I usually try to post something 4-5 times per week on this blog. Over the past few months it has been a lot closer to four times per week, which doesn't make me happy. Unfortunately personal stuff, having a full-time job, and lack of bad sportswriting have caused me to not be able to write as much as I would like. There are times I have the time and the material to post 5-6 times per week and then there are times I struggle to get four posts. When I am searching for articles to write about for 2-3 hours like I did one day recently it becomes more of a chore than anything and I like to avoid that. Life was easier when I could count on bad sportswriting just hanging out there, but I've lost Jay Mariotti, Joe Morgan, Hat Guy (R.I.P.) and Murray Chass has even seemed to smarten up more of late. So my writing here is completely dependent on having time and having material. It annoys me, but that's the reality of it all.
There are times like that when I get busy at work or there just isn't anything to write about that I think "Screw it all, I'm shutting this thing down if I can't find good stuff to write about." I tend to be a bit dramatic when I can't find good material or don't have time to write. In response to having less time and material to write about, one would think I would push back on the throttle a bit and cut down the amount I post. One would think wrong. I like to write about other things outside of sports, so I decided I was going to start a personal blog where I wrote about everything else. It's not a diary or anything like that. It also won't replace what I write here and I don't plan on cutting back here. There are times I feel like deconstructing things other than sportswriting, so that's the purpose of my new personal blog.
The new blog is called A Little Bit of Everything for two reasons.
1. I am not creative when it comes to titles.
2. I plan on posting a little bit of everything. I will probably deconstruct movies, music, possibly politics or anything else that pops into my mind. It's a scary thought.
I explain better on A Little Bit of Everything why I created a new blog rather than just write other stuff about a non-sports-related topic here. I'm not turning into Bill Simmons and trying to become a pop culture expert nor am I encouraging anyone to read my personal blog if you don't give a shit about my personal blog. I hope it will be interesting to read, but different strokes for everyone is how the world goes. I don't pretend to be more interesting than anyone else in the world. I do want to emphasize it won't just be writing about me, but a variety of topics that just aren't sports-related.
So I will have an introductory post up on the new site very soon if you care to visit and then I have no idea how often I will post. I have a few things in mind to post already, but as I said before, this blog is my first priority.
So in summary, I found I didn't have as much time to write lately and responded by deciding to write even more and start a second blog. It doesn't make sense to me either, but I'm hoping to make it work. TMQ is back this week and I am working on a mock draft that will undoubtedly be really, really wrong, but hopefully fun to comment upon. I'm going to stop rambling and get back to that.
Showing posts with label quick commentary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quick commentary. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
10 comments Chris Paul Is Full of Crap
Quick post for the day on something I read on ESPN.com that irritated me. Chris Paul said "he will think about" signing with the Bobcats in 2012. Yeah, bullshit there. I don't believe for a second Chris Paul would sign with the Bobcats, unless the Bobcats also bring in 1-2 other star players. Good luck with that happening since Michael Jordan is at the helm of this ship. How much longer will Jordan be able to ride his "greatest player ever" title into destroying franchises half-heartedly while spending his free time playing golf?
Now referring to him as his mentor, could Paul decide to return home next year and make Jordan his boss?
Not happening. There's no way Chris Paul signs with a team that currently has no other star power on the roster. If he wanted to be stuck on a team with limited star power he would stay in New Orleans.
"But right now it's all about trying to win a championship here with the Hornets."
As you can tell from Paul's discussing of where he may potentially, just maybe, possibly sign a year from now...Chris Paul is all about the "now" and not where he may end up next summer.
In a phone interview with The Associated Press to promote Saturday's Jordan Brand Classic high school basketball All-Star game in Charlotte, Paul alternated praise for Jordan while stressing that his immediate concern is the Hornets' impending first-round playoff series.
Well, that and figuring out which team he would want to play with in 2012 when he becomes a free agent. Not that he is planning on becoming a free agent in 2012, because a person who knows he will be a free agent then would have thought about this and Chris Paul doesn't think about these things. He stays in the "now."
"I'm one of those people who tries to stay in the moment," the four-time All-Star point guard said.
Like right "now," he won't rule any teams out in 2012 when he becomes a free agent. Not that he's thought about this, because he hasn't...but if he had thought about it, the Bobcats are an NBA team, and therefore a team he won't rule out playing for.
It was that kind of sway Charlotte fans were hoping the six-time NBA champion would have when he bought the team last year.
"Now that he has a team, he's like a kid in a candy store," Paul said of Jordan. "He's so happy because he's one of those guys that no matter what, he can't get away from the game."
By "the game," Chris Paul means Michael Jordan can't get away from golf.
Jordan has said the Wallace deal was meant to create financial flexibility so they can beef up the roster in the next few seasons.
He's cleared up some room so he can make further team-destroying signings in an attempt to be relevant. I have always loved the idea a team like the Bobcats that has shown a history of management making bad choices is freeing up salary cap room for financial flexibility. As if having more money to spend will make them smarter or draft better.
"I thought about it then when I got drafted," Paul said of the potential of playing pro ball in his home state. "But that feels like that was so long ago now."
The only way Chris Paul will be playing basketball in Charlotte, North Carolina is in another team's uniform playing a road game.
Paul has been through a lot since, from the Hornets' temporarily relocation to Oklahoma City because of Hurricane Katrina
I am sure it was very traumatic for Paul to be forced to play basketball in Oklahoma City as thousands of people lost their lives and possessions to a hurricane. He's such a trooper.
Soon, Paul will decide where to continue his career.
BUT HE'S FOCUSED ON THE "NOW!"
Chris Paul won't be in Charlotte unless Dwight Howard and another star is in Charlotte as well. Paul isn't stupid and isn't going to sign with a team that won't give him an immediate shot to win an NBA title. So I just laugh at a story that says Chris Paul will consider playing for the Bobcats. It's just funny to hear.
I still haven't found a replacement for Joe Morgan and his chats. I am still soliciting suggestions. Rob Dibble isn't chatting at this present time (in whatever capacity he is currently in), I checked out the guy at Fangraphs and he is just condescending at times, but not necessarily worthy of a weekly chat. I still may cover one of his though. I have my eye on every baseball chat ESPN is doing, but it appears there is no replacement for Joe Morgan. Any suggestions? There has to be one person who chats. Why doesn't Murray Chass host a weekly chat?
Now referring to him as his mentor, could Paul decide to return home next year and make Jordan his boss?
Paul won't rule it out.
"It would definitely be something to think about," the New Orleans guard said Tuesday when asked about the potential to sign with the Jordan-owned Charlotte Bobcats in 2012.Not happening. There's no way Chris Paul signs with a team that currently has no other star power on the roster. If he wanted to be stuck on a team with limited star power he would stay in New Orleans.
"But right now it's all about trying to win a championship here with the Hornets."
As you can tell from Paul's discussing of where he may potentially, just maybe, possibly sign a year from now...Chris Paul is all about the "now" and not where he may end up next summer.
In a phone interview with The Associated Press to promote Saturday's Jordan Brand Classic high school basketball All-Star game in Charlotte, Paul alternated praise for Jordan while stressing that his immediate concern is the Hornets' impending first-round playoff series.
Well, that and figuring out which team he would want to play with in 2012 when he becomes a free agent. Not that he is planning on becoming a free agent in 2012, because a person who knows he will be a free agent then would have thought about this and Chris Paul doesn't think about these things. He stays in the "now."
"I'm one of those people who tries to stay in the moment," the four-time All-Star point guard said.
Like right "now," he won't rule any teams out in 2012 when he becomes a free agent. Not that he's thought about this, because he hasn't...but if he had thought about it, the Bobcats are an NBA team, and therefore a team he won't rule out playing for.
It was that kind of sway Charlotte fans were hoping the six-time NBA champion would have when he bought the team last year.
"I think guys do and will want to play for MJ," Paul said. "Who better to learn from?"
This is all just lip service. Chris Paul is not going to play for a team that doesn't have 1-2 All-Stars in place on the roster already. He's played the game where he is the best player on the team and has a supporting cast of decent, serviceable players and one other player he can count on (David West). He won't do this again. So, I never will believe Paul will play for Charlotte unless Charlotte all of a sudden gets a much better team around him."Now that he has a team, he's like a kid in a candy store," Paul said of Jordan. "He's so happy because he's one of those guys that no matter what, he can't get away from the game."
By "the game," Chris Paul means Michael Jordan can't get away from golf.
Jordan has said the Wallace deal was meant to create financial flexibility so they can beef up the roster in the next few seasons.
He's cleared up some room so he can make further team-destroying signings in an attempt to be relevant. I have always loved the idea a team like the Bobcats that has shown a history of management making bad choices is freeing up salary cap room for financial flexibility. As if having more money to spend will make them smarter or draft better.
"I thought about it then when I got drafted," Paul said of the potential of playing pro ball in his home state. "But that feels like that was so long ago now."
The only way Chris Paul will be playing basketball in Charlotte, North Carolina is in another team's uniform playing a road game.
Paul has been through a lot since, from the Hornets' temporarily relocation to Oklahoma City because of Hurricane Katrina
I am sure it was very traumatic for Paul to be forced to play basketball in Oklahoma City as thousands of people lost their lives and possessions to a hurricane. He's such a trooper.
Soon, Paul will decide where to continue his career.
BUT HE'S FOCUSED ON THE "NOW!"
Chris Paul won't be in Charlotte unless Dwight Howard and another star is in Charlotte as well. Paul isn't stupid and isn't going to sign with a team that won't give him an immediate shot to win an NBA title. So I just laugh at a story that says Chris Paul will consider playing for the Bobcats. It's just funny to hear.
I still haven't found a replacement for Joe Morgan and his chats. I am still soliciting suggestions. Rob Dibble isn't chatting at this present time (in whatever capacity he is currently in), I checked out the guy at Fangraphs and he is just condescending at times, but not necessarily worthy of a weekly chat. I still may cover one of his though. I have my eye on every baseball chat ESPN is doing, but it appears there is no replacement for Joe Morgan. Any suggestions? There has to be one person who chats. Why doesn't Murray Chass host a weekly chat?
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
3 comments NFL Picks Week 16
Picks in bold, home team in caps.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (-14.5) over Carolina Panthers
Jimmy Clausen may have ruined the future of the Panthers for a very long time. Andrew Luck, without question, will be the number one pick. As of last weekend, he could have fallen into the hands of Carolina. One more loss among their 11 would not have damaged the team all that much. Yes, it may have ended Clausen's career, but I would assume his life is more important than anything football related. So Jimmy, don't show up for work again. Go into hiding where you will be safe from Panthers' fans.
Dallas Cowboys (-6.5) over ARIZONA CARDINALS
I am still undecided as to whether Jason Garrett keeps his job. On the one hand, we have Jerry Jones' continued support and the absurdly large contract he handed to Garrett as an offensive coordinator. On the other seven hands, we have Jones' ego. Garrett's no-nonsense/I'm-not-listening-to-anything-Jerry-tells-me" persona may in fact work for the Cowboys in the long term. With the way the team is playing, Tony Romo would have had them in the playoffs had he played a full season under Garrett. But since Jones is the owner/GM/behind-the-scenes-head-coach, it's hard to imagine him hiring another Parcells type that is not a big name.
Detroit Lions (+3.5) over MIAMI DOLPHINS
Miami is 1-6 on the road and Detroit seems to have moved from the "we're going to keep every game close and lose" stage to the "we're going to win a few close ones" stage. I see them next year looking like the Houston Texans. Great on paper, but ultimately no better than 8-8. But don't expect them to stay in the Texans' zone for too long (7-9 wins). They'll be an NFC playoff contender as long as Matt Stafford stops acting like 37-year-old QB and actually plays a few games.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (-14) over Minnesota Vikings
I actually feel pity for the Vikings having to choose between the corpse of Brett Favre and Joe Webb. Philadelphia, on the other hand, has entered the final phase of its normal regular season progression. They start out strong, lose a few games due to terrible Andy Reid coaching decisions (let's be honest, they should have lost last week in part due to Reid not throwing the challenge flag), but ultimately finish as the hot team no one wants to face in the playoffs.
Washington Redskins (+7) over JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
You would think the McNabb benching would have split apart the entire Redskins' locker room. But the resilience they showed against the Cowboys had "let's play well enough to keep our jobs but get our coach fired" written all over it. Expect more of the same this week because Rex Grossman simultaneously may think that this is his opportunity to start again in the NFL. He wouldn't blow that opportunity, right?
Jacksonville must be completely demoralized after watching their chance at wrapping up the division slip away last week. There's no way Peyton Manning relinquishes the lead now that he's finally in the driver's seat.
SAINT LOUIS RAMS (-2.5) over San Francisco 49ers
Mike Singletary's refusal to publicly announce a starter is in no way hurting Saint Louis' preparation. The same formula applies to both QBs: blitz and wait for them to make mistakes.
I refuse to hope for San Francisco making the playoffs. No team should be allowed to start 0-5 and make the playoffs without finishing the season 11-0 or 10-1. At least Saint Louis has the rookie QB storyline that could make its first round game slightly interesting.
Seattle Seahawks (+6) over TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
I commend Pete Carroll for refusing to panic and sticking with Matt Hasselbeck. I hate coaches who submit to fan and media pressure by making drastic moves mid-season. Pick a QB, stick with him. Turning to your completely cold backup and asking him to perform better than your already named starter almost never works. Maybe for a few games, but not in the long run. There's a reason why you picked this guy as a starter in the first place. Carroll's confidence in Hasselbeck will be rewarded.
New England Patriots (-7.5) over BUFFALO BILLS
Imagine if Buffalo had actually picked a player in the first round of last year's NFL Draft that could have impacted its team this season. Maybe we'd be looking at a few more wins.
I don't expect Belichick to allow another close game for the season. The Patriots have officially entered "let's completely blow out every other team to frighten the rest of the league right before the playoffs" mode.
New York Jets (+1) over CHICAGO BEARS
Mark Sanchez loves the road (The Jets are 6-1 away from New Jersey). Here's my theory as to why: there's no pressure. Teams are expected to win home games. Road games on the other hand, always provide the excuse, "well the other team was at home." On the road, Sanchez does not have to worry about his own fans booing him, the ultimately eff you. The booing on the road is to be expected and nothing personal. It's simply a "you're not on my team" boo. On the road, Sanchez can think. He does not have to worry. Every time the media has thrown lofty expectations at him this season, he has miserably failed. So when the Jets enter the playoffs as a road team, I expect them to be a force.
Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) over CLEVELAND BROWNS
A 3.5 spread has me worried that I may be missing something. It's usually these picks that I'm so sure about that end up going in the complete opposite direction. But I can't go against reason, can't I?
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (-5) over Tennessee Titans
Has any player gone from star to nothing faster than Randy Moss? I do not expect him to be in the NFL next season. The only player of a similar decline I can think of is Shaun Alexander. But even he fell off the map more slowly.
Part of me is worried that Kansas City will lose simply because San Diego does not lose this division. It's just the way it is. But Matt Cassel's performance without an appendix made me reevaluate my stance. He, and he alone, has carried this team to the possibility of a division title. In the game against San Diego in which he did not play, their offense literally could not move the ball. Their supposedly feared running game disappeared. Until further notice, I'm riding the Matt Cassel train.
Indianapolis Colts (-3) over OAKLAND RAIDERS
As I said before, Peyton Manning will not let the division slip away from his grasp. He'll carry the Colts to the playoffs until his lack of other teammates leads to a first round thrashing.
DENVER BRONCOS (+3) over Houston Texans
Tim Tebow will eat up the home-field love more than any QB ever. His first game as a starter was surprisingly effective. While there's nothing he can do about Denver's lack of a defense, it's not like Houston has much on that side of the ball either. So I'll take the home team, the points, and God-loving Tebow.
New York Giants (+3) over GREEN BAY PACKERS
I have no doubt that everyone will show up to practice an hour early this week. Matt Dodge will show three hours beforehand. If the Giants blow this one, Coughlin will have a coronary. And I'm not even kidding. Not at all.
San Diego Chargers (-7.5) over CINCINNATI BENGALS
The only way San Diego loses this division is if Kansas City wins it. Philip Rivers will win the final two games easily. We'll see if the NFC West formula completely plays itself out. (That formula would be San Diego getting off to a horrible start but ultimately turning it around once the media writes them off. Then they miraculously pull out the division when it seemed impossible. Never, and I mean never, write off San Diego.)
