Good morning readers,
I think I have a confession to make to you. I have a condition that I have been trying to deny having for years. I was in complete denial of having this, but I think now that I can not deny it any further. I'm telling you about this so you can be aware of the signs early and hopefully keep you and yours safe. I'm talking about the condition called FFA...Fantasy Football Addiction.
It started out seemingly harmless. I was invited by my co-workers back in 1996 to join their league that they had started a year earlier. I didn't think nothing of it. Developing commadarie with some co-workers to improve my quality of life. The time needed was minimal. Just a couple of hours a year coupled with some brews and sports. What's not to like, right? I thought it was so right, that I invited my current co-owner, KG, on board for some fun. It got even better to me when we proceeded to win three league titles over the next five years, including back to back wins.
Next thing you know, I'm watching Sports Center, at 1 and 2 in the morning for updates. I'm watching the NFL Network for preseason games to "scout" who i'm picking in my upcoming drafts. That right...plural. Just last year, I participated in three different leagues last year, including two by one of the biggest pushers in the industry, ESPN. This year, I have added NFL.com to my list of dealers, making it four different leagues this upcoming season that I'm in. As Billy Joel said from his song, "...it was then I felt the stranger kick me right between the eyes."
What do I do? I feel like that the name of that movie, In Too Deep. I don't know if can come back from the abyss. And the bad part is, I don't know if I want to come back. I've been in this thing of mines for 14 years now and I like it. Don't bother to try an intervention with me because it won't work. I just admit this to you as a warning to hopefully save those close to you.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
What's in a number?
The owners of the National Football League have proposed an extension of the current league schedule from sixteen games to eighteen games, beginning either next season or in the 2012-2013 season. I admit I am conflicted about this issue.
My fan side says, "bet." More games to feed my voracious appetite for this game. More "real" games that count as opposed to pre-season games that don't count for much aside from the injuries that occur during the irrelevant season. It would probably also extend the time frame of the season, with the Super Bowl being kicked off in late February. It also feeds my fantasy football appetite as well.
Then this morning I heard from Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens. In full disclosure, I am a Ray-Ray fan. He is the one guy who pre-game "stomp" I really enjoy. I DO feel his love for the game when he hits the field. As extravagant as it is, it does not seem over the top (for him). He simply stated what players have to go through just to get through a 14 game season. This includes the stuff that we don't see: the rehab, the treatment of nagging injuries and, in some cases, painkiller injections that players willfully take just to get to the field on game day. The truth is only starting to come out about repeated head-to-turf impacts causing long term health issues. This is even with the "proper(?)" equipment.
So what's a fan to do? First, appreciate the sacrifices that the players do so they can play the game they love. Understand, as Ray Lewis said, "I mean, you're talking to someone who has been in this business for 15 years. We're not automobiles. We're not machines. We're humans. "Eighteen games, you got to ask yourself, how many people are truly healthy for 18 games, so will you get your true football, will you get your real football?". These games are in addition to the games that teams that make the playoffs play. I respect the heck out of Ray's opinion and I totally dig where he is coming from. Having said that, my take on it is that the players are already playing 18 games or more a season. The main difference is that the games would now count. In a lot of cases, coaches rest their star players late in the season anyway, especially at the OB position. In addition, as former WR Chris Carter said," Players have always adapted to change." As long as the players are properly compensated, I feel that the players and owners can (using one one of my favorite lines) "get to yes". If not, the closest we would see football players during the season would be on reality shows.
Have a great weekend!!!
My fan side says, "bet." More games to feed my voracious appetite for this game. More "real" games that count as opposed to pre-season games that don't count for much aside from the injuries that occur during the irrelevant season. It would probably also extend the time frame of the season, with the Super Bowl being kicked off in late February. It also feeds my fantasy football appetite as well.
Then this morning I heard from Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens. In full disclosure, I am a Ray-Ray fan. He is the one guy who pre-game "stomp" I really enjoy. I DO feel his love for the game when he hits the field. As extravagant as it is, it does not seem over the top (for him). He simply stated what players have to go through just to get through a 14 game season. This includes the stuff that we don't see: the rehab, the treatment of nagging injuries and, in some cases, painkiller injections that players willfully take just to get to the field on game day. The truth is only starting to come out about repeated head-to-turf impacts causing long term health issues. This is even with the "proper(?)" equipment.
