The Good, The Great, And The Greaterest of 2008

As I sit in my spacious chalet high in the Alps, I cannot help but think back upon a momentous year in sports and, more importantly, The Dwight Gooden Poster’s coverage of sports. Below you will find my favorite TDGP and sports memories from the past 12 months.

10. Giants beat Patriots

I hate the New England Patriots. I hate, hate, hate the New England Patriots. I hate their stupid fans, the ridiculous rules that the officials create for them, and their dirty tactics.

Above: President Bush retrieves American flag from Gilette Stadium, tells Bob Kraft to “go fuck himself.”

I hate Tom Brady. He might be the worst thing ever to come out of California. How did I feel about their defeat at the hands of the New York Giants? I felt great about it! I jumped up and down and looted the nearby village in jubilation! I took so much pleasure in seeing those smug grins wiped off the faces of those New England pricks. What? Your professional sports teams haven’t won a championship in like four months? Fuck you. Your team’s “perfect” season went down in flames and will be as meaningless as the turd I dropped in the can that night.

Now that I have the vitriol out of my system, we move on to less angered moments of joyous remembrance.

9. Jimmy P’s RIDICULOUS Bets
Here at TDGP we occasionally like to engage in friendly wagers. Golf majors, NCAA basketball tournaments, PBA events (the Pepsi Viper Championship was a particular favorite), equestrian events (Doc Hollywood is mad for dressage), and the Arena Bowl are especially popular objects around which we will periodically place a bet. This past year’s NBA Finals, however, saw unprecedented levels of bet placing. 95% of said wagers were initiated by our own Jimmy Paasche, who in his apparent fervor over his beloved Lakers’ ascension to the champtionship round engaged in numerous speculative pronouncements of dubious nature. Perhaps the most ridiculous among these was that Ray Allen, who had averaged 17.4 points per game that season, would go scoreless in one Finals game.
How did Allen do?
Game 1: 19 points
Game 2: 17 points
Game 3: 25 points
Game 4: 19 points
Game 5: 16 points
Game 6: 26 points

Above: Denzel and Ray have a good laugh at the prospect of him going scoreless for an entire NBA game. Said Washington, “He Got Game.”

As you can see, Jimmy P was really off in his prognostication. Everyone at TDGP who was present during this epically bad bet happily took the odds and are still waiting for the $5 payoff.

Above: Jimmy P terrifies a poor unsuspecting bystander by predicting that Chris Mihm will be the 2008-09 NBA MVP.

8. The Cincinatti Bengals touchdown song.
Admittedly, home crowds heard this ditty very little this season. If you have heard this song, you know that Bengals fans have been spared what might just be the worst sports-affiliated song in history. I pity the poor bastards who actually find it enjoyable to sing, or at least to mouth the words, to this atrocious concoction of stupid lyrics and horrific synth music. I’m not even sure that one could call this a “song,” unless perhaps one is willing to stretch the term quite liberally in the sense that “everything is a song of sorts.” Even by this standard, the Bengals touchdown “song” sounds worse than anything I have ever heard.

Above: Cincinatti quarterback Carson Palmer proudly shows off his “no on touchdown song” pin. Said Palmer, “How can you make this franchise lamer? Give us a shitty song on those few instances when we actually reach the end zone. Thanks.”

7. If an IU basketball program falls in the woods, does it make a sound?
If you are a member of TDGP, the answer is a resounding “no.” If you are an undergrad at Indiana University or a permanent resident of south-central Indiana, the answer is a resounding cacophony of sobbing and bitterness. The ridiculous nostalgia of IU basketball fans has already been commented upon, yet as someone who grew up with IU I feel particularly close to the utter dismay with which we currently find the basketball program. As with Notre Dame and other programs who have experienced some success and a lot of hype, IU basketball has not seen legit success in some time. As a casual fan, it is sad to see the program reduced to even this level. I cannot, however, make sense of the die-hard fan base or the decisions of those in charge of IU athletics. To say that IU basketball is messed up is an understatement. Perhaps I will no longer have students tell me that they chose IU because of its basketball program. On second thought, that will still happen. Nevermind that they are not actually basketball players.

6. Fantasy Football
2008 marked the merciful end of my first FF season and the triumphant beginning of my second. I supremely enjoyed the weekly humiliations of other competitors and found my once rock solid loyalty to the Colts tested by my desire to push the Zitty Lepers to victory. It really does change the way that you watch football, as you find yourself hoping for ridiculous scenarios whereby your defense should only give up yards to a third down receiver. My second season was a vast improvement over the first, and while I lost in the first round of the playoffs I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. I look forward to next year’s draft, where Travis will once again grace the league with frequent cries of “boomshakalaka!” whilst drafting a seventh place team.

