AUDL championships 2023

NY Empire vs. Salt Lake Shred

Ok, yeah, my ultimate days are way in the rear view mirror, but I am looking forward to this game.  They're playing the championship in the land of my alma mater, Minnesota.  The Shred beat Minnesota in overtime with a tip into the end zone as time expired.  Amazing stuff.  Time to do it again.

Somewhat shockingly, this game is on TV.  Admittedly, it's Fox Sports 2, which is kind of like ESPN 7, but no shade.

There's a neighborhood kid in the game, Will Selfridge, the son of Natalie Smith & John Selfridge (a.k.a. "John "S").

Good layout D, but no joy.  Good D in the end zone, but a delayed call at the throw brings it back. NY scores 1st.

Doink - terrible drop by the Shred.

Whoa - ad for Fox News almost made me puke on my laptop.

Set play scores for NY after a time-out.  NY 2-0.  Did someone not know what the force was?

Another drop.  Maybe pull that player.

Shred get a great D, but immediately follow it up by giving the Empire a Callahan.  NY 3-0.

Not sure why the puller didn't land it in.

Huck not smart there.

C'mon - not a good give 'n' go there.  Toss in the grass.

Hoo boy, this is looking sad.  NY 4-0.

Oh, I did not think  that'd be a completion.  Nice.  Salt Lake on the board!  Selfridge throws for a score.  NY 4-1.

Nice pull.

Boy, NY moving it easily.  Nice pass to the end zone.  Definitely the villain.  NY 5-1.

Replay seems to indicate 1st score by NY due to a bad foul call.  That's ultimate, though.

Doh - errant mid-length pass.

Good D - getting stall count high. But can't keep NY out of the end zone.  NY 6-1.

Boy, these fellas are fast.  I know: Duh.  Still - speedy.

Eeek.  Tipped catch, but a catch.  Too much float, but lucky catch.  Then a huck & catch in the EZ. Sweet.  NY 6-2.

Roll pull, probably smart.  Deep!  Oops.  Empire holds.  NY 7-2.

NY has been great at playing error-free ultimate.

Oh, hand block by NY.  Nice D.  NY scores again almost immediately.  NY 8-2.

Pull goes OoB.   Center.  Not much time left.  Huck.  No foul?  End of 1st.  Thought that might've been a strip.  No, maybe not - think it was just a drop after both players contacted the disc.

Going into the break, Salt Lake has really dug itself into a hole i's hard to see them getting out of

 

2nd quarter

Shred receive the pull for the 2nd quarter.  Nice - gets it off the line. Again - back to the center.  Good movement.  Stay chill.  Foul - center.  Lindsley "bald handler" takes charge & throws a score.

Shred roll pull - nice!  C'mon, D.  Oops, foul on mark.  Nice layout D.  Selfridge pressure!  Tip but caught. Score Shred!  Break score, very nice.  NY 8-3.

Pull OoB - tsk.  Short throw yields another break opportunity for Salt Lake.  Time-out Salt Lake.

The all-time college scorer in 2022 was from Utah State?  Wow.

Nice break mark.  Too much height in the slice for end zone - D'd.

Huck into a double-team. Maybe defensive on NY's part? Nice throw, Will.  Ack, float & D.

NY give 'n' go looking good.

Travel

NY scores.  NY 9-4.  Wait - lost a score here somewhere.

Huuuuck!  Nice job, Shred - attack & score.  NY 9-5.

Good pull, Shred.

Huuuuuck goes over both O & D.    NY was playing th eman instead of the disc, which is pretty funny for O.

Huuuuck caught the other way for Shred.  Then threw it in the...  oh my heck, as they say here in Utah.  What a series.  A great D layout led to a great layout score.  NY 9-6.

 Roll pull from Shred. Clutton takes the 500 throw away almost casually.   

Half.

Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots 2022-12-12 #7

4^th quarter

"Weird one in the desert" - Joe Buck

Doh!  Wow, that coverage was not good.

NE on the 3, looking for a TD.  And they get it.  Flag?  Probably against the Cards....  yeah, of course it is - an offside call.

Patriots 27-13.  This is looking more & more like a blowout.  

What's the rationale for running it out?  Doesn't seem to pay off very often.  Starting on the 24.

No idea what happened there.  Look for the pass, dude.

Conner barely makes it back to scrimmage.  Pats tasting blood.  3rd & 10.

Sack.  Definitely blood in the water.  🩸

🙄😡👹👿🏈

Yes, it's code for something.

Defense can't win this for the Cards.

Holy hell, that should not have happened.  The ball flew more like a bat.  Penalty for ineligible man down field, at least.

3rd & 7.  Chance for Cardinals to get a stop.  They did!  Fine for NE, really - they can afford to just kick it away & run down the clock.  Cardinals need to get it together on offense.

Touchback, good.  Starting on the 1 would not have been desirable.

Where am I going to put this post?  Probably Mastodon.

Another penalty for the Cards after a long pass.  Sloppy, sloppy.  Too many shifty players.

1st & 15.  Terrible.  Gains 5, 2nd & 10 or so.  C'mon, Cards - have some pride.  Ok, good, McCoy - show some gumption.  Didn't even slide on the run.

Clap snap.  Hollywood grabbed - pass interference.  Auto 1st down.  Strangely designed play, though.

Not a good pass.  Was McBride out of position?  2nd & 10.  Hopkins catches and spins for a couple more.  3rd & 3.  Then a terrible pass...  what the hell?  Gotta go for it this time, right?  4th & 3....   Colt McCoy looking tough.  Plus offside on D, declined, so nice 1st down (though ugly AF).

