Wild 2015-16: No Offense Taken

Minnesota Wild (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another season, another crisis for the Minnesota Wild.  This time around, it's not about defense or goaltending.  They're one of the best in the NHL as far as that goes, except when it comes to late-game miscues that cost them a point or two in the standings.

The Wild's record at the All-Star break--or should we just call it the All-Star Three-on-Three Tournament to be held in Nashville, with goalie Devan Dubnyk Minnesota's only representative?--is a respectable 23-17-5 in the tough Central Division, but whose 55 points (shared with the Colorado Avalanche) provides a small cushion between getting into the playoffs as a Western Conference wild card and staying to see who else wins the Stanley Cup on TV.

Instead, this season's crisis is about scoring, or the lack of it.  The Wild have scored 122 goals so far this season, which is far from the league's worst (that would be the Anaheim Ducks with 101).  But it's when they don't put the puck in the net that matters.  They have one of the league's worst power plays.  They'll score maybe once or twice per game and hope that holds up.  They were shut out twice on consecutive nights.  And they have yet to master the NHL's new three-on-three overtime.

All this talent--Zach Parise, Jason Pominville, Nino Niederriter, Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle and others--that Wild management have spent millions to bring a Stanley Cup championship to Minnesota, and they don't score?

Maybe we're being a bit hard on the Wild, having caught them at a bad time.  After all, they did get off to a good start before the calendar flipped to 2016 and things grounded to a halt..  But ever since Mike Yeo became coach five years ago (and maybe even before), the Wild have faced at least one period during the season when a part of the machine wasn't working.  This season, it just happens to be the offense.

Once the season resumes next week, we should know if either Wild management will be getting help for the struggling offense before the trade deadline, or the players they already have will be able to work out the problem themselves.  If the problem persists and the Wild somehow misses the playoffs, Mike Yeo may no longer be chief mechanic.

UPDATE (2/19/16):  After dropping an entire homestand, the Wild didn't wait to replace Yeo with  John Torchetti, who had been coaching their minor league team in Des Moines, Iowa.  Since the change, the Wild are 3-0 after scoring five goals each against mediocre teams in western Canada (Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers--in that order).  It's too soon to say whether they're out of the playoff woods or not.  But at least NBC's announcing crew will have something positive to say about the Wild this Sunday, playing outdoors against the Chicago Blackhawks at the University of Minnesota's football stadium.

The Los Angeles Rams, Act Two

Front gate of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What did F. Scott Fitzgerald say about second acts in life?  The NFL Rams are moving back to Los Angeles after having spent two decades in St. Louis.

Owner Stan Kroenke, a Missouri-born land developer who just happens to be married to a member of the Walton family (the one that owns Walmart), successfully convinced the NFL to let him move his football team to a stadium on property he owns in nearby Inglewood, California.  Until it's finished in 2019, the Rams will probably play out of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which they called home the first time around.

This development leaves the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders in the lurch.  Both franchises are stuck in old stadiums and couldn't wait to move to LA.  Unfortunately, the NFL voted down the two teams' proposal to share a stadium in Carson, California.  But they're both still in the running to join the Rams at their new digs in Inglewood.  Or maybe San Antonio is available.

For years, NFL teams have used Los Angeles as leverage to get the stadium deals they wanted:  Seattle, Arizona, Minnesota, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Miami--have we left anyone out?  Now that they can't do that any more, they'll come up with another city worthy of blackmail.  London?  Toronto?

So why did the NFL leave LA in the first place, when both the Raiders and Rams left in 1995?  Lack of fan support?  Lousy teams?  Fear of lawsuits if the league dared to interfere?  Or couldn't they make money on it any more?  Obviously, two decades have done wonders to change attitudes.

Going back to La-la land also means the NFL is returning to the second-largest TV market in America, which makes their current deals with several networks all the more valuable.  Hollywood's power elite will want to get next to pro football's poobahs, and vice versa.  The Rose Bowl can host the Super Bowl again.  It'll be a destination for free agent players and top draft picks, if only for the fat contracts and endorsements they'll bring.

