You can find almost anything on the Web

Written by Andrew Ottoson Tuesday, 10 February 2009 14:29

Since the story about A-Rod’s steroids use broke, I’ve been reading every story I can get my eyes on, and the only take I’ve read that really makes sense to me is the one Curt Schilling posted on his blog.

Schilling’s take: “If you go back to comments earlier in the decade when many players were complaining about the testing—I know I said it—the main concern was the ability for them to remain ‘anonymous.’

“That’s a very insignificant piece here until someone who is actually innocent is nailed or outed. How will we know who that is? Will it happen?

“I’d be all for the 104 positives being named, and the game moving on if that is at all possible. In my opinion, if you don’t do that, then the other 600-700...

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Good books beat bad reception every day of the week

Written by Andrew Ottoson Tuesday, 27 January 2009 09:17

The change to digital TV is not going well at Casa de Andrew. I havenot yet purchased a DTV converter box, and the only over-the-air signalthat reliably produces clear sight and sound these days is Channel 12—agood station to have during the first couple weeks of the NFL playoffs,but a lousy station to have during that slightly awkward weekendbetween the conference championships and The Big Game.
So on Sunday, I spent 45 minutes tuning my old-fashioned bunny-earsantenna toward the faint slice of spectrum that carries the NBA on ABCthese days.
I started picking up audio late in the third quarter of the Celts/Mavs“contest” and finally cleaned up enough of the static blizzard to tellthe teams apart midway through the first quarter of...

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Money speaks for BCS

Written by Andrew Ottoson Friday, 02 January 2009 02:46

After the BCS presidents politely told Barack Obama that there would be no football playoff system, I started wondering whether anyone represents taxpayers when state-run super-universities broker huge television contracts.

Like it or not, because of the massive amount of money involved, this is an issue that has big-time implications—especially for people who spend the first weeknights of the New Year watching football.

Spencer Tillman of CBS Sports reports: “University presidents have signed on for a deal with ESPN that includes exclusive television, radio, digital, international and marketing rights for the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls from 2011-14 and the Bowl Championship Series title game from 2011-13. The $125 million a...

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YouTube, time travel and the first alley oop

Written by Andrew Ottoson Tuesday, 18 November 2008 15:22

If I had an arm chair to spare and a Flavor Flav clock on a chain and considerable electrical engineering know-how and a sci-fi writer/actor to fill in the gaps in the dialogue with plausible-sounding technobabble and Steven Hawking’s brain in a jar and one of those sleds with the brass rails to nail it all to (or a DeLorean and a Flux Capacitor and a couple miles of open road) I would spend my every waking moment making time travel happen for one reason: to see the very first alley oop.

As cool and shocking as the whole time travel thing would be in and of itself, there’s no way it could compare with how cool and shocking the very first alley oop must have been.

* * *

If you read the sports section in the Kansas City Star (and I...

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