I am not really in the mood to write today for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that there is nothing really egregious to write about on the Internet that I have found. Usually my Friday money man, Bill Simmons has something up by now, but he is still on his Friday sabbatical and focusing more on his podcasts and book. He has very little time to write columns right now. So with my personal whipping boy taking (another) Friday off, I am going to empty out the bookmarked columns I have.
1. I don't write about Jason Whitlock a whole lot. Mostly because I generally agree with the things he is saying and his new article is no different.
The women's NCAA Tournament should be played in April. The stupidity of playing the women's tournament at the same time as the men's is mind-boggling, asinine and an indication of the extreme lack of self-esteem that undermines the growth of the women's game.
I absolutely agree. I realize women's basketball is not as popular as men's basketball, and maybe it is because the tournaments are not marketing to lesbians. I am not a huge women's basketball fan and I am not sure if I would watch the tournament, but it certainly would be much easier to watch the games if they took place apart from the men's tournament.
I don't think it is a lack of self esteem that undermines the growth of the women's game, I think it is just pure stupidity. Those who watch women's basketball probably also watch men's basketball and the insistence of the women's teams in competing with the men's tournament is just asinine. They can't compete with it, very few things really can, which is why CBS moves even its most successful programming to re-runs to show the games. I wish those involved with the women's tournament need to realize this quickly.
I can't even make fun of Pat Summitt, who was so bothered by the ass-whipping we put on her Volunteers that she held a two-hour postseason practice to work on fundamentals.
I sometimes wish that Pat Summitt was the head coach of my favorite college basketball team, there would actually be accountability and the players would not seem so freaking coddled all the time. Actually, I wish she were the coach of my favorite team at least twice a week.
Playing in April would give the women a chance to grow attendance. Many college basketball fan bases — Connecticut and Oklahoma to name just two — are forced now to choose between supporting the men or the women in March.
Again, Jason Whitlock makes a great point here. I feel like the women are trying to compete with the men's game and there is really no way they can do that. It sucks but it is not happening, at least not any time soon.
Right now there is a full buffet of men's games for me to enjoy. You have the NCAA Tournament, the N.I.T. and meaningful, end-of-season NBA games.
I am currently adding nothing to this discussion other than to say he is still completely right in my mind.
Women's college basketball would get lots of coverage and conversation in April. Most important, I think the major Vegas and online sportsbooks would start carrying odds on the tournament games, especially if the tournament field was chopped in half.
Now, I am sort of disagreeing. I don't think the women's tournament would get a lot of coverage, but it would get more than it currently gets. I also don't believe if you are trying to increase the popularity of the women's tournament, it makes a whole hell of a lot of sense to cut the field in half either. I think the more teams participating makes for a more popular tournament in the long run.
I don't see how increasing the popularity of a sport can be done by decreasing the number of teams who get to play in the tournament.
I'd like to see the women cut their tournament field to 32, shorten their regular season to 24 games, eliminate postseason conference tournaments and stage a five-week, best-of-3 series to decide their champion.
Wow, this is nothing like the current set up. Though a different set up would again differentiate them from the men's tournament.
The four No. 1 seeds would host the first-round games on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. So, for instance, eight teams would play at UConn over a weekend. There would be four separate best-of-3 series taking place on UConn's campus.
So basically the best teams in the country would have at least a short term huge advantage by playing at home? I don't know how I feel about this.
Once the college women quit trying to mimic the men their game will spike in popularity. The women stay in college for four years. There's time to hype them into ratings-driving stars. Most have not covered their bodies in tattoos. The two best coaches, Auriemma and Summitt, hate each other. Vivian Stringer is the John Thompson of women's hoops. There's a lot to write and gossip about in the women's game.
I don't know if it would spike in popularity but the women's tournament does come off as a weaker version of the men's tournament because the formats are incredibly similar. Just like some people hate men's college basketball, some hate women's basketball. The women need to separate themselves from the men in this instance to increase the sport's popularity.
2. I am sorry for my depressive tone today. This is the second time in 2 months one of my favorite teams have been absolutely run off the field in the playoffs and it is getting a bit tiresome. I hate that feeling where your team did not even compete with the other team and it seems like no one within the program is worried about it at all. I am a big fan of accountability and currently the head coach of my favorite college basketball team is not interested in being accountable. He knows the problems and he will not take the time to fix it. I could literally talk about this all day.
3. JemeHill is back on her high horse again.
One of the reasons Bobby Bowden is considered a legend is because of his integrity.
Now THIS is a great JemeHill column. It starts off with a wrong premise in the first sentence. Bobby Bowden is not a legend because of his integrity, he is a legend because he wins a lot of football games. Whether it be Coles and Peter Warrick stealing shoes a few years ago, nearly the entire team being suspended for the bowl game last year or any of the other events that his players have caused, Bowden is not known in my world for his integrity.
Just google "Florida State football arrests" and read the hits that follow.
"It just seems like they're killing a flea with a hammer," he said of the NCAA sanctions.
First, that analogy doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense and second, I am not one to fall for all these bullshit home spun sayings. This all happened on his watch at FSU and he should be responsible for it. Stupid fucking coaching win record be damned. You take the bad with the good and this is bad, so Bowden has to be responsible for it. He gets credit for the wins that happened even when he did not coach well, so he gets the blame for the academic problems his team has as well.
The Seminoles lost to Kentucky in the 2007 Music City Bowl because nearly two dozen football players were suspended for their roles in a cheating ring involving an online test for a music history course. Reportedly, staffers helped the students with the test and one athlete even took the test for another.
Call me old fashioned, but I think cheating in classes is pretty severe. Especially when students are taking tests for other students. These are student-athletes and Bowden gets graded on the player's graduation rates, so he is responsible for the cheating happening on his watch.
It seems simple to me.
"There are different degrees of doing something wrong," Bowden said, according to media reports in Florida. "You can go five miles over the speed limit. That's one thing. Or you can go 50 miles over the speed limit, and that's dangerous."
In this case, Bowden was going 30 miles over the speed limit and that is still dangerous. Get over it old man.
Whether Bowden knew about the widespread academic fraud is immaterial. He is the CEO of the football program, and that's not a title that can be worn only when it's convenient. It is Bowden's job to run a clean program and if he has no problem accepting the glory that comes with his title, he must also accept the enormous responsibility.
This may be the first JemeHill article I have read where I disagreed with her initial incorrect premise and she somehow managed to worm her way around to actually being right. Personally, I think it is incredibly embarrassing that such an outstanding coach would not take responsibility for his player's actions on his watch. I also find it embarrassing that Bowden is not taking responsibility for this happening while he is head coach. That tells me a lot about the program that he runs when he won't even take responsibility for the actions of his players when he is head coach. What kind of standard of responsibility do you expect these kids to meet when the head coach won't even take responsibility for what happens when he is responsible for these kids?
If the NCAA orders wins to be vacated, Bowden should do the honorable thing and step down. Bowden's employment was an issue before this academic scandal, based simply on performance -- at least with me and a growing number of FSU fans.
This will never happen. Bowden tries to preach doing the honorable thing and he tries to hypnotize everyone with his down home sayings that sound like he is a simple man who just wants to coach football, when in reality he is a man who wants to win. He doesn't care how and he doesn't care who helps him do it.
He's a great coach but a side effect of his pathetic race with Joe Paterno for the all time wins lead is that he is too old to actually watch the program on a day to day basis. I just find it sad the real reason he is whining about wins being potentially vacated is because he wants to be the all time leader in wins and he doesn't really care about fixing the problems with discipline, he just wants to make sure he gets his own personal reward for coaching well.
4. When did Nate Davis become such a crappy pro prospect?
Such was nearly the fate of early exiting Ball State quarterback Nate Davis on Friday, when only the Indianapolis Colts showed up to watch him throw to various Cardinal receivers on BSU's home field, and that's probably only because it wasn't much of a drive for them
This is what I find sort of insane about the draft process. Before the Buffalo loss in the MAC championship game Nate Davis was being considered a first round pick, but now only one team shows up to watch him throw on his pro day? That's just sad.
Davis' stock is apparently plummeting, from day one possibility to late-round afterthought due to his size,
He is 6 foot 2.
Ball State's shotgun-based offense and ball security issues
I am not a massive Nate Davis fan or anything but the ball security issues are a result of being sacked and pressured by the defense. Kurt Warner has had ball security issues in the past and he has turned out ok.
One team showed up to watch him throw? This amazes me.
So they have doubts about the kid. Isn't that the guy you want to take an extra look at?
In my opinion, this is one of the problems with the draft process. Prospects who are once 1st or 2nd round prospects because of their play on the field start to get doubted because of issues at the Combine or for some other bizarre reason. Maybe Nate Davis will never be a great quarterback, that's fine, but if the NFL scouts do have questions about him they could at least show up to his workout to get those questions answered.
5. Gwen Knapp gives her two cents about Scott Boras.
Scott Boras is a magician.
No, he is not. He has the best players in baseball as his clients and they all sign with the 3-4 teams that can afford them.
The truth is, he has only committed one egregious offense against the game itself. Declaring Alex Rodriguez's opt-out from his Yankees contract during the 2007 World Series was obnoxious, although it remains a little unclear whether he was the one who prematurely made the story public. Still, he should have kept the whole thing under wraps 'til the day after the Red Sox finished eviscerating the Rockies.
Ironically, I completely disagree. I think Scott Boras and Alex Rodriguez owed absolutely nothing to the Rockies and Red Sox and they should have announced he was opting out whenever they wanted. I found it to be hilarious they released the information that A-Rod was opting out of his contract and every media outlet reported it breathlessly, then bitched and moaned that Boras and A-Rod made the announcement when they did. The media did not have to report the story, they could have sat on it. Much like the media does with other information, they could have chosen a different time to release the information, but they did not. The whole, "what a horrible person for making us report this story" whining the media did fell on deaf ears, at least with me.
Fans and media members who truly despise Boras constantly say he is bad for baseball. They want a salary cap to neutralize him -- a travesty that would only deny us the exquisite pleasure of knowing the Yankees' luxury tax subsidizes teams that go twice as far in the playoffs on a third of the payroll.
That is very ironic, but as I have said before, I have no problem with the Yankees spending that much money. The problem I have is that it is bad for teams to know they are not going to be able to keep their best players because they will be outbid for their services by the Yankees as soon as that player becomes a free agent. The Yankees can spend as much as they want, but also every off season they sign the best players available, which gets tiresome for me. Granted, they don't win with those players but I still would feel a lot better knowing all the great players in baseball won't end up Yankees at some point.
If purists really wanted to reclaim the game, they'd pay premium prices to see the Twins, a relatively anonymous bunch who stayed in playoff contention 'til the end of last season, their first after losing Johan Santana and Torii Hunter.
It's hard to do that with the media throwing Manny, the Red Sox, the Yankees, and A-Rod down the public's throat at every opportunity.
The media purists would talk as much about Russell Martin being Russell Martin as they do about Manny Being Manny. They don't, which accommodates Boras' brand of wizardry.
