The year in sports

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZjS5pGNg50&feature=youtube_gdata_player

You CANT HAVE It BOTH WAYS..

Robinson Cano just broke the bank in Seattle. Everyone has an opinion. Yankee fans are sad he is gone, but glad that the Yankees didn't give him the key to the kingdom. Baseball is the king of the long term contracts, where players can't possibly be great for 10-12 years. The Dodgers are about to make Kershaw the richest pitcher in history. He is 25 and clearly the games premier hurler. Mike Trout at age 21 has been runner up in the m.v.p. balloting the last 2 years. Strasburg, Fernandez in Florida, Machado in Baltimore, Bryce Harper, Harvey in New York if he comes back healthy are all going to cost teams hundreds of millions of dollars. The only player in recent memory that has lived up to the big contract is Derek Jeter. Jeter had a long hall of fame career and captained five teams to titles.  Pujols did not get the big contract until he left St. Louis. Cabrera has a ring from his Florida days but all he does is rake. Manny Ramirez delivered for Boston two rings. Chipper Jones made it to the playoffs every year. Mike Piazza had a productive career with the Mets. Carlos Beltran did as well.
Here is my point. Media and fans complain that there is no loyalty in sports. Dustin Pedroia might be the last to be on a team for his entire career and get a payday.  David Wright for the Mets might be another. Tulo out here in Colorado? Maybe. Buster Posey? Joe Mauer? The point is you have to pay to keep people around. Seattle has gotten rid of Arod, Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey  Jr., Ichiro!!!! They don't know how to pay for loyalty and commitment to excellence. It is a disgrace that those guys bounced around as much as they did. Jacoby Ellsbury should have been a RedSox for life. Todd Helton may not have won a title but he was a vital part of the growth of baseball in Colorado. Jeff Bag well and Craig Biggio were the reasons to watch Astro Baseball. You can't blame the players. They don't want to leave. Cano wanted to be another Jeter. Long term deals keep fans coming to the stadium. You know when healthy if your star player is going to be there everyday if possible.  Pujols in St Louis. You knew he would hit 3rd and play first. Jeter, Ripken Jr., Helton would be at their positions. Owners make millionaires out of average players and now the world hates a sport where showing longtime loyalty is a foolish gesture ?  I stopped liking the Yankees and became a lifelong Met fan when the Yanks traded away Reggie. I almost abandoned the Mets when they let Strawberry go.  I guess if Peyton Manning and Brett Favre can change teams then anyone can. No one wins in all of this. Unless you are a fair weather fan and can cheer for anybody, then this sports world is for you. Don't cry to me about loyalty anymore. I guess I will be a met,dodger, mariner,angel, yankee, red Sox ,rockies, tigers fan. Go team!!!!

Eastern Conference Basketball isn't fantastic, its anonymous

I haven't written for a while, so I am sorry to post an empty blog. I think my blog is a perfect representation of what is in the way for the heat to repeat as champions. Nothing.. The east has one team other than Miami with a winning record.  The very tall and formidable Indiana pacers. The Bulls will get better as the year progresses. Brooklyn and new York have injuries but have insane talent. They both stink right now. Can anyone name another team in the east? Philly? Boston? Cleveland? Toronto? Do you know that the two team that have longest playoff streak in east?  Not Miami. Not New York. It is Boston and the Atlanta Hawks. If you take away the Heat, Pacers, Nets and Knicks, could you name an All star team. Derek Rose is gone till the playoffs. Rudy Gay is in the witness protection program in Toronto. Kyrie Irving is made of paper mache. He gets hurt more frequently than any person I have ever heard of.  Speaking of Cleveland who is this number one draft pick who sits the bench quite often? Anthony Bennett. He may go down as the most under used number one pick in history.  He is the most anonymous first pick of the last 20 years. The east is so bad that western conference teams are asking for realignment. This could be the first time that several teams make the playoffs with a losing record. Teams are tanking for this great college class? I don't think they could if they tried.
Why are they so bad?  The old teams are just old. Brooklyn and New York can't stay healthy or put two games in a row of consistent basketball together. Other teams have lost star players and are trying to fix problems with unproven talent.  Orlando lost Howard. Atlanta lost Joe Johnson and Josh Smith.  They also fired coaches who could win 50 games a season but fail in the playoffs. They have made terrible trades and have not recovered. The Pistons haven't been the same sine Hamilton and Billups left. Philly got nothing from Bynum and traded Igoudola for nothing but promise.  Cleveland lost Lebron and has the number 1 pick twice in 3 years. Milwaukee lost Bogut and Ellis, and last year Jennings.  Toronto lost Bosh.  Who is Demar Derozen? I know he is a l.a.kid but can he play? These teams are mismanaged for the future. They bring in all of this young potential talent and they are not really ready for the NBA. The west is younger and hungrier. The west has two old teams but they can still play. The Spurs are a top 3 team. The Lakers will be better than most think if Kobe is healthy. The death of the east is the one and done players. The life of the west is the mixture of the old,new, and unproven.  I am a east coast guy and I am dying with this.. We shall see what happens..

Just get over it..

My least favorite quote in the world is "just get over it".  Everyone around the world has problems, issues, or situations that they have to overcome and the best way friends or enemies choose to tell their friends or enemies how to handle something is to simply say "just get over it".  How does this apply to sports? i can give you two major examples.  The first one: USC GOT SCREWED by the NCAA. The University of Miami got a slap on the wrist by the NCAA for its lavish scandal.  For almost a decade players, coaches in multiple sports received impermissible benefits from a booster which is at the core of almost every NCAA investigation.  The school imposed its own sanctions and because they cooperated with NCAA officials only lost 9 scholarships to its football program. The coach of the basketball team who coaching at another university now got a 5 game suspension. The matter is now history.  The NCAA threatened that they may impose the death penalty for the violations by the school.  All they got was a slap on the wrist. USC lost 30 scholarships, lost prestige, prominence, a coach who couldn't overcome the sanctions and have floundered over the last 3 years.  The people involved with the scandal lost a Heisman trophy and banishment from the school. They have been trying to pick up the pieces ever since. To make matters worse, Penn State was rewarded for its compliance with the NCAA and are going to start to get scholarships back as early as next year.  USC was not given a chance to "suck up" or kiss ass to get scholarships back. I guess they pissed off the wrong compliance officer. I guess because they tried to defend themselves and that was a bad thing. I guess they knew that Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo was getting benefits and so they had no right to defend their "lack" of knowledge. What a joke. But I guess USC NEEDS to GET OVER IT.  They can't sue the NCAA for unfair litigation. The NCAA governs itself.  They have fired or had several officers resign over the last five years. The NCAA has punished players for selling their jerseys for tattoos, They have ended a players career for having dinner with Deion Sanders. Just get over it.. Right?
The second one is Steve Bartman.  Bartman is a lifelong Cub fan who needs to come out of hiding  and be human again.  The Cubs just stink. They think the hiring Theo Epstein is going o change their luck and win a world series.  The blame Bartman for interfering with Moises Alou chance for catching a foul ball.  Every fan would have done the same thing. Every fan has done the same thing since the beginning of time. The Cubs haven't won a world series in over 100 years.  Bartman, the billy goat, the black cat, make the story sexy and silly. Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson were once in a lifetime players and couldn't deliver the goods.  Sammy Sosa couldn't either.  They burned out Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.  CUB FANS need to GET OVER IT and leave Bartman alone. They need to realize that everyday they wake up they can change the course of their lives with their own actions. Bartman is still in hiding 10 years after this fiasco. GET OVER IT!!! Let him come home. Red Sox fans and the media forgave Buckner for his blunder in the 86 series. Buckner was a Cub too..

The NFL.. How wrong have I been

I have a few friends around the country who enjoy keeping me on my toes or bluntly like to try and prove that I am uneducated or inaccurate when it comes to football prognosticating. With MY football team sitting at 0-6 and looking more and more bleak each week i guess i can take the ribbing this year because because i have never been so wrong.  i said that the AFC is weak. I said 6 teams in the AFC would have winning records.  I said the that the Jets were a mess. i said that the NFC would dominate every AFC team.  I said Seattle, the Giants, San Francisco, Chicago and New Orleans, Atlanta, Green Bay were way better than any AFC team. Hell i even predicted the Super Bowl would be Manning Bowl 4. How wrong have I been.
Denver and Kansas City have three wins against the NFC east. Both have beaten Dallas, The Giants and Eagles. The Patriots have defeated the Bucs, Saints, and Falcons. Indianapolis has beat Seattle and San Fransisco. Bengals have beaten the Packers. Hell the Jets have beaten the Falcons. In fact the Falcons have lost to the Dolphins, Jets and Patriots. This was supposed to be the coming out party for some NFC teams this year. Instead two former NFC coaches are leading the only two unbeaten teams to an undefeated record. John Fox and Andy Reid are NFC alumni and are enjoying a ton of prosperity. Peyton Manning is playing football like a video game.  Alex Smith is not making mistakes and his team keeps on winning.  Jamaal Charles is putting up Jim Brown like stats. Their defense just recorded 10 sacks in a game.
Remember all of that talk about running quarterbacks? No one is talking about them now.  RG3 has not been impressive this year. In fact if we were to gauge the progress of the young qb's from last year, Andrew Luck would be number 1, Ryan Tannehill would be number 2 over Wilson and RG3 and even Colin K. The AFC has had so many impressive wins that it is hard to defend the NFC's honor. I am speechless as to how bad the Giants are.  They give the football away easier than a child gives away candy.  They have no balance, pass rush or fight. I have never been been afraid to watch a game.  I watch with one eye open wondering when the collapse is going to happen.  The Saints could have been the flag bearer for the conference but the crumble in New England was shameful. They had two opportunities to win that game. Green Bay losing at Cincinnati was another disgrace.
Can we turn it around?  I wish I felt confident to say yes. The Seahawks will get better as they get healthy. So will the Niners. Green Bay just got dealt some bad news with their injuries.  Dallas can score on anyone, but cant stop anyone. Like the eagles, Giants, Bears, Redskins... I have one wish for the next 6 games. You know what it is...

