as we have the same issues at times with our own marketing. It is also sometimes easier to market others than yourself –- I find it’s easier for me to post things about client offers and activities under my Kris Colvin account than it is for me to make FreshID look interesting using that account. Of course, it’s no mystery our clients have the same problems. We do have a method to getting started and ramping up and best practices we’ve defined for ourselves that we employ, but ongoing engagement really rests with the clients. Some take off and shine; others sort of drag their feet. We have had some authors we have helped with branding and social assets, and personal branding for them is something we do just like the corporate branding for any organization with whom we work.

bankmeister: What about your personal blog? It looks like a Tumblr page, and has the “join Tumblr” icon in the corner, but it doesn’t say it in the URL. I feel like this is sometimes the case with Blogger, too, as in people have sites that look identical to a blogspot.com page, but the word “blogspot” doesn’t appear in their Web address. Can you help me understand this?

Kristi Colvin: With Tumblr, Blogspot and I think even Typepad, you can use a unique domain name so that people can go directly to your site in a little more professional way (I think) then when you use a subdomain, like all Tumblrs start out with.

bankmeister: How much time do you spend updating your blog each week? At first glance it looks like maybe an hour or less per week, but digging deeper, you’ve got some stuff that required some time. Do you have any goals or parameters for your blog, or is it simply for pleasure?

Kristi Colvin: My personal blog goes through periods of lots of posts, and periods of total inactivity. I would like to blog more but don’t…it’s far easier to tweet and Facebook my finds and thoughts. Our business blog requires more of my attention than I give it. All the older posts are from my Design for Users blog, where I used to help educate people about various user experience ideas and issues, and I need to get back to that. We have won clients from blog posts so that is another form of marketing of which we need to take advantage. I live in two places (the country with Tim and my dog-child Baxter on weekends, and downtown during the week) and often while driving I am writing a blog post in my head that never makes it to paper or online. I’ve got to get better about taking the time to write them as it helps our business, I know for a fact.

bankmeister: What about Twitter itself. We’ve already mentioned the joke-threat from your husband, and that this medium is what led you and I to right now, but help me try and put something into perspective: Do you remember what month and year you signed up for Twitter? As of this moment, you have tweeted 77,208 times, which is unreal. I ask for your rough start date, because it’d be interesting to know how many tweets you average per day.

Kristi Colvin: I created my account on March 26, 2008. I didn’t understand what Twitter really was though, and was offended when random men followed me. I honestly can’t remember how I found out about Twitter, given I knew so little about how it worked. I read a wonderful article at problogger.com by Darren Rowse in July of that year, who could see people couldn’t figure out Twitter and he suggested that we all type our account names into this blog post, and follow each other, the reason being that at the very least we had blogging in common and could discuss it on Twitter. It changed my life. The list was up to 568 at the time, and I vowed to follow 100 people at least. To this day, I recommend to clients that they search using keywords, and follow a minimum of 100 people before writing Twitter off as uninteresting.

My average TPD (tweets per day) are downright scary. According to Tweetstats.com I average 62 per day and 1734 per month. The person I have tweeted the most is the brand builder. I am only consoled by the knowledge that some people tweet even more than I do, and that it probably takes less than 1 total hour to create all those tweets, as they’re so short. Now reading them, on the other hand…we won’t talk about how long that takes. Twitter is my preferred channel –- I could live without every other SM platform, but not it. My Twitter friends are my confidantes when I need to talk, my lifeline when I feel depressed or am struggling, my companions when I am bored, my mates when I am cheering for my team, my advisors when I need help, my amusement at unexpected times. I love them, and I mean that sincerely.

bankmeister: Without knowing one way or the other, that seems like the kind of number that would suggest that there’s always a device within arm’s reach. Is that even close to accurate? Have you found that such activity has any kind of effect on any relationships, be they real-time or cyber? Anyone (besides your husband) ever tell you to put that thing away? I ask because one of my three sisters is pretty darn attached to her Blackberry, and there are times where I’m like, No, it’s cool. I’ll wait.

Kristi Colvin: Umm. No comment.

Seriously, it is hard for me to be completely away from a device, though I do it at times. I love my iPhone sooooooo much. It is the device that Steve Jobs made for me years ago, but due to rural Kansas issues and only AT&T at first, I could not have it until recently. I adore my iPad too. I truly feel everyone should have an iPad. I wrote the first chapter of my upcoming ebook, called Social Media by Design, on my iPad on the way home from Texas. No wires, no internet needed, no bulky laptop to deal with, and I did so very easily in my Pages word processor. That is a technological power that I find very compelling, and that could change everything if you could combine the promised power of Google Fiber (everywhere) with easy-to-comprehend technology that people of all ages can use at any time.

Plus, I can tweet with ease no matter where I am (iPhone is online even if iPad is not.) That makes my life complete. Tim gets mildly aggravated sometimes, but I do try to be respectful at family events and dinner (mostly.) My team is used to it –- often all 5 of us are on our phones at the table though, so they can’t say much about me. Of course, it is sometimes because I’ve reminded people to check in on Foursquare. One time recently we went to a 5-course dinner for a prospect that is now our client (bluestem) and Lisa said, “Don’t have your phone out” before we went in, so I dutifully put it in my purse and didn’t take it out. She later complained I hadn’t taken any pictures of the meal.

bankmeister: Forgive me if the answer to this lies within your press-appearance page, but how do you follow 28,000-plus people? I only follow a little over 100 and that packs my timeline pretty full. Somebody once asked me how I manage to keep up with 1000-plus Facebook friends, and though I think I just shrugged in the moment, the answer inside my head was “fast scrolling.” Is that sort of what happens with you?

Kristi Colvin: I also do a lot of skimming on my timeline. But on busy days I just deal with mentions and direct messages. Often on a weekend, when the TV is on and I am relaxing, I finally get to go through my timeline and look at the interesting things people are posting and that’s usually when you’ll see quite a few retweets from the freshid account. We follow far fewer people on that account and it is easier to notice good content, but you could achieve the same goal with using Twitter lists. I make Lists and then don’t use them though. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t follow enough people. My goal is to somehow follow a million someday. All these people make me smarter on a daily basis so I want more education, links, ideas, feedback, and good humor from the millions upon millions of awesome people that can be found all over the world.

bankmeister: Finally, SportingKC.

When did you become a fan of the team and how long have you had season tickets? Do you feel like your enthusiasm for the team has consistently elevated or have there been plateaus? Tell me about your mega-fandom of CJ Sapong? Have many folks picked up on your lil’ rookie hashtag and begun using it themselves?

Kristi Colvin: I am a brand new soccer fan, this year. At the end of last year, Lisa and I met Kyle Rogers and James Flexman from the team, who found us via social channels and because of our proprietary Intefy product, which does real-time media aggregation and is good for live online events. That story is detailed in an article about Lisa & I here.

They became a client at the beginning of 2011, and so when soccer season began I watched the first game on TV, not really even knowing if I’d be able to maintain interest in the game or not even though I was interested in the team’s staff and really liked all the people I met at the downtown office.

