Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle had this report on August 27th...
Jim Harbaugh wanted a restroom/shower to adjoin his office, and generous Stanford donor John Arrillaga came through recently, building the Cardinal's marquee coach a new loo for between $50,000 and $70,000.
The story broke in the San Jose Mercury News. I don't know where the reporter got his info. I was going to suggest it was leaked to him, but I want to stay away from potty humor.
The new restroom is a real time-saver.
"It cuts down on drag," Harbaugh said.
Football coaches are fanatical time-hoarders. Cal's Jeff Tedford sleeps on an air mattress. I've seen it leaning against his office wall, and I'm not sure if Tedford even moves it to the floor when it's time to nap.
In the old days, every time nature called, Harbaugh had to hike the distance of two first downs to the nearest restroom. He grew weary of an even longer trek downstairs to the shower, on days when he wasn't showered in Gatorade.
I can relate, because I have been to summer camp. The time I could have saved with my own private restroom at camp would have allowed me to polish my cabin's campfire skit, and I might be on Broadway now instead of writing about a football coach's bathroom.
There will be critics who point out that Harbaugh's new lavatory sends a message of insensitivity, even though it was built with private-donor money. The country is in financial crisis, and Stanford is not exempt. Cardinal athletic programs are being cut to the bone. Jobs in the athletic department are going bye-bye.
There are probably people at Stanford - students, professors, administrators, other coaches - who winced when they heard about Harbaugh's haven.
No wincing here. As a sports guy, I understand the value of a winning football program, and the need of coaches to avoid wasting time. If Harbaugh leads the Cardinal to a bowl game, he'll have the last laugh, which would really echo in his tile bathroom.
It's simple. Football rules the realm, and every king deserves a throne room. (Note to copy desk: Don't even think about inserting a line here about "royal flush.")
Tony Dungy was instrumental in helping Michael Vick get back into the NFL...since Dungy has become the Father Flanagan of the league, why should he stop with Vick...the media will never question Dungy because they believe he is a fair, good person...Dungy represents everything that is good...so why can't Father Tony help the following downtrodden:...
- Matt Jones - Jones was arrested for cocaine and later nailed again for alcohol...the NFL gave him the boot...like Vick, Jones is still in his prime and in fact, he is only 26-years-old, three years younger than Vick...the guy made a mistake and wants a second chance...why isn't Dungy volunteering to help Jones get that second chance?...hmmmm, makes you wonder...
- Marvin Harrison, Derrick Brooks, and Warrick Dunn - these players are just looking for a job in the NFL...Dungy coached all three players, so maybe he can make a few calls and see if he can get them another shot in the league...if the Philadelphia Eagles were willing to take a shot with Vick, I am sure Dungy can work his magic and have someone give Dunn a chance...especially since Dunn is an outstanding person in the community and has a big heart in helping people... - Art Modell - if Modell did not move the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, he would be in the Hall of Fame by now...there is a clear bias against Modell, especially from the Cleveland media...Dungy needs to sit down with the Hall of Fame voters and ask them to forgive Modell and consider him for enshrinement...if Vick electrocuted and slaughtered dogs and got a second chance, why not Modell?...
- Plaxico Burress - Plax can get a jumpstart on his return to the NFL by aligning himself with St. Tony right now...just by having Dungy as a "spiritual advisor" will basically ensure Plax of getting back in the league in two years...
- Pete Rose - Pete's big mistake is that he is not aligning himself with Dungy...Pete needs to call Dungy and ask for his help...I'm sure after one or two meetings, Dungy will be able to determine that Pete is a good man...then Dungy can speak on Pete's behalf to commissioner Bud Selig...
- North Korea - it is a little late for this, but I wonder if President Obama considered Dungy to mediate the release of the two American journalists who were held in North Korea...Bill Clinton got the job, but maybe Obama should have had Dungy assist Clinton on this mission...
How far has Michigan football fallen?...in the preseason rankings, the Wolverines did not get a single vote...nothing!!...zilch...even teams like Tulsa, Central Michigan, and Houston received votes...wow!!!...
Hannah Storm is a sexy older woman...she always has that "let's fuck" smirk on her face...
Scott Feldman...remember that name...Feldman is 13-4 for the Texas Rangers and just struck out 12 Rays on Sunday...
I am not a fan of the Bengals Chad Johnson, but I will admit, I was impressed with his kicking effort last week...Johnson nailed an extra point and drove a kickoff inside the 10-yard-line...he had excellent form...
I'm reading Robert Kennedy's "Thirteen Days" which is his account of the Cuban Missile Crisis...for being the Attorney General, he was highly involved with international negotiations...it just showed how much John trusted his brother...
Yesterday a car in front of me had a bumper sticker that said "God Bless John Wayne"...
We are less than 3 weeks away from the start of the NFL season...one of my boys from Cortland, Ohio took the time to respond to some NFL questions...Jamie "the Dingo" Persino now lives in Erie, Pa with his wife and two kids...he made an early living hustling guys at pool halls...
Q1. Every season there are a few teams that do really well even though they were predicted to have a lousy team. For example, the Dolphins went from 1-15 to a playoff team in one year. Who are some surprise teams that we should keep an eye on and why? A. In terms of wins, I see the biggest improvement coming from Seattle. They finished with a dismal 4-12 record after a season where they battled injuries at QB and WR. The Seahawks were so thin at WR we were introduced to unknown players like Michael Bumpus and Logan Payne. The leading receiver was John Carlson the TE with 55 catches. The fullback had 20 catches which was 5th best on the squad. That's not a good stat to have. It's hard to stretch a defense that way. You just cannot expect to move the ball with that kind of turnover at QB and WR.
Matt Hasselbeck is supposedly healthy along with his receiver corps, and they added a very reliable target in TJ Houshmandzadeh. That right there is a good start, but if you look further into the numbers tailbacks Julius Jones and Maurice Morris both averaged over 4 yards per carry combining for just under 1300 yards. Not bad for a couple below average backs on a team with no passing attack...what does that say about the O-line? Throw a solid goaline back in TJ Duckett and I see a well-rounded offensive attack. Adding rookie LB Aaron Curry to an already solid defense can't hurt either. The 'Hawks still have to get past the Cards to make the playoffs, but the rest of the division is weak so I could see them easily getting 8-9 wins. If they really start clicking why not a few more???
Q2. What are your thoughts about the NFL playing an 18-game regular season? A. On the surface I like the idea of more games, and I hate the preseason. And I really think a few scrimmages would get the job done. So it's an easy decision right? But when all the surrounding issues are brought to light, it's not so easy. First off, I am curious to see how the players hold up. It is already hard enough to stay healthy for 16 full-speed games, add two and it may be too taxing. Can you imagine a running back having 450+ carries in one season...possibly 500 touches? A two-back system would be absolutely necessary, which brings me to my next point.
