1/4/11:
Don't look now, but there is a new star that is taking the NFL by storm. He is the greatest quarterback Jim Harbaugh has ever seen on any level. He has the most potential since John Elway and Dan Marino, according to Trent Dilfer. There is no doubt that he will dominate the league for years, says Colin Cowherd.
I can't wait to actually see if Andrew Luck can play.
He hasn't even decided if he is leaving Stanford early yet, and already he is among the best quarterbacks in the league, it seems. On Tuesday's episode of SportsNation, in ranking NFL MVP candidates, Matt Ryan came in at number three. Cowherd said "He plays with poise. Reminds me a lot of Andrew Luck." So you're telling me a three-year starter who threw for 3700 yards, 28 touchdowns and just nine interceptions this year, who is 20-2 at home in his career, and who led the Falcons to a 13-3 record -- good for best in the NFC -- reminds you of a kid who is a junior in college and has all the potential in the world? He hasn't done squat in the NFL!
You know what people said about Ryan Leaf coming out of college? That he was as ready as a quarterback can be. He was off-the-charts good. We all know how good he turned out to be.
I'm not dissing Andrew Luck here. He could turn out to be the next Joe Montana for all I know. But let his performance in the NFL bring praise, not his potential.
12/27/10:
2010 is winding down, and all things considered the dominant storylines were negative. Tiger Woods. The Decision. Brett Favre. Agents offering money. Are you as sick of it as I am?
Well 2011 doesn't look to be too much brighter, as not one, but two of the four major sports are facing possible lockouts. The NFL, the most popular sport in America that makes the most money and will never be as hot as it is now, is facing a probable work-stoppage because players and owners can't agree on basic issues. The owners, who are all millionaires, if not billionaires, want more money. Players want more guaranteed money (you'd be amazed at how little money of those big, enormous contracts is not incentive-based). It's just idiotic. Never will the NFL be more popular between games and fantasy football (a billion dollar industry). But the greedy only get greedier.
Then the NBA, where the CBA also expires. No matter how you felt about LeBron James and the Decision, you have to admit the NBA got a lot more attention than normal. And with the Knicks finally beginning to be relevant again, the world's best basketball town is excited. The Association's popularity is rising, and a lockout would kill years of effort to regain the glory years of Magic, Larry, and MJ.
But what do I know? I'm not the one that wants millions of dollars to add to the millions I already have. I guess the $8.25 an hour I make will have to do for now.
12/20/10:
Don't look now, but the Miami Heat have begun to find their groove, winning 12 in a row and 13 of their last 14 games. At 21-8, they are a long way away from their 9-8 start and seeming issues with coach Erik Spoelstra. And although they haven't beaten anyone (the aggregate record of teams they've beaten during the streak is 129-170, and only four teams are over .500), watch out. This is the team everyone expected when LeBron decided to take his talents to South Beach. And from the Prince, I'm seeing a new life. Remember how he basically rolled over and died in key playoff games the last few years? Big spots were not his forte in recent years. But now, in big spots where people are expecting him to choke (myself included), James has stepped up. Many picked the Cavs to beat the Heat in LeBron's return to Cleveland, and it was almost consensus that he would collapse under the weight of the Cavaliers' fans hostility. Instead, he scored 38 points in three quarters of work. Then he went to New York and recorded a triple-double. I know it's not even Christmas yet, but with Wade and Bosh (who has surprised me) capable of taking the reigns, what LeBron could do come the playoffs is scary.
12/3/10:
Longtime Cubs third baseman and broadcaster Ron Santo died Thursday. He is considered one of the most beloved -- if not the most beloved -- Cub of all-time. As a player, he is considered one of the best players not to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Some are making the argument that he should be elected into Cooperstown by the Veterans' Committee in 2012. This may be too soon, but we have to be realistic here.
11/24/10:
I truly respect Derek Jeter. He is the only Yankee I like. And five years ago, if you asked me if I would like to see him in Boston, I would have said absolutely. But coming off the worst season since he was a rookie, the Yankee captain is handling free-agency horribly. He wants at least four years from the Bronx, and was insulted by the team's 3-year, $45 million deal. For an aging shortstop with little range (don't let that Gold Glove fool you... he didn't deserve it by a long shot) and declining speed, power and ability to hit for average, he'd be lucky to get $7 million a year from any other team. I can somewhat see where he's coming from, seeing as the Yankees threw Kei Igawa and AJ Burnett undeserved money for no production. But his threats to test the free agent waters is only counterproductive. Everyone knows he's going back to New York. It's inevitable. For him to end his career anywhere else wouldn't be right (see: Favre, Brett). He just needs to become less stubborn, learn his new role on the team and take the $15 mill. Because he's sure as hell not getting that anywhere else.
