i dont know how to say this but...

I know I have done a blog in the past talking about pressure. I think I need to revisit the topic. I know I need a hobby but like analyze the reason why we feel pressure when we play a sport. A lot of people say that it is not life or death, but I don't think that is fair. It is life in death to the people participating ( and may be those who have put their families rent on it). Now yes there are players who are unflappable. They make shots and miss shots so to them they don't see it as life or death. Kobe Bryant comes to mind. He takes all of the buzzer beating shots for the Lakers. Even as a rookie against Utah he took the shots as an 18 year old and missed them. Obviously now he has the nickname as the "black Mamba" because he is lethal when the game is on the line. Golfers have to move on from putts that cost them major championships or defensive backs have to forget touchdowns they allow. Quarterbacks have to forget interceptions and of course kickers have to forget kicks they miss. I heard today the Nate Kaeding from the Chargers continues to have nightmares about missing the kicks that would have allowed the Chargers to defeat the Jets. The other night I was watching Serena play Azarenka and could not believe that she won. Serena was spraying balls allover the place and was 2 games away from being embarrassed. She wins 12 out of the next 14 games and is now poised to defend her title. Now I know that Serena would have cried after the match had she lost but she would be ready to go in the next tourney. Azarenka must be devastated and distraught. Her fellow country woman Dinara Safina is famous for melt downs in big matches. She is consistently in the finals or semi finals and when the going gets tough she collapses. It seems like women's tennis takes a big hit on this topic because of the many collapses of the player have had in matches. Remember Jana Novotna? She was poised to win her first Wimbeldon with a 5-2 lead in the third set, and Graf beat her. The queen of Finland had to console her. I remember watching Serena do this to Davenport once and Clijsters at the Australian Open. The realization of winning is very daunting to most people.
When Scott Norwood missed the field goal against the Giants or when Donnie Moore gave up the home run to Dave Henderson both of those men's lives have been affected forever. Moore committed suicide and his wife tried to sue baseball for ruining his life. Norwood went into hiding for a while and was out of football rather quickly after the kick. Mitch Williams disappeared for a little bit and was out of baseball due to injury shortly after the home run by Joe Carter. Bill Buckner who was a great player prior to the error that allowed the Mets to win game 6 disappeared from baseball for years until the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. So when someone tells me that sports aren't life or death I laugh. Steve Bartman had to leave Chicago because his life was in jeopardy after he interfered with Cubs Moises Alou in the 8th inning of the baseball game. Choking is a bad term that society uses when a person fails. Unfortunately we all do it and use that phrase to describe a person who fails. I think that we should use that word when it is appropriate as opposed to anytime one fails in a big moment. For example, if you are winning a Golf tournament by 5 shots and Tiger or Phil pass you that is not choking. They are probably shooting a low enough score that enables them to win. If Serena is down by a set and 2 breaks and comes back to win, her opponent is not choking, Serena is just being Serena. If Brett Favre throws an interception that causes you to lose a game he is not choking, he is just the final nail in a coffin. I think that when you fumble 6 times and blow several opportunities to win games you cant blame the loss on a quarterback who throws a pick at the end of the game. The Vikings had several fortuitous things happen to them in the game and should be playing in the Super Bowl. However, if you haven't missed a kick under 40 yards in 60 plus attempts and you miss one then two in a playoff game, that is choking. If you have made 38 straight kicks in a season and the kick that is going to put you in the super bowl you miss that is a choke. If a baseball player strikes out or makes an out with the game on the line, that is not a choke. Same goes if a pitcher gives up a big hit to lose a game not a choke. But if you drop a ground ball that would end the game, that is a choke. If you drop a pop up at Yankee stadium with two outs in the 9th inning and allow the winning run to score, that is a choke. Sorry, having flash backs of the Luis Castillo..... I guess everything is subject to interpretation...To me being in the situation to choke is enough. I would love to have had the ability to be in that arena....

S.O.S. call for the Knicks...

The worse New York sports franchise by far is the New York Knicks. Tonight they must have anticipated that I was going to slag them off to the world and beat the hell out of the Timberwolves, but after the effort they put out on Sunday they had only one way to go..One of the reasons they stink is that they don't know how to draft. We have more no name players than anyone in the league. If you look at the Knicks history in the last 40 years, they have been comprised of great players from other teams and a handful of solid draft choices. Think about who the Knicks have drafted in the past 15 years and think about where are they now. The greatest Knick draft pick of course was Patrick Ewing and ever since Ewing, who have they drafted worth a damn since. Charlie Ward was a good player. Mark Jackson was a rookie of the year and then the Knick compound the problem by drafting Rod Strickland. Remember Kenny Sky Walker? How about Fredric Weis? The Knicks have had several years where they did not have a first round pick. When the Knicks were good they drafted late and it did not matter because they had a solid nucleus of players. Think about how many players the got in trades over the past 4 decades. Bernard King was my favorite Knick and he was a Golden st. Warrior I believe. Larry Johnson was a Hornet. John Starks was Golden St. Warrior. Charles Smith was a Clipper. Charles Oakley was a Bull. The point is we never drafted anyone worth anything except Ewing. Sprewell and Camby were Raptors and Warriors. This is a New York franchise. We charge over 100,00 dollars for front row seats. We have the best street ball courts in the world. What has happened to this proud franchise. The way the pushed Ewing out the door is a disgrace. No free agent worth a damn wants to come there. This summer there are so many great young talent out there and no one is talking about playing in New York. Do you really believe that Lebron is going to end up a Knick? D-wade? Stoudamire or Bosh? The Knicks need to have their management spend a baseball season with the Yankees and learn how to manage New York pressure. What ever happened to Mike Sweetney? Eddie Curry? Jon Wallace? These guys were supposed to take the Knicks into the future. They draft these European players that are supposed to do what? They play defense in Europe!!! They had NeNe and he is playing on playoff teams in Denver. Antonio Mcdyess was supposed to be another great star that was in this franchise. Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Jerome Williams, players who did what for the Knicks. The Knicks need to show that they have a plan. They think that they could just put anyone on the court and then they have a team. I remember when they got Allen Houston. He was the best player that fit into what they were doing. Then they get Sprewell to make things complicated for Houston. They played in the Finals against the Spurs and were too small to compete. S.O.S. Some one save the Knicks from themselves. At least we know why the Nets stink. They have no star players and just traded away Kidd, Carter and Jefferson. The Giants and Mets may not spend a lot of money on free agents in every year but at least the try. In the last 10 years what have the Knicks done? They have brought in high price coaches who cant figure this mess out either. We are in a new decade. I want a change and I want results...

this is why i love sports...