Above: Travis researches his fantasy football picks.

5. Federer loses edge while Nadal’s right arm becomes less sickly
I make no apologies for being a Federer fan. While some at TDGP find his Swiss heritage dubious, the guy is overwhelmingly well-liked on the tour and is refreshingly even-tempered (which makes him my exact opposite in life). Pete Sampras was my favorite tennis player for a long time, yet I was and still am willing to embrace Federer’s assumption of the men’s major singles title record.

Above: Artist’s rendering of Nadal’s pre-2008 physique.

I love watching Nadal play too, even if I’m somewhat disturbed by his disproportionately sized arms and the fact that he does everything (and I do mean everything!) else with his right hand.
Thankfully, Nadal has addressed this situation, bringing the two limbs into more approximate shape and size. The Wimbledon contest between Federer and Nadal was arguably one of the greatest tennis matches ever played, and I really hope that their rivalry continues well into the future. If Federer passes Sampras’s record, that’s great. If not, oh well. Watching a Federer/Nadal match takes me back to the tennis matches of my youth when I really enjoyed watching the game. Agassi, Sampras, Lendl, Becker, Connors, and Ivanisevic made tennis extremely exciting for me as a kid. Federer and Nadal bring that back, and I thank them for it.

4. Ed Hochuli supremely screws the Chargers, releases cookbook with Brett Favre
TDGP has already spoken at length about Referree Ed Hochuli’s badassery, so I’ll be brief here. The Hochman is human and has made some supremely questionable calls this NFL season. The most glaring of these clearly cost the Chargers a win over the Broncos.

Above: John Thornton and fellow Bengals players know to steer clear of Hochuli’s “widowmaker” signalling.

Despite his trespasses, 2009 marks a new year for the most powerful man in football. In time, San Diego fans will move on to something else and Hochuli will return to destroying his rivals in the courtroom and modelling in his spare time. His collaborative work with Favre on the benefits of a healthy baby rich diet is set to hit stores in early spring and promises to sell well. If you are looking for happiness, success, and a cheap way to get there, I suggest you pick up a copy of Cooking Children.

3. Phelps spurs the nationalist within yet still seems kinda douchey
Michael Phelps made me love America anew. I cheered loudly for him to beat every other country into submission. Nameless hordes of athletes bowed down to his superior skill. He won eight gold medals in one Olympics. Eight! That’s insane! I don’t own eight of anything valuable. Nothing. I have 14 student loans and 350 books. I do have 9 fillings. Is mercury valuable? Well, I digress. Phelps was simply incredible to watch. His time in the pool was among the most compelling television I have ever watched. Tremendous drama. The guy is simply an amazing athlete. He made the Olympics a lot of fun.

In the aftermath of Beijing, however, the onslaught of Phelps’s media blitz made me qualify my enthusiasm for the kid from Baltimore. While he remained an unquestionably awesome athlete, the “dude” behind the superstar seemed kind of douchey. He’s not the devil or anything, but he exhibited the same kind of “bro” mentality that nearly suffocates every college campus. This was confirmed by a friend of a friend who overheard Phelpsy say that he “majored in pussy” at Michigan. Nice. Even if he didn’t say it, the fact that I don’t find the alleged utterance inconceivable points to my suspicion of the man’s dubious stature. He’s still a kid, and he’s rich and famous, so perhaps it’d be more surprising if he wasn’t a douchebag.

Above: Phelps shows off a crater where his stomach is supposed to be.

I’ll be interested to see how Phelps the celebrity translates back to Phelps the athlete. I guess he’s at least proven himself on the big stage before he became a serious douche celebrity. Perhaps Bodie Miller could learn a lesson here before the 2010 winter games come around. If you are going to be a douchebag, wait until after you’ve won a gold (or eight gold) medal(s).

2. Detroit Lions make a stinky, call it a NFL season
As I write this, Detroit has officially become the only team in the history of the NFL to go winless for an entire season. If you follow TDGP, you know that we have a fondness in our hearts for the lowly Lions. They don’t just stink. They are stink artists. They find new and creative ways of stinking. They make you sit back and say, “holy crap, I hadn’t even thought about that form of suckitude!” They are so bad. You have to feel bad for the city of Detroit. What do they have? Nothing! The Lions somehow find a way to make a bad city feel even worse about life.

