What to watch?

(DISCLAIMER: That is not a picture of me; I don't own a Superman t-shirt)


ESPN had a poll the other day on SportsCenter, asking people whether they were more excited to plant themselves on the couch Saturday night and watch Michael Phelps go for yet another gold medal at the Olympics or Brett Favre's debut with the New York Jets in a pre-season game. Of course, the correct answer is another question; ARE YOU KIDDING?!? Ok, I know ESPN's nose is firmly planted in the ass pockets of the NFL as well as every major league sports franchise (at least when it comes to sports they broadcast) that plays in the tri-state area, but come on. There is NEVER a good reason to watch NFL pre-season games on television, especially when the alternative is unprecedented Olympic history in the making.

On a local level, somebody asked me if I was going to watch the Rays or the Buccaneers pre-season game tonight and my reaction was the same as above. Let me see, a game that actually matters to the Rays pursuit of a playoff berth or an utterly meaningless exhibition (for which they charge suckers full price for tickets, by the way), three quarters of which will be played by guys trying to get a third string roster spot in a desperate effort to stave off the eventuality of getting a job at the car wash for a couple more months. yeah, that's a no-brainer.

To be honest, I've actually been watching more Little League World Series action than anything else, a fact that makes me question the depth of my loyalty to the Rays and the United States.


(DISCLAIMER: I'm posting this picture of Michael Phelps for the sole purpose of luring back some of the readers who enjoy this kind of thing and who used to like reading my blog, which I recognize and fully acknowledge as a completely shameless, desperate, gratuitous and exploitative gesture. You're welcome.)