My enthusiasm for the team has grown to the stereotypical fever pitch. Soccer games run my life -– we haven’t seen a movie at the theater in months and won’t until the playoffs end. At this point I am a huge fan of the team and I almost see the work we do for the client itself as a separate activity. But even if we didn’t do work for them I can’t imagine not loving the team or not attending every game possible. We are season-ticket holders not because they gave us tickets but because I literally begged Lisa to death to purchase them. Our seats are in the Shield Club, which was not cheap; we paid $5500 for our four tickets and shared them all season. Given our many current expenses, we haven’t renewed the Fresh ID season tickets yet, but my husband is getting us two Shield Club seats for 2012 as he has become a fanatic as well. I am lucky that he is, as we may get to go to L.A. for the MLS Cup if SKC makes it that far. I begged for that also, but never expected to really go. I think he wants to and knows that this may be a unique opportunity as you never know when a team will make it that far again.

Regarding Sapong, and his youth and my age, I think a lot of people thought I was some kind of cougar-lady who found him cute when I first began talking to him and about him. That’s not how I see him (or any of the guys on the team.) I really don’t know how to properly depict how I feel about him. He’s not quite the son I never had, or like a brother…he’s just a person I adore and admire. He caught my attention with his record-breaking debut goal the first game, and it was several games before I saw what he looked like up close on TV, or even heard him speak. We had bonded over Twitter and at the time his avatar didn’t show his face well, and I was so excited the first time I saw him in a locker-room interview, that I yelled for Tim to come in and see him. He is just unique. Talented, quirky, funny, humble, cocky, goofy, surprising…all the things that make someone want to have someone around as a friend.

What a lot of people may not realize is that he and Eric Kronberg were the first two players I ever met. They came into the Members Club during the week we were living there before it opened, working on the membership software and getting quick-response codes on seats. Everyone on the software team was exhausted. Sapong walked in, and I recognized him immediately and I lit up. It was totally thrilling to meet him, the shot in the arm we all needed to keep going and get everything launched on time. He delights me -– I will be so proud for him, and so happy if he wins Rookie of the Year. I may even weep. And of course tweet about it.

People have not used the #lilrookie hashtag unless it’s in reference to me. I love it when they use it though, and asked CJ directly if he minded it. He said “no.” Lil Rookie #17 will be on my jersey at all the playoff games I get to go to, including the big one. I want to remember his rookie year forever and I’m sure he will as well.

bankmeister: When the season started, it seemed like the streak this club was on would eventually fall off, but ultimately they wound up the one seed in the eastern conference. Tell me about your experience on this wild ride of a campaign. What kinds of things are folks doing in anticipation of the big game tomorrow?

Kristi Colvin: I have never really followed a sports team quite like this. I am used to Tim’s ups and downs with the Chiefs, and felt it somewhat, but knowing the players, owners, and staff behind the team makes it so much more personal and fulfilling for me. I haven’t known what to make of their season –- I look at everything with newborn eyes and barely know the detailed rules of this game. I’m not a fair-weather fan…if I love someone or thing or group I am very loyal, so losing games doesn’t bother me that much; I expect it. They have surpassed any expectations I may have had, though. I recently re-watched our first game at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park and this team has grown by leaps and bounds since that contest. I feel blessed to have witnessed it all. They inspire me…but I am hoping they will also motivate me to get off my rump and be more physical, more active, and get in better shape again. Work gets really busy and health and wellness get de-prioritized. Watching them always reminds me it’s important.

bankmeister: What about the growth of the fan base? I came across an interview with a club higher-up this week, and while the bit was entertaining and informative, even the interviewee has gone from a tongue-in-cheek announcing of the new team/venue name to a supposed seriousness with the success they’ve had this year. Do you find that fans are mostly embracing bandwagoners or is there some divisiveness within the circle(s)?

Kristi Colvin: I can’t really speak to this. I think we have a lot of long-time Wizards fans that are possibly still mourning the loss of that identity, maybe because they never really had the full package of a soccer-specific stadium and all this attention. And then we have people who’ve been curious about the team given the new stadium and attention, who aren’t raving fanatics but interested enough to check it out, nonetheless. Then there are a group of people, like myself, who are new to the team/brand and even soccer as an interest that are now complete Sporting Kansas City addicts. I will be very curious to see how many seats sell next year. That will tell us if there are new converts for real or if the novelty of the hot new thing has worn off. I hope it sells out again and the momentum continues.

bankmeister: It appears that the organization has done a lot of things right. Anything obvious that they’ve overlooked or upon which they could improve? How do you think the enthusiasm of this fan base compares with other MLS markets across the country? Assuming you’ll be at the game, will your in-game tweet tendencies stay the same, or does the iPad get put away for the post-season matchups?

Kristi Colvin: I can’t see changing my tweeting habits. Though the team doesn’t pay me for it, my in-game tweets are partially an obligation of sorts. Some folks are used to them and like them. My non-technical observations give them another perspective on the game and some people seem to like that.

I think SKC are in a sweet spot of having done many of the right things this year with the stadium finally completed. There is still much work to be done, but my complaints are few. I have seen many observations from outsiders regarding their digital presence online. I know of teams (of all types) who have expressed interest in the in-stadium technology Cisco helped build, the Sporting Membership software we helped design and develop, the mobile apps Moblico has helped them develop and all of that tells me their new venture, Sporting Innovations, is hitting the right mix of what’s new/what’s needed. If I were a team anywhere in the world, I’d study what they’re doing. That they have such an apparent interest in providing a community of real members and not just a venue to visit once or twice a week is one of the things that sets them apart, and that will continue to serve them when they experiment as members will give feedback. It’s a living eco-system and I’m personally glad to be part of it.

bankmeister: Awesome. Well, thank you so much for the time. Good luck with all of your business and personal endeavors, enjoy the playoffs, and God speed as you attempt to follow (Dr. Evil voice) one million followers.
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Friday FunStuff: It's No "Press Hop," But...

...you do, in fact, play to win the game.

(clip courtesy of Deadspin)
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Playoff Baseball In The Daytime, And Nighttime: First Pitch '09

Today we kick off a little thing known as the Major League Baseball Playoffs. In our minds it seems as though that bubble was burst yesterday, with the Twins' extra-innings win over the Tigers. But that festival of screwup in the Metrodome was merely a regular-season tiebreaker -- today is the real deal.

We've got a tripleheader on tap, with all games broadcast on the TBS. That's right, y'all, no Buck or McCarver until the ALCS starts next week. Our first game includes a heaping helping of local color in the person of your Colorado Rockies, so join us after the jump for today's orgy of baseball...

Colorado @ Philadelphia, 12:37 Mountain Both today's and tomorrow's games in the City Of Brotherly drop at this absurd noonish hour, a direct result of the Rockies' lack of national magnetism. The Philly phaithful are pissed about this, and demand is so light that one can acquire a nosebleed seat to today's game for less than a c-note on the black market.

