Training camps for the NHL are now open and like usual, it seems that the Washington Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin is making waves for something. This time, he has stirred a bit of controversy over NHL participation in the Olympic Games. During the summer, players from around the league attended Olympic camps and the process is underway to finalize national squads for the 2010 Winter Olympics taking place in Vancouver in February. However, there has been no commitment from the NHL about players taking part in the 2014 Winter Games. Why is this such a big problem for Ovechkin? The 2014 Olympics are taking place in his home country of Russia. Ovechkin has told ESPN that he will play in those games regardless of if the NHL sanctions his participation or not. So the big question becomes, what should happen in this situation?
"Nobody can say to me, 'You can't play for your country in the Olympic Games,'" Ovechkin said. Obviously, he should have every right to make this decision and I fully support his stance on the matter. When you consider that people can go off to war and die when they are 18-years old, surely an athlete should be able to go represent his county in the Olympics. Ovechkin told ESPN that he will risk suspension from the league and the Capitals to go to Russia and play if needs be. He also indicated that other Russian superstars like the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin and the Atlanta Thrashers’ Ilya Kovalchuk have pledged to play in the Games whether the NHL is formally attending or not. If this were to happen, it would put pressure on other Russian players to do the same and it could be a domino effect where other nations would want their top players participating as well. And if you talk to the NHL Players’ Association, it is clear that the players want to support International hockey and want to play in the Olympics. So what is the problem then? As always, the root seems to be money.
Olympic Games participation has apparently gotten mixed reviews from the owners around the NHL. It seems many do not want to shut down the league for two to three weeks, especially for games that will likely not be televised in prime time. Well, there you go. It’s all about the money. The greedy owners do not want to risk losing any revenue and they can’t stand to not make any money from home games for 2-3 weeks. This really makes no sense to me. First of all, during Olympic years, the NHL still plays a full 82-game schedule, so there would be no revenue loss from decreased ticket sales due to fewer games. And I thought that the Olympics are designed to showcase the sport. You know…having people watch the best athletes in a sport compete at the highest level. I don’t see how that could possibly decrease interest in the sport. Frankly, I don’t see how the NHL or the owners would be losing any money at all. The only risk, of course, is the potential that a star player gets injured. I can understand this concern. The Washington Capitals would surely be pissed off if Alex Ovechkin suffered an injury at the Olympics. If he would be out for an extended period, the Caps would risk losing many more games and potentially missing the playoffs, and that would then start to hit the owners’ pockets. However, any All-star competition is like that and you just can’t predict when and where an injury will occur.
But with every risk, there is a reward. The Olympics are a great showcase for the game of hockey and it will give the NHL tons of added exposure. I personally love watching Olympic hockey. The rink is bigger, so that gives an advantage to the more highly skilled players. The action is faster and the stars are allowed to shine. The talent level is amazing when you put the best players together on one team and the games are very exciting. Throw in all the drama of tournament play, the craziness of the fans, and the sheer desire of each and every player wanting to do well for their country, and you have the makings of an event you want to watch. In my opinion, the benefits of allowing NHL participation every 4 years in the Olympics outweigh the negatives. The owners need to recognize that the Olympics are for the good of the game and their greedy pockets will not be lightened by them.
Ovechkin is calling for a meeting of the NHL players to discuss participation in the 2014 Games. He also claims that the players, not the owners, are the ones losing money. He apparently is talking about “escrow”, the money taken out of the players' paychecks to ensure that the NHLPA-NHL split of league revenues is as mandated in the collective bargaining agreement. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was true and that is just one more reason why I hope the NHLPA and all the players stick to their guns and demand Olympic participation.
When it comes to a player of Ovechkin’s caliber, I think the league would be in a tough spot anyway. If Ovechkin did bolt for Russia to play in 2014, what would the league do? The NHL and the Capitals would be within their rights to suspend him, but would you really do that to one of the NHL’s brightest lights and the face of the Washington franchise? It might be possible to give special exemptions out to allow players to go and participate, but then that would toy with the competitive balance of NHL games that would still be happening those 2-3 weeks. I believe the NHL would be in a tough spot and they have no choice but to continue participating in the Olympics.
The bottom line here is that hockey is a great game and the Olympic Games are a great platform for it. People want to see the best athletes in the world competing at the highest level. When you bring it all together, there exists the chance that some magic will occur. All that will do is help the game of hockey, not hurt it. Unfortunately, the NHL still lags behind the other 3 major sports for exposure and fans. I really do not see how pulling out of the Olympics would ever help. I hope Ovechkin is able to lead the charge so that the NHL will fully participate in 2014. I know I will be watching if it happens.
The Game’s Quick Hits
ECW Recap: I was interested to see what would go down on last night’s ECW since William Regal lost to Christian in the ECW Championship match at Breaking Point. Right away it looked like we would get some answers as ECW GM Tiffany came out to the ring, but she was quickly interrupted by Regal, Ezekiel Jackson, and Vladimir Kozlov. Regal was in classic heel form as he complemented Tiffany on her looks and on the “great job” she is doing as GM. Of course this led right into Regal asking why his boys were banned from ringside at Breaking Point and he followed that up by asking for another shot at Christian’s title. Tiffany responded that she was only ensuring a 1 on 1 match at the PPV and that it is important to have different challengers for the championship, so Regal would not be getting another opportunity. Well I will certainly give credit for that. Unfortunately, Regal did look like a chump in losing 2 title matches to Christian, so I don’t really see why he should get another shot. Instead, Tiffany announced a #1 contender’s battle royal as the main event to see who would be next in line for a title match. Before she left though, Tiffany booked Regal, who was in a dapper suit mind you, in a match against the Hurricane. Regal and Hurricane had a short match which ended with Regal cracking his knee against Hurricane’s skull and picking up the win. Hurricane was then attacked after the match by Paul Burchill, who vowed to not stop until he showed everyone how much of a fraud Gregory Helms is. So it looks like that feud will continue.
Before the main event battle royal, Yoshi Tatsu was getting English lessons from Goldust. Yeah, I know. Anyway, Zack Ryder woo woo wooed his way into the locker room and Yoshi let him know that Goldust taught him how to say loser in English…which oddly translates to Zack Ryder according to Yoshi. So, the two proceeded to have a pretty good match. I am not sure how far up the ladder either one of these two can elevate, but they are solid hands in the ring and can put on a good performance. Yoshi was able to hit a kick to the back of Ryder’s head to pick up the win.
It was then time for the #1 contender’s battle royal, featuring 10 ECW superstars. I won’t give a long winded recap of it, but going into the match, I pretty much thought it was going to come down to Jackson, Kozlov, and Tommy Dreamer as the final 3. For some odd reason, the crowd was behind Goldust and wanted him to win. Sheamus was eliminated during the course of the match and then was able to hit a shot on Shelton Benjamin which caused his elimination. The two brawled on the outside of the ring, so it does indeed look like those two will have some matches in the near future. Surprisingly, Jackson did not even make the final 4 of the match. Goldust had a nice exchange with Ryder and Zack was able to outsmart Goldust and eliminate him. The final 3 were Ryder, Kozlov, and Dreamer. I thought for sure Kozlov was going to take it, but I was surprised again as Dreamer low-bridged Kozlov to eliminate him and then was promptly dumped over the top by Ryder. So folks, your new #1 contender for the ECW Championship is Zack Ryder. I give the WWE credit for giving someone new a shot and Ryder certainly has the ability to produce some good matches. It will be interesting to see how he does against Christian in the coming weeks. Woo woo woo indeed…
- The Philadelphia Eagles activated QB Michael Vick from the exempt list and he is now officially on their 53-man roster and is eligible to practice with the team, even though he is suspended for this week’s game against the Saints. The injury to QB Donovan McNabb seemingly forced the Eagles into doing this. To make room for Vick, the Eagles released WR Hank Baskett. The team had been trying to trade Baskett to get some value for him, but there were no takers. Philadelphia carried 7 wide receivers into the season on their roster, so it is not really a surprise that Baskett was let go. Vick will now practice Wednesday and be in the rotation with QB Kevin Kolb and newly signed QB Jeff Garcia. So it looks like the Eagles are hedging their bets that McNabb might not be able to play this week or even next week and want to get Vick some extra time. I still don’t think Vick is anywhere near ready to play at quarterback full time, but the practice reps will help him regardless of how he is used. It should be a great game this Sunday against the Saints and if it turns into a shootout and McNabb is not playing, things could be mighty interesting.
- In other Eagles’ news, sources are reporting that RB Brian Westbrook will now become a free agent after next season. So how is this possible when Westbrook signed a 5-year, $32 million extension last August? Apparently, there was a revision to the contract and buried in the 60 pages of legal junk and contract terms, the team had a clause to trigger the extension of the deal from 2011 to 2013. This clause is a $7 million option bonus due in 2010 and the Eagles did not exercise this clause. Therefore, there is no extension and Westbrook’s contract ends next year. To borrow a phrase from Dave Chappelle as Rick James, that is cooooold blooooded! Really, that is a savvy and calculating move to get out of the deal. With Westbrook’s history of injuries and the fact that he turned 30 on September 2, I can see why the Eagles are going to let him go. As everyone knows, running backs usually hit a wall at age 30 and almost become untouchable as far as some teams are concerned. It is extremely tough for an “older” running back to get a premier starting role and it looks like Westbrook will be hung out to dry. The Eagles did the same thing to Brian Dawkins this year and they might cut bait with Donovan McNabb as well. Philly fans will have to hope that the team can reload it seems.
- Kansas City Chiefs Coach Todd Haley said on Tuesday that QB Matt Cassel is still questionable and he is not sure whether he will be able to play this Sunday. If he still can’t go, QB Brodie Croyle will get the start once again. The Chiefs also have signed WR Bobby Wade after he was recently cut by the Minnesota Vikings. The Chiefs actually impressed me a little bit in their loss to the Ravens and I think they could steal a few wins this season if Cassel comes back healthy and gives them steady play. Wade will help their offense, but the defense is going to have to step it up because the Ravens and QB Joe Flacco ripped them to shreds.
- Oklahoma Sooners Coach Bob Stoops is not talking about QB Sam Bradford’s injury or giving any sort of indication as to how he is progressing. When asked about whether Bradford would be able to return this week or had resumed throwing, Stoops said he's "not even going to go there." Well it seems as though Stoops is borrowing a page out of Eric Mangini’s “secret” playbook. I can understand his decision though. In Oklahoma, any speculation about Bradford would likely dominate the news and Stoops wants to keep the focus on the field and on this weekend’s game against Tulsa. I highly doubt that Bradford would be ready to play this week, but when the October 3rd game against Miami rolls around, it might be a different story.
- USC QB Matt Barkley was unable to throw for the second straight day in practice, raising the possibility that he will not be able to play this Saturday against Washington. Backup QB Aaron Corp has been taking the reps with the 1st team offense and looks healthy and ready to play if needed. The injury to Barkley is only a bone bruise and not that serious, so it might be best to rest him if he is not 100% to avoid further injury. Washington is certainly a long ways away from being a powerhouse like in the past, so USC should be able to win with either Barkley or Corp behind center.
- The October 1st NHL opener between the Capitals and Boston Bruins is fast approaching and both teams are already dealing with the loss of a forward for the game. Capitals forward Tomas Fleischmann will miss the start of the regular season with a blood clot in his leg. The team thinks the clot might have formed during Fleischmann's long flight home to the Czech Republic at the end of last season and he will not return to practice until early October. That certainly is a little bit of a freak injury and not a good way to start for Fleischmann. He is an important role player for the Caps and he continues to slowly improve. He is still only 25-years old and he had a career high 19 goals last year. Every team needs secondary scoring, so Fleischmann’s absence doesn’t help at the start the season. For the Bruins, it looks like center David Krejci will not be ready to start the season after undergoing offseason hip surgery. There was hope he could beat the projections of returning in early November, but that now seems unlikely. Krejci was Boston’s second-leading scorer last year with 73 points even though he played in pain all year. He now wants to be 100%, so there is only a slight chance he makes the opener. Krejci is more important to the Bruins than Fleischmann is to the Caps, so I hope Krejci takes it easy and skips the opener.
- Boston Red Sox P Daisuke Matsuzaka returned from a 3 month stint on the disabled list and pitched 6 shutout innings to help Boston beat the Angels last night 4-1. DH David Ortiz also hit his record-breaking 270th HR as a designated hitter in the game. Matsuzaka is hoping to prove that he will be able to help the Red Sox in the playoffs and he is looking to get the #4 spot in the rotation locked down. It appears likely that Boston and Los Angeles are heading toward a 1st round matchup in the playoffs, so tonight might have been a preview of what the Angels can expect. Clearly, the Yankees are the favorite in the AL, but I would not count out Boston. The Red Sox have beaten the Angels the past 2 years in the 1st round of the playoffs, so if history holds, they could get a shot at the Yankees and a healthy and productive “Dice-K” will only help their chances if that happens.
- A group of seven Native Americans are trying to go to the Supreme Court because they find the Washington Redskins name offensive. The group claims that the name defames Native Americans and has been working since 1992 to have the Redskins’ trademarks declared invalid. Apparently, a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office panel ruled in their favor in 1999, but since then, other judges have ruled against them and have stated the group waited too long to bring their suit in the first place. Are you kidding me here? I really can’t stand stuff like this. The Redskins name does not defame anyone. The Washington organization is not trying to take advantage of Native Americans nor are they trying to make fun of them or insinuate that there is anything wrong with the group. It a freakin’ team mascot basically…proud Indian warriors going into battle and trying to strive for excellence and victory. Come on man, give me a break! These guys have spent 17 years doing this and I am sure they have dropped a great deal of money too. Don’t they have something better to do? I have always hated the Redskins football team, but I say that this is downright stupid and the organization is not trying to take advantage of Native Americans or put them down in any shape or fashion. I’m sorry, but this is not something THAT offensive. Get over yourselves.
Showing posts with label ECW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ECW. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
NFL Division by Division Season Preview
The time is finally here. The final cuts have been made and the rosters have been trimmed down to 53. All of the meaningless preseason games are over and every team has a fresh start and a clean slate. Indeed, NFL kickoff weekend is upon us and the season starts on Thursday night with a great game between the Titans and Steelers. So today I wanted to give a general overview of how I see every division shaking out this year.
