All Good Things...

Now I wish I never even added Big News #3 to Friday's post, the one regarding that amateur footage of Peyton throwing at Duke. It pains me to beyond belief that the last video footage of Manning throwing with that blue horseshoe helmet on will be that footage. I'll have the memories, but I can't escape the reality.

The greatest QB I have ever seen is no longer going to be playing QB for my team. The man who literally built football in Indiana. The man without whom that stadium isn't built, the careers of Bill Polian and Tony Dungy aren't fortified enough so they enter Canton, and my personal list of favorite sports memories is 1,000 memories shorter. He's gone. He's coming back, but just like when I watched Roy Oswalt in that Phillies uniform, it won't be the same. Hell, I'll root for him hard. I want him to win the next three Super Bowls. I want him to get the recognition he deserves, the universal acceptance of just how incredible he was. I realize the best way for him to do that would be outside of Indianapolis anyway, but that definitely doesn't make it any easier. Peyton Manning is gone. An institution in the NFL is over. And all I can think is I wish I appreciated it more.

Football, and sports in general, is a weird thing. Even though 99% of the games come with no trophy attached, the only game that inevitably one cares about are the ones that do. This should not be the case. I wish I could forget about the heartbreak that I had to face in the games that "matter" and remember the brilliance in the games that lead up to the games that "matter". But that is the issue. The games in September and October and November matter as well. I have to learn to realize this. That the happiness I derive from my team winning, as well as the depression that comes from my team losing, should not be disproportionately represented by what happened in January.

One of my favorite Colts bloggers, Nate Dunlevy, had a post this past season where he talked about the idea of a "Happy Sunday." That the true implicit worth of a team to a fan is the happiness that that team gives. If the team gives their fans more "Happy Sundays" than not, that team is doing its job. Sure, some Sundays can give more happiness than others, but at the end of each week, did your football team make you happy? That is the only question that matters. For 7 straight years, Peyton Manning gave us a Happy Sunday at least 12 times. I think Manning's injury last year made me really appreciate this idea, that every Happy Sunday you get should be remembered, cherished. It hit me when I was watching Dan Orlovsky lead a 2-minute drill to upset the Texans in Week 16. That game meant nothing. The Colts were floundering worse than anyone expected without Manning, and the Texans were locked into the #3 seed. But I got into it. I was locked in, focused on the Colts for the first time all year. I was given, in that case, a Happy Thursday, but still, the first one I truly enjoyed in the regular season in a while. The first one I thought I could look back on 5 years from now and love.

See, when I look back at all those memorable Manning moments, like the 21 point comeback against the Bucs in 2003, or the greatest passing offense I have ever seen in 2004, or the beatdown of New England in Foxboro in 2005, or the run of great, dramatic moments like winning in Heinz Field in 2008, or the drama of 4th & 2 in 2009, my mind inevitably races past all of that to the fact that all of those seasons for the Colts were 'doomed.' That encompassing those isolated moments of pure joy was a harrowing playoff loss. Those playoff losses for a time ruined those great moments. I mean, 'What's the point of Bill Belichick gambling for it on 4th and 2 if Hank Baskett is going to try to pick up an onside kick three months later?' I would say to myself. The idea of "Happy Sundays" changed all of that.

When I first accepted that Manning was not coming back (sometime in January) it became easier. I can't look forward to Manning bringing Indianapolis another Super Bowl, getting redemption for that loss in Super Bowl XLIV, a loss that haunts me more and more each month. I can't look forward to the next ridiculous comeback. I can only look back now if I want to think about Manning as a Colt. I can only look back, and finally open up that treasure chest of great Manning moments. I can finally start to enjoy Manning's awesome moments un-tethered, because for once, I know that no matter how much I want that redemption, Manning is done in a Colts uniform. This is all he had to give us, and damn was it special.

Peyton Manning won't be a Colt, and I fear that his legacy in Indianapolis will never be truly appreciated by those outside Indy. Had the team just won that game against the Saints, all of this would be different. Everyone would have had to accept him, other than those idiots who think that Terry Bradshaw is the greatest, and therefore, Manning needs more than two rings. I fear people won't remember the Manning era as what it was. People will remember it like the Marino era, and I'm sure the Miami fans do look back with great joy at those years with Marino, but this is different. Miami had great football before Dan Marino. Miami had achieved perfection without Marino. Indianapolis had achieved nothing other than some close, flukey wins by an average team in 1995. Peyton Manning made the Colts. But most of all, as a football fan, he made me.

I probably would have still been a football fan without Peyton, but I would have never been this knowledgeable. I would have never known just how great a QB can be. If I hadn't seen him struggle against Bill Belichick's defenses in the 2003 and 2004 Playoffs, I probably don't know how good a defense and great coaching could be. If I hadn't seem him overcome such incredible odds to win some of those games, I might not believe in comebacks the way I do. If I hadn't seen him unfairly slammed by awful media personalities for not winning enough as an individual in a team sport, I might not realize how bad and low-base a lot of the main-stream media is. If not for Peyton Manning, I would not love football the way I do. And it is time to make sure I use that love to do what is best, remember Peyton for the wins, for the joy, for the brilliance, and for giving me way too many "Happy Sundays."

Big News Friday

On Friday afternoon, the guys who write opinions for sites like ESPN or Yahoo! usually take off early. Their job is over for the week. Not this Friday. No, this Friday had two huge sports stories. One completely overshadowed the other, and understandably so. The one that got more coverage was the NFL report (which literally is 50,000 pages. I thought at first that that was a joke when I heard it, but honestly - 50,000 Pages? Is it possible to right that much about anything) on the Saints' placing $1,000 bounties on injuring opposing players for three years. The other was baseball implementing a 2nd Wild Card team for 2012. One was expected, but maybe not this soon. The other was a total shock which snowballed even on day one. Let's go one-by-one.


1.) Baseball will have 2 Wild Card teams and a 1-game playoff between the two Wild Card teams.

The idea of adding a Wild Card team I like. The percentage of baseball teams that make the playoffs are way too low (8/30). This adds a real chance for more cities to get playoff baseball, and honestly, allows for a better chance for teams like the Red Sox to get into the playoffs on down years. Adding another Wild Card makes sense. There is really no downside to expanding the playoffs by one other than it ruining "the sanctity of baseball." The percentage of teams making the playoffs (10/30) is still the lowest of any major sport in the US. The field isn't diluted that much. The only other negative is baseball might lose days like last year's day of Game 162s. I call bunk. There is still a chance that the 2nd Wild Card will come down to the last day. It will just be a competition of two lesser teams. Also, division races will be tighter. It also adds the chances of even more one-game playoffs because divisions can't be decided under head-to-head in the new format given the vast advantage in winning a division. Avoiding having to use your ace in a one-game playoff is a huge edge. The weirder part of the move is that for 2012 at least, the division series will have the first two games at the home of the team with the worse record, and the next three at the home of the team of the better record. Apparently, this is how the DS format was in the first three years of the Wild Card, but I find it really an advantage for the team with the worse record, other than the fact that now they would HAVE to clinch on the road.

Anyway, the part of the new setup that I vehemently dislike is the fact that this is a 1-game playoff. That is just too small a series to decide who should advance in a playoff tournament, especially for a sport 162 games long. Yes, that's how March Madness and the NFL playoffs does it, but they play about 30 and 16 games respectively. This is 162 games coming down to one game. The worst part is that there could easily be a year where one Wild Card team wins a lot more games than the other but could get knocked off in one game. To me, that is patently unfair. I think it should be at least best of 3. I realize that there are a lot of issues trying to fit the schedule in, but honestly, just start the season one week earlier. I don't think anyone will care if baseball is being played March 20th. Overall, I like the move for a 2nd Wild Card, but hate the way it is being implemented. My guess is it will change at some point, but as of now, I don't like it.


2.) The Saints were apparently paying players's bonuses to injure opponents.

This is big. This is huge. This is probably the biggest on-the-field scandal since Spygate. I honestly think that this is an uglier situation. This is criminal. As Jay Feely so rightly tweeted, people that are paid to injure others are committing a criminal offense. The bigger issue is that the NFL knew about this, told the owner, who told the GM and nothing was done. Sean Payton apparently knew and did nothing. Gregg Williams was apparently putting up money out of his own pocket to this "fund" that went out and paid players if they hurt opponents. We all know the details by now. The lies that the Saints conveyed to the league. The blind eye that GM Mickey Loomis and Head Coach Sean Payton turned to this issue. The ridiculous 10 large that Jonathan Vilma put up to go to the player who knocks Favre out of the 2009 NFC Championship Game. It is an ugly situation, and it will only get uglier. Given how player safety has become such a huge issue for the league, I expect Roger Goodell to spare no expense in giving the Saints a huge punishment. Considering this is a man who has on multiple occasions suspended players multiple games for essentially being jackasses, if he doesn't suspend Gregg Williams, it will be a disappointment. This could get ugly.