Ubaldo Jimenez assumes his rightful role as the Colorado ace and Game 1 starter, while midseason acquisition Cliff Lee gets the ball from Charlie Manuel. Both are capable of complete domination, but only one has experience pitching in the postseason. Jimenez was on the staff of the '07 Rocktober club, but Lee was not on the Indians' playoff roster that autumn.

The question marks in Jim Tracy's lineup are found at third base (Ian Stewart or righty-hitting Garret Atkins versus the lefty Lee?), catcher (Yorvit Torrealba played most of September, but Chris Ianetta has crouched much of the last week), and in the outfield (the normal alignment of Gonzalez-Fowler-Hawpe, or a wild card such as Seth Fucking Smith or RH Ryan Spillborghs?). Regardless of the particulars, everyone knows that the Rockies have had a harder time hitting lefties this season (.253/.335/.430 against LHP vs. .264/.346/.445 against RHP), and they will face Lee, Cole Hamels and J.A. Happ in this series. If they can get to the bullpen, however, the Rockies will see almost no southpaws (unless Happ is assigned to relief). J.C. Romero, Scott Eyre and Jamie Moyer are all hurt.

As for the Phillies, they boast a prodigious power-and-speed lineup along with rings from last year's championship. The fact that Colorado's only lefty starter (Jorge De La Rosa) will not pitch in this series to Philly's lefty sluggers (Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez) is pretty devastating to the Rockies' hopes.

The deck seems stacked against the Rockies, but Tracy is some sort of voodoo witch doctor. My guess is that he has one more potion in his bag of tricks for these Phillies. SERIES PREDICTION: ROCKIES IN FIVE.

Minnesota @ NY Yankees, 4:07 21 hours after killing off the Tigers, the Twins get a date with the 103-win Yankees at the Stadium. All you need to know about this game is that the Yankees' new park is an absolute bandbox, and the weather forecast calls for 10-40 mph winds blowing out to center. Expect copious home runs, mostly by the home team. Brian Duensing is Minnesota's sacrificial lamb, while C.C. Sabathia starts for the Bombers. SERIES PREDICTION: YANKEES IN THREE.

Cardinals @ Dodgers, 7:37 The late game features two teams that limped down the stretch, but still coasted in thanks to massive division leads. Although the Dodgers have home field here, everyone's picking St. Louis thanks to their Cy Young-y 1-2 pitching punch of Chris Carpenter/Adam Wainwright and their MVP-ish hitting combo of Albert Pujols/Matt Holliday. LA's issues start with their thoroughly pedestrian rotation (Randy Wolf starts tonight opposite Carpenter) and their punchless cleanup hitter (Manny Ramirez, who's hit just one HR since Sept. 9). Try as I might to find a way for the Dodgers to prevail, I just don't think they're very good. SERIES PREDICTION: CARDINALS IN FOUR.
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Baseball in the Daytime: el Dos de Rocktober

Well, well, well. The Colorado Rockies, as I'm sure all four of our readers already know, kicked the snot out of the Milwaukee Brew Crew yesterday afternoon, and earned themselves a playoff spot for the second time in three years. Now, if they can knock off the as-of-late pussified Dodgers, they could earn themselves a handsome little division title. They'll get after it this evening, by the way, out at the confines in a tilt that features the 11-6 Randy Wolf and the 14-12 Ubaldo Jimenez. In other playoff news, the Red Sox finally saw enough distance between themselves and the Rangers to squeak in, which means everything's a lock except for the damn A.L. Central. Minnesota took the win yesterday to bring things back to a two-game difference again. They host the Royals today; they'll need to win and get some help from the Ozzie Guillens who visit Detroit. Should be interesting-ish. Your unlighted, non-playoff (playoff?) baseball still awaits, after the jump.

Arizona @ Chicago, 1:20 Central: Billy Buckner and Tom Gorzelanny. One righty, one lefty. Two teams that will say "thanks and see ya'" to 2009 come Sunday. They'll get underway in the Field of Wrigleys this afternoon, and it'll be up to the Baby Bears to try and cool off the smokin' hot Pirates? XM was kind enough to include Rocktober in their schedule, and they'd therefore love it if you listened in to the game on channel 183. The DirecTV Webmasters are obviously not that intelligent.

Enjoy your last afternoon of regular-season day baseball. Go Broncos! Rockies!
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Baseball In The Daytime: 1 October 2009

Buckle your chin straps and fasten your safety belts, because this is the penultimate Baseball In The Daytime of the whole year and it's a humdinger. That was about the most nonsensical sentence imaginable, as you don't wear helmets or seatbelts while watching day baseball. Unless you're mentally retarded, in which case I apologize for my gross insensitivity to your condition.

Also, I believe that at least a few of next week's Division Series games will be played during daylight hours, so I was wrong there as well. WHO'S THE RETARD NOW?

Juvenile insults aside, we truly do have some killer games on the sked this afternoon. We've got a Cy Young race to decide, a possible playoff spot to clinch, and home field issues on the Senior Circuit to untangle. Some teams are rising, some stumbling, some playing out the string, and some trying to build a little momentum for the offseason. Let's get right into the fray, after the jump...

St. Louis @ Cincinnati, 10:35 Mountain The popular scuttlebutt holds that the NL Cy Young battle is a three-man race. Those men are Tim Lincecum of the Giants (who won in '08) and Cardinals teammates Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. For my money Wainwright's the guy--he's been the most consistently unhittable from start to finish, even though Carpenter and Lincecum have slightly better stuff. It's not wrapped up, however, and a memorable start by Carpenter today could sway some of the spineless chin-strappers that inhabit the Baseball Writers of America. Carpenter's foil today is Cincinnati's Kip Wells.

Of more import than individual awards is the seeding in the NL playoffs. The Dodgers are still on top of the league with 93 wins, but they've dropped four straight to the putrid Pirates and Padres by a combined score 0f 25-7. Philadelphia sits a game behind with 92 wins, while the Rockies and Cardinals are currently at 90. All four of these teams are still in the mix for the top spot, and so every game they play over the next four days is impactful for playoff positioning.

Minnesota @ Detroit, 11:05 Over in the American League, we've got but one spot in the October tournament up for grabs. Someone has to win the Central division, and that someone will be one of the two teams wrasslin' at Comerica today. The Tigers, thanks to last night's 7-2 TKO of the Twins, hold a commanding three-game lead with four to play. A Detroit win behind lefty Nate Robertson means the race is over, good night, please hand in your keys. Should Scott Baker and Minnesota prevail, however, we keep this slugfest alive for at least one more day.

Milwaukee @ Colorado, 1:10 The brooms are out at Coors today, along with whatever symbolic trinketry you smuggle in when you're about to clinch. A boxing glove? A roll of toilet paper? An octopus? I don't know the protocol here. Aaron Cook starts for the home Rockies, who with a win lock down their second playoff berth in three seasons. Manny Parra tries to prevent any celebration on his watch, and you know what? Fuck Manny Parra and fuck the Brewers. We're taking a stand today, and it is decidedly homeriffic in the Centennial State.