None of this describes St. Louis, which has now lost its second NFL franchise (the other one being the Cardinals, who left for Arizona in 1988), and will probably not see another one any time soon.  Kroenke is Public Enemy Number One there right now, in the same way Norm Green was regarded by Minnesota North Stars fans when he moved the team to Dallas in 1993.  The city fathers and mothers tried to counter with a new stadium to replace the outdated (to the Rams) Edward Jones Dome.  But how do you compete with the glitz and glamour of southern California, and an owner hellbent on getting there?  Oh well.  St. Louis has always been a baseball town, anyway.

In the history of the Rams franchise, they have won one NFL championship (1951) and made one Super Bowl appearance (1980, lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers) while in Los Angeles.  They won a league title in 1945 as the Cleveland Rams before moving west.  In 2000, the St. Louis Rams (then called "The Greatest Show On Turf" ) won the Super Bowl over the Tennessee Titans, in what could only be described as a Hollywood ending.

What will the script be for the Rams, now that they're in love with LA again?

It's Only Football. Isn't It?

English: American football with clock to represent a "current sports or American football event" (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In a season in which the Minnesota Vikings overachieved enough to win the NFC North division title over the stumbling Green Bay Packers, who won enough to make the NFL's wild card round, it must gall the Vikings and their supporters that the Packers are moving on and they are not.

The final on Sunday was Seattle Seahawks 10, Vikings 9.  Contrary to popular belief, this playoff loss was a team effort.  It wasn't just Blair Walsh's incredulous miss from 27 yards that would have won the game for the Vikings in the below-zero cold of TCF Bank Stadium.  It was Walsh being the entire offense with nine points on three field goals.  It was Adrian Peterson fumbling the ball at a most inopportune moment in the fourth quarter, which would have eliminated the need for Walsh to win the game.

After three quarters of being frozen out offensively, the Seahawks' Russell Wilson showed what a savvy, experienced playoff quarterback looked like.  He made the most out of a fumbled snap, picking it up at midfield and throwing the ball to an open receiver who almost took it to the end zone, resulting in the game's only touchdown that led to Seattle's victory.

Meanwhile, the Packers will be moving on to Arizona, having won their wild card game at Washington with ease.  Aaron Rodgers also showed the Redskins what an experienced playoff quarterback can do.

With the season suddenly cut short, everybody is predicting great things for the Vikings for next season and beyond.  Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and Adrian Peterson are the offensive cornerstones, the defense is playing up to its potential, and the Vikings are going back indoors.  On the other hand, Bridgewater has yet to show he can be an elite signal-caller like Wilson or Rodgers, Peterson is getting older, and the Vikings are going back indoors.

In their 55-year history, the Minnesota Vikings have had more bizarre things happen that have kept them from winning a world championship, rivaling Charlie Brown's attempts at kicking a football.  It's happened at every place they've called home:  Metropolitan Stadium, the Metrodome and TCF Bank Stadium.  What kind of horror awaits them at US Bank Stadium?
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Our projected Super Bowl 50 matchup:  Seattle vs. New England
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In the second College Football Playoff championship game at Glendale, Arizona Monday, the Alabama Crimson Tide won its fourth national title in seven years (only Notre Dame in the 1940s has also done that) with a 45-40 win over Clemson.  The Tigers had been the top-seeded team for half the season.

Tide coach Nick Saban won his fifth championship, putting him one shy of the mark set by another Alabama coaching legend named Bear Bryant.

While the championship game was an entertaining shootout between two Southern football powers, all the talk has been about how far the people who run the CFP would go to sabotage their own product.  Unlike last season, in which both semifinal games were played on New Year's Day in the Rose and Sugar bowls, Alabama beat Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl while Clemson took care of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl . . . on New Year's Eve.

Granted, the two games were one-sided and ESPN kept reminding its viewers that the new Taylor Swift video was about to be shown on fellow Disney network ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest".  But New Year's Eve fell on a Friday this year, meaning some folks were still at work and/or had to choose between partying and watching football.