Teams would have to change the way they manage from the front office to the field. For instance, if a team is looking to sign a free agent or draft a top prospect they would need to look closer at toughness and past injuries. On the field, coaches would have to platoon players more often to keep them fresh. In a nutshell they will just have to be deeper. Perhaps a 53 man roster would not be adequate. Not to mention the players will certainly want more money. Making the game more expensive and diluting the talent pool is not a good recipe. Is the NFL ready for all that with the CBA looming?
The NFL is the king of sports right now (The old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes to mind), and that is uber important during a recession. Many fans of other sports like hockey, basketball, and baseball complain of the long seasons and diluted talent. The NFL is king because it is short, sweet, and competitive. It keeps everyone hungry for more. If you add games, you take away what makes the game great by diluting the experience for the players and the fans. If I were commissioner I would want hungry fans and hungry players, wouldn't you? Other than truncating the preseason I would not change a thing.
Q3. Fun question - you have just been granted a franchise and you are able to select any 2 players in the NFL to build your team around. Who would you select and why? A. Players considered: Troy Polamalu SS Calvin Johnson WR Larry Fitzgerald WR Nnamdi Asomugha CB Adrian Peterson RB Patrick Willis LB Joe Thomas LT
This is one of the toughest questions I have ever answered regarding football. My first concern for selecting these two players would be age. Too old and too young both come with added risk, so I am looking for players aged 24-29 with at least 2 years experience. That quickly removes the likes of Manning, Brady, and Brees the games best quarterbacks. I want to find players that are born leaders and players that are dynamic at their position. Difference makers. Game changers.
I want to see opposing coordinators having to plan their strategy around these players. Polamalu was the first player that came to mind, but he plays very physical and has had a few concussions so I have to rule him out even though I bleed black and gold. Next I looked at Fitzgerald and Megatron. I know I would regret building a franchise with WR's (see Lions Drafts for the past decade) besides, I could not choose between the two. Then I thought about a lock-down corner Nnamdi Asomugha of the Raiders, but again that is almost only slightly better than drafting a WR.
And even as dynamic and talented as Adrian Peterson is he is still injury prone and I don't want to start my franchise with a running back either - they are almost a dime a dozen. Besides, I will probably be running two maybe three RB's anyway, so I can waste my pick there. What I really need is some meat and potatoes. I need a strong foundation to start this team off right. I need to build from the trenches. No defensive linemen really excited me so I quickly moved on to linebacker.
Ray Lewis...Lawrence Taylor...somebody like that. Patrick Willis, although not in the same category as the aforementioned legends, he is a machine. He is great against the run and the pass and would be the perfect anchor to base my new defense around. Now I want to turn to offense to keep good balance. My second pick would be LT Joe Thomas of the lowly Cleveland Browns. Stud left tackles are a rare commodity, and even more rare to find one playing at his level at the age of 24. He may not be the best o-lineman out there right now but he will be, and he will be playing on my squad for a long and brilliant career.
Q4. Of the current 32 NFL head coaches, who would you select to coach your team in a one-game must win situation? Why did you choose this coach? A. Jeff Fisher. I think Coach Fisher has a good blend of skills on and off the field. He has also proven ability to effectively coach good teams and bad teams. He just seems even and consistent and I am willing to take him even without a Super Bowl win.
Q5. Last question - who will play in this year's Super Bowl -- and your winner? New Orleans and San Diego - Winner San Diego
Twenty years ago today, then-Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose accepted a lifetime ban from the game of baseball...here are some links concerning the ban...
Mike Schmidt, Hall of Famer, former Philadelphia Phillie and teammate of Rose, wrote this in which the Associate Press ran... "Even if Pete were to get by the commissioner, I feel it would take serious massaging of the members by Aaron, Joe Morgan and myself to get him the needed 75 percent quorum on a vote of Hall of Famers for election, and that may not be enough. Pete is Pete and always will be." ...
Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquierer wrote what Dan Dowd now thinks of the Rose situation...Dowd's report is what led to Rose's lifetime ban... "Even in the midst of a steroid reckoning that seemingly has no end, Rose remains the face of fallen sports grace. The man who put him away still practices law in Washington, D.C., at age 68, same age as Rose. It’s possible to feel both proud and saddened by what you’ve achieved in life. To stand tall, while slumping. That would be Pete Rose, of a fashion. And John Dowd." ...
Today is a good day to watch some Jimmy the Cabbie...this is a two-parter...first Jimmy brings up the conspiracy of the letter "M"...he then talks about MTV's beach house and not being able to swim...
Burl Toler, the NFL's irst African-American on-field official died earlier this week...the following is his obit that appeared in The New York Times...
Burl Toler, who as perhaps the best player on one of college football’s greatest teams became the focus of racial discrimination, and who went on to become the first black on-field official in the National Football League, died Sunday in Castro Valley, Calif. He was 81.
He died after a sudden illness, said his daughter Susan Toler Carr.
The story of Toler’s college team, the 1951 University of San Francisco Dons, is one of the most extraordinary in sports. Called by Sports Illustrated “the best team you never heard of,” the Dons sent nine players to the N.F.L., three of whom — Gino Marchetti, Bob St. Clair and Ollie Matson — were eventually inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Its head coach was Joe Kuharich, who went on to coach at Notre Dame and for three professional teams; and the athletic publicity director was Pete Rozelle, who became the N.F.L. commissioner.
Toler, who played on the line on offense and linebacker on defense, was drafted by Cleveland, but he never made it to the pros because of a severe knee injury in a college all-star game.
“I personally felt Burl Toler was the best player of any of us,” Marchetti said in a telephone interview Wednesday. “He was the best tackler, the hardest hitter, and he had the most speed.”
The team went 9-0, defeating its opponents by an average score of 32-8, but it was not selected for a postseason game by the Southern-based bowl game committees, ostensibly because of its weak schedule, but in fact because of its two black players, Toler and Matson. In the interview, Marchetti said Rozelle and Kuharich told the team they would be invited to play in a bowl only if the team agreed to leave the two black players behind.
“We answered ‘No, we’d never do that,’ ” Marchetti said. “And after we said no and removed ourselves from consideration, nobody ever had a second thought about it.”
In 2000, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution, submitted by Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, acknowledging that the Dons were victimized by racial prejudice and “that the treatment endured by this team was wrong and that recognition for it accomplishments is long overdue.”
Burl Abron Toler was born in Memphis on May 9, 1928. His father, Arnold, was a Pullman porter. His mother, Annie King Toler, operated a small store and ran a boarding house. Young Burl went to a segregated high school and did not play football because of a severe burn on his arm; he had an accident disposing of a vat of cooking grease.
After graduating, he went to San Francisco at the suggestion of an uncle who lived there, and he enrolled at the two-year City College of San Francisco, where the football coach spotted him in the gymnasium and asked him to come out for the team. In his first practice, the story goes, he tackled the star running back, Ollie Matson, on three consecutive plays. Their 1948 team was 12-0, and both Toler and Matson earned scholarships at the University of San Francisco.
Toler’s wife, Melvia, died in 1991. In addition to his daughter Susan, who lives in Altadena, Calif., he is survived by a brother, Arnold Jr., of Memphis; two other daughters, Valerie, of Hayward, Calif., and Jennifer, of Berkeley; three sons, Burl Jr., of El Sobrante, Calif., Gregory, of Oakland, and Martel, of San Francisco; and eight grandchildren.
