Tebow’s New Haircut
Ron Chenoy/US Presswire
Courtesy of the Broncos’ veterans, he wasn’t the only one with a bad ‘do, but he certainly looks like an idiot.
Let’s hope he was able to shave it off before he left practice for the day.
Brett, Don’t Go Away Mad. Brett, Just Go Away
I’m officially fed up.
Rewind to January 12 years ago. The Green Bay Packers are the defending champions, preparing to take on the underdog Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 32. The Denver Broncos, who had never won a championship. The Denver Broncos, who the last 3 times had been to the Super Bowl, had been outscored by about 464 points. The Denver Broncos, led by a now washed up 57 year old John Elway at quarterback. Final score of Super Bowl 32-
Denver: 31, Green Bay:24
Needless to say, I wasn’t happy about this. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to see John Elway FINALLY get his, but not at the expense of the Packers. This was a team I was startin’ to really like. Joe Montana had retired a few years prior, so Favre and Green Bay were gonna be my new “team” so to speak. Well, after that game, I jumped off that bandwagon, and as of today, I’m officially jumpin’ off the Favre one. Brett Favre needs to go, for good.
You can’t deny Favre’s legacy based on numbers alone. But, in the grand scheme of it all, almost every record he has is based on longevity. Anyone playin’ 20 years is bound to accidentally break a few records. Since Super Bowl 32, what has Favre REALLY done? From a team aspect, how about nothing. Oh, other than cost the Packers the NFC title game 3 years ago, cost the Jets a playoff shot 2 years ago, and cost the Vikings the NFC title game last season. No matter how “great” Favre is in the REGULAR season, no matter how many games he manages to pull out of his rear in the REGULAR season, the very end result is always the same…in the end, he blows it when the team needs him most. Favre is nothing more than a million dollar arm with a ten cent head, and that’s why for the life of me, I can’t understand why time and time again, these NFL teams let him hold them basically in limbo, while he “ponders” his future. What EXACTLY does he bring you in the end? Even if he comes back, is he gonna deliver you a title? He hasn’t delivered one in 13 years, so now at the age of 40+ he will? Please.
The list of Super Bowl winning quarterbacks over the last 12 seasons has some pretty big names on it. John Elway, Kurt Warner, and Tom Brady to name a few. That same list also has the names of Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson on it. Were either of those two players any better or worse than say, Tarvaris Jackson is now? Probably not. So it’s probably safe to say, that Minnesota has as good of a chance winning the Super Bowl with HIM, as they do with Favre. Yet still, FOR SOME REASON, Minnesota continues to just sit back and let good old Brett take his time and string them along. All this over a guy that’s won as many championships in the last 12 years as I have. None.
At this point, it’s clear to me that the only thing Brett Favre cares about, is Brett Favre. He doesn’t care about the Vikings. He didn’t care about the Jets. His last few years in Green Bay, he didn’t even care about the Packers. It’s all about HIM. So will he play again this year? In the end, of course he will. So he can go over 70,000+ career yards passing, and throw his 500+ career touchdown pass, and start in his 300th+ straight game. All real nice round numbers.
Here’s another real nice round number for all you Minnesota fans: Zero. That, would be the number of Super Bowls your team is gonna win as long as they continue to bring Brett Favre back as quarterback.
Ted Jackson / The Times-Picayune
Wonder if Fran Tarkenton needs a job…
Dear Cleveland, You Have No One To Blame But Yourselves. . .
Courtesy SneakerNews
We’ve all had that moment. You are dating a girl (or guy) and you break up. Then all of a sudden, you’re the biggest piece of crap to ever walk the planet and you’ve ruined her life. Sometimes you get a REALLY crazy one who’ll write a letter telling you, your friends, and your classmates what a piece of crap you are and how their life will be so much better without you now. Uncanny how much of this sounds like the uproar over “The Decision”.
Here’s a little history: The Cavs final regular season records the 5 years before they drafted LeBron – ’98-’99 (22-28), ’99-’00 (32-50), ’00-’01 (30-52), ’01-’02 (29-53), ’02-’03 (17-65).
Bottom line: This guy, almost by himself, brought your team out of the outhouse and ALMOST into the penthouse. The last part is where the blood is on the hands of the Cavs front office.
Here’s the draft outcomes since they drafted LBJ:
2005 - No picks.
2006 - Shannon Brown – Averaging 20.7 min and 8.1 PPG. . . for the Lakers.
Daniel Gibson – Averaging 22 min and 1.4 PPG with the Cavs.
Ejike Ugoboaja – Out of basketball completely.
2007 - No picks.