Whistles for....  what?  Concussion?  Removing a player.  Oh, ow - yeah, friendly fire & such.

Oh, nuts.  That fake did not fool him at all.  Judon - good name, very martial arts.  

2nd & 23, DeAndre Hopkins makes a bunch, but now 3rd & 13 or so.  Let's see it.  Nice pass, but not far enough.  Oh, also incomplete - receiver stepped out & came back in.  Another offensive penalty.  4th & insanely far.  Going for it, of course.  As expected, the Pats came hard & managed another sack.   Judon flushed him & Uche finished it.  Turnover on downs.  5 sacks!  That's crazy.

Defense is still playing well.  Force a punt, which goes into the end zone.

Hopkins is still hustling.  Should be.  

Catch by AJ Green, but pass interference call on the O.  Bad, bad, bad.  Another sack by Ouchie.  4th & 13.  Don't bother going for it, really.  McCoy avoids the sack, but they still turn it over on downs again.

Jeez, the Patriots are going to score again.  Ugly, ugly, ugly.

Should I post & start a new one?  No, c'mon - be serious.

Ah, at least they're just going to run out the clock.  

Who should I root for in the playoffs?  I should just avoid football.

Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots 2022-12-12 6/

 Nah, not going to watch the halftime show.

2nd half

. Ooh, we're back.

C'mon, tackle. There you go.  JJ Watt, no big surprise there.

Tricky screen pays dividends.  Too bad.

Damn, one good defensive play, followed by a huge run.  Sheesh.

Well, held them to a field goal attempt, anyway.  Or maybe they'll pull out another trick play.  Nope, looks legit.  Tie game at 13.

McCoy -> Hopkins is working

Conner's looking great

Hoo boy - trying to throw a pick.  Lucky.

Penalty.  Nice effort from Conner to make something of nothing.  Going for it on 4th & 5.  Not wise.

Brown drops it?  What happened?  Looked good from the side.  Oh, he had to lay out to get to it.  Still should've caught it - had it between his arms.

Buda Baker good tackle

Good non-pass interference

Long punt & no real return.  Long way to go in the other direction.  Guess that's what happens when you always go for it on 4th down.

Cards start from their 6.  Conner runs well on 1st down.  Incomplete pass on 2nd down.  Illegal contact on defense, so 1st down.  

Ack ack ack.  Ack phhhttttbbb.  Hopkins catch & then fumble, Patriots recover & run it in for a score.  Shit.  Looks like it just slipped out of Hopkins' hands.  Yeah, admits his fault - good.

Patriots 20-13

Kick off, run out to the 24.  At least not starting at their 6, I guess.

16 yard gain by Brown with the pass & run.  

Another false start.  C'mon....   not used to McCoy's snap count?   1st & 15.  Nice catch, got clobbered after the catch.  McBride's a tough mofo.  Sheesh.

Gain of 6, 3rd & 1.  Colt McCoy's doing ok, with a lot of help from Conner.  Now he's limping, though - Conner.  Crap.

Sack.  Probably a hold, too.  Yeah, but declined.  2nd & whatever - 13?  Oochie got him again. Maybe he should be Ouchie.  Yes, I know it's Uche.

McCoy hit while throwing, interception.  Uche delivered the hit - ouchie.  Guess I shouldn't've made fun of his name.

New England starts with great field position again.  Fumble, run back - run run run run run1  Yes!  Touchdown Cardinals!  Hmmm....  not sure it was really a catch.  Yeah, they're saying it was an incomplete pass.  Crap.  Damn it.  The defense deserved that score.

3rd quarter's almost done.  Need a stop. Good pressure on the QB, but he manages to get a ball away & it was caught.  Cardinals are not catching many breaks.

Ok, post time.

Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots 2022-12-12 p5

 3 minutes till the half.  Let's see if the Cards D can hold them.  Hard hit on special teams.

Well, 3rd down already at the 2 minute warning in the 1st half.

Sack-o-rama!  Mass sackitude!  Sackreligious!  Ooh, I need to trademark that...

Dortch does well receiving the punt & running it back.

The lost time-out from the challenge is going to bite them, unfortunately.  Ack, stopped at 3rd & 1, losing a yard.  They could kick a field goal, most likely.  Think they have to, now that they've used their last time out.  Nope, not...  oh, no - tipped pass on 4th & 1 and a change of possession.  Tsk, tsk.  Too much touch again Dr. McCoy.

27 seconds left before the half.  1st down (I think - yeah); 3 time-outs left.  C'mon, Cards - another stop.

Ok, good - incomplete pass, though that stops the clock.

Crap, long completion.  Well within range for a field goal.  

Another play.... fumble!  Awww, Patriots come up with it.  4 seconds, field goal attempt, 51 yard attempt.  Damn, he made it.  Cardinals, 13-10.  Disappointing, but better than I would've guessed.

Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots 2022-12-12 paht fo

Fantastic field position.  Doesn't matter, though - the Cardinals can't punch it in.  This is closer field goal attempt, and Prater makes it this time.

Pats choose not to run it out.  Smart.

Jeez, the QB managed to avoid an unblocked rusher...  impressive avoidance of the sack.

Well, it's good that the defense is being aggressive, but they're not managing to stop them. Another 1st down.  Another injury.

Ooh, very obvious facemask.

Jeez, they cannot stop the run, not even in the red zone with the defense all compressed.

7-3 Patriots

Watching Maddow during the break.  A Senator wrote a text calling for "Marshall Law"?  Not sure why such stupidity shouldn't be disqualifying. 

Ok, Cards ball again. Another injury, this time Conner - really bad.  He's been basically the only light in the running game for the Cardinals.  He's walking, which is good.  

