Aztec Rental: The Backfill

For those of you not familiar with Lance Berkman the Houston Astros first baseman out of Rice University, he is truly one of the stand up guys in major league sports, down to earth and a really FUNNY dude!  Now history proves (i.e. Tiger Woods) that putting celebrities, athletes, or sports figures up on pedestals or presenting them as role models to your kids is a very slippery slope.  But, we are more than confident that Lance Berkman will never disappoint and is a perfect public person you can have your kids aspire to be like!

Lance Berkman better known to baseball fans as The Big Puma,  was on The John and Lance Show on 1560 The Game.  John Granato and Lance Zierlein have been staples in Houston sports talk for over a decade and have a fantastic show.  They are a great duo, VERY funny and worth the listen, especially not knowing what kind of shenanigans they will pull.

John and Lance appear to have a great relationship with Lance Berkman and caught up with him headed to spring training.  With this cast of characters, it is like radio gold.

 Below are the podcasts of The Big Puma on 1560 The Game.  Great Stuff!

Lance Berkman Part 1
Lance Berkman Part 2
Lance Berkman Part 3

UPDATE: 03/01/2010

Alyson “all Astros all the time” Footer adds to the greatness of The Big Puma with @pumaoneliners on twitter.  For great “one liners” from Lance Berkman and other Astros check out Alyson Footers, Introducing…PumaOneLiners.  For all of your Astros news follow @alysonfooter on twitter, and her newest title, Sr. Director of Social Media.

[The Big Puma]
[1560 The Game]
[Lance Zierlein on twitter]

Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich.  adds a third Bassmaster Classic trophy to his collection.

 
  TOP 10 FINAL RESULTS

USA drops Canada 5-3 and advances to quarterfinals.  It has been called the biggest upset in Olympic hockey since the Miracle on Ice.  

The United States would be embarrassed If Canada beat us in baseball.  We’re just sayin’.

[Miracle On Ice II]

UPDATE: Canada Reacts After Losing In Hockey [touche!]

Tiger Woods Guide To Post Scandal Press Conferences - [How-To]

Did he learn anything? Let’s see:

REACTIONS

Buddhism Announces That It Has Dropped Tiger Woods - [Sean Pendergast - Game Time] or [@SeanCablinasian] Side Note: Always a good read. Funny dude!

If we can sift through the 15 minutes where time stood still in sports bars around the country, if we can somehow ignore all of the “hostage crisis”-level coverage this is getting on CNN, ESPN, and the Oxygen Network, then we can all step back and see this for what it is — one guy (a billionaire athlete, granted, but still…) who cheated multiple times on his wife (a blonde Swedish knockout, granted, but still….) and got caught.

Will It Work? [Deadspin]

Tiger’s prepared statement alternated between contrite, defiant, angry, rambling and occasionally creepy.

Richard Justice of Houston Chroncile [Sports Justice]

Tiger Woods seemed to be speaking from the heart, from deep within his heart, from a place some of us doubted he was capable of going.

Cops and teachers ought to be our role models, not some genetic freak with a golf club in his hand. For God’s sake, raise your standards.

Media commentators render quick verdicts on Tiger Woods’ apology [LA Times]

“I like @chucktodd’s idea that there should be a rebuttal to Tiger’s statement,” ABC Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper tweeted. “Ladies? ”

“This was a public relations disaster,” media crisis expert Rick Cerrone said on CNN, noting that the golfer’s simmering anger at the media was all-too apparent. “This will be shown in colleges in future of how not to conduct a press conference.”

“He did exactly what he was supposed to do,” marketing expert Peter Shankman told Fox News anchor Jamie Colby. “It was scripted perfectly. He shut it down. He will disappear for a couple of months. He’ll go back to a game. Life will go on. The advertisers will be happy.”

“I think he was sincere,” NBC Sports interviewer Jimmy Roberts told Matt Lauer, who anchored the network’s coverage from Vancouver, Canada. “I do think there are questions that people still have.”

“Tiger’s apology included some of the worst acting since Ishtar,” MSNBC host Joe Scarborough tweeted.

Mark Knoller, White House correspondent for CBS News, tweeted: “Cant believe the major networks are providing live coverage of Tiger Woods’ statement.”

ESPN – Jeremy Schapp

Will Update as more come in. Stay tuned..

Tale of the tape [poll]

What are your thoughts?

Any chance of the Winter Olympics coming to Texas? What about a luge track or speed skating rink around the Houston area? [bank breaker]

No worries I guess, with global warming and all.

OK “best” might be a stretch. Let’s chalk it up to the economy for the weak ads this year.

Bad economy equals not as many players spending money.