So what's a fan to do? First, appreciate the sacrifices that the players do so they can play the game they love. Understand, as Ray Lewis said, "I mean, you're talking to someone who has been in this business for 15 years. We're not automobiles. We're not machines. We're humans. "Eighteen games, you got to ask yourself, how many people are truly healthy for 18 games, so will you get your true football, will you get your real football?". These games are in addition to the games that teams that make the playoffs play. I respect the heck out of Ray's opinion and I totally dig where he is coming from. Having said that, my take on it is that the players are already playing 18 games or more a season. The main difference is that the games would now count. In a lot of cases, coaches rest their star players late in the season anyway, especially at the OB position. In addition, as former WR Chris Carter said," Players have always adapted to change." As long as the players are properly compensated, I feel that the players and owners can (using one one of my favorite lines) "get to yes". If not, the closest we would see football players during the season would be on reality shows.
Have a great weekend!!!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
And the beat goes on...
I was all ready to have a rant day regarding cornerback Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets. But it looks like that will be resolved either sometime today or by the end of the week. If not...
As my subject heading says, we return to the real competition in Redskin camp, Albert Haynesworth and head coach Mike Shanahan. Big Al feels disrespected because, in spite of only practicing almost two days last week, he only played the second half of last week's game, which he feels is beneath him. This is spite of another veteran who played with the reserves in the second half as well. In addition, he claims to have a condition, rhabdomyolysis, which is a condition marked by breakdown of skeletal muscle. In spite of that, he still managed to get in 19-20 plays of work.
On the coach side, it's really quite simple: players who do not practice will not play, regardless of talent level. Because of the shape (or lack of) that he came to camp in, Haynesworth participated in less than half of the training camp. I can not leave out the fact that this is a piggyback from him not participating in the offseason OTA's that everyone else participated in. The reason that Haynesworth didn't participate was that he wanted to work with his trainer to, wait for it..., get into shape.
There are two levels that I address this on. One is the football level. I totally get that you have to earn your starting spot by practicing and giving a sincere effort. You also earn the respect of your teammates by making plays both in practice and in games. The other level is, as I said in my previous blog (Albert Haynesworth...The Saga - 8/4) the feeling that there is a "Roots" backdrop to this well. Yep, in spite of all of the cash money that's been given to him, I'm still feelin this.
It also may be just a matter of ego and stubbornness. There is a new sheriff in town and he's laying down the law. On the other hand, big Al ain't havin it. He wants to do thing his way and that's it. While the players are saying that they are not affected by this because they are worried about their own jobs, I think it is in the back of their minds. For me, there are 21 million reasons that I can not side with him on this. I mean, hey, he can always give the money back.
As my subject heading says, we return to the real competition in Redskin camp, Albert Haynesworth and head coach Mike Shanahan. Big Al feels disrespected because, in spite of only practicing almost two days last week, he only played the second half of last week's game, which he feels is beneath him. This is spite of another veteran who played with the reserves in the second half as well. In addition, he claims to have a condition, rhabdomyolysis, which is a condition marked by breakdown of skeletal muscle. In spite of that, he still managed to get in 19-20 plays of work.
On the coach side, it's really quite simple: players who do not practice will not play, regardless of talent level. Because of the shape (or lack of) that he came to camp in, Haynesworth participated in less than half of the training camp. I can not leave out the fact that this is a piggyback from him not participating in the offseason OTA's that everyone else participated in. The reason that Haynesworth didn't participate was that he wanted to work with his trainer to, wait for it..., get into shape.
There are two levels that I address this on. One is the football level. I totally get that you have to earn your starting spot by practicing and giving a sincere effort. You also earn the respect of your teammates by making plays both in practice and in games. The other level is, as I said in my previous blog (Albert Haynesworth...The Saga - 8/4) the feeling that there is a "Roots" backdrop to this well. Yep, in spite of all of the cash money that's been given to him, I'm still feelin this.
It also may be just a matter of ego and stubbornness. There is a new sheriff in town and he's laying down the law. On the other hand, big Al ain't havin it. He wants to do thing his way and that's it. While the players are saying that they are not affected by this because they are worried about their own jobs, I think it is in the back of their minds. For me, there are 21 million reasons that I can not side with him on this. I mean, hey, he can always give the money back.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Mystical...
Today's blog is not about the rapper. It's a shout out on the ladies side.
The WNBA's Washington Mystics (22-11) won their last six games of the regular season to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference in the upcoming playoffs. They open up this Wednesday against the Atlanta Dream, who they defeated yesterday, 90-81, to earn the top spot. They earned this in spite of losing four time All-Star Alana Beard to an ankle injury before the season started.
Teamwork and chemistry were the key to their best record in team history. They were led by their only All-Star, former University of Maryland star Crystal Langhorne, who averaged 16 points and nine rebounds a game. She scored 18 and 11 in the season finale.
In 13 years of league history, the Mystics have made the playoffs six times.They have had college stars on their roster such as Chamique Holdsclaw and Langhorne, both of whom have won college championships. While I dont claim to be a devoted follower (even though I have gone to a game), I still have love for all my home teams so...
GO MYSTICS!!!