Russell Martin doesn't sell papers, Manny Ramirez does. This has nothing to do with Scott Boras, it has to do with who the mainstream media pumps up and focuses all of the attention on. The public acts like sheep and responds to the players the media has them respond to. Why do I write about the same shit every week it feels like? Because that is all that gets written about. I don't think I have a point, I just want to point this out.
6. Mike Freeman thinks Ty Lawson is brave. Shockingly, I disagree and some of Lawson's teammates quietly do as well.
This part about North Carolina's Ty Lawson isn't debatable. What he's doing now by playing with a painful toe injury is starkly impressive. Frankly, he should be getting far more appreciation for pushing through the discomfort than he is from many in the media and public.
It's hard to do this when last year his teammates thought he was milking an injury at the end of the year so he would not hurt his draft status and then Lawson goes out and does the same thing at the end of this year as well.
Lawson is in a difficult position. He is being selfless and demonstrating the kind of character NBA teams love to see. But by playing, is he risking aggravating the toe and turning it into a chronic problem?
The only reason he is back in college is because he got a DUI and teams started passing him over at the NBA camps due to this and his draft status dropped. If he had gotten a cab, he would be playing point guard for the Denver Nuggets right now.
They wonder if Lawson, while extremely talented and tough, is too injury prone to be worth a high pick. Before the right big toe heard 'round the sport, Lawson last year suffered from a lingering sprained ankle.
There are two separate issues with Lawson.
Players play with injuries all the time. The fact that Mike Freeman is worried about Ty Lawson's draft status tells me Ty Lawson is also concerned about this most likely as well. Lawson played well last Saturday night and he showed no ill effects from the toe injury. That told me the toe actually hurt but in reality it did not affect his ability to play the game of basketball. The fact Lawson sat out a few games with an injury that did not seem to ultimately affect his play should concern NBA scouts.
I don't care if Lawson has an injured toe. I don't care if he's missing a toe or has six of them. Let's not overanalyze. Lawson has proven how good he is by dominating a rugged conference. That's good enough for me. I'd draft him.
Mike Freeman is proving my point for me. I think Lawson is milking the injury a little bit and can play just as well on his toe and that should concern the NBA scouts since he sat out 4 games due to this injury. Freeman thinks Lawson has shown he can play through pain and the NBA scouts should be impressed by how well he plays.
If he can play through the pain so well, why did he miss those 4 games this year and the games last year when he was injured? The fact Lawson sits out due to the injury that did not overwhelmingly affect his play should be of concern to the NBA scouts.
7. Rick Reilly gets paid millions of dollars to write columns like this.
Thanks to tattletexting, you can have this moron removed by security in minutes. Even better, he won't be waiting for you in the parking lot afterward to turn you into a collection of lumps.
Rick Reilly is writing about tattletexting at games this week. This is when you can text security to kick those misbehaving out or at least have them calmed down. Not counting the fake tattletexts that Rick creates and the actual tattletexts he prints, I am going to count how many original sentences he wrote for this column.
The answer? 26 sentences and many of those are very short sentences that were at the beginning of the column.
My only problem with this textual revolution is that it doesn't go far enough. I'd like to see players and coaches use it.
Wide receiver keeps calling me names. And I'm the coach.
Two big guys in bthrm stall, making everybody wait, while they inject each other.
Omg … Big guy, no teeth, says he's going to pull my pancreas out through my nostrils. Number 77. Red Wings jersey.
Drunk guy asleep in the dugout. Can't wake him. And he's up next!
That's how Reilly ends the column. I thought I used to know humor and funny journalism, but this is some of the dumbest and most stupid shit I have ever read. I can't believe they pay this guy to write columns like this.
8. Let's check in to see what John Smoltz is bitching about this week.
Right-hander John Smoltz pitched from the mound in a Boston Red Sox uniform for the first time Wednesday, testing his surgically repaired shoulder by throwing 40 pitches in the bullpen.
Doesn't this sound like a guy who deserves $5 million guaranteed?
"Now I'm getting used to all the components, the mound, the height of the mound, all those things that you take for granted. I can't explain the awkwardness. I didn't think it would be that awkward," Smoltz said. "I've been doing this for a long time, but it was awkward. But, I've not gone that long without being on the mound."
I was very sad when Smoltz left the Braves but I have gotten over that and moved to the "I am going to make fun of him for bitching that the Braves did not give him enough respect" part of my discussing John Smoltz.
He complains that he deserved more respect from the Braves, with respect meaning "money," but yet he feels awkward throwing the ball...which is actually what the Red Sox are paying him to do. I know he came off major surgery but it sounds like he is really worried about this.
For the next two weeks, Farrell said, Smoltz will throw bullpen sessions every third day, leading into throwing batting practice and simulated games before a potential rehab assignment.
I know Smoltz will be back and probably will pitch well this year but I can't help but emphasize I don't know how a 42 year old pitcher expects a $5 million dollar guaranteed contract from a team who watched him get injured last year and then in his first bullpen session he admits it felt weird for him to throw the ball.
9. Wallace Matthews has some theory about the Mets and the Yankees.
Imagine a world without Yankees.
Without "Yankees" or without "the Yankees?" I can imagine a world without one of those and the other one does not bother me.
Imagine if there were no 26 world championship banners flying in the Bronx, no Monument Park to remind us of all the exalted ghosts who helped hoist them, no Boss to create the monster and no Prince Hal or Boy George to systematically destroy it.
What would that leave us with?
That would leave us with 29 other baseball teams and 26 world championship banners that went to other teams, including potentially two championships for my favorite team. Unfortunately there would be no curse put upon Jim Leyritz and I would not get to see my evil powers at work...and yes, I am a horrible person for putting a curse on him and taking pride in the fact his life has fallen apart.
Right. The Mets. How do you think you'd like that?
So the premise of this article is that if the Yankees did not exist, then that would leave the Mets as the only team in New York that plays MLB. Not exactly a deep thought? Is Wallace Matthews smoking pot?
In a town that prides itself on giving no free rides, the Mets have enjoyed a lifetime Metro card into blissful anonymity for most of their 47-year history.
Basically he thinks the Mets suck and have gotten by with making a ton of mistakes because a more successful team has gotten a lot of the headlines. So because the other team in New York is more successful, no one notices the failures of the Mets? That seems pretty backwards to me. I can see this would be true in regard to the Yankees' failures, and maybe that is what Wallace is talking about, but the theory because the Yankees have a great history, or because they screw up, the Mets get a free pass doesn't make too much sense to me.
And when, with that $140-million roster, the 2008 Mets execute the second of two of the most disheartening back-to-back collapses in baseball history, they somehow fly under the supposedly sensitive New York radar.
Why?
Because in 2008, the Yankees failed to make the playoffs, too.
I don't live in New York, but I can't believe everyone is so focused on the Yankees' failures they don't pay attention to the Mets failures. I recall the Mets getting a lot of shit for their failure to win games down the stretch the past two years and also for the naming of CitiField. I find Wallace's premise hard to buy. No one really notices the problems the Mets have?
They rid themselves of their in-house "culprits" - Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoeneweis, Duaner Sanchez, Luis Ayala and, of course, the Wicked Witch of the NL East, Willie Randolph - and added two "saviors," Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz.
So they should be crucified for improving the bullpen?
Or, do you really expect that Daniel Murphy, with all of 131 major-league at-bats to his credit (and, ominously, only two home runs), can handle the responsibilities of an everyday leftfielder?
Same goes for rightfielder Ryan Church, who suffered two serious concussions last year and was never the same. Are we to trust that he is fully recovered now?
What about Luis Castillo, the subject of this year's spate of disingenuous "rededicated and in the best shape of his life" training-camp space-fillers?
The Mets have questions about parts of their lineup. They are not the only team in MLB that has this problem, actually I would be shocked if there is a team in baseball that doesn't have a couple of questions about their lineup.
Two years running, the Mets, with the fattest payroll, the most talent and, it often seems, the biggest egos in the division, needed to win one more game to reach October. Two years running, they couldn't do it. Why not?
In a world without Yankees, those are the kinds of questions the Mets would have to answer.
In a world with the Yankees these are questions that were probably asked and needed to be answered. I don't believe the Yankees existing stopped the New York media from asking these questions about the Mets. Willie Randolph did get fired for reasons that were related to the first collapse. The Mets may get a little bit of a pass because the media has to focus on the Yankees also but I don't think the result is the Mets don't get any criticism.
10. I did not pick them in my bracket, but right now it looks like UConn is going to make it to the Final Four pretty easily and the way they are currently playing I like their chances against Louisville.
Showing posts with label john smoltz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label john smoltz. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
7 comments I Need Less Of Terence Moore
I have read Peter King's MMQB for the day and I am very excited about tackling it. Unfortunately, today is not that day because it has snowed, so I don't have work (the South is filled with a bunch of people who are VERY scared of snow) and I also am sick. I would not give the column its proper due and so I have decided to wait until tomorrow, when it is a day old and stale, to write about it. I will just pretend I am writing for a paper and describing things that occurred 24 hours ago.
Terence Moore, who I generally respect, doesn't like the way Atlanta Braves do business. Nothing to argue with there, they have embraced mediocrity lately, and while he is not as bad as Furman Bisher who wrote a whole article a couple of months ago saying the Braves had depleted their farm system, though they have 2 of the top 5 prospects according to Baseball America and are consistently in the top 5 in farm system rankings. Moore is not that bad, but this article comes close.
Every city has their own Terence Moore, a well respected columnist who also happens to have a lot of friends in the baseball business so he takes some time to air grievances. Even though this is about the Braves, consider it about every city that has a major league baseball team that dares to not sign its own free agents. If it were up to him the Braves would re-sign every free agent they have and sign more free agents like Ken Griffey Jr.
OK, I’ll give you one. Maybe two or perhaps three. But when the list of those opting not to join your baseball franchise during a given winter flirts with reaching double digits - ranging from the significant likes of A.J. Burnett to Ken Griffey Jr. - it’s not them.
Everyone has probably read my pathetic eulogy for John Smoltz by now so I won't even link it, I have felt this way as well, but I think it has something to do with the Braves not offering enough money for these players, which is not always a bad thing...so I am over it.
A.J. Burnett went to the Yankees after the Braves declined to give him $82.5 million for 5 years. I don't have to tell you about Burnett's injury history or what usually happens when a player has one of his best seasons in a contract year. Let's just say Burnett is injured a lot and it was his contract year, so we could expect his numbers to inflate a little. At the time, it was disappointing because the Braves had 2 spots in their rotation filled, but to say he was a risk for that amount of money was not a stretch. Ken Griffey Jr. is still a decent hitter but him playing LF for the first time AND not ever being able to take a day off to DH, could have and would have been an interesting disaster to watch. There is a reason teams weren't jumping to sign him.
Just ask John Smoltz, among those significant likes who will play somewhere other than Atlanta next season.
John Smoltz, again, has been threatening to leave for a couple of years now. He got more guaranteed money from the Red Sox, so he went there. I love John Smoltz, but to take another chance on him, when he is 41 years old and coming off his 3rd or 4th major arm surgery was not a wise investment. If he wanted a contract that was incentive laden, that is a different story, but he wanted guaranteed money. He also can't pitch again until June. The Red Sox could take a chance on this, the Braves could not. It's pretty simple.
