Barack Obama says, Yes We Can!...go for it on 4th and 22 from your own 8-yard line, with three minutes left in the fourth quarter up 56...
"The Obama camp has bought “billboard space” within nine video games, all from Electronic Arts: “Madden ’09,” “NBA Live ’08,” “Burnout Paradise,” “Nascar 09,” “Need For Speed Carbon,” “Need For Speed Pro Street,” “NFL on Tour,” “NHL ’09” and “Skate.”
Screenshot from NBA 08 (Sun-Times News Group)
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, these virtual ads need to be downloaded, but are slated to run right up until the election in 10 battleground states - Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada and Ohio.
After the rip-roaring success of the politically charged Great "Bailouts" in Sports History, I decided to go back to the well and poll the sports blogging intelligentsia on issues quasi-related to Decision '08. This week's topic:
BEST SPORTS PLATFORMS FOR THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
It may seem a little (or entirely) taboo right now, given the economic ground and pound, however, I'll point to a story in this week's New Yorker by Peter Boyer (The Appalachian Problem) on Obama's campaigning in Appalachia, in an attempt to siphon votes away from McCain and take the state of West Virginia . Boyer brings up former Democratic Governor Mark Warner, who fought an uphill battle to get into office, and repaid the voters of the region by getting Virginia Tech into the ACC. Since VT joined the conference, their men's basketball team earned its first NCAA Tournament berth, and the football team was able to expand Lane Stadium. All the while, creating heightened interest in V-Tech sports in and around the region - translating into additional revenue, not to mention jobs, in the state.
In the same light, I'm suggesting Obama vow to get Memphis out of Conference U.S.A, to appeal to the economically liberal, socially conservative voters of Tennessee. (And Alabama's UAB faithful.)
If he so chose, he could mix in some lackadaisical foreign policy while catering to the Memphis populus - who can see Germantown from their houses (nod to Scott from WaitingForNextYear.com for that one!)
Here are some other campaign promises the sports blogosphere would like to hear coming out of the political arena in the final month of the race. And Since Obama and McCain already downplayed anti-steroids legislation (thanks Phil, from CheatorBeat, for that), they could use something to get sports fans going...
"[The candidates] should focus their campaign on adopting the 'Francesca Football Plan' which involves replacing the final two NFL exhibition games with regular season games. This plan, which I first heard mentioned by WFAN Legend (in his own mind) Mike Francesca, would expand the NFL regular season to 18 total games and in doing so would push the SuperBowl back two weeks to the Sunday just prior to Presidents Day. This would create an official, govt. sanctioned three-day SuperBowl Holiday weekend and subsequently do away with the most 'called-out' workday of the year." (Chris "Shorty" Smith, BadChoiceMilk)
The incremental plan to increase the amount of football is as brilliant as Francesca is insufferable.
Have you seen the Mike Francesca Show? Who in their right mind would watch that one gurgle for a half-hour late Sunday night when you're faded from a full-day of football?
Jimmy Traina from SI.com has a simpler suggestion for how our chief commander could improve the NFL: "Whoever is elected president needs to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday"
The Super Bowl is already a well established, polished glutton fest. But this would set off a spending spree that would rival black friday. It would all be contained to beer and protein, but still. (plus I think I'd like to live in country where those things helped drive the economy). The real benefit, however, is the money saved by companies closing on a clear no-work work day.
Bares mentioning that I'm actively looking for a politician to run for office on the four-day work week platform. The Super Bowl holiday could seamlessly be included as buffer.
NBA blogger Trey Kerby (The Blowtorch) would like your candidates to abolish the shooting game at the All-Star Game, and mandate a one-on-one tournament.
The score of last year's All-Star game was 134-128 - 260 points, yet almost an unwatchable game. It's a combined point total that's only rival is that of the Dow Jones Industrial losses over the last week. What do they have in common? Both are pretty boring to follow, yet there is undeniably something wrong happening.
Forget NBA All-Star regulation though, what we need is NBA relegation. I'd like to see the president vow to protect against lame duck teams who mail in the end of the year so they have 25% chance of getting the #1 pick in the lottery. You tank, congratulations, welcome to the D-League. Have fun spending a year throttling post-pubescant 19-year olds (that run, and run, and run) in Sioux Falls for a year.