When I was a quarterback at ol' country day back in the day, I had three games in which My team had a fourth quarter comeback. I threw a touchdown pass to defeat Fordham Prep in the fourth quarter and we ran around the field like we were maniacs. Now I am not comparing my extensive football accomplishments with Brett Favre but how perfect a scenario was he given. He came back for one reason. He had the ball with under 3:00 to go in the game. How many times do we ask god for the perfect scenario or perfect result and we don't notice it when it is right in front of our faces? It is like that person believes that God is going to rescue him from a flood. He keeps refusing a lift from a helicopter, a ladder and a boat. He questions god and asks him why has he forsaken him. And god replies that he sent a boat, a ladder and a helicopter.. Brett Favre had Adrian Peterson, and a cast of receivers who could not lead him to the promise land. He had the ball in position to win the game and we will never understand what happened.
First and ten on the 33 and they run off tackle left for a loss. They just hit a big pass and had been afraid to run the ball because of all of the fumbling. If Peterson is the best running back in football why is he on the sidelines? It reminded me of Reggie Bush and why USC had him on the sideline and gave the ball to Lendale White. Taylor was the main guy before Peterson arrived there but Peterson could have broken one off for a game winning touchdown. He also could have fumbled too. The clock is running now. Second down, the whistle blows for too many men in the huddle. 5 yard penalty and now they are close to being out of field goal range. Instead of calling a timeout to re group third down happens and Brett Favre will never forget it for the rest of his life. When he has done inexplicable things in the playoffs before, the weather could be blamed or miscommunication. The Eagle game was crazy. Yes he threw a pick late in the game, but the Eagles had to complete a 4th and 26 to force that game to go to overtime. They did and won in overtime. The Giants defense was pretty tough on Favre that day a couple of years ago and he threw a ball that just floated on him and the Giants got it. Kicked a field goal and won the Super Bowl. Third down. they probably need about 5 yards to be in make able field goal range. He roll right and throws the ball across his body and he is intercepted. I could not believe it. Joe Buck the announcer lost his desire to call the game after that throw. If you listen to him after that play you think that he had a dime on the Vikings money line. The perfect ending to the best season in Favre illustrious career gone because of one play. God gave him his rope. He could have run, hell fallen down and they would have had a chance to kick the game winning field goal. The people of Green Bay had to die with that play too. No matter what anyone felt about Favre before this season, he proved that he is worthy of all of the coverage that he received this year. He is everyman. He has flaws. He has amazing skills. He is humble. He is Human. Retire Brett. You are the 7th greatest quarterback in the history of the game. ( Montana, Unitas, Brady, Marino, Elway, Peyton) Big Ben may pass you if he keeps winning super bowls. God only gives us what we can handle. Brett has endured pain killer addiction, the death of his father, and a cancer scare from his wife. Go in peace Brett...
New Orleans, you owe the country a victory. Finish what you have started. Your people deserve it.

what is going to be more compelling

what is going to be more compelling to follow over the next five years? Following the rivalry of Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony, Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan,or Juan Del Portro and Rafael Nadal. We live in a world where we are captivated by rivalries. Whether it is Magic and Larry, Jack and Tom Watson, Montana and Marino, Ali and Frazier, as sports fans we tend to enjoy the game more when the games seem personal. Magic has confessed that he would look at the Box scores to see how Larry fared that evening. He confessed to disliking Larry Bird for years until they both got old and the game belonged to Micheal. These players wont say that they hate the other one but Crosby has admitted to disliking Ovechkin and Ovechkin does not care too much for Crosby either. They have squared off on occasion and Ovechkin is is little too tough for Sid the Kid. I enjoy their battles right now more than the others because each player comes to play and usually scores or does something that impacts the game. Crosby scored early last night but Ovechkin took over late. Hockey rivalries tend to be more personal because usually each team has a player that the goons are told to go after and to protect. I remember when Bill Romanowski spit in J.J. Stokes face. No on the 49ers defended Stokes. Most people did not see it happen until the replay but no line man or back had his back. If you breathe on Sidney Crosby, his teammates will kill you. Ovechkin's teammates love the fact that he is big enough to fight his battles but they will protect him too. Both of these players if they stay healthy are going to be great for hockey for years to come. Whether in the Olympics, World Cup, or in the NHL, these two athletes will shape the direction of the sport for the next 15 years. The big wish of course is to have one of them play on the west coast so that we can have Stanley cup match ups the same way as the N.B.A. had Bird and Magic. Last year they played in the Eastern Conference playoffs and Crosby's team stunned the Caps on their home ice en route to winning their first cup since Super Mario. With Olympic's approaching, I am sure that Canada and Russia can not wait to meet and settle this score on the ice. I can't wait...
Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco may have started something that the N.F.L. really wants to happen. The sport needs young stars and to have two Quarterbacks lead teams to the playoffs last year has made this rivalry interesting. Ryan and Flacco have not played against one another but they will attached by the hip for the next 10 years. Any time you take a team to the playoffs as a rookie that gets every one's attention. Now Ryan's second year he suffered injuries that limited his teams performance. Flacco made it back to the Playoffs and must think that this playoff thing is easy. Mark Sanchez this year is the only rookie quarterback to start a playoff game. He will be lumped together with Mathew Stafford forever. Stafford obviously needs to improve his team in order to be in this conversation. He will and he will be a star. Next year there are a ton of quarterbacks coming out but we will wait to discuss them next year. Flacco and Ryan will play each other in the near future so remember the game and be ready for the two to meet in the super bowl one day.
The two latin sensations have a lot of competition with Murray and Djokovic still pretty young. Federer says he is not retiring for at least another six years so winning is not going to be easy for any of them. Del Portro is a freak with a wicked forehand and can move like a cat. Nadal is a grinder who never gives up on a point and has the most wicked top spin in the game. Every player who plays Nadal says that it takes a set or two to get used to his slice and spin. Plus he chases down every ball that is hit. Both players are coming off of good years last year but DelPotro won the last major. Nadal was on pace last year to do something special but a knee injury and a shocking loss to Soderling ruined his year. Del Potro may be the best hard court player on the planet. He may have the patience on the red clay but he could be a nightmare on grass with his big serve and volley. He does have injuries too which could keep this rivalry more on paper than on the courts. Spain and Argentina should be excited though that it has two really solid players who will battle for years over the top spot in tennis.
Lebron and Melo like each other too much. They have been friends since high school and the only thing that either player is envious of about each other is that Carmelo has a NCAA title. Lebron will always make more money. Most people don't view Carmelo like they do Lebron. Carmelo is a better shooter but he can't defend like Lebron. He is not as spectacular as Lebron and where he plays now in Denver does not get as much ink as Cleveland. Carmelo is a 27 point 8 rebound guy who could 40 any night and make the Hall of fame and be happy type player. Lebron is a 27 point 8 rebound, 8 assist, 3 steals, 2 blocks and sell you a bag of popcorn type player. The league would absolutely go through the roof if the both ever played in a NBA final. The funny thing is that Dwayne Wade may have a better career than both of them. Next year wade will probably be a teammate of one them and then we shall see what happens then.
In short Crosby and Ovechkin is the rivalry that the world wants to see. We just need ESPN to get hockey back and then America will have a place to watch these men square off. Last night Kobe and Lebron played opposite the Ovechkin and Crosby match up and people are talking about both so that is not good for the NBA. The next meeting for the Crosby and Ovechkin duel is Super Bowl Sunday. Maybe Hockey is on to something...