Overall, I am sure there is some motivation for guys going into games to hurt the opponent, injure the opponent. I am sure some coaches might have encouraged it. I doubt many other teams have put this much money on it. People talked about Buddy Ryan putting a bounty on Troy Aikman. That was 200 dollars. This was thousands. This was continual. This was the Saints doing it in their title run, and then continuing to do it after being warned by Goodell. Gregg Williams apparently had this same system in Washington. There are reports he had it in Tennessee. He's showing remorse now, but that shouldn't be enough. I would not be shocked by, nor be against, a lifetime ban for Gregg Williams.

There is something personal here. A lot of Colts fans now believe that Peyton Manning's neck problems started on a late hit shown here:

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See Manning reach for his neck right after the hit. It was a late hit. It should have been flagged. Phillip Daniels was fined 5,000 for the hit. Tony Dungy has said his neck problems started then. What ties this together, is not only the fact that Gregg Williams was the DC of the Redskins at the time, but also that Phillip Daniels was the only player to put his name on the fact the bounty system was there in Washington. The fact that this happened makes me, as well as a lot of Colts fans, more angry about this whole Williams bounty thing. Add into that the fact the Saints beat the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

This whole thing apparently started with the fact that Favre was battered like a ham in the 2009 NFC Title Game. My Mom watched the game and many times said how mad she was that the Saints were hitting Favre late, hitting him low, hitting him at any opportunity. I tried to tell her it was just good, hard football, but I knew it went a little extreme then. I feel that more know. It is hard to watch that, or the Titans defense against Kurt Warner in Super Bowl XXXIV the same way.

This will be a mess. The fact that there is no real football going on will probably give this story a lot more staying power than if there was a game next Sunday. It is far enough from the draft that even the draft won't take too much attention away from this story. I feel like Goodell will take full advantage of this opportunity to lay down the law, to send shockwaves to every other team that this cannot happen again. Goodell better because he's shown no shame in dropping suspensions to players for injuring opponents with unsafe hits. Now he has a coach who is basically paying players to go and try to injure another player. This is a problem that is a lot more pointed now given the concussion issues that have been a huge bane to the league over the past year and a half. Goodell will hopefully throw down with all his might.



Update:

There was another bit of news that was released well into the wee hours of Friday.

3.) Video of Peyton Manning throwing at Duke surfaces

My God. This actually (especially in Colts land) was able to upstage the Saints mess. This is the worst thing that could have happened to Jim Irsay's plan for a new era. He cannot cut a healthy Peyton Manning. He just can't. Forget the fact that he already said if Peyton is healthy by March he will be a Colt. If Manning wasn't healthy yet (but would be healthy come August) Irsay can get away with it. He would be skewered if Manning went to another city and performed well, but at least he can put up some defense. If Manning is already noticeably improving, that defense disappears.

I have avoided talking about Le Affair Manning (especially the soap-opera that were all the releases and interviews during the Super Bowl weeks) because it was ridiculous, and frankly, embarrassing. Both sides were trying to win a war that only one side can really win (if Irsay really thinks he can out-pr Manning, he's delusional). I was scared by the spate of "Peyton will retire" tweets from the Super Bowl (I dismissed Rob Lowe, but was scared about all the others). I didn't know who or what to believe. The first time I actually believed anything was when Bill Polian said Peyton was improving. Everything else was biased, was editted, was pointed. Manning's interview with Trey Wingo. The "sources" saying Manning's nerve re-generation had 'plateaued'. The "sources" saying it hadn't. The reports from Archie and Cooper Manning. The reports from Bob Kravitz that Peyton had a "noodle arm" and his later admission he vastly exaggerated that. I listened to Polian because he, while definitely having an ax to grind with Irsay, wouldn't openly lie. I don't know why I believed Polian, a man who has definitely lied to the fans and media during his time as GM, but I did. My faith was proven right.

This video doesn't prove much other than Manning can throw left, can turn his body, and can throw over 25 yards. All things that reports from sources in the past said Manning could not do. With the reports from everywhere saying Manning was improving greatly, I started to believe, but this was some sort of solid proof. Of course, this doesn't mean I buy he can go out today and be Peyton, but there's definitely a great chance that he plays in 2012. That means that Irsay is in one huge pickle.

All along, I have felt that Jim Irsay definitely overreacted to one bad season. This team won 10, 12, 12, 14, 12, 13, 12, 14 and 10 games in their previous nine years. One bad year where they lost probably the most important player to any team ever was not enough to out-do all of that. I think Irsay saw this as his chance to take back his team from Polian, who had grown increasingly dictatorial ever since Week 16 of 2009. Irsay saw this as his chance to make his team likable (missing the fact that winning made the team likable). He got Polian out. He got Polian's puppet Caldwell out (who definitely was well-liked by the players, but I thought had to go since he couldn't manage a game for his life). He hired his guys, expressed a desire to create a 'new era' and under the banner of a whole new QB. He was literally trying to replay everything that happened in 1998. The one part of his plan that made it all make sense was that there was serious doubt Peyton Manning would ever play again. That doubt is far, far less now.

My worst fear all along, other than Manning being forced to retire, was that Irsay decides to keep Manning and still draft Luck. If this happens, other than Peyton Manning turning into Barry Bonds 2001-2004 (without the roids) and single-handidly winning games, there is no good outcome. That would be committing 51 million to the QB position for 2012, with the knowledge that one of those two guys would not play. Luck should start from day 1. Peyton should play. Both cannot happen on the Colts. The best case scenario would be that Irsay realizes this, keeps Manning and trades that #1 pick for a Herschel Walker style bounty. But I was scared that Irsay would never consider that option. He doesn't want to pass the opportunity to lock down Andrew Luck. He doesn't want to lose Peyton Manning. He would have been fine if Manning just had to retire. Manning doesn't have to, and Irsay is screwed.

I know in my head there is no way Irsay sees the light (assuming the video, and all the reports, are true and Manning will be more than ready come September, 2012) and trades that #1 pick. I know this. But now I know there is a chance that Peyton Manning can wear the horse-shoe next year. Yes, I had grown to accept the fact that Manning could wear something other than Colts' blue in 2012. I had even grown to be excited by the idea of him in the desert or in Seattle (not in Miami, though). I actually grew to think those were places where Manning could more easily win a Super Bowl than in Indy. But God, will I be able to talk myself into Indy if they keep him. I mean, the AFC isn't that strong right now. They could bring Reggie back. With a lead that defense plays a lot better. Pagano's a good coach. Anything could happen. But I know none of that matters. This is the perfect case of 'head vs. heart'. My head says Manning is better off in a different city where he can win that 2nd Super Bowl that he deserves, the one that could gloriously shut all the mouths' of the people that have so foolishly slammed him. But my heart wants him on that damn blue uniform. My heart wants more moments in The Luke. It's a really tough question to answer, and it is only that much tougher now for Jim Irsay.

Do You Remember...

A sports fans life keeps rolling on. There is always a new season, a new year. The draft brings new players. Time kills the old ones. Of course, there are those special teams, special moments that stay with you. They usually reside in two groups: the times when your team wins it all, or the time your team suffers harrowing losses. But that should not be the breadth of lasting memories of a sports fan. There are always moments that get lost in the never-ending life of a sports fan, moments that were once memorable and fun, but just get lost from the conscious. But some reside in the subconscious, those little moments that will randomly come up. This is just a stream of consciousness remembrance of the random moments, little things that made sports special outside of just winning and losing. So, do you remember...

= Back in 2003, during the height of the Miller Lite "I love football" campaign, ESPN used to run weekly "I Love Football" montages at the end of each Monday SportsCenter with the clips and lyrics customized to that week. It ended with... "And I. Love. Week 3!!" I've searched all over Youtube for a clip from those SportsCenter spots, but found nothing. I've found every variation of those ads, but never from the actual show. They were corny and inevitably annoying, but man I used to love them. It probably helped that we used to watch the end of 7:00 AM SportsCenter in Mr. Agalias's homeroom.


= In the ad vein, it has become easy to just make fun of Peyton Manning about his ads. But does anyone remember just how good those ads were back in 2003-2005. Peyton Manning's early MasterCard spots were just that brilliant. Yup, I got a link for this one. Peyton Manning is one of the few athletes I have seen that is ready to make fun of himself. His SNL visit was great. One of the biggest negative outcomes of Super Bowl XLIV was not having Peyton doing another SNL trip. Peyton seems to have lost some of this outward ability to make fun of himself (he still is funny in interviews), and I hope a change of scenery brings that Peyton back.


