SB Nation User Blog: TheJeezus

Like a Rolling Stone

TheJeezus — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:40:13 -0000

I'm fairly sure that Bob Dylan isn't a Cowboys fan, but never have the troubadour's words seemed more prophetic in my tiny little sports universe than they do right now.

People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you

I remember reading Pro Football Prospectus where Football Outsiders pointed out that the Cowboys had been very fortunate in not suffering the types of injuries that were plaguing other teams. They warned that Dallas' luck was not likely to continue given the law of averages. Of course I dismissed their points by telling myself that we suffered fewer injuries because we had better conditioning, better trainers and a better offensive line than most teams. Now, every time the injury report comes over the wire or I see a Jason Witten headed into the locker room for X-rays, I hear the faint and creepy voice of Aaron Schatz in my ear: "I told you so...I toooooold you sooooo."

And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it

So...here we are. Possibly missing Romo, Witten, Felix, Kosier, Pacman, Newman, Williams, Henry, Watkins, Spencer and McBriar. I'm covering a small 2A high school team in central Texas right now who would have to forfeit if they had that many injuries. We're a traveling MASH unit, and now we've got to fight through it. But how? Well, the best way to fight through injuries (suspensions in Adam's case) is to have depth, but there's little we can do about that now. So how do you compete in an NFL where every team is relishing the chance to kick you when you're down? The answer is to go conservative, a game plan that was perfected last week. Shorten the game. Limit mistakes. Capitalize on every opportunity. But most of all...get healthy. Injuries don't go away just because Brett Favre calls you or because everyone thinks you're the toughest SOB in the league and so you should be able to play through broken ribs. Have a seat, get some rest, and come back when you're healthy...soon, but when you're healthy.

Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose

Early voting polls show Johnson with a slim lead over Bollinger, although Bollinger's numbers with the undecideds have seen a slight up-tick this week. It's the topic du jour. Seemingly everyone has an opinion as to who the Cowboys starting quarterback should be against the Giants. I heard Norm asking a caller this morning which QB gave the Cowboys the best chance to win the game. I wanted to call and ask Norm whether he would rather get punched in neck or kicked in the nuts or ask him whether I should pick 42 or 47 for my Mega Ball Number in the week's lotto. My preference? Johnson, he's already shown he can drive this bus. The bigger point is that it doesn't really matter, for two reasons:

1) If you're calling on either of those guys to make big plays that will win you this game, then, in my opinion, you've already lost; and

2) We have already lost. At least in most minds. Due to our recent struggles and comments about getting to the bye week, expectations for Dallas in this game are almost none. Would I love to get a win? More than anything. I despise NY with all of my being. But I'm also enjoying the feeling of heading into a game that won't crush me if we lose.

This is part of a running series I'll be doing with Dylan and the Cowboys. In the coming weeks we'll tackle the following topics:

"Which Sucks More: Empire Burlesque or Cory Proctor?"

"Just Like a Woman: An Analysis of Barbie Carpenter."

"A Mumbling Retrospective: Joe Avezzano Sings Blood on the Tracks"

(For the record, the answers are: punched in the neck and 47)

"Hey, Sam...dude....smell my fingers"

TheJeezus — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:43:21 -0000

"Hey, Sam...dude....smell my fingers"

Frank Cornish Dead at 40

TheJeezus — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:04:34 -0000

Frank Cornish Dead at 40

I just saw this. It's a couple of days old. So sad.

Matt Jones Arrested - Charged With Poss. of Cocaine

TheJeezus — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:17:08 -0000

Well...I always wondered why Jones didn't reach his potential last season, and now I think I have a pretty good idea. I know he was supposedly injured last year, but, as I recall, those were sometimes referred to as "unspecified injurries". Makes me think maybe he had a strained nostril...

It's really a shame. As much as I despise Arkansas, I had loads of respect for the kid after he torched us (Texas) in back to back years. I remember hoping that we would make a move in the '05 draft to slide up to grab him.

Jacksonville reached on the pick, but I really thought that eventually the kid would start to produce. His second season was solid (41-643) considering the offensive mess the Jags were in.

Another Player of the Month?

TheJeezus — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:35:31 -0000

Ian Kinsler's numbers in June obviously put him in the running for AL player of the month, but Gordon Edes at the Globe thinks that JD Drew is a lock:

J.D. Drew is a cinch to be named the American League's Player of the Month for June after hitting .337 with a major league-leading 12 home runs and 27 RBIs, tied for most in the bigs. Drew also led the majors in slugging at .848, was third in on-base percentage (.462), and tied for first in extra-base hits with 21.

What he fails to mention is that Drew finished the month in a Shelton-esque 4 for 30 slump (and that's not counting his 0-fer last night against TB). I understand he's crushing the ball right now and getting on base, and I think he'll end up getting it, but can we change his title to "AL Player of the First Half of The Month"?

FOTF on the Ticket

TheJeezus — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:12:12 -0000

FOTF on the Ticket

BAD Radio is having MY on in the 2:00 hour

Tailgating question

TheJeezus — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:42:40 -0000

So, I've been away from Austin for a few years, but I'm back now and I heard that the pre-game tailgating/parking situation changed recently. I've searched the posts, but couldn't find much. I'm used to setting up camp around SanJac and 18th, but not sure if that's still an open lot.

Can somone update me on the scene? Is it still on a first-come basis? Does BON have a spot?

I'm jacking this from DRay Bay. Great shot of Shields' whiff on Crisp.

TheJeezus — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:38:18 -0000

I'm jacking this from DRay Bay. Great shot of Shields' whiff on Crisp.

Two bodies have been found in the Plano home of convicted steroids dealer David Jacobs, who...

TheJeezus — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:19:26 -0000

Two bodies have been found in the Plano home of convicted steroids dealer David Jacobs, who recently agreed to tell the NFL which football players received banned substances he manufactured in recent years. The identities of the victims were not released pending notification of relatives. Details to follow.

http://www.dallasnews.com/

Pacman's In

TheJeezus — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:30:34 -0000

The Ticket is reporting that the NFL has reinstated PacMan Jones effective immediately for OTA's, training camp and pre-season games. The determination on the rest of the season will be made at a later date.

Hopefully I'm not being duplicative in my post here.

"This limited reinstatement is a step in the process," Jerry Jones said in a statement. "Adam is aware of the things that need to be done in order to take the next step."

So, it's not the whole enchilada, but I think it's definitely reason for optimism. Please, for the love of Landry let him stay out of trouble.

Here's the DMN blog link

Here's the DC.com story