One of the last times Rick Telander was heard from on this blog, he was growing more and more discontented with John Fox as the Bears head coach and reminiscing about the days when Bruce Jenner was a manly athlete and not a woman. Rick has a history of complaining about small problems in sports (and apparently others agreed with Rick that the height of the rim was too short in the NBA) and now Rick has noticed that NHL players are sporting playoff beards. Rick says he isn't "splitting hairs" (get it? GET it? GET IT?...it's a play on words about a beard consisting of human hair and it's funny...or not) and that the NHL players need to find a new tradition rather than growing playoff beards. Rick wrote this on June 11, which was smack-dab right in the middle of the Blackhawks march to another Stanley Cup title and all he could do was talk about playoff beards and how bad they suck. One would think there are more meaningful columns to be written during this time. One would be wrong.
Is it possible to have a meaningful discussion about Stanley Cup-winning hockey and beards?
No, because they are beards and pretending these players having playoff beards is important in any way is just laughable, no matter what any NBC executive claims otherwise. It's like having a meaningful discussion about whether Chipotle, Moe's, or Qdoba has better food. Everyone knows it's Chipotle, so there is no point in having the conversation.
In case you missed it, the players on the Blackhawks and Tampa Bay
Lightning, who are tied at two victories apiece in the Stanley Cup
Final, have beards. (Unless there’s a hairless renegade hiding in the
blade-sharpening room, which I don’t believe there is.)
They have beards! Oh no!
And not just beards. They have gross, tangly, unkempt things often
referred to as ‘‘neckbeards,’’ historically featured on anti-social
mountain men, deceased presidents and biblical characters. And Captain
Ahab had a dandy.
I don't think the purpose of these beards is to look attractive, so the argument, "they should be more attractive" fails as a real, cogent argument as to why these beards should be shaved. The beards don't negatively impact how they perform on the ice and somehow presidents, though deceased (no telling on whether it is the fault of their beard for their present condition or not), managed to achieve something while having beards.
This is a playoff tradition, so to speak, even though its roots
(roots?) can be traced back to something as banal as the New York
Islanders growing out their whiskers during playoff runs back in the
1980s.
Yes, the Islanders won four Cups during that period, but have you
heard from them lately? Plus, former Islanders defenseman Denis Potvin
has been quoted as saying none of the hirsuteness was by design.
Oh, well if it wasn't by design then obviously a terrible mistake has been made. Playoff camaraderie as shown by not shaving isn't something that should just happen, camaraderie has to be built purposefully over a period of time. It's not real unless it's planned and contrived.
‘‘It was just something that kind of happened,’’ he said.
The end of civilization is nigh'. Unplanned beards are popping up everywhere.
None of this would matter, except that fully bearded hockey players look ugly.
Yep, and as I said, if the argument against playoff beards are "they look ugly," then these beards truly don't matter. The players aren't trying to look attractive, they are growing beards to show camaraderie. "You look ugly" is a dumb retort to hockey players essentially saying through the action of not shaving, "We don't care how we look."
But it’s the essential ugliness and disguise that come with the
beardedness that has NBC Sports chairman Mark Lazarus’ whisker-free face
in a grimace.
Oh no, a wealthy television executive is upset. How can he be appeased? Mark Lazarus' opinion on the facial hair of athletes must be addressed and corrected immediately.
And his opinion matters because NBC Sports has a $2
billion deal to broadcast NHL games.
Actually, Lazarus' opinion still doesn't matter because he doesn't play hockey, isn't married to any of the hockey players and should only care (like the fans do) whether the games are exciting and garnering good ratings. Good ratings do not depend on playoff beards. I can't imagine someone not watching a hockey game because the players' beards are too ugly to look at. It's hockey. Players have broken noses, bloody lips, missing teeth and probably a concussion, being attractive isn't a part of the deal while on the ice.
Lazarus told sports-media writer Ed Sherman on Tuesday: ‘‘I wish they
all would stop growing beards in the postseason. Let’s get their faces
out there. Let’s talk about how young and attractive they are, what
model citizens they are.’’
You can still talk about how young they are and what model citizens they are. The beard may takeaway attractiveness to some, but I would have to think the big helmet over their head probably hurts the whole "sexy" nature of the sport while it's being played on the ice more than anything else.
‘‘I think [the beards do] hurt recognition,’’ Lazarus went on. ‘‘They
have a great opportunity with more endorsements. Or simply more
recognition, with fans saying, ‘That guy looks like the kid next door,’
which many of these guys do.’’
This is a good reason why NFL players have so many problems getting endorsements. What does Russell Wilson even look like? Who knows, because he always has that stupid helmet on his head. Remove the helmet, then maybe an NFL player will have an opportunity to get some endorsements and more recognition. It's the same issue with hockey. Nevermind there is an entire regular season game schedule consisting of 82 games where there are no playoff beards, it's the playoff beards that cause these players to lose endorsements. It seems Mark Lazarus is under the impression there is no regular season in the NHL.
But I agree with Lazarus — who is, sadly, not related to Sun-Times
hockey writer Mark Lazerus — that the beards are dumb and stale.
If anyone knows about things that may be dumb and stale, it's Rick Telander. After all, his writing career is becoming dumb and stale if all he has to discuss in the middle of the Stanley Cup Finals is playoff beards. This is the same Stanley Cup Finals where the hometown team was attempting to win their third Stanley Cup title in less than a decade. Playoff beards, that's what should really be the topic of discussion for a Chicago-based writer though.
Everybody looks the same with a beard, like genetic splicing run amok.
Perhaps Rick thinks all white people look alike or he has face blindness. I don't watch that much hockey (though I do enjoy it whenever I do) and I can tell the difference in the players. Plus, there are these things on the back of the uniform right above the player's number. It's called "the player's name" which really helps me figure out which players are which. It's the same thing everyone has to use when watching the NFL because it's hard to tell the players apart on the field otherwise. Somehow football fans don't get too confused. Try to pay attention to the names on the back of the uniforms. It may help more than Rick thinks.
My question is this: Why doesn’t a team such as the Hawks have the
courage and creativity to do something different with their manliness
and be a true difference-making dynasty?
The Blackhawks are not a true difference-making dynasty because they have playoff beards. Obviously.
My question is this: Why should the Blackhawks have to do something different with their manliness and spend time thinking of ways to be courageous and creative when that time could be used figuring out how they will win another Stanley Cup title? Is the Blackhawks' dynasty really going to be dependent on whether they wore playoff beards or not?
‘‘The worst has got to be Teuvo [Teravainen],’’ backup goalie Scott
Darling said. ‘‘He’s got the [Justin] Bieber ’stache going. I said, ‘By
the time you can actually grow one, it’s going to be illegal.’ ’’
The players enjoy playoff beards. Let them enjoy it and stop being an old man.
The point is, break away. Do your own thing. Be original.
My advice would be to continue to win hockey games, since that's the entire point of being in the playoffs and all. The Blackhawks are doing their own thing. They are winning Stanley Cup titles, not trying to set a fashion trend. And no, playoff beards aren't holding them back from getting endorsements and or winning "People Magazine's Sexist Man of the Year" award.
That’s how a team can win titles, too — by thinking outside the, uh, barber’s chair.
Apparently a team can win titles by growing playoff beards, because the Blackhawks have won plenty of Stanley Cup titles when the entire team was growing a playoff beard. And saying they need to "think outside the barber's chair" is an indication the team should not go to the barber's chair, thereby not getting their face shaved. Rick Telander wants hockey players to think inside the barber's chair. Oh, and it's so stupid to equate shaving as a way to win titles. It's just stupid and whether the hockey players shave or not is so irrelevant I don't see how this is an issue for Rick.
Coach Joel Quenneville certainly went all over the place in the
Hawks’ victory in Game 4, mixing up his lines as though he had flung a
deck of cards in the air.
As we know, we can’t trust either coach to tell us the truth about
injuries, strategies or much else. And we won’t know whether Lightning
goalie Ben Bishop, who was held out of Game 4, will play in Game 5 until
the puck drops.
Rick doesn't have enough material to write an entire column on this issue, so he has to go off-topic briefly in order to hit the word count he wants to hit. Modern sports journalism at it's best. Telander writes an uninspired and irrelevant article bemoaning the existence of playoff beards and still has to pad it with enough rambling to hit the required word count.
But back to the beard thing. Think about it, Hawks. Think about a new tradition.
Yes, think about not having playoff beards because Rick Telander doesn't like them. I also like the idea of starting a new tradition, all while Rick provides no real suggestions for a new tradition. Just do it. It's Rick's decree, so make it be.
Be creative. More creative than Rick Telander, who wrote this uninspired column and can't even be creative enough to suggest another playoff tradition. All he is worried about is ensuring the sexiness of the NHL players shines through. Obviously these playoff beards, not the helmets or the fact hockey isn't the most popular sport in the United States, is the reason these players don't get endorsements.
How about reverse bearding? Start the playoffs with a fully grown beard,
then reduce it each series — first to a goatee, then to a mustache
before finishing with (ta-da!) soul patches.
Right, but the players would have to grow a beard during the regular season, thereby hurting the chances fans will recognize the players, reducing their sexiness and preventing the players from receiving endorsements. So Rick's only solution to growing playoff beards is for NHL players to grow regular season beards. If you know why regular season beards will not hurt endorsements and recognition for NHL players, like Mark Lazarus and Rick Telander claim occurs when playoff beards are grown, then please tell me. It sounds like Rick is suggesting the players grow a beard for a longer period of time during the regular season (in order to grow a full beard) as an alternative to growing playoff beards. Because apparently endorsements and recognition aren't important during the regular season. The regular season consists of a larger number of games than the playoffs by the way.
And Coach Q? Well, if he had a full beard, we’d know who Santa Claus really is.
Yes, Rick does know dumb and stale best. This last sentence shows this clearly.
Showing posts with label canadian issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canadian issues. Show all posts
Monday, July 6, 2015
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
5 comments MMQB Review: Super Bowl Preview, But Maybe Not Edition
Peter King was excited that Jay Gruden showed off his leadership abilities by making comments that threw Robert Griffin under the bus in last week's MMQB. He also clarified that while he was picking the Ravens to lose to the Saints, this didn't mean he thought the Ravens weren't the better team. I'm sure that made more sense in Peter's head. This week Peter talks about the Patriots-Packers game being a Super Bowl preview (so this means the Patriots' dynasty ISN'T over?), is giddy that Johnny Manziel made his first appearance in an NFL game, admits to being used as a conduit for a smear campaign, and somehow manages to compare Robert Griffin to Ryan Leaf. No agenda for Peter King though. Not at all.
Three months of the 2014 season down, two to go. Two months from tonight, in Arizona, Super Bowl XLIX will be played. There can’t have been a better Super Bowl preview than the game played in Green Bay between the Patriots and the Packers. So even. So well-played.
The NFL should just stop the season right now and make sure these two teams play in the Super Bowl. That's what the people want and that's what the people should get.
Meeting for the first time. Brady is 37. Rodgers turns 31 tomorrow. AFC meets NFC once every four years. That means, at least in this tableau, we’ll never see this again, unless Brady pulls a George Blanda and plays until he’s 45—or plays somewhere else.
So even if these two teams meet in the Super Bowl it won't be the same because it's not at Lambeau Field.
From late in the second quarter, when the Patriots pulled to within 16-14, I got the feeling this was going to come down to the end.
Peter King with his predictive skills! It's a close game late in the second quarter, perhaps this game will be close all the way until the end. I bet Peter wrote this down in a notebook so he could be sure to mention he thought this would be a close game. Gregg Easterbrook would be proud.
And the longer the game went, I was convinced that’s how it would go. And if we were lucky, maybe we’d get to see it again … two months from now, when the Patriots, if it happened, would play in Glendale for the first time since Tyree Velcro Sunday, when the 18-0 season went up in smoke in the last Super Bowl in Arizona.
Two things:
1. If the Super Bowl isn't played at Lambeau Field then it doesn't matter.
2. I thought the Cardinals were going to be playing in the Super Bowl in their home stadium? You know, Bruce Arians can win a Super Bowl with Drew Stanton. That whole thing. It's a thing that really could have happened. Is Peter giving up on that one so easily?
We’re getting way ahead of ourselves.
Yes, because "we" are writing this column then "we" are most definitely getting ahead of ourselves. Not Peter, "we" are.
We start in Lambeau. Green Bay sprinted to a 13-0 lead. New England got touchdowns from its typical bargain-basement types, Brandon Bolden and Brandon LaFell, to rally to within 16-14.
Apparently the 3 year contract for $9 million received by LaFell is considered "bargain basement" by Peter King. At this point, he's just ignoring the truth and trying to make the narrative fit how he wants it to fit. LaFell was a great signing, but he's not a "bargain basement" type of player. The narrative says the Patriots always get contributions from unknown players, so Peter has to push this narrative even in the face of it being false.
On fourth-and-18, Belichick—rightly—sent out the field-goal team. Stephen Gostkowski, a worthy heir to Adam Vinatieri, wasn’t worthy here. Wide right.
Gregg Easterbrook would argue the football gods punished Belichick for not going for it in this situation. After all, if he had gone for it then it would have told the Patriots that Belichick was very serious about winning this football game. Alas, the football gods chortled as the kick went wide right when obviously the Patriots should have gone for it on fourth-and-18.
Green Bay ball. One first down was all Rodgers needed. Seemed easy enough, until it got to be third-and-four, with 2:28 left, at the Packer 43. New England was out of timeouts. This was it. Make a play, Rodgers kneels for three snaps and it’s over. Don’t make it, and you give it back to one of the best quarterbacks of our lives, pacing the New England sidelines, dying for one last chance.
Literally dying. Tom Brady passed away because he wanted one last chance. Bill Belichick will refuse to attend the funeral for Brady because he wasn't tough enough to not die during a game and every NFL writer on Twitter will mention "that's so Belichick" as he orders to Patriots players to attend practice rather than Brady's funeral.
Once clear of Hightower, a step or two past him, Rodgers zinged the ball toward Cobb, maybe two yards past the first-down line. Now Devin McCourty came off Adams and joined Ryan in coverage of Cobb. But McCourty was just a split-second too late to break it up.
The picture you are painting, Peter. It makes an Ansel Adams picture look like a nine year old child's drawing created using water colors bought from Michael's.
What do you remember when the ball’s coming toward you?
What kind of question is this, Peter? What's he remember? Cobb probably remembers that he needs to catch the fucking ball because the game will be over if he does.
Were you feeling the coverage on you—physically? Or do you just know they’re there?
Another tough question. I think Cobb felt the coverage more meta-physically. Perhaps 33% literally, 33% ethereally, and 34% from memory. Sort of how Peter feels the presence of Brett Favre wherever he goes.
“Bleep!’’ Brady said on the New England sideline. Or something to that effect. He said it three times.
Important to know when telling this story.
One team made the play. The plays, actually. The other didn’t.
But that doesn’t mean in two months the same team will make them if they meet again. It was that close Sunday in Green Bay. It was that good.
So Peter means because the Packers made enough plays to win this game, this means if these two teams meet again in the Super Bowl that the Packers won't automatically make all the plays to win that game too? What? This is completely new information to me. I thought because the Packers won on Sunday then Tom Brady and the Patriots would never beat the Packers no matter how many times they played them.
Five thoughts on the Rice verdict.
I was out of pocket Friday when Judge Barbara Jones issued her ruling that Ray Rice should be reinstated immediately.
We all know that Peter is at his most dangerous when he is out of the pocket, writing columns on the run.
But after I read her 17-page ruling, I was struck by the common sense of it,
"I'm shocked, no I am struck, by the fact there are other human beings who have the same amount of knowledge and common sense that I have. This Barbara Jones must be a special judge to have such common sense. Why haven't we heard of her before?"
1. How could the NFL possibly think that, after giving Rice a two-game ban to start, the continuation of a ban that reached 11 games was in any way fair? We all heard Roger Goodell say he got it wrong when he gave Rice two games back in July. Okay. Two games bad. Six games good. What is the possible justification for extending the ban to 11—and, if Jones hadn’t ruled when she did, maybe longer? The facts are these: Goodell saw the video of Rice dragging the limp body of his fiancĂ©e out of the Atlantic City elevator, then heard from him that she got that way because he made physical contact with her in said elevator. Goodell said he never saw the second video, the one of Rice making contact with Janay Palmer (now his wife).