New Orleans Saints (+2.5) over ATLANTA FALCONS
New Orleans should have won their first meeting. It might be at Atlanta and the Falcons may have a chance to wrap up the division (they may have already I'm just too lazy to check), but New Orleans will not go down without a fight. Although part of me thinks that it may be better for the Saints to lose so they can use the underdog card in the playoffs. It's never easy to win in the NFL when you're expected to. The Saints proved that in the Super Bowl last year.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (-14.5) over Carolina Panthers
Jimmy Clausen may have ruined the future of the Panthers for a very long time. Andrew Luck, without question, will be the number one pick. As of last weekend, he could have fallen into the hands of Carolina. One more loss among their 11 would not have damaged the team all that much. Yes, it may have ended Clausen's career, but I would assume his life is more important than anything football related. So Jimmy, don't show up for work again. Go into hiding where you will be safe from Panthers' fans.
Dallas Cowboys (-6.5) over ARIZONA CARDINALS
I am still undecided as to whether Jason Garrett keeps his job. On the one hand, we have Jerry Jones' continued support and the absurdly large contract he handed to Garrett as an offensive coordinator. On the other seven hands, we have Jones' ego. Garrett's no-nonsense/I'm-not-listening-to-anything-Jerry-tells-me" persona may in fact work for the Cowboys in the long term. With the way the team is playing, Tony Romo would have had them in the playoffs had he played a full season under Garrett. But since Jones is the owner/GM/behind-the-scenes-head-coach, it's hard to imagine him hiring another Parcells type that is not a big name.
Detroit Lions (+3.5) over MIAMI DOLPHINS
Miami is 1-6 on the road and Detroit seems to have moved from the "we're going to keep every game close and lose" stage to the "we're going to win a few close ones" stage. I see them next year looking like the Houston Texans. Great on paper, but ultimately no better than 8-8. But don't expect them to stay in the Texans' zone for too long (7-9 wins). They'll be an NFC playoff contender as long as Matt Stafford stops acting like 37-year-old QB and actually plays a few games.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (-14) over Minnesota Vikings
I actually feel pity for the Vikings having to choose between the corpse of Brett Favre and Joe Webb. Philadelphia, on the other hand, has entered the final phase of its normal regular season progression. They start out strong, lose a few games due to terrible Andy Reid coaching decisions (let's be honest, they should have lost last week in part due to Reid not throwing the challenge flag), but ultimately finish as the hot team no one wants to face in the playoffs.
Washington Redskins (+7) over JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
You would think the McNabb benching would have split apart the entire Redskins' locker room. But the resilience they showed against the Cowboys had "let's play well enough to keep our jobs but get our coach fired" written all over it. Expect more of the same this week because Rex Grossman simultaneously may think that this is his opportunity to start again in the NFL. He wouldn't blow that opportunity, right?
Jacksonville must be completely demoralized after watching their chance at wrapping up the division slip away last week. There's no way Peyton Manning relinquishes the lead now that he's finally in the driver's seat.
SAINT LOUIS RAMS (-2.5) over San Francisco 49ers
Mike Singletary's refusal to publicly announce a starter is in no way hurting Saint Louis' preparation. The same formula applies to both QBs: blitz and wait for them to make mistakes.
I refuse to hope for San Francisco making the playoffs. No team should be allowed to start 0-5 and make the playoffs without finishing the season 11-0 or 10-1. At least Saint Louis has the rookie QB storyline that could make its first round game slightly interesting.
Seattle Seahawks (+6) over TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
I commend Pete Carroll for refusing to panic and sticking with Matt Hasselbeck. I hate coaches who submit to fan and media pressure by making drastic moves mid-season. Pick a QB, stick with him. Turning to your completely cold backup and asking him to perform better than your already named starter almost never works. Maybe for a few games, but not in the long run. There's a reason why you picked this guy as a starter in the first place. Carroll's confidence in Hasselbeck will be rewarded.
New England Patriots (-7.5) over BUFFALO BILLS
Imagine if Buffalo had actually picked a player in the first round of last year's NFL Draft that could have impacted its team this season. Maybe we'd be looking at a few more wins.
I don't expect Belichick to allow another close game for the season. The Patriots have officially entered "let's completely blow out every other team to frighten the rest of the league right before the playoffs" mode.
New York Jets (+1) over CHICAGO BEARS
Mark Sanchez loves the road (The Jets are 6-1 away from New Jersey). Here's my theory as to why: there's no pressure. Teams are expected to win home games. Road games on the other hand, always provide the excuse, "well the other team was at home." On the road, Sanchez does not have to worry about his own fans booing him, the ultimately eff you. The booing on the road is to be expected and nothing personal. It's simply a "you're not on my team" boo. On the road, Sanchez can think. He does not have to worry. Every time the media has thrown lofty expectations at him this season, he has miserably failed. So when the Jets enter the playoffs as a road team, I expect them to be a force.
Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) over CLEVELAND BROWNS
A 3.5 spread has me worried that I may be missing something. It's usually these picks that I'm so sure about that end up going in the complete opposite direction. But I can't go against reason, can't I?
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (-5) over Tennessee Titans
Has any player gone from star to nothing faster than Randy Moss? I do not expect him to be in the NFL next season. The only player of a similar decline I can think of is Shaun Alexander. But even he fell off the map more slowly.
Part of me is worried that Kansas City will lose simply because San Diego does not lose this division. It's just the way it is. But Matt Cassel's performance without an appendix made me reevaluate my stance. He, and he alone, has carried this team to the possibility of a division title. In the game against San Diego in which he did not play, their offense literally could not move the ball. Their supposedly feared running game disappeared. Until further notice, I'm riding the Matt Cassel train.
Indianapolis Colts (-3) over OAKLAND RAIDERS
As I said before, Peyton Manning will not let the division slip away from his grasp. He'll carry the Colts to the playoffs until his lack of other teammates leads to a first round thrashing.
DENVER BRONCOS (+3) over Houston Texans
Tim Tebow will eat up the home-field love more than any QB ever. His first game as a starter was surprisingly effective. While there's nothing he can do about Denver's lack of a defense, it's not like Houston has much on that side of the ball either. So I'll take the home team, the points, and God-loving Tebow.
New York Giants (+3) over GREEN BAY PACKERS
I have no doubt that everyone will show up to practice an hour early this week. Matt Dodge will show three hours beforehand. If the Giants blow this one, Coughlin will have a coronary. And I'm not even kidding. Not at all.
San Diego Chargers (-7.5) over CINCINNATI BENGALS
The only way San Diego loses this division is if Kansas City wins it. Philip Rivers will win the final two games easily. We'll see if the NFC West formula completely plays itself out. (That formula would be San Diego getting off to a horrible start but ultimately turning it around once the media writes them off. Then they miraculously pull out the division when it seemed impossible. Never, and I mean never, write off San Diego.)
New Orleans Saints (+2.5) over ATLANTA FALCONS
New Orleans should have won their first meeting. It might be at Atlanta and the Falcons may have a chance to wrap up the division (they may have already I'm just too lazy to check), but New Orleans will not go down without a fight. Although part of me thinks that it may be better for the Saints to lose so they can use the underdog card in the playoffs. It's never easy to win in the NFL when you're expected to. The Saints proved that in the Super Bowl last year.
Friday, December 17, 2010
5 comments MMQB Review: Peter Turns Into Gregg Easterbrook Edition
I haven't done MMQB in a few weeks so I thought I would see what Peter King had to say about this past week's NFL games, and lo and behold, he is still the exact same guy. I was hoping laying off him for a few weeks would cause a disruption in the universe that would make him less elitist and frustrating to me. I was wrong. This week Peter gives us some NFL nuggets to chew on and spit out. It's like going home again.
I thought this would be a big week for coaching news and Brett Favre will-he-or-won't-he, and maybe the Favre/Sterger story. On Sunday afternoon, it was all weather and dome collapse, all the time. By this morning, I'm marveling over Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson. Those are two guys I'd pay to see.
Or you could watch them for free on television since they are on a nationally televised game what seems like every single week. It's your choice. I know it's just a saying but I haven't picked on Peter in a while, so lay off me.
My 10 nuggets, some big and some small, for Week 14:
Are these processed nuggets? Can I Supersize my order?
The Eagle-loving masses think Vick's not only the team MVP but also the NFL's. Cases can be made for both, I suppose. But then what is DeSean Jackson, other than the most exciting player right now in the NFL?
Take DeSean Jackson off the Eagles' team and then take Mike Vick off the Eagles' team. How good would they be without each player? There's your answer to which one is team MVP.
This is a topic for another day, but it's incumbent on the Eagles to do two things -- keep Vick from getting hit too much (I still am concerned about that; he takes too many shots, and not just the borderline ones that tick off Vick and Andy Reid)
I couldn't tell Peter is concerned about this since he only mentions it every single week. Look, if an NFL quarterback can't get hit too much or his body will fall apart, is he worth spending millions of dollars upon when he becomes a free agent? I don't know, I'm asking. Vick has to be able to get hit, it is a part of running with the football, which makes him so dangerous. So taking away the part of the offense that makes him dangerous, which is Vick running with the football, is also taking away part of what makes him so special.
and sign him to a contract that will keep him an Eagle for his prime.
His prime may very well be the year 2010. Vick is a great player but I think it is interesting that Peter refuses to acknowledge the massive amount of motivation Vick has financially to have a great contract year. I'm not saying Vick won't be a good quarterback in the future, but it is a contract year and Vick's financial problems related to having declare bankruptcy make him really motivated to play well. Vick also has a past (in Atlanta) of not working that hard once he got paid. I'm just throwing it out there. Vick could play at this level for the rest of his career, but Peter has already stated Vick is taking a bunch of hits and when he got paid in Atlanta, his work ethic started to get questioned.
I talked to Vikings coach Leslie Frazier just before the team left for Detroit late Sunday afternoon, and he called Favre "questionable'' -- the NFL's 50-50 version of injury-reporting. Frazier said he'd talk to Favre at breakfast today at their Detroit hotel and see whether Favre thought he might be able to get enough movement in the shoulder to play tonight at Ford Field. So the story America hates lives for another day.
And yet for some reason Peter keeps talking about it. If you know your readers hate hearing about a story, why keep writing about it? Why keep going out of your way to report NOTHING and write about the story? Why bother your readers with a topic they clearly don't enjoy? I understand few people like to hear about college basketball, so I don't write about it as much as I do other sports. It's an easy concept that Peter can't seem to grasp.
How about our weekly chart featuring the Patriots from Peter? Sounds good. It wouldn't be MMQB without at least one chart about the Patriots.
But check out the pre- and post-Spygate numbers, including playoff games, for the Patriots under Belichick, and you'll see why the video practices seem so wasteful:
It all just proves to me that Belichick used to be and still is the smartest guy in the room ... and how unimportant to everything on the field the videotaping seems to have been.
We could argue that the post-sanction Patriots teams have a great record because they are a great team, while the pre-sanction Patriots had a great record because of the video taping. I'm not saying it is true, but merely acknowledging it is possible the Patriots have a good team now, but wouldn't have won as many games pre-sanctions without the video taping.
6. Matt Cassel for MVP.
In the strict sense of "value,'' it's arguable.
"If you pay attention what the award is supposed to intend and what the award actually means, then Cassel shouldn't win it. But if you ignore the intent of the award this is a controversial thing I just said!"
"Mike Williams of the Seahawks should win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Sure, he may not be a rookie, but if you ignore the strict sense of 'rookie' we could have a debate on this issue."
In the eight games before Week 14, Cassel had thrown 19 touchdowns and one interception. He sat Sunday after having his appendix removed Wednesday, and the Chiefs were absolutely dreadful, losing to San Diego 31-0 and generating 69 yards of offense. Nineteen net passing yards by Brodie Croyle and Tyler Palko. The Chiefs did not have a 30-yard drive.
So the Chiefs struggled in one game and that makes Matt Cassel MVP? I just hate to think the crappiness of a team's backup means the starter is the MVP. If that were the case, as long as Curtis Painter is backing up Peyton Manning, then Manning is the MVP.
With a bully, and I don't mean Rex Ryan. Their head strength and conditioning coach, Sal Alosi, tripped Miami special-teamer Nolan Carroll while he was running down the sideline covering a punt, causing Carroll to limp off the field. I've seen some bush-league things in 26 years covering the NFL, but that's got to be in the top 10. Though Alosi apologized, I think a one-game suspension for affecting the competitive balance of a game is in order.
Personally, I don't like to overreact to situations, but I think Alosi should be suspended for the rest of the year. That was a bullshit move. It appears he will be suspended indefinitely, but I would go ahead and make it the rest of the year...what little is left of the year at least.
Knighton, a nose type with rush ability that a pure space-eater doesn't have, and Alualu are already one of the three or four best defensive-tackle combinations in football, and neither has turned 25. Smith had the courage to take the slings and arrows and make sure he got Alualu without getting cute by trying to pick him lower, and the kid is panning out.
I thought the Jaguars picked Tyson Alualu too early and they could have traded back to get him. I still feel that way, but I do have to give the Jaguars credit for choosing him when they did. Sure, they could have moved back and gotten him later, but they wanted him, so they took him. I was wrong about that and in this year's NFL Draft grades if this type situation happens again I will go easier on a team that does this...depending on the situation of course.
2. New Orleans (10-3).
3. Atlanta (11-2).
I think it is pretty clear Peter King isn't going to give the Falcons any respect. They are the best team in the NFC in my mind. Of course when they make the Super Bowl this year, Peter will pretend he didn't know they were capable of this.
If Favre doesn't play tonight, his streak of 297 straight starts (321 including postseason games) will end at Ford Field, 1.3 miles from where Gehrig sat in the dugout at Briggs (later Tiger) Stadium.
The only difference in these two players is that Lou Gehrig has a terrible, slow progressing disease named after him, while Brett Favre should have a form of cancer named after him that goes in remission during the months from January to early July, shows some signs of coming back during the month of July and is fully back invading the person's body again from August to late December.
Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week
One of the strangest men I've seen sat across the aisle from me on the Boston-to-New York train Saturday. The guy, about 30, took out his Blackberry power cord when we got on, plugged the phone in, had nothing else out on his little table, and when to work texting and looking at email (I suppose) and Tweets or whatever. He did not get up to use the rest room. He did not get up to get anything to eat, not to ask for anything. He sat for 3 hours and 47 minutes. When the announcement came on that we were pulling into Manhattan, he unplugged the phone, put the power cord back in his bag, and, walking off the train, kept his eyes glued to the device.
d. Santana Moss, who runs like a jackrabbit.
I bet he can't run a marathon like Peter can though. Athlete.
h. The Jets' offense. A disgrace. No offensive touchdowns for nine quarters now. In the span of one week, the New York playoff path has gotten impossible. To reach the Super Bowl -- even if the Jets make the playoffs -- they'd now almost certainly have to win three road games. This team winning at Jacksonville, Pittsburgh and New England? I don't think so.
Was there any doubt once the Jets started running their mouths and were featured on "Hard Knocks" that the Patriots were going to win the AFC East this year? It was pretty much set in stone the Patriots would want to lay the Jets to waste. Also, for those like me who want to prove LaDainian Tomlinson isn't ever going to be the running back he once was, here are his statistics for this year.
Notice he has had double digit carries in every game this year and hasn't posted a 60+ yard game since Week 4. In fact, he hasn't had 4.0 yards per carry average since Week 5. He's still useful as a receiving threat but all his talk this offseason about the Chargers not building the gameplan around him (he thought they should have) seems to make more sense to me. He just can't run the ball very effectively anymore.
5. I think I don't know how you could have an ounce of faith in Carson Palmer this morning, not after handing the Steelers two touchdowns on interception returns, and not after continually misfiring again. It might be time to deal him to San Francisco for a second-round pick in April, Mike Brown. Or a third-.
Right, because the 49ers will just blindly accept this offer. It's not like they have any say in this decision at all.
6. I think it looks so depressing to be a Panthers fan. The empty seats. The hopelessness. That's about as down as a franchise can be.
