Pitying Poor Peyton

As an old-school kind of sports fan, I tend to like guys to who have old-school values.  I like players who are personable, but not over the top.  I like guys who are honest and take responsibility for their mistakes.  I like guys who have built their legacies with one franchise, and who know to go out on top instead of stumbling to the finish line.  I like guys who give plenty of credit to their teammates and coaches, but at the same time aren't afraid to take some of the credit for themselves.  I like players who work hard and succeed even though they might not be the most athletically gifted guy on the planet.  In short, I like guys like Peyton Manning.

And that's why it's been painful for me to watch the saga that is Peyton's current relationship with the Colts.  After almost singlehandedly turning the Colts from the league's doormat into a consistent Super Bowl contender, Peyton seems to be getting an extremely raw deal.  The Colts have the number one pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, and they'd be crazy not to take Stanford QB Andrew Luck.  At the same time, Luck's shadow already seems to be pushing Manning out of Indianapolis.  Some fans are calling for him to be traded.  Others have accused him of making things difficult for team management.  More are caught between backing a guy they've loved for the last 15 years and siding with a guy who might lead them for the next 15.

Peyton's in a rough spot right now.  If he comes back with the Colts and the team struggles (which they likely will, given that the team finished 2-14 this year), will fans be awkwardly calling for one of the game's all-time best players to be benched in favor of an unproven rookie?  If Peyton goes to another team, will he be able to cement his legacy as perhaps the best QB of all time by leading yet another disappointing team (the Jets, maybe?) to the Super Bowl?  Or will his second act be more like Brett Favre's (minus all of the lewd SMS messaging, of course), where he'll struggle to regain his footing in a new environment and tarnish everything he's built over more than a decade in Indy?

If Peyton calls to ask me for advice today (it seems unlikely, but you never know), I'd advise him to retire this offseason.  From a health standpoint, Manning is coming off of serious neck surgery and doesn't want to risk suffering a life-altering injury that could negatively impact him for the rest of his days.  On the field, Peyton has nothing left to prove - he's won a Super Bowl, been NFL MVP and developed a reputation as the best QB of his, or perhaps any, era (the Colts' struggles without him this year truly prove just how valuable he is).  The Colts are going to select Andrew Luck in the NFL Draft, and with a new GM and coaching staff will probably want to hand him the keys sooner rather than later.  If Peyton Manning retires now, he can go out on good terms with the fans, the Colts and, most importantly, his own inner thoughts.

NFC Championship Recap

Trailing only Team USA's dramatic last second victory over Algeria in the 2010 World Cup, Sunday's NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park between the Giants and the 49ers was probably the most satisfying sporting event I've ever seen in person.  Between the game's extremely high stakes (a trip to the Super Bowl to face New England), overtime drama (Lawrence Tynes' field goal to win it after 49ers punt returner Kyle Williams fumbled for the second time in the game) and intense atmosphere, leaving Candlestick Park with a huge victory made the extremely inconvenient Caltrain ride home feel like a walk on the beach.  Overall, Sunday was a fantastic day, and I couldn't have been happier with the experience.

We all know that the Super Bowl is more media production than actual sporting event - for most people, the commercials, halftime show and pregame hoopla matter more than the game itself.  I've always thought of the NFC and AFC Championships as the last true NFL games of the season, focused purely on the competition rather than game presentation.  Now that I've finally attended an NFL championship game, though, I realize that isn't the case.  The NFL and the 49ers tried to turn the game into a mini Super Bowl, with a pregame performance from the band Train and a halftime show featuring country music star Brad Paisley.  While Train's performance was decent and somewhat relevant (their new hit song is called "Save Me, San Francisco"), the Brad Paisley set was a completely random celebration of the U.S. military and seemingly came completely out of left field, leaving virtually everyone in attendance confused.  The national anthem featured a giant, 100-yard-long American flag that I must admit was pretty awesome, though.

A bigger flag signifies a bigger event, and the NFC Championship game featured one big-ass flag.

Before the game I was slightly worried about how the 49ers faithful would treat a couple of guys wearing Giants gear, but for the most part I found the fans to be pretty respectful.  While before the game I was the subject of a view aggressive remarks from random drunk San Francisco fans, the people that sat around us in Upper Reserved Section 9 were really friendly.  It seemed like after so much losing in past seasons, the Niners fans were just happy to be hosting the NFC Championship game and weren't expecting more than a competitive contest and a fun afternoon.  Even after the game, the fans gave the 49ers a standing ovation for their effort and then congratulated us on the Giants' win, wishing the team luck in the Super Bowl.  While I was expecting a much harsher atmosphere, what I saw was a general respect for the game of football and an appreciation for what the 49ers unexpectedly accomplished this season.

The Giants rush the field after earning a trip to the Super Bowl.

