Jerry Jones Is A Mad Genius

I'm watching the Giants-Cowboys game, and like 98% of the other viewers watching right now, I'm having just one thought:

Punt the ball.

That's all I want. Good matchup, but the NFC's not my conference, and I've already watched at least parts of three other games today. My team lost, and the Emmys are currently doing an entire 30-45-minute section on reality TV. All I want to do is see a punt hit that scoreboard.

This has, needless to say, never happened before. Punts are just about the most boring plays in football after extra points, and unless it's a Patriots opponent doing it, I've really never wanted to see one. But the Cowboys have me hooked. Dallas is facing a 3rd and 10 as I type this, and I'm ecstatic.* I know what's going to happen if a punt hits the Jumbotron (I get to see it bounce off, and they re-kick--not all that exciting), but it's given the game a purpose for me. I will watch any game being played in Dallas until I see this happen.

And, considering that's the case, I want to pause for just a moment and give Jerry Jones his due credit. His stadium may have a ridiculous, easily avoidable design flaw, but at least he got me excited about punts. This is probably the greatest revolution in my football-watching routine since I first saw an NFL game, and I'm pumped. Now, if he can just do something about extra points...

*Romo was intercepted. I can't catch a break.

poll of the day

which wimbledon runner-up will go further at the us open, venus williams or andy roddick?

there is no question that venus williams has a strong record at the open. she won there in 2000 and 2001 and also picked up a doubles title in 1999. sure, that was a decade ago, but she has made at least the quarterfinals every year in flushing meadows since 2005 (except when she missed the tournament in 2006).

andy roddick has been no schmuck either. other than a blip in 2005 when he dropped a stunner to poop on boozer favorite gilles muller, he has not failed to reach the quarterfinals since 2001, including a win in 2003 for his only major title.

that's history; what about the present?

both are coming off of wimbledon finals losses to their respective nemeses (serena and federer). venus is on shaky knees, whereas roddick looks healthy.

and look at the draws. venus faces an unknown (but top-50 player) in slovak rybarikova in the third round before a potential showdown with unretired-and-looking-really-good kim clijsters in the fourth. roddick, meanwhile, roddick would not face a seeded player until the fourth round, when he might face verdasco or haas. djokovic would likely be next, whereas azarenka might be a quarterfinal matchup for venus.

so what does this all wash out to? if clijsters can survive her third-round match, i think she can give creaky venus a lot of trouble. roddick is going to take 4 sets in the fourth round, but he'll get to the quarters. i'm going to have to go with roddick losing to djokovic (QF), and venus losing to clijsters (4th), meaning roddick goes further.

if they both get to the quarterfinals, though, venus is more likely to be playing serena in the semis than roddick is to be playing federer. wouldn't those be fun rematches, though?