Justin Verlander put in over a decade toiling for the Detroit Tigers. The Virginia native accomplished great things during that time. Forever the backbone of their starting pitching staff, JV could always be counted on to go out and give his all.
True, like any other pitcher, even the greatest over the years, he didn't always win. Sometimes he even got bombed by opposing hitters. But that happens in Major League Baseball. Goes with the territory.
Over his career, Verlander's won roughly twice as many games as he's lost. That's not only a very respectable percentage, but quite outstanding.
Throw in a couple no-hitters which, granted, usually involve a bit of luck, a Cy Young Award here and there, and even an MVP. Add his obvious longevity and presto, he's likely already a semi-lock for the Baseball Hall of Fame a few years down the road.
But there's one thing -- and it might be the most important to Verlander himself -- that he's never accomplished. Winning a World Series.
Yep, he's been there, but his Tiger team never came out on top. The "ring" continues to elude him.
Earlier this season, JV had a quick choice to make. The Tigers were willing to deal him to the super-competitive Houston Astros for a few "prospects" after they finally decided to go into full-blown rebuild mode. But Verlander had a no-trade clause in his contract. He had to approve it, or else no deal would happen. At that, he had only minutes to think about it before the trade deadline bell went ding.
As we all know, he did, and has been a member of the Stros for a few months. Also, he's yet to lose a game since joining his new team. Did I mention impressive?
In a previous post, yours truly wondered about the potential pitching match-ups between the LA Dodgers and Houston as the current World Series dragged on into the late stages. The way the rotations were set up, it was unlikely Verlander and LA ace Clayton Kershaw would face each other. And they haven't.
Like Verlander, Kershaw, a Cy Young veteran himself, can be almost unbeatable when he's on his game.
But a funny thing happened in Game 5 of this World Series. With the series tied 2-2, the Dodgers sent Kershaw out on semi-short rest in the hopes they could take a 3-2, then go back home only needing one more win out of two games to become champions.
But it didn't turn out that way. In a wild, rock-em, sock-em game, from which Kershaw was already long gone, the Astros prevailed 13-12. Now it is Houston that takes a 3-2 lead heading back to LA.
And Justin Verlander will likely be front and center for Game 6. No doubt he's raring to go.
This could be the crowning point of his career. Win this game, get himself the ring he has so long coveted, and bring Houston it's first title in forever. On the back end of the disaster wreaked by Hurricane Harvey.
Storybook stuff -- if it happens that way.
Yet let's not forget the Dodgers aren't exactly pushovers. They won over 100 games in the regular season as well, have steam-rolled their way through the playoffs so far, and could easily come roaring back to win two in a row, JV or no JV. He's been great, but nobody's unbeatable.
Ah well, whatever happens -- happens.
Even if the Virginian experiences the heartbreak of coming ever so close again, only to fall short, he has one thing that most other men would be envious of.
Win or lose, Kate's waiting at home.
And regardless of how you slice it or dice it -- that's a pretty sweet gig all by itself.
Monday, October 30, 2017
Sunday, October 29, 2017
The Matthew Stafford debacle
Tell me Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford somehow deserves to be the highest paid player in the entire NFL -- he is -- and I'll tell you you need to get into rehab. Obviously some sort of substance abuse has addled your mental faculties. Detroit's version of the Honolulu blue and silver kool-aid has been powerful addictive stuff for decades but, c'mon, this is ridiculous.
Let's look a little closer at how well the Motown Georgia Peach has fared over the years.
Now in his ninth season, Stafford's career stats aren't exactly stellar.
Yes, he's thrown for a ton of yards, but not so fast.
His career touchdown to interception ratio is a very modest 119 to 112. Not even two to one. Journeyman stuff.
He's been sacked 265 times for over 1700 yards. One can blame it on porous offensive lines, but maybe Matthew was hanging on to the ball a bit too long on passing downs. And it's not like he's mobile. The man has the foot speed and moves of your average -- well -- offensive tackle, without being able to absorb the pounding.
Early in his NFL career he rightfully earned the nickname "China Doll" because any serious contact seemed to shatter him. Fortunately, he seems to have progressed beyond that -- at least for now.
And then there's the wins and losses. Hey, if a QB is going to get most of the credit when his team prevails, it's only fair he shoulders most of the blame when they come up short.
That career stat is rather ugly as well. Matthew Stafford has a career mark of 54-61 during the regular seasons. Not even close to the ultimate mediocre .500.
Overall, he's 54-64, the other three losses having occurred during the rare playoff games the Lions have made it into over his tenure. In other words, over eight years, Stafford as led the Lions to a grand total of three playoff games -- all of which resulted in losses. Put bluntly, Stafford has been around for eight full seasons and has yet to win a single playoff game, let alone getting anywhere near sniffing a Super Bowl.
Many say Stafford has been the best quarterback the Lions have had since Bobby Layne. Perhaps. But Layne played mostly in the 1950's. You know, when the "I like Ike" presidential slogan was popular, nobody had a color TV, and the Andy Griffith Show with Aunt Bee, Barney Fife, Opie, and Gomer was yet to air. How long ago was THAT? And BTW, this was about the same time the Edsel made it's ill-fated debut. Also, BTW, another Ford product. The exploding gas tanks and tires would come later.
In the over sixty years plus ever since, it could be argued the Lions haven't had even a half way decent quarterback. So Stafford being the best of that bunch is hardly the stuff of greatness.
Oops. What's that? The Pittsburgh Steelers just handed the Lions their third loss in a row -- all at home?
And the Georgia Peach threw for over 400 yards but couldn't manage a single touchdown for the entire game, let alone win it? Somehow that sounds vaguely familiar.
So OK. Somebody tell me one more time how this guy came to be the highest paid player in the league.
The only thing that really matters is wins and losses, playoff runs, and getting to and winning a Super Bowl.
Lions fans will no doubt keep touting him as the greatest thing since wireless remotes, DVRs, and microwave popcorn. This is the kool-aid they continue to OD on. The poor devils just don't know any better.
But in all the football respects that define a player, Matthew Stafford has, and continues to be, a total bust.
Only in Detroit would they shower this guy with megabucks.
Kind of like the Detroit Pistons gave Andre (brick city) Drummond a max contract as well. This clown deserves to be paid like Lebron, Steph, and Kevin? Puh-leeze.
But that's a story for another day.
Let's look a little closer at how well the Motown Georgia Peach has fared over the years.
Now in his ninth season, Stafford's career stats aren't exactly stellar.
Yes, he's thrown for a ton of yards, but not so fast.
His career touchdown to interception ratio is a very modest 119 to 112. Not even two to one. Journeyman stuff.
He's been sacked 265 times for over 1700 yards. One can blame it on porous offensive lines, but maybe Matthew was hanging on to the ball a bit too long on passing downs. And it's not like he's mobile. The man has the foot speed and moves of your average -- well -- offensive tackle, without being able to absorb the pounding.
Early in his NFL career he rightfully earned the nickname "China Doll" because any serious contact seemed to shatter him. Fortunately, he seems to have progressed beyond that -- at least for now.
And then there's the wins and losses. Hey, if a QB is going to get most of the credit when his team prevails, it's only fair he shoulders most of the blame when they come up short.
That career stat is rather ugly as well. Matthew Stafford has a career mark of 54-61 during the regular seasons. Not even close to the ultimate mediocre .500.
Overall, he's 54-64, the other three losses having occurred during the rare playoff games the Lions have made it into over his tenure. In other words, over eight years, Stafford as led the Lions to a grand total of three playoff games -- all of which resulted in losses. Put bluntly, Stafford has been around for eight full seasons and has yet to win a single playoff game, let alone getting anywhere near sniffing a Super Bowl.