who is more disappointing Peyton Manning or the Atlanta Braves

For the record, I think that both Peyton Manning and the Atlanta Braves have nothing to be ashamed of.  Both have put themselves in position to win titles.  Both have one world series ring since 1995. Both have dominated their divisions and leagues for many years. Manning is going to re-write the record books before he is done. The Braves have won the National League east an astounding number of times I think they have won 15 division titles since 1991, including this year. Chipper Jones is as tragic a hero as Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning's teams have won 12 division titles, and lost in the first round or game 8 times. He has one super bowl ring. Who is more disappointing?  In my opinion the answer is the Atlanta Braves.
Peyton Manning has had terrible games in the post season. He would lose to Tennessee in his first playoff game, he would lose to Miami in his next one and then his worse loss was against the Jets and they lost 41-0. The New England Patriots always seemed to have his number.  Hew would put up video game number during the regular season and looked lost and confused in playoff games. He had great players on his offense. Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are hall of Famers.  Edgerin James was efficient and reliable as anyone.  Dallas Clark and Marcus Pollard made a lot of plays for him.  They did not have a great defense.  Dwight Freeney was unblockable during the regular season, but in the playoffs was often a non factor. They had could never get a consistent pass rush or stop the opponents running game. Peyton is often blamed for his teams failures because he would throw a late interception or multiple interceptions in games. Fair or not the quarterback either gets too much credit for good thing or too much blame for bad things. i think he should be appreciated just for getting their. Several great players never got to the super bowl or won a playoff game. Barry Sanders never was as spectacular in the playoffs as he was in the regular season.  Didnt the packers hold him to negative yardage in a playoff game? In fact I dont think he won more than one playoff in a game in his career if at all.  O.J. Simpson ran wild in the NFL no post season legacy to speak of. Dan Fouts lit up every team in the NFL in his brilliant hall of fame career, no rings to show for it.
The Atlanta Braves are tragic and here is why.  They dominated everyone. They out pitched everyone.  They would win games that were insurmountable more than anyone. They matched up well with everyone. Glavine, Maddux, Smoltz Avery, Alejandro Pena, Mark Wohlers, John Rocker, embarrassed everyone. They lost to the Yankeees after dominating them in earlier games. They lost to the Twins who had only Jack Morris as an imposing pitcher. They lost to Toronto who had Winfield and Molitor. The Braves were favored in all of these series. They had a superstar laden lineup. They could beat you with a speed game with Otis Nixon or power game with Gant and Justice. Glavine Smoltz, Maddux, and Chipper Jones are first ballot hall of Famers. What puzzles me about their lack of success is the baseball adage of momentum is the next day starting pitcher.  The Braves threw four top of the line starters at teams each night. They put teams in slumps with their dominance. They never had a team that they dreaded playing. The Colts season was always based on whether they beat the Patriots. When they would win people thought that they could win the title.  when they lost people would say same sorry ass Colts.  The Braves were always the hunted. They had no peer. They just simply could not win. Teams would bleed their starting pitching for 8 innings and get to their bullpen and beat them late quite often.  The Yankees, Blue jays, and Twins had memorable world series wins in the late innings to sting the Braves.  Jim Leyritz name is a sore subject down south.  Kirby Puckett and Dane Iorg dramatics in Minnesota. Dave Winfield, Kelly Gruber. Ernie Witt.  Tom Heinke stifled the bats of the Braves in world series. The Braves had more heart breaking losses than anyone.
I am sure anyone would love to be Peyton Manning or Chipper Jones or Greg Maddux because of their brilliance on the field. However the lack of rings will always haunt these guys. All great players and great teams.  Unfortunately we are all judged by wins and chips. Both only have one in the last 20 years. The Braves are more tragic because they had no peer. They had reservations to be in the playoffs every year and just got beat when you least expected it.  W e all knew that Peyton would throw that pick or we all knew that Peyton wouldn't come through.  He only did it once. We all were shocked when the Braves would fail in the post season. They had everything...

The nfl shoud be ashamed of itself for this concussion settlement

I first started playing football as a six year old in Greenburgh, N.Y. The Fairview Center had it all. Basketball, Baseball, Summer Camp and Football. There was a kid on my team named Sean Williams and he could ball. He had a 80 plus yard touchdown run and it was awesome to see. I remember in Jr. PeeWee football practice doing drills like monkey rolls, reaction drills and something called bull in the ring. Never heard anything about concussions. I remember one practice we practiced against the peewee team and someone got the wind knocked out of them. He was gasping for air like that scene in total recall. I was scared but playing left guard I knew that I wouldn't get hurt unless I hurt my self. As I advanced through the years, I only saw one person get a concussion. Steve Sacks got dinged up pretty badly in a game my junior year. He was my go to guy our senior year. He has turned out fine. Now I am not equating my exploits as a player to that of a NFL player but I am certain no one told us about concussions. There were two really outstanding players in pop Warner. Reggie Battle could really hit,. Alfie Fullwood could too. Again no concussion speech then either. I remember in high school watch these amazing videos where John Facenda would narrate these great sequences where NFL players would get nailed and it would inspire us to want to duplicate what we saw. No concussions were ever discussed.
Fast forward to today, every thing is being done to prevent concussions and there is nothing that can be done to stop them. The only way to stop them us to end football period and we all know that isn't going to happen. We ask these human missiles to entertain us the best way they can and now we are making it worse for the league. Players have been taught knockout shots for years and got paid mucho dinero for putting players out of the game. Now there is a dangerous strike zone that is going to put more players in wheel chairs and not decrease concussions because helmet to knee or leg hits can cause concussions too. Players don't spend a lot of time at practice learning how to tackle because there are not long practice sessions any more.
So what the league does to help those already afflicted by giving them 765 million dollars to help them deal with their issues. The players want 9 billion. 9 billion is the cost of the most recent television contract. The league didn't even give the players a day in court so that a judge or arbitrator could dispense a proper amount. The case is closed and if players want to go back to court, they would have to do it individually or as a group forfeit it all. Also only 10 million dollars is going to research. 465 is going to the players. 200 million is going to lawyers fees!!!!!! When I worked as a security guard at clubs some nights I would take inferior tips just so I would have money in my pocket instead of breaking the bank. I felt like a prostitute because I was only motivated by the money and not the principle of my labor. NFL players took an insulting offer and have hurt the future. They should have opened Pandora's box. Now there will be no accountability. Yes 100,000 plus per person is a huge benefit and more money than a lot of the players before 1970 received in their entire career. They should have forced a national forum. The NFL just showed the players the difference between why they have it all and the players will never. The best interest is supposed to be for the players and their families. We all know medical care is going to evaporate that money faster than one can spell "it". I thank god I have a girl. I am not sure I would let a son of mine play football.

The NFC is loaded

Can you think of a NFC team that actually is real bad? Carolina? St.Louis? Philadelphia? Detroit?  All four of those teams had bad records last but had good wins over a quality team last year.  All four teams have quarterbacks who were number picks overall and all four teams are going to be difficult to beat this year. Let's go division by division to prove my point.
The NFC north is probably the weakest division in the conference. Most people feel that Green Bay is the best team. Aaron Rodgers had a good season last year, but far below his standards. He still needs a running game to give them balance and their defense needs a great year from Clay Matthews. They have holes on the o-line due injury and their secondary will be tested. They score a lot, but give up a lot too. The Bears have a new coach who is an offensive genius. Marc Freshman know offense. Jay Cutler would be wise to learn from him. The Bears have the balance the Packers wish for but don't have Aaron Rodgers leading them. The Bears will play solid defense, seem to always get an injury that disrupts their  season. Stay healthy Chicago and you may have something. The Minnesota Vikings have Adrian Peterson. He can keep them in games. They have a great defensive line. This team will go as far as Christian Ponder will take them. No Percy Harvin  will kill them too. The Detroit Lions have added Reggie Bush and if he stays healthy, the lions could be the most dangerous in all of football. The have an unstoppable force on offense in Johnson. They have front four that will knock you senseless. They have a quarterback who can throw the pigskin. Don't sleep on Detroit.
The NFC south also has four teams that will be difficult to beat. Atlanta Falcons last year were the team with the best record in the conference. They added OSI on defense and Steven Jackson on offense. The have balance on offense and should be an offensive juggernaut. Their secondary killed them last year. If they can get pressure on the quarterback they may have what it takes to win it all. The New Orleans Saints get their coach back and must really improve on defense. They gave up the most points in NFL history. They still have Drew Brees  and a loaded offense. They truly believe that Rob Ryan can change their defense. If he can, Bree's can do Magic. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have my attention. They will better on defense with the addition of Revis. Josh Freeman last year was great in the fourth quarter. They have great balance on offense. This team will drive everyone crazy this year. The Carolina Panthers have serious talent too. Cam  Newton can be a superstar. They have solid receiver in Smith. Two good backs when healthy. A superstud linebacker in Luke. If they figure it out between the ears, they be in every game they play.
NFC West has sick speed, youthful zest and mad talent. The Niners added championship pieces and are mad that they are no longer unbeaten in Super Bowls. The have speed in the receiving corp. They have a bruiser in the running attack. Great tight end. Great talent in the front seven. The secondary may be the only question. They will have home field and have the quarterback of the future. Will they lose a game? We shall see. The Seattle Sea hawks have everything the Niners have and when Percy Harvin returns, they will have more. The Seahawks are invincible at home. Their defense is fierce and fast. They can control the ball with a punishing rushing attack. They must hold on to the ball. This team is for real. The Arizona Cardinals added Carson Palmer and the physical defense they have could cause problems for all of its opponents. If Palmer throws the ball to his players more than to the other team, the Cardinals could be formidable. Patrick Peterson is must see television. So is Larry Fitzgerald.  The St. Louis Rams might Bethe only bad team in the NFC. Last year they beat the Niners.  They have a plan that bothers the Niners. They lost Stephen Jackson. Sam Bradford has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had a franchise quarterback salary. He needs to deliver some wins. They had a good draft over the past three seasons. Put up or get out of the way..
My favorite division, the NFC east, I could talk about for hours. The Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins, and Giants all are capable of making a title run. The Redskins won the division last year behind rookie sensations Robert Griffin and Alfred Morris. The 'skins had balance and drove everyone crazy with their diversity in play calling. Griffin is coming off a knee injury and the 'skins vow to keep him safe this year. Can their defense keep up with their offense? If they can maybe this new generation of quarterback is ready to take over league. The Cowboys can score with anyone, but the key to this season is Demarco Murray. When he plays, they usually win. Romo needs a running game to take the pressure off of him. The Cowboys have talent on defense but they have always had talent. They should be better than their 8-8 record. Romo got paid. Jason Garrett is on the hot seat. Playoffs or bust. The Eagles are going to try and wear people down with their tempo and speed. The can run it well. They can stretch the field with Jackson. Mike Vick. Always off to a fast start gets hurt and then the interceptions pile up. The eagles will either be the most exciting team to watch or a train wreck. They have too much talent to be so bad. Defense has to get back to being dominant and opportunistic. Chip Kelly get ready for hell or give em hell.. The Giants... No preview about my team. Its a secret as to where I think they will end up. No one ever talks about the Giants. They talk about Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, the Jets, Ravens, Tebow, concussions. So I will keep them under the radar too....
So the NFC will have the following conclusions... Niners, Packers, Falcons, Giants win the divisions. Seattle and Chicago get wild card. Giants and Packers in the championship game. Who do you think wins.
The Super bowl is in my stadium. I am  not a fan of the new style quarterbacks. I saw Peyton Manning throw seven touchdown passes. All of these young guys are one hit away from being out for the season. The Manning bowl will be exciting.

