tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86976952012-02-01T17:30:27.241-08:00A wide-ranging examination of American sports, media, entertainment and politics "OPINION WITH SMARTS--AND SOMETIMES AN EDGE"Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.comBlogger2901100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-84862179141383230862012-01-02T19:54:00.000-08:002012-01-02T20:04:44.236-08:00

AFC Wild Card Round Cincinnati (9-7) at Houston (10-6) Houston has battled injuries, and they limp into the playoffs riding a three-game losing streak and led by an unheralded rookie QB, T. J. Yates. They’re a physical team, though, with a great runner in Arian Foster and they play very tough defense. The Bengals do a lot of things well, and their rookie QB, Andy Dalton, had a remarkable

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-25831954100847391862011-12-25T14:54:00.000-08:002011-12-25T15:20:42.022-08:00

Everyone knows about big-name NFL QBs like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. There’s also Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer and Eli Manning, plus others with fairly high name recognition. Usually, guys like that have come to the pros after having attended a big-name university, like Michigan, or Tennessee, or Ole Miss, or USC. But there’s a passel of other NFL QBs, both

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-45631232511899059322011-12-12T19:48:00.000-08:002011-12-12T19:48:06.893-08:00

Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer (above) and actor Kiefer Sutherland (below).

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-26467180153869417302011-11-15T01:31:00.000-08:002011-11-14T23:33:10.850-08:00

Denice Hicks--artistic director of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival--once spoke of the richness of our fair city’s talent base. And so it is. If someone did a study of per capita musical talent, Nashville would surely lead the nation. It’s a smaller-sized “major” city that attracts all sorts of musical people--so much so that truly gifted singers, composers and players often fail to grab the

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-30471611907962391182011-10-21T00:17:00.000-07:002011-10-21T00:21:11.046-07:00

Few figured the St. Louis Cardinals would ever make it to the 2011 World Series. But now that they’re here, it’s hard to resist admiring their tenacious spirit. Alas, they squandered a chance to take a 2-0 Series lead last night, losing a 2-1 squeaker in which their closer du jour, Jason Motte, proved unable to do what he’d done the previous evening: pitch a scoreless ninth inning and keep the

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-37989226462959212262011-10-11T22:26:00.000-07:002011-10-12T03:17:40.641-07:00

After losing veteran outfielders Delmon Young and Magglio Ordonez to injury heading into the American League Championship Series, things have looked bleak for the Detroit Tigers. Yet Jim Leyland's team rebounded Tuesday night to defeat the Texas Rangers in Game 3, 5-2. Texas still leads the series, 2-1, but don’t count the scrappy Tigers out. Postseason play has often provided opportunities

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-17765350332023383442011-09-08T03:00:00.000-07:002011-09-08T03:22:47.474-07:00

Thanks to my brother Daniel, I'm the proud owner of an Ivan ("Pudge") Rodriguez bobblehead doll. I'm a big Pudge fan, and in the summer of 2010 I went to see a Washington Nationals game in D.C. with Daniel and his three sons, along with my best old high school buddy, John. Initially, there were possibilities that we might attend a game pitched by phenom Stephen Strasburg, but the schedule never

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-66445248445431647742011-09-07T02:56:00.000-07:002011-09-07T10:11:20.291-07:00

It’s no surprise to avid tennis fans that Serena Williams is dominating at the U.S. Open. With her intense demeanor and occasional bear-like roars, Serena is the women’s game’s Darth Vader, seemingly capable of choking her rivals merely by thinking about doing it. Serena entered this tournament seeded a laughable #28, a situation due to comparative inactivity on the circuit the past year, which

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-87599114200647368422011-09-06T10:45:00.000-07:002011-09-06T10:52:51.181-07:00

The reviews aren't all in yet. In fact, the verdict may remain out for a long while on the University of Maryland football team's new uniforms. In what might be considered someone's clever bit of conceptualizing, the Terps are now essentially sporting the state flag of Maryland. It's a rad look, actually--especially the helmets--and the initial karma the uniforms brought was in the form of a

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-44132431269479635282011-09-06T00:12:00.000-07:002011-09-06T00:12:03.880-07:00

With its undergrad enrollment of approx. 7,000, California University is situated in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, kind of in the middle of nowhere, approximately halfway between Pittsburgh and Morgantown, W. Va. The school competes in NCAA Division II football in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and while the Vulcans have experienced on-field success in recent years, their

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-68073712099423168032011-09-04T21:33:00.000-07:002011-09-04T21:33:23.270-07:00

PGA golfer Brandt Snedeker (above) and former NFL head coach Jon Gruden (below)

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-33312471261337099112011-09-03T00:28:00.000-07:002011-09-03T23:27:52.682-07:00

[Editor's note: Later on the same day after this story was published, the Titans announced that veteran wide receiver Justin Gage had been released from the team, and that fullback Ahmard Hall had been levied a four-game suspension to begin the season for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.] Like many a Titans fan, I would love to believe that 2011, with all its personnel changes

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-49274880148715816962011-07-27T02:10:00.000-07:002011-07-27T02:10:01.333-07:00

The Washington Nationals, who were actually surprising baseball observers there for a while, are now 9-15 since Davey Johnson replaced Jim Riggleman as manager. Despite injuries and their high-priced free agents flat-out sucking, the Nats had somehow managed to play respectable ball under Riggleman. They were getting consistently good pitching from their starters, and however he was doing it,

