Skip Caray, the long-time announcer for the Atlanta Braves, is gone.

I obviously didn’t know him, but his death hurts because he is so wrapped up in my memories of baseball. Skip was the voice of my childhood summer evenings. My family moved to Atlanta in 1977, just after he started. As I became tuned into baseball, Skip was the voice that brought me in. I can close my eyes and return to my basement watching late-night west coast games with my friend on a hazy 13″ TV while Skip would go about his business with enthusiasm and humor. It wasn’t until I moved away — and hear other broadcasters — that I realized just how good Skip was. Whether he was screaming “Braves Win!” during the stunning 1992 NLCS or noting that a foul ball was caught by a fan from Cairo, Georgia, he was always the voice I wanted to hear. When I could, I would turn off the TV volume and listen to WSB. My first year of grad school, when the Braves won the World Series, I volunteered for extra nights of telescope lab. Why? Because on the Math-Astronomy Building roof, my walkman could pick up the faint signal of the Braves’ broadcast 500 miles away. And it seemed that they only won when I could hear Skip.

In recent years, his health was fading badly and the corporate morons were slowly moving him out. They once had a formula — 162 games a year on TBS with Skip. And that formula brought them 15 division titles, five pennants and a championship. I relate the decline of the Braves’ Dynasty to the slow departure from that winning formula. And it’s almost fitting that his death corresponds with what appears to be their worst season in 18 years.

Happy trails, Skip. Here’s a fan from New Braunfels, TX who wishes he could catch one last call.

I just read Breaker Boys, a light read about the disputed 1925 NFL Championship. In case Chris is still reading this blog, I thought he’d like to know that Bill Bidwell is indeed scum. If any team is ever tied with the Cardinals at the end of the season, they ought to run out and thump a high school team so that they can claim the championship the same way the Cardinals did.

Seeding the teams never really had a shot, but it’s amazing, based on their comments, how out of touch the major conference commissioners are.

Or not, if you check out their nerd attire.

Rivals.com has the rundown on the most chickenshit football programs in that nation:

3. Western Carolina at Florida State, Sept. 6/Chattanooga at Florida State, Sept. 13: Chattanooga and Western Carolina are the two worst programs in the Southern Conference; they combined to go 3-19 last season. Plus, these are the first two home games of the season for the Seminoles (yeah, the fans will be psyched to see those “contests”). Then again, Florida State figures to be wracked by academic suspensions, so playing two patsies – and getting two more wins for Bobby Bowden – might be the best way to start the season.

Don’t get too big a grin, Christopher. PSU’s “contest” against Coastal Carolina comes in at #2.

It’s appalling how bad the quality of play in the Final Four can be. Kansas almost blew a 28-point lead tonight. The reason? They started rushing their shots, not using up the clock and taking wild low-percentage three-point shots. NC closed the gap but then blew their chance. Why? Because after a long period of sterling play, they got sloppy, started taking three pointers they didn’t need, started rushing their plays. Down 28 points, they kept their cool. Down five, they panicked.

Inspired by this post over at Freakonomics page, I had an idea for how baseball should deal with steroids.

If someone tests positive for steroids, their team forfeits five games in the standings.

Look, anyone who bothered to read the Mitchell Report and read between the lines realized something very important. The teams knew this was going on. The people running individual baseball teams knew who was doping. You don’t make multi-million dollar decisions and not find out if your $50 million shortstop is on the juice. I have no doubt that the general managers of all the teams knew who was doing what and when.

So, punish the organizations. Turn guys who dope into pariahs who have cost their team in the standings. I am sick and tired of all the guilt in the steroid business being foisted onto the players. The media, the teams and the commish knew what was going on. Time for them to shoulder some of the responsibility for keeping the sport clean.

At they very least, this would guarantee that the fans will never cheer for another juicer.

I’m sure I’ll get blasted as a fascist for this. Oh, well. It’s just an idea.

I’m generally not a basketball guy. I enjoy the odd pickup game, even though I suck-diddly-uck. I’ll pay attention to the playoffs if the Spurs are involved. But for the most part, I pay as much attention to basketball as NASCAR. It just doesn’t do it for me. I’m reminded of a takeoff a Sidney Lanier poem, reprinted by the immortal Lewis Grizzard:

Down through the hills of Habersham

Into the valleys of Hall

Every son of a bitch and his sister

Is bouncing a goddamn ball.

(Aside: some people in high school nicknamed me Sidney Lanier because they liked my poetry.)

So I’m not a basketball fan, generally. But oh, how I love March Madness. Why?

Baseball Prospectus, which I have been reading since 1997, has made it big time. Jay Leno used the book in a joke.