= Anyway, moving on to actual sports moments. do you remember how great Gilbert Arenas was. Arenas, for a three year stretch, was not only one of the top three scorers in the NBA but the most exciting, affable and entertaining player in the NBA. Arenas's quirks were what made him. Him calling himself "Agent 0", shouting "Hibachi" when he shoots, having a weird feud with Mike Krzyzewski where he claimed he wanted to play just one game against Duke, where he would score 80. But over it all, it was his genuine love of connecting to people. His blogging, his just being weird. Gilbert was the real epitome of a star in the facebook and twitter age. Sadly, his career peaked just before those websites.


= Similarly, the incredible comedy that was Gary Payton and Chris Webber doing 'Inside the NBA' on NBAtv. For whatever reason, it was a one year thing, and although they have both made few appearances on Inside the NBA on TNT, the duo is gone. For one golden season, they just made you laugh. I hope to have a job one tenth as fun as C-Webb and The Glove made their job out to be. Here are some highlights: Counting down their best moments... Talking about Randy Foye's disease... On who the real Superman is... On LeBron's crab dribble... On Steve Nash's acting... On Shaq and the Jabawockeez... On Pau Gasol's fancy pass... and finally, on Nene's decision to get married All-Star Weekend. God, they were great. Even a lot of these clips none of them really said anything funny, but they were just having so much fun together, that how could you not laugh right along as a viewer.


= The Tuck Rule?.... Oh, you do remember it. Well, good. Just checking we all remember the biggest travesty of a refereeing decision of the 2000s. Had to throw that in here.


= Plaxico Burress shooting himself in the leg. I mean really. This was one of the most bizarre criminal developments by a player in my lifetime. Here was a guy who was the star receiver (who never got nearly enough credit for predicting a pretty close 23-17 win in Super Bowl XLII and then backed it up by catching the winning touchdown) for a team that was 10-1. Burress was a star in NYC, and then he decided to go into a club with a gun for protection (a concern that is kind of valid, given the fact that NFL players are targets, such as Sean Taylor). Because he was, for some unexplained reason, clubbin' with sweatpants, the gun went off, shot himself and he found himself in jail for the next two years. Forget the fact that the sentence really outdid the crime, but here was a star receiver basically suspending himself for two years because he let off a gun. That Giants team was the best team in a weak year and easily could have won the Super Bowl. This was more bizarre than Michael Vick being a dog-fighter, or Chris Henry getting arrested 17 times. This was just hilarious, sad and had a huge impact on that season.


= Tracy McGrady's dunk in the 2002 All Star Game. What a moment. Again, like Gilbert, T-Mac was the best scorer in the NBA for two straight seasons. He was everything Kobe was but without his Shaq. T-Mac toiled in Orlando, but every now and then he would put up 40+ and make his highlights. T-Mac's athleticism has totally lost him and it is sad. He was one of the most inventive, explosive players in his day, and nothing showed this more than his self-pass dunk in the All-Star Game.


=  Jake Delhomme to Steve Smith. Really, this should be just Steve Smith, but Jake Delhomme will always be connected to him. They had their moments in 2003 (especially the playoffs) and in 2008, but in 2005, that might have been the best QB-WR connection in the NFL. Of course, Jake Delhomme to anyone else was not really a connection at all, so that made it so much more amazing that Steve Smith was so fucking good for one season. Jake Delhomme seemed to turn into Peyton Manning when he threw to Steve Smith. Check it: Pt. 1... Pt. 2. Steve Smith had the best celebrations (the baby diaper, the row-boat). He was brash, cocky and in your face. His most infamous quote came in 2008, but his best year (and maybe the best year of any WR in the 2000s - yes including Randy Moss given the QB who was throwing) was in 2005.


= In that vein, 2005 was the last year that Chad Johnson was really Chad Johnson. Early in 2006 he broke out Ochocinco for the first time. I remember watching this entire interview at the time. It was the first time, I believe, Chad mentioned Ochocinco. I don't think he thought it would be his legal name within 24 months, and then 24 months after that he was a scrap-heap receiver, but for one moment, Chad Johnson was the coolest guy in the league.


= The sex boat. That was a great moment in sports. It was such a ridiculous story because I've always felt teams probably do things like this all the time. They probably don't do it too much out in the open on a boat on a lake, but sports definitely has massive sex-parties right? I mean, that's why they're in the game, baby! But honestly, the Vikings at the end of the Tice era were high comedy. They had the sex boat. They had Onterrio Smith, The Original Whizzanator. They had Michael Bennett, who I remember had a +90 rating in Madden for some reason. Daunte Culpepper had that ridiculous 'travel call' celebration. And of course, there was "Straight Cash, Homey". I don't think anyone's forgotten this ever, but there needs no excuse to bring out Joe Buck having a Buck-gasm over Moss's moon celebration.


= In related announcer orgasms, I know this is never-to-be forgotten in NYC, but when Roger Clemens finally decided to pull his "I'll unretire halfway through the year, and never travel on road trips" shtick with the Yankees for the first time in 2007, he decided to do it in the most Roger Clemens-ish way, which of course, made Suzyn Waldmyn lose her shit. Of ALL THE DRAMATIC THINGZZ!!. Man, I miss good ol' Roger. I think it gets forgotten that steroids or not, he had a 1.87 ERA for the entire season in 2005. Somehow, he didn't win the Cy Young (actually Chris Carpenter had a pretty good year). 1.87. My God, that is insane.


= We'll end this on a happy note (for me at least). Champ Bailey returning the ball 99.5 yards against New England. Ben Watson chasing him down. Tom Brady throwing a bonehead pick. Football and the laws of Physics and Geometry meeting. Cards on the table, I thought the ball went through the end zone for a touchback. Though I do understand that it would have been nearly impossible to overturn the call because there was no way to get 'indisputable visual evidence' (not that it stopped Walt Fucking Coleman in January 2002), I feel like it seems pretty obvious it went through. What I love more about the play was Jim Nantz reaction. First, he seems downright depressed when Brady threw the pick (he's got a thing for Brady you know), but quickly realizes he can't be impartial. Then he wrongly asserts that Bailey beat the one man who had a shot at him. Of course, what I loved most about this game was this was the first game I really 'bet' on and won big. I had a feeling Denver could beat New England (in the Brady/BB era they were 10-0 in the playoffs before that game).


= We'll actually end this on a happy note for everyone. I've already written about the 2001 World Series, but the most underrated and forgotten moment about that series (not that I blame people for forgetting, since it was the same World Series as Byung-Hyun Kim getting the worst case of dejavu ever, and Luis Gonzalez winning the World Series with a hit of Mo Rivera) was George Double-U Bush throwing out the first pitch in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium. After 9/11, Bush 43's appearance at the game was huge. At that point in his presidency, most had pretty much forgotten about that whole drama of election night, and during maybe the only stretch in his presidency when he had high favor-ability, he went onto the rubber and threw a beautiful curveball. Honestly, that was a perfect pitch, and a perfect moment for a country healing. Chilling moment.


Anyway, I may come back to this well in the future, because I'm sure some more moments will pop in my head, but that is all for now.

The Wire: Top 50 Characters - #10-5

We have finally reached the end of my look back at The Wire through the lens of my personal Top 50 characters. This final Top 10 sees a healthy dose of Season 1 in it. All but one of these characters was introduced in S1. While that may not seem strange, with a show like The Wire that literally added 10 guys in each season, it says a lot about my favorite moments and memories of the show. As a better look at the extreme ability of the show to replace and introduce characters, four of these ten characters are dead by the end of S4. Two more are in jail for a long time. That said, other than my ridiculous love for one character, all of these are truly brilliant characters that I would think are on any sane viewers' personal Top 20. They aren't all Top 10 for most, but they are all brilliant characters that would probably be the deepest, most complex, best written, most multi-dimensional characters in most dramas. As I mentioned when I started this, Breaking Bad is the 2nd best drama series I have ever seen. The only Breaking Bad characters that would touch this Top 10 are Walter White and Gus. Jessie would be close, and actually I might put him over my man crush character that probably shouldn't be here, but whatever. The point is, this show is fucking awesome. Watch it now. Watch it whenever. It is like reading an incredible novel, but on TV.


10.) Wee-Bey Brice



He's the guy that probably shouldn't be here. He's the one that probably should be back around #30, and would be on most people's lists. He is the one character on the Top 10 who's story is told in one season (other than brief spots in S4) and who that story doesn't end in death. Wee-Bey Brice, the Barksdale's top enforcer, was the most lovable assassin I have ever seen. What I loved about Wee-Bey was that he was a man committed, but not defined, by his deadly role in the game. When he wasn't killing, he was a charismatic partyer. When he was on the job, he was focused and efficient. Wee-Bey was the only man in "the game" to hit Omar. Stanfield had three enforcers corner Omar in an apartment and Omar was able to escape. Wee-Bey was able to go from eating chicken to a shoot-out with Omar seamlessly. That said, it was his unending peculiar charisma. The way he was so confident he could be GM of the Knicks. The way he loved his fish (real or, when in prison, plastic). The way he thought he could handle the hot sauce. The way he took on extra murders during sentencing to save friends just for some extra food. Wee-Bey was awesome. That's why he's on the list.

