You have to have brains to be a Cowboys cheerleader!

I read an article by Rick Reilly, an ESPN columnist, about the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad must take a written test in order to make the team. The purpose, according to the Cowboys head cheerleader is because:

We want our cheerleaders to be knowledgeable and well-spoken in interviews. If they're not, it's a deal breaker.

Yes, I have teased for years that cheerleading is not a sport, due to the typical stereotype of no brains, all beauty, no talent, and very shallow, clique-y friendships and politics. But true cheer squads are usually made of gymnasts. The stuff cheer squads do are downright dangerous. I watched a cheerleading competition on ESPN one time, and was glued, believe it or not. The dance routines and the synchronization in the gymanstics (think synchronized swimming/diving) are complex and excellent. Serious kudos to those kinds of cheer squads.

Now add brains along with beautiful and athletic? Talk about breaking the stereotype for your average cheerleader. Hooray!! I love it.

The article continues and asks why the Dallas Cowboys football players don't have to take this test? Admittingly, this is a pretty lame answer from the head cheerleader: "Well, their job description is winning football games." Fail.

But no matter. The article asked 12 current players to take the cheerleader test. Examples of the questions and the answers the players gave are included in this article. A sample to whet your pallet:

Q: Name the Six Flags of Texas.
A very tough question. Only backup QB Jon Kitna nailed it. "Oh, my kids have been schooling me on this. Mexico, Spain, France, United States, Republic of Texas and the Confederacy. Thanks to my kids, I just learned that!" Nearly all 11 others thought it was an amusement park question. Need to get some kids.

I encourage you to read the article and see what the results were. There are some tough questions on that test!

Gold spider silk makes a real cloth

I just read an article that talks about 1 million spiders donating their golden silk to make a 11x4 ft cloth textile. This is about the coolest thing ever... and once again, goes to show just how amazing nature is. I'm sure PETA is going to get all mad that the spiders were "used" but blaaaah blaaah blah. This is just too cool.

The article talks about how the female spiders were harvested, when they actually produce silk, and has a picture of the cloth that is on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. It's a neat read.

Kudos to a coach

Yesterday, I officiated a JV game at one of the local public schools. During the meeting with the captains and the head coaches for each team, my officiating partner and I were informed by the home team's head coach that she will not be starting 3 of her players for a full half due to their lack of attendance at practice.

At this point, I grinned and turned to the visiting team's coach and said, "Just because she is choosing to play short does not mean you have to play short as well."

The home team's coach followed that up immediately, "Oh PLEASE play with your full team. I encourage it!" With that attitude, I was very happy to support the coach in this decision. The rule states the team must field 7 players, including a goalie, at minimum, so there was nothing saying otherwise.

My favorite part of the game, though, was in the second half when both teams were fielding full fields. I heard the home team coach yell out, "WHY ARE YOU TIRED??? Oh wait, it's because you weren't AT PRACTICE!!!"

AWESOME.

Kudos to that coach for sticking to her guns and teaching the kids a lesson on responsibility and commitment.

The ESPN Ombudsman's latest article - What's a good TV broadcasting team and what can the Little League World Series teach us about life?

I probably should break up this article into two, but I'm not.

I love ESPN.com. It's probably my main connection to the sports world. But as a sporting conglomerate, an 800 pound gorrilla as it were, it has its issues, of course. Enter stage left, The ESPN Ombudsman.

ESPN seems to have 2 year terms for ombudsmen, and I've been reading the monthly articles faithfully since ESPN hired its first ombudsman. I find the articles address issues drive me crazy about ESPN, and also gives insight into why ESPN made the decisions it did in those cases, right or wrong.

This month's article touches 2 major topics:

1. The chemistry of and fan reaction to the 3 man Monday Night Football team, with the exit of Tony Kornheiser and the addition of John Gruden.
2. The fan reaction to the broadcast of the Little League World Series.

1. Monday Night Football
Overall, I am in agreement with the fans... the chemistry is good, and I'm enjoying listening to the broadcast. Tony Kornheiser used to drive me nuts.

The Ombudsman also talks about the preparation and production hula-hoops the broadcasters and producers must jump through to create a clean seamless broadcast for the viewers. I thought this was fascinating as I know nothing about TV production so it was neat insight.

But also during this discussion, he also points out that good broadcasters know when to be quiet vs. when to talk because "they recognize that most of the audience tuned in for one basic purpose -- to watch the game -- and not to listen to wall-to-wall commentary." Having watched both Monday night football games this week, the following example he cites is absolutely perfect.

A classic case in point was this week's opening-night double-header on MNF -- two exciting finishes handled in totally different ways. Coming from behind, the Chargers scored a TD in the final minute to beat the Raiders. The final dramatic drive was covered by non-stop hyperkinetic chattering in the booth, filled with more opinion than relevant information. The announcers excitedly talked over the top of each other at times, leaving no room for the climactic moments to breathe.

On the other hand, Tirico, Jaworski and Gruden's [the primary Monday Night Football broadcast team] handling of the dramatic finish of the Buffalo-New England game was first-rate. The play-by-play was totally controlled, hitting the key points. Both analysts, judicious in their comments, never strayed from the intensity of the moment. All were enthusiastic, yet restrained -- a tough order when the adrenalin is flowing as strongly in the booth as it is on the field. The trio let the drama build and unfold with intentional moments of silence that enhanced the tension. When the Patriots scored the winning touchdown, there was a long pause in the booth -- allowing the audience to enjoy the pandemonium around the stadium. This doesn't happen by accident. It was a conscious choice made by the booth and the truck, and it was excellently executed.