should i play or should I go

Rain Rain go away, Come again another day. I have seen enough rain over the past four days that I am ready for some snow. No rainy day schedule for me and unfortunately no Borg Ball. This week has been pretty odd in the world of sports. The Australian Open Tennis tourney began and to me this tournament is the least popular of all of the majors. It is summer time down under so it is hot as hell, but for some reason the other three majors have more prestige than this tournament. Australians have been a huge part of the history of professional tennis in both men and women. Margaret Court and Rod Laver are legends of the sport. The Aussies are a fun group of people so if it is the travel I can understand but other than that I don't understand. Maybe it lacks History and that will happen over time. I have seen some epic matches played there so I will continue to watch and root for the Americans and hope for the best.
The purpose of my blog today is an interesting comparison of two sports. Allen Iverson was voted in as starter for the NBA all star game. Tracy McGrady was second in the voting till today and was going to play in the all star game. I wish he had won because he has been through a lot with the Rockets. Iverson and Mcgrady have played very limited minutes this season. McGrady has been basically told to go home by his team because they are persevering without him. Iverson started the season on the Memphis Grizzlies, retired after he basically told them that he cant come off the bench, went home for ten days, re-signed with the Philadelpia 76ers and has been injured and has not had a big impact on his team. Both men want to play in the all star game because the fans voted them in and maybe this might be the last time they will be all stars. I think that for the integrity of the game, they both should play because, the all star game is the fans game and unlike baseball this game is not for home court advantage and the players like to play in the game. The players like the weekend. The attend the rookie and sophomore game, the skills challenges and everyone is there for the dunk contest. This is premier all star weekend in all of the sports. The rappers, actors, musicians, politicians, all show up for this weekend. So Iverson and McGrady knock your self out and treat the weekend as a farewell from us to you because we know that injuries is what is keep you from really being there.
The NFL is a joke. The fans vote the players in too but their vote is only a fraction of who gets to go. Now with this moronic game before the Super Bowl everyone is begging off of the game. I heard Ron Jaworski say today that players should want to play in this game because it is an honor to represent you team. I think he is right and unless you have a serious injury or are playing in the super bowl you should be there. All of these players negotiate contracts that say that if the make the pro bowl they get salary bonuses. Well maybe it is not such an accomplishment to make the Pro bowl. The NFL has tried to make it more fan friendly by having competitions during the weekend but unfortunately player have gotten injured participating them. Remember Robert Edwards? I want to see Chris Johnson race all of the fast players in the league. He is a freak. I remember Micheal Irvin talking about how he would go to the Pro Bowl and watch how Jerry Rice prepares for a game. I remember him talking about how in practice to prove to Deion Sanders that he could beat him running a route that Deion got away with pass interference in the NFC championship game. He ran the route in practice and beat Deion. It seems like the past players cared more. Plus with the tragedy in Haiti this could be an opportunity for these wealthy men to auction off stuff, donate money to help those people suffering. New Orleans needs help still. I think it is a joke that these people don't appreciate what they have. What is the point of negotiating contracts that say if you make the Pro Bowl when you don't really want to play in the game?

Blowout weekend turns crazy....

First of all let me say that football is almost over so all of you who have spouses that are sick of watching football on the weekends tell them that it is almost over. I think that having the Pro bowl a week before the super bowl is stupid because all of the players involved are not going to play. Now I know that even if the Pro Bowl was played at the right time some of the players still don't play so why does that matter. It matters because the right players should be playing in the game not the after thoughts. Don't you want to see Peyton Manning play? If he loses this weekend, He is going hunting not to Miami. Same with Brett Favre. So I don't understand the logic behind this decision.
What ever happened to competition? The Cardinals and Cowboys were as good as the Vikings and Saints. They got "Molly whopped". I know I should not talk smack about teams that went farther than my team but those were some weird games. After Arizona scored on the first play of the game I was buckling up to watch a wild shoot out. When Urban got stripped after making the catch and run, I still thought that the Cards had a chance. They got taken behind the woodshed after that and I think Kurt Warner should retire. He is a first ballot Hall of Famer and has nothing left to prove. If Matt Leinart has not learned anything from Warner, he should quit. Arizona has a great nucleus of young talent. They just need to get better on defense. I can understand why Warner wants to come back. The division they play in stinks so he will always be in the playoffs, plus he has sick weapons to throw to and hand the ball off too. One more Super Bowl run and then ride off into the sunset with your 7 kids and beautiful wife and enjoy life.
Dallas should not fire Wade Phillips. He has Dallas poised for a championship run. I completely agree with Eric Allen. They are going to be a beast next year if they stay healthy. Plus the stadium that Cowboys play in is hosting the Superbowl next year. Jerry Jones has a lot of wet dreams and that is the ultimate wet dream for him. They need to get a receiver to compliment Austin and then they will be unstoppable. The secondary needs a little work too but that can be addressed in the draft. Dallas will be in the Super Bowl next year or Wade Phillips will be fired.
The story of the weekend is the Jets. I told you on Friday that the Chargers had the most pressure on them. They have major problems to figure out about the teams future. They have all of the pieces to win a but for some reason they just cannot win the big one. The Jets did what they do. K.I.S.S. isn't the prettiest thing to watch but when it works you sit back and say did that just happen? The Jets were awful in the first quarter and shut the Chargers down when it mattered most. i hope that people are not thinking that the Jets played great on defense because lets face it Rivers still threw for a boat load of yards and the field goal kicker missed 2 makeable kicks that Matt Stover or Adam Vinitieri will not miss. Antonio Gates dropped passes all over the place and we know that Dallas Clark is not going to do that. The Jets better knock Peyton Manning on his ass every chance they get or they will get shredded. I hope they don't. I want Minnesota and the Jets to play for the title. Farve played for the Jets last year and I think the football gods would be wise to make this happen. Plus Minnesota has never won a title despite playing in four super bowls. If the Colts play the Saints, that would be cool too because of the connections between the Manning family and both teams. Obviously Archie would root for his son but I am sure he would be happy if the Saints won too. So would Peyton. The people of New Orleans haven't rejoiced in along time and Mardi Gras is going on at that time so that place will be rocking if it happened. You know who is hating life right now is Eric Mangini. He had Favre and the Jets last year and now he is coaching the woeful Browns.

who is the pressure on this weekend?