“It’s a philosophy for the Braves that worked for 14 seasons in the middle of a run to division titles. I just think that, now that it isn’t their automatic right to go to the playoffs anymore, it’s not as attractive to people to always take less. Ask yourself: Why is it that (players) always leave for more money?”
Because the Braves don't offer as much money generally. Though they did offer Kawakami and Derek Lowe enough money to play for them. Maybe ask yourself: "Why did the Braves pay other players that were younger more money?" John needs to search his soul to find this answer.
The Braves do act like a small market team when they are not, I am not going to dispute that, but the Red Sox were one of the few teams willing to pay Smoltz that much money guaranteed and Tex was never re-signing with the Braves, he wanted to be a free agent.
Good question. Added Smoltz, “I didn’t leave the Braves, by the way. You leave when you’re given a choice.”
Apparently $5 million dollars in guaranteed money is not a choice. Smoltz is being a drama queen here. The Braves did not feel comfortable giving him that much guaranteed money, so Smoltz signed with a different team. It's pretty much that simple. Choosing to not resign with a team is a choice.
Whatever the case, Smoltz isn’t here anymore. Neither is Mike Hampton, who bolted for the Houston Astros once he got healthier.
Hampton was one of the biggest wastes of Atlanta Braves money ever. Considering this was a team that signed Raul Mondesi and Brian Jordan when they were over 35, that is saying something.
To even put the fault on the Braves for not keeping Mike Hampton around is just wrong. There was no need to re-sign him. Zero. None.
He can't stay healthy for a period long enough to get 20 starts.
You also had that endless Jake Peavy tease.
Again, not the fault of the Braves. The Padres had an absurd asking price and that is the reason Peavy has not been traded yet. I like how Terence acts as if the Braves are the only team that would not meet the asking price of the Padres. The Padres wanted too much in return for Peavy and it really makes no sense to overpay for Jake Peavy when he is coming off shoulder surgery. I am really glad Terence Moore is not the General Manager for the Braves.
Also, none of these moves would have meant that John Smoltz would have resigned with the Braves, which is really what this article is supposed to be about.
Then Burnett jumped to the New York Yankees at the last minute for their free-agent offer. And what was that Furcal thing about? He was returning to the Braves, and then he wasn’t.
Hey, what do both of these players have in common? They are great players at their position when they are healthy, with the key phrase being, "when they are healthy."
Burnett left for $2.5 more million dollars and Furcal completely screwed over the Braves. Neither of those were the fault of the team completely.
The same goes for Andruw Jones.
Really? You are going to fault the Braves for not giving a guy who hit .158/.256/.249. Yeah, his slugging percentage was lower than his OBP. Terence Moore is friends with these players, that is the real problem, so he has the platform to air their grievances in his columns. It is very Mariotti-esque.
That was before the Griffey soap opera this week.
The soap opera reportedly caused by Terence Moore himself. His source was the one that said Griffey was coming to Atlanta, so it got reported. He wants you to ignore this though.
So we’re back to Smoltz, a master at putting things into perspective.
Yes, he has already said another team offered him more money. That was enough perspective for everyone to understand why he left.
“All I can say is that I made a conscious decision to stay with the Braves through the years, despite becoming a free agent four times, and that’s when nobody else who had become a free agent (with the Braves) had gotten re-signed,” said Smoltz, referring to Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Javy Lopez, Gary Sheffield, J.D. Drew, Jones and Furcal, among others.
Maybe a master of deception, as well as putting things in perspective.
What did Javy Lopez and Jones do after leaving Atlanta? Nothing. They got big contracts for little performance. To act if the Braves let all these players go in their prime is wrong. Most of these decisions to let these players go were good decisions. Also, Glavine and Lopez came back to the team once their price became more reasonable...and both failed last year to do anything positive for the team.
A team can't resign every single player that becomes a free agent. Some of these guys they should have resigned but did not. That happens to every team.
That leaves Braves ownership and management. “If I was a different person, and we had a different manager, I would have left the first time I became a free agent,” said Smoltz, referring to the winter of 1996, when the Yankees offered Smoltz “23 million” more than the Braves. “I’ve had so little communication with [Braves officials] over the years, I have no idea what it is [they’re doing].”
The Yankees would also have not resigned him in 2001 after he had to become a closer and then allowed him to spend four years in the bullpen to strengthen his arm back up so he could start. They have Rivera already and Smoltz would have ended up unsigned somewhere else, but the Braves took a chance on him. Like they did again in 2005 when they made him a starter again. He needs to realize he got the chances he received because he had built up goodwill in the organization.
If he required daily phone calls on the status of the team then he is going to find a rude awakening because not a lot of teams do that. I don't think the Red Sox are going to run all personnel moves by him first.
Also, why is it that Chipper Jones always seems to know what is going on but Smoltz doesn't? Maybe it is because Smoltz became very whiny as he got older.
Here’s what they’re doing: Little, when it comes to closing a deal. They’re anti-Smoltzes out of the bullpen.
They have signed several free agents this winter and are one of the most improved teams in the National League, where granted not a lot of teams improved, but they have gotten together a deeper pitching staff.
Terence Moore can't let this affect his thinking though, he is too busy calling his old friends from the team and allowing them space to air their grievances. I like Smoltz, but he needs to shut up and realize he is 41 years old so he is not a wise investment. Last year the Braves signed and resigned all those players Smoltz wanted resigned and it was a complete disaster. At the end of the year long relievers were starting games while Smoltz watched from the DL again. Maybe the Braves are smart for not making the same mistake twice.
Terence Moore, who I generally respect, doesn't like the way Atlanta Braves do business. Nothing to argue with there, they have embraced mediocrity lately, and while he is not as bad as Furman Bisher who wrote a whole article a couple of months ago saying the Braves had depleted their farm system, though they have 2 of the top 5 prospects according to Baseball America and are consistently in the top 5 in farm system rankings. Moore is not that bad, but this article comes close.
Every city has their own Terence Moore, a well respected columnist who also happens to have a lot of friends in the baseball business so he takes some time to air grievances. Even though this is about the Braves, consider it about every city that has a major league baseball team that dares to not sign its own free agents. If it were up to him the Braves would re-sign every free agent they have and sign more free agents like Ken Griffey Jr.
OK, I’ll give you one. Maybe two or perhaps three. But when the list of those opting not to join your baseball franchise during a given winter flirts with reaching double digits - ranging from the significant likes of A.J. Burnett to Ken Griffey Jr. - it’s not them.
Everyone has probably read my pathetic eulogy for John Smoltz by now so I won't even link it, I have felt this way as well, but I think it has something to do with the Braves not offering enough money for these players, which is not always a bad thing...so I am over it.
A.J. Burnett went to the Yankees after the Braves declined to give him $82.5 million for 5 years. I don't have to tell you about Burnett's injury history or what usually happens when a player has one of his best seasons in a contract year. Let's just say Burnett is injured a lot and it was his contract year, so we could expect his numbers to inflate a little. At the time, it was disappointing because the Braves had 2 spots in their rotation filled, but to say he was a risk for that amount of money was not a stretch. Ken Griffey Jr. is still a decent hitter but him playing LF for the first time AND not ever being able to take a day off to DH, could have and would have been an interesting disaster to watch. There is a reason teams weren't jumping to sign him.
Just ask John Smoltz, among those significant likes who will play somewhere other than Atlanta next season.
John Smoltz, again, has been threatening to leave for a couple of years now. He got more guaranteed money from the Red Sox, so he went there. I love John Smoltz, but to take another chance on him, when he is 41 years old and coming off his 3rd or 4th major arm surgery was not a wise investment. If he wanted a contract that was incentive laden, that is a different story, but he wanted guaranteed money. He also can't pitch again until June. The Red Sox could take a chance on this, the Braves could not. It's pretty simple.
“It’s a philosophy for the Braves that worked for 14 seasons in the middle of a run to division titles. I just think that, now that it isn’t their automatic right to go to the playoffs anymore, it’s not as attractive to people to always take less. Ask yourself: Why is it that (players) always leave for more money?”
Because the Braves don't offer as much money generally. Though they did offer Kawakami and Derek Lowe enough money to play for them. Maybe ask yourself: "Why did the Braves pay other players that were younger more money?" John needs to search his soul to find this answer.
The Braves do act like a small market team when they are not, I am not going to dispute that, but the Red Sox were one of the few teams willing to pay Smoltz that much money guaranteed and Tex was never re-signing with the Braves, he wanted to be a free agent.
Good question. Added Smoltz, “I didn’t leave the Braves, by the way. You leave when you’re given a choice.”
Apparently $5 million dollars in guaranteed money is not a choice. Smoltz is being a drama queen here. The Braves did not feel comfortable giving him that much guaranteed money, so Smoltz signed with a different team. It's pretty much that simple. Choosing to not resign with a team is a choice.
Whatever the case, Smoltz isn’t here anymore. Neither is Mike Hampton, who bolted for the Houston Astros once he got healthier.
Hampton was one of the biggest wastes of Atlanta Braves money ever. Considering this was a team that signed Raul Mondesi and Brian Jordan when they were over 35, that is saying something.
To even put the fault on the Braves for not keeping Mike Hampton around is just wrong. There was no need to re-sign him. Zero. None.
He can't stay healthy for a period long enough to get 20 starts.
You also had that endless Jake Peavy tease.
Again, not the fault of the Braves. The Padres had an absurd asking price and that is the reason Peavy has not been traded yet. I like how Terence acts as if the Braves are the only team that would not meet the asking price of the Padres. The Padres wanted too much in return for Peavy and it really makes no sense to overpay for Jake Peavy when he is coming off shoulder surgery. I am really glad Terence Moore is not the General Manager for the Braves.
Also, none of these moves would have meant that John Smoltz would have resigned with the Braves, which is really what this article is supposed to be about.
Then Burnett jumped to the New York Yankees at the last minute for their free-agent offer. And what was that Furcal thing about? He was returning to the Braves, and then he wasn’t.
Hey, what do both of these players have in common? They are great players at their position when they are healthy, with the key phrase being, "when they are healthy."
Burnett left for $2.5 more million dollars and Furcal completely screwed over the Braves. Neither of those were the fault of the team completely.
The same goes for Andruw Jones.
Really? You are going to fault the Braves for not giving a guy who hit .158/.256/.249. Yeah, his slugging percentage was lower than his OBP. Terence Moore is friends with these players, that is the real problem, so he has the platform to air their grievances in his columns. It is very Mariotti-esque.
That was before the Griffey soap opera this week.
The soap opera reportedly caused by Terence Moore himself. His source was the one that said Griffey was coming to Atlanta, so it got reported. He wants you to ignore this though.
So we’re back to Smoltz, a master at putting things into perspective.
Yes, he has already said another team offered him more money. That was enough perspective for everyone to understand why he left.
“All I can say is that I made a conscious decision to stay with the Braves through the years, despite becoming a free agent four times, and that’s when nobody else who had become a free agent (with the Braves) had gotten re-signed,” said Smoltz, referring to Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Javy Lopez, Gary Sheffield, J.D. Drew, Jones and Furcal, among others.
