It is that time of year again...the smell of the grass....the grills in the parking lot and the stressing of a meaningless MNF game because of your fantasy team. It is football season. (For most of America, for me it doesn't start until the day after the World Series) But whatever. The blog is up and walking...I am not doing the best of updating my loyal 6 followers. Thanks we will do a party or convention one day.
I have a few things planned for this season. i will be introducing my payroll analysis, something I will be doing for all MAJOR sports. The equation doesn't work for MLS or WNBA. Why? Because nobody cares how much they get paid and then wonders why the league struggles. I am going to predict the records for all of the teams. And some other banter.
For now though teams have only one more preseason game, I have done 4 of 5 fantasy drafts and I am also tied for first in 4 of 5 leagues as of right now. That's pretty good!!! Fantasy Football has exploded. I think it just surpassed the UFC as the fastest growing sport in America. This year Yahoo has felt the pressure from most websites and has dropped the fee for live stats updates. Great move. Adrian Peterson should be everyones consensus #1. He s going to tear it up.
I am excited for football season because it is the first year since the early 90's I am excited to go to Raymond James Stadium to the the superstar....on the other team. rowing up as a Bucs fan I always cheered for the home team but t was fun watching the NFC Central come to town every year. Who can't cheer for Barry Sanders as he breaks off a long TD run with one shoe and 11 creamscicles chasing or giving up behind him? But as always GO BUCS!!!! You will see how I have them finishing here soon.
Thanks for reading and prove me wrong.....
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Topics of the News
Hey I have been away for a bit, but here are some thoughts.
Mike Vick
I don't care....2 yr deal with the Eagles..This brings up the question.....Who is more popular in Philly..... Ron Mexico or Santa Claus? This tarnishes the Liberty Bell, Rocky, the William Penn Curse and the World Series win. I mean Andy Reid cant even control his kid....ouch.
Rick Pitino
I don't care....another high paid sports figure that got caught cheating on his wife. That's not news to me.
Golf + Olympics
What took this so long and why does Tiger have to back it up to make it work. Why didn't Arnie, Jack and Ben bring this up decades ago. If so we could have seen some great golf. Imagine the 1996 Olympics down the road at Augusta....with a Gold Medal on the line. If we get this going now, it will be 2016..Tiger will be 40, he will have all of the records and maybe this is motivation for him. Golf and the Olympics is a perfect match. The ratings are high and as long as Tiger is around they will continue to climb. The game is already International, the game has multiple formats and there are already country rivalries.
Yankees
Lose Damn it
Madden 10
I don't know about you but I haven't been competitive in this game in years. Pretty soon the kids playing this won't even know who Madden is....POW!!!!!
UFC
Someone needs to tell Dana White the story of Tony George. Dana thinks he is bigger than the sport. People watch UFC for the sport not for him. Tony George thought he and Indy was bigger than the sport and started his own Racing League. Big mistake that cost the fans many great races that put the best racers on the track together. Dana needs to worry about putting the best fighters in the ring and the rest will take care of itself.
And last but not least....STEROIDS......
The Baseball Hall of Fame needs to open the door to players or lock it up and throw away the key. Also, sports is here to entertain us. Sports has a drug problem, Congress has gotten involved, the public condemn the athlete's. How many drug related deaths has sports had? When are the record labels and movie studios gonna drug test their people? When is Congress going to get involved? How many more Belushi's, Farley's, Joplin's, Morrison's, are we going to lose before they step in???
Mike Vick
I don't care....2 yr deal with the Eagles..This brings up the question.....Who is more popular in Philly..... Ron Mexico or Santa Claus? This tarnishes the Liberty Bell, Rocky, the William Penn Curse and the World Series win. I mean Andy Reid cant even control his kid....ouch.
Rick Pitino
I don't care....another high paid sports figure that got caught cheating on his wife. That's not news to me.
Golf + Olympics
What took this so long and why does Tiger have to back it up to make it work. Why didn't Arnie, Jack and Ben bring this up decades ago. If so we could have seen some great golf. Imagine the 1996 Olympics down the road at Augusta....with a Gold Medal on the line. If we get this going now, it will be 2016..Tiger will be 40, he will have all of the records and maybe this is motivation for him. Golf and the Olympics is a perfect match. The ratings are high and as long as Tiger is around they will continue to climb. The game is already International, the game has multiple formats and there are already country rivalries.
Yankees
Lose Damn it
Madden 10
I don't know about you but I haven't been competitive in this game in years. Pretty soon the kids playing this won't even know who Madden is....POW!!!!!
UFC
Someone needs to tell Dana White the story of Tony George. Dana thinks he is bigger than the sport. People watch UFC for the sport not for him. Tony George thought he and Indy was bigger than the sport and started his own Racing League. Big mistake that cost the fans many great races that put the best racers on the track together. Dana needs to worry about putting the best fighters in the ring and the rest will take care of itself.