I'm going to throw a little homer-ism at you. Feel free to skip it if you would like. This year has been depressing, but there isn't a lot of hopelessness for the future...just hopelessness for this year.
I understand Jerry Richardson wanting to pay a new head coach a reasonable salary ($2.5-million, for example, per year), but that franchise might be so far under water that he may have to rethink that future plan and pay Bill Cowher what he's worth.
So hiring big name coaches like Mike Shanahan really pays off doesn't it? Look how good the Redskins are! Who would want a no-name like Mike Smith or John Harbaugh, right? Peter is an absolute moron if he believes paying for a big name coach ensures future success. Even insinuating this is true is very misleading. Teams should find the best coach available, not try to impress everyone with the "name recognition" of the coach.
The Panthers need a facelift.
Carolina needs adjustments, no doubt about that, but there is a lot of talent on the roster. Insinuating otherwise is incorrect. They currently have 2/5 of the offensive line on IR, their starting quarterback and four linebackers on IR. There are a total of 14 players on IR. Even if DeAngelo Williams isn't re-signed, they have Mike Goodson and Jonathan Stewart at running back, a talented offensive line that is young and has shown they can run block, and a great group of young linebackers. They need a quarterback and a head coach who gives a shit and some other adjustments. Really, what is frustrating is there is young talent on the team and the team still stinks.
Carolina needs a headliner more than Atlanta or Baltimore or Pittsburgh did when they made those hires.
This is bullshit. Peter doesn't pay enough attention to Carolina and just assumes they need to get a headliner to be "relevant" since that is all he seems to care about is relevance to the national media. Having Peter King pay attention to the "headliner" coach they bring in should not be the focus of a team. Carolina is like all other NFL teams and they need a competent head coach.
a. RIP, Elizabeth Edwards, noble and smart and betrayed.
Athlete.
d. I see Taylor Swift turns 21 today.
I see Peter King counts down when young female stars become legal or come of drinking age. Really, combined with his staring at people on trains, this isn't creepy. Middle aged men doing this isn't creepy, not at all.
I bet she won't remember me leaving my size-14 hoofprint on her red dress at Saturday Night Live last year.
She won't remember this unless you stared at her for a few hours after that while on a train.
f. Albert Breer of NFL Network tweeted yesterday about the noted Chicago meteorologist Amy Freeze (yes, her real name). I bet he didn't know Amy was a cheerleader at BYU and married the Brigham Young mascot, Cosmo the Cougar. What a Cougar.
Thank you Gregg Easterbrook.
Creepy infatuation with cheerleaders? Check.
Creepy infatuation with young girls? Check.
Infatuation with the Patriots? Check.
Long list of things in his weekly column I don't care about? Check.
i. Beernerdness: What do you think? I'm on the verge of making this a semi-regular category. Give me your input.
Don't.
That's all the input I have.
I thought this would be a big week for coaching news and Brett Favre will-he-or-won't-he, and maybe the Favre/Sterger story. On Sunday afternoon, it was all weather and dome collapse, all the time. By this morning, I'm marveling over Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson. Those are two guys I'd pay to see.
Or you could watch them for free on television since they are on a nationally televised game what seems like every single week. It's your choice. I know it's just a saying but I haven't picked on Peter in a while, so lay off me.
My 10 nuggets, some big and some small, for Week 14:
Are these processed nuggets? Can I Supersize my order?
The Eagle-loving masses think Vick's not only the team MVP but also the NFL's. Cases can be made for both, I suppose. But then what is DeSean Jackson, other than the most exciting player right now in the NFL?
Take DeSean Jackson off the Eagles' team and then take Mike Vick off the Eagles' team. How good would they be without each player? There's your answer to which one is team MVP.
This is a topic for another day, but it's incumbent on the Eagles to do two things -- keep Vick from getting hit too much (I still am concerned about that; he takes too many shots, and not just the borderline ones that tick off Vick and Andy Reid)
I couldn't tell Peter is concerned about this since he only mentions it every single week. Look, if an NFL quarterback can't get hit too much or his body will fall apart, is he worth spending millions of dollars upon when he becomes a free agent? I don't know, I'm asking. Vick has to be able to get hit, it is a part of running with the football, which makes him so dangerous. So taking away the part of the offense that makes him dangerous, which is Vick running with the football, is also taking away part of what makes him so special.
and sign him to a contract that will keep him an Eagle for his prime.
His prime may very well be the year 2010. Vick is a great player but I think it is interesting that Peter refuses to acknowledge the massive amount of motivation Vick has financially to have a great contract year. I'm not saying Vick won't be a good quarterback in the future, but it is a contract year and Vick's financial problems related to having declare bankruptcy make him really motivated to play well. Vick also has a past (in Atlanta) of not working that hard once he got paid. I'm just throwing it out there. Vick could play at this level for the rest of his career, but Peter has already stated Vick is taking a bunch of hits and when he got paid in Atlanta, his work ethic started to get questioned.
I talked to Vikings coach Leslie Frazier just before the team left for Detroit late Sunday afternoon, and he called Favre "questionable'' -- the NFL's 50-50 version of injury-reporting. Frazier said he'd talk to Favre at breakfast today at their Detroit hotel and see whether Favre thought he might be able to get enough movement in the shoulder to play tonight at Ford Field. So the story America hates lives for another day.
And yet for some reason Peter keeps talking about it. If you know your readers hate hearing about a story, why keep writing about it? Why keep going out of your way to report NOTHING and write about the story? Why bother your readers with a topic they clearly don't enjoy? I understand few people like to hear about college basketball, so I don't write about it as much as I do other sports. It's an easy concept that Peter can't seem to grasp.
How about our weekly chart featuring the Patriots from Peter? Sounds good. It wouldn't be MMQB without at least one chart about the Patriots.
But check out the pre- and post-Spygate numbers, including playoff games, for the Patriots under Belichick, and you'll see why the video practices seem so wasteful:
|
Pretty interesting. New England's gone from winning two-thirds of its games with the benefit of taping illegally, to winning three-quarters of its games and scoring six points more per game without taping -- and with so many new pieces on offense.
I'm over Spygate and I don't really care about it anymore, but Peter takes this data and then tries to show us that in his words video taping the practices was potentially "wasteful." There's several variables that I don't think Peter accounted for, and I am not even sure he could have accounted for them. One of those being, and again this is tough to account for, the talent level of the team out on the field. Offensively, it seems like the post-sanction Patriots are much stronger offensively. It's just a much stronger offensive team the Patriots are fielding now. Another factor that Peter doesn't measure here is how many points the opposing team is scoring now, as opposed to how many points teams scored against the Patriots pre-sanctions. it's possible the Patriots benefited from the taping in regard to the other team's defensive gameplan. This is a non-story to me, but I really wouldn't call taping other teams "wasteful." It just doesn't feel right to me...but the story is over so it doesn't even matter. Well, the story is over to me...sports journalists insist on bringing the topic up.It all just proves to me that Belichick used to be and still is the smartest guy in the room ... and how unimportant to everything on the field the videotaping seems to have been.
We could argue that the post-sanction Patriots teams have a great record because they are a great team, while the pre-sanction Patriots had a great record because of the video taping. I'm not saying it is true, but merely acknowledging it is possible the Patriots have a good team now, but wouldn't have won as many games pre-sanctions without the video taping.
6. Matt Cassel for MVP.
In the strict sense of "value,'' it's arguable.
"If you pay attention what the award is supposed to intend and what the award actually means, then Cassel shouldn't win it. But if you ignore the intent of the award this is a controversial thing I just said!"
"Mike Williams of the Seahawks should win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Sure, he may not be a rookie, but if you ignore the strict sense of 'rookie' we could have a debate on this issue."
In the eight games before Week 14, Cassel had thrown 19 touchdowns and one interception. He sat Sunday after having his appendix removed Wednesday, and the Chiefs were absolutely dreadful, losing to San Diego 31-0 and generating 69 yards of offense. Nineteen net passing yards by Brodie Croyle and Tyler Palko. The Chiefs did not have a 30-yard drive.
So the Chiefs struggled in one game and that makes Matt Cassel MVP? I just hate to think the crappiness of a team's backup means the starter is the MVP. If that were the case, as long as Curtis Painter is backing up Peyton Manning, then Manning is the MVP.
With a bully, and I don't mean Rex Ryan. Their head strength and conditioning coach, Sal Alosi, tripped Miami special-teamer Nolan Carroll while he was running down the sideline covering a punt, causing Carroll to limp off the field. I've seen some bush-league things in 26 years covering the NFL, but that's got to be in the top 10. Though Alosi apologized, I think a one-game suspension for affecting the competitive balance of a game is in order.
Personally, I don't like to overreact to situations, but I think Alosi should be suspended for the rest of the year. That was a bullshit move. It appears he will be suspended indefinitely, but I would go ahead and make it the rest of the year...what little is left of the year at least.
Knighton, a nose type with rush ability that a pure space-eater doesn't have, and Alualu are already one of the three or four best defensive-tackle combinations in football, and neither has turned 25. Smith had the courage to take the slings and arrows and make sure he got Alualu without getting cute by trying to pick him lower, and the kid is panning out.
I thought the Jaguars picked Tyson Alualu too early and they could have traded back to get him. I still feel that way, but I do have to give the Jaguars credit for choosing him when they did. Sure, they could have moved back and gotten him later, but they wanted him, so they took him. I was wrong about that and in this year's NFL Draft grades if this type situation happens again I will go easier on a team that does this...depending on the situation of course.
2. New Orleans (10-3).
3. Atlanta (11-2).
I think it is pretty clear Peter King isn't going to give the Falcons any respect. They are the best team in the NFC in my mind. Of course when they make the Super Bowl this year, Peter will pretend he didn't know they were capable of this.
If Favre doesn't play tonight, his streak of 297 straight starts (321 including postseason games) will end at Ford Field, 1.3 miles from where Gehrig sat in the dugout at Briggs (later Tiger) Stadium.
The only difference in these two players is that Lou Gehrig has a terrible, slow progressing disease named after him, while Brett Favre should have a form of cancer named after him that goes in remission during the months from January to early July, shows some signs of coming back during the month of July and is fully back invading the person's body again from August to late December.
Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week
One of the strangest men I've seen sat across the aisle from me on the Boston-to-New York train Saturday. The guy, about 30, took out his Blackberry power cord when we got on, plugged the phone in, had nothing else out on his little table, and when to work texting and looking at email (I suppose) and Tweets or whatever. He did not get up to use the rest room. He did not get up to get anything to eat, not to ask for anything. He sat for 3 hours and 47 minutes. When the announcement came on that we were pulling into Manhattan, he unplugged the phone, put the power cord back in his bag, and, walking off the train, kept his eyes glued to the device.
Blackberry rehab, dude.
There's something creepy and annoying about Peter King constantly watching people he sees in public and noting every single little thing they do. There is a difference in people-watching and keeping tabs on a person so well over a period of time even someone who is a stalker would take a step back and say, "you may want to be a little more discreet and not focus so much on that one person. You're probably creeping them out."d. Santana Moss, who runs like a jackrabbit.
I bet he can't run a marathon like Peter can though. Athlete.
h. The Jets' offense. A disgrace. No offensive touchdowns for nine quarters now. In the span of one week, the New York playoff path has gotten impossible. To reach the Super Bowl -- even if the Jets make the playoffs -- they'd now almost certainly have to win three road games. This team winning at Jacksonville, Pittsburgh and New England? I don't think so.
Was there any doubt once the Jets started running their mouths and were featured on "Hard Knocks" that the Patriots were going to win the AFC East this year? It was pretty much set in stone the Patriots would want to lay the Jets to waste. Also, for those like me who want to prove LaDainian Tomlinson isn't ever going to be the running back he once was, here are his statistics for this year.
Notice he has had double digit carries in every game this year and hasn't posted a 60+ yard game since Week 4. In fact, he hasn't had 4.0 yards per carry average since Week 5. He's still useful as a receiving threat but all his talk this offseason about the Chargers not building the gameplan around him (he thought they should have) seems to make more sense to me. He just can't run the ball very effectively anymore.
5. I think I don't know how you could have an ounce of faith in Carson Palmer this morning, not after handing the Steelers two touchdowns on interception returns, and not after continually misfiring again. It might be time to deal him to San Francisco for a second-round pick in April, Mike Brown. Or a third-.
Right, because the 49ers will just blindly accept this offer. It's not like they have any say in this decision at all.
6. I think it looks so depressing to be a Panthers fan. The empty seats. The hopelessness. That's about as down as a franchise can be.
I'm going to throw a little homer-ism at you. Feel free to skip it if you would like. This year has been depressing, but there isn't a lot of hopelessness for the future...just hopelessness for this year.
I understand Jerry Richardson wanting to pay a new head coach a reasonable salary ($2.5-million, for example, per year), but that franchise might be so far under water that he may have to rethink that future plan and pay Bill Cowher what he's worth.
So hiring big name coaches like Mike Shanahan really pays off doesn't it? Look how good the Redskins are! Who would want a no-name like Mike Smith or John Harbaugh, right? Peter is an absolute moron if he believes paying for a big name coach ensures future success. Even insinuating this is true is very misleading. Teams should find the best coach available, not try to impress everyone with the "name recognition" of the coach.
The Panthers need a facelift.
Carolina needs adjustments, no doubt about that, but there is a lot of talent on the roster. Insinuating otherwise is incorrect. They currently have 2/5 of the offensive line on IR, their starting quarterback and four linebackers on IR. There are a total of 14 players on IR. Even if DeAngelo Williams isn't re-signed, they have Mike Goodson and Jonathan Stewart at running back, a talented offensive line that is young and has shown they can run block, and a great group of young linebackers. They need a quarterback and a head coach who gives a shit and some other adjustments. Really, what is frustrating is there is young talent on the team and the team still stinks.
Carolina needs a headliner more than Atlanta or Baltimore or Pittsburgh did when they made those hires.
This is bullshit. Peter doesn't pay enough attention to Carolina and just assumes they need to get a headliner to be "relevant" since that is all he seems to care about is relevance to the national media. Having Peter King pay attention to the "headliner" coach they bring in should not be the focus of a team. Carolina is like all other NFL teams and they need a competent head coach.
a. RIP, Elizabeth Edwards, noble and smart and betrayed.
Athlete.
d. I see Taylor Swift turns 21 today.
I see Peter King counts down when young female stars become legal or come of drinking age. Really, combined with his staring at people on trains, this isn't creepy. Middle aged men doing this isn't creepy, not at all.
I bet she won't remember me leaving my size-14 hoofprint on her red dress at Saturday Night Live last year.
She won't remember this unless you stared at her for a few hours after that while on a train.
f. Albert Breer of NFL Network tweeted yesterday about the noted Chicago meteorologist Amy Freeze (yes, her real name). I bet he didn't know Amy was a cheerleader at BYU and married the Brigham Young mascot, Cosmo the Cougar. What a Cougar.
Thank you Gregg Easterbrook.
Creepy infatuation with cheerleaders? Check.
Creepy infatuation with young girls? Check.
Infatuation with the Patriots? Check.
Long list of things in his weekly column I don't care about? Check.
i. Beernerdness: What do you think? I'm on the verge of making this a semi-regular category. Give me your input.
Don't.
That's all the input I have.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
5 comments What a Game!
I need to learn to take a day off, so I am forcing myself to not post anything today. In unrelated news, I think I saw for the first time the reason soccer is so popular everywhere in the world except the United States. That Algeria-United States game was dramatic, I think the entire United States willed Landon Donovan's goal in there after so many close misses. I think the United States hit the goalpost 3,297 times or maybe it just felt that way.
I was going to be pretty hard on the U.S. if they had lost to Algeria because they should have won that game. Also, there was another bad call in that game and I would have been upset if the U.S. had lost because of it due to the fact they played well the entire game and didn't give up any goals. I probably wouldn't have ranted against the entire soccer world like Peter King, but I still would have been upset. Anyway, that was a great soccer game and I am teaching myself the tough lesson of taking days off. So enjoy not having to read my marathon writings and read the JoeChat post below if you haven't already.