Don't worry, after getting this story wrong two or three times, Peter is TOTALLY going to get back to figuring out whether Roger Goodell lied about seeing the elevator videotape before making his ruling on Rice's suspension. As soon as Peter gets done being out of pocket, he'll get right on this.
2. Rice’s future.
I spoke to two NFL general managers over the weekend about Rice, neither of whom is interested in signing him but who believe Rice will be in some team’s training camp in 2015...Having said all that, this GM did admit that Adrian Peterson would be different, because Peterson is closer to a premier player now than Rice. For the football advantages, the headaches with Peterson in your locker room would be more palatable than with Rice. I think it’s a long shot that Rice signs with any team before the end of the season, and as I said on NBC last night, there’s a slim chance it would be New Orleans and much less in Indianapolis, the two teams mentioned by Adam Schefter as sniffing around Rice.
Other than the Saints being the perfect location for Rice, I bet Ryan Grigson won't sign Rice simply because the fun of acquiring a running back is giving up a first round draft pick in order to acquire that running back. There's no fun in signing Rice without a first round draft pick being involved.
4. The judge in the Rice case didn’t accuse the league of any wrongdoing, but there was one striking piece of evidence she uncovered that has overtones of the Bountygate investigation. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk beat me to this over the weekend. Jones said in her report that Goodell called a meeting after the more ominous TMZ video aired in September, “at which they looked back at the notes of the June 16 meeting [with Rice] and ‘made sure all of us had the same recollection,’ ” according to Jones. That reminded me (and Florio) of the league finding fault with New Orleans coach Sean Payton for “instructing assistants to make sure our ducks are in a row.” Those sound like the same thing to me. They sound like each side is trying to get its stories straight.
Roger Goodell is offended that anyone thinks he saw the videotape before making his ruling on a two game suspension for Ray Rice. Goodell can't control EVERYTHING that happens in the league office, well except for those things he insists on having absolute control over like player punishments. But in this case he didn't know about the videotape, so let's all move on and forget about it all. Look! Something shiny! (Peter King runs and looks for that something shiny)
Finally on this topic: I quoted a source in July as saying Janay Rice made a moving case for leniency for Ray Rice during the June 16 meeting. My source was incorrect.
Not to kick Peter while he's down, but I think it was pretty well known back in the summer that Peter's source was wrong. It's probably that same source that gave Peter an indication the Ravens were going to allow Joe Flacco to leave in free agency after winning the Super Bowl.
I think I will kick Peter a little bit while he's down. I have stated in the past that Peter essentially reports what he is told, and seems to be a mouthpiece for whoever is giving him that information. He accepts what he is told at face value and doesn't seem to question much. It seems to me that Peter was clearly used in a smear campaign by the NFL. Peter didn't just quote a source in that July column on the Rice suspension, he essentially explained the reason for the two game suspension was due to Janay Rice begging for leniency and various other statements Janay Rice made to Goodell. Now it turns out that's not true and Peter seems perfectly content being used as a mouthpiece for the purposes of others.
According to Judge Jones’ report, Janay Rice was asked only one question during the hearing—how she felt—and she cried and said, “I’m just ready for it to be over.” I regret the error, and should have vetted the story further before publishing the account of one source.
I don't know, that sort of makes it worse in my mind. Why would Roger Goodell and the NFL have Janay Rice come to the hearing if they were only going to ask her one question in the presence of her husband, who had allegedly struck her? Oh yes, that's right, because Roger Goodell is an idiot who wants complete control over player punishment, but without all that needless bullshit like actually understanding the nuance and personal feelings involved with the crime. He seems to think in a domestic violence situation that the victim will tell the truth about his/her relationship with the accused. Goodell was over his head, but he lied and misled the public about what he knew and when, but that doesn't matter because it's all forgotten now.
Watching the end of the Bengals-Bucs game Sunday, it looked like Cincinnati was on its way to a loss. The Bengals were up 14-13, but with 26 seconds left, Bucs quarterback Josh McCown completed a 21-yard pass to Louis Murphy that advanced the ball to the Cincinnati 20. Now all the Bucs had to do was let the clock run down a few more seconds, spike the ball and summon the kicker, Patrick Murphy, for a 37-yard field goal on a calm weather afternoon in Tampa. The Bucs gathered at the line, and suddenly the red challenge flag flew from the Cincinnati sideline. Coach Marvin Lewis had thrown it. One problem: You can’t throw the challenge flag inside of two minutes of either half.
My first thought: Marvin is on the Competition Committee. Not many people in the game know the rules better. He knows you can’t throw the challenge flag inside the two-minute warning.
Then what could this evil genius be up to then?
The Bucs had had 12 men on the offensive side of the ball on the pass play to Murphy. Oniel Cousins came in as an extra offensive lineman/tight end, and rookie wideout Robert Herron, whom Cousins was replacing, just didn’t leave the field.
Now for the strange thing: Bill Leavy’s officiating crew missed the 12 men.
Is it strange that an NFL officiating crew missed this penalty?
I still find it amazing that the four officials on the field assigned to count bodies before every play didn’t have the Bucs with 12 men on the field—and may not have had them with 12 men on the second play either, if no Bucs player exited or entered the field before the snap of the ball.
Clearly Peter King hasn't watched some of the officiating in the NFL. It's the end of the game here and the officials are probably more worried about other penalties and making sure the ball gets spotted correctly and quickly. Therefore, counting the players on the field didn't seem important to them.
The St. Louis cops are ticked off at the Rams. The Rams hosted 50 business owners and clean-up-crew workers from Ferguson at the 52-0 rout of the Raiders—people who’d had their businesses torched or ruined in the wake of the announcement that officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the death of Michael Brown.
But five players touched a nerve before the game, entering the field with their hands raised in the familiar Hands up, don’t shoot mode of Ferguson protesters.
The SLPOA stressed that forensics tests didn’t support the claim that Brown held his hands up. After the game, one of the Rams in the demonstration, wideout Kenny Britt, said the players weren’t taking sides. “Not at all,’’ Britt said. “We just wanted to let the community know we support them.”
Well yeah, that's exactly taking a side since the "Hands up, don't shoot" pose is a form of protest. I wouldn't expect Peter to push the point, especially with a Rams player, since Peter tends to only ask softball questions. It's just that pose is widely seen as a form of protest in support of Michael Brown. If Britt wanted to let the community know he supports them then that's fine. Just own how you are supporting the community and don't act like you aren't taking sides.
The officers said they would demand a “very public apology” from the Rams and the NFL today.
The officers should have much better things to worry about rather than demanding a "very public apology" from athletes for exercising their opinion.
Cleveland’s backup quarterback might not be Cleveland’s backup quarterback after coach Mike Pettine and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan look at the tape from Buffalo today. They’ll like what they saw on Manziel’s first drive, an eight-play, 80-yard, no-huddle Manziel-being-Manziel touchdown drive. But then Manziel fumbled on the next series under a heavy rush, and overall, his 13 snaps over 12 minutes were a mixed bag. What else would you expect against a front seven that brings constant pressure, after not playing for two months? That’s why I’d be very surprised if Manziel wasn’t given a shot to start Sunday at home against Indianapolis.
What Peter really means here is that he REALLY, REALLY HOPES the Browns choose to start Manziel because it will give him more to write about in MMQB. So Peter thinks Manziel should start, probably based mostly on selfish reasons in order to get a good story.
At 7-5, Cleveland can afford maybe one loss down the stretch. Hoyer, over his last four games, is a 53-percent passer with one touchdown and six interceptions. As good as he was in the first half of the season in solidifying Cleveland’s shaky offense without Josh Gordon, he hasn’t been good enough over the past month, or in the two games since Gordon came back. Manziel should get a shot, and now.
Compare Peter's statements here to his statements just a few weeks ago when he was shocked, SHOCKED, that the Browns had not had contract negotiations with Brian Hoyer since early Summer or late Spring. Peter's opinion changes dramatically in a month's time. One month he is amazed the Browns haven't had contract extension talks with Brian Hoyer, and the next month he's advocating that Brian Hoyer be benched for Johnny Manziel. This is why Peter King is a sportswriter and not running an NFL team. It's his job to react, regardless of a lack of consistency in his reactions.
McCoy will start against the Rams Sunday. “Yeah, yeah,’’ said coach Jay Gruden. “Colt competed. There are some things I wish we would have done differently, play calls and execution-wise, but I feel like he competed and did a nice job out there.’’ McCoy, after a slow start, threw for 392 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. In three games this year, McCoy has completed an eye-opening 75.3 percent of his throws, for a passer rating of 113.5. I still think Washington needs to play Griffin before the end of the year. They either need to see more of him before deciding whether to keep him—or, if they’ve already decided to jettison him, showcase him in a positive light so he can fetch a better return in trade.
Or possibly the Redskins have seen enough of Griffin and don't want to ruin any trade value he may have by putting him back on the field. Once Griffin goes to the Rams, I imagine Peter will like Griffin a lot more and possibly regret comparing him to Ryan Leaf (still to come in this MMQB).
There’s a reason to watch Dolphins-Jets tonight.
Oh, well I guess I watch the game if Peter King says there is a reason to watch.
One: It’s always good to see Cameron Wake play. One of the most underappreciated defensive players in the league.
Yes, if only "we" paid more attention to Cameron Wake then he wouldn't be so under appreciated. Unfortunately, "we" don't talk about Wake enough, so he doesn't get the attention he deserves. Peter thinks someone (but not him, of course, any talk about Wake would take up room normally reserved for drooling over J.J. Watt) should change this.
Then Peter has Luke Tasker, who plays in the CFL, write a little bit about the Grey Cup. To Peter's credit, he is trying to gain attention for the CFL. Unfortunately, I know nothing about the CFL and Tasker's team lost.
Fine Fifteen
1. Green Bay (9-3).
2. New England (9-3).
I'm surprised that Peter didn't have New England above Green Bay because he thought the Patriots were a better team, but it's just that the Packers happened to win this game. That's the sort of reasoning he used last week to pick the Saints to beat the Ravens on "Monday Night Football."
No one quite believes how fast Jordy Nelson is until he buzzes past a very fast corner like Darrelle Revis. That’s one takeaway from Sunday’s deserved 26-21 nail-biter. Another one: Never thought when I walked out of CenturyLink Field on opening night, after the Pack’s 36-16 loss to Seattle, that I’d have Green Bay No. 1 in the Fine Fifteen in Week 13, or in any week this year.
This shows just how reactive and knee-jerk Peter King is in MMQB. After one game, the opening game of the year, he thought there was no way the Packers could ever be the best team in the NFL. Granted, one game had been played in the entire NFL season, but Peter had already written off the Packers as ever being the best team in the NFL during the 2014 season. I'm not sure it gets more knee-jerk then that.
4. Philadelphia (9-3). Best thing about Mark Sanchez’s game on Thursday: one negative play. Zero lost fumbles, zero interceptions, one sack taken. Also liked his 28 rushing yards. Just okay throwing the ball, though.
Really? 20 of 29 for 217 yards and one touchdown is "just okay"? That's a typical game for Peter's hero and guy who he wonders ever feels any pressure, Russell Wilson. I don't think Peter would call Wilson "just okay" when he puts those type of numbers up.
5. Seattle (8-4). Seahawks are on the kind of run-of-schedule that reminds me when I used to cover the Giants for Newsday,and Bill Parcells would say the reason the NFC East teams were always so well-prepared for the playoffs would be the gauntlet they’d have to survive in the regular season... I think they have a good chance to make the kind of noise the Giants made as a 2007 roadie through the playoffs.
The Patriots-Packers game has the chance to be a Super Bowl preview, but Peter also thinks that the Seahawks could make it to the Super Bowl from the NFC. I realize Peter isn't actively making predictions, but it's sort of funny to me that he has the Seahawks making a Super Bowl run on the road like the 2007 Giants in the same column he has the Patriots and Packers meeting again in the Super Bowl.
8. San Diego (8-4). Remember the 37-0 loss in Miami, making the Chargers a feeble 5-4 entering their bye? Remember how we all wrote them off?
Nope, I remember YOU wrote them off, but I don't remember writing the Chargers off. In fact, I remember Peter writing this:
6. I think we can pretty safely say this morning that the Philip Rivers for MVP campaign has gone pffffffffft. It’s over.
And then I wrote this:
This is also an example of where Peter isn't looking at the entirety of the situation. So if Philip Rivers' MVP campaign is over, does that mean his playing outstanding during the last half of the season wouldn't push him right back in the MVP race? Of course not, but Peter is just making a knee-jerk reaction.
Yep. Peter's massive ego and apparently belief that he speaks for everyone who reads MMQB allows him to conclude that because HE wrote the Chargers off every other person wrote the Chargers off too. Peter has Bill Simmons Disease where when he's wrong then "we" were wrong, even though it was Peter making the inaccurate statement.
Well, they continued the tightrope walk back into goodness. They’re in the playoffs if the season was 12 games long.
And if the season were one game and there were no other teams in the NFL other than the Packers and Seahawks, then Seattle would have won back-to-back Super Bowls.
10. Arizona (9-3).Not saying the sky is falling or anything, but Drew Stanton is struggling mightily, and they’ve lost two straight with him playing.
I'm not saying "we" were wrong about the Cardinals, but they can't win a Super Bowl with Stanton as their quarterback. Not now, not ever. I still it is hilarious that Peter let that comment by Bruce Arians go unchallenged. It doesn't even take a hostile follow-up question to ask why Arians seemed so deluded.
T-15. Buffalo (7-5). That defensive front is downright scary. Ask Hoyer and Manziel.
Okay, I will Peter! (goes to look for Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel's phone number)
T-15. Baltimore (7-5).Yes, John Harbaugh, that was pass interference, absolutely, on Anthony Levine that led to the crushing winning TD.
By the way, there are 16 teams in the "Fine Fifteen." It's bad enough Peter can't even put one player as the Offensive/Defensive/Special Teams Player of the Week, but he can't even put only 15 teams in his "Fine Fifteen."
(Still searching for Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer's phone number, I know I had it somewhere)
Offensive Players of the Week
(With apologies to Ryan Fitzpatrick, who deserves better after throwing six touchdown passes off the bench against Tennessee—but I chose two players here who were huge in big wins for their teams in Week 13.)
(Bengoodfella throws up his hands wondering why this award wouldn't go to one of the best offensive players of the week. That is the name of the award after all.)
Aaron Rodgers, quarterback, Green Bay. He’s had better statistical days. But Rodgers, against a team that won seven straight and allowed less than 20 points per game in the process, had eight significant possessions—possessions when they were trying to score in the 26-21 win over New England at Lambeau Field, in what Mike Florio called Super Bowl 48.5.
Until the Seahawks make their run to the Super Bowl like the 2007 Giants did.
Defensive Players of the Week
J.J. Watt, defensive end, Houston. He could—should—win this every week. (Except, maybe, when Houston has a bye.) Against Tennessee, he had his typical game of greatness: two sacks, six quarterback hits, four quarterback pressures, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a one-yard touchdown reception, when he lined up at tight end and leaked out of the formation. We are watching an amazing career unfold, and we should appreciate it every week.
Yes, "we" should appreciate watching J.J. Watt's career unfold. Why don't "we"? More importantly, I look forward to sportswriters spending the next decade trying to top each other with "How great is J.J. Watt" stories that essentially will become fan-fiction at some point.
Special Teams Players of the Week
Adam Thielen, wide receiver; Jasper Brinkley, linebacker, Minnesota. They blocked two Brad Nortman punts in the first 21 minutes, and both were returned for touchdowns—the first by Thielen himself and the next by Everson Griffen. How amazing is this: Minnesota hadn’t blocked a punt and scored a touchdown on it in 28 years … and the Vikings did it twice in the first quarter and a half Sunday.
Yeah, it's fucking amazing. Consider me impressed. I hate life.
(Continues searching for Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer's number, because Peter asked me to ask them a question and it's only polite if I do so)
“Days like today are what I live for. Literally. This is my life.”
—J.J. Watt, after another performance we just shake our heads at: two sacks, a touchdown catch, and a bunch of other flora and fauna you already read about in Defensive Players of the Week.
That's pretty sad if you think about it. If J.J. Watt literally lives to play football, then this doesn't bode well for his life after football. I guess I'm supposed to be impressed, but unless Watt is using hyperbole, it sounds like he would be the kind of athlete who gets depressed once he retires.
“Based on what I’ve seen, he would not be my quarterback next year.”
—Ron Jaworski, video-aholic, on the Mike & Mike show on ESPN Radio, on Robert Griffin III.