I know that the word pressure is in poor taste due to recent catastrophic events. We pray for the people of Haiti and hope that every day things get better for them. I still can't believe that Pat Robertson said what he said. I am sickened sometimes by people in power..
I feel the team that has to win in order of importance goes, San Diego, Minnesota, Indianapolis, Dallas, New Orleans, Arizona, Baltimore and then the Jets. This post season is about San Diego and Minnesota. I will explain why for all of the teams.
The Jets win and Mark Sanchez is going to have so many expectations put on him for years to come. I am sure he will welcome it and grow into the best quarter back in Jets history. The Jets have the perfect team to win a title. They can run the ball against anyone and their defense does not get exposed as much as people think. San Diego may have these tall receivers and the great tight end but if Rivers is on his back, he cannot throw the ball. Better yet, If Rivers is on the sideline more than on the field, the Jets will win outright. The Chargers don't have a great running defense. The Jets are playing with house money. Nothing to lose...
The Ravens also have nothing to lose. Last year they were in the Championship game and Pittsburgh just had their number last year. The Ravens can run the ball too and need to stay out of 3rd and long situations. If the do that and keep Manning on the sidelines too they will win the game. The Colts are not a difficult team to stop. They have run the same plays for years. What kills the Colts is once in a while someone makes a mental mistake and for some crazy reason it always seems to happen in the playoffs. Baltimore has to match up with Clark better and maybe they can pull off the upset.
Arizona is only playing to keep Kurt Warner's career going. They have nothing to lose. They know that they can go on the road anywhere and play anyone tough. They present so many match up problems for any team. Warner has no fear throwing the ball to anyone and if their defense chips in they will roll all the way to the Super Bowl just like last year. Their opponent The Saints have been struggling to stop people lately and stopping the Cardinals is going to be a difficult task. If the Cards run the ball, they will win with ease against anyone. This game is going to be epic.
The only pressure that the Saints feel is that they had this great season going and would really hate to see it end without playing for a title. The Saints ambushed every team they played until the Cowboys showed them that they are the kings of the south. The Saints want a re-match with Dallas very badly. Ever since Katrina, the Saints have been playing for these people to give them something to smile about. Beating Arizona would be a start, but getting to the Super Bowl would be monumental.
Dallas is the scariest team in the playoffs. They can do it all on both sides of the ball. If they win against Minnesota Tony Romo will be exulted as a god. Wade Phillips has never won a super bowl in all of his years coaching in the league and he needs validation. He has had great teams and always seems to get a a point and then fades away. He had San Diego and could not get to the big party. This game is more important for him than Romo. Romo is just learning his core of players now. Next year will be Dallas's year. Unless....
Indianapolis rested their players for the playoffs. They could have gone for history. If they lose this game, the public will never let them forget it. They MUST win or everyone is going to ridicule the ownership, the coaches, the players and anyone who wears a Colts jersey. The players don't care because they did what they were told. Peyton already has his ring. They have lost the last three times they have had a bye in the playoff round. Cannot wait to see how this unfolds..
Minnesota every year gets to this game and then gets beat. They went out and got Brett Favre off of the farm to lead this team to a championship. Tavaris Jackson was the quarterback last year when they lost to the Eagles. The bad thing for the Vikings is Favre has a horrible history against the Cowboys. Remember Reggie White standing on the sideline yelling at his teammates because he was sick of the Cowboys kicking their tails. Favre does not play badly against the Cowboys, they just don't score enough points. This game will vindicate the Vikings or destroy them for a few years. Adrian Petersen has to have over 100 yards and 30 touches. Brad Childress better be ready to eat crow if they lose.
The San Diego Chargers have the most "pressure" to win this weekend. They have been the best team not to win a ring over the last 6 years. Every year they have some kind of excuse. Injuries to L.T. and Rivers one year. Field goal Kicker missing easy kick. No calls against opposing teams defensive backs for interference. They are the hottest team in the league right now. They have won 11 games in a row. They have beaten good teams, playoff teams and seem poised to become a champion. Phillip Rivers is having so much fun throwing the ball down the field to his NBA sized receivers. The Jets have a great defense. If the Chargers lose, Norv Turner will be fired. Turner and Phillips have lead the Chargers to great records. Now it is time for Norv to get through that door and win a title for the football crazy Charger fans. No predictions but I think all 4 games will be decided by a touchdown or less....

K.I.S.S.

How many of you out there know what those four letters mean? I can assure that it is not the rock band. I can also assure you that it is something we all wish that we could do to our lives. The K.I.S.S. phrase means Keep It Simple Stupid. I like to say Keep It Simple Sucka but the other way will do for now. If we all understood how to apply that our lives, none of us would ever have any problems. As I watched the Jets, Ravens and Cowboys destroy their opponents last weekend they showed me how simple a game pro football can be. As a Giant fan and watching us win 3 super Bowls by keeping the game simple, I know that it can be done if you have the right formula. The key to all three teams victories last weekend was that they scored touchdowns by keeping it simple. So many times teams would run up and down the field on opponents but have to settle for field goals and then the opposing team would have Joe Montana throw an 80 yard touchdown pass to rice and they would lose. The Jets, Ravens and Cowboys scored on long touchdown runs and kept drives alive by running on their opponents defense no matter the down and distance. The funny thing is that Flacco and Sanchez threw fewer than 20 passes to win games on the road. Sanchez completed 12 out of 15 passes and should have had a 13th completion but Edwards dropped a touchdown pass. Flacco only completed 4 passes and threw for less than 100 yards. The Ravens really surprised me. The Patriots never lose at home in the Brady era and to be manhandled by the Ravens on defense is one thing but to allow their offense to run all over them that was pretty surprising. I knew the Jets would beat Cincinnati just because I felt that the Bengals seem to play a similar game to the Jets so the Jets just have better players. The Eagles can play with any team in the league except Dallas. Dallas is really clicking right now. Very scary team that has no fear of any team or style they play. Arizona can shoot it out with anyone.
As far as this weekend games are concerned, if the Jets, Ravens, and Cowboys can K.I.S.S. again, they all could come out victorious. The only problem is their opponents have all of the same components that they have. Minnesota, San Diego and Indy, can run and throw the ball very well. Minnesota has the games best back and the one of the toughest defenses to run on. The Chargers have L.T. and he is due to have a big playoff moment. Defensively, they are not as strong as the Jets so the Jets have to play 4 solid quarters to pull off this victory. The Colts have Addai and Brown and Peyton Manning. He just won the league M.V.P. so the Ravens are going to have to score touchdowns and not settle for field goals. They played earlier this season and the Colt won 17-15. The game I am looking forward to is the Saints and Cardinals. Both teams can run it, throw it and give it up. I hope that it is 63-60 final score. The Saints really want a rematch with the Cowboys. Dallas talked a lot of smack when they played earlier this season and left the Saints hoping for a second chance. Brett Favre came back to win a super Bowl. He definitely needs to keep it simple. We shall see....