I was going to be pretty hard on the U.S. if they had lost to Algeria because they should have won that game. Also, there was another bad call in that game and I would have been upset if the U.S. had lost because of it due to the fact they played well the entire game and didn't give up any goals. I probably wouldn't have ranted against the entire soccer world like Peter King, but I still would have been upset. Anyway, that was a great soccer game and I am teaching myself the tough lesson of taking days off. So enjoy not having to read my marathon writings and read the JoeChat post below if you haven't already.
Friday, June 18, 2010
5 comments Friday Fun With Jemele Hill and Rob Neyer
I'm going to start off with talking about Rob Neyer for today. Apparently ESPN has a group of "blogs" about MLB Baseball teams that are called "SweetSpot Blog Network." I say "apparently" because I had no idea these networks of blogs existed. I guess it is a way to reach out to each individual fan of a MLB team for coverage of that team, but I have to say if I was a fan and wanted a site about the Atlanta Braves, I would go to a network of blogs not affiliated with ESPN. This is just my personal preference.
So Rob Neyer, who I deeply respect and like as a writer (cue me now ripping him), is having difficulty filling in some of the spots for this network. He has 21 of the 30 teams covered, but he also has high standards. Apparently, to be a columnist you can call someone "Tim Joyce" or put out an article that has errors in it to be fixed at a later date and be fine, but bloggers are held to a higher standard than that. Who knew, right? You can't just write 1-2 articles a week and hope your editor fixes mistakes, you have to write daily and be accurate.
So the title of Neyer's post is "Blogging's Harder Than It Looks," which goes against everything I have learned. I thought to blog all you needed was a mom, a basement/attic, and a computer. That's what the mainstream media has always taught me. Yet here we are, learning from Rob Neyer that blogging is actually difficult. Actually blogging well and daily is difficult, but I will let Rob Neyer explain why he can't fill the open positions in his super-select SweetSpot Blog Network...
I get these all the time, figured I should finally respond to one ...
Thanks. - Billy
This is the email that initiated the post by Rob.
As you've noticed, Billy, we don't yet have all the teams covered. I'll be completely honest with you ... I thought we'd have 25 teams covered by now,
He is four short of his goal right now. Here are the teams that the ESPN SuperSelect SweetSpot Blog Network, sponsored by Applebees, don't have in their network right now. This list is sponsored by Coors Light.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Cincinnati Reds
Colorado Rockies
Florida Marlins
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland A's
Pittsburgh Pirates
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
So these are the teams that Rob hasn't been able to find a person who wants to sell his soul to ESPN for a little bit of exposure for his/her blog. I'm going to just eyeball this and say Rob Neyer either has incredibly high standards or there is some messed up stuff in the contract ESPN wants the writer to sign to become a part of the network.
Instead we've got 21, with (at this moment) no real prospects for more. I do think we'll make some progress this season. I just don't know when, or how much.
Here's how I understand the contract ESPN wants the ESPN SuperSelective SweetSpot Blog Network writers to sign...
(Blogger) "Do I get paid?"
(ESPN) "No."
(Blogger) "So I bring you traffic and you benefit? Why would I do this?"
(ESPN) "You get exposure."
(Blogger) "What good does exposure get me if I can't make money off of it?"
(ESPN) "I am sure you can make money, just not with us."
(Blogger) "I run a really popular site, but I feel like I need to partner with another site to help bring different content to my readers. What can you do in this respect?"
(ESPN) "I don't think you are the right fit for us right now."
I don't mean to get too far into the specifics of the agreement between a writer and ESPN, because I don't know and even some of the research I did seems pretty hazy on what exactly the agreement entails.
You can read that article I linked if you would like, it was one of the few in-depth discussions of the SweetSpot I found in the time I searched for information about it. It seems like it was written by a guy who writes for a competitor of the ESPN SweetSpot, so it may just be a recruiting tool for other bloggers to come to his network and I am sure it contains some biased representations of what the SweetSpot stands for, besides super-selectivity of course. So the purpose of the linked article was to show some of the criticisms of the ESPN Super-Selective SweetSpot Blog Network sponsored by Applebee's and also show potentially why the nine slots haven't been filled yet.
I am not really trying to knock the SweetSpot or compare it to other networks, I just wanted to give a reason why it may be hard to find professional bloggers that can meet Rob Neyer's standards. That's what this rambling post is about...Rob Neyer's journalistic standards.
I do get a lot of "letters" like yours, Billy. And my best advice, if you're sincerely interested, is simple: do it.
I don't really get the "do it" advice given here because I am not sure Billy was asking how to start a blog, he was asking how to get his blog put on the ESPN Super-Selective SweetSpot Blog Network sponsored by Applebee's. It seems like he would need the help of Rob Neyer to join the network. I am pretty sure this writers knows how to start a blog.
Last time I checked, the barrier for entry was exceptionally low. I believe it takes about three minutes to get a blog up and running.
More like five minutes, you have to think of a title for your blog as well. Some of my early names for this blog, and actually the name of the blog for the 1st two days, were not very good and quite lengthy. So it takes three minutes to get a blog up and running and at least five minutes if you have to think of a title for your blog.
Of course, there aren't any guarantees.
What? There are no guarantees? That means blogging and writing is exactly like the rest of life. As a person who hasn't seen the sun in 17 days, I don't know if I could handle this. I thought I could just plop some shit down on a page, get published and call it a day.
(I know, there are obvious jokes about Rob Neyer having high standards for his bloggers, but ESPN has some of the most worst, in my opinion writers on the payroll for Page 2. It turns out Rob Neyer's standards are higher than the network he writes for.)
The sad truth is that even if you've got the time to write about your favorite team every day, you probably don't have the analytical skills or the writing chops we're looking for.
This is the centerpiece of this post in my mind. This isn't the sad truth, this is a complete and utter assumption that most likely is really wrong. So Rob Neyer is saying a person who has time on his hands is naturally not employable to be a writer or this person doesn't have enough skills to write well? Are his current ESPN Super-Selective SweetSpot (sponsored by Applebee's) bloggers all employed somewhere else and have very little time to write about their favorite team? Is that a job requirement? That a person has very little time...because that doesn't seem conducive to getting a group of people who write well either.
This is a stupid assumption. He can't just assume a person who has some time on his hands doesn't have the analytical skills or writing chops to write a daily blog about his/her favorite team. This type of thinking is what has caused newspapers to go belly-up and explains why there is such a large gap between professional journalists and the unprofessional bloggers of the world.
You might, someday.
Someday you may be able to write articles with rhyming puns in the name like Woody Paige, write a fake letter to the Chicago Bulls from LeBron James like Gene Wojciechowski has done, call for someone to get fired like Jay Mariotti does weekly, or even write a 500 word story that plagiarizes a previous story you wrote like Rick Reilly does. Some day, if you keep writing, and kiss the right asses you may be in the company of these individuals.
But writing, like most things, takes a fair amount of practice.
Apparently it doesn't count as practice if you currently write every single day on a blog about your favorite team. Because I am sure there are many people who have applied for the one of the open positions and been turned down even though they write everyday about their favorite team. I am not sure what would constitute practice more than that, outside of an English degree.
Obviously the quality of the writing should be a part of the decision, but I would hope writing your own blog about your favorite team everyday would constitute some form of practice to Rob Neyer.
If it were easy to write (and analyze) well, we wouldn't have nine openings in the SweetSpot Network, because I would have filled those slots already from among the many dozens of unaffiliated blogs that are out there right now.
And as stated above, Rob Neyer is looking for people who have little time on their hands to fill these open vacancies. You have all day to write and analyze your favorite team? You're a hack shithead. We want people who have a regular job and blog in their free time, that's the way to get quality writers.
Sometimes I worry that my standards are too high ... but that's better than the alternative, right? If I'm going to err (and I will, inevitably) I would rather err on the side of good writing and analysis.
No one can really disagree with this reasoning. It's just the idea that a person who has time on their hands doesn't have the analytical skills required to write a blog about their favorite team and have it affiliated with ESPN.
The bottom line is that if ESPN doesn't pay its bloggers in the ESPN Super-Selective SweetSpot Network (sponsored by Applebee's) then they will have to hire people who make money some other way (unless it is from the blog itself), which also cuts down on the amount of time they are able to write, and therefore cuts down on the quality of the writing.
So that's where we're at, Billy. I get letters like yours all the time, and my advice is always the same. Do it. Write about your team, and prove to me that you can write often and well and smartly. Then we'll talk.
And use "and" three times in a sentence when making a list. I am sure this was learned through constant practice.
At least Rob Neyer pays attention to bloggers, which is a step up from how normally mainstream writers treat the people they see as the scum of the Earth in regards to writing.
Enough rambling, but if a sports network as large as ESPN can't find nine bloggers to cover nine MLB teams on for their sports network, something tells me there is a problem outside of the quality of the writing and analysis on the site of the blogs which are applying for the network.
-Let's get to JemeHill's story of seduction at a bar in South Africa. Thanks to reader Tom for the link to this article.
It was a little before midnight, during the Brazil-North Korea game, which I was watching at an adult beverage establishment.
I don't know what that is. I am mentally handicapped.
OK, a bar.
Thanks for clearing that up. Always assume your readers are as stupid as you are. That's a great standard to use when writing.
And walking through the door wasn't Idris Elba -- my dream man -- but a World Cup coach who shall remain anonymous. And let's just say he didn't sidle up to me because he wanted to discuss soccer strategy.
(JemeHill searching desperately to make this blog posting about race...she can't do it, so she settles for just telling the story)
Before your minds dive into the gutter, nothing came of it, and his misdirected romantic intentions were spurned. But the encounter was comical because he spoke only Spanish and I'm extremely proficient in English.
I may argue JemeHill's extreme proficiency in English at a later date, but everyone probably wants to hear this tale of seduction without me rambling any further.
However, I remembered enough Spanish to know that this coach was trying to pick me up.
JemeHill, who knows no Spanish outside of minoring in it at Michigan State and she hasn't used the degree since, is ABSOLUTELY SURE this guy was picking her...despite the fact they didn't speak the same language. Let's just remember this is a writer who starts many of her columns with a false premise which she pretends everyone believes, then she attempts to disprove this false premise in an effort to show how what everyone thinks is wrong. She sometimes seems to have a warped view of what people tend to believe it true. Let's remember this before we just assume this guy was picking her up, though he very well could have been.
But even if I hadn't known a lick of Spanish, I think I still would have figured out this coach's ultimate aim. The amorous look in his eyes, the winks that punctuated every sentence and asking for my room number made it a dead giveaway.
I think the conversation went like this:
(JemeHill) "Hi, how are you?"
(Soccer coach) "Fine, (touches her shirt) I like your shirt it is very pretty. What are you drinking tonight? I don't want to drink a crappy beer. (points at her beer) I think I am going to have what you are drinking, would you like for me to order you another one?"
(JemeHill) "No thanks, I actually am here by myself and would like to keep it that way."
(Soccer coach) "I enjoy looking at that shirt you got, it reminds me of one my wife has. It makes her eyes (points to his eyes) sparkle with beauty (gets a big smile on his face)."
(JemeHill) "I know what you are doing and I am not interested."
(Soccer coach) "I know who you are and I read your columns. My wife loves you. Perhaps we could get together sometime and you could meet my wife. You could also do a brief interview with me if you would like."
(JemeHill getting upset) "I don't know what you are trying to accomplish, but it isn't going to work."
(Soccer coach) "My wife loves your writing. I promise, there will be no interview if you don't want, she just wants to meet you. We are in Room 214. What is your room number? It will only take five minutes."
(JemeHill splashes a drink in his face and makes a note to tell everyone she got hit on at a bar)
Thankfully, I remembered three Spanish words that put a halt to his advances -- "Tengo novio" (I have a boyfriend)
(JemeHill after throwing a drink in his face) "Tengo novio."
(Soccer coach wiping his face off) "He would be upset if you met my wife? What kind of person is he? I would think a person wearing a shirt as pretty as yours would have a nicer boyfriend (smiles at her). Five minutes to meet you is all I ask. Our anniversary is next week and it would be a great present to her. We'll come to your room, what's your room number?"
and "Soy la periodista para ESPN" (I'm a journalist for ESPN).
(JemeHill) "Soy la periodista para ESPN."
(Soccer coach) "I know who you are. That is why I want you to meet my wife, it would make her very happy. She knows very well who you are (puts his hand on her shoulder and smiles again to try and convince her to meet his wife) and loves your writing."
After I said that, he nodded and said something about being "amigos."
(JemeHill) "You are a pig and I don't want to do anything with you."
(Soccer coach) "But we are amigos, can't you just do the meeting for me? How about 11am tomorrow?"
Then we ended our conversation on a handshake.
(JemeHill shakes his hand and begins to leave)
(Soccer coach) "So it is a deal then! I will see you tomorrow in my room at 11am with my wife. Thank you amigo!"
(The next morning at 11:45am the soccer coach is furious JemeHill never showed up and his wife leaves the room to go shopping in South Africa for the day and is flying home the very next day. The soccer coach is at the end of his rope now) "That puta!"
Nevertheless, it was flattering. I guess it's true that love -- or rather, lust -- is a universal language.
This is the most disturbing story I have read in a couple of days.
So Rob Neyer, who I deeply respect and like as a writer (cue me now ripping him), is having difficulty filling in some of the spots for this network. He has 21 of the 30 teams covered, but he also has high standards. Apparently, to be a columnist you can call someone "Tim Joyce" or put out an article that has errors in it to be fixed at a later date and be fine, but bloggers are held to a higher standard than that. Who knew, right? You can't just write 1-2 articles a week and hope your editor fixes mistakes, you have to write daily and be accurate.
So the title of Neyer's post is "Blogging's Harder Than It Looks," which goes against everything I have learned. I thought to blog all you needed was a mom, a basement/attic, and a computer. That's what the mainstream media has always taught me. Yet here we are, learning from Rob Neyer that blogging is actually difficult. Actually blogging well and daily is difficult, but I will let Rob Neyer explain why he can't fill the open positions in his super-select SweetSpot Blog Network...
I get these all the time, figured I should finally respond to one ...
Rob, I'm a big fan of your SweetSpot Blog Network, as well as a big fan of the Troy Haymakers (yes, we do exist!). However, I've always been a bit melancholy because of the lack of blog coverage for the Haymakers. I'm current a junior in college, so you can imagine all the spare time I have, and I was hoping to inquire how I could have a blog entered in your Blog Network. Please let me know if such a thing could happen and how.
Thanks. - Billy
This is the email that initiated the post by Rob.
As you've noticed, Billy, we don't yet have all the teams covered. I'll be completely honest with you ... I thought we'd have 25 teams covered by now,
He is four short of his goal right now. Here are the teams that the ESPN SuperSelect SweetSpot Blog Network, sponsored by Applebees, don't have in their network right now. This list is sponsored by Coors Light.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Cincinnati Reds
Colorado Rockies
Florida Marlins
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland A's
Pittsburgh Pirates
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
So these are the teams that Rob hasn't been able to find a person who wants to sell his soul to ESPN for a little bit of exposure for his/her blog. I'm going to just eyeball this and say Rob Neyer either has incredibly high standards or there is some messed up stuff in the contract ESPN wants the writer to sign to become a part of the network.
Instead we've got 21, with (at this moment) no real prospects for more. I do think we'll make some progress this season. I just don't know when, or how much.
Here's how I understand the contract ESPN wants the ESPN SuperSelective SweetSpot Blog Network writers to sign...
(Blogger) "Do I get paid?"
(ESPN) "No."
(Blogger) "So I bring you traffic and you benefit? Why would I do this?"
(ESPN) "You get exposure."
(Blogger) "What good does exposure get me if I can't make money off of it?"
(ESPN) "I am sure you can make money, just not with us."
(Blogger) "I run a really popular site, but I feel like I need to partner with another site to help bring different content to my readers. What can you do in this respect?"
(ESPN) "I don't think you are the right fit for us right now."
I don't mean to get too far into the specifics of the agreement between a writer and ESPN, because I don't know and even some of the research I did seems pretty hazy on what exactly the agreement entails.
You can read that article I linked if you would like, it was one of the few in-depth discussions of the SweetSpot I found in the time I searched for information about it. It seems like it was written by a guy who writes for a competitor of the ESPN SweetSpot, so it may just be a recruiting tool for other bloggers to come to his network and I am sure it contains some biased representations of what the SweetSpot stands for, besides super-selectivity of course. So the purpose of the linked article was to show some of the criticisms of the ESPN Super-Selective SweetSpot Blog Network sponsored by Applebee's and also show potentially why the nine slots haven't been filled yet.