While the 49ers fans were loud in the beginning of the game, over time they definitely ran out of steam.  The weather definitely had something to do with it - it rained periodically throughout the four-hour contest, and eventually I think many fans were just too wet or too cold to get properly excited about the game.  The fourth quarter and overtime were extremely tense, though, and Giants and 49ers fans alike were on their feet throughout the last hour of the battle.  I couldn't have asked for a better finish, and outcome, from my first ever NFL playoff game, and I give San Francisco a lot of credit for putting together a great event.  Now it's up to the Giants and Patriots to make Super Bowl Sunday as exciting as Conference Championship Sunday was.

25 Years of Bad Shots

Before reading this post, please note that I'll be spending tomorrow at Candlestick Park for the NFC Championship game between the Giants and the 49ers.  Follow me on Twitter (@mlbwhiz) for periodic updates and musings from the game.

I spent much of the afternoon today watching college basketball, and throughout the day ESPN has been celebrating the 25th anniversary of the three-point shot in NCAA hoops.  The network has featured a countdown of the top college three-point shooters of all time as voted by the fans (by now you probably know how I feel about fan voting . . .), and commentators from every game have been talking about how the three-ball has added nothing but excitement and drama to the sport.  As I listen to all of the hoopla surrounding the three, I have to wonder if I'm the only one out there who disagrees.  Not only do I not think the three-pointer adds much good to the game of basketball, I'd prefer the sport if we got rid of it altogether.

At this point, you probably just think I'm one of those smug basketball purists who talks about how much better the game was in "the good ole' days" and laments the loss of the mid-range jump shot.  And, to an extent, you're correct - I do think the three-pointer has trivialized the portion of the game played in between the paint and the three-point line, and simplifies the sport into a series of dunk attempts and three-pointers.  And who can blame players for playing this way and coaches for taking advantage of the now-25-year-old rules?  The fact is a good three-point shooter cans 40% of his attempts, for an expected value of 1.2 points per shot attempt.  Other than dunks, few players can average close to 60% on two-pointers (the percentage required to get the expected points per shot to equal out).*  Throw in the fact that missed threes often result in long rebounds that the offense can more easily grab and turn into an added possession, and it's no wonder that the three-ball has become so popular over the last quarter decade.

So yes, the three pointer is too easy to make (on a relative basis) and, as a result, the shot is frequently attempted; some teams revolve almost their entire offense around it, and even the beloved (or, depending on who you ask, hated) Princeton Offense features far more threes than backdoor cuts in recent years.  Perhaps more significantly, though, the shot causes the last two minutes of a college basketball game to look nothing like the first 38.  People often blame the foul rules for the fact that the end of a hoops game features a drawn out series of free throws, but I blame the three pointer for this quirk.  The three makes a comeback of almost any size a realistic possibility, and as a result teams will begin fouling regardless of their deficit with the hope that they can shoot their way back into the game.  Instead of being rewarded for building a ten point lead with just over a minute to play, winning teams need to worry about the possibility of getting fouled, missing a few free throws and having a series of treys by the opposition knot the score.

To me, it doesn't make sense that for the first 38 minutes of a game the sport of college basketball revolves primarily around two-point shots, but during the last couple of minutes it all comes down to ones (free throws) and threes.  Unlike baseball, the game is not played the same way from start to finish, and more complete teams can lose games to inferior clubs who go on a shooting spree at the end of a relatively close game.  To me, I'd rather see games won or lost for an entire 40 minutes, not just during the final two.  Getting rid of the three-pointer would strengthen the emphasis on basketball fundamentals (Passing!  Moving without the ball!  Boxing out!  Posting up!) and help eliminate the sluggish two minutes that conclude virtually every NCAA basketball game. 

*Note: I know I'm ignoring the probability of getting fouled, which is admittedly higher for a two-point shot versus the three.  That being said, I still think my point is valid.

Long Live Indoor Football

On what was a comparatively slow day for football news, ESPN.com reported that former NFL standout wide receiver Terrell Owens has agreed to play this season for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League (IFL), "a 16-team league consisting of teams from various states, including franchises in Green Bay, Sioux Falls, Chicago, New Mexico, Wyoming and Nebraska."  Wranglers' co-owner Jon Frankel has openly revealed that "[Owens] has an ownership stake" in the team, and acknowledged that the decision was mostly based on business, not on a passion for playing indoor football.  It's this last part that's a shame, because indoor / arena football is an awesome game, and a motivated T.O. could bring big time publicity and media exposure to a sport badly in need of some positive press.

I've talked often about my how my fondness for the NHL's New York Islanders is largely motivated by the fact that the Isles are Long Island's only professional sports team.  When I was in high school, however, this wasn't technically the case.  At one point, the Islanders ownership purchased the Arena Football League's (AFL) Iowa Barnstormers (former team of NFL Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner), moved the team to Nassau Coliseum and called them the New York Dragons.  I used to go to Dragons games all the time - there was so much to love about the AFL.  Tickets were affordable and, unlike at other sporting events, the ushers didn't care if you moved down towards the field if there were empty seats (which there pretty much always were).  The games were incredibly high scoring (once I saw the Dragons put up 99 points in regulation) and filled with long pass plays, essentially cramming an entire week's worth of NFL passing highlights into one three hour period.  There were numerous opportunities to interact with the players before and after games, and you could even go onto the field after the final whistle and attempt a few field goals.  Dragons games were, in a word, fun.