McCoy airs out a pass....  flag.  Yes, looks like pass interference.  And it is.  That was an oochie.

Hopkins runs smart after the catch.  1st down.

Ingraham doesn't make much - a yard or so.

Not sure what was up with that pass.  Brown should've been the target.

3rd down again.  Hopkins somehow manages to catch it, but he couldn't stay in bounds.  One-handed grab - so impressive, but nothing comes of it.  32-yard FG is good.

Low kick-off, received on the bounce (good hands), only makes it to the 21.

Excellent anticipation & tackle by Collins.  Loss of 2.  3rd & 13...  and still they make it.

The Cardinals defense is looking better against the run & the short pass.  Not so great against the longer pass.

Showing blitz?  Delay of game, play blown dead.  3rd & 14.  Ok, good - got a stop.  Flag, though...  illegal shift on offense, so declined.  Good stop, Cardinals!

Ok, Joe Buck trying his hand at sarcasm.... not bad.  Punt goes out of bounds.

Good field position again.

James Conner looking good running after the catch.  Glad he's ok. 

Wow, Anderson made a fabulous catch.  One-handed stab and catch.

Ack - too much touch on the pass from McCoy.  At least got back to scrimmage.

McCoy gets mangled a bit, but at least not sacked.

Red birds back in the red zone...  will they be able to get a TD?  Well, another 1st down, anyway.  Protection has been decent for McCoy.

Touchdown Conner!  Woohoo!  Cardinals on top, 12-7.  Extra point?  Yes, Cardinals 13-7.  

Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots 2022-12-12 part 3

Backed the Pats way up.  Try not to let them run it out too far, hey?

Not clear that was actually a catch.  The talking head dud said it was a catch, but he doesn't have hair, so what does he know, really?

Ok, yeah, it's a little dark in the house, and I look more than a little maniacal, but 'tis the season, right?

Ok, one more, since the stupid call was that the catch stands.  Idiots.

Man, he scrambles ok.  Schmuck.  Then sets up a 1^st down.  

In jury, out jury, bad, but ....

Interception!  Yaaaaaaaayyyy....  and there was much rejoicing.

Good field position.  Decent run up the middle.

Yeah, hard to overthrow Hopkins, honestly.  

Nice 1^st down, Hollywood Brown.  Then a run for 3.

Crunchy helmet clap tackle.  End 1^st  quarter.

Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots 2022-12-12 part 2

 Murray is apparently badly injured.  Very sad.

Patriots are moving the ball well enough.  Defense will need to step up big time.  Have them at 3^rd & 9 now...  and a false start.  Nice.  3^rd & 14.  Ooh, almost an interception!

Penalty on the kick.... not very smart.

Wow, what great adaptation! Nice run.  Good pass & catch to follow.

Conner running well, though not much gain on that play.

Dang, a sack.  He's not great at catching the snap.  That's not why he was sacked, of course, but still....

Hopkins good catch, but a flag.  Illegal shift...  very shifty.  Never gets set.  I'd be annoyed if I were Hopkins.

Well, decent gain, but no way to make a 1^st down. 

Oops, I forgot to put on my Cardinals beanie.  That's probably why Murray got injured.  Ok, it's on now.

Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots 2022-12-12

 Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots 2022-12-12

I rarely get to watch the Cardinals play, since they aren't on TV often, even with Utah being right next door to Arizona.

Cards receive, run it out on the kick-off, and make it a yard past where they would've if they let it go.

Crunch tackle noise

Ok, a positive running play - very nice.

Oy - Murray down after running it on the next play. Left ankle, right leg, what?  Crap.

The Patriots are not entirely out of the playoff picture, I guess, and the Cardinals are, so it'd be nice if the Cards could just screw them.  Not likely without Kyler Murray.  This sucks.

Colt McCoy back in the QB spot. Super short pass, no gain.

Good gain on a passing play.  Clement slips out of a tackle & makes some yards.

Fumble...  McCoy is not much of a hand-off guy.  Think I saw him go the wrong way on a hand-off in a previous game.

Well, they got enough yards to make a field goal attempt.  It's pretty long.  Nope, missed.

Let's see...  I think I'll publish a bunch of posts instead of one big one.

Yet Another Social Media Site

  Yet another post just putting another link to a CounterSocial social media site. It's different.

Andor - post credits

Star Wars, taking a page from the Marvel playbook, running a post-credits scene - wonderful. 

Also wonderful storytelling craft. Fantastic work.

Another elephantine link

Thought I did this earlier, but doesn't seem like my link to Mastodon is working. Or maybe it is; who knows?

Cardinals vs. 49ers in Mexico City, 2022-11-21

Most of the season, I complain about Cardinals games not getting televised in this market, a state immediately adjacent to Arizona. Today, I am regretting getting to watch the game. What a blow-out. Already in "wait till next year" territory.

Nifty GDPR type notification

There's a nifty GDPR type notification that comes up when the blog is accessed from Europe. 

Learned something new: You can simulate that by adding ?gl= to the URL. Pretty nifty. 

https://fitzscott.blogspot.com/?gl=fr 

It doesn't translate into French, though. Probably too much to expect.

 Kind of shocked this thing hasn't been decommissioned. 

Just created an account on Mastodon.  What sound does the mastodon make?

Cardinals vs. Packers - 2016-01-16 - 2^nd half 

This game has been a lot better than their previous meeting, where the Pack got blown out. The Packers have been making first downs seemingly at will, but they've been stopped a couple of times, limited to field goals.  The Cards offense needs to step it up in the second half.