NFC East:
My Division Favorite – Eagles by a slight margin
Playoff Contenders – Eagles, Giants, Cowboys
The NFC East is always one of the best divisions in the NFL and it should be no different in 2009. I think it will be a knock down, drag out fight for the division title between the Eagles and Giants this year. Both teams come into this season looking very similar. The Eagles have been built around the defensive side of the ball for years and they have always gotten enough from QB Donovan McNabb (even through injuries) and RB Brian Westbrook to be perennial playoff participants. For whatever reason though, the Eagles just have not been able to get over the hump and a Super Bowl title has eluded them. After last season’s late surge, the Eagles come into 2009 with renewed hopes though. QB Michael Vick was given a 2nd chance by Philadelphia and he should be able to help the Eagles’ offense be more dynamic and unpredictable, but it remains to be seen how much he will help. The Eagles will once again hope that McNabb and Westbrook stay health and that they continue to get development from their receivers. The defense may not be as dominant as it has been, especially with the passing of Jim Johnson in the offseason.
The New York Giants are built the same way as the Eagles. They rely on a stingy defense to shut down other teams and then ask QB Eli Manning to do enough to manage the game while they pound it out on the ground. The problem for the Giants this year is at the WR position. After the sad situation with Plaxico Burress, the Giants have no big playmaker at WR. The loss of Burress clearly hurt the team last year, as Manning struggled to do anything in the passing game. The Giants did not do anything to bring in a dynamic WR this offseason, so those concerns remain. The Giants and Eagles should be battling atop the division and I really think it could go either way depending on how the two games between both teams shake out this year. I give the slight edge to the Eagles, but the Giants could easily walk away with the division title as well.
The Dallas Cowboys are hoping for a turnaround this season after releasing WR Terrell Owens and hopefully improving team chemistry. The problem though is that the Cowboys are really no different than they were last year and they are minus a future Hall of Fame WR. I am not sure Dallas will be able to take a step up and they should remain behind the Eagles and Giants. I think the Cowboys have a shot to battle for a Wild Card spot if they get some luck and bring consistent play to the field. They do have a good defense and QB Tony Romo can be one of the best in the league sometimes. As for the Washington Redskins, I see them as a .500 team and they should not challenge for a playoff spot. They have the talent to look like world beaters some weeks, but then other weeks they will look mediocre at best. I think they will lose enough divisional games to keep them in the bottom of the division.
NFC North:
My Division Favorite – Vikings by a small margin
Playoff Contenders – Vikings, Packers, Bears
Just like the NFC East, the NFC North is always a great division to watch. The games are rough and hard hitting and the division title race always seems to come down to the final week of the season. The addition of QB Brett Favre to the Minnesota Vikings gives them the edge to win the division this year in my opinion. In the past few seasons, the Vikings have been able to build up a really good defense and the drafting of RB Adrian Peterson instantly gave Minnesota a dangerous running game. However, inconsistent play and mistakes from the QB position has held them back. Brett Favre will be able to come in and offer stability to the position. He knows the offense like the back of his hand and I believe he will not have to be a gunslinger this year. If Favre is able to limit mistakes and lean on Peterson and the defense to do some heavy lifting, it should be a recipe for success. An injury to Favre would obviously derail this plan, but right now, Favre should only develop more chemistry with the offense and the Vikings should be in great position.
Behind the Vikings, it should be a great battle between the Packers and Bears. Both of these teams have the potential to sneak up and win the division if the Vikings run into problems and the Favre experiment does not work. The Packers will be driven by how good QB Aaron Rogers will be this year. Rogers is starting to show that he can be an elite level star in the league and he will carry the offense. The question is if he can get solid help from the running game and if he will get big play help from his receivers. The Packers will also need their defense to step up and try to allow Rogers to win games for them. The Bears have no trouble on the defensive side of the ball and now the franchise may have finally found an answer at QB with the acquisition of Jay Cutler. The Bears have relied on defense and a strong running game to win for years, but now they might be able to hurt teams through the passing game. The Bears still lack a weapon at WR though, so Cutler will only be able to do so much and it remains to be seen how quickly things will gel for the offense. I do think that the Packers and Bears both have a shot at contending for the Wild Card spots, and maybe the division, if they catch some breaks. And as for the lowly Detroit Lions, they will still suffer through a horrible season, but I do think they can get 2 or 3 wins this year. Expect growing pains from rookie QB Matthew Stafford, but if he develops, the Lions could finally be on a path to respectability.
NFC South:
My Division Favorite – Falcons by a small margin over the Panthers
Playoff Contenders – Falcons and Panthers
I feel that the balance of power has shifted to the Atlanta Falcons this year and I believe they will overtake the Panthers and win the division this season. QB Matt Ryan will only continue to develop and he has a wealth of weapons in RB Michael Turner, WR Roddy White, and newly acquired TE Tony Gonzalez. The Falcons also sport a pretty good defense and they should have enough to win the division this year. The taste of success, combined with playoff disappointment, should be enough to motivate Atlanta and give them confidence heading into this year. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I just have a feeling that the Panthers will not be as good this season. QB Jake Delhomme is another year older and the Panthers are still one dimensional in the passing game with WR Steve Smith. The Panthers can pound it out on the ground however, and they still have a really good defense, but I just have a hunch they will not be as good this season. They did not look particularly good against the Ravens in the most important preseason game, so maybe that skews my thinking. I do think the Panthers will strongly contend for a Wild Card spot though, but they could be shut out with the wealth of contenders from the NFC East and North.
The New Orleans Saints will be a fun team to watch with QB Drew Brees running their high powered offense, but I think their defense will hold them back and they will fall short of the playoffs again this year. The Saints pretty much rely on their offense to just outscore opponents, and usually that is not the way to go for long term success. One too many off days from the offense will bring about too many losses and I can only see the Saints being around .500 this year. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be bringing up the rear of this division. The Bucs are still fairly solid on defense, but they are far from the dominant unit they used to be. The Buccaneers biggest problem will be an anemic offense though. QB Byron Leftwich is not consistent enough and the team lacks enough weapons to get the job done. Add in a rookie head coach and I see a team that will be mediocre and finish below .500.
NFC West:
My Division Favorite – Cardinals by a decent margin
Playoff Contenders – Cardinals
The NFC West should basically be a one team division this year. The Arizona Cardinals have become the class of the division and they should have no trouble winning it and being the only playoff representative from the division. The loser of the Super Bowl has had trouble qualifying for the playoffs in the next season, but the weakness of the NFC West should prevent that problem for Arizona. QB Kurt Warner returns with his dynamic duo of WRs in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and the addition of rookie RB Chris Wells will really help the offense be potent. Throw in a solid and improving defense and the Cardinals should have no trouble winning the division.
The 49ers and Seahawks should be battling for 2nd place, but the ceiling for both of those teams should be around .500. Behind Coach Mike Singletary, the 49ers are slowly improving. The have a pretty tough defense, but are still held back by the offense. They will try to pound it out on the ground, but they lack the ability to have balance because the passing game is weak. Rookie WR Michael Crabtree could have really helped QB Shaun Hill, but he decided to be a fool and “diva” and his contract dispute will hurt the team. The Seahawks get a healthy Matt Hasselbeck back at QB, but even with the addition of WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Seahawks will still be lacking on both offense and defense and they don’t have enough to make a complete turnaround from last year. The St. Louis Rams will most likely be in the basement of the division. Their only bright spot is RB Steven Jackson, but he is not enough to overcome the other problems and it will be a struggle for the Rams as they continue to try and rebuild.
AFC East:
My Division Favorite – Patriots by a solid margin
Playoff Contenders – Patriots and Dolphins
Barring another injury to QB Tom Brady or another bizarre scenario, the Patriots should be back on top of the division this year. It seems as if Brady’s shoulder is fine and the “injury” he suffered will just be a small scare. The Patriots looked great on offense in the preseason and Brady and WR Randy Moss look ready to pick up where they left off before Brady’s knee injury. The defense will be solid as usual for the Patriots and they should have no trouble winning the division. I think the Dolphins are primed to slip this year. They caught many teams by surprise last season, but they will not do so this year. The schedule is much tougher for the Dolphins and Tom Brady is back to 100% for the Patriots. That combination spells trouble and 2nd place for Miami. The Dolphins lack firepower on offense and I don’t think the methodical, no mistake philosophy will be enough. The defense should keep Miami in most every game, but they will come up short in too many. The Dolphins should still have a shot at a Wild Card spot, but the AFC is very tough and I would not be surprised if Miami’s schedule bites them and they miss the playoffs entirely.
The Jets and the Bills will be fighting to stay out of last place in the division. I probably have to give the edge to the Jets to finish 3rd. New Coach Rex Ryan has had first hand experience with a rookie QB, baring witness to QB Joe Flacco last year with the Ravens, so he should be able to support rookie QB Mark Sanchez in New York. I still think though that the Jets will not be able to do enough to make a playoff run. Their defense is solid but certainly not up to the Ravens’ level and they lack weapons on offense to really help Sanchez. The Jets will be solid and have a shot at .500. The Bills will end up being mediocre at best and will finish last. WR Terrell Owens was brought in to try and make the offense more explosive, but he will most likely be keyed on by defenses and he will not make that big of an impact. The offense looked terrible in the preseason and the defense is nowhere near being dominant enough to carry Buffalo. The Bills will struggle and it will be fun to see if Owens blows up this year.
AFC North:
My Division Favorite – Steelers BARELY over the Ravens
Playoff Contenders – Steelers and Ravens
As I have said a few times already, this should be one hell of a fight this season for the AFC North title. I can’t wait to see the two games between the Steelers and Ravens and the result will most likely decide the division. Both teams are built on defense and look to do enough on the offensive side of the ball to win. I am hearing many so-called “experts” say that the Ravens will miss former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. You mean like the team missed Marvin Lewis when he left? That is a weak argument and I don’t think the people saying this realize how deep the Ravens are on defense. The Steelers still have an edge when comparing offenses however. QB Ben Roethlisberger has proven himself time and again as a star and he has a solid running game and WR Hines Ward to back him up. Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco is continuing to improve and develop though, and he looks to be better this year already compared to last season. The Ravens still have a good running game with RB Ray Rice improving and RB Willis McGahee now being the 2nd back to help spell him. Again, the Ravens could be held back because they have no game breaking WR, but Derrick Mason is as solid as they come and the Ravens have worked on getting Flacco to spread the ball around. Based on experience and a slight talent edge, I have to give the Steelers the edge to win the division. I think they find a way to be 1 game better than the Ravens, but I would not be surprised at all if Baltimore wins it because they have looked great in the preseason. No matter how it shakes out, both teams will make the playoffs.
The Browns and the Bengals will be fighting to finish in 3rd place, but it seems as though the Bengals have a solid edge over the Browns. Both of these teams have come into the past few seasons with hopes and promise and they somehow find a way to disappoint. The Browns are trying to rebuild around QB Brady Quinn (or QB Derek Anderson…who the hell knows with Mangini) and the Bengals are hoping a healthy QB Carson Palmer will bring more success this year. I do believe a full, healthy year from Palmer can bring more wins to Cincinnati, but I don’t think they have enough to make any sort of playoff run, even though a few misguided “experts” seem to think so. Clearly, the Ravens and Steelers are much better than the Browns and Bengals, so either team will be lucky to get a sniff at .500 this year. I expect the Browns to fall away though and be pretty bad while the Bengals should be able to hang in there. Make no mistake, the Browns and Bengals will still compete in every game, but they just do not have enough to get things done and they are looking at sub par seasons.
AFC South:
My Division Favorite – Titans by a small margin over the Colts
Playoff Contenders – Titans and Colts
The winds of change are slowly sweeping into the AFC South and the division now seems to belong to the Titans for the time being. Tennessee features a tough hitting and solid defense and a great running game. They are built just like the Steelers and Ravens and that is a good recipe for success. QB Kerry Collins remains the starter for the Titans and he will effectively manage the game and provide Tennessee with a lot of wins and a division title, building off of last year’s great regular season campaign. The Titans’ biggest challenge will come from the Indianapolis Colts, but the Colts are slowly starting to slip from dominance. The window is slowly closing on QB Peyton Manning. Coach Tony Dungy and WR Marvin Harrison are gone and the offense is not as explosive as it once was, but they do have young talent in place. The sheer greatness of Manning though will keep the Colts dangerous on offense and he will get the job done. The defensive unit in Indianapolis is still pretty good and I believe the Colts will be able to do enough to sneak into the playoffs. The AFC is going to be a slugfest this year, so I would not be shocked if Indy caught some bad breaks and not even made the playoffs. But then again, they could get hot and win the division outright. It should be a great battle.
The Houston Texans are starting to improve and there is talk that they could make a playoff run this year. I just do not see that happening. The Texans have many weapons on offense and success will hinge on whether or not QB Matt Schaub can stay healthy. He has already looked a bit shaky in the preseason, so I don’t know if that will happen. The Texans are held back by their defense. Mario Williams has developed into a dominating pass rusher and he is starting to justify his #1 overall draft pick status, but he needs more help. The secondary in Houston is extremely soft and I think these problems will be too much for Houston to expect a playoff berth this year. The Jacksonville Jaguars will most likely fall away and finish last in the division. I just do not see them having enough offense to contend and their defense is certainly not one of the tops in the league. Coach Jack Del Rio will have the Jags ready to play each week, but they do not have enough talent to be an elite team.
AFC West:
My Division Favorite – Chargers by a wide margin
Playoff Contenders – Chargers
Just like the NFC West, the AFC’s western division is a one team race. The Chargers should clearly be head and shoulders above the rest and they are a potential Super Bowl contender. The Chargers have an explosive offense and are good enough on defensive to get to double digit wins and win the division handily. Their top competition should come from the Denver Broncos, but there is so much turmoil in Denver that I don’t know how much of a challenge they can provide. Coach Josh McDaniels is trying to install a new system and get the team on board with it and he has had to already deal with the Jay Cutler situation and problem child WR Brandon Marshall. I am not convinced that QB Kyle Orton is the answer and the Broncos continue to have problems keeping a RB healthy. The defense has slipped in recent years and I only foresee a mediocre season at best. The Chiefs and the Raiders will be in the basement of the AFC West and they both have a long way to go to even reach respectability. I think this is the year that the Chargers finally avoid a slow start and they should beat up on their division rivals easily.