The WNBA's Washington Mystics (22-11) won their last six games of the regular season to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference in the upcoming playoffs. They open up this Wednesday against the Atlanta Dream, who they defeated yesterday, 90-81, to earn the top spot. They earned this in spite of losing four time All-Star Alana Beard to an ankle injury before the season started.
Teamwork and chemistry were the key to their best record in team history. They were led by their only All-Star, former University of Maryland star Crystal Langhorne, who averaged 16 points and nine rebounds a game. She scored 18 and 11 in the season finale.
In 13 years of league history, the Mystics have made the playoffs six times.They have had college stars on their roster such as Chamique Holdsclaw and Langhorne, both of whom have won college championships. While I dont claim to be a devoted follower (even though I have gone to a game), I still have love for all my home teams so...
GO MYSTICS!!!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Not this again
Here we go again. The best. The greatest. The man (or woman). For those who have read my previous blogs (all seven of you), you know how I feel about the best in regards to team sports. Than I read this article and I said, "...alright." The question of the day is " Who is the most dominant athlete in his or her (team) sport in America today?"
I'm going to restrict my debate to the team sports athletes. I actually agree with the author when he says that the individual sport athletes shouldn't be included. Today's athletes are just distracted by other things (i.e endorsements for example) to bring the proper intensity to maintain dominance. I'm just going to give you my opinion on the major candidates and let you have at it for other candidates.
First, lets go with the author's pick: QB Payton Manning of the Colts. He cites his back to back MVP awards (four total) as well as his overall career stats. But if you insist on picking a guy who is dominating his sport, he (or she) has got to win more than one championship in his career. Heck, he wasn't even the highest rated QB last year.
Now, if you want to talk about dominating the media, you can bring Bron-Bron in the conversation. While he too has won back to back MVP awards and led his former team to 127 regular season wins the last two years, he has no championships (not even any conference titles) to show for it. He did have a high rated show on ESPN this summer.
For me, you want to talk about dominance, lets talk about it on the court, field or diamond. When I think of dominance, I think of guys of like Lawrence Taylor. This guy had quarterbacks calling timeouts when they couldn't locate him on the field. Another dominant player of his time was (who else?) Michael Jordan. Six titles, 30 ppg average for his career and 14-time All-Star.
If you want someone close to that, you have to bring (I always have to preface this by saying that I am not a Laker fan) the Black Mamba in the conversation. Leader of the current two time NBA champs. Five titles. Two time international gold medal winner. Six last second game winning shots this past year alone.
If you want domination, don't hate the player, hate the game.
Have a great weekend!!!
I'm going to restrict my debate to the team sports athletes. I actually agree with the author when he says that the individual sport athletes shouldn't be included. Today's athletes are just distracted by other things (i.e endorsements for example) to bring the proper intensity to maintain dominance. I'm just going to give you my opinion on the major candidates and let you have at it for other candidates.
First, lets go with the author's pick: QB Payton Manning of the Colts. He cites his back to back MVP awards (four total) as well as his overall career stats. But if you insist on picking a guy who is dominating his sport, he (or she) has got to win more than one championship in his career. Heck, he wasn't even the highest rated QB last year.
Now, if you want to talk about dominating the media, you can bring Bron-Bron in the conversation. While he too has won back to back MVP awards and led his former team to 127 regular season wins the last two years, he has no championships (not even any conference titles) to show for it. He did have a high rated show on ESPN this summer.
For me, you want to talk about dominance, lets talk about it on the court, field or diamond. When I think of dominance, I think of guys of like Lawrence Taylor. This guy had quarterbacks calling timeouts when they couldn't locate him on the field. Another dominant player of his time was (who else?) Michael Jordan. Six titles, 30 ppg average for his career and 14-time All-Star.
If you want someone close to that, you have to bring (I always have to preface this by saying that I am not a Laker fan) the Black Mamba in the conversation. Leader of the current two time NBA champs. Five titles. Two time international gold medal winner. Six last second game winning shots this past year alone.
If you want domination, don't hate the player, hate the game.
Have a great weekend!!!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Suddenly it's over!!!
Bobby Thompson, who hit the game winning home run that put the San Francisco Giants in the World Series more than fifty years ago, passed this week at age 86. While I wasn't even a thought when he did it, it did get me to thinking about other game winning plays that I did see live. They included:
- In 1993, Toronto Blue Jay Joe Carter hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th to win the World Series over the Phillies. The only other time that has happened was when Pirate Bill Mazeroski won the World Series with his home run against the Yankees.
- In 1983, Lorenzo Charles' dunk at the buzzer gave the NC State Wolfpack a 54-52 NCAA Tournament championship win over the Houston Cougars. The Houston team featured future Hall-of-Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.