I feel like I can't ever read Ron Jaworski's opinion without remembering that he said Colin Kaepernick had a chance to be the best quarterback ever. It ruins his opinion for me.
Chip Kelly Wisdom of the Week
The Philadelphia coach, on either the difficulty of preparing for a Thursday game on a short week, or the tradition of Thanksgiving Day football, which the Eagles experienced against Dallas:
“Just tell us when we’re going to play. We don’t really read much into it or wax nostalgic. It’s not like we’re going to have a cornucopia and a turkey on the sideline. We’re just going to go play football.”
Brilliance. I can't find Johnny Manziel or Brian Hoyer's number to ask them how scary the Bills defensive front is, but maybe Peter should suggest I give Chip Kelly a call to tell him how brilliant I find him to be. Now if I could just find Chip Kelly's phone number. I'm terrible with phone numbers. Peter should just ask my wife and she will tell him.
This is one of those statistics that doesn't really mean as much as it sounds like it means. Basically, the correlation between Bruce Miller playing 40% of the snaps and the 49ers winning games is really a correlation between the 49ers running the football (which tends to happen more often when they are winning already and Miller is naturally on the field more as a fullback when the 49ers are running the football more often) and winning football games.
Pelini was fired by Nebraska after going 9-3 this year. That makes sense, the same way it made sense after Frank Solich went 58-19 at Nebraska and got fired.
Peter's lack of college football knowledge shows through here. Bo Pelini is not comparable to Frank Solich. Solich was 58-19 in six seasons with one Big 12 title, three Big 12 North titles, one National Championship appearance, and was 2-3 in bowl games with appearances in the Rose and Fiesta Bowl. Bo Pelini was 66-27 in seven seasons had zero Big 12 titles, three Big 12 North titles and was 3-3 in bowl games with the most prestigious bowl game he took Nebraska to being the Gator Bowl. This doesn't factor in the instances where Pelini acted like an ass on/off the field or bad mouthed Cornhuskers fans on tape. It sounds crazy to fire Pelini, but there isn't a comparison to firing Solich. Firing Solich may have been a mistake, while firing Pelini is a sign the Nebraska Athletic Director thought the program was stagnant, especially since the football team had lost four games every single year Pelini had been the head coach.
Ten Things I Think I Think
1. I think this is what I liked about Week 13:
e. Cameron Jordan, the Saints’ precocious defensive end, with a deflection and interception of Ben Roethlisberger. Tremendous athletic play.
Jordan is 25 years old. Don't call him "precocious." I have a feeling that Peter doesn't even know what this word means. The word means "to exhibit mature qualities at a young age" and Cameron Jordan is an NFL defensive end, which means he isn't too young to be intercepting passes nor too young to deflect passes. If Cameron Jordan were 13 years old, it would be different, but Peter insists on giving Jordan child-like qualities for some reason.
g. Tre Mason, the 75th pick in the draft, playing like the fifth, sprinting 89 yards for a touchdown against Oakland.
The Rams are a team on the rise!
i. Adam Schefter reporting that Ray Rice has drawn interest from four teams about playing this season, including Indianapolis and New Orleans.
I'm not entirely sure why he would like Schefter making this report, but there are so many things about Peter I have given up understanding.
o. Former Steeler Keenan Lewis sniffing out a Pittsburgh flea-flicker and preventing Ben Roethlisberger from hitting an open Antonio Brown for a touchdown.
And I just read something in "Sports Illustrated" about how offensive genius Todd Haley had started cutting out trick plays and going with more basic plays the Steelers could successfully run.
q. The jet-sweep touchdown by Tavon Austin. When the Rams drafted him in 2013, this kind of make-’em-miss sweep is exactly what GM Les Snead had in mind.
The pay-off in making this draft pick is now complete. No further criticism should be warranted.
r. Beautiful interception by Cleveland’s Jim Leonhard (has he played on every team in the league, or is it just me?) off Kyle Orton.
I don't know. I'll call Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel and see if they can ask Leonhard.
2. I think this is what I didn’t like about Week 13:
a. The Cardinals, down 17-0 before Georgia Domians were all in their seats.
A defensive-dependent team with a defense that has suffered several injuries to important players with a ball-control quarterback and no running game...who saw this coming? (raises hand)
k. Why in the world did Andy Dalton, down 10-0, throw a vital ball into double coverage at Tampa?
Yeah, but he was super-clutch and led a comeback. That has to count for something, doesn't it?
3. I think there will be much discussion and little action about playoff reseeding, because owners are too in love with the guaranteed home playoff game for winning a division. But—and this is a significant but—what could change that is a major embarrassment. Such as, let’s say, 12-4 Seattle having to play at 6-10 Atlanta in a Wild Card game. Even the owner most in love with the current system will have to admit this shouldn’t happen.
Playing devi's advocate, what if the Falcons beat the Seahawks in this game? Would that change anyone's mind about playoff reseeding?
4. I think Jemele Hill of ESPN wrote a great story in crafting Janay Rice’s words. Janay Rice comes across as smart and strong. The two things from her piece that were most interesting to me:
On the public perception of her: “I still find it hard to accept being called a ‘victim.’ I know there are so many different opinions out there about me—that I’m weak, that I’m making excuses and covering up abuse—and that some people question my motives for staying with Ray. However, I’m a strong woman and I come from a strong family. Never in my life have I seen abuse, nor have I seen any woman in my family physically abused. I have always been taught to respect myself and to never allow myself to be disrespected, especially by a man. Growing up, my father used to always tell my sister and I, ‘We don’t need a man to make us, if anything it’s the man who needs us.’ ”
It's interesting only in that a woman who was abused or is currently abused by her spouse or boyfriend would be saying these same things. An abused spouse would deny continued abuse is occurring, explain how they are a strong woman (thereby proving it by making the decision to stay with the abusing spouse), and say she would never allow herself to be disrespected. Anyone who has met or worked around abused women know this to be true. Janay Rice's statements are interesting, but not in the way Peter thinks they are.
6. I think I hope I’m wrong about this, because Robert Griffin III seems like a good person. But I can’t help but conjure comparisons to Ryan Leaf.
Yep, you are very wrong about this. Even during his worst season, Griffin has not been as bad as Ryan Leaf was in his best season. But hey, Peter has to make silly, knee-jerk comparisons. It's probably in his contract that he do so.
Griffin has already had more success than Leaf had in his career, but there are a few things that are a little too close for comfort:
Leaf was picked second overall in 1998 after the Chargers traded up to get him. Griffin was picked second overall in 2012 after Washington traded up to get him.
This is more of a coincidence than it is a reflection on how Griffin is like Ryan Leaf on the football field. Peter should be smarter than this.
Leaf labored in the shadow of a perfect Colts quarterback picked one spot before him, Peyton Manning. Griffin labors in the shadow of a perfect Colts quarterback picked one spot before him, Andrew Luck.
Yet again, a coincidence that has nothing to do with Griffin's performance on the field compared to Ryan Leaf's performance on the field.
Leaf helped get one coach (June Jones) fired, and was on his second (Mike Riley) when San Diego yanked him from the lineup in year three in favor of Moses Moreno, then released him after his third season. Griffin helped get one coach (Mike Shanahan) fired and was on his second (Jay Gruden) when Washington yanked him from the lineup in year three in favor of Colt McCoy. After the season with Griffin, who knows?
Bad teams get head coaches fired. It's not always a reflection on the quarterback. Did Peyton Manning get Jim Mora fired after the 2001 season?
But I want to be fair about this: Griffin, if he never plays another snap, has had a far superior career to Leaf.
"Here's a direct comparison between two players. I want to be fair though, so ignore my direct comparison between these two players because the comparisons are just coincidences."
Griffin was Offensive Rookie of the Year and has won 13 games, with a 90.8 rating. Leaf won four NFL games, with a 50.0 rating.
So stating Griffin "conjures up comparisons to Ryan Leaf" and "there are a few things that are a little too close for comfort" are completely off-base statements as compared to their performance on the field? So basically, they aren't like each other at all and there should be zero comparisons of Robert Griffin to Ryan Leaf made?
7. I think, to answer the questions of many from the other day about three NFC-only games on Thanksgiving, the NFL planned the holiday to be a rivalry day: Bears-Lions, Eagles-Cowboys, Seahawks-49ers. To the many who criticized the nightcap because it’s not a “natural” rivalry like the others (and I got a lot of that on Twitter), I would say there’s a good chance the Niners and Seahawks are the best current rivalry in football. I mean, today.
Oh, so the Seahawks and 49ers aren't the best current rivalry twenty years from now? What about being the best current rivalry 20 years ago? So by "current rivalry" you mean "today." Thanks for clearing that up. How precocious of Peter.
10. I think these are my non-NFL thoughts of the week:
a. Smart column by the great Bob Ryan about what to do on the baseball Hall of Fame ballot with suspected PED users. Some lessons in here for football too.
It was a good column, but there is already a plaque in the Hall of Fame explaining the PED era in baseball. So "what to do" has sort of already been done.
f. Notre Dame … I do not understand.
It seems there are quite a few things you don't understand, Peter. That's okay and thanks for being specific in this instance.
i. Coffeenerdness: Personal record for espresso shots in one day: nine. I set it Sunday. Hey, it’s a long season.
Geez, calm the fuck down, man.
j. Beernerdness: My favorite three beers from the Thanksgiving holiday:
Zoe, an American Amber Ale, by Maine Beer Company. So I’m a sucker for their beer; it’s all so good. I liked the Pale Ale a little more because it’s not as dark, but this Amber has a distinctive wintry taste.
Oh, so the Pale Ale is NOT a dark beer. The name certainly fooled me. I would say the Pale Ale is currently one of the least dark beers. I mean, today.
Who I Like Tonight
Miami 27, New York Jets 12. Athletes are funny people sometimes. You saw the winless Raiders, in their primetime showcase 11 days ago, legitimately beat the Chiefs, who were playing for something.
It seems Peter has Bill Simmons Syndrome where he uses the word "legitimately" in situations where it isn't necessary. So the Raiders didn't illegitimately beat the Chiefs? It was a totally legit victory?
The Adieu Haiku
You see Belichick? Rodgers-whispering, postgame:
“See you in two months.”
You don't believe Peter that this is what Belichick said? Just ask Belichick, he will tell you.
Three months of the 2014 season down, two to go. Two months from tonight, in Arizona, Super Bowl XLIX will be played. There can’t have been a better Super Bowl preview than the game played in Green Bay between the Patriots and the Packers. So even. So well-played.
The NFL should just stop the season right now and make sure these two teams play in the Super Bowl. That's what the people want and that's what the people should get.
Meeting for the first time. Brady is 37. Rodgers turns 31 tomorrow. AFC meets NFC once every four years. That means, at least in this tableau, we’ll never see this again, unless Brady pulls a George Blanda and plays until he’s 45—or plays somewhere else.
So even if these two teams meet in the Super Bowl it won't be the same because it's not at Lambeau Field.
From late in the second quarter, when the Patriots pulled to within 16-14, I got the feeling this was going to come down to the end.
Peter King with his predictive skills! It's a close game late in the second quarter, perhaps this game will be close all the way until the end. I bet Peter wrote this down in a notebook so he could be sure to mention he thought this would be a close game. Gregg Easterbrook would be proud.
And the longer the game went, I was convinced that’s how it would go. And if we were lucky, maybe we’d get to see it again … two months from now, when the Patriots, if it happened, would play in Glendale for the first time since Tyree Velcro Sunday, when the 18-0 season went up in smoke in the last Super Bowl in Arizona.
Two things:
1. If the Super Bowl isn't played at Lambeau Field then it doesn't matter.
2. I thought the Cardinals were going to be playing in the Super Bowl in their home stadium? You know, Bruce Arians can win a Super Bowl with Drew Stanton. That whole thing. It's a thing that really could have happened. Is Peter giving up on that one so easily?
We’re getting way ahead of ourselves.
Yes, because "we" are writing this column then "we" are most definitely getting ahead of ourselves. Not Peter, "we" are.
We start in Lambeau. Green Bay sprinted to a 13-0 lead. New England got touchdowns from its typical bargain-basement types, Brandon Bolden and Brandon LaFell, to rally to within 16-14.
Apparently the 3 year contract for $9 million received by LaFell is considered "bargain basement" by Peter King. At this point, he's just ignoring the truth and trying to make the narrative fit how he wants it to fit. LaFell was a great signing, but he's not a "bargain basement" type of player. The narrative says the Patriots always get contributions from unknown players, so Peter has to push this narrative even in the face of it being false.
On fourth-and-18, Belichick—rightly—sent out the field-goal team. Stephen Gostkowski, a worthy heir to Adam Vinatieri, wasn’t worthy here. Wide right.
Gregg Easterbrook would argue the football gods punished Belichick for not going for it in this situation. After all, if he had gone for it then it would have told the Patriots that Belichick was very serious about winning this football game. Alas, the football gods chortled as the kick went wide right when obviously the Patriots should have gone for it on fourth-and-18.
Green Bay ball. One first down was all Rodgers needed. Seemed easy enough, until it got to be third-and-four, with 2:28 left, at the Packer 43. New England was out of timeouts. This was it. Make a play, Rodgers kneels for three snaps and it’s over. Don’t make it, and you give it back to one of the best quarterbacks of our lives, pacing the New England sidelines, dying for one last chance.
Literally dying. Tom Brady passed away because he wanted one last chance. Bill Belichick will refuse to attend the funeral for Brady because he wasn't tough enough to not die during a game and every NFL writer on Twitter will mention "that's so Belichick" as he orders to Patriots players to attend practice rather than Brady's funeral.
Once clear of Hightower, a step or two past him, Rodgers zinged the ball toward Cobb, maybe two yards past the first-down line. Now Devin McCourty came off Adams and joined Ryan in coverage of Cobb. But McCourty was just a split-second too late to break it up.
The picture you are painting, Peter. It makes an Ansel Adams picture look like a nine year old child's drawing created using water colors bought from Michael's.
What do you remember when the ball’s coming toward you?
What kind of question is this, Peter? What's he remember? Cobb probably remembers that he needs to catch the fucking ball because the game will be over if he does.
Were you feeling the coverage on you—physically? Or do you just know they’re there?
Another tough question. I think Cobb felt the coverage more meta-physically. Perhaps 33% literally, 33% ethereally, and 34% from memory. Sort of how Peter feels the presence of Brett Favre wherever he goes.
“Bleep!’’ Brady said on the New England sideline. Or something to that effect. He said it three times.
Important to know when telling this story.
One team made the play. The plays, actually. The other didn’t.
But that doesn’t mean in two months the same team will make them if they meet again. It was that close Sunday in Green Bay. It was that good.
So Peter means because the Packers made enough plays to win this game, this means if these two teams meet again in the Super Bowl that the Packers won't automatically make all the plays to win that game too? What? This is completely new information to me. I thought because the Packers won on Sunday then Tom Brady and the Patriots would never beat the Packers no matter how many times they played them.
Five thoughts on the Rice verdict.
I was out of pocket Friday when Judge Barbara Jones issued her ruling that Ray Rice should be reinstated immediately.
We all know that Peter is at his most dangerous when he is out of the pocket, writing columns on the run.
But after I read her 17-page ruling, I was struck by the common sense of it,
"I'm shocked, no I am struck, by the fact there are other human beings who have the same amount of knowledge and common sense that I have. This Barbara Jones must be a special judge to have such common sense. Why haven't we heard of her before?"
1. How could the NFL possibly think that, after giving Rice a two-game ban to start, the continuation of a ban that reached 11 games was in any way fair? We all heard Roger Goodell say he got it wrong when he gave Rice two games back in July. Okay. Two games bad. Six games good. What is the possible justification for extending the ban to 11—and, if Jones hadn’t ruled when she did, maybe longer? The facts are these: Goodell saw the video of Rice dragging the limp body of his fiancĂ©e out of the Atlantic City elevator, then heard from him that she got that way because he made physical contact with her in said elevator. Goodell said he never saw the second video, the one of Rice making contact with Janay Palmer (now his wife).
Don't worry, after getting this story wrong two or three times, Peter is TOTALLY going to get back to figuring out whether Roger Goodell lied about seeing the elevator videotape before making his ruling on Rice's suspension. As soon as Peter gets done being out of pocket, he'll get right on this.