Here are some additional ideas to get people flocking to the polls:
Here's a thought - make instant replay mandatory in every sport. Everything is reviewable, especially missed calls. (Moon Dog Sports)
"There needs to be a plus one system playoff for D1 college football. The top 4 play and the winners play in a final game. This will keep the pundits happy that still want to keep the smaller bowls, and it will still allow for a lot of pork barrel spending at the AT&T Cotton Bowl, AutoZone, Liberty Bowl, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Brut Sun Bowl, Capital One Bowl,Champs Sports Bowl..." (Ethan Jaynes, NESW Sports)
...etc., etc., etc., etc. (great ref. to pork barrel spending!)
"Being that Ohio is a battleground state, Obama should campaign to get better coaching for the bengals and browns. I'd say the same about michigan...but mccain's already conceded it and the lions are a lost cause anyway." (Dan, InGameNow)
Swing states are going to make or break this election, and both candidates have already vowed to examine and take down programs that aren't working (I think they were mainly talking about government bureaucracy, however.)
Do your civic duty, and vote for the platform that will get our presidential candidates your vote on November 4:
The folks behind the "Don't Vote" video are asking folks to share it with five other people. (video is actually called, simply, 5 Friends). And bloggers are taking the extra step by posting it and linking to five other blogs.
You don’t have to be getting hit over the head with news alerts to realize that tomorrow the House will reconvene to try to reach a solution, for better or worse, concerning the financial bailout proposal. Thus, I thought it appropriate to recall some of the great bailouts in sports history.
My personal contribution is Drew Bledsoe coming off the bench, after losing his starting job to a then injured Tom Brady, and leading the Patriots to victory in the 2001 AFC Championship Game, only to be relegated back to the bench for the Super Bowl.
I tasked some of the sports blogosphere to come up with other great bailouts in sports history. Here are the top-3, and many other below...
1.) The Tackle
Courtesy of Melfi, NYHoosier.com, a Colts fan who had the pleasure of experiencing this game on ESPN Gamecast. Here's a rather indulgent video of the play. The anguish of a Colts fan having to follow that game on ESPN.com, with the 18-minute delay time and the kind-of-moving football dot, warms my heart. It’s the little things that get us through these tough economic times.
....
2.) The 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals
James Christensen, from NEPatriotsDraft.com, was the first to suggest this, but his sentiments were wildly echoed by others for this one…
Isaac, from World of Isaac, gets the nod for sending in the clip of the no-call that only the most entitled of Wall Streets' out-of-work millionaire CEOs could defend…
My buddy Derek, who’s the biggest hockey fan I know, gets a shout out for this one…
The Pittsburgh Penguins were bankrupt, and on the verge of leaving the city, when the franchise’s most storied player bought the team. In a deal that had to be approved by the Federal Government, Lemieux assumed control of the team in 1996, and vowed to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Also, as part of the deal, he agreed to pay back the close to $100 million owed to creditors.
Apparently, most of that debt has been paid back. And with the addition of Sydney Crosby (who lived in Lemiuex’s house when he first joined the team), the Penguins are now selling out games left and right, and moving towards the black.
This is a bailout backers of the Bush’s plan would like you to remember, simply, because it’s worked. However, as things shake out in the financial world over the next couple days, I ask that you also keep Drew Bledsoe in mind taxpayers – he was asked to step up when Brady went down, and then discarded with near immediacy.
....