Maybe a master of deception, as well as putting things in perspective.
What did Javy Lopez and Jones do after leaving Atlanta? Nothing. They got big contracts for little performance. To act if the Braves let all these players go in their prime is wrong. Most of these decisions to let these players go were good decisions. Also, Glavine and Lopez came back to the team once their price became more reasonable...and both failed last year to do anything positive for the team.
A team can't resign every single player that becomes a free agent. Some of these guys they should have resigned but did not. That happens to every team.
That leaves Braves ownership and management. “If I was a different person, and we had a different manager, I would have left the first time I became a free agent,” said Smoltz, referring to the winter of 1996, when the Yankees offered Smoltz “23 million” more than the Braves. “I’ve had so little communication with [Braves officials] over the years, I have no idea what it is [they’re doing].”
The Yankees would also have not resigned him in 2001 after he had to become a closer and then allowed him to spend four years in the bullpen to strengthen his arm back up so he could start. They have Rivera already and Smoltz would have ended up unsigned somewhere else, but the Braves took a chance on him. Like they did again in 2005 when they made him a starter again. He needs to realize he got the chances he received because he had built up goodwill in the organization.
If he required daily phone calls on the status of the team then he is going to find a rude awakening because not a lot of teams do that. I don't think the Red Sox are going to run all personnel moves by him first.
Also, why is it that Chipper Jones always seems to know what is going on but Smoltz doesn't? Maybe it is because Smoltz became very whiny as he got older.
Here’s what they’re doing: Little, when it comes to closing a deal. They’re anti-Smoltzes out of the bullpen.
They have signed several free agents this winter and are one of the most improved teams in the National League, where granted not a lot of teams improved, but they have gotten together a deeper pitching staff.
Terence Moore can't let this affect his thinking though, he is too busy calling his old friends from the team and allowing them space to air their grievances. I like Smoltz, but he needs to shut up and realize he is 41 years old so he is not a wise investment. Last year the Braves signed and resigned all those players Smoltz wanted resigned and it was a complete disaster. At the end of the year long relievers were starting games while Smoltz watched from the DL again. Maybe the Braves are smart for not making the same mistake twice.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
4 comments 10 Things I Think I Think Peter King Has Not Thought Of: Peter King Pisses Me Off About Matt Cassel Edition
I have no idea what is going on over at ESPN this week. JemeHill wrote an article I actually agreed with and Rick Reilly wrote an article that actually makes sense, though I do have a question or two about it. Let's do a quick run through of this week's most interesting topics that won't go away.
1. It is fitting to start it of with Peter King's Tuesday morning followup to his MMQB.
If Matthew Stafford makes it, he'll owe something to four NFL quarterbacks: Peyton and Eli Manning (he went to the Manning Passing Camp this summer and took away lessons on how being a great decision-maker makes a great quarterback),
If a college quarterback has to go to a passing camp during the summer and needs lessons on how being a great decision maker makes you a great quarterback...I don't even have a punchline here, this just seems like it would be terribly obvious.
Jay Cutler (he was schooled by Cutler at a high-school camp and loved his moxie)
Moxie being defined as "the ability to throw interceptions when trying to do too much at the end of a football game."
and Drew Brees.
I just wanted to take a moment to toot my own horn. I claimed in 2001 the Chargers were geniuses for trading with the Falcons for the rights to the first pick in the draft, because I thought Brees was actually going to be a better quarterback than Mike Vick. I actually thought they should have taken Brees instead of Vick in the #1 spot. You don't have to believe me, and I have no real proof, but I did believed this. Just ignore the fact I really thought Charles Rogers would be the second greatest receiver of all time when he retired. Please also ignore the fact I have a huge grudge against Vick, even in 2001, and wanted him to fail.
I had a good meeting with new Tampa Bay GM Mark Dominik, who's an impressive and bright guy.
"Our goal is to take care of our young, core players. The veterans here are important to our future.
1 day later the Bucs cut Derrick Brooks, Joey Galloway, and Warrick Dunn. Maybe the reason the veterans were so important to the Buccaneers is because they make so much money that you can cut them and save money for good younger, core players. Or maybe I am the only one that thinks it is a contradiction for the GM to come out and say the veterans are important and then cut two of the most respected and decorated veterans in team history.
Saturday makes Manning's job a lot more comfortable. So, yes, I think it is a mistake by the Colts. A rare one.
The Colts never make mistakes, which is why they have won so many playoff games over the years. It's because they never make mistakes on defense personnel choices and let every single free agent linebacker they have go to another team and not resign them. Ok, I am being very picky but they do let a lot of free agent LB's go.
From Brian Woodward of Harrisburg, N.C.: "Thanks for pointing out the incongruity in the Carolina Panthers' decision to lay off 20 employees while at the same time they commit $76.5 million to two players. Charlotte and the surrounding area, like many cities, is feeling the negative impact of the floundering economy. Generally, sports provide an opportunity for us to suspend the challenges of our daily lives while we cheer for our team. In this instance, the Panthers' decision only reminded us of the gloom of the economy. I know that running an NFL franchise is a business, and tough decisions have to be made, but I feel that the Panthers made the wrong decision in this instance. Why not pay the $1 million to $2 million to the 20 people who want to be there rather than $16.5 million to someone who doesn't?''
Hi Brian. You are a moron. Why comment on an issue you clearly do not follow correctly? You are from North Carolina, you should know the Panthers have no intention of keeping Julius Peppers, so they do not intend to pay him $16.5 million for the upcoming year. It sucks that people got laid off, it really does, but if you can't understand why the Panthers committed that much money to Gross/Peppers (and yet another sign you don't understand sports, because they never committed that entire amount, because it is not all guaranteed) then you don't understand sports.
In Magical Happy Land everyone gets to keep their job and the athletes have to go search for work, but in Real Life Land Jordan Gross's/Julius Pepper's jersey sales combine to make more money for the Panthers than two people who got laid off. I don't want to get laid off and I would be unhappy if I was in the situation, but you have to understand how much money an NFL franchise brings to a city.
From Jack Ramey of Washington: "I agree whole-heartedly with your Panthers sentiment ... but tell me, when's the last time anyone paid $60 a ticket to watch those same loyal employees at work?''
Sixty? Try $150.
$150, Peter? I paid $67 dollars to see the Panthers play a little over one month ago. I realize closer tickets where Peter sits are more expensive but you can get good seats for $60.
From David of Philly: "What makes Matt Cassel different from the other quarterbacks who have one decent year. Sure, he played well this year. But A.J. Feeley played well as a starter in Philadelphia but couldn't get anything done in Miami. Derek Anderson had a great year in Cleveland before falling apart this year.
Cassel's done it on a very high, playoff-caliber level already, and Feeley and Anderson haven't, and there's doubt either of them can do it.
Wrong! Matt Cassel has never started at quarterback in the NFL playoffs, so he has not done it on a "very high, playoff caliber level." He led his team to a 11-5 record last year and Derek Anderson's team did not make the playoffs either and he led his team to a 10-6 record. They are very similar, plus Cassel arguably had a better team around him, which makes his feat slightly less impressive.
Just because you love Matt Cassel with all your heart and soul and he makes you tingle in your private places doesn't mean he is more special than any other quarterback. When is Peter King's infatuation with Matt Cassel going to end? How the hell does he get away with saying Cassel has performed at a "very high, playoff-caliber level" when the Patriots did not make the playoffs and Cassel did not make the Pro Bowl? He is indicating Derek Anderson did play at a high level, though Anderson make the Pro Bowl (which does not mean much, but he did make it) and his team barely missed out on a playoff spot, just like the Patriots did. He needs to quit with the biased journalism, it's like he is Cassel's agent.
2. Here is Rick Reilly's actually good column. I will nitpick it though.
His one dream was to take Jake to a Broncos game. Sometimes on the reservation, the dreams come small.
This story is covered in so much sugary sentimentality, I think I am going to get a cavity reading it.
And then, this past October, one of Lil Bob's best friends — a restaurant owner named Christopher Hamlet — decided to make good on an unfulfilled dream: He bought two plane tickets, packed up Jake and flew to Denver. Jake was finally going to a Broncos game.
Lil Bob is Rick's wife's half biological brother. Got that? My question is this...why didn't Rick, who lives in the Denver area if I am not wrong, take Jake to a Broncos football game and set it up for him to meet John Elway? Why did a restaurant owner have to do this? Seriously, Rick Reilly is a big name in sports pseudo-journalism, he could have easily done this.
Also, in the picture of Jake with John Elway, why is Jake wearing a John Lynch jersey? Jake was three when Elway retired, but he still could not find an Elway jersey to wear? Lynch doesn't even play for the Broncos right now. See, I am nitpicking again.
And the next thing Jake knew, he was in John Elway's luxury box at the game, asking him any question he wanted, all with a grin that threatened to split his happy head in half.
Then Elway said, "Comin' to dinner?"
And suddenly Jake was having his lettuce wedge cut for him by the legend, who tousled the kid's cowlick. Like a dad might.
Brett Favre would probably have ended the night asking Jake if he could spot him $5 for some new Wranglers.
A lot of athletes don't want the burden that comes with being a role model. But what I want to tell them is: You don't get to choose.
(Me vomiting on the keyboard) Rick Reilly is right. I think we all learned something today. John Elway is a good guy, Rick Reilly is too cheap to take his nephew to a Broncos game, and Rick Reilly can write a sentimental story like nobody's business. Rick Reilly gets paid millions of dollars to write columns like this.
(Bengoodfella wipes tear from his eye...it is hard to admit he did not hate Reilly's latest work)
3. Gregg Doyel thinks that Jim Calhoun had every right to yell at Ken Krayeske.
I am agreeing with Gregg Doyel too much lately. I wish he would take Alonzo Mourning to task for being an asshole or something. I am much more comfortable with that Gregg Doyel.
For some people, Calhoun's caustic reaction has confused the issue. They see him acting like a bully, and they bludgeon him for it.
That's pretty much exactly what every article I have read says.
and while none (that I've seen) side with the flea-bitten hound, several take Calhoun to task, chastising him for (A) being insensitive in these tough economic times
Gregg Doyel reads Jay Mariotti. I don't know what I would do if he ever took Mariotti to task.
Calhoun was right. What he said was right.
It is pretty clear Krayeske was grandstanding for a cause. If he really had any type of journalistic intentions he would have brought this up in private.
How he said it? Right.
He did come off as a pompous ass.
And before I explain why he's right, please understand there is some history between Calhoun and me. Shocking, right? But there is. And not terribly good. A few years ago I wrote this, and UConn people were furious.
Does anyone like Gregg Doyel? Anyone?
After the game, a win, Muncy snuck me away from The Horde that covers UConn basketball and set up a quiet meeting with Calhoun in an empty locker room. Calhoun said what he wanted to say. I took it. It's over, and we haven't spoken since. There's the history.
Well, that's boring. I was kind of hoping there was a big showdown where Gregg Doyel showed off his newest MMA moves and kicked Jim Calhoun in the throat, then spat on him while cursing Ricky Moore's name. Doyel wrote an article about the way that Calhoun recruited players, or stole them as he perceived it, and really he probably is not wrong.