I watched a bit of the Chiefs / Patriots game.  Too bad - I'd've liked to see the Chiefs win.  I know a bunch of Pats fans, though, so it's ok.

Yay!  A big interception by Rashad Johnson.  Calais Campbell might've tipped it.

Now the offense needs to stay on the field for a while.  Clay Matthews is an asshole.  Not on that play, I mean - just in general.

Oh boy.  Lots of pressure, and Palmer airs it out.  That was scary.

Damn.  Palmer gets intercepted right back.  The offensive line isn't providing much protection.  Some discussion about whether it's really an interception.  It is - and it clearly was.

The Cardinals D is back on the field.  They must be tired by now.  If they can force a 3 & out, that'll be most excellent.

Jeez, Lacey is so used to hitting people on the way that he just fell down.  Then he ran for a bazillion yards - 62, actually - on a run-of-the-mill play.  Ferocious run.

If the Cards' D can hold them to another field goal, it'll be a miracle.

Would someone clobber Aaron Rodgers?

C'mon, D - another stop.  Dang, no can do.  Rodgers manages to avoid another sack, with the O-line saving his butt again.

Green Bay now leads 13 - 7.  Carson Palmer needs to keep the Cardinals offense on the field for a while, if for nothing else than to give the defense a break.  A score would be handy, too - preferably another TD.

Larry doesn't get much on his catch, but at least something.  The Cards aren't looking like the #1 offense.  Yeah Larry!  You are awesome.

But the Cards still can't seem to get a play off before time expires.  Sheesh.

Flag!  Yes, good.  Damn late hit.  Raji being dirty.  He's enormous - only 337 lbs.

Nothing doing on the run, but they need to keep it in the mix, or it'll be too difficult to get the passes through.

Larry again - yes, the most awesomest.

Mmm...   nice run by Brown, but I think there's a hold.  Oops, it's on Larry - but I'm not sure what it is.  Ooh, "blind side block" - never heard of that before.

Good clock control here.  Didn't get much on the pass, so still 2^nd and goal.  what happened?  Ah, 12 men on the field against Green Bay - good.  10 yard line - c'mon, offense.  What sort of pass was that, Carson Palmer?  Sucky.  Or maybe just throwing it away because the receiver was so covered.

Almost another interception.  Jeez.  Palmer is not looking like the great QB he is.

The Cardinals settle for a field goal, and that's fine.  The offense kept the defense off the field for an extended period, so maybe they're rested & can get after Rodgers in the next possession.

The Cards really need to stop Lacey.  He will wear everyone down if he's not dissuaded not to run so much.  Flag?  False start, good.  Only 5 yards, but that's ok.

Third & 13 - good.  Rodgers won't have to pass, but most likely.  Let's see...   Good, yes - successful pass, but stopped before a first down, so 3 & out.

Almost a blocked punt.  It's short, anyway.

After a couple of shots of tequila and a couple of beers with sushi, it's time for a Great Harvest cookie with milk.  Yes, it really is.

Another great catch by Fitzgerald.  Really nice work.  A challenge came from GB - stupid, and the ruling on the field stands.  Now they only have one time out left.

Let's see it, Palmer.  Good enough - got it to Larry - but a flag.  Defensive holding!  Yes, that's good.  Another first down.

Running game still isn't playing dividends.  Next pass worked well, though - first down.  Have to keep the running game in the mix.

Fourth quarter, first play - John Brown makes a nice catch & run.  Where are they now?  On the 10 - nice.  Dang, intercepted again.  Palmer....  even Collinsworth calls it a terrible throw.

Now the defense has to lean up his crap again.  Green Bay isn't going to make that easy, of course.  Passed for a first down, now ran for 9 yards.  The defense is good for take-away work, but they're not as much a "grind away at the running game" D.  They're going to need a take-away.

Oops, low battery.

No, that was not a catch.  Thank you, Bruce Arians.

Boo - advertisement playing Kiss' "Beth".  Better to call it "Blech".

Good idea with the fair catch.  They were all over it.

What's going on?  The Cardinals look like a college team, and not even a good college team.  Sheesh.

Well, finally - a completed pass.  And it was a near thing, too.  Larry - you're still awesome.  First down!  Primo.

Still have 50 yards to go.  C'mon, Cards.  Ok, a run with a run.  A minimal gain, admittedly, but still a gain.

Another third down coming up.  Chris C is right - call on Larry.

But Floyd gets it, and he's excellent, too, so yay.  Another first down.

Good - a significant gain in a running play:  8 yards.  Cards will take it.  Hoo, boy - followed up by Raji eating the next run, losing 2 or 3 yards.

Cards really need a TD.  A field goal would be ...  yes!  Brown - what's his first name?  I should know that.

Jeebis!  Palmer almost throws another interception.  What is wrong with him?  Is the tape screwing up his throws that badly?

Almost makes a circus throw & catch to Fitzgerald.  Almost worked.

Yes yes yes yes yes!  First down.  Wait!  What is it with that spot?  Great catch, lousy spot.  It is a first down - yay.

No way!  Wow...  better to be lucky than good, I'd say.  Thank you so much, Mr. Floyd.

Arizona defense - time to step up big time.

Third and five.  This will be interesting.  Ooh, that should've been a flag.

Fourth and five.  Very interesting.  No good!  Yay yay yay yay!

A field goal will make it so that Green Bay will have to score a TD to tie it, assuming that Arizona gets a field goal.  They really need to get a touchdown.  I don't think that was a good play call.  Third & 8 and they didn't make it.  Dang.

Field goal is good - good.  Ok, seven point margin.  Don't want to bet against Aaron Rodgers, though - not exactly the guy you want to push in a corner and say, "Let's see you score against us."