Above: Humiliated fans push for Matt Millen’s dismissal. Problem is, the team he put together is still in Motown.

Lions ownership finally realized that Millen was a hack but were stuck this year (and likely in subsequent years) with the wreckage wrought by the man’s incompetence. Seriously, I think I might just be a better evaluator of talent. How hard is it to pick two decent players in approximately seven years!? I truly hope that the Lions can field a competitive team soon. The poor souls of Detroit need something to look forward to, and unprecedented football ineptitude is not what the doctor ordered.

1. The Beijing Olympics
This event saved my sanity amidst PhD exams. Every night, the Olympic games provided me the opportunity to take a break from the madness of thinking about school.

Above: Artist’s rendering of Rawley’s psychological state in August 2008.

Swimming, gymnastics, basketball, track and field, and even cycling provided me with much needed entertainment in the midst of one of the most stressful periods of my life. The opening and closing ceremonies were among the most amazing spectacles I’ve ever seen. Their luster was only tainted by the idiocy of NBC’s commentators who successfully managed to sprinkle a beautiful production with time honored Yellow Peril discourse. I did really enjoy the work of Rowdie Gaines and Mary Carillo, though. They knew when to talk and when not to talk. They made the most of their commentary. Sure, there were downsides. Why was Chris Collinsworth even there? What the hell did the Today show offer besides Orientalism? Matt Lauer thinks that Chinese culture is exotic and strange? How novel!

Despite my complaints, the Olympics brought great drama to my living room that enabled me to temporarily forget about my own little sphere and live vicariously in a much larger world. I credit the Olympics with allowing me those moments of clarity that, in the long run, made for better school work. This was the single most important sports event of the year and arguably one of the greatest Olympic games of the modern era.

Best of 2008

These are in no particular order:

-Olympics. Everything about it. I watched like an hour of the marathon. I couldn’t get enough of this shit. I loved the wacky-ass opening ceremony; I loved beach volleyball; I loved the diving; I loved that U.S. sprinter who beat Jeremy Wariner and talked shit afterwards; I loved watching Juan Carlos Navarro throw up those runners; I loved ping pong; etc. Though I was in a pretty stressful situation during the Olympics, I don’t even harbor negative associations.

-Cuban Tae Kwon Do Guy. He kicked the ref in the face! At the Olympics! One more time: He kicked the ref in the face at the Olympics! Ref, kicked in the face, at the Olympics. This Cuban dude kicked the ref in the face! Right in the beak!

-Immersing myself in NFL Films. These guys are sort of a magical fusion of most of my interests. And I got to interview one of my personal idols, the ever-humble Steve Sabol. It was kind of like that recent SNL Digital Short: talk with Steve Sabol and I…jizz in my pants.

-Fantasy Football. This might sound pathetic, but Fantasy Football is one of the joys of my life. The funny thing is that I’m not even that good at it. I don’t even care about winning. I like to win and am glad when my team pulls one off (ick), but I just kind of enjoy the experience of playing around with different possible scenarios. Most of all, I enjoy giving people shit who take it way too seriously (read: most of the people who contribute to TDGP). I like to remind folks about this thing called luck by rarely enjoying any. I also like to change my team name every couple of weeks and post cryptic, nay, Confusion, maxims on the discussion board.

-Bayern Munich. This is partly because these guys are one of the most talented teams relative to their league in any sport. Even so, there’s something pretty amazing about watching a team stacked with amazing players. I’m a fan of the German team; add Franck Ribery and Luca Toni to the mix and you get a hugely versatile, quick team that’s tons of fun to watch. I’ve repeatedly seen these graceful transitions from Lahm in the backfield to Schweinstager or Ribery and then to Luca Toni or Miroslav Klose up front.

-Trailblazers. They’re the young guns, Bon Jovi. Up in the blaze of glory! LaMarcus, B-Roy, Old Man Oden, Travis the Outlaw, Jerryd why pay more when you could Bayless. They’ll have trouble getting too far in the playoffs, but I think these dudes can put together a run come April.