With a victory, Colorado can also stay alive for a super-unlikely division crown, which would be their first. Tomorrow the Rox start a season-ending three-gamer at Chavez Ravine versus the free-falling Dodgers.

Arizona @ San Francisco, 1:45 The last of our BitD four-spot features the day's finest pitching matchup, Dan Haren against Lincecum. Haren has gone into his traditional second-half swoon, transforming from onetime Cy candidate to a guy who gives up five a game. Not that I'm bitter, not that I need Dan Haren to show up today to salvage my fading hopes in a fantasy baseball final. Let's throw a few strikes today, fellas, and Play Ball! Read more

Baseball in the Daytime: The First Day of Fall

We're down to the last eight or nine games of the regular season for most teams, and this is where the shoestrings must be tied tight, the eye black painted thickly if your day baseball has implications of October in it. There's but one game on tap today. Details after the jump.

Philadelphia @ Florida, 3:10 Central: Today's lone feature contains the N.L. East first-place, and still defending-champion Philadelphia Phillies and the Florida Marlins. A pair of righties are your starters today, and they're a pair with great numbers on the season. Big Joe Blanton goes for the Phils. He's 10-7 with a 3.97 earned-run average. Okay, not great, but good. His counterpart, Josh Johnson, has won 15 while only losing for, averaging 3.01 earned runs per contest. The Marlins still have a chance to get into playoff baseball, but they'll need to play near-perfect baseball. As of today, they, along with Atlanta, sit five games back of the Rockies, and they have the four-games-back Giants to leapfrog in the Wild Card race. Today's match, available for viewing on DirecTV 732 (heard on XM 185) gives Florida one of their best shots to gain some ground, as they'll play two today with Philly. Jamie Moyer and Anibal Sanchez are slated to start game two.

Other N.L. standings news includes the St. Louis Cardinals 10 ahead of Chicago in the Central, while the Dodgers hold a five-game lead over the Rockies. In the American League, Los Angeles is eight games in front of the Rangers in the West, New York has five games over Boston in the East, and Detroit's Central lead has been whittled down to two and-a-half games. Minnesota has nothing but division road games left: two more with the White Sox, a three-spot with the Royals, and a season-closing visit to Detroit, which should be nothing shy of fantastic. Thw Twins have won five of six, while the Tigers have dropped six of their last 10.

That's the day-baseball news for now and I...am...outta here.
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Baseball in the Tubgirl Day Time: Step Away From the Promotions Podium

Howdy, folks. As you well may know, we're three days into September, which means we're four weeks away from playoff baseball. Now, that might be exciting to you if you root for a good team. I do not, so therefore, I have looked ahead to the football and hockey seasons, where I'll also root for not good teams. I'm hoping the Chiefs might go 8-8, but then Peter King is predicting just that, so it probably won't happen. He's also predicting five wins out of Denver, four out of Oakland, and for the Cleveland Browns to assume the old 2-14 role, which I've come to know somewhat well. Elsewhere in Sports Illustrated writing is this month-old piece. Not a bad read.

Cleveland @ Detroit, 12:05 Central: Kicking things off today is our lone American League match. Sort of. It features Fausto Carmona on the visiting hill for the Tribe. Nate Robertson and his Kyle Farnsworth glasses gets the nod for the home team at Comerica Park. Nobody's quite sure what to make of Carmona these days. He sports a 3-9 record, a 6.20 E.R.A. Robertson, however, is making just his second start o' the season, and his earned-run average is inching towards seven. In this fine contest of American League Central clubs, Detroit, as mentioned earlier in the week, keeps coasting along in first. Cleveland looks to avoid the series sweep. DirecTV will feature the tilt on 721, 723. XM carries it on channel 176.

Milwaukee @ St. Louis, 1:15: We go from A.L. Central to N.L. Central in an hour and change in day baseball. At Busch Stadium today, Manny Parra goes for the Brew Crew; some guy named John Smoltz goes for the first-place Redbirds. St. Louis is pretty much a lock to take this division with a 10 and-a-half-game lead going into today. Milwaukee faded down the stretch quicker than a can of Beast Light exits the bowels the morning after a beer bender. Parra hopes to bring his record to .500. Smoltz is hoping to just not get lit up. See what happens on DirecTV 723, 724, or listen in on XM 185.

Chicago @ Chicago, 1:20: Here's where things get interesting: It's a little Interleague play sprung upon the day baseball fans, out of nowhere, and landing in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. Un cabron by the name of Carlos Torres seeks win number one in his third big-league start. He's not yet taken a loss, but his E.R.A. has taken a beating. He'll represent the visitors today and aspire to secure himself a job in the White Stockings future rotation. On the mound for the Cubbies is Ryan Dempster who's put together an 8-7/4.15 campaign. The righty has also fanned 129 while walking 56. Both Chicago clubs could make a run at a wildcard spot, but they'll need some serious ass-kicking medicine to kick in. See who's got the edge on DirecTV 307, 725, or 726. If you're listenin', it's XM one eight five.

New York @ Colorado, 2:10: Finally, Los Mets visit SethfuckingSmith and the Colorado Rockies in a pitching duel that features lefty Pat Misch for the Metropolitans, Jason Marquis for the home team. Heading into today, New York has lost eight of their last 10, and have now won only eight more ball games than the Kansas City Royals. The magic eight ball says, "Your future looks cloudy." Colorado on the other hand, can't decide if they'll catch the Dodgers or just float kinda motion-like on a breeze in hopes for a post-season gift. And speaking of post-season gifts, this makes me puke, not in my mouth, but projectile-style, on my shoes. If you think that's an improvement over Dane Cook, feel free to check yourself in to the nearest community mental health center, pronto. Anyway, the home team's hurler, Marquis, has gone 14-9 this season while keeping his E.R.A. under four. The Rox have put together two straight wins, but they still sit four-plus back of the N.L. West lead. Watch this game on DirecTV 213 or 727. Catch the audio on XM 184. And if you'd like, read this SI piece, and rip the author a new one for failing to mention SethfuckingSmith. Dude calls himself a writer. Oh well. At least he remembered to boldface all his names.

There's your friendly foursome of day baseball. Get out there and represent, represent.
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Baseball Bits For A Monday Morning Afternoon

There's no day baseball to fill the afternoon, but we're drawn to the game nonetheless. The trade deadline is in four days, the extra-special super-secret Roy Halladay Deadline is tomorrow, and a few swaps have already been consummated. Some big important series, vital homestands and gruelling road trips kick off tonight. And, on top of all that, we inducted a new class into the Baseball Hall Of Fame yesterday, a class that did not include either Pete Rose or any infamous steroid users. Yet all anyone in Cooperstown could talk about were Pete Rose and infamous steroid users.

