As a Cubs fan, I've forgiven Steve Bartman... I haven't forgotten that October night in 2003, but I have forgiven the man so many have cast as a scapegoat for continuing the Cubs championship curse.  And even though it's approaching 8 years since the Cubs most infamous loss in the NLCS to the Marlins, there's never been any real closure to the entire Bartman episode.  Maybe it's because Bartman has gone into hiding, refusing to further address his part in the Cubs' Game 6 loss.  Maybe it's because the Cubs have continued to fail time and again in the postseason in the years following 2003.  Maybe, it's because so many Cubs fans haven't forgiven Steve Bartman.

With ESPN's latest 30 For 30 offering, "Catching Hell", a small, perhaps naive part of me was hoping this documentary could provide some closure for Cubs fans.  Unfortunately, after watching for two hours, that wasn't the case.  The film itself was fantastic in parts and as well-produced as all the 30 For 30 series, except for the director cameos by Alex Gibney as the subject of a radio interview; I think it ranked somewhere between M. Night Shyamalan and Alfred Hitchcock's self-appearances in terms of subtleness.  Let's face it though, we're often critical of parts of ESPN, but the concept and execution of 30 For 30 continues to shine as one of the best things the network has ever done.  But, there was a sense of false advertising after seeing the actual documentary.  As Jim Miller pointed out on Twitter, the film was largely marketed on Bartman alone.  Yet, the first 15 minutes of "Catching Hell" were spent chronicling Bill Buckner and RED SAWX NATION.  

Now, the connection between the two clubs is obvious, especially during the 2003 postseason where both teams fell five outs short of the World Series.  But, as the documentary mentions, the Red Sox went on to break their curse... twice.  The Cubs are still waiting for their championship.  So, the last thing I needed to see as a Cubs fan was having the Red Sox, their failures, and their success shoved down my throat during a documentary that was supposedly about my team and their failures.  As soon as I saw Dennis Leary on my screen in that patronizing Bruins hat, I almost turned off the documentary entirely, especially when I had this in the back of my mind.  

But, I pressed forward, and for that I'm glad, because "Catching Hell's" finest moments came when it captured the atmosphere of Wrigley Field right after the Bartman incident.  To see the vitriol and anger even to this day towards Bartman from the raw footage in the stadium was eye-opening. And even though it was healthy to see the animals sports fans can unfortunately become in the heat of the moment, at times the film felt like it overvilified Cubs fans just a little bit too much for my liking. Wouldn't any fan at least be angry at one of their own "costing" their team such a crucial out?  Maybe not to the point of hurling death threats or beer, but can anyone honestly be so pious to say they wouldn't join in on the chants of "asshole?"  Is it too wild to assume there was a sect of hardcore Sox fans who, until the Sox won the World Series, might have held Bill Buckner in the same disregard as a sect of Cubs fans still hold Steve Bartman...

I'll be honest, regular season baseball isn't my favorite pasttime as a sports fan.  I know every game counts (which tonight definitively proved), but it's hard for me to get excited about 1 game out of 162.  With so many other sports to choose from, it's difficult for me to invest in regular season baseball games.  Without anything of immediate substance on the line throughout the year, having the patience to sit down and watch a baseball game for three hours (five if it's YANKS/SAWX) doesn't interest me.  Sure, I appreciate the history of the game and some of the more romantic elements of baseball, but the slow pace of the game and all the inaction doesn't match my sports brain that fits better with other faster moving sports.

And that's why tonight was so amazing to me.  Every reservation I have for not wanting to invest in regular season baseball was shattered.  There weren't just one, but three games on at the same time that had direct do or die playoff implications.  162 games boiled down to 1 for the Cardinals, Braves, Red Sox, and Rays.  Tampa Bay and Boston were tied atop the AL Wild Card race while St. Louis and Atlanta were tied for the NL Wild Card.  A month ago it seemed improbable with a combined 17 games separating the Wild Card races.  Nevertheless, a wild month of September set up possibly the most awesome night in the 142 year history of Major League Baseball.

September 28th, 2011 was baseball's night to have its own version of March Madness, and it was exhilirating.  Memorable.  Perhaps even unforgettable.  In fact, it may go down as one of the most entertaining nights a sports fan can experience...

Undoubtedly, this was the best and most entertaining night in the long and distinguished history of Major League Baseball.  Hopefully 30 for 30 and Ken Burns are already at work to put what we saw tonight in its proper context.  Chris Carpenter pitching a complete game shutout for the Cardinals.  The Braves falling in extra inning drama in Atlanta to complete their collapse.  The Orioles coming from behind to beat the Red Sox with 2 outs in the 9th.  But the most improbable and dramatic of all was Tampa Bay's comeback from 7-0 in the 8th inning to beat the Yankees in 12 innings. 