2008 - J.J. Hickson – Averaging 16min and 3.5 PPG with the Cavs.
2009 - Christian Eyenga – Currently playing in the Spanish League.
Daniel Green – Averaging 5min and 2 PPG witht the Cavs.
2010 - No picks.
If you’re going to fight a war, do you take 1 elite soldier and 14 boy scouts? If you own a Ferrari, do you fill it with regular? No and no. If you have one of the most talented players in league history you don’t win championships by having garbage drafts and getting him washed up free agents. And when players of LeBron’s caliber see they aren’t appreciated and aren’t getting what they need, much like the guy who breaks up with the crazy girl, they’re looking elsewhere. LeBron recently took out a full page ad in the Akron Beacon Journal thanking the city of Akron but not Cleveland. Why should he exactly? They burned his jerseys, called him names, treated him like a used kleenex.
Wednesday’s Quick Hits
Michael Heiman / Getty Images
It’s not a massive day in sports news, but there are some notable headlines to share.
- Alex Rodriguez FINALLY hit his 600th homer. Welcome to the club, ARoid. Err..ARod! He’s the youngest player to ever reach the milestone, but it took watching every pitch for 46 at bats for it to happen.
- Brett Favre may not actually be leaving. Seems like we’ve all heard this act before. Just another excuse for ol’ Brett to skip training camp and get a raise?
- The Shaqtus is heading to Boston to suit up for the Celtics.
- The Detroit Lions signed their first round pick, Ndamukong Suh for 5 years, $60 million. This guy’s a beast, but we all said that about Glenn Dorsey too…
- Since it’s not a contract year, Albert Haynesworth (or Haynesworthless as he should be known) has gotten so lazy that he can’t pass the Redskins’ conditioning test. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d give just about ANYTHING to play professional sports – meaning I’d actually try to get better.
Mo Jones-Drew Feels Disrespected
- Courtesy Boston Herald
MJD is unhappy that every highlight he sees on ESPN is also showing the Jags get owned.
“It’s funny, the only time you see us on highlights is when it’s somebody else’s highlights. They go back to find that team against the Jaguars. It’s crazy and it’s real disrespectful. I’ve brought it up a bunch of times. It just adds fuel to the fire. NFL Network, ESPN, they all do it. Every time.”
Let’s break this down:
- The Jags finished 7-9 and ranked 27th in the league against the run and 19th in pass defense – your D isn’t exactly making plays there, MJD.
- They faced Chris Johnson let him run for a combined 311 rushing yards the two times you faced him.
- They allowed Peyton Manning to toss 609 passing yards in 2 games.
- Jacksonville was throttled 41-0 by Seattle – who finished an amazing 5-11 in arguably the worst division in the NFL.
- Jerome Harrison racked up 127 rushing yards as the Browns (yes, the Browns) handed you your 9th loss of the year. You gave Mr. Harrison 15% of his 2009 rushing total.
- And lastly, Sammy Morris notched 95 yards on the ground (30% of his rushing total for 2009) when the Patriots smashed you 35-7.
There’s a reason (or 6) that nobody shows up for the Jaguars games and your teammates are always being run over, MJD – your team stinks.
I think maybe MJD should thank ESPN and NFL Network for actually showing the Jags defense. Better yet, maybe MJD could play defense…
BREAKING: Brett Favre Retiring
USA Today
The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting this morning that Brett Favre will inform the Vikings of his retirement. Citing his injured ankle as the main reason, Favre has reportedly been text messaging teammates and filling them in.
Wait.
Feels like I’ve heard this before.
I’m not sure I’ll believe it until I actually see Tavaris Jackson taking snaps.
In Winning MLB Debut White Sox’s Harrell Creates A Lasting Memory
In one of the greatest baseball movies of all time -Field of Dreams-Kevin Costner’s character Ray Kinsella tracks down the ghost of a former baseball player that only played in one career Major League game and asks “Are you Moonlight Graham?” The elderly ghost of Dr. Graham responds “No one’s called me Moonlight Graham in 50 years.” They go on to discuss the vivid memories Dr. Graham had in his one and only Major League game.