Back in the day, they used to schedule the Hall Of Fame Game on this very Monday afternoon, at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown. That would have meant the A's and the Red Sox, the clubs most associated with newly minted inductees Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice, would have been forced to travel to a sleepy hamlet in upstate New York for a pseudo-exhibition in the middle of a pennant race. That was a hassle, I agree. But the A's and the Red Sox are already playing tonight, as luck would have it, at Fenway. We couldn't have played that game in daylight? Pricks.

Join us, you nocturnal baseball vampires, after the jump...

If you haven't seen Rickey's speech, please watch, it's timeless. I knew Rick was a kook and took some, um, serious liberties with the English language. Until yesterday, however, I had no ideas that he was physically incapable of pronouncing words that end in the letter S. "I was called up to the major, to play for the Oakland A." At first, I wondered if this is some kind of a condition, like Tourette's or bedwetting. But Rickey's presentation was so thoughtful, so funny and so...Rickey that I am now convinced he has created his own dialect on purpose. If Cormac McCarthy can write entire novels without using punctuation and be considered a literary genius, Rickey should be applauded for creating a world all his own.

The staff of the House of Georges conducted a series of online drafts this weekend, selecting topics for an upcoming series where we'll list our Top 25 of the last 25 years in a variety of categories. The details are unimportant, trust me, if you read this blog you will hear A LOT about this draft in the coming weeks. Let me just say that I had the pleasure of taking Rickey among my Top 25 hitters, and his numbers are just insane. Even my wife, who's not exactly the hugest stat freak you've ever met, did a double-take when she heard that Rickey stole 130 bases in 1982. "That's almost one a game!" she exclaimed.

Speaking of baseball conversations with the wives, this one at Shysterball made me LOL my ass off.

Hank Aaron is one of the most respected figures in the game, and his opinion carries a lot of weight. Unfortunately, a lot of people jerk Hank Aaron around and cash in on his credibility. Bud Selig went on Mike and Mike a few weeks back and defended his moronic scheme to tie winning the All-Star Game with home field in the World Series, and he said that because Aaron and Ron Santo told him the ASG had lost intensity from their day, he had to make the move in order to restore the game's spark. Bud Selig blamed his crackpot idea on Hank Aaron, only one of the ten best baseball players of all time. God I hate Bud Selig.

But back to Hank--he gave an interview over the weekend that raised a few eyebrows. he said that Rose should get in, and he said that juicers should too, with an asterisk on their plaques. I applaud Aaron for this on many levels. One is that he's right--Rose, Bonds, Manny and Rocket are among the greatest to ever play the game and deserve enshrinement. Two, just because you grant someone entry into the Hall of Fame doesn't mean you're calling them perfect people. Everyone knows that Reggie Jackson struck out more than anyone else in history, that Nolan Ryan issued more walks, hit more batters and permitted more stolen bases than any other pitcher, and that Ty Cobb left a trail of murdered people across the American South. Still Hall of Famers.

But mostly, I applaud Hank Aaron for speaking rationally on the subject, because if Bud Selig and the baseball writers follow his advice Hank Aaron will lose a significant amount of money. Keep that in mind whenever you hear Joe Morgan, Goose Gossage or any other sanctimonious douchebag HoFer opine on the Hall-worthiness of modern players--the more guys they keep out the more cash they keep from merchandising and card shows. It ain't all about the purity of the game or of the shrine in Cooperstown.

On the actual field of play, the Red Sox are dropping in the standings like a stone while the Yankees never lose. Luckily for Boston, they get four games at home against the sad-sack A's while new York heads to Tampa for a three-game set. The Yanks currently lead the AL East by 2 1/2 over the Sox and 6 1/2 over the Bay-Rays, while Boston leads the wild card by 2 1/2 over the Rangers.

So much for Mark Buehrle's perfect game getting the White Sox back into it--the day after the gem Chicago showed up in Detroit for four and promptly dropped the first three games. This took them from a divisional tie to three games out, and although the Pale Hose won last night to draw within two of the Tigers, we're all reminded of the fact that the White Sox aren't very good. Detroit's not either, but they will win this division barring a major collapse or unconscious run by someone else (hello, Minnesota).

I'm still saying that the NL East and West are decided, and that Philly and LA can start booking hotels for October. Stuck in the middle is St. Louis, who saw their Central lead evaporate over the weekend. The Cards dropped two of three to the Phils and today welcome the Dodgers to Busch for four more. Getting Matt Holliday was a major coup for St. Louis, and if they can keep Chris Carpenter healthy they have a major leg up should they make the playoffs. The one-two punch of Carpenter-Adam Wainwright is unmatched in the NL, unless Philadelphia or LA ends up with Roy Halladay.

In the NL wild card, Colorado dispatched the Giants yesterday to win their series and open up a two-game lead over the G-Men. After ceding first place in the Central to the red-hot Cubs, the Cardinals sit 2 1/2 back. The Rockies embark on their toughest and most crucial stretch of the season tonight as they start a four-game set with the Mets in Queens. Then they head to Cincinnati and Philly before coming home to battle the Cubs. Can Colorado's remarkable starting pitching hold up? Can their bullpen continue to get key outs with no-namers and minor-leaguers? Will Carlos Gonzales figure out how to hit, thus making the lineup completely unstoppable? I don't have these answers, folks, if I did I'd have a job writing for a seldom-read sports blog whose rough focus was the rivalry between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. Enjoy your week.

UPDATE: Our Smart Guy of the Day award goes to this dude at Wrigley. Thanks to Neyer for the link.
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Tuesday Tidbits: Quite Possibly the Best StubTube Ever

Although, this one ain't too shabby, either:



(both clips courtesy of Kissing Suzy Kolber)
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Saturday Studmuffins: St. Louis Blues' Keith Tkachuk

Playoff hockey is back for the Blue Notes of Ess Tee Elle, and it couldn't have come in a more exciting fashion. Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that it was evident via "the sounds of the fans in attendance Friday, more than enough time has elapsed without postseason hockey in town. With the crowd buzzing as early as the pregame warm-ups, a deafening roar ensued when McDonald put the Blues ahead 1-0 on a power-play goal only 3 minutes, 19 seconds into the game."

The Blues managed to compile quite a push for the playoffs, being in last place in the NHL's Western Conference as recent as February, and a trade-deadline decision to keep forward Keith Tkachuk paid dividends Friday night at the Scottrade Center as "Walt" put together a two-goal, one-assist evening against Ken Hitchcock and the Columbus Blue Jackets, pushing the Blues into the post-season for the first time in three years.

Things will likely get harder before they get any easier, however, as the Blues could very well face President's Trophy candidate San Jose. The Blues faced, and were eliminated by the Sharks in their 2004 playoff appearance, and have been ousted by the Sharks on two other occasions in the last decade. Until that series gets underway, however, it's celebration time for the Blues.


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Sunday Sermon: What the Image Says

Now, almost every single post-season game has gone the way I hoped it would. Yesterday's Titans-Ravens game was a disappointment, only in terms of the final outcome. I'd like for Jeff Fisher to get one, and the whole Kerry Collins story was neat, too. Smash, and Dash, however, can drink a simmering vile of panther urine for all I care. That game, though, left a most profound thought smattered across my brain...