Yes!  Excellent special teams work.  GB starts at the 15.

1 missed pass - good.

Sack!  Yaaaaaaaaay!  3^rd & 20.

Ooh, puts it way up.  No can do.  Great job, defense.  Oops, that does look like pass interference.

Jeez, what a great pass and catch.  Crap crap crap.

No ten second run-off?  Why not?  Not sure what a live ball foul is.

Rodgers throws the ball away with five seconds left in the game.  This is exciting.

God damn it.  God damn it.  Damn it damn it damn it.

Admittedly, that was a great hail Mary.

Ok, time for overtime.  Arizona gets the flip & calls the ball.  Touchdown time.

Yay, Larry!  Woohoo!  Also a great play by Carson Palmer in getting that throw off.

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!  Cardinals win!  Cardinals win!  On a little shovel pass from Palmer to Fitzgerald, no less.  Bueno.  Impressive beyond belief.

Cardinals at Dodgers - 2014-10-03

I've been watching this Cards/Dodgers game, thinking that the Cards were out of it, and now they're hitting Kershaw really well.  Let's see...  bases loaded, two outs.  The Dodgers are ahead, 6-4, but it was much more one-sided earlier.  Kershaw had thrown one bad pitch - one - all game, before this inning.  Carpenter stays alive.  Long at-bat.  Carpenter is tenacious - good work.  Yeah!  Carpenter gets a 3-run double!  Woohoo!

Ok, so now Kershaw's out.  Too late, maybe.  We'll see if the Cards can hold on.  They still have a hitter, but with a new pitcher, I'm not betting they'll get another run.  Still, they're ahead, 7-6.

I was planning on going to the Utah volleyball match tonight, but the ball game just got too interesting.  I posted to my brother's Facebook page - he's a Dodgers fan - that Kershaw was looking really good.  Just ...

Wow, Holliday proves me way wrong.  What a crushed ball - homer way back.  Cards up 10-6.  Ok, the new pitcher got the next batter, so it's back in the field for the Cardinals.

Martinez is looking good so far.   Throwing way outside a bunch, but he got one batter to chase.  Popped up the next one, too.

The color commentator is talking about it as a "series changer".  Slow down, junior.  It's a long game, and it's a long series.  But Martinez does handle the 3^rd batter well - simple ground ball, 4-3.

Ok, cool commercial with Derek Jeter, in black & white, with Sinatra in the background.  Hard admitting that a Yankee can be cool.  :-D

"Psychological carry-over"...  whatever.

Dang, that's the second time I've seen the Dodgers' catcher take a ball on the mask tonight.  Ouch.

Another quick inning, Dodgers retiring the Cards in order.

Carpenter looking really impressive.  Long-ass throw after nice glove work.

Six (6) pitchers for the Cards?  That's a lot...  The announcers were talking about the Cards preserving their bullpen and maybe letting this game go.  Guess that didn't happen.  Good thing, too.  No way anyone really expected Kershaw to implode...

Oops, Gonzalez clobbers one.  Dang.  Cards up 10-8, still bottom of the 8^th.  Neshek - another submariner / sidearm pitcher - just got a single off him.  But he got the next batter.  Ninth inning time.

Jon Jay gets a single.  DeScalso bunts Jay to second.  Cards are still playing their game - take advantage of every opportunity.  Carpenter up again, one out.  Full count.  Wow, that's some beard, pitcher.  Darn, popped him up.  Well, can't have all your at-bats be crushingly effective.

Bottom of the ninth.  I'm going to need to pick up some beer for the next game.  Do I have to buy Busch beer?  That would be kind of gross.  Maybe I should take one for the team.  Or six, I guess.  Rosenthal - go get 'em, guy.  Nice first two pitches.  Apparently has had some control issues.  Not much time between pitches.  Jeez, dude - don't shake off Molina!  Ok, high heat + fanned him.  Maybe it's ok to shake off Jadi now & again.  Ellis up now.  Dang - base hit.  Ellis has a hot bat.

Ok, guys - double play.

No no no no no!  Crap.  Second & third, one out.

C'mon, Rosenthal.  Ok, good enough - got one more out, even though there's one more run.  This is a good game.  Guy on third, and Puig coming up.  Dang, this is a dangerous at-bat.  C'mon, Rosenthal.  Strike one, outside corner.  Cards ahead by one run.  Ball, outside.  Lots of heat.  Gonzalez on deck - really don't want him to make it to the plate.  High heat - strike two.  1-2, two outs, guy on third, bottom of the ninth.  C'mon, Rosenthal.  Don't give him ...  eesh...  fouled off.  Maybe make him chase high heat again?  Another foul ball.  Puig is tough.  Ha!  Boy genuflecting in the stands.  C'mon, Rosenthal.  Fouled off again!  Tenacious Puig.  Yes!  Struck him out!   Woohoo!  Good job, Rosenthal.

Dang, what an exciting game.  

Sundance review - Wrong

Movie review - "Wrong"

A friend of mine

Packers at Cardinals 2009-01-10

Ok, got my Cardinals shirt on... ready to watch.

Ill-advised throw by Rodgers... why'd the interceptor run the wrong way? Meh - still smart enough to sit down instead of coughing it up.

Nice work by the Cards. Having positive rushing yards is a good idea. TD, 7-0.

Mmmm... run defense needs some work.

Fumble! Recovered by Arizona! Woohoo!

Wow, 2 more plays & another TD. Continuing the good start. Doucet.

Special teams is doing a great job. Oops, a flag. Unnecessary roughness against Green Bay.

GB starts @ their own 8.

Good tackle, thought he'd missed it.