Is the NFL about to go back in time?

Remember the 80's? Crazy hairdos, electronic music, colorful clothing, and NFC dominance in pro football? How about the 90's? Chubb Rock, the high-top fade, Good Fellas, and The NFC dominance in pro football? I believe from 1984-1997 the NFC won every super bowl. I think the Los Angeles Raiders beat the Washington Redskins in 83 and the Broncos beat Favre and Green Bay in 1997. Yes I know that Baltimore won the Super Bowl last season, but have you seen how loaded the NFC is? Let's talk about the AFC today and you will see why I am worried about how this season could be the beginning of run for NFC dominance....
If you go by division, you will be lucky to find 6 teams that are playoff worthy much less super bowl worthy. The AFC east or least is horrible. The New England Patriots could win this division with me playing quarterback. The Patriots have not won a super bowl in a decade and every one is wondering if Tom Brady has peaked. They lost Wes Welker so their offense will be different. Their defense hasn't been the same since their super titles. Yet they will some how win 13 games, get home field and lose to someone in the playoffs. The Miami Dolphins may be improved overall as their quarterback gains experience. No Reggie Bush which gave them a running game. If they win 8 games that will be a miracle. The New York Jets are either going to be real bad or horrible. Richard Todd couldn't save this team. Freeman Mcneil , Richard Caster or Carl Basilauskus or Greg Buttle are not walking into that locker room to help this team. Sexy Rexy should cut and run. They have destroyed Sanchez. Yikes.  Buffalo has a lot of talent. Can you name anyone on this team? C.j.Spiller can ball. Stevie Johnson can too. Mario Williams. Okay. E.j. Manuel has a lot of potential and a ton to live up to. Is he a first rounder? He was drafted in the first round and now it is time to prove it. A new head coach in Marrone who has a great reputation could spell a positive future for the Bills. This year however will be long. 
The AFC south has two good teams in Houston and Indianapolis and two bad teams in Tennessee and Jacksonville. Houston has the talent to go all the way. Great running game. Great receivers. Solid D-line. Solid secondary. So why can't they win? They can't win because they don't have anyone who makes they wow play that makes a difference. They are a grinder team. They don't scare anyone. You know what going to see each game. I think they don't believe they are actually a good ball club. Everyone seems to hold their breath when the play the Patriots, Packers, or any team that has equal talent. The only way to quiet the critics is to simply win. We shall see.. The Colts shocked the world last year. No one expected them to win as many games as they did. Everyone is expecting a decline this year because year 2 in the Luck regime will be tougher. The schedule will tougher and preparation for the Colts will be taken more seriously. Luck needs a running game to take pressure off of him. Their defense is a liability. They can win some AFC games but NFC games could be difficult. Tennessee hasn't been the same since Steve McNair died. Jacksonville hasn't been good since Brunell left. Both teams hang their hats on a running game and tough defense. The only problem is they don't have a tough defense and the quarterback play is erratic. This division is slightly better than the east. That is not saying much.
The AFC west is like the AFC east. One super team, the Broncos. One team that has potential, the Chiefs. One team that is a head scratcher, the Chargers. One team that has talent but is still going to struggle, the Raiders. The Broncos last year got hot
Last year and got stunned in the playoff game against Baltimore. Peyton Manning played like a M.V.P. and the Broncos defense was really opportunistic. They had a crazy schedule and held their own. This year they play the NFC east and have to play all of the "good" teams in the AFC. They lost Dumervil on defense and Von Miller for the first 6 games. They can score a lot with addition of Wes Welker. They are going to have to until the reinforcements come back.  The Chiefs have a new Coach in Andy Reid, an angry fiesty quarterback in Alex Smith. Great running back in Charles. Solid crew of linebackers and receivers. So why the doubt? Charles is always hurt. Smith is coming off an injury season. The secondary can't cover anyone. They defensive line is young. Any questions? The Chargers have Rivers, Gates, Matthews, Freeney.  So what's wrong with them? Rivers, Gates, Matthews and Freeney aren't enough. Matthews is often injured. So is Gates. Freeney is 75. They lost Ingram for the season. Manti Teo hasn't shown us much yet for he has been hurt. This season could be a train wreck. The Raiders have good players, but they are all young and unproven. Learning season for Pryor. Matt Flynn got another payday but can't beat out any rookies or second year players. Where is McFadden? They have Heyward-Bey. The question is do they make this a learning season or try and win? Tough decision..
The best division in the AFC is the North. The Ravens lost a ton of talent. Lewis is gone. Bold in is gone. Reed is gone. They could go from the top to the bottom. Joe Flacco got his big money deal and all he does is make the playoffs. This year will be a challenge. The Steelers are getting no love anywhere and I think they love it. Big Ben is probably loving the fact that no one gives them a shot. They lost Wallace and Harrison. They need a running game to be the true Steelers. The need a blitzing scheme that works to be true Steelers. Don't be shocked if they are in first place or last place this year. Cleveland has some optimism this year. A good young physical defense. A stud running and quarterback who is not afraid of the big bad Ravens or Steelers. Don't sleep on Cleveland.  This division is the Bengals or bust. Two years in the postseason. A good young quarterback. A good young receiving corp. Tough defense. They can't cover though and that is what kills them in the end. They have all of these cast offs from Dallas and Taylor Mays, who have a skill set, but struggle between the ears. Put up or shut Bengals.
So here is the rub.. Patriots, Texans, Bengals, Broncos are a lock for the post season. They can compete against anyone. They Chiefs and Colts will be wild card. Soft divisions they play in and AFC North teams will beat each other up.  Only 6 teams will have winning record.  Texans and Broncos in AFC title game. Peyton will be in New York in the big game. 

Ncaa makes me sick

I absolutely hate guys like Johnny Manzell. I am going to misspell his name thought this piece because I don't respect him at all.  He is a spoiled brat who gets his way because he has affluence, and because he has the right people in the "old boys network" who protect him. Are we going to hear 5 years from now that he actually took money and since no one could prove it manzeil could get away with it? Is he another Lance Armstrong, Ryan Braun, Pete Rose? Guys who knew they did wrong and make the public sympathize with them and then burn us in the end?  Don't you just want to put a uniform on and cheap shot him for rubbing this in all of our faces?  He goes to the super bowl, the heat game, hangs out with celebs, signs thousands of autographs for free allegedly. At first everyone was writing articles and said have compassion for Manzel because he is 20 and he doesn't no any better. Even he gave a press conference and expressed his hope that people would understand  that he is a little 20 year old rich kid who can have things that most people his age can't.  He shows up at a Texas frat party and thinks that they care going to roll out the red carpet for him. They should let him get drunk and tied him up to a tree.
This decision bothers me because Terrell Pryor, A.j. Green and Dez Bryant paid a big cost for doing something as egregious as manzelll. Those three guys mistake was they had a money trail. Dez Bryant lost his eligibility because he had lunch with Deion Sanders. He got no money. He got a sandwich and some fries and his college career was over. Football players at North Carolina were suspended because they were at a party where some known agents were at. Manzelle was in a room signing autographs where somebody got money for his time. I am outraged that on the day that Dr.King said 50 years ago how he wished he kids could grow up in a world where his two kids could be judged by the content of their character not the color of their skin. Where is the equality? Are we that naive?
Also stop saying athletes need to be paid.. Division 1 athletes get more perks, advantages, hook ups than professional athletes. They get free books, education, best dorms, best girls, they rarely pay for food, alcohol. They get free sneakers, clothing, jackets,. They get into every party, bar, club, strip club usually for free. What don't they get? When they go to bowl games they get a gift bag like they are going to the Oscars. They get play station, x-box, beats head phones, plus other goodies. Yes I get it. They don't have an opportunity to find a job.  They can in the off season. They get a stipend as well. No one who plays the game complains. I went to a 1aa school for football. The athletes  owned Amherst. UMass basketball team. Say that to a bouncer in Amherst and they have nightmares. 
I am simply appalled that the NCAA suspended him for a half off a game. Who cares about Rice University or Sam Houston st which is the next game? To me they destroy people. They punish people for being slick. If Manziel isn't being slick I don't what is...

