Ryan/Dungy Heating Up

Ok, I didn't really take advantage of Christmas in July, so someone please grant me Christmas in August. I only want one thing, let this Rex Ryan - Tony Dungy thing keep heating up.

Seriously, if Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is on the never gonna happen list indefinite hold, let's use this battle to pass the time.

For those who are behind on this truly incredible story, the Jets are the topic of this season of HBO's Hard Knocks, a documentary about an NFL team going through training camp. The opening scene of the first episode featured Jets' coach Rex Ryan giving an impassioned speech about his expectations for the Jets this year, loaded with curses. Now, granted, the speech made me want to run through the wall for the guy was effective, and I'm not even a Jets' fan, but the number of curses in the speech has come under criticism, especially from former Colts' coach Tony Dungy. Dungy told sources that even though he didn't watch the show, he was disappointed, and that not only would he not hire Ryan, a guy who took an eh team with a rookie QB to the AFC Championship, but he wanted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to get involved. Oh man things are heating up.

Ryan recently responded by saying he was disappointed (there are no winners in a disappointment fight, guys) and invited Dungy to a Jets' practice to show him his "different side." Now you may think Ryan did this so that Dungy could come and see a gentler side of Ryan and, therefore, regain Dungy's respect, but we know the real reason. While Ryan may have every intention to change Dungy's opinion of him by showing Dungy his "other side", I don't think it's the side that Dungy expects.

Now see why I'm recruiting the help of the big guy?

Boom, Headshot

Bored at work? Cut some time and be healthy by rehydrating.

By the way, you could have seen this early if you were a fan on facebook, just saying.

Friday Midday Madness: 08/06/10

It's Friday, and word on the street is that Friday is My Day, but I'll still throw you some lunch time midday madness, just to get you through boring almuerzo.

Better late than never...

The 2010 NCAA Coaches Poll came out today, with Alabama in first by a landslide. Needless to say, I was shocked and appalled that my 2-10 Terps didn't receive any votes. Sure we had a rough season last year, but previous performance doesn't really predict future performance...sometimes... Clearly this wasn't a popularity contest. Or an ability contest, either. Ok, maybe an ability contest...

Midday Madness: 08/05/10

Midday Madness on this lovely Thursday (so close to the weekend, so close) to get you through boring lunch.

The Mets just suck, period. They lost again last night, falling further and further out of playoff contention. At least they kept it entertaining though, committing almost as many errors as they had hits. All that was missing was the coach running out and patting the crying Reyes on the shoulder, consoling, "It's not your fault we lost the Little League championship, buddy." Yeah, it is your fault, kid. If the number on Reyes' jersey doesn't switch from "#7" to "E6" by next game, I'm quitting on the season, for real this time.

Midday Madness: 08/04/10

Midday Madness on this lovely Wednesday (I think I like the idea of midday updates on the blogspot site) to get you through boring lunch.

Let's begin.

You are welcome, Yankees fans. On the same day I posted about how A-Rod couldn't seem to get to 600, he answered, homering against the Blue Jays. However, can I just say that I was partially right? Of course he hit this historic homerun in the bottom of the first inning against a .500 team...

Whoa, New Site!

See, I TOLD you there was going to be metamorphosis.

Today we launched wemustbecursed.com, the standalone site for all things fun about sports (sorry, in a bit of a grim mood today, details here). This is an exciting time, and although the roles of wemustbecursed.blogspot.com and wemustbecursed.com are not fully set at this point, they both will have a role and we'll keep you updated as we progress.

For now, remember to follow us on twitter: @wemustbecursed
Or join our facebook fan page here.

Onward and upward, right?

WMBC Weekend Rewind: 08/02/2010

Quick recap of the events of the weekend for the tireless weekend warriors who worked for us who didn't work.