...and that is the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs are really no where near to contender status. The defenses displayed by both Tennessee and Baltimore were beyond impressive. They stopped the run, they hit guys like freight trains, they played their positions, they trusted one another, they wrapped up their tackles, they made picks, and they kept it to a field-goal game, more or less. It was remarkable.

Since Carl Peterson stepped down as GM for the Chiefs, I've waivered a bit on whether or not I think Head Coach Herman Edwards should be retained for another year. Now I'm certain he should not. He's a defensive-minded coach that would be entering his fourth year of this program. His secondary can hit hard and pick off a few passes. But they don't wrap up, they don't stay in position, they don't have trust, and they get smoked because the linebackers and linemen are flippin' terrible. Perhaps, if you don't count his first year here, this upcoming third season with "his players" is just what he needs to get this thing righted, but the gap between the Chiefs defense (last in the league) and that of both clubs on the field yesterday in Tennessee are astronomical, a leap very few could make, I imagine.

I suppose the same argument could be made for the Denver Broncos, but that stand is for some other guy on some other job.

Miscellaneously speaking, I'm pumped for the Cardinals. Really? An NFC Championship in Arizona? That's freaking nuts. Now, how to root in this Pittsburgh/San Diego tilt -- that's beyond me.
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Sunday Sermon: Is This Like the Fourth Time It's Been Sunday This Week?

Well, we haven't exactly been post-tastic this week, but everyone's schedule's been a bit screwy. While it would appear that the good games happened yesterday -- nothing like a 3-3 Dolphins/Ravens first half -- there have been some interesting things take place since we last checked in to articulate our thoughts and opinions on the Mike Shanahan firing. After the jump, we'll talk playoff football, the Winter Classic, and more. Please join.

In the universe of things miscellany, I'm a sucker for a good commercial, and the first to criticize a bad one. I happen to enjoy this one:



Now, if interpreting this ad as a prequel to a Manniams porn shoot is wrong, then believe me when I say that I don't want to be right. I will be ready and waiting to pirate that clip.

Regarding the New Year's Day hockey contest at Wrigley Field, I gotta say that it was conceptually awesome. I say conceptually because the outcome sucked, as all Red Wings victories do, but the venue looked spectacular, the fans appeared to really enjoy themselves, and after last year's amazing game at Ralph Wilson Stadium, it would be hard to imagine a better television rating in 2009, but it jumped 12 percent. My prediction for next year is a Rangers-Islanders contest at the new Yankees stadium. Perhaps those won't be the teams, but I feel pretty solid about the location. But enough about hockey, right?

Yesterday's NFL playoff games were awesome. Will Leitch's buzzsaw emerged victorious over Mike Smith, Matty Ice, and the Atlanta Falcons. The contest started strong with a surprising dose of Edgerrin James, and on one drive in particular, James and Brenda Warner's husband collaborated on a flea-flicking touchdown pass -- that culminated with an incredible Larry Fitzgerald catch -- to really set the pace of the game. The Arizona defense did a fantastic job of containing Michael Turner (42 yards), and ultimately, got themselves the win. Ken Wisenhunt's Cardinals established themselves as the greatest show on removable turf, and acquired many a bandwagoneer, myself included. It was a great appetizer to Saturday evening's main course: Marmalard versus Chesning.

(Update: The half has ended, and the Ravens are up 13-3, largely thanks to two Chad Pennington picks. The CBS Halftime Crew just interviewed Jeff Fisher, and showed a great clip of Bill Cowher (then with the Eagles) tackling Fisher (with the Bears) on a punt return play. Fisher, the punt returner, had his leg broken by Cowher, a play Fisher jokingly called dirty, and Cowher responded by saying that they were both "non-athletes; That's why we were on the punt teams.")

I asked Cecil and Seven how a Broncos fan possibly roots in this contest, given that a) though Denver has somehow had New England's number in recent years, the Colts have regularly destroyed them, and b) the Chargers-Broncos rivalry has, in the last two years, become the best in the AFC West, and among the tops in the conference. Seven, once Chesning finally got to the Super Bowl and won it, has gone on record, and admitted that his hate for the elder Manning brother has recently diminished. Add to that that he now hates the Chargers more, as "these things go in cycles," quoth the Hootster. Cecil, however, opted to root for a bomb to be detonated at Qualcomm, but one that only maims both signal callers.

Personally, I rooted for the Chargers. This was so for three reasons: 1) I'm tired of seeing Peyton in the post-season, 2) I'd like to see poor ol' Norv Turner have a few critics get off his back, and 3) the way that Whale's Vagina came back to claim the division from Denver, and vindicate HochuliGate, has got to be one of the best NFL stories in recent years. And by "recent years," I mean ever.

Anyway, much like the Kansas Jayhawks 2008 championship game, I didn't really expect to see this game get tied and go to overtime as the final fourth-quarter minutes approached. When it did, I was pumped for more football, and a Charger chance at Colt elimination. Darren "Webster Coleman" Sproles ripped off 328 yards in quite the performance, and Marmalard hit Gates with key passes in OT, concluding a great day of football, (Editor's Note: save the post-game interview with Rivers; that was quite painful.) which is much more than I can say for this Dolphins game. The best aspect of it thus far is the Ravens defense putting vicious hit after vicious hit on the Miami offense. (Update: Hey look: As I typed that the Ravens clobbered Patrick "Wayne" Cobbs and he coughed it up.)

Once this one's in the books, we'll get Philly-Minnesota. Snore. Now, I'd like to see the Eagles get the win there, just to silence the Viking hype. Brad Childress does not appear to be a great coach. Obviously, Adrian Peterson is an animal, but the quarterback situation there is a joke, and Jared Allen can help himself to a spoonful of bloody stool.

(Update: Mike Cox's least favorite player Le'Ron McClain just scored.)

And now that this game has gotten even more exciting, I'll conclude this random rant, and really not pay attention to it.

(Note: Ed Reed is a freaking animal.)
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Sleeping With the Enemy: Week 11, Saints @ Chiefs

Hey, look: We're back, after quite the hiatus, with another installment of "Sleeping with the Enemy." We were slated to have two fans with us this evening, but one of them's likely busy comping Mug Club member pints and sucking sewage out of the basement. Ah, who needs 'im.

(Update: Mr. David O'Brien is reporting as an eligible N'awlins contributor.)

The New Orleans native we have with us for this special occasion is a gentleman by the name of Jim Ligon. I've worked with Jim on more than one occasion, and been a drinking customer of his in between. He's a lady's man and a scholar, and by Jove, he's a Saints fan to the core. (Editor's Note: I've also worked with the DOB; he's a go-getter, and don't you ever give him cold fries or he'll have your kidneys for breakfast.). We all sat down for a few minutes and shot the breeze about some AFC West/NFC South football this week, and you can read all about it, a mere jump over the canal.