Here is movie script to refresh you—
“When you got to the majors, you played only one inning of one game, what happened with you?”-Kinsella
“It was the last day of the season, bottom of the eight inning. We were way ahead, I’d been up with the club for 3 weeks, but I hadn’t seen any action. Suddenly old John McGraw points a bony finger in my direction…and he says “right field.” I jumped up like I was on a spring, grabbed my glove and ran out on the field.”-Moonlight Graham
“Did you get to make a play?”-Kinsella
“They never hit the ball out of the infield. The game ended. The season was over. I knew they’d send me back down. I couldn’t bear the thought of another year in the minors…So I decided to hang ‘em up.”-Moonlight Graham
So we’ve all seen the movie so what?? Well last night I had my own Field of Dreams moment. I never was any good at baseball. I love the sport but just never had any talent. But last night my good friend Lucas Harrell made his MLB debut as the starting pitcher for the hottest team in baseball the Chicago White Sox. He was called up from Triple A Charlotte as an emergency starter to replace Daniel Hudson who was traded earlier in the day. Harrell has had his share of ups and downs in his 7 years in the minors. He made the most of his opportunity last night going 6 strong innings and allowing 1 run to get the win. Harrell became the first White Sox starting pitcher in 11 years to notch a win in his MLB debut. Quote machine and manager Ozzie Guillen summed it up best “I feel proud of this kid because he’s come a long way,” “He came from prospect to who-is-this-guy, back to prospect. He went through everything in our organization to pitch in the big leagues.”
Rewind with me just a bit. Friday morning I got a text from Lucas saying he was getting the start for the Sox that night. My whole day I was nervous for him just waiting for the 7 pm first pitch. Later that evening as I settled into a long drive from a road trip I had been on I tuned in to the White Sox radio broadcast. I had no choice but to listen to it on the radio so I decided to run with it and enjoy it to the fullest. As the pregame started I realized I had a unique opportunity to listen to the radio and just drive. Just me, the game, and the road. A chance to take in the sounds of the crowd in the background, the crack of the bat, and to listen to the game unfold through my ears and not my eyes. As the game started I clinched the steering wheel as Lucas got himself out of two big early jams. I yelled and screamed with each out knowing the sounds wouldn’t escape my car. The feeling of hearing your friend finally get his shot—pitch by pitch- is something special. As the game went on and Lucas settled in- it started looking like he might get the win. I begged the White Sox relievers on to close the game out and get him the win. When the last out was recorded I realized I was smiling like a little kid at his first game. A sweet, peaceful feeling came over me.
After the game Lucas was optioned back to Triple A Charlotte to clear room for incoming pitcher Edwin Jackson. This won’t be his one and only shot though. He won’t go down like Moonlight Graham. Big things are in store for him and I can’t wait until he gets called up into the regular rotation. I’m not writing this to show you I’m friends with a Major League pitcher or to brag about how good he is. I’m writing this to say thank you Luke-thank you for giving me one night of pure enjoyment listening to you pitch-thank you for making me feel like a kid again. Now I’ve got a movie to watch…
Does Jeremiah Masoli Deserve Another Chance?
Granted, he lead the Ducks to their first Pac-10 title ever and got a Rose Bowl bid. There’s no question he’s a good quarterback.
It’s his off the field issues that are in question.
Masoli was arrested for burglary which lead to his suspension at Oregon. Within six months he was back in cuffs – cited for driving with a suspended license and posession of marijuana which ultimately got him kicked off the team.
But it’s with open arms that Ole Miss and coach Houston Nutt will welcome Masoli to Oxford this weekend for a ‘tour’.
Ole Miss is hurting for a quarterback, so it may not be a bad move. But you have to ask, will it worth the trouble for Coach Nutt to bring in a guy who has logged more headlines for jail time than playing time in the last year?
Only time will tell.
LeBron Fan Booted From Indians Game
A brave LeBron James fan showed up for Wednesday night’s Indians’ game in Cleveland wearing LeBron’s new Miami Heat jersey. Notice that nearly everyone is telling the guy he’s #1.
Brave dude, but not smart. Turns out he and his female friend were booted from the game for being disorderly.
Why T.O. and Ocho won’t work.
The same reason that Lebron, Wade, and Chris Bosh won’t work in Miami.
Ego.
These two players have single handily become the N.F.L.s most televised Wide Receivers, and sadly it’s not because of their play on the field.
And I know everyone is saying that T.O. coming to the Bengals is going to help them out, and he’s going to change the team and they’re going to win a Superbowl…blah, blah, blah. Does anyone remember how well T.O. did in Buffalo??
I know they’re both playmakers and will probably score a good amount of touchdowns between them, but ultimately just like Lebron and Wade, when it comes down to the big play in the 4th quarter, one of them will have to make the “Ultimate Catch” and you can’t tell me there won’t be some egos getting in the way as to who will make it. It’s just going to be really tough to keep these two as good teammates who will work with each other instead of against one another.
Maybe I’m wrong and maybe when the season starts, these two will become like Batman and Robin and become the “Ultimate Duo.” But I doubt it.