-Kelvin Sampson. This shit was one part sad and four parts hilarious. First of all, this guy’s is dumb as shit. Just because you get a premier gig doesn’t mean you become invisible. I mean, isn’t that that point of that new movie Frost/Nixon? To his credit, though, he seemed to create a sort of “self-destruct” button by recruiting a bunch of players who are also dumb as shit and were constrained to leave upon Kelvy’s departure. Second, it’s hilarious to talk with lifelong IU fans about this and witness the fantasies they have about IU’s reputation. Last, like a cat, Sampson ends up on his feet with the Milwaukee Bucks, $750,000 in his pocket, and fewer rules to skirt. Last Last, no one seemed to learn what I think is the big lesson of this saga: the NCAA is a broken institution with a bunch of ridiculous rules. I mean, I love NCAA basketball but the idea that it can be kept clean is goofier than a Shawn Marion jumper.

-Annual Fantasy Football Draft. I invented a drink (the Voglet, which is like a gimlet only with some grapefruit juice), smoked cigars (which is gross), wore lens-less glasses, talked like a bookie for the better part of the day, socialized with my professors after drinking for 6 hours, went to the bar after drinking for 10 hours, spent the next day naked watching crappy OnDemand movies, drinking water, and trying not to puke. I also drafted a fantasy team that I thought was pretty solid.

-NCAA Tournament. Twas fun to watch Memphis, though I was bummed they didn’t pistol-whip those bone-ass Jayhawks. I also liked watching West Virginia and Davidson. I like to watch the other ESPN people suck off Bob Knight while he says a bunch of stuff that only kind of makes sense. “Oh, that’s called defense, coach? Wow, great point!” Last, I like to hear Vitale’s voice getting progressively raspier as time goes on. Soon it will just be scratches.

-Driving a cart at the IU football games. So a guy needs some extra cheese so he takes a gig driving older folks and people with disabilities from the parking lot to the entrance at IU football games. Fine. What they don’t tell you in cart-driver college is that you get to see how excessive, reprehensible, and absurd the culture of college football can be. Old alums calling you nice young man and handing you crumpled dollar bills soaked in Depends juice; drunk frat bones REPEATEDLY saying “Can I get a ride?” or “Want a Beer?” To my credit I would often respond to them by saying that I could only give rides to people with PHYSICAL disabilities. Ok, they didn’t generally get it and it’s sort of a stupid, nerdy comeback anyway. Fat people getting fatter by stuffing their face with meat; generations of douch bags playing cornhole. I swear, old people would be playing it outside of their $60,000 RVs, college kids would be playing it down the way, and little kids would be doing it in another row. On the other hand, it was kind of fun and I developed a strategy to guilt the rich-ass old people I carted around into giving me more tips.

These are sports things I remember.

9. Bocce. I love bocce, and I got to play it a lot this year.
8. Rich Rodriguez: 3-9. West Virginia: 8-4. Sure, I had higher hopes for the Mountaineers, but watching Michigan lose to almost everybody was pretty goddamn gratifying. I know Rodriguez doesn’t have the right players yet for his offense, but fuck that guy. Seriously, fuck that guy.

7. Giants over Patriots. I invented a terrible dance during this game to bring the Giants luck. It worked. You’re welcome, America.

6. Fantasy golf. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I may be somewhat embarrassed about playing it, but it’s even better than fantasy football.

5. Federer wins U.S. Open. The Wimbledon thing was crushing, but Roger running over Andy Murray in Queens helped soothe the pain.

4. The mighty Bengals tie the Eagles. I watched this sorry excuse for a game at our beloved Coaches. Yes, it was one of the worst games ever played, but as a Bengals fan, and as one who loves the tie, I found it endlessly exciting. Then I fell to the floor when Graham missed that kick.

3. Marlins vs. Mets at Shea Stadium. I was fortunate enough to be in New York this spring to catch my beloved Mets in Shea’s final season. OK, so Shea was kind of a dump, and so the Mets lost 7-3. Witnessing Mets fans boo Aaron Heilman just for warming up in the bullpen made the loss easier to take.

2. Celtics over Lakers. I used to be a Laker fan going back to the Magic days. Without Shaq, I cannot root for them—like everyone else here, I hate Kobe. There were some tense moments during this series, but the closeout game was hella satisfying.

1. Olympics. The cushions on my couch changed shape because of this—not because I sat around all day watching the Olympics, but because I slept on the couch for the better part of two weeks. All the best sports (read: handball) were on in the middle of the night, so I stayed up as late as I could, inevitably falling asleep on the couch. DVR certainly helped, but those huge time blocks (6-7 hours of coverage in a block) really fill that thing up quick. Also: nice job, Zhang Yimou.