The Rays were down to their last strike, trailing 7-6 after that 6 run 8th inning when Dan Johnson stepped to the dish.  Johnson hadn't hit a home run since April 8th.  Until tonight.  Rays play by play man Dewayne Staats with the call...

If all that drama wasn't enough, only 3 minutes after Baltimore shocked the Red Sox, Evan Longoria sent Boston crashing out of the postseason.  Longoria hit his second home run of the night in the bottom of the 12th to complete the Rays' amazing comeback on this night and in September.  YES Network's Michael Kay is on the call, and he sounds as excited as anyone to see the Rays knock Boston out of the Playoffs...

A fitting end to one of the best sports nights we'll ever see...

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Week 4 is already upon us. Will the undefeated Bills and Lions continue living in a bizarro world? Will Jon Gruden fall in love with some guy? Will Gus Johnson miraculously make a game between two 0-3 teams worth watching? Who knows?

Week 4 broadcast map via The 506.

Sunday, October 2

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Houston Texans (CBS 1PM) Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf

Tennessee Titans @ Cleveland Browns (CBS 1PM) Marv Albert, Rich Gannon

Buffalo Bills @ Cincinnati Bengals (CBS 1PM) Andrew Catalon, Steve Tasker

Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys (FOX 1PM) Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver

Carolina Panthers @ Chicago Bears (FOX 1PM) Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick, Laura Okmin

Washington Redskins @ St. Louis Rams (FOX 1PM) Chris Myers, Tim Ryan

San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles (FOX 1PM) Ron Pitts, Jim Mora

Minnesota Vikings @ Kansas City Chiefs (FOX 1PM) Gus Johnson, Charles Davis, Tim Brewster

New Orleans Saints @ Jacksonville Jaguars (FOX 1PM) Sam Rosen, Chad Pennington

 

New York Giants @ Arizona Cardinals (FOX 4PM) Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa

Atlanta Falcons @ Seattle Seahawks (FOX 4PM) Craig Bolerjack, John Lynch

Denver Broncos @ Green Bay Packers (CBS 4:15PM) Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

Miami Dolphins @ San Diego Chargers (CBS 4:15PM) Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

New England Patriots @ Oakland Raiders (CBS 4:15PM) Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots

 

New York Jets @ Baltimore Ravens (NBC 8:20PM) Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya

Monday, October 3

Indianapolis Colts @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ESPN 8:30PM) Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski

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Your latest Pammy awards update is here along with the Week 4 standings.  America's least favorite analyst Craig James was undoubtedly the star of the week.  Even though he didn't get the top spot, the Senator racked up 17 points to double his season total thanks to three Top 10 quotes this week.  Jenn Brown's unfortunate slip was just good enough for second place this week.  But as the name suggests, the Pammies are all about the one and only Pam Ward - she nabs the top spot for the third week out of four this season.  The envelope please...

10) "San Diego State finally breaks the seal here at the Big House." - Eric Collins after SDSU scored their first TD. (via SBisho12)

9) "Braxton Miller is like Barry Sanders" - Craig James (via sctvman)

8) "LSU plays grown man football. If you have any Hello Kitty in you, they're gonna bring it out of you." - Desmond Howard (via CaptTouchback)

7) "And... Incomplete... And INTERCEPTED... No... EDDIE POOLE? EDDIE POOLE?! EDDIE POOLE CAUGHT IT?! UNBELIEVABLE! HOW IN THE WORLD DID HE GRAB THIS ONE?!" - Mike Morgan (VIDEO)

6) "He comes in the backdoor." - Gary Danielson (via AndyO)

5) "If you're not conditioned, guys will start to suck... suck air." - Matt Millen (via tedemrich)

4) "Cincinnati has to have a coming out party tonight for Butch Jones." - Craig James (via Sctvman)

3) "The Big 12 has everything going their way" - Craig James (via sctvman)

2) "I caught up with Bitch... Butch Jones coming out of the half." - Jenn Brown (VIDEO)

1) "2 of the last 3 Central Michigan passes have been intercepted. The last one for an interception." - Pam Ward (via SBisho12)

Week 4 Top 5 -

1) Pam Ward 38 pts

2) Craig James 34 pts

3) Matt Millen 20 pts

4) Gary Danielson 16 pts,

5) Beth Mowins 13 pts

Others receiving votes - T6) Artrell Hawkins 9 pts, Warrick Dunn 9 pts, Dan Hawkins 9 pts, Jenn Brown 9 pts, 10) Sean McDonogh 8 pts, T11) Wendi Nix 7 pts, Steve Martin 7 pts, Tom Cole 7 pts, 14) Lou Holtz 6 pts, 15) Andre Ware 5 pts, T16) Alex Flanagan 4 pts, Mike Morgan 4 pts, T18) Joe Tiller 3 pts, Keith Jones 3 pts, Desmond Howard 3 pts, T21) Danny Kanell 2 pts, Jesse Palmer 2 pts, T23) Kevin Kugler 1 pt, Eric Collins 1 pt.