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-18357877229442241182011-06-09T22:46:00.000-07:002011-06-09T22:46:52.768-07:00

Rick Carlisle, coach of the Dallas Mavericks, and Jim Carrey, in Me, Myself and Irene

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-35028548494694214232011-05-28T23:52:00.000-07:002011-05-28T23:54:50.537-07:00

The 2011 freefall may have started for the Washington Nationals (22-29), who dropped another one Saturday, 2-1, to the even worse San Diego Padres (21-31). For the Nats, losers of 8 of their last 10 games, it was another exercise in the frustration of life as a good-pitch, lousy-hit baseball club. The Nats are aching for respectability, and they’ve got a combative manager, Jim Riggleman, who,

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-83532564027501118872011-05-07T21:47:00.000-07:002011-05-09T06:23:14.781-07:00

[Since my usual outlet for my theater reviews, Nashville Scene, was unable to accommodate my coverage for this week, I’ve posted this review to my wider-purpose blog.--M.B.] So, which parent screwed YOU up the most? Sometimes that’s a pretty tough call. But in Joel Drake Johnson’s The Fall to Earth, which opened this past Friday at Groundworks Theatre, there’s little doubt that mommie dearest is

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-78540568685888927762011-04-16T00:21:00.000-07:002011-04-16T01:47:14.592-07:00

Statistical geeks such as myself generally bow down to the words “Elias Sports Bureau,” since that oft-cited agency is the gold standard for statistical accuracy and omnipotence in the world of sports. This is especially true where baseball is concerned. If you want to know the last time an Oklahoma-born second basemen named Fred with shin splints and a stubbly beard hit into a force play in five

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-79031528768706322462011-04-06T00:54:00.000-07:002011-04-06T00:54:59.763-07:00

The Washington Nationals are off to yet another stellar start. Not. At the moment, the team shows early signs of good pitching being undermined by impotent hitting. Of course, I don’t know why a team that ought to be building with youth added to its roster Jerry Hairston, Jr. (34), Laynce Nix (30), Alex Cora (35) and Matt Stairs (43). Sorry, but none of these guys was a star in his prime anyway

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-86827917406449246322011-03-11T19:14:00.000-08:002011-03-11T19:14:49.824-08:00

By Henry Nichols Special to Sports Media America By any reasonable measure, when you subtract the emotions and moral relativity, you can’t escape the impending reality that Bruce Pearl is being weighed for the gallows this March at Tennessee. When whispers of impropriety were first directed toward Tennessee over the past year or so, it initially looked as if a series of impermissible calls

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-73308259245385459522011-03-07T15:57:00.000-08:002011-04-06T12:16:35.999-07:00

When you don’t have money for a big exciting TV package, you have to settle for what you can get in Comcast basic limited cable. That’s what I do, anyway. As my career as a journalist dwindles, and as my career as a musician never takes off, I am stuck making do with many things. Hence, my brain gets addled by watching awful network TV, which occasionally redeems itself with sports programming

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-76849123650461515492011-03-07T07:49:00.000-08:002011-03-07T07:49:47.058-08:00

It happened again on Sunday. A regular season conference winner got beat in its league end-of-season tourney, and in so doing all but scuttled its chances for a berth in the NCAA basketball tournament. Why does this totally suck? Because Missouri State’s 25-8 record should be good enough. Because the fact that the Bears were the regular season champions of the Missouri Valley Conference (15-3

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-85827921741989029332011-03-06T05:50:00.000-08:002011-03-06T05:50:36.380-08:00

Incredibly tell-tale stat: 1-11. That’s Vanderbilt head basketball coach Kevin Stallings’ record in season finales since he signed on with the Commodores in 1999. The latest such event was last night’s 86-76 loss to Florida in Nashville. While the Gators have proven to be surprisingly strong in 2010-11, the ’Dores were looking pretty good themselves a little less than two weeks ago, with a 20-6

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-38393665551364324672011-02-16T17:30:00.000-08:002011-02-16T17:30:59.747-08:00

The definition of Muslim Brotherhood, according to Wikipedia: “The Society of the Muslim Brothers (often simply, The Brotherhood or MB) is an Islamic transnational movement and the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. The group is the world's oldest and largest Islamic political group, and the ‘world's most influential Islamist movement.’ The Brotherhood has as its

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-86337268602905444062011-02-15T18:14:00.000-08:002011-02-15T18:14:44.780-08:00

Caught this afternoon on The Zone, radio 104.5 FM: The Tennessee Titans’ press conference where head coach Mike Munchak presented new defensive coordinator Jerry Gray to the media. Gray sounded, uh, like a mediocre mind. Hate to say it, but that’s the vibe he transmitted. He even seemed to struggle with his cliches. Gray is a veteran position coach and former DC with the Buffalo Bills, where he

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-43106016208229512412011-02-15T00:50:00.000-08:002011-02-15T02:57:03.722-08:00

Monday is the worst television night of the week--for those of us who are cable-challenged. And so it was with great joy that I ran into Lady Gaga last night as a guest on “The Tonight Show” on “free” TV NBC. I’m here to say it publically: I love Gaga. No, wait: More than that, I might even march with her into hell. What’s more, I’m unable to properly explain why those feelings are so strong,

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-66278755751845212522011-02-10T03:13:00.000-08:002011-02-10T11:30:26.575-08:00

I recently paid a visit to California--to get out of the dark and coldness of the Southeast in an attempt to rejuvenate a flagging spirit. I was moderately successful. It was 60s and 70s in the Los Angeles area with general sun, though chilly in the mornings and at night, as deserts can be. I never got to a beach. Mostly I hung with my brother, visited with a long-lost cousin, and spent ample

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-54433256940172365522011-02-09T12:11:00.000-08:002011-02-09T12:14:08.904-08:00

Interesting. Sports Media America and Huffington Post were both founded about six years ago. Both were aiming to change the world. I can’t imagine why, but for some reason Arianna Huffington recently parlayed her venture into a huge, rich-beyond-all-dreams buyout by AOL, while we still sit here unnoticed by the big money. But who can really understand the strange workings of the new-media world?