The incident in the article Doyel wrote is very similar to the time in 1999 when UConn fatass/point guard Khalid El-Amin was able to use a booster's, I am sorry a "friend's," car in exchange for tickets to games. Calhoun runs a borderline clean program like every other successful program in the nation.
Maybe Calhoun was a little loose with his numbers when he told the attention hound that "we make $12 million a year for this university." If by we he meant both himself and UConn women's coach Geno Auriemma, then he nailed it.
Who else would he mean by "we?" The squirrel that he keeps in his pocket?
For his troubles, the attention hound got blown up, which is exactly what he deserved. He's the one, not Calhoun, who walked down the wrong dark alley and picked a fight. Shame on the guy who started the fight -- not the guy who finished it.
I said something very similar yesterday. Krayeske went looking for a fight and he got one.
I am getting tired of agreeing with Doyel.
4. Finally there is some sanity in the NFL Draft process. Don Banks of CNNSI doesn't have a quarterback going first to the Lions.
I am probably the dumbest person in the world for thinking this, but I have never understood a team's fascination with taking a quarterback first in the draft if they have other pressing needs. Don't get me wrong, the Lions need one, but they also need a lot of other things at the same time.
But Curry is now seen as the cleanest prospect in this year's talent pool, and convinced as I am that the Lions aren't taking a quarterback here, getting impact help for the league's bottom-ranked defense two-years running is the option Detroit will choose.
These teams are spending so much money on a pick and if a team, like Detroit, has plenty of other needs then I think they should spend the pick and money on the best player. I think that player is Aaron Curry, though I don't see Ray Maualuga as being that far behind.
It's not like the Lions don't need defense, they have been last two straight years and to pair Aaron Curry with Ernie Sims is really going to help the team get a head start on building a great defense. Sure they need some defensive tackles and pass rushers, but they have 2 first round picks, so they can address that need later. A quarterback does no good if he has no one to throw to (I realize he has Calvin Johnson), no blockers, and the defense can't keep the other offense off the field.
Banks has Sanchez going #8 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Of all the needs the Jags have, WR, OL, the defense, they are going to choose a quarterback? I am not against drafting a quarterback but this seems highly unlikely Sanchez will go to Jacksonville. I know quarterbacks are "in" because of Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan but Flacco went to a team that had a great defense and at least one good receiver, while Ryan went to the Falcons who were not nearly as bad as their #3 pick indicated. They had a good defense and receivers. I could be wrong but I don't think Jacksonville is the best place for Sanchez.
Banks has the Raiders taking B.J. Raji, a defensive tackle. That is smart but I doubt Al Davis would take a player that is blue collar and plays a blue collar position with Jeremy Maclin on the board.
5. John Smoltz is giving his opinion still...about everything.
That jersey still doesn't look right on him.
Smoltz thinks A-Rod did a tough thing by admitting to steroids and standing up for himself in the press conference. Smoltz is unsure whether he is telling the truth or not.
A-Rod was so brave to admit that he had cheated. What a hero. Is it me or does every reporter have to ask every single MLB baseball player his view on steroids? It's not like the answers are going to change or anything.
He also thinks the other 103 names should be released and that someone who knows they tested positive and should just come clean.
I think the names should be released and if anyone expects the other 103 to come clean they are living in Magical Happy Land with Brian from North Carolina.
The Hall of Fame question is a difficult one because A-Rod and Barry Bonds had the natural skills and ability to make it to Cooperstown. Had they not taken anything, they would've made it on their own skill.
I hate both of these players and I have said, only 200 times, this is the dumbest part about this whole situation. They would have probably made it regardless but they wanted to cheat. I almost think they should be banned based on the fact they could have made it and still cheated.
He also is not angry with the Braves, but disappointed with the way his contract negotiations were handled.
Weren't we all though? Actually, Smoltz had threatened to leave several times so it was not a huge shock that he left, it was just kind of interesting he did not leave to go play for the Tigers and it was the Red Sox who signed him.
They didn't feel his arm to see if it was strong and they didn't make any type of commitment to him. Also, the contract differences between the Sox and Braves was major and the Sox showed him more respect.
I think Smoltz could have his left arm amputated and he would still be a great pitcher pitching left handed, but I also don't have to pay him and he is 40 years old and coming off arm surgery for the 3rd or 4th time. The Sox took a chance on him because their payroll allowed them to do that, while the Braves were saving money for Garrett Anderson and Tom Glavine...seriously.
6. Our resident genius/ex-player Ross Tucker has some things to say about free agency. Please prepare yourself for his brilliance.
As players begin to make their decisions and the pundits talk about factors like scheme, location, and the opportunity to win a championship, remember one important thing: more often than not, all of those other ancillary factors are just that and it comes down to which team is willing to offer the most cold, hard cash.
No fucking way. I am glad Ross is here to tell us that athletes follow the money when it comes to free agency. I wonder how Ross's view of this is affected by the fact Peter King thinks teams should not spend a lot of money on free agents if they have been laying off employees? There won't be that much cold, hard cash available if teams that are having financial trouble don't sign players so they can keep staff and other employees.
Here's my question. Why are NFL teams not supposed to spend money on players but the NFL can lay off employees and no columns have been written about how they need to cut back on expenses? Roger Goodell has taken a pay cut, which is noble, but shouldn't the NFL cut back in other ways? I guess it is only the teams that are expected to do this.
Please. There is no loyalty in the NFL. It is straight business.
Harsh words from Ross Tucker...also this is completely obvious to a lot of people.
If you think about it, NFL players are some of the most restricted employees in our country, rarely having the prerogative to determine where they choose to live and work.
Only someone who has never had a real job thinks this is true. There is a thing called a non-compete agreement and I would guarantee that most of the non-compete agreements employers have are relatively more restrictive than any contract a player could sign. I can't work for another company in my industry that "competes" with us in a 100 mile radius. So pretty much, I would have to leave the state to get another job in the same industry. NFL players are bound by the contract they sign, but that contract also gives them a certain amount of financial security, which the typical worker doesn't get and a legal non-compete agreement can prevent a person from even getting a job in the same industry.
Case in point. As an arbitrary example, if I were a free agent this year and were deciding between the Lions and Colts on a one-year deal, and the Lions offered $100K more, I would be on the next flight to Detroit. In a heartbeat.
See, that is dumb.
Yeah, I know the Lions were 0-16 last year and the Colts are a perennial playoff participant, but what does that really mean to me at the end of the day? I'm not a Colts fan. I'm not from Indianapolis. Likely playing in a playoff game and having some semblance of an opportunity to win a title would be nice, but certainly not worth it. What does that playoff berth do for me and my family when I am 40 years old? Nothing. That $100k, or whatever number you want to substitute in there, could be put in my child's 529 plan for college or be part of a down payment on a house.
I guess it doesn't do much, though the NFL does pay players for when they win playoff games, so it would not be like Tucker was losing that much money in playing for a contender.
Ross Tucker went to Princeton...but I don't feel like he did.
7. Alex Marvez thinks the gag order Jerry Jones put on the Cowboys is a bad idea.
I think Alex Marvez just needs the Cowboys to keep talking so he can keep writing stories and this gag order makes him actually think for column ideas.
Jones told Cowboys beat writers this was being done to thwart the kind of "misinformation" he claims was reported about the team earlier this offseason.
Considering the mayhem that occurred last year between the players and the staff of the Cowboys, I don't know if this is really a bad idea.
Yet any good this new policy will produce has already been overshadowed by the damage it has caused: The further emasculation of Wade Phillips.
I mean seriously, is this really a concern? Everyone knows Wade Phillips is not the real head coach of the Cowboys and just does what Jones wants him to do. He will probably be out this year if the Cowboys don't win the Super Bowl. I don't think a gag order is really going to do him any more harm than players meddling in the game plan, the owner meddling with every aspect of the team, and all the other crap that goes on in Dallas does him harm.
Why should players respect Phillips when there's the ongoing belief — whether true or not — Jones himself is the one calling the shots on almost every level besides Xs and Os?
I would say that the players never respected Phillips regardless of who calls the Xs and Os because they see Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones as being more influential.
His biggest weakness is what should endear Phillips to his players. Phillips depends upon strong leadership to emanate from veterans who want to take ownership of their team a la Ray Lewis in Baltimore (which may be one reason he is reportedly on Dallas' free-agent radar).
Everyone's fascination with the crap-fest that is Dallas annoys the hell out of me. ESPN did a special last night on SportsCenter about Jerry Jones owning the team for 20 years, even though they have not won a playoff game for over half that time and they are the 2nd most dysfunctional team behind the Raiders in the league. Still, Jerry Jones gets a podium to talk about his team and he doesn't ever mention what a bad job he is doing of running the team, and no one asks this either.
This gag order has nothing to do with what is going on negatively in Dallas, it just reinforces the idea Jerry Jones doesn't know what he is doing.
8. Ian O'Connor think the Celtics are crazy for signing Stephon Marbury and I don't get it either.
So the Boston Celtics, defending NBA champs, are preparing to hire Marbury, whose record reeks for itself. Marbury hasn't won a single playoff series in a dozen seasons, didn't even win a single playoff game as a Knick, and stands among the more prominent contributors to the Olympic disaster in Athens.
What I don't get is that Marbury was not even the best point guard available on the market. The Celtics could easily have traded to get a good backup point guard who had a great attitude and could accept playing on the bench. They also could have just kept Sam Cassell. No one has seen Marbury play in over a year and even when he played he wasn't impressive.
So is the Celtics' uniform. Rivers and his players made that jersey special again, and there was no need to dishonor the green by sliding it over Marbury's shoulders.
That's being a little overdramatic about this. I don't think he will shame the uniform, though I hope once he proclaims his turd status for the 900th time, the Celtics will just release him. Marbury is a point guard that has always thought it was all about him, and I compared John Wall to him (though I hope it isn't the case) and I even put up that post about Wall because I think his case is how a player starts to get the Starbury mindset.
Even when Marbury was a good player, I would never have wanted him on my favorite team. He was too selfish and I don't think a good point guard is selfish like Marbury acts.
Marbury won't have his eye on the one-for-all, all-for-one prize, and the smart money says that will manifest itself in a poor decision on the court, or off it, at the worst possible time.
How can anyone trust his decision making ability, especially since he has not played in over a year? I wish I had the time and I would make a list of point guards that would have been much better fits as backups to Rajon Rondo, and I don't think Marbury would even make the list. Yet the Celtics chose him over every other point guard available.
9. The underrated Manny Ramirez got disrespected by another horrible offer from the Dodgers.
The team's proposal would pay Ramirez $25 million this season and $20 million next season if he exercises his player option for 2010.
God, this man is so underrated. Doesn't anyone want to pay for the best RH hitter of all time? That's why I think he is underrated, just because no team wants this guy! (I am being Bill Simmons...I am now me again)
The Dodgers made their offer - their fourth to Ramirez this offseason
Yes, that's right. The Dodgers have made four offers this offseason. Bill, do you have any comment on this?