The Game’s Quick Hits
ECW Recap: ECW continues to be a fairly entertaining hour of television when the WWE allows the focus to be on in-ring action. I was pleased to see that tonight and glad the no-talent Abraham Washington did not grace my screen. The night started with a match between The Hurricane and Paul Burchill. These two have had a nice little feud going and even though there is nothing ground breaking here and it is only mid-card filler, they produced a pretty good match. I was pleased to see both wrestlers focus on their strengths and show a nice contrast. The Hurricane tried to use his speed and quickness, while Burchill relied on his strength advantage and tried to wear Hurricane down with power moves. The pace was good and the crowd was supportive of Hurricane and into the match. In the end, Hurricane won with an Eye of the Hurricane after Paul ran into Katie Lea on the ring apron. This was a solid effort all around and much appreciated. These types of matches need to happen more on Raw instead of stuff like the Hornswoggle garbage. It also seems as though Shelton Benjamin and Sheamus are headed toward a feud after an altercation they had following a tag team victory over Goldust and Yoshi Tatsu. I still believe Benjamin should be going after the ECW Championship or moved to Raw or Smackdown and challenge for one of the secondary titles. He can put on some great matches when given the chance. Let’s hope that he can produce some good things with Sheamus. I am still on the fence about the “Celtic Warrior”, but he is definitely the best of the “New Talent Initiative” wrestlers.
The main event featured ECW Champion Christian and Tommy Dreamer taking on Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov. We learned that Christian will be defending his belt against William Regal at Breaking Point, so this match turned into the WWE’s hard sell for the PPV tonight. The two sides put on a perfectly acceptable tag team match. As you would expect, Christian and Dreamer had to rely on speed and veteran savvy, while Kozlov and Jackson brought pure power. Jackson was showcased a little more in this match, looking very imposing and dominant at times and he was able to pick up the victory on Dreamer after a grab of the foot from Regal on the outside. The “Ruthless Roundtable” stood tall at the end of the night and we were left to wonder if Christian’s title reign would soon be over.
- Oklahoma could use some more good news, but they did not get any on Tuesday as Coach Bob Stoops told the media that star TE Jermaine Gresham underwent arthroscopic surgery on his injured right knee to determine the severity of cartilage damage. Unfortunately for the Sooners, the injury was not a simple removal of anything and the doctors determined that Gresham needed stitches to repair the cartilage, which will require a recovery time of 5 months and put Gresham out for the season. Gresham returned to school and put off the NFL for a year, so this is extremely bad news for him and could hamper his draft value. He was Oklahoma’s leading returning receiver this year and a real playmaker on offense. Now that he is out for the year, it is pretty much a given that the Sooners offense will suffer and miss his big play ability. At this point, I still stick to my view that Oklahoma will lose against Texas and now the game against Miami is looking more dangerous. It will take a huge effort and tons of determination for the Sooners to fight through this adversity.
- The Richard Seymour watch continues as he failed to report to the Raiders for the 2nd straight day. Raiders Coach Tom Cable said he has nothing new to report and nothing has changed, Patriots Coach Bill Belichick refuses to talk about it since the Patriots no longer have the rights to Seymour, and the NFL is saying to get a statement from the teams. This is quickly starting to turn into some drama now. Reports are saying that Seymour had no advanced warning of the trade and right now, things such as his contract and his role with the Raiders and what they expect from him need to be “worked out”. As I stated yesterday, this move must suck for Seymour, but he really needs to be a professional about it and report to the team or at least give a statement. I would have thought he learned some class and professionalism from the Patriots, even though they did deal him a tough hand. In the NFL, business is business.
- Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick spoke to a group of 200 students on the first day of classes at Nueva Esperanza Academy, a North Philadelphia charter school. He warned the students not to bow to peer pressure and to make good choices that will allow you to be a leader and not a follower. Vick offered himself up as an example of what happens when you lose focus and how your life can go down a bad path. I am happy to see that Vick is getting out in the community and trying to do some good work. As I have stated before, if he can work to make a positive difference and stay on course himself, then the 2nd chance he is getting in the NFL is totally justified. I hope that more schools and organizations give Vick a chance to make a positive impact and not just sit back and bitch and moan about how Vick is bad for young people. That will solve nothing.
- The captain’s selections are in for the 2009 President’s Cup: Ryo Ishikawa, who at 17-years old will be the youngest player ever in the competition, and Adam Scott were chosen by Captain Greg Norman for the International team and Captain Fred Couples chose 2009 U.S. Open Champion Lucas Glover and Hunter Mahan for the United States team. Scott’s selection was a bit curious considering the fact that he has fallen to 53 in the world rankings and is suffering through the worst year of his career. Glover and Mahan bring experience to the U.S. squad, as they also were the Captain’s picks 2 years ago. The President’s Cup is a very fun event to watch, even though it is not at the level of the Ryder Cup. I love seeing the match play format, as well as the different foursome matches. There is some real drama that is created and I still say that even though on the surface golf might not seem that exciting, it really can be some of the best competition that you can watch if you are a sports fan.
- I thought this tidbit was worth mentioning with the U.S. Open going on right now. The new head of the men’s tennis tour, Adam Helfant, said that the tour is planning an All-star event in March to try and boost the sport’s popularity. He said the top players are in favor of the event, which would include a skills competition, celebrity doubles matches, and an awards show. Helfant wants to try and create more buzz at the beginning of the year for tennis, something he claims other sports do well. While I think this is a noble cause Helfant is trying to do, I don’t think it will do much good. Tennis is more of a niche sport that will always appeal to a segment of the population, but it will never grow to the heights of the four major professional sports in America. Tennis is a great recreational sport and it will always be around, but it can only grow so much. Unless you can somehow bring along new stars that grow to the level of guys like John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, and other greats, AND have them develop intense rivalries, tennis will always lag behind in viewership and popularity. That’s just the way it is.
- U.S. Open Update: The women’s side of the draw has reached the quarterfinals and #2 seed Serena Williams still has not really been tested as she cruised by #10 seed Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-3. In the other women’s quarterfinal of the day, Kim Clijsters routed #18 seed Li Na 6-2, 6-4 to reach the semifinals against Williams. This is an amazing run by Clijsters after being away from the game for 2 years and the match with Serena has the potential to be very intriguing. On the men’s side, a huge upset occurred as #2 seed Andy Murray was blitzed and totally outplayed in losing to #16 seed Marin Cilic, who won in straight sets 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. Cilic will now play #6 seed Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals. Men’s #3 seed Rafael Nadal lost the first set to #13 seed Gael Monfils, but Nadal was able to eventually wear down Monfils as he slowly faded away and Nadal won in 4 sets. Nadal will now face #11 seed Fernando Gonzalez, who advanced by beating #7 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 4 sets.
NFC East:
My Division Favorite – Eagles by a slight margin
Playoff Contenders – Eagles, Giants, Cowboys
The NFC East is always one of the best divisions in the NFL and it should be no different in 2009. I think it will be a knock down, drag out fight for the division title between the Eagles and Giants this year. Both teams come into this season looking very similar. The Eagles have been built around the defensive side of the ball for years and they have always gotten enough from QB Donovan McNabb (even through injuries) and RB Brian Westbrook to be perennial playoff participants. For whatever reason though, the Eagles just have not been able to get over the hump and a Super Bowl title has eluded them. After last season’s late surge, the Eagles come into 2009 with renewed hopes though. QB Michael Vick was given a 2nd chance by Philadelphia and he should be able to help the Eagles’ offense be more dynamic and unpredictable, but it remains to be seen how much he will help. The Eagles will once again hope that McNabb and Westbrook stay health and that they continue to get development from their receivers. The defense may not be as dominant as it has been, especially with the passing of Jim Johnson in the offseason.
The New York Giants are built the same way as the Eagles. They rely on a stingy defense to shut down other teams and then ask QB Eli Manning to do enough to manage the game while they pound it out on the ground. The problem for the Giants this year is at the WR position. After the sad situation with Plaxico Burress, the Giants have no big playmaker at WR. The loss of Burress clearly hurt the team last year, as Manning struggled to do anything in the passing game. The Giants did not do anything to bring in a dynamic WR this offseason, so those concerns remain. The Giants and Eagles should be battling atop the division and I really think it could go either way depending on how the two games between both teams shake out this year. I give the slight edge to the Eagles, but the Giants could easily walk away with the division title as well.
The Dallas Cowboys are hoping for a turnaround this season after releasing WR Terrell Owens and hopefully improving team chemistry. The problem though is that the Cowboys are really no different than they were last year and they are minus a future Hall of Fame WR. I am not sure Dallas will be able to take a step up and they should remain behind the Eagles and Giants. I think the Cowboys have a shot to battle for a Wild Card spot if they get some luck and bring consistent play to the field. They do have a good defense and QB Tony Romo can be one of the best in the league sometimes. As for the Washington Redskins, I see them as a .500 team and they should not challenge for a playoff spot. They have the talent to look like world beaters some weeks, but then other weeks they will look mediocre at best. I think they will lose enough divisional games to keep them in the bottom of the division.
NFC North:
My Division Favorite – Vikings by a small margin
Playoff Contenders – Vikings, Packers, Bears
Just like the NFC East, the NFC North is always a great division to watch. The games are rough and hard hitting and the division title race always seems to come down to the final week of the season. The addition of QB Brett Favre to the Minnesota Vikings gives them the edge to win the division this year in my opinion. In the past few seasons, the Vikings have been able to build up a really good defense and the drafting of RB Adrian Peterson instantly gave Minnesota a dangerous running game. However, inconsistent play and mistakes from the QB position has held them back. Brett Favre will be able to come in and offer stability to the position. He knows the offense like the back of his hand and I believe he will not have to be a gunslinger this year. If Favre is able to limit mistakes and lean on Peterson and the defense to do some heavy lifting, it should be a recipe for success. An injury to Favre would obviously derail this plan, but right now, Favre should only develop more chemistry with the offense and the Vikings should be in great position.
Behind the Vikings, it should be a great battle between the Packers and Bears. Both of these teams have the potential to sneak up and win the division if the Vikings run into problems and the Favre experiment does not work. The Packers will be driven by how good QB Aaron Rogers will be this year. Rogers is starting to show that he can be an elite level star in the league and he will carry the offense. The question is if he can get solid help from the running game and if he will get big play help from his receivers. The Packers will also need their defense to step up and try to allow Rogers to win games for them. The Bears have no trouble on the defensive side of the ball and now the franchise may have finally found an answer at QB with the acquisition of Jay Cutler. The Bears have relied on defense and a strong running game to win for years, but now they might be able to hurt teams through the passing game. The Bears still lack a weapon at WR though, so Cutler will only be able to do so much and it remains to be seen how quickly things will gel for the offense. I do think that the Packers and Bears both have a shot at contending for the Wild Card spots, and maybe the division, if they catch some breaks. And as for the lowly Detroit Lions, they will still suffer through a horrible season, but I do think they can get 2 or 3 wins this year. Expect growing pains from rookie QB Matthew Stafford, but if he develops, the Lions could finally be on a path to respectability.
NFC South:
My Division Favorite – Falcons by a small margin over the Panthers
Playoff Contenders – Falcons and Panthers
I feel that the balance of power has shifted to the Atlanta Falcons this year and I believe they will overtake the Panthers and win the division this season. QB Matt Ryan will only continue to develop and he has a wealth of weapons in RB Michael Turner, WR Roddy White, and newly acquired TE Tony Gonzalez. The Falcons also sport a pretty good defense and they should have enough to win the division this year. The taste of success, combined with playoff disappointment, should be enough to motivate Atlanta and give them confidence heading into this year. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I just have a feeling that the Panthers will not be as good this season. QB Jake Delhomme is another year older and the Panthers are still one dimensional in the passing game with WR Steve Smith. The Panthers can pound it out on the ground however, and they still have a really good defense, but I just have a hunch they will not be as good this season. They did not look particularly good against the Ravens in the most important preseason game, so maybe that skews my thinking. I do think the Panthers will strongly contend for a Wild Card spot though, but they could be shut out with the wealth of contenders from the NFC East and North.
The New Orleans Saints will be a fun team to watch with QB Drew Brees running their high powered offense, but I think their defense will hold them back and they will fall short of the playoffs again this year. The Saints pretty much rely on their offense to just outscore opponents, and usually that is not the way to go for long term success. One too many off days from the offense will bring about too many losses and I can only see the Saints being around .500 this year. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be bringing up the rear of this division. The Bucs are still fairly solid on defense, but they are far from the dominant unit they used to be. The Buccaneers biggest problem will be an anemic offense though. QB Byron Leftwich is not consistent enough and the team lacks enough weapons to get the job done. Add in a rookie head coach and I see a team that will be mediocre and finish below .500.
NFC West:
My Division Favorite – Cardinals by a decent margin
Playoff Contenders – Cardinals
The NFC West should basically be a one team division this year. The Arizona Cardinals have become the class of the division and they should have no trouble winning it and being the only playoff representative from the division. The loser of the Super Bowl has had trouble qualifying for the playoffs in the next season, but the weakness of the NFC West should prevent that problem for Arizona. QB Kurt Warner returns with his dynamic duo of WRs in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and the addition of rookie RB Chris Wells will really help the offense be potent. Throw in a solid and improving defense and the Cardinals should have no trouble winning the division.
The 49ers and Seahawks should be battling for 2nd place, but the ceiling for both of those teams should be around .500. Behind Coach Mike Singletary, the 49ers are slowly improving. The have a pretty tough defense, but are still held back by the offense. They will try to pound it out on the ground, but they lack the ability to have balance because the passing game is weak. Rookie WR Michael Crabtree could have really helped QB Shaun Hill, but he decided to be a fool and “diva” and his contract dispute will hurt the team. The Seahawks get a healthy Matt Hasselbeck back at QB, but even with the addition of WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Seahawks will still be lacking on both offense and defense and they don’t have enough to make a complete turnaround from last year. The St. Louis Rams will most likely be in the basement of the division. Their only bright spot is RB Steven Jackson, but he is not enough to overcome the other problems and it will be a struggle for the Rams as they continue to try and rebuild.
AFC East:
My Division Favorite – Patriots by a solid margin
Playoff Contenders – Patriots and Dolphins
Barring another injury to QB Tom Brady or another bizarre scenario, the Patriots should be back on top of the division this year. It seems as if Brady’s shoulder is fine and the “injury” he suffered will just be a small scare. The Patriots looked great on offense in the preseason and Brady and WR Randy Moss look ready to pick up where they left off before Brady’s knee injury. The defense will be solid as usual for the Patriots and they should have no trouble winning the division. I think the Dolphins are primed to slip this year. They caught many teams by surprise last season, but they will not do so this year. The schedule is much tougher for the Dolphins and Tom Brady is back to 100% for the Patriots. That combination spells trouble and 2nd place for Miami. The Dolphins lack firepower on offense and I don’t think the methodical, no mistake philosophy will be enough. The defense should keep Miami in most every game, but they will come up short in too many. The Dolphins should still have a shot at a Wild Card spot, but the AFC is very tough and I would not be surprised if Miami’s schedule bites them and they miss the playoffs entirely.