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-83000071910625264682011-02-02T21:57:00.000-08:002011-02-10T00:23:55.011-08:00

By Henry Nichols After two of the more disastrous seasons in a 17-year coaching regime spanning four home venues, Jeff Fisher and the Tennessee Titans finally reached their breaking point--and not a few weeks after it appeared Fisher had finally triumphed in the greatest coach-player (Vince Young) power struggle of an otherwise streamlined tenure. To say it has been an epic offseason so far for

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-70694771195241287752011-01-07T03:07:00.000-08:002011-01-07T03:24:18.337-08:00

Remember about a month or so ago, when Titans quarterback Vince Young texted an apology to his coach, Jeff Fisher? That was weird. Vince tweets also, and, of course, that’s what people do nowadays. The texters and tweeters have helped mightily to fulfill philosopher/social critic/communication theorist Marshall McLuhan’s prescient statement of 47 years ago: “The medium is the message.” See, it

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-58873180911760916482010-11-15T01:02:00.000-08:002010-11-14T23:12:26.748-08:00

I watched the Tennessee Titans lose to the Miami Dolphins yesterday afternoon, 29-17. The Dolphins lost their first- and second-string quarterbacks—the two hanging Chads, Pennington and Henne—to injury during the game, yet the Titans couldn’t take advantage of the situation. Miami’s last QB standing, Tyler Thigpen, finished off the victory, looking savvy and determined and making me wonder—after

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-88345571309837939192010-10-23T11:33:00.000-07:002010-10-23T11:33:42.581-07:00

My brother Steve has a baleful saying: “We’re gonna die just in time...” It is his commentary on being a certain advanced age—older than 40, at least—while experiencing the absurdist, wrongheaded and presumably irretrievably corrupt sociopolitical state of the world in general and the U.S. in particular. In other words, things are so bad that death looks good. Normally, I agree with this

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-75638806615334997572010-09-11T21:33:00.000-07:002010-09-11T21:37:07.237-07:00

It’s been a long time since this blog has seen any action. Let’s skip the whys and wherefores. Instead, let’s get right down to engaging in our favorite sport: knocking sports media. There’s always so much to dissect and ridicule, but some tidbits from Saturday’s TV coverage should suffice. It’s hard to know who to begin with: Cornball has-been Dick Enberg or super-weenie, speech-impedimented

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-6389006656305147812010-06-08T23:48:00.000-07:002010-06-09T01:09:54.387-07:00

In 1971, the Washington Senators broke my young heart when they up and moved to Texas to become the Rangers. The caliber of baseball pretty much sucked in hometown Washington, D.C., but I still loved the Senators. They were my team. When I moved to Chicago, I got two teams for the price of one, Cubs and White Sox, and that was okay by me. Since I wasn't a Chicago native, I didn't bring any of

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-2537697311827840372010-05-26T00:31:00.000-07:002010-05-26T09:10:26.470-07:00

The worst thing that ever happened to this country was 9/11. Not only because thousands died in the WTC terrorist attack and Bush subsequently fought a stupid war, but also because that event put New York City back on the map in a real obnoxious way. Increasingly, in the last couple of decades leading up to 9/11, Americans were more and more discovering the values of Sun Belt, or more southerly

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-77473230543498315182010-04-29T21:36:00.000-07:002010-04-30T10:14:33.734-07:00

By Steve BradyThe interesting thing about this year’s Kentucky Derby? The horse I think is best equipped to win it didn’t even get in. SETSUKO is only 1 for 8 in getting to the winner’s circle, but he has been showing steady improvement with each start, and has a powerful closing kick that I thought would give him a strong chance against this field. He also had one of the most visually impressive

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-37067444032163667872010-02-22T16:21:00.000-08:002010-02-22T16:47:45.034-08:00

Sometimes the smallest little news items can grab your attention. Such as the AP story today stating that Kevin Gilbride Jr., son of New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride Sr., has been added to the Giants' coaching staff.This kind of blatant nepotism wouldn't be so bad if Jr. had a competitive resume. I mean, really, isn't making it into the NFL coaching ranks the dream of many a

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-34603776582394381872010-02-21T09:44:00.000-08:002010-02-21T09:46:21.764-08:00

Walked 1.2 miles this morning. Day 11, Nicotine Clean.