2. Rice’s future.
I spoke to two NFL general managers over the weekend about Rice, neither of whom is interested in signing him but who believe Rice will be in some team’s training camp in 2015...Having said all that, this GM did admit that Adrian Peterson would be different, because Peterson is closer to a premier player now than Rice. For the football advantages, the headaches with Peterson in your locker room would be more palatable than with Rice. I think it’s a long shot that Rice signs with any team before the end of the season, and as I said on NBC last night, there’s a slim chance it would be New Orleans and much less in Indianapolis, the two teams mentioned by Adam Schefter as sniffing around Rice.
Other than the Saints being the perfect location for Rice, I bet Ryan Grigson won't sign Rice simply because the fun of acquiring a running back is giving up a first round draft pick in order to acquire that running back. There's no fun in signing Rice without a first round draft pick being involved.
4. The judge in the Rice case didn’t accuse the league of any wrongdoing, but there was one striking piece of evidence she uncovered that has overtones of the Bountygate investigation. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk beat me to this over the weekend. Jones said in her report that Goodell called a meeting after the more ominous TMZ video aired in September, “at which they looked back at the notes of the June 16 meeting [with Rice] and ‘made sure all of us had the same recollection,’ ” according to Jones. That reminded me (and Florio) of the league finding fault with New Orleans coach Sean Payton for “instructing assistants to make sure our ducks are in a row.” Those sound like the same thing to me. They sound like each side is trying to get its stories straight.
Roger Goodell is offended that anyone thinks he saw the videotape before making his ruling on a two game suspension for Ray Rice. Goodell can't control EVERYTHING that happens in the league office, well except for those things he insists on having absolute control over like player punishments. But in this case he didn't know about the videotape, so let's all move on and forget about it all. Look! Something shiny! (Peter King runs and looks for that something shiny)
Finally on this topic: I quoted a source in July as saying Janay Rice made a moving case for leniency for Ray Rice during the June 16 meeting. My source was incorrect.
Not to kick Peter while he's down, but I think it was pretty well known back in the summer that Peter's source was wrong. It's probably that same source that gave Peter an indication the Ravens were going to allow Joe Flacco to leave in free agency after winning the Super Bowl.
I think I will kick Peter a little bit while he's down. I have stated in the past that Peter essentially reports what he is told, and seems to be a mouthpiece for whoever is giving him that information. He accepts what he is told at face value and doesn't seem to question much. It seems to me that Peter was clearly used in a smear campaign by the NFL. Peter didn't just quote a source in that July column on the Rice suspension, he essentially explained the reason for the two game suspension was due to Janay Rice begging for leniency and various other statements Janay Rice made to Goodell. Now it turns out that's not true and Peter seems perfectly content being used as a mouthpiece for the purposes of others.
According to Judge Jones’ report, Janay Rice was asked only one question during the hearing—how she felt—and she cried and said, “I’m just ready for it to be over.” I regret the error, and should have vetted the story further before publishing the account of one source.
I don't know, that sort of makes it worse in my mind. Why would Roger Goodell and the NFL have Janay Rice come to the hearing if they were only going to ask her one question in the presence of her husband, who had allegedly struck her? Oh yes, that's right, because Roger Goodell is an idiot who wants complete control over player punishment, but without all that needless bullshit like actually understanding the nuance and personal feelings involved with the crime. He seems to think in a domestic violence situation that the victim will tell the truth about his/her relationship with the accused. Goodell was over his head, but he lied and misled the public about what he knew and when, but that doesn't matter because it's all forgotten now.
Watching the end of the Bengals-Bucs game Sunday, it looked like Cincinnati was on its way to a loss. The Bengals were up 14-13, but with 26 seconds left, Bucs quarterback Josh McCown completed a 21-yard pass to Louis Murphy that advanced the ball to the Cincinnati 20. Now all the Bucs had to do was let the clock run down a few more seconds, spike the ball and summon the kicker, Patrick Murphy, for a 37-yard field goal on a calm weather afternoon in Tampa. The Bucs gathered at the line, and suddenly the red challenge flag flew from the Cincinnati sideline. Coach Marvin Lewis had thrown it. One problem: You can’t throw the challenge flag inside of two minutes of either half.
My first thought: Marvin is on the Competition Committee. Not many people in the game know the rules better. He knows you can’t throw the challenge flag inside the two-minute warning.
Then what could this evil genius be up to then?
The Bucs had had 12 men on the offensive side of the ball on the pass play to Murphy. Oniel Cousins came in as an extra offensive lineman/tight end, and rookie wideout Robert Herron, whom Cousins was replacing, just didn’t leave the field.
Now for the strange thing: Bill Leavy’s officiating crew missed the 12 men.
Is it strange that an NFL officiating crew missed this penalty?
I still find it amazing that the four officials on the field assigned to count bodies before every play didn’t have the Bucs with 12 men on the field—and may not have had them with 12 men on the second play either, if no Bucs player exited or entered the field before the snap of the ball.
Clearly Peter King hasn't watched some of the officiating in the NFL. It's the end of the game here and the officials are probably more worried about other penalties and making sure the ball gets spotted correctly and quickly. Therefore, counting the players on the field didn't seem important to them.
The St. Louis cops are ticked off at the Rams. The Rams hosted 50 business owners and clean-up-crew workers from Ferguson at the 52-0 rout of the Raiders—people who’d had their businesses torched or ruined in the wake of the announcement that officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the death of Michael Brown.
But five players touched a nerve before the game, entering the field with their hands raised in the familiar Hands up, don’t shoot mode of Ferguson protesters.
The SLPOA stressed that forensics tests didn’t support the claim that Brown held his hands up. After the game, one of the Rams in the demonstration, wideout Kenny Britt, said the players weren’t taking sides. “Not at all,’’ Britt said. “We just wanted to let the community know we support them.”
Well yeah, that's exactly taking a side since the "Hands up, don't shoot" pose is a form of protest. I wouldn't expect Peter to push the point, especially with a Rams player, since Peter tends to only ask softball questions. It's just that pose is widely seen as a form of protest in support of Michael Brown. If Britt wanted to let the community know he supports them then that's fine. Just own how you are supporting the community and don't act like you aren't taking sides.
The officers said they would demand a “very public apology” from the Rams and the NFL today.
The officers should have much better things to worry about rather than demanding a "very public apology" from athletes for exercising their opinion.
Cleveland’s backup quarterback might not be Cleveland’s backup quarterback after coach Mike Pettine and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan look at the tape from Buffalo today. They’ll like what they saw on Manziel’s first drive, an eight-play, 80-yard, no-huddle Manziel-being-Manziel touchdown drive. But then Manziel fumbled on the next series under a heavy rush, and overall, his 13 snaps over 12 minutes were a mixed bag. What else would you expect against a front seven that brings constant pressure, after not playing for two months? That’s why I’d be very surprised if Manziel wasn’t given a shot to start Sunday at home against Indianapolis.
What Peter really means here is that he REALLY, REALLY HOPES the Browns choose to start Manziel because it will give him more to write about in MMQB. So Peter thinks Manziel should start, probably based mostly on selfish reasons in order to get a good story.
At 7-5, Cleveland can afford maybe one loss down the stretch. Hoyer, over his last four games, is a 53-percent passer with one touchdown and six interceptions. As good as he was in the first half of the season in solidifying Cleveland’s shaky offense without Josh Gordon, he hasn’t been good enough over the past month, or in the two games since Gordon came back. Manziel should get a shot, and now.
Compare Peter's statements here to his statements just a few weeks ago when he was shocked, SHOCKED, that the Browns had not had contract negotiations with Brian Hoyer since early Summer or late Spring. Peter's opinion changes dramatically in a month's time. One month he is amazed the Browns haven't had contract extension talks with Brian Hoyer, and the next month he's advocating that Brian Hoyer be benched for Johnny Manziel. This is why Peter King is a sportswriter and not running an NFL team. It's his job to react, regardless of a lack of consistency in his reactions.
McCoy will start against the Rams Sunday. “Yeah, yeah,’’ said coach Jay Gruden. “Colt competed. There are some things I wish we would have done differently, play calls and execution-wise, but I feel like he competed and did a nice job out there.’’ McCoy, after a slow start, threw for 392 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. In three games this year, McCoy has completed an eye-opening 75.3 percent of his throws, for a passer rating of 113.5. I still think Washington needs to play Griffin before the end of the year. They either need to see more of him before deciding whether to keep him—or, if they’ve already decided to jettison him, showcase him in a positive light so he can fetch a better return in trade.
Or possibly the Redskins have seen enough of Griffin and don't want to ruin any trade value he may have by putting him back on the field. Once Griffin goes to the Rams, I imagine Peter will like Griffin a lot more and possibly regret comparing him to Ryan Leaf (still to come in this MMQB).
There’s a reason to watch Dolphins-Jets tonight.
Oh, well I guess I watch the game if Peter King says there is a reason to watch.
One: It’s always good to see Cameron Wake play. One of the most underappreciated defensive players in the league.
Yes, if only "we" paid more attention to Cameron Wake then he wouldn't be so under appreciated. Unfortunately, "we" don't talk about Wake enough, so he doesn't get the attention he deserves. Peter thinks someone (but not him, of course, any talk about Wake would take up room normally reserved for drooling over J.J. Watt) should change this.
Then Peter has Luke Tasker, who plays in the CFL, write a little bit about the Grey Cup. To Peter's credit, he is trying to gain attention for the CFL. Unfortunately, I know nothing about the CFL and Tasker's team lost.
Fine Fifteen
1. Green Bay (9-3).
2. New England (9-3).
I'm surprised that Peter didn't have New England above Green Bay because he thought the Patriots were a better team, but it's just that the Packers happened to win this game. That's the sort of reasoning he used last week to pick the Saints to beat the Ravens on "Monday Night Football."
No one quite believes how fast Jordy Nelson is until he buzzes past a very fast corner like Darrelle Revis. That’s one takeaway from Sunday’s deserved 26-21 nail-biter. Another one: Never thought when I walked out of CenturyLink Field on opening night, after the Pack’s 36-16 loss to Seattle, that I’d have Green Bay No. 1 in the Fine Fifteen in Week 13, or in any week this year.
This shows just how reactive and knee-jerk Peter King is in MMQB. After one game, the opening game of the year, he thought there was no way the Packers could ever be the best team in the NFL. Granted, one game had been played in the entire NFL season, but Peter had already written off the Packers as ever being the best team in the NFL during the 2014 season. I'm not sure it gets more knee-jerk then that.
4. Philadelphia (9-3). Best thing about Mark Sanchez’s game on Thursday: one negative play. Zero lost fumbles, zero interceptions, one sack taken. Also liked his 28 rushing yards. Just okay throwing the ball, though.
Really? 20 of 29 for 217 yards and one touchdown is "just okay"? That's a typical game for Peter's hero and guy who he wonders ever feels any pressure, Russell Wilson. I don't think Peter would call Wilson "just okay" when he puts those type of numbers up.
5. Seattle (8-4). Seahawks are on the kind of run-of-schedule that reminds me when I used to cover the Giants for Newsday,and Bill Parcells would say the reason the NFC East teams were always so well-prepared for the playoffs would be the gauntlet they’d have to survive in the regular season... I think they have a good chance to make the kind of noise the Giants made as a 2007 roadie through the playoffs.
The Patriots-Packers game has the chance to be a Super Bowl preview, but Peter also thinks that the Seahawks could make it to the Super Bowl from the NFC. I realize Peter isn't actively making predictions, but it's sort of funny to me that he has the Seahawks making a Super Bowl run on the road like the 2007 Giants in the same column he has the Patriots and Packers meeting again in the Super Bowl.
8. San Diego (8-4). Remember the 37-0 loss in Miami, making the Chargers a feeble 5-4 entering their bye? Remember how we all wrote them off?
Nope, I remember YOU wrote them off, but I don't remember writing the Chargers off. In fact, I remember Peter writing this:
6. I think we can pretty safely say this morning that the Philip Rivers for MVP campaign has gone pffffffffft. It’s over.
And then I wrote this:
This is also an example of where Peter isn't looking at the entirety of the situation. So if Philip Rivers' MVP campaign is over, does that mean his playing outstanding during the last half of the season wouldn't push him right back in the MVP race? Of course not, but Peter is just making a knee-jerk reaction.
Yep. Peter's massive ego and apparently belief that he speaks for everyone who reads MMQB allows him to conclude that because HE wrote the Chargers off every other person wrote the Chargers off too. Peter has Bill Simmons Disease where when he's wrong then "we" were wrong, even though it was Peter making the inaccurate statement.
Well, they continued the tightrope walk back into goodness. They’re in the playoffs if the season was 12 games long.
And if the season were one game and there were no other teams in the NFL other than the Packers and Seahawks, then Seattle would have won back-to-back Super Bowls.
10. Arizona (9-3).Not saying the sky is falling or anything, but Drew Stanton is struggling mightily, and they’ve lost two straight with him playing.
I'm not saying "we" were wrong about the Cardinals, but they can't win a Super Bowl with Stanton as their quarterback. Not now, not ever. I still it is hilarious that Peter let that comment by Bruce Arians go unchallenged. It doesn't even take a hostile follow-up question to ask why Arians seemed so deluded.
T-15. Buffalo (7-5). That defensive front is downright scary. Ask Hoyer and Manziel.
Okay, I will Peter! (goes to look for Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel's phone number)
T-15. Baltimore (7-5).Yes, John Harbaugh, that was pass interference, absolutely, on Anthony Levine that led to the crushing winning TD.
By the way, there are 16 teams in the "Fine Fifteen." It's bad enough Peter can't even put one player as the Offensive/Defensive/Special Teams Player of the Week, but he can't even put only 15 teams in his "Fine Fifteen."
(Still searching for Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer's phone number, I know I had it somewhere)
Offensive Players of the Week
(With apologies to Ryan Fitzpatrick, who deserves better after throwing six touchdown passes off the bench against Tennessee—but I chose two players here who were huge in big wins for their teams in Week 13.)
(Bengoodfella throws up his hands wondering why this award wouldn't go to one of the best offensive players of the week. That is the name of the award after all.)
Aaron Rodgers, quarterback, Green Bay. He’s had better statistical days. But Rodgers, against a team that won seven straight and allowed less than 20 points per game in the process, had eight significant possessions—possessions when they were trying to score in the 26-21 win over New England at Lambeau Field, in what Mike Florio called Super Bowl 48.5.
Until the Seahawks make their run to the Super Bowl like the 2007 Giants did.
Defensive Players of the Week
J.J. Watt, defensive end, Houston. He could—should—win this every week. (Except, maybe, when Houston has a bye.) Against Tennessee, he had his typical game of greatness: two sacks, six quarterback hits, four quarterback pressures, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a one-yard touchdown reception, when he lined up at tight end and leaked out of the formation. We are watching an amazing career unfold, and we should appreciate it every week.
Yes, "we" should appreciate watching J.J. Watt's career unfold. Why don't "we"? More importantly, I look forward to sportswriters spending the next decade trying to top each other with "How great is J.J. Watt" stories that essentially will become fan-fiction at some point.
Special Teams Players of the Week
Adam Thielen, wide receiver; Jasper Brinkley, linebacker, Minnesota. They blocked two Brad Nortman punts in the first 21 minutes, and both were returned for touchdowns—the first by Thielen himself and the next by Everson Griffen. How amazing is this: Minnesota hadn’t blocked a punt and scored a touchdown on it in 28 years … and the Vikings did it twice in the first quarter and a half Sunday.
Yeah, it's fucking amazing. Consider me impressed. I hate life.
(Continues searching for Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer's number, because Peter asked me to ask them a question and it's only polite if I do so)
“Days like today are what I live for. Literally. This is my life.”
—J.J. Watt, after another performance we just shake our heads at: two sacks, a touchdown catch, and a bunch of other flora and fauna you already read about in Defensive Players of the Week.
That's pretty sad if you think about it. If J.J. Watt literally lives to play football, then this doesn't bode well for his life after football. I guess I'm supposed to be impressed, but unless Watt is using hyperbole, it sounds like he would be the kind of athlete who gets depressed once he retires.
“Based on what I’ve seen, he would not be my quarterback next year.”
—Ron Jaworski, video-aholic, on the Mike & Mike show on ESPN Radio, on Robert Griffin III.
I feel like I can't ever read Ron Jaworski's opinion without remembering that he said Colin Kaepernick had a chance to be the best quarterback ever. It ruins his opinion for me.
