We'll cover a dozen items this time around in case we are out of action for a while (explained later).
I have never seen a college game where the teams locked down defensively as well as Connecticut and Butler did for 40 minutes a few weeks ago. No, it wasn’t an “ugly game” like many would have you believe. That was very good defense played by Butler and phenomenal defense played by the Huskies. Connecticut was more athletic and longer overall and that was the difference when the smoke cleared.
Some players get traded because they have a poor work ethics, some because they can’t knock down a jumper while others are banished elsewhere because they don’t guard anyone. In Phoenix, Jason Richardson was traded because he allegedly fathered a child with Hall of Famer Steve Nash’s wife. Ouch! By the way, that sort of drama happens more often than you think in pro sports.
Based on what I saw during the NCAA Tournament, there isn’t a lot of difference between the first pick in the upcoming NBA draft and the 10th. Therefore, the teams with the best player personnel departments will earn their keep this June.
Kudos to Byron Scott for getting the Cavaliers to play hard down the stretch. That’s not easy to do when you have the league’s worst record for all but one week of the season. By the way, the OSU kid (JS) is crazy if he doesn't come out early. He's a top-3 pick in my book based on what I saw. He is extremely polished with his back to the basket for a 19-year old, is fundamentally sound and has an NBA body. The only question with him is if he will eventually be just an 18/10 guy or 21+/11+ player. That answer will depend to a great degree on if/when he develops an elbow jumper facing the hoop. If he does, it will extend his career (less wear and tear inside) and make him awful difficult to defend. And yes, I know he doesn't play above the rim. But that's why he's so skilled below it. He's had to work at it.
The Indians are over .500 at the moment. Enjoy it fans – they won’t likely stay there. The starting pitching is mediocre at best and ditto for the offense and defense. Sorry. It is what it is. Now, if Sizemore comes all the way back, Travis Hafner dips his shoulder in steroids goo and Fausto Carmona goes off all year, they could contend, but I don’t see them going 3–for-3. A 75-87 record looks about right.
How does Cam Newton go from not being able complete passes playing simple catch with receivers in shorts and a t-shirt on a pro day to being considered the #1 pick in the draft? Someone explain that to me. While you are at it, explain how these same experts who think he should go #1 add that he’s "not polished, possesses poor mechanics, is somewhat immature, isn't ready for a pro-system, and is a project (aka: needs time on the bench)"? If you go #1, shouldn’t you be ready to play? If he’s the best player in this draft, I’m a founding member of mensa (“a top 2% intellectual” for those of you verbally challenged). The NFL first round is the easiest evaluation process to get right. You heard me. You have several years of tape on most of these guys, you have access to all their coaches, and opposing coaches, these kids aren't 18 and wet behind the ears but are in the early 20s already, and you get to pick them apart in person in Indianapolis and in individual personal workouts. Come on. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's a duck.
Speaking of Newton, Auburn is putting up a monument/statue of him in front of their stadium, along with the school’s two previous Heisman Trophy winners. I’m not sure that’s a good idea, especially if/when the NCAA tells Auburn it has to give its national championship and Heisman (aka: Reggie Bush) back because of high jinks with Newton and/or his old man. I’d lay the odds at 50-50 right now of that happening. Of course, the statue will probably stay since the NCAA can’t make you take that down. Oh well, I guess one out of three isn’t bad. Those numbers get you into the baseball HOF.
My new whipping boy is Blake Griffith of the Clippers. Yes, I know he went 22/11 in his rookie year and he’s an exciting, hard-nosed player who will get better, but this dude has had more air time on ESPN than MJ received when he was winning titles every year. The guy can really dunk – we get it!
D. Ware of the Cowboys gave back his $60,000 check from the NFL Players’ Union given out to all NFL player so they feed their families and pay the light bill during the strike. The story isn’t that Ware did a nice thing by basically saying “I don’t need it, give it to someone who does.” The story here is that athletes who average $1.7 million a year in earnings need “get by” money during a work stoppage. Amazing. Geez, I wonder how long the average American can get by on $60,000? Obviously, pro athletes are a different breed or as that wise man Patrick Ewing once said – “Yes, we NBA players make a lot of money, but we also spend a lot of money too!” A mere $60,000 will probably last a month once you make the Mercedes and BMW payments, pay the mortgage on both houses, give cousin Sperm and aunt Pap Smear their allowances, buy the wife her anniversary present and take that two-week vacation to Bermuda.
I’m starting to wonder about our president. Even though I don’t agree with him on many issues, I have been a fan of his personality from day one – thinking he’s an okay guy. However, I’m having doubts. This past week he invited Paul Ryan – the dude I tagged as a great future presidential candidate two years ago – to his speech on attacking the debt problem. Ryan went and then had to sit there in the front row while Obama ripped his (Ryan’s) debt reduction plan to shreds, including a line or two about how “autistic children” would suffer dearly under Ryan’s Republican plan. Nice. I’m sure that made Ryan and the Republicans eager to start negotiations on finding middle ground with the President on tackling our huge national debt. Yes, Obama’s speech writers wrote the lines, but that doesn’t mean the President has to read them. Why not take the high road when you invite folks to dinner instead of slapping them in the face once they walk through the door? What did he gain by that approach other than hugs and kisses from his base. It seemed like a real bad play to me, and worse, it seemed cruel and unusual punishment at that. Like I said, I’m starting to think BO isn’t just a narcissist – something I can excuse him of being since he’s an historical figure – but he’s starting to look like an SOB as well. That play just wasn’t necessary and inappropriate in that setting my man. You’re better than that – or I thought you were.
The NBA playoffs begin promptly. I'll keep it simple - even with all their injuries and turmoil, I still like the Lakers and Celtics to meet in the Finals with LA coming out on top. Why? The Lakers have been there done that and they have a finisher when needed (KB). As for Boston, I'll take experience in a seven-game series every time over younger legs. I just think it's awful difficult beating quality veteran squads 4x in two weeks. And I didn't pick SA because I don't see Duncan having enough gas left in the tank to go 20/10 in a series against LA. Yes, I know LA can't stop quick point guards and Boston doesn't have real depth in the post any more (Perkins trade).
And in case I don't post before the upcoming NFL draft, I'll recap what I would do if I ran the Browns' ship, even though I will sound like a broken record. First, take the guy you have highest on your board in the first round. Period. If everyone on the planet thinks the LSU corner (PP) is the next Champ Bailey, why hesitate? If he's gone, go to the next guy on your list. Second, fill one of the two open receiver spots on the team and pass rush needs through free agency (when it gets here) and through being aggressive via trades. Remember, NFL teams treat draft picks like they are gold. The right team will give a you a quality NFL wideout or perhaps even a pass rusher for a 2nd round pick and a bag of footballs. I don't get it, but history tells us this is the norm. Would you rather have to depend on another rookie receiver to get you 75 grabs or someone who has already done it at this level? And if you read me, you know not to go to the "Yhey might have guys on their roster who might do that." We covered that years ago when everyone else, including the Browns, were walking around on all fours with that line.