Oregon and Ohio St. Try to dethrone the Crimson Tide

Another college football season is upon us and the only question anyone wants to know is if someone can stop the SEC from winning another title?  Alabama has won the last two and are loaded to do it again.  They have the best leader in the game in Nick Saban. They have the veteran quarterback on offense and defense. They have a dynamic player in T.Y.  and  more top players sitting on the bench than the dream team.  They have a tough opener against Virginia Tech, but they are chomping at the bit to play Texas A&M on September 14th. If they get through those games, the annual tilt with LSU and Georgia could determine their fates. No one expects them to be tested. This is the SEC though. Texas A&M showed them that last year. The SEC is loaded. South Carolina is good.  Florida is quietly lurking in the swamp. Georgia has top five talent. L.S.U. does too. The story though is A&M and quarterback Johnny Manziel.  Manziel is being investigated for receiving improper benefits from signing autographs. He is the reigning He is an trophy winner. He has had the off season for ages. Court side seats at Heat games. Appearances at other sporting events, concerts, talk shows, other universities have made every either love him or hate him. He should be suspended if he did something wrong. We will save my thoughts on him till later.  If he plays all season the aggies will be a formidable opponent.  The SEC is ready for war. Let's see who can challenge them.
Every year I say that the Pac-12 conference has the team to dethrone the SEC and it never comes to fruition. USC every year has as much talent as anyone in the nation and just can't seem to get out of their own way. Stanford is the most physical team in the conference but every year loses or play down to a team like San Jose st and falls out of title picture. UCLA has a real good quarterback in Hundley but can they handle being the kings of L.A.? So that leaves only one team. Oregon. Oregon has a dynamic duo in Mariota and Thomas. They will score 500 points but can they stop anyone? Stanford punched them in the mouth last year and showed them the meaning of toughness. They have a favorable schedule. They have the speed to run with Alabama. Do they have the heart? A new coach may be what the doctor ordered.
The ACC has Five good teams that won't back down from a fight. Clemson has been underachieving over the last two seasons. They can play with anyone. Boyd and Watkins are a combo worth watching. They open with Georgia. This will make or break their season. A close win or loss may give them the confidence to go all the way. A blowout loss will crush them. FSU is starting a super phenom freshman so there will be great highs and lows. Virginia Tech has a NFL ready quarterback in Thomas. He had to play like one. Opening against Alabama will show far he has come. The Hokies want to be back on national stage. Miami has to get back to dominant defense days. If they can they have weapons on offense who can do damage. North Carolina has NFL quality on defense. The question is can they score enough to compete. South Carolina on opening night will answer some questions.  The ACC is taking on the big dogs to start the year. If they come out unscathed then we're mash have a something here. No one expects them to win a single game. I think Clemson will. Tech won't lie down for Alabama.
The big 12 has Oklahoma and revitalized Texas program. K-state shocked everyone last year. Coach Snyder is a living legend. Oklahoma St. Always finds a quarterback and a receiver that lights up the scoreboard. Can anyone in this conference play defense? Oklahoma and Texas used to win with balanced attacks on both offense and defense. A showdown with Notre Dame  will put them back on the map with a win. A down year for this conference.
The big east is all about Louisville. Teddy Bridgewater has the burden of carrying a conference that just simply does not have enough quality teams.  Louisville will be favored in every game by 10 points or more. They may unbeaten and not play in the title game. That's a shame...
The big ten is loaded and angry. Everyone picks on this conference because every year they have quality teams who get embarrassed in big national games. Ohio st. Is the pick to play for the title. They went unbeaten last year and a ton of people returned this year. Braxton Miller is the best player on the team and will win the He is an if they go undefeated. He is that good. No team in the big ten has as much talent returning like Ohio st. Michigan on offenses will be explosive, defensively they have a lot of new faces and unpredictable. Michigan st. Always finds a way to shoot itself in the foot. They will find a running attack but the quarterback position is a weakness. They play good defense. Penn st. Is still one big signing year away from getting back to the top. Nebraska is trying to erase the memory of the championship game. Wisconsin knows who they are and have the team to sneak up and bite someone.  The Buckeyes should rule this conference.
Notre Dame had a lot of success last year. They beat you with defense one week. They beat you with ball control the next. Not having Golston will hurt them. Tommy Rees is a backup. Their defense is great on the defensive line. They have a brutal schedule as they do every year. Revenge is on the minds of Stanford,USC and Michigan. Should be fascinating.
Overall there are four teams that can challenge the SEC for the title. Ohio st. Must be solid on defense or they won't have chance. Stanford needs to find a play maker on offense who is a security blanket for the quarterback. Oregon has to stop someone and not turn the ball over playing too fast. Clemson has to compete for four quarters and BELIEVE they belong at the adult table. I think Ohio st. Will get it done.... The south has risen again, but it is time for the rest of the country to step up and be heard..

a warm up blog before i start blogging again

I haven't blogged since June and so much has happened in the world of sports.  The Dodgers went from last to first.  The Pirates have thrown down the challenge to its pursuers in the N.L.Central. Andy Murray won Wimbledon. Anderson Silva lost a fight. NFL training camp opened. Great news for some. Bad news for others. A-rod is back and the Yankees have a pulse. Jeter comes back today.  Usain Bolt is still the man. Ryan Braun is pathetic. Why do they lie? Johnny Football hates signing autographs... For free.  NCAA better handle this right. A.J. Green and Dez Bryant are watching.  Scary stories about Lamar Odom, Chamique Holdsclaw, Dick Trickle, Aaron Hernandez to name a few.   Dwight Howard bailing out on the Lakers. Houston Hello..
A lot of stories I will be talking about over the next few months and hopefully gives an unique spin to them.  Should college athletes be paid or is this a story about only a select few athletes?  Why does no one complain about p.e.D's in football or boxing but go crazy about in baseball? Do Americans have a right to say something since the majority of the prescription drug population make up is mostly us and our kids? The Jets should fire everyone after Saturdays fiasco. Tiger didn't win a major this year. Serena is 60-4 this season.  Are they still must see t.v.? Does anyone really care about the upcoming Alvarez/Mayweather fight? Miguel Cabrera is the greatest right handed hitter since Willie Mays? Who is better? Frank Robinson? Edgar Martinez? Robin Yount? Adrian Peterson want 2500 yards this year? Rg3 and the Redskins are the most over hyped team in football. Super Bowl or bust they say.
A ton of topics I will dissect over the next few days. Plus news and weather..  Let's get ready and I could have my radio show back in a week..

Why does everyone hate A-rod

When Alex Rodriguez finally got a World Series ring a few years ago, I honestly thought that the world put him their rear view mirror and leave him alone. How wrong I have been. He is the most hated, scrutinized, polarizing athlete in the entire world. Tim Tebow nor Lebron James has nothing on A-rod. A-rod could find this spy guy in Russia right now and be arrested because somehow someway someone would say that he has aided in some way. A-rod could take a bullet for the President right now and he would be blamed for the assassination attempt. I have heard every pundit on every show talk about how hated he is.  How A-rod is not a Yankee.  How the Yankees want to get rid of him. How he has personally destroyed the game of baseball. A-rod is the only P.E.D user who admitted to taking the drugs because he was trying hard to live up to the richest contract in baseball history. Bonds denies not knowingly taking them. Clemens went to court and was acquitted during his trial for taking them. Mark McGwire took years to admit what he did. Only A-rod is getting the abuse he gets. His name is linked to the latest scandal and deservedly so he should be persecuted as a repeat offender but he is not the only one on the list. Lance Armstrong lied to us for years and years, yet every person in the world would still buy Lance a beer if they saw him in a bar. All of the things he did for Cancer patients will never be forgotten and in most people's eyes his evil was used for good.
Does anyone remember Reggie Jackson?  When Reggie became a Yankee the locker room was divided from day one. He told the press that he was the "straw that stirred the drink" on that ball club the made Thurman Munson nuts. Reggie openly fought with Billy Martin in the dugout because Billy thought he wasn't playing hard enough in a game in Fenway Park. of all places. No one would ever accuse Reggie of being precocious or shy. Even George would get on Reggie for his strikeouts and lackluster efforts at times, people associate Reggie's career only with a the Yankees. He was a stud with the A's in the early 70's. His home run in Tiger Stadium at the 1971 All Star game is still traveling.  He is often credited as being a Yankee even though so many disliked him. I know about the World Series performance in 1977. I know about 1978 as well. The Yankees immediately two rings in Reggie's tenure. When he left the Yankees it took 12 years before they went back to the post season.  Maybe if A-Rod had better success in the Post season people would leave him alone. Maybe if he had not signed the richest sports contract that the Yankees can't get out of people would leave him alone. Maybe if he didn't date Hollywood actresses or beautiful models people would leave him alone. Maybe he should be giving out autographed baseballs like Jeter after he dates you and dumps you. The man tweeted that he was getting back on the field.  Brian Cashman went psycho on him. The Yankees lost tonight.  They may lose Texirera for the rest of the season. What would happen if A-rod hit a walk off home run in game 7 of the world series and won the championship for the Yankees this season? Would you think he is a true Yankee then?  Probably not....

Boston Fans are the toughest fans in the world..

I wish I was Boston Strong.. I dont mean to trivialize the entire Boston Strong movement. I am extremely sensitive to what happened on Boston Marathon day. I am only using the phrase to try and understand  what you guys have been through. Heartbreak after heartbreak. 86 Mets. Aaron Freaking Boone. Bucky Freaking Dent. The New york Giants David Tyree. Eli Manning in both Super Bowls when you clearly have had better teams. The Stanley Cup against Edmonton with the messed up ice and fog in the arena. And of course the the other night. 1 minute from forcing a game a 7. Yes you have redemptive moments. Beating the Lakers and giving Garnett and Pierce their one and only title. Beating heavily  favored Vancouver in 7 games in Vancouver ( which caused a riot) was awesome. The Red Sox down 3-0 to the Yankees and sweeping the next 4 games and then sweeping the Cardinals in the World series was the stuff of legend. How do you keep sane? When I went to the University of Massachusetts I used to argue/debate with my fellow classmates about what city had better sports or better teams. At that time the Celtics were supreme. The Giants and Mets were filled with super players so the debates was quite heated. i was at UMASS when the riot happened after the Mets defeated the Red Sox in '86. The wave of passion even went racial. The combatants were on Donahue of all shows in the 80's.
What I love about Boston fans is no matter how good or bad their teams are their fans show up and support their players. I am sure Celtic fans are mad at Doc rivers for bolting to the Clippers in Los Angeles of all places but I am sure they will applaud him for what he accomplished while the Celtics coach. They never booed Larry Bird when he coached the Pacers so I don't expect Doc to get a bad reception as the Celtics re-build. The Bruin loss was tough to see because i felt they had the better team and had the proper strategy to beat the upstart Blackhawks. The Bruins had several opportunities to score in the first period and exuberance caused them to miss out. Bergeron is a super hero. He has my respect forever. The Red sox are currently in first place in baseball. No one expects to finish there. The Blue Jays have just won 11 straight and are preparing for a huge run in the second half.  The Yankees have not had their team all season. Jeter and A-Rod have yet to play this season. Chris Davis is "crushing" the ball everywhere and Baltimore is here to stay. I don't want to jinx the Sox but things could get tough for them in the second half. The fans will still be there.  That is why Boston Strong is more than just a slogan, it is a way of life. You have my respect...

