Showing posts with label arizona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arizona. Show all posts

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Pressing Issues

Sometimes, after the game is when the real fun begins. In this era of the 24 hour news cycle, a player's or coach's performance off the field is almost as important as their performance on. Press conferences are done before and after the game, and in the case of the coaches, during the games as well. The thing that I love is when these press conferences go off the rail. In this blog I want to name my top five favorite press conferences. I know that this is a sports topic, but even if you're not into sports, you will definitely find comedy in these.

Recently, one of my childhood heroes, Mike Singletary, was named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. On Sunday they lost to the Seahawks. In the game, Niners tight end Vernon Davis was penalized for taunting. In response, Singletary sent Davis to the showers early. This interaction between Davis and Singletary was the backdrop for this classic press conference! My man Singletary came out the gate swinging. With that, its my number 5 most memorable press conference.




Although we've used this video before in one of our Man Up Rules, the Dallas Cowboys made an unexpected exit from last year's NFL postseason. In their loss to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, quarterback Tony Romo gave a less than stellar performance. Given that he had gone on vacation to Mexico with girlfriend Jessica Simpson during the team's off week, Romo was under heavy scrutiny after the loss. T.O. to the rescue. Here's my number 4 most memorable press conference.




I don't even know how to really describe this one. I guess Oklahoma St. coach Mike Gundy had just had enough. Oh don't get me wrong, his team won the game. Mike just felt the need to undress the members of the media who were present. And after you watch this interview, you may feel a little naked yourself. My number 3 best press conference.




At the end of the 2001-02 season, the rift between Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson, and their head coach Larry Brown had reached a boiling point. The point of contention between the two of them will become very apparent when you watch this video. This is no practice, Iverson has my number 2 best press conference.




And drum roll please. My choice for number 1 press conference goes to Dennis Green. Former coach of the Arizona Cardinals. On October 16, 2006, his Arizona Cardinals held a 20 point lead going into the waning seconds of the 3rd quarter against the Chicago Bears. What ensued was probably the second best comeback I've ever seen in my life. (Second only to Frank Reich's 35 point comeback against the Houston Oilers). Well lets just say that Coach Green was not as enthused at what he had just seen. The following is his reaction.




The press conferences has become a an essential to life in sports. I can't imagine having to stand front and center, and field questions from people who believe they can do what you do better than you. Even though they haven't thrown a pitch since their stellar little league season at the age of 11. So as long as there are reporters who ask a player who just lost a game "so how does it feel"?, I'll continue to update my list of the best press conferences.


-DrizaDre-

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

New World Water

So I'm sitting in my room last night, about to go to sleep when I hear an unmistakable sound. It couldn't be! Not possible! I get up, and look out the window. No F-ing way! I quickly try and throw some clothes. Get my shorts on. (No shirt still). Is it done? I look back outside, damn, its still there. Throw a shirt on, throw my shoes on. Now its been at least 45 seconds. Is it over? Gotta look one more time. Damn, its still there. I race downstairs, go to the back porch. AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! I make it just in time to enjoy sweet raindrops.




Now some of you may be thinking, this fool is trippin. Well, just to let those of you know, I recently moved to Phoenix, Arizona. And what I experienced was a little slice of heaven sent down from God himself. See, I've lived in Los Angeles probably half my life. I know that some of you may have heard the Tony! Toni! Tone! song "It Never Rains (in Southern California)", but that's not entirely the truth. See it rarely rains in Southern California. Well, if 3T ever decides to make a comeback, I personally give them permission to use the title "It Never Rains (in Phoenix, Arizona). (They really don't have to change any of the words, it still sounds about right).

What do we all know about Phoenix? Yes, its 100 degrees consistently out here. But one of the little discussed aspects of being in a place like this is the lack of rainfall. And I don't know if you're like me or not, but Summers include just a tad bit of precipitation. Growing up in Chicago, you'd get at minimum, during the summers, a few days in which it would rain for maybe an hour or so. Just long enough to cool things off, give you time to grab a sandwich, and make your way back outside to finish playing. Not in Phoenix! From about 7am until the sun begins to fade around 7pm, all you get is blistering heat. Soul agonizing, make you wanna personally peel your own skin off heat. Or to piggyback what my brother has previously mentioned, "make you wanna slap somebody" heat.

Inevitably, I had to do some research on Phoenix's climate, and the facts were astounding. Trust me, it doesn't make me feel good knowing that I'll be here for the foreseeable future. The all-time record high temperature in Phoenix is 122 degrees set back in 1990. (The all-time high recorded in Baghdad,Iraq is also 122 degrees). The temperature reaches or exceeds 100 degrees on average 89 days per year. That's basically 1/4 of the calendar. The average annual rainfall is a scant 8.3 inches per year.

So now that you have the background information about Phoenix's climate, let me ask you a question. How does the weather affect you where you live? Do you complain about it being too hot? Do you feel like it rains too much? Well, trust me, the grass is definitely greener where you are. (Partly because its so hot out here that grass really doesn't grow). Hopefully reading this will make appreciate where you are just a little bit more. And for that rainfall that I experienced last night, I made it to the porch just in time to sit down, and the rainfall came to an end. So 3 minutes of rain. I'm gonna guess that was maybe .1 of our yearly total. (Hell, maybe more than that. Kinda scary actually). And of course, I wake up this morning to 90 degrees and sunshine. (85% of Phoenix's days in a year are sunny). Its alright though, come December, I'll appreciate that sunshine and lack of precipitation! But if its 100 degrees on Jesus' birthday, God is just gonna have to forgive me because I will be using some obscenities to describe how I feel.

This has been your weather update, I'm Dallas Rains, or Amy Freeze (or whatever corny Weather person name) signing off!


--DrizaDre--