I saw about two minutes of the Seahawks – Bears game last weekend and turned it off. I tuned out and took a nap right after the Seahawks punted from what appeared to be the Bears’ 41 yard line on fourth and 1 early in the first quarter. I could be wrong on the yards and distance since I wasn’t paying close attention, but the point was Seattle was playing not to lose instead of playing to win. That told me it would likely be a long day for the under .500 playoff team led by one of many coaching carpetbaggers - Pete Carroll.
By contrast, The Patriots went for 2 down 2 to the Jets when most coaches would have played it safe and kicked the PAT. New England was playing to win. Granted they didn’t win, but you could clearly see with that move why the Pats overachieved all season long. We predicted NE’s playoff demise a week ago, but that won’t stop this corner from also making the case this was Mr. Bill’s best single-season coaching job ever. He didn’t win a championship, but did lead a team in transition to the #1 seed in the rugged AFC in 2010.
As for the playoffs, I have felt for the past few weeks the best organization in pro sports – the Steelers – would be the best bet to be left standing when the smoke clears. I see no reason to change that view. They are solid once again in all three phases, are experienced at playing at this time of year and are the most physical team left in the post-season. I would be surprised if the Jets keep it close this weekend. Of course, I have been wrong before.
Jim Thome re-signed with the Twins this past week. I wonder if the Indians made a pitch for him. He signed a one-year/$3 million deal. Granted, the Twins are a contender and he probably preferred such a club, but the Indians would have been wise to attempt to bring him back. It would be a good PR move and the guy is still a better left-handed bat than anything they have at 1B/DH heading into 2011.
Boy, did Brett Favre retire one year too late. His legacy was slightly tarnished by how he played this season, and the fact that for the first time in his career, he was banged up all year. More importantly, is reputation was damaged even more with the public airing of his alleged tendency to chase the office staff skirts. Had he not played in 2010, some of these sordid details might not have been made public, or at minimum, would not have received as much media attention since all Favre had to do was say the following to the commissioner or anyone else who asked – “Hey, I’m retired. This never came up when I was playing. And I’m not answering any questions now. I am no longer an employee of the NFL. Please respect my privacy wishes.”
The Indians hired Mike Hargrove recently as a “special assistant’ meaning he will be doing some consulting, working with players in Spring Training and doing some PR appearances. Good move. I prefer he were in the dugout full-time as the head chief and said so when the opening came up after the 2009 season. However, this is a step in the right direction. Grover has spent the bulk of his baseball career in this organization. He and his wife still live in town and are very active in the community. Besides all that, he knows what he’s doing.
The NFL really has it figured out. There’s a reason it is the most popular sport in this country by far. It has five distinct seasons – camp, the regular season, the playoff/Super Bowl, free agency and the draft. Each is covered by the media 24-7 with fans following every two-a-day session, rumor, 40 times, etc., like it’s the end of the world if your team doesn’t sign the Ravens’ free agent nickel back to a 4-year deal. Talk about PR heaven. This is why a semi-meaningless regular season Monday night football game outdraws a MLB championship series contest every time. And we are about to enter “draft-nick” heaven. This is when Mel Kiper and company become God-like in the minds of so many. This part of “NFL Year Round” is the most ridiculous season of all for me. Year in, year out, there are more free agents in the NFL than there are first round picks at any given time. That’s all you need to know about the “experts” and their views.
Every time Phil Jackson opens his mouth, I think “pompous ass.” Of course, if you’ve won as many titles as he has, you are allowed to be full of yourself. The fact that he has coached arguably two (MJ/KB) of the game’s half dozen best players of all-time doesn’t hurt.
Carmelo Anthony may be the most overrated NBA player of all-time. The guy has won absolutely nothing. He’s a terrific scoring machine. However, he’s an average rebounder, average passer, subpar defender and not exactly a team leader. When he came into the league, I compared him to Paul Pierce in terms of skill set when everyone else grouped him with James & Wade. I’m not sure now he will ever reach Pierce status although some morons already believe he’s there. Pierce already has a title, has improved his defense over the years, has been willing to sacrifice numbers for the good of the team and he doesn’t make waves. Pierce is going into the HOF. Bottom line – Anthony is not a “great player.” At least not yet, regardless of what you hear.
Am I the only one who thinks those damn hand dryers in the john are useless? It takes me longer to dry my hands than to take a piss.
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