Chip Kelly Wisdom of the Week
The Philadelphia coach, on either the difficulty of preparing for a Thursday game on a short week, or the tradition of Thanksgiving Day football, which the Eagles experienced against Dallas:
“Just tell us when we’re going to play. We don’t really read much into it or wax nostalgic. It’s not like we’re going to have a cornucopia and a turkey on the sideline. We’re just going to go play football.”
Brilliance. I can't find Johnny Manziel or Brian Hoyer's number to ask them how scary the Bills defensive front is, but maybe Peter should suggest I give Chip Kelly a call to tell him how brilliant I find him to be. Now if I could just find Chip Kelly's phone number. I'm terrible with phone numbers. Peter should just ask my wife and she will tell him.
Fullback Bruce Miller played nine snaps vs Sea. #49ers are 7-0 when he plays at least 40 percent of the snaps. They’re 0-5 when he doesn’t.
— Chris Biderman (@ChrisBiderman) November 28, 2014
This is one of those statistics that doesn't really mean as much as it sounds like it means. Basically, the correlation between Bruce Miller playing 40% of the snaps and the 49ers winning games is really a correlation between the 49ers running the football (which tends to happen more often when they are winning already and Miller is naturally on the field more as a fullback when the 49ers are running the football more often) and winning football games.
Bo Pellini is going to make $150k a month for the next 4 1/4 years to not coach Nebraska Football. #FBSproblems.
— Kevin Ozee (@CoachOzee) November 30, 2014
Pelini was fired by Nebraska after going 9-3 this year. That makes sense, the same way it made sense after Frank Solich went 58-19 at Nebraska and got fired.
Peter's lack of college football knowledge shows through here. Bo Pelini is not comparable to Frank Solich. Solich was 58-19 in six seasons with one Big 12 title, three Big 12 North titles, one National Championship appearance, and was 2-3 in bowl games with appearances in the Rose and Fiesta Bowl. Bo Pelini was 66-27 in seven seasons had zero Big 12 titles, three Big 12 North titles and was 3-3 in bowl games with the most prestigious bowl game he took Nebraska to being the Gator Bowl. This doesn't factor in the instances where Pelini acted like an ass on/off the field or bad mouthed Cornhuskers fans on tape. It sounds crazy to fire Pelini, but there isn't a comparison to firing Solich. Firing Solich may have been a mistake, while firing Pelini is a sign the Nebraska Athletic Director thought the program was stagnant, especially since the football team had lost four games every single year Pelini had been the head coach.
Ten Things I Think I Think
1. I think this is what I liked about Week 13:
e. Cameron Jordan, the Saints’ precocious defensive end, with a deflection and interception of Ben Roethlisberger. Tremendous athletic play.
Jordan is 25 years old. Don't call him "precocious." I have a feeling that Peter doesn't even know what this word means. The word means "to exhibit mature qualities at a young age" and Cameron Jordan is an NFL defensive end, which means he isn't too young to be intercepting passes nor too young to deflect passes. If Cameron Jordan were 13 years old, it would be different, but Peter insists on giving Jordan child-like qualities for some reason.
g. Tre Mason, the 75th pick in the draft, playing like the fifth, sprinting 89 yards for a touchdown against Oakland.
The Rams are a team on the rise!
i. Adam Schefter reporting that Ray Rice has drawn interest from four teams about playing this season, including Indianapolis and New Orleans.
I'm not entirely sure why he would like Schefter making this report, but there are so many things about Peter I have given up understanding.
o. Former Steeler Keenan Lewis sniffing out a Pittsburgh flea-flicker and preventing Ben Roethlisberger from hitting an open Antonio Brown for a touchdown.
And I just read something in "Sports Illustrated" about how offensive genius Todd Haley had started cutting out trick plays and going with more basic plays the Steelers could successfully run.
q. The jet-sweep touchdown by Tavon Austin. When the Rams drafted him in 2013, this kind of make-’em-miss sweep is exactly what GM Les Snead had in mind.
The pay-off in making this draft pick is now complete. No further criticism should be warranted.
r. Beautiful interception by Cleveland’s Jim Leonhard (has he played on every team in the league, or is it just me?) off Kyle Orton.
I don't know. I'll call Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel and see if they can ask Leonhard.
2. I think this is what I didn’t like about Week 13:
a. The Cardinals, down 17-0 before Georgia Domians were all in their seats.
A defensive-dependent team with a defense that has suffered several injuries to important players with a ball-control quarterback and no running game...who saw this coming? (raises hand)
k. Why in the world did Andy Dalton, down 10-0, throw a vital ball into double coverage at Tampa?
Yeah, but he was super-clutch and led a comeback. That has to count for something, doesn't it?
3. I think there will be much discussion and little action about playoff reseeding, because owners are too in love with the guaranteed home playoff game for winning a division. But—and this is a significant but—what could change that is a major embarrassment. Such as, let’s say, 12-4 Seattle having to play at 6-10 Atlanta in a Wild Card game. Even the owner most in love with the current system will have to admit this shouldn’t happen.
Playing devi's advocate, what if the Falcons beat the Seahawks in this game? Would that change anyone's mind about playoff reseeding?
4. I think Jemele Hill of ESPN wrote a great story in crafting Janay Rice’s words. Janay Rice comes across as smart and strong. The two things from her piece that were most interesting to me:
On the public perception of her: “I still find it hard to accept being called a ‘victim.’ I know there are so many different opinions out there about me—that I’m weak, that I’m making excuses and covering up abuse—and that some people question my motives for staying with Ray. However, I’m a strong woman and I come from a strong family. Never in my life have I seen abuse, nor have I seen any woman in my family physically abused. I have always been taught to respect myself and to never allow myself to be disrespected, especially by a man. Growing up, my father used to always tell my sister and I, ‘We don’t need a man to make us, if anything it’s the man who needs us.’ ”
It's interesting only in that a woman who was abused or is currently abused by her spouse or boyfriend would be saying these same things. An abused spouse would deny continued abuse is occurring, explain how they are a strong woman (thereby proving it by making the decision to stay with the abusing spouse), and say she would never allow herself to be disrespected. Anyone who has met or worked around abused women know this to be true. Janay Rice's statements are interesting, but not in the way Peter thinks they are.
6. I think I hope I’m wrong about this, because Robert Griffin III seems like a good person. But I can’t help but conjure comparisons to Ryan Leaf.
Yep, you are very wrong about this. Even during his worst season, Griffin has not been as bad as Ryan Leaf was in his best season. But hey, Peter has to make silly, knee-jerk comparisons. It's probably in his contract that he do so.
Griffin has already had more success than Leaf had in his career, but there are a few things that are a little too close for comfort:
Leaf was picked second overall in 1998 after the Chargers traded up to get him. Griffin was picked second overall in 2012 after Washington traded up to get him.
This is more of a coincidence than it is a reflection on how Griffin is like Ryan Leaf on the football field. Peter should be smarter than this.
Leaf labored in the shadow of a perfect Colts quarterback picked one spot before him, Peyton Manning. Griffin labors in the shadow of a perfect Colts quarterback picked one spot before him, Andrew Luck.
Yet again, a coincidence that has nothing to do with Griffin's performance on the field compared to Ryan Leaf's performance on the field.
Leaf helped get one coach (June Jones) fired, and was on his second (Mike Riley) when San Diego yanked him from the lineup in year three in favor of Moses Moreno, then released him after his third season. Griffin helped get one coach (Mike Shanahan) fired and was on his second (Jay Gruden) when Washington yanked him from the lineup in year three in favor of Colt McCoy. After the season with Griffin, who knows?
Bad teams get head coaches fired. It's not always a reflection on the quarterback. Did Peyton Manning get Jim Mora fired after the 2001 season?
But I want to be fair about this: Griffin, if he never plays another snap, has had a far superior career to Leaf.
"Here's a direct comparison between two players. I want to be fair though, so ignore my direct comparison between these two players because the comparisons are just coincidences."
Griffin was Offensive Rookie of the Year and has won 13 games, with a 90.8 rating. Leaf won four NFL games, with a 50.0 rating.
So stating Griffin "conjures up comparisons to Ryan Leaf" and "there are a few things that are a little too close for comfort" are completely off-base statements as compared to their performance on the field? So basically, they aren't like each other at all and there should be zero comparisons of Robert Griffin to Ryan Leaf made?
7. I think, to answer the questions of many from the other day about three NFC-only games on Thanksgiving, the NFL planned the holiday to be a rivalry day: Bears-Lions, Eagles-Cowboys, Seahawks-49ers. To the many who criticized the nightcap because it’s not a “natural” rivalry like the others (and I got a lot of that on Twitter), I would say there’s a good chance the Niners and Seahawks are the best current rivalry in football. I mean, today.
Oh, so the Seahawks and 49ers aren't the best current rivalry twenty years from now? What about being the best current rivalry 20 years ago? So by "current rivalry" you mean "today." Thanks for clearing that up. How precocious of Peter.
10. I think these are my non-NFL thoughts of the week:
a. Smart column by the great Bob Ryan about what to do on the baseball Hall of Fame ballot with suspected PED users. Some lessons in here for football too.
It was a good column, but there is already a plaque in the Hall of Fame explaining the PED era in baseball. So "what to do" has sort of already been done.
f. Notre Dame … I do not understand.
It seems there are quite a few things you don't understand, Peter. That's okay and thanks for being specific in this instance.
i. Coffeenerdness: Personal record for espresso shots in one day: nine. I set it Sunday. Hey, it’s a long season.
Geez, calm the fuck down, man.
j. Beernerdness: My favorite three beers from the Thanksgiving holiday:
Zoe, an American Amber Ale, by Maine Beer Company. So I’m a sucker for their beer; it’s all so good. I liked the Pale Ale a little more because it’s not as dark, but this Amber has a distinctive wintry taste.
Oh, so the Pale Ale is NOT a dark beer. The name certainly fooled me. I would say the Pale Ale is currently one of the least dark beers. I mean, today.
Who I Like Tonight
Miami 27, New York Jets 12. Athletes are funny people sometimes. You saw the winless Raiders, in their primetime showcase 11 days ago, legitimately beat the Chiefs, who were playing for something.
It seems Peter has Bill Simmons Syndrome where he uses the word "legitimately" in situations where it isn't necessary. So the Raiders didn't illegitimately beat the Chiefs? It was a totally legit victory?
The Adieu Haiku
You see Belichick? Rodgers-whispering, postgame:
“See you in two months.”
You don't believe Peter that this is what Belichick said? Just ask Belichick, he will tell you.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
7 comments MMQB Review: Peter Is Humble About the Award He Received, The Same Award I Wouldn't Know He Had Received If He Didn't Bring It Up
Peter King relayed second hand the story of one woman's fight with her defecating service dog on a plane last week in MMQB. Peter also relayed the speculation that this woman didn't really need her service dog on the flight, which was really kind of him. He also got a few more shots at Josh Freeman in, as well as bemoaned Greg Schiano getting fired too soon. This week Peter talks about the focus on the ethnical culture (wait, nevermind...that's "ethical culture") in the Bears locker room by signing Jimmy Clausen (okay, kidding about that too...the Bears really signed Clausen though), Peter shows a picture of Dr. Z who actually looks pretty good, recommends Father's Day books, reveals the MMQB replacement writers for the month of July, and there is no travel note this week. Maybe after last week's bashing of a lady who may or may not have a condition requiring her to have a service dog on a plane has led Peter to get rid of the travel note. More than likely he just didn't have anything to complain about this week in regard to traveling, though one could hold out hope he has gotten rid of the travel note.
Notes from the last pre-vacation MMQB—including Marc Trestman the people person, Jay Cutler the leader, and the first annual “Paul ‘Dr. Z’ Awards” by the Pro Football Writers of America—on the eve of tonight’s 55th annual National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Awards ceremony in this real-life Mayberry place.
I don't know why the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Awards Hall of Fame is in Salisbury, North Carolina. I know of no good reason for this other than someone lost a bet and the result is the NSSA awards ceremony and Hall of Fame are in Salisbury. More importantly, it isn't "real-life" Mayberry. Mount Airy, North Carolina is actually real-life Mayberry...at least they claim to be. Salisbury is nothing like the fictional city of Mayberry, though I'm sure every city below northern Virginia is just another small, dumb hick town to Peter King.
Good news, Bears
GET IT?
But I give special points to Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman and quarterback Jay Cutler for their efforts. And I’m learning more and more about how wrong we were that Trestman was some Xs-and-Os monk who couldn’t deal with players on a human scale.
(Looks around the room in confusion) Who said that Marc Trestman was "some X's-and-O's monk who couldn't deal with players on a human scale"? He was a pretty good coach in the CFL. I guess Peter has taken to Bill Simmons' use of the word "we" to describe when Peter's own personal thoughts were wrong, but he can't accept that he personally was wrong, so he says "we" were wrong, because obviously Peter's own personal thoughts reflect the thoughts of the sports loving population as a whole. Peter is OUR football voice and our thoughts are his thoughts.
Another example: Trestman and Cutler recently flew to New York to meet with the league’s new values-meister, Dov Seidman, to exchange ideas about fostering a more ethical culture in the locker room. I’ve heard of players and coaches working on football in the off-season, and maybe even on better forms of leadership. But for a coach and his top lieutenant in the locker room—who has never been considered a classic locker-room leader—to get on a plane and spend a day working on new techniques and dialog … that goes beyond the call of duty.
It also makes sense. I don't necessarily believe in the "high-fiving and hanging out with each other" stuff to the extent Bill Simmons believes in it, but I do think a team that likes each other can perform at a higher level because of their increased level of engagement in wanting to succeed for each other.
“In our locker room, everyone should feel safe. For some of the guys in Chicago, it was kind of new to them. There’d be no hazing. Lovie Smith had a great group of players—a great group—and he did a great job with them. There were some subtle things I wanted to add.
Things like stop showing pictures from the Smoking Jay Cutler tumblr to Jay Cutler and making jokes about how many men have slept with his wife by pretending they were filming a reality show and offering her cocaine? It's unbecoming and very rude.
Seidman, the CEO of the LRN Company, a company that works with businesses to stress principled performance, addressed club and league officials at the annual meeting in March, and has remained an adviser to the league...“You don’t just flip a switch on something like this,” Seidman said. “It’s about a journey. It’s about progress. I think teams are figuring out there’s a new way to win, and that includes caring for the player as a person, a father and a husband.
It all sounds so very sweet and kind. I'm sure this philosophy would fit in perfectly with the locker room of a sport where the purpose is to collide violently with the opposing player.
Then Peter shows a picture of Dr. Z, who looks pretty good.
All my snark about how Peter used the money from his readers to fund an expensive, experimental treatment for Dr. Z and then there was almost no follow up in MMQB aside, it's good to see him at least look healthy.
If you notice, Peter King the diehard Boston Red Sox fan, has a Washington Nationals shirt on. This isn't the first time I've seen a picture of Peter wearing apparel of a team he doesn't recognize as his favorite sports team. It's just odd to me. Maybe I'm weird, but if I'm a big fan of a certain athletic team I'm not going to go around sporting shirts with the logo from a competing athletic team in that same sport.
Rodgers came to lunch and brought with him an Emmy—for Paul. The gold statuette sat on the table in front of Paul throughout the meal. He beamed. Rodgers choked up a couple of times talking about Zim and the experience of doing this wonderful story. “My favorite moment,” said Rodgers at one point, “was listening to an old interview of Paul with him in the room, and thinking how emotional it would probably make him, and I look at him, and he’s rolling his eyes as if to say, ‘Blah, blah, blah. Just shut up, will you?’ ”
That picture is Dr. Z with his Emmy, with Peter looking on wondering where he can get a Tampa Bay Rays knit shirt to wear with his Toronto Blue Jays Starter jacket, Detroit Tigers socks and Arizona Diamondbacks sandals.
It’s long past time that career assistants, who don’t make the Hall of Fame and most often work deep in the shadows of their head coaches, are memorialized for what they do. PFWA leaders Ira Miller and Dan Pompei pushed to honor Paul Zimmerman in conjunction with the award, seeing that Zim for so long chronicled these men in the shadows and was constantly drawing attention to the previously invisible work of so many of them. So the PFWA decided to christen the award “The Paul ‘Dr. Z’ Zimmerman Award” for lifetime achievement for NFL assistant coaches.
I can't wait for 10 years from now when Peter pushes the PFWA to honor quarterbacks named Brett Favre who have contributed to the game of football and he will call it "The Brett Favre Award" which will go to Brett Favre and then never be handed out again.