Bankmeister: For starters, give us a brief history of your ties to New Orleans, your fandom of the Saints.

Jim Ligon: I am a lifelong Saints fan as you know. The Saints and I have the same birth year. The inaugural game was September 1967; I was born in December of that year but my parents went to the game so even though I was still in the womb, I was there too. Growing up my grandfather had season tickets, so that's how we'd spend family time: at the game. Historically the Saints have been horrible. But you know what? There was always a good time to be had at the game. Fans in New Orleans are passionate about the Saints but they also have a great sense of humor. Guess its that whole "laugh or cry" thing. I mean, yes fans at one time wore bags on their heads to the dome. But you know what? They still showed up.

David O'Brien: I was born and raised in New Orleans. I grew up with one of the worst teams in NFL history; we invented the bag head! For years I thought they were called the Aint's, that's what my dad called them anyway. Either that or the Idiots. My wife was a New Orleans Saintsation (Saints Cheerleader) in 2000 and I got a pair of season tickets with VIP parking. I was initially indifferent about the windfall but it turned out to be one of the best seasons in their history. We actually made it to the playoffs for only the second time in 30 years and we won the first round game! I had always been a fan but that season was the beginning of the new regime...although they would finish the following season at 7-9.

JL: Things changed a lot in 1987: we had a decent team. Back then, though, the 49ers were the shit. The Saints always played them competitively but Montana always seemed to be the difference maker. We just could never get over that hump, which sucked because the Niners were in our division. Anyway, we played them that year in the dome early on and once again got beat...barely. That was the day the "coulda, woulda, shoulda" Jim Mora speech was born. The Saints won the next nine games in a row and it was sheer magic in NOLA! Fans had never tasted anything close to success like that. We went 12-4. Fucking Niners (went) 13-3. We were regulated to wildcard status but it WAS the first playoff game ever for the Saints and we had just won nine in a row! We got annihilated by the Vikings. That was the dawn of the modern-day, disappointing life of a Saints fan. Y'know, back when they sucked, at least you knew what you were gonna get.

Anyway, we had continued moderate success through the early 90s. Then Ditka came to town. Word on the street is that he spent more time gambling and playing golf than coaching and it certainly showed. That was a rough time for Saints fans 'cause we had tasted a little success before, then went back to laughing-stock status.

I was working at McCoy's when we won our first playoff game ever. Actually watched it at the bar with Dave Avitabile. We were a good team at that time but not great. Some of the NOLA community became a bit disheartened and maybe even started to lose interest. Then in August of '05 Katrina happened and the levees failed. We lost 60 percent of our people. Some died in the flood, others were transported to places all over the country. The dome had a hole in the roof and was pretty much destroyed from holding thousands of evacuees. The Saints did not play in NOLA that year; they were mostly in San Antonio and there was lots of talk about them staying there. The city of San Antonio lobbied hard to get them to stay. Fuck San Antonio. You don't kick a man when he's down and that's what they did by trying to use our tragedy for their gain. They didn't succeed.



I was at the reopening of the dome for the game against the Falcons. Let me first tell you that I cried. A lot. So did everyone around me and all over the dome that night. Our Saints were back in the dome and so were our people! There's no way in hell I would have not been there for that game.

When Steve Gleason blocked the punt on Atlanta's opening series, all hell broke loose. The ball just dribbled into the end zone off the block and just kinda stopped there. We recovered it for the TD and all hell really broke loose. Imagine all the pain and sadness from the previous year. People losing everything they've known, friends and loved ones dying in a flood that should have been prevented, more friends and loved ones dying because of slow federal response, all of the hard work it took to move past it and at least start to rebuild. It was just such an emotional time and when Gleason blocked that punt it ALL came out in one huge, long roar. During his post-game interview, Gleason said that he had received a text message from a friend telling him that because of that blocked punt he was single-handedly responsible for the most beer being spilled at one time in the dome.

You know the story of the '06 season from there. We beat the crap out of the Falcons that night and continued to ride that wave of emotion until we lost to da' Bears in the NFC championship game. Since then, expectations have been high and have not really been consistently met.

B: Wow. That really caught me off guard. Very special stuff. I'm glad you were able to attend such a monumental game. Not to minimize all of that, but let's fast forward to this season: I'm kind of surprised where this club is: 4-5, last place in the NFC South. I mean, I was surprised enough to learn that the two toughest divisions in football -- the East and the South -- would come out of the NFC. Of those eight teams, I certainly expected the Saints to be higher up. I mean, I suppose to some extent I didn't expect the Falcons and the Redskins to be playing this well, but for the Saints to have all of the firepower that they do, this club's got to be a headache for Saints fans and fantasy owners alike. Did you have greater mid-season expectations for them? I suppose if I had to put together a theory, it would revolve around balance. They're first in the league in passing and total yard average per game, and in the top 10 in points. Defensively though, they're in the bottom half in a lot of categories, and in some, they're in the high 20s.

DOB: Definitely dissappointed in their standings at this point. They have so much firepower on offense and a zero support on defense. I think balance is the key word with the Saints...even when the defense put up a good effort against the Vikings by shutting down the run, the offense failed to capitalize. If you recall, Bush ran back two punts for TDs in the game which gave it the illusion of being a close game. I don't know if they can make it all click in the same game.

JL: Looking at this year, I would have to look at a couple of areas for the 4-5 start, injuries being one. Sure, you can say that every team has to play through them but objectively speaking, the injury bug HAS found the Saints particularly delicious this year. Another one being poor coaching decisions at extremely critical times.

B: Hmm. I guess I hadn't put much stake into the bad coaching possibility. I must've assumed it was a mix of poor execution and stiff competition. There've been some interesting Saints tidbits floating around, though, and for those of us not in the know, I'll ask you to elaborate on them.

Deuce McAllister. What's going on with the allegations of performance-enhancing substance usage and subsequent suspension? Is this guy ever going to be the fierce factor that he was for a brief moment a few years ago?

JL: Deuce is awesome but not nearly the beast he used to be and one tweak from being done for good. As far as the impending suspensions, (they) would loom a lot larger if we were in the division hunt. Right now it seems like a non-factor. (The) story of this season has been great play in some areas but an overall consistency sorely lacking. That'll get you 7-9 every time.

DOB: It is very clear to me, and any game film will confirm, that Deuce is definitely not on performance-enhancing drugs. I think that this offense has become too complicated for Deuce and his running style. How do you incorporate what Brees is capable of doing with the passing game and the Bush dynamic with a between-the-tackles runner? The upside is that teams have to load the box because of what he is capable of doing up the gut; it allows the offense to spread the passing game. Duece was successful when he had to carry the load, but as we have seen with LJ, it will only bring a team so far. The Chiefs face a similar situation this Sunday when Larry returns. How will he fit into the NEW Chiefs offense?

B: Touche. One of my colleagues has said that Reggie Bush is more like a receiver than a tailback, that he never runs with his shoulders squared and his body lowered. Will he ever be a premiere back in this league, or will he continue to be used in the screen-passing game and as a special-teams weapon exclusively?

