Guest post: Sassbottom and the 2008 sports year
Posted on July 18th, 2008 – 8:36 AMBy Michael Rand
Sassbottom wrote to us the other day saying he was “totally insulted” that we hadn’t used his 2008 sports post yet. “The Best Sports Year ever e-mail I sent last week was golden!” he wrote, and you could practically hear in his words the years of getting pushed out of the sandbox, being picked last at kickball and puking on himself in pressure golf situations. We talked the hothead down and told him we’d post it this week sometime. He even added a few more to his list. So here we go. Sassbottom?
I think we have a healthy amount of evidence that 2008 may go down as one of the greatest sports years ever — and it’s only July. Here are just a few examples of some seriously *crazy* [redacted] that’s happened so far:
Super Bowl: Giants beat undefeated Patriots - biggest upset ever?
NCAA Final Four: Four No. 1 seeds for first time ever, Kansas wins on last-second shot.
U.S. Open (men): Tiger wins in playoff vs. frumpy underdog; later revealed torn ACL/fractures.
U.S. Open (women): Park is youngest champion ever.
Wimbledon: McEnroe calls it greatest match ever; Nadal ends Federer’s five-year run.
NBA: Celtics worst to first.
IndyCar: Patrick first woman to win race
Other:
MLB: Cubs / Rays (99.5 years since last Cubs championship).
Favre retirement / comeback?
A-Rod’s messy divorce
By the way, even more stuff happened since I wrote that message:
Josh Hamilton.
All-Star game goes 15 innings.
Last season at Yankee (+ Shea) Stadium(s).
And then there’s the continuing Favre saga, which just gets more enjoyable by the moment. Packers file tampering charges against the Purple! Can’t make it up.
Chew on that. This is page one material, baby!
So we ask you:
1) Is this, indeed, “Page one material, baby!”
2) What other events would you include on this list?
3) Any predictions for what could make this an even more glorious 2008 sporting year?
11 Responses to "Guest post: Sassbottom and the 2008 sports year"
1) Is this, indeed, “Page one material, baby!”
Maybe at the Post-Intelligencer. It would probably bump “Pot smell isn’t cause to arrest everyone in car” below the fold.
2) What other events would you include on this list?
The Tampa Bay Rays probably deserve mention.
3) Any predictions for what could make this an even more glorious 2008 sporting year?
When Favre goes to his retirement ceremony, steps up the mike, holds his hand up for quiet, then rips off his street clothes to reveal a purple #4 and runs to the Minnesota sideline as “Skol Vikings” plays over the Lambeau Field PA system.
Didn’t Souhan write a similar article earlier this week. Something on how this is a great era in sports.
Other Events/Predictions:
….if it holds out…Greg Norman winning the British Open. If it happens I might need a week to recouperate the binge drinking that will ensue.
Don’t forget the Summer Olympics, boys. Beach volleyball and watching Jennie Finch pitch Snapper mow-em-down innings. (Or watching men running and swimming in Spandex, if that’s your thing.)
Other events currently missing:
1. Marko Jaric engaged to Adriana Lima.
2. Kevin McHale passing on the chance to draft a big white guy…for five hours.
3. Euro 2008 was solid.
Other Predictions:
1. USA Basketball wins the gold, edging out Nick Horvath’s New Zealand squad in the finals.
2. A clean cyclist wins the Tour de France.
3. Brett Favre unleashes the “Curse of the Gunslinger” beginning 100 years of Packer futility.
4. An American tennis player makes it past the second round of the men’s U.S. Open draw.
5. OJ finds the killer.
Roto — indeed, Souhan did write about this. Though in fairness to ‘Bottom, I think his original e-mail predated that column.
I definitely enjoyed/agreed with Souhan’s article from today.
They are catching the dopers…in cycling.
The biggest story of the coming years will be the amount of HGH and dope in MLB and NFL…oh wait.
How about them Thunder!
Right, I was just pointing out that this would qualify as page 1 material, since it essentially was.
How about the fact that A-Rod makes more on the DL than the entire Marlins roster does when they’re playing?
“…indeed, Souhan did write about this. Though in fairness to ‘Bottom, I think his original e-mail predated that column.”
Rand - so you purposely held off putting up Sassbottom’s post, let Souhan read his email over your shoulder, then waited until well after Souhan wrote his column until you finally put Sassbottom’s post up.
I see how this works.
Sass - you forgot this:
I can’t wait to see how Sassbottom re-writes the Souhan column next week!!
Just kidding, i love you man — even though we’re high and dry at the golf tourney 2 years in a row now..
How bout this for a RB fun topic to toss out there –> Since HGH is apparently undetectable, which of our outstanding current athletes in the public eye may be on it (or have dipped into it in the past)? I suppose speculating on this would be tarnishing them unjustly since we have no evidence, but hey..