- The Music City Miracle happened on my birthday in January of 2000. Doug Christie kicked off, and Titans player Lorenzo Neal received. Neal handed the ball off to Titans tight end Frank Wycheck, who threw a lateral across the field to another Titans player, Kevin Dyson, who then ran down the sidelines for a 75-yard touchdown. After further review, the play stood. The win propelled them to subsequent wins over the Colts and Jags to their first Super Bowl appearance.
Monday, August 16, 2010
For the love of the game...
For most football fans (me included), the 2010 NFL football season has begun with the explosion of games this past weekend. Fans saw QB Donovan McNabb in a color other than green for the first time in his probable Hall of Fame career, the pro debut of Florida QB Tim Tebow with the Denver Broncos (8-13, 105 yds.) still running for TD's with a seven yard scamper and a possible rookie star in Bengal WR Jordon Shipley, Texas QB Colt Mc Coy favorite target at Texas. The question is will there be any footballs left after T.O. and Ocho Cinco.
It is also the beginning for many the start of the fantasy football season. For you novices or those who always wanted to know what your boyfriend (or girlfriend) or spouse was talking about, here is the the Wikipedia definition:
I was asked to join a league at my previous job back in 1996. I created a rugged name (Urban City Marauders) and with my first draft, promptly made my first rookie mistake, drafting three QB's in the first three rounds. I still hear that story to this day from my co-owners. That changed the following year when I hooked up with my co-owner KG and won the first of our four league titles.
Fantasy football is the closest thing to becoming an actual manager of your team. You do evaluate talent, review stats, watch tape and have complete control over your roster and are responsible for all of your decisions. You get all of this minus the headaches of dealing "problem child ballplayers", salary cap issues and player holdouts. While some people are amazed of the seriousness of it all, I enjoy it because of the previous reasons mentioned, as well as the commadarie with other owners (both virtually and real). Its a great way to keep in contact with your boys who may be scattered throughout the country as well as, in my case, guys I started out with 14 years ago at my job who friendships I appreciate still to this day. I even compete now with the sons & sons-in-law of former league owners.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to break down tape from last nights Bears/Chargers game.
And the lifestyle continues...
It is also the beginning for many the start of the fantasy football season. For you novices or those who always wanted to know what your boyfriend (or girlfriend) or spouse was talking about, here is the the Wikipedia definition:
- Fantasy Football is a fantasy sports game in which participants (called "owners") are arranged into a competitive league, earning “fantasy points” by using the statistics of real football players. The owners of each league draft real-life American football players, typically from either the NFL or NCAA, filling a roster containing the various offense or defensive positions on a team, such as Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, and Tight End. Depending on how well the players on an Owner’s team do in a given week, the team earns Fantasy Points to compete against the other owners in the league. If a running back rushes for a touchdown, for instance, the running back earned a pre-determined amount of points for that running back’s owner. At the end of the season, win-loss records determine league rankings or qualifications into a playoff bracket. Most leagues set aside the last weekends of the regular season for their own playoffs, which determines the league’s champion for that season.
I was asked to join a league at my previous job back in 1996. I created a rugged name (Urban City Marauders) and with my first draft, promptly made my first rookie mistake, drafting three QB's in the first three rounds. I still hear that story to this day from my co-owners. That changed the following year when I hooked up with my co-owner KG and won the first of our four league titles.
Fantasy football is the closest thing to becoming an actual manager of your team. You do evaluate talent, review stats, watch tape and have complete control over your roster and are responsible for all of your decisions. You get all of this minus the headaches of dealing "problem child ballplayers", salary cap issues and player holdouts. While some people are amazed of the seriousness of it all, I enjoy it because of the previous reasons mentioned, as well as the commadarie with other owners (both virtually and real). Its a great way to keep in contact with your boys who may be scattered throughout the country as well as, in my case, guys I started out with 14 years ago at my job who friendships I appreciate still to this day. I even compete now with the sons & sons-in-law of former league owners.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to break down tape from last nights Bears/Chargers game.
And the lifestyle continues...
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Tainted
How ya doin sports fans. If you noticed my schedule, I try to send out my blog every Monday, Wed and Friday, unless I anticipate a busy weekend that starts on Friday. This weekend is one of those weekends as I do "family" stuff with my (I hope I spell this right) fiancee.
How do we evaluate the Steroid era? Do we consider it just a blip on the history of Baseball or something more sinister, a time that will forever reverberate though the history of the game?
At the time that the era began, we were enjoying a resurgence of the game. The big story was the single season home run race between future (?) Hall of Famers Mark McGuire, who took almost ten years to admit that he used them, and Sammy Sosa, a member of the career 600 home run club who hasn't said anything about his alleged use. We as fans were looking forward the next game to see if Sammy could take the lead or could McGuire answer back. Baseball has always been close to my heart from my Boys Club (no disrespect to the Girls, but it was just called the Boys club back in my day) days playing catcher. Yes, I was one of those fans that kept up with the race.