Micheal Jordan is a "better" player but Lebron Means More...

A friend of mine responded to a facebook discussion by say this this quote," Micheal Jordan is a "better" player , But Lebron means more", and he could not be more correct. Micheal Jordan came a long to this world when we were still getting over Muhammad Ali's retirement. Reggie Jackson and his Yankee Days. Magic and Larry were must see t.v. The Doctor J show. Lawrence Taylor and Joe Montana legends growing. In other words the sports world was okay. Hell it was better than okay. It was thriving. We met a man named BO. We had Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler. The Mets were big in baseball. John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl were fierce rivals. Chrissie and Martina were opening the door for Steffi. Carl Lewis was God. Excess was the word and everyone was having fun. Jack Nicklaus won the Masters at age 46 and Hale Irwin had a magical run at it too. SPORTS was as Good as it gets...
This generation needs Lebron. Tiger does not connect to all people like people want him too. No matter how many golfing academies he opens or what he does for main stream America, people will always want more from him.  Baseball is treated like pro wrestling.  No one believes in any number put up or no one fully understands the P.E.D rage in the game. Football wants so badly for a new face to emerge because it is tired of re-tread coaches and old quarterbacks winning titles thus making all of the old boy network proud that their style of football still wins over this new age of football. Plus football players are wimps and are incapable of taking care of themselves. All of the new rules implemented to keep players safe or on the field have diminished the game to the point that fans would rather the players play flag football than to watch penalties called for hits that made players millions of dollars in previous year. Even Hockey is pushing harder for a more open ice/European style game. The story lines are more about concussions and players who fail than giving credit to the ones that have succeeded.
The NBA has been ridiculed over the past 15 years because they seemed to be more interested in just putting bodies on the floor instead of proven talent. Inviting 18 and 19 year old kids to play has hurt the game so much that teams have been moving at a feverish pace because of no fan support. Think about this, what other sport was given a mandate to dress up or improve your attire for press conferences before and after games? This couldn't be more insulting than any mandate that anyone could think of. Lebron is pure. Lebron is the savior of this generation.  He is Derek Jeter, Micheal Jordan, Joe Montana wrapped up in one enormous figure. He represents everyone. He is Tupac to most people because he is just like all of them. Raised by a single mom. Educated but has a street edge. He is the voice of this generation because no one is. RG3 could become that in football if he stays healthy. Tiger Woods showed that no one is perfect or teflon. Lebron has to keep quieting main stream America who resents him for making a choice. When he wins an entire generation wins because he took the short cut that so many want to take and is thriving. He is like Jay-z selling records out of his car and creating his own brand and company.  Jordan did it too, but he had Nike, gatorade, and other large corporations blow him up. (plus he was winning dunk contests, and doing the unimaginable at the same time). Lebron had one commercial run during the entire playoffs!!! Jordan had McDonalds, Gatorade, Nike, Wheaties, Hanes all going while he was at his highest peak. If that does not tell you why he must continue to grow and win, nothing else will....
Jordan is a much better player. He would average 45 points a game in this era. There are no obstructions to the rim in this era. No Bol.  No Shaq. No Olajawon. No Robinson. They hand checked back in those days. There was no flagrant fouls called in this series. Lerbon this new generation of fans needs you to keep being you. I hope you do...

swallowing the whistle is nothig new in all sports..

 I wrote a blog two months ago about whistle swallowing and I deleted last night because I could n't finish it. I know that it has been a part of sports for years. Remember the 2001 NBA playoffs. Dikembe Mutumbo never had any fouls called on him in the Eastern Conference playoff run. When he met up with Shaquille Oneal in the finals, if he sneezed it was a foul. This past football season, the Atlanta Falcon were denied a pass interference call the allowed the Niners to win the NFC championship game. Only the Niners lost the Super Bowl on a similar play when Crabtree was held in the endzone. This season in baseball has been marred by several blown calls by umpires. Baylor's womens basketball team had its championship dream ended on a no call to end that game. Coach Melky was so angry that she was willing to pay any amount of money for making comments about the officiating. We understand that Refs are people too.  They miss calls, they have bad judgement on some calls that is blatantly obvious to you and me. The homerun in the Oakland A's and Cleveland indians game is an example. We all saw it as a homerun. 4 umpires who watched the same replay did not. Armando Galarraga retired 26 straight batters in a game and when it appeared to the entire planet that number 27 was out too, the umpire screamed out safe. What do we do?
Clearly everyone is going to complain that the Spurs should have had a few free throws to eliminate the Heat tonight. Spur fans forget that Bruce Bowen grabbed Lebron James on a potential game winning shot where Lebron should have at least had free throws. He got nothing but swept aside. All pro sports put out its best officials for championship games or series. they try not to let the refs or umps be the story and want the players to determine the outcome. Did Jordan push off? Of course he did. But it wasn't called. Remember the 1985 World Series when the Cardinals thought they had won but the first base umpire called the runner safe at first? Making a tough call is why they have the guys there in the first place. If you can'tdo it or the moment is too big or bright for you then get out of the way. Game 6 will be remembered for the shot by Allen, the Missed free throws by Ginobli and Leonard, and of course the no calls in overtime. its a damn shame..

Dr.J... The forgotten star

When I was a lad, I had a few sport heroes. I loved Reggie Jackson. He was bold, cocky, intimidating. He believed he could do no wrong. Even though he struck out a lot, I watched just to see if he could hit a home run. Before he became the most notorious criminal since Al  Capone, I loved the "juice". He was poetry in motion on the field. His teams stunk, but I would still watch to see if he could break a long one or make someone look foolish. Sports in the 70's was about to erupt with these individual talents that no one had ever seen before. Pele was still a stud. Yes I know teams were still the talk of all sports. The "big red machine" in Cincinnati was awesome. The dynasties of UCLA, Boston Celtics, New York Islanders were outstanding. But they were all dying out. Gretzsky was about to emerge. Magic and Bird were about to take over the NBA. Joe Montana was creating a legacy at Notre Dame. And then there was Doc.
Julius Erving was a playground legend. He is went to the University of Massachusetts and I could imagine what kind of playground games were being played at the shoe. He was must see television no matter what level of basketball he played. You did not care if he won or lost. You just had to see the Dr. The NBA should have gotten the doctor out of college but they had rules against players going hardship. So he went to ABA and blessed them with his playground antics. The ABA was ridiculed for its individuality on the court. It would be no surprise if games were in the 150's or 160's in regulation. Defense was an option but seldom played.  When both leagues merged, many old school NBA people thought that the way Doc played would not succeed in the league. Yes he did not win several titles but he was extraordinarily successful.
The Philadelphia 76ers were the lucky team to get Doc. He led them to the NBA finals four times. His first season in the NBA, Doc led the Sixers against Portland. They won the first two games but couldn't overcome Bill Walton. Doc was awesome in the series. He quieted most of his critics with his dazzling dunks and outstanding play. He has several posterising plays in that series that are still legendary. He next faced Magic Johnson and Kareem a couple times in the finals. Losing one and winning one in 1983. The final defeats keep him out of the best player conversation. Which is unfair because he could play against anyone and dominated them. His ABA career was ridiculous. He was a three time M.V.P., two time champion, and three time scoring champ in 5 years. As a rookie he averaged 29 points a game. His playoff numbers were better than his regular season numbers. He averaged over 30 points in each of his playoff seasons in the ABA.  He was the show. He did not play defense like Micheal or Lebron, but no one ever gave it to the Doctor. If he had won NBA titles like Bird or Magic, there would be no argument. He even did a movie . The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh was a must see for any Dr. J fan. He opened the door for all of the creative players that followed him. Connie Hawkins and David Thompson were spectacular as well but did not do it like the Doctor.
You all know how much I love Jordan. Dr.J is on that same mount Rushmore. The Milwaukee Bucks had a chance to have Oscar, Kareem and Doc. Can you imagine what kind of dynasty that would have been?  Doctor J should never be over looked in these best ever discussions. For my money Dr.J is still in the top 5 conversation. What do you think?

Floyd Mayweather.. Living legend?

As I watched Floyd Mayweather pick apart Senor Guerrero last night, the first thought in my head was is he that good or was Guerrero just not the right fighter for him. I thought about Mike Tyson. When Tyson was blasting all of his opponents, his conquests became verbs. His actions were all adjectives and his victories became a new vernacular. When Tyson lost to Evander Holy field, every accomplishment became belittled. Every victory was criticized because he "didn't really fight" anyone. The heavyweight division was filled with tomato cans and one sledge hammer. In fact if you hear sports radio today, the hosts frequently taunt the Tyson era as a soft one. Larry Holmes is another champ who gets no love even though he is the only fighter in 50 plus years to come close to tying Rocky Marciano for most wins in a career without a loss. (49-0). Holmes destroyed Ali and was a hated champion like Mayweather. He was cocky. He had a sick jab and could beat anyone in his prime with that one punch.  Mayweather is beyond cocky. Mayweather can box with speed,precision, and defend like no one ever has. He has made people look absolutely foolish. The destruction of Gatti, Rickey Hatton, Marquez, De La hoya, Shane Mosely have shown his prowess and extraordinary ability. Yet he is vilified and abhorred for his lifestyle.
He is mostly criticized these day because he had not fought Manny. Pac man was robbed in the Bradley fight and got the snot knocked out of him in the Marquez fight. Mayweather feels that he can destroy Pac man. He calls him the little guy because of Pac mans weight rise over the the past 15 years. It would be an interesting fight only to see if there is a strategy to defeat May weather. 44 fighters have had a plan and they have all left with a defeat and a sore face. Will we scrutinize Mayweather's wins forever like Tyson and Holmes if there is no Fight with Pac man? They are both approaching 40. Both f their careers are winding down. Neither have nothing to prove. I read somewhere that there is a cry for Mayweather to lose which could help his public appeal. As if Mayweather really cares about his public appeal.
He is a living legend no matter how it ends. I realize that we over analyze everything in sports, but some things need not be so difficult to see. Next we will criticize Tiger or Lebron for their dominance. We don't have to love our heroes. Ali lost. Babe Ruth didn't always get the game winning hit. Jordan didn't win a title every year. Tiger lost to Y.E. Yang at the pga's. If Floyd never loses, I will still put my pants on one leg at a time right. Admire what he has done. If you do, you will see that he truly is a legend...

