You couldn’t hear a thing. And, in hindsight, you didn’t need to. The look said it for him and, at the same time, said it all. Not the look on his face, mind you. In truth, you couldn’t see that. All you really could see were the slumped shoulders, along with the single bent knee […]
As I flip thru my Paulie Pigskin Official Sideline Reporter Notebook, here’s a Sawed Off Shotgun of Scribblings… “Big Red” Skelton – More with Less: The coaches call it “poise.” They say that John Skelton has it. An abundance of it. And, during our postgame radio interview, Todd Heap admitted that he can’t get over […]
Game Show – “A Brand New…Game Ball” ‘Tis the season, right? Not the NFL season, but the season where it’s better to give than to receive. With that in mind, the game ball from the Cards win against the 49ers (drum roll) went to… Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt. Ding. In the postgame locker room, the […]
Message Sent: What was the catalyst behind the Ram-tough running game (268 yds) in St. Louis? Beanie Wells confirmed what coaches told me before kickoff: during a team meeting on Saturday night, the staff challenged the offense – run the ball or else! “That was something they told us, our coaches are challenging us,” said […]
As I flip thru my Paulie Pigskin Reporter Notebook (stained w/cheese steak), here’s a Sawed Off Shotgun of Sideline Scribblings… Giveth & Taketh Away: What did John Skelton do after throwing the pick-six to Asante Samuel? He worked the sideline. He individually approached every starter on offense, beginning with the O-Linemen, smacking ‘em on the […]
As I flip thru my Paulie Pigskin Official Sideline Reporter Notebook, here’s a Sawed Off Shotgun of Scribblings… When you hear Adrian Wilson shout on the sideline: “…He got his five, he got his five…” AW is reacting to a Patrick Peterson punt return. As for “P-Twice,” when he says “gimme five,” like he did […]
The poor long-snapper. Only noticed when things go wrong, his job is as thankless as it is obscure. But times, they are a changin’. Mike Leach, who starts off every punt and field goal for the Cardinals, answered some questions for us via text message. So go ahead, don’t be afraid, step into the mind […]
Just try and keep up with Larry Fitzgerald, right? From NFL defenders to members of the media, the frenetic Fitz always gets a step, maintaining a pace that keeps the Pro Bowler on a constant fly pattern. So, instead of getting beat, we got smart. “Hey, Larry, if you can’t sit down long enough for […]
You’ve probably read that best-selling business book Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten, right? Yeah, me neither. But considering that the author is an AZ resident who frequents our local sporting events and doesn’t exactly sit in the Uecker seats… uh, I’d probably be well-advised to read it, no doubt. Until then, here’s the […]
“Not Again…!?” That’s a familiar refrain this time of year at Casa Calvisi. In recent years, it’s been my reaction to the D-backs putting the “bull” into bullpen. Over and over again. But since that is now a thing of the past (A heartfelt thank you to Kirk Gibson & Kevin Towers), the “Not Again” […]
Since when does the NCAA take Visa, MasterCard, and American Express? [Full Disclosure: Paulie Personal Investing once bought stock in Webvan, which was recently named the “largest dot-com flop in history.” Uh, note to self: next time, invest in Wikipedia, where that extensive research was just conducted.] Hey, who needs financial acumen? Paulie Plastic still […]
Will the Miami Heat win the NBA Championship? Probably. But they’re definitely not going to win the respect of Paulie Roundball. Does that mean I’m a Heat Hater. Nope. And it certainly doesn’t mean that I trade emails with Mark Cuban. Hopefully, it simply means this: I’m a fan of building instead of buying. Construct […]
We have no choice but to file this topic under the Paul’s Call heading of “No Comprendo.” In other words, let me get this straight… Arnold Schwarzenegger just sat on the mother of all secrets (and we do mean Mother) for over a decade. For those of us who are allergic to math, that means […]
“What I Did On My Summer Vacation.” In response to the above assignment, may Calvisi Consulting suggest that every Athletic Director in the nascent Pac-12 return to campus in August with the following answer: “we spent our summer vacation adding a name to our Ring of Honor – Larry Scott.” And since conference commissioners don’t […]
Did you see the recent study that says the number of 100-year-olds has roughly doubled in the past 20 years? Turns out, the research shows that centenarians often share similar traits, including: a positive but realistic attitude, a love of life, a sense of humor, plus spirituality and the ability to accept the inevitable losses […]
What has always been sage advice for folks trying to climb the corporate ladder, has now become the credo for ASU Athletics: “Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.” Let’s translate that time-tested saying: ASU wants to be a player. Period. Effectively immediately in the Pac-12 and beyond. But, to […]
For years, we’ve known about the enormous economic impact that the Fiesta Bowl brings to the state of Arizona. Now we know about the huge economic impact that the Fiesta Bowl has brought to the bank account of CEO John Junker. And we’re not talking about the $600,000 annual salary afforded the longtime face of […]
When outsiders ask about the Phoenix sports scene, Paulie Chamber of Commerce tells ‘em: “You want it? We got it. And more than just multiple choice. In these here parts, we supersize your sports, I dun reckon…” In fact, politicians really should update that sign on the Phoenix city limits (along with banning really bad […]
As a kid, ya know what used to really bug Paulie Pubescence? (That is, besides Skip Bayless, who, even in grade school, I found more annoying than carrot sticks in my lunch box – dang) Besides that, what used to really turn me into Paulie Perturbed was when I’d flip on a big game (“Big […]
As always, Paulie Blog is on a need-to-know basis. Meaning, we need to know the following: at the NFL combine this year, loaded with no-huddle interview sessions and, of course, the Wonderlic test, did a certain question get asked? And, yes, we are talking about that question. Now, mentally prepare yourself, because Paulie Proverbial wants […]
Here at Paulie Pencilneck Inc., we know our role (as Darnell Dockett once told us: “you probably played guard & tackle – guard the Gatorade and tackle anyone who gets near it…”) Well, geez, not exactly… Look, more to the point, we ain’t trying to go all Paulie Profound on anyone, but we’ve got a […]
“I Am Tiger Woods.” No, not Paulie 3-Putt. We’re flashing back to the title of the original Nike commercial trumpeting the arrival of the PGA prodigy himself – Tiger Woods. Remember that? Remember how the spot was a silent movie of sorts, save the series of kids who stared down the camera and proclaimed “I […]
Who says Steve Nash can’t slam? Paulie Roundball says that Nash recently turned in the most emphatic and important slam of the post-Amar’e era. Notice that I left out the word “dunk.” That’s not a mistake. See, a couple of weeks ago, the Diminutive-American (by NBA standards) didn’t slam dunk the basketball at all. Instead, […]
A win is always a win. But, sometimes, so is a loss. (And, no, we’re not talking about any sort of moral victories here in the Paulie Blog. As you might suspect, we’re low on morals around here.) Q: When exactly does a loss become a win? A: When the guy doing the losing is […]