I am not really trying to knock the SweetSpot or compare it to other networks, I just wanted to give a reason why it may be hard to find professional bloggers that can meet Rob Neyer's standards. That's what this rambling post is about...Rob Neyer's journalistic standards.
I do get a lot of "letters" like yours, Billy. And my best advice, if you're sincerely interested, is simple: do it.
I don't really get the "do it" advice given here because I am not sure Billy was asking how to start a blog, he was asking how to get his blog put on the ESPN Super-Selective SweetSpot Blog Network sponsored by Applebee's. It seems like he would need the help of Rob Neyer to join the network. I am pretty sure this writers knows how to start a blog.
Last time I checked, the barrier for entry was exceptionally low. I believe it takes about three minutes to get a blog up and running.
More like five minutes, you have to think of a title for your blog as well. Some of my early names for this blog, and actually the name of the blog for the 1st two days, were not very good and quite lengthy. So it takes three minutes to get a blog up and running and at least five minutes if you have to think of a title for your blog.
Of course, there aren't any guarantees.
What? There are no guarantees? That means blogging and writing is exactly like the rest of life. As a person who hasn't seen the sun in 17 days, I don't know if I could handle this. I thought I could just plop some shit down on a page, get published and call it a day.
(I know, there are obvious jokes about Rob Neyer having high standards for his bloggers, but ESPN has some of the most worst, in my opinion writers on the payroll for Page 2. It turns out Rob Neyer's standards are higher than the network he writes for.)
The sad truth is that even if you've got the time to write about your favorite team every day, you probably don't have the analytical skills or the writing chops we're looking for.
This is the centerpiece of this post in my mind. This isn't the sad truth, this is a complete and utter assumption that most likely is really wrong. So Rob Neyer is saying a person who has time on his hands is naturally not employable to be a writer or this person doesn't have enough skills to write well? Are his current ESPN Super-Selective SweetSpot (sponsored by Applebee's) bloggers all employed somewhere else and have very little time to write about their favorite team? Is that a job requirement? That a person has very little time...because that doesn't seem conducive to getting a group of people who write well either.
This is a stupid assumption. He can't just assume a person who has some time on his hands doesn't have the analytical skills or writing chops to write a daily blog about his/her favorite team. This type of thinking is what has caused newspapers to go belly-up and explains why there is such a large gap between professional journalists and the unprofessional bloggers of the world.
You might, someday.
Someday you may be able to write articles with rhyming puns in the name like Woody Paige, write a fake letter to the Chicago Bulls from LeBron James like Gene Wojciechowski has done, call for someone to get fired like Jay Mariotti does weekly, or even write a 500 word story that plagiarizes a previous story you wrote like Rick Reilly does. Some day, if you keep writing, and kiss the right asses you may be in the company of these individuals.
But writing, like most things, takes a fair amount of practice.
Apparently it doesn't count as practice if you currently write every single day on a blog about your favorite team. Because I am sure there are many people who have applied for the one of the open positions and been turned down even though they write everyday about their favorite team. I am not sure what would constitute practice more than that, outside of an English degree.
Obviously the quality of the writing should be a part of the decision, but I would hope writing your own blog about your favorite team everyday would constitute some form of practice to Rob Neyer.
If it were easy to write (and analyze) well, we wouldn't have nine openings in the SweetSpot Network, because I would have filled those slots already from among the many dozens of unaffiliated blogs that are out there right now.
And as stated above, Rob Neyer is looking for people who have little time on their hands to fill these open vacancies. You have all day to write and analyze your favorite team? You're a hack shithead. We want people who have a regular job and blog in their free time, that's the way to get quality writers.
Sometimes I worry that my standards are too high ... but that's better than the alternative, right? If I'm going to err (and I will, inevitably) I would rather err on the side of good writing and analysis.
No one can really disagree with this reasoning. It's just the idea that a person who has time on their hands doesn't have the analytical skills required to write a blog about their favorite team and have it affiliated with ESPN.
The bottom line is that if ESPN doesn't pay its bloggers in the ESPN Super-Selective SweetSpot Network (sponsored by Applebee's) then they will have to hire people who make money some other way (unless it is from the blog itself), which also cuts down on the amount of time they are able to write, and therefore cuts down on the quality of the writing.
So that's where we're at, Billy. I get letters like yours all the time, and my advice is always the same. Do it. Write about your team, and prove to me that you can write often and well and smartly. Then we'll talk.
And use "and" three times in a sentence when making a list. I am sure this was learned through constant practice.
At least Rob Neyer pays attention to bloggers, which is a step up from how normally mainstream writers treat the people they see as the scum of the Earth in regards to writing.
Enough rambling, but if a sports network as large as ESPN can't find nine bloggers to cover nine MLB teams on for their sports network, something tells me there is a problem outside of the quality of the writing and analysis on the site of the blogs which are applying for the network.
-Let's get to JemeHill's story of seduction at a bar in South Africa. Thanks to reader Tom for the link to this article.
It was a little before midnight, during the Brazil-North Korea game, which I was watching at an adult beverage establishment.
I don't know what that is. I am mentally handicapped.
OK, a bar.
Thanks for clearing that up. Always assume your readers are as stupid as you are. That's a great standard to use when writing.
And walking through the door wasn't Idris Elba -- my dream man -- but a World Cup coach who shall remain anonymous. And let's just say he didn't sidle up to me because he wanted to discuss soccer strategy.
(JemeHill searching desperately to make this blog posting about race...she can't do it, so she settles for just telling the story)
Before your minds dive into the gutter, nothing came of it, and his misdirected romantic intentions were spurned. But the encounter was comical because he spoke only Spanish and I'm extremely proficient in English.
I may argue JemeHill's extreme proficiency in English at a later date, but everyone probably wants to hear this tale of seduction without me rambling any further.
However, I remembered enough Spanish to know that this coach was trying to pick me up.
JemeHill, who knows no Spanish outside of minoring in it at Michigan State and she hasn't used the degree since, is ABSOLUTELY SURE this guy was picking her...despite the fact they didn't speak the same language. Let's just remember this is a writer who starts many of her columns with a false premise which she pretends everyone believes, then she attempts to disprove this false premise in an effort to show how what everyone thinks is wrong. She sometimes seems to have a warped view of what people tend to believe it true. Let's remember this before we just assume this guy was picking her up, though he very well could have been.
But even if I hadn't known a lick of Spanish, I think I still would have figured out this coach's ultimate aim. The amorous look in his eyes, the winks that punctuated every sentence and asking for my room number made it a dead giveaway.
I think the conversation went like this:
(JemeHill) "Hi, how are you?"
(Soccer coach) "Fine, (touches her shirt) I like your shirt it is very pretty. What are you drinking tonight? I don't want to drink a crappy beer. (points at her beer) I think I am going to have what you are drinking, would you like for me to order you another one?"
(JemeHill) "No thanks, I actually am here by myself and would like to keep it that way."
(Soccer coach) "I enjoy looking at that shirt you got, it reminds me of one my wife has. It makes her eyes (points to his eyes) sparkle with beauty (gets a big smile on his face)."
(JemeHill) "I know what you are doing and I am not interested."
(Soccer coach) "I know who you are and I read your columns. My wife loves you. Perhaps we could get together sometime and you could meet my wife. You could also do a brief interview with me if you would like."
(JemeHill getting upset) "I don't know what you are trying to accomplish, but it isn't going to work."
(Soccer coach) "My wife loves your writing. I promise, there will be no interview if you don't want, she just wants to meet you. We are in Room 214. What is your room number? It will only take five minutes."
(JemeHill splashes a drink in his face and makes a note to tell everyone she got hit on at a bar)
Thankfully, I remembered three Spanish words that put a halt to his advances -- "Tengo novio" (I have a boyfriend)
(JemeHill after throwing a drink in his face) "Tengo novio."
(Soccer coach wiping his face off) "He would be upset if you met my wife? What kind of person is he? I would think a person wearing a shirt as pretty as yours would have a nicer boyfriend (smiles at her). Five minutes to meet you is all I ask. Our anniversary is next week and it would be a great present to her. We'll come to your room, what's your room number?"
and "Soy la periodista para ESPN" (I'm a journalist for ESPN).
(JemeHill) "Soy la periodista para ESPN."
(Soccer coach) "I know who you are. That is why I want you to meet my wife, it would make her very happy. She knows very well who you are (puts his hand on her shoulder and smiles again to try and convince her to meet his wife) and loves your writing."
After I said that, he nodded and said something about being "amigos."
(JemeHill) "You are a pig and I don't want to do anything with you."
(Soccer coach) "But we are amigos, can't you just do the meeting for me? How about 11am tomorrow?"
Then we ended our conversation on a handshake.
(JemeHill shakes his hand and begins to leave)
(Soccer coach) "So it is a deal then! I will see you tomorrow in my room at 11am with my wife. Thank you amigo!"
(The next morning at 11:45am the soccer coach is furious JemeHill never showed up and his wife leaves the room to go shopping in South Africa for the day and is flying home the very next day. The soccer coach is at the end of his rope now) "That puta!"
Nevertheless, it was flattering. I guess it's true that love -- or rather, lust -- is a universal language.
This is the most disturbing story I have read in a couple of days.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
2 comments Simmons and Me on the Boston Red Sox
(I wrote this Friday morning, now the Red Sox have tied the League Championship Series 3-3).
Here is Simmons' blow by blow account of how he feels about Red Sox and how they reaffirm his existence in the world.
Here is Simmons' blow by blow account of how he feels about Red Sox and how they reaffirm his existence in the world.
I am not going to dissect and mock Simmons' account of how the Red Sox won Game 5 last night. (By the way, I typed "the World Series," realized it was a mistake and put "Game 5" in there but I think we all know I was right the first time.) I may put up a couple of quotes that specifically annoyed me.
I cheered for the Red Sox in 2003 and 2004 when they were playing against the Yankees because I absolutely hated the Yankees and then did not watch the World Series at all in 2004 and 2007 simply because the Red Sox were involved. Not because I did not like them, but I knew they were going to win both years, so it was pointless. I think we can all agree the bad karma the Red Sox had gotten over the years when they could not win the World Series has been rid of and now they are the ones pulling off the miracle comebacks. I think the world has evened itself out for them at this point.
I always had no opinion on the Red Sox. I never hated the Red Sox until 2006 when I came to the realization this was a Red Sox world and we are all just living in it. It seemed like New England fans (Bill Simmons' is an example) were everywhere describing their joy over all of their teams winning titles. Along with the New England Patriots, who had also broken my heart in the Super Bowl, the area had a lot of winning teams. I think the exact point I started hating the New England teams was when I read a Bill Simmons' column (and I searched the archives and don't know which one, I could not find it for some reason) describing the Red Sox and New England fans in general. I realized I was exactly like them. What irritated me was that he was saying New England fans were not like all other fans, like they had been more tortured and been through more than any other fan base. Therefore they were special and cheered for their teams much harder than any other fan base. It's like the whole world was supposed to cheer for them and their fans because they were more important and dedicated. I found it to be bullshit and I actually resented it as well. The sad part is that I know New England fans and they don't think they are special, they truly are like everyone else, so I feel like an old man railing against something that doesn't exist.
I think it was the bandwagon fans I was truly annoyed with because people like Bill Simmons through his running diaries and constant coverage was essentially recruiting a new group of Red Sox and Patriot fans. Now he complains about the wine and cheese crowd and the bandwagon fans that follow the team. He helped create this in way. I feel dumb because I don't hate the Red Sox and the Patriots, I don't hate their fans, but I just hate the way they are constantly covered. It is like a Favre Watch all the time it seems. Not that they don't sometimes deserve it, but I think I am Boston-ed out. I am a Celtics fan from the early 80's, so I guess you could say I jumped on the bandwagon at a young age, even though I did not know what a bandwagon was. I barely even acknowledged the Celtics title this year because I was so tired of the New England coverage, it actually ruined what should be an exciting moment for me.
I think it was the bandwagon fans I was truly annoyed with because people like Bill Simmons through his running diaries and constant coverage was essentially recruiting a new group of Red Sox and Patriot fans. Now he complains about the wine and cheese crowd and the bandwagon fans that follow the team. He helped create this in way. I feel dumb because I don't hate the Red Sox and the Patriots, I don't hate their fans, but I just hate the way they are constantly covered. It is like a Favre Watch all the time it seems. Not that they don't sometimes deserve it, but I think I am Boston-ed out. I am a Celtics fan from the early 80's, so I guess you could say I jumped on the bandwagon at a young age, even though I did not know what a bandwagon was. I barely even acknowledged the Celtics title this year because I was so tired of the New England coverage, it actually ruined what should be an exciting moment for me.
I became tired of the Red Sox being a tortured fan base that finally gets their due and getting to read Bill Simmons' 903rd running fucking diary about the Red Sox where he tries to sprinkle in a few references to pop culture and other events in order to make sure the running diary can not be considered just a fan boy's own recollection of the event. He does this well and continues to be well read on ESPN. I think my main gripe with the Patriots and Red Sox coverage is just how they have been forced down the public's throat as the only teams that truly matter and cheer for their team through thick and thin. Everyone knows it is not that way, but I can't name one more writer on ESPN that wears his love for his team's on his sleeve as much as Bill Simmons does. It is admirable, but where are the running diaries of the Philadelphia-Los Angeles NLCS this year from Simmons? He had every reason to do one since Manny plays (ed) for the Dodgers but he did not. There was no Philly fan who got 2,000 words to describe how it felt to have them win the National League pennant, yet we all know after a big Red Sox victory you will get something from Bill Simmons. In fact, Bill wrote this column as an extra column for this week, not in conjunction with his NFL picks. That article is coming later today. Don't want to overwork him I guess. So someone at ESPN told him to write how it felt to have the Red Sox win or he felt we all cared how he felt. I just find it hard to believe ESPN would not try to replicate Simmons' success with another columnist from another popular city. I know Simmons has his own thing and it would be rude for another columnist to copy him but Bill Simmons is a true fan of the teams he watches and that is absolutely it. When he needs to expand upon that, he fails in my opinion.
Bill's current article is a summary of the Red Sox game last night and how he feels about them and why he loves sports so much. You can't write an entire column about one subject, the Red Sox victory last night, and then try to tie it in with the sport as a whole. It just doesn't work that way. Bill ends the column with:
I do love sports but the Red Sox and Patriots suck the joy out of sports for me.
I remember uttering the words, "I wanted us to win tonight if only because it would have been another two days where I didn't have to think about Matt Cassel."
During an earlier inning, one of my Red Sox e-mail buddies wrote after yet another Papi whiff, "I'd rather have Brandon Moss or Jeff Bailey or Matt Stairs batting third for us. Papi is not just useless, he's visibly, obviously, pathetically useless."
With no reason at all to believe, the Fenway fans were standing and cheering and willing Little Man to get a hit. This was an unexpected old-school Fenway crowd, like the ones we had before they turned Fenway into a theme park
So let's just agree a memorable baseball game happened Thursday night. It delighted a large group of people and devastated a much smaller group.
I agree it was a memorable game. I think at this point the Red Sox have used up all the fairy dust they accumulated through the "non winning and tortured" years.
You have to admit, this sports weekend suddenly became much more interesting than it was 24 hours ago.
That is actually one of the main reasons I do not like the Red Sox because the postseason just got a little less interesting because I have seen Boston win a World Series and I would rather see the Phillies or the Rays win the series. It is not happening though and I am used to it. I don't hate the Red Sox, I hate the fact I am told by ESPN and other sports media I am supposed to like the Red Sox.
Monday, July 7, 2008
2 comments Brett Favre Update!
Thank you Peter King.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/07/07/favre/index.html?eref=T1
Thank you for updating me on where Brett Favre stands in his "retirement." How much pillow talk did it take?
No. 4 wants to play football again, and the Green Bay Packers desperately do not want him to.
Let's make one thing clear real early. There is no difference in what Brett Favre is doing and what Javon Walker, Terrell Owens, and Chad Johnson have done and gotten grilled in the media for in the past. He is holding the organization and fans hostage. It is unfair to expect an entire organization to bend to your demands just because you were good for them for 15 years. They have to prepare for life after you and they have. Deal with it.