Offsides, blech. GB gets a 1st down. Keep the pressure on, Cards D.

Good coverage, but they pick up another 5.

Ooh, deep man had 'im beat... that was a touchdown, if Rodgers made the throw. Lucky.

Sack by Berry! Woohoo!

Lost football... AZ falls on it, good. Be smart, guys.

Sack. Ouch. Larry Fitzgerald gets it next time, & Charles Woodson didn't take it away this time.

Ok, don't need to blog every play, I guess.... they're really moving it well.

Right, gotta work the run game, but man... GB isn't giving up anything.

Ok, have to settle for a field goal, but that's not terrible. 17-0, Cards.

Wow, run defense. Cool.

End of the 1st quarter. 3 more to go - a very long time.

Ok, GB starts the 2nd quarter well. Nice throw, good catch, solid gain. They're already in Cards territory. But another sack, hooray!

Looks like they'll have to settle for a field goal... and I think it'll be long. Nope, wide right. Woohoo!

Haven't seen a big reverse like that work in quite a while. Looks like it really surprised GB.

Damn, fumble recovered by GB. Charles Woodson is annoyingly amazing.

Horse-collar is 15 yards? Announcers seem to think it's a questionable call. Doesn't matter - just gotta play.

Missed tackle, in the red zone for GB. Time for a stand, Cards. Yeah...

And another sack! Nice work, Cardinals D. Rodgers kept the ball well.

Ok, that's a crap call. Oops, no it wasn't - definitely pass interference.

Touchdown Green Bay. They're on the board. Time for the Cards' O to get back to work. Maybe special teams will do some good on the offensive side, too.

Cardinals are moving it well enough. Beanie Wells looks good; he just needs to hold onto the ball.

Whoa, I thought that flag after the 18-yard run was going to holding against the Cards, but it's a face mask call against GB.

Doucet beats a tackle, loses his helmet & scores a touchdown! Warner got lots of time, especially by his standards. 24-7, Cardinals.

Fumble on the kick-off return... big pile. Green Bay keeps it, but a GB player is injured.

Ouch - gotta catch the ball before you run, James.

Wow, serious hail Mary. Rodgers got away with a big one. Great catch by the GB receiver - Finley.

Red zone D for the Cards again. Got 1 stop. 30 seconds left in the half. Quick pass. 14 seconds now, GB takes a time out. They have to be careful not to get caught up, time-wise, or they won't score at all. Let's see... Yes, great pass coverage... ack! Another horse-collar. Doesn't matter - they can't get the TD. Yeah, easy field goal, end of half - 24-10 AZ > GB.

2nd half... Cards get the ball & start moving it.

Nice mix of running & passing. Keep it away from Woodson. Or throw a flag at him. :-)

Larry Fitzgerald for the score! Woohoo!

C'mon, defense... Finley is good, but the Cards are controlling things well. Big plays are always a potential problem. Or flags - drat. Now GB is marching.

Ack! Looked like that was almost picked off. Jennings was smart to get up.

Great tackle! Now what... Cards D is really making them work for it. Not sure why that wasn't caught. Aww, awesome catch by Jennings. That should've been just another 3 for the Pack, but they get 7.

Aww, good idea... damn Pack.

Cards D must be getting tired. They need a stop. Well, not really - still 14 up - but GB has momentum, and that's dangerous. Yes - 4th down. What are you going to do now? It's only 4th & 1, so probably going for it. Damn, they got it.

C'mon, Cards, get in Rodgers' face... ack, good pass to Finley, again. Holding, but not so bad for GB. Why is it 1st & 10?

Cards D can't stop them. The offense is going to have to pick it up again.

Crap, how did Rodgers get away? Touchdown GB. Boo. It's definitely still a game.

Woohoo, Beanie! Awesome! 42 yard run!

Larry! Uh-oh... there was a lot of time for Warner. Oh, good - roughing the passer. Awesome! Larry, amazing catch. The only bad thing is, Arizona's defense hasn't had much time to rest.

Green Bay is moving it well, too. Blitz didn't get it done.

Quite the defensive struggle, this game. 3rd & 5 - didn't make it. Will they go for it? Maybe... c'mon, GB, settle for a field goal. Nope. Damn, missed tackle & a touchdown. Terrible. 7 point game.

Warner & receivers time. Good, they're not neglecting the ground game. Gotta keep the Pack guessing.

Damn Woodson, again! Nice job. The Cards have to punt. Not a good punt, either - they were really coming. The only stop of the day so far - terrible timing for the Cards. Defense - time to return the favor. Let's see it - crush Rodgers. Nope, Finley again, for 38 yards.

Jeez, the D is just looking terrible. GB gets another TD. Tied up.

Back to the O. Not sure what that 1st throw was. 2nd was sensible, but only for 6. Hightower for the 1st down, great. Beanie, small gain. Hightower, another 1st - not sure he was really OoB. Oops, hand-off for negative 2. Patrick, not a 1st down, but close. 3rd down & inches. Beanie - 1st down.

Commentators talking about this maybe being Warner's last season. That'd be really bad for Arizona. Leinert certainly hasn't shown he can carry the team.

Nice, Warner to Breaston, @ the GB 20. Pass interference, should've been.

Touchdown to Breaston! Nice spinning catch.

Yeah, quite the defensive struggle. ;-O

GB starts at their 30. Throw & good tackle, 5 yards. Pass interference - crap. Seemed like that was within the 1st 5 yards. They need a big play from the D... almost a sack, but Rodgers slips away & gets 13 yards. Aaah! No way he was in... yeah, he was. Amazing. C'mon, D. Aaaaaaaaah! That should've been an interception! Oh, the Cardinals coverage knocked themselves out of the play. Well, better than a catch.