The problem with the world today

The problem with the world today in particular America is that there is no universality in any topic in the country. We cannot agree on racism, sexism, or capitalism. We cannot come up with a health care initiative that helps everyone. We cannot elect leaders in this country that everyone agrees with no matter what party one belongs to. We have a political system that says that in order for laws to be passed it must be approved by the bodies of elected officials before the President signs off on it. We wont allow people who have a different sexual orientation the right to marry because of the bible and because of antiquated beliefs that people have today. We are afraid of everything and don't trust anyone. Why do we behave, adjudicate, legislate, fear, the way we do? I wish I could tell you. I wish I could explain to you why whenever an athlete apologizes for his or her sins, no one believes them. Since when did the media become the morality police? They are the blame for inflated salaries and egos. What does contrite really mean? When a politician messes up, he parades his wife and family in front of the world and every seems to forgive him or her. The reason I say this is that as soon as he or she gets in impeached they run for office a few years later and they are back in same position. Or Bill Maher, Fox and CNN news comes calling and they have a new career and are allowed to rehab their image. Some athletes and coaches get that right too. But why do we want athletes or politicians to apologize when we all are going to judge them for what they say, how they say it, and if they seemed contrite?
Another aspect of this lack of universality is in law. How is it that Plaxico Burress shoots himself in the leg and gets 20 months in jail and Jayson Williams gets 18 months for killing somebody. Leonard Little killed someone and did less than a year for his negligence. Dany Heatly was involved in an accident that killed a teammate and is playing hockey every day for the Sharks. Jim Brown went to jail because he refused to admit that he hit his wife. Remember Latrell Sprewell? He choked his coach and got suspended from the league for 68 games and was treated like he was a thug. Then it comes out after wards that his coach uses language that a lot of players found offensive and wanted to do the same thing to the coach. Then later on that year Kevin Greene chokes his coach and he is forgiven because football is a violent sport and in the heat of battles emotions get the best of people. The coach from South Florida was fired because he hit a player allegedly during half time of a game. Mark Mangino was fired for his language and his treatment of his players. Just the other day the coach at Kansas st. hit one of his players twice and nothing has happened to him yet. Why don't we have universality in how all these things are handled? I know that this not communism but why is there so much gray area and interpretation to all of these incidents? Jayson Williams has been to trial twice and decided that life is too tough for him right now and going to jail may save him. He was just arrested for DUI. He is about be divorced and his father died two months ago. I would be going crazy too if all these thing had happened to me in a short period of time. Dany Heatly lost control of his vehicle and killed his teammate and only got 3 years probation and a judge who chooses his vehicle. He wasn't drunk legally but someone did die. So I guess if Plaxico had killed someone he would have gotten house arrest.
My entire point in all of this is that we are a starving society that needs a miracle. Not my daughter but someone or something to believe in. In 40's, 50's, and some of the 60's many people were brainwashed into the beliefs that the government and the media allowed us to see and believe. If we thought different we were "communists", we were rebels without a cause, we were anti- American. Free thought was frowned upon until the many movements of the 60's and 70's but all of those leaders were assassinated or imprisoned. I love free thought and I am lucky to be able to blog as I do. But we need a universality in this country other than poverty. We are all struggling and fighting to find that door that opens us up to something new and good. Sports needs that more than ever. We need a sports world where it really is about the athletes and the games they play. We need a world where we all have one idea and gives us harmony and peace. He who is without sin may he cast the first stone...

this weekend had everything

This weekend had everything!!! Blowouts!!! Shocking results!!! Shocking moves!!! And the Monday happens and Mark McGwire blows up the universe!!! Why do these guys wait ten years later or longer to come clean about what the public already knows? Pete rose lies for 14 years and then says "okay you got me" and acts like we are supposed to feel sorry for him. Does Mark think this is going to put him in the Hall of Fame or give him a better public profile? Neither things are going to happen. He was an average first baseman who hit home runs. His numbers are not so spectacular that makes him a Hall of Famer. In fact the year that he hit 70 home runs, he did not even win the M.V.P. award. Sammy Sosa did!!! He is going to be the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals this season. He can teach hitting. He will have the ear of his players and respect of all ballplayers because he finally confessed. Big deal!!! Taking steroids does not make you a better baseball player or hitter period. I have already argued this so I will end this rant by saying, Mark McGwire was not a Hall of Fame player. He was never better than Frank Thomas or any of the other first baseman of his generation. Rafael Palmeiro who is unfortunately on the steroid list was a better player than Big Mac. So I wish him well in what ever he is trying accomplish with this admission. It changes nothing for me!!!
On a even crazier note, Can you believe what happened in Arizona Sunday? They say defense wins championships. Well yes a defensive play won the game for the Cards, but I have to say watching a track meet like that is bad for a person with a bad ticker.. I am not going slam the referees for missing a blatant face mask and getting caught up in the frenzy of the game, but I cant believe that I missed it all. My daughter turns 1 only once so I am sorry that I missed the madness. I am sorry that that I missed Aaron Rodgers showing me that he is ready for prime time and that Packers should stop getting grief for losing Brett Favre. Yes Rodgers had a chance to connect with Jennings for a game winning play and he over threw him.He is the future of the league and hopefully he will stay healthy. God save us if he ever went to play in a city with good weather all the time. He would re-write the record books like no one other. He has become my second favorite player in the game. Behind only the player that defeated him. Kurt Warner is the greatest post season player I have ever seen. Brady may have the rings. Manning, Montana, Bradshaw may have the historic records and accomplishments. Kurt Warner has to be the poster child for under achiever to over achiever. How does a guy go from being Brett Favre fourth string back-up to grocery bag man to Arena League stud to the best quarterback I have ever seen. He has 31 touchdown passes in 12 post season games!!!!! Let me say that again. He has 31 touchdown passes in 12 post season games. He is the worse nightmare for a team that blitzes him. He only had 4 incomplete passes yesterday. 29-33 is scary. He plays the Saints this Saturday and the game may have over 100 points this week. How do you stop them when he is on like this? I also read that he wants to retire after this season. Why? If he wins the Super Bowl with this team, he should go down as biggest savior since .... Jesus. He resurrected the Rams. He trained Eli Manning. If he did not have thumb problems he would have had a better stint with the Giants I believe. The Cardinals, like the Rams, were the laughing stock of the league for years. Hell decades.. Warner makes every team scared because we all know that if he is on, the only thing that will stop him is the end of the game. Brees vs. Warner Saturday I can't wait...
The next crazy thing is Pete Carroll. First of all if some offered me 7 million dollars a year to run a team that plays in a weak division and majority control over decisions for the team, I am on the first thing smoking tomorrow. He has been a legend at USC and he deserves the right to pursue other opportunities. Is USC under some scrutiny right now and this looks fishy that he is leaving right now? Yeah! But he did nothing wrong and if his players have done some things without his knowledge why is he to blame? The Joe McKnight thing is going to blow over. The Reggie Bush investigation is going to prove to be nothing. Because if it was something then somebody would have done something about it already. USC needs to hire a coach to keep the ball rolling there and I am sure that any impending sanctions isn't going to scare away any coach. This is a top flight job and whoever gets it will take all the good and blow away the bad. Seattle needs everything. He has some of his former players there and will probably draft a few more. This will be fun. He has an okay football record in the pros. Good luck Pete..