The Jets and the Bills will be fighting to stay out of last place in the division. I probably have to give the edge to the Jets to finish 3rd. New Coach Rex Ryan has had first hand experience with a rookie QB, baring witness to QB Joe Flacco last year with the Ravens, so he should be able to support rookie QB Mark Sanchez in New York. I still think though that the Jets will not be able to do enough to make a playoff run. Their defense is solid but certainly not up to the Ravens’ level and they lack weapons on offense to really help Sanchez. The Jets will be solid and have a shot at .500. The Bills will end up being mediocre at best and will finish last. WR Terrell Owens was brought in to try and make the offense more explosive, but he will most likely be keyed on by defenses and he will not make that big of an impact. The offense looked terrible in the preseason and the defense is nowhere near being dominant enough to carry Buffalo. The Bills will struggle and it will be fun to see if Owens blows up this year.
AFC North:
My Division Favorite – Steelers BARELY over the Ravens
Playoff Contenders – Steelers and Ravens
As I have said a few times already, this should be one hell of a fight this season for the AFC North title. I can’t wait to see the two games between the Steelers and Ravens and the result will most likely decide the division. Both teams are built on defense and look to do enough on the offensive side of the ball to win. I am hearing many so-called “experts” say that the Ravens will miss former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. You mean like the team missed Marvin Lewis when he left? That is a weak argument and I don’t think the people saying this realize how deep the Ravens are on defense. The Steelers still have an edge when comparing offenses however. QB Ben Roethlisberger has proven himself time and again as a star and he has a solid running game and WR Hines Ward to back him up. Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco is continuing to improve and develop though, and he looks to be better this year already compared to last season. The Ravens still have a good running game with RB Ray Rice improving and RB Willis McGahee now being the 2nd back to help spell him. Again, the Ravens could be held back because they have no game breaking WR, but Derrick Mason is as solid as they come and the Ravens have worked on getting Flacco to spread the ball around. Based on experience and a slight talent edge, I have to give the Steelers the edge to win the division. I think they find a way to be 1 game better than the Ravens, but I would not be surprised at all if Baltimore wins it because they have looked great in the preseason. No matter how it shakes out, both teams will make the playoffs.
The Browns and the Bengals will be fighting to finish in 3rd place, but it seems as though the Bengals have a solid edge over the Browns. Both of these teams have come into the past few seasons with hopes and promise and they somehow find a way to disappoint. The Browns are trying to rebuild around QB Brady Quinn (or QB Derek Anderson…who the hell knows with Mangini) and the Bengals are hoping a healthy QB Carson Palmer will bring more success this year. I do believe a full, healthy year from Palmer can bring more wins to Cincinnati, but I don’t think they have enough to make any sort of playoff run, even though a few misguided “experts” seem to think so. Clearly, the Ravens and Steelers are much better than the Browns and Bengals, so either team will be lucky to get a sniff at .500 this year. I expect the Browns to fall away though and be pretty bad while the Bengals should be able to hang in there. Make no mistake, the Browns and Bengals will still compete in every game, but they just do not have enough to get things done and they are looking at sub par seasons.
AFC South:
My Division Favorite – Titans by a small margin over the Colts
Playoff Contenders – Titans and Colts
The winds of change are slowly sweeping into the AFC South and the division now seems to belong to the Titans for the time being. Tennessee features a tough hitting and solid defense and a great running game. They are built just like the Steelers and Ravens and that is a good recipe for success. QB Kerry Collins remains the starter for the Titans and he will effectively manage the game and provide Tennessee with a lot of wins and a division title, building off of last year’s great regular season campaign. The Titans’ biggest challenge will come from the Indianapolis Colts, but the Colts are slowly starting to slip from dominance. The window is slowly closing on QB Peyton Manning. Coach Tony Dungy and WR Marvin Harrison are gone and the offense is not as explosive as it once was, but they do have young talent in place. The sheer greatness of Manning though will keep the Colts dangerous on offense and he will get the job done. The defensive unit in Indianapolis is still pretty good and I believe the Colts will be able to do enough to sneak into the playoffs. The AFC is going to be a slugfest this year, so I would not be shocked if Indy caught some bad breaks and not even made the playoffs. But then again, they could get hot and win the division outright. It should be a great battle.
The Houston Texans are starting to improve and there is talk that they could make a playoff run this year. I just do not see that happening. The Texans have many weapons on offense and success will hinge on whether or not QB Matt Schaub can stay healthy. He has already looked a bit shaky in the preseason, so I don’t know if that will happen. The Texans are held back by their defense. Mario Williams has developed into a dominating pass rusher and he is starting to justify his #1 overall draft pick status, but he needs more help. The secondary in Houston is extremely soft and I think these problems will be too much for Houston to expect a playoff berth this year. The Jacksonville Jaguars will most likely fall away and finish last in the division. I just do not see them having enough offense to contend and their defense is certainly not one of the tops in the league. Coach Jack Del Rio will have the Jags ready to play each week, but they do not have enough talent to be an elite team.
AFC West:
My Division Favorite – Chargers by a wide margin
Playoff Contenders – Chargers
Just like the NFC West, the AFC’s western division is a one team race. The Chargers should clearly be head and shoulders above the rest and they are a potential Super Bowl contender. The Chargers have an explosive offense and are good enough on defensive to get to double digit wins and win the division handily. Their top competition should come from the Denver Broncos, but there is so much turmoil in Denver that I don’t know how much of a challenge they can provide. Coach Josh McDaniels is trying to install a new system and get the team on board with it and he has had to already deal with the Jay Cutler situation and problem child WR Brandon Marshall. I am not convinced that QB Kyle Orton is the answer and the Broncos continue to have problems keeping a RB healthy. The defense has slipped in recent years and I only foresee a mediocre season at best. The Chiefs and the Raiders will be in the basement of the AFC West and they both have a long way to go to even reach respectability. I think this is the year that the Chargers finally avoid a slow start and they should beat up on their division rivals easily.
The Game’s Quick Hits
ECW Recap: ECW continues to be a fairly entertaining hour of television when the WWE allows the focus to be on in-ring action. I was pleased to see that tonight and glad the no-talent Abraham Washington did not grace my screen. The night started with a match between The Hurricane and Paul Burchill. These two have had a nice little feud going and even though there is nothing ground breaking here and it is only mid-card filler, they produced a pretty good match. I was pleased to see both wrestlers focus on their strengths and show a nice contrast. The Hurricane tried to use his speed and quickness, while Burchill relied on his strength advantage and tried to wear Hurricane down with power moves. The pace was good and the crowd was supportive of Hurricane and into the match. In the end, Hurricane won with an Eye of the Hurricane after Paul ran into Katie Lea on the ring apron. This was a solid effort all around and much appreciated. These types of matches need to happen more on Raw instead of stuff like the Hornswoggle garbage. It also seems as though Shelton Benjamin and Sheamus are headed toward a feud after an altercation they had following a tag team victory over Goldust and Yoshi Tatsu. I still believe Benjamin should be going after the ECW Championship or moved to Raw or Smackdown and challenge for one of the secondary titles. He can put on some great matches when given the chance. Let’s hope that he can produce some good things with Sheamus. I am still on the fence about the “Celtic Warrior”, but he is definitely the best of the “New Talent Initiative” wrestlers.
The main event featured ECW Champion Christian and Tommy Dreamer taking on Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov. We learned that Christian will be defending his belt against William Regal at Breaking Point, so this match turned into the WWE’s hard sell for the PPV tonight. The two sides put on a perfectly acceptable tag team match. As you would expect, Christian and Dreamer had to rely on speed and veteran savvy, while Kozlov and Jackson brought pure power. Jackson was showcased a little more in this match, looking very imposing and dominant at times and he was able to pick up the victory on Dreamer after a grab of the foot from Regal on the outside. The “Ruthless Roundtable” stood tall at the end of the night and we were left to wonder if Christian’s title reign would soon be over.
- Oklahoma could use some more good news, but they did not get any on Tuesday as Coach Bob Stoops told the media that star TE Jermaine Gresham underwent arthroscopic surgery on his injured right knee to determine the severity of cartilage damage. Unfortunately for the Sooners, the injury was not a simple removal of anything and the doctors determined that Gresham needed stitches to repair the cartilage, which will require a recovery time of 5 months and put Gresham out for the season. Gresham returned to school and put off the NFL for a year, so this is extremely bad news for him and could hamper his draft value. He was Oklahoma’s leading returning receiver this year and a real playmaker on offense. Now that he is out for the year, it is pretty much a given that the Sooners offense will suffer and miss his big play ability. At this point, I still stick to my view that Oklahoma will lose against Texas and now the game against Miami is looking more dangerous. It will take a huge effort and tons of determination for the Sooners to fight through this adversity.
- The Richard Seymour watch continues as he failed to report to the Raiders for the 2nd straight day. Raiders Coach Tom Cable said he has nothing new to report and nothing has changed, Patriots Coach Bill Belichick refuses to talk about it since the Patriots no longer have the rights to Seymour, and the NFL is saying to get a statement from the teams. This is quickly starting to turn into some drama now. Reports are saying that Seymour had no advanced warning of the trade and right now, things such as his contract and his role with the Raiders and what they expect from him need to be “worked out”. As I stated yesterday, this move must suck for Seymour, but he really needs to be a professional about it and report to the team or at least give a statement. I would have thought he learned some class and professionalism from the Patriots, even though they did deal him a tough hand. In the NFL, business is business.
- Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick spoke to a group of 200 students on the first day of classes at Nueva Esperanza Academy, a North Philadelphia charter school. He warned the students not to bow to peer pressure and to make good choices that will allow you to be a leader and not a follower. Vick offered himself up as an example of what happens when you lose focus and how your life can go down a bad path. I am happy to see that Vick is getting out in the community and trying to do some good work. As I have stated before, if he can work to make a positive difference and stay on course himself, then the 2nd chance he is getting in the NFL is totally justified. I hope that more schools and organizations give Vick a chance to make a positive impact and not just sit back and bitch and moan about how Vick is bad for young people. That will solve nothing.
- The captain’s selections are in for the 2009 President’s Cup: Ryo Ishikawa, who at 17-years old will be the youngest player ever in the competition, and Adam Scott were chosen by Captain Greg Norman for the International team and Captain Fred Couples chose 2009 U.S. Open Champion Lucas Glover and Hunter Mahan for the United States team. Scott’s selection was a bit curious considering the fact that he has fallen to 53 in the world rankings and is suffering through the worst year of his career. Glover and Mahan bring experience to the U.S. squad, as they also were the Captain’s picks 2 years ago. The President’s Cup is a very fun event to watch, even though it is not at the level of the Ryder Cup. I love seeing the match play format, as well as the different foursome matches. There is some real drama that is created and I still say that even though on the surface golf might not seem that exciting, it really can be some of the best competition that you can watch if you are a sports fan.
- I thought this tidbit was worth mentioning with the U.S. Open going on right now. The new head of the men’s tennis tour, Adam Helfant, said that the tour is planning an All-star event in March to try and boost the sport’s popularity. He said the top players are in favor of the event, which would include a skills competition, celebrity doubles matches, and an awards show. Helfant wants to try and create more buzz at the beginning of the year for tennis, something he claims other sports do well. While I think this is a noble cause Helfant is trying to do, I don’t think it will do much good. Tennis is more of a niche sport that will always appeal to a segment of the population, but it will never grow to the heights of the four major professional sports in America. Tennis is a great recreational sport and it will always be around, but it can only grow so much. Unless you can somehow bring along new stars that grow to the level of guys like John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, and other greats, AND have them develop intense rivalries, tennis will always lag behind in viewership and popularity. That’s just the way it is.
- U.S. Open Update: The women’s side of the draw has reached the quarterfinals and #2 seed Serena Williams still has not really been tested as she cruised by #10 seed Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-3. In the other women’s quarterfinal of the day, Kim Clijsters routed #18 seed Li Na 6-2, 6-4 to reach the semifinals against Williams. This is an amazing run by Clijsters after being away from the game for 2 years and the match with Serena has the potential to be very intriguing. On the men’s side, a huge upset occurred as #2 seed Andy Murray was blitzed and totally outplayed in losing to #16 seed Marin Cilic, who won in straight sets 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. Cilic will now play #6 seed Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals. Men’s #3 seed Rafael Nadal lost the first set to #13 seed Gael Monfils, but Nadal was able to eventually wear down Monfils as he slowly faded away and Nadal won in 4 sets. Nadal will now face #11 seed Fernando Gonzalez, who advanced by beating #7 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 4 sets.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Rise and Fall of WCW Review
I finally got a chance to watch the documentary part on the WWE’s new DVD release “The Rise and Fall of WCW” and I wanted to share my thoughts on it without trying to give an exhaustive and comprehensive review of the whole thing. This DVD set has been highly anticipated ever since the WWE put out the “Rise and Fall of ECW” a few years back. Obviously, WCW had a much richer history than ECW and I’m sure fans were expecting a really great set chronicling the history of the company. And since WCW fought the WWE tooth and nail through the mid to late 1990’s, one had to wonder if there would be any revisionist history and would the documentary try to take any cheap shots or try to really bury their former rival. So the question is, did the set meet expectations?
For the most part, “The Rise and Fall of WCW” was a very good and well produced documentary, but I think it fell short of being something truly special. All of the documentaries that the WWE makes are a good watch in my opinion, but some stand out as being better than others. I feel this documentary was a notch below the ECW one and I believe it could have been more in depth. The documentary only clocked in at about 1 hour 45 minutes and I think it could have been much longer and more comprehensive. With that said, some areas of the history of the company were well documented and overall it was a nice stroll down memory lane.
The beginning of the documentary part was very good and the viewer was able to gain a good sense of how WCW was built up from the territory days. You were able to see how things slowly morphed from Jim Crockett Promotions to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and then finally to WCW. It was obvious how much talent was present throughout the 70’s and 80’s and you got a very good look at how WCW was instrumental in creating the “big time” wrestling event and also how they helped to shape Pay Per Views. The documentary made you realize just how big things were back then for the company and the sky seemed to be the limit. Many of the people interviewed made reference to the 6:05 pm to 8:05 pm time slot on Saturday nights and how that became required viewing for fans back in the day. I was pleased to hear this myself because even though I don’t have sharp memories of things, I know I used to tune into TBS and watch when I was a little kid. I can remember being mesmerized by the athletic skill of the wrestlers and the larger than life personalities of guys like Sting. And even though I did not have an appreciation for the talents of a legend like Ric Flair at the time, those shows did seem like a big time thing and something special for a kid.
