General

Shanoff’s WUC: Bowling (Pro, Senior, Super)

Jan 29, 2010, 1:08 PM UTC

Today’s Calls: Pro Bowl Miami vs. Pro Bowl Hawaii, Tim Tebow vs. Myron Rolle, Kurt Warner vs. Ken Griffey, Harvard vs. Cornell, Josh Smith vs. David Lee, Blue Turf vs. Red Turf, Carrie Underwood vs. Ke$ha and More.â†µâ†µThe Opening Pitch: It’s a tale of two bowls this weekend.â†µ

â†µâ†µOn Saturday, some of the best college seniors -- but hardly the best Draft prospects -- will play in an exhibition game that is more appropriately labeled “The Tebow Bowl,” given the focus of attention Tebow has been this week in Mobile. He is the biggest star to ever play in the Senior Bowl (it will be interesting to see if that translates into increased TV ratings).â†µ

â†µâ†µMy slogan for the Senior bowl is: “Come for the spectacle, stay for the schadenfreude,” because based on the draftniks’ bearish opinions and many fans’ odd interest in seeing Tebow flop, how he performs on the field is an intriguing uncertainty.â†µ

â†µâ†µOn Sunday, many good NFL players -- but hardly the best -- will line up in Miami for an exhibition more appropriately labeled “The Do-We-Have-To-Be-Here Bowl.” As a fan, I liked seeing the game put the week in front of the Super Bowl, rather than a week after. I didn’t consider that so many players would duck out (and Super Bowl players are, obviously, not participating).â†µ

â†µâ†µFlorio has it right: The proof of concept is in the TV audience. The NFL has been more popular this season than ever; will fans tune in simply for any NFL football on the Sunday before the Super Bowl? If so, this tradition is here to stay.â†µ

â†µâ†µAnd so the two marquee sports events this weekend are less about who is playing than who is watching.â†µ

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â†µSenior Bowl: Or, as it is turning out to be, the "Tebow Bowl." Come for the spectacle, stay for the schadenfreude. (Good post from Alisha Hord about Tebow's uncertain spot in the draft, but as someone who has followed this for a year, I think it's a lot more clear-cut that he goes to the Jaguars at No. 10, defying the McShays of the world.â†µ

â†µâ†µMore Senior Bowl: The second-most intriguing prospect in Mobile is former FSU DB Myron Rolle, who has spent the past year at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Terrific story.â†µ

â†µâ†µSuper Bowl Ads: Focus on the Family? OK. GoDaddy? Rejected.â†µ

â†µâ†µMore controversy: Is the NFL really trying to claim it owns the phrase “Who Dat?”â†µ

â†µâ†µSpeaking of Kurt Warner, he is expected to announce his retirement today -- although couldn’t you see him taking the Favrian approach and saying 6 months or 18 months from now, “Hey, I still want to do this, and I’m still at the top of my game.” (If he doesn’t, the clock starts ticking down on what should be an easy entry into the Hall of Fame.)â†µ

â†µâ†µCBB Mania: Games of the Weekendâ†µ
â†µ• Harvard at Cornell (Really!)â†µ
â†µ• Duke at Georgetownâ†µ
â†µ• Vanderbilt at Kentuckyâ†µ
â†µ• Kansas at Kansas Stateâ†µ
â†µ• Northwestern at Michigan Stateâ†µ
â†µ• Maryland at Clemsonâ†µ

â†µâ†µCBB Good Read: DeCourcy on the essential elements of a team that can win 6 straight in the NCAA Tournament -- and which contenders have them this season. (My reading is that based on those criteria, Kentucky should be the favorite, although Mike doesn’t include “killer instinct,” which is where Kentucky seems to fall short.)â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA Talking Points: All-Star Snubs, starring... Josh Smith. Really? Al Horford and Joe Johnson made it. But not the most valuable player on the Hawks, having an absurdly good season?â†µ

â†µâ†µGotta find a way to get him on there. The NBA needs a “Final Man” vote like MLB has, for the last reserve slot on the All-Star rosters. (Although it is unclear who would win a popularity contest between Smith and fellow snubbee David Lee.)â†µ

â†µâ†µNice win for the Magic over the Celtics (but it’s mostly meaningless unless they can do it in the playoffs).â†µ

â†µâ†µMLB Hot Stove: Is Ken Griffey primed for a career resurgence at 40 this season?â†µ

â†µâ†µScandals: Steven Jackson is accused of beating up his pregnant girlfriend. (Jackson denies it.) You know Roger Goodell has his eye on this.â†µ

â†µâ†µGimmicks: Painting your turf something other than green is going to be the next big trend for teams trying to improve their national marketing.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Last Word: “O Say, Can You See?” Carrie Underwood will get the marquee position of singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. (What: Like you were expecting Ke$ha?) â†µ

â†µâ†µDan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/danshanoff. â†µ

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