Unfortunately, the Dragons are no more.  Over the last few years the AFL has had a bunch of financial problems and ended up taking a season off to restructure the league and alter the business model.  Part of that restructuring involved getting rid of a number of unprofitable franchises, and although the AFL is now once again operational, the New York Dragons were one of the victims.  Today, Nassau Coliseum is again home to the Isles and the Isles alone.  Luckily, the Dragons were able to leave one small-but-somewhat-permanent mark on Long Island sports history.  The Islanders' mascot, Sparky the Dragon (see below), was originally the mascot for the Dragons.  When the Islanders were looking for a new mascot a few years ago, fans overwhelmingly voted in favor of giving beloved Sparky the NHL gig, and he remains the face of the Islanders despite the disappearance of his AFL team.

Formerly an AFL mascot, Sparky now works for the NHL's Islanders.

In honor of the Dragons and Sparky, I'll be rooting for Owens to succeed as a player / owner for the IFL's Allen Wranglers.  Indoor football is an exciting, fan-friendly sport that more fans should get the opportunity to enjoy.  If Owens can motivate people to take in some more arena-style football, then potentially leagues like the AFL can solidify their footing and once again establish a presence in major media markets.  San Jose has an AFL team - the Sabercats - that I hope to see play at the HP Pavilion before the end of the school year.  After all, it's what the Dragons would have wanted.

Another Lucky Bounce

When I started this blog in April of 2010, I had two concerns.  The first was that I wouldn't be able to motivate myself to keep writing regularly.  Thankfully, my continued enjoyment with blogging and the support that I've received from my small-but-loyal pack of followers has turned this into a non-issue.  My second worry was that I'd run out of material, particularly because I would soon be a fan of East Coast teams living on the West Coast. Without local New York area games to attend, what would I write about?  Could I find enough Bay Area sporting events that were simultaneously worthy of Caught Looking coverage, worth my hard-earned money and interesting to my audience?

In this second regard, I couldn't have been more fortunate over the past fifteen months.  The New York Giants' victory over Green Bay yesterday, which results in them heading to nearby San Francisco for the NFC Championship game this coming Sunday, is just the most recent example of how sports scheduling and circumstances have fallen my way over the past year and a half.  On Sunday, I'll be attending the Giants vs. 49ers game in person, which will be the second time I've had the chance to see the Giants visit Candlestick Park this year.  Had San Francisco instead come up short this past Saturday, however, I'd be watching at home as Big Blue traveled to New Orleans.  Here's a review of the good sports-related luck I've received since I moved to the Bay Area in September of 2010:

• My two years at Stanford happened to coincide with arguably the two greatest seasons in Cardinal football history.  I got to watch Andrew Luck, perhaps the greatest NFL quarterback prospect of the last two decades, in person and for free about ten times over the past few seasons, and attended high-profile games in-person against Oregon, Cal and Washington, among others.  I also got to see the Card play in two BCS Bowl games (albeit not in person) while I was a student here.  Who saw that one coming when I chose to enroll at Stanford?  The men's basketball team is also playing great this season, so maybe I'll get to witness an NCAA Tournament run, too.
• Despite only being in the Bay Area for the first two months of the MLB season, the Braves happened to visit the Giants at AT&T Park early last year.  I made my first trip to AT&T last Easter and, in addition to touring what has since become perhaps my favorite baseball park, saw the Braves win a dramatic road game.  Once I was back on the East Coast for the summer I got the see the Braves play numerous other times against the Mets at Citi Field and once against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, and though I'm not a Yankees fan I did make it to Oakland to see them play at the-stadium-formerly-known-as-the-Oakland-Coliseum, too.
• While I missed the Knicks' visit to Golden State this season (it was just after Christmas and I was still back in New York), last season I saw a Knicks victory over the Warriors at Oracle Arena in Oakland.  The Islanders don't visit San Jose this season, but last year they did and I was there to see them lose (of course) to the Sharks at beautiful HP Pavilion.  Seeing each team once in two seasons isn't bad, especially considering I went to other Warriors games at Oracle last year and plan to hit up another Sharks game at HP in the next couple of months.

As you can see, it's been a solid year or so to be a Braves, Giants, Knicks and Islanders fan living in the Bay Area.  Hopefully my luck holds out until the end of June, when I'm back on the East Coast for good.  Maybe if I root extra hard, I'll get a Knicks vs. Warriors NBA Finals?  While it seems highly unlikely, that's one of the best things about sports - a fan can always dream.