After a really good telling of how WCW slowly grew into a phenomenon, the main theme (from my perspective at least) of the documentary was introduced, which was no matter how good things looked for WCW on the surface, there was always trouble brewing behind the scenes that threatened the company. The first of these problems was that the company tried to expand too much too fast, and even though the money was pouring in, the company could not keep up with expenses. So after failed partnerships with Ted Turner and even Vince McMahon, Jim Crockett was forced to sell the entire company and operations to Turner and allow him to take over. Once Turner got his hands into things, it was only the beginning of the major problem which plagued WCW: people with no knowledge of the product screwing things up and then later allowing the “inmates to run the asylum” even when you had smart enough people in power positions.
In the early 1990’s, WCW had a wealth of talent with the likes of Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Sting, the Steiners, Vader, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, and the list could go on and on. But sadly, extremely bad decisions and bad management held the company back. The people who gained control of the booking just could not find a way to gain any momentum at the best and didn’t know what the hell they were doing at the worst. The morale of the performers slowly started to disappear and the fun vanished. Many wrestlers just saw dollars and a paycheck and the ship was not righted until Eric Bischoff came along.
Bischoff was mostly portrayed in a positive light for what he did with WCW, and rightly so. He was a very smart and creative business man and he had enough sense to listen to other people and also channel Ted Turner’s money effectively. I don’t need to go into detail about how WCW was able to lure away WWE stars like Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, and Randy Savage. The WWE made these guys into stars and when they came to WCW, the company was legitimized and people took notice. The NWO was then formed and WCW took off like a rocket. The company dominated in the ratings for almost 2 years and WCW seemed to be unstoppable. They featured cruiserweights like Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and Dean Malenko, and these performers gave fans an exciting style that the WWE was not offering. Goldberg also hit the scene during this period and his rise to stardom only helped WCW along.
So, things were great for the company until the same old problems as before crept up. Bischoff and other management people within WCW started to become arrogant and cocky. They really had no longer term vision and they only cared about the ratings and doing whatever it took to beat the WWE. Bischoff foolishly thought that he could actually put Vince McMahon out of business. On top of that, the wrestlers were getting huge contracts and too much creative control. The hiring of Vince Russo, who was pretty much killed in this documentary, was the beginning of the end. As many people probably know, Russo slung every stupid idea that he could against the wall until nothing stuck anymore. We got to see the infamous “finger poke of doom”, Jeff Jarrett laying down for Hulk Hogan, and David Arquette: WCW World Champion, among other things. Truly, things just spiraled out of control and the company was forced to fold under the weight of horrible decision making and the amount of money that was being lost.
All in all, this was a solid timeline of events which did show the rise and fall of the company. In my opinion, I would say that the facts are pretty much accurate, but you can never assume that you are getting the full story. In fact, I would have loved to see more of the story. I think this could have easily been a more comprehensive documentary and should have clocked in at about 3 hours. WWE could have spent more time talking about how Ric Flair and the Horsemen carried the company in the mid to late 1980’s and how they were able to develop more and more big events. I would have also liked to have seen more about the feuds that bridged the gap from the early 90’s until the NWO came along. Even through the bad management, WCW had a great in-ring product and it would have been nice to see some of those feuds highlighted. I admit to being a big mark for the NWO, so I would have liked seeing a more comprehensive look at how the faction evolved and then how it basically devolved into a farce and a joke which hurt the product. A greater examination of the cruiserweight division should have been included in my opinion. And lastly, I believe the documentary should have discussed the major angle that WCW tried which pitted the “New Blood” against the “Millionaires Club”. This storyline was not even mentioned and I feel it should have been talked about along with more information about the final months of the company’s existence.
“The Rise and Fall of WCW” was a good documentary, but it could have been better. Maybe the brevity of the whole thing is just yet another “jab” that Vince McMahon likes to do sometimes. For a wrestling junkie, this documentary was not as big of a “fix” as it should have been. I haven’t gotten around to watching the matches yet, but there appears to be some really good stuff on it. I am sure the earlier matches from the late 80’s and early 90’s will be better than the later material, but that is to be expected. With all that being said, I do recommend a purchase of this set. While it may not be perfect, I feel that it does deserve a place in your wrestling DVD library.
The Game’s Quick Hits:
Monday Night RAWind: I thought that Monday Night Raw this week was much better than last week’s offering. There seemed to be a little more focus on building toward the Breaking Point PPV and it was nice to see a greater emphasis on in-ring action as opposed to pointless and stupid backstage segments and “comedy” bits. Now this makes sense since Dusty Rhodes was the guest host. I have to admit…I like Dusty and always was a fan of the “common man” shtick and there is no question that Dusty could talk on the mic and bring it to ya. The opening segment involving Dusty, Randy Orton, and Cody Rhodes, which set up the main event title match between Orton and Cody Rhodes with Dusty in his corner and John Cena as the referee, was infinitely better than last week’s DX birthday celebration for Vince McMahon. In fact, I think it was a good move to keep DX in the back with Dusty this week and only have them do a little harmless merchandise schilling. Yes, I did laugh at the Shockmaster segment which featured Arn Anderson doing the Shockmaster’s voice. I thought it was fairly funny and saved the segments as a whole. As for the “main event” itself, I was cool with it being a bait and switch.
After the opening segment, I figured that either Orton would just decide to attack Cena and make the match a no contest (and then Legacy would come help) or Orton and Rhodes would just stop the match mid-stream and go after Cena. So, I was pleasantly surprised that they had Dusty do the heel turn right away and Legacy went right after Cena. DX made the predictable save, but Dusty knocking out Triple H with his cowboy boot and then eating an RKO at the end for his troubles was a nice touch. This ending worked because Legacy was able to get their heat back from Cena and DX and the fact that Cody wanted to beat the hell out of Orton for dropping Dusty but whimped out will be effective down the road. At this point, Rhodes and Dibiase continue to look like puppets and totally under Orton’s control. So when they do turn and stand up to him, it will hopefully be a major break for the two and the audience will get behind them. Maybe the whole ending segment was not perfect, but I thought it worked.
The action involving the divas was not that exciting, but at least it was good to see an immediate payoff for a change and a greater focus on some wrestling. Beth Phoenix won a 6 diva battle royal early in the evening and then got a shot at Divas Champion Mickie James later in the night. Beth was booked to look like a beast again and it was pretty effective. The dead crowd did not help the match and the sudden win by Mickie off of a DDT seemed uninspiring to me. I actually would have liked to see Beth win the title. It would have been a surprise and they could have immediately cemented Beth as a dominant bad ass again. I have no idea what the longer term build is now since Gail Kim keeps losing, so I guess we will have to wait and see.
I thought they did the logical move of having Chris Jericho vs. MVP and Big Show vs. Mark Henry to try and build the Unified Tag Team Championship match coming up at Breaking Point. They needed to do something since this match was just thrown together, and opting for some matches instead of pointless bantering or brawling was nice to see. Jericho and MVP put on a good match and Show vs. Henry was a slow and plodding snooze fest as one would predict. But both matches did their job of trying to prove that MVP and Henry are capable of hanging with JeriShow.
The fatal four way match for the United States Championship was also a nice little affair that featured some good action and allowed the contenders to be showcased. Again, I think a sudden title change would have been awesome to see, but maybe they are saving that for Smackdown this week, when I fully expect Rey Mysterio to drop the Intercontinental Title to Dolph Ziggler. The match did a great job of making Kofi Kingston the plucky “underdog” champion who works hard and finds a way to persevere and win. I was glad to see The Miz in there trying to be a sneaky heel and also glad that Carlito, not Miz, was the one who took the pinfall. I still think The Miz needs to complete his quest and win the U.S. Title in the near future.
And finally, the Chavo Guerrero and Hornswoggle angle has just moved into being stupid and absurd. It was funny the first 2 or 3 times, but now it is total crap and I want it off my TV. And speaking of stupid…why in the hell is Bob Barker hosting Raw next week? That makes absolutely NO sense for the last Raw before a PPV.
ECW Thoughts: I didn’t get a chance to catch ECW live as it aired, so I am only able to discuss the results. I am seeing that Sheamus defeated Goldust in a no count out, no disqualification match. These two have meshed together surprisingly well in the ring and the matches have been pretty good. Sheamus going over is obviously the right result and hopefully he will get a chance to move onto a new feud. I think Sheamus has the potential to be a player down the road, as long as they don’t start putting him into stupid matches or involving him with Hornswoggle. Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov squashed two jobbers and then tried to beat them down more along with William Regal before Christian and Tommy Dreamer made the save. This set up a tag team match for next week between Christian and Dreamer and Jackson and Kozlov. I will be very interested in this match to see how Jackson and Kozlov can hang. The feud between Christian and Regal is heating up nicely, so hopefully it continues. Shelton Benjamin defeated Zack Ryder last night as well. I am hoping that Benjamin is somehow able to break out of the mid card and move up the ladder again. Of course he needs to either get on Raw or Smackdown to have a shot at a secondary title or maybe he can somehow challenge Regal if he takes the belt from Christian down the line. I think Benjamin has been working hard to improve and I would like to see him get a bigger push.
- Reports today are saying that PG Ricky Rubio backed out of an agreement that was in place to bring him to the NBA and the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. Minnesota had reached an agreement with Rubio’s agent and his Spanish pro team, but then Rubio came to the Wolves and told them he would prefer to stay in Spain for 2 more years to better prepare himself for the NBA. I don’t know, but this could start smelling fishy. Who knows, maybe in 2 years he decides that he still wants to stay in Europe and tries to squeeze as much money out of Minnesota as he can. Timberwolves president David Kahn is saying that the team was always willing to wait a year or two to bring Rubio over and Rubio is on record saying he has a desire to play for Minnesota, so Kahn had better hope Rubio still has that desire in 2011. As everyone knows however, a lot can change in 2 years, so I’m sure we will have to deal with this in the news for a while to come.
- Brace yourself Canada and get some extra security at those nightclubs because Adam “Pacman” Jones has just agreed to a 1 year contract with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This was the next best option for Jones after the Dallas Cowboys released him in February and no NFL team even bothered to invite him to training camp. My short and sweet opinion on this guy? He is a total idiot. Here is another young player (still only 25) who is trying to flush his career and talents down the toilet due to stupid behavior. Since Jones was drafted in 2005, he has been arrested 6 times and involved in 12 instances that required police intervention. That is just plain stupid and it is amazing this guy is still getting opportunities out there. I am all for second chances, but Jones refuses to stay out of trouble and try to better himself. But that is what happens when you are an athlete and you have talent. If you can still play and a team has a need for what you can do, you will most likely get another shot. Maybe Jones can finally realize this might be his last shot to get to the NFL or else he will be stuck in Canada the rest of his career.
- Quick NFL notes: Patriots QB Tom Brady tested his throwing arm and shoulder in practice on Tuesday and showed no ill effects. Seems like the whole injury “scare” is now overblown and people in New England can breathe easy…Oakland Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha is expected to be sidelined about two weeks with a chipped bone in his left wrist. Asomugha is arguably Oakland’s best player and this kind of injury could very well limit how effective he would be in bump-and-run coverage this year. The Raiders didn’t need any more bad news since they will still be terrible this season…New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora returned to practice on Tuesday after going AWOL on Monday and giving no reason on why he did. This is just a strange occurrence and there is obviously more to this story and I want to hear it…Bengals rookie OL Andre Smith will be out a few weeks after fracturing a bone in his foot. This looks like a case of bad karma to me after Cincinnati tried to lowball Smith with his rookie contract. I read that they have a weight clause in it though, so maybe Smith reported to the team not in the greatest of shape. No matter how you slice it though, it is typical Bungles…
- U.S. Open Update: Women’s #1 seed Dinara Safina barely survived and avoided becoming the first #1 seed to lose in the first round of the U.S. Open by beating 147th-ranked Olivia Rogowska 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4. As I stated before, I have no idea what in the hell they do to get these rankings but Safina should not be a #1 seed at these majors. It is one thing to rack up points at smaller events, but the major tournaments are where the best come through and she has proven nothing yet. The only upset of note on the second day was women’s #11 seed and former world #1 Ana Ivanovic losing in 3 sets.
For the most part, “The Rise and Fall of WCW” was a very good and well produced documentary, but I think it fell short of being something truly special. All of the documentaries that the WWE makes are a good watch in my opinion, but some stand out as being better than others. I feel this documentary was a notch below the ECW one and I believe it could have been more in depth. The documentary only clocked in at about 1 hour 45 minutes and I think it could have been much longer and more comprehensive. With that said, some areas of the history of the company were well documented and overall it was a nice stroll down memory lane.
The beginning of the documentary part was very good and the viewer was able to gain a good sense of how WCW was built up from the territory days. You were able to see how things slowly morphed from Jim Crockett Promotions to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and then finally to WCW. It was obvious how much talent was present throughout the 70’s and 80’s and you got a very good look at how WCW was instrumental in creating the “big time” wrestling event and also how they helped to shape Pay Per Views. The documentary made you realize just how big things were back then for the company and the sky seemed to be the limit. Many of the people interviewed made reference to the 6:05 pm to 8:05 pm time slot on Saturday nights and how that became required viewing for fans back in the day. I was pleased to hear this myself because even though I don’t have sharp memories of things, I know I used to tune into TBS and watch when I was a little kid. I can remember being mesmerized by the athletic skill of the wrestlers and the larger than life personalities of guys like Sting. And even though I did not have an appreciation for the talents of a legend like Ric Flair at the time, those shows did seem like a big time thing and something special for a kid.
After a really good telling of how WCW slowly grew into a phenomenon, the main theme (from my perspective at least) of the documentary was introduced, which was no matter how good things looked for WCW on the surface, there was always trouble brewing behind the scenes that threatened the company. The first of these problems was that the company tried to expand too much too fast, and even though the money was pouring in, the company could not keep up with expenses. So after failed partnerships with Ted Turner and even Vince McMahon, Jim Crockett was forced to sell the entire company and operations to Turner and allow him to take over. Once Turner got his hands into things, it was only the beginning of the major problem which plagued WCW: people with no knowledge of the product screwing things up and then later allowing the “inmates to run the asylum” even when you had smart enough people in power positions.