The sports blogosphere’s most distinguished statesmen stepped up with some other great examples, so here are all the honorable mentions…
A big bailout? How about MLB relocating the Montreal Expos to Washington, D.C. and christening them the Nationals? Jeffery Loria sold the Expos to MLB for $120 million, and a few years later, MLB sold the team to the Lerner family for over $500 million. Add to that, Washington, D.C. threw in a $611 million stadium with very little ownership equity. (Maury Brown, President of Business of Sports Networks, BizofBaseball.com)
The NBA stopping the Cavaliers from themselves in the early 1980s, preventing them from continuing to trade away consecutive first round picks for past-prime talent. (Kelly Dwyer, Balls Don’t Lie)
How 'bout Jeff Hostetler coming in for an injured Phil Simms (foot), winning the last 2 games of the season and the Super Bowl XXV (Chimpanzee Rage, Deuce of Davenport)
George Steinbrenner bails out the Red Sox by signing A-rod (Jodie Boduch, GossipOnSports.com)
Gretzky saving hockey any place West of Detroit (Ethan Jaynes, NESWsports.com)
Kevin McHale bailing out his buddy Danny Ainge by trading KG to the Celts (The Sports Culture) Ray Lewis NOT Convicted of Murder (Trey Kirby, TheBlowtorch.net)
Ed Hochuli coming to the rescue of the Denver Broncos in Week 2 this season. (Ryan Phillips, Rumors & Rants)
Throw your personal favorite sports bailouts in the comments below!
He doesn't sound all in, but a recent blog post by Doyle Brunson, poker's most legendary maverick , on Doyle's Room makes him seem to be leaning towards McCain:
"It's hard to believe, but McCain has taken the lead in the Presidential race. They rolled the dice when they chose Governor Palin to run for Vice-President and they threw a seven, because she really turned things around for the Republicans."
Brunson then continued: "It's hard not to be in McCain's camp after listening to his life story. He really is an American hero. I'm not sure either Presidential candidate is the right person to lead our country over the next few years." (via 911gambling.com)
Brunson had initially said he'd be voting Democrat for the first time in his life this election.
In a survey of 1639 American Poker players, Yahoo! Sports UK reports that 64% support Obama over McCain, who both are apparently proficient poker players in their own right. Sarah Palin has also been known to play a few hands. However, the trump card (not to mix bad gambling puns, or nothing) goes to Joe Biden, whose son, according to 911Gambling, was a lobbyist for online gambling site PartyGaming.
If the most recently proposed $700 billion bailout goes through, if and when Obama gets elected it sounds like he might be playing short stacked, concerning his spending programs.
I'm competing this week in Hugging Harold Reynold's IRON REF. When I agreed to do this, HHR told me I could hand select my opponents. So when I sent in that photo of me admiring fine arts in Paris with my bio, I indicated I'd like to face-off against the creator of Soveryposh.com and my buddy J Dot Domingo, who once had a blog about his fake ex-girlfriend. Since The Chief doesn't appear to be interested in me rigging the contest, why not go for broke I thought?
Go vote for my post about Michael Phelps, Lil' Wayne, and divine intervention - sounds like a campaign you could stand behind, right?
Even if you morally object to what I have to say, there's more Weezy over there where this came from to...
Before there was Keith the bleeding lefty, there was Keith, SportsCenter mainstay. From 1992 to 1997, Olbermann was one of the go-tos for ESPN, before he was sacked there unceremoniously.
Here's a few of Keith's best clips from that era, including the report on Bret Favre entering rehab (where he's talking so fast he almost seizes) and a Boston Market commercial where he invokes the term ooie-gooey (sp.)
Maybe, maybe not, you picked up your Barack Obama Punahou High School basketball jersey when we were all shilling for that a while back…in the same throwback light, check out what, in my opinion, is the best in campaign athletic wear yet: This is of course a retro Air Jordan favorite from when Michael was in his prime, or what I like to call the Steve Kerr era.
Initially, I thought those mini-bunkers were to make you feel like a real jerk if your ball ended up there.
The fanfare marks a revision made last week to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names’ website that classified those disputed islets as territory belonging to no country, which was overturned by your lame duck chief and mine: George W. Bush - who grounds his club in the sand regularly. (ho!)
Seoul applauded Thursday a US decision to relist South Korea as owners of a group of tiny islands, amid a simmering dispute with Japan over claims to the territory.
President George W. Bush said a US agency was reversing its week-long decision that classified in its database the chain of rocky islets as territory belonging to no country.
"As to the database, I asked (Secretary of State Condoleezza) Rice to review it and the database will be restored to where it was ... seven days ago," Bush told a group of Asian reporters at the White House. (SKorea hails US decision on disputed islets)
Screenshot from NBA 08 (Sun-Times News Group)