By the way, I will be out of the country soon visiting relatives I have not seen since early in Reagan's first term. So if you need to reach me, get a hold of me before May 11. I will be unavailable until June 2. I will check my e-mail sporadically during that stretch. However, phone lines will be much harder to secure. Actually, I'll be in Pakistan following a couple leads on OBL's whereabouts.
Be good!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
10 Items
The United States military should not be in Libya. This is an Arab nation embroiled in a Civil War. Neighboring Arab nations should be involved instead if they so desire to help the helpless. The only reason we are present is due to Libya’s oil production –which only accounts for 2% of the world’s production. Our nation simply does not a strong strategic or national interest in Libya outside of its meager oil production. And if there were no oil there, we wouldn’t even be considering action. We did not engage in Rwanda or the Sudan, just to name a pair of places recently where genocide on a much greater scale took place. We can’t be the world’s policeman and then pick and choose which burglaries we investigate and which we don’t. And finally, this country has a $14 trillion debt and simply cannot afford to spend $100 million a day in someone else’s Civil War. Each of the tomahawk missiles we are launching off nearby ships coast $1.2 million apiece. You do the math – we’re at 124 and counting.
Jim Tressel recently self-imposed a 5 game suspension on himself. How nice of him. Look for the NCAA to hammer OSU and Tressel by giving him a full year suspension, to go along with multiple other sanctions, including loss of scholarships and no post-season appearances for 2 years. That’s what I would do if I were the NCAA and the allegations are found to be true. I just hope it doesn’t take the NCAA five years to make a decision.
And yes, if Bruce Pearl had his team in the top-10 and still alive in the NCAA tournament, he probably would still have his job at Tennessee. From what I can tell, Brigham Young is the only major college that maintains its credibility when it comes to mixing big time college sports and academics. But sex? Come on.
Chris Bosh, of the Miami Heat, recently complained he wasn’t getting enough touches. Nice. What did he expect choosing to play on a team with two superstars that dominate the ball? The guy is not only clueless but is arguable the softest player in the NBA today. Moron
Charlie Bach, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Steelers, may file for bankruptcy. What? The guy has been in the NFL forever, he got an
$11 million deal from the Lions way back when and he’s broke? This is one guy I wouldn’t trust my team to. If he’s that stupid where he’s made millions and still might have to pawn his championship rings to pay the bills, he can’t be trusted to run a team.
Along similar lines, A. Peterson of the Vikings recently compared being an NFL player to slavery. Wonderful. Tell you what – you give me his salary for the upcoming season ($10.7 million) and I will volunteer to ride in the interior of a slave ship taking off from Tripoli destined for the Outer banks.
I have never seen two bonehead plays in the closing seconds of a basketball game comparable to the Pitt/Butler game last week. The closest I can think of is when former Dallas Mavs’ guard Derek Harper dribbled out the game clock some 20 years ago, coming off a timeouts with seconds remaining, with the score tied.
Speaking of college basketball, I watched some of the tournament this past week and the NCAA needs to add an NBA style circle under the bucket so players aren’t allowed to take charges under the goal. When you penetrate to that point, you shouldn’t be penalized by having to avoid another defender who just sits under the basket waiting on you.
By the way, we were asked before the tournament who would win it. I told a friend I had not seen much college basketball this year, but the little I saw told me Ohio State has at least four players who will get looks at the next level. Therefore, I told him, take the Buckeyes – they have the most pros of the few teams I watched. I see no reason to change my mind after the first couple rounds. If the Cavaliers end up with Sullinger with their first pick and Lighty with their high second round choice, I wouldn’t be disappointed. Yes, I know they also own the Clippers’ #1. I just don’t have a pick there yet.
The moron who tried to tell me the Knicks are closing in on Boston and company in the East with the Anthony acquisition can apologize now. One final time – you have to defend to win big!!! Their coach doesn’t emphasize defense, and Amare and Carmelo don’t play it. What did you expect? Again – Carmelo Anthony is the most overrated player perhaps in the history of the game. His teams made the playoffs 7x while in Denver with a decent supporting cast. They made it out of the first round once. He doesn’t guard people, he hogs the ball, he doesn’t make teammates better and he sulks on occasion. As for Amare, he’s not far behind CA in terms of being overrated. He’s a scoring machine also – that’s it. I wouldn’t want either guy. By the way, where are those media geniuses who back in December were pushing Amare for MVP?
Reading my semi-weekly thoughts, when I get around to putting them in print, should be mandatory for those who do this for a living. Next, I'll be told Reggie Bush isn't a superstar.
Jim Tressel recently self-imposed a 5 game suspension on himself. How nice of him. Look for the NCAA to hammer OSU and Tressel by giving him a full year suspension, to go along with multiple other sanctions, including loss of scholarships and no post-season appearances for 2 years. That’s what I would do if I were the NCAA and the allegations are found to be true. I just hope it doesn’t take the NCAA five years to make a decision.
And yes, if Bruce Pearl had his team in the top-10 and still alive in the NCAA tournament, he probably would still have his job at Tennessee. From what I can tell, Brigham Young is the only major college that maintains its credibility when it comes to mixing big time college sports and academics. But sex? Come on.
Chris Bosh, of the Miami Heat, recently complained he wasn’t getting enough touches. Nice. What did he expect choosing to play on a team with two superstars that dominate the ball? The guy is not only clueless but is arguable the softest player in the NBA today. Moron
Charlie Bach, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Steelers, may file for bankruptcy. What? The guy has been in the NFL forever, he got an
$11 million deal from the Lions way back when and he’s broke? This is one guy I wouldn’t trust my team to. If he’s that stupid where he’s made millions and still might have to pawn his championship rings to pay the bills, he can’t be trusted to run a team.
Along similar lines, A. Peterson of the Vikings recently compared being an NFL player to slavery. Wonderful. Tell you what – you give me his salary for the upcoming season ($10.7 million) and I will volunteer to ride in the interior of a slave ship taking off from Tripoli destined for the Outer banks.
I have never seen two bonehead plays in the closing seconds of a basketball game comparable to the Pitt/Butler game last week. The closest I can think of is when former Dallas Mavs’ guard Derek Harper dribbled out the game clock some 20 years ago, coming off a timeouts with seconds remaining, with the score tied.
Speaking of college basketball, I watched some of the tournament this past week and the NCAA needs to add an NBA style circle under the bucket so players aren’t allowed to take charges under the goal. When you penetrate to that point, you shouldn’t be penalized by having to avoid another defender who just sits under the basket waiting on you.
By the way, we were asked before the tournament who would win it. I told a friend I had not seen much college basketball this year, but the little I saw told me Ohio State has at least four players who will get looks at the next level. Therefore, I told him, take the Buckeyes – they have the most pros of the few teams I watched. I see no reason to change my mind after the first couple rounds. If the Cavaliers end up with Sullinger with their first pick and Lighty with their high second round choice, I wouldn’t be disappointed. Yes, I know they also own the Clippers’ #1. I just don’t have a pick there yet.