After his knee injury, Toler taught math and physical education at a San Francisco junior high school, the Benjamin Franklin Middle School, where he eventually became the principal. The school was closed in 2004, but reopened in 2006 as the Burl A. Toler Campus, home to two charter schools. Toler was also a commissioner of the San Francisco Police Department from 1978 to 1986.
N.F.L. officiating is part-time work, conducted mostly on weekends. Toler was an N.F.L. official for 25 seasons, beginning in 1965, a year before Emmett Ashford became the first black umpire in the major leagues and three years before Jackie White broke the color barrier in the National Basketball Association. Toler officiated a number of crucial games, including Super Bowl XIV in 1980, in which the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams, and the 1982 A.F.C. championship game, in which the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the San Diego Chargers. It became known as the Freezer Bowl because it was played in the coldest temperatures of any game in league history. The wind chill in Cincinnati on Jan. 10, 1982, reached minus 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Toler sustained frostbite on his fingers.
“He was very, very knowledgeable about the game,” Jim Tunney, who worked on the same crew with Toler for 11 years, said in a telephone interview Thursday. “He knew about blocking and tackling. He knew about the emotions the players go through playing the game, which is very important.”
Tunney said Toler was so self-possessed that whatever racist attitudes he encountered in the game simply never became an issue.
“He just didn’t allow racism to enter into his doing his job,” Tunney said. “He never mentioned it, and if it ever did occur, he just rose above it.”
Unlike baseball umpires, whose crews rotate positions from game to game, football officials specialize. When Toler began his career, there were six on-field officials: the referee, who lines up behind the offensive backfield; the umpire, who is positioned in the middle of the field behind the defensive line; the head linesman and the line judge, who are on opposite sidelines on the line of scrimmage; the field judge, who stands on the sideline in the defensive backfield, and the back judge, who is positioned in midfield behind the defensive backs. A seventh official, the side judge, an across-the-field complement to the field judge, was added in 1978.
For most of his career, Toler was a head linesman, with a twofold responsibility: first to watch for line-of-scrimmage infractions like being offside, and then to move downfield to monitor receivers running short and midrange pass routes and the defenders covering them. The job requires not just the instinct to read plays as they develop and foot speed, but also, because he lines up on the sideline and within easy shouting distance of coaches, an especially serene demeanor.
“Burl was extremely quick; he could run like the wind,” said Art McNally, the N.F.L.’s supervisor of officials from 1968 to 1990. “But more than that he was a master of getting people who were up on the ceiling screaming and bringing them back down again.”
After reading in more detail about what went on between Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable and assistant coach Randy Hanson, Cable should be fired even if he is not charged with assault...'
For an NFL head coach to basically sucker punch a co-worker then try to choke him while yelling, "I am going to kill you, I am going to kill you" is not appropriate for that position...there are 32 head coaching jobs in the NFL...there are many coaches who are assistants for years and years who never get the opportunity to have the honor of being the head coach of an NFL team...
Obviously Cable does not know how to handle the responsibility of being the man in charge...he clearly lacks communication skills and the ability to have everyone working together as a team...
If Al Davis does not terminate Cable as his head coach, the NFL commissioner needs to step in and suspend Cable for conduct detrimental to the NFL...
Brett Favre must think we are all idiots...this guy is a piece of work...
After going through all this drama over the last few years, I could not watch his press conference on Tuesday...by the way, his arrogance showed by being 45 minutes late...of course, the media sat there and waited like a bunch of giddy young kids meeting their first famous person...
Anyway, I passed on the press conference, however, I caught pieces of it the next day on "The Dan Patrick Show"...
"Daddy, go win one more Super Bowl"...this will be the line that was over-the-top...
Are you kidding me!?!?!?!?!?!...does Favre actually think that football fans are going to believe his bullshit story of how he sat on the back porch of his house and asked his daughter why she was so sad...and how he cried when taking her to school the next day...the topper is how Brad "Ram Me Up the Ass Again" Childress just happened to call Favre that same day...
There is something wrong with Favre...seriously, there is some type of mental problem for someone to make up that story of his little girl crying and asking him to "go win one more Super Bowl"...
I don't understand why all these "experts" are picking the Vikings to make it to the Super Bowl...I don't even think they will win their division...
Favre appeared in two Super Bowls - the last coming in 1998 when Favre was in his prime at 30-years-old or so...why do people think that a 40-year-old Favre will magically make the difference in leading the Vikings to the Super Bowl?...
People forget about Favre's ego too...will his ego allow him to let Adrian Peterson be "the man" in Minnesota...say the Vikings make the playoffs and are behind late in the game...anyone who believes Favre will let Peterson be the center of the comeback must also believe that cock-in-mamie story about his crying daughter...anyone who knows football knows that Favre's ego will take over and he will try and drill a pass into triple coverage and get picked off...
The sad part, most media people will continue to adore and honor this miserable liar...
Former Minnesota Viking and Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton is sick of Brett Favre...on Wednesday, he appeared on "The Opening Drive" on Sirius NFL radio and said the following:
"I really have no interest in what Brett Favre does. He kind of lost me a few years ago by retiring and un-retiring and here and there," Tarkenton said.
"I asked a few friends here, maybe 10 or 12 people we were out with last night. I said, 'What do you think about Brett Favre going back to the Vikings?' You know who cared? Nobody. It's good news for you guys. It's good news for television and so forth but the last time I heard ... football was a team sport, isn't it? It's not just about the quarterback."
"I think he has been a great flamboyant quarterback, but he has made more stupid plays than any great quarterback that I've ever seen. Look at his final game in a Packers uniform. He blew that game [NFC championship] against the Giants," Tarkenton said in late May on KFAN-1130 in the Twin Cities.
"I really think the whole Brett Favre saga of retiring, un-retiring, three weeks ago [saying] 'I can't play,' the Vikings said, 'We're moving on,' it's a circus," Tarkenton said. "It's an absolute circus, and it takes away from all the other things that are going on with the Vikings, with the NFL. We're getting ready for a football season and this is a circus and I just have no interest in it.
"Wouldn't you be upset if you're a Packer fan? I think you're going to have Packer fans burning the No. 4 Favre Green Bay jersey. I think the Packer fans have every right to be outraged."
As most know I have a strong allegiance to the Michigan Wolverines and New York Yankees...and for the most part, I do feel that I am objective the majority of the times...however, many friends, who are Ohio State and Cleveland Indians fans, do not agree...
In all honesty, there are few sports figures that I truly hate...a friend of mine would get on me about not liking Ohio State, but at the same time, she would player hate even more than me...the only team that I hate in college sports is Ohio State...I have no problem with Notre Dame, Michigan State, Texas, Penn State, USC, etc...
And in baseball, I dislike the Indians followed by the Boston Red Sox...otherwise, I have no problem with any other team...
This brings me to the Top 10 sports figures that I truly hate...there will be a strong slant toward Ohio State in this category...so if you are an Ohio State fan, please suck it up and read on or quit reading now...
1. Justin Boren, offensive lineman, Ohio State - I truly hate this kid...how the hell can he transfer from Michigan to Ohio State...I have no problem that he wanted to transfer from Michigan after Rich Rodriguez was hired...he could have transferred to any other college in this country, but he chose Ohio State...I know his hometown is close to Columbus, but he could have transferred to Cincinnati or even Purdue, which is not that far from his home...I never want to see any athlete get hurt, but this miserable bastard is the exception...he is truly a Judas...
2. Troy Smith, quarterback, Ohio State - this is one lucky dude...in 20 years when people look back of questionable Heisman Trophy winners, Smith will be on that list...he was fortunate that both Reggie Bush and Vince Young left early for the NFL...then during his Heisman season, Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson broke his collarbone...
3. Curt Schilling, retired pitcher, Boston/Arizona - this cocky asshole was the leader of the pitching staff in Arizona and Boston that beat the Yankees in the playoffs...he has that arrogant freaking sneer on his face...
4. Omar Vizquel, shortstop, Indians - he now plays for Texas, but when he was with the Indians he was another arrogant little prick...he was also a showboat in the field...
5. Craig Krenzel, quarterback, Ohio State - all we ever heard was how he was studying genetics while at Ohio State...the media made it sound like Krenzel was this brainiac who going to find a cure for cancer or AIDS...some brain - that is why he is selling real estate in Columbus...
6. Michael Vick, quarterback, Eagles - I don't think I need to explain this one...
7. Kenny Lofton, outfielder, many teams - I cringed when he wore the Yankees Pinstripes for one season...Lofton was another cocky player who never thought a strike should be called on him...
8. Brett Favre, quarterback, Vikings - Favre is an arrogant asshole...but the national media just loves Brett Favre...when the Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers, the national media made it seem like Favre was going to take Rodgers under his wing and help him out...during a preseason game that year Favre said that it was not his job to teach Rodgers...it seemed like he was ticked that the Packers drafted Rodgers...but of course, the media failed to follow-up on this...they did not want to ruin the pristine image of Favre...Fuck Brett Favre!!!...
9. Danny Ainge, guard, Celtics - like Vizquel, Ainge was one of those annoying players who got under an opponent's skin...so many times I wished Magic Johnson would have drilled Ainge in the groin...
10. Chris Spielman, linebacker, Ohio State/ESPN announcer - Spielman was a heckuva linebacker - I will not deny that...but after some of the comments that he has made about Michigan on his talk show in Columbus, ESPN should not allow him to announce a Michigan game...
Yesterday was a review of the first 8 rounds of my league's fantasy football draft...today is a breakdown of my enitre 22 man roster...because we only have 8 teams in our league, we go 22 rounds...the overwhelming opinion was that my draft sucked...oh well...
Rd 1 - DeAngelo Williams, rb, Panthers - went with youth over age (LT)... Rd 2 - Tom Brady, qb, Patriots - easy pick here... Rd 3 - Terrell Owens, wr, Bills - Buffalo did not bring this asshole in just to be an asshole...he will score TDs...I am not a TO fan, but he does score - look it up ladies... Rd 4 - Pierre Thomas, rb, Saints - who is going to be the workhorse, Reggie Bush???... Rd 5 - Steelers Defense - defense wins titles...I got the best defense...last year, the Steelers Defense finished with 162 points which was more than the following: Tomlinson and Westbrook 152 each, Randy Moss 137, Clinton Portis 131, Marion Barber 130, and Chris Johnson 124... Rd 6 - Joseph Addai, rb, Colts - he sucked last year, but this is a decent pick in round 6... Rd 7 - Felix Jones, rb, Cowboys - let's see who is the man in Big D come mid-season... Rd 8 - LenDale White, rb, Titans - Chris Johnson does all the work while LenDale gets the TDs...plus he is in the best shape of his career - so far... Rd 9 - Chad Johnson, wr, Bengals - I hate this prick, but I needed another receiver...and with TJ gone, Johnson is truly the #1 receiver in Cinncy... Rd 10 - Eli Manning, qb, Giants - this was a need pick...pickings were slim at QB at this point...
Rd 11 - Donald Brown, rb, Colts - a speed guy who has nothing but upside... Rd 12 - Santana Moss, wr, Redskins - he is a good bye week receiver... Rd 13 - Jamaal Charles, rb, Chiefs - some magazines are predicting he may take over the running duties from Larry Johnson...at round 13, what the heck... Rd 14 - Stevie Breaston, wr, Cardinals - another bye week receiver... Rd 15 - Vikings Defense - I wanted to sure up my defense...in my book the Steelers, Giants, and Vikings were the elite of the defenses...I got 2 of the 3... Rd 16 - Mario Manningham, wr, Giants - early reports indicate that he has a decent shot at being one of Eli's main receivers...a gamble pick at #16... Rd 17 - Glen Coffee, rb, 49ers - like Donald Brown, Coffee is a rookie with nothing but upside... Rd 18 - Percy Harvin, wr, Vikings - worth a gamble... Rd 19 - Shaun Hill, qb, 49ers - I needed a third QB and he was all that was out there... Rd 20 - Jeff Reed, k, Steelers - if he works out great, if not, I will cut him and bring in another kicker..
Rd 21 - Kellen Winslow, te, Bucs - I have since cut Winslow and picked up Danny Ware, rb, Giants... Rd 22 - Bills Special Teams - Roscoe Parrish is guaranteed to bring at least 1 back a year...
Is this the team that I envisioned drafting - NO...but sometimes the draft dictates how you end up drafting...I made some audibles...some players, like Chad Johnson, Felix Jones, and Pierre Thomas are boom or bust picks...let the chips fall where they fall...
It is the 15th year of our Fantasy Football league and we held our draft on Sunday night...out of an 8-team league, I had the fifth overall pick...in our league, you can start 2 quarterbacks, therefore, that is why some people take 2 quality QBs early...also, tight ends are considered the same as wide receivers...here is how the first 8 rounds went down:
Round 1 1. Valentine - Adrian Peterson, rb 2. Persino - Michael Turner, rb 3. Ellis - Maurice Jones-Drew, rb 4. Edmonds - Matt Forte, rb 5. George - DeAngelo Williams, rb (photo) 6. Hunter - LaDainian Tomlinson, rb 7. Leonard - Chris Johnson, rb 8. Lehman - Steven Jackson, rb
Round 2 9. Lehman - Larry Fitzgerald, wr 10. Leonard - Clinton Portis, rb 11. Hunter - Drew Brees, qb 12. George - Tom Brady, qb 13. Edmonds - Steve Slaton, rb 14. Ellis - Aaron Rodgers, qb 15. Persino - Randy Moss, wr 16. Valentine - Frank Gore, rb
Round 3 17. Valentine - Brian Westbrook, rb 18. Persino - Peyton Manning, qb 19. Ellis - Brandon Jacobs, rb 20. Hunter - Philip Rivers, qb 21. George - Terrell Owens, wr 22. Edmonds - Reggie Wayne, wr 23. Leonard - Ryan Grant, rb 24. Lehman - Andre Johnson, wr
Round 4 25. Lehman - Calvin Johnson, wr 26. Leonard - Marion Barber, rb 27. Edmonds - Anquan Boldin, wr 28. George - Pierre Thomas, rb (photo) 29. Hunter - Ronnie Brown, rb 30. Ellis - Kurt Warner, qb 31. Persino - Greg Jennings, wr 32. Valentine - Donovan McNabb, qb
Round 5 33. Valentine - Roddy White, wr 34. Persino - Marques Colston, wr 35. Ellis - Steve Smith, wr 36. Hunter - Larry Johnson, rb 37. George - Steelers Defense 38. Edmonds - Tony Romo, qb 39. Leonard - Knowshon Moreno, rb 40. Lehman - Jay Cutler, qb
Round 6 41. Lehman - Dwayne Bowe, wr 42. Leonard - Marshawn Lynch, rb 43. Edmonds - Ben Roethlisberger qb 44. George - Joseph Addai, rb 45. Hunter - Willie Parker, rb 46. Ellis - Thomas Jones, rb 47. Persino - Darren McFadden, rb 48. Valentine - Reggie Bush, rb
Round 7 49. Valentine - Beanie Wells, rb 50. Persino - Derrick Ward, rb 51. Ellis - Kevin Smith, rb 52. Hunter - Carson Palmer, qb 53. George - Felix Jones, rb (photo) 54. Edmonds - Matt Schaub, qb 55. Leonard - Matt Cassel, qb 56. Lehamn - Matt Ryan, qb
Round 8 57. Lehman - Jason Witten, te 58. Leonard - Jamal Lewis, rb 59. Edmonds - Fred Jackson, rb 60. George - LenDale White, rb 61. Hunter - Brandon Marshall, wr 62. Ellis - T.J. Houshmanzedeh, wr 63. Persino - Jonathan Stewart, rb 64. Valentine - Matt Hasselbeck, qb
My thoughts Round One - In the first round I was torn between DeAngelo Williams and LaDainian Tomlinson...I like Williams a lot, but I hate sharing carries which he does with Jonathan Stewart...LT is getting up there in age, but he did score well last year, plus he makes a lot of receptions...I went with Williams because he is the younger player...
Round Two - I wanted Tom Brady...he was there and I did not hesitate to take him...
Round Three - Going into this round I wanted Peyton Manning but Persino shot that...I wanted a stud receiver, so I went with TO because Leonard is a big TO guy and I figured that he would not it past him twice at the 23rd and 26th pick...my thinking was to take Owens then come back and snatch Calvin Johnson in round 4...
Round Four - Lehman crashed my plans by taking Calvin...Calvin Johnson is a freak of nature...with CJ gone, I wanted another solid running back...Pierre Thomas is not a sexy pick, but he was solid as hell at the end of last season...Thomas has the potential to score 12-14...I had him as one of my sleeper picks...I got the player I wanted...
Round Five - I was hoping Greg Jennings would be there, but Persino ruined that...taking the Steelers Defense may raise a lot of eyebrows, but I was hellbent on getting a stud defense...the Steelers Defense will get me more points than 95% of the players who were available at that point...plus, I knew the Steelers D would be going soon because there are 3 big Steelers fans in the league: Lehman, Persino, and Hunter...I had to move on this pick now...I am thrilled with the selection...
Round Six - Leonard snagged Knowshon at the end of round 5 so that eliminated one of my players for round six...with the 44th pick, I wanted to get Darren McFadden here, but I thought he would be there in round 7 because he plays for the Raiders...Addai was crappy last year, but I knew he would not make it back to me at the 53rd pick...so I roll the dice and go with Addai...three picks later Persino fucks me again by taking McFadden...
Round Seven - as this round begins, I am contemplating another QB and have my eyes set on Carson Palmer..one pick before my selection, Hunter ruins that from happening...after losing out on Calvin Johnson and Darren McFadden, I was not going to lose out on another player I wanted - Felix Jones...I may have reached a bit here, but I was not going to let someone snatch Jones...I believe Jones will be the starter in Dallas by mid-year...
Round Eight - I start to think about handcuffing Jonathan Stewart to go with DeAngelo...however, I am basically giving up the 60th pick just in case DeAngelo gets hurt...there is no way I am going to start both Stewart and DeAngelo...there is one player that catches my eye - LenDale White...LenDale has slimmed down and is clearly the goal line back in Tennessee...so I roll the dice again and go with LenDale, hoping that Stewart makes it back to me in round 9...for the fourth time today, Persino fucks me over by taking Stewart...I hate Persino...
Check back tomorrow for a check of my entire 22-man roster...
Mitch Abramson of the Daily News writes a detailed feature on the sex scandal of Rick Pitino and Karen Sypher (photo, right)... "Spruced up with heavy red lipstick, purplish eye-liner and a tiny pink skirt that hovered above her knees, Sypher looked like she was dressed more for a night on the town than for an appearance in court." ...
Be the first on your block to have the new Michael Vick Philadelphia Eagles jersey...the NFL store is selling the Vick jersey in green, white, and black for $79.99 plus shipping...it's funny how the NFL believes Vick should be suspended for up to 6 games, but they are already selling his jersey to make money...
Here are some thoughts as we head into the weekend...
Chris Rock was on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Wednesday...Rock was giving his thoughts on Michael Vick...just because someone is famous, that does not mean he is smart...Chris Rock may be one of the dumbest individuals I have heard...he was justifying dog fighting with that of hunting...it seems like most people just don't get it...
What the hell was Rick Pitino thinking when he got drunk with some woman, then banged her on the table of the restaurant after closing?...first off, the woman, Karen Cunagin Sypher (photo, right) is being accused of extortion...second, Pitino has this outstanding good reputation - why the hell would he blow it on this woman?...also, I thought Pitino was this religious Roman Catholic?...he is another fraud...
I'm not saying this woman is nasty, but she would be someone who I would consider nailing after a night of drinking...she looks like a bar hound...I do admit, she has some big headlights though...
Final thought, did Pitino personally own this restaurant?...did the bus boy change the table cloth the next morning?...
Sunday is my fantasy football draft...I'm in an eight team league and hold the fifth overall pick...I am studying LaDainian Tomlinson hard...can I squeeze one more year out of him?...
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Cleveland Browns wideout Donte Stallworth for the season without pay...the bleeding heart liberals and NFL union will be complaining that Goodell was too harsh?...they will cry, "give him a second chance"...
Is Pastor Tony Dungy and Jesse Jackson going to help Stallworth get back into the NFL next season...
San Francisco Giants did not gain any ground on the Los Angeles Dodgers in their head-to-head meeting this week...
Whatever happened to former Cleveland Browns kick returner Dino Hall? (photo, left) ...
The biggest match-up this weekend in Boston at Texas...the Red Sox are a half game up on the Rangers...something may give?...