Note: economy doesn’t affect creativity.

In no particular order, the top 4 ads in our mind.

E Trade – Baby First Class. New material for marketing home run, etrade baby.

Doritos – Dont Touch My Momma. Now thats funny.

Budweiser – Human Bridge. Pretty clever.

Bud Light – Book Club. Would you stay?

Notables: as said before economy caused fewer companies to spend, so we get some of the same brands here.

E Trade – Baby’s girlfriend

Doritos – Dog Collar. Tell us you didn’t at least smile.

Supposed banned ads: Now these are are good.

Bud Light Clothing Drive. Great!

KGB - You dont know what you are talking about.

On, Jan 7, 2010 all of the would of’s, almost’s, nearly’s and if only Colt played all four quarters couldn’t bring the University of Texas another National Championship. Alabama beat the Horns 37-21, landing the crystal football in Tuscaloosa.

But, what happened to the $300,000 worth of UT plastered National Champions apparel? Yahoo Sports says, all 13,000 shirts and 1,000 hats are headed to Haiti. 

Then, I heard a interesting hypothetical question from Houston sports talk show host Charlie Pallilo on Sports Talk 790am.

If you could, would you buy one of the “almost” National Championship shirts for a $50/$100 donation to the Haiti relief fund?

It got me thinking, so let’s do the math real quick.  The shirts would retail for about $20, even though retail isn’t the price that would be paid, we will use that number for our purposes.  So, if you donate $50 to the fund that would be a value of 2.5 times what a single shirt would be worth. Now, let’s say that 1,000 shirts are purchased for the small donation. That means Haiti is getting 12,000 shirts plus a extra $50,000 a total value of a $290,000 donation.  Which would be a $30,000 gain in donation over the $260,000 value of 13,000 shirts. 

A genius I am not, but 290,000 is greater than 260,000 no matter what University you went to.  I would think that Haiti would appreciate that math as well.

So, now I pose the question to you, if you could, would you want one? Would you buy one to rub it in to a friend, colleague, or family member with ties to the runner-up? Wear it for a joke? See if anyone notices? Or is the pain to great and just a reminder of the “what if’s?”

It might be a more interesting question to you, if it were more relative for you.  So, think of a time when your team has been 2nd best: Like Houston’s “almost” World Series in 2005 or Arizona Cardinal’s surplus of ”fake” apparel from last years Superbowl loss. Would you give a donation to a charity or relief fund going on at the time for a shirt that didn’t happen?

Just an interesting thought.

So, Would you do it? Would you wear your heart-break around for a good cause?

Walking Away?

I don’t under stand why so many people want him gone from the game.    

Even with the lust affair that ESPN and most of the broadcasters have for the man, all the flip-flopping, and all the camera shots of Deanna Favre, you can’t tell me you don’t love to watch #4 play the game.  He plays it the right way, appears to absolutely love the game and his teammates, and either way (for or against) he will do something spectacular!That was one hell of a performance the 40-year-old “old man” put on this year and in the NFC Championship game! He even caped it off with the Favre signature, as he did as a Packer & Jet, the last pass he threw was an INT.    

Love him or hate him,  fan or not a fan, one thing you have to admit, Brett Favre is one tough SOB! If you saw the press conference after the game the dude looked like he was 60.  He had a nice limp going, probably had some bruised if not cracked ribs and his face looked like it had a couple of encounters with 250lbs NFL linebackers.  Oh wait it did…repeatedly.      

Brett Favre and the Vikings should have rolled and won that game running away.  His last interception did not “lose” the game, it took away a shot to win the game right there, but he did not lose the game.  Maybe some ball handling had something to do with it. Six fumbles in a game that puts you in the Super Bowl…Really?    

In the words of the talented Larry Platt:   

“Balls on the Ground, Balls on the ground,  Looking like a fool with your balls on the ground!”   

Even with that, the Vikings almost doubled the Saints in every stat category.  But, as they say it’s not how “it” is done, it is if “it” is done, and Brett Favre couldn’t finish the “if”.  So is he coming back?   

He started EVERY game for 19 years, and those are NFL games not pop warner.  Brett Favre had 4,202 yards, 33TD’s, 7 int’s and a passer rating of 107.2 in 2009, his best season ever?  He was arguably one of the top 3 quarterbacks this year. He produced the most watched cable televsion show in history earlier this year when he played the Green Bay Packers.  You want that gone? I am sure the NFL doesn’t.    

Is this it? Is it finally over? I for one, sure hope not. I would love to watch the 40-year-old “gun slinger” have another run at a ring. 

Just wanted my two cents worth on Brett Favre.