Many say Stafford has been the best quarterback the Lions have had since Bobby Layne. Perhaps. But Layne played mostly in the 1950's. You know, when the "I like Ike" presidential slogan was popular, nobody had a color TV, and the Andy Griffith Show with Aunt Bee, Barney Fife, Opie, and Gomer was yet to air. How long ago was THAT? And BTW, this was about the same time the Edsel made it's ill-fated debut. Also, BTW, another Ford product. The exploding gas tanks and tires would come later.
In the over sixty years plus ever since, it could be argued the Lions haven't had even a half way decent quarterback. So Stafford being the best of that bunch is hardly the stuff of greatness.
Oops. What's that? The Pittsburgh Steelers just handed the Lions their third loss in a row -- all at home?
And the Georgia Peach threw for over 400 yards but couldn't manage a single touchdown for the entire game, let alone win it? Somehow that sounds vaguely familiar.
So OK. Somebody tell me one more time how this guy came to be the highest paid player in the league.
The only thing that really matters is wins and losses, playoff runs, and getting to and winning a Super Bowl.
Lions fans will no doubt keep touting him as the greatest thing since wireless remotes, DVRs, and microwave popcorn. This is the kool-aid they continue to OD on. The poor devils just don't know any better.
But in all the football respects that define a player, Matthew Stafford has, and continues to be, a total bust.
Only in Detroit would they shower this guy with megabucks.
Kind of like the Detroit Pistons gave Andre (brick city) Drummond a max contract as well. This clown deserves to be paid like Lebron, Steph, and Kevin? Puh-leeze.
But that's a story for another day.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
A glorious World Series
In a rare respite from matters mentioned in my previous post -- while I'm awake -- all is calm for a little while. Praise be for small, or maybe not so small favors. So I'll try to get in a quickie post before duty calls again.
The 2017 World Series between the LA Dodgers and Houston Astros is turning out to be quite the epic showdown. Now tied at 2 games apiece, one thing's for sure. The Series will be going back to LA-LA- Land for at least a Game 6, and few would be surprised if a Game 7 happens as well.
With all due respect for other very worthy teams, the LA and Houston squads seem to have it all. Terrific starting pitching. Lights out bullpens. Speed galore, both on the basepathes and in the field. We've seen one defensive gem after another.
And oh yeah, every once in a while, though both line-ups are loaded with great hitters (that have been pretty much shut down by the above-mentioned pitching), a spate of runs. True, a little more scoring wouldn't hurt, but this has made for a great Fall Classic nonetheless.
So now it's the best 2 out of 3. Perhaps as it should be between these two teams. Sure, either could win two straight and close it out, but don't you just get the feeling it's going to go down to a nail-biting Game 7?
The Dodgers have their ace -- one Clayton Kershaw. The question is -- which game will he start next? Game 5 or Game 6?
Conversely, the Astros have their own ace -- one Justin Verlander. He's yet to lose again since being dealt to Houston from Detroit a few months ago. And in which future game will HE take the mound?
Thing is, as pitching rotations go, they're not scheduled to play in the same game.
Or will they?
We'll see both of them for sure. The only question is when?
It likely depends on which team wins the crucial Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the series.
Or maybe not. Would the Dodgers start Kershaw in Game 5 on semi-short rest, assuming they'd win, and take their chances on getting at least one more back home in Games 6 and 7? Maybe.
Or might the Astros send Verlander out on even shorter rest to win a crucial game? Verlander's a horse and could shoulder the load, but.....Or hold him back until Game 6?
This particular chess match will get very interesting, very soon.
Who's going to win?
Two theories on that.
First, yours truly isn't exactly an LA fan. Been there. Disneyland sucks compared to it's bigger brother outside Orlando, Florida. Between the uppity folks -- see entertainers -- that think their you-know-what doesn't stink, and the idiots, it can be really frustrating for a semi-sane person to deal with. And oh my, the traffic. How can it be that an interstate with 4-6 lanes each way can have bumper to bumper traffic for miles -- EVERY FREAKING DAY? So no, no love lost there.
Never been a big fan of anything Texas either. WAY too much macho crappola always goes on down there. But you have to feel a bit for Houston, after they got pounded so bad by hurricane flooding a while back.
So yeah, consider me rooting for the Stros.
Thing is, that's the kiss of death, a trait I inherited from my late father. Dad could always pick em. Losers, that is.
The other theory revolves around Sports Illustrated and their legendary "cover jinx".
When SI has showcased an athlete or team over the years -- they appear surely doomed.
And guess who was front and center on the latest issue?
One Justin Turner, third baseman for the LA Dodgers, and an accompanying article by the always long-winded -- see gas bag -- Tom Verducci. Dear Tom can't seem to write anything that doesn't drag on for at least three or four sessions on the proverbial throne for an average reader to finally slog through.
In that respect, the pseudo sports gurus at SI have cast their own jinx on the LA-LA-landers.
Dang, my family jinx goes head to head with that of SI. Wonder which one will prevail?
Nonetheless, this has been a terrific World Series so far, and the next 2 or 3 games between these two super teams should be great to watch as well.
By all means -- bring it on,
Uh-oh. Somebody needs me again. That didn't last long, dammit.
Gotta go. Will rant again as soon as possible.
The 2017 World Series between the LA Dodgers and Houston Astros is turning out to be quite the epic showdown. Now tied at 2 games apiece, one thing's for sure. The Series will be going back to LA-LA- Land for at least a Game 6, and few would be surprised if a Game 7 happens as well.
With all due respect for other very worthy teams, the LA and Houston squads seem to have it all. Terrific starting pitching. Lights out bullpens. Speed galore, both on the basepathes and in the field. We've seen one defensive gem after another.
And oh yeah, every once in a while, though both line-ups are loaded with great hitters (that have been pretty much shut down by the above-mentioned pitching), a spate of runs. True, a little more scoring wouldn't hurt, but this has made for a great Fall Classic nonetheless.
So now it's the best 2 out of 3. Perhaps as it should be between these two teams. Sure, either could win two straight and close it out, but don't you just get the feeling it's going to go down to a nail-biting Game 7?
The Dodgers have their ace -- one Clayton Kershaw. The question is -- which game will he start next? Game 5 or Game 6?
Conversely, the Astros have their own ace -- one Justin Verlander. He's yet to lose again since being dealt to Houston from Detroit a few months ago. And in which future game will HE take the mound?
Thing is, as pitching rotations go, they're not scheduled to play in the same game.
Or will they?
We'll see both of them for sure. The only question is when?
It likely depends on which team wins the crucial Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the series.
Or maybe not. Would the Dodgers start Kershaw in Game 5 on semi-short rest, assuming they'd win, and take their chances on getting at least one more back home in Games 6 and 7? Maybe.
Or might the Astros send Verlander out on even shorter rest to win a crucial game? Verlander's a horse and could shoulder the load, but.....Or hold him back until Game 6?
This particular chess match will get very interesting, very soon.
Who's going to win?
Two theories on that.
First, yours truly isn't exactly an LA fan. Been there. Disneyland sucks compared to it's bigger brother outside Orlando, Florida. Between the uppity folks -- see entertainers -- that think their you-know-what doesn't stink, and the idiots, it can be really frustrating for a semi-sane person to deal with. And oh my, the traffic. How can it be that an interstate with 4-6 lanes each way can have bumper to bumper traffic for miles -- EVERY FREAKING DAY? So no, no love lost there.
Never been a big fan of anything Texas either. WAY too much macho crappola always goes on down there. But you have to feel a bit for Houston, after they got pounded so bad by hurricane flooding a while back.
So yeah, consider me rooting for the Stros.
Thing is, that's the kiss of death, a trait I inherited from my late father. Dad could always pick em. Losers, that is.
The other theory revolves around Sports Illustrated and their legendary "cover jinx".
When SI has showcased an athlete or team over the years -- they appear surely doomed.
And guess who was front and center on the latest issue?
One Justin Turner, third baseman for the LA Dodgers, and an accompanying article by the always long-winded -- see gas bag -- Tom Verducci. Dear Tom can't seem to write anything that doesn't drag on for at least three or four sessions on the proverbial throne for an average reader to finally slog through.
In that respect, the pseudo sports gurus at SI have cast their own jinx on the LA-LA-landers.
Dang, my family jinx goes head to head with that of SI. Wonder which one will prevail?
Nonetheless, this has been a terrific World Series so far, and the next 2 or 3 games between these two super teams should be great to watch as well.
By all means -- bring it on,
Uh-oh. Somebody needs me again. That didn't last long, dammit.
Gotta go. Will rant again as soon as possible.
Friday, October 20, 2017
Taking a break. Kind of
Normally I post somewhere between 3 and 5 times a week. But something has come up. A very serious, potentially life-threatening situation in the family. This is not only something that I have to tend to and stands front and center above all else, but I also find it extremely difficult to string words together on any particular topic at this time.
As they say, my head and heart just aren't in it.
Please bear with me and I shall do the best I can until further notice.
Thank you.
As they say, my head and heart just aren't in it.
Please bear with me and I shall do the best I can until further notice.
Thank you.
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
The usual suspects
It's not a done deal yet, but it sure is looking likely. That being which two teams are going to wind up playing in the World Series.
Like most any other playoff that doesn't include the Golden State Warriors, the 2017 Major League post-season was a crap shoot. Anybody could get hot and win. After all, teams had to be pretty good just to qualify.
It would have been nice to see new blood in the Fall Classic. Teams like the Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, and Colorado Rockies come to mind. When's the last time any team from their respective towns, or even states, won a professional championship? It's been a while.
The Boston Redsox broke their jinx a scant few years ago. The Cubbies dispatched a 100+ year monkey from their backs just last year. Even Cleveland had the Cavaliers bring home a recent title. They're good for a while.
No surprise the Washington Nationals choked like dogs, because that's what they always do. Besides, given all the other goings on, who has fond feelings towards anything DC right now?
The Cleveland Indians currently have the longest drought in baseball. They were oh-so-close to winning it all last year. But again, it's tough to begrudge the Cubbies the way things turned out. Alas, the Tribe was swept aside this year by the dreaded Bronx Bombers of the Bronx, sometimes known as the NY Yankees.
And in the National League, the LA Dodgers seem to be playing more like they did at the beginning of the season than during their mid-summer slump.
At the time of this writing, the Yankees lead the Houston Astros 3 games to 2. True, Houston will pitch ace Justin Verlander in Game Six, but no pitcher is ever a lock. It certainly looks like the Yankees are on a roll. It would be surprising to see the Stros come back and win two in a row.
The Dodgers have the Cubs on life support, leading them 3 zip. Oops. Make that 3-1 but, still, with that Kershaw guy still to come around again, does anybody really think the Chitown north-siders can win three in a row against the LA-LA-Landers? Not I.
So what will that leave? The Dodgers and Yankees in the World Series. No doubt the league and TV folks would love such a scenario. It's the two largest markets in the country. Money will pour in by the super-tanker full.
Thing is, while millions of their locals on the west and east coast gear up for such a showdown from the old days, many millions more in between will collectively say "dammit". Anybody but THOSE guys again.
Too bad the folks in between don't get a vote. Like in the last presidential election, these huge markets were swept aside by the common man/woman. Yeah, the result of that isn't turning out so hot, to say the least, lord help us, but it was refreshing to see a changing of the old guard, if for only a little while.
So c'mon Houston and Chicago. You can still pull this off. Spare us the indignity of having to watch the Dodgers and Yankees battling for supremacy once again.
There is hope.
[This is an age-old theme with Detroit Lions' fans and your garden variety lemmings. Generation after generation just doesn't know any better and likely never will. Alas, poor doomed devils, but I digress.]
In the immortal words of one Tom Brady -- LET'S GO!!!! If he and the Patriots could come back from a 25 point deficit to win the Super Bowl just last February, you guys can pull this out of your hats -- or perhaps another of your bodily orifices as well.
Like most any other playoff that doesn't include the Golden State Warriors, the 2017 Major League post-season was a crap shoot. Anybody could get hot and win. After all, teams had to be pretty good just to qualify.
It would have been nice to see new blood in the Fall Classic. Teams like the Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, and Colorado Rockies come to mind. When's the last time any team from their respective towns, or even states, won a professional championship? It's been a while.
The Boston Redsox broke their jinx a scant few years ago. The Cubbies dispatched a 100+ year monkey from their backs just last year. Even Cleveland had the Cavaliers bring home a recent title. They're good for a while.
No surprise the Washington Nationals choked like dogs, because that's what they always do. Besides, given all the other goings on, who has fond feelings towards anything DC right now?
The Cleveland Indians currently have the longest drought in baseball. They were oh-so-close to winning it all last year. But again, it's tough to begrudge the Cubbies the way things turned out. Alas, the Tribe was swept aside this year by the dreaded Bronx Bombers of the Bronx, sometimes known as the NY Yankees.
And in the National League, the LA Dodgers seem to be playing more like they did at the beginning of the season than during their mid-summer slump.
At the time of this writing, the Yankees lead the Houston Astros 3 games to 2. True, Houston will pitch ace Justin Verlander in Game Six, but no pitcher is ever a lock. It certainly looks like the Yankees are on a roll. It would be surprising to see the Stros come back and win two in a row.
The Dodgers have the Cubs on life support, leading them 3 zip. Oops. Make that 3-1 but, still, with that Kershaw guy still to come around again, does anybody really think the Chitown north-siders can win three in a row against the LA-LA-Landers? Not I.
So what will that leave? The Dodgers and Yankees in the World Series. No doubt the league and TV folks would love such a scenario. It's the two largest markets in the country. Money will pour in by the super-tanker full.
Thing is, while millions of their locals on the west and east coast gear up for such a showdown from the old days, many millions more in between will collectively say "dammit". Anybody but THOSE guys again.
Too bad the folks in between don't get a vote. Like in the last presidential election, these huge markets were swept aside by the common man/woman. Yeah, the result of that isn't turning out so hot, to say the least, lord help us, but it was refreshing to see a changing of the old guard, if for only a little while.
So c'mon Houston and Chicago. You can still pull this off. Spare us the indignity of having to watch the Dodgers and Yankees battling for supremacy once again.
There is hope.
[This is an age-old theme with Detroit Lions' fans and your garden variety lemmings. Generation after generation just doesn't know any better and likely never will. Alas, poor doomed devils, but I digress.]
In the immortal words of one Tom Brady -- LET'S GO!!!! If he and the Patriots could come back from a 25 point deficit to win the Super Bowl just last February, you guys can pull this out of your hats -- or perhaps another of your bodily orifices as well.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
The wacky NFL
If your team is fortunate enough to return a punt for a long touchdown, things are usually looking up. If during the same game, one of your behemoth defensive linemen somehow manages to intercept a pass and lumber a few yards into the end zone for yet another touchdown, it just HAS to be your day. Further, if your team puts up 38 points, a win should be a lock.
That is, unless you're a Detroit Lions fan. The Motown puddy-tats did all the above and still got beat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. Bad. Two touchdowns worth. This is what happens when the other team racks up a whopping 52 points. Any NFL team getting shredded for the big five-oh should hang their heads indeed.
So now instead of going into their bye week coming off a win with a respectable 4-2 record, the Lions are at a piddling 3-3 having suffered consecutive losses.
Yet in the ever-magical world of the Lions, they received some good news on the same day. Much to the chagrin of the Packer faithful in Green Bay, star quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with a broken collar bone, (worse, on his throwing arm side), in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. He'll likely be lost for at least the rest of the regular season.
In other words, the Lions are right back in contention for the NFC North Division title through nothing they themselves did. With Rodgers out, the Packers will likely falter. Detroit has already defeated Minnesota once (though the Vikes were playing with their third-string quarterback at the time), and the purple gang hardly looks formidable even when fully healthy. Rounding out the division are the Chicago Bears. They remain, well, Da Bears. 'Nuff said. As it always has been and seems to continue to be in Detroit, there is hope. (Excuse me. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. OK, I feel better now.)
Elsewhere around the league strange things were happening indeed.
Miami came roaring back from a 17 point deficit to take down Atlanta? The same Dolphins where that Cutler guy is still bumbling around at quarterback? Against the defending NFC champions? Get outta here.
The Steelers went into Kansas City and knocked off the previously unbeaten Chiefs? That wasn't supposed to happen.Then again, Pittsburgh DID eliminate KC in the playoffs last year. Maybe they just have their proverbial number.
And just when you think it can't get any wackier, leave it to the NY Giants, yes the heretofore winless Giants, to waltz into Denver and defeat the resurgent Broncos. Handily. 23-10. Are these the same Giants that were third from last in the entire league in rushing? Going up against the same Broncos that featured the league's leading defense? And the Jersey-ites pounded the ball down the Mile-highers' throats the whole game?
What's that? The above-mentioned Bears --THOSE guys? -- beat the Baltimore Ravens? Shades of nevermore.Very strange indeed.
Some have said the NFL stands for the No Fun League. Or No Fair League (see the ongoing Colin Kaerpernick saga).
Perhaps another interpretation should be offered.
No Favorites (are) Locks.
It's just Not Freaking Logical.
That is, unless you're a Detroit Lions fan. The Motown puddy-tats did all the above and still got beat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. Bad. Two touchdowns worth. This is what happens when the other team racks up a whopping 52 points. Any NFL team getting shredded for the big five-oh should hang their heads indeed.
So now instead of going into their bye week coming off a win with a respectable 4-2 record, the Lions are at a piddling 3-3 having suffered consecutive losses.
Yet in the ever-magical world of the Lions, they received some good news on the same day. Much to the chagrin of the Packer faithful in Green Bay, star quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with a broken collar bone, (worse, on his throwing arm side), in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. He'll likely be lost for at least the rest of the regular season.
In other words, the Lions are right back in contention for the NFC North Division title through nothing they themselves did. With Rodgers out, the Packers will likely falter. Detroit has already defeated Minnesota once (though the Vikes were playing with their third-string quarterback at the time), and the purple gang hardly looks formidable even when fully healthy. Rounding out the division are the Chicago Bears. They remain, well, Da Bears. 'Nuff said. As it always has been and seems to continue to be in Detroit, there is hope. (Excuse me. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. OK, I feel better now.)
Elsewhere around the league strange things were happening indeed.
Miami came roaring back from a 17 point deficit to take down Atlanta? The same Dolphins where that Cutler guy is still bumbling around at quarterback? Against the defending NFC champions? Get outta here.
The Steelers went into Kansas City and knocked off the previously unbeaten Chiefs? That wasn't supposed to happen.Then again, Pittsburgh DID eliminate KC in the playoffs last year. Maybe they just have their proverbial number.
And just when you think it can't get any wackier, leave it to the NY Giants, yes the heretofore winless Giants, to waltz into Denver and defeat the resurgent Broncos. Handily. 23-10. Are these the same Giants that were third from last in the entire league in rushing? Going up against the same Broncos that featured the league's leading defense? And the Jersey-ites pounded the ball down the Mile-highers' throats the whole game?
What's that? The above-mentioned Bears --THOSE guys? -- beat the Baltimore Ravens? Shades of nevermore.Very strange indeed.
Some have said the NFL stands for the No Fun League. Or No Fair League (see the ongoing Colin Kaerpernick saga).
Perhaps another interpretation should be offered.
No Favorites (are) Locks.
It's just Not Freaking Logical.
Friday, October 13, 2017
The chokers
While it's likely not politically correct to call them such, there's seems to be a lot of chokers in the sports world.
Last February the Atlanta Falcons had a twenty five point lead in the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots. They choked it away and lost.
The US men's soccer team are perennial chokers. How can it be that a country like the United States, with over 300 million people to choose from, finds their best soccer players coming up short against the likes of Trinidad and Tobago -- which only has about a million and a half people?
It seems odd that the American ladies' team is always world class, but the guys stink. Maybe it's just as well the gents failed to qualify for the World Cup. Good grief, if T and T can knock them off, how bad would the likes of powerhouses such as Brazil, Germany, or England blister them on the pitch? Coach Bruce Arena has left the arena. Outta here.
Once again the Washington Nationals choked. Of course they did. It happens every year. This, despite being loaded with talent. The Nats have arguably the best one-two starting pitcher combination in all of baseball with Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer (though Houston gets honorable mention for Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander). They also have Bryce Harper, arguably the best all-around player in the game not named Mike Trout.
Ten times in a row they've faced a close out game, and ten times in a row they've lost it. It appears manager Dusty (Toothpick) Baker just can't get them over the hump. Considering it's Washington DC, perhaps term limits (impeachment?) are in order for Baker. Either that or off with his head, though that would be a bit drastic.
And you just know the NHL's Washington Capitals will choke when the Stanley Cup playoffs roll around, because they also do it every year. They'll pile up the points during the regular season, often winning the President's Cup, but gag like chihuahuas on chicken bones when the pressure amps up.
Maybe it's something in the air of the nation's capital causing this phenomenon. One needs only look at Congress. Every time something needs fixing through legislation -- they choke too.
Fans of the Detroit Lions know about choking. Their beloved puddy-tats are notorious for it. Show them a playoff game and they'll show you a loss. If anything, the fans themselves have probably choked back more frustration over the decades than they deserved in ten lifetimes. The poor lost souls have been in a form of purgatory since the Eisenhower administration.
Chokers everywhere. Alas.
Last February the Atlanta Falcons had a twenty five point lead in the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots. They choked it away and lost.
The US men's soccer team are perennial chokers. How can it be that a country like the United States, with over 300 million people to choose from, finds their best soccer players coming up short against the likes of Trinidad and Tobago -- which only has about a million and a half people?
It seems odd that the American ladies' team is always world class, but the guys stink. Maybe it's just as well the gents failed to qualify for the World Cup. Good grief, if T and T can knock them off, how bad would the likes of powerhouses such as Brazil, Germany, or England blister them on the pitch? Coach Bruce Arena has left the arena. Outta here.
Once again the Washington Nationals choked. Of course they did. It happens every year. This, despite being loaded with talent. The Nats have arguably the best one-two starting pitcher combination in all of baseball with Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer (though Houston gets honorable mention for Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander). They also have Bryce Harper, arguably the best all-around player in the game not named Mike Trout.
Ten times in a row they've faced a close out game, and ten times in a row they've lost it. It appears manager Dusty (Toothpick) Baker just can't get them over the hump. Considering it's Washington DC, perhaps term limits (impeachment?) are in order for Baker. Either that or off with his head, though that would be a bit drastic.
And you just know the NHL's Washington Capitals will choke when the Stanley Cup playoffs roll around, because they also do it every year. They'll pile up the points during the regular season, often winning the President's Cup, but gag like chihuahuas on chicken bones when the pressure amps up.
Maybe it's something in the air of the nation's capital causing this phenomenon. One needs only look at Congress. Every time something needs fixing through legislation -- they choke too.
Fans of the Detroit Lions know about choking. Their beloved puddy-tats are notorious for it. Show them a playoff game and they'll show you a loss. If anything, the fans themselves have probably choked back more frustration over the decades than they deserved in ten lifetimes. The poor lost souls have been in a form of purgatory since the Eisenhower administration.
Chokers everywhere. Alas.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Cleveland, John, and Brad
For no apparent good reason, yours truly has always had a soft spot for Cleveland. True, it's kind of an armpit city, but they hadn't had much to root about in the world of sports until recently. And yes, I weary of all the Lebron hype. You'd think he's a king or emperor or something. One of those is enough, and he currently occupies the White House. Ahem.
At that, they still only have a grand total of one world championship in modern times. That Lebron guy and his merry gang upset the highly favored Golden State Warriors a couple years back for the NBA crown.
Yet the Cleveland Indians have been a force to be reckoned with of late. They came within a single out of winning the World Series last year. Earlier this season the Tribe rattled off a 20+ game winning streak. Very impressive stuff.
But there's a major catch to all this. The Indians did NOT win the Fall Classic last year, rather bowing out after having held 2-0 and 3-1 leads over the Chicago Cubs. Ouch.
Fast forward to the present. In the ALDS they held another 2-0 lead over the NY Yankees in the best 3 out of 5. They had it, they had it, and then they didn't have it. Wham. The Bronx Bombers came roaring back to win three straight. Down goes Cleveland again. Ouch II.
So what is the lesson to be learned?
Evidently, when the going gets tough, Cleveland gets choking. Then again, the Cleveland Browns are just about enough to make anybody gag.
Interesting the Boston Red Sox just canned manager John Farrell with a year left on his contract. That means JF gets a whole year paid vacation. A pretty sweet gig actually. But why would they do such a thing? Under Farrell's guidance the Bosox won their division title this year. This, despite the loss of slugger David Ortiz to retirement, star pitcher David Price missing extended time due to injury, and last year's Cy Young winner Rick Porcello tumbling from a 22-4 record in 2016 to a not-so-good 11-17 in 2017.
Just a few short years ago the same Bosox won the World Series with Farrell at the helm. Could it be that merely making the post-season isn't good enough in Beantown anymore? And hey, they were taken down in the playoffs by a great team in the Houston Astros. Pitching, hitting, defense, speed, you name it and the Stros have it. Plus they're young so could be a force for years to come.
Boston GM Dave Dombrowki, the same guy that got run out of Detroit a while back, said in his opinion the team needed to have new leadership. Well OK, if ownership signed off on it, that's pretty much that. But he also said the next manager needed to be young, hence able to relate to the players, and good with the media.
It just so happens former Detroit Tiger manager Brad Ausmus is currently unemployed. True, the Tigers were god-awful this year, downright pitiful after they traded away what little talent they had for the dreaded "prospects" of the future. But this was not the fault of Ausmus. He could only play the cards he was dealt -- and they weren't pretty.
Nevertheless, he's only 48 years old, had a long Major League career as a player himself playing for four different teams, both in the American and National leagues, and is definitely media friendly. He's cool under pressure, and patiently answers any and all questions honestly.
It would seem he would fit the bill nicely in Boston. To boot, he's originally from New Haven, Connecticut, just a stone's throw up the road from Fenway. OK, a long throw, but still a native New Englander. And he went to Dartmouth, one of the Ivies, so he's got some serious brains going on as well.
You just know Ausmus would jump at the chance to be the skipper of the Bosox.
The question is -- will they offer it to him?
If so, you heard it here first. Nary a talking head has even mentioned the possibility so far.
At that, they still only have a grand total of one world championship in modern times. That Lebron guy and his merry gang upset the highly favored Golden State Warriors a couple years back for the NBA crown.
Yet the Cleveland Indians have been a force to be reckoned with of late. They came within a single out of winning the World Series last year. Earlier this season the Tribe rattled off a 20+ game winning streak. Very impressive stuff.
But there's a major catch to all this. The Indians did NOT win the Fall Classic last year, rather bowing out after having held 2-0 and 3-1 leads over the Chicago Cubs. Ouch.
Fast forward to the present. In the ALDS they held another 2-0 lead over the NY Yankees in the best 3 out of 5. They had it, they had it, and then they didn't have it. Wham. The Bronx Bombers came roaring back to win three straight. Down goes Cleveland again. Ouch II.
So what is the lesson to be learned?
Evidently, when the going gets tough, Cleveland gets choking. Then again, the Cleveland Browns are just about enough to make anybody gag.
Interesting the Boston Red Sox just canned manager John Farrell with a year left on his contract. That means JF gets a whole year paid vacation. A pretty sweet gig actually. But why would they do such a thing? Under Farrell's guidance the Bosox won their division title this year. This, despite the loss of slugger David Ortiz to retirement, star pitcher David Price missing extended time due to injury, and last year's Cy Young winner Rick Porcello tumbling from a 22-4 record in 2016 to a not-so-good 11-17 in 2017.
Just a few short years ago the same Bosox won the World Series with Farrell at the helm. Could it be that merely making the post-season isn't good enough in Beantown anymore? And hey, they were taken down in the playoffs by a great team in the Houston Astros. Pitching, hitting, defense, speed, you name it and the Stros have it. Plus they're young so could be a force for years to come.
Boston GM Dave Dombrowki, the same guy that got run out of Detroit a while back, said in his opinion the team needed to have new leadership. Well OK, if ownership signed off on it, that's pretty much that. But he also said the next manager needed to be young, hence able to relate to the players, and good with the media.
It just so happens former Detroit Tiger manager Brad Ausmus is currently unemployed. True, the Tigers were god-awful this year, downright pitiful after they traded away what little talent they had for the dreaded "prospects" of the future. But this was not the fault of Ausmus. He could only play the cards he was dealt -- and they weren't pretty.
Nevertheless, he's only 48 years old, had a long Major League career as a player himself playing for four different teams, both in the American and National leagues, and is definitely media friendly. He's cool under pressure, and patiently answers any and all questions honestly.
It would seem he would fit the bill nicely in Boston. To boot, he's originally from New Haven, Connecticut, just a stone's throw up the road from Fenway. OK, a long throw, but still a native New Englander. And he went to Dartmouth, one of the Ivies, so he's got some serious brains going on as well.
You just know Ausmus would jump at the chance to be the skipper of the Bosox.
The question is -- will they offer it to him?
If so, you heard it here first. Nary a talking head has even mentioned the possibility so far.
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Detroit Lions update
Roughly a third of the way through the 2017 season, the Detroit Lions pose their usual quandary. Now with a 3-2 record, can these guys make their way into the playoffs and, if so, once there, make any serious noise?
Or will they choke and fold like they have so often before?
It's truly difficult to predict, even assuming quarterback Matthew Stafford stays healthy -- never a given.
Let's take a look at their schedule, past and forthcoming, and try to make a semi-reasonable guess.
Sure, the glass half-fullers will say they could easily be 4-1, maybe even 5-0. The last second touchdown that wasn't against Atlanta cost them a win, and if only they hadn't fallen so far behind Carolina early.
But there's a flip side. It turns out Arizona isn't very good. The NY Giants are god-awful. And the Minnesota Vikings were down to their third string quarterback. These were all Ws for the Lions, but against the only two quality teams they've faced, the above mentioned Falcons and Panthers, they've had Ls draped on them. Interesting as well is both those losses came at home for the Lions. Never a particularly good omen.
Yet the remainder of the season looks promising. Two games with the Bears, and one each with Cleveland and Cincinnati should be relatively easy wins. Besides the mandatory two games with the Packers, who look good but not great this year, the Lions don't have to face any REALLY good teams.
True, the Steelers, Ravens, and Saints remain, but all of them are suspect this year. Pittsburgh just got blasted by Jacksonville. Jacksonville! Drew Brees ain't what he used to be down in New Orleans, and Baltimore seems to have regressed in recent years.
Throw in a road game at Tampa Bay, which hardly seems like a huge obstacle, and another go-round with Minnesota, this time in Detroit. Add it all up and what do you have?
Who knows? Besides, it's the Lions, remember? The very same that hasn't won a playoff game in over a quarter century. Then again, the Chicago Cubs hadn't won the World Series in over 100 years and we know how that turned out in 2016.
Thing is, the Lions will likely never have a better shot at going far than they do this year. That's because the rest of the NFC is pretty much underwhelming.
In the East, Dallas is certainly beatable. The Skins look maybe mediocre. The Eagles have jumped out to a 4-1 record, but does anybody really think Philly is a contender?
Out West, Seattle is struggling. The Rams are playing well but have a ways to go.
True, Carolina and especially Atlanta loom in the South, but hey, if you want to be the best, you have to beat SOMEBODY good, right?
In the Lions own division, the Bears remain, well, Da Bears. The Vikes lost Adrian Peterson in the off-season and have virtually no shot with their QB situation, much like the Lions would be goners if Stafford were to suffer a serious injury. Though he seems to have outgrown his former "China doll" persona, one never knows in the NFL. Any particular play could trash the Lions season if their Georgia Peach were to come up lame.
That leaves the Packers. Aaron Rodgers and Co. are pretty good, but don't appear to be as dominant as they have in the past either. Nevertheless, the Pack are a big hurdle for the Lions. They broke their Lambeau jinx a while back, so the Lions know they can play with them, but those two games will be key to their chances. They have to at least split.
It should also be noted Sports Illustrated had the Lions finishing dead last in their own division with a woeful 5-11 record. We also know SI seldom gets anything right. Their in-house football prognosticator Peter King sometimes appears as if he couldn't pick his own nose with a power auger, let alone accurately handicap games.
Yet for all the above reasons, yours truly thinks the Lions have a better than average shot at making the post-season. Maybe even doing some damage once they get there. The Super Bowl remains a stretch, let alone winning it. Whoever emerges from the vastly superior AFC will be formidable indeed.
But every half-full glass has to be half-empty as well. And again, it's the Lions. The wheels could fall off at any moment. Their reputation over the last 60 years or so isn't exactly glowing. Far more often they've been a laughingstock than any sort of contender, with a parade of clown head coaches (and front office personnel) along the way. Current head coach Jim Caldwell remains an enigma as well. It has been argued in this space that he's been a good coordinator when working elsewhere for a successful head coach in the past, but was over his head when he'd held the reins himself. Though the Lions recently granted him an extension, time will tell if he's truly got what it takes to mold a championship caliber team. Count me as still skeptical.
Some have claimed the failure of the Lions over the years is tied to their ownership. True enough, the late William Clay Ford presided over decades of futility. The fact that the team is now controlled by his 90 year old widow Martha and their daughters isn't exactly a comforting thought. They probably don't know a football from a foosball. Their hiring of an "estate planner" (who has admitted to knowing very little about the game) to be the president of the team hardly improves the overall situation either.
Yet this is shaping up to be a very interesting year for the Lions. With the rest of the conference having no steam-rolling teams, they're just about good enough to make a run at something serious.
Or fall flat on their faces -- again.
Got a lucky penny?
Or will they choke and fold like they have so often before?
It's truly difficult to predict, even assuming quarterback Matthew Stafford stays healthy -- never a given.
Let's take a look at their schedule, past and forthcoming, and try to make a semi-reasonable guess.
Sure, the glass half-fullers will say they could easily be 4-1, maybe even 5-0. The last second touchdown that wasn't against Atlanta cost them a win, and if only they hadn't fallen so far behind Carolina early.
But there's a flip side. It turns out Arizona isn't very good. The NY Giants are god-awful. And the Minnesota Vikings were down to their third string quarterback. These were all Ws for the Lions, but against the only two quality teams they've faced, the above mentioned Falcons and Panthers, they've had Ls draped on them. Interesting as well is both those losses came at home for the Lions. Never a particularly good omen.
Yet the remainder of the season looks promising. Two games with the Bears, and one each with Cleveland and Cincinnati should be relatively easy wins. Besides the mandatory two games with the Packers, who look good but not great this year, the Lions don't have to face any REALLY good teams.
True, the Steelers, Ravens, and Saints remain, but all of them are suspect this year. Pittsburgh just got blasted by Jacksonville. Jacksonville! Drew Brees ain't what he used to be down in New Orleans, and Baltimore seems to have regressed in recent years.
Throw in a road game at Tampa Bay, which hardly seems like a huge obstacle, and another go-round with Minnesota, this time in Detroit. Add it all up and what do you have?
Who knows? Besides, it's the Lions, remember? The very same that hasn't won a playoff game in over a quarter century. Then again, the Chicago Cubs hadn't won the World Series in over 100 years and we know how that turned out in 2016.
Thing is, the Lions will likely never have a better shot at going far than they do this year. That's because the rest of the NFC is pretty much underwhelming.
In the East, Dallas is certainly beatable. The Skins look maybe mediocre. The Eagles have jumped out to a 4-1 record, but does anybody really think Philly is a contender?
Out West, Seattle is struggling. The Rams are playing well but have a ways to go.
True, Carolina and especially Atlanta loom in the South, but hey, if you want to be the best, you have to beat SOMEBODY good, right?
In the Lions own division, the Bears remain, well, Da Bears. The Vikes lost Adrian Peterson in the off-season and have virtually no shot with their QB situation, much like the Lions would be goners if Stafford were to suffer a serious injury. Though he seems to have outgrown his former "China doll" persona, one never knows in the NFL. Any particular play could trash the Lions season if their Georgia Peach were to come up lame.
That leaves the Packers. Aaron Rodgers and Co. are pretty good, but don't appear to be as dominant as they have in the past either. Nevertheless, the Pack are a big hurdle for the Lions. They broke their Lambeau jinx a while back, so the Lions know they can play with them, but those two games will be key to their chances. They have to at least split.
It should also be noted Sports Illustrated had the Lions finishing dead last in their own division with a woeful 5-11 record. We also know SI seldom gets anything right. Their in-house football prognosticator Peter King sometimes appears as if he couldn't pick his own nose with a power auger, let alone accurately handicap games.
Yet for all the above reasons, yours truly thinks the Lions have a better than average shot at making the post-season. Maybe even doing some damage once they get there. The Super Bowl remains a stretch, let alone winning it. Whoever emerges from the vastly superior AFC will be formidable indeed.
But every half-full glass has to be half-empty as well. And again, it's the Lions. The wheels could fall off at any moment. Their reputation over the last 60 years or so isn't exactly glowing. Far more often they've been a laughingstock than any sort of contender, with a parade of clown head coaches (and front office personnel) along the way. Current head coach Jim Caldwell remains an enigma as well. It has been argued in this space that he's been a good coordinator when working elsewhere for a successful head coach in the past, but was over his head when he'd held the reins himself. Though the Lions recently granted him an extension, time will tell if he's truly got what it takes to mold a championship caliber team. Count me as still skeptical.
Some have claimed the failure of the Lions over the years is tied to their ownership. True enough, the late William Clay Ford presided over decades of futility. The fact that the team is now controlled by his 90 year old widow Martha and their daughters isn't exactly a comforting thought. They probably don't know a football from a foosball. Their hiring of an "estate planner" (who has admitted to knowing very little about the game) to be the president of the team hardly improves the overall situation either.
Yet this is shaping up to be a very interesting year for the Lions. With the rest of the conference having no steam-rolling teams, they're just about good enough to make a run at something serious.
Or fall flat on their faces -- again.
Got a lucky penny?
Friday, October 6, 2017
The Cam Newton charade
Two things about yours truly. I'm not a Cam Newton fan. Far from it. Though I was neutral towards him while he was in college and beginning his time in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, his post-Super Bowl childish behavior alienated me. Yeah, I get it. The dude was only in his early twenties, an immature age according to some. But for that very reason, I don't buy it. It's old enough to know better.
The other thing is I remain fiercely "politically incorrect". (Much to the occasional chagrin of my boss, the editor, at times). While there are certain ethical rules that go along with writing a public blog like this, nobody's going to tell me what I can or cannot say otherwise in life. If people don't like it -- go find somebody else to hang with. Personally, I don't give a rat's behind. My significant other is just fine with it and that's good enough for me.
But just because I'm not a Newton fan doesn't mean I won't stand up for him, or anybody else, when I feel they've been wronged.
Currently, the sports world, especially the media, are all up in arms over Newton's comment to a female reporter during a press conference. Apparently, he found it funny that a female would ask him about the routes run by pass receivers. She took offense, as did a lot of other people.
And the onslaught was on. Poor Cam has been dragged over the coals every which way for being so "insensitive". Once the politically correcters get a person in their cross-hairs, they never want to quit firing. Though Newton has apologized, even THAT has been dissected and criticized.
Maybe he didn't mean it. Maybe he isn't feeling enough remorse. Maybe this, maybe that. He's pretty well screwed for now no matter what he says -- or doesn't say. Sure, it will pass in time like most everything else.
To all of which I say time out. Hold it right there. What the hell is going on here?
For the life of me, I can't understand just what it is that Newton did wrong. Since when should a person be thrown under the bus for stating, publicly or privately, what he finds to be funny?
Senses of humor certainly vary. What some find hilarious others might deem sick. There was a time when dead baby jokes were all the rage. What I thought of them is/was irrelevant, but the tellers had every right to throw them out there. And don't kid yourself. A lot of people laughed at them.
Ethnic jokes have been around forever and likely always will be. A Irishman, a jew, and a gay lawyer walk into a bar...... You know how they go. Everybody's heard thousands of them over the years. Some find any particular one humorous, some don't.
So for Cam Newton to take a public thrashing over something he found funny is just wrong. It's not like he personally insulted yon female reporter or called her any various derogatory terms.
Therefore, I saw no reason whatsoever for him to have to apologize at all, let alone grovel. If I'm him, I merely say I meant no offense (which seemed obvious at the time) and any that took it need to get a life. "I'm sorry" is not part of my response. If that's not good enough -- tough. Get over it or live with it. Whatever, because I've got far more important things to be concerned with than your precious feelings.
[And BTW, what about HIS feelings? Do you think he enjoys being lambasted from coast to coast?]
In the end, I still won't root for Cam or the Panthers. In fact, Newton's lack of cajones handling this petty matter turned me off just a bit more.
But if he or anybody else finds themselves in a similar predicament sometime in the future, they can know at least one person has their back.
This whole politically correct mania has got so many people afraid to speak what they feel and think.
I say to hell with that.
Say it anyway and if there are those that don't like it -- that's their problem.
The other thing is I remain fiercely "politically incorrect". (Much to the occasional chagrin of my boss, the editor, at times). While there are certain ethical rules that go along with writing a public blog like this, nobody's going to tell me what I can or cannot say otherwise in life. If people don't like it -- go find somebody else to hang with. Personally, I don't give a rat's behind. My significant other is just fine with it and that's good enough for me.
But just because I'm not a Newton fan doesn't mean I won't stand up for him, or anybody else, when I feel they've been wronged.
Currently, the sports world, especially the media, are all up in arms over Newton's comment to a female reporter during a press conference. Apparently, he found it funny that a female would ask him about the routes run by pass receivers. She took offense, as did a lot of other people.
And the onslaught was on. Poor Cam has been dragged over the coals every which way for being so "insensitive". Once the politically correcters get a person in their cross-hairs, they never want to quit firing. Though Newton has apologized, even THAT has been dissected and criticized.
Maybe he didn't mean it. Maybe he isn't feeling enough remorse. Maybe this, maybe that. He's pretty well screwed for now no matter what he says -- or doesn't say. Sure, it will pass in time like most everything else.
To all of which I say time out. Hold it right there. What the hell is going on here?
For the life of me, I can't understand just what it is that Newton did wrong. Since when should a person be thrown under the bus for stating, publicly or privately, what he finds to be funny?
Senses of humor certainly vary. What some find hilarious others might deem sick. There was a time when dead baby jokes were all the rage. What I thought of them is/was irrelevant, but the tellers had every right to throw them out there. And don't kid yourself. A lot of people laughed at them.
Ethnic jokes have been around forever and likely always will be. A Irishman, a jew, and a gay lawyer walk into a bar...... You know how they go. Everybody's heard thousands of them over the years. Some find any particular one humorous, some don't.
So for Cam Newton to take a public thrashing over something he found funny is just wrong. It's not like he personally insulted yon female reporter or called her any various derogatory terms.
Therefore, I saw no reason whatsoever for him to have to apologize at all, let alone grovel. If I'm him, I merely say I meant no offense (which seemed obvious at the time) and any that took it need to get a life. "I'm sorry" is not part of my response. If that's not good enough -- tough. Get over it or live with it. Whatever, because I've got far more important things to be concerned with than your precious feelings.
[And BTW, what about HIS feelings? Do you think he enjoys being lambasted from coast to coast?]
In the end, I still won't root for Cam or the Panthers. In fact, Newton's lack of cajones handling this petty matter turned me off just a bit more.
But if he or anybody else finds themselves in a similar predicament sometime in the future, they can know at least one person has their back.
This whole politically correct mania has got so many people afraid to speak what they feel and think.
I say to hell with that.
Say it anyway and if there are those that don't like it -- that's their problem.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Whining on wine
First of all, yours truly hates wine. Any wine. I don't care if it's the $2 or $2000 a bottle variety. Keep that stuff away from me.
This can be traced to an escapade in my youth when I was even dumber than I am now -- if that's possible. When I was barely "legal", I think, maybe, a few of my buddies and I wound up in my mom's car on a New Year's Eve driving around town drinking all kinds of stuff we shouldn't have been. Yes, we had a designated driver who was not partaking, the only one with half a brain.
My particular poison on that fateful night was either cherry vodka or sloe gin, I forget which. I drank a whole fifth of it -- and proceeded to get violently ill, as in puking my guts out, right in the car. My friends, with their own choices of doom, did the same.
To this day I don't remember too much of that night, except I woke up freezing and alone, still in the car, in my parents' driveway, then somehow stumbled into the house. Needless to say, the car itself was trashed inside. Imagine four or five guys throwing up repeatedly in an automobile and it doesn't exactly paint a pretty picture. I found that out the next morning when I was rousted off the couch by my dad demanding an explanation. I scrubbed that car all day, but it was never the same. Also needless to say, there were consequences, harsh ones, meted out by my parents for my night of drunken idiocy.
From that time on, I've never touched the stuff. It makes me a bit queasy just to look at it.
What does this have to do with sports? Excellent question.
It involves all the celebrating with wine (champagne) that some teams do after they've won something. This is getting out of control. Let's take the NY Yankees as an example.
Upon clinching a wild card berth for the playoffs, they broke out the bubbly. Pop, pop, pop. Spray, spray, spray. Pour, pour, pour. They might have even drank some of it. Winos the world over witnessing such an incredible waste of perfectly good booze on TV likely groaned.
I grimaced.
But what could or would happen next? After defeating the Minnesota Twins in a one game wild-card showdown, out came more bubbly. Pop, pop, pop. Etc, etc, etc.
If the Yankees were to defeat the Cleveland Indians in one of the American League Divisional Series, it would be round three. Pop, pop, pop.
The same scenario would hold if they went on to defeat either Houston or Boston in the American League Championship Series. Pop, pop, pop. That's four.
A World Series title would be the granddaddy booze fest of them all. Yet a fifth (no pun intended) orgy of alcohol abuse.
How many cases of wine are we up to here? A few hundred? A thousand? All totally, ahem, wasted? Don't they realize there's sober people in China?
If I have my history right, in days of yore when the American and National leagues each had ten teams, whichever came out on top after the regular season went to the World Series. No wild cards, nor divisional playoffs, just one seven game series to decide it all. And that meant there were only two celebrations. One for winning their respective league pennant and a possible second for winning the fall classic.
Nowadays they've gone crazier than I was back in the day on that New Years Eve with the bubbly. As listed above, a wild-card team winning it all, it happens, will have FIVE parties along the way. And they're not breaking out the rot gut cheap stuff. That no doubt drives the winos nuts to watch such an incredible display of debauchery on the air.
I feel your pain, guys. Or at least I did once. I don't think I could survive five of them.
Nope, not going back there. Brrr. It still gives me the, urp, willies just to think back about it.
This can be traced to an escapade in my youth when I was even dumber than I am now -- if that's possible. When I was barely "legal", I think, maybe, a few of my buddies and I wound up in my mom's car on a New Year's Eve driving around town drinking all kinds of stuff we shouldn't have been. Yes, we had a designated driver who was not partaking, the only one with half a brain.
My particular poison on that fateful night was either cherry vodka or sloe gin, I forget which. I drank a whole fifth of it -- and proceeded to get violently ill, as in puking my guts out, right in the car. My friends, with their own choices of doom, did the same.
To this day I don't remember too much of that night, except I woke up freezing and alone, still in the car, in my parents' driveway, then somehow stumbled into the house. Needless to say, the car itself was trashed inside. Imagine four or five guys throwing up repeatedly in an automobile and it doesn't exactly paint a pretty picture. I found that out the next morning when I was rousted off the couch by my dad demanding an explanation. I scrubbed that car all day, but it was never the same. Also needless to say, there were consequences, harsh ones, meted out by my parents for my night of drunken idiocy.
From that time on, I've never touched the stuff. It makes me a bit queasy just to look at it.
What does this have to do with sports? Excellent question.
It involves all the celebrating with wine (champagne) that some teams do after they've won something. This is getting out of control. Let's take the NY Yankees as an example.
Upon clinching a wild card berth for the playoffs, they broke out the bubbly. Pop, pop, pop. Spray, spray, spray. Pour, pour, pour. They might have even drank some of it. Winos the world over witnessing such an incredible waste of perfectly good booze on TV likely groaned.
I grimaced.
But what could or would happen next? After defeating the Minnesota Twins in a one game wild-card showdown, out came more bubbly. Pop, pop, pop. Etc, etc, etc.
If the Yankees were to defeat the Cleveland Indians in one of the American League Divisional Series, it would be round three. Pop, pop, pop.
The same scenario would hold if they went on to defeat either Houston or Boston in the American League Championship Series. Pop, pop, pop. That's four.
A World Series title would be the granddaddy booze fest of them all. Yet a fifth (no pun intended) orgy of alcohol abuse.
How many cases of wine are we up to here? A few hundred? A thousand? All totally, ahem, wasted? Don't they realize there's sober people in China?
If I have my history right, in days of yore when the American and National leagues each had ten teams, whichever came out on top after the regular season went to the World Series. No wild cards, nor divisional playoffs, just one seven game series to decide it all. And that meant there were only two celebrations. One for winning their respective league pennant and a possible second for winning the fall classic.
Nowadays they've gone crazier than I was back in the day on that New Years Eve with the bubbly. As listed above, a wild-card team winning it all, it happens, will have FIVE parties along the way. And they're not breaking out the rot gut cheap stuff. That no doubt drives the winos nuts to watch such an incredible display of debauchery on the air.
I feel your pain, guys. Or at least I did once. I don't think I could survive five of them.
Nope, not going back there. Brrr. It still gives me the, urp, willies just to think back about it.
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Detroit Tigers set milestone
It took the Detroit Tigers the entire 162 game season, but they finally pulled it off.
With the San Francisco Giants winning their final regular season game and the Tigers once again succumbing to the Minnesota Twins, the Motown puddy-tats are now the (not so) proud owners of the worst record in all of Major League Baseball. Thud.
True, they finally bit the long overdue bullet and went into full scale rebuild mode a few weeks back. Also true is they escaped the notoriety that would have come with a 100 loss season. Barely. But their final record of 63-99 is there for all to see.
This, after a 6-2 start. In other words, the Tigers went a woeful 57-97 after the first week. A whopping 40 games under .500.
Gone is manager Brad Ausmus. Don't be surprised if he re-surfaces as the skipper of another team before long. Though he had no managerial experience before getting hired by the Tigers, he's now had a few years to learn the proverbial ropes. And the Tigers' collapse shouldn't be laid at the feet of Ausmus. He can only play the cards he's dealt. It wasn't his fault the Tiger brass showered aging players beyond their primes with outrageous long-term contracts. To boot, Ausmus is an upstanding guy. Friendly, open, and most importantly honest with the media. No whining and no excuses. It just is what it is.
The Tigers were a flawed team even before they pulled the trigger on the salary/player dump. Not enough quality starting pitching. Little to no team speed. A suspect defense at many positions. And a batting practice quality bullpen. Only the rosiest of optimists gave them much of a shot at making the playoffs before the season even began.
[For the record, yours truly saw them as maybe an 80 win team, third or fourth place in their own division, but playoffs? Highly unlikely.]
Now gone are long time ace Justin Verlander, who's tearing it up since he landed in Houston. The Astros are a very talented young team who look to be serious World Series contenders for several years.
Also gone is J. D. Martinez. He's smacking the ball all over the park for Arizona, also a playoff team.
Alex Avila, son of general manager Al Avila in Detroit, got shipped out. Though he was never a sparkling defensive catcher, he was having his best season ever with the bat.
Justin Upton was having a very good season, but he's now with the LA Angels. Though they fell short of the playoffs, where would you rather be as winter approaches? Detroit or southern California?
The lone bright spot for the Tigers appeared to be Nicholas Castellanos. Long considered little more than a "journeyman" player, who was at best a mediocre fielding third baseman, NC had a break out year with the bat. He hit about .275, not shabby at all, but also clubbed 25 homers and drove in over 100 runs.
But the bullpen got even worse, if that's possible. It was almost painful to see the relievers coming into the game because you just knew they were going to get lit up. No lead was safe once those guys started going to the mound. The aforementioned Ausmus probably put in at least a few miles walking from the dugout to the pitcher's mound and back to remove the present pitcher and bring on the next dose of cannon fodder for the opposing hitters.
It should be noted that a few of the "kids", either "prospects" acquired from other teams or brought up from the minors, made fairly good showings.
But this comes as little surprise. After all, this was the first time opposing pitchers had faced them, so didn't know their strengths and weaknesses at the plate. You can bet all this will be pored over and diagnosed during the off-season through film study and the like. Whether or not the young Tigers can or will be successful in their sophomore seasons remains to be seen indeed.
For now, the immediate future of the Tigers looks fairly bleak. It's entirely possible, perhaps probable, they'll continue to stink it up for the next few years. Any new manager they bring in, regardless of his baseball acumen or experience, is still going to be stuck with the same rag-tag bunch that felled Ausmus.
But dang. 63-99? Who woulda thunk it? Such a Hindenburgish performance brings to mind old Warner Bros. toon Pepe LePew. El stinko.
Yep, they set a milestone alright.
Dead last.
Thud.
With the San Francisco Giants winning their final regular season game and the Tigers once again succumbing to the Minnesota Twins, the Motown puddy-tats are now the (not so) proud owners of the worst record in all of Major League Baseball. Thud.
True, they finally bit the long overdue bullet and went into full scale rