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 red sox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label red sox. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
As the Vick Turns
Since Michael Vick’s on field return to the NFL was scheduled for last night, it was probably pretty obvious as to what I would be discussing today. No other significant topic that I want to discuss and go into a fuller analysis about has crept into my mind, so how about we just do some quick hits today? Yeah, sounds good to me…
The Game’s Quick Hits
- Well without question, the top story from Thursday was Michael Vick. It seems like it is all Vick, all the time around here, but that’s how it goes with an intriguing story like this. On Thursday morning, Vick appeared in bankruptcy court in Newport News, VA. A judge approved Vick’s plan to repay creditors who are owed about $20 million and allow Vick to emerge from bankruptcy. Not surprisingly, all of the creditors and representatives in court supported the plan. Obviously they see that NFL money coming back to Vick and they want their piece. I don’t have much to comment on about this. Vick’s actions caused all of this mess and he still has to pay the piper. For his sake, his performance on the field had better be at a high level, or he won’t be getting millions in those contracts as his NFL career continues.
And speaking of on the field, Vick hopped a plane right after his court appearance to get back to Philadelphia for their preseason game against the Jaguars. It was reported earlier in the day that the game plan called for Vick to see action in the first quarter. He would play at QB for the most part and then be a part of Wildcat formations. Coach Andy Reid was most concerned about seeing how Vick would adjust to the speed and intensity of a live game and also if he could take care of the ball. So with all that said and all the hype leading up to his return, how did Vick look on the field?
The short answer: decent and passable. When Vick trotted onto the field during the Eagles first offensive series, he was met with a standing ovation for the most part…so much for all of those anti-Vick efforts. Vick was in the game for only 6 plays and was 4-4 for 19 yards and had one rush for one yard. Pretty pedestrian numbers, but it was what I expected. I said I would be shocked if Vick pulled off a game breaking type of play and indeed, that never even came close to happening. Vick displayed good arm strength and zip on his one down field pass that he threw and he did not look lost out there or shocked by the speed of the game. However, the Eagles looked sloppy and one can argue that Vick being in the game messed up the rhythm of the offense. I tend to agree and I feel the Eagles really need to develop a package of plays for Vick and stick to them. You will not have success in the NFL trying to do a QB rotation. Vick stated after the game that he is at about 70% of what he needs to be and he thinks the sky’s the limit when he gets back fully into game shape. Without question, this will continue to be a hot topic of discussion in the coming weeks.
- Very big news coming from WWE land. Current Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio has been suspended for 30 days due to violating the company’s wellness policy. I debated on whether to save this for tomorrow, but I really don’t feel I can offer a great deal of in depth analysis. I am certainly surprised to hear this news, but when I think about it, it is not THAT shocking. Rey has been flying around the ring for well over a decade now and has put his body through a great deal of punishment. He is also a small man, but you have to admit he is pretty muscular. So, I am left to speculate that either he was taking too many drugs to deal with some pain or he flat out got caught on some juice which he was using to try and keep his body going. The suspension is supposed to be effective next Wednesday, so be prepared to see Mysterio drop the IC Title to Dolph Ziggler at the Smackdown tapings on Tuesday. I am wondering if the WWE now regrets not giving Ziggler the win at Summerslam. I would if I were them…
- Former Kentucky men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie was arrested and charged with DUI after being pulled over by police early Thursday. They detected the smell of alcohol on him and his speech was slurred. This is now the third incident involving Gillispie and drunk driving. It seems like this is becoming a pattern now and maybe Billy needs to consider the possiblility that he has a problem here. I am all for having a few drinks and having a good time, but you can’t jump behind the wheel. It can be a tough thing to admit that you have a problem, but it seems like Mr. Gillispie might have one. Hopefully he can address the issue and get back on his feet. He was able to get the head coaching job at Kentucky, so I am sure that there is still a job out there somewhere for him in the future.
- Tiger Woods returned to the PGA tour yesterday with an underwhelming 1-under par 70 at The Barclays, the first FedEx Cup Playoff event. This put him 5 strokes off the lead shared by Paul Goydos, Steve “Don’t Call Me Dan” Marino, and Sergio Garcia. Well those guys certainly are not powerhouses (and yes I include Sergio because of his inconsistency) and Tiger, most of the time, gets off to slow starts and builds momentum, so it should be fun to see what happens this weekend. I love watching Tiger and I enjoy how skilled he is and how dominant he can be. If he is near the top of the leaderboard this weekend, you can bet I will be tuning in. He probably needs to make a move on Friday though if he wants to win this tournament because you have a great field in this event and they are trying to move on to the next playoff event.
- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane escaped jail time by pleading guilty to a noncriminal charge of disorderly conduct after he and his cousin were accused of assaulting a cab driver over 20 cents. Kane was ordered to send an apology to the man and he will avoid any other penalties if he stays out of trouble for 1 year and sends the apology. No question Kane should apologize to this guy, but he should also apologize for his sheer stupidity. Now I can see how Kane and his cousin could be a bit scared and uneasy when the cabbie locked them in the car. But after they paid the guy, for them to rough him up over not getting 20 cents back is just idiotic. Kane is a star athlete, a role model, and is making millions of dollars. He should not be putting himself in a dumb situation over 20 cents. I haven’t read anything about him being drunk (and that is a good thing since he is only 20 years old), so I don’t know what he was thinking. Let’s hope he learns from the situation.
- The Boston Red Sox released P Brad Penny late Wednesday night after he has struggled this season going 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA. Sources indicate that 3 NL teams, the Rockies, Giants, and Marlins, immediately had interest. Because of the way his contract is structured, it is unlikely he will be picked up off waivers (that could cost a team almost $2.5 million if he pitched 50 more innings this year and he sure as hell isn’t worth that), but if he clears them, he would only cost a team about $100,000. Considering that Penny has a healthy arm and is a veteran who has had success in the big leagues, he would probably be worth the pickup. Now will he be effective? No one knows. But Cliff Lee and John Smoltz have benefited from moving to the NL from the AL, so maybe Penny can follow suit. Just some more intrigue as we head toward the home stretch of the season.
- Lou Piniella has offered himself up to critics looking to blame somebody for the Chicago Cubs' disappointing season. "You want to blame me? Take your shots. It doesn't bother me one bit, OK?" Well OK Lou, I’ll jump on the bandwagon then! You suck and you and the Cubs are cursed, CURSED I SAY! BWAHAHAHA! Ahem, sorry about that. Seriously though, you have to feel a little bit for the fans of the Cubs because it is just disappointment after disappointment. As an outsider though and a fan who has seen plenty of woes from hometown teams, I don’t have a great deal of sympathy and it is nice knowing some other franchises and fans have it worse. LOL
- Other football notes: Vikings QB Brett Favre did some talking yesterday and said that it is a “work in progress” trying to integrate himself into the Vikings locker room. When asked about the “schism” reports, Favre blew it off and said that he doesn’t even know what it means. As I stated yesterday, the only way Favre will truly win over his teammates is by leading them to victories and I believe Favre is well aware of that…Bills WR Terrell Owens is inching closer to recovering from a sprained toe. He was able to work out and catch passes in individual drills yesterday and Bills coach Dick Jauron was encouraged by the progress. He could be cleared to return to full practice next week. Well let’s hope T.O. recovers fully so he can get on the field and cause drama when QB Trent Edwards doesn’t get him the ball…Cowboys WR Roy Williams left practice after colliding with a teammate and injuring his shoulder. Sources are saying that Williams is done for the preseason, but there is no announcement yet on how severe the injury is. I hope for the Cowboys’ sake it is not that serious because Williams is being counted on to replace Terrell Owens. Owens even chimed in on Twitter saying that the pressure is building after he heard about the injury. Indeed it is…True freshman Matt Barkley was named the starting QB for the #4 USC Trojans yesterday. Coach Pete Carroll said that Barkley has exceeded expectations and is ready for the role. I don’t know anything about this guy, but it seems like he was the most sought after recruit last year, so the guy must have potential. I will be very interested to see how he performs when I get a chance to catch a USC game.
The Game’s Quick Hits
- Well without question, the top story from Thursday was Michael Vick. It seems like it is all Vick, all the time around here, but that’s how it goes with an intriguing story like this. On Thursday morning, Vick appeared in bankruptcy court in Newport News, VA. A judge approved Vick’s plan to repay creditors who are owed about $20 million and allow Vick to emerge from bankruptcy. Not surprisingly, all of the creditors and representatives in court supported the plan. Obviously they see that NFL money coming back to Vick and they want their piece. I don’t have much to comment on about this. Vick’s actions caused all of this mess and he still has to pay the piper. For his sake, his performance on the field had better be at a high level, or he won’t be getting millions in those contracts as his NFL career continues.
And speaking of on the field, Vick hopped a plane right after his court appearance to get back to Philadelphia for their preseason game against the Jaguars. It was reported earlier in the day that the game plan called for Vick to see action in the first quarter. He would play at QB for the most part and then be a part of Wildcat formations. Coach Andy Reid was most concerned about seeing how Vick would adjust to the speed and intensity of a live game and also if he could take care of the ball. So with all that said and all the hype leading up to his return, how did Vick look on the field?
The short answer: decent and passable. When Vick trotted onto the field during the Eagles first offensive series, he was met with a standing ovation for the most part…so much for all of those anti-Vick efforts. Vick was in the game for only 6 plays and was 4-4 for 19 yards and had one rush for one yard. Pretty pedestrian numbers, but it was what I expected. I said I would be shocked if Vick pulled off a game breaking type of play and indeed, that never even came close to happening. Vick displayed good arm strength and zip on his one down field pass that he threw and he did not look lost out there or shocked by the speed of the game. However, the Eagles looked sloppy and one can argue that Vick being in the game messed up the rhythm of the offense. I tend to agree and I feel the Eagles really need to develop a package of plays for Vick and stick to them. You will not have success in the NFL trying to do a QB rotation. Vick stated after the game that he is at about 70% of what he needs to be and he thinks the sky’s the limit when he gets back fully into game shape. Without question, this will continue to be a hot topic of discussion in the coming weeks.
- Very big news coming from WWE land. Current Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio has been suspended for 30 days due to violating the company’s wellness policy. I debated on whether to save this for tomorrow, but I really don’t feel I can offer a great deal of in depth analysis. I am certainly surprised to hear this news, but when I think about it, it is not THAT shocking. Rey has been flying around the ring for well over a decade now and has put his body through a great deal of punishment. He is also a small man, but you have to admit he is pretty muscular. So, I am left to speculate that either he was taking too many drugs to deal with some pain or he flat out got caught on some juice which he was using to try and keep his body going. The suspension is supposed to be effective next Wednesday, so be prepared to see Mysterio drop the IC Title to Dolph Ziggler at the Smackdown tapings on Tuesday. I am wondering if the WWE now regrets not giving Ziggler the win at Summerslam. I would if I were them…
- Former Kentucky men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie was arrested and charged with DUI after being pulled over by police early Thursday. They detected the smell of alcohol on him and his speech was slurred. This is now the third incident involving Gillispie and drunk driving. It seems like this is becoming a pattern now and maybe Billy needs to consider the possiblility that he has a problem here. I am all for having a few drinks and having a good time, but you can’t jump behind the wheel. It can be a tough thing to admit that you have a problem, but it seems like Mr. Gillispie might have one. Hopefully he can address the issue and get back on his feet. He was able to get the head coaching job at Kentucky, so I am sure that there is still a job out there somewhere for him in the future.
- Tiger Woods returned to the PGA tour yesterday with an underwhelming 1-under par 70 at The Barclays, the first FedEx Cup Playoff event. This put him 5 strokes off the lead shared by Paul Goydos, Steve “Don’t Call Me Dan” Marino, and Sergio Garcia. Well those guys certainly are not powerhouses (and yes I include Sergio because of his inconsistency) and Tiger, most of the time, gets off to slow starts and builds momentum, so it should be fun to see what happens this weekend. I love watching Tiger and I enjoy how skilled he is and how dominant he can be. If he is near the top of the leaderboard this weekend, you can bet I will be tuning in. He probably needs to make a move on Friday though if he wants to win this tournament because you have a great field in this event and they are trying to move on to the next playoff event.
- Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane escaped jail time by pleading guilty to a noncriminal charge of disorderly conduct after he and his cousin were accused of assaulting a cab driver over 20 cents. Kane was ordered to send an apology to the man and he will avoid any other penalties if he stays out of trouble for 1 year and sends the apology. No question Kane should apologize to this guy, but he should also apologize for his sheer stupidity. Now I can see how Kane and his cousin could be a bit scared and uneasy when the cabbie locked them in the car. But after they paid the guy, for them to rough him up over not getting 20 cents back is just idiotic. Kane is a star athlete, a role model, and is making millions of dollars. He should not be putting himself in a dumb situation over 20 cents. I haven’t read anything about him being drunk (and that is a good thing since he is only 20 years old), so I don’t know what he was thinking. Let’s hope he learns from the situation.
- The Boston Red Sox released P Brad Penny late Wednesday night after he has struggled this season going 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA. Sources indicate that 3 NL teams, the Rockies, Giants, and Marlins, immediately had interest. Because of the way his contract is structured, it is unlikely he will be picked up off waivers (that could cost a team almost $2.5 million if he pitched 50 more innings this year and he sure as hell isn’t worth that), but if he clears them, he would only cost a team about $100,000. Considering that Penny has a healthy arm and is a veteran who has had success in the big leagues, he would probably be worth the pickup. Now will he be effective? No one knows. But Cliff Lee and John Smoltz have benefited from moving to the NL from the AL, so maybe Penny can follow suit. Just some more intrigue as we head toward the home stretch of the season.
- Lou Piniella has offered himself up to critics looking to blame somebody for the Chicago Cubs' disappointing season. "You want to blame me? Take your shots. It doesn't bother me one bit, OK?" Well OK Lou, I’ll jump on the bandwagon then! You suck and you and the Cubs are cursed, CURSED I SAY! BWAHAHAHA! Ahem, sorry about that. Seriously though, you have to feel a little bit for the fans of the Cubs because it is just disappointment after disappointment. As an outsider though and a fan who has seen plenty of woes from hometown teams, I don’t have a great deal of sympathy and it is nice knowing some other franchises and fans have it worse. LOL
- Other football notes: Vikings QB Brett Favre did some talking yesterday and said that it is a “work in progress” trying to integrate himself into the Vikings locker room. When asked about the “schism” reports, Favre blew it off and said that he doesn’t even know what it means. As I stated yesterday, the only way Favre will truly win over his teammates is by leading them to victories and I believe Favre is well aware of that…Bills WR Terrell Owens is inching closer to recovering from a sprained toe. He was able to work out and catch passes in individual drills yesterday and Bills coach Dick Jauron was encouraged by the progress. He could be cleared to return to full practice next week. Well let’s hope T.O. recovers fully so he can get on the field and cause drama when QB Trent Edwards doesn’t get him the ball…Cowboys WR Roy Williams left practice after colliding with a teammate and injuring his shoulder. Sources are saying that Williams is done for the preseason, but there is no announcement yet on how severe the injury is. I hope for the Cowboys’ sake it is not that serious because Williams is being counted on to replace Terrell Owens. Owens even chimed in on Twitter saying that the pressure is building after he heard about the injury. Indeed it is…True freshman Matt Barkley was named the starting QB for the #4 USC Trojans yesterday. Coach Pete Carroll said that Barkley has exceeded expectations and is ready for the role. I don’t know anything about this guy, but it seems like he was the most sought after recruit last year, so the guy must have potential. I will be very interested to see how he performs when I get a chance to catch a USC game.
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
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Easy Like Sunday Morning
Some Sunday morning thoughts to enjoy while sipping some good coffee…Oh yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!
- Summerslam goes down tonight live from the Staples Center in LA. No major news or rumors have seemingly come out that I have seen, however, Matt Hardy seemed to cause a slight stir on Twitter. According to Matt: “Here's an update for the "sheets"-Jeff & I might not team again due to pursuing singles careers. And Jeff will be with WWE after Summerslam.” Very interesting statement indeed don’t you think? Now there are a few ways to interpret this statement:
1. The whole contract speculation about Jeff Hardy the past few months has been a well orchestrated work by the WWE to make people think Jeff could leave at any point and you better watch him because he might not come back. All the while, Jeff could have quietly signed a new deal and he will be staying.
2. Saying that Jeff will be with the WWE after Summerslam could mean that he shows up at Monday Night Raw and the Smackdown tapings on Tuesday and THEN takes his time off. So really. Matt would be telling the truth, but he very well could be saying that it is only good for 2 more days.
3. The WWE realizes that Matt has a big following on Twitter and they flat out told him to not say anything of the sort that Jeff is taking a leave of absence after Summerslam.
I still am sticking with my prediction that Jeff will be taking time off because I believe that a contract signing would have somehow leaked to the internet and I have seen nothing. I am hopefully looking forward to a great TLC match tonight with CM Punk winning and becoming your new World Heavyweight Champion.
- Kyle Busch won last night’s Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The win pushed Busch up to 13th in the standings, just 34 points behind Matt Kenseth for the final spot in the Chase. I am a casual fan of NASCAR and have slowly grown to appreciate the sport over the years. I do think the Chase format has made the races more exciting and has given a better storyline to the end of the season. My favorite driver has always been Jeff Gordon. I remember how dominant and good he was early in his career and he was pretty much hated on because of it. So even though he was at the top of the sport, I guess it made it seem like he was an underdog to me and I became a fan. For this year’s Championship Chase, it is hard to argue that it won’t come down to a 2 man duel between Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson. Stewart has been the most consistent and has looked dominant at times, but Johnson seems to slowly be rounding into form and he knows how to get it done in the final 10 races of the season…should be fun to see how it plays out.
- The Red Sox finally got a little measure of revenge after 5 straight losses to the Yankees, whooping up on them 14-1 yesterday. As much as I hate to say it though, I believe the Red Sox can kiss the division goodbye and the Yankees will be AL East Champs. Looks like the money might pay off this year for the Yanks, but one can hope that history repeats itself and they fall short again. And here’s your Baltimore Orioles update…they STILL suck! I long for the final glory days the franchise had when Cal Ripken still roamed between 2nd and 3rd and the team actually tried to field a winner. I hear all this talk that the O’s are 2 or 3 years away and I laugh. I have seen it too often for the last decade. No money is spent, no big time free agents want to come to Baltimore, and when the prospects develop, they will leave for bigger money. It is a perpetual cycle of rebuilding the way I see it. The only way the Orioles will contend is if all the young talent and some of the prospects simultaneously have breakout and surprise years and they make a run before the team would collapse. I hate to be a hater, but O’s baseball has just gone way downhill for too long.
- From the NFL preseason last night: Jay Cutler looked very sharp in leading 3 scoring drives and helping the Bears beat the Giants 17-3. If Cutler can focus and stop whining, the Bears could have a good season this year. I think they lack enough offensive weapons though to make a real run at the Super Bowl this year…Matthew Stafford looked shaky as the Browns beat the Lions 27-10. Cleveland is still trying to determine if Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn will be the starting QB come week 1 and the Lions could be more likely to turn to Daunte Culpepper to start the year. Bottom line though, the Lions and the Browns will have mediocre seasons this year at best…Andy Reid continues to inch toward confirming that Michael Vick will see game action this Thursday when the Eagles take on the Jaguars. No question, all eyes will be on the highlights of that game come Thursday night and into Friday…sources are saying that Shaun Hill will be named the 49ers starting QB over Alex Smith after Smith looked very shaky in last night’s 21-20 victory over the Raiders. The 49ers should be respectable this year and could be a team on the rise. Would be nice if Michael Crabtree stopped crying and tried to help in the effort though…
- Sources are reporting this morning that the Colorado Rockies have signed veteran Jason Giambi for the stretch run. I'm not really sure if this signing will be helping them any. It would make more sense to me if an AL team signed him to help out in the DH role. A 38 year old who would be taking up a positional spot and who has not really been swinging a powerful stick this year does not seem like a recipe for success to me. But putting Giambi in a pennant race could rejuvenate him for the rest of the year. The Rockies' run has been impressive after everyone assumed the Dodgers would just run away with the NL West, so who knows.
- And finally a little hockey news for everyone...Ottawa Senators winger Dany Heatley reiterated his request for a trade from the team this weekend and said that he has been troubled by his "diminished role" on the team. What? You've got a guy who is close to being a perennial 40 goal scorer (he had 39 last year in his "diminished role") and still in the prime of his playing years and you are telling me the team is trying to reduce your role and not play you? Come on. The guy is Ottawa's most talented scorer so something is not right here. He already rejected a trade to the Edmonton Oilers saying he wanted more "options". Unfortunately for Heatley, I believe this all stems from the tragic car accident he was involved in back 2003 which caused the death of Atlanta Thrashers teammate Dan Snyder. He requested to be traded from Atlanta for a "fresh start" and now it seems like he wants another. I feel Heatley is sadly trying to run from his past and just can't get comfortable. Hockey is king in Canada, so maybe he can't take the scrutiny. Maybe he needs to be tucked away in a smaller market, who knows. But for a guy as talented as Heatley, it just seems odd and empty that he wants out of Ottawa and he really is just making an excuse to try and get it. If he is truly still troubled and dogged by his past, then one can only hope he somehow finds peace.
- Summerslam goes down tonight live from the Staples Center in LA. No major news or rumors have seemingly come out that I have seen, however, Matt Hardy seemed to cause a slight stir on Twitter. According to Matt: “Here's an update for the "sheets"-Jeff & I might not team again due to pursuing singles careers. And Jeff will be with WWE after Summerslam.” Very interesting statement indeed don’t you think? Now there are a few ways to interpret this statement:
1. The whole contract speculation about Jeff Hardy the past few months has been a well orchestrated work by the WWE to make people think Jeff could leave at any point and you better watch him because he might not come back. All the while, Jeff could have quietly signed a new deal and he will be staying.
2. Saying that Jeff will be with the WWE after Summerslam could mean that he shows up at Monday Night Raw and the Smackdown tapings on Tuesday and THEN takes his time off. So really. Matt would be telling the truth, but he very well could be saying that it is only good for 2 more days.
3. The WWE realizes that Matt has a big following on Twitter and they flat out told him to not say anything of the sort that Jeff is taking a leave of absence after Summerslam.
I still am sticking with my prediction that Jeff will be taking time off because I believe that a contract signing would have somehow leaked to the internet and I have seen nothing. I am hopefully looking forward to a great TLC match tonight with CM Punk winning and becoming your new World Heavyweight Champion.
- Kyle Busch won last night’s Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The win pushed Busch up to 13th in the standings, just 34 points behind Matt Kenseth for the final spot in the Chase. I am a casual fan of NASCAR and have slowly grown to appreciate the sport over the years. I do think the Chase format has made the races more exciting and has given a better storyline to the end of the season. My favorite driver has always been Jeff Gordon. I remember how dominant and good he was early in his career and he was pretty much hated on because of it. So even though he was at the top of the sport, I guess it made it seem like he was an underdog to me and I became a fan. For this year’s Championship Chase, it is hard to argue that it won’t come down to a 2 man duel between Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson. Stewart has been the most consistent and has looked dominant at times, but Johnson seems to slowly be rounding into form and he knows how to get it done in the final 10 races of the season…should be fun to see how it plays out.
- The Red Sox finally got a little measure of revenge after 5 straight losses to the Yankees, whooping up on them 14-1 yesterday. As much as I hate to say it though, I believe the Red Sox can kiss the division goodbye and the Yankees will be AL East Champs. Looks like the money might pay off this year for the Yanks, but one can hope that history repeats itself and they fall short again. And here’s your Baltimore Orioles update…they STILL suck! I long for the final glory days the franchise had when Cal Ripken still roamed between 2nd and 3rd and the team actually tried to field a winner. I hear all this talk that the O’s are 2 or 3 years away and I laugh. I have seen it too often for the last decade. No money is spent, no big time free agents want to come to Baltimore, and when the prospects develop, they will leave for bigger money. It is a perpetual cycle of rebuilding the way I see it. The only way the Orioles will contend is if all the young talent and some of the prospects simultaneously have breakout and surprise years and they make a run before the team would collapse. I hate to be a hater, but O’s baseball has just gone way downhill for too long.
- From the NFL preseason last night: Jay Cutler looked very sharp in leading 3 scoring drives and helping the Bears beat the Giants 17-3. If Cutler can focus and stop whining, the Bears could have a good season this year. I think they lack enough offensive weapons though to make a real run at the Super Bowl this year…Matthew Stafford looked shaky as the Browns beat the Lions 27-10. Cleveland is still trying to determine if Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn will be the starting QB come week 1 and the Lions could be more likely to turn to Daunte Culpepper to start the year. Bottom line though, the Lions and the Browns will have mediocre seasons this year at best…Andy Reid continues to inch toward confirming that Michael Vick will see game action this Thursday when the Eagles take on the Jaguars. No question, all eyes will be on the highlights of that game come Thursday night and into Friday…sources are saying that Shaun Hill will be named the 49ers starting QB over Alex Smith after Smith looked very shaky in last night’s 21-20 victory over the Raiders. The 49ers should be respectable this year and could be a team on the rise. Would be nice if Michael Crabtree stopped crying and tried to help in the effort though…
- Sources are reporting this morning that the Colorado Rockies have signed veteran Jason Giambi for the stretch run. I'm not really sure if this signing will be helping them any. It would make more sense to me if an AL team signed him to help out in the DH role. A 38 year old who would be taking up a positional spot and who has not really been swinging a powerful stick this year does not seem like a recipe for success to me. But putting Giambi in a pennant race could rejuvenate him for the rest of the year. The Rockies' run has been impressive after everyone assumed the Dodgers would just run away with the NL West, so who knows.
- And finally a little hockey news for everyone...Ottawa Senators winger Dany Heatley reiterated his request for a trade from the team this weekend and said that he has been troubled by his "diminished role" on the team. What? You've got a guy who is close to being a perennial 40 goal scorer (he had 39 last year in his "diminished role") and still in the prime of his playing years and you are telling me the team is trying to reduce your role and not play you? Come on. The guy is Ottawa's most talented scorer so something is not right here. He already rejected a trade to the Edmonton Oilers saying he wanted more "options". Unfortunately for Heatley, I believe this all stems from the tragic car accident he was involved in back 2003 which caused the death of Atlanta Thrashers teammate Dan Snyder. He requested to be traded from Atlanta for a "fresh start" and now it seems like he wants another. I feel Heatley is sadly trying to run from his past and just can't get comfortable. Hockey is king in Canada, so maybe he can't take the scrutiny. Maybe he needs to be tucked away in a smaller market, who knows. But for a guy as talented as Heatley, it just seems odd and empty that he wants out of Ottawa and he really is just making an excuse to try and get it. If he is truly still troubled and dogged by his past, then one can only hope he somehow finds peace.
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