They can take Favre and his $12.8-million cap number back onto the team and give him his starting job back, they can trade him or they can release him.
Here are two other options:
1. Favre quits acting like a Vicodin fueled little bitch and stays retired.
2. The Packers let him un-retire, and then have him as their emergency third string QB or a backup for the entire season and fine him every chance they get when he speaks out.
It's obvious Favre could give a shit about the Packers, why should they give a shit about him?
Neither Favre nor the Packers have the balls to do either of these, so I say release him. I would be interested to see how much interest he draws.
I've been told an edgy McCarthy told Favre, in their most recent phone conversation a couple of weeks ago, the legendary quarterback would put the Packers in a tough spot by reneging on his March 6 retirement. Favre understands. But I don't think it's going to stop him from doing what his body tells him to do -- play football again.
Did the Packers pay Favre to play football or did he do it all for charity? Again, he made millions from the Packers who stood by him through drug addiction and his overratedness throughout his career. Favre understands, but he doesn't care, that should tell anyone on the Packers enough right there.
In the past few years, Favre has begun to prepare for training camp by throwing to high-school receivers at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Miss., and when he's done that in the past month, his arm has felt pain-free and strong.
His ability to play football was never in question, don't make excuses Peter.
That, plus the fact he hasn't found anything else to do in retirement other than the chores on his 465 acres in Hattiesburg, is making him think he wants to play football again.
Oh yeah, that big farm all the money the Packers paid him helped pay for. So he is bored and that is the reason to make the Packer's life Hell? Seriously, could this guy be any more selfish. I want to scream it from a roof top until my lungs bleed. How does no one see this?
The one thing I don't believe Favre understands yet is the tumult which will greet his return to the Packers, or to another NFL team. There are Packer fans who have moved on, and wish he would do the same.
There are millions of football fans who wish he would move on as well. Don't forget us.
They've happily proceeded through the off-season preparing the 24-year-old successor to Favre, Aaron Rodgers, to take his place, and they don't want their grand plan interrupted now. It's quite understandable.
You mean they have not spent an entire off season begging Favre to come back? How dare they! He needs to be loved and have his balls cupped by 39 virgins in a garden filled with bouquets of flowers and they dared not pay heed to his whims? I still say let him unretire and sit on the bench all year. And, it is not a "grand plan," it is "the entire fucking reason they drafted Aaron Rodgers."
If I were Rodgers, and I'd already waited through three years without starting a game, and Favre returned, I know what I'd tell McCarthy. That's fine, Mike. But I will never sign another contract with the Packers. After 2009, whatever happens, I'm gone.
He would also be completely in the right. Also, what about Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm, both QB's who have potential to be decent players in the league? The Packers have completely prepared for life after Favre because they did not think he was a liar. Brett Favre only gives a shit about himself and it has been that way ever since he started these hostage negotations with the Packers every summer for the past four years.
That's not the only reason why McCarthy and Thompson are scared. There are two more, actually.
I'm scared I will have to hear more about Brett Favre.
Say they accept Favre back, then try to trade him. They're going to get, what, a third-round pick from Tampa Bay or the New York Jets or Washington for him? They'll forever be known as the men who sent the greatest Packer packing.
The greatest Packer? Bart Starr needs to see you in his office right now.
And there's no guarantee Favre would agree to go to just any team if he chooses to come back. Don't put it past him and agent Bus Cook to refuse to report to a team Favre doesn't want to play for.
Is there a way Favre could be a bigger dick? He retires, the team dares to go on without him believing that his is not an incredible liar, he decides he wants to come back, the Packers allow him to do so but tell him they have moved on without him so they attempt to trade him so he can play again like he wants, and Favre pisses and moans like a five year old at who he is getting traded to.
You know how he can prevent going to a team he does not want to play for?
Stay retired. What a novel concept.
Two: Say the Packers allow Favre his freedom, which I think ultimately is what Favre wants if he doesn't get his starting job back in Green Bay.
I will offer $100 to the first journalist who fires off a column calling Brett Favre selfish and absolutely skewering him for being a little cry baby.
The smartest thing for the Packers to do right now, if Favre continues to charge ahead and insist he wants to play, would be for McCarthy and Thompson to meet with Favre in the next 10 days and try to convince him not to play.
Well of course, but you have already stated this will not work.
I don't think it would work, particularly because I don't sense Favre is feeling all warm and fuzzy about Packer brass right now. But Favre's an emotional sort.
What the hell has the "Packer brass" done to Brett Favre except bend over for his each and every wish over the past four years? He bitched about the team last year and said they needed more offensive weapons and then the only reason they did not make the Super Bowl is because he threw an interception in overtime. Those are the facts.
Did he did not feel wanted by the Packers? Maybe they were tired of your holding the team hostage every summer with your flip flopping on whether you were going to retire or not. He should have no negative feelings for the Packers. Imagine if they flip flopped every summer on getting him good offensive players, he would complain to the media every chance he got. There is no difference in Chad Johnson and Brett Favre.
Final point: I keep hearing Favre was pushed into retirement by the Packers demanding an early decision this off-season, or by Thompson not showing him enough love. He might feel that way, but I think it's nonsense.
Thank you. It is nonsense and I am glad Peter King can see it that way. I feel strongly about this for whatever reason. I just think it is dumb for the media to treat Favre like he is royalty when he is one of the most self absorbed stars ever to play the game of football. Also, the Packers have every right to ask him to make a quick decision, let's not forget that.
If he's not, the Packers are not to blame. He is. He'll have to take the consequences for returning, either in Green Bay (where he shouldn't expect a hug from Rodgers) or elsewhere.
If Packer fans can't see what a douche Favre is then they are morons. If I were Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre showed up at camp, I would punch him in his grizzled, three day old unshaven face and then demand a trade.
Brett Favre is selfish, more people need to see this.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/07/07/favre/index.html?eref=T1
Thank you for updating me on where Brett Favre stands in his "retirement." How much pillow talk did it take?
No. 4 wants to play football again, and the Green Bay Packers desperately do not want him to.
Let's make one thing clear real early. There is no difference in what Brett Favre is doing and what Javon Walker, Terrell Owens, and Chad Johnson have done and gotten grilled in the media for in the past. He is holding the organization and fans hostage. It is unfair to expect an entire organization to bend to your demands just because you were good for them for 15 years. They have to prepare for life after you and they have. Deal with it.
They can take Favre and his $12.8-million cap number back onto the team and give him his starting job back, they can trade him or they can release him.
Here are two other options:
1. Favre quits acting like a Vicodin fueled little bitch and stays retired.
2. The Packers let him un-retire, and then have him as their emergency third string QB or a backup for the entire season and fine him every chance they get when he speaks out.
It's obvious Favre could give a shit about the Packers, why should they give a shit about him?
Neither Favre nor the Packers have the balls to do either of these, so I say release him. I would be interested to see how much interest he draws.
I've been told an edgy McCarthy told Favre, in their most recent phone conversation a couple of weeks ago, the legendary quarterback would put the Packers in a tough spot by reneging on his March 6 retirement. Favre understands. But I don't think it's going to stop him from doing what his body tells him to do -- play football again.
Did the Packers pay Favre to play football or did he do it all for charity? Again, he made millions from the Packers who stood by him through drug addiction and his overratedness throughout his career. Favre understands, but he doesn't care, that should tell anyone on the Packers enough right there.
In the past few years, Favre has begun to prepare for training camp by throwing to high-school receivers at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Miss., and when he's done that in the past month, his arm has felt pain-free and strong.
His ability to play football was never in question, don't make excuses Peter.
That, plus the fact he hasn't found anything else to do in retirement other than the chores on his 465 acres in Hattiesburg, is making him think he wants to play football again.
Oh yeah, that big farm all the money the Packers paid him helped pay for. So he is bored and that is the reason to make the Packer's life Hell? Seriously, could this guy be any more selfish. I want to scream it from a roof top until my lungs bleed. How does no one see this?
The one thing I don't believe Favre understands yet is the tumult which will greet his return to the Packers, or to another NFL team. There are Packer fans who have moved on, and wish he would do the same.
There are millions of football fans who wish he would move on as well. Don't forget us.
They've happily proceeded through the off-season preparing the 24-year-old successor to Favre, Aaron Rodgers, to take his place, and they don't want their grand plan interrupted now. It's quite understandable.
You mean they have not spent an entire off season begging Favre to come back? How dare they! He needs to be loved and have his balls cupped by 39 virgins in a garden filled with bouquets of flowers and they dared not pay heed to his whims? I still say let him unretire and sit on the bench all year. And, it is not a "grand plan," it is "the entire fucking reason they drafted Aaron Rodgers."
If I were Rodgers, and I'd already waited through three years without starting a game, and Favre returned, I know what I'd tell McCarthy. That's fine, Mike. But I will never sign another contract with the Packers. After 2009, whatever happens, I'm gone.
He would also be completely in the right. Also, what about Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm, both QB's who have potential to be decent players in the league? The Packers have completely prepared for life after Favre because they did not think he was a liar. Brett Favre only gives a shit about himself and it has been that way ever since he started these hostage negotations with the Packers every summer for the past four years.
That's not the only reason why McCarthy and Thompson are scared. There are two more, actually.
I'm scared I will have to hear more about Brett Favre.
Say they accept Favre back, then try to trade him. They're going to get, what, a third-round pick from Tampa Bay or the New York Jets or Washington for him? They'll forever be known as the men who sent the greatest Packer packing.
The greatest Packer? Bart Starr needs to see you in his office right now.
And there's no guarantee Favre would agree to go to just any team if he chooses to come back. Don't put it past him and agent Bus Cook to refuse to report to a team Favre doesn't want to play for.
Is there a way Favre could be a bigger dick? He retires, the team dares to go on without him believing that his is not an incredible liar, he decides he wants to come back, the Packers allow him to do so but tell him they have moved on without him so they attempt to trade him so he can play again like he wants, and Favre pisses and moans like a five year old at who he is getting traded to.
You know how he can prevent going to a team he does not want to play for?
Stay retired. What a novel concept.
Two: Say the Packers allow Favre his freedom, which I think ultimately is what Favre wants if he doesn't get his starting job back in Green Bay.
I will offer $100 to the first journalist who fires off a column calling Brett Favre selfish and absolutely skewering him for being a little cry baby.
The smartest thing for the Packers to do right now, if Favre continues to charge ahead and insist he wants to play, would be for McCarthy and Thompson to meet with Favre in the next 10 days and try to convince him not to play.
Well of course, but you have already stated this will not work.
I don't think it would work, particularly because I don't sense Favre is feeling all warm and fuzzy about Packer brass right now. But Favre's an emotional sort.
What the hell has the "Packer brass" done to Brett Favre except bend over for his each and every wish over the past four years? He bitched about the team last year and said they needed more offensive weapons and then the only reason they did not make the Super Bowl is because he threw an interception in overtime. Those are the facts.
Did he did not feel wanted by the Packers? Maybe they were tired of your holding the team hostage every summer with your flip flopping on whether you were going to retire or not. He should have no negative feelings for the Packers. Imagine if they flip flopped every summer on getting him good offensive players, he would complain to the media every chance he got. There is no difference in Chad Johnson and Brett Favre.
Final point: I keep hearing Favre was pushed into retirement by the Packers demanding an early decision this off-season, or by Thompson not showing him enough love. He might feel that way, but I think it's nonsense.
Thank you. It is nonsense and I am glad Peter King can see it that way. I feel strongly about this for whatever reason. I just think it is dumb for the media to treat Favre like he is royalty when he is one of the most self absorbed stars ever to play the game of football. Also, the Packers have every right to ask him to make a quick decision, let's not forget that.
If he's not, the Packers are not to blame. He is. He'll have to take the consequences for returning, either in Green Bay (where he shouldn't expect a hug from Rodgers) or elsewhere.
If Packer fans can't see what a douche Favre is then they are morons. If I were Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre showed up at camp, I would punch him in his grizzled, three day old unshaven face and then demand a trade.
Brett Favre is selfish, more people need to see this.
Monday, June 9, 2008
0 comments Joey, Joey!
I have officially visited the bleachers at Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees, my 29th favorite team in MLB, and the Royals play, who I could care less about. Despite all the odds against it, I actually enjoyed the game. Here are my highlights from the beginning of the walk in to the end of the game:
-As we walked to the stadium I was asked if I had my wallet in my back pocket, which I already did. Apparently picking people's pocket is popular in New York. Welcome to the Bronx!
-As you enter the stadium you see concessions and notice a stench that could potentially be described as the worst smell in the history of the world. Imagine a sweaty, non deodorant wearing man passing gas beside a skunk and then multiply it by ten. This was the concession area, where you are supposed to order food, so I got a Nathan's hot dog and began the ascent to my seat in Section 42 with the Bleacher Creatures.
-If anyone has ever been to Yankee Stadium, your first thought at the majesty of it was probably the same as mine...God, this is small, it looks a lot bigger on television and in my nightmares. Then you imagine Jeffrey Maier catching Derek Jeter's homerun in 1996 and all of the other historic things that have happened and it seemed really disconcerting they happened in the same ball park I was standing in considering how small the stadium felt to me. If this is the House Ruth Built, it must have been before he weighed a solid 250 pounds or else he would not have fit in the stadium. Ok, maybe not that small but still...
-The weather. It was sunny, no cloud in the sky and absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately it was also 108 degrees and not windy in the least bit. I began perspiring at the entrance to the tunnel and did not stop until I had gotten in the shower 5 hours later. Brutal, brutal weather. Also, you never really think about how slow Andy Pettitte works until he takes a half hour between pitches, then people look at you when you yell, "just pitch the ball!" By the way, he gave up 10 earned runs because Joe Girardi comes from the same school as Bobby Cox and have taken the class called, "Excessive amounts of wildness and 100+ pitches is not cause for taking a pitcher out of the game." By the way, it was 108 degrees but Pettitte still came out for the 7th inning after giving up 6 runs. The public address announcer made periodic announcements that free water was available to keep everyone hydrated. Of course that all ran out in the 5th inning and all that was left was $4.50 bottled water. I bought three. I guess A Rod has to get paid somehow.
-Derek Jeter. Yankee fans love this man. Here is what he did during the game 0-4, one error, and thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. That was the highlight of his day other than the .276 average, 3 HR and 29 RBI's. Let's just say I came away less than impressed with him and even less impressed by the fact he is described as such a smart baserunner by every announcer and still felt the need to test Jose Guillen's arm. That did not work out well for him.
-Alex Rodriguez. He hit a massive 2 run homerun in the 7th inning to put the Yankees within two runs, and they eventually won, but his fan support was lackluster to say the least. A Rod jerseys should sell out every other jersey 2-1 but he had about as many jerseys as Joba Chamberlain did. I would buy a jersey simply because they are stuck with him for the next 10 years. I also called the homerun and no one was sufficiently impressed by this. I told my lady of long term committment A Rod was going deep in this at bat and he did. You would think she would be impressed by my abilities enough to tell everyone, but she just sat there and acknowledged she thinks I am smart. Not good enough, everyone else needs to know it too.
-Bleacher Creatures. That is what they call themselves. Basically they should be called the real baseball fans who don't have enough money to get really good seats. I did notice some odd things about them though:
First, they chant every player's name on the Yankees team once they take the field in the first inning. Only after the player acknowledges the fan's support do they stop. It is actually pretty cool, so I enjoyed that. They don't do it for the first baseman, the pitcher and the catcher, so I wonder why?
Second, they love Derek Jeter.
Third, someone guy who looked like he was an extra in any movie that has ever taken place in New York (whatever that means) chanted for a two inning span, "Joey, Joey", followed by an insult of some type like, "you are going to be chasing baseballs all day." I am all for heckling but I am not sure in an OF containing Jose Guillen, Joey Gaithwright is the top priority for the heckling faithful. This made me lose respect for this man, simply because Jose Guillen is an admitted steroid user and should be an easy target. Maybe they are too afraid to taunt for fear Jason Giambi may hear and think about what he may or may not have done, I don't know.