I would not want to play the Cleveland Indians now...the Indians are a loose bunch of young kids who are having fun...this is a team that could ruin some contender's season...
We have one of the most masterful minds of the blogosphere - Zach from The Big Picture gives his thoughts on the upcoming NFL season...I thank him for his time because I know that he is one of the busiest men in the blogging bitness...
Q1. Every season there are a few teams that do really well even though they were predicted to have a lousy team. For example, the Dolphins went from 1-15 to a playoff team in one year. Who are some surprise teams that we should keep an eye on and why? A. Well, the Detroit Lions are going to really surprise people. They win two games and they've saved the city of Detroit.
Actually, not Detroit. The Lions are going to be fucking terrible. The Seahawks are a team to look out for. They're aging, yes, but love the Aaron Curry pick and with a healthy team; I think they win a weak NFC West. Look for Jacksonville to turn things around a bit, too. That ground game will likely be better than in '08.
Q2. What are your thoughts about the NFL playing an 18-game regular season? A. An 18-game season gives me two more weeks for my fantasy team to lose. I don't think I like it.
Q3. Fun question - you have just been granted a franchise and you are able to select any 2 players in the NFL to build your team around. Who would you select and why? A. Michael Vick and Chris Henry purely for marketing purposes. (Tom Brady and Adrian Peterson would probably be my second choice).
Q4. Of the current 32 NFL head coaches, who would you select to coach your team in a one-game must win situation? Why did you choose this coach? A. Bill Belichick. He's well dressed.
Q5. Last question - who will play in this year's Super Bowl -- and your winner? A. I guess I shouldn't pick the Lions and Browns. That would be fun. Every year around Super Bowl time I get sick of hearing about the Patriots and Steelers. Cleveland and Detroit could really use some positive attention.
New England will win it all. I think the NFC is pretty wide open as it has been. People like Philly. I'm not really sure why. And DeSean Jackson just go hurt. The New York Giants should be right there again. Losing Plax could be addition by subtraction. Same goes with Dallas and T.O. The Cowboys also have that new, gargantuan stadium that could inspire some sports magic. Chicago with Jay Cumler could be pretty good. The Falcons aren't quite there, but they'll be a playoff team.
I don't think I've really answered the question yet. Patriots over the Giants. No David Tyree catch this year.
Will someone please give this sack of dog shit a job already...I am tired of hearing that poor Michael Vick doesn't have a job...he even has the "Patron Saint of Lost Causes" - Tony Dungy - personally making phone calls...
How many unemployed people in this country have someone making calls on their behalf to try and find them a job? -- not many!!!...
Since Dungy is this great humanitarian, once Vick gets a hook up, it would be nice if Dungy would also help other people who lost their jobs because of the economy - not because they were in prison...
Dungy should start some type of help center where he can review resumes and personally assist at least 100 unemployed people in getting a job...if he is so determined to help a convicted felon, then I think Dungy should also be able to turn a helping hand to someone who has a family to feed and a mortgage to pay...I'm not talking about helping these big shots who got canned, but the little person...the person who made $35,000 or less who became a victim of this mess that was caused by BOTH the Democrats and Republicans...this recession is not a Republican-thing nor is it a Democrat-thing...both parties are responsible...
It seems like this country is more sympathetic for people who are fuck-ups, like Vick, than they are for hard-working people who innocently became victims of this economic downturn...
It has gotten to the point that Saint Jesse Jackson is now involved...he is crying that the NFL owners are committing collusion against little Mikey Vick...Jackson stated that Vick is better than most starting quarterbacks in the NFL and definitely better than all the back-ups - so he deserves another chance in the NFL... This is my question to dumb-fuck Jackson -- how many other people are clearly more qualified for certain jobs, but they aren't given a chance?????...for example, how many secretaries and administrative assistants are out-of-work and are clearly qualified to work at other companies, but are not given that chance even if an opening does occur?...how many welders are unemployed but are not given a chance to work at another company?...
Better yet, why doesn't Dungy and Jackson encourage Vick to use the education that he received at Virginia Tech...college coaches always tell players to prepare for life after football...why doesn't Vick be a role model by showing that he is more than "just a football player"...heck, Vick could even go back to school and learn a new trade, just like other people who lost their jobs...
Personally, I don't have a problem with Vick getting a second chance, however I do have a problem with people, like Jackson and Dungy, who believe Vick is entitled to another chance and are making him to be the victim...so please, will some NFL team take a shot with Vick before I see him standing on a corner with a sign "Will Work for Food"...
Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times writes about a Major League Baseball scout, and how scouts as a whole are not recognized by baseball's elite... "Despite the celebrated baseball practice of collecting, rating and bartering prospects, the world ignores the guys who sign them. There are no scouts in baseball's Hall of Fame. There are no old-timers days for scouts, no mid-game video tributes for scouts, no first pitches or last hurrahs. Once a scout reaches the age of 76 like Southland legend Pote, there is no way to retire gracefully, so they simply don't retire." ...
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes how the St. Louis Cardinals are expected to draw 3.3 million people this year despite the economic woes of the country... "The arrival of All-Star outfielder Holliday spurred a run on ticket sales just as it symbolized the amount of tickets already sold. Holliday's home debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers was the first of seven consecutive sellouts for the Cardinals. And his acquisition, via trade, was made possible, multiple officials said, by earlier ticket sales that had overwhelmed the club's original estimates." ...
Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press writes about former Michigan basketball player Robert "Tractor" Traylor who at 32-years-old wants one more crack at the NBA and to help his mom who was a registered nurse on crack... "Lenora became a prostitute, turning tricks for drugs and cash. Sometimes she would bring johns back to the house, even if one of her kids was there." ...
Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune writes how Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib has learned from his rookie mistakes... "Talib's rookie season was all of six plays old when veteran receiver David Patten got behind him and caught a 39-yard scoring pass from Drew Brees in New Orleans. Talib trudged to the bench and buried his face in his hands." ...
I received this email from a friend...the email was a letter written by Lou Pritchett...supposedly he sent this letter to The New York Times but they chose not to print the letter...my friend asked me to post this letter...the following in italics was the letter that Mr. Pritchett wrote:
Lou Pritchett is one of corporate America 's true living legends- an acclaimed author, dynamic teacher and one of the world's highest rated speakers. Successful corporate executives everywhere recognize him as the foremost leader in change management. Lou changed the way America does business by creating an audacious concept that came to be known as "partnering." Pritchett rose from soap salesman to Vice-President, Sales and Customer Development for Procter and Gamble and over the course of 36 years, made corporate history.
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
Dear President Obama:
You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me. You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.
You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support. You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.
You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll. You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.
You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others. You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.
You scare me because you are a cheerleader for th e 'blame America ' crowd and deliver this message abroad.
You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector. You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.
You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.
You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.
You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.
You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals. You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.
You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.
You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do. You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O'Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view. You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.
Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.
The football season is closing in fast so Stiles Points has asked some of his friends to participate in "Five Good Questions..."...yeh believe it or not, Stiles Points does have a few friends...he has to pay them $10 a month for this right...