Here we go:

Albert Haynesworth failed the Redskins' conditioning test for a third time today, officially marking this whole saga as a joke. Let's recap. But 5 days ago, on 7/28, Haynesworth, after realizing a trade or release was out of the question, promised to play nice with the Redskins. Since then, he has failed 3 conditioning tests and failed to practice with the first team, attracting a ton of attention. At least what's nice about all this is that it's providing a glimpse into how Shanahan acted as a parent and how Haynesworth acts all the time acted as a child. How many times do you think lil' Albert couldn't finish his homework because of a boo boo "wrist irritation"?

Next up...

Talk About Redemption!

Matt Garza threw the fifth no hitter of '10 on Monday, shutting down the Tigers

What's that phrase about too much of a good thing?

Matt Garza no hit the Tigers Monday, pitching the 5th no hitter of 2010 (Note: one three day blog post delay due to 4th Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the Month obligations).

Yep, that's not a misprint. 5 no-hitters in 2010, and we only just had the All-Star break. Does this officially establish 2010 as the year of the pitcher? Will this mark the start of a decade of pitching dominance?

Don't worry, long-ball enthusiasts, I don't think that's the case at all. That's it, deep breaths. We'll get through this together.

In Other News: 7/29/10

Quick hits from around the sports world for your afternoon delight. Note: reading In Other News NOT an established rookie tradition

Dez Bryant earning his stripes stars at Dallas camp

Yep, Sunday Cowboys Rookie receiver Dez Bryant made news by refusing to carry Roy Williams' pads after practice and thus disrespected one of many rookie traditions. This caused huge backlash from the media, and everyone seemed to get involved, even Super Mario, who claimed Bryant should "fall in line." Ultimately, Bryant did fall in line, lashing out at the media while proclaiming, "Me and Roy are great at grammar." It was reported that at the most recent practice, Bryant did carry Williams pads, but joked, "I won't carry the helmet though," and threw it back to Williams, who dropped it.

In other news...

WMBC Weekend Rewind

Trying to establish more of a standard set up here at the ever-evolving WMBC, so why not start posting weekend recaps on Monday? The sports world sure doesn't take it easy Saturday and Sunday, so let's give the weekend warriors their due.

I'm also going to try to be more interactive. You guys stick your necks out with comments, and it's my responsibility to try and make you sound stupid give you a fair response, so expect more from me via comments.

So, weekend rewind. Here we go:

Waiting on You, Bub

I need to start watching soap operas.

No, seriously. I think I do. I mean, this whole Brett Favre saga is captivating, juicy, Shakespearean, over-hyped, and, most importantly, never-ending. Sound familiar?

Amateur Open Wrap Up

I'm going to be honest with you because I like you, you seem right in the head. Looking around at the happenings of the universe of sports, I don't have the content or the energy to write a full update. I don't have the content because not much is a-happening and I don't follow MLS yet. I don't have the energy because I'm but 5 days removed from making the tooth fairy's quota in one shot getting my wisdom teeth out (side note: has anyone ever wondered, "Why does a fairy need that many teeth?" With news that you can harvest stem cells from wisdom teeth, do we really need to ask that question? That's right folks. Bad news though, I heard they recruited some leader who likes the way his cooking smells, or something). No worries, we'll try to make what we got work.

Evolution Update

Those of you who follow WMBC on twitter (@wemustbecursed) may notice that now we have a super cool half an inch by half an inch logo. I know, baby steps, but as someone once echoed through the halls of the mountains of 38th, revolution starts with a whisper! Follow WMBC on twitter for cool updates other than the posts that are put here!

The NL Finally Does It

Even Though a Brave was the MVP, a Win's a Win for the NL

Thirteen games. Over a decade. However you want to slice it, it's been a long time since the National League won the All-Star game, but they did it Tuesday night, finally beating the American League 3-1.

Not since 1996 has the National League won the All-Star game. Yeah, that's a long time (wait, we're not talking that long, ouch!). But before American League fans get all high and mighty, all it takes is a quick look at the total series score to realize something's a-miss. Yes, the American League has won 12 out of 13 games (a tie in '02 breaks up those streaks). That's, in essence, 12 games in a row. There have been 79 All-Star games that haven't ended in a tie (ties in '02 and '61, no game in '45 cause of WWII, 2 All-Star games in '59, '60, '61, and '62). So, considering the American League has won 12 of the 79 total in a row, you would think the American League is running away with total wins in the Mid-Summer Classic, right? I think we all know the answer to those types of questions...