11/18/10:
Cam Newton has undoubtedly been the most exciting player in college football this season. If the season ended today he would easily run away with the Heisman. However, as more and more developments come out regarding Newton's dad allegedly asking for $180,000 from Mississippi State for Newton to play there, experts are questioning whether he should get the Heisman. This is ridiculous. There has been nothing so far that is concrete to prove that Newton was in any way involved. And if he did have an asking price, notice that he went to Florida, then to Auburn. Not to Mississippi State. Until it is proven that he received money, he should be allowed to play, he should win the Heisman, he should be treated just like every other student-athlete. People shouldn't punish him just because his dad is possibly a greedy dirtbag. The actions of Newton's dad doesn't necessarily reflect the actions of Cam. Mark Ingram's dad is in prison. Voters didn't take that into consideration when he won the award last year. Obviously Newton is directly involved here, but until it has been proven that he did something wrong, he should be seen as innocent, and given the Heisman that he has earned on the field.
11/11/10:
Last Sunday, watching the Lions collapse in the last seven minutes against the Jets taught us a lot about this Detroit team. Mainly? They are very, very close to being a very, very good team. Their only problem is that they don't have the experience to close out a game like that. Right now that and a shaky secondary are the only things separating them from the Falcons, Giants, Packers and other powers in the NFC. Look at how the team came out and kicked the Jets in the teeth. They dominated the first half, with the exception being the long touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez to Braylon Edwards. The losing mentality is gone. Now the team needs to learn how to win games, and the pieces seem to be put in place. Matthew Stafford is injury-prone, but when he is there he is a damn good quarterback. Calvin Johnson is the second or third best receiver in the game. Jahvid Best is a back who needs to become a little bit stronger, but can run and catch out of the backfield. And defensively, the line is already one of the best in the NFC. People are already calling Ndamukong Suh one of the best interior lineman in the NFL, and he's played all of eight games in his career. In a few years, the Lions could roar.
10/28/10:
Hey everyone! Guess who's 1-0? The Cleveland Cavaliers!!! That's right, while the Miami Heat are on pace to go 41-41 and a 7th-seed in the East, the Cavs are well on their way to 82-0 led by MVP JJ Hickson and 1st-team All-NBA Anderson Varejao. Of course, in the playoffs they'll probably blow a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals on game-winning shots of 85, 90, 35 and 45 feet (but the 35-footer will be behind the back and the 45-footer blindfolded). But then again, it's Cleveland. Nothing is supposed to go right. But for right now, they can tell LeBron James and his team of Dwyane Wade, an above-average forward who is too small to be a low-post presence, and a bunch of has-beens to suck it!
10/19/10:
The way the NFL was handling concussions and player safety is laughable, because serious desires for an 18-game season made it clear the owners and Roger Goodell don't give a damn about players' health. After a violent Week 6 in which there were at least five bone-rattling, concussion-inducing hits that were either illegal or close to it, the league was pro-active, and handed out fines to three players who made these hits -- Atlanta's Dunta Robinson, Pittsburgh's James Harrison (for two hits) and New England's Brandon Meriweather. While it is encouraging that the league wants to protect its players and start enforcing helmet-to-helmet hits, it is also ridiculous to ask defenders to basically change their entire way of playing. The rule for unnecessary roughness states that:
If a receiver has completed a catch and has not had time to protect himself, a defensive player is prohibited from launching (springing forward and upward) into him in a way that causes the defensive player's helmet, facemask, shoulder, or forearm to forcibly strike the receiver's head or neck area -- even if the initial contact of the defender's helmet, facemask, shoulder, or forearm is lower than the receiver's neck.
So basically, a defender has to stop, wait to make sure the receiver has the ball, give him a second to prepare for the hit, then wrap him up. And he has to make sure that the pad level of the receiver doesn't change so he doesn't hit his helmet (which is exactly what happened to Harrison which caused his hit to Mohammad Massaquoi's helmet). A football play takes a matter of seconds. Devoting one of those seconds to waiting for the receiver to be ready is ludicrous. In that time a receiver can just zoom by and score a touchdown in an already pass-happy league.
Look, I like how the league is looking to take away dirty hits (i.e. the Meriweather hit). But to fine defenders for hits to the helmet (which are often times as much on the receiver for lowering their head as it is on the defender) it is a very objective thing that will see a lot of critics, and leave many defensive backs and linebackers hesitate to do their jobs, because the greedy folks up stairs will go digging in their pockets otherwise.
10/8/10:
Hope you enjoy watching mediocre football, because this weekend the NFL is full of it. I mean, personally, if 22 monkeys somehow managed to organize a football game I would watch it, but that's just me. In terms of good football, though, Week 5 of the NFL season is not where to look. Quite possibly the league's best team, Pittsburgh, is off. (And don't call me a homer for that last statement: the team went 3-1 with Charlie Batch at quarterback, and the loss to Baltimore was a very winnable game. Just imagine how much more productive the offense will be with Ben Roethlisberger returning, and combine that with Rashard Mendenhall not having eight guys in the box and the league's top-5 defense. Scary). The Jacksonville offense vacations in the Buffalo red zone. 38-year-old Todd Collins meets the Carolina front seven at least six times as the Panthers host the Bears. The old JaMarcus Russells play the old LTs (Raiders-Chargers). And the cream of the crop, the Rams travel to take on the Lions. Who cares if St. Louis is on a two-game winning streak? The teams are combined 7-65 since 2008, and only the Rams have won a road game (two, actually, though one was in Detroit) in that span. So I'm praying this game is on where I live. But if you don't like the circus, the NFL this week isn't for you.