The moron who tried to tell me the Knicks are closing in on Boston and company in the East with the Anthony acquisition can apologize now. One final time – you have to defend to win big!!! Their coach doesn’t emphasize defense, and Amare and Carmelo don’t play it. What did you expect? Again – Carmelo Anthony is the most overrated player perhaps in the history of the game. His teams made the playoffs 7x while in Denver with a decent supporting cast. They made it out of the first round once. He doesn’t guard people, he hogs the ball, he doesn’t make teammates better and he sulks on occasion. As for Amare, he’s not far behind CA in terms of being overrated. He’s a scoring machine also – that’s it. I wouldn’t want either guy. By the way, where are those media geniuses who back in December were pushing Amare for MVP?
Reading my semi-weekly thoughts, when I get around to putting them in print, should be mandatory for those who do this for a living. Next, I'll be told Reggie Bush isn't a superstar.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
10 Items
Carson Palmer, another “franchise quarterback” who never was, wants out of Cincinnati. The guy allegedly made it be known he’d quit before playing again for the Bengals. Nice. Meanwhile, the front office, with a straight face, responded by saying he will not be dealt. Right. The guy is on the back 9 of his career, the teams he’s led have underachieved for the most part, he said he's done if you don't deal him and you want him back? Yea. Right. Who are you kidding? Get what you can and move on. The guy is doing you a favor.
In the middle of a serious economic downturn in the country, the NFL and the Players Union can’t figure out how to split up $9 billion. You couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried. Here’s a solution – split it 50-50. The owners get their 18-game season and the players get lifetime medical care. Finally, veteran players get more guaranteed money left over after the Cam Newton’s of this world, who complete 11 of 21 passes throwing to an uncovered receiver in shorts in Indianapolis, don’t get $50 million+ right out of the gate because some team was stupid enough to take him in the top-5. Problem solved.
Speaking of Cam Newton – never invest a ton of money in a player, in any sport, who uses the word "ICON” when describing himself. Even the best modern day baseball player I have seen (Rickey Henderson) never went to the "icon" card. Yes, I know - he was the first to go "third person." I would argue you can do that after stealing 100 bases in a season. It's part of what made Ricky, Rickey.
The Cavaliers have hope. There, I said it. No, that’s not based on their win in New York against the Chauncey-less Knicks. They have a young point guard who has some skills (R. Sessions), a young post player who looks like he could be a consistent double-double guy down the road – no, not J.J. “I have atrocious hands” Hickson, but S. Samuels. They have also added a veteran guard in Baron Davis, who is still a top-10 point guard when motivated and asked to play 28-30 minutes a night instead of 38-40. Throw in an immediate impact player with their top pick in the draft, and at minimum, a top-8 rotation guy with the top-10 pick they got from the Clippers, and you have the makings of a semi-competitive team heading in the right direction next season. One piece of advice – I would dangle J.J. Hickson in the off-season and see what the market value is for him. If you go big in the draft and Andy V. returns from injury, Hickson could be dealt in a move to add a much-needed long, wing player who can score the ball.
The Browns resigned my boy Seneca Wallace. Go ahead and snicker, but the guy will be a good fall-back if Joe Thomas gets Colt McCoy killed on the way to his annual Hawaii vacation.
I have been asked who the Browns should draft. Since I haven’t seen most of these guys play enough, I can’t say for sure. I do know they desperately need a #1 and a #2 receiver, a true pass rusher, and a third down running back. Having said that, if there is a “Champ Bailey” on the board when they select at 6, I would take him if the #1 receiver is already gone. That would be copying the late 80s Browns when the Minnifield/Dixon combo roamed the secondary during the Kosar years. Having Joe Haden and friend gives your defense an identity for the next 10 years. Secondly, if Ironhead’s kid out of Ohio State drops to late in the first round due to his off-season surgery, I move up and grab him. I have seen him play enough to know he’ll be a good pro – whether you play him inside at tackle or outside at end.
Carmelo went to the Knicks and now I have to hear from the national media centered on the East Coast how New York is emerging as a potential contender. Wrong. One more time – you have to defend to win. The system in place in New York didn’t win anything in Phoenix and it won’t win in the Big Apple either. And by the way, the New York Knicks are the most overrated franchise in U.S. sports. I believe this “storied” franchise has won 2 championships. That’s 2, not 12, not 22. And please stop with how Madison Square Garden is the “mecca” for pro basketball. If New York is the “mecca,” what does that make San Antonio, Chicago, the Lakers or Boston?
Governor Scott Walker and John Kasich of Ohio are battling federal unions over compensation packages. To make a long story short, the public sector unions for years have been negotiating their benefits with folks they have helped get into office (mostly democrats). That leads to ridiculous pension plans for public employees when there is no adversarial relationship between the two sides in negotiations. They are beholding to each other. The states are broke, partly because of these more than generous pension plans. This is a key moment in this national debate on debt. If Walker and Kasich win, state governments will begin to right themselves financially and this wave will likely sweep across the nation. If the governors lose this battle, these public unions will get stronger instead of weaker and balancing state and federal budgets will be a pipe dream. One other note, in years past, state public workers were provided with generous pensions because they made a lot less than private sector employees – thus justifying those inflated pension plans. However, recent studies have shown public employees now make comparable salaries to private sector employees, making these pension plans problematic for the rest of us – the people that flip the bill. By the way, I am public employee now and expect to take a hit in terms of future pension benefits. I am okay with it. Everyone needs to have skin in the game. Everyone.
The answer is NO if you are asking me if the U.S. should get involved heavily in Libya’s emerging Civil War. We have enough problems at home to deal with. No, I am not an isolationist, but we can’t be the “world’s policeman” any more. Besides, real U.S. involvement would be spun as American intervention in another Muslim nation. You want to fly in some food and aid – fine. But beyond that, leave it up to Europe to handle this one. No, we shouldn’t be the lead dog in a no-fly zone. It’s not our business. I know that sounds cruel, but the only reason we are even considering action is because of Libya’s oil. Libya produces only 3% of the world’s oil, with Europe getting most of that oil. Like I said, it is time others with more at stake take the lead.
With the increase in oil prices, you will hear more political hot air in the coming weeks and months about drilling here and drilling now, building more nuclear power plants, more coal production, etc. The problem is simple – once the prices go back down, the public’s interest will wane once again. Unless the prices stay around $4 a gallon or more, there will not be the public pressure to force the political will for the federal government to move on this issue – especially with democrats in office. And stop with the “we need “alternative fuel sources.” Until someone comes up with an electric car that doesn’t cost $40 grand and doesn’t need to be re-charged every time you fetch groceries, no one is buying the crap. Check that - college professors, wealthy housewives with too much time on their hands and environmental nuts who think animals first and people second will fork out the cash and deal with the inconvenience. For the rest of us, thank goodness it’s still a free market and you can still purchase a Yukon or Denali if you have the cash. By the way, I drive a Honda Civic. I can’t afford the car I truly want – a black Audi or BMW with leather interior. As for energy, for years, I have been for all of the above regardless of what gas costs me. Unfortunately, there aren't enough of us to move Washington to act unless a sustained crisis takes hold.