Memorable Quotes: "Fuck it then... for another pig sandwich and some tater salad, I'll go a few more." (0:35) "He fuck with my fish A', he didn't have to go there man." (1:40) & "


9.) Bodie Broadus




Bodie was by far the least impressive, likable character of the original pit crew. After Season 1, Poot was a far more interesting character than Bodie (Poot was probably the biggest omission from my list, but I can't really go back and do it now). It was what Bodie became in the later seasons that made my really start to enjoy him as a character. The Wire built a lot of characters to replace the old guard as a symbol that the life of a city goes on, and Bodie was really built to be the new Avon, but he just died too soon. Bodie was smart, but it took him a long time to realize it. Bodie was a true soldier, and in a weird way, a hero, but it took us a long time to realize it. With Bodie's death really was the death of the Barskdale organization. He was the last man standing, and he was, as McNulty poignantly put it, "a soldier." (1:27 - but the whole clip is great). Bodie embodied everything that made Avon great (Avon just had it to a higher degree). He toed the line perfectly between smart businessman (he was the soldier who was able to suggest the correct method of competing with the shitty product, that they should create fake competition amongst the towers) and loyal soldier. He had the calm and wit to joke and jest with Carver. He learned to play the game well. He was an arrogant SOB in Season 1 who was so caught up in The Game that the only thing he took out of DeAngelo's chess lesson was that the pawn (Bodie at the time), if he played it right and made it to the other side of the board could become the queen. He decided to forget the fact that the pawns, "got capped quick." He wanted to be Avon, and in many ways, he became just that. He was cocky, but smart (witness him immediately realizing that he was a victim of entrapment). He was nice when he needed to be and a cocky motherfucker when he needed to be. Both are evidenced in the scene when Carver comes along for his daily visit to Bodie's corner. He is soft and welcoming to McNulty's compliments, but plays with Carver, whom he feels he is smarter than. Bodie loved The Game, but he loved The Game he was bred in, the Barksdale game, when a druglord was smart and loyal and effective, but not overtly ruthless. Bodie became a brilliant character. Other than possibly Prez, I don't think any character developed as much as Bodie. I couldn't believe that I was miserable that Bodie, the same man who was such a bitch in S1, was killed. That said, he went down fighting, being the only man to stand up to the Stanfield crew and fight them, and not follow Chris and Snoop into a vacant with his tail up his ass. No, he went down fighting, which considering he was the same man not tough enough to kill his friend on orders in S1, is saying a lot.

Memorable Quotes: "The game is pretty rigged man. We like them little bitches on the chessboard." (from the first clip), "This is my corner. I ain't running nowhere." (the last clip), "Nigga kill motherfuckers just cause he can. Not cause he snitchin, not cuase its business. But cause this shit just comes natural to him... Fuck Marlo man. Fuck him, and anybody who think it right to do people this way."


8.) Proposition Joe



Proposition Joe. What to say. For a man who really had just one scene is S1, where he is the coach of the East Side Project team in teh East vs. West basketball game, and dons a suit and carries a blank clipboard to "look the part", he became such a key member of the series. He was really just a mix of Stringer and Avon. He had Avon's heart and loyalty to family and the new kids in the game. He had Stringer's business sense, as he always saw a 'proposition' in any situation, and saw that the best way to play the game was to combine the resources, to use each group's comparative advantage. Prop Joe was damn smart. That said, the only reason he is close to this high is because of the fucking brilliant lines he got. That's the key take away of Prop. The man could speak.

Memorable Quotes (there are a lot, so I'll bullet point them)

•  "I got motherfucking nephews and in-laws all up in my shit, and it's not like I can pop a cap in they ass and not hear about come Thanksgiving Time" (4:29)
• "Fool, if not for Sergei here, you and your cousin both would be cadaverous motherfuckers." (5:58)
• "Was you listening. Omar the one side holding a spade, and Marlo to the other side holding a shovel. Just this moment I managed to crawl out my grave, no way I'm gonna crawl back in." (2:05)
• "West side dope been weak for a while. Every dope fiend in the city know that Avon been putting out piss and calling it shit... let me put a point on it. My shit is right String... Shit is just business String. Buy for a dollar, sell for two. You got the towers. I got what goes in 'em." (0:34)
• "It ain't right for you to be head of our table of you can't call of your dog. Call it a crisis of leadership." (1:58)
• "I've got a proposition for ya..."

7.) Bubbles



These last seven are just out-fucking-standing. All of them. They are collectively the greatest character group I have ever seen. Bubbles starts us off because he was the sleeper. He was in every season, but he was never really a lead until S5. Had S5 never happened, and he was just a capering CI that was as charming as he was fucked-up, he probably ends up in the 20s on the list, but it was his incredible journey that he took that all led up to the speech he gave at the NA meeting about poisoning his boy. Bubbles earned that moment, earned the tears that any human (including me) would shed while watching him break down himself. This character had one large pay-off and five seasons of build up, but God Damnit if the whole thing wasn't absolutely worth it. Bubbles was instantly likable from the beginning as the jokester, the man who would charm drug dealers into letting him put hats on their head that identified their important-ness to the cops. He was the man who could sweet-talk his way into an extra $5 from McNulty or Kima for a job well done. He was the likable fiend. But over time, his incredible ability to struggle with that addiction made him a wonderful character.

It wasn't until late S1 that we saw Bubbles first attempt to lay off when he goes to an NA meeting and takes a sobriety ribbon because "he wants to be alive." He wants to live a good life, to be like his sister (comfortably living in a modest middle-class home). His look at his sister shielding her daughter from even talking to Bubbles is a killer. It shows that Bubbles truly hates himself and the position he has put himself in, and that he wants to get better, but that it is going to be really, really hard. His frequent relapses into drug use were usually masked by his increasingly entrepreneurial spirit, as he goes from stealing scrap metal to selling white t-shirts to fiends in Hamsterdam. Of course, it really was S5 that made Bubbles the character incredible. Whether it was his getting constantly beaten by the same fiend (which got so incredibly hard to watch, I will admit I fast-forwarded through some of those at times), or him slowly coming to terms with killing Sherrod, or the scene of him beautifully just sitting on a park bench, struggling to not only feel free in the world but free as a human. But the real show-stopper was that incredible speech he gave. He stood up there and basically slayed every demon he ever faced. Bubble's had some memorable scenes, but truly that moment is what defined Bubbles, 58 episodes in the making.

Memorable Quotes: "Thin line between heaven and here." (2:30), "much obliged" and that incredible scene (too much to write it down, but it is amazing)


6.) Frank Sobotka



My God. What to say. I am basically having that reaction for all of these characters in this last Top-10. Frank Sobotka might have been the best casting the show did. He was just so effective at conveying the depression and angst of a man fighting an inevitably losing fight. He was both the most honorable crook and villain, as well as the most misguided. His love for the union, for a slowly, but surely, withering part of the fabric of the American city, and his constant belief that what he was doing was for the good of everyone but him made him a man of great conviction. That said, it was his blind faith in what he was doing, and his inability to see everything else from the depth of The Greek's business as well as the personal lows that his own son was falling into, made him cold and dark. Chris Bauer played the role incredibly. Season 2 was all about the death of blue-collar America in the US City, and the embodiment of that was Frank. He saw signs all over that his way of life, the life he grew up in because of the spiraling tunnel-vision in the International Brotherhood of Stevedores, the way he taught his son to be. He saw Rotterdam port replacing his job with machines. He saw the political red tape that needed to be dealt with to get a canal dredged. He saw the area where he worked, which he loved, being turned into high-priced housing.


He was a Stevedore at heart. That was who he was, and his desire to save that way of life, to save that America, to freeze it in time, the America of industrialization and hard work. It was symbolic that he was killed by the men who represented pure capitalism (The Greek) on the show as his union's work was killed off by, what else, capitalism. That said, even after he lost everything, he did what he knew was right. He worked. Till the very last day. He was one damn hard working Polak, and an extremely beautifully constructed, complicated and deep character.


Memorable Quotes: "We were here through Bobby Kennedy, 'Tricky' Dick Nixon, Ronnie "the Union Buster" Reagan, and half a dozen other sons of bitches. We'll be here through your weak bullshit no problem." (1:05), "You know what the trouble is, Brucey. We used to make shit in this country; build shit. Now we just put our hand in the next guy's pocket." & "Help my union? For 25 years we've been dyin' slow down there. Fry dock's rustin', piers standin' empty. My friends and their kids like we got the cancer. No life-line got thrown all that time, nothin' from nobody, and now you wanna help us? Help me?"