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-13198994874287839882010-02-20T23:04:00.000-08:002010-02-20T23:23:46.474-08:00

Poor Tiger Woods. So talented. So rich. So pheromonal. So messed up. Media reaction to Tiger’s apologia publica Friday has ranged from astonished praise to outright cynicism. As for me, I’m trying to find the middle ground, though it’s not that easy to do. Like newspaper writer and TV bigmouth Stephen A. Smith, I am tending toward mistrust on Tiger’s mea culpa. It’s not that I don’t think Tiger

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-18728967489858420732010-02-19T01:57:00.000-08:002010-02-19T02:06:44.599-08:00

So I’m finally at home, rebounding from cardiac surgery and the shock of it all, glad to be within my own four, very dingy, walls. Then my friend, singer Stacey Shaffer-Bishop, calls me, and says she’s coming over with stuff for me to eat. And gosh darn if she doesn’t bring me a big, big pot of homemade chicken soup (no salt used in its preparation), coffee, matzo crackers, salad greens, some

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-82777520350843626652010-02-17T08:11:00.000-08:002010-02-17T08:19:38.565-08:00

I received three particularly interesting phone calls within a day or two of my surgery. All were from males. All were non-smokers, right around 50 years old. All lived alone. All expressed their concern for my brush with mortality, but I perceived something else behind their words and their cautious attitude. Suddenly, I was doing the listening. And I guess that was okay because I had endured

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-77124692191961989152010-02-16T06:52:00.000-08:002010-02-16T07:18:02.918-08:00

A few words about Brad Paisley’s video, Welcome to the Future, which I continue to see in rotation on CMT, though it’s been more than six months since its release. How about “Yuck”? Or “Ugh”? Paisley, well-respected as a country artist, has finally jumped the shark. About as "country" as a shopping mall in Minnesota, Paisley unselfconsciously strives to use his considerable podium as a way to “

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-80000919987892320072010-02-16T04:28:00.000-08:002010-02-16T05:20:55.856-08:00

[This is the third installment of a multiple-chapter essay on my recent heart surgery. Scroll down to read Parts 1 and 2.] In the early morning of Feb. 13, about nine hours before my release from Vanderbilt Medical Center, I became increasingly emotional. Sitting there in the dark, my roommate asleep but snoring on the other side of the partition—my short-term ordeal coming near to its end—I

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-37630778304177499032010-02-14T23:47:00.000-08:002010-02-14T23:56:47.041-08:00

Actress Starina Johnson (Stuck!) NASCAR's Danica Patrick

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-74563231980291225412010-02-14T22:12:00.000-08:002010-02-14T22:46:38.984-08:00

[This is the second installment of a multiple-chapter essay on my recent heart surgery. Scroll down to read Part 1.] Following my surgery, I have some vague recollection of being wheeled somewhere and perhaps even of being on an elevator. (Wondrous sedatives keep the new heart patient in a heavenly guessing game.) By the time I got my mental bearings, and some physical clarity, I found myself in

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-28974843968357084622010-02-14T06:20:00.000-08:002010-02-14T06:48:03.798-08:00

Today is Day 4 in my new life as a heart attack patient. I entered Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Emergency Room at approximately 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11. I had driven myself to the hospital after experiencing strange chest discomfort and increasing pain, of a sort that would make any aware person realize that action was needed. I wasn’t exactly sure what was wrong, of course,

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-66637384092159078182010-02-08T19:16:00.000-08:002010-02-08T19:45:58.598-08:00

Hattiesburg, Mississsippi: Home of the University of Southern Mississippi, Brett Favre’s college career...and horny disgraced sports figures. Until today, I had missed the story about former Mets GM and former ESPN baseball guy Steve Phillips’ sex addiction travails. I wondered (sort of) where Phillips was on ESPN hot stove coverage, though I was never a fan of his bluster and I can’t say that I

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-75219674785565757632010-02-08T06:14:00.000-08:002010-02-08T06:53:49.654-08:00

Nope, I have no problem with the Saints winning the Super Bowl. Good for them, and always cool to see a previous non-SB winner join the esteemed club. Now let’s get working on the Browns, Lions, Eagles, Bengals, Titans, Texans, Jaguars, Panthers, Falcons, Chargers, Vikings, Bills, Cardinals and Seahawks. (Man, that’s a LOT of teams who have never won a Super Bowl in a supposedly parity-rich

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-56254976869540593712010-02-05T02:12:00.001-08:002010-02-08T16:33:44.276-08:00

http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/pitw/2010/02/sports_xtra_not_your_daddys_sp.php

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-25560777355673006972010-01-13T02:22:00.000-08:002010-01-13T03:18:22.613-08:00

Nashville's latest sports radio talkathon is happening on weeknights on WNSR, 560-AM, 6-9 p.m., with up-and-coming nattering nabobs Jeff Thurn and Henry Nichols offering an alternative brand of gab and opinion. Two nights in and the young duo's chemistry and penchant for chatty wisecracking definitely sounds like a good idea. The twosome banter and take phone calls, and if that doesn't so far

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-48956578462331453942009-12-31T02:31:00.000-08:002009-12-31T02:41:33.267-08:00

“You’re on the FBI Watch List,” a Southwest Airlines ticket agent said to me on the morning of December 26 at Nashville International Airport. “We’re not supposed to talk about this,” she continued, then she flipped over the printout of my reservation information and scrawled, “tsa.gov.” She said: “You can go to that website if you want to get more information.”Fat lot of good that did me, since

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-70695928372374341902009-11-05T00:02:00.000-08:002009-11-05T09:55:22.310-08:00

By Steve BradyBreeders' Cup events handicapped below begin with Race #2, Sat., Nov. 7, at Santa Anita Race Track, Arcadia, California. Televised coverage begins on ABC at 1:45 p.m. EST, and then switches to ESPN at 3:30 p.m. EST. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (Grade II), $1,000,000, Two-Year-Old Colts and Geldings, 1 Mile (Turf)Two-year-old colts on the turf. I like the favorite, Interactif (4-1) [