Till next time. Be good.
In the middle of a serious economic downturn in the country, the NFL and the Players Union can’t figure out how to split up $9 billion. You couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried. Here’s a solution – split it 50-50. The owners get their 18-game season and the players get lifetime medical care. Finally, veteran players get more guaranteed money left over after the Cam Newton’s of this world, who complete 11 of 21 passes throwing to an uncovered receiver in shorts in Indianapolis, don’t get $50 million+ right out of the gate because some team was stupid enough to take him in the top-5. Problem solved.
Speaking of Cam Newton – never invest a ton of money in a player, in any sport, who uses the word "ICON” when describing himself. Even the best modern day baseball player I have seen (Rickey Henderson) never went to the "icon" card. Yes, I know - he was the first to go "third person." I would argue you can do that after stealing 100 bases in a season. It's part of what made Ricky, Rickey.
The Cavaliers have hope. There, I said it. No, that’s not based on their win in New York against the Chauncey-less Knicks. They have a young point guard who has some skills (R. Sessions), a young post player who looks like he could be a consistent double-double guy down the road – no, not J.J. “I have atrocious hands” Hickson, but S. Samuels. They have also added a veteran guard in Baron Davis, who is still a top-10 point guard when motivated and asked to play 28-30 minutes a night instead of 38-40. Throw in an immediate impact player with their top pick in the draft, and at minimum, a top-8 rotation guy with the top-10 pick they got from the Clippers, and you have the makings of a semi-competitive team heading in the right direction next season. One piece of advice – I would dangle J.J. Hickson in the off-season and see what the market value is for him. If you go big in the draft and Andy V. returns from injury, Hickson could be dealt in a move to add a much-needed long, wing player who can score the ball.
The Browns resigned my boy Seneca Wallace. Go ahead and snicker, but the guy will be a good fall-back if Joe Thomas gets Colt McCoy killed on the way to his annual Hawaii vacation.
I have been asked who the Browns should draft. Since I haven’t seen most of these guys play enough, I can’t say for sure. I do know they desperately need a #1 and a #2 receiver, a true pass rusher, and a third down running back. Having said that, if there is a “Champ Bailey” on the board when they select at 6, I would take him if the #1 receiver is already gone. That would be copying the late 80s Browns when the Minnifield/Dixon combo roamed the secondary during the Kosar years. Having Joe Haden and friend gives your defense an identity for the next 10 years. Secondly, if Ironhead’s kid out of Ohio State drops to late in the first round due to his off-season surgery, I move up and grab him. I have seen him play enough to know he’ll be a good pro – whether you play him inside at tackle or outside at end.
Carmelo went to the Knicks and now I have to hear from the national media centered on the East Coast how New York is emerging as a potential contender. Wrong. One more time – you have to defend to win. The system in place in New York didn’t win anything in Phoenix and it won’t win in the Big Apple either. And by the way, the New York Knicks are the most overrated franchise in U.S. sports. I believe this “storied” franchise has won 2 championships. That’s 2, not 12, not 22. And please stop with how Madison Square Garden is the “mecca” for pro basketball. If New York is the “mecca,” what does that make San Antonio, Chicago, the Lakers or Boston?
Governor Scott Walker and John Kasich of Ohio are battling federal unions over compensation packages. To make a long story short, the public sector unions for years have been negotiating their benefits with folks they have helped get into office (mostly democrats). That leads to ridiculous pension plans for public employees when there is no adversarial relationship between the two sides in negotiations. They are beholding to each other. The states are broke, partly because of these more than generous pension plans. This is a key moment in this national debate on debt. If Walker and Kasich win, state governments will begin to right themselves financially and this wave will likely sweep across the nation. If the governors lose this battle, these public unions will get stronger instead of weaker and balancing state and federal budgets will be a pipe dream. One other note, in years past, state public workers were provided with generous pensions because they made a lot less than private sector employees – thus justifying those inflated pension plans. However, recent studies have shown public employees now make comparable salaries to private sector employees, making these pension plans problematic for the rest of us – the people that flip the bill. By the way, I am public employee now and expect to take a hit in terms of future pension benefits. I am okay with it. Everyone needs to have skin in the game. Everyone.
The answer is NO if you are asking me if the U.S. should get involved heavily in Libya’s emerging Civil War. We have enough problems at home to deal with. No, I am not an isolationist, but we can’t be the “world’s policeman” any more. Besides, real U.S. involvement would be spun as American intervention in another Muslim nation. You want to fly in some food and aid – fine. But beyond that, leave it up to Europe to handle this one. No, we shouldn’t be the lead dog in a no-fly zone. It’s not our business. I know that sounds cruel, but the only reason we are even considering action is because of Libya’s oil. Libya produces only 3% of the world’s oil, with Europe getting most of that oil. Like I said, it is time others with more at stake take the lead.
With the increase in oil prices, you will hear more political hot air in the coming weeks and months about drilling here and drilling now, building more nuclear power plants, more coal production, etc. The problem is simple – once the prices go back down, the public’s interest will wane once again. Unless the prices stay around $4 a gallon or more, there will not be the public pressure to force the political will for the federal government to move on this issue – especially with democrats in office. And stop with the “we need “alternative fuel sources.” Until someone comes up with an electric car that doesn’t cost $40 grand and doesn’t need to be re-charged every time you fetch groceries, no one is buying the crap. Check that - college professors, wealthy housewives with too much time on their hands and environmental nuts who think animals first and people second will fork out the cash and deal with the inconvenience. For the rest of us, thank goodness it’s still a free market and you can still purchase a Yukon or Denali if you have the cash. By the way, I drive a Honda Civic. I can’t afford the car I truly want – a black Audi or BMW with leather interior. As for energy, for years, I have been for all of the above regardless of what gas costs me. Unfortunately, there aren't enough of us to move Washington to act unless a sustained crisis takes hold.
Till next time. Be good.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
10 Items
Yea, I took a week off - just like the Packers and Steelers.
Joe Thomas is outright stealing money. Not only did he get named to the Pro Bowl after having getting all three Browns’ QBs hurt, as we noted a few weeks ago, but he picked up another cool $1.5 million doing it. What genius front office wizard agreed to that little incentive in his contract and is he still employed by the Browns?
We like the Steelers 27-20 over the Packers – too physical and too much experience. How the Packers are favored over a team that’s been there done that, comes from a better conference, had a better record (12 wins to 10) and is a number #2 seed overall compared to a #6, is beyond me. The Steelers should be laying 3 1/3 in my book.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, we totally missed on Clay Mathews’ kid coming out of USC. We got it wrong. My apologies. Like I said several weeks ago – you never make the same mistake twice. His kid at Oregon will be an overachiever at the next level.