5.) Wallace

Season 4 may have been about the four kids (at least that was arguably the best part), but the best child character on The Wire during its run was Wallace. He was all four of those kids rolled into one. He had the smile and innocence of Randy. He had the sympathetic situation of Dukie. He had the poise and respect of Michael. He had the haunting realization that he both wanted life on and outside The Game that was similar to Namond. He was every character combined, and he had to die for it. Wallace was the first horrible, heart-shattering death on The Wire. And not only was he the first, he was definitely the most tragic. String dying was justice in a way. Frank Sobotka dying was no less sad than his union and industry dying. Bodie dying was sad, but was a fitting end for a man who was told by a cop was a 'soldier.' Wallace dying was just a crime. And having his two friends do it was even worse. Seeing Wallace, tears streaming down his face, pleading two his buddies that he is hard, that he is "your nigga", that he deserves to die, and seeing his friends staring back with tears running down their face. That was a powerful scene.

Wallace was the only innocent man in the crooked game. He had to be a man, as he was given the task of caring for the youngn's so they could avoid a group home. He had to wake them up, give them food and drink for school, get them out of the house, and then even teach them math. But he was also a child. He was playing with action figures off to side while Poot and Bodie were debating if one of them could get HIV from oral sex. He was a man who was man enough to call Stringer directly to tell him he had spotted Brandon, but innocent enough that he was horrified at the display made of Brandon, so much that it basically set in motion the events leading to his death. Wallace fighting with the guilt of giving up a boy who would be brutally murdered was one of The Wire first great character pieces. Every shot of Wallace, every scene of him questioning what it is he was doing, why he felt that he had to do what he did. His turn into drugs, and ultimately to the police was beautifully penned. Wallace was also perfectly acted. That face. That God Damn innocent face, quivering in fear that his life was over, a life that was lived in perfect innocence. He didn't know how far The Game could go, and how much his actions would hurt him. And how could he? He didn't know how to play chess, just young checkers.



Memorable Quotes: When talking about Brandon's "His eye was blowin out, and the other one was open. And Yo D, it fucks me up. It's like he's looking out, like he sees everything, you know." (4:38 - but the whole clip is brilliant) & "I'm yo nigga yo... We boys. Ain't gotta be like this... I'm you nigga... It's us man..."



Actually, The Top 4 deserve a different post (plus, it will be really lengthy to include them here), so I'll stop here. Other than Prop-Joe and Wee-Bey, this list includes four of the most deep characters. Three of them suffered tragic deaths, all in the penultimate episode of a season (which is no coincidence - thriller/mystery novelist George Pelecanos wrote the penultimate episode of every season, which always included a death; the other two being Stringer and Prop Joe). They all had incredible moments. They were all some of the most captivating characters on TV. The other was Bubbles, who might have been the best redemption story of a drug-addict I have ever seen, real or fake. God, what an incredible show... and there's four more brilliant ones left.

Where Will Manning Go? Pt.1

Football season may be over, but what will probably be the most insane Free Agency period is about to begin. In less than three weeks Peyton Manning will be released from the Colts. He is no way healthy enough as of right now, for the Colts to pay him $28 million on March 8th and commit to him long-term. There is a good chance that he will be healthy enough to play in 2012, but that is no guarantee. Yet, for this excercise, I will assume that he will be healthy for the 2012 season.

*** Aside ***

Peyton Manning's health issues, from what I have heard, is only about his arm strength and his nerve regeneration in his arm. His neck is no longer an issue. This idea that because of him having three neck surgeries (and four procedures, but a procedure can be anything like a stress relief procedure) is suddenly going to make him one hit away from paralysis is untrue. Now that his neck is healed, he is not substantially more likely to get paralyzed (or reinjure the neck, which is more appropriate and less extreme) than any random schmo.

Manning will be released, and I am at peace with it. The Colts will likely not be a terrible franchise because I believe in the people they have brought in, and I think Andrew Luck will be really good. Will he be Peyton? Almost assuredly not. Chances are he won't be close. Will he be Eli Manning? Very easily. My love of the Colts will outlive Peyton Manning, which actually makes it easy for me to just follow Manning to whatever team he goes to. Will I have too many teams on my plate to have three different teams? Probably, but I am fine with it. I would much rather like Manning in the NFL playing somewhere else than never playing again. I can't live with the fact that Manning's last game might be lost because of a long kick-off return and a 4th quarter comeback by Mark Sanchez. I don't want my last year of Manning to be a depressing 10-6 season that Manning basically willed himself. There has to be more to the story of the greatest football player of my lifetime.

Because of this line of thinking, I am ready to look at the potential landing spots for Peyton Manning. I am sad that I was so prescient. Two years ago, I wrote that if Peyton ever were a free-agent it would create a much more fiery media circus than LeBron's rigged free-agency tour. I wrote that Manning could have his version of "The Decision" at 5AM and draw five times more than LeBron drew for his. I am pretty sure Manning will not have a version of The Decision, but either way, the media is going to be ridiculous over Manning's free agency. Here's a quick, pre-free agency, pre-draft (I believe Manning will only sign after the draft, but I could easily be wrong) rundown of all the teams in the NFL and if they would try to sign Manning.

Teams that Won't Sign Manning Because They Don't Need To

Green Bay, New England, New Orleans, New York Giants, San Diego, Pittsburgh.  

These are the teams that employ the six best non-Peyton QBs in the NFL. They have QBs that have already received big contracts, and are already great fits in their teams. I would love some bizarre situation where Belichick releases Brady to sign Manning, but I'm not on enough drugs to think that is at all a possibility.

Teams that Won't Sign Manning But Might Have Cause To

Cincinnati, Houston, Oakland, Philadelphia, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Carolina

These are all teams that have okay QB situations, but are either too committed, too green or two close-minded to pick Manning. Dalton and Newton had good rookie seasons and should be franchise QBs. Stafford, Romo, Cutler, Schaub and Ryan are all good enough that their teams won't really think to upgrade at QB. Vick has way too much money attached, and I don't think Reid would want to coach a new QB that offense. Oakland is already over the cap. 

Teams that Won't Sign Manning Because Manning Won't Go There

Buffalo, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Denver, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, St. Louis

These are all teams that are bad. They won't compete for a title even with Manning (yes, even Denver, a 2011 playoff team). Buffalo has money locked up with Fitzpatrick, as are Freeman and Bradford in Tampa and St. Louis. I can't see him going to Jacksonville mainly because I don't think he wants to stay in the AFC South.

The Longshots to Sign Manning

Baltimore Ravens: 40/1

The Ravens are the perfect fit on paper, but I don't think they will give up on Flacco just like that. That said, I could see it happening which is why they aren't in that pod with Dallas, Detroit and the others. The Ravens old great players (Lewis, Reed) probably have the same career window that Manning has, so that works. They have a good running back. They have good weapons outside (Boldin, Smith, Dickson). I love this situation, and think it is the best pure chance to have Manning win another ring. I just don't see them dumping Flacco.

Kansas City Chiefs: 35/1

The Chiefs just don't make much sense. They don't have the weapons outside with Bowe a UFA. They have an average o-line and an up-and-down defense with a coach who is probably entering 2011 on something of a hot-seat. Matt Cassel is still owed money. I just can't see it. I also think there are teams out there that Manning sees as better bets to win than the Chiefs.

New York Jets: 25/1

The Jets are probably not signing Manning because there is still belief in Sanchez (however misguided that should be), and then there is the Eli factor. I do not think Peyton would like to play in the same city as his brother. It does limit the chance of those two ever playing (since the next time it would happen is the 2015 season), while if he picks an NFC team they could play each year, but I don't think he would ever want to be the 2nd most loved Manning in a city. Eli Manning plays for New York's favorite team. He is NYC's favorite son right now. He's Jeter. Manning would be A-Rod, but not only A-Rod, but A-Rod playing for the Mets.

The Medium Shots to Sign Manning

Tennessee Titans: 16/1

They've come out and said it won't happen, but it does make sense. The team is good. Hell, they almost somehow, inexplicably made the playoffs last year with Chris Johnson starting off slow and Matt Hasselbeck playing a big part of the season. They have a good young defense. They have a decent o-line and a running back who might get reenergized with a great QB. They have some nice WRs in Hawkins and Washington, with Kenny Britt coming back in 2012. Also, there is the college angle. Peyton was a hero in Tennessee from his college days, and some would see this as his homecoming. The reasons why I don't think this will happen (at least compared to the ones ahead) is that this would be Manning going to a divisional rival (the Colts' biggest divisional rival since the AFC South was created). He would have to play Indy twice a year.