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-20270024593919558882009-11-04T00:55:00.000-08:002009-11-04T03:20:24.400-08:00

By Steve Brady The Breeders’ Cup is a two-day event. With one exception (The B.C. Marathon), Day 1 is dedicated to distaff events (female horses only), and Day 2 is for male horses (although there will be some significant females “taking on the boys”). Breeders' Cup events handicapped below begin with Race #3, Fri., Nov. 6, at Santa Anita Race Track, Arcadia, California. Televised coverage begins

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-26001216409902995222009-09-25T05:03:00.000-07:002009-09-25T05:07:55.695-07:00

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-72373687364049933322009-09-20T11:12:00.000-07:002009-09-20T11:39:55.655-07:00

Sports Media America continues to partner in video production with new-media sports outlets. The latest effort features a two-part series on the 2009 Southeastern Conference football season, produced in association with VinettPicks.com. Catch the commentary at:SEC WestSEC East

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-24156569804128747212009-09-15T00:31:00.000-07:002009-09-15T01:23:40.021-07:00

Notes and observations from the NFL’s opening week: When it counts most, new Bears QB Jay Cutler stinks up Lambeau Field, tossing four interceptions as Bears fall to Packers, 21-15. Bears LB Brian Urlacher lost for season with broken wrist. Aaron Rodgers connects with WR Greg Jennings for game-winning TD with 1:11 on the clock. In the “Isn’t life ironic?” category, new Broncos QB Kyle Orton

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-77617960513200103282009-09-11T00:02:00.000-07:002009-09-11T00:17:00.577-07:00

So whose knob is Rick Reilly polishing at ESPN? After slowly but surely insinuating himself into their web pages—with his signature "alternative" semi-humorous reporting—and then launching his ESPN "Homecoming" sports interview show (which, let's admit it, is kind of gay), Reilly showed up tonight doing anchorman work. Putting up with Reilly's raspy wimp-ass voice on an occasion isn't so bad, but

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-49277950844378996732009-09-09T09:54:00.000-07:002009-09-09T11:57:43.672-07:00

The old-school NFL rule of thumb is that rookie QBs need to sit and watch for a while. Unless your options are limited. Or your team looks so bad—ahem, Detroit—that exposing a youngster immediately to the fires of stiff NFL defenses just looks like better public relations. Both caveats generally apply to the Lions’ Matthew Stafford (Georgia) and the Jets’ Mark Sanchez (Southern Cal). The other

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-83751248027841108482009-09-07T23:18:00.000-07:002009-09-07T23:50:51.538-07:00

For the third straight match, teen tennis phenom Melanie Oudin ceded the first set to a supposedly superior opponent, then went on to take two out of three, advancing to the U.S. Open quarterfinal. Monday's victim for the 17-year-old Georgian was Russian Nadia Petrova, who fell 6-1, 6-7, 3-6. Oudin has now established herself as the unofficial American Russian killer in this tournament, having

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-43161716687423682242009-09-05T14:26:00.000-07:002009-09-05T20:44:43.939-07:00

Once more done in by poor service play, Maria Sharapova lost her third-round U.S. Open match today to 17-year-old American phenom Melanie Oudin, 6-3, 4-6, 5-7. After keeping her tendency to double-fault at a minimum in the first two rounds of play—4 and 7, respectively—tennis goddess Sharapova sabotaged her early advantage with an astonishing match total of 21 double faults. Sharapova also

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-35241983331551566602009-08-22T23:48:00.001-07:002009-08-26T01:17:38.443-07:00

You know, only in this universe, in this galaxy, in this solar system, on this planet, in this country, in the state of Texas, in the city of Dallas, at this time in history—only there and then could the owner of the highest-profile professional football team in existence build a $1.2 billion football stadium/palace/shrine, and then install in the middle of it 1,500 square yards of video screen

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-45514411464672702932009-08-22T06:31:00.000-07:002009-08-22T07:13:09.364-07:00

In Toronto last night, unseeded and former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova defeated 14th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) to advance to the Rogers Cup semifinals. After a straightforward victory in the opening set, the Russian-born Sharapova rebounded from an early break of her serve in the second set, eventually winning a hard-fought tiebreaker to take the match. Sharapova

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-68042002770761377532009-08-21T02:29:00.000-07:002009-08-21T02:50:11.266-07:00

Sports Media America serves up its second entry in its new video production program. Nashville sports journalist Henry Nichols raps with fellow football freak Sean Vinett on AFC South rival Titans and Colts. Who will win the division in 2009?

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-28405959264434044842009-08-19T23:28:00.000-07:002009-08-21T02:51:08.102-07:00

Sports Media America has waded into the video production world. This is our first, very humble effort, produced in conjunction with Nashville247.tv sports journalist Henry Nichols. Henry and fellow "talking head" Sean Vinett analyze the impact of Brett Favre's signing with the Minnesota Vikings. Yes, we know: This is sort of the "Wayne's World" of sports video, two earnest guys just talking at

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-65079371211642761892009-08-08T23:55:00.001-07:002009-08-09T09:14:44.024-07:00

Okay, I have a passing interest in tennis. But I don’t really follow the sport. I have general knowledge about the big names, and sometimes have been known to drop what I’m doing and start to watch a match on TV, willing to settle in if the competition compels. I am also not one of those guys who tends to glom onto sexy lady athletes just because they look incredibly attractive in a tennis skirt