Tonight as we

Tonight as we say goodbye to another college football season, we are sad to see it go. I love College Football. I wished i played it and i wish I went to a school that had a major football program. UMASS did win the championship a few years ago I think and played for the title three years ago but when I was there they were average. I was there for a decade so I have credibility in commenting on them. This season has left me wanting more because for the second year in a row I feel that the championship game does not represent a true champion. Alabama and Texas has earned the right to play in the big game but Boise St., Cincinnati, and TCU was undefeated until the bowl games. Boise St. is still unbeaten and we will never know what could have happened if they played either Texas or Alabama. Utah last season smacked Alabama around in a game that no one for see happening so I don't discount the possibility that Boise could have done the same thing to either Texas or Alabama. I would like to give a few shout outs before I conclude the season.
A big shout out goes to the Big Ten. They have been laughed at for the past 6 or 7 years because of failures in big games. Penn St., Ohio State and Iowa winning games in the is bowl season have definitely silenced a lot of critics. Wisconsin defeating Miami was big too. Although Michigan St. and Northwestern lost hotly contested games and Minnesota lost by a point to Iowa St. the Big ten showed that they have figured out what they need to compete nationally. Next year Ohio St. will probably ranked in the top three to start the year and their quarterback will be a Heisman front Runner. Michigan will not have another losing season for the return a bunch of players next year. Same for Purdue, Michigan St. Wisconsin. Penn St. may take a step backwards but Joe Paterno will have them ready to play each week. Should be fun....
I would like to shout out to the Wac. They beat convincingly two Pac-10 schools and were impressive in other games. I would like to shout out to Tim Tebow. He showed pro scouts that he can simply play football and if given an opportunity he will prove everyone wrong. I am rooting for him and I hope he will get the chance on the right team and become a star. I want to give a shout to Dez Bryant, this poor guy had his college season cut short because he lied to the NCAA about having lunch with Deion Sanders. Now he will get a chance to amaze scouts in the combine and individual workout day. Hopefully he will be on the board when the Giants draft and become a Giant. He is a star and the world will see.I would like to give Toby Gerhardt a shout as well. He wants to play football so he took 21 credits in the fall so he could finish in time to prepare for the NFL combine. I hope it will pay off for him as well. I would finally like to give two shout outs to Legarrette Blount and Sam Bradford. Mr. Blount hopefully you will get a chance to show the country that that night against Boise St. was not the true you and prove to a NFL team that you are a man and not a boy. Sam hopefully that your shoulder will allow you to live up to your potential and lead an NFL team successfully in the future. Just don't torch the Giants and I will be happy.
We say goodbye to Charlie Weis and Bobby Bowden. Two good men that basically deserved a better fate. If Weis had not been sooooo cocky he probably would have gotten another chance. Coach Bowden should have had the ability to leave when he wanted to. I think that he should have donated a million dollars to his school like Paterno and FSU would have left him alone. Next year there will be BLACK HEAD COACHES AT BCS SCHOOLS!!!! Randy Shannon was the only one this past season and now there are 5. The head coach at TexasTech could 6 if the school wants to step up. That would be cool.
Now tonight's game. I think that Alabama is a better team. Texas is going to win. I will tell you why. Alabama has a knack of not scoring touchdowns. They were 92nd in red zone offense this year I think and when you play against Texas you have to score touchdowns because they will eventually figure what you are doing on defense. Texas over the past 5 years has been the best second half team in College football. I can think of several games where they played horribly in the first half and found ways to come back and win. The Alabama defense does not put pressure on quarterbacks and that is going to kill them late in the game as Texas wins 21-17.
Finally we still need a playoff system. I just think that common sense has got to start to seep into the minds of people involved in the decisions for college football. I think that we live in a world where "out of chaos does not bring order, it brings more chaos." People seem to like chaos. Everyone should have access to free health care too but the powers that be want to fight over semantics and instead of just getting a plan approved and done. Dont get me started on politics in this country and world...

i am going combine these two..

I am going to combine these two because they are about the same city. or District. First the good. Mike Shanahan was hired by the Washington Redskins. As a Giant fan I am scared because Shanahan has rings and can coach. This division now has four top notch coaches and competition in the division will be heated. If you asked me who I would root for other than the Giants in this division I would say Washington. The Redskins have always had a proud tradition of putting out quality football teams and memorable players. I really dislike Dallas and I really abhor Philly. The Redskins are a real mess though. They spend soooo much money every year and don win a thing. The defense is good but the offense needs help at quarterback position. He has weapons to throw to and if Clinton Portis can stay healthy they have players to do damage. Portis played for Shanahan so he is familiar with his system. The owner Daniel Snyder has tried every thing to get the Redskins back on track. The Redskins played in a super bowl in the 70's, 80's and 90's and were one of the elite organizations of that 30 year period. They have had some bad luck with draft picks and coaches who could not get it done. The Redskins are going to need time and I wish them well.
The other news is something that I cannot truly believe. I watched in horror as Gilbert Arenas last night did his pre game introduction mocking shooting a gun. I am stunned that a man that might forfeit his 111 million dollar salary would be poking fun at something that isn't funny. The team changed its name from the bullets to the wizards because the owner was embarrassed because his district was known for being the murder capitol of the world. I cannot believe that in lieu of what happened with Plaxico Burress that any professional athlete would even touch a gun. I heard that some one said that 75% of NBA player have or carry a gun does not disturb me because basketball players still hang out with their boys from back in the day and love to go to clubs. The difference between Baseball players and Basketball players is usually the baseball player has a game in the early afternoon and cannot stay out all night and party. Don't get me wrong, I know several that do but a NBA player does not usually have to report to the arena until later in the day. (I digress)..The point is NBA players tend to hangout in environments that may require them to need protection. So I understand why they have guns. I even understand Gilbert bringing his gun to the arena to store it away from his kids. Nothing more sad than hearing about kids who find their parents gun and accidentally kill someone or themselves. But for Gilbert taunting people in his blogs or making fun of the situation, I don't think we would be caring so much about the topic. He really thought that by telling the police and D.A. that it was over and a load off of his mind? To do what he did last night and his teammates doing it to was sickening. He will never play in the league again. He will probably go to jail and forfeit his contract because so many people are speaking out against him. Even Reverend Sharpton spoke out against Arenas and in turn Gilbert went off on him!!!! The absolute sad part about this is that there is not a person who does not like Gilbert Arenas. He is so funny, agreeable, approachable, articulate. I can not believe that this is happening to him. When he hurt his knee i felt horribly for him and his family. This guy was what the NBA is all about. He earned the right to have that kind of salary. He played his way into a big contract with his performances on the court. He is ruined.....and today is his birthday...

A littany of things to blog about today..