Add to that the refusal of the Rose and Sugar bowls to move from their traditional New Year's Day time slots--unless it's January 2nd, because the NFL usually has first dibs when the holiday falls on Sunday (which it does in 2017).

Predictably, the New Year's Eve games had ratings that resembled flat champagne.  Still, the CFP insists on putting its semifinals on that day despite pleas to move them somewhere else.  They might get lucky next season when New Year's Eve falls on a Saturday, when more people will be home.  Other than that, an awful lot depends on the calendar and what the NFL wants.

ESPN usually gets blamed for a lot of things when it comes to sports on TV.  In this case they really can't be, unless you want to claim that the Worldwide Leader spent too much money over the next decade to let themselves be pushed around by an organization that rivals Augusta National Golf Club in not letting TV networks call the tune on when to schedule their events.

But then, it's only football.  Right?

2015: Cleaning Out the Closet

English: Serena Williams at 2009 Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Instead of rehashing our take on the stories of the past year (Deflategate, the U.S. women's soccer team, daily fantasy websites, and the local pro spots teams), we thought we'd end 2015 with some unnecessary comments on the other happenings in sports this year.  Happy holidays, everyone.

American Pharoah, with his sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes (something that hasn't happened since the 1970s), has become horse racing's savior.  The sport will never again be as popular as it was nearly a century ago.  But at least there will be a little less whining about the lack of a Triple Crown winner.

Serena Williams also tried for a sweep this year, winning three of the four major women's singles titles at Wimbledon and the French and Australian Opens--but not the U.S. Open.  She is also Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year.  Serena and her sister Venus have dominated women's tennis for so long that, once their playing careers are over, it's hard to think that the sport will be relevant for a long time.

Tiger Woods hasn't won many tournaments since his marriage ended and his knee blew out. Even after Rory McIlroy, Jordan Speith and others have long since surpassed him, Woods is still the face of golf.  He might still win another championship or two, but Jack Nicklaus' record of racking up the most majors still seems safe.

Boxing and ultimate fighting are two of the biggest draws on pay-per-view video.  But like anything else, you get what you pay for.

• Ronda Rousey became a celebrity when she won and defended her UFC titles, mainly by knocking out her opponents in 30 seconds or less.  Then she lost to Holly Holm, one of the few opponents Rousey has had who has taken her past the first round.  Well, Rousey's still a celebrity, but she's not invincible any more.  Until her next match.
• The Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout was one of the most-anticipated boxing matches of 2015.  Then came the fight, but it soon became clear that this match (which Mayweather won) would have been sooo much better a few years earlier.  People who paid exorbitant rates to watch this on PPV screamed for their money back, but got nowhere.  Mayweather fought once more and won, then retired undefeated.  No wonder they call him "Money".  He just banks a lot of it.

Minnesota United FC will be moving up the pro soccer food chain to Major League Soccer in the next couple of years.  But not before a bidding war that has temporarily resulted in St. Paul being chosen over Minneapolis for a new soccer park.  All that remains is getting everything in order, which is never easy in the ongoing rivalry between the two cities.

In the age of people no longer willing to pay extra for cable channels they don't watch, while finding other ways to get their TV, ESPN is the biggest loser.  To date, the Disney-owned network has reportedly lost between seven to 10 million subscribers.  They charge more because they pay through the nose for rights to the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and various college conferences well into the next decade.  In response, ESPN has let go of several well-known commentators including Keith Olbermann, Jason Whitlock, Colin Cowherd and Bill Simmons (though it must be said the reasons why don't always have to do with finances).  They also pulled the plug on the Grantland website, which was started by Simmons.  People have begged ESPN to go the route of HBO and other networks in offering their content online at a cheaper rate, but they haven't done that.  Instead, to the chagrin of most cord-cutters, sports remains the one thing that's keeping cable and satellite in business.  And they're not letting go unless they're forced to.