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-41896113368720575692009-07-20T10:23:00.000-07:002009-07-20T10:31:33.161-07:00

Subbing for Tony Kornheiser Friday on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” veteran sportswriter Bob Ryan averred that if 59-year-old Tom Watson were to win the British Open it would be bad for the game of golf. Watson’s too old, Ryan said, asserting his belief that old guys don’t make great achievements in other sports—because their juniors are younger, stronger, better—and if Watson outclassed the

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-55942500109017520022009-07-15T12:37:00.000-07:002009-07-15T16:23:48.049-07:00

On the heels of last night's All-Star Game in St. Louis, we have to call your attention to the so-called worldwide leader, ESPN, which did one of its lame-ass polls the other day, determining what was the "best" baseball city in the U.S. Wow, what a surprise! New York came out on top! With Los Angeles second, and Chicago third. Funny how those are the three most populous cities. Complete

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-54737590420942108942009-07-14T11:01:00.000-07:002009-07-14T11:05:48.441-07:00

The dust seems to have settled on the Steve McNair affair. In the brief span of 10 days, the former NFL great was shot dead, oft-eulogized, and then buried in the ground in Mississippi. And, in what appears to be an open-and-shut police case, the whys and wherefores of McNair’s demise have been neatly summarized and accepted as fact. If you’d asked me 11 days ago what I thought of McNair, I’d’ve

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-54714174768616995622009-07-12T21:52:00.000-07:002009-07-13T14:01:40.518-07:00

[Editor's note: Approximately 16 hours after this story was posted, Manny Acta was fired as manager of the Washington Nationals. Jim Riggleman was appointed interim manager.] "It's at the point where it's just embarrassing for us," Washington Nationals relief pitcher Joe Beimel reportedly said this past Friday night. "I think everyone in the clubhouse should be embarrassed about the way we play

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-79940872088781938092009-07-07T08:41:00.000-07:002009-07-07T09:55:01.677-07:00

Questions to be asked based on published Tennessean reportage: Report: Though many questions remain, investigators now know that Sahel Kazemi bought the gun that ended her life and killed former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair. Kazemi bought the semi-automatic pistol on Thursday evening from a person Nashville police have not named. She made the purchase the same day she was bailed out

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-65079469691675397182009-07-04T21:42:00.000-07:002009-07-05T08:55:17.936-07:00

Pieced together from electronic news sources Former Tennessee Titans quarterback and 2003 NFL co-MVP Steve McNair is dead. The 36-year-old McNair was found shot to death in a downtown Nashville condominium this afternoon with multiple wounds to his body and head. Found next to him was the body of 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, a local waitress whom McNair had met fairly recently. Kazemi had a single

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-43165609771708091852009-05-14T22:33:00.000-07:002009-05-15T22:34:54.054-07:00

By Steve Brady[Editor’s note: In horse racing, a “Derby” is a race set up specifically for 3-year-old colts, and an “Oaks” is restricted to 3-year-old fillies. Every few years, a particularly gifted filly attempts to “take on the boys” in a Triple Crown event. Fillies are traditionally given a five-pound weight break. Rags to Riches beat Curlin in the Belmont two years ago and Eight Belles

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-61883500148542777672009-05-01T09:57:00.000-07:002009-05-01T14:04:54.329-07:00

By Steve BradyWoody Allen once famously said that “90% of life is just showing up.” His words have special meaning on the first Saturday in May. As this year’s Kentucky Derby entrants convene on a track that few of them have ever run on—at a distance none of them has been proven at, against competition few of them have ever faced, in a stampede twice the size any of them has ever found themselves

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-61320563973879374742009-04-14T10:37:00.000-07:002009-04-14T17:39:28.194-07:00

Longtime Philadelphia Phillies baseball announcer Harry Kalas passed away yesterday, and by all reports he was a well-liked individual and apparently a very nice man. He collapsed in the broadcast booth at Nationals Park prior to the Nationals-Phillies game in Washington, D.C. Death brings a sense of sadness—and an immediate tendency to reflect on the past. Having lived to 73, and having spent 38

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-17275782502703805142009-03-24T22:24:00.000-07:002009-04-14T17:49:33.601-07:00

Baseball Prospectus 2009: The Essential Guide to the 2009 Baseball Season (Penguin/Plume, 628 pages, $21.95)This may seem to be a dotty notion, but I’ve long believed that I could manage a major league baseball team. In fact, I think there are a lot of regular guys all over the country who could manage a major league baseball team with some success. Or at least as much success as Manny Acta had

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-80646640677354041362009-03-16T04:22:00.000-07:002009-03-16T04:31:56.139-07:00

The message is now clear to every NCAA men’s basketball conference: Get yourself a season-ending conference tournament—and then manipulate the system. Conference tournaments suck. They’re stupid. Their existence invalidates the regular season conference schedule. And they were doubtless founded solely to generate cash. But according to the ESPN news story, Mississippi State, with its victory over

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-22831165775899990052009-02-27T07:16:00.000-08:002009-02-27T07:49:47.339-08:00

So Albert Haynesworth is gone to the Redskins, who acquire the Titans’ behemoth defensive tackle for $100 million on a 7-year commitment. Haynesworth earns a guaranteed $41 million with the deal. There are two shorthand ways to think about this:1. Haynesworth is a premier defensive talent who is just now entering his prime. The Titans lose the heart of their defense, and the Redskins have

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-5508829506897962992009-02-04T04:52:00.000-08:002009-02-04T06:54:00.669-08:00