The Browns hired Dick Jauron (this is a correction - last week I wrote Dick Labeau) as their D-coordinator. Whoopie fizz! Until they get a couple pass rushers and a linebacker or two who play downhill, it won’t matter. You can dress up a pig, but it’s still a f%$#@ing pig. For example, both D-coordinators in the Super are considered outstanding at what they do, but it helps their resumes immensely having MVP-type players on the roster playing for them (i.e. Mathews/Harrison).
I hear the Lakers are old and done because they have a lousy record against very good teams. So what? It’s only the beginning of February. They will likely be left standing at the end. That’s who I would put my money on still. And you can probably get some decent odds taking LA right now in Vegas.
Why do they even play the NFL Pro Bowl? I have never watched more than 5 minutes of that game in my life. Moving it prior to the Super Bowl was a good idea – and we suggested it years ago – but now I want it abolished. It’s still unwatchable. You want to know when you have a gambling problem? You have a problem when you put $ on the Pro Bowl or which Super Bowl team wins the coin flip.
Some local talk show wizard stirred up conversation last week asking fans if the Browns should take Cam Newton because Cleveland has passed on Flacco, Big Ben, etc…, and now they have to face these “top tier” QBs in their division twice a year. First of all, they also passed on a ton of QB busts. And secondly, Flacco is better than average, Ben is going to the HOF, but no one is his right mind would say he carries teams like Manning and Brady do, and Carson Palmer is just about done. So stop the madness – no Cam Newton, please. This team has a dozen holes to fill. The Texas rancher proved he can play some. Now let’s find out how good he can be, starting with getting him a couple professional receivers and a pass rusher or two who can get him a few more possessions each week. By the way, I hear from the local media the Browns need a pass rush and some receivers. Really? Welcome on board fellas. It took you nearly 40 years on the pass rush. But look at the bright side – it only took two full seasons to figure out they were lacking at WR. Like I said several times, Mangini should have been canned based on his drafting second round busts alone.
The Indians’ equipment truck went west this past week without any fanfare. That organization went from the model of the mid-market MLB teams 10 years ago to an afterthought during the Mark Shapiro era. Meanwhile, their PR head was on the radio the other day spinning how they have been mostly competitive the past 10 years if it wasn’t for injuries and the loss of two Cy Young Award winners. Really? The last time I checked, had you allocated your funds properly you could have signed at least one of those two (CC). We gave you the blueprint a year in advance – use the money you were going to allocate for Hafner and add it in to what you offer CC. You can always get a decent DH, but you can’t find 20 game winners hanging on trees. As for the injuries – come on. The Packers lost ¼ of their roster early on this season and they are in the Super Bowl this week. Perhaps if you hadn’t blown so many draft picks over the past 10 years, you would have had some depth in the organization to withstand injuries better. Of course, the host never questioned DiBiasio. He didn’t know any better.
I almost feel sorry for Byron Scott. And I never feel sorry for a professional coach making several million dollars a year. But this guy went from thinking he was going to coach LBJ to coaching a CBA team. How that team never had a plan B in place is still beyond me. We begged and demanded they have one in place back in May of last year.
As for the Egyptian crisis, our friends/allies around the world must be thinking “Wow, this is how the U.S. treats a strong ally after 30 years?” Hosni Mubarek, the leader of Egypt, has been arguabl the United States’ strongest ally in the Middle East, this side of Israel. The guy is no wallflower. He’s an autocrat. We know. But he’s our autocrat. Now, the current administration wants him to high-tail it out the door yesterday, leaving a potential power vacuum behind. Nice. I’m not saying we should be telling this guy he should stay in power indefinitely, but the messages we are currently sending are the wrong ones and show off how naïve this administration is when it comes to foreign affairs. Then again, this is the same President who has said on numerous occasions he envisions a world without nuclear weapons. Right – and I believe in the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny.
Joe Thomas is outright stealing money. Not only did he get named to the Pro Bowl after having getting all three Browns’ QBs hurt, as we noted a few weeks ago, but he picked up another cool $1.5 million doing it. What genius front office wizard agreed to that little incentive in his contract and is he still employed by the Browns?
We like the Steelers 27-20 over the Packers – too physical and too much experience. How the Packers are favored over a team that’s been there done that, comes from a better conference, had a better record (12 wins to 10) and is a number #2 seed overall compared to a #6, is beyond me. The Steelers should be laying 3 1/3 in my book.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, we totally missed on Clay Mathews’ kid coming out of USC. We got it wrong. My apologies. Like I said several weeks ago – you never make the same mistake twice. His kid at Oregon will be an overachiever at the next level.
The Browns hired Dick Jauron (this is a correction - last week I wrote Dick Labeau) as their D-coordinator. Whoopie fizz! Until they get a couple pass rushers and a linebacker or two who play downhill, it won’t matter. You can dress up a pig, but it’s still a f%$#@ing pig. For example, both D-coordinators in the Super are considered outstanding at what they do, but it helps their resumes immensely having MVP-type players on the roster playing for them (i.e. Mathews/Harrison).
I hear the Lakers are old and done because they have a lousy record against very good teams. So what? It’s only the beginning of February. They will likely be left standing at the end. That’s who I would put my money on still. And you can probably get some decent odds taking LA right now in Vegas.
Why do they even play the NFL Pro Bowl? I have never watched more than 5 minutes of that game in my life. Moving it prior to the Super Bowl was a good idea – and we suggested it years ago – but now I want it abolished. It’s still unwatchable. You want to know when you have a gambling problem? You have a problem when you put $ on the Pro Bowl or which Super Bowl team wins the coin flip.
Some local talk show wizard stirred up conversation last week asking fans if the Browns should take Cam Newton because Cleveland has passed on Flacco, Big Ben, etc…, and now they have to face these “top tier” QBs in their division twice a year. First of all, they also passed on a ton of QB busts. And secondly, Flacco is better than average, Ben is going to the HOF, but no one is his right mind would say he carries teams like Manning and Brady do, and Carson Palmer is just about done. So stop the madness – no Cam Newton, please. This team has a dozen holes to fill. The Texas rancher proved he can play some. Now let’s find out how good he can be, starting with getting him a couple professional receivers and a pass rusher or two who can get him a few more possessions each week. By the way, I hear from the local media the Browns need a pass rush and some receivers. Really? Welcome on board fellas. It took you nearly 40 years on the pass rush. But look at the bright side – it only took two full seasons to figure out they were lacking at WR. Like I said several times, Mangini should have been canned based on his drafting second round busts alone.