JL: Reggie Bush needs to be out in space, not between the tackles and it took awhile for the staff to figure that out. His instinct since he was five years old has been to rely on his speed; you just can't coach someone differently to change that mindset. That said, he is an awesome weapon that we are very happy to have. Gotta use him the right way, though.

DOB: He would be dead in two weeks if he tried to square up in this league. I cringe everytime he leaves the ground in one of his aerodynamic leaps. He is going to seriously get his head knocked off with the silly shit. I think he is a freak and he is having success, he is a serious threat to defenses around the league. Would you consider Priest Holems a premiere back in his hay day? Lots of screen passes...and lots of outside carries (with the best O-line in the league at that point). Bottom line: he is a playmaker and you have top make adjustments whenever he is on the field. Period.

B: Good point. I guess, from the perspective of a Saints fan, getting the most production out of him yields more than criticizing/comparing him. (Note: Yes, I would consider Holmes a premiere back. In fact, if I saw Reggie in the quarter, I'd buy him a beer and say this: "Here, my son. Enjoy. You are a talent, but I've seen Priest Holmes. I've been around Priest Holmes. You, my friend, are no Priest Holmes. But of course, I am a massive homer.)

Drew Brees. Obviously this guy has a terrific arm and a solid mindset for the passing game. Does he have all of the necessary ammunition in his arsenal to flourish? And speaking of the receiving game, what's with Marques Colston? He seems to have been lingering in the injury clouds for far too long. In his absence, are Devery Henderson and Lance Moore where they should be with pass catching? Their numbers are roughly equal. Is this a good thing that Brees is looking for them both, or should one have emerged as a number one in Colston's absence?

JL: Drew Brees is a god and we're lucky to have him. The numbers speak volumes and I'm sure fans in KC would love to have some semblance of his quality QB play.

DOB: Short answer, yes. He is already flourishing as the top-rated passer in the league. The problem is that his team is failing to keep up. I think it speaks to Brees' talent as a passer and their inexperience in the league. Although, it is the NFL and it is pretty simple: put up or shut up. One of these guys needs to get hungry and pull more weight to bring this team to a respectable level. If it happens, then Colston’s return will be like icing on the cake...for the offense at least.

B: I'm sure you're both right on the money with that. How about Jeremy Shockey? How has his production been received by Saints fans? Was it a good deal? Twenty-four catches for 223 yards and no TDs would suggest not. What was the tiff between Brees and Shockey about last week?

JL: (The) jury is still out on the Shockey thing. To his defense, he has been injury plagued but staying healthy is part of the equation, right? Guys in the locker room do seem to like him. As far as the sideline exchange between he and Brees...Shockey did admit that he fucked up on a play earlier that series. Perhaps taking responsibility means that he has matured, (but the) jury is still out.

DOB: Yeah, we got a Super Bowl-caliber tight end -- wait, did he actually play? BOO! I want my draft pick back. What? Safety is an actual position? On defense? No deal. The tiff: Brees is a baller and Shockey is an idiot. Drew was fired up about the game and Jeremy could give two shits.

B: Well, I guess that's fair. It's certainly weird how low his numbers are compared with what he used to average in New York. How 'bout the coach? Sean Payton was highly heralded upon having quick success as the head coach. Things haven't looked as good for him and his team since. What's your take on his tenure thus far?

JL: (It) seems like Sean Payton just can't seem to get a break at times, which makes it seem like he's calling the wrong plays at important times. Part of that is not having a reliable power-run game.

DOB: Good coach, cursed team. He has taken this team to heights never before seen by Saints fans; we actually sniffed a Super Bowl. You can’t get there every year and it is clear that if they want to get back, they need to focus on balance. That means building a D.

B: And this Chiefs team? Win-loss record aside, all of the buzz around KC is that they're finally building the ability to play some decent football. How does this matchup look to you? Many are speculating that Brees will throw for eleventy billion yards on this banged-up secondary.

JL: As far as this weekend's matchup... it will be very interesting to see how the Saints play after a truly devastating, sound whooping from Atlanta, (one) that pretty much ended our post-season hopes. With all of the high expectations this year, it would not surprise me if they came out real flat against the 1-8 Chiefs. Also, despite the record, it sure seems like the Chiefs are starting to play better, so this could be a circumstance where you have two teams moving in opposite directions. (I) would not be at all surprised to see the Chefs come out on top. Although in the end I do think NOLA has too much offensive fire power and will prevail.

DOB: They are definitely starting to put out a product that is exciting to watch, even though it will inevitably end in disappointment. (Note: Naysayer! Naysayer!) I think the match up is lopsided. The Saints have a high-octane offense and no defense and the Chiefs have a fun, new, but unproven offense and no defense. The stars are in NO's favor but we are talking about KC at home and only winning 1 of the last 8 games (really?). Eleventy billion is a big number...no doubt the leading NFL passer will have a field day against this Chiefs offense, but how many passes will...Never mind. Chiefs have five starters out and their third corner is questionable. Oh yeah, Surtain will be limited, too. Eleventy Billion is about right.

B: Beyond this week, the schedule looks pretty brutal for New Orleans. Battles with both Bays, followed by games with Atlanta, Chicago, and Carolina. Sure, there's a gimme in there with Detroit, but how many games do you expect this team to win?

JL: (It) seems like the true Achilles has been the defense. I could give you a list...giving up the big play, not being able to get off the field on third and long, no forced turnovers to speak of, horrible play from the secondary (particularly safeties not being in proper position), minimal-to-no pressure from the front four (huge priority in the off-season). Sports writers in NOLA are speculating that Gary Gibbs, the D.C, is just not scheming properly and will be gone sooner (rather) than later, if nothing else, as a scapegoat. Another interesting situation is the fact that we are on our third punter and third kicker this year. Actually, I think your Chefs picked up our punter that we cut, Weathorford. He's the dude that wears his watch and wedding ring with his uniform. Funny shit.

DOB: One bay, two bay, red bay, Green Bay...no way! Knick knack paddy whack give d’em birds a bone, Chi town down at home. Two-Thousand zero-zero party oops out of time, them Panthers smellin’ fine. Lions lose.

B: Allllrighty, then. Finally, hook the House of Georges up with a prediction for Sunday's game.

JL: I bet it will be a close one, but as Madden would say, "the team that scores the most points will win." That'll probably be my Saints.

Good luck Sunday. I will be at Arrowhead sporting my Saints gear. Hopefully it won't be a long walk back to the car!

DOB: NOLA 35-----Chefs 28

B: Well, Billy Joel said it best: You may be wrong, but you may be right. I've had little to no luck predicting Chiefs scores in this series so far this year, so I'm gonna keep silent and just let the teams play. I will say, however, that it's been a pleasure having you both aboard, Mr. Ligon, Mr. O'Brien. We'll have to do this again, though I have a hunch it won't be in the 2008 playoffs.
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