Finley playing games... behave, fellas.

Crap, another TD for GB. Under 2 minutes for the Cardinals to score back. Have to worry about another onside kick. 90 points altogether & counting.

What's a snap infraction? You make too much noise with your fingers?

Breaston again. Nice.

Larry. Hey, he was out-of-bounds - stop the clock! Nope, I guess not. Another pass completed. Need to take a time-out.

Another pass - Doucet. Got the 1st - great. Now what? Out of time-outs. Field goal? Probably reasonable. C'mon, kicker dude! Rackers... sounds like a Hooters knock-off. 34 yard field goal... wide left! Crap!

Green Bay gets to receive. Can't imagine the defense is going to come through now, after the game so far.

Jennings was open, but Rodgers didn't make the pass. The official fell over.

Penalty... holding! Yes! 10 yards. Ooh, helmet-to-helmet, too. Ouch.

Good coverage, but they still gave him 15 yards. 3rd & 5. C'mon, D.

Sack, plus fumble, plus recovery by the D, plus touchdown!

Cardinals win! Cardinals win! Wooooooohooooooooo!

Star Trek review

Star Trek movie review

Ok, first, my bogus review I posted on Facebook before I saw the movie:

There's this brash captain of a spaceship, see? He likes beating people up. And he's got a buddy with pointy ears, y'know - like an elf? And there's a doctor on the ship, and this guy with an accent. And they do stuff in the ship, and off the ship, and there's lots of special effects - especially those laser thingies that they call something else. It's way better than "Doctor Who".

Yeah, silly.  Now, the real deal...  also silly.

So, Kirk was basically the way I'd always perceived him on the original series:  Chasing tail & getting beat up a bunch.  He didn't get to beat up as many folks up as he did in the series, instead being more on the receiving end.  His swagger was in full evidence, maybe not as apparent as you'd expect from a teenage version of Kirk,  but still fun to watch.  The scene covering his thwarting of the Kobayashi Maru test was hilarious.

Spock was more complicated, but I guess that's to be expected - he was in the series, too.  

[spoiler alert]

I really liked the Spock / Uhuru thing.  Finally, the geeky Vulcan gets some!  Yeah, I know - he wasn't completely without a love interest in the series, but the arranged marriage deal and the Romulan commander schtick don't really count.  Were there others?  Right, This Side of Paradise.  Anyway, he even gets the woman who shot Kirk down.  Nice!

[end spoiler]

McCoy was probably played closest to canon.  I hope he gets more screen time in a sequel - he was a riot.  Now that I think of it, many of the supporting characters were played mostly for laughs - Scotty, McCoy, Chekhov (not as much).  For Scotty & McCoy, I don't think that's because the actors originally portraying them have died.  Yes, insensitive to bring that up.   Yes, I miss them, too.

It was nice that Uhuru got a more prominent role than typically occurred in the series or the earlier movies.  She had a few good bits, especially arguing her way on to the Enterprise (not that there was significant resistance to the argument, really).  Sulu came across a bit too bland, kind of Harold in Space.

Not that it's part of the movie, but the Saturday Night Live mini-skit in Seth's "news" segment was very funny.  Nimoy delivering the off-hand slam was the best.  

Best scenes?  Let's see...

• Skydiving - very tense
• Uhuru calling Kirk a mouth breather - yeah, agreed.
• "I've got your gun."  At least he was accustomed enough to getting the snot beat out of him that he could produce a snappy response.
• Kirk trying to ignore what was going on in the transporter room.
• Scotty jetting around in the liquid-filled tubes - reminded me of Willy Wonka.
• Kobayashi Maru

On the whole, I really enjoyed the movie, and I'm looking forward to some more exploration of that universe.

[another spoiler alert]

But no more time travel / alternate universe stuff, unless it's in the Mirror, Mirror vein.  Those were the best episodes...

[end spoiler]

Superbowl comments

Looked like the Cards' defense wasn't going to even slow the Steelers down on their first possession.  Good goal-line stand.

Land of the Lost is going to be a movie?  Sleestaks, anyone?

The Cardinals first possession wasn't so impressive.  Good that they're at least trying the running game.

Steelers second possession is starting like the first:  Making the Cardinals defense look silly.

Almost intercepted!  Should've been, maybe.  

No one can seem to bring Big Ben down.  Nice spiral after scrambling all over.  :(

The Steelers don't seem to have any trouble getting first downs.

First quarter passed quickly.  

Ok, Land of the Lost stars Will Farrell.   Might be really funny.

Heh - baseball reference in the Superbowl - Ted Williams' eyesight.

10-0.  Blech.

The return there isn't a good start for the Cards getting on the board.

Since Abrams is doing Star Trek, will there be lots of mysterious plot elements that never get resolved?

Warner got good time, but didn't manage to connect.  It did hit the receiver in the hands (after a dive).  

Maybe a first down here?  Yes.

Nice catch by Breaston!  Another 1st.

James gets another one after a reception.  Seems to be working much better than the running game, but they really need to keep some running going.  Holding penalties don't help, though.

Another good catch by Breaston.  Bobbled it a bit.

Hooray!  Great time to pass, decent pass, good run after the catch & good block.

Touchdown Cardinals!  Despite Warner stumbling in the backfield, as is his habit.

Now we get to see if the Cards' defense can get a stop.

Looked like they were going to manage a loss, but a great move made the tackler miss.

Nice defensive coverage.

Penalties on either side...  3rd & 17.

Yup, they got the stop.  Nice work.

Yeah, baby!  Great run back after what looked like was going to end up stuck in a corner.

James makes a good run.