The inaugural class of four winners:
Howard Mudd, who worked for 39 years as an NFL offensive line coach with eight teams.
The late Fritz Shurmur, a veteran of 24 years as an NFL coach, 20 of them as a defensive coordinator.
Ernie Zampese, a 24-year NFL assistant and one of the architects of the modern passing game.
The late Jim Johnson, a master of the disguised blitz, a 23-year assistant and defensive coordinator.
When is Mike Shula going to finally be honored for his dedication to the short passing game and obvious play-calling? It's past time he gets his due. His offenses don't stay in the lower half of the NFL in terms of total offense without all the hard work he puts in.
Mudd said. He’s best known for his 12 years with the Colts—particularly for his patch job in 2008, when Indy had Manning coming back from tricky summer knee surgery and a dangerous infection, and center Jeff Saturday was hurt, and Mudd had to get rookie Jamey Richard ready to play one of the most complicated center positions in football, with all the changes Manning makes at the line. The Colts won 12 games.
I'm not trying to take anything away from Howard Mudd, but this story followed by "The Colts won 12 games" seems to indicate that Peyton Manning wasn't the quarterback for the Colts and Mudd's work with Richard is why the Colts won 12 games. I understand Mudd just can't run any old guy at the center position out there and have success, but the fact the Colts won 12 games has a lot to do with Peyton Manning and his ability to avoid sacks.
Ask Barry Sanders about Fritz Shurmur: In a 1994 playoff game against Shurmur’s Packers, Sanders was held to -1 yard on 13 carries.
Oh sure, I'll go ask Barry Sanders about Fritz Shurmur. (goes through his phone looking for Barry Sanders phone number) It turns out I don't have Barry Sanders' phone number because I don't fucking know Barry Sanders nor would he have any reason to give me his phone number. But yeah, I'll go ask him about Fritz Shurmur should I run into him while he's walking around my hometown.
I greatly dislike it when sportswriters say/write "Go ask Famous Person X" about something, as if his/her readers can really ask that person the question they want to ask.
Zampese has the distinction of running for the winning touchdown as a USC tailback against Notre Dame in 1956 (bet you didn’t know that)
If only I were as smart as Peter King and knew information such as this little morsel of a factoid that I really don't care about (bet you didn't know that).
My annual look at books I’d recommend for dad/brother/uncle/grandfather/male friend/male whoever, with Fathers Day just six days away, is a bit abbreviated this year.
It's a bit abbreviated in that it takes up an entire half page of MMQB. 10% of the page space is dedicated to the Father's Day books with Peter recommending five books. I would hate to see what it would look like if it wasn't abbreviated at all.
Sycamore Row, by John Grisham (Doubleday). Fiction.
I never get tired of John Grisham. I believe this is the 28th Grisham book I have read, because it is the 28th book he has published (not including his teen-book series).
Peter has read Grisham's teen-book series five times now. The way Grisham writes is just so precocious. He's like a child in how he writes books and has so much fun putting words to paper.
In “Sycamore Row,’’ the richest man in his Mississippi county, the same setting for Grisham’s first book, hangs himself because he doesn’t want to suffer through terminal cancer. He leaves a will that shocks his family and the entire county, and dredges up one of the worst hanging stories there ever was, and leads to a harrowing cleansing, and if I tell you much more, I’ll be spoiling a typically spellbinding Grisham tale.
If Peter told any more then there would be no reason for anyone to read the book because he's already spoiled the ending of the book.
Good writers tie them together so you look forward to the tying-up of loose ends on one story as you’re getting pulled into the second and the third and the fourth. I’m not a daily reader or what anyone would call an avid reader. But of the authors I read, Coben is the best at making six or eight tributaries flow into one body of water sensibly.
Ah yes, it is Peter's typical "I know nothing about this subject but here is my opinion that I expect you to take seriously as if I did know a lot about the subject." Usually he makes these statements in regard to the NBA, but he's expanded to making statements like this in regard to books.
I’ll be taking two weeks vacation starting tomorrow, then returning to work for one week, for some unique coverage of Canadian football during the week of June 24.
Watch out Canada! Peter King is coming for you! Your Starbucks aren't safe and he's going to comment about just how stupid you Canadians act in public, as well as search for the Canadian version of Josh Freeman, so he can take his anger out on some innocent quarterback who has committed the sin of making one of Peter's friends lose his job.
I'm assuming Peter has friends in Canada of course.
We’re going to cover the opening week of the Canadian Football League season, assuming the players and owners have their labor (or should I say, “labour”)
Oh, the insufferability.
Assuming the league is playing in week one, we’ll be covering it at The MMQB. When that coverage ends on July 1, I’ll be away until July 17.
I will be writing Monday Morning Quarterback, live from Regina, Saskatchewan, on Monday, June 30. The Saskatchewan Roughriders, defending Grey Cup champions, open their season on Sunday, June 29 (assuming they’re not on strike), and I’ll be there. Unless I screw it up, my MMQB on Monday the 30 ought to be a CFL spectacular. I’m looking forward to my time in Canada.
Canada looks forward to deporting you after you have been warned multiple times about leering at their citizens while riding on public transportation, criticizing local coffee shops for having too long of lines or weak coffee and transcribing entire conversations strangers are having on the street.
As is our usual custom, we’ll have replacement “Monday Morning Quarterback” columnists for four of the next five weeks. San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis will write one, and Chicago coach Marc Trestman will write another to kick off our Canada Week festivities;
What a shock! A person that Peter compliments in this very MMQB is going to end up writing a MMQB this summer. Who would have thought Peter would compliment a person and then have that person write a MMQB? It's like when Peter named Coby Fleener one of his favorite interviews and it just so happened Fleener wrote a MMQB last year or when Nnamdi Asomugha wrote a MMQB several years ago and then Peter acted like his free agency was the biggest deal since Reggie White became a free agent (which is something Peter actually said). Nothing like friends helping friends to increase interest on the free agent market.
Oakland first-round pick, Khalil Mack, is slated to write another one of the MMQBs, with Rich Eisen of NFL Network rounding out the fearsome foursome.
Hopefully Eisen can bring along his NFL Network buddy to take shots at people who are in wheelchairs or make a few comments about how Stevie Wonder is supposedly blind, but he plays keyboards pretty well for a guy who "can't see."
I am privileged, and humbled, to accept the National Sportswriter of the Year award tonight here in Salisbury, home of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame.
So maybe next the Marriott doesn't have fresh coffee at 6am they will change their stance once they are reminded a Hall of Fame member wants that fresh coffee. It's not that Peter is important now, it's that he now has proof of his importance the next time a Starwood Preferred Member tries to jump in front of him for the elevator.
Rick Reilly and Marv Albert will be inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight,
As I've said before, sometimes I feel the best way to get recognized for being a good sportswriter is to be sure to have friends, work at a large national publication and don't die. At some point, you will probably receive an award for being a good sportswriter. There's no reason Rick Reilly should be receiving any type of award, but yet, he is in the Sportswriter Hall of Fame. I would consider him to be more of a compiler than one of the best sportswriters of all-time. I hope someone shows up and asks him to pee in a cup to prove he didn't use PEDs.
Then Peter thanks everyone who helped him get there and those who helped THE MMQB win the best blog in the Time Inc empire. So even though I can't be there to hear him get his award I already have read Peter's acceptance speech.
I still can't believe the Sportswriter Hall of Fame is in Salisbury, North Carolina. Just a random place for it to be.
“The time I spent with him, I don’t think I would have been able to be at this point so quickly, if he hadn’t been such a great mentor with me and help me along.’’
—San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who signed a six-year contract worth up to $126 million last week, crediting former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith with a good mentoring job in Kaepernick’s first two years with the team.
Kaepernick appreciates you getting that concussion, Alex Smith! What a great team player you are to get a concussion and then allow Kaepernick to take your spot as the starting quarterback for the 49ers. He's so grateful.
Tremendous is from Kansas.
And Ken Tremendous is a fan of the Red Sox and (I believe) the other teams around the Boston area, so it's a little interesting he likes it when a team from Los Angeles and New York lose because it's probably how many people feel about his favorite teams.
Ten Things I Think I Think
1. I think I’d love to hear what an NFL locker room, or a big-league locker room in baseball or basketball or hockey, would say to a coach who said this publicly: “We cannot win our league this year, because we are not at that level yet.” U.S. soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann said to Sam Borden of the New York Times: “We cannot win this World Cup, because we are not at that level yet.” In the last few days, since I derided Klinsmann for saying we cannot win an athletic competition that we, as one of 32 World Cup teams, begin to compete for starting next Monday, I’ve heard all of the theories about why he said it.
Peter is like Michael Wilbon and wants Klinsman to get out of America. Show us your green card Klinsman!
My point is simple: It’s absurd for a group of players, who have been practicing and drilling and (I’m sure) watching all kinds of video on first-round foes Ghana, Portugal and Germany, to hear from the man leading them into the World Cup that they have no chance to win. I’d love to hear what Herb Brooks would have thought of that form of “motivation.”
Yeah me, too. What would a hockey coach have to say about a World Cup soccer coach motivating his team in the way he sees fit? He would probably say, "If that's how he wants to coach his team" and then go back to staring at his gold medal.
The U.S. opens World Cup play a week from today against Ghana. I’ll be watching, even though we don’t have a chance.
That's not what Klinsman said in the quote. He said they "cannnot win our league this year, because we are not at that level yet." The key word is "yet" in that sentence. Who is to say he won't feel the US team won't be at that level by the time play starts?
And who knows Klinsman's motivation for saying this? Klinsman wouldn't be the first coach to publicly say his team will probably lose while privately telling his team they are going to win. I feel like some of the criticism of Klinsman comes from the fact there are certain people (ahem, Peter?) who view him as a non-American coaching the American World Cup soccer team. That's just my opinion of course. There are quite a few head coaches in various sports who have publicly stated their team can't win (or will struggle to win) and then said something completely different in private to his team. Maybe Klinsman is just trying to manage the expectations of the general public who are casual soccer fans at best and expect the United States to be good at everything, no matter what.
2. I think Bruce Arians has no prejudice against playing rookies, and he certainly wants to improve his deep receiver speed from 2013, and he has been more impressed with third-round wideout John Brown of Pittsburg (Kans.) State with his 4.34-in-the-40 speed and his quick pickup of the Arizona offense … all of which leads me to believe if you’re drafting your fantasy football team in June, taking a late-round risk on Brown would be a smart idea on a deep roster. The Cardinals, so far, love him.
It's June. The Cardinals haven't played another team nor have they really gotten ready for the upcoming season. Probably a little too early to suggest drafting a rookie wide receiver based on how much the team likes him. Does Peter know how many receivers look great in June and disappear once the time comes for real training camp to start? The answer is 35. 35 receivers disappear every year after being loved in June.
7. I think the funniest headline of last week was one about Andrew Luck not being concerned about Colin Kaepernick’s new contract. People: Andrew Luck is not concerned about much of anything that is outside his Colts universe, and he certainly isn’t concerned with what anyone else’s contract is.
Well, thanks for clearing that up for us all Peter. I was concerned that Andrew Luck was concerned about making enough money in his next contract. Thank God that Luck isn't concerned and is only worried about things that are within his Colts universe. Though I am sure this will change once Luck's agent presents comparable contracts paid to NFL quarterbacks to the Colts when the time to discuss a contract extension does come.
He knows when it’s time to sign a contract, he’ll get what the market rate is for a player playing his position at whatever level he’s playing at the time. For him to worry about something like that would be incredibly anti-Luck.
Thank you for clearing up WWALD. It's very important that Peter clear up the headline that stated Luck wasn't concerned about Kaepernick's new contract by pointing out that Luck isn't worried about Kaepernick's contract. The misunderstanding that wasn't present is now completely cleared up. I wonder if Peter would take the time to point out Russell Wilson and other quarterbacks up for a new contract in the next year or two aren't worried about Kaepernick's contract or is it only Andrew Luck who gets this treatment?
8. I think Monica Seles would be one heck of a first lady of Buffalo football.
I think Peter doesn't know enough about Monica Seles to make this claim.
10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:
a. That Belmont was really, really fun to watch.
As long as you are in to a three hour lead up to a moment that lasts barely two minutes (no jokes, please) and are in the mood to watch an animal get beaten with a whip in order to get him to move faster. Then yeah, I guess it was fun.
h. Coffeenerdness: I give up. I can’t drink any drip coffee but Italian Roast. I am officially the snobbiest coffee snob of all time.
Because a person who goes to Starbucks every single day should accurately be described as a coffee snob and all. Starbucks is the place a person goes to get a cup of coffee they know will be consistent, while I think a coffee snob would choose to go somewhere a little less commercial. Perhaps Peter is confusing believing he is a coffee critic with being a coffee snob. I wouldn't consider him to be a coffee snob based on how often he goes to Starbucks. Maybe it's me.
i. Beernerdness: Always happens this way—it’s hot out, it’s near summertime, and I move from heavier to lighter in beer selection.
It probably happens that way because brewers tend to make more lighter seasonal beers during the summer season than they make heavier beers during the summer season.
l. Think of this: Cranston plays LBJ at 8 p.m. Friday, at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday. That’s four times in the span of 45 hours. Just watch Cranston’s exertion level and tell me that’s not an incredible task—particularly for his vocal chords.
You know what? I'll call Barry Sanders and we will go watch Bryan Cranston's exertion level together.
The Adieu Haiku
Why can't it be "Adieu to the Haiku"?
Kaepernick got paid.
Sort of—but it’s a good pact.
Play well, get rich. Good.
Anytime a player gets paid in the double-digit millions I don't think it's fair to say he "sort of" got paid. Not to over-analyze Peter's haiku but can a person "sort of" get paid and then be described as "getting rich"? I guess Kaepernick didn't really get paid but is now rich. I wonder how Peter would feel about Andrew Luck getting a deal where he doesn't have to play well, but gets rich? I imagine he wouldn't have an issue with it.
Notes from the last pre-vacation MMQB—including Marc Trestman the people person, Jay Cutler the leader, and the first annual “Paul ‘Dr. Z’ Awards” by the Pro Football Writers of America—on the eve of tonight’s 55th annual National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Awards ceremony in this real-life Mayberry place.
I don't know why the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Awards Hall of Fame is in Salisbury, North Carolina. I know of no good reason for this other than someone lost a bet and the result is the NSSA awards ceremony and Hall of Fame are in Salisbury. More importantly, it isn't "real-life" Mayberry. Mount Airy, North Carolina is actually real-life Mayberry...at least they claim to be. Salisbury is nothing like the fictional city of Mayberry, though I'm sure every city below northern Virginia is just another small, dumb hick town to Peter King.
Good news, Bears
GET IT?
But I give special points to Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman and quarterback Jay Cutler for their efforts. And I’m learning more and more about how wrong we were that Trestman was some Xs-and-Os monk who couldn’t deal with players on a human scale.
(Looks around the room in confusion) Who said that Marc Trestman was "some X's-and-O's monk who couldn't deal with players on a human scale"? He was a pretty good coach in the CFL. I guess Peter has taken to Bill Simmons' use of the word "we" to describe when Peter's own personal thoughts were wrong, but he can't accept that he personally was wrong, so he says "we" were wrong, because obviously Peter's own personal thoughts reflect the thoughts of the sports loving population as a whole. Peter is OUR football voice and our thoughts are his thoughts.
Another example: Trestman and Cutler recently flew to New York to meet with the league’s new values-meister, Dov Seidman, to exchange ideas about fostering a more ethical culture in the locker room. I’ve heard of players and coaches working on football in the off-season, and maybe even on better forms of leadership. But for a coach and his top lieutenant in the locker room—who has never been considered a classic locker-room leader—to get on a plane and spend a day working on new techniques and dialog … that goes beyond the call of duty.
It also makes sense. I don't necessarily believe in the "high-fiving and hanging out with each other" stuff to the extent Bill Simmons believes in it, but I do think a team that likes each other can perform at a higher level because of their increased level of engagement in wanting to succeed for each other.
“In our locker room, everyone should feel safe. For some of the guys in Chicago, it was kind of new to them. There’d be no hazing. Lovie Smith had a great group of players—a great group—and he did a great job with them. There were some subtle things I wanted to add.
Things like stop showing pictures from the Smoking Jay Cutler tumblr to Jay Cutler and making jokes about how many men have slept with his wife by pretending they were filming a reality show and offering her cocaine? It's unbecoming and very rude.