Sports Moments Doc Hollywood Sty’l-eéëêe

It’s going to be hard to revisit this year of plenitude. At first, all I could think about was how the Pats lost, but that seems so long ago. I am going to stream-of-consciousness this thing. Who knows what will come out!
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08) Shaq’s rhyming ability. I just love Shaq too much to leave this off. And I hate Kobe. This is a no-brainer for me.

07) My beloved Mets. Could the Mets possibly choke away another NL East lead in 2008 after their historic 2007 collapse? Yup. Cole Hamels just called the Mets “choke artists” and, as a Met fan, I should be mad except he is right. He had the sense to say that they are chokers until they beat the Phils and not that they are chokers for all time. Why is this one of my favorite moments? Because it reminded me why I love the Mets so much. The only thing I love more than the Mets is getting kicked in the balls.

06) Roger Clemens comes clean. Just kidding. He has probably convinced himself he doesn’t juice. Problem is: he does juice. I don’t actually care much about the juicing issue and I am a fan of Barry Bonds. But, there are many other reasons to not like Mr. Mindy McCready. This dude had a bad year. Just imagine if he had not tried to extend his career. He wouldn’t have been tested, none of this would have come out, and he would be in the Hall of Fame. Question: Who gets in first? Clemens or Rose?

05) Beijing Olympics, err, I mean Natalie Coughlin. The Olympics gave me much joy this summer. I spent all day working on my graduate school comprehensive exams and all night watching the Olympics. Luck had it that I got to see a lot of the swimming events. Thus, I became familiar with Natalie Coughlin (see above picture). Sure, okay, fine, I think she is hot and that is why she is on here. But, I also think she is amazing to watch and she stayed under water on the turns far longer than other swimmers. Maybe that is why she won a lot of medals. Oh, and there was that other guy who couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag (see: SNL appearance).

04) Fantasy Football. Although I didn’t win it all, FF was a lot of fun. This is only my second year playing. I did pretty well this year (9-4) and I learned a lot: always go with the numbers, always play to the match ups. It doesn’t always work out for you but, for the most part, you are walking the right path. Or you could just play from your gut and go with your heart. That makes you a FF idiot. Your name is probably Travis or Bay (the two dumbest FF players of all time). And big up to my boy, the king of cool, Anquan “don’t try to break my face you feeble pawns” Boldin.

03) Shaq’s personality. Maybe I love this so much because I am often caught saying, “Don’t worry about it.” Or maybe I love it because Shaq is so cool. Or maybe it is the scrabble. We will all miss Shaq when he is gone.

02) Mets figure it out. Each new sports season is a rebirth! But rebirth ain’t shit if you can’t close. Immediate K-Rod and JJ Putz fan. I have hope for the future.

01) Wimbledon: Federer v. Nadal. This may be the best moment of my life. I hate Federer like John Kruk hates diets. Before this match it was inconceivable for Fed-a-tron to lose at Wimbledon. It was truly a changing of the guard. Sure, Fed-a-crap won at the U.S. Open but, you know, whatever. I may have cried during the match, I can’t quite remember.

The Top Ten Most Deezying Sports Highlights of 2008

As we approach Christmas-time, it is time to reflect on those moments that have shaped our engagement with the year in sports. From the mundane to the exceptional to the transcendent, sports can carry us through a gamut of emotions and even contribute to our own senses of self. With that in mind, I give you now my top ten sports moments of 2008. It should be noted that these moments are my moments -- that is, they are the moments that I have found most personally poignant or compelling. I do not pretend to be amassing a list that ESPN would play on December 31st; I am simply sharing what has made my sports year shine.

10) Celtics down the Kobes. In a week and a half of bliss, many friends and I gathered at homes and bars to root, root, root for the Celtics… all except Jimmy Paasche, that is. His pain at seeing a better team in action was bliss. And, aside from the general fun of the fellowship and the leisure of the summer that the NBA Finals represented, the failure of Kobe to save his team was also highly pleasing. Mmm, yes, that’s still tasty. And speaking of taste, not on the list, but getting an honorable mention: “Kobe, tell me how my ass taste.”

9) Cardinals at Rams. I attended this game in St. Louis, and it had been a long time since I had attended an NFL game, and the first time I had seen a professional team in a dome. (I have seen two SEC championship games in the Georgia Dome.) Before the game, you could walk right up to the front row and see the players out on the field. The scope of the game seemed both larger and infinitely smaller. I saw Torry Holt run out onto the field– I have been a huge fan ever since he torched my Clemson Tigers while at NC State. In addition, the upper-deck seats we had made me see the game literally from a different perspective. It is amazing how different it looks when you are not looking at a shot from a sideline crane. To top it all off, I had three fantasy players in the game, and all scored TDs. Good day.