WHO DIED THIS YEAR:  Ken Stabler, Garo Yepremian, Minnie Minoso, Calvin Peete, Charlie Sifford, Dean Smith, Phil "Flip" Saunders, Dickie Moore, Frank Gifford, Dolph Schayes, Glen Sonmor, Yogi Berra, Dean Chance, Lindy Infante, Milo Hamilton, Al Arbour, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Guy Lewis, Ernie Banks, Jerry Tarkanian, Darryl Dawkins and Moses Malone.

The 2015 Owljock Bowl Board

Guy Lombardo (1902–1977) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Welcome to this year's edition of ye olde Bowl Board.  A couple of things before we begin:

• Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Michigan State are this year's participants in the College Football Playoff.  The semifinals, held last year at the Rose and Sugar bowls on New Year's Day, will this year be at the Orange and Cotton bowls on New Year's Eve.  Why?  Because of tradition and existing TV contracts, the CFP is being rotated between those games on a yearly basis.  Which means we have a situation where, as the confusing Jimmy Kimmel commercials try to point out, the football playoff is supposed to be the new tradition alongside "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest".  (Or so ESPN hopes.) That is, unless the ghosts of Clark and Guy Lombardo exact their revenge.

• The NCAA has sanctioned 41 bowls this year.  The minimum for qualifying to play in one of these games is six victories and an acceptable (to the NCAA) academic record.  However, not enough schools qualified this season, so the number has been dropped to five victories.  Which means that schools like Minnesota, the Big Ten conference's paragon of mediocre football, can get into a lower-tier bowl game with a 5-7 record.  When that happens, you know there are too many bowl games.

Here's the schedule.  It contains the name of the bowl, where it's played, who's in it, who televises them, and a brief description of what the bowl's sponsor sells or represents.  Enjoy.

Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl:  Alcorn State vs. North Carolina A&T  (Atlanta, GA  12/19)  ABC
First season.

Auto Nation Cure Bowl:  San Jose State vs. Georgia State  (Orlando, FL  12/19)  CBS Sports Network 
Automotive retailer.  First season.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:  Arizona vs. New Mexico  (Albuquerque, NM  12/19)  ESPN
Active wear.

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl:  Brigham Young vs. Utah  (Las Vegas, NV  12/19)  ABC
Auto products.

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl:  Ohio vs. Appalachian State  (Montgomery, AL  12/19)  ESPN
Broadcasting company. 

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:  Arkansas State vs.  Louisiana Tech  (New Orleans, LA  12/19)  ESPN
Shipping firm.

Miami Beach Bowl:  Western Kentucky vs. South Florida  (Miami, FL  12/21)  ESPN

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:  Akron vs. Utah State  (Boise, ID  12/22)  ESPN

Marmot Boca Raton Bowl:  Toledo vs. Temple  (Boca Raton, FL  12/22)  ESPN
Outdoor clothing and sporting goods.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:  Boise State vs. Northern Illinois  (San Diego, CA  12/23)  ESPN
Financial services.

GoDaddy Bowl:  Georgia Southern vs. Bowling Green  (Mobile, AL  12/23)  ESPN
Website domain names.

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl:  Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan  (Nassau, Bahamas  12/24)  ESPN
Chicken and seafood restaurant chain.

Hawaii Bowl:  San Diego State vs. Cincinnati  (Honolulu, HW  12/24)  ESPN

St. Petersburg Bowl:  Connecticut vs. Marshall  (St. Petersburg. FL  12/26)  ESPN

Hyundai Sun Bowl:  Miami vs. Washington State  (El Paso, TX  12/26)  CBS
Automobile manufacturer.

Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl:  Washington vs. Southern Mississippi  (Dallas, TX  12/26)  ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl:  Indiana vs. Duke  (Yankee Stadium, New York  12/26)  ABC
Sports apparel.

Camping World Independence Bowl:  Tulsa vs. Virginia Tech  (Shreveport, LA  12/26)  ESPN
RV supplies.