Washington Redskins: 15/1

The only real reason is the fact that it fits everything we know about Dan Snyder. He has the money, and Peyton is everything Snyder would ever want, except unlike those other guys that he's signed over the years (Bruce Smith, Deion, Albert Haynesworth), Manning is still really good. The issue here is Shanahan. On the one hand, Shanahan has been down this road before, winning two Super Bowls in the twilight of his career (and the Elway finish is the best case scenario for Manning's final act). Shanahan would be able to give Manning a solid run game, and that defense was underrated. But Shanahan also has an ego. He likes to control his offenses, and Manning would want control of his offense. It would be a really big change for Manning to go to a place where the coach is the offense.

San Francisco: 12/1

This might be the best fit outside of Baltimore. The comparison is furthered because the problem here was the problem there, will they shove Alex Smith aside? Alex Smith, who has been loyal to that team through 58 different offensive-coordinators finally does a great Joe Montana 1981 impression and now he gets the bench? The team has the best defense in the NFL. The team will probably go out and sign a FA WR (which they have the money for) and they already have a decent o-line. It all makes sense. Jim Harbaugh would probably go for it, but I think he's tied to Alex Smith. It isn't a very strong tie, though.

The Favorites to Sign Manning

Seattle Seahawks: 7/1

The NFC West is probably the perfect division for Manning. The 49ers are obviously the huge favorite right now (unless Manning goes somewhere in the division), but each team can probably feel that it is a winnable division. The Seahawks (and the team next) have the most to gain by getting Manning. They were decent without him. Their defense was surprisingly good. They have a good weapons in Miller and Baldwin and Sidney Rice, if healthy, is a top receiver. They play in a great city to live in (this stuff might matter, and is a big plus of all the last three cities). There is little history in that city for the NFL, so he won't have to compete with some legacy of Joe Montana. He can win over Seattle easily. It works on almost every level.

Arizona Cardinals: 6/1

If Baltimore cannot happen, I want it to be Arizona. They have everything Peyton needs. They have a beast of a WR in Fitzgerald who can be a great Marvin Harrison type player for Peyton. They have two other decent receivers (Doucet, Roberts). They have a good o-line in run blocking, and a good running back in Beanie Wells. They have a defense who can get after the passer and make turnovers, which is more effective when the teams offense is better and they can blitz more. They have a coach who has done this before, as this will basically be Kurt Warner round 2.0. They have already seen to have interest as FItzgerald was "dining" with Manning (which was probably some form of a courting dinner), and Whisenhunt has already told the press that he was unsatisfied with both his QBs. This was a team that ended the season 8-8, compiled with some close losses, with John Skelton primarily. The only reason why this might not happen is if there is too much money tied up with Kolb.

Miami Dolphins: 11/2

And the team that I think are slight favorites. They are kind of like the Cardinals of the AFC. They have a defense that would probably be better with a lead. They have a decent running game, as well as a great receiver (Marshall) and some other good weapons. Manning could really do a lot with a multi-threat like Reggie Bush. The o-line is good. Plus, we get Manning vs. Brady twice a year! He gets to live in Miami, and he can be the new Dan Marino in a city really wanting a great QB again. They have no QB they are really tied to (Henne and Moore have far less money attached than Kolb), and are in a conference that is trending downwards overall. The only reason I don't want him going to Miami is because Miami overall is a bad sports town, and the Cardinals fans have really stayed in the post-Warner years (that place was rocking late last season and is a really underrated home-field advantage). I wouldn't really like Manning in the AFC, but Miami is a place he can win with. 

I will update this when some of the Free-Agent moves are made, and after the draft if the matter isn't settled yet.

The Wire: Top 50 Characters #23-11

23.) Duquan "Dukie" Weems



Dukie was probably the most pitiable, sympathetic member of the Little 4 Boys. His private life was built to be so openly awful. What a beautiful display of abject poverty, and the hidden treasures that lie in the piles of rubbish in deep Baltimore. One of the most special moments of the run of the show was when Dukie's face lights up when he gets the computer working. The one thing that ruined Dukie for me is that I saw his slide into drugs, and into working with the scrap-man as a little too quick. Dukie had the strongest moral standing of any of the kids, so his quick turn into a drug addict seemed off key. Dukie could have been so much more as a character, just as he could have been so much more as a person, but I guess that is the point.

 
22.) Chris Partlow



The Wee-Bey of the Stanfield crew, Partlow had about 1% more personality than Stanfield, but his stone demeanor felt more apt in his role as main enforcer. Partlow's calmness made his more human, more emotional moments seem so much more extreme. His callous beating of Michael's molester, drumming him like a mule. His quick thinking of asking each presumed foreign dealer a Baltimore related question was a stroke of genius. Partlow was a machine-like killer, but it was the mix of a calculating military general with a man ready to explode that made hm an intriguing character.

Memorable Quotes: "You ain't never want to be the last man to a party," & when he was forcing Bodie to take Stanfield's package, "Why ain't in your repertoire anymore." 


21.) Dennis "Cutty" Wise



I will say from now on until the #1 character, every single one is brilliant. Every one is brilliantly constructed, written, and acted. They are all round and dense. This is why The Wire is so brilliant. There are 21 incredible characters. Cutty was the only story of redemption gained in the run of The Wire. His transformation from inmate to returning enforcer to man without a cause, to owner and runner of a gym, to mentor. Cutty was the man of many roles, and he played them all well. His run in the gym might have been the only story on The Wire with a true happy ending. That said, it was always tough to see him try to reach out to boys like Spyder and more so Michael. Cutty was the symbol that the prison can do its intended process, that it can rehabilitate. And seeing Cutty changed by his time in prison, and reject his past and try to become a teacher a mentor so completely was wonderful. 

Memorable Quotes: "I ain't making myself clear. The Game ain't in me no more. None of it." (1:40) & "Young man, if I was talking to you, you would know." (0:45)


20.) Ziggy Sobotka



A lot of people thought he was a bad, annoying character and the worst of the Sobotka family members. I completely disagree. There was a better Sobotka, but Ziggy was such a complex character, a true Greek tragic figure. Ziggy, as Alan Sepinwall said, was a person who was just a clown. Had he gone to a normal college, he could have found a nice niche as a Frat joker. He was just misunderstood and misplaced in a world that demanded exacting work and patience from a man that had neither. Zig wanted to be his father. At least that is what he externally wanted, but it was the conflict between his desire and the fact that he just was not the person who could achieve it was the brilliance of Ziggy Sobotka. His crazy death spiral into a manic murderer, who shook and laughed in fear after offing the person who laughed at him one too many times, was just a startling storyline.

Memorable Quotes: "No, oh no. No Fucking Way. We had a deal montherfucker. You listen to me. It was my fucking ass on the line; mine. And this piddling shit, you don't play me like that. You don't!... Fuck you, you thieving Greek cunt.", with the duck, "Like I'm the only guy in South Baltimore to try to win the affections of a farm animal." & to his dad, "I remember when you all went down to picket them scabs at Covington piers... I remember when fat rick was killed dead... I remember everything, everything."


19.) D'Angelo Barsksdale



The first of four main S1 members who would be dead by S4, D'Angelo was one of the most interesting, complete characters in the show's history. He was the first man to question what the game was all about. He was the first one to think that violence does not need a place in the game. In many ways, he was the Barksdale version of Ziggy. He wanted to be Avon's protege, but he knew that this was not him, that in the end he was heading down an alley that was too dark and dangerous for him. Like Ziggy, he ended behind bars for years and years. D'Angelo was a figure who could both gain the largest of sympathy from the viewer while being someone who started the show escaping a murder charge that he was all too guilty of. His heart was what made him great. His heart was what also made him a victim, a man who wanted in and wanted out of the game at the same time.

Memorable Quotes: "This look like money to you, motherfucker. Money be green.", in the prison book-club about Gatsby, "You can change up, right? You can say you somebody new, you can give yourself a whole new story. But what came first - is who you really are. And what happened before - is what really happened. And it don't matter if some fool say he different, cause the only thing that make you different is what you do, is what you really go through." (0:42) & of course, "Where's Wallace at? Where's the boy, String?... Where's Wallace?... Where the fuck is Wallace, huh? String. String! Look at me! Where the fuck is Wallace?" (0:41)


18.) Roland "Prez(bo)" Prebylewski



No character grew as a person more than Prez. He was a hump cop that had a serious complex that he was too nerdy, too dumb to be a real police. His stunt where he cold-cocked that kid and blinded him in S1 just reassured the idea that Prez was (and here is a theme) a guy who wanted to be a cop and didn't at the same time (like Zig, and D'Angelo). Then we saw him crack a code, and a brilliant character was born. Prez was a genius who was tied to his personal heaven and hell at the same time as he was tied to inside office work. This allowed to see the brighter side of police-work, the side where he could make a difference. Of course, when he woke up from hibernation and was allowed back outside he unsuspectingly shot a cop. Which allowed him to go to school. Prez the teacher was an inspired move. He saw how he could really help Baltimore, really connect to people. His scenes with the kids were Gold. His relationship with Dukie was inspired. Prezbo became an incredible work of art.