Seidman, the CEO of the LRN Company, a company that works with businesses to stress principled performance, addressed club and league officials at the annual meeting in March, and has remained an adviser to the league...“You don’t just flip a switch on something like this,” Seidman said. “It’s about a journey. It’s about progress. I think teams are figuring out there’s a new way to win, and that includes caring for the player as a person, a father and a husband.
It all sounds so very sweet and kind. I'm sure this philosophy would fit in perfectly with the locker room of a sport where the purpose is to collide violently with the opposing player.
Then Peter shows a picture of Dr. Z, who looks pretty good.
If you notice, Peter King the diehard Boston Red Sox fan, has a Washington Nationals shirt on. This isn't the first time I've seen a picture of Peter wearing apparel of a team he doesn't recognize as his favorite sports team. It's just odd to me. Maybe I'm weird, but if I'm a big fan of a certain athletic team I'm not going to go around sporting shirts with the logo from a competing athletic team in that same sport.
Rodgers came to lunch and brought with him an Emmy—for Paul. The gold statuette sat on the table in front of Paul throughout the meal. He beamed. Rodgers choked up a couple of times talking about Zim and the experience of doing this wonderful story. “My favorite moment,” said Rodgers at one point, “was listening to an old interview of Paul with him in the room, and thinking how emotional it would probably make him, and I look at him, and he’s rolling his eyes as if to say, ‘Blah, blah, blah. Just shut up, will you?’ ”
That picture is Dr. Z with his Emmy, with Peter looking on wondering where he can get a Tampa Bay Rays knit shirt to wear with his Toronto Blue Jays Starter jacket, Detroit Tigers socks and Arizona Diamondbacks sandals.
It’s long past time that career assistants, who don’t make the Hall of Fame and most often work deep in the shadows of their head coaches, are memorialized for what they do. PFWA leaders Ira Miller and Dan Pompei pushed to honor Paul Zimmerman in conjunction with the award, seeing that Zim for so long chronicled these men in the shadows and was constantly drawing attention to the previously invisible work of so many of them. So the PFWA decided to christen the award “The Paul ‘Dr. Z’ Zimmerman Award” for lifetime achievement for NFL assistant coaches.
I can't wait for 10 years from now when Peter pushes the PFWA to honor quarterbacks named Brett Favre who have contributed to the game of football and he will call it "The Brett Favre Award" which will go to Brett Favre and then never be handed out again.
The inaugural class of four winners:
Howard Mudd, who worked for 39 years as an NFL offensive line coach with eight teams.
The late Fritz Shurmur, a veteran of 24 years as an NFL coach, 20 of them as a defensive coordinator.
Ernie Zampese, a 24-year NFL assistant and one of the architects of the modern passing game.
The late Jim Johnson, a master of the disguised blitz, a 23-year assistant and defensive coordinator.
When is Mike Shula going to finally be honored for his dedication to the short passing game and obvious play-calling? It's past time he gets his due. His offenses don't stay in the lower half of the NFL in terms of total offense without all the hard work he puts in.
Mudd said. He’s best known for his 12 years with the Colts—particularly for his patch job in 2008, when Indy had Manning coming back from tricky summer knee surgery and a dangerous infection, and center Jeff Saturday was hurt, and Mudd had to get rookie Jamey Richard ready to play one of the most complicated center positions in football, with all the changes Manning makes at the line. The Colts won 12 games.
I'm not trying to take anything away from Howard Mudd, but this story followed by "The Colts won 12 games" seems to indicate that Peyton Manning wasn't the quarterback for the Colts and Mudd's work with Richard is why the Colts won 12 games. I understand Mudd just can't run any old guy at the center position out there and have success, but the fact the Colts won 12 games has a lot to do with Peyton Manning and his ability to avoid sacks.
Ask Barry Sanders about Fritz Shurmur: In a 1994 playoff game against Shurmur’s Packers, Sanders was held to -1 yard on 13 carries.
Oh sure, I'll go ask Barry Sanders about Fritz Shurmur. (goes through his phone looking for Barry Sanders phone number) It turns out I don't have Barry Sanders' phone number because I don't fucking know Barry Sanders nor would he have any reason to give me his phone number. But yeah, I'll go ask him about Fritz Shurmur should I run into him while he's walking around my hometown.
I greatly dislike it when sportswriters say/write "Go ask Famous Person X" about something, as if his/her readers can really ask that person the question they want to ask.
Zampese has the distinction of running for the winning touchdown as a USC tailback against Notre Dame in 1956 (bet you didn’t know that)
If only I were as smart as Peter King and knew information such as this little morsel of a factoid that I really don't care about (bet you didn't know that).
My annual look at books I’d recommend for dad/brother/uncle/grandfather/male friend/male whoever, with Fathers Day just six days away, is a bit abbreviated this year.
It's a bit abbreviated in that it takes up an entire half page of MMQB. 10% of the page space is dedicated to the Father's Day books with Peter recommending five books. I would hate to see what it would look like if it wasn't abbreviated at all.
Sycamore Row, by John Grisham (Doubleday). Fiction.
I never get tired of John Grisham. I believe this is the 28th Grisham book I have read, because it is the 28th book he has published (not including his teen-book series).
Peter has read Grisham's teen-book series five times now. The way Grisham writes is just so precocious. He's like a child in how he writes books and has so much fun putting words to paper.
In “Sycamore Row,’’ the richest man in his Mississippi county, the same setting for Grisham’s first book, hangs himself because he doesn’t want to suffer through terminal cancer. He leaves a will that shocks his family and the entire county, and dredges up one of the worst hanging stories there ever was, and leads to a harrowing cleansing, and if I tell you much more, I’ll be spoiling a typically spellbinding Grisham tale.
If Peter told any more then there would be no reason for anyone to read the book because he's already spoiled the ending of the book.
Good writers tie them together so you look forward to the tying-up of loose ends on one story as you’re getting pulled into the second and the third and the fourth. I’m not a daily reader or what anyone would call an avid reader. But of the authors I read, Coben is the best at making six or eight tributaries flow into one body of water sensibly.
Ah yes, it is Peter's typical "I know nothing about this subject but here is my opinion that I expect you to take seriously as if I did know a lot about the subject." Usually he makes these statements in regard to the NBA, but he's expanded to making statements like this in regard to books.
I’ll be taking two weeks vacation starting tomorrow, then returning to work for one week, for some unique coverage of Canadian football during the week of June 24.
Watch out Canada! Peter King is coming for you! Your Starbucks aren't safe and he's going to comment about just how stupid you Canadians act in public, as well as search for the Canadian version of Josh Freeman, so he can take his anger out on some innocent quarterback who has committed the sin of making one of Peter's friends lose his job.
I'm assuming Peter has friends in Canada of course.
We’re going to cover the opening week of the Canadian Football League season, assuming the players and owners have their labor (or should I say, “labour”)
Oh, the insufferability.
Assuming the league is playing in week one, we’ll be covering it at The MMQB. When that coverage ends on July 1, I’ll be away until July 17.
I will be writing Monday Morning Quarterback, live from Regina, Saskatchewan, on Monday, June 30. The Saskatchewan Roughriders, defending Grey Cup champions, open their season on Sunday, June 29 (assuming they’re not on strike), and I’ll be there. Unless I screw it up, my MMQB on Monday the 30 ought to be a CFL spectacular. I’m looking forward to my time in Canada.
Canada looks forward to deporting you after you have been warned multiple times about leering at their citizens while riding on public transportation, criticizing local coffee shops for having too long of lines or weak coffee and transcribing entire conversations strangers are having on the street.
As is our usual custom, we’ll have replacement “Monday Morning Quarterback” columnists for four of the next five weeks. San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis will write one, and Chicago coach Marc Trestman will write another to kick off our Canada Week festivities;
What a shock! A person that Peter compliments in this very MMQB is going to end up writing a MMQB this summer. Who would have thought Peter would compliment a person and then have that person write a MMQB? It's like when Peter named Coby Fleener one of his favorite interviews and it just so happened Fleener wrote a MMQB last year or when Nnamdi Asomugha wrote a MMQB several years ago and then Peter acted like his free agency was the biggest deal since Reggie White became a free agent (which is something Peter actually said). Nothing like friends helping friends to increase interest on the free agent market.
Oakland first-round pick, Khalil Mack, is slated to write another one of the MMQBs, with Rich Eisen of NFL Network rounding out the fearsome foursome.
Hopefully Eisen can bring along his NFL Network buddy to take shots at people who are in wheelchairs or make a few comments about how Stevie Wonder is supposedly blind, but he plays keyboards pretty well for a guy who "can't see."
I am privileged, and humbled, to accept the National Sportswriter of the Year award tonight here in Salisbury, home of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame.
So maybe next the Marriott doesn't have fresh coffee at 6am they will change their stance once they are reminded a Hall of Fame member wants that fresh coffee. It's not that Peter is important now, it's that he now has proof of his importance the next time a Starwood Preferred Member tries to jump in front of him for the elevator.
Rick Reilly and Marv Albert will be inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight,
As I've said before, sometimes I feel the best way to get recognized for being a good sportswriter is to be sure to have friends, work at a large national publication and don't die. At some point, you will probably receive an award for being a good sportswriter. There's no reason Rick Reilly should be receiving any type of award, but yet, he is in the Sportswriter Hall of Fame. I would consider him to be more of a compiler than one of the best sportswriters of all-time. I hope someone shows up and asks him to pee in a cup to prove he didn't use PEDs.
Then Peter thanks everyone who helped him get there and those who helped THE MMQB win the best blog in the Time Inc empire. So even though I can't be there to hear him get his award I already have read Peter's acceptance speech.
I still can't believe the Sportswriter Hall of Fame is in Salisbury, North Carolina. Just a random place for it to be.
“The time I spent with him, I don’t think I would have been able to be at this point so quickly, if he hadn’t been such a great mentor with me and help me along.’’
—San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who signed a six-year contract worth up to $126 million last week, crediting former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith with a good mentoring job in Kaepernick’s first two years with the team.
Kaepernick appreciates you getting that concussion, Alex Smith! What a great team player you are to get a concussion and then allow Kaepernick to take your spot as the starting quarterback for the 49ers. He's so grateful.
I like it when New York plays Los Angeles in sporting events because it's guaranteed that one of them will lose.
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) June 5, 2014
Tremendous is from Kansas.
And Ken Tremendous is a fan of the Red Sox and (I believe) the other teams around the Boston area, so it's a little interesting he likes it when a team from Los Angeles and New York lose because it's probably how many people feel about his favorite teams.
Ten Things I Think I Think
1. I think I’d love to hear what an NFL locker room, or a big-league locker room in baseball or basketball or hockey, would say to a coach who said this publicly: “We cannot win our league this year, because we are not at that level yet.” U.S. soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann said to Sam Borden of the New York Times: “We cannot win this World Cup, because we are not at that level yet.” In the last few days, since I derided Klinsmann for saying we cannot win an athletic competition that we, as one of 32 World Cup teams, begin to compete for starting next Monday, I’ve heard all of the theories about why he said it.
Peter is like Michael Wilbon and wants Klinsman to get out of America. Show us your green card Klinsman!
My point is simple: It’s absurd for a group of players, who have been practicing and drilling and (I’m sure) watching all kinds of video on first-round foes Ghana, Portugal and Germany, to hear from the man leading them into the World Cup that they have no chance to win. I’d love to hear what Herb Brooks would have thought of that form of “motivation.”
Yeah me, too. What would a hockey coach have to say about a World Cup soccer coach motivating his team in the way he sees fit? He would probably say, "If that's how he wants to coach his team" and then go back to staring at his gold medal.
The U.S. opens World Cup play a week from today against Ghana. I’ll be watching, even though we don’t have a chance.
That's not what Klinsman said in the quote. He said they "cannnot win our league this year, because we are not at that level yet." The key word is "yet" in that sentence. Who is to say he won't feel the US team won't be at that level by the time play starts?
And who knows Klinsman's motivation for saying this? Klinsman wouldn't be the first coach to publicly say his team will probably lose while privately telling his team they are going to win. I feel like some of the criticism of Klinsman comes from the fact there are certain people (ahem, Peter?) who view him as a non-American coaching the American World Cup soccer team. That's just my opinion of course. There are quite a few head coaches in various sports who have publicly stated their team can't win (or will struggle to win) and then said something completely different in private to his team. Maybe Klinsman is just trying to manage the expectations of the general public who are casual soccer fans at best and expect the United States to be good at everything, no matter what.
2. I think Bruce Arians has no prejudice against playing rookies, and he certainly wants to improve his deep receiver speed from 2013, and he has been more impressed with third-round wideout John Brown of Pittsburg (Kans.) State with his 4.34-in-the-40 speed and his quick pickup of the Arizona offense … all of which leads me to believe if you’re drafting your fantasy football team in June, taking a late-round risk on Brown would be a smart idea on a deep roster. The Cardinals, so far, love him.
It's June. The Cardinals haven't played another team nor have they really gotten ready for the upcoming season. Probably a little too early to suggest drafting a rookie wide receiver based on how much the team likes him. Does Peter know how many receivers look great in June and disappear once the time comes for real training camp to start? The answer is 35. 35 receivers disappear every year after being loved in June.
7. I think the funniest headline of last week was one about Andrew Luck not being concerned about Colin Kaepernick’s new contract. People: Andrew Luck is not concerned about much of anything that is outside his Colts universe, and he certainly isn’t concerned with what anyone else’s contract is.
Well, thanks for clearing that up for us all Peter. I was concerned that Andrew Luck was concerned about making enough money in his next contract. Thank God that Luck isn't concerned and is only worried about things that are within his Colts universe. Though I am sure this will change once Luck's agent presents comparable contracts paid to NFL quarterbacks to the Colts when the time to discuss a contract extension does come.
He knows when it’s time to sign a contract, he’ll get what the market rate is for a player playing his position at whatever level he’s playing at the time. For him to worry about something like that would be incredibly anti-Luck.
Thank you for clearing up WWALD. It's very important that Peter clear up the headline that stated Luck wasn't concerned about Kaepernick's new contract by pointing out that Luck isn't worried about Kaepernick's contract. The misunderstanding that wasn't present is now completely cleared up. I wonder if Peter would take the time to point out Russell Wilson and other quarterbacks up for a new contract in the next year or two aren't worried about Kaepernick's contract or is it only Andrew Luck who gets this treatment?
8. I think Monica Seles would be one heck of a first lady of Buffalo football.
I think Peter doesn't know enough about Monica Seles to make this claim.
10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:
a. That Belmont was really, really fun to watch.
As long as you are in to a three hour lead up to a moment that lasts barely two minutes (no jokes, please) and are in the mood to watch an animal get beaten with a whip in order to get him to move faster. Then yeah, I guess it was fun.
h. Coffeenerdness: I give up. I can’t drink any drip coffee but Italian Roast. I am officially the snobbiest coffee snob of all time.
Because a person who goes to Starbucks every single day should accurately be described as a coffee snob and all. Starbucks is the place a person goes to get a cup of coffee they know will be consistent, while I think a coffee snob would choose to go somewhere a little less commercial. Perhaps Peter is confusing believing he is a coffee critic with being a coffee snob. I wouldn't consider him to be a coffee snob based on how often he goes to Starbucks. Maybe it's me.
i. Beernerdness: Always happens this way—it’s hot out, it’s near summertime, and I move from heavier to lighter in beer selection.
It probably happens that way because brewers tend to make more lighter seasonal beers during the summer season than they make heavier beers during the summer season.
l. Think of this: Cranston plays LBJ at 8 p.m. Friday, at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday. That’s four times in the span of 45 hours. Just watch Cranston’s exertion level and tell me that’s not an incredible task—particularly for his vocal chords.
You know what? I'll call Barry Sanders and we will go watch Bryan Cranston's exertion level together.
The Adieu Haiku
Why can't it be "Adieu to the Haiku"?
Kaepernick got paid.
Sort of—but it’s a good pact.
Play well, get rich. Good.
Anytime a player gets paid in the double-digit millions I don't think it's fair to say he "sort of" got paid. Not to over-analyze Peter's haiku but can a person "sort of" get paid and then be described as "getting rich"? I guess Kaepernick didn't really get paid but is now rich. I wonder how Peter would feel about Andrew Luck getting a deal where he doesn't have to play well, but gets rich? I imagine he wouldn't have an issue with it.