If the economy did not improve — or if Ramirez suffered an injury or performed below his usual standards — he could return to the Dodgers for the second season and become a free agent after that.
If Manny is serious about playing baseball this offseason, he will accept this offer. This is beyond a fair offer. I am still trying to get in touch with Bill Simmons to see if he still thinks Manny is underrated.
10. Michael Lewis tries to "Moneyball" basketball and it doesn't come off as quite as convincing for me. If I hear one more person describe Shane Battier as the ultimate team player I am going to put a pencil through my eye.
I usually end this on a note about college basketball and after watching Marquette play UConn the last night, I almost felt bad for calling them a pretender a few weeks ago. They looked strong but I still don't think they have enough height to do anything in the NCAA Tournament...and with Dominic James being injured, I feel even less confident about them. I said earlier in the year I thought Kansas and Wake Forest were going to surprise people and UCLA was kind of overrated, which I still think is true. It wasn't exactly a leap, I just thought Kansas still had some talent left over and talented freshmen and they have enough key seniors I could see them making the Elite 8 this year, which would prove me wrong about them being overrated.
Anyway, I am very excited for the NCAA Tournament and this is one of my favorite times of the sports year. Ok enough exposition and sounding like an excited 12 year old girl, I hope Bill Simmons comes out with a column tomorrow that is just crappy so I can make fun of it.
1. It is fitting to start it of with Peter King's Tuesday morning followup to his MMQB.
If Matthew Stafford makes it, he'll owe something to four NFL quarterbacks: Peyton and Eli Manning (he went to the Manning Passing Camp this summer and took away lessons on how being a great decision-maker makes a great quarterback),
If a college quarterback has to go to a passing camp during the summer and needs lessons on how being a great decision maker makes you a great quarterback...I don't even have a punchline here, this just seems like it would be terribly obvious.
Jay Cutler (he was schooled by Cutler at a high-school camp and loved his moxie)
Moxie being defined as "the ability to throw interceptions when trying to do too much at the end of a football game."
and Drew Brees.
I just wanted to take a moment to toot my own horn. I claimed in 2001 the Chargers were geniuses for trading with the Falcons for the rights to the first pick in the draft, because I thought Brees was actually going to be a better quarterback than Mike Vick. I actually thought they should have taken Brees instead of Vick in the #1 spot. You don't have to believe me, and I have no real proof, but I did believed this. Just ignore the fact I really thought Charles Rogers would be the second greatest receiver of all time when he retired. Please also ignore the fact I have a huge grudge against Vick, even in 2001, and wanted him to fail.
I had a good meeting with new Tampa Bay GM Mark Dominik, who's an impressive and bright guy.
"Our goal is to take care of our young, core players. The veterans here are important to our future.
1 day later the Bucs cut Derrick Brooks, Joey Galloway, and Warrick Dunn. Maybe the reason the veterans were so important to the Buccaneers is because they make so much money that you can cut them and save money for good younger, core players. Or maybe I am the only one that thinks it is a contradiction for the GM to come out and say the veterans are important and then cut two of the most respected and decorated veterans in team history.
Saturday makes Manning's job a lot more comfortable. So, yes, I think it is a mistake by the Colts. A rare one.
The Colts never make mistakes, which is why they have won so many playoff games over the years. It's because they never make mistakes on defense personnel choices and let every single free agent linebacker they have go to another team and not resign them. Ok, I am being very picky but they do let a lot of free agent LB's go.
From Brian Woodward of Harrisburg, N.C.: "Thanks for pointing out the incongruity in the Carolina Panthers' decision to lay off 20 employees while at the same time they commit $76.5 million to two players. Charlotte and the surrounding area, like many cities, is feeling the negative impact of the floundering economy. Generally, sports provide an opportunity for us to suspend the challenges of our daily lives while we cheer for our team. In this instance, the Panthers' decision only reminded us of the gloom of the economy. I know that running an NFL franchise is a business, and tough decisions have to be made, but I feel that the Panthers made the wrong decision in this instance. Why not pay the $1 million to $2 million to the 20 people who want to be there rather than $16.5 million to someone who doesn't?''
Hi Brian. You are a moron. Why comment on an issue you clearly do not follow correctly? You are from North Carolina, you should know the Panthers have no intention of keeping Julius Peppers, so they do not intend to pay him $16.5 million for the upcoming year. It sucks that people got laid off, it really does, but if you can't understand why the Panthers committed that much money to Gross/Peppers (and yet another sign you don't understand sports, because they never committed that entire amount, because it is not all guaranteed) then you don't understand sports.
In Magical Happy Land everyone gets to keep their job and the athletes have to go search for work, but in Real Life Land Jordan Gross's/Julius Pepper's jersey sales combine to make more money for the Panthers than two people who got laid off. I don't want to get laid off and I would be unhappy if I was in the situation, but you have to understand how much money an NFL franchise brings to a city.
From Jack Ramey of Washington: "I agree whole-heartedly with your Panthers sentiment ... but tell me, when's the last time anyone paid $60 a ticket to watch those same loyal employees at work?''
Sixty? Try $150.
$150, Peter? I paid $67 dollars to see the Panthers play a little over one month ago. I realize closer tickets where Peter sits are more expensive but you can get good seats for $60.
From David of Philly: "What makes Matt Cassel different from the other quarterbacks who have one decent year. Sure, he played well this year. But A.J. Feeley played well as a starter in Philadelphia but couldn't get anything done in Miami. Derek Anderson had a great year in Cleveland before falling apart this year.
Cassel's done it on a very high, playoff-caliber level already, and Feeley and Anderson haven't, and there's doubt either of them can do it.
Wrong! Matt Cassel has never started at quarterback in the NFL playoffs, so he has not done it on a "very high, playoff caliber level." He led his team to a 11-5 record last year and Derek Anderson's team did not make the playoffs either and he led his team to a 10-6 record. They are very similar, plus Cassel arguably had a better team around him, which makes his feat slightly less impressive.
Just because you love Matt Cassel with all your heart and soul and he makes you tingle in your private places doesn't mean he is more special than any other quarterback. When is Peter King's infatuation with Matt Cassel going to end? How the hell does he get away with saying Cassel has performed at a "very high, playoff-caliber level" when the Patriots did not make the playoffs and Cassel did not make the Pro Bowl? He is indicating Derek Anderson did play at a high level, though Anderson make the Pro Bowl (which does not mean much, but he did make it) and his team barely missed out on a playoff spot, just like the Patriots did. He needs to quit with the biased journalism, it's like he is Cassel's agent.
2. Here is Rick Reilly's actually good column. I will nitpick it though.
His one dream was to take Jake to a Broncos game. Sometimes on the reservation, the dreams come small.
This story is covered in so much sugary sentimentality, I think I am going to get a cavity reading it.
And then, this past October, one of Lil Bob's best friends — a restaurant owner named Christopher Hamlet — decided to make good on an unfulfilled dream: He bought two plane tickets, packed up Jake and flew to Denver. Jake was finally going to a Broncos game.
Lil Bob is Rick's wife's half biological brother. Got that? My question is this...why didn't Rick, who lives in the Denver area if I am not wrong, take Jake to a Broncos football game and set it up for him to meet John Elway? Why did a restaurant owner have to do this? Seriously, Rick Reilly is a big name in sports pseudo-journalism, he could have easily done this.
Also, in the picture of Jake with John Elway, why is Jake wearing a John Lynch jersey? Jake was three when Elway retired, but he still could not find an Elway jersey to wear? Lynch doesn't even play for the Broncos right now. See, I am nitpicking again.
And the next thing Jake knew, he was in John Elway's luxury box at the game, asking him any question he wanted, all with a grin that threatened to split his happy head in half.
Then Elway said, "Comin' to dinner?"
And suddenly Jake was having his lettuce wedge cut for him by the legend, who tousled the kid's cowlick. Like a dad might.
Brett Favre would probably have ended the night asking Jake if he could spot him $5 for some new Wranglers.
A lot of athletes don't want the burden that comes with being a role model. But what I want to tell them is: You don't get to choose.
(Me vomiting on the keyboard) Rick Reilly is right. I think we all learned something today. John Elway is a good guy, Rick Reilly is too cheap to take his nephew to a Broncos game, and Rick Reilly can write a sentimental story like nobody's business. Rick Reilly gets paid millions of dollars to write columns like this.
(Bengoodfella wipes tear from his eye...it is hard to admit he did not hate Reilly's latest work)
3. Gregg Doyel thinks that Jim Calhoun had every right to yell at Ken Krayeske.
I am agreeing with Gregg Doyel too much lately. I wish he would take Alonzo Mourning to task for being an asshole or something. I am much more comfortable with that Gregg Doyel.
For some people, Calhoun's caustic reaction has confused the issue. They see him acting like a bully, and they bludgeon him for it.
That's pretty much exactly what every article I have read says.
and while none (that I've seen) side with the flea-bitten hound, several take Calhoun to task, chastising him for (A) being insensitive in these tough economic times
Gregg Doyel reads Jay Mariotti. I don't know what I would do if he ever took Mariotti to task.
Calhoun was right. What he said was right.
It is pretty clear Krayeske was grandstanding for a cause. If he really had any type of journalistic intentions he would have brought this up in private.
How he said it? Right.
He did come off as a pompous ass.
And before I explain why he's right, please understand there is some history between Calhoun and me. Shocking, right? But there is. And not terribly good. A few years ago I wrote this, and UConn people were furious.
Does anyone like Gregg Doyel? Anyone?
After the game, a win, Muncy snuck me away from The Horde that covers UConn basketball and set up a quiet meeting with Calhoun in an empty locker room. Calhoun said what he wanted to say. I took it. It's over, and we haven't spoken since. There's the history.
Well, that's boring. I was kind of hoping there was a big showdown where Gregg Doyel showed off his newest MMA moves and kicked Jim Calhoun in the throat, then spat on him while cursing Ricky Moore's name. Doyel wrote an article about the way that Calhoun recruited players, or stole them as he perceived it, and really he probably is not wrong.
The incident in the article Doyel wrote is very similar to the time in 1999 when UConn fatass/point guard Khalid El-Amin was able to use a booster's, I am sorry a "friend's," car in exchange for tickets to games. Calhoun runs a borderline clean program like every other successful program in the nation.
Maybe Calhoun was a little loose with his numbers when he told the attention hound that "we make $12 million a year for this university." If by we he meant both himself and UConn women's coach Geno Auriemma, then he nailed it.
Who else would he mean by "we?" The squirrel that he keeps in his pocket?
For his troubles, the attention hound got blown up, which is exactly what he deserved. He's the one, not Calhoun, who walked down the wrong dark alley and picked a fight. Shame on the guy who started the fight -- not the guy who finished it.
I said something very similar yesterday. Krayeske went looking for a fight and he got one.
I am getting tired of agreeing with Doyel.
4. Finally there is some sanity in the NFL Draft process. Don Banks of CNNSI doesn't have a quarterback going first to the Lions.
I am probably the dumbest person in the world for thinking this, but I have never understood a team's fascination with taking a quarterback first in the draft if they have other pressing needs. Don't get me wrong, the Lions need one, but they also need a lot of other things at the same time.