Memorable Quote: "You trick them into thinking they aren't learning, and they do."


17.) Bunny Colvin



Bunny Colvin, the quiet star of the show's 3rd season, was a character who really grew on me. In the beginning, I found his whole idea of Hamsterdam a little too ridiculous for even The Wire, but when you see the incredible lengths he had gone in thinking that idea true, and the person of great character he was behind his idea, he became an incredibly well constructed character. It was obvious that the only reason Colvin thought of actually pulling his idea of a drug-free zone off was that he was about to retire anyway, but the idea itself worked. The saddest part of his storyline was almost everyone, from Rawls to Carcetti, saw the merit of the idea, saw that the idea of a drug-free zone made sense in every way. However, minds that challenge convention and push the edge of the envelope have no place in Baltimore. The fact that he decided to pull his idea in a more direct setting and help brash kids, and then had the heart to pull Namond away from a life of sure destruction. Colvin was really the closest thing the show had to a true hero in the sense of the word.

Memorable Quote: when introducing Hamsterdam, "Somewheres, back in the dawn of time, this district had itself a civic dilemma of epic proportion. The city council had just passed a law that forbid alcoholic consumption in public places, on the streets and on the corners. But the corner is, and it was, and it always will be the poor man's lounge. It's where a man wants to be on a hot summer's night. It's cheaper than a bar, catch a nice breeze, you watch the girls go by. But the law is the law. And the Western cops, rolling by, what were they going to do? If they arrested every dude out there tipping back a High Life, there'd be no other time for any other kind of police work. And if they looked the other way, they'd open themselves to all kinds of flaunting, all kinds of disrespect. Now, this is before my time when it happened, but somewhere back in the '50s or '60s, there was a small moment of goddamn genius by some nameless smoke hound who comes out the Cut Rate one day and on his way to the corner, he slips that just-bought pint of elderberry into a paper bag. A great moment of civic compromise. That small wrinkled-ass paper bag allowed the corner boys to have their drink in peace, and it gave us permission to go and do police work. The kind of police work that's worth the effort, that's worth actually taking a bullet for. Dozerman, he got shot last night trying to buy three vials. Three! There's never been a paper bag for drugs. Until now." (0:50)


16.) Jay Landsman



These next two might be totally way too high, but they are here just because they were consistently brilliant, not because they were all that deep. Landsman was nothing more than a consistent source of comedy for five seasons. His description of Fraemon and Bunk's style was hilarious. His ability to suck up to Rawls caused fits of laughter. His constant eating was a great idea. Mr. Overall's was the comic in the BPD. Nothing though was better than his speeches at the Police Wakes of Ray Cole and Jimmy. Jay Landsman liked nothing more than having fun, staring at nudie magazines, and staying put in a job he loved.

Memorable Quote: "Although there is some small charm to a woman being in uniform, we wear plain clothes in homicide. Which is not to say the clothes need to be plain. For you, I suggest some pantsuits, muted in color. Something to offset Detective Moreland's pinstripe lawyerly affectations and the brash, tweedy impertinence of Detective Freeman."


15.)William Rawls

Bill Rawls was a bad guy. He cared more about keeping his status than bettering the department. However, the biggest difference between him and Burrell was he didn't want to cheat. He didn't want to play games. He just wanted to get the most clearances he could. He wanted people to solve cases. Rawls demanded everything of his subordinates, and I loved him for it. His feud with and hatred for McNulty was so genuinely played that I sure thought he actually hated actor Dominic West and was playing that hatred out for real. Bill Rawls also gave one of the most real, least pandering speeches in the history of the show when he demanded McNulty to stop acting like a self-hating pissant after Kima was shot. Rawls was actually what a realistic head of a police department should be. Tough, caring and wanting fair police work.

Memorable Quote: "Listen to me, you fuck. You played a lot of cards, and, you made a lot of fucking people do a lot of things they didn't want to do... You, McNulty are a gaping asshole. We both know the, and fuck if everybody in CID didn't know it. But, I'll be also fucked if I let you sit here and think you did a single fucking thing to get a fucking cop shot. Believe it or not, not everything is about you. And the motherfucker telling you this, he fucking hates your guts. So, you know, if it was on you, I'd be the son of a bitch to tell you."(2:03 - but the whole scene is great Rawls), & after finding out about the fake serial killer, "You're not killing them yourself, McNulty? At least assure me of that." (0:29)


14.) Randy Wagstaff

Randy Wagstaff, the highest ranking member of the four kids, was the symbol of how easy innocence can be lost. He did nothing wrong but help lookout for two guys tag-teaming a girl in the bathroom. He did nothing wrong, but speak to the cops because he was afraid. He did nothing wrong, but he lost his foster mother, lost his house, and finally lost his innocence. Seeing Randy bulky and rugged in Season 5 was more heartbreaking to me than seeing Dukie take drugs (which just made me angry), or Michael turn into a killer. Seeing Randy lose that beautiful smile, that way of life was just horrible.

Memorable Quote: Yelling at Carver who let him down, "You gonna help, huh? You gonna look out for me? You gonna look out for me, Sgt. Carver? You mean it? You gonna look out for me? You promise? You got my back, huh?" (2:13)


13.) Bunk Moreland



I really had a hard time picking the order of the next two. They were clearly the 2nd and 3rd best characters from the BPD. Moreland was just so well done. He was McNulty, but was consistently charming. He was the perfect subordinate. He toed the line, did his job (and did it damn well), but didn't demand anything more or less from his job. He saw his work as his work. He knew how to play the bureaucratic game better than most. What I loved about Moreland to was his incredibly brazen, drunken attitude. McNulty was the person that we wanted a cop to be, while Moreland was the person that was what a cop is at his best. In Bunk we Trust.

Memorable Quote: "I'm just a humble mother fucker with a big ass dick... OK then. I'm not that humble," (0:24) & when chiding Omar, "Makes me a sick motherfucker how far we done fell." (3:37 - whole scene is great).


12.) Lester Freamon



Cool Lester Smooth. He was 'The Boss' of the BPD. He was the most interesting police in the world. He was a genius of a cop. He carved miniature furniture. He landed a classy stripper (believe me, not an oxymoron in this case). He believed in his work, but he believed in doing what he thought was right (not what the BPD thought was right). Lester Freamon was the guy who realized that Stanfield was dumping bodies in houses, and he was the guy who went along with McNulty's fake serial killer plan. Cool Lester Smooth. He wasn't just the black McNulty, but the black McNulty with more moves.

Memorable Quote: "You follow the drugs, you get drug addicts and drug dealers. You follow the money? You don't know where the fuck is going to take you."


11.) Spiros Vondas



I first had him a bit higher, but then I realized that he didn't have as much complexity as I first thought. He definitely fit the bill that the #2's are more important in most organizations (Stringer, Asst. Principal Donnelly, Burrell and Rawls as Deputies). Vondas was the classic gangster. He was calm. confident, calculating. He never got too hot or too cold, and mostly, he was loyal and saw potential. His fondness for Nick, viewing him as a protege and someone to mentor into the business was really the only other side he had, but that first side was good enough. He gave one half of the best dichotomy of lines in The Wire's history. The embodiment of capitalism (as The Wire showrunner David Simon called him and The Greek) was also the embodiment of the high profile gangster, the man who was high enough that however violent he was, he knew nothing would be brought back on him.

Memorable Quote: About Nick knowing his name, "He knows my name... but my name is not my name." (6:38)



The Top 10 is next, and they are all absolutely brilliant.

2011 NFL Playoffs: Looking Back at the Best Playoffs in Years

The 2011 season was God Awful for me. The Colts went 2-14. More importantly, Peyton Manning's career might be over, and his career with the Colts is almost certainly over. The Raiders blew a division title and Hue Jackson 15 minutes of fame came with a huge cost: one 1st round pick, and another 2nd. Of course, that pick could become another 1st if Palmer leads the Raiders to the AFC Title Game in 2012, which if that is the case, I guess I don't hate the trade (btw, I like getting Palmer. I think the Raiders will be a playoff team in 2012 - and if not for a ridiculous amounts of injuries to skill position guys, this was a playoff team in 2011 and a dangerous one), but I hate what it has led to. Then, the Pats got the 1st seed in the AFC again. Of course, I also had to see offense just turn the tables on defense, mainly because QBs are being protected to silly degrees. I'm sorry, but no matter how good Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Stafford are, they never should have ALL had the years they had in the same year. It was basically the steroid era of football in one season. Let's see if it continues in 2011. I'll say it now: No QB is throwing for 5,000 yards next year.