Thom Abraham’s been on 106.7, the local ESPN outlet, since the summer of 2007. He has a somewhat sketchy resume as a small-market radio host and also as a high school coach, so the Nashville gig is probably a big deal for him. His career has stretched in its previous, various incarnations from upstate New York to Florida and Alabama, which makes you wonder why he sounds like one of the SuperFans

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-21231268968700492982009-02-02T10:20:00.000-08:002009-02-02T10:39:25.438-08:00

Yep, that was a good Super Bowl. Actually, a great one. My pregame prediction was 24-17 Pittsburgh—same as ESPN’s John Clayton—but I was rooting hard for the Cards. Hindsight’s always 20-20, but maybe if the Cards had taken the gunslinging approach sooner they’d’ve put some early points on the board. They credibly made the pro-forma attempt to “establish the running game,” but in so doing it

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-60911327102673630372009-01-16T08:53:00.000-08:002009-01-16T09:17:21.723-08:00

Early morning local sports radio chatter on Nashville’s 104.5 turned today momentarily to Donovan McNabb and his status as a potential Hall of Fame candidate. The shorthand assessment—mainly from Paul Kuharsky, former Tennessean writer and now with ESPN.com—seemed to be that, since the standard of the era is Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, McNabb might not qualify. The Philly QB doesn’t have a

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-88874349342793558442009-01-11T02:46:00.000-08:002009-01-11T02:50:25.695-08:00

Nashville’s Circle Players are currently in rehearsal for a production of Titanic, the Musical, set for opening next weekend. But for a compelling tale of unbridled disaster, the Tennessee Titans beat the local community theater to the punch with their performance Saturday afternoon in the AFC divisional playoffs. Like the journey of the Titanic itself, this one started out with high hopes and a

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-30468004625765973422009-01-06T04:02:00.000-08:002009-01-06T04:23:19.776-08:00

This weekend’s Baltimore Ravens/Tennessee Titans playoff matchup—Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST (CBS)—could be a game for the ages. Not only are the teams veritable spiritual clones of each other—big-time physical defenses, strong running games, competent quarterbacks—but the history between the two, while relatively brief, is rich, eventful, and amazingly balanced in the outcomes. Both teams are also

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-51033518261227587402008-12-16T00:03:00.000-08:002008-12-16T00:10:40.022-08:00

Remember the glory days of 2008, when the Tennessee Titans were 10-0 and looked to be a surging AFC power? They had a killer defense and two strong young running backs, and it seemed like they were only going to get better as the playoffs loomed. Well, those days are gone.In their past four games, the Titans are 2-2. Their victories were over the Lions and Browns, two teams that might have

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-51348835463337488492008-12-02T07:01:00.000-08:002008-12-02T07:26:41.668-08:00

Oklahoma is hanging its claim on a shot at the national championship based in large part on the fact that they have scored more than 60 points in each of their past four games. It’s evidence, says coach Bob Stoops, of momentum and superiority. We won’t dispute that the Sooners are swamping their opponents, but do points mean dominance when you play in a conference where nobody plays any defense??

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-11795363768189475852008-12-01T17:37:00.000-08:002008-12-01T17:54:02.871-08:00

Brent Musburger bit the big one over the weekend. While broadcasting the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State football game on Saturday night for ABC, dumb ol’ Brent misquoted the great baseball executive Branch Rickey. Trying his darndest to be “eloquent,” and make a relevant quip germane to the game action, Brent burst forth excitedly with this gem, “As Branch Rickey once said, ‘Luck is the residue of...

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-30128201416073906172008-11-25T01:49:00.000-08:002008-11-25T00:34:36.897-08:00

The beat goes on, but at the moment we're no closer to declaring anyone officially in the playoffs yet. What is official is that Monday Night Football's Tony Kornholer remains an alien presence on the airwaves. And we finally figured out why this sports media loser is a worthless POS. It's not that he doesn't really know anything about football (even though he doesn't), or the fact that his dour

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-86559401749247054172008-11-17T23:01:00.000-08:002008-11-18T02:36:59.736-08:00

Time to check in on the progress, or lack thereof, of NFL teams. Maybe four squads—Titans, Giants, Panthers, Cardinals—can be said to be definitely zeroing in on playoff berths. Otherwise, there are serious shades of gray still left out there. There are plenty of contenders, but an equal number of pretenders. Here’s a summary of what everyone did this past weekend, and where they all look to be

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-60033482984976303202008-11-12T02:45:00.000-08:002008-11-12T12:25:56.824-08:00

Did you watch Monday Night Football on ESPN the other night? Did you hear Tony Kornholer being a consummate, uninformed and boring ass? Did you cringe a little when Mike Tirico went into his high-pitched "soft-male" pseudo-thoughtful observations? Did you think Ron Jaworski (aka "Jaws") went overboard on the macho-man scale, with his "insider" meathead talk about how coaches who are former NFL

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-32663678405491255782008-11-12T02:19:00.000-08:002008-11-12T02:42:14.489-08:00

Congrats to Tim Lincecum, the amazing, and highly entertaining, San Francisco Giants hurler who won the National League Cy Young Award on Tuesday. Lincecum deserved this honor, and it's nice to see the baseball writers paying attention to high achievement on a team that otherwise achieved little and merited little attention. Lincecum is awesome, without doubt. Cases could have been made for

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-49955207532290410712008-11-05T11:32:00.000-08:002008-11-05T11:46:53.951-08:00