January 6th, 2010 is a day that may finally get the juices flowing with my blogging in 2010. So let's get it started:
How is Roberto Alomar not in the Hall of fame on the first ballot? If the reason is he spit on that umpire and some of the media feels that he should be punished for that then they should have their ability to vote revoked. If he is not in the Hall of fame because he is not such a big name player like say, Randy Johnson or Tony Gwynn, then the people who voted should have their privilege to vote revoke. If he is not in because his last years as a Met were forgettable then the people voting should have their privileges taken away. Why do sportswriters want attention? They criticize every athlete for every crime or act that they commit and when it comes time for a writer to show his or her intelligence they make up some stupid reason for their actions. What second baseman is better? Joe Morgan, Rogers Hornsby played in different era and I would not argue against them. Ryne Sandberg? Jeff Kent? Don't make me laugh!!! Both Kent and Sandberg did win league M.V.P's and are more known for hitting home runs. Sandberg is a Cub "legend". Kent is a journey man player who had a ton of great moments but got swallowed up in the Barry Bonds menagerie. Nothing that either Sandberg or Kent could top Robbie Alomar. He was the gold ' hell platinum standard for his position. He had range, arm strength and ask the A's and the Phillies what kind of player he was. Ask the Red Sox and Yankees about his prowess. A player with 2700 plus hits, 12 all star appearances, 10 gold gloves, two time world champion and the main reason they won both titles is not a first ballot hall of famer is a blatant misuse of privilege that millions of people would love to have. For five voters not to vote for anyone shows me that these writers just want attention and to be on every sports show explaining their foolish position. This notion that keeping players out of the hall on the first ballot is soooooo juvenile and someone should ask the hall to rid itself of these morons. Can you believe that there have never been a player voted in on 100 percent of the ballots? Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Reggie Jackson, Cy Young. Cy freaking young has 511 victories!!!! Hank Aaron and Willie Mays were 20 plus time all stars. Whitey Ford was the star pitcher for all of the Yankee teams.
Randy Johnson retired yesterday. He is the most imposing pitcher in the history of the game. He is probably the best left handed pitcher ever to play. Sandy Koufax usually gets that title but he did not play very long. Johnson had every award that a pitcher wants. He won 5 Cy young awards won a championship with Arizona in 2001. He threw a perfect game in his forties and a no hitter early in his career. He battled back injuries his entire career or he really could have put up better numbers. He is second all time in strike outs. He will be a first ballot Hall of fame guy and should have 100% approval. He dominated in the Steroid era. Although, Manny, Barry, and Big Mac hit some serious prodigious home runs off of him. I remember McGwire hit one in Seattle that I swear is still traveling. Johnson was known for his passion and his wicked slider that absolutely ate up right handed hitters. The All star game in 1992 when John Kruk freaked out when Johnson threw one over his head is still a classic baseball moment. The only place where he did not live up to his potential was when he played in New York. He was always facing the opposing teams best pitcher in post season games so his post season record is not too impressive. Although against the Yankees he pitched very well in world series in 2001 and with Seattle in 1996. He was the "big Unit" and should be showered today with praise for all that he went through in his career. He is clearly the prime example of why baseball is the hardest sport to win a title in. Think about how many 2-1, 1-0, 3-2 games that he pitched in and lost. He once pitched against a pitcher from the Cardinals who threw a no-hitter against him 1-0. Johnson only allowed a few hits. The pitcher Jimenez had a career losing record and became a closer later on that season. Remember when he hit that bird with a pitch and the bird exploded?
Congrats to the Hawk. Is he a Hall of Fame player? Maybe. He got injured a lot and we will never know what kind of player he could have been. He is one of three players with 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases (Bonds and Mays). He was a league M.V.P. once and definitely had he stayed healthy would have been a automatic hall of fame guy. 9 years waiting though makes me think that other people may have better than he. He is in and that is all that matters.
Bert Blyeleven was 5 votes short of getting in today. He should be in based on his stats alone. was he a dominant pitcher . NO. He was just consistent. 288 wins and over 3000 strike outs is automatic in for me.

talking trash

Many of you can attest i talk trash no matter what i am doing. Playing hearts, pool, basketball, etc. I will say something that usually gets someone mad. In pro sports today trash talking has been silenced in every way. Players get fined for taunting or excessively celebrating accomplishments in all sports. Now some players go over the top with their mannerism and I can understand why the rule was put in place. Deion Sanders high steppin' down the side lines and dancing was fun to watch. The alleged story of him screaming at the Clemson sideline telling them that he was going to take a punt back for a touchdown and then doing it is hilarious. Muhammad Ali coming up with colorful jabs at his opponents was cool too. Even the Mutumbo finger wave was funny because when he got dunked on they did back to him. Vince Carter and Micheal Jordan waved their finger after posterizing Mutumbo. Chad Ocho Cinco became famous because he would talk trash about his opponent before games, during games and after. He made a list one year of all of the defensive backs he was to face and called them the week of the games an told them what he going to do to them. This ear he sent mustard to an opponent basically telling the Ravens that "they couldn't cut the mustard. " Very funny and to his teams credit, they defeated the Ravens twice this year. He apparently is the only player in the NFL that talks trash. Bart Scott of the Jets talks a little smack,so does Joey Porter of the Dolphins. I think that players who do do the talking are all so respected and feared that no one says anything back to them anymore. Ray Lewis talks during games a lot and I have never heard any one say anything back to him. Teams all say that they want to knock Hines Ward out but every week he is the one laying out players. I remember when T.O. mocked Ray Lewis' dance after scoring a touchdown against the Ravens. I am still waiting for retribution on that one. In Baseball the way players taunt others is the home run pose. Ken Griffey Jr. has been doing the same pose for 20 seasons. Barry Bonds did the pose too. Albert Pujols even poses and chucks his bat away. A-rod does the pose and chuck too. Manny does the strut. The pitchers retaliate by throwing at the next hitter or even sometimes at the home run hot dog. Relief pitcher get real pumped up and do their little dance after a save or big out. K-rod does his thing and then points at the sky. I think that if he did not point to the sky after wards he would have some problems. Randy Johnson used to get very excited after a big strikeout. Players would not complain because they had that fear that he would put one behind their head if they did. Tiger Woods does the fist pump when he gets on a roll. At first that angered some of the purest but when the guy kept winning all the time they just accepted it. Lleyton Hewitt used to drive opponents crazy when he would yell come on after winning points in tennis. No one said anything to him because he was always winning when he did this. Roger Federer does a little bit of that now. No one says anything back because he always wins. Floyd Mayweather talks a lot of trash but he wins all of his fights. He even answers questions during fights that the announcers are raising. I wish I had court side seats to a Bulls game back in the day or Celtic game. They used to say that Larry Bird talk so much trash that opposing players would hide their faces so not to laugh at their team mate who was being taunted. He would literally tell you how we was going to hit shots and when to jump and all kinds of crazy stuff. Remember when he won the 3 point shooting contest and did not take his warm up jacket off? He was telling other players that his name already had the check on it. Gary Payton talked a lot of trash. He would lock up his opponent and then post them up on the other end to add insult to what he would be saying at the other end. Could you imagine someone talking smack to Jordan? I am sure that Rodman and Payton did talk smack to Micheal. He once said after a Bulls win in the finals that he may need to take Payton to a playground somewhere and remind him that he was Micheal Jordan. Earlier that season Payton stripped Jordan preserving a victory for the Sonics. The next game Jordan scored 31 points in the first half and Payton was silenced.
I guess the point of this rant is that I miss the trash talkers of sport. Charles Barkeley and his contemporaries made trash talking fun. I think the reason that we don't hear about trash talking anymore is that guys today will fight you in the parking lot, night club or go to your dressing room and confront you about what you had to say. Also I think that today seems to have too many star players in different sports that are so much better than everyone else that it makes most sense not to say a word. I wonder if some one taunted Tiger or Roger or Usain Bolt, what would happen. Can you imagine taunting Micheal Phelps? Lance Armstrong? Mike Tyson? Kobe Bryant? Lebron James? I guess if you can't back it up, it is best to shut it up!!! Chad Ocho cinco trashed talked Darrell Revis from the Jets last week and got silenced in a big way. Ocho cinco had zero catches, this week he gets a second chance. We shall see....

