I have so much sympathy for the Patriots, I'm going to compile a tribute video for Brady and Bill Belichick consisting entirely of the Patriots going for it on 4th and 1 when leading the Bills 42-10 last year before throwing his fifth touchdown pass en route to a 56-10 victory, set to sad piano music and accompanied by the caption "This won't happen in 2008" displayed underneath in touching, sympathetic cursive. I hope you don't think I'm being sarcastic.
- Dan Hopper, Best Week Ever

On Sunday, Belichick kicked a Hall of Fame coach while he was down, running up the score on Joe Gibbs' Redskins in a 52-7 win. This comes a week after Belichick reinserted quarterback Tom Brady midway through the fourth quarter of a 49-28 win over the Dolphins...

...[Patriots head coach Bill Belichick] kept Brady on the field for an 88-yard drive six minutes into the fourth quarter despite already leading 38-0. On that 14-play drive, the Patriots went for a fourth-and-1 at the Redskins' 7 and ordered a 35-yard bomb to Randy Moss.

• [Belichick] went for a fourth-and-2 at the Redskins' 37 on the next possession while leading 45-0. Backup QB Matt Cassel hit Jabar Gaffney with a 21-yard pass. Two plays later, Cassel scrambled for a 15-yard touchdown run to open up a 52-0 lead.

Asked why he would go for two fourth downs in a blowout, Belichick responded, "What do you want us to do, kick a field goal?"

Labels: sports

Labels: broncos, sports

An inspirational story about a kid with cancer, once again found on Deadspin. This guy is really something else. I think it says something positive about humanity when people who are faced with the worst can try to make the best of things:

The 18-year-old kid dying of cancer gets his wish, a chance to swing a bat maybe one last time in a real baseball game.

He hasn't played in a few years, but he's called on to pinch-hit. His eyes light up at the first pitch and he puts all of his 5-foot-5, 93-pound frame into one mighty swing, making contact and sending a line drive into right field for a single -- if he can reach first base. The cancer he's been battling for almost two years has spread to his pelvis, making running nearly impossible.

The kid worries about falling as he hustles down the first-base line. When he gets to the base, he lets out with a yell. "I did it! I did it!"

Safe at first with a hit and an RBI, the kid is hugged by a crying first-base coach. The opposing pitcher takes off his glove, starts applauding and his teammates follow suit. The kid's teammates run onto the field to celebrate.

It sounds like the climax to a heart-tugger movie. But there was no producer or film crew at the game between Freedom and Aliquippa high schools two weeks ago. The scene was as real as the tumors in John Challis' liver and lungs.

Well-written. Read about this kid and try not to be inspired.

Labels: inspiration, sports

Labels: funny, sports