But Curry is now seen as the cleanest prospect in this year's talent pool, and convinced as I am that the Lions aren't taking a quarterback here, getting impact help for the league's bottom-ranked defense two-years running is the option Detroit will choose.
These teams are spending so much money on a pick and if a team, like Detroit, has plenty of other needs then I think they should spend the pick and money on the best player. I think that player is Aaron Curry, though I don't see Ray Maualuga as being that far behind.
It's not like the Lions don't need defense, they have been last two straight years and to pair Aaron Curry with Ernie Sims is really going to help the team get a head start on building a great defense. Sure they need some defensive tackles and pass rushers, but they have 2 first round picks, so they can address that need later. A quarterback does no good if he has no one to throw to (I realize he has Calvin Johnson), no blockers, and the defense can't keep the other offense off the field.
Banks has Sanchez going #8 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Of all the needs the Jags have, WR, OL, the defense, they are going to choose a quarterback? I am not against drafting a quarterback but this seems highly unlikely Sanchez will go to Jacksonville. I know quarterbacks are "in" because of Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan but Flacco went to a team that had a great defense and at least one good receiver, while Ryan went to the Falcons who were not nearly as bad as their #3 pick indicated. They had a good defense and receivers. I could be wrong but I don't think Jacksonville is the best place for Sanchez.
Banks has the Raiders taking B.J. Raji, a defensive tackle. That is smart but I doubt Al Davis would take a player that is blue collar and plays a blue collar position with Jeremy Maclin on the board.
5. John Smoltz is giving his opinion still...about everything.
That jersey still doesn't look right on him.
Smoltz thinks A-Rod did a tough thing by admitting to steroids and standing up for himself in the press conference. Smoltz is unsure whether he is telling the truth or not.
A-Rod was so brave to admit that he had cheated. What a hero. Is it me or does every reporter have to ask every single MLB baseball player his view on steroids? It's not like the answers are going to change or anything.
He also thinks the other 103 names should be released and that someone who knows they tested positive and should just come clean.
I think the names should be released and if anyone expects the other 103 to come clean they are living in Magical Happy Land with Brian from North Carolina.
The Hall of Fame question is a difficult one because A-Rod and Barry Bonds had the natural skills and ability to make it to Cooperstown. Had they not taken anything, they would've made it on their own skill.
I hate both of these players and I have said, only 200 times, this is the dumbest part about this whole situation. They would have probably made it regardless but they wanted to cheat. I almost think they should be banned based on the fact they could have made it and still cheated.
He also is not angry with the Braves, but disappointed with the way his contract negotiations were handled.
Weren't we all though? Actually, Smoltz had threatened to leave several times so it was not a huge shock that he left, it was just kind of interesting he did not leave to go play for the Tigers and it was the Red Sox who signed him.
They didn't feel his arm to see if it was strong and they didn't make any type of commitment to him. Also, the contract differences between the Sox and Braves was major and the Sox showed him more respect.
I think Smoltz could have his left arm amputated and he would still be a great pitcher pitching left handed, but I also don't have to pay him and he is 40 years old and coming off arm surgery for the 3rd or 4th time. The Sox took a chance on him because their payroll allowed them to do that, while the Braves were saving money for Garrett Anderson and Tom Glavine...seriously.
6. Our resident genius/ex-player Ross Tucker has some things to say about free agency. Please prepare yourself for his brilliance.
As players begin to make their decisions and the pundits talk about factors like scheme, location, and the opportunity to win a championship, remember one important thing: more often than not, all of those other ancillary factors are just that and it comes down to which team is willing to offer the most cold, hard cash.
No fucking way. I am glad Ross is here to tell us that athletes follow the money when it comes to free agency. I wonder how Ross's view of this is affected by the fact Peter King thinks teams should not spend a lot of money on free agents if they have been laying off employees? There won't be that much cold, hard cash available if teams that are having financial trouble don't sign players so they can keep staff and other employees.
Here's my question. Why are NFL teams not supposed to spend money on players but the NFL can lay off employees and no columns have been written about how they need to cut back on expenses? Roger Goodell has taken a pay cut, which is noble, but shouldn't the NFL cut back in other ways? I guess it is only the teams that are expected to do this.
Please. There is no loyalty in the NFL. It is straight business.
Harsh words from Ross Tucker...also this is completely obvious to a lot of people.
If you think about it, NFL players are some of the most restricted employees in our country, rarely having the prerogative to determine where they choose to live and work.
Only someone who has never had a real job thinks this is true. There is a thing called a non-compete agreement and I would guarantee that most of the non-compete agreements employers have are relatively more restrictive than any contract a player could sign. I can't work for another company in my industry that "competes" with us in a 100 mile radius. So pretty much, I would have to leave the state to get another job in the same industry. NFL players are bound by the contract they sign, but that contract also gives them a certain amount of financial security, which the typical worker doesn't get and a legal non-compete agreement can prevent a person from even getting a job in the same industry.
Case in point. As an arbitrary example, if I were a free agent this year and were deciding between the Lions and Colts on a one-year deal, and the Lions offered $100K more, I would be on the next flight to Detroit. In a heartbeat.
See, that is dumb.
Yeah, I know the Lions were 0-16 last year and the Colts are a perennial playoff participant, but what does that really mean to me at the end of the day? I'm not a Colts fan. I'm not from Indianapolis. Likely playing in a playoff game and having some semblance of an opportunity to win a title would be nice, but certainly not worth it. What does that playoff berth do for me and my family when I am 40 years old? Nothing. That $100k, or whatever number you want to substitute in there, could be put in my child's 529 plan for college or be part of a down payment on a house.
I guess it doesn't do much, though the NFL does pay players for when they win playoff games, so it would not be like Tucker was losing that much money in playing for a contender.
Ross Tucker went to Princeton...but I don't feel like he did.
7. Alex Marvez thinks the gag order Jerry Jones put on the Cowboys is a bad idea.
I think Alex Marvez just needs the Cowboys to keep talking so he can keep writing stories and this gag order makes him actually think for column ideas.
Jones told Cowboys beat writers this was being done to thwart the kind of "misinformation" he claims was reported about the team earlier this offseason.
Considering the mayhem that occurred last year between the players and the staff of the Cowboys, I don't know if this is really a bad idea.
Yet any good this new policy will produce has already been overshadowed by the damage it has caused: The further emasculation of Wade Phillips.
I mean seriously, is this really a concern? Everyone knows Wade Phillips is not the real head coach of the Cowboys and just does what Jones wants him to do. He will probably be out this year if the Cowboys don't win the Super Bowl. I don't think a gag order is really going to do him any more harm than players meddling in the game plan, the owner meddling with every aspect of the team, and all the other crap that goes on in Dallas does him harm.
Why should players respect Phillips when there's the ongoing belief — whether true or not — Jones himself is the one calling the shots on almost every level besides Xs and Os?
I would say that the players never respected Phillips regardless of who calls the Xs and Os because they see Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones as being more influential.
His biggest weakness is what should endear Phillips to his players. Phillips depends upon strong leadership to emanate from veterans who want to take ownership of their team a la Ray Lewis in Baltimore (which may be one reason he is reportedly on Dallas' free-agent radar).
Everyone's fascination with the crap-fest that is Dallas annoys the hell out of me. ESPN did a special last night on SportsCenter about Jerry Jones owning the team for 20 years, even though they have not won a playoff game for over half that time and they are the 2nd most dysfunctional team behind the Raiders in the league. Still, Jerry Jones gets a podium to talk about his team and he doesn't ever mention what a bad job he is doing of running the team, and no one asks this either.
This gag order has nothing to do with what is going on negatively in Dallas, it just reinforces the idea Jerry Jones doesn't know what he is doing.
8. Ian O'Connor think the Celtics are crazy for signing Stephon Marbury and I don't get it either.
So the Boston Celtics, defending NBA champs, are preparing to hire Marbury, whose record reeks for itself. Marbury hasn't won a single playoff series in a dozen seasons, didn't even win a single playoff game as a Knick, and stands among the more prominent contributors to the Olympic disaster in Athens.
What I don't get is that Marbury was not even the best point guard available on the market. The Celtics could easily have traded to get a good backup point guard who had a great attitude and could accept playing on the bench. They also could have just kept Sam Cassell. No one has seen Marbury play in over a year and even when he played he wasn't impressive.
So is the Celtics' uniform. Rivers and his players made that jersey special again, and there was no need to dishonor the green by sliding it over Marbury's shoulders.
That's being a little overdramatic about this. I don't think he will shame the uniform, though I hope once he proclaims his turd status for the 900th time, the Celtics will just release him. Marbury is a point guard that has always thought it was all about him, and I compared John Wall to him (though I hope it isn't the case) and I even put up that post about Wall because I think his case is how a player starts to get the Starbury mindset.
Even when Marbury was a good player, I would never have wanted him on my favorite team. He was too selfish and I don't think a good point guard is selfish like Marbury acts.
Marbury won't have his eye on the one-for-all, all-for-one prize, and the smart money says that will manifest itself in a poor decision on the court, or off it, at the worst possible time.
How can anyone trust his decision making ability, especially since he has not played in over a year? I wish I had the time and I would make a list of point guards that would have been much better fits as backups to Rajon Rondo, and I don't think Marbury would even make the list. Yet the Celtics chose him over every other point guard available.
9. The underrated Manny Ramirez got disrespected by another horrible offer from the Dodgers.
The team's proposal would pay Ramirez $25 million this season and $20 million next season if he exercises his player option for 2010.
God, this man is so underrated. Doesn't anyone want to pay for the best RH hitter of all time? That's why I think he is underrated, just because no team wants this guy! (I am being Bill Simmons...I am now me again)
The Dodgers made their offer - their fourth to Ramirez this offseason
Yes, that's right. The Dodgers have made four offers this offseason. Bill, do you have any comment on this?
If the economy did not improve — or if Ramirez suffered an injury or performed below his usual standards — he could return to the Dodgers for the second season and become a free agent after that.
If Manny is serious about playing baseball this offseason, he will accept this offer. This is beyond a fair offer. I am still trying to get in touch with Bill Simmons to see if he still thinks Manny is underrated.
10. Michael Lewis tries to "Moneyball" basketball and it doesn't come off as quite as convincing for me. If I hear one more person describe Shane Battier as the ultimate team player I am going to put a pencil through my eye.
I usually end this on a note about college basketball and after watching Marquette play UConn the last night, I almost felt bad for calling them a pretender a few weeks ago. They looked strong but I still don't think they have enough height to do anything in the NCAA Tournament...and with Dominic James being injured, I feel even less confident about them. I said earlier in the year I thought Kansas and Wake Forest were going to surprise people and UCLA was kind of overrated, which I still think is true. It wasn't exactly a leap, I just thought Kansas still had some talent left over and talented freshmen and they have enough key seniors I could see them making the Elite 8 this year, which would prove me wrong about them being overrated.