Anyway, the first to respond is the pride of the Eastside of Youngstown, Ohio -- the real Golden Bear -- John Valentine...I've known Johnny V for 16 years even though he now lives in south Florida...he is the only Puerto Rican who does not look Puerto Rican...besides loving the NFL, he is one smooth dealer with the women...I know he was probably banging some chicks, so I want to thank him for taking a timeout to respond to this request...
Q1. Every season there are a few teams that do really well even though they were predicted to have a lousy team. For example, the Dolphins went from 1-15 to a playoff team in one year. Who are some surprise teams that we should keep an eye on and why? A. I'd have to go the the New Orleans Saints. I believe that their 8-8 schedule was attributed to dismal secondary, ranking in the bottom half in the league for passing yards allowed and passing scores allowed. In the off season, they promptly and efficiently addressed that by bringing in Darren Sharper and Jabari Greer, and taking stud Ohio State corner Malcom Jenkins with their first draft pick. How is that for addressing a need? The offense speaks for itself, and I believe that with this commitment to the secondary could turn around 4 of those losses from last year and make them a 12-4 team this year.
Q2. What are your thoughts about the NFL playing an 18-game regular season? A. I am all for it. The more games, the better. I do believe it may impact teams with players in contract disputes or need extra rehab time, but that dynamic will become part of the game. Nobody wants to see pre-season games, and ultimately the fans win.
Q3. Fun question - you have just been granted a franchise and you are able to select any 2 players in the NFL to build your team around. Who would you select and why? A. You have to start with a QB, and I cannot think of anyone better than Peyton Manning. Not only is he a consistent producer, he is of great moral character and work ethic. He may be the "safe pick", but if I am starting a new team, that is exactly what I want. My second pick would be Adrian Peterson. Not only for his freakish abilities, but his age. He could give me highlight reels for years to come, and the peak of his ability has yet to be seen. Given that Peyton would be his QB, he would never see 8 man fronts, making him deadly. The combo of those two would be an incredible start to a new franchise.
Q4. Of the current 32 NFL head coaches, who would you select to coach your team in a one-game must win situation? Why did you choose this coach? A. As much as I hate to say it, it have to would be Bill Belichick. Say what you want about the man, he will do whatever it takes to win. From Spygate to his notorious skirting of the IR reports, he is committed to getting what ever edge he can, and it is that drive that makes him successful. Given that, he is also a football genius. Offensively and defensively is always creating a new wrinkle to keep teams on their toes. His knowledge of the game is unparalleled, and many have benefited from his knowledge, with 6 of his assistant coaches becoming head coaches, 5 went on to become Div. I head coaches, and seen numerous assistant coaches or executives under him going on to becomes assistants, coordinators or executives elsewhere in the NFL. Incredible!
Q5. Last question - who will play in this year's Super Bowl -- and your winner? A. New England vs. Atlanta. Atlanta is a reach, but I don't like anyone else except the Saints and Giants to make any noise in the NFC, and I believe that ATL are best poised to make that run. Belichick does it again.
Is She Hot is going retro today...Stiles Points takes a look back at Mary Tyler Moore...Moore is now a 73-year-old-woman, but was she hot in her prime?...
MTM Bio Born December 29, 1936 Currently 72-years-old Played Laura Petrie on the Dick Van Dyke Show Played Mary Richards of the Mary Tyler Moore Show
Background MTM is most famous for throwing her tam during the opening of the MTM Show...but some forget about her days as Laura Petrie on the DVD Show...at that time MTM was in her mid-20s...her natural beauty could be seen in those black and white clips...
She is best known as Mary Richards on the MTM Show...when the show began in 1970, she was 34-years-old and in her prime...as a kid growing up at that time, I loved watching the show...and now as an old man, I am just realizing that MTM was a babe...
Was Mary Tyler Moore hot? You betcha...she wasn't slutty hot but she had that wholesome hotness...she did not have a big rack - which is okay...but she was thin and had a nice figure...her best attribute was her hips...check out this 1:42 clip of MTM as she does a nice little dance as Laura Petrie...you can see her natural beauty -- plus she can move those hips:
Former Nirvana drummer and lead singer of the Foo Fighters, David Grohl, got a street named after him in his hometown of Warren, Ohio...actually it was more like an alley...David Grohl Alley was officially dedicated this past weekend...Warren, which is located next to my hometown of Niles, Ohio, celebrated the event with an actual appearance by Grohl...
He received the Key to the City and performed three songs...Grohl's father and stepmother still live in Warren...from all newspaper accounts, Grohl was very sincere and appreciative of the gesture...
This past week The Sporting News listed its 10 greatest head coaches of all-time...since then, I have read a few lists of the 10 worst coaches of all-time...Stiles Points lists its worst NFL and college head football coaches of all-time in no particular order...some of these coaches are excellent coordinators or assistants, but they lacked key traits to be a quality head coach:
Larry Coker, Miami (Fla) - sure he coached The U to a BCS title in 2001 and follow-ed it up with another shot at the title before losing to Ohio State...Coker won that title with all of Butch Davis players...Davis bolted for the Cleveland Browns and left the cupboard full for Coker...the Hurricanes were loaded in his second year and were outplayed by Ohio State even though the Canes had an NFL caliber team...since then The U has been on a downward slide because of Coker's lack of recruiting and inability to win the big games...
Ray Handley, N.Y. Giants(photo) - Bill Parcells retired after leading the Giants to a 13-3 record and a Super Bowl win over Buffalo in 1990...Handley took over and in two seasons as the head man, the Giants were 14-18 and were in disarray...Handley was canned after the 1992 season...in 1993 Dan reeves took over and immediately led the Giants to an 11-5 mark and playoff berth...Handley has never been seen since...
Les Steckel, Minnesota - after 17 years as head coach, Bud Grant retired after the 1983 season...Steckel, a former Marine, took over and ran the organization like a military facility...Steckel was abusive and mean...the Vikings went 3-13...Steckel was fired after one season and Grant was asked to come out of retirement to try and clean up the mess...
Cam Cameron, Miami - Cameron went to south Florida after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Chargers high scoring offense...Cameron's time in Miami was doomed on draft day when he selected Ohio State's Ted Ginn at wr instead of Notre Dame's Brady Quinn at qb...the Dolphins needed a quarterback desperately...the fans went nuts...it was all downhill after that...Cameron went 1-15 in his one year stay in Miami...
Wade Phillips, Denver, Buffalo, Dallas - how could someone with a 67-45 overall mark makes this list...I'm sorry, but it seems like Phillips teams always underachieve at the key moments during the season...he is a helluva defensive coordinator but he lacks something as the head man...
John Blake, Oklahoma - in three seasons Blake led the Sooners to a 12-22 record...two years after he got canned, Bob Stoops led Oklahoma to the BCS championship...
Dave Campo, Dallas - Under Campo's leadership, the Cowboys posted three straight 5-11 records...Parcells replaced Campo, and with basically the same team the Cowboys finished 10-6 and made the playoffs...