Big Week for WMBC

Lots of things happening around the sports world lately. Lebron gave up / picked championships over loyalty decided to "take his talents to South Beach" (honestly, the only thing missing from his explanation of why he was going to Miami was him wearing a Miami Heat baseball hat and giddily talking about how that's where all the cool kids were like high school recruits do. Cmon Lebron, you're held to a higher standard than that...), the Netherlands waited 32 years to lose in the Finals again, this year's HR derby has come and gone (is there a curse associated with participating in it?), and the MLB All-Star game is tonight (14 years is preposterous guys...).

Perfectly timed to all these happenings is a big week for WMBC too. We're undergoing a metamorphosis. As such, it may be a slower week, but I'll try to get to all the pertinent topics as soon as I can with as much intensity as always. I'll also be keeping you updated with how the revolution is going.

Onward and Upward.

In Other News: 7/8/10

Quick hits from around the sports world for your afternoon delight. Note: All proceeds from sponsorships will be donated to inflating my ego

Big Night for Big Lebron

Yes, tonight Lebron will end the free agent madness by announcing which team he will sign with in front of a televised audience. I could write a book about this and still not cover an ounce of what the media world has already covered on this topic, so instead of talking about the possibility of him going to Miami or him donating tonight's proceeds to the Boys and Girls club, I want to talk about Cleveland. We have to stay in character, right? Let's take a look at the franchises Cleveland fans can fall back on. Their baseball team, the butt of many a joke in the movie Major League, is currently managed by an even bigger joke who wasn't good enough for the powerhouse Washington Nationals. Their farm system American Hockey League Lake Erie Monsters (that name just strikes fear in you, doesn't it?) have had an impressive 94 - 116 record in their 1st 3 seasons. Oh, and then there's the Browns, who look forward to seeing what their latest all-star addition can do for the team (can you say #1 overall fantasy pick?). In the short term, though, they get to look forward to tonight when their home-grown hero announces he has picked his ego over his home admitted he can't win alone taken up voodoo decided to go in another direction. Shoulda listened, Cleveland...

In other news...

Win-Win-Win for World Cup Finals

This is shaping up to be an epic World Cup Final, and if I'm allowed to wear two hats for a second, the "This is what I selfishly want" hat and the WMBC hat, dare I say it, I can't see me being unhappy with how this'll all pan out.

WMBC hats, hmm...

Yep, it's looking like a win-win-win for sports fans. Think about it:

The Title Stays in the U.S.

Joey Chestnut won the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

this weekend and once again proudly represented his heritage.

The 4th of July is awesome.

This holiday remembers the day when the spirit of "damn the man" was born in this country, the day our forefathers proclaimed to the world "taxes suck!" (and something about representation, or something), the day we, as a country, first laced up our ass-kicking boots!

Not to mention the fact that it's a federal holiday where you're required by law to ingest as much barbeque and beer as possible.

Another Giant Taken Down

Alright, I lied. I'm not done writing about the World Cup yet.

I frustratingly joked that I'd watch soccer again in 2 years when the World Cup prelims started up again, but that wasn't true. So why the change of heart, you ask? Well, I didn't have much vested personal interest in the NHL Finals when it was Flyers-Blackhawks, but I wrote about it. And even though I covered a good amount of the NBA Finals, I feel my best post was when the Suns and Magic were still contending (still no personal vested interest). So what do these topics have in common with the World Cup? The have-never's and haven't-in-a-while's still got a fighting chance!

In Other News: 6/30/10

Didn't think I'd let you go 2 days without any sort of an update, did you?

Quick hits from around the sports world for your afternoon delight. Warning: Reading may cause over speculation of your waning talent

Uh Oh For Federer

Interesting beginning note. If you go to ESPN.com right now and look at their homepage, you may see a title for an article that looks familiar. I knew this blog would help me make millions. Now all I need is one of those lawyers with the catchy tunes on TV who say some shpeal about damages.