In the early 1990’s, WCW had a wealth of talent with the likes of Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Sting, the Steiners, Vader, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, and the list could go on and on. But sadly, extremely bad decisions and bad management held the company back. The people who gained control of the booking just could not find a way to gain any momentum at the best and didn’t know what the hell they were doing at the worst. The morale of the performers slowly started to disappear and the fun vanished. Many wrestlers just saw dollars and a paycheck and the ship was not righted until Eric Bischoff came along.
Bischoff was mostly portrayed in a positive light for what he did with WCW, and rightly so. He was a very smart and creative business man and he had enough sense to listen to other people and also channel Ted Turner’s money effectively. I don’t need to go into detail about how WCW was able to lure away WWE stars like Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, and Randy Savage. The WWE made these guys into stars and when they came to WCW, the company was legitimized and people took notice. The NWO was then formed and WCW took off like a rocket. The company dominated in the ratings for almost 2 years and WCW seemed to be unstoppable. They featured cruiserweights like Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and Dean Malenko, and these performers gave fans an exciting style that the WWE was not offering. Goldberg also hit the scene during this period and his rise to stardom only helped WCW along.
So, things were great for the company until the same old problems as before crept up. Bischoff and other management people within WCW started to become arrogant and cocky. They really had no longer term vision and they only cared about the ratings and doing whatever it took to beat the WWE. Bischoff foolishly thought that he could actually put Vince McMahon out of business. On top of that, the wrestlers were getting huge contracts and too much creative control. The hiring of Vince Russo, who was pretty much killed in this documentary, was the beginning of the end. As many people probably know, Russo slung every stupid idea that he could against the wall until nothing stuck anymore. We got to see the infamous “finger poke of doom”, Jeff Jarrett laying down for Hulk Hogan, and David Arquette: WCW World Champion, among other things. Truly, things just spiraled out of control and the company was forced to fold under the weight of horrible decision making and the amount of money that was being lost.
All in all, this was a solid timeline of events which did show the rise and fall of the company. In my opinion, I would say that the facts are pretty much accurate, but you can never assume that you are getting the full story. In fact, I would have loved to see more of the story. I think this could have easily been a more comprehensive documentary and should have clocked in at about 3 hours. WWE could have spent more time talking about how Ric Flair and the Horsemen carried the company in the mid to late 1980’s and how they were able to develop more and more big events. I would have also liked to have seen more about the feuds that bridged the gap from the early 90’s until the NWO came along. Even through the bad management, WCW had a great in-ring product and it would have been nice to see some of those feuds highlighted. I admit to being a big mark for the NWO, so I would have liked seeing a more comprehensive look at how the faction evolved and then how it basically devolved into a farce and a joke which hurt the product. A greater examination of the cruiserweight division should have been included in my opinion. And lastly, I believe the documentary should have discussed the major angle that WCW tried which pitted the “New Blood” against the “Millionaires Club”. This storyline was not even mentioned and I feel it should have been talked about along with more information about the final months of the company’s existence.
“The Rise and Fall of WCW” was a good documentary, but it could have been better. Maybe the brevity of the whole thing is just yet another “jab” that Vince McMahon likes to do sometimes. For a wrestling junkie, this documentary was not as big of a “fix” as it should have been. I haven’t gotten around to watching the matches yet, but there appears to be some really good stuff on it. I am sure the earlier matches from the late 80’s and early 90’s will be better than the later material, but that is to be expected. With all that being said, I do recommend a purchase of this set. While it may not be perfect, I feel that it does deserve a place in your wrestling DVD library.
The Game’s Quick Hits:
Monday Night RAWind: I thought that Monday Night Raw this week was much better than last week’s offering. There seemed to be a little more focus on building toward the Breaking Point PPV and it was nice to see a greater emphasis on in-ring action as opposed to pointless and stupid backstage segments and “comedy” bits. Now this makes sense since Dusty Rhodes was the guest host. I have to admit…I like Dusty and always was a fan of the “common man” shtick and there is no question that Dusty could talk on the mic and bring it to ya. The opening segment involving Dusty, Randy Orton, and Cody Rhodes, which set up the main event title match between Orton and Cody Rhodes with Dusty in his corner and John Cena as the referee, was infinitely better than last week’s DX birthday celebration for Vince McMahon. In fact, I think it was a good move to keep DX in the back with Dusty this week and only have them do a little harmless merchandise schilling. Yes, I did laugh at the Shockmaster segment which featured Arn Anderson doing the Shockmaster’s voice. I thought it was fairly funny and saved the segments as a whole. As for the “main event” itself, I was cool with it being a bait and switch.
After the opening segment, I figured that either Orton would just decide to attack Cena and make the match a no contest (and then Legacy would come help) or Orton and Rhodes would just stop the match mid-stream and go after Cena. So, I was pleasantly surprised that they had Dusty do the heel turn right away and Legacy went right after Cena. DX made the predictable save, but Dusty knocking out Triple H with his cowboy boot and then eating an RKO at the end for his troubles was a nice touch. This ending worked because Legacy was able to get their heat back from Cena and DX and the fact that Cody wanted to beat the hell out of Orton for dropping Dusty but whimped out will be effective down the road. At this point, Rhodes and Dibiase continue to look like puppets and totally under Orton’s control. So when they do turn and stand up to him, it will hopefully be a major break for the two and the audience will get behind them. Maybe the whole ending segment was not perfect, but I thought it worked.
The action involving the divas was not that exciting, but at least it was good to see an immediate payoff for a change and a greater focus on some wrestling. Beth Phoenix won a 6 diva battle royal early in the evening and then got a shot at Divas Champion Mickie James later in the night. Beth was booked to look like a beast again and it was pretty effective. The dead crowd did not help the match and the sudden win by Mickie off of a DDT seemed uninspiring to me. I actually would have liked to see Beth win the title. It would have been a surprise and they could have immediately cemented Beth as a dominant bad ass again. I have no idea what the longer term build is now since Gail Kim keeps losing, so I guess we will have to wait and see.
I thought they did the logical move of having Chris Jericho vs. MVP and Big Show vs. Mark Henry to try and build the Unified Tag Team Championship match coming up at Breaking Point. They needed to do something since this match was just thrown together, and opting for some matches instead of pointless bantering or brawling was nice to see. Jericho and MVP put on a good match and Show vs. Henry was a slow and plodding snooze fest as one would predict. But both matches did their job of trying to prove that MVP and Henry are capable of hanging with JeriShow.
The fatal four way match for the United States Championship was also a nice little affair that featured some good action and allowed the contenders to be showcased. Again, I think a sudden title change would have been awesome to see, but maybe they are saving that for Smackdown this week, when I fully expect Rey Mysterio to drop the Intercontinental Title to Dolph Ziggler. The match did a great job of making Kofi Kingston the plucky “underdog” champion who works hard and finds a way to persevere and win. I was glad to see The Miz in there trying to be a sneaky heel and also glad that Carlito, not Miz, was the one who took the pinfall. I still think The Miz needs to complete his quest and win the U.S. Title in the near future.
And finally, the Chavo Guerrero and Hornswoggle angle has just moved into being stupid and absurd. It was funny the first 2 or 3 times, but now it is total crap and I want it off my TV. And speaking of stupid…why in the hell is Bob Barker hosting Raw next week? That makes absolutely NO sense for the last Raw before a PPV.
ECW Thoughts: I didn’t get a chance to catch ECW live as it aired, so I am only able to discuss the results. I am seeing that Sheamus defeated Goldust in a no count out, no disqualification match. These two have meshed together surprisingly well in the ring and the matches have been pretty good. Sheamus going over is obviously the right result and hopefully he will get a chance to move onto a new feud. I think Sheamus has the potential to be a player down the road, as long as they don’t start putting him into stupid matches or involving him with Hornswoggle. Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov squashed two jobbers and then tried to beat them down more along with William Regal before Christian and Tommy Dreamer made the save. This set up a tag team match for next week between Christian and Dreamer and Jackson and Kozlov. I will be very interested in this match to see how Jackson and Kozlov can hang. The feud between Christian and Regal is heating up nicely, so hopefully it continues. Shelton Benjamin defeated Zack Ryder last night as well. I am hoping that Benjamin is somehow able to break out of the mid card and move up the ladder again. Of course he needs to either get on Raw or Smackdown to have a shot at a secondary title or maybe he can somehow challenge Regal if he takes the belt from Christian down the line. I think Benjamin has been working hard to improve and I would like to see him get a bigger push.
- Reports today are saying that PG Ricky Rubio backed out of an agreement that was in place to bring him to the NBA and the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. Minnesota had reached an agreement with Rubio’s agent and his Spanish pro team, but then Rubio came to the Wolves and told them he would prefer to stay in Spain for 2 more years to better prepare himself for the NBA. I don’t know, but this could start smelling fishy. Who knows, maybe in 2 years he decides that he still wants to stay in Europe and tries to squeeze as much money out of Minnesota as he can. Timberwolves president David Kahn is saying that the team was always willing to wait a year or two to bring Rubio over and Rubio is on record saying he has a desire to play for Minnesota, so Kahn had better hope Rubio still has that desire in 2011. As everyone knows however, a lot can change in 2 years, so I’m sure we will have to deal with this in the news for a while to come.
- Brace yourself Canada and get some extra security at those nightclubs because Adam “Pacman” Jones has just agreed to a 1 year contract with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This was the next best option for Jones after the Dallas Cowboys released him in February and no NFL team even bothered to invite him to training camp. My short and sweet opinion on this guy? He is a total idiot. Here is another young player (still only 25) who is trying to flush his career and talents down the toilet due to stupid behavior. Since Jones was drafted in 2005, he has been arrested 6 times and involved in 12 instances that required police intervention. That is just plain stupid and it is amazing this guy is still getting opportunities out there. I am all for second chances, but Jones refuses to stay out of trouble and try to better himself. But that is what happens when you are an athlete and you have talent. If you can still play and a team has a need for what you can do, you will most likely get another shot. Maybe Jones can finally realize this might be his last shot to get to the NFL or else he will be stuck in Canada the rest of his career.
- Quick NFL notes: Patriots QB Tom Brady tested his throwing arm and shoulder in practice on Tuesday and showed no ill effects. Seems like the whole injury “scare” is now overblown and people in New England can breathe easy…Oakland Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha is expected to be sidelined about two weeks with a chipped bone in his left wrist. Asomugha is arguably Oakland’s best player and this kind of injury could very well limit how effective he would be in bump-and-run coverage this year. The Raiders didn’t need any more bad news since they will still be terrible this season…New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora returned to practice on Tuesday after going AWOL on Monday and giving no reason on why he did. This is just a strange occurrence and there is obviously more to this story and I want to hear it…Bengals rookie OL Andre Smith will be out a few weeks after fracturing a bone in his foot. This looks like a case of bad karma to me after Cincinnati tried to lowball Smith with his rookie contract. I read that they have a weight clause in it though, so maybe Smith reported to the team not in the greatest of shape. No matter how you slice it though, it is typical Bungles…
- U.S. Open Update: Women’s #1 seed Dinara Safina barely survived and avoided becoming the first #1 seed to lose in the first round of the U.S. Open by beating 147th-ranked Olivia Rogowska 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4. As I stated before, I have no idea what in the hell they do to get these rankings but Safina should not be a #1 seed at these majors. It is one thing to rack up points at smaller events, but the major tournaments are where the best come through and she has proven nothing yet. The only upset of note on the second day was women’s #11 seed and former world #1 Ana Ivanovic losing in 3 sets.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
A Rose Not in Bloom
The Hall of Fame. Truly it is the final stop for any athlete who dominated his sport for years and it is the final recognition that you were one of the best and your legacy is cemented. It seems as if there has been a great deal of talk these past few months about the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. And this past weekend, I couldn’t help but be drawn into a story on ESPN about Pete Rose. It has been 20 years since Commissioner Bart Giamatti banned Rose for life due to his betting on baseball. It is my opinion that even though Pete Rose has generally been a buffoon in all this, he still deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Without question, Pete Rose was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. To this day, he is still baseball’s all-time hit king and the mark may never be broken. Pete Rose was Charlie Hustle. He gave it his all on the field and he played with reckless abandon and passion. Unfortunately for Pete though, he also took that passion and applied it to sports gambling. I don’t need to retell Rose’s story of betting on games while he was managing the Reds. He screwed up and received a lifetime ban from MLB and he is still paying the price to this day. To me however, it seems wrong to not have Rose in the Hall of Fame based on his on field accomplishments.
It is my opinion that Pete Rose never did anything on the baseball field as a player that jeopardized the integrity of the game. In fact, the way Rose played is how every player should strive to play the game. His accomplishments deserve to be recognized in the Hall. Now Rose is no saint, but the Hall of Fame is not meant to be for people you nominate for Sainthood. I understand that Rose compromised the game with his betting and he screwed up by lying about the whole ordeal for so long. But again, none of this has to do with what he did as a player for all those years.
Rose’s good friends Joe Morgan and Mike Schmidt feel that Pete has suffered enough. I tend to agree. Murderers and rapists get less time in jail for their actions. Now I am not naïve here thinking that is a straight up comparison, but Rose has basically been in jail for 20 years in baseball terms and at this point, I think time has been served.
However, former MLB Commissioner (and deputy commissioner at the time of Rose’s ban) Fay Vincent said in the ESPN piece that it is not about whether Rose has suffered enough. He claimed that again, the integrity of the game needed to be upheld and he said something to the effect of, we need to show that what Rose did will not be treated lightly as an example to future players. Really? So let me get this straight. Is Joe Schmo out there going to decide that he wants to bet on baseball and take the risk and if he gets caught, he will just chill out for 20 years and be able to come back? Are you telling me some young player wants to throw away their playing career and then assume he can come back when he is 45 and maybe manage? Come on, let’s be serious. No one is going to choose to go down that road because they think Pete Rose got a “light” sentence.
Now make no mistake, I don’t particularly have any love for Pete Rose and I certainly do not condone his gambling or his lying for all those years. Like everyone, Rose obviously has his flaws and faults and he should not just expect to be shown mercy or given chance after chance, especially when he will not help himself. But again the fact remains, Rose never compromised the game as a player and his on field performance is deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame.
After seeing the story and reading a few articles though, it seems Rose will never get his induction day. Truly, it seems like the ship has sailed and Pete will have to live out his days in baseball exile. I truly hope that if MLB is determined to stick to their guns, then they do make it stick forever. I think it would be pretty disgraceful if they put the man in after he dies. In theory, it would be Rose’s lifetime and he would be eligible again right? That may sound cold, but I think it would be cold on MLB’s part to do something like that. Who knows what will happen, but it is just another sad tale in the great American pastime.