And last but not least....STEROIDS......
The Baseball Hall of Fame needs to open the door to players or lock it up and throw away the key. Also, sports is here to entertain us. Sports has a drug problem, Congress has gotten involved, the public condemn the athlete's. How many drug related deaths has sports had? When are the record labels and movie studios gonna drug test their people? When is Congress going to get involved? How many more Belushi's, Farley's, Joplin's, Morrison's, are we going to lose before they step in???
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Tour de France....Does America Care?
The Tour de France, one of the most grueling events in sports. Three weeks of biking through wine country, Alps, three countries and crowds. The Tour de France has seen the highs and lows in recent years. But does America care about the Tour de France? Why shouldn't we? The Tour features crazy fans that line the streets, some wearing costumes that belong on Bourbon Street in February. All for watching a blur of men go by with skin tight clothes on. Americans love the to dress up and goes to sports events, the NFL does it and is very successful.
There is the Black Cloud of the Tour de France, doping. Can you trust the fact that these athletes are clean? Some of the top cyclist have been suspended in recent years for doping. The French officials went after Lance after his record setting wins. They came after him hard and accused him of everything. Do they just hate Americans that much? Every time a great story comes out about the Tour, three stories come out about doping.
If the costumes are not crazy enough then the story lines are even crazier. Motorcades causing riders to crash. A woman died and others seriously injured this year when a police motorcycle crashed into the crowd. Two riders were hit with a pellet gun. You can't make this stuff up. Yet Americans still don't care about the Tour de France.
Maybe the Americans are just too fickle. It is the same as if Tiger is not in the running on Sunday, TV ratings go down. America tunes off. The British Open got a nice shot in the arm with the great run Tom Watson had. Even with this Tour billed as the "Lance Comeback" America still didn't tune into it. Lance is a hero, an American icon, a role model. But it seem American wants to see him on the red carpet and in People instead of doing his actual job. Lance did the unthinkable on a bike for seven years and America embraced him. This year Lance had the comeback in mind he was going to do it, why wouldn't he? America tuned out while Lance was on the sidelines for years, no one knows who won in those "dark years" or which American was in contention. So is it the Tour we wanted or just Lance?
Lance Armstrong, Live Strong. He has done more for Cancer research and awareness than anyone in the last ten years. He is defiantly a role model, and icon and a great person. But is this the same Lance today that we love. He came back this year to great fan fare. He was in contention the whole race. He was in second place going into the Alps, this is where he makes his move. But this time he gave up. He beat cancer, he won the Tour de France seven consecutive times but this year in his comeback he gave up. Lance conceded the Tour with a quarter of the race left. This is not the real Lance. Where is he? This just in.....The baseball season is in the final two months and the Boston Red Sox have conceded the A.L. East to the New York Yankees. This would never happen So why did our icon do it? Our hero? He just gave up and wasn't going for the win. This is not the American way....but I guess it is the French way.
I have all respect for Lance but if this guy can't make cycling a popular sport then soccer is screwed here in America.
There is the Black Cloud of the Tour de France, doping. Can you trust the fact that these athletes are clean? Some of the top cyclist have been suspended in recent years for doping. The French officials went after Lance after his record setting wins. They came after him hard and accused him of everything. Do they just hate Americans that much? Every time a great story comes out about the Tour, three stories come out about doping.
If the costumes are not crazy enough then the story lines are even crazier. Motorcades causing riders to crash. A woman died and others seriously injured this year when a police motorcycle crashed into the crowd. Two riders were hit with a pellet gun. You can't make this stuff up. Yet Americans still don't care about the Tour de France.
Maybe the Americans are just too fickle. It is the same as if Tiger is not in the running on Sunday, TV ratings go down. America tunes off. The British Open got a nice shot in the arm with the great run Tom Watson had. Even with this Tour billed as the "Lance Comeback" America still didn't tune into it. Lance is a hero, an American icon, a role model. But it seem American wants to see him on the red carpet and in People instead of doing his actual job. Lance did the unthinkable on a bike for seven years and America embraced him. This year Lance had the comeback in mind he was going to do it, why wouldn't he? America tuned out while Lance was on the sidelines for years, no one knows who won in those "dark years" or which American was in contention. So is it the Tour we wanted or just Lance?
Lance Armstrong, Live Strong. He has done more for Cancer research and awareness than anyone in the last ten years. He is defiantly a role model, and icon and a great person. But is this the same Lance today that we love. He came back this year to great fan fare. He was in contention the whole race. He was in second place going into the Alps, this is where he makes his move. But this time he gave up. He beat cancer, he won the Tour de France seven consecutive times but this year in his comeback he gave up. Lance conceded the Tour with a quarter of the race left. This is not the real Lance. Where is he? This just in.....The baseball season is in the final two months and the Boston Red Sox have conceded the A.L. East to the New York Yankees. This would never happen So why did our icon do it? Our hero? He just gave up and wasn't going for the win. This is not the American way....but I guess it is the French way.