Anyway, I am very excited for the NCAA Tournament and this is one of my favorite times of the sports year. Ok enough exposition and sounding like an excited 12 year old girl, I hope Bill Simmons comes out with a column tomorrow that is just crappy so I can make fun of it.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
3 comments A Eulogy of Sorts
(Note: I posted this and then thought about it more and decided I still feel this way: I don't trust Frank Wren to make the team better, I don't like the Red Sox and I don't want them to have Smoltz because he was my favorite Braves player, and Bobby Cox drives me crazy. Mix it all together and this is what you get)
Oh this cruel world. I came into work (by work, I mean "woke up in mom's attic and fired up the Mac) wondering if there was going to be anything to write about today. I mentioned a couple of days ago this is the first time in nearly 20 years I have not been looking forward to the baseball season and it has only gotten worse with the news that John Smoltz is going to sign with the Boston Red Sox. I am not going to turn into Bill Simmons on anyone here, but I am going to bitch for a second, and if you don't want to read it I am planning on posting something later today and you can skip it. No hard feelings.
As many of you can guess, I am an Atlanta Braves fan and have been since I was little. My first goldfish was named Dale Murphy and my parents had to console me for a solid week when he was traded...I was 18 at the time (kidding...). Being a Braves fan, I am also insanely spoiled, I realize this. One thing that has always frustrated me is that Turner Field was never sold out when the Braves played in the playoffs and the regular season games are like going to a church mass, they can get pretty quiet. I really wish it was louder, and if you get loud, people look at you like you just cursed out their grandmother. I wish the environment was like that at Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park, that would make me feel great, but it is not like it was in the early 1990's at Fulton County Stadium anymore.
I really don't like saying things like this, but Frank Wren needs to be fired, and Bobby Cox needs to retire after this year. I have never seen a GM of any of my teams bungle an offseason like Frank Wren has. My favorite pro football team signed Sean Gilbert to a $46 million dollar contract after he sat out an entire year because God told him to, then signed Chuck Smith, Reggie White, and Eric Swann when the year was not 1997. Just keep that in mind as I say this. The Braves have to start over and the Smoltz signing with the Red Sox is the final straw for me. This ship is sinking incredibly slowly and painfully, they are still trying to compete and also rebuild. It's not happening. I am going to spare everyone and not break down how the Braves should start over, it really is not that intricate.
The Braves started this offseason with nearly $45 million to spend. I am not a fan of just spending money to spend money and throwing it around. When a team has this much money though, it has a responsibility to spend it, and spend it wisely, both of which Frank Wren has failed miserably at achieving. They currently have in the neighborhood of $25 million to spend. So far Frank Wren has negotiated with Jake Peavy through the media, been outbid for A.J. Burnett by $2.5 million (not per year, but overall), allowed Rafael Furcal the opportunity to renege on a contract, had no success in an attempt to trade Jeff Francouer while he still has some sense of value (look at his minor league numbers, its not getting any better than what he is now), and now has low balled John Smoltz to the point where he is taking a contract with the Red Sox. The Braves have $25 million to spend and no fucking person to spend it on and have offered Smoltz $2 million less than the Red Sox. Why? This team is going nowhere and going there fast, at least give Braves fans the chance to see Smoltz pitch the rest of his career in Atlanta if the team is going to suck.
Frank Wren has performed a feat no other GM, including some of the worst in the game, could do. He has had money to spend because of contracts coming off the books and managed to make his team considerably worse the following year. I thought a friend of mine was crazy when he told me Monday the Braves would be fourth in the NL East this year, but he is absolutely correct. Not just because the Red Sox have signed Smoltz but because his signing is indicative of everything WRONG Frank Wren is doing. I will never bet against John Smoltz. If he had his right arm amputated I really think he would be able to learn to pitch left handed and be effective. He had an ERA of 2.00 last year before he got injured, and sure he got injured again, but he is still a great option in the starting rotation. Kudos to the Red Sox, they have gotten a great pitcher, it makes me angry they get to cheer for him, because I pretty much don't like them. They should never be able to share in the joy of cheering for Smoltz but they can because of Frank Wren, who has already destroyed the Orioles. Here and here.
Throw in the retarded ass trade for J.D. Drew (they got one year out of him, woo-hoo!) for Adam Wainwright and Jason Marquis, which to this day I never understood the purpose of and the Tex trade where the Braves gave up 5 top 20 prospects in their system, only to trade Tex to the Angels for an average first baseman and a relief pitcher, and the Braves have set themselves up for failure for years now with their poor decisions. I know all of these were not Frank Wren decisions but his job is to make the team better right now and he has made it progressively worse. It's time to start over and Bobby Cox has to go after this year as well. Not because he is a bad manager or anything of the sort, which he is bad strategy wise, but because he is not going to be around in three years and the Braves have to prepare for two to three years from now. Free agents don't want to come to Atlanta and the Braves are low balling their own players. The Braves always want their stars to take a "hometown discount" rather than pay them their market price and the time for this has to stop. They play in fucking Atlanta, which is not a small market, they have great attendance and a large fan base so put a team out there that is worth watching.
There is no reason for John Smoltz to pitch for the Red Sox next year. He has earned enough goodwill to where the Braves should not low ball him on any offers. He has gone to the bullpen, gone back to being a starter, gone back to the bullpen, and waited around in the offseason before for the Braves to offer a contract. He doesn't deserve this and you can't treat him this way and think other players around the league don't see it. I am not hitting the panic button, I am being realistic at this point, its not getting any better this year. Time to build a new foundation, stop trading prospects to win now, get serious about winning games, and stop acting like a poor little small market team. Maybe management should use the $25 million to hire a decent General Manager. Even worse than putting a bad team on the field is killing a fan base's morale. Everyone will get over Smoltz pitching for the Red Sox but no one is going to forget the reason he went there was because the Braves would not give him a contract offer sooner and worth more than $3 million. Maybe Frank Wren pulls something out of his ass in the next couple weeks and makes the team better but based on his past I highly doubt it.
I will try and post something later today.
Oh this cruel world. I came into work (by work, I mean "woke up in mom's attic and fired up the Mac) wondering if there was going to be anything to write about today. I mentioned a couple of days ago this is the first time in nearly 20 years I have not been looking forward to the baseball season and it has only gotten worse with the news that John Smoltz is going to sign with the Boston Red Sox. I am not going to turn into Bill Simmons on anyone here, but I am going to bitch for a second, and if you don't want to read it I am planning on posting something later today and you can skip it. No hard feelings.
As many of you can guess, I am an Atlanta Braves fan and have been since I was little. My first goldfish was named Dale Murphy and my parents had to console me for a solid week when he was traded...I was 18 at the time (kidding...). Being a Braves fan, I am also insanely spoiled, I realize this. One thing that has always frustrated me is that Turner Field was never sold out when the Braves played in the playoffs and the regular season games are like going to a church mass, they can get pretty quiet. I really wish it was louder, and if you get loud, people look at you like you just cursed out their grandmother. I wish the environment was like that at Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park, that would make me feel great, but it is not like it was in the early 1990's at Fulton County Stadium anymore.
I really don't like saying things like this, but Frank Wren needs to be fired, and Bobby Cox needs to retire after this year. I have never seen a GM of any of my teams bungle an offseason like Frank Wren has. My favorite pro football team signed Sean Gilbert to a $46 million dollar contract after he sat out an entire year because God told him to, then signed Chuck Smith, Reggie White, and Eric Swann when the year was not 1997. Just keep that in mind as I say this. The Braves have to start over and the Smoltz signing with the Red Sox is the final straw for me. This ship is sinking incredibly slowly and painfully, they are still trying to compete and also rebuild. It's not happening. I am going to spare everyone and not break down how the Braves should start over, it really is not that intricate.
The Braves started this offseason with nearly $45 million to spend. I am not a fan of just spending money to spend money and throwing it around. When a team has this much money though, it has a responsibility to spend it, and spend it wisely, both of which Frank Wren has failed miserably at achieving. They currently have in the neighborhood of $25 million to spend. So far Frank Wren has negotiated with Jake Peavy through the media, been outbid for A.J. Burnett by $2.5 million (not per year, but overall), allowed Rafael Furcal the opportunity to renege on a contract, had no success in an attempt to trade Jeff Francouer while he still has some sense of value (look at his minor league numbers, its not getting any better than what he is now), and now has low balled John Smoltz to the point where he is taking a contract with the Red Sox. The Braves have $25 million to spend and no fucking person to spend it on and have offered Smoltz $2 million less than the Red Sox. Why? This team is going nowhere and going there fast, at least give Braves fans the chance to see Smoltz pitch the rest of his career in Atlanta if the team is going to suck.
Frank Wren has performed a feat no other GM, including some of the worst in the game, could do. He has had money to spend because of contracts coming off the books and managed to make his team considerably worse the following year. I thought a friend of mine was crazy when he told me Monday the Braves would be fourth in the NL East this year, but he is absolutely correct. Not just because the Red Sox have signed Smoltz but because his signing is indicative of everything WRONG Frank Wren is doing. I will never bet against John Smoltz. If he had his right arm amputated I really think he would be able to learn to pitch left handed and be effective. He had an ERA of 2.00 last year before he got injured, and sure he got injured again, but he is still a great option in the starting rotation. Kudos to the Red Sox, they have gotten a great pitcher, it makes me angry they get to cheer for him, because I pretty much don't like them. They should never be able to share in the joy of cheering for Smoltz but they can because of Frank Wren, who has already destroyed the Orioles. Here and here.
Throw in the retarded ass trade for J.D. Drew (they got one year out of him, woo-hoo!) for Adam Wainwright and Jason Marquis, which to this day I never understood the purpose of and the Tex trade where the Braves gave up 5 top 20 prospects in their system, only to trade Tex to the Angels for an average first baseman and a relief pitcher, and the Braves have set themselves up for failure for years now with their poor decisions. I know all of these were not Frank Wren decisions but his job is to make the team better right now and he has made it progressively worse. It's time to start over and Bobby Cox has to go after this year as well. Not because he is a bad manager or anything of the sort, which he is bad strategy wise, but because he is not going to be around in three years and the Braves have to prepare for two to three years from now. Free agents don't want to come to Atlanta and the Braves are low balling their own players. The Braves always want their stars to take a "hometown discount" rather than pay them their market price and the time for this has to stop. They play in fucking Atlanta, which is not a small market, they have great attendance and a large fan base so put a team out there that is worth watching.
There is no reason for John Smoltz to pitch for the Red Sox next year. He has earned enough goodwill to where the Braves should not low ball him on any offers. He has gone to the bullpen, gone back to being a starter, gone back to the bullpen, and waited around in the offseason before for the Braves to offer a contract. He doesn't deserve this and you can't treat him this way and think other players around the league don't see it. I am not hitting the panic button, I am being realistic at this point, its not getting any better this year. Time to build a new foundation, stop trading prospects to win now, get serious about winning games, and stop acting like a poor little small market team. Maybe management should use the $25 million to hire a decent General Manager. Even worse than putting a bad team on the field is killing a fan base's morale. Everyone will get over Smoltz pitching for the Red Sox but no one is going to forget the reason he went there was because the Braves would not give him a contract offer sooner and worth more than $3 million. Maybe Frank Wren pulls something out of his ass in the next couple weeks and makes the team better but based on his past I highly doubt it.
I will try and post something later today.
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