Foster Farms Bowl:  UCLA vs. Nebraska  (Santa Clara, CA  12/26)  ESPN
West-coast based poultry firm.

Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman:  Pittsburgh vs. Navy  (Annapolis, MD  12/28)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Quick Lane Bowl:  Central Michigan vs. Minnesota  (Detroit, MI  12/28)  ESPN2
Auto care shops.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl:  California vs. Air Force  (Ft. Worth, TX  12/29)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Russell Athletic Bowl:  North Carolina vs. Baylor  (Orlando, FL  12/29)  ESPN
Action wear.

NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl:  Nevada vs. Colorado State  (Tucson, AZ  12/29)  Campus Insiders (website) and American Sports Network (broadcast)
Arizona-based mortgage lender.  First season.

AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl:  LSU vs. Texas Tech  (Houston, TX  12/29)  ESPN
Nutritional supplements.

Birmingham Bowl:  Auburn vs. Memphis  (Birmingham, AL  12/30)  ESPN

Belk Bowl:  North Carolina State vs. Mississippi State  (Charlotte, NC  12/30)  ESPN
Southeastern-based department store chain.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl:  Texas A&M vs. Louisville  (Nashville, TN  12/30)  ESPN
Financial services.

Holiday Bowl:  USC vs. Wisconsin  (San Diego, CA  12/30)  ESPN

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl:  Houston vs. Florida State  (Atlanta, GA  12/31)  ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.

Capital One Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal):  Oklahoma vs. Clemson  (Miami Gardens, FL  12/31)  ESPN
Financial services.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl (CFP Semifinal):  Michigan State vs. Alabama  (Arlington, TX  12/31)  ESPN
Tires and blimps.

Outback Bowl:  Northwestern vs. Tennessee  (Tampa, FL  1/1/16)  ESPN2
Steak restaurant chain.

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl:  Michigan vs. Florida  (Orlando, FL  1/1/16)  ABC
Chicken wing restaurant chain.

BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl:  Notre Dame vs. Ohio State  (Glendale, AZ  1/1/16)  ESPN
Obstacle racing series.

Rose Bowl Presented by Northwestern Mutual:  Stanford vs. Iowa  (Pasadena, CA  1/1/16)  ESPN
Financial services.

Allstate Sugar Bowl:  Oklahoma State vs. Mississippi  (New Orleans, LA  1/1/16)  ESPN
Insurance and financial services.

TaxSlayer Bowl:  Penn State vs. Georgia  (Jacksonville, FL  1/2)  ESPN
Online tax preparation.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl:  Kansas State vs. Arkansas  (Memphis, TN  1/2) ESPN
Auto parts stores.

Valero Alamo Bowl:  Oregon vs. Texas Christian  (San Antonio, TX  1/2) ESPN
Energy company.

Motel 6 Cactus Bowl:  West Virginia vs. Arizona State  (Phoenix, AZ  1/2)  ESPN
Overnight lodging chain.

College Football Playoff National Championship Game Presented by AT&T  (Glendale, AZ  1/11)  ESPN
Communications giant.
 
 

Vikings and NFL 2015: Midseason Points

Build up to the 2010 game between Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Your Minnesota Vikings (as Paul Allen of KFAN 100.3 would say) are tied for the NFC North lead with the Green Bay Packers at 6-2, as of 11/13/15.  Though few think the Vikings will actually win the division, it is an improvement over the last couple of years.  Had it not been for their inexplicable loss to the San Francisco 49ers on the Monday night opener, the Vikings would be in first place.

Though the return of Adrian Peterson has sparked the offense, he hasn't been getting the yards he used to.  Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had been getting mauled on the field because of injuries to an already-depleted offensive line.  It finally caught up to him when he had to leave the St. Louis game last Sunday with what looked to be a concussion, delivered by a Rams player with a questionable hit.  This was one of the few times we've seen some passion out of Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, who in defending his quarterback took some not-so-subtle shots at the Rams coaching staff.