When the story broke, I was hurt. I never thought to look at the increase in numbers. The leading home run winners from 1997 - 2002 were, 56, 70, 65, 50, 73 (Barry Bonds) and 57 (A-Rod). I was just caught up in the rapture like Anita Baker. The bad part about it was that, although I'll never be able to prove it, it was all approved with a wink and a nod from the league higher ups. It helped the game come back like a ninth inning rally.
Now that it has all come out like Diana Ross, now what? Should the the guys who admitted it (i.e, McGuire, A-Rod) as well as the guys who we think did it (Bonds, Sosa) have a opportunity to enter the Hall? Me being a purist at heart, I say basically no. It's just a shame that guys who would have probably made the Hall without steroids clouded their career with this stuff. Now, I know about how players had amphetamines in their clubhouses in the 70's and 80's. Is there really a difference? I have to admit that this comes from a guy who was in a serious relationship only to find out that I was betrayed.
Have a great weekend!!!
How do we evaluate the Steroid era? Do we consider it just a blip on the history of Baseball or something more sinister, a time that will forever reverberate though the history of the game?
At the time that the era began, we were enjoying a resurgence of the game. The big story was the single season home run race between future (?) Hall of Famers Mark McGuire, who took almost ten years to admit that he used them, and Sammy Sosa, a member of the career 600 home run club who hasn't said anything about his alleged use. We as fans were looking forward the next game to see if Sammy could take the lead or could McGuire answer back. Baseball has always been close to my heart from my Boys Club (no disrespect to the Girls, but it was just called the Boys club back in my day) days playing catcher. Yes, I was one of those fans that kept up with the race.
When the story broke, I was hurt. I never thought to look at the increase in numbers. The leading home run winners from 1997 - 2002 were, 56, 70, 65, 50, 73 (Barry Bonds) and 57 (A-Rod). I was just caught up in the rapture like Anita Baker. The bad part about it was that, although I'll never be able to prove it, it was all approved with a wink and a nod from the league higher ups. It helped the game come back like a ninth inning rally.
Now that it has all come out like Diana Ross, now what? Should the the guys who admitted it (i.e, McGuire, A-Rod) as well as the guys who we think did it (Bonds, Sosa) have a opportunity to enter the Hall? Me being a purist at heart, I say basically no. It's just a shame that guys who would have probably made the Hall without steroids clouded their career with this stuff. Now, I know about how players had amphetamines in their clubhouses in the 70's and 80's. Is there really a difference? I have to admit that this comes from a guy who was in a serious relationship only to find out that I was betrayed.
Have a great weekend!!!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Dynasty ?
I'm a contrarian by nature. When everybody goes one way about viewpoints, I initially go the other way. While I may eventually come around to a particular point of view. I don't accept anything on the face of it.
The latest sports topic that has come up is that the new big 3 in the NBA (Wade, James and Bosh) will go 72-10 this upcoming season and will even challenge the record 33 game consecutive winning streak that the 71-72 Lakers currently hold. As one of my good friends says from one of our favorite songs: "...stop, hold on...stay in control."
Don't get me wrong--the Heat will challenge for the title this year on sheer talent alone. But as we have seen in the past, it takes more than talent to win championships in the NBA. One component that has to considered is bench play. While the final roster is still in flux, they have actually added some decent pieces such as Eddie House and three point threat Mike Miller. They also added a little veteran seasoning with pickups Juwan Howard and Prince James (sorry, King (?)) running mate at Cleveland, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
Another piece of the puzzle is chemistry. While the big 3 played together while earning a gold medal for the U.S. and seem to actually like each other as buddies, that's it. While there are a couple of holdovers from last year's team, chemistry will have to be developed from the first day of camp. In a lot of cases, it can actually takes years to develop championship chemistry.
Externally, the Heat will have to deal with the opposition's raised intensity level every night. Like the NFL's Pats during their undefeated run, the Heat will face the best of almost every team in the league every night. The 95-96 Bulls,who hold the record, were a traveling rock show with Jordan the lead singer that came to your town and gave their best effort every night. Generally, it didn't matter that your team lost that night because you saw a great show.
The Heat come into this season with a lot of what the latest generation calls "swag" as in swagger. And they do have a point. But if championships were won on paper, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I'm a guy from Missouri -- the show me state. Win some titles before claiming dominance. Heck, win your division first.
The latest sports topic that has come up is that the new big 3 in the NBA (Wade, James and Bosh) will go 72-10 this upcoming season and will even challenge the record 33 game consecutive winning streak that the 71-72 Lakers currently hold. As one of my good friends says from one of our favorite songs: "...stop, hold on...stay in control."