I, for one, have grown weary of all the steroid talk and the leaking of names from the infamous “survey testing” back in 2003. This also continues to be a sad tale when it comes to the Steroid Era. And in talking about the Hall of Fame, I think it will be sad that some other players get held out of the Hall. Let’s take baseball’s all-time home run king Barry Bonds. Sure, everyone knows he was on the juice. But if you look back on his career, you can argue that he was a lock for the Hall of Fame before he started with performance enhancers. I believe he had around 400 homers, along with multiple gold gloves and all-star appearances. He would have made the Hall without steroids. Alex Rodriguez could be in the same boat. Even before 2003, the guy was cruising toward 500 homers and was considered one of the best all-around players in the game. Now, the taint of steroids might keep him out. Add Roger Clemens to the list. He will take it to the grave that he never did anything, but the evidence seems to be there. And before he would have ever used PEDs, he was worth of induction.
I am not trying to give these guys a pass for stupid actions, but it is what it is and I still believe these players proved enough when there was no steroid cloud over them. To me, it just becomes sad how great players can ruin their legacies. This is all just my opinion though and I have no problem with baseball purists out there who would NEVER give these guys consideration because of steroids. I just think that they clearly proved they were the best of their era before the “steroid portion” of their careers. If you do cast these players aside, history may tell us that Ken Griffey, Jr., Frank Thomas, and Jim Thome were the best sluggers of this era. If injuries didn’t get to Griffey, I believe he would easily be challenging Bonds’ home run record. And with every cloud there is a silver lining and his name is Albert Pujols. He may end up being the very best of all and surpass all of these guys when he is done.
So those are my thoughts of the day. Like your parents teach you, it is best to own up to your mistakes and not lie about them. Unfortunately for Pete Rose, it seems like he didn’t learn that lesson and instead, he has to remain in exile and he will most likely never get his day in the Hall of Fame sun. Sadly, he looks like he might not be alone.
The Game’s Quick Hits
ECW Thoughts: I thought that last night’s ECW was a decent show, but nothing to write home about. The best parts of the show were the beginning and the end, which conveniently featured ECW Champion Christian and William Regal. As expected, the feud between these two will continue after Regal pinned Christian in the main event match (with a little help from Vladimir Kozlov) to earn a future Championship match. The opening promo between the two was very good and the match had some solid wrestling and action, so kudos to the WWE on that one. The middle portion of the show was pretty pedestrian with nothing that exciting happening. I was happy that Abraham Washington did not grace my screen this week and I wish I could have said the same about Tyler Reks. Unless Washington has some great wrestling ability, the guy is a waste. I don’t think he is that great on the mic and his delivery is too whacked in my opinion. And Reks’ bland surfer dude persona just does nothing for me. Unless he really starts to pull off some moves in the ring, he just will remain boring and not get over with the audience.
- P Billy Wagner was traded from the Mets to the Red Sox for 2 players to be named later just under the final deadline after Wagner decided to “throw caution to the wind” and waive his no-trade clause. Well I guess at this point, Boston will take any help that they can get even though I think they need more help on the offensive side of things. As I have already said, the Yankees should cruise to the AL East title and Boston will have to fight for the Wild Card spot. It will be interesting to see what Wagner has left and he probably made a smart decision to get the hell away from the Mets and go to pitch in a pennant race. He is only 11 months removed from Tommy John surgery and he can only pitch every few days, but he did hit 96 mph on the gun recently. Intriguing indeed…
- Speaking of the Mets, P Johan Santana is now out for the season after opting for surgery to clear out bone chips in his left elbow. Damn, the Mets are cursed by the injury bug this season. This was a smart move to shut him down and get it fixed before something more serious happens to the guy. This is just a lost season for the Mets and they can only hope their ace pitcher recovers for next season. Probably won’t help though and they will still choke it up next year!
- Time for your daily dose of Michael Vick news…as expected, Eagles coach Andy Reid confirmed that Vick will play in Thursday’s preseason game. Reid says that Vick looks good in practice and he wants to see how he will respond to the speed of the game after 2 years away. Well now that it is confirmed, it should be an absolute show in Philly come Thursday night. I expect Vick to look decent and not embarrass himself, but I would be shocked to see some game breaking, jaw dropping play. On the animal rights front, the meeting between Eagles officials and local animal rights groups seems to have gone well. Of course these groups are still skeptical and they are “demanding” the Eagles donate a match of Vick’s salary to local charities. Ahhh, got to love that try at extortion LOL. Like I said before, these groups should be happy to try and work for solutions. They don’t need to “hug” Vick and become his best friend, but they should not be so critical when people want to reach out and try to help.
- Roger Federer and Dinara Safina were named the #1 seeds for the 2009 U.S. Open which begins Monday. American Andy Roddick was seeded #5, while Serena Williams and Venus Williams were #2 and #3 respectively. Roger looks to be in fine form and deserving of the seeding, but someone needs to look at these women’s rankings because Safina continues to get pounded at the Grand Slam tournaments. How she is STILL ahead of Venus and Serena is beyond me. I always like checking out the Grand Slam tennis tournaments so I am hoping for some good and compelling matches.
- Quick notes from the NFL injury front…Bills WR Terrell Owens will miss this Saturday’s preseason game against Pittsburgh, while Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will be back in action after reportedly coming back to practice and showing no ill effects from his foot injury last week. At this point, Buffalo needs to hope that Owens can be ready for the regular season because this toe injury seems like it was fairly serious. And I guess the Ravens and the rest of the AFC North catch no break with Big Ben *sigh* LOL
Without question, Pete Rose was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. To this day, he is still baseball’s all-time hit king and the mark may never be broken. Pete Rose was Charlie Hustle. He gave it his all on the field and he played with reckless abandon and passion. Unfortunately for Pete though, he also took that passion and applied it to sports gambling. I don’t need to retell Rose’s story of betting on games while he was managing the Reds. He screwed up and received a lifetime ban from MLB and he is still paying the price to this day. To me however, it seems wrong to not have Rose in the Hall of Fame based on his on field accomplishments.
It is my opinion that Pete Rose never did anything on the baseball field as a player that jeopardized the integrity of the game. In fact, the way Rose played is how every player should strive to play the game. His accomplishments deserve to be recognized in the Hall. Now Rose is no saint, but the Hall of Fame is not meant to be for people you nominate for Sainthood. I understand that Rose compromised the game with his betting and he screwed up by lying about the whole ordeal for so long. But again, none of this has to do with what he did as a player for all those years.
Rose’s good friends Joe Morgan and Mike Schmidt feel that Pete has suffered enough. I tend to agree. Murderers and rapists get less time in jail for their actions. Now I am not naïve here thinking that is a straight up comparison, but Rose has basically been in jail for 20 years in baseball terms and at this point, I think time has been served.
However, former MLB Commissioner (and deputy commissioner at the time of Rose’s ban) Fay Vincent said in the ESPN piece that it is not about whether Rose has suffered enough. He claimed that again, the integrity of the game needed to be upheld and he said something to the effect of, we need to show that what Rose did will not be treated lightly as an example to future players. Really? So let me get this straight. Is Joe Schmo out there going to decide that he wants to bet on baseball and take the risk and if he gets caught, he will just chill out for 20 years and be able to come back? Are you telling me some young player wants to throw away their playing career and then assume he can come back when he is 45 and maybe manage? Come on, let’s be serious. No one is going to choose to go down that road because they think Pete Rose got a “light” sentence.
Now make no mistake, I don’t particularly have any love for Pete Rose and I certainly do not condone his gambling or his lying for all those years. Like everyone, Rose obviously has his flaws and faults and he should not just expect to be shown mercy or given chance after chance, especially when he will not help himself. But again the fact remains, Rose never compromised the game as a player and his on field performance is deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame.
After seeing the story and reading a few articles though, it seems Rose will never get his induction day. Truly, it seems like the ship has sailed and Pete will have to live out his days in baseball exile. I truly hope that if MLB is determined to stick to their guns, then they do make it stick forever. I think it would be pretty disgraceful if they put the man in after he dies. In theory, it would be Rose’s lifetime and he would be eligible again right? That may sound cold, but I think it would be cold on MLB’s part to do something like that. Who knows what will happen, but it is just another sad tale in the great American pastime.
I, for one, have grown weary of all the steroid talk and the leaking of names from the infamous “survey testing” back in 2003. This also continues to be a sad tale when it comes to the Steroid Era. And in talking about the Hall of Fame, I think it will be sad that some other players get held out of the Hall. Let’s take baseball’s all-time home run king Barry Bonds. Sure, everyone knows he was on the juice. But if you look back on his career, you can argue that he was a lock for the Hall of Fame before he started with performance enhancers. I believe he had around 400 homers, along with multiple gold gloves and all-star appearances. He would have made the Hall without steroids. Alex Rodriguez could be in the same boat. Even before 2003, the guy was cruising toward 500 homers and was considered one of the best all-around players in the game. Now, the taint of steroids might keep him out. Add Roger Clemens to the list. He will take it to the grave that he never did anything, but the evidence seems to be there. And before he would have ever used PEDs, he was worth of induction.
I am not trying to give these guys a pass for stupid actions, but it is what it is and I still believe these players proved enough when there was no steroid cloud over them. To me, it just becomes sad how great players can ruin their legacies. This is all just my opinion though and I have no problem with baseball purists out there who would NEVER give these guys consideration because of steroids. I just think that they clearly proved they were the best of their era before the “steroid portion” of their careers. If you do cast these players aside, history may tell us that Ken Griffey, Jr., Frank Thomas, and Jim Thome were the best sluggers of this era. If injuries didn’t get to Griffey, I believe he would easily be challenging Bonds’ home run record. And with every cloud there is a silver lining and his name is Albert Pujols. He may end up being the very best of all and surpass all of these guys when he is done.
So those are my thoughts of the day. Like your parents teach you, it is best to own up to your mistakes and not lie about them. Unfortunately for Pete Rose, it seems like he didn’t learn that lesson and instead, he has to remain in exile and he will most likely never get his day in the Hall of Fame sun. Sadly, he looks like he might not be alone.
The Game’s Quick Hits
ECW Thoughts: I thought that last night’s ECW was a decent show, but nothing to write home about. The best parts of the show were the beginning and the end, which conveniently featured ECW Champion Christian and William Regal. As expected, the feud between these two will continue after Regal pinned Christian in the main event match (with a little help from Vladimir Kozlov) to earn a future Championship match. The opening promo between the two was very good and the match had some solid wrestling and action, so kudos to the WWE on that one. The middle portion of the show was pretty pedestrian with nothing that exciting happening. I was happy that Abraham Washington did not grace my screen this week and I wish I could have said the same about Tyler Reks. Unless Washington has some great wrestling ability, the guy is a waste. I don’t think he is that great on the mic and his delivery is too whacked in my opinion. And Reks’ bland surfer dude persona just does nothing for me. Unless he really starts to pull off some moves in the ring, he just will remain boring and not get over with the audience.
- P Billy Wagner was traded from the Mets to the Red Sox for 2 players to be named later just under the final deadline after Wagner decided to “throw caution to the wind” and waive his no-trade clause. Well I guess at this point, Boston will take any help that they can get even though I think they need more help on the offensive side of things. As I have already said, the Yankees should cruise to the AL East title and Boston will have to fight for the Wild Card spot. It will be interesting to see what Wagner has left and he probably made a smart decision to get the hell away from the Mets and go to pitch in a pennant race. He is only 11 months removed from Tommy John surgery and he can only pitch every few days, but he did hit 96 mph on the gun recently. Intriguing indeed…
- Speaking of the Mets, P Johan Santana is now out for the season after opting for surgery to clear out bone chips in his left elbow. Damn, the Mets are cursed by the injury bug this season. This was a smart move to shut him down and get it fixed before something more serious happens to the guy. This is just a lost season for the Mets and they can only hope their ace pitcher recovers for next season. Probably won’t help though and they will still choke it up next year!
- Time for your daily dose of Michael Vick news…as expected, Eagles coach Andy Reid confirmed that Vick will play in Thursday’s preseason game. Reid says that Vick looks good in practice and he wants to see how he will respond to the speed of the game after 2 years away. Well now that it is confirmed, it should be an absolute show in Philly come Thursday night. I expect Vick to look decent and not embarrass himself, but I would be shocked to see some game breaking, jaw dropping play. On the animal rights front, the meeting between Eagles officials and local animal rights groups seems to have gone well. Of course these groups are still skeptical and they are “demanding” the Eagles donate a match of Vick’s salary to local charities. Ahhh, got to love that try at extortion LOL. Like I said before, these groups should be happy to try and work for solutions. They don’t need to “hug” Vick and become his best friend, but they should not be so critical when people want to reach out and try to help.
- Roger Federer and Dinara Safina were named the #1 seeds for the 2009 U.S. Open which begins Monday. American Andy Roddick was seeded #5, while Serena Williams and Venus Williams were #2 and #3 respectively. Roger looks to be in fine form and deserving of the seeding, but someone needs to look at these women’s rankings because Safina continues to get pounded at the Grand Slam tournaments. How she is STILL ahead of Venus and Serena is beyond me. I always like checking out the Grand Slam tennis tournaments so I am hoping for some good and compelling matches.
- Quick notes from the NFL injury front…Bills WR Terrell Owens will miss this Saturday’s preseason game against Pittsburgh, while Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will be back in action after reportedly coming back to practice and showing no ill effects from his foot injury last week. At this point, Buffalo needs to hope that Owens can be ready for the regular season because this toe injury seems like it was fairly serious. And I guess the Ravens and the rest of the AFC North catch no break with Big Ben *sigh* LOL
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Celebrating Summerfest: WWE Summerslam Thoughts
Well it is just about that time for the "biggest party of the summer" according to the WWE. That's right, it's time for WWE Summerslam...or Summerfest if you are recent Raw guest host Jeremy Piven. I have been a WWE fan for the longest time and Summerslam has always been a solid card and it should be considering that it is one of the "Big 4" PPVs along with the Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, and Survivor Series.
Now in recent times, the direction of WWE storylines and angles have left some things to be desired. However, I am not one of those people who will constantly bash the product. I recognize wrestling for what it is. It is an escape. It is meant to be fun and over the top. It is meant to provide entertainment and mix in some great athletics and at times, really stir your emotions and provide some great memories. My opinion has always been that if you can't just sit back and try to enjoy what you can, then don't watch! It makes no sense to watch something and all you do is criticize it and say "this sucks". Do I like everything I see on WWE programming? Absolutely not. Creative drops the ball numerous times, match outcomes seem utterly stupid sometimes, and the comedy/humorous angles sometimes fall woefully flat. However, I still enjoy seeing great matches and there are great laughs and enjoyment to be had if you just allow yourself to let it happen.