The Indians’ equipment truck went west this past week without any fanfare. That organization went from the model of the mid-market MLB teams 10 years ago to an afterthought during the Mark Shapiro era. Meanwhile, their PR head was on the radio the other day spinning how they have been mostly competitive the past 10 years if it wasn’t for injuries and the loss of two Cy Young Award winners. Really? The last time I checked, had you allocated your funds properly you could have signed at least one of those two (CC). We gave you the blueprint a year in advance – use the money you were going to allocate for Hafner and add it in to what you offer CC. You can always get a decent DH, but you can’t find 20 game winners hanging on trees. As for the injuries – come on. The Packers lost ¼ of their roster early on this season and they are in the Super Bowl this week. Perhaps if you hadn’t blown so many draft picks over the past 10 years, you would have had some depth in the organization to withstand injuries better. Of course, the host never questioned DiBiasio. He didn’t know any better.
I almost feel sorry for Byron Scott. And I never feel sorry for a professional coach making several million dollars a year. But this guy went from thinking he was going to coach LBJ to coaching a CBA team. How that team never had a plan B in place is still beyond me. We begged and demanded they have one in place back in May of last year.
As for the Egyptian crisis, our friends/allies around the world must be thinking “Wow, this is how the U.S. treats a strong ally after 30 years?” Hosni Mubarek, the leader of Egypt, has been arguabl the United States’ strongest ally in the Middle East, this side of Israel. The guy is no wallflower. He’s an autocrat. We know. But he’s our autocrat. Now, the current administration wants him to high-tail it out the door yesterday, leaving a potential power vacuum behind. Nice. I’m not saying we should be telling this guy he should stay in power indefinitely, but the messages we are currently sending are the wrong ones and show off how naïve this administration is when it comes to foreign affairs. Then again, this is the same President who has said on numerous occasions he envisions a world without nuclear weapons. Right – and I believe in the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny.
Friday, January 21, 2011
10 things
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.
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.
Friday, January 14, 2011
10 Weekly Items
10 Weekly Items
Don't you love how these morons in the media who spent a %$#@load of time last week going over the "strategy" for the new playoff overtime rules? What F%$#@ing strategy? Win the flip, take the ball and shove it down their throats for a touchdown and the game is over. The last time I checked, it’s awful hard to score if you don’t have the football. I'm sure there is some idiot out there that has it calculated you should defend first, especially if the wind is over 20 mph and there are at least 1,000 Jews and/or 5,000 Catholics (of which I am one) in the stands of a stadium that seats 65,000 or more - unless of course you have a starter on defense named Rex – then all bets are off. Ridiculous!
Here’s a warning to those NFL teams that are considering taking Cam Newton in the first round – don’t! Not because of talent level, although he’s is far from a polished passer, but because I would not make this guy the face of my franchise for the next 10 years based on his, let’s say, “checkered history.” Would I draft him – yes, in round 2 and no earlier. Had he gone 20-of-26 with 3 TD tosses and 80 yards rushing against Oregon, Kipper and company would have him in the top-5 – can you say J. Russell.
By the way, I saw where the Auburn All-American D-tackle was giving the Oregon All-American running back “the business” in that pile. You can tell a lot about a coach by how he handles that situation. I lose respect for a head coach who doesn’t pull the guy out for a couple plays after earning such a penalty. But then again, I have a suspicion we will hear more about Auburn and its recruiting of players (i.e. Cam Newton and/or others) in the future. Here’s hoping it doesn’t turn into another Reggie Bush case five years down the road and people are sending back the hard ware they won. Of course, in Newton’s case, his old man will probably have the stuff on E-bay by Spring Break.
I found it ironic the OSU defensive player who picked off that late Arkansas pass was one of five guys who sold stuff to help pay mom’s rent, buy pizza, or whatever. There is no way in the world those 5 players should have been playing in that game. The precedent set by the NCAA and OSU is clear – you F%$#@ up and we catch it before a BCS Bowl game, and we’ll give you a get out of jail free card until next year. What happens if one or more of these guys decides to turn pro now? Had Posey come up with 9 grabs, 111 yards and 2 TDs, and moved way up in the minds of pro scouts, he would have been crazy not to turn pro. Then what? And for Tressel to demand they come back before agreeing to play them in the game clearly smacks of pure personal gain for the coach. Tressel gets everything he wants – his team is intact going into the Arkansas game and stays intact through the large majority of Big 10 play in 2011. How convenient? Nice work Jim. Where the hell was the AD in all this? With all his faults, could you see Bobby Knight pulling this stunt?
As for paying college players, one last time – they get, at minimum, a $100,000+ education grant when on scholarship. Isn’t that payment enough?
Speaking of Oregon, how do you come up with a defense where you have a DE/OLB, who weights 250+ pounds, trying to cover a 190 pound wide receiver downfield? On more than one occasion, the Ducks had that coverage called. One more time – it’s impossible for a linebacker to stay with a running back, so how do you scheme a large defender matched up with a WR? It’s the equal of a basketball power forward trying to cover a point guard in space – can’t be done. Are you telling me there isn’t one coach on that Ducks’ staff that would red flag that during the 5 weeks of practice prior to this game? Here’s how it should go – “Hey coach (to D-coordinator), with all due respect, do you really think it’s a good idea to have one of our bigs trying to stay with that little guy downfield?
Coming on the heels of a 50+ point ass-beating by LA, it has been nearly 4 months since a number of my so called friends and acquaintances chastised me for predicting my Cavaliers unfortunately would win at the most 29 games and could very well be a mere 20 win team if they quit early and Byron Scott failed to motivate them to compete. You know who you are. I wouldn’t normally mention it, but a couple of you actually ridiculed me at the time, including one instance where the term “delusional” was used to describe me. So – who’s your daddy now?
I see where my boy Warren Cromartie ran his mouth on twitter. You have to love those social networking sites – ditto for the world’s premier narcissist (LBJ) taking a shot at the Cavaliers when they are down. As I have said, today’s technology, where every pro or major college athlete can let the world know what they are thinking in mere seconds, causes headaches for those in the PR business. The media loves it, but the PR pros have to deal with the ramifications. I’ll say this – if you run your mouth, you’d better be able to back it up or you look like a complete fool. Call me old fashioned, but I like folks who take the high road and just play. Good luck this weekend Tom Brady.
The Browns hired a new head coach this week and he isn’t a household name with a proven winning track record. That’s not the route I would have gone, but I wish him luck nonetheless. I know nothing about him other than the offense he ran last year was 26th in the NFL. Like everyone else, I’ll watch and see. But think about it – the bar has been set awful low around here since 1999. If he wins half his games or more, they’ll probably put a statue of him down Superior Avenue somewhere. And that’s the sad truth for the current NFL football climate in NE Ohio.
To close things out, I have one comment on the Arizona shooting incident of last week. This is for those morons who are trying to make more out of it than it is. Yes, it was tragic in many ways – especially for the loss of life and the effect on the families involved. However, it had absolutely nothing to do with our current political climate or discourse. And it had nothing to do with this nation’s value system as a whole. To draw some unsubstantiated parallels to politics or society borders on the ridiculous. Here’s the truth – in a nation of 308+ million people, you will have a few nuts. Period. And some of those nuts will unfortunately act on their sick belief system and harm others. It’s happened through history and will continue to happen. It can’t be avoided. Some folks simply aren’t wired right. And it’s an insult to my intelligence to try to link such an incident to other parts of society. So stop the nonsense you morons. Unfortunately, with our present 24/7 news cycle, everything is magnified, analyzed, taken apart and re-packaged by those who have agendas. I simply refuse to fall for this re-packaging of information, nor should you.