Don't get me wrong--the Heat will challenge for the title this year on sheer talent alone. But as we have seen in the past, it takes more than talent to win championships in the NBA. One component that has to considered is bench play. While the final roster is still in flux, they have actually added some decent pieces such as Eddie House and three point threat Mike Miller. They also added a little veteran seasoning with pickups Juwan Howard and Prince James (sorry, King (?)) running mate at Cleveland, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
Another piece of the puzzle is chemistry. While the big 3 played together while earning a gold medal for the U.S. and seem to actually like each other as buddies, that's it. While there are a couple of holdovers from last year's team, chemistry will have to be developed from the first day of camp. In a lot of cases, it can actually takes years to develop championship chemistry.
Externally, the Heat will have to deal with the opposition's raised intensity level every night. Like the NFL's Pats during their undefeated run, the Heat will face the best of almost every team in the league every night. The 95-96 Bulls,who hold the record, were a traveling rock show with Jordan the lead singer that came to your town and gave their best effort every night. Generally, it didn't matter that your team lost that night because you saw a great show.
The Heat come into this season with a lot of what the latest generation calls "swag" as in swagger. And they do have a point. But if championships were won on paper, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I'm a guy from Missouri -- the show me state. Win some titles before claiming dominance. Heck, win your division first.
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Goat
Good morning everyone. The greatest of all time. What a statement. No matter what the team sport, it's a big deal to be considered one of those guys. Michael Jordan, Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Babe Ruth, LL Cool J. Sorry, I digress. My question is simply, "Is it fair? I read separate articles that considered Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice and Jim Brown the greatest athletes of all time.
Looking at the career stats of these athletes, It would be hard to deny these athletes their due. Jordan, six titles. Babe Ruth hit more than 700 career home runs (pre steroid era). Sanders, ten time Pro Bowler with over 15,000 yards rushing. Jerry Rice, owner of the most career wide receiver records in NFL history. Jim Brown, college Hall of Famer in both football and lacrosse. Wow.
As Malcolm would say, "let me make it plain". These guys (and gals too) are some of the greatest players who have played their respective team sports. The operative word for me is the word team. Jordan played with at least two probable Hall of Famers in his running mate Scotty Pippen and one of the greatest rebounders for his era, Dennis Rodman. Barry Sanders during his great run (pardon the pun) did have two Pro Bowlers that blocked for him (Lomas Brown - 7 times and Kevin Glover - 3 times). Aside from the offensive line blocking, Jerry Rice got most of his catches from two Hall of Famers in Joe Montana and Steve Young.
Jordan still had to get the pass from someone, after he came off a pick from a teammate, to hit the jumper. Barry still needed a crease (albeit, not a big one) the get that extra yard. Jerry Rice still needed his offensive line to give his quarterback time to get the pass to him.
Understand I am in no way shortchanging these talented stars. This just comes from a guy who enjoyed team sports in a previous life and knows that even the bench riders and the "holla guys" have a place on championship teams. At the end of the day, there still is no I in the word team. Even if the I stands for incredible.
Looking at the career stats of these athletes, It would be hard to deny these athletes their due. Jordan, six titles. Babe Ruth hit more than 700 career home runs (pre steroid era). Sanders, ten time Pro Bowler with over 15,000 yards rushing. Jerry Rice, owner of the most career wide receiver records in NFL history. Jim Brown, college Hall of Famer in both football and lacrosse. Wow.
As Malcolm would say, "let me make it plain". These guys (and gals too) are some of the greatest players who have played their respective team sports. The operative word for me is the word team. Jordan played with at least two probable Hall of Famers in his running mate Scotty Pippen and one of the greatest rebounders for his era, Dennis Rodman. Barry Sanders during his great run (pardon the pun) did have two Pro Bowlers that blocked for him (Lomas Brown - 7 times and Kevin Glover - 3 times). Aside from the offensive line blocking, Jerry Rice got most of his catches from two Hall of Famers in Joe Montana and Steve Young.
Jordan still had to get the pass from someone, after he came off a pick from a teammate, to hit the jumper. Barry still needed a crease (albeit, not a big one) the get that extra yard. Jerry Rice still needed his offensive line to give his quarterback time to get the pass to him.
Understand I am in no way shortchanging these talented stars. This just comes from a guy who enjoyed team sports in a previous life and knows that even the bench riders and the "holla guys" have a place on championship teams. At the end of the day, there still is no I in the word team. Even if the I stands for incredible.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Shaq Diesel
NBA center Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal is and will be considered one of the greatest players at his position in league history. I'm not sure if this is a rant, but I do have a problem with these so-called sports experts and radio talk hosts who say that his legacy is tarnished if he had played for a team overseas (as he was offered) or by joining the Celtics, signing for the league minimum. To put it lightly....Are you kidding me?