The Full Week 5 Announcing Schedule will be coming soon, where you can find the dates and times of games and all the announcing pairings as well.  Then, make sure you check back every Saturday for the Pam Ward Chronicles and another week of the Pammies!

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Midfielder Jone Samuelsen from Norwegian club Odd Grenland (awesome name) scored what is thought to be the longest header in the history of soccer last weekend.  With Odd leading Tromso 2-1 entering into injury time on Sunday, the Tromso keeper came forward on a corner kick.  This created the opportunity for Samuelsen to do something that nobody has ever seen before.  As the ball was pinballed around the midfield, Samuelsen launched a header that somehow reached the goalline.  According to the Odd manager, Samuelsen's header went 57.3 meters.  I can barely run that far, let alone head a soccer ball.  Of course, the video is accompanied by what I assume to be a great and very excited call in Norwegian.  

 

H/T UK Guardian 

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With home field advantage for the divisional series of the playoffs still on the line, the Diamondbacks turned toward their lucky charm Micah Owings in the top of the 10th inning vs. the Dodgers. Sure, he gave up five runs and all but guaranteed a loss, but more astute and optimistic observers knew he hadn't lost a game yet this season (7-0) and it wasn't about to happen Tuesday night.

Thanks to a six-run bottom half of the 10th inning, capped off by knucklehead Ryan Roberts' walk off grand slam, Owings picked up the win!

Roberts managed to throw in a Kirk Gibson famous home run trot imitation while jogging around the bases and took off his jersey before getting mauled at home plate. Diamondbacks' announcer Daron Sutton couldn't believe anything before his eyes, so much that he asked Milwaukee for confirmation.

The D-Backs trail the Brew Crew by a game for home field.

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With so much evil going on in Bristol these days, it really doesn't seem that far-fetched that Darth Vader might be roaming the hallways at the WWL. Well, here he is applying makeup to Robert Flores on SportsCenter this afternoon. Flores even throws in a couple jokes that would make Bania proud as well.

If that wasn't enough, he once again referenced perhaps the worst piece of video that has ever been recorded.

Wild Flores... Wild Flores...

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John Lackey's terrible season for the Boston Red Sox just got a lot worse.  His 6.14 ERA, -1.2 WAR, three starts out of 28 taken into the 8th inning, 203 hits in 160 innings, and 15 million dollar salary was bad enough.  The numbers alone paint the picture of one of the biggest disasters to take a baseball field since these.  Late Sunday night, Lackey's troubles went beyond the diamond to a whole new level.  Gossip site TMZ reported he was divorcing his wife Krista, who just happens to be battling breast cancer at the moment.

Before TMZ posted the story, Lackey lashed out at the media after his Sunday start in an extra innings Red Sox win.  He blamed "one of you in the media" for sending him a text about a personal situation before the game.  Video of Lackey's incredibly awkward postgame press conference below...



With the news of Lackey's divorce, his popularity and likeability factor is already taking a massive hit, if it wasn't low enough to begin with.  Any headline involving a separation or scandal with a cancer stricken wife is a death blow to your public image.  Just ask this guy.  

Does John Lackey have a point though?  Can't he just be criticized solely on his crappiness as a pitcher and not his supposed crappiness as a human being...  

There are a handful of high end amenities and utilities that once you use, you can never go back. Nobody makes the decision to go back to dial-up internet, those with air conditioning typically become lifers, and in that same vein once you get a taste of the Sunday Ticket and/or the RedZone channel, chances are that you're going to have a hard time watching the NFL any other way.

With millions now consuming copious amounts of football via NFL RedZone and The RedZone Channel (for all intents and purposes the same thing), the New York Times ran a nice feature on the popularity of the channels. It was your basic "Hey America, you didn't know about this? Well let me tell you all about it..." type of feature. 

A lot of the feature was old information repackaged with some fresh quotes, but the part that really interested me was the story about the initial inspiration for the channel. Fox's Eric Shanks gets the credit for importing the idea from Italy where he was visiting working on a business deal...