Fourth and lastly, they were not quite as mean as I had given them credit for. I was wearing my favorite team's hat the entire day and there were three Boston Red Sox shirts that I saw. I was not accosted with insults and the Red Sox fan was neither. I was a little disappointed because I expected to have to defend myself a little. I guess it was too hot.
-A lady was wearing a Roger Clemens jersey with the number 12 on it. I tried for an hour and never got why she was wearing a Clemens jersey that did not have his correct number on the back.
-Pulling Joba Chamberlain into the starting rotation has caused some great concern among the Yankee fans concerning late inning relief. The guy in front of me had a shirt that said, "Anybody but Farnsworth," but he being compared to the other shit they have, he seems like a decent option.
-Don't go in the toilets at Yankee Stadium and expect to sit down if you are a girl. If you are a girl and you are reading this sentence, I would be extremely shocked as well. I have one reader and from all appearances it is a guy.
-For some reason, the phrase "Got Melky?" really grosses me out.
-I could not recognize any of the Yankee's players introduction music and this pissed me off.
-I saw the new Yankees Stadium 100 feet from the old one, which is the one I was currently in. This brought up the question of how the hell were they going to tear the old one down? They usually blast stadiums since that takes all of five seconds and I was told they were going to tear it down with workers. This is stupid. Along with the traffic near the George Washington Bridge, which goes one lane, two lanes, back to one lane, this makes me lose a little respect for the city planners.
-I would like to back when the temperature is 30 degrees cooler.
-As we walked to the stadium I was asked if I had my wallet in my back pocket, which I already did. Apparently picking people's pocket is popular in New York. Welcome to the Bronx!
-As you enter the stadium you see concessions and notice a stench that could potentially be described as the worst smell in the history of the world. Imagine a sweaty, non deodorant wearing man passing gas beside a skunk and then multiply it by ten. This was the concession area, where you are supposed to order food, so I got a Nathan's hot dog and began the ascent to my seat in Section 42 with the Bleacher Creatures.
-If anyone has ever been to Yankee Stadium, your first thought at the majesty of it was probably the same as mine...God, this is small, it looks a lot bigger on television and in my nightmares. Then you imagine Jeffrey Maier catching Derek Jeter's homerun in 1996 and all of the other historic things that have happened and it seemed really disconcerting they happened in the same ball park I was standing in considering how small the stadium felt to me. If this is the House Ruth Built, it must have been before he weighed a solid 250 pounds or else he would not have fit in the stadium. Ok, maybe not that small but still...
-The weather. It was sunny, no cloud in the sky and absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately it was also 108 degrees and not windy in the least bit. I began perspiring at the entrance to the tunnel and did not stop until I had gotten in the shower 5 hours later. Brutal, brutal weather. Also, you never really think about how slow Andy Pettitte works until he takes a half hour between pitches, then people look at you when you yell, "just pitch the ball!" By the way, he gave up 10 earned runs because Joe Girardi comes from the same school as Bobby Cox and have taken the class called, "Excessive amounts of wildness and 100+ pitches is not cause for taking a pitcher out of the game." By the way, it was 108 degrees but Pettitte still came out for the 7th inning after giving up 6 runs. The public address announcer made periodic announcements that free water was available to keep everyone hydrated. Of course that all ran out in the 5th inning and all that was left was $4.50 bottled water. I bought three. I guess A Rod has to get paid somehow.
-Derek Jeter. Yankee fans love this man. Here is what he did during the game 0-4, one error, and thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. That was the highlight of his day other than the .276 average, 3 HR and 29 RBI's. Let's just say I came away less than impressed with him and even less impressed by the fact he is described as such a smart baserunner by every announcer and still felt the need to test Jose Guillen's arm. That did not work out well for him.
-Alex Rodriguez. He hit a massive 2 run homerun in the 7th inning to put the Yankees within two runs, and they eventually won, but his fan support was lackluster to say the least. A Rod jerseys should sell out every other jersey 2-1 but he had about as many jerseys as Joba Chamberlain did. I would buy a jersey simply because they are stuck with him for the next 10 years. I also called the homerun and no one was sufficiently impressed by this. I told my lady of long term committment A Rod was going deep in this at bat and he did. You would think she would be impressed by my abilities enough to tell everyone, but she just sat there and acknowledged she thinks I am smart. Not good enough, everyone else needs to know it too.
-Bleacher Creatures. That is what they call themselves. Basically they should be called the real baseball fans who don't have enough money to get really good seats. I did notice some odd things about them though:
First, they chant every player's name on the Yankees team once they take the field in the first inning. Only after the player acknowledges the fan's support do they stop. It is actually pretty cool, so I enjoyed that. They don't do it for the first baseman, the pitcher and the catcher, so I wonder why?
Second, they love Derek Jeter.
Third, someone guy who looked like he was an extra in any movie that has ever taken place in New York (whatever that means) chanted for a two inning span, "Joey, Joey", followed by an insult of some type like, "you are going to be chasing baseballs all day." I am all for heckling but I am not sure in an OF containing Jose Guillen, Joey Gaithwright is the top priority for the heckling faithful. This made me lose respect for this man, simply because Jose Guillen is an admitted steroid user and should be an easy target. Maybe they are too afraid to taunt for fear Jason Giambi may hear and think about what he may or may not have done, I don't know.
Fourth and lastly, they were not quite as mean as I had given them credit for. I was wearing my favorite team's hat the entire day and there were three Boston Red Sox shirts that I saw. I was not accosted with insults and the Red Sox fan was neither. I was a little disappointed because I expected to have to defend myself a little. I guess it was too hot.
-A lady was wearing a Roger Clemens jersey with the number 12 on it. I tried for an hour and never got why she was wearing a Clemens jersey that did not have his correct number on the back.
-Pulling Joba Chamberlain into the starting rotation has caused some great concern among the Yankee fans concerning late inning relief. The guy in front of me had a shirt that said, "Anybody but Farnsworth," but he being compared to the other shit they have, he seems like a decent option.
-Don't go in the toilets at Yankee Stadium and expect to sit down if you are a girl. If you are a girl and you are reading this sentence, I would be extremely shocked as well. I have one reader and from all appearances it is a guy.
-For some reason, the phrase "Got Melky?" really grosses me out.
-I could not recognize any of the Yankee's players introduction music and this pissed me off.
-I saw the new Yankees Stadium 100 feet from the old one, which is the one I was currently in. This brought up the question of how the hell were they going to tear the old one down? They usually blast stadiums since that takes all of five seconds and I was told they were going to tear it down with workers. This is stupid. Along with the traffic near the George Washington Bridge, which goes one lane, two lanes, back to one lane, this makes me lose a little respect for the city planners.
-I would like to back when the temperature is 30 degrees cooler.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
0 comments Random Thoughts
I was going to live blog the MLB Draft, but then decided that would be a waste of time since I don't follow the players until they make it into my favorite team's farm system. So if anyone reads this, you are stuck with random thoughts from me.
-Bill Simmons did a Finals preview and I did not read it.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080605
I went to the end, saw he had 33 quotes (because he is not superstitious or anything) he commented on and picked the Celtics in 7 games. When has he ever picked against his favorite team? Ever? In his chat the other day he got a little defensive when a reader/critic accused him of only talking about Boston sports and he responded by naming everything Boston teams have been in and done over the past couple years and asked what else he was supposed to talk about. That's true but he can't act as of there is nothing else going on in the sports world and his admitted inability to pay attention to the National League and the NFC makes it hard to even dream he has a point.
-I agree. I think people get too excited about him. I would like to see him make the HoF because I have his jersey shirt and wear it to bed but still.
http://158point3.blogspot.com/2008/06/hold-your-horses-jason-stark-or-why.html
-I did not read Fire Joe Morgan's new posts for the first time in a year today. It does not interest me, just like an open letter about any other team other than my favorite would not interest me. I think that is the entire point those who were surprised by the open letter to Theo Epstein have. It read more as a fan blog than a critique of other writers.
-I love it when Jason Whitlock stretches so hard to make an argument because sometimes he makes a good point. In this case his argument can be negated with one comment.
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/8213226/College-baseball-shares-many-of-college-hoops
The reason OJ Mayo got more press is because he has actively looked for publicity since he was 14 years old, played in a college sport that received more publicity, and had most of his games nationally televised. It's the same reason no one cared when Jodie Sweetin got divorced but the Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston split was all over the news.
-Michael Beasley is going to find out really quickly that the NBA Draft is a game of inches. 6 foot 10 inches looks good, 6 foot 8 inches does not for a power forward. It should not really matter, but these idiots who scout think this is a huge deal.
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/8210192
I am not going to warn anyone against DeAndre Jordan again. He did 8 reps in the bench press. The bench press is no big deal for Kevin Durant because he is a wingman but Jordan is a post player Even though he is 20, Jordan needs to get stronger AND I watched him play multiple times and I think he is lazy.
-Remember, I am a professional and know what I am talking about.
-You know what story does not get enough play? The Jason Taylor-Bill Parcells saga. I need to know more about the situation down there in Florida. I honestly don't care if Bill Parcells wants Taylor back and I don't see how anyone else does either.
-I can't speak enough about Bill Parcells and what an asshole I believe he is. He stands up the Tampa Bay Bucs 6 years ago, instead goes to Dallas and never wins a playoff game. This year he goes back on his word to the Atlanta Falcons and ends up in Miami. Not to mention he was openly looking for a new job with the Jets when he was with the Patriots. He is basically a gun for hire until he cons another team into letting him have control over their roster. I don't get how this is any different than what Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino did. There's no difference in my mind.
The worst part is no one calls him out on this. I remember when he went face to face with Chris Mortensen before he took the Cowboys job on ESPN and absolutely denied he would be the Cowboys head coach. Three days later, he was announced as head coach. Not to mention he has not had that much success with each team he has coached since leaving the Giants and the main reason is completely his fault. That main reason is that he leaves before the team can make it back to the playoffs a couple years in a row, so that leaves the team with a new head coach and a new system. I guess that worked out well eventually for the Patriots. I would absolutely never hire him as my head coach if I was an owner.
-I think Bobby Cox is by far the most overrated game manager of the last 20 years. His in-game decisions are horrible. I have also come to the conclusion Dusty Baker wishes Jay Bruce was a pitcher so he could ruin his career ASAP.
-The Cowboys are my football version of the Boston Red Sox. I don't care about Pacman Jones, TO, Tony Romo or even give a shit about the team as a whole. Win a playoff game and then you will get my attention. Not that you really want it but still...
-Ok, only one more Boston bashing post...
http://thebiglead.com/?p=6119#more-6119
Martin Bell (NYC): There’s no way to put this gently, so I’ll be blunt: Are you and Bill Simmons going to get along?
SportsNation Rick Reilly: We’re already getting along. The guy is routinely hilarious.
Not really, really funny, but just routinely funny. He is the "According to Jim" of the ESPN world. Congrats Bill!
He’s new school, I’m old school, but we still want the same thing: entertaining, compelling columns.
I've got an idea! Let's see which one of these puts out an entertaining, compelling column first and they will win free tickets to kiss my ass. Good luck men!
Also in this post I get a FREE Simmons rebuttal to Bob Ryan. Say it ain't so.
“That’s right, someone writing a serious rebuttal to an intentionally ridiculous column. I never thought it could happen, but if it DID ever happen, I knew it was going to be a Boston College grad who did it."
Bill, it is hard to keep up, all of your columns are really fucking ridiculous. Please tell me when it is intentional and when you are just be a stuck up asshole. Please? Are intentionally ridiculous columns a part of your goal to make entertaining and compelling columns? Can't you see you are a joke and have no business being a national sportswriter?
Both sides need to win for them to have a rivalry; if only one side is winning, then it’s a feud and that’s all. I covered this in pages 183-186 of my book in the chapter about the Yankees-Red Sox feud — complete with analysis of Webster’s official definition of the word “rivalry” — a feud that never achieved “rivalry” status until Oct. 21, 2004.
Wrong. Not right. You will not get any points for that answer. I have chunks of stool that are smarter than you. I don't give a shit about your book where you just make up definitions. Only one side is still winning in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. When the Red Sox get to 1/4 of the titles that the Yankees have, then and only then, will it be a rivalry. How can one win make it a rivalry? Maybe it is a current rivalry, but in the long term you have a long way to go to compete Billy Boy.
I am leaving the attic and heading up to Yankees Stadium to take in the Brian Bannister and Andy Pettittittte duel on Saturday, so I will be sure to ask a few Yankees fans what they think of the current 26-3 deficit for the Red Sox and get back to you all. I hate the Yankees but I am still pretty pumped to attend a game in Yankee Stadium. Flying into New Jersey and a two hour car ride from there? Not so much.
-Bill Simmons did a Finals preview and I did not read it.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080605
I went to the end, saw he had 33 quotes (because he is not superstitious or anything) he commented on and picked the Celtics in 7 games. When has he ever picked against his favorite team? Ever? In his chat the other day he got a little defensive when a reader/critic accused him of only talking about Boston sports and he responded by naming everything Boston teams have been in and done over the past couple years and asked what else he was supposed to talk about. That's true but he can't act as of there is nothing else going on in the sports world and his admitted inability to pay attention to the National League and the NFC makes it hard to even dream he has a point.
-I agree. I think people get too excited about him. I would like to see him make the HoF because I have his jersey shirt and wear it to bed but still.
http://158point3.blogspot.com/2008/06/hold-your-horses-jason-stark-or-why.html
-I did not read Fire Joe Morgan's new posts for the first time in a year today. It does not interest me, just like an open letter about any other team other than my favorite would not interest me. I think that is the entire point those who were surprised by the open letter to Theo Epstein have. It read more as a fan blog than a critique of other writers.
-I love it when Jason Whitlock stretches so hard to make an argument because sometimes he makes a good point. In this case his argument can be negated with one comment.
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/8213226/College-baseball-shares-many-of-college-hoops
The reason OJ Mayo got more press is because he has actively looked for publicity since he was 14 years old, played in a college sport that received more publicity, and had most of his games nationally televised. It's the same reason no one cared when Jodie Sweetin got divorced but the Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston split was all over the news.
-Michael Beasley is going to find out really quickly that the NBA Draft is a game of inches. 6 foot 10 inches looks good, 6 foot 8 inches does not for a power forward. It should not really matter, but these idiots who scout think this is a huge deal.
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/8210192
I am not going to warn anyone against DeAndre Jordan again. He did 8 reps in the bench press. The bench press is no big deal for Kevin Durant because he is a wingman but Jordan is a post player Even though he is 20, Jordan needs to get stronger AND I watched him play multiple times and I think he is lazy.
-Remember, I am a professional and know what I am talking about.
-You know what story does not get enough play? The Jason Taylor-Bill Parcells saga. I need to know more about the situation down there in Florida. I honestly don't care if Bill Parcells wants Taylor back and I don't see how anyone else does either.
-I can't speak enough about Bill Parcells and what an asshole I believe he is. He stands up the Tampa Bay Bucs 6 years ago, instead goes to Dallas and never wins a playoff game. This year he goes back on his word to the Atlanta Falcons and ends up in Miami. Not to mention he was openly looking for a new job with the Jets when he was with the Patriots. He is basically a gun for hire until he cons another team into letting him have control over their roster. I don't get how this is any different than what Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino did. There's no difference in my mind.
The worst part is no one calls him out on this. I remember when he went face to face with Chris Mortensen before he took the Cowboys job on ESPN and absolutely denied he would be the Cowboys head coach. Three days later, he was announced as head coach. Not to mention he has not had that much success with each team he has coached since leaving the Giants and the main reason is completely his fault. That main reason is that he leaves before the team can make it back to the playoffs a couple years in a row, so that leaves the team with a new head coach and a new system. I guess that worked out well eventually for the Patriots. I would absolutely never hire him as my head coach if I was an owner.
-I think Bobby Cox is by far the most overrated game manager of the last 20 years. His in-game decisions are horrible. I have also come to the conclusion Dusty Baker wishes Jay Bruce was a pitcher so he could ruin his career ASAP.
-The Cowboys are my football version of the Boston Red Sox. I don't care about Pacman Jones, TO, Tony Romo or even give a shit about the team as a whole. Win a playoff game and then you will get my attention. Not that you really want it but still...
-Ok, only one more Boston bashing post...
http://thebiglead.com/?p=6119#more-6119
Martin Bell (NYC): There’s no way to put this gently, so I’ll be blunt: Are you and Bill Simmons going to get along?