Forget ESPN. If you want to know how the biggest upset in Superbowl history came about, read Football Outsiders.

Vince Verhei: I’m trying to find a metaphor that describes my surprise.

I feel like I have learned which religion is correct, and it is not my own.

I feel like aliens have been walking among us, and they have chosen to reveal themselves en masse.

I feel like my life has been one great science experiment, and I am not in the control group.

I’ve got a mini-notebook filled with play-by-play notes and reactions, but … we all saw the game. The Patriots’ pass protection was futile. If the Giants blitzed, the blitzer came through unblocked. If they rushed four, those four got pressure anyway. The Patriots were outschemed (Steve Spagnuolo is a genius) and outmanned.

When Brady did have time, he was highly erratic. One example: He’s got Randy Moss open on first-and-goal in the fourth quarter, and throws it way high and outside. Didn’t matter much, because he found him on third down, but it was the most notable example of his un-Brady day.

The Patriots got away from their identity for the first 55 minutes of this game. Where were the slants and quick outs? They didn’t show up until that last touchdown drive. It seemed like Brady was looking for the home run every play, and some of those sacks came because he held the ball too long.

I still can’t believe this, but the Patriots were completely outcoached today.

I’m not sure what exactly to say about the Giants offense vs. the Patriots defense — that’s the only part of this game that went largely as expected. Eli Manning was great again, really going without a turnover (that interception was clearly not his fault, and the Giants recovered both of his fumbles) and leading two go-ahead drives in the fourth quarter. Is that a Super Bowl first?

So, here’s what we say about the Giants: They were a very ordinary team for 17 weeks. They then caught absolute fire (Has any team ever beaten three better teams than Dallas/Green Bay/New England in the playoffs?) and won the Super Bowl. Why did that catch us off guard? Because there was no indication this was going to happen. It’s unprecedented. It’s inexplicable. It defies all rational thought.

My thoughts on the game:

Neither team looks very fired up.

Jordin Sparks’ singing of the anthem was very good. Man, she’s got some pipes.

Jesus, do we have to put with the dancing robot for the entire game?

The opening drive was an example of how NY has been winning. They have gotten much better performance on 3rd down than any other. As Football Outsiders has demonstrated, that’s not sustainable. But it only has to last three more quarters.

Nice solid answer by New England. But a rare lapse with that kickoff. Doh!

A couple of generous referee calls (on Buress’ drop and Toomer’s shove) are wiped out by a pick. The difference in Eli Manning, Superbowl Hero is not that he’s suddenly a great QB — his passer rating is not too hot. It’s that he’s getting good protection and not fucking up. You can go far with that. Just ask Trent Dilfer.

An ugly series for the Giants with a sack and fumble. I don’t understand something, however. It was clear on replay that the New England player (a) had the ball and (b) was down before the ball was ripped away by Bradshaw. Why is this allowed?

The dancing lizards spot wasn’t bad.

Neither offense is playing very well.

That peanut monobrow ad was cute.

The Giants line is having a monster game. They’re just about the only ones who are. This is the first time all year that Brady has been harassed like this.

That was an odd first half. The defenses are controlling it. New England is controlling the run and forcing Manning to step up. The Giants line is playing out of their mind. I have to expect that the holes in the NY secondary will be exploited in the second half. Randy Moss has been awfully quiet this post-season.

Dumb challenge by Belichick. No way are the officials going to give them the ball back — even with clear evidence that there were 12 men on. Oops. I was wrong (in my defense, they showed a lousy angle before the call). I was also wrong as I thought Belichick would immediately follow the call with a homerun ball to Moss.

Fuck. Can’t even Belichick figure out what Green Bay did? Screen plays don’t work well against the Giants.

God, I really don’t want to see Eli Manning win the Superbowl. The Patriots defense is breaking.

Here’s a prediction: if the Giants win, Eli Manning will join a long list of undeserving Super Bowl MVPs.

Giants defenders are getting away with quite a bit of rough-housing.

With 8 minutes left, if the Patriots don’t score here, it’s over. The defense did their job.

The story on that drive will be Brady (assuming Manning doesn’t pull off a Drive of his own). But the *real* story was that the Giant DL suddenly stopped getting to Brady. Given time, he tore the secondary apart.

4th and 1. Eli up the middle?

Here’s a question: 1 minute left. 3 times out. Do you let the Giants score if they get close enough so that you have some clock left?

How the fuck do you leave Buress uncovered?

Oh God, the ’72 Dolphins are going to be intolerable now.

I’ll go ahead and say it: the Patriots were the better team but the Giants had a great game. The MVP will go to Manning who can now join his brother as an undeserving Super Bowl MVP. The real MVP was the Giants D-line.

Really? Be sure to read the comments.