I have all respect for Lance but if this guy can't make cycling a popular sport then soccer is screwed here in America.
Friday, July 24, 2009
This is Mark Buehrle
Mark Buehrle is a die hard St. Louis Cardinal fan. These fans respect the game and respect the tradition. He went to Jefferson Junior College, made 3rd team in NJCAA. He was drafted in the 38th round. He was cut from his H.S. baseball team as a sophomore. But no one that was drafted pitched a no hitter in the Major League. No one on his sophomore High School team and no one on the 1st or 2nd team all NJCAA. Yet not only did he pitch a no hitter in 2007, he has also pitched a Perfect Game. Something only 17 other pitchers have done in the Major League. We saw Jonathan Sanchez lose a Perfect Game in the 8th inning when his third baseman committed an error. Buehrle missed a perfect game in 2007 with a walk to Sammy Sosa. Does this need an asterisk??? Would Buehrle have painted the strike zone if Sosa didn't do steroids and had become a feared hitter?? Two pitches after the walk to Sosa Buehrle picked him off at first. He pitched a no hitter and faced the minimum number of hitters
As we watched the highlights and hear all the stats, history and comparison this is truly history. Since 1880 there have only been 18 Perfect Games. One of the most rare events in sports.
Don't worry Rays fans....out of the 18 perfect games 16 have been held during the playoff era. Out of the 16 teams 2 teams on the bad end of the perfect game made the playoffs. 2004 Atlanta Braves vs. Randy Johnson. And the 1988 LA Dodgers vs. Tom Browning.....the Dodgers moved on to beat the Oakland A's in the World Series.
As we watched the highlights and hear all the stats, history and comparison this is truly history. Since 1880 there have only been 18 Perfect Games. One of the most rare events in sports.
Don't worry Rays fans....out of the 18 perfect games 16 have been held during the playoff era. Out of the 16 teams 2 teams on the bad end of the perfect game made the playoffs. 2004 Atlanta Braves vs. Randy Johnson. And the 1988 LA Dodgers vs. Tom Browning.....the Dodgers moved on to beat the Oakland A's in the World Series.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Marcin Gortat wins the Lottery
Mark Cuban has beaten the Orlando Magic. Marcin Gortat signed with the Magic in this crazy NBA off season. The NBA allows other teams to play poker with restricted free agents. The current team has to call the "bluff" or "call" and get stuck with the player for an inflated price. I think ESPN should show this on Tuesday nights in the off season instead of the World Series of Poker. (Another lame tape delayed program by ESPN.)
The Contract
Gortat signed a 5yr. $34 million contract, for a backup center!!!!! Gortat played good in the playoffs, but this does not warrant a lottery ticket like this. As a Magic fan I hope I am wrong on this but I have to go with the facts. First his contract. He will make$5.8 million this year and it progresses up to 2014 when he will make $7.7 million that year. Oh and he is the only player currently signed for the 2013/2014 season. Is he the cornerstone of this franchise? Now we have options with his contract, if he improves than great but it will not be a bargain anymore. We can trade him, but he has to establish himself as a starter first to make it worth any ones while.
The Stats
Gortat is inexperienced, doesn't play much and usually in mop up work. He played in 63 games, started 3. Averaged 12.6 minutes per game, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 points per. WOW great stats. He will make $5.8 million this year. I bet I could pay Andrew DeClerq half that and he could produce those stats. Kendrick Perkins with the Celtics, who will now be the back up center, will make $4.3 million this year and Played in 76 games, started 76 games. Averaged 29.6 minutes per game, 8.1 rebounds and 8.5 points per. Looks good, and a good value.
So as we prepare for the 2010 season I hope I am wrong and I hope D. Howard stays fresh all year, we should be confident in our backup to rest Howard alot this year. The Magic were very aggressive this off season which is risky but fun to watch, but I think this is very risky. We shall see....GO MAGIC!!!!
The Contract
Gortat signed a 5yr. $34 million contract, for a backup center!!!!! Gortat played good in the playoffs, but this does not warrant a lottery ticket like this. As a Magic fan I hope I am wrong on this but I have to go with the facts. First his contract. He will make$5.8 million this year and it progresses up to 2014 when he will make $7.7 million that year. Oh and he is the only player currently signed for the 2013/2014 season. Is he the cornerstone of this franchise? Now we have options with his contract, if he improves than great but it will not be a bargain anymore. We can trade him, but he has to establish himself as a starter first to make it worth any ones while.