SportsNation Rick Reilly: We’re already getting along. The guy is routinely hilarious.
Not really, really funny, but just routinely funny. He is the "According to Jim" of the ESPN world. Congrats Bill!
He’s new school, I’m old school, but we still want the same thing: entertaining, compelling columns.
I've got an idea! Let's see which one of these puts out an entertaining, compelling column first and they will win free tickets to kiss my ass. Good luck men!
Also in this post I get a FREE Simmons rebuttal to Bob Ryan. Say it ain't so.
“That’s right, someone writing a serious rebuttal to an intentionally ridiculous column. I never thought it could happen, but if it DID ever happen, I knew it was going to be a Boston College grad who did it."
Bill, it is hard to keep up, all of your columns are really fucking ridiculous. Please tell me when it is intentional and when you are just be a stuck up asshole. Please? Are intentionally ridiculous columns a part of your goal to make entertaining and compelling columns? Can't you see you are a joke and have no business being a national sportswriter?
Both sides need to win for them to have a rivalry; if only one side is winning, then it’s a feud and that’s all. I covered this in pages 183-186 of my book in the chapter about the Yankees-Red Sox feud — complete with analysis of Webster’s official definition of the word “rivalry” — a feud that never achieved “rivalry” status until Oct. 21, 2004.
Wrong. Not right. You will not get any points for that answer. I have chunks of stool that are smarter than you. I don't give a shit about your book where you just make up definitions. Only one side is still winning in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. When the Red Sox get to 1/4 of the titles that the Yankees have, then and only then, will it be a rivalry. How can one win make it a rivalry? Maybe it is a current rivalry, but in the long term you have a long way to go to compete Billy Boy.
I am leaving the attic and heading up to Yankees Stadium to take in the Brian Bannister and Andy Pettittittte duel on Saturday, so I will be sure to ask a few Yankees fans what they think of the current 26-3 deficit for the Red Sox and get back to you all. I hate the Yankees but I am still pretty pumped to attend a game in Yankee Stadium. Flying into New Jersey and a two hour car ride from there? Not so much.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
0 comments Mock My Draft! Part 2
I am in shock because Bill Simmons has an incredibly readable column up yesterday and he also takes 3 swipes at ESPN in it. That always makes me happy. I am going to go ahead and say I enjoyed it.
Also, I realize there is going to be a lot of trades made in the draft and some teams are going to have fewer picks and some are going to have more, but this is what the teams should do regardless of the draft.
16. Philadelphia
What they need: They currently do not need a point guard. Chad Ford on ESPN said they should sign Elton Brand and I am not sure I disagree with that assessment. Assuming they do that and then follow it up with a draft pick here of a higher risk selection that may pay off in a couple years or a shooter. Either way, I think they will be in good shape. A kid develops for a few years behind Brand and is able to spell him effectively so as not to tire him out or a shooter that will make teams pay for double teaming Brand. Wasn't Rodney Carney supposed to be good?
How they will screw it up: For the team that has Shavlik Randolph on the roster, you know they will mess this one up. I look at this roster and see young guys who have never panned out and a group of 2nd and 3rd options, unless they trade for a first option, they are not going to go anywhere.
17. Toronto
What they need: I look at this team and I think to myself, only time is what this team needs, but then I look at the roster and the performance against the Orlando Magic in the playoffs and realize they either need a center or an actual athletic offensive player other than Chris Bosh. They could also go ahead and inform Sam Mitchell he will be fired after the next season and start a coaching search now.
How they will screw it up: They will draft another foreign player who takes a few years to develop, Chris Bosh will turn into a Canadian Jermaine O'Neil and Jose Calderon will play Jamal Tinsley followed by the inevitable T.J. Ford for Mike Dunleavy trade.
18. Washington
What they need: To resign Gilbert Arenas. The mediocre center duo they currently have is not really working all that well. Make it a trio! Grab Robin Lopez and then I want to see him and his other twin (?) Varejao battle it out in a playoff series. They are both white and have abnormal hair, so they have to be twins right? Actually, the Wizards could use a big man who is good and can contribute right now. Unfortunately there is one of those in the draft. So they will draft a young PF.
How they will screw it up: They will draft a young PF and not play Nick Young. It is so irritating the teams that draft young players, stash them on the bench and then they are never heard from again. I am going to scream if I hear one more team take a "project" center. I am talking to you Seattle.
19. Cleveland
What they need: A popular rapper to purchase a portion of the team and brainwash LeBron James into thinking they are actually going to put something around him. Sorry, Ben Wallace and Wally don't count. Give me one good reason they should not draft Bill Walker or Chris Douglas Roberts (a bit of a stretch admittedly).
How they will screw it up: DeAndre Jordan. Just kidding, no more role players though! They will grab someone who can't score or at least put up some points when LeBron pulls off a 5-37 night. Kobe had Shaq, Michael Jordan had Scottie, and Duncan has Parker and Ginobli, give LeBron someone who can score when he can't and someone who may play a little defense.
20. Denver
What they need: To not trade Carmelo Anthony. This is a team in dire need of a point guard to run the offense at 110 mph but someone who does not always look for his shot so AI and Carmelo can pump up 25 shots a game. They also could use a big man who can rebound all those shots because you know Marcus Camby gets tired. Maybe a trade would be a better idea at this point.
How they will screw it up: Trade Carmelo and keep Iverson on the roster. Iverson pouted his way out of one shitty situation and he will do it again. A tall person who can make up for K-Mart playing like he is the Kmart version of an NBA player (ba-da-boom).
21. New Jersey
What they need: This is the part where they can store a player in a different country and let him grow up for a few years if they choose to. Preferably, I would trade Vince Carter and see if Rush or Walker is available here.
How they will screw it up: Trading this pick in the Vince Carter trade to try and win now.
22. Orlando
What they need: That #2 guard spot is mighty empty on this roster. A swingman would look really good here, preferably one who does not always want to hoist three pointers and actually enjoys a little defense. They could also draft a project and hope it works out. I would hate doing this though.
How they will screw it up: Take someone who will get in the way of Dwight Howard in the middle (notice how Fabricio and every other center for the Spurs stays 8 miles away from Duncan when he is in the lane? Exactly the opposite of that). Or drafting DeAndre Jordan.
23. Utah
What they need: A decent point guard. Again, kidding. I say a center, but preferably not white and not a twin. Since this team does not run that much, I would think this would not be hard to find. They could also use some more bench depth.
How they will screw it up: Robin Lopez.
24. Seattle
What they need: A few more years, and again, no more project centers. This is the part of the draft where everyone drafts the young foreign players and then bitch when Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer and other good college players get picked. So I think Seattle should just go ahead and draft a young project center and get it over with.
How they will screw it up: Drafting a young project center. If they want to win now, they could draft a college player with smaller upside, but if they want to wait, I say screw it up with a young project center. Robert Swift, Johan Seno (whatever your name is), meet your match.
25. Houston
What they need: Yao Ming to get the sand out of his vagina and play a full season. They also need to get rid of Steve Francis ASAP. I would take the best available collegiate age swing man in this spot.
How they will screw it up: Do anything to impend the development of Scola. He will be a grand player and drafting for the future does not seem like the best option. If they want to win while T-Mac's back is still not curved and Yao is not sent to a Chinese torture chamber for signing with Nike, they need to do so soon.
26. San Antonio
What they need: Someone who is under the age of 30 on the roster. I still can't believe they got Tiago Splitter last year. Maybe he will come to America in the next 10 years or maybe not, but still that was a great choice. I look for them to do the same this year. San Antonio is anti-American, so look for them to draft overseas.
How they will screw it up: I am not sure they have 3 more years of the Tim Duncan era available, so they may want to look for help now. That would involved drafting an American player and I am not sure they are comfortable with this.
27. New Orleans
What they need: Don't give up on Julian Wright quite yet but definitely get some bench help. Morris Peterson also looks a lot better as a 2nd player off the bench. They need to find someone through a trade or the draft to replace him in the starting lineup ASAP. They could also use a young PF to take some weight off West.
How they will screw it up: I think they are in a good position. Just don't trade away any key pieces to the team and be sure to include Bonzi Wells.
28. Memphis
What they need: Get Stromile Swift off the roster and trade Mike Miller at some point as well and get more picks or a big guy if there is not one available at this spot. This team needs someone who can lead the team and Rudy Gay is not that guy, he is too quiet. So trade for someone if no one is available in this spot and then ask the Lakers about Pau Gasol and if he can come back.
How they will screw it up: I don't think they need another point guard and I think Miller has some trade value, so they will screw this up by not trading Miller and then taking a player who needs a couple years to develop.
29. Detroit
What they need: A time machine to get younger as well. Detroit is pretty well set up for a couple more years but I can't help but get the nagging feeling they keep drafting back ups, which they do. They traded for 4 of the starters, so if they still stink at drafting, try to swing a trade to get a bit younger.
How they will screw it up: Draft another backup and then watch sadly as the entire starting lineup gets old in the same year.
30. Boston
What they need: They need to get younger very much more than any other team. The Celtics could use a backup point guard and some bench scoring help. They could also stand to look for a player who can help in three years when the Big Three are no longer around. They need to look for young blood to help them in a couple years.
How they will screw it up: They will look for help now, draft poorly and then have the #1 pick in two years.
Also, I realize there is going to be a lot of trades made in the draft and some teams are going to have fewer picks and some are going to have more, but this is what the teams should do regardless of the draft.
16. Philadelphia
What they need: They currently do not need a point guard. Chad Ford on ESPN said they should sign Elton Brand and I am not sure I disagree with that assessment. Assuming they do that and then follow it up with a draft pick here of a higher risk selection that may pay off in a couple years or a shooter. Either way, I think they will be in good shape. A kid develops for a few years behind Brand and is able to spell him effectively so as not to tire him out or a shooter that will make teams pay for double teaming Brand. Wasn't Rodney Carney supposed to be good?
How they will screw it up: For the team that has Shavlik Randolph on the roster, you know they will mess this one up. I look at this roster and see young guys who have never panned out and a group of 2nd and 3rd options, unless they trade for a first option, they are not going to go anywhere.
17. Toronto
What they need: I look at this team and I think to myself, only time is what this team needs, but then I look at the roster and the performance against the Orlando Magic in the playoffs and realize they either need a center or an actual athletic offensive player other than Chris Bosh. They could also go ahead and inform Sam Mitchell he will be fired after the next season and start a coaching search now.
How they will screw it up: They will draft another foreign player who takes a few years to develop, Chris Bosh will turn into a Canadian Jermaine O'Neil and Jose Calderon will play Jamal Tinsley followed by the inevitable T.J. Ford for Mike Dunleavy trade.
18. Washington
What they need: To resign Gilbert Arenas. The mediocre center duo they currently have is not really working all that well. Make it a trio! Grab Robin Lopez and then I want to see him and his other twin (?) Varejao battle it out in a playoff series. They are both white and have abnormal hair, so they have to be twins right? Actually, the Wizards could use a big man who is good and can contribute right now. Unfortunately there is one of those in the draft. So they will draft a young PF.
How they will screw it up: They will draft a young PF and not play Nick Young. It is so irritating the teams that draft young players, stash them on the bench and then they are never heard from again. I am going to scream if I hear one more team take a "project" center. I am talking to you Seattle.
19. Cleveland
What they need: A popular rapper to purchase a portion of the team and brainwash LeBron James into thinking they are actually going to put something around him. Sorry, Ben Wallace and Wally don't count. Give me one good reason they should not draft Bill Walker or Chris Douglas Roberts (a bit of a stretch admittedly).
How they will screw it up: DeAndre Jordan. Just kidding, no more role players though! They will grab someone who can't score or at least put up some points when LeBron pulls off a 5-37 night. Kobe had Shaq, Michael Jordan had Scottie, and Duncan has Parker and Ginobli, give LeBron someone who can score when he can't and someone who may play a little defense.
20. Denver
What they need: To not trade Carmelo Anthony. This is a team in dire need of a point guard to run the offense at 110 mph but someone who does not always look for his shot so AI and Carmelo can pump up 25 shots a game. They also could use a big man who can rebound all those shots because you know Marcus Camby gets tired. Maybe a trade would be a better idea at this point.
How they will screw it up: Trade Carmelo and keep Iverson on the roster. Iverson pouted his way out of one shitty situation and he will do it again. A tall person who can make up for K-Mart playing like he is the Kmart version of an NBA player (ba-da-boom).
21. New Jersey
What they need: This is the part where they can store a player in a different country and let him grow up for a few years if they choose to. Preferably, I would trade Vince Carter and see if Rush or Walker is available here.
How they will screw it up: Trading this pick in the Vince Carter trade to try and win now.
22. Orlando
What they need: That #2 guard spot is mighty empty on this roster. A swingman would look really good here, preferably one who does not always want to hoist three pointers and actually enjoys a little defense. They could also draft a project and hope it works out. I would hate doing this though.
How they will screw it up: Take someone who will get in the way of Dwight Howard in the middle (notice how Fabricio and every other center for the Spurs stays 8 miles away from Duncan when he is in the lane? Exactly the opposite of that). Or drafting DeAndre Jordan.
23. Utah
What they need: A decent point guard. Again, kidding. I say a center, but preferably not white and not a twin. Since this team does not run that much, I would think this would not be hard to find. They could also use some more bench depth.
How they will screw it up: Robin Lopez.
24. Seattle
What they need: A few more years, and again, no more project centers. This is the part of the draft where everyone drafts the young foreign players and then bitch when Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer and other good college players get picked. So I think Seattle should just go ahead and draft a young project center and get it over with.
How they will screw it up: Drafting a young project center. If they want to win now, they could draft a college player with smaller upside, but if they want to wait, I say screw it up with a young project center. Robert Swift, Johan Seno (whatever your name is), meet your match.
25. Houston
What they need: Yao Ming to get the sand out of his vagina and play a full season. They also need to get rid of Steve Francis ASAP. I would take the best available collegiate age swing man in this spot.
How they will screw it up: Do anything to impend the development of Scola. He will be a grand player and drafting for the future does not seem like the best option. If they want to win while T-Mac's back is still not curved and Yao is not sent to a Chinese torture chamber for signing with Nike, they need to do so soon.
26. San Antonio
What they need: Someone who is under the age of 30 on the roster. I still can't believe they got Tiago Splitter last year. Maybe he will come to America in the next 10 years or maybe not, but still that was a great choice. I look for them to do the same this year. San Antonio is anti-American, so look for them to draft overseas.
How they will screw it up: I am not sure they have 3 more years of the Tim Duncan era available, so they may want to look for help now. That would involved drafting an American player and I am not sure they are comfortable with this.
27. New Orleans
What they need: Don't give up on Julian Wright quite yet but definitely get some bench help. Morris Peterson also looks a lot better as a 2nd player off the bench. They need to find someone through a trade or the draft to replace him in the starting lineup ASAP. They could also use a young PF to take some weight off West.
How they will screw it up: I think they are in a good position. Just don't trade away any key pieces to the team and be sure to include Bonzi Wells.
28. Memphis
What they need: Get Stromile Swift off the roster and trade Mike Miller at some point as well and get more picks or a big guy if there is not one available at this spot. This team needs someone who can lead the team and Rudy Gay is not that guy, he is too quiet. So trade for someone if no one is available in this spot and then ask the Lakers about Pau Gasol and if he can come back.
How they will screw it up: I don't think they need another point guard and I think Miller has some trade value, so they will screw this up by not trading Miller and then taking a player who needs a couple years to develop.
29. Detroit
What they need: A time machine to get younger as well. Detroit is pretty well set up for a couple more years but I can't help but get the nagging feeling they keep drafting back ups, which they do. They traded for 4 of the starters, so if they still stink at drafting, try to swing a trade to get a bit younger.
How they will screw it up: Draft another backup and then watch sadly as the entire starting lineup gets old in the same year.
30. Boston
What they need: They need to get younger very much more than any other team. The Celtics could use a backup point guard and some bench scoring help. They could also stand to look for a player who can help in three years when the Big Three are no longer around. They need to look for young blood to help them in a couple years.
How they will screw it up: They will look for help now, draft poorly and then have the #1 pick in two years.
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