Big Game breaks away, with Tiger orange in the background.

Patriots Lose. I am not sure why this is ranked as highly as it is, but I guess it’s because I was about the only non-New Englander rooting for the Pats. I like perfection, excellence and Randy Moss; but more importantly, I hate the Mannings. As I sat on my friend Bay’s couch, I watched in awe as the Giants got break after break and miracle play after miracle play to win the Superbowl. As the last Patriots gasp expired, friends all about me were “boomshakalaking” and dancing the bouncing-fist-dance of the victorious. I held my heads in my hands and knew that the world makes no sense.

7) Fantasy Golf. I know most people think our small band of FGers crazy or “gay,” but we stand flatly by our fantasy golf. The brilliance of fantasy golf is that each week you pick a brand new team. You are not stuck with one draft, and therefore, each week, you control the means to get right back in the hunt. Never will the 84 Lumber Classic be so important as when you take up fantasy golf. Catch the fever.

Fantasy Golf Stud Kevin Sutherland

6) Fry Party I. The only reason this event is not rated higher is that it was only tangentially sports-related. For the uninitiated, over last Xmas break, a friend and I both received deep fryers as gifts. We therefore came together to throw a fried food party, which we titled “Fry Party.” The first 5 or so hours of the party, when not gorging or guzzling, were consumed with Favre in the snow beating up the Seahawks and the Patriots beating down the Jaguars. Though the games were not essential to the party’s success, they certainly added a nice flair. Fry Party III will soon commemorate the anniversary of that great day.

5) Fishing. Does fishing count as a sport? We are going to pretend that it does. I rediscovered my love of fishing this year when I visited my parents and their new home on a lake. Nothing quite like getting out on a lake and throwing a worm out into an eddy and waiting for something to tug. Went with my Dad and my brother. Both good bonding experiences. All the fish were small, but the laughs were big.

4) Fantasy Football Draft. Each year, the fantasy football draft helps define the following three and a half months of life. But it is not only what the draft represents, but the draft itself that is so sweet. From Bloody Marys and mimosas at noon to beer through the afternoon and more trash talking than at the recycling center, the day is a beaut every year. This year was no different. And for once, it went just about perfectly for my draft strategy. Derek Anderson notwithstanding. I can’t wait till next August.

3) The Beijing Summer Olympics. This thing took over my life for two full weeks. Because of the time difference and because of the way the networks of NBC aired the programming, there were very few hours that did not contain Olympic programming. I sat up practically every night until 4 or 5 AM watching rowing, badminton and every other marginal sport out there. Women’s handball was especially awesome. I could not stop watching. It was crack. I could not get enough. Bring on the Winters.

ABOVE: My future wife and Norwegian handball star Gro Hammerseng.

2) Racquetball. I have this year taken up an affair with racquetball that I started when I was much younger and more nimble. I love the game, even though I am not that good at it and it makes me so angry sometimes. It doesn’t hurt that I play with a couple of good guys who do not care that much about winning or losing. I love competition, and it is fun to actually participate in sport and not just pretend to.

1) Sundays at Coaches. Coaches is a hotel restaurant/sportsbar that hosts our fantasy football league’s weekly get-togethers. Though not enough attended these Sunday meetings, they were still exceptional. There is not much better that sport has to offer than sitting with friends, being consumed by way too many games and players and talking way too much shit. The high and lows, the food and soda, the cursing and “in your face”s. Gold. But, it’s not the fantasy; it’s the people you play with. They have to be good folks and ones that you just want to crush each week. I love my friends for those reasons. Only 9 months till next season…

Best of 2008

Ok, folks. As we all know and have to some degree documented, 2008 has been a pretty interesting year in sports. From Phil Dalhausser’s stirling perfomance at the Olympics to Joey Dorsey’s brief entrance into the NBA to the debut and cancellation of Buzzin’ on MTV, we’ve had plenty to talk about.

Building from our old pal Eric on the music end, I have a request for all of you TDGP members (eric included).

Top moments in sports (or related to sports) of 2008. Do these as individual posts and try to get them up by the New Year. You don’t need ten, but I think more than ten would be a bit excessive. Be creative. These can be personal engagements with sports as well as sports.