Oops - chop block.  Followed by a sack on the next play.  3rd & 22.  Where's Fitzgerald?

eTrade is weird.

Hmmm...  not quite sure what happened on that reception.  The ball was short, for sure.

Great tackle immediately after the catch.  Time for another stop.  Almost grabbed Rothlisberger right after the hand-off.

Interception!  Deflected up, very helpful.

Ok, the Teleflora commercial was funny.  Talking flowers - very creepy.

Hightower looking good, diving for the 1st down.

Under a minute in the half.

Ah, good to see you, Larry F.

Oh, crap.  100 yard interception return.  It looked like the Cardinals might've taken the lead, and then a huge guy getting a huge interception and making a huge runback.  Defensive player of the year, indeed.  Warner just didn't see the coverage, I guess.

Whose bright idea was it to have a bunch of 3D halftime commercials?

How come it took so long to get Bruce Springstein at the Superbowl?  Fabulous choice. 

2nd half starts - lots to catch up.

Good run by James.

Good catch by Boldin - had to go up to get it, and got hit right after that.

Turnover, again.   Nope, incomplete pass.  

Weird Coke commercial - kind of WoW-ish or something.

The Monster.com commercial was hilarious.

Who's covering that guy down there?  Yeah, the one who got the ball.  And then got a facemask.

Roughing the passer?  No way.  The shove was a little late, but c'mon.  Crap call.

The Cards really need a turnover now.   They're not stopping anything.  Ok, they stopped that one.  They need more than one stop, though.

They finally got to Rothlisberger.  He still managed to throw the ball away & avoid an intentional grounding call.  They manage to keep them to 3.  No, maybe not - a personal foul.  Crap.  Stupid.  Now the Steelers getting 4 chances to go 5 yards.  

Batted ball, and another opportunity for an interception, but no dice.

They stopped Rothlisberger.  Good job for the defense, though they did manage to give the Steelers 3 penalties for 35 yards.  Hard to stop a team when you give them a third of the field for free.   Good work on the stop.

CareerBuilder had a good commercial, too.  Not as funny as Monster's, though.

Cute Coke commercial, reminscient of Fantasia.

3rd quarter's almost over.  The Cardinals run is going ok.  And they made another 1st down, so that's good.

Whoa, who was that Steelers player who barely fit in his helmet?

Finally, good protection & a good throw for a good gain.  The protection was too good - holding.

Yeesh, almost a blocked punt.

Finally, they get to Rothlisberger, and good pass coverage, with the exception of the holding.  This is making another stop quite a bit less likely.

Yay, a sack!  Non-trivial, getting him down.  And a stop.

Wow, really fortunate, making that catch without a fair catch call.

Hmmm....  2 completed passes in a row.  Good start.

Good run after the catch - 22 yard gain.

Fitzgerald gets a catch, but a flag.  Oh, good - defensive holding.  Cool.

Another nice catch by Fitzgerald.

So, now Warner has to avoid throwing the ball to the Steelers at the goal line.

Hightower makes it to the 1.  This might be worse than having it at the 5.  Now what?  Up to Fitzgerald?  Yeah, of course.  :>  20 - 14.

hulu - Okaaaay.  Not that I wouldn't buy Alec Baldwin as a creepy alien.

Time for a stop.  Are the Steelers just going to run it?  Nope, and they sacked Big Ben again.  Very nice work.

Yes, another stop.  Good work, Cardinals D.

MacGruber...  an SNL skit makes it to a Superbowl commercial?  At least it had old whats-his-name in it.

Flag after the completed pass...  what'd Boldin do?  Nothing - against the defense.  

Nice, another pass in the middle & run.  Ooh, saw a little bobble in the replay.

Whoa, almost an interception, on the play after a hold.  Lucky.  And another one.  3rd & 20... what are the options now?  Whatever that was, it didn't work.

The Steelers penalties don't seem to matter - half the distance to the goal when it's at the 2?

Doh!  I thought that he didn't make it out of the end-zone.  Challenge!  Should've been a safety.  Well, maybe.

Doh again!  They made the 1st down.

No, there's a penalty - holding - resulting in a safety!  Wow...

The Cardinals still need a touchdown.

Ouch - nice tackle.

Incomplete pass to Boldin.  Should've caught it, I think.

Run, Larry, run!  Woohoo!  Touchdown Cardinals!

Almost did that too fast.  The Cards now lead by 3, with 2 and a half minutes left.  The Steelers can certainly score in that time.

The Steelers start on the 22.  How are the Cardinals going to get the stop?

Another penalty - holding, again.  Lots of penalties in this game.  I read an article that implied that these two teams are cheaters, so cheaters really do win.  ;-)

Way to break up that pass, Francisco!  A product of BYU... those Y fans will be insufferable.

Blitz looked good, but they couldn't get through, and the Steelers converted for a 1st down.

Another 1st down, but the clock keeps running.

Yes, they got to Rothlisberger.  They're around mid-field now.

Ack!  Francisco falls down, and the Steelers make it to inside the 5.

49 seconds left.  The defense has to come up really huge.

They missed on the 1st attempt.  He probably should've caught that.  Holmes was really high.

No, he wasn't in play!  I don't think.  Yeah, he was - what a great catch.  :(

35 seconds left.  No way, not even Warner & Fitzgerald.  Let's watch, anyway.

77 yards in 29 seconds.  That's a really tall order.

Good pass & catch.  Time out.

Decent pass & catch.  Last time out.

Forced fumble & recovery by Pittsburg.  Now it's over.  Well, barring review.  Not quite clear from the replay - I don't think he was throwing yet.

Bummer.  What a good game, though.