Micheal Jordan ... yikes

I am certain that when the Chicago Bulls were on your schedule, most teams and players probably lost a little sleep during the Jordan era. Whether you were scared or having excitement that you were going to see Jordan, you couldn't sleep. A a player, he did not tolerate losing. Most people were worried that he would not know how to handle his competitive nature after his playing days were over. He retired three times. He played baseball. He took up golf. He has this amazing brand with his own company as well as Nike. He is the most successful athlete in the history of the world. Magic Johnson is pretty close with hi movie theaters and Starbucks, but no one single brand is like Jordan's. What has happened to him is more than Shakespearean. It is downright cruel..
Micheal Jordan as an NBA executive or Owner has been inexplicable. He has drafted Kwame Brown, Adam Morrison, Micheal Kidd Gilchrist to name a few. I guess if he can still beat one on one, he drafts you. His departure from Washington is something that irritates him to this day. He tried to teach the triangle offense in Washington and he could believe that the players could not grasp it. He was their best player and he was 41 years old. Charlotte has been a nightmare. He has fired a coach every year over the last four. Paul Silas and Larry Brown have NBA street cred. Charlotte actually improved this year and had some good wins this year. The sad thing about this year is watching Jordan's reactions during Bobcat games. He is shaking his head or always walking out. I watched the Lakers play Bobcats and the camera was repeatedly on Jordan and he looked like he did not want to be there. Constantly shaking his head even though his team was winning. Maybe he is being punished for being so good. Maybe great players can only relate to great players. Larry Bird had success on the bench in Indiana, Jerry West is still the best talent evaluator. Elgin Baylor had 4 winning seasons as g.m. of the Clippers out of 20. Bill Russell did win a title as a player coach. Micheal Jordan is getting the definite Yin and yang of sports life. He is getting Murphy's Law as well. Can he fix this? Maybe he needs to reach out to Phil Jackson and turn this all around. Maybe he needs to go away and the enigma that most people think he is. No one should be so great at one thing and be so bad at the other extreme. They say that those who can do, those who can't teach. I am speechless. Rob and Carl Reiner have directed great movies and television shows and they could act too. Penny Marshall as well. Sean Penn, Denzell Washington, Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard were actors first. I will always root for Jordan. He is still my hero..

The NFL Draft.. Can we Shut up Already

The NFL Draft is two days away and the NFL pundits can't wait. Ever since Alabama slapped Notre Dame all over the field, every network has been evaluating every eligible player to find out who be this years surprise,stud, or bust. Will there be a
Russell Wilson or David Wilson. Is there a Tom Brady or Ryan Leaf. There are definitely a few players who will make a lifetime mark on the NFL. Every draft has that. This draft has intrigue because a bunch of players have at one point been labelled as "can't miss" or overall number 1 talent.  Matt Barkeley would have a top ten pick last year and now he is second round talent. Landry Jones is now third round talent. Tyrann Mathieu may not be called till later. Manti Te'o a second round possibility. Just to name  a few. Marcus Lattimore may go undrafted.  Who knows..
Does anyone really know?  I don't think teams really do or do the pundits. I think teams should draft to beat the teams they play not the best player available. If the strength of the teams you play is passing the ball, shouldn't you draft better corners or d-line help.  For example, the NFC south is loaded with offensive football players. Atlanta, New Orleans, Carolina, and Tampa can really throw the football. Each team has a receiver or tight end that been Pro-Bowler. You could either a player who can rush the passer to offset passing attacks or get better weapons to keep up with the better teams in the division. Tampa just got Darrell Revis to cover the best receivers in the south. Now they can focus on getting a pass rusher to sack Breed, Ryan, or Newton.  Simple right. My team, New York Giants every year draft tight ends in the first round even though the other teams in the division seem to make bigger splash moves. Now the Giants have won two super bowls in the last decade so maybe the other teams should draft to beat them, but I am always perplexed by the choices by the Giants. This year the Giants need to get someone who can play middle linebacker or contain RG3 ,Vicki and Romo on the perimeter. Instead the Giants will no doubt draft offensive lineman which makes no sense.
The other aspect of the draft that bothers me is teams think the trend is one thing and it completely blows up in their faces. For example, running quarterback is the trend right now. RG3, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson have freaked out everyone in the league because they can run and throw. I always ask this question, what quarterback has won a super bowl playing like they do? Jeff Hostetler is the only one. Twenty three years ago. Steve Young threw six touchdown passes and led the 49ers with his arm. The last four champs, Flacco,Manning, Rodgers,Brees pretty much stay in the pocket to make plays. In fact add Peyton Manning and Tom Brady and you have the highest paid players in the game. In fact I am willing to bet that one of the six will be in the super bowl this year. Running quarterbacks get hurt, they can't run in the rain or snow and are prone to turn the ball over when hit.  Plus they cannot run forever. Steve Young was a great runner but made the Hall of Fame because of his arm. John Elway ran, but his cannon  arm was his signature . Donovan Mcnabb ran a lot and had a lot of success but never won the super bowl. Teams adjust and find ways to exploit weaknesses in these schemes. I can't wait to see the plan of attack this year against these young guns. You will see that I am right.
The draft will be interesting to see if teams are drafting to the trend,needs, or best available player. Hopefully my team will do better than yours. I am just glad the chatter is over. No more speculation and innuendo. Should be a riveting three days.... Not

NBA playoffs... God I hope Lakers get swept..

Last night, the Clippers beat the Grizzlies at the buzzer. Chris Paul hit a one handed push shot with great defense played on him by Tony Allen enabling the Clippers to take a 2-0 lead in the best of seven series. So I got up this morning to hear the pundits talk about the inept Clipper half court offense or how they squandered a 12 point lead in the fourth quarter.  I was waiting for them to talk about how Chris Paul is a killer and how he would not let the Clippers lose.  I turn on ESPN first take and they open with the Lakers? They open with twitter gate? They talk for 20 minutes about an interview Coach D'Antonio did on the Dan Patrick Show about Kobe Bryant's reaction to the game on Sunday.  I hate the Lakers... The Lakers are the Tim Tebow of basketball. All season long tedious stories about this dreadful old team that is going nowhere. Just like Tebow. I have never wanted to scream at people I respect so much in my life.  Who cares if the Clippers can't win the title. Who cares even if Memphis had won the game last night. The Lakers are not the story. The NBA had two good games last night, the NBA gave out its sixth man of the year award out yesterday, and there were several other stories to talk about. How about David Lee being out for the playoffs. How about Derek Rose not playing in the post season. Who cares about the Lakers? Delusional fans who truly understand that they are going home within a week? 
There are three games tonight. If I hear anything about the Lakers, I will personally go to ESPN pull out the satellite feed nationwide. The funny thing is that the pundit shows originate in Connecticut. Who wants to wake up in Connecticut, Boston or New York and be deluged with Los Angeles Lakers nonsense? My niece does. She loves the Lakers. Maybe she is in charge of the programming.. The L.A. Tebows

Tiger Woods mess is so confusing

I got up this morning to hear the pundit shows talk about the Masters and the ball dropping disaster and I have never been so confused.  Tiger put his ball a couple feet back to get a better shot and now they are saying that he may not have broken a rule?  Adam Scott must be wondering what he must do to escape this guy. Scott made unbelievable pressure putts and earned the victory. Tiger didn't.  I am the biggest Tiger Woods fan alive but even he knows that he should have been disqualified from the tourney. I have read comments from other golfers who have said that everything was handled properly. There was no way they take Tiger out of this tournament. This is the hallowed Masters and CBS would have had a coverage and ratings nightmare if they would booted Tiger out.
What would have happened if Tiger had won. Each day he had moments of brilliance. He had birdie binges and woke up the echoes of Augusta National. Would it have a been a disaster?  It would have been tainted and probably set the golfing world into a mess. Tiger still needs 5 majors to pass Jack.  Will he get it? Probably. He will become the All time leader in victories by this time next year. All everyone wants is for him to win a major this year. Without controversy. Tiger needs to come out today and make the world respect Adam Scott for his victory. We can't fix the past. We can either learn from it or repeat it. Replaying it over and over again hurts the game. Adam Scott deserves his day..So let's give it to him...

What would Jackie say...

As major league baseball prepares to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day, I wonder what he would say about baseball today.  I wonder if he would wonder what has happened to his game.  Where are the black faces? What happened to the black managers? Who is Tupac Shakur? Lebron James or RG3? I don't profess to a Robinson historian, but I am sure he would be fascinated by pop culture today. One of his last requests before he died was to see a black face in a dugout managing a team. Today there are two managers. Dusty Baker in Cincinnati. Bo Porter in Houston. Who the heck is Bo Porter? That is another blog another day. Cito Gaston won two world series with Toronto. So Jackie would be happy that that happened. He would excited the Ken Williams is a G.m. in Chicago and led them to a title. But where are the players? That would be the mystery to him.
When Jackie was playing baseball, the NBA was in its infancy. Football was more important in college. Boxing was the sport for most African Americans to try. Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis paved the way for the Cassius Clays of the world.  Jim Brown and Gayle Sayers hadn't wowed the world yet and Bill Russell, Willie Mays and Wilt Chamberlain were just warming up. Jackie brought everyone to baseball. The Negro league had better players than Jackie, but he got the shot. If there were jealousy or anger it was kept quiet in the black community. Can you imagine if that happened today?  I can't. Kids today want to play basketball, rap or play football.  Kids today could tell you more about Tupac than they can about any school topic or even Jackie Robinson. If a kid today did what Jackie did he would be called a sellout or a Tom. Kids today want to fight the power and start revolutions without understanding what it really means. They don't value life or education.  Jackie went to UCLA. He resisted non violently, He just played.  He did his social commentary when it was proper. Kids today think that being a professional athlete is so easy. They have no respect or regard for the commitment it takes to be a pro. They go to college for one semester to gain eligibility and then leave after one year.  They think that they are going to hip hop legends if they emulate the path that Tupac set forth. They don't understand the struggles that he went through. He and Lebron James are once in a lifetime talent. So is Tiger Woods. No one is trying to be like Tiger. To me that is puzzling. Let's talk baseball. The greatest leader in team sports is Derek Jeter. He is the biggest name in the biggest city. Matt Kemp is cut from the same cloth. But kids don't want to be like them on the field. Jeter, Woods,and Kemp are notorious ladies men. Maybe the fact that they are mixed race men too may factor into it for some as well.  I can't explain it...
So what would Jackie say? He probably would say be who you are,but don't forget about others are watching and learning from you along the way. He would be sad that kids are running away from baseball and disappointed that the brainwashing of our youths is real and destroying us as a people. He would psyched that there is a black President, but would be ashamed of the efforts to help inner city youth play baseball. He would be ashamed of the greed. He would be confused about the " me me" mentality of all sports.  He would say ," I created all of this?" He would change the channel....