Gerry DiNardo, Indiana, LSU, Vanderbilt - I will give DiNardo a pass on Indiana and Vandy, but there is no reason he should not have won at LSU...the Tigers were stuck in mediocrity, at best, under DiNardo...DiNardo could not even recruit the state of Louisiana despite being the only major football power on the Bayou...after he was canned, Nick Saban and Les Miles have proven the LSU is a force...
Thirty years ago I was a 10-year-old kid enjoying his summer vacation...being it was summer I was allowed to stay up late...the 10:00 p.m. ABC news brief came on in which they gave a recap of the top three or four news stories...the last story, a photo of New York Yankees catcher, and captain, Thurman Munson appeared in the top right hand of the screen...the broadcaster announced that Munson died in a plane crash in Canton, Ohio...as a Yankees fan that is something I will never forget...as a kid, it was my generation's Lou Gehrig moment...
Thirty years ago today, Thurman Munson died...Sean Brennan of the Daily News writes about Jerry Narron, the catcher who had to replace The Captain...
This is a great 3:34 clip from the Mary Tyler Moore Show...Mary meets Mr. Grant for the first time and goes through a job interview...this is great stuff:
The NFL season is fast approaching...it will be Week 1 before we know it...but the media is taking some of the excitement away from the upcoming season because of their nauseating coverage of Brett Favre and Michael Vick...there are over 1,400 players in the NFL and all we have to hear about every stinking day is of an old broken down drama queen and a criminal who butchered dogs...
Favre Brett Favre made an ass out of Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress...if Childress had any onions, he would have told Favre, back in May, that he needed a decision by Memorial Day, if not, the Vikings would move on...Childress had a responsibility to lead this team, instead, Favre made Childress his bitch...
Did Childress really think that Favre was going to lead the Vikings to the Super Bowl?...Childress was trying to hire a name - Brett Favre...that's all it was...the name was not going to take the Vikings to the Super Bowl...in fact, when was the last time Brett Favre led his team to the Super Bowl?...try 1998!!!...
Childress should have tried to sign freaking Joe Willie Namath or Joe Montana...I hope the Vikings tank this season and Childress gets fired....if it wasn't so close to the start of the season, the owner should can him now...
As far as Favre goes, I still think this is not entirely over...if a quarterback gets hurt, ala Tom Brady last season, the entire drama will start over again...
Another scenario is Favre pulling a Roger Clemens...Favre sits out the first eight games and comes back for the last half of the season...Favre cannot physically handle the rigors of an entire 16 game season...therefore he may try a comeback in October...
Vick Now that gray beard if off the radar for now, the media will drive us all nuts with Michael Vick coverage...it will be a media circus the day he signs with a new team, the day he reports to camp, the day he takes a dump at the football facility...and I dread the week that Vick makes his return to the NFL...
Sorry, but I can't write anymore about this crap...I'm out of here...
Amid all the Brett Favre circus and Michael Vick sympathizers, the NFL lost a great assistant coach...
Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson died yesterday at the age of 68-years-old after a six month battle with cancer...if the Pro Football Hall of Fame ever inducted assistant coaches, Johnson would be a first ballot hall of famer...
Johnson coached last season from his familiar spot on the sidelines...however, he coached in the press box in Week 17 and throughout the playoffs...he was suffering from severe back pain and had a difficult time standing for a long period of time...after the Eagles lost in the NFC title game, Johnson went to the doctor and was diagnosed with cancer...
It will not be the same this football season in not seeing Johnson dialing up the defensive schemes for the Eagles...Favre and Vick may be getting the headlines, but the real story of the NFL this week was the loss of a great coach...
Gwen Stefano Bio Birthday - October 3, 1969 - Fullerton, California
Background Stefani was raised in a Roman-Catholic family...as a kid she had weight problems and joined the high school swim team in order to lose weight...her first job was working at the local Dairy Queen...nowadays she is a mega-star as the lead singer of No Doubt...she has also been successful as a solo artist...
She was once married to a member of the band...after a divorce, she married Gavin Rossdale and now has two kids...Stefani is a natural brunette, however she has been a platinum blond for the last 15 years...she likes hanging around Japanese woman called Harajuku Girls...
Is Gwen Stefani hot? At first look, she is someone who can easily be picked up at any bar after she gets a few drinks in her...I will say, her mid-section is phenomenal...she seems like a nice person and would probably be wild in the sack...she is not super hot, but I would give her thumbs up...
There are many annoying baseball announcers...the first that comes to mind is the New York Yankees John Sterling with his "Yankees Win...thaaaaaaaaaaaa Yankees Win"...the Chicago White Sox play-by-play man Hawk Harrelson gets under my skin with his "He gone" call after a White Sox pitcher strikes out a batter...but the most annoying and worst baseball announcer in the sport is the Cleveland Indians Tom Hamilton...
Hamilton calls every Indians homerun like it is a World Series clinching blast...Ryan Garko can hit a solo shot in the first inning and Hamilton will be screaming and yelling...as a kid I used to listen to Herb Score call the Indians games...Score was not perfect as he made many errors in calling the game...but at least he was professional and did not act like every homerun was the "mother of all homers"...this weekend the Tribe is honoring Hamilton as fans will be receiving a Tom Hamilton bobblehead...the Indians will then have fireworks after the game with a replay of Hamilton's greatest play-by-plays...if anyone gets one of those bobbleheads, please send it to be so I can bust it into pieces...
These announcers need to take a lesson from Los Angeles Dodgers great Vin Scully...Scully is the best baseball announcer ever...he was praised by the media for his call on Manny Ramirez's pinch-hit grand slam last week...check it out:
Cleveland Indians have become a major player as the trading deadline looms...with Toronto asking for your blood in their demands for Roy Halladay, the Indians may be the beneficiary...
Talk on the internet states that the Philadelphia Phillies are interested in Indians pitcher Cliff Lee...what makes this possible deal intriguing for the Phils is that they don't have to give up their top pitching prospects in J.A. Happ nor Kyle Drabek...
There are also reports the Los Angeles Dodgers are talking to the Indians in a blockbuster deal...supposedly the Dodgers will send either Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw along with James Loney, and prospects to Cleveland for Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez...talk is that Joe Torre would like to have a veteran in his rotation for the playoffs...
Supposedly the Indians have another offer from the San Francisco Giants...the Giants would send prospects to Cleveland for Lee...
Richard Sandomir of The New York Times writes about former New York Yankees shortstop and NBC broadcaster, Tony Kubek, who will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today as the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award for his 30 plus years of broadcasting... "Apart from the banter, Kubek and his wife, Margaret, are using the weekend as a family outing, with his two sons, two daughters and five grandchildren in attendance. Underlining Kubek’s individuality, they are staying in a house separate from the Hall of Famers’ headquarters at the Otesaga. And when the weekend ends, the Kubeks will drive back home with one of their daughters to continue their lives without baseball and resume helping the Hmong community in Appleton, Wis., where they live most of the year." ...