The Stats
Gortat is inexperienced, doesn't play much and usually in mop up work. He played in 63 games, started 3. Averaged 12.6 minutes per game, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 points per. WOW great stats. He will make $5.8 million this year. I bet I could pay Andrew DeClerq half that and he could produce those stats. Kendrick Perkins with the Celtics, who will now be the back up center, will make $4.3 million this year and Played in 76 games, started 76 games. Averaged 29.6 minutes per game, 8.1 rebounds and 8.5 points per. Looks good, and a good value.
So as we prepare for the 2010 season I hope I am wrong and I hope D. Howard stays fresh all year, we should be confident in our backup to rest Howard alot this year. The Magic were very aggressive this off season which is risky but fun to watch, but I think this is very risky. We shall see....GO MAGIC!!!!
The ESPYs
We sports fans watch sports for the drama, the unpredictable ending, the climax and the upset. As I look at other peoples hobbies such as Magic: the game, Star Wars, Harry Potter and the new Twilight craze, I often think "Am I that loser, but with sports?" Then I realize none have the unwritten ending like a Super Bowl or a Game 7. Darth Vader dies, adults hangout at comic shops and vampires fall in love. I guess thats cool.
I tie this into the taping of the ESPYs Wednesday night and the airing on Sunday. There was nothing going on in the sports world on Wednesday except for WNBA games and NBA Summer League. Why wasn't the ESPYs aired live on Wednesday. Even ESPN now airs SportsCenter Live. Not only did they miss the boat on a live broadcast but they gave us the winners on their network before even airing the damn thing. This ruins the sports fans only award show. I have perfected the DVR-ing of a live event and watching it later in the day but to wait half a week to watch the ESPYs?? ESPN does many things right and we love them for that, don't gather the worlds best atheletes in LA for a show and then treat it like the Worlds Strongest Man competition.
It is also unfortunate that they cold not get Justin Timberlake back, he moved from boy band into cool sports comic. I wish they would just re-air last years if I have to be watching a taped event.
It is also unfortunate that they cold not get Justin Timberlake back, he moved from boy band into cool sports comic. I wish they would just re-air last years if I have to be watching a taped event.
So now if I choose to watch the ESPYs on Sunday night I know that Stevie Wonder opens the envelope and "reads" the winner is..........I won't spoil it for those that have nothing to watch this Sunday.
2009 All Star Game MVP????
As a Tampa Bay Rays fan I am happy to see Carl Crawford win the MVP, but as a baseball fan I can provide arguments for some other player(s) to win. Carl Crawford did "grab" Brad Hawpe's ball out of mid air but Rays fans are used to seeing that flash of Defense in the Trop. I mean B.J. Upton plays a shallow center or deep infield every night and chases down a white ball on a white background every home game.
Carl Crawford went 1-3 with a single and he didn't even do what got him there...steal a base. Now he didn't have the most hits in the game but no one had a two hit game. And it was a great defensive play but if the AL would have turned a double play to save a run would that trio have won the MVP??
Speaking of multiple winners, it has happened once in 1975, I wasn't there or alive but it was Madlock and Matlack....were the voter confused??? I think you have to look at the pitchers of the AL. After "ace" Roy Halladay left the game the bullpen gave up one hit in seven innings. Paplebon got the win, Nathan got the Hold and Rivera got the Save. I say give it to the trio of closers.
I think Curtis Granderson had more of an impact than C.C. Granderson hustled for a clutch triple. And scored on a sac fly....a lost art in baseball. If a walk is as good as a hit then a sac fly is as good as a run scoring double and a LOB.
It has been a great year for Rays fans. Last year we had two All Stars for the first time, both had an impact in the AL's win. Went to the World Series. Got five players to the All Star game, our whole infield. And we won the MVP of the All Star game. I am very happy for the Rays but I have to throw the argument out there.
Carl Crawford went 1-3 with a single and he didn't even do what got him there...steal a base. Now he didn't have the most hits in the game but no one had a two hit game. And it was a great defensive play but if the AL would have turned a double play to save a run would that trio have won the MVP??
Speaking of multiple winners, it has happened once in 1975, I wasn't there or alive but it was Madlock and Matlack....were the voter confused??? I think you have to look at the pitchers of the AL. After "ace" Roy Halladay left the game the bullpen gave up one hit in seven innings. Paplebon got the win, Nathan got the Hold and Rivera got the Save. I say give it to the trio of closers.
I think Curtis Granderson had more of an impact than C.C. Granderson hustled for a clutch triple. And scored on a sac fly....a lost art in baseball. If a walk is as good as a hit then a sac fly is as good as a run scoring double and a LOB.
It has been a great year for Rays fans. Last year we had two All Stars for the first time, both had an impact in the AL's win. Went to the World Series. Got five players to the All Star game, our whole infield. And we won the MVP of the All Star game. I am very happy for the Rays but I have to throw the argument out there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)