Are these streaks good for sports or a sign of the lack of talent league wide

When the Chicago Black hawks started the NHL with a 20 plus game winning streak, my first thought was who have they played. Hockey is having a shorter season than normal due to the lockout and I wondered if Chicago's schedule was favorable. I saw that they played Detroit a few times. St. Louis as well. As they were winning so was the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat won 27 straight games and I thought about who they were playing too. The Heat beat the Knicks, Thunder, Celtics on the road. The Clippers won 17 straight in December. The Denver Nuggets won 15 straight in March. Now the Pittsburgh Penguins have gone 15-0-0 for the month of March setting a record for most wins without a tie or shootout in NHL history. Are these streaks happening because of talentless pool or are these teams really good? 
I think these teams are really good. The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup two years ago and underachieved over the last two years. They lost key players who helped them win the cup and it has taken a while for them to gel. The western conference playoffs this year in hockey is going to be epic. The Kings, Ducks, Blackhawks, and Canucks are going to really keep people up late watching to see who can make it to the Stanley Cup finals.
The Miami Heat know that they are the favorite to represent the east, and they also know that they are going to have to earn the title. The Bulls, Pacers, Knicks and Celtics really want to make some history. The Celtics and Knicks are still smarting after blowing huge leads against the Heat during their streak. The Bulls and Pacers believe that they have the blueprint to beat the Heat. During the streak of the Heat they played a lot of teams with losing records, but with Lebron James on the team every opponent is inferior. They are the defending champs for a reason. When the Clippers won 17 straight they beat good teams as well. The Clippers are having a season to remember. They have never won 50 games. They have never won their division. They are on pace to do both things. Denver's style of offense is extremely difficult to play against especially in Denver. They have the best record at home and most impressively have no superstars on their team. George Karl should get a lot of votes for coach of the year.  The Penguins have the two best players in the game on their team. We want Crosby and Malkin healthy and playing at the top of their game. When the best is playing their best it is exciting to see.
As much as I love to condemn sports of today, I have to give credit when credit is due. These win streaks show that when the best players are healthy and their teams understand their roles great things can happen. Chicago has great talent on all four lines. The Clippers have Chris Paul who is the best leader in basketball.  The Heat ha Lebron and D-wade. The Penguins have Crosby and Malkin. The Nuggets have Andre Miller and Ty Lawson who are tremendous leaders. We make sports harder than it should be with over analysis. Instead of just win baby, it should just play. When you have the talent like these teams possess that becomes all you need to do...

Baseball is truly back this year...

Baseball is back and this season is going to be the most memorable ever. Each division has a team that can win the world series. How many times can you actually say that in your life?  No one would be shocked if the Washington Nationals won the World Series. No one would shocked if the Cincinnati Reds won, the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Tigers, or Oakland A's won the World Series either. This season there are more teams that can eat at the "big boy" table than ever before. So who is going to get it done this year? Who is going to win the M.V.P., Cy Young in both leagues? Here we go....
Usually I give lengthy previews of each division. I will spare you that ad give an synopsis of each division. The American League east will go down to the final day of the season. The Orioles last year shocked the baseball world by the season they had. They won't sneak up on anyone this year. The Rays lost Upton and big game James. The Red sox have a chip on their shoulder but have a lot of holes to fill. The BlueJays spent millions and the Yankees are being counted out with all of its injuries and age issues. I like the Blue Jays and Yankees to come out of this division. The Jays stay healthy they could have a special season. They could put out a speed demon team and a team that can hit home runs. Scary. The Yankees have no one in their corner and that makes them dangerous. If they put their everyday lineup on the field for two months after the all star break, they will be in the post season.
The A.L. central is about as interesting as watching paint dry. The Detroit Tigers are loaded. Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander are the best at their position and want revenge for what happened last year in the world series. Getting Victor Martinez back makes this lineup the most difficult to face. They have bullpen issues. No closer,but they could just outscore e everyone.
The A.L west is just the opposite. No one can name a player on the Oakland A's yet theyre the scariest team in baseball. Every year, they make a second half run and no one can stop them u til post season. Texas lost a lot but they just reload. Losing Josh Hamilton and Michael Young will hurt their chemistry, but they can still rake. The Angels lost Greinke and Haren but gained Hamilton. They are hoping to have the real Pujols and that Mike Trout was not a fluke. Seattle has a lot of pieces and won't be an easy stop on anyone's schedule. Michael Morse and Ackley are looking to make a name for themselves. The Angels and A's will represent in the post season.
The Yankees and A's play in the play in game. Detroit and Angels play for the A.L. title. The Angels represent the A.L. Jerad Weaver is your Cy Young and Robinson Cano is your M.V.P.
The National League east is very top heavy. The Mets, Marlins are rebuilding. The Phillies are a mystery. The Braves and Nationals can win it all. The Nationals are scary good now that they have a closer and no restrictions on Super Steve. They have a balanced offense. They need 140 games from Zimmerman on offense. Zimmerman the pitcher could be x factor all season long.  The Braves have said goodbye to Chipper and Bobby Cox over the last two seasons and haven't missed a beat.  The Nationals and Braves will be in post season.
The Central Division in the National league is for real. The Brewers an Pirates have potential to be dangerous. Ryan Braun and Andrew McCutcheon can carry their teams to a title if  pieces fall into place. The Reds and Cardinals have carried the torch for this division over the past few years. Both teams are licking their wounds after the collapses in the playoffs last season. Yadier Molina is a better player than most think. He stops the running game and he is tough in the clutch. Joey Votto has this beautiful swing but is yet to explode in the post season. They both have great bullpens and good enough starting pitchers.  Both will fight for this division and only one will make post season. The Cincinnati Reds.
The National League west is all about the Giants and Dodgers. The Giants need Buster Posey to stay healthy because every year that he does they win the world series. They have a bunch of guys who have been clutch in big spots over the past three seasons.  A pure team. The Dodgers have a 240 million dollar payroll. They have all stars everywhere.  If they stay healthy, they will be difficult to beat. Matt Kemp pledged last year that he could be a 50-50  guy. He has protection in this lineup. Clayton Kershaw is as good a anyone and if Beckett and Greinke can give them 25 starts, the Dodgers will dominate the National league. Colorado and Arizona are a piece or two away from joining the big two. Arizona is like Oakland. Can't name anyone on the team yet they are always competitive. The Rockies needs healthy Tulo and let's see what they can do. The Padres are still rebuilding but have pieces in place for a good future.
The Giants and Braves will play in play in game. Dodgers and Nationals for N.L title. Nationals in the World Series. Matt Kemp is your M.V.P. and Steven Strasburg is your Cy Young.
The Angels and Nationals world Series. Nationals in 6. 

Lebron should not worry about Jordans comments

If I was Lebron James, I would hassve just simply laughed off recent comments made by Michael Jordan. If I am being compared to the greatest player to ever live, i would just take it in stride. Remember Micheal Jordan's career?  He was critcized for everything until he started winning titles.  He had every highlight. He wowed everyone with his prolific scoring games, aerial assaults, participation in slam dunk contests.  Everyone still said that Bird, Magic, Wilt was better until Micheal started winning rings. Mcheal was lumped in with Connie Hawkins, David Thompson, The Doctor, as a player who could wow the crowd. Doctor J won titles, so his aerial assault was appreciated because he won championships. Dominique Wilkins and Micheal were must see tv if you only wanted a show and not a victory.
Lebron did get his ring finally. He got it in seven years like Jordan.  He has been in 3 championships with a losing record. Micheal never lost a championship series. Kobe is 5-2 in title series. In my view all Micheal really said is when Lebron wins his 5 th ring then I will say he is in Kobe's class. He was measured that way.  The only reason no one says Russellwas the greatest player is tnat he was 6'10 and played in an era where he had only one peer. Wilt gets criticized because he was bigger than everybody. He doesn't get credit for his athletcism or dominance. He was supposed to do what he did. Imagine if he made free throws.
Lebron is en route to destroy all of accomplishments of the great payers before him. He is the right age and is playing a brand of baketball never seen. Having Dwayne Wade as a sidekick doesn't hurt either. Jordan for my take was issuing a challenge to Lebron to come join them at their table. When he does the debate will reallyy begin. We will always wonder had Micheal not taken 2 years off would they have won 8 straight titles. Maybe Lebron will try football for a year. He was an all state performer. I want to see if he can catch Kobe and Micheal.