So with that said, let's take a look at Summerslam coming up this Sunday. I think the card has some potential to deliver some good matches, although I will have to say that it does not feel like it is something extremely special. Cena/Orton has been done before...DX returning has been done before...much of the under card does not have a great amount of heat and build. I still expect some good wrestling and fun matches though and the TLC match between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk has the potential to be a great match. Here is a match by match rundown of the card and my thoughts on the outcomes:
Kane vs. The Great Khali - Ugh...I have absolutely no interest in this feud since it was seemingly thrown together for no apparent reason. It just feels like one of those things to satisfy Vince McMahon's "big man" fetish. Kane always has the potential to be higher up the card and he has deserved more than he has gotten over the years. He has always been a reliable worker and maybe a win at one of the "Big 4" will be his "reward". It is Kane's first big match back on PPV and considering that Khali is the face and they probably want to drag this feud on longer, I think Kane will get the win. Or we could get one of those wonderful DQs...
Prediction: Kane
Jack Swagger vs. MVP - This has the potential to be a great match if Swagger and MVP are given time for it. I unfortunately think it will be shorter than it needs to be, but both men are talented enough to give a good performance with what they will be given. Obviously, Swagger is one of the future players in the WWE and will most likely be given a run with a major belt in the future. MVP has continued to improve and has gotten much better in the ring and is entertaining on the stick. The feud has centered around Swagger wanting to fight on "his terms" and it seems the bright lights of Summerslam will fit the bill. It seems like these two have been jawing for a good 2 months or so at this point, but it feels like the feud has not run it's course yet. That usually has me leaning toward the heel getting the victory. I think MVP could be in danger of getting lost in the shuffle and it seems like something creative would do, so I give the nod to Swagger in this one.
Prediction: Swagger
DX vs. Legacy - I'm not sure it is worth going into any type of analysis for this one. Shawn Michaels is returning to PPV and the WWE and reforming DX with Triple H and you think they will lose at Summerslam? Yeah right LOL. I assume that Legacy got the bone thrown to them on Raw when they beat down DX during their usual antics. Honestly, I think Legacy needs to win this match to be seen as a more serious threat because WWE blew it by not making them the Unified Tag Champions and letting them "run the show" with Randy Orton. Rhodes and Dibiase are still treated too much like lackeys and I can only assume the plan is for one (most likely Dibiase) or both to finally get tired of it and turn on Orton. So anyway, DX cruises in this one.
Prediction: DX
ECW Championship: Christian (c) vs. William Regal - Again this match seems rushed out there and came out of the blue, but fortunately Regal is extremely solid and a bad ass and he should be able to have a good match with Christian. Christian's 2nd run with the ECW Title has not lasted that long yet and I don't think they will be taking the title off of him so soon. I could easily see this match ending in a DQ to extend things. I can also see a Christian victory and instead, Regal continues to come after Captain Charisma with his new henchmen, Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson. It just seems like Christian will drop the belt to one of those two and Regal is there as a placeholder to have a few solid matches and guide the two younger guys.
Prediction: Christian (or a DQ)
Unified Tag Team Championship: Chris Jericho/Big Show (c) vs. Cryme Tyme - Well the pairing of Jericho and Big Show has been interesting and I think it was a pretty good decision by the WWE after Edge went down to injury. Jericho is allowed to be even more cocky considering the back up that he has. Cryme Tyme has been solid and have done a good job to get themselves over with the fans and they deserve the match at Summerslam as much as anyone. However, I don't think that they should be getting the win. Jericho and Big Show still have room to run with this angle I believe and they should not drop the belts yet. There needs to be more tension between the two at some point and Chris Jericho being the Unified Tag Champ means more of him on both Raw and Smackdown and that is a good thing.
Prediction: Jericho/Big Show
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler - Well I am as shocked as anyone that Ziggler has been able to get this character over. He seems to getting more heat with the crowd and his in ring work has gotten better and better. He showed he could hang with Mysterio in their last PPV encounter and it seems like now is the time for him to take the belt at a big PPV like Summerslam. I really have nothing against Mysterio, but I feel his character really has no room to develop and he will always be over as a popular superstar. Ziggler could really benefit from getting the title and it will continue to move him up the ladder as a major player.
Prediction: Ziggler (New IC Champion)
TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. CM Punk - I have thoroughly enjoyed Punk's heel turn and it has been the best piece of work that the WWE has been doing over the past few months. These two have delivered some great matches in the ring and this match should be no different. However, the outcome of the match seems to be a foregone conclusion. It seems that there has been no news to break that Hardy has signed a new deal with WWE and he seems determined to take some time off. They ran the "injury" angle on Smackdown and are speculating that he might not be at 100% for the match. So to me, all the pieces are in place for Punk to really "injure" Hardy in this match, take the title, and then Jeff just disappears for a while and takes his time off. A Punk wins allows him to transfer into a title feud with John Morrison (more matches between those two would be welcomed) and possibly a feud with a returning Matt Hardy. All evidence points to this and it is what I would have to go with.
Prediction: CM Punk (New World Heavyweight Champion)
WWE Championship: Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena - I'm not sure this match needs much analysis either. I expect Cena to be superman again and win the title. I like Randy Orton's character and think the half-psycho gimmick fits him great. He has gotten really good on the stick and can deliver a good match in the ring. I still believe he has more room to run with the belt and terrorize the rest of the roster. John Cena on the other hand...I just can not stand. Granted, I know Cena works hard and is a model employee and he always delivers when it comes to enthusiasm and interacting with the fans. But to me, his whole schtick is just so bland and feels old. I really would like to see a heel turn because it would freshen him up and be a shock and that would make for some interesting TV. That seems like a dream however, so expect Cena to "hulk up" and become Superman Cena by the end of the night and beat Orton to give the fans their "go home happy" moment.
Prediction: John Cena (New WWE Champion)
The Game's Quick Hits:
- Plaxico Burress reached a plea agreement and was given a 2 year jail sentence. Well good to see he was smart enough not to take this to trial and get the mandatory minimum of 3 and 1/2 years slapped on him. Just another case of bad judgement costing someone millions of dollars and it could have easily been avoided.
- Memphis Tigers are forced to vacate their 38 win Final Four season from 2007-2008. More stupidity and bad judgement. The sad thing is that this is now the 2nd time that John Calipari has had a Final Four trip vacated and yet he skips away to his cushy job with Kentucky now. So much for caring about your players being "student" athletes right John?
- Usain Bolt breaks his own world record again with a 19.19 in the 200m at the World Championships. Damn...is this guy human or did he mutate and escape from that District 9 compound?
- Fran Tarkenton has been running his mouth and calling the whole Brett Favre scene in Minnesota an "absolute circus". That's all well and good but the guy seems to be going out of his way to rip on Favre. Seems like someone still craves a little spotlight and attention, right Mr. Tarkenton?
Now in recent times, the direction of WWE storylines and angles have left some things to be desired. However, I am not one of those people who will constantly bash the product. I recognize wrestling for what it is. It is an escape. It is meant to be fun and over the top. It is meant to provide entertainment and mix in some great athletics and at times, really stir your emotions and provide some great memories. My opinion has always been that if you can't just sit back and try to enjoy what you can, then don't watch! It makes no sense to watch something and all you do is criticize it and say "this sucks". Do I like everything I see on WWE programming? Absolutely not. Creative drops the ball numerous times, match outcomes seem utterly stupid sometimes, and the comedy/humorous angles sometimes fall woefully flat. However, I still enjoy seeing great matches and there are great laughs and enjoyment to be had if you just allow yourself to let it happen.
So with that said, let's take a look at Summerslam coming up this Sunday. I think the card has some potential to deliver some good matches, although I will have to say that it does not feel like it is something extremely special. Cena/Orton has been done before...DX returning has been done before...much of the under card does not have a great amount of heat and build. I still expect some good wrestling and fun matches though and the TLC match between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk has the potential to be a great match. Here is a match by match rundown of the card and my thoughts on the outcomes:
Kane vs. The Great Khali - Ugh...I have absolutely no interest in this feud since it was seemingly thrown together for no apparent reason. It just feels like one of those things to satisfy Vince McMahon's "big man" fetish. Kane always has the potential to be higher up the card and he has deserved more than he has gotten over the years. He has always been a reliable worker and maybe a win at one of the "Big 4" will be his "reward". It is Kane's first big match back on PPV and considering that Khali is the face and they probably want to drag this feud on longer, I think Kane will get the win. Or we could get one of those wonderful DQs...
Prediction: Kane
Jack Swagger vs. MVP - This has the potential to be a great match if Swagger and MVP are given time for it. I unfortunately think it will be shorter than it needs to be, but both men are talented enough to give a good performance with what they will be given. Obviously, Swagger is one of the future players in the WWE and will most likely be given a run with a major belt in the future. MVP has continued to improve and has gotten much better in the ring and is entertaining on the stick. The feud has centered around Swagger wanting to fight on "his terms" and it seems the bright lights of Summerslam will fit the bill. It seems like these two have been jawing for a good 2 months or so at this point, but it feels like the feud has not run it's course yet. That usually has me leaning toward the heel getting the victory. I think MVP could be in danger of getting lost in the shuffle and it seems like something creative would do, so I give the nod to Swagger in this one.
Prediction: Swagger
DX vs. Legacy - I'm not sure it is worth going into any type of analysis for this one. Shawn Michaels is returning to PPV and the WWE and reforming DX with Triple H and you think they will lose at Summerslam? Yeah right LOL. I assume that Legacy got the bone thrown to them on Raw when they beat down DX during their usual antics. Honestly, I think Legacy needs to win this match to be seen as a more serious threat because WWE blew it by not making them the Unified Tag Champions and letting them "run the show" with Randy Orton. Rhodes and Dibiase are still treated too much like lackeys and I can only assume the plan is for one (most likely Dibiase) or both to finally get tired of it and turn on Orton. So anyway, DX cruises in this one.
Prediction: DX
ECW Championship: Christian (c) vs. William Regal - Again this match seems rushed out there and came out of the blue, but fortunately Regal is extremely solid and a bad ass and he should be able to have a good match with Christian. Christian's 2nd run with the ECW Title has not lasted that long yet and I don't think they will be taking the title off of him so soon. I could easily see this match ending in a DQ to extend things. I can also see a Christian victory and instead, Regal continues to come after Captain Charisma with his new henchmen, Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson. It just seems like Christian will drop the belt to one of those two and Regal is there as a placeholder to have a few solid matches and guide the two younger guys.
Prediction: Christian (or a DQ)
Unified Tag Team Championship: Chris Jericho/Big Show (c) vs. Cryme Tyme - Well the pairing of Jericho and Big Show has been interesting and I think it was a pretty good decision by the WWE after Edge went down to injury. Jericho is allowed to be even more cocky considering the back up that he has. Cryme Tyme has been solid and have done a good job to get themselves over with the fans and they deserve the match at Summerslam as much as anyone. However, I don't think that they should be getting the win. Jericho and Big Show still have room to run with this angle I believe and they should not drop the belts yet. There needs to be more tension between the two at some point and Chris Jericho being the Unified Tag Champ means more of him on both Raw and Smackdown and that is a good thing.
Prediction: Jericho/Big Show
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler - Well I am as shocked as anyone that Ziggler has been able to get this character over. He seems to getting more heat with the crowd and his in ring work has gotten better and better. He showed he could hang with Mysterio in their last PPV encounter and it seems like now is the time for him to take the belt at a big PPV like Summerslam. I really have nothing against Mysterio, but I feel his character really has no room to develop and he will always be over as a popular superstar. Ziggler could really benefit from getting the title and it will continue to move him up the ladder as a major player.
Prediction: Ziggler (New IC Champion)
TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. CM Punk - I have thoroughly enjoyed Punk's heel turn and it has been the best piece of work that the WWE has been doing over the past few months. These two have delivered some great matches in the ring and this match should be no different. However, the outcome of the match seems to be a foregone conclusion. It seems that there has been no news to break that Hardy has signed a new deal with WWE and he seems determined to take some time off. They ran the "injury" angle on Smackdown and are speculating that he might not be at 100% for the match. So to me, all the pieces are in place for Punk to really "injure" Hardy in this match, take the title, and then Jeff just disappears for a while and takes his time off. A Punk wins allows him to transfer into a title feud with John Morrison (more matches between those two would be welcomed) and possibly a feud with a returning Matt Hardy. All evidence points to this and it is what I would have to go with.
Prediction: CM Punk (New World Heavyweight Champion)
WWE Championship: Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena - I'm not sure this match needs much analysis either. I expect Cena to be superman again and win the title. I like Randy Orton's character and think the half-psycho gimmick fits him great. He has gotten really good on the stick and can deliver a good match in the ring. I still believe he has more room to run with the belt and terrorize the rest of the roster. John Cena on the other hand...I just can not stand. Granted, I know Cena works hard and is a model employee and he always delivers when it comes to enthusiasm and interacting with the fans. But to me, his whole schtick is just so bland and feels old. I really would like to see a heel turn because it would freshen him up and be a shock and that would make for some interesting TV. That seems like a dream however, so expect Cena to "hulk up" and become Superman Cena by the end of the night and beat Orton to give the fans their "go home happy" moment.
Prediction: John Cena (New WWE Champion)
The Game's Quick Hits:
- Plaxico Burress reached a plea agreement and was given a 2 year jail sentence. Well good to see he was smart enough not to take this to trial and get the mandatory minimum of 3 and 1/2 years slapped on him. Just another case of bad judgement costing someone millions of dollars and it could have easily been avoided.
- Memphis Tigers are forced to vacate their 38 win Final Four season from 2007-2008. More stupidity and bad judgement. The sad thing is that this is now the 2nd time that John Calipari has had a Final Four trip vacated and yet he skips away to his cushy job with Kentucky now. So much for caring about your players being "student" athletes right John?
- Usain Bolt breaks his own world record again with a 19.19 in the 200m at the World Championships. Damn...is this guy human or did he mutate and escape from that District 9 compound?
- Fran Tarkenton has been running his mouth and calling the whole Brett Favre scene in Minnesota an "absolute circus". That's all well and good but the guy seems to be going out of his way to rip on Favre. Seems like someone still craves a little spotlight and attention, right Mr. Tarkenton?
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