The Ombudsman uses the word "pandemonium", which is an absolutely dead on description, to describe the reaction of the Pats fans when the Pats scored the game winning touchdown. The camera panned around the stadium, and the TV viewers got to watch and listen to the crowd going bonkers for a full 30 seconds. Had the broadcasters been talking over that, I never would have gotten that sensation and frankly, that was the best part of the whole game.... watching the fans go completely and utterly nuts.

2. Little League World Series
The article also talks about fan reaction to the broadcast of the Little League World Series which was unanimously positive. The Ombudsman takes a look at this unanimous response rate, and offers this analysis:

...perhaps there's a lesson here for ESPN and the sports world it covers. Can it be that the fans crave events contested by "sportsmen" regardless of their age or the level of their performance? No, it wasn't "big league ball," but the competition was intense and the players were talented and passionate. Each home run captured the unbridled joy of the hitter, the deep anguish of the pitcher, and the viewer could revel in both.

One moment exemplified what viewers found so enthralling. As a young Californian circled the bases after hitting a game-tying home run, one of the Georgia infielders gave him a smile and a congratulatory tap on the shoulder. A brief but touching reminder of what true sportsmanship is. But it wasn't the only example. There were no glares from players questioning balls and strikes. There was no arguing the tag at home. There was no showboating or taunting.

Contrast this with what's seen on "SportsCenter" or any local newscast -- the look-at-me egocentrism, bench-clearing brawls, DUI crashes, sexual assaults, paternity suits, drug infractions, union disputes, near-bankrupt cities building billion-dollar stadiums for teams that can afford $200 million payrolls.

There is no question that all these things need to be covered along with the scores and incredible feats that make up today's world of competition. Sports have always been popular because they encompass the incredible highs and lows of triumph and tragedy. But today's ever-increasing curse of a dark underbelly that reflects the seamier side of our culture is real, and it's part of life.

The Little League World Series was a pleasant reminder that, at their core, sports can be about the dreams of the players, their teammates, their coaches, their parents and their towns. And watching 12- and 13-year-old kids play a game for the sheer joy of doing it can teach us all valuable lessons about life.

Amen.

Tinsel E - update

OW.

'Nuff said.

OW OW OW. The motrin isn't helping enough. And neither is the shredded wheat I'm trying to eat for lunch. That was a poor choice in lunch packing...

I knew I was getting a new wire today but the last time I got a new wire, it really wasn't that bad. The pain was pretty much gone in a day, and I didn't have to take medication for the pain. So I figured more of the same. Clearly, I figured WRONG!

I had noticed a space had formed between two of my lower teeth, and I found out today that the orthodontist did that on purpose to create space in my palette. This space give the front three bottom teeth the room to realign in the center of my mouth. So how does the orthodontist realign teeth that way? Rubber bands!!

I thought, oh no, no rubber bands, please! I don't want to have something else to think about, too!! However, the technician wrapped the rubber band around the brackets of my bottom three teeth such that it's under the wire. That means I don't have to deal with it! Yaaay! But hooooh boy does it create some pressure that I didn't expect.

The new wire adds a whole other dimension of pain. I can feel that it's moving my back teeth (in particular) already. This is where the majority of the pain is, and it's giving me a headache.

The orthodontist said a few more things today:

1. This new wire will create space in my upper teeth the way the last wire created space in my lower teeth.
2. I only have 1 more wire change left before I'm done.
3. It looks like I'm running ahead of schedule. Of course I wasn't told how far ahead of schedule...

The dentist said that typically, once the orthodontist gets the teeth where he wants them, he'll leave the wire in place with no adjustments for 3-4 months because in the adult mouth, it takes longer for the bone to form so the teeth stop moving.

I don't think I'm getting my last wire at my end-of-October appointment but given the pattern I've seen so far, I'll probably get it in November/early December. So if that pattern holds true and if what my dentist said is true, I may be done a month early....

Time to go find something *soft* to eat for lunch.

Michael Vick has been fully reinstated

To the dismay to rabid (ha ha) dog lovers, Michael Vick has been fully reinstated to play football in the NFL for the Philadephia Eagles. Article here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4442627

Personally, I don't care.

On a football level, I don't think he'll be a true factor this year, being used purely as a decoy more than anything. I think he has a lot of catching up to do in terms of football at the NFL level.

On a personal level, Michale Vick has a lot to learn from a role model like Donovan McNabb - how to be a good person, how to be a teammate, how to learn from mistakes and become a better person because of them, how to be financially whole, etc. I just don't think you can do all that AND play football effectively at the NFL level. I have a feeling the Eagles organization knows this, and thus the reason for his secondary role in the offense, whether it's as a backup quarterback, a wide receiver, wildcat runner, etc.

On a dog lover level, I think he's served his time. Do I think jail time was enough? Maybe. I'm on the fence about that. But it's irrelevant now that he's out. In turn, I hope he uses his fame and notoriety to do things like talk to kids about peer pressure and running with the wrong type of people. I also hope he becomes a vocal advocate for animal rights (not PETA style), and brings attention to the terrible world of animal fighting (dog fighting, cock fighting, etc). Sure, there are bigger issues that our world needs to solve first before devoting tons of attention to animal rights, but every time someone is cruel to an animal, we lose a little bit of our humanity.

So I wish Michael Vick luck in proving that he is worthy of being released back into society, rehabilitated by our judicial and penetentiary system. He has a lot on his plate and needs to take to heart and internalize the guidance from good people who are willing to be in his life, like Tony Dungy (former Indianpolis Colts head coach and model human being) and a strong team like the Philadelphia Eagles. I hope he realizes this, and does the right thing, this time.