Daily Madden: NFL In London And Giants Take Lead With Game 5 Win
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Over the weekend Coach Madden watched The Detroit Lions play the Atlanta Falcons, but he had to get up pretty early in the morning. The game started at 6:30 a.m. Pacific Time because it was played at London's Wembley Stadium.
The coach said he starts his day watching football, which entails pre-game shows and even pre-pre-game shows. So with the time difference he got to maintain all his pre-game viewing and jump right into the end of the Lions-Falcons game.
Detroit came in from behind; Atlanta had them at 21 to nothing, so you don't need to see that. The next thing you know, Detroit is coming back and then they win the game 22-21. "Seeing the end of a game that starts at 6 a.m. isn't a bad deal. Seeing the beginning of it, I'm not so sure you need it."
Meanwhile, KCBS morning anchor Stan Bunger is back from travelling in England. With the Giants in the World Series, Coach Madden was surprised that Bunger, who he called a "big fan", was missing the games to go on vacation. It turns out Bunger is an "astute" businessman according to KCBS sports anchor Steve Bitker. Bunger was able to make some pretty decent money from selling his Giants tickets. It's been said that people selling tickets can make down payments on next year's season tickets or pay their property taxes with their profits. Bunger clarified that his vacation was planned a year in advance and he had no idea then that his team would be in the World Series.
Madden noted Giants' shortstop Brandon Crawford had a good night last night in Game 5 against the Kansas City Royals, assisting with the Giants 3-2 lead in the series. He's one of those players that comes under the radar and makes a lot of good plays. "He seems to get a lot of hits and I can never figure why his batting average isn't higher," said Madden.
Turning to managerial duties, it was noted that Giants' Manager Bruce Bochy has more of a subdued style compared to some of the great baseball managers from the past. There's been Tommy Lasorda and Tony La Russa who had big personalities that you couldn't ignore, but Bochy really isn't that guy. Madden said that winning makes you that guy. There were others similar to Bochy's disposition that were cool and collected, but the more wins and championships you accumulate; you do become that guy.