Tis the season..

First I want to thank all of you for the birthday wish. I cannot believe that I am 42 and I hope to live another 420 years. I hope that my writing style will improve and that I will attract more readers to my blog. With that being said, let us move on to a better and happy 2010.
Tis the season when every arm chair quarterback sits at home and evaluates their teams and comes up with solutions that either makes sense or shocks the world. To no one's surprise Jim Zorn was fired today by the Redskins. The Buffalo Bills cleaned out its coaching staff, the Gutless Giants fired their defensive coordinator and more moves coming. Other teams contemplating moves are Jacksonville, Chicago, Cleveland Tampa Bay, and Houston. Jeff Fisher is the longest tenured coach in the NFL. Andy Reid of the Eagles is the second longest tenured coach in the league. Fisher's team for a while was the biggest loser of the season but found a way to get a .500 record. Many people think that he has been in Tennessee too long and that a change may be necessary because he has only one super bowl appearance in his tenure and he was reluctant to start Vince Young whilst the team was on a 6 game losing streak. The owner actually demanded that Young play and the team went 8-2 with him at the helm. The two losses were to San Diego and Indianapolis, the two teams with the best records in the conference. Jeff Fisher has been great as a coach. I think that he will get one more year and if they do not win anything, he will be fired. This day is like the end of the baseball season's last day. It is a day where you don't care about anything other than finding out who got fired and who is being allowed one more year.
Yesterday, most people clammed up about resting players after 5 very important players suffered injuries. Wes Welker of the Patriots may be done for two years. The three Arizona Cardinals players are still waiting for results and Chad Ochocinco and Charles Woodson declare that they will play no matter what. The Colts are still a mystery to me. It was snowing like crazy in Buffalo yesterday and played their players in the snow. You are more likely to get injured playing in those conditions than any others not to mention what if someone gets the flu? The said that they did not care about individual accomplishments but kept Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark in the game to catch their 100th receptions of the season. I am really rooting for the Chargers and the Saints to make it to the big game. Drew Brees was drafted by the Chargers and went to the Saints so the Phillip Rivers could have his chance. Reggie Bush is from San Diego so playing against his home town team would be cool. The Jets surprised me yesterday. The Cowboys did too. I remember the last time the Jets played the Bengals in the playoffs. Didn't Freeman Mcneil run for 200 plus yards in a Jets victory? Mark Sanchez is probably wondering "what is wrong with this picture". He is the only quarterback playing in this years playoff with no experience. Romo's only appearance didn't he drop the field goal attempt and Seattle won? The ball was too slick I think they said. The Eagles really did not show up yesterday. I just cant believe that the Giants went from 5-0 to 8-8 in a blink of an eye. If they did not win the Super Bowl a few years ago they would have fired Coughlin. Everyone has injuries. Very disappointed. Anyways, just warming up today. Tomorrow will be back with more vim and vigor..

its a new decade

Its a new decade and we already have scandals brewing around the sports world. Allegedly Gilbert Arenas and Jarvis Chrittenden got into an argument over an unpaid bet and guns were drawn in the locker room. Don't these guys read the newspaper or watch Sportscenter? If this is true they are bot going to jail. Plaxico Burress went and I suspect that these two guys are going to be in serious trouble too. Especially doing this in Washington D.C where they have so much crime in that area. Gilbert Arenas has to be the most confusing person in the world. He signed this enormous contract a few years ago and has not done a thing to legitimize the deal at all. He tells the team when he wants to play and rehab and if he is ready to play. I know the Wizards don't matter in world of sports, I mean they fired Micheal Jordan and they have not done a thing in years. In fact this story is even crazier when you find out that Arenas brought his guns to his locker to keep them away from his kids. I don't have a gun and I am not rich either. But a player having an unloaded hand gun in his locker is scary enough. I am sure he would like to shoot the media and the embarrassment this kind of attention brings to a team that is sorry anyway is crazy. I hope that these men are vindicated in the end and that I never have to hear about teammates pulling guns on each other. What a way to start the year.
Then there is Mike Leach down at Texas Tech. Allegedly he told a player to go stand in a closet against his will because he had a concussion instead keeping him in the trainers room or on a hospital table. The school fired him because they did not believe he would do such a thing number 1 and the school did not want to pay him the 800,000 dollars that they owed him if he made it to new years eve. Leach says that the player Adam James is retaliating against him because of lack of playing time and that his father who is ESPN analyst Craig James is wielding his national influence to expose a situation that is blown way out of proportion. If it is true that he locked a player with a concussion in a closet he should be arrested, much less left in charge of our children. Leach has not denied the story but says that doctors agree with what he did so he does not understand why he is being fired. All Leach has done is put Texas Tech on the football map over the decade he was the coach. The school did not want to retain him last year but reluctantly signed him early last year. He is too good a coach not be hired but if he committed this offense i have reservations about him. He has the trainer defending him so I guess this is a wait and see story.
The Next one is the supposed super fight between Mayweather and Manny P. Pacquaio is now suing the Golden Boy Production and Mayweather for slander and defamation. All of this due to the fact that Pacquaio won't talk a blood test that is recognized by the world. Allegedly Golden boy and Pretty boy have said that Pacquiao is on the juice because he has jumped so many weight classes and is knocking out too many bigger fighters. He knocked out Dela Hoya in their fight. What the hell is going on here. Just take the blood test and beat Mayweather and retire as the greatest fighter we have ever seen. What is the problem with that. Unless you have something to hide take the test. This is crazy. No one wants to watch you fight Paul Maliaggi or Shane Mosely. Take the test and if are a blood doper you are a fraud. If you are clean then move on. Simple.
The last one cracks me up. The NFL allegedly may be under investigation because of the Colts not playing their starters in a football game. Apparently in 2005 the league itself looked into creating a policy that would force teams to play their players in all games. The league decided then that they couldn't because you can't make a team play players. In fact this latest investigation isn't going do anything either. The only way that all players will play all the time is if money is tied to performance. The only other way to make players play is if the fans stop showing up to games then there is no money to be made. So if fans know ahead of time that Peyton Manning is not going to play maybe they would not show up. I would show up no matter. Getting NFL tickets are hard enough and Die hard fans may boo but they will still show up. So in other words the NFL is screwed and should leave this subject alone.