Jockeying for the Niners job
Would Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren forgo retirement to coach the San Francisco 49ers next season?
Well, maybe he would. San Francisco reporters asked him if the Niners job would interest him – and Holmgren didn’t rule it out.
“Look it, this is my home. Seattle is my home. This is my team,” Holmgren said. “Right now, we’ve got to figure out how to win a game here for the Seattle Seahawks. Then all the rest of this stuff is . . . speculation.
“Things in this crazy business change on a day-to-day basis.”
Jim Mora is set to replace Holmgren as the Seahawks coach next season. Holmgren was supposed to take time off, do stuff with his wife Kathy and play with his grandchildren. But . . .
“When I was at Lincoln High School, and for years, that was my dream job. And it never quite came to fruition,” Holmgren told San Francisco media types in a conference call. “But times change and right now, I think it’s been stated … for the 27th time: the plan for me and Kath is to take a year off after this time in Seattle. We’ve been here 10 years, and we love it here, and that’s the plan.
“While I’m flattered — we have a lot of friends in the Bay Area — that’s the plan right now.”
The 49ers chose Mike Singletary as interim coach. And ambitious offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who won a NFC title as Rams coach, is still on the staff.
So this could get interesting.
SPEAKING OF THE NFL
How about this Minnesota Viking fan? Thanks to Deadspin for bringing him to our attention.
People, you now have a role model.
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while waiting for the Rays’ sluggers to start hitting Phillies pitching:
- Can the Cowboys win any games without Tony Romo?
- Why is anybody worried about what Brett Favre told Matt Millen? If somebody gave the Lions the Packers playbook – or even the game day play script – would it make difference?
- Why would the Mariners tap the Brewers front office for its general manager? How many World Championships have the Brewers won?
QUIPS ‘R US
Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:
Bill Simmons, ESPN.com: “I thought about buying the NHL Package on DirecTV last week so I could have breakup sex with the Bruins for a year. The cost? $169! Really, Gary? That’s how you treat your ‘mostly blue-collar fans who can’t afford good seats for games anymore,’ the ones you’ve already insulted 300 times over? I continue to think (David) Stern planted (Gary) Bettman to sabotage the NHL, and no one can tell me different.”
Jerry Greene, Orlando Sentinel: “Denver QB Jay Cutler dared say he has a stronger arm than John Elway. Then on his first pass attempt in New England, he injures his finger. Talk about football karma.”
Steve Rosenbloom, ChicagoTribune.com, on Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly’s interest in managing the Brewers: “I don’t think Brenly will trade in his headset for a front-row seat at the sausage race, and here’s why: He’s too smart to sign with the Brewers until and unless they sign CC Sabathia first. Look, if Sabathia leaves and the Brewers have to open with Blue Cross/Blue Shield/Ben Sheets, then they have no chance of catching the Cubs. None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. In fact, If Sabathia leaves, the Brewers finish behind the Astros next year, you watch. And Brenly knows it. If you’ve listened to only one Cubs broadcast, you know the guy is smart enough to know he’d rather warm up the House of Blues than Eric Gagne.”
Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: “‘The Blob’ is a 1958 horror film about a giant amoeba-like alien that terrorizes a small community in Pennsylvania. The Ohio State University” has a football team that slimed its way into the last two national title games in Arizona and Louisiana and now threatens to terrorize a college football community at this year’s title game in Florida.”
Rick Chandler, Deadspin: “Just what’s the point of having a concealed weapons permit if you can’t pull your handgun on your child’s soccer coach in a dispute over playing time? That’s what 25-year-old Tye Burke of Lubbock, Texas is wondering today following the Saturday incident. Well, actually it was the female coach’s husband on which Burke pulled the gun, pointing it at the man’s head until being tackled by an off-duty prison guard. You go, Texas.”
MEGAPHONE
“I’ve never believed in any of that kind of stuff, but I understand, obviously, the fans’ disappointment, and you just wish that something would come along to help them get over the hump. But, in fairness, they’ve been in the World Series more than we have, so we could care less what happens to them.”
Phillies executive Dallas Green, a former Cubs GM, on Chicago’s Billy Goat Curse.
Who could have guessed that the Cardinals would raise ticket prices?
Or that they would get cold feet when the opportunity to make a bold move would arise?
Is anyone else concerned when the GM says that the Cardinals will target “low hanging fruit”? That smells like a pitcher with a bum elbow or a shortstop that can’t hit.
Not that losing is okay but at the very least the Blues looked like they could compete with the Red Wings last night. The last few years have been man against boys to say the least.
S.W., my favorite Moe quote is that the Cardinals will remain “in a holding pattern.” I guess that means third or fourth place.
I tuned in the Series just to check on the score. It was the bottom of the sixth and the first base umpire missed a balk. Then the home plate umpire took the bat out of Longoria’s hands by calling strikes on two inside pitches as if Hamels were Greg Maddux circa 1996. Is this really the best umpire crew MLB could come up with?
0.2 out of 5 stars today.
just1beer thanks for mentioning those umpiring gaffs last night, I was afraid I was the only one to thing poorly of the effort I saw by the men in blue.
S.W., the Note did seem to skate better and stay with the Wings better than in recent memory. Maybe the talent gap is finally narrowing there. That said, it is still clear to me why Detroit is considered the best team in the NHL.
Thanks Moe! Thanks for being the beacon of sanity that Walt was not.
Enough sarcasm, but seriously, Walt would have traded every prospect we have for Peavy and then thrown in a couple of draft picks for good measure. Like all of you, I want the Cards to wins divisions, pennants and World Series crowns. But, what are we willing to do to get there? I agree that “low hanging fruit” is frightfully bad premonition, but let’s at least give the man the benefit of the doubt. We have Lohse under wraps, lets see what the market bears out before we completely trash him for his inaction.
As for the Blues, we split the season series with the Wings last year. For some reason this team does nto get rolling until late in games. I know they jumped all over Dallas, but if you look at the Toronto, Chicago and Nashville games they did not get into a rhythm until later in the games. Maybe Adny needs to set their alarms an hour earlier from their “game day naps”.
Mr. Cheese Free truly makes you wonder why human beings even exist.
Love or hate the front office, a least wait until the off season officially starts or the winter meetings before turning on the cynical swith regarding the Cards’ 2009 chances.
Regardless of what happens, this was a team that squandered about 2-3 seasons worth of wins and still wound up 86-76. This bullpen has nowhere to go but up as well as the collective health of our offense.
From what I’ve seen so far looks like another off season where the talking heads will give the Cardinals no shot, and this is the exact karma the Cards can use again.
The talk about a 3rd-4th place team staying the same was the exact same thing I heard between 2003 and 2004. (2003 was an 85-77 season with squandered wins a plenty).
Looks like Steve Rosenbloom already has the Baby Bears penciled in as the NL Central Champs for ‘09. Didn’t he have them penciled in as World Series Champs this year? The Cubs getting swept in the division series still feels good doesn’t it?
I know this makes me an extraordinarily anal human being but would someone please issue a general memo to the entire English speaking world (and Dallas Green in this case) that the expression is:
“I couldn’t care less”…..not “I could care less”….the latter makes absolutely no sense to the context in which people use it..
And yes I know at least one person will say they “could care less what I think”
Next week I’ll rag on the overuse of the word “amazing”
I’m not really sure if the NHL can do anything about it but no one wants to plop down good money to watch the Redwings play the “left-wing lock” circa 1996. Its BORING! Center ice was like quicksand. Open up the game. Ty Conklin?