Late Entry

I just wasn't ready to deliver Sunday. That's all there is to it. Besides, you wouldn't want me to pull an "Oakland/Randy Moss" and just go through the motions now, would you?

Super Bowl 42
I don’t know why folks were surprised with the early 14 point line on this game. It’s gone down some since (currently 12), but we assume that’s because Tom Brady isn’t 100%. We still like the Pats to win big and see no reason to change our mind.

Romeo Extended
RC got a two-year extension from the Browns. Congratulations to what seems like a very nice guy getting paid. We’ve stated several times we saw no need to extend so quickly – especially when you consider he’s been in town three years without a playoff appearance on his resume yet.

You can see with this extension how low the bar is set in Cleveland when it comes to what is considered success in NFL football terms.

Regardless, here’s hoping it works out for all concerned. Otherwise, the Lerner family will again be paying two head coaches at the same time by ’09 – something they unfortunately already have experience doing.

No Common Sense
We often harp on the lack of common sense in sports. Another case in point – Redskins’ owner Daniel Snyder recently hired a new offensive coordinator (Jim Zorn) –a former lefty Seahawk quarterback back when we were in our teens. The only problem is this – they (Redskins) don’t have a head coach.

How can you hire someone to run your offense when the head coach isn’t in place? Doesn’t it make sense that the new head coach might want his own guy calling plays?
Not in the NFL, not in 2008.

If I am an established NFL head coach, I wouldn’t go anywhere near a job where the owner already has chosen part of my staff. But of course, money talks, and everyone seems to have his price these days.

Jason Kidd
The word is Danny Ferry and company are back in pursuit of a sidekick for LJ. We’ve been here several times before. They came up short on Mike Bibby numerous times and failed to get KG in the off-season. Kidd has officially asked to be traded – so he’s probably finally headed out of NJ. The only question is where.

This observer would like to add Kidd obviously, he's a Hall of Famer, but there is a catch. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective. That would mean taking it out of LJ’s hands for much of the game. We have always felt James is at his best when he’s playing the Magic Johnson role – creating either for himself or for others. The problem is the "others' in Cleveland, more often than not, fail.

Magic thought pass first and shot second because he had other Hall fo Famers around him (i.e. Kareem & Worthy). James has to think shot first – especially down the stretch – because he has mediocre talent around him.

The point is this move (adding Kidd) would save some wear and tear on James and keep him fresh for games in May, and possibly beyond, since he would not have to initiate the offense all the time, but it wouldn’t utilize all his skills.

Secondly, Kidd can’t shoot. The team needs perimeter shooting and picking up Kidd does nothing to address that problem.

Regardless, we would support such a move because Kidd is unselfish, is a stat-sheet stuffer, makes others around him much better and is still one of the game’s 15 best players. We only hope the Cavaliers can keep AV out of any deal for Kidd. We love the energy Andy brings to the table every night. That's rare in the NBA these days.

What is intriguing is by adding Kidd, the Cavaliers would have two of the three best players in the NBA in terms of making others better – Kidd and James. The other is a Canadian who plays point guard for the Suns.

That’s not so bad - the supporting cast in Cleveland needs all the help they can get.

After all that, I don’t expect Ferry to pull anything this major off. His track record indicates he’s all talk and no go. We hope we’re wrong on this one. No one, I repeat, no one, has been pleading for the Cavaliers to get some REAL help for James longer and louder than this corner.

In the end, we think DF will end up tinkering with the roster instead of making us go WOW. We'll see.

The Best
Speaking of Steve Nash – pound for pound, he may be the best athlete in the world right now. If you agree with my thesis that NBA players are, as a group, arguably the best athletes in the world, then a two-time league MVP who is barely 6-0/180 pounds might qualify as the best athlete on the planet right now. He is amazing to watch.

Hot Stove Season
The Tribe recently signed R. Betancourt for two years and made CC an offer.
There is no way Betancourt can duplicate in ’08 what he did in ’07, but anything close to last year’s performance will mean he’s earned his money this summer. He was the best set-up man in baseball in ’07.

As for CC, it looks like a hometown discount will be around $17-18 million per – assuming he’d get at least $20 million a year on the open market. The sticking point may not be the yearly amount but the number of years on the deal.

Traditionally, large market teams overwhelm free agents with extra years on deals the hometown team can’t afford to match.

We look for CC and his people to wait to see what happens to the Twins’ Santana before ever signing on the dotted line. If Santana is dealt prior or during the ’08 season - which is a probability - then signs a huge deal with his new club, CC will use that deal as leverage.

Either way, we would be pleasantly stunned if CC signs with the Tribe this season without seeing what evolves with Santana first.

Remember - Pats 42 Giants 20

I won't watch any of the post-game however. Watching Bill B. raise yet another Super Bowl trophy would make me go into convulsions.