For the rest of the season, it's all uphill for the Vikings if they want to make the playoffs.  They play the Packers (twice), Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.  If they can survive all this, a Wild Card berth (at least) is theirs.
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Those ads for daily fantasy sports sites FanDuel and Draft Kings have become as ubiquitous on TV (and just as obnoxious) as for those selling beer and cars.  They make it sound like all you have to do is put the right players on your team for one week of games, watch the numbers, then expect a big fat check.  With all that ubiquity comes scrutiny.  FanDuel and Draft Kings, among others, are being investigated by the government on charges that daily fantasy is really gambling, and that some employees of one site are allegedly using the other's site to enrich themselves and to shut out other players.  Some states have either banned or restricted the use of daily fantasy sites.

What complicates matters is that FanDuel and Draft Kings are being funded by pro sports leagues and some TV networks.  If the daily fantasy sites end up being shut down, those entities may be in big trouble with the government unless they divest and soon.  Serving prison time and/or ending up bankrupt might become a reality to those involved.  And the rest of us can just find some other way to have fun with statistics.
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The NFL is scheduling more games in the near future for London.  Either the British love the American version of football, or the league is using the games to create a new Sunday morning TV franchise back in the States instead of actually putting a team in Europe.  (Hey, it beats "Meet The Press".)  What's next?  Late night football from Tokyo, Sydney or Honolulu?

KC Royals Rule Baseball

Dominican Summer Royals (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After losing last year's World Series to the San Francisco Giants in seven games, the Kansas City Royals made sure the same thing didn't happen this year.  They beat the New York Mets in five games, winning their first world championship since 1985 and the second in franchise history.

The Royals won Game 5 in 12 innings, 7-2, at Citi Field in New York Sunday-into-early-Monday in the same manner they've been doing it during the postseason.  That is, come back from a deficit in the late innings and let its bullpen finish the job.  Eric Hosmer scored ten runs in the postseason, including the tying run in Game 5, as the Royals marched through the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays during the American League playoffs.

It also helped that the Mets, who defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs in the National League playoffs to get here, contributed to Kansas City's victory with bad fielding, untimely lack of offense, blown saves and leaving certain starting pitchers in too long.

Case in point:  Mets pitcher Matt Harvey was seen on TV heavily persuading (demanding might not be the best word) his manager Terry Collins to let him pitch the ninth inning in Game 5 with a 3-2 lead.  Fox's broadcast crew made note of the fact that Jack Morris of the Minnesota Twins (who happened to attend the game) did the same thing with manager Tom Kelly during the 1991 World Series against the Atlanta Braves.  The difference?  Morris was pitching a scoreless Game 7 that went into the tenth inning before the Twins won the Series.  Harvey was pitching in a game where the Mets were on the brink of elimination, and Collins wanted to take him out to maybe preserve him for a possible Game 7 in Kansas City.  Collins relented and let Harvey pitch the ninth.  A couple of men on base later, Harvey was pulled.  Not everyone gets to be Jack Morris.

Much was made about the movie "Back To The Future" and its prediction that the Cubs would win the World Series in 2015.  Well, that didn't happen, did it?  Instead, the same team that won it all in '85 when the movie was first released won again on its 30th anniversary.  That team was the Kansas City Royals.  Some things never change.

•  Obscure trivia:  The Royals and Mets were both created as expansion franchises in the 1960s, replacing teams that had moved to California (Giants, Dodgers, Athletics).  This was the first time two of those franchises had met in the World Series.
• Because of a power outage in the Fox broadcast booth during Game 1 in Kansas City,  announcers Joe Buck, Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci commandeered the MLB Network's international coverage, elbowing aside their commentators for a couple of innings before the power was restored.  It also caused a delay in the game, with the use of instant replay suspended.  Fox has been televising the World Series for two decades now, and Buck has been its main voice.  We think he's done a fine job, but we also know there's plenty of Buck-haters out there.  This incident was sheer arrogance on Fox's part, and a reminder of who really calls the tune during sports telecasts.