Don't you love how these morons in the media who spent a %$#@load of time last week going over the "strategy" for the new playoff overtime rules? What F%$#@ing strategy? Win the flip, take the ball and shove it down their throats for a touchdown and the game is over. The last time I checked, it’s awful hard to score if you don’t have the football. I'm sure there is some idiot out there that has it calculated you should defend first, especially if the wind is over 20 mph and there are at least 1,000 Jews and/or 5,000 Catholics (of which I am one) in the stands of a stadium that seats 65,000 or more - unless of course you have a starter on defense named Rex – then all bets are off. Ridiculous!
Here’s a warning to those NFL teams that are considering taking Cam Newton in the first round – don’t! Not because of talent level, although he’s is far from a polished passer, but because I would not make this guy the face of my franchise for the next 10 years based on his, let’s say, “checkered history.” Would I draft him – yes, in round 2 and no earlier. Had he gone 20-of-26 with 3 TD tosses and 80 yards rushing against Oregon, Kipper and company would have him in the top-5 – can you say J. Russell.
By the way, I saw where the Auburn All-American D-tackle was giving the Oregon All-American running back “the business” in that pile. You can tell a lot about a coach by how he handles that situation. I lose respect for a head coach who doesn’t pull the guy out for a couple plays after earning such a penalty. But then again, I have a suspicion we will hear more about Auburn and its recruiting of players (i.e. Cam Newton and/or others) in the future. Here’s hoping it doesn’t turn into another Reggie Bush case five years down the road and people are sending back the hard ware they won. Of course, in Newton’s case, his old man will probably have the stuff on E-bay by Spring Break.
I found it ironic the OSU defensive player who picked off that late Arkansas pass was one of five guys who sold stuff to help pay mom’s rent, buy pizza, or whatever. There is no way in the world those 5 players should have been playing in that game. The precedent set by the NCAA and OSU is clear – you F%$#@ up and we catch it before a BCS Bowl game, and we’ll give you a get out of jail free card until next year. What happens if one or more of these guys decides to turn pro now? Had Posey come up with 9 grabs, 111 yards and 2 TDs, and moved way up in the minds of pro scouts, he would have been crazy not to turn pro. Then what? And for Tressel to demand they come back before agreeing to play them in the game clearly smacks of pure personal gain for the coach. Tressel gets everything he wants – his team is intact going into the Arkansas game and stays intact through the large majority of Big 10 play in 2011. How convenient? Nice work Jim. Where the hell was the AD in all this? With all his faults, could you see Bobby Knight pulling this stunt?
As for paying college players, one last time – they get, at minimum, a $100,000+ education grant when on scholarship. Isn’t that payment enough?
Speaking of Oregon, how do you come up with a defense where you have a DE/OLB, who weights 250+ pounds, trying to cover a 190 pound wide receiver downfield? On more than one occasion, the Ducks had that coverage called. One more time – it’s impossible for a linebacker to stay with a running back, so how do you scheme a large defender matched up with a WR? It’s the equal of a basketball power forward trying to cover a point guard in space – can’t be done. Are you telling me there isn’t one coach on that Ducks’ staff that would red flag that during the 5 weeks of practice prior to this game? Here’s how it should go – “Hey coach (to D-coordinator), with all due respect, do you really think it’s a good idea to have one of our bigs trying to stay with that little guy downfield?
Coming on the heels of a 50+ point ass-beating by LA, it has been nearly 4 months since a number of my so called friends and acquaintances chastised me for predicting my Cavaliers unfortunately would win at the most 29 games and could very well be a mere 20 win team if they quit early and Byron Scott failed to motivate them to compete. You know who you are. I wouldn’t normally mention it, but a couple of you actually ridiculed me at the time, including one instance where the term “delusional” was used to describe me. So – who’s your daddy now?
I see where my boy Warren Cromartie ran his mouth on twitter. You have to love those social networking sites – ditto for the world’s premier narcissist (LBJ) taking a shot at the Cavaliers when they are down. As I have said, today’s technology, where every pro or major college athlete can let the world know what they are thinking in mere seconds, causes headaches for those in the PR business. The media loves it, but the PR pros have to deal with the ramifications. I’ll say this – if you run your mouth, you’d better be able to back it up or you look like a complete fool. Call me old fashioned, but I like folks who take the high road and just play. Good luck this weekend Tom Brady.
The Browns hired a new head coach this week and he isn’t a household name with a proven winning track record. That’s not the route I would have gone, but I wish him luck nonetheless. I know nothing about him other than the offense he ran last year was 26th in the NFL. Like everyone else, I’ll watch and see. But think about it – the bar has been set awful low around here since 1999. If he wins half his games or more, they’ll probably put a statue of him down Superior Avenue somewhere. And that’s the sad truth for the current NFL football climate in NE Ohio.
To close things out, I have one comment on the Arizona shooting incident of last week. This is for those morons who are trying to make more out of it than it is. Yes, it was tragic in many ways – especially for the loss of life and the effect on the families involved. However, it had absolutely nothing to do with our current political climate or discourse. And it had nothing to do with this nation’s value system as a whole. To draw some unsubstantiated parallels to politics or society borders on the ridiculous. Here’s the truth – in a nation of 308+ million people, you will have a few nuts. Period. And some of those nuts will unfortunately act on their sick belief system and harm others. It’s happened through history and will continue to happen. It can’t be avoided. Some folks simply aren’t wired right. And it’s an insult to my intelligence to try to link such an incident to other parts of society. So stop the nonsense you morons. Unfortunately, with our present 24/7 news cycle, everything is magnified, analyzed, taken apart and re-packaged by those who have agendas. I simply refuse to fall for this re-packaging of information, nor should you.
Friday, January 7, 2011
10 Things
10 things
Okay, I’m back. Yes, I have a little “Favre” in me. I was asked to continue to give my thoughts on occasion, so I will.
How the hell did Joe Thomas make the Pro Bowl again? This guy single-handedly got two quarterbacks hurt this season, and he certainly wasn’t consistently dominant in the run game. Yet he’s All-Pro. Ditto for Josh Cribbs. At least Cribbs has a semi-excuse – he was banged up all year.