Who wins the Super Bowl today

This is as difficult a super bowl to handicap as there ever has been. The funny thing is why? On paper the San Francisco 49ers have a better team than the Baltimore Ravens. On a 54 or 47 man roster, the 49ers have 17 players who have either been voted to a pro bowl or played in the game at some point. They have the better running game, passing game, rushing defense, and passing defense. They have the premier defensive linebacker's in the game. They have the future superstar pass rusher  on their team. They can maul you on the offensive line, finesse you with the pistol offense, embarrass you with the deep pass. This year clearly, the NFC is far more talented than the AFC. Did you see the Pro Bowl? Did you see how the Packers mauled the Texans? 49ers beat the Patriots? Redskins beat the Ravens. This game shouldn't be close. Right?
The only reason people think this will be a competitive game is people think that there has to be some magic to what the Ravens have done.  They have beaten the Colts, who had their old defense coordinator. They went to Denver and finally beat Peyton Manning in a meaningful game. They beat New England in Foxboro. The Ravens were the only AFC team to defeat the Patriots this season. The Ravens in most people's eyes are an older version of the 49ers on the defensive side of the ball. The Ravens can run the ball and stretch a defense with their passing attack. Joe Flacco can throw a ball from end line to end line. They have so many compelling story lines. The death of the owner Art Modell. The retirement of Ray Lewis. The inspiration of O.J. Brigance and his physical battles. Tory Smith and his brothers untimely death. Is Joe Elite? So many typical cliches to make a team want to overcome. If they did not have all of this baggage  I wonder what the true spread would be. We know that paper doesn't win titles execution does.
The 49ers just simply have been brilliant.  Colin Kaepernick has shown he can win with his arm and he can win with his legs. He ran circles around Green Bay. He set a rushing record by a quarterback in that game. Against the Falcons he rallied his team with his arm and savvy to victory. He could be a trailblazer today if he can win this game. Everyone is ready to see a different style quarterback win the big game. We have seen Steve Young do it as a dual threat guy. Jeff Hostetler do it as dual threat guy. They threw it more in the Super Bowl game. Young threw 6 touchdown passes and could thrown more.
Hoss ran to keep drives alive.
I am taking 49ers to win. Too much offense. Too much defense. 34-17. Sorry Ray

Ray Lewis

For the past months we have been a witness to the proper way a great athlete should go out of a game. We have watch people hang on and win rings, we have watched athletes get knocked out, make the game winning shot, and even get injured crossing finish lines. Ray Lewis is getting his chance today to have a Michael Phelps or Micheal Jordan type ending to his extraordinary career. He makes you laugh. He fires you up. He makes you scream at the television when he makes a play to prevent you from scoring or when makes a big hit. For a decade or more, he has been a thorn in everyone's side at some point. He ripped my team apart in the Super Bowl and won the games most valuable player award. Is he the best linebacker to play the game? For me that honor belongs to Lawrence Taylor. Taylor revolutionized the way defensive football was played. Lewis, Seau, Singletary are probably this generations best linebackers and it is hard to distinguish them. All three were ball hawks and their impact on games were different. Singletary was the brains of the greatest defense of all time. He lead by example and seemed to be in on every tackle. Seau made all of the pays for the Chargers in his hey day. He sacked the quarterback, could cover tight ends and running backs, physical at the line especially at the goal line. He was intense.
A super bowl would have cemented his legacy but the 49ers and Giants did not allow that to happen.
Ray Lewis is probably considered better than those guys because of his performance in the super bowl against the Giants. He is the only player in NFL history with 30 sacks and 40 interceptions. I have watched him injure players with legal hits, intimidate players into dropping sure first downs and touchdowns.  He has the same impact as Seau. He was expected to make every tackle. He hasn't disappointed on the field.  He off the field has left us wondering who the real Ray Lewis is. The extremely rude comments by the wife of Wes Weller let's us know that not everyone is drinking the Ray Lewis kool aid. People criticize him for being amongst people involved n a murder case, deer antler spray and of course his sharing of God with the world. Some people think he is phony and playing for the cameras.
He is a performer in every sense of that word some may say. He delivers on the field and plays it up after  the game. You can what you want about Ray Lewis but if they win today, he will be called champion and no one can take that away from him...

Hall of fame is tough to get in..

Seven men were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Who can you dispute? Larry Allen was an offensive line beast. He would knock your head off if he could. Jonathan Ogden the same. Warren Sapp made the Buccaneers relevant and had the second most sacks as a defensive tackle. Bill Parcells won two Super Bowl titles and lead 4 different teams to the post season over a 19 year career. Chris Carter had 1100 catches and 130 touchdowns. Should have been a first ballot guy. I remember Curley Culp, animal on defense. The other man elected was before my time, Mr. Robinson played for Vince Lombardi and won titles on those teams.  Hard to crack into this club. Should they allow more in per year? Maybe. But going forward the players who didn't get in yesterday could be waiting a while and I am confused why they are not in already.
If you ask any player or any knowledgeable football fan to name the five best defensive players from 1985-2000 they should say Lawrence Taylor, Deion Sanders, Reggie White, Mike Singletary, and Charles Haley.  I know Derek Thomas fans will put him there. He is already in the Hall of Fame. Bruce Smith would probably replace Deion Sanders on most people's list.  Ronnie Lott was at the end of his great career. Charles Haley has five rings. He has over 120 sacks. He was a destructive force of nature. He really must have angered the sports writers over his career. He is better than Richard Dent. He is better than Derek Thomas. He is being punished. A no-brainer hall of fame selection. Ask his contemporaries how difficult he was to prepare for and then block.
How about Andre Reed. Reed was the AFC's version of Micheal Irvin and Jerry Rice. He played in multiple playoff and Super Bowls. He is on every list that Rice and Irvin is on. He played in the craziest playoff comeback game and scored 3 touchdowns. He was the third piece of their big three Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas. He may not have as many receptions as Carter or Tim Brown, but he ha played in the big game 4 times and was a vital contributor to the success and failures
In all of the games. He should be in.
Contributors of the game like Art Modell and Eddie Debartolo should be in for what they have given to the game. Modell help create the legacy of the Baltimore Ravens and of course his Yeats with the Cleveland Browns. He has served the league for over 50 years and deserves his lifetime achievement award for what he has done. Debartolo built the 49ers into a legendary dynasty. He brought in Bill Walsh and signed Montana and the rest of that legendary team. Legal issues marred the end of that team and maybe that is keeping him out.
Jerome Bettis is being left out for reasons that defy logic. He has more yards rushing than Curtis Martin and he has a ring. He was a dominant player even in his Rams days. He wasn't a guy sticking around to pad his stats. He should be in.
Tim Brown has better stats than Michael Irvin and was every good a player as Chris Carter. He was a punt returner, receiver, Mr everything for the Raiders. He had 1000 receptions.
If these men can't get in base on a proven career, how hard is it going to be for guys like Derrick Brooks, Terrell Owens, Micheal Strahan, Andy Reid. Strahan must be shocked that he is not in. A two time champion, the single season record holder for sacks, Strahan was a monster for a decade in this league. Will Shields was a perennial pro bowler. I guess its unfair to compare generations and contribution. Heck Commissioner Tagilabue can't get in even though the league became a financial cash cow during his tenure.
I don't know what the standards are and I know my eyes are getting old, but these men need to be in the hall. Think about this Vinny Testaverde has thrown for over 40,000 yards in his career. He won't get in. Its the toughest club to enter...

Tiger at 75. Are we still spoiled?

I will not deny that I am as big a Tiger Woods fan as they come. I am not a stalker nor have I been to any golf tourney that he plays in, but I will watch if he is on television no matter where I am. He is a once in a lifetime athlete who commands your attention no matter what you think of him. The media today is truly spoiled. Micheal Jordan showed us how winners are on the floor. Derek Jeter does the same on the baseball field. Roger Federer personifies it on the tennis court. Floyd Mayweather does it in the ring. Micheal Phelps in the pool.  These men just know how to win and do it at all costs and do it at a level that most of all of us cannot comprehend.
Listening to the media coverage after Tiger won on Monday, you would think that Tiger was still public enemy number 1 and that winning this tournament was no big deal. Yes he has won at this course 8 times which is unprecedented. Some of the people chasing him had won their as well. The big question after the victory is whether or not he was going to win a major or not this year. Every pundit said the Masters maybe or the P.G.A. because they are a course he has played on before. Implying that Tiger can only win at the tournaments where he has a history at or has won before on. Yes last year he won Arnies', Jacks',his event to give him his victories last season. So I can see where they are making their argument. My point is that he has seventy five victories and they haven't all come on his favorite courses. If they did,so what? Can you same something that you have done successfully 75 times and made s billion dollars doing it? I understand his compulsion to be better than Jack and emulate Federer. Tiger is still under 40 and firmly number 2 in the world with his sights set on number 1. Can't we just enjoy his pursuit without being inundated with speculative questions. If he wins 100 tournaments and on 17 majors is he still one notch below Jack?
Will the public be that cruel on Tiger if he cannot pass Jack? If we are cruel, then we are truly spoiled. I look forward to finding out...

Commissioner Goodell not popular by demand

The Super Bowl usually has enough stories involving the teams playing the game. This Super Bowl is no exception because of the retirement of Ray Lewis. The Colin Kaeppernick story, Is Joe Flacco elite, The Harbaugh brothers as foes, Frank Gore, Ed Reed sagas and of course the journey that both teams have been on to get here.  That is a lot to cover. Throw in that the game is being played in recovering New Orleans, and you have the full Monty. However there is one major story coming out this week and it is not a pretty one.  The players can't stand the commissioner and they have ample reason to dislike and distrust him.
When Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg at a night club, he was punished as vehemently as one can. He did not brandish the weapon and flaunt it to a crowd of people or anyone for that matter. He was carrying a weapon because the previous week before, his teammate Steve Smith was robbed at gunpoint with his wife by Smith's limousine driver. No one cared that that happened. Burress had the book thrown at him by both the NFL and the New York legal system. In my view, that case was the beginning of the end for Goodell. He has fined players and suspended players at a rate that makes people think he thinks he is executioner too.  The New Orleans Saints blame him for ruining what could have been a super season. James Harrison's paychecks have been garnished for suspension several times.  Ed Reed has made donations as well. He has probably made millions in just collected fine money. He has made his message clear about what he will tolerate or you will pay.  The tackle from the Redskins who was involved with that brawl last week better get ready for a phone call, because you can't be out and get in trouble these days.  Pacman Jones learned the hard way. Mr.Suh too.
Goodell feels he is doing what's best for football and its image with his fines and punishments.  The. Players understand his intentions but do not respect his methods . Brain injuries are killing players.  Concussion are a serious subject. The players feel over legislated and not respected. The league made millions lions for years with those vicious hits videos. Too many rules and constant reprimands have hurt the communication between the players and the league office.  They feel powerless and like slaves in some instances. Had he got his wish to play an eighteen game season anarchy would have run wild in the league. No one is surprised by the disapproval numbers, it should probably be worse. The system could have been a part of the collective bargain agreement, but the players seemed only intent on protecting their money. Now they have to deal with a leader who they did not vote in, but is firmly in charge. No one to blame but themselves....  The commissioner could care less!!