Federer made it two bad grand slams in a row today, losing in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. After reaching 23 straight Grand Slam semifinals, he's now come one round short in the past 2. Even though the sports world is in a roar today about how this could be the end of an era for hands down the greatest one of the greatest tennis players of all time, I'm not buying it. Why? After losing to Nadal at Wimbledon in what many think was perhaps the greatest tennis match ever and losing the Australian to Nadal (and showing his misery) two years ago, Federer responded by winning Wimbledon, the French, and beating Nadal on clay at the Madrid Masters. If he says he's hurt, cut him some slack. Instead, reporters are quick to call his bluff, stating that he is coming up with excuses to explain his poor performance. Sounds to me like World Cup hangover....

In other news...

End of the Line for U.S.A. Soccer

Late game heroics couldn't save the U.S. team from elimination

Man, I really had hoped I wouldn't have to be writing this article this soon. As both a fan and a writer for a blog that focuses on teams that can't seem to shake losing, you're aware that very often if you root for certain teams once in a while you have to bite the bullet and write about your team's loss. As such, I allowed myself some time to cool off after U.S.A.'s eliminating loss to Ghana, again, so I could approach this post with a level head and mature demeanor. With that, I can now honestly express my well thought out feelings:

"I Could Beat 'Em in Wranglers"

"Sure you're great at taking a powerbomb, but the key to being a successful

quarterback is giving up your WWE dreams as soon as possible..."

Is it August yet?

No no, I'm not that sick of baseball yet. As a fan, you tend to never stop paying attention, even during the off-season.

As a fan of teams that can't seem to win a championship in recent years, let alone, ever, teams that seem to like nothing more than coming up suspiciously short, you pay special attention to things you borderline neurotically over think can ruin your chances.

As such, I thought it interesting that our favorite gunslingin', heartbreakin', two-timin', wranglin' hunk of QB had some words for the newspaper folk and the NFL community yesterday. Apparently, Favre stated "I can still play at a high level...I would love to go beat the Saints (in the season opener)."

In Other News 6/24/10

Quick hits from around the sports world for your afternoon delight. Estimated reading time: approximately 11 hours, 5 minutes

History Made at Wimbledon

Nope, this has nothing to do with any of the usuals. Don't know if any of you were watching Wimbledon over the past three days, but today John Isner finally defeated Nicolas Mahut in the longest match at Wimbledon ever. The match was called due to darkness two straight nights and lasted 3 days, 183 games, and 980 points. Unfortunately, due to this match being between the 23rd ranked player in the world and the 149th ranked player in the world, it will go the way all other insane sports records go (Quickly, who can tell me the only major league baseball player to hit two grand slams in the same inning off the same pitcher? Can you name the pitcher too?), and due to that we say...

In other news...

GOOOAAAL!

Donovan's Injury Time Goal Sent USA Fans From South Africa to the White House Into A Frenzy

There are times when I love my borderline comical inability to predict an outcome right before the end of a game.

I mean, for ever thousand or so "Holy cow we can pull this off!" predictions that I end up being horribly wrong about (I used to be so ecstatic about my fortune telling job prospects), there occurs events such as those which just transpired on the ol' pitch.

Oh yeah. Say it with me people, "Group Champions."

In -> Out: How Sweet It Is

Four Years Later, Same Result

Trying out a new theme series of blog updates here, hence the title. Let me know if you get it, and/or if you like it

Sometimes, things work out just the way you wanted.

Other times, however, life's nice enough to give you a little extra, too.

Today, South Africa and France were both eliminated from competition after South Africa defeated captain-less France 2-1. South Africa, therefore, becomes the first host country to fail making it out of the group stage (Songs > Vuvuzelas when it comes to home pitch advantage? Don't worry, I won't go down that road...yet). But despite the loss and record setting elimination, the South Africa Coach still beamed with pride while speaking of his players and how they represented their country.

Uh oh, France. The title of the blog + process of elimination with regard to who I can talk about in this post = ...