9/18/10:
Boise State is leading the fight for non-BCS teams to get the opportunity to play for a national championship. Their best evidence that they are as good as any BCS school? The Big East and ACC. These two conferences have been absolutely dreadful three weeks into the college football season. As of 7:43 pm. Saturday night the conferences have a combined two wins against other BCS teams outside their respective conferences. Those wins? NC State wrecked Cincinnati on Thursday, and Saturday West Virginia beat Maryland. As in, the two crappiest conferences beat each other. Against the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC the two conferences are a combined 0-11. Aside from that, Virginia Tech, ranked in the Top-10 to open the season, lost to FCS program James Madison, West Virginia needed a near-miracle comeback to beat Marshall in overtime, UConn lost to Temple, and Rutgers got scared by FCS school Norfolk State as well as Florida International. In key games, Miami (FL) got pounded by Ohio State, Oklahoma annihilated Florida State, and next week the Sooners get to beat up on Cincinnati. Boise State would wreck any of these 20 teams in the two conferences. And none of them deserve a BCS bid right now.
9/9/10:
Thursday morning Patriots quarterback Tom Brady got into a minor car accident around 6:30 a.m. Of course there are some immediate questions that come to mind (i.e. "Is he okay?" or "Did anything happen to his Justin Bieber hair?"). Yeah, he's fine. No, nothing happened to his hair. But he's not getting away that easily!! Remember the last time a major sports icon got into a "minor" car accident, his whole life shattered into a million pieces. I could make a few Tiger jokes here ("Gisele may or may not have cracked a windshield using Tom's Super Bowl rings" for example) but I'm going deeper than that. I'm going to prove that Brady is a cheater (no, not that kind of cheater). I'm doing my best Sherlock Holmes impersonation and have these questions for Brady:
1) Where were you going at 6:30 in the morning? (A: Probably the team's workout facilities)
2) What were you intending on doing there at such an early hour? (A: Most likely to watch extra game film)
3) Where did you obtain that game film? (A: ...)
Exactly.
9/7/10:
Does no one want to win the AL East? It's a question that has boggled my mind the past few weeks. The Yankees are currently 2.5 games ahead of the Rays (as of Tuesday), and with the official death of the Red Sox, they are now the two teams competing for the division crown. One would think that to do it, there would be some sort of winning or losing streak, followed by one team taking advantage of the other's loss? Of course not. It seems that when the Rays win, so do the Yankees. Oh, what's that? The Rays lost? Wait.... well what do you know, so did the Yankees. It seems that neither can just go out and win a ton of games in a row and bury the other. The Yankees won eight straight games from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5th. The Rays went 6-2 in that span. So in theory the Yankees gained two games right? Wrong. Because before that Tampa had won four in a row, while New York lost two games over that span. They evened right out. As a Boston fan I don't like either team, but can one of them please pull away?
8/31/10:
The Reggie Bush saga at USC was finally beginning to die down a little as the season finally kicks off this week, thus college football analysts have something else to talk about. Thanks Mack Brown for changing that! On Monday the Texas coach told Dan Patrick that if Bush loses his Heisman Trophy, it should be awarded to Vince Young, the runner-up that year. If I were Vince Young, I wouldn't want it. Sure, it would be an honor to have it and see his name in the record books, but it would not feel as good because he didn't win it. It's kind of like the Armando Galarraga not-perfect game. Even if Bud Selig reversed the call and said the runner was out (which I'm glad he didn't do), would Galarraga have cherished it as much? Definitely not. Giving Young the Heisman five years after it was decided he was not the best player in college football that year is like getting a steak, but one that's already chewed up and spit out. Yeah, it's a steak, but how do you feel about eating it?
8/22/10:
I's official: the Pittsburgh Pirates are on the longest streak of loserdom ever seen in sports, as earlier this week they set a professional sports record by clinching their 18th consecutive losing season. The organization can thank the efforts of the front office for their woes. But just how long is 18 years? To put it into perspective, the last time the Pirates were good:
Brett Favre was an untested first-year starter for the Packers.
The single "Achy Breaky Heart" went platinum.
The single "Achy Breaky Heart" went platinum.
Fred Savage was the man.
Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds were normal sized.
Nick Jonas was a mere tot
People enjoyed Pauly Shore movies
The Redskins and Bills played in the Super Bowl.
Eek.
