The long season

Packers got crushed by the Bears yesterday. First time Brett Favre has ever been shut out. It’s going to be a looooong season …

Ugh.

At least the Colts-Giants game -- aka “The Manning Bowl” -- was fun to watch. Of course the importance of the game was way overblown, but at least it was a competitive game … And how cool was it to see Eli and Peyton spend several moments together in the middle of the field at the end of the game? I had expected the two to meet in the middle, pat each other on back and go their separate ways -- just like all the quarterbacks; forget the brotherly love stuff. Instead, the two met in the middle and spent more than a few seconds together, embracing and talking amid the hoard of cameramen and reporters, even graciously posing for pictures. Very cool.

… When a sideline reporter grabbed Peyton a couple minutes later, he told all of America how strong his bond with Eli really is, talking about the meeting at the end and saying how much he loved his brother. Sweet moment. … And when the reporter pointed out Peyton had never seen Eli play live, Peyton chuckled and said how impressed he was with Eli’s game, adding “he’s going to be in this league a long time.”

… Too bad it might be the most admiration I have for the game of football all season.
I’ve always known it on some level, but this weekend I realized straight up why I’ve never liked the game of football …

People who complain about baseball being too slow and boring -- good Lord! Have you watched a football game!?! … Football is such a herky-jerky, stop-and-start game, it drives me nuts. And I absolutely cannot stand to see a running back slam into a pile of 300-pound guys when there’s often a clear path to the end zone a few feet to the right or left. And there’s the waiting between plays… ugh.

With baseball, there’s a flow, a poetry. The battle between the pitcher -- not to mention the team in the field behind him -- and the batter at the plate is never ending. They’re constantly thinking about the opposing player’s next move. Add to that the elements of a defensive shift, or a base runner trying to throw off the pitcher… the only true break in the action comes every 10 or 20 minutes when the teams switch places in the field -- and then there’s always enough time to get up and raid the fridge.

…Football. There’s a play that lasts about 5 seconds, and it moves the ball two or three yards if you’re lucky. Then there’s a 10-second pause and the sequence begins again …

… Perhaps I’d like football a little more if ESPN didn’t beat it to death either. Aren’t there any other players or coaches in the league with some interesting stories aside from T.O. and Bill Parcells. … jeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzz. I refuse to watch Sportscenter on Monday mornings to avoid Sean Salisbury and all of their football blow. … As if the Monday Night Football moments they showed on Sportscenter every day since 2005 season ended weren’t pathetic enough, they kicked off their coverage for tonight’s Monday night game at noon today -- ok, maybe it was like 2 or 3, but c’mon!

What channel is the Cubs game on?