I heard two nutty things this past week. First, ESPN was doing a promo on fans being able to follow Andrea Kremer’s tweets from the sideline of some Bowl game. What cogent observations could she possibly have? Here’s one possibility – “Hey, the purple team looks nice with that black trim.” Come on. She knows football like I know truck tires. Secondly, Rob Ryan may get an interview for the Panthers’ head coaching gig. Right. This guy has done nothing to earn such respect. When was the last time his defense, either in Cleveland or Oakland, finished in the top-5 in any defensive category? He’s mostly hot air. Mind you, if I were a reporter, I’d want to cover him. He’s fun as hell. But if I were a GM looking for a head coach, you have to be kidding. His act wouldn’t be considered funny if his teams had a.350 winning percentage. Ditto for his brother in NY.
I still don’t know how the Patriots are doing with it kids on both sides of the ball. I know they are the current popular favorites to win the Super Bowl, but I just can’t see it - too much youth/inexperience. The one upside is the play of the offensive line. Those guys are giving Brady a ton of time right now and he’s put up sick numbers because of it – with the exception of the Browns’ game. I’ll root for my boy Manning and the Colts. I love quarterbacks who make “O” coordinators basically useless during a game. It reminds of the good old days when you didn’t have multiple substitutions on every down and you didn’t go to four wides on third and 1.
Those of you who love the Arkansas QB – I have two words for you DA! He looks like a very similar creature to me. Granted, I haven’t seen him that much, but tall QBs tend to flame out in the NFL. Again, I wouldn’t take a QB in the first round unless he was a dead ringer for John Elway. They simply miss more often than not for me to reach just because everyone is looking for the next Peyton Manning in round #1. The odds are against it - big time.
Actually, the kid I do like is probably a second day pick – T. Taylor of Virginia Tech. If I ran a team, I’d team him with my boy Seneca Wallace and put in a few running plays in that system and drive D-coordinators in the NFL crazy. But you know that already.
The Luck kid said he’s staying at Stanford – which is an okay decision this time around since there won’t be big money for high picks anymore after they hammer out a new labor agreement. If this were 2009 and the kid said he was staying, I’d say he’s plain nuts (see Bradford). Still, if he has an off year or gets hurt next year, his pocket book will be affected – although not to the same level as before.
Someone tell Gordon Gee, that moron, that TCU or Boise State would kick his team’s ass 7 out of 10 times if they played this year.
There is nothing like the “Legend” and “Leaders” Conference dominating once again during Bowl season. Once again, the Big 10 showed how mediocre that conference has been in football for the past 15 years or so. On the flip side, congrats to OSU for finally beating an SEC team, even if they needed a “Butterfingers” performance by the Razorback wide receivers to do it.
By the way, if the Browns ended up with Ohio State’s #97 in the draft– Ironhead’s kid – I wouldn’t be disappointed. My only concern for him is his stamina. He came out a lot in that game last week versus Arkansas. He needs to get in better shape if he wants to be a force at the next level. The “O” linemen in the NFL will make him work a hell of a lot harder than the college kids.
As for Mangini, let’s hope MH does the right thing finally in Cleveland and hires a guy who has “been there and done that” (aka: win big at the NFL level). No more experimenting with coordinators in this town please. We have said for over a year that John Gruden would likely be the team’s next head coach and see no reason to change that view. If the fat man doesn’t want the gig himself because he like stealing money – and who can blame him, hire one of your boys who has had mucho success already. That would be JG.
Till next time.
Okay, I’m back. Yes, I have a little “Favre” in me. I was asked to continue to give my thoughts on occasion, so I will.
How the hell did Joe Thomas make the Pro Bowl again? This guy single-handedly got two quarterbacks hurt this season, and he certainly wasn’t consistently dominant in the run game. Yet he’s All-Pro. Ditto for Josh Cribbs. At least Cribbs has a semi-excuse – he was banged up all year.
I heard two nutty things this past week. First, ESPN was doing a promo on fans being able to follow Andrea Kremer’s tweets from the sideline of some Bowl game. What cogent observations could she possibly have? Here’s one possibility – “Hey, the purple team looks nice with that black trim.” Come on. She knows football like I know truck tires. Secondly, Rob Ryan may get an interview for the Panthers’ head coaching gig. Right. This guy has done nothing to earn such respect. When was the last time his defense, either in Cleveland or Oakland, finished in the top-5 in any defensive category? He’s mostly hot air. Mind you, if I were a reporter, I’d want to cover him. He’s fun as hell. But if I were a GM looking for a head coach, you have to be kidding. His act wouldn’t be considered funny if his teams had a.350 winning percentage. Ditto for his brother in NY.
I still don’t know how the Patriots are doing with it kids on both sides of the ball. I know they are the current popular favorites to win the Super Bowl, but I just can’t see it - too much youth/inexperience. The one upside is the play of the offensive line. Those guys are giving Brady a ton of time right now and he’s put up sick numbers because of it – with the exception of the Browns’ game. I’ll root for my boy Manning and the Colts. I love quarterbacks who make “O” coordinators basically useless during a game. It reminds of the good old days when you didn’t have multiple substitutions on every down and you didn’t go to four wides on third and 1.
Those of you who love the Arkansas QB – I have two words for you DA! He looks like a very similar creature to me. Granted, I haven’t seen him that much, but tall QBs tend to flame out in the NFL. Again, I wouldn’t take a QB in the first round unless he was a dead ringer for John Elway. They simply miss more often than not for me to reach just because everyone is looking for the next Peyton Manning in round #1. The odds are against it - big time.
Actually, the kid I do like is probably a second day pick – T. Taylor of Virginia Tech. If I ran a team, I’d team him with my boy Seneca Wallace and put in a few running plays in that system and drive D-coordinators in the NFL crazy. But you know that already.
The Luck kid said he’s staying at Stanford – which is an okay decision this time around since there won’t be big money for high picks anymore after they hammer out a new labor agreement. If this were 2009 and the kid said he was staying, I’d say he’s plain nuts (see Bradford). Still, if he has an off year or gets hurt next year, his pocket book will be affected – although not to the same level as before.
Someone tell Gordon Gee, that moron, that TCU or Boise State would kick his team’s ass 7 out of 10 times if they played this year.
There is nothing like the “Legend” and “Leaders” Conference dominating once again during Bowl season. Once again, the Big 10 showed how mediocre that conference has been in football for the past 15 years or so. On the flip side, congrats to OSU for finally beating an SEC team, even if they needed a “Butterfingers” performance by the Razorback wide receivers to do it.
By the way, if the Browns ended up with Ohio State’s #97 in the draft– Ironhead’s kid – I wouldn’t be disappointed. My only concern for him is his stamina. He came out a lot in that game last week versus Arkansas. He needs to get in better shape if he wants to be a force at the next level. The “O” linemen in the NFL will make him work a hell of a lot harder than the college kids.
As for Mangini, let’s hope MH does the right thing finally in Cleveland and hires a guy who has “been there and done that” (aka: win big at the NFL level). No more experimenting with coordinators in this town please. We have said for over a year that John Gruden would likely be the team’s next head coach and see no reason to change that view. If the fat man doesn’t want the gig himself because he like stealing money – and who can blame him, hire one of your boys who has had mucho success already. That would be JG.
Till next time.
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