Let's start with the actual legacy. A #1 pick out of LSU in 1992, the Rookie of the year, 15 time All-Star (including 3 game MVP's) and 4-time league champion (earning three finals MVP awards) has career averages of 24 points (top 5) and 11 rebounds per game. He is only one of three players in league history to win the All-Star, regular season and Finals MVP awards in the same season (2000). He is the second most accurate shooter (.581) in league history. For the real Shaq haters, they can point at his 52.7% career free throw percentage.
Just to put a little more sugar in the Kool-Aid, his off the court stuff is just as good. He has been in eleven movies, voiced a couple of cartoon movies, has his own video game and has even "dropped" four rap albums. His debut album, "Shaq Diesel", went platinum. The album, which I have, is not bad. He has rapped with stars such as Biggie Smalls and the gloved one. By the way, he is also a honorary US Marshal.
If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a Shaq-Fu man. He's a kid in a big man's body who still just enjoys the game. I can't knock anyone who is trying to win championships while making a good living while doing it. While he is not the Shaq Diesel of the past, he will still make a contribution to the Celtics for their championship hopes. For you people who are trying to sell your haterade, I'm not buyin.
Have a great weekend!!!
Song of the Blog: "Can't stop the Reign" (featuring Biggie) - Shaq
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFc0iVlCEPY
Let's start with the actual legacy. A #1 pick out of LSU in 1992, the Rookie of the year, 15 time All-Star (including 3 game MVP's) and 4-time league champion (earning three finals MVP awards) has career averages of 24 points (top 5) and 11 rebounds per game. He is only one of three players in league history to win the All-Star, regular season and Finals MVP awards in the same season (2000). He is the second most accurate shooter (.581) in league history. For the real Shaq haters, they can point at his 52.7% career free throw percentage.
Just to put a little more sugar in the Kool-Aid, his off the court stuff is just as good. He has been in eleven movies, voiced a couple of cartoon movies, has his own video game and has even "dropped" four rap albums. His debut album, "Shaq Diesel", went platinum. The album, which I have, is not bad. He has rapped with stars such as Biggie Smalls and the gloved one. By the way, he is also a honorary US Marshal.
If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a Shaq-Fu man. He's a kid in a big man's body who still just enjoys the game. I can't knock anyone who is trying to win championships while making a good living while doing it. While he is not the Shaq Diesel of the past, he will still make a contribution to the Celtics for their championship hopes. For you people who are trying to sell your haterade, I'm not buyin.
Have a great weekend!!!
Song of the Blog: "Can't stop the Reign" (featuring Biggie) - Shaq
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFc0iVlCEPY
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Albert Haynesworth...The Saga
Today's topic is the ongoing struggle between Redskins DL Albert Haynesworth and head coach Mike Shanahan. What I'm not quite clear about is what the the struggle is about.
This is Shanahan's first year with the Skins, the first year for many fans (including this Skins fan) of an organization being run correctly. This means having a actual GM and a legit, qualified and experienced head coach (who also has won a Super Bowl) at the top of the food chain. This year's camp seems to be more professionally run: no music on the field, better organized and paced practices. Now, i'm not talking Super Bowl (this year), but it just feels better. Everyone seems to be with the program...except for one guy.
Big Al was the only non-participant at the OTA's this past spring. He said that he was using his own personal trainer, the same trainer that helped him make the Pro Bowl while at Tennessee. This was also after he received a check of more than twenty million as part of his 100 million dollar contract that he signed a year ago. There were conversations between management and Haynesworth before taking the money that included his willingness to follow the program and playing some nose tackle in Shanahan's 3-4 defense that he was incorporating.
After getting the check, Al balked. He said he didn't (and wasn't) want to play in the coaches new scheme. He also said that he was considering not even coming to camp. I think that changed when his people told him that the Skins could demand back some of that cash if he didn't show up. So, he did.
When he did, the coach said that he could not practice until he passed a conditioning test that included completing a series of 300 yd. sprints in a certain time frame. None of the other players had to take this test because they attended at least half of the OTA's. He was unable to pass the test and today, with his knee giving him problems, has not taken the test since Saturday.
If it's just me, I'll accept it. Now I get that he got a pile of money to do a job. I even get that he has to do this because he snubbed the team by not attending the OTA's. But, is this about more than team unity? At this point, I get the whiff of the buck that has to be tamed. I understand what I'm saying is out there, or is it? I would like your input on this, because I can not shake this sentiment that I have.
In either case, I don't think that this relationship is going to work out. The way it's going, big Al's knee will be giving him trouble all year.