Monday, October 31, 2011
9 comments Tim Keown Is Tired of All These Foreigners Taking Our Jobs
Tim Keown has had enough. American-born players have a ton of opportunities to be developed and play the game of baseball as they are growing up, yet Hispanic players are prevalent in the majors. What can be done to combat this? At least I think that's what he is saying...or maybe he isn't. It is an interesting dynamic put forth here. Tim Keown says American-born players are "bred" to play baseball and given many opportunities to excel, but then complains foreign-born players are surpassing many American-born baseball players in terms of skill.
You would think the problem would be reversed, at least I would think this. I would think the American-born players populate MLB rosters because they are given more opportunities, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Then, Tim Keown comes to the conclusion America isn't going to stand for this much longer and will want to deport (I assume that is what would happen) foreign-born players. This article is quite the rollercoaster and I am still trying to get my mind around it. I'm not sure if it is racist, calling for quotas in MLB, or highlighting a potential social issue.
A question occurred Monday around the time Juan Cruz was pitching to Nelson Cruz, which was a half-inning after Alexi Ogando got the Rangers out of a seventh-inning jam and one inning before Neftali Feliz came in to close out the Rays.
Is this before or after Josh Hamilton hit a home run off Matt Moore and drove in Ian Kinsler and Mike Napoli, at which point the Rays then brought Kyle Farnsworth in the game as a relief pitcher?
The question was this: Do young American baseball players understand what they're up against?
Up against? I've always felt MLB was one of the most diverse sports and it was made better for it. I don't know where the hell all the players from my favorite team are from and frankly I don't really care. It doesn't matter to me because in baseball it is a matter of the best players being on the team without having to be recognized as a white, black, Dominican, Japanese or American baseball player. So this "up against" crap doesn't really cut it for me because I don't see it as an American v. Foreigner (not the band) issue simply because MLB is fortunate to be so global.
American baseball players probably have the financial advantage over many foreign-born players, so I am not concerned foreign-born players end up surpassing some American-born players in terms of skill.
Every year, hundreds of American college and high school players sign contracts and head out to go to work in the minor leagues. They show up and find the world doesn't look quite the same. Amateur baseball in this country -- especially college baseball -- could be mistaken for a country-club sport.
Foreigners are taking our jobs! They took 'er jobs!
So let me get this straight. I'm supposed to feel bad for the American-born players who suddenly have to be mixed with foreign-born players in the minor leagues? It is a bad thing there are talented players not born in the United States? I don't understand the issue here. Yes, the American amateur baseball circuit probably doesn't contain as much diversity as the minor league systems do. Is this a call for more diversity at the amateur level in America or is this a call for less diversity in the minors?
America is an incredibly diverse country so I would imagine the presence of Hispanic-born players wouldn't shock the American-born players all that much. Even if it did, the idea Hispanic-born players have superior skills doesn't make me worry about these American-born players losing their jobs. If you can play, you can play.
There are shockingly few minorities and not even much in the way of socio-economic diversity. It's an upper-middle-class world, fueled by expensive travel teams, private coaches and the best suburban high schools.
So do these people don't know they will later be up against minorities from a lower-to-middle-class world without the budget for the best baseball-related amenities? I am supposed to worry about this?
In 2006, there were just 24 black players in the SEC, a conference that includes eight states with a black population of more than 25 percent.
Yeah sort of. Baseball mirrors society in some ways, but I can't help but think many times the media wants sports (including baseball) to mirror society more closely than it really does for the purposes of putting forth a narrative. Possibly I am naive, but I am not sure the many foreign-born MLB players are going to find their experience playing baseball in the United States as a negative because two states are cracking down on illegal immigration.
Baseball mirrors society, but sometimes there are different rules for sports. Monopolistic business is not allowed in the United States, but I think it would be fair to say the NFL has a monopoly in the United States and is protected in some ways from receiving fair competition. So sports can mirror society, but this isn't a hard-and-fast rule. I think this is one of those situations. I'm not sure American fans are going to be upset there are too many Hispanic players in the majors.
So why should this be any different?
It should be different because I would guess 95% of people don't care what nationality their shortstop is. Possibly I am in the minority on this opinion, but I believe baseball fans in general don't care about the nationality of the players on their team. It's been widely accepted by serious baseball fans the sport is a national sport so the large amount of Hispanics in baseball is taken as less of an issue to fixed and is seen more as a sign of the inclusive worldwide sport baseball wants to be.
You would think the problem would be reversed, at least I would think this. I would think the American-born players populate MLB rosters because they are given more opportunities, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Then, Tim Keown comes to the conclusion America isn't going to stand for this much longer and will want to deport (I assume that is what would happen) foreign-born players. This article is quite the rollercoaster and I am still trying to get my mind around it. I'm not sure if it is racist, calling for quotas in MLB, or highlighting a potential social issue.
A question occurred Monday around the time Juan Cruz was pitching to Nelson Cruz, which was a half-inning after Alexi Ogando got the Rangers out of a seventh-inning jam and one inning before Neftali Feliz came in to close out the Rays.
Is this before or after Josh Hamilton hit a home run off Matt Moore and drove in Ian Kinsler and Mike Napoli, at which point the Rays then brought Kyle Farnsworth in the game as a relief pitcher?
The question was this: Do young American baseball players understand what they're up against?
Up against? I've always felt MLB was one of the most diverse sports and it was made better for it. I don't know where the hell all the players from my favorite team are from and frankly I don't really care. It doesn't matter to me because in baseball it is a matter of the best players being on the team without having to be recognized as a white, black, Dominican, Japanese or American baseball player. So this "up against" crap doesn't really cut it for me because I don't see it as an American v. Foreigner (not the band) issue simply because MLB is fortunate to be so global.
American baseball players probably have the financial advantage over many foreign-born players, so I am not concerned foreign-born players end up surpassing some American-born players in terms of skill.
Every year, hundreds of American college and high school players sign contracts and head out to go to work in the minor leagues. They show up and find the world doesn't look quite the same. Amateur baseball in this country -- especially college baseball -- could be mistaken for a country-club sport.
Foreigners are taking our jobs! They took 'er jobs!
So let me get this straight. I'm supposed to feel bad for the American-born players who suddenly have to be mixed with foreign-born players in the minor leagues? It is a bad thing there are talented players not born in the United States? I don't understand the issue here. Yes, the American amateur baseball circuit probably doesn't contain as much diversity as the minor league systems do. Is this a call for more diversity at the amateur level in America or is this a call for less diversity in the minors?
America is an incredibly diverse country so I would imagine the presence of Hispanic-born players wouldn't shock the American-born players all that much. Even if it did, the idea Hispanic-born players have superior skills doesn't make me worry about these American-born players losing their jobs. If you can play, you can play.
There are shockingly few minorities and not even much in the way of socio-economic diversity. It's an upper-middle-class world, fueled by expensive travel teams, private coaches and the best suburban high schools.
So do these people don't know they will later be up against minorities from a lower-to-middle-class world without the budget for the best baseball-related amenities? I am supposed to worry about this?
In 2006, there were just 24 black players in the SEC, a conference that includes eight states with a black population of more than 25 percent.
I thought we were talking about foreign-born players coming into the minors, not minority players from the United States? Tim Keown does realize the 24 black players in the SEC are not all foreign-born I would hope. I would also really hope an American-born player wouldn’t be thrown off by having a black teammate once he reaches the minors.
I think you can see my confusion about what this article is supposed to be discussing. The title is about Hispanic baseball players and now we are discussing African-American baseball players...but only briefly and then immediately stop discussing this topic and move on to illegal immigration in Arizona and Alabama.
Baseball has become less enticing to African-Americans, a fact attributable either to diminished opportunity (expense/infrastructure/support/coaching) or the allure of other pursuits (basketball/football). College baseball is by far America's most underrated and under-covered sport, but the racial makeup of participants is no different from women's soccer. Players are often groomed more than developed.
What’s weird about this sudden diversion into the discussion of African-Americans in the majors is this is the last we hear of it in this column. It just sort of gets thrown out there and then disappears again, never to be discussed again.
Kids from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela -- to name two countries whose players are exempt from the amateur draft -- show up in droves with little cultural assimilation but a ton of baseball savvy.
So these American-born players are being bred to play the game of baseball and then are being surpassed by a group that have less money and less opportunity to develop their baseball skills, yet have a ton of baseball savvy? Clearly, this needs to change. Those foreign-born players need to go back home so MLB and the minor leagues can cater to those American-born players who have had greater opportunities to develop their skills don’t have to compete on a level playing field for a chance to get a starting spot on a team.
Major league teams have invested heavily in player development in the DR and other Latin countries, and you can watch that investment pay off in the postseason. It's no coincidence that organizations with some of the best Latin scouting and development systems (Rangers, Yankees, Diamondbacks) are still playing.
Yes, it would make logical sense for the teams that look for talent in a wider pool of talent would have better teams.
This season, 27 percent of major league players and more than 42 percent (conservatively) of minor league players are Hispanic. Which raises an uncomfortable but inevitable question:
Does this really matter?
Is baseball too Hispanic?
How is this an inevitable question? Is the NBA too African-American? Is the NHL too white and foreign-born? I just don’t get how this is an inevitable question at all or why baseball being too Hispanic really matters.
It's a sentiment that occupies a quiet but steady undercurrent throughout the game. How else to explain radioman Tony Bruno's decision to use Twitter -- a technology that sits poised and ready to ruin careers -- to call Giants reliever Ramon Ramirez an "illegal alien" after Ramirez sparked an August fight with the Phillies by hitting Shane Victorino?
You could also explain it by saying Tony Bruno was an idiot for saying this. I don’t know if this one action proves an undercurrent of thought that baseball is too Hispanic.
Keown uses this incident as proof of the undercurrent of thought and doesn’t think about how Bruno called Ramirez an “illegal alien” for hitting a player who isn’t even your typical American-born player. Victorino is from Hawaii, but he has Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese descent as well. His last name is Portuguese and I would bet if you didn't know Victorino's background you would have trouble knowing he was American-born. So Bruno wasn’t really defending your typical American-born player and was mostly just being an asshole.
Bruno's quickly deleted tweet is a byproduct of a small-minded mentality that good old American ballplayers are getting squeezed out by Latin players.
I am not sure if the fans really feel this way. Maybe I’m wrong. I am not sure baseball fans truly care if American ballplayers are getting squeezed out by Hispanic (or Latin as Tim calls them here) players. Maybe there is a small undercurrent angry about how foreign-born players are taking American-born players jobs. It's a small undercurrent and doesn't reflect reality or the majority.
Let’s also ignore that the words “Hispanic” and “Latin” really can’t accurately be used interchangeably.
I was sitting at a high school baseball summer event a couple of months ago when one dad -- a former big leaguer -- waved his hand toward the field and said, "You watch a big league game, see all the Latins and wonder, 'Do any of these kids have a chance?'"
So does Tim Keown just randomly show up at high school baseball games he isn’t responsible for covering for ESPN?
someone else half-jokingly suggested that MLB might want to adopt a limited-foreigner rule similar to those in European professional basketball leagues.
I can understand the frustration of having your child squeezed out in the minor leagues by a superior player who didn’t spend a ton of money on traveling baseball teams, but that’s life. I’m not sure I could support a limited-foreigner rule in MLB. It seems contradictory to the world-wide view I prefer to see the sport take.
The stories of the kids who arrive from the Dominican after playing years with a milk-carton glove and a tree-branch bat are dissolving into folklore. They might start out that way, but, as soon as they show promise, they're funneled into academies that are run like schools and funded by agents, scouts and coaches.
Why is this necessarily a bad thing if the kid wants to play baseball professionally? How is this incredibly different from American-born players on the amateur circut? Because these foreign-born players may be poor and they may not eventually achieve their dream of playing in the majors? This same potential for failure goes for the American-born players on the amateur circuit. America has a way of cultivating amateur players and so does the Dominican. Does Tim think these players are being taken advantage of? Couldn't the argument be the American-born players in the amateur circuit are the ones being taken advantage of by their parents and are not being properly prepared for competition as the skill level of the competition increases? I say this because, as Tim has stated in this very column, foreign-born players are increasing in number in the majors.
I guess I don’t see why the academies are a bad thing. Wasn’t Tim just saying American-born players are on teams and travel around the country playing baseball to cultivate their skills? I don’t see why Hispanic players can’t join academies and do the same. Like everything else in the world, I am sure there is dirty business that goes on, but this really has very little to do with the topic at hand…which if you don’t recall is, “Are there too many Hispanic players in baseball?”
There is an emphasis on training and instruction, but very few (if any) games.
Well clearly they aren’t getting their money’s worth out of these free academies if they are only receiving training and instruction.
The most funhouse-mirror example of the phenomenon came in 2008, when 16-year-old, 6-foot-7 right-handed pitcher Michael Ynoa signed with the A's for a $4.25 million signing bonus. Ynoa had all the qualities scouts covet -- size, projectability, a plus-90 fastball -- but the most eye-popping aspect of Ynoa's signing wasn't the money or even Ynoa's age. It was this: A product of the academy system, Ynoa had never thrown a pitch in a game.
It is a bit weird he had not pitched in a game yet, but he is 16 years old and if the A’s were convinced enough by watching him pitch, then learning to pitch is the next step for him.
(So far, the A's have gotten just three minor league starts out of Ynoa, who had Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2011 season. He's still only 20.)
This a very passive-aggressive way of saying the A’s didn’t spend their money wisely. There is a part Tim Keown leaves out. In those three minor league starts these are Ynoa’s statistics:
9 innings pitched, 6 hits, 5 runs, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts, 3 wild pitches, 1 hit batter, WHIP 1.111, and an ERA of 5.00.
I’m not a huge fan of projectability or rating a pitcher completely on potential, but Ynoa clearly has a very good arm waiting to be harnessed by the A’s and their system. He is wild and can’t control his pitches, but he also appears to be able to strike out batters and you can work on a pitcher’s control as he develops. So I won’t say Ynoa has been a success, but there appears to be a lot to work with. Even for a guy who never pitched to batters until reaching rookie league ball.
Latin ballplayers are so ingrained in the culture of baseball that it's wild to think it's a problem, but there are indications -- anecdotal and otherwise -- suggesting a chillier climate.
By itself, the Arizona immigration law seemed alarmist, a reactionary one-off. Now, though, comes the Alabama immigration law, raising the possibility of a trend.
I think I’m confused. So Tim starts this column off by asking if there are too many Hispanics in MLB, says there are others who feel this way, and then uses immigration laws created by two states as proof even more people feel this way. So the topic of this article should not be, “Are there too many Hispanic players in baseball,” but instead should be “Are the Hispanic players in baseball going to experience a backlash of negativity because they are so prevalent in the sport?”
Basically, I am not sure a trend towards negativity concerning illegal immigration from two states means there are too many Hispanic players in baseball. There may be some resentment towards foreign-born players, but most people who are sports fans understand baseball players have a unique skill set and the players with the best skill set are the ones that will receive the best opportunities at the major league level.
The talking points are similar: jobs, opportunities, benefits.
The difference, at least in my mind, is the skill set that baseball players possess which makes them different. It seems like a short-sighted comparison to make between regular American workers having their jobs taken away by foreign competition (or competition from foreigners who live in the United States) and American athletes who don't get an opportunity to start because of foreign-born players with a better skill set.
And if we've learned anything from every baseball book we've read or documentary we've seen, it's this: Baseball can't help but mirror society.Yeah sort of. Baseball mirrors society in some ways, but I can't help but think many times the media wants sports (including baseball) to mirror society more closely than it really does for the purposes of putting forth a narrative. Possibly I am naive, but I am not sure the many foreign-born MLB players are going to find their experience playing baseball in the United States as a negative because two states are cracking down on illegal immigration.
Baseball mirrors society, but sometimes there are different rules for sports. Monopolistic business is not allowed in the United States, but I think it would be fair to say the NFL has a monopoly in the United States and is protected in some ways from receiving fair competition. So sports can mirror society, but this isn't a hard-and-fast rule. I think this is one of those situations. I'm not sure American fans are going to be upset there are too many Hispanic players in the majors.
So why should this be any different?
It should be different because I would guess 95% of people don't care what nationality their shortstop is. Possibly I am in the minority on this opinion, but I believe baseball fans in general don't care about the nationality of the players on their team. It's been widely accepted by serious baseball fans the sport is a national sport so the large amount of Hispanics in baseball is taken as less of an issue to fixed and is seen more as a sign of the inclusive worldwide sport baseball wants to be.
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