Anyway, I wrote before the playoffs started that this was a pivotal playoffs for the NFL if they didn't want to lose the defensive-fan base. Fans of defense were hanging on a thread all year. Fans of the idea that teams can be constructed in more than one way were hanging on a thread. Of course, in the end the Super Bowl pitted two teams with 4,900+ yd QBs and horrific pass defenses (at least in the regular season) but they fact that they were basically even with the defensive-oriented 49ers and Ravens? That made me smile. I mean, the Super Bowl could have easily, with changing just one play in each game (Evans holds onto the ball, and Bradshaw's forward progress was not deemed to have been stopped before fumbling), been a match up of Joe Flacco and Alex Smith at QB. In fact, I kind of wish this was the Super Bowl because that would have created some internal tension between all the people that have spent the year orgasming at Brady, Brees & Rodgers. Of course, we got a different matchup, but a very good game, and thankfully for me, Brady losing.

Here are my random thoughts on Super Bowl XLVI and the 2011 Playoffs in general:

• This might have been the best combination of title games and Super Bowl I have ever seen. Firstly, for the first time that I can remember we had two great Title Games. 2009 had a classic in Minnesota-New Orleans, and a fun game in Jets-Colts. 2008 had two close games. But this was two great games. That day of football was incredible. I do think the Ravens-Pats game would be remembered more fondly five years from now if it goes to OT (or Evans makes the catch). The fact that it ended with that field goal miss really hurt. The NFC Title Game was just perfect. Old-school football, in one of the few remaining cathedrals of football in Candlestick. That was an epic, and I can't wait to set aside three hours and watch it again.
• That said, the fact that the first two rounds of the playoffs gave us just two memorable games (Steelers-Broncos, Saints-49ers), and a few other interesting but ultimately forgettable games (CIN-HOU, HOU-BAL) and then a bunch of blowouts, does make the 2011 postseason a little less memorable. I am not sure if collectively it was as great a postseason as 2006. In fact, let's do a breakdown:
• Wild Card Round (worth 3/4ths of the other rounds): 2006 {Chiefs 8 @ Colts 23; Cowboys 20 @ Seahawks 21; Jets 16 @ Patriots 37; Giants 20 @ Eagles 23} vs. 2011 {Bengals 10 @ Texans 31, Lions 28 @ Saints 45, Falcons 2 @ Giants 24, Steelers 23 @ Broncos 29}
• I give 2006 a 8/10 (there's a curve for Wild Card weekend which almost always features some bad games). The only forgettable game was the first one. The Romo Fumble game is probably one of the 10 most famous playoff games in the past 10 years. The Jets-Pats game was closer than the score, and had the Mangini/Belichick handshake feud factor (remember, the handshake stuff started before Spygate). The Giants-Eagles game was a forgotten great game. I give 2011 a 6.5/10. It did have one classic game in the Tebow Redemption. The Bengals @ Texans game was exiting just because it was the first playoff game in Houston. The Saints game and Giants games were both extremely boring in the 2nd half.
• Divisional Round: 2006 {Colts 15 @ Ravens 6; Eagles 24 @ Saints 27; Seahawks 24 @ Bears 27; Patriots 27 @ Chargers 24} vs. 2011 {Saints 32 @ 49ers 36; Broncos 10 @ Patriots 45; Texans 13 @ Ravens 20; Giants 37 @ Packers 20}
• I give 2006 a 9.5. It is almost impossible to get a 10/10, and I probably give this the dinstinction of the best playoff weekend I have ever seen. My God, does it get better than that. The Colts @ Ravens game was the only one decided by more than 3 points, and it was a real slugfest of a game, a great chess match between Manning and the best defense of the past 5 years. The Saints game is still the loudest playoff atmosphere I have seen. It was the first playoff game in the Superdome since Katrina. The Bears/Seahawks game is probably the most underrated overtime playoff game of the past 10 years. The Chargers/Patriots game was an instant-classic, with Marty's final act, the "clutch" 3-int performance of Brady, and the whole LT vs. Belichick classy debate after. Man, what a weekend. I give 2011 a 6/10. There was one awful game at the most fun timeslot. There was another boring slugfest (Texans @ Ravens). Giants @ Packers was fun in a way, but the only game I would watch again is the Saints @ 49ers, which was admittedly an awesome game and probably on its own better than any of the 2006 games.
• Conference Title Sunday: 2006 {Saints 14 @ Bears 39; Patriots 34 @ Colts 38} vs. 2011 {Ravens 20 @ Patriots 23; Giants 20 @ 49ers 17}
• This is incredibly difficult. I'll give 2006 a 8/10. The Pats/Colts game arguably the best non-Super Bowl in at least 20 years. The Bears Saints game was a 2 point game late in the 3rd quarter. It was by no means a great game, and was really sloppy, but it was definitely more entertaining than that scoreline would indicate. The 2011 pair gets a 9.5/10 though. That was incredible. I don't either game individually was as good as the Pats/Colts game, but the Giants/49ers was damn close. That was truly an epic. Books could be written about that game.
• Super Bowl: 2006 {Colts 29 vs. Bears 17} vs. 2011 {Giants 21 vs. Patriots 17}
• This isn't close. I will say that 2006 featured the best 1st quarter in Super Bowl history. There were three 50+ yard plays, Hester's KO Ret TD, Wayne's long TD, Three turnovers, and a bobbled hold. All in the 1st quarter. Also it gets some bonus points for being in the rain. The 2006 game gets a 7/10. This past week gets a 9/10. Great game between two totally even teams. That was the best part about it.
• Final Tally 2006 (8/10 * .75 + 9.5/10 + 8/10 + 7/10) = .7625 vs. 2011 (6.5/10 *.75 + 6/10 + 9.5/10 + 9/10) = .7344. 2006 wins, by a hair.
• Anyway, now that that extremely long, pointless tangent is over, let's get back to the Super bowl.
• Eli Manning is not better than Peyton Manning. I love Eli. He's given me two great fan moments in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI. He's slayed my most hated dragon. He's also been a key member of two epic NFC Title Games. He's also the younger brother of my favorite QB, and what Peyton loves, we love. That said, please. He is not better than Eli. After the Super Bowl every show asked the same question about Eli, which was "Is he a Hall of Famer?". If there even needs to be a debate about that, then how the hell is "Is Eli better than Peyton?" even up for debate? Peyton Manning was recently ranked by a panel of old players, coaches, executives and journalists as the #8 NFL Player of all time (this was before the 2010 season). Peyton has more MVP's than Eli has pro-bowl appearances. This was by far Eli's best statistical season of his career (regular season), and it would be behind Peyton's 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 seasons. Basically, at this juncture, Eli's best season was comaprable to Peyton's 7th best season.
• That said, Eli is going to be a HOFer. So is Tom Coughlin. The media I feel like only puts more importance on Super Bowls now than they used to, even though people generally are smarter when analyzing sports. People who are smart when analyzing sports realize that teams win games and players don't. Also, a QB can perform well and lose. Peyton has perfected this. Anyway, Congratulations to Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin and the rest of the Giants. Incredible Job.
• For the fifth time in seven years, a team that did not have a first-round bye won the Super Bowl. I think the days of the bye teams dominating is long past. That said, I wouldn't try to make this into something more important than it is. This doesn't mean teams should not aim for the bye, or be afraid of resting their starters (didn't seem to hurt anyone in 2009 apart from San Diego and Cincinnati). But people should no longer get angry that weaker and weaker teams are winning Super Bowls.
• The Giants should be good next year. I actually think they are going to follow the same formula from 2007 just a little but further. In 2008, the Giants started out 11-1 and were the best team in the NFL at that point. Around that time, Plax decided to shoot himself in the leg, and then Eli discovered that he couldn't throw in the wind in the Divisional Round against the Eagles. In 2012, I think something similar will happen. It would not surprise me to see the Giants go 13-3. Also, if I had to pick who to play the role of Plax, I'll go with Victor Cruz. He already seems to love dancing, so a night club with a gun is just two steps away.
• That said, it would not surprise me to see the Giants not win a playoff game next year. The NFC is just loaded right now. The Packers, 49ers and Saints are due for some regression, but the Lions are still on the upswing, and the Eagles should definitely be better. The Bears get Cutler back, and when he got hurt, the Bears were a top-5 team. Also, when Peyton Manning's laces it up for the Cardinals, you have them in the mix as well. 
• As for the AFC. It looks like a done deal for the Pats to get back right now, but I think the Ravens and Steelers will be right there. People seem to think that the Ravens are old on defense, but that age is primarily Lewis and Reed, who are both nowhere near as essential to the Ravens as they were three years ago (especially Lewis). The Texans should also be great assuming they don't have horrific injury luck again. That said, the AFC is not deep at all. Sleeper team: San Diego. I can't wait to get screwed over by them again.
• To finish this up, Congratulations again to the Giants. They showed again how hard work and team play, as well as supreme confidence, can make any team great. Of course, it helps when that team is also talented and capable of playing great. The Giants have now saved me from two more Patriots titles and I can't thank them enough. Thanks, Big Blue.

Enjoy the offseason!!!