Song of the Blog: The soundtrack from the movie "Roots"
This is Shanahan's first year with the Skins, the first year for many fans (including this Skins fan) of an organization being run correctly. This means having a actual GM and a legit, qualified and experienced head coach (who also has won a Super Bowl) at the top of the food chain. This year's camp seems to be more professionally run: no music on the field, better organized and paced practices. Now, i'm not talking Super Bowl (this year), but it just feels better. Everyone seems to be with the program...except for one guy.
Big Al was the only non-participant at the OTA's this past spring. He said that he was using his own personal trainer, the same trainer that helped him make the Pro Bowl while at Tennessee. This was also after he received a check of more than twenty million as part of his 100 million dollar contract that he signed a year ago. There were conversations between management and Haynesworth before taking the money that included his willingness to follow the program and playing some nose tackle in Shanahan's 3-4 defense that he was incorporating.
After getting the check, Al balked. He said he didn't (and wasn't) want to play in the coaches new scheme. He also said that he was considering not even coming to camp. I think that changed when his people told him that the Skins could demand back some of that cash if he didn't show up. So, he did.
When he did, the coach said that he could not practice until he passed a conditioning test that included completing a series of 300 yd. sprints in a certain time frame. None of the other players had to take this test because they attended at least half of the OTA's. He was unable to pass the test and today, with his knee giving him problems, has not taken the test since Saturday.
If it's just me, I'll accept it. Now I get that he got a pile of money to do a job. I even get that he has to do this because he snubbed the team by not attending the OTA's. But, is this about more than team unity? At this point, I get the whiff of the buck that has to be tamed. I understand what I'm saying is out there, or is it? I would like your input on this, because I can not shake this sentiment that I have.
In either case, I don't think that this relationship is going to work out. The way it's going, big Al's knee will be giving him trouble all year.
Song of the Blog: The soundtrack from the movie "Roots"
Monday, August 2, 2010
Back in the Day...
While I try to be a "glass half full" kinda of guy, I admit to losing some water this past week. Nothing in particular was the reason for this, but then again, it was everything. It was just the general day-to-day stress of life in our fair land. Don't worry, this is not going to be a dump on you.
I say this to say that sometimes something comes up that is, right on time, and is just what the doctor ordered. I know what your thinking: What does this have to do with sports?
I was in Baltimore, Maryland (my second home from my undergrad days and living there for six years) this past weekend and as I was leaving to go back to Washington, I just by chance called one my boys and he told me about a couple of our friends who were playing in a day long softball tournament since 8o'clock that morning. I was actually teammates with a lot of these guys back in the mid to late 80's and early 90's before I walked away from the game (smile). After talking with my friend, I said, "Why not?" and journeyed over to Druid Hill Park to check it out.
When I got there, the memories just came back like a snapped rubber band. The team played on the same field that I played on in my heyday. It reminded me of not just team championships but also personal achievements that I will always treasure. What also enriched the experience was just hanging out with my B-more friends commiserating about old times and the hope of creating new future ones. This included seeing some old college friends that I hadn't seen since college. To cap it off, we won the game.
I drove back to DC recharged and ready for the upcoming week. I guess that this blog wasn't that much about sports, except to say how sports can help to cement friendships and encourage comrade. I also have to take this time to say that always find time for your friends and family in part, because at the end of the day that's all you have. As my girlfriend always has to remind me, "Sometimes, you have to take time to stop and smell the roses."
Song of the blog: Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - "Summertime"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_PDns23RWY
I say this to say that sometimes something comes up that is, right on time, and is just what the doctor ordered. I know what your thinking: What does this have to do with sports?
I was in Baltimore, Maryland (my second home from my undergrad days and living there for six years) this past weekend and as I was leaving to go back to Washington, I just by chance called one my boys and he told me about a couple of our friends who were playing in a day long softball tournament since 8o'clock that morning. I was actually teammates with a lot of these guys back in the mid to late 80's and early 90's before I walked away from the game (smile). After talking with my friend, I said, "Why not?" and journeyed over to Druid Hill Park to check it out.
When I got there, the memories just came back like a snapped rubber band. The team played on the same field that I played on in my heyday. It reminded me of not just team championships but also personal achievements that I will always treasure. What also enriched the experience was just hanging out with my B-more friends commiserating about old times and the hope of creating new future ones. This included seeing some old college friends that I hadn't seen since college. To cap it off, we won the game.
I drove back to DC recharged and ready for the upcoming week. I guess that this blog wasn't that much about sports, except to say how sports can help to cement friendships and encourage comrade. I also have to take this time to say that always find time for your friends and family in part, because at the end of the day that's all you have. As my girlfriend always has to remind me, "Sometimes, you have to take time to stop and smell the roses."
Song of the blog: Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - "Summertime"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_PDns23RWY
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