And now it is done. We’ve elected a president who claims that he plans to levy new taxes only on the wealthiest 5% of Americans. This is good. It guarantees money in the federal coffers, it will sustain the needs of the remaining 95% of us who are not so fortunate, and it appropriately penalizes a lot of people in America who have no earthly right to be that rich. Like Oprah Winfrey. Where else

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-31377657815061300772008-09-30T02:51:00.000-07:002008-09-30T03:02:59.027-07:00

ESPN.com headline: Doctors: Collier paralyzed below waist, one leg had to be amputated Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier joins the late Sean Taylor and Darrent Williams as the latest pro-athlete victim of black-on-black violence. Last year, when I wrote about Taylor’s tragic death, I received quite a bit of mail from readers who claimed that I was racist to suggest that Taylor

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-86714901703122796572008-09-10T16:54:00.000-07:002008-09-10T17:12:06.170-07:00

sport noun1. an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment : “team sports such as baseball and soccer” | [as adj. ] ( sports) “a sports center.”So, the question put before us today is, Is NASCAR a sport?Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was on Dan Patrick’s FOX radio show Wednesday. Dan asked him, “Would your dad [the late

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-40372178513020691522008-09-09T00:06:00.000-07:002008-09-08T22:08:25.814-07:00

Verbal wanderings, from the field to the broadcast booth:1. Hats off to the Falcons! The new and improved backfield, featuring rookie QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael Turner, looked potent in a sound defeat of the (admittedly) lax Lions. And no dogs were injured in the making of the “W.”2. The TV networks should be ashamed of themselves for foisting on the American public some of the most

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-73545650104717665892008-09-01T21:55:00.000-07:002008-09-04T01:50:20.044-07:00

Preseason NFL games are meaningless in the standings. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have meaning. Guys get hurt in ’em (the Giants’ Osi Umenyiora, lost for the season). Improbable faces excel and gain unlikely starting roles (J. T. O’Sullivan, 49ers). Most of all, we get a first glimpse at the raw talent of incoming rookies who might alter the fortunes of their teams (Falcons’ Matt Ryan,

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-34441487714686401712008-08-25T05:28:00.000-07:002008-08-25T05:44:20.999-07:00

1. China is a fascist-looking place masquerading as an “emerging world power.” 2. Every time I turned on the TV, NBC was showing volleyball. Who needs volleyball?3. The “Redeem Team” was a stupid concept. Fielding an Olympic squad of NBA players—the greatest professional players on the planet—is not what the Olympics are about. It was a dumb idea when it started with the “Dream Team,” and it’s

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-16268694385090408902008-08-07T16:12:00.000-07:002008-08-07T16:37:45.914-07:00

Babe Parilli, Jeff Blake, Jack Trudeau, Boomer Esiason, Bubby Brister, Frank Reich, Neil O’Donnell, Vinny Testaverde, Rick Mirer, Quincy Carter, Jay Fiedler, Patrick Ramsey. They all put in time with the New York Jets, either at the end, or in the middle, of careers that had already peaked (or hardly ever were). Which is why Brett Favre’s move to the Big Apple has the ominous ringings of “aging

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-5449926445420739082008-06-30T21:11:00.000-07:002008-08-05T12:27:25.633-07:00

There’s dumb stuff happening in baseball, both on the field and in the ESPN studios. Time to weigh in and set the world right, even though the dummies won’t listen. On the media front:I don’t watch ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” all the time. But lately I’ve gotten way too good a gander (and an earful) of Eduardo Perez, the Worldwide Leader’s latest pathetic dumbass diversity/ex-jock hire. Well, check

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-78400295025699245682008-06-16T17:32:00.000-07:002008-06-17T07:22:14.361-07:00

REPENT! THE END IS NEAR!Golfer Rocco Mediate, a normal-seeming, likable, straight-shooting average guy, received a strange brand of media mistreatment this past weekend at the U.S. Open in San Diego. Mediate, a 23-year vet of the pro tour, pushed the great Tiger Woods into an 18-hole playoff and then, when that didn't decide things, into sudden death, eventually losing the final hole. Mediate

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-92013649682574226972008-06-04T12:08:00.000-07:002008-06-07T11:14:28.400-07:00

By Steve Brady[BELMONT UPDATE 6/7/08: Casino Drive, the second favorite in the Belmont Stakes, was scratched from the race. The colt suffered a stone bruise at some unknown point since arriving in Elmont, N.Y., in late April. Casino Drive reportedly will be returning to Japan to continue his career.] Big Brown (looking majestically big and brown, left) had another stunning victory in the

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-51203125477013451982008-05-22T12:18:00.000-07:002008-05-22T12:43:56.073-07:00

I went to the dentist today. The last of several appointments involving deep-tissue cleaning of my gums. I’m doing what I can to stave off the prospect of actual surgery. So now I have prescription mouthwash that’ll melt the top layer of metal off a Sherman tank, and I’m trying to get good about flossing (rots o’ ruck) and using this weird little gum massager they gave me. It was an early

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8697695.post-57221935131646428432008-05-20T03:07:00.001-07:002008-06-04T12:06:55.498-07:00

During the baseball offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed former Atlanta Braves slugger Andruw Jones to a two-year $36.2 million contact. Too bad they didn’t just hold on to that money. It would have made a nice donation to the poor devils in Burma and China beset by natural disasters. And the psychic return on that would have been considerably higher than the impact Jones has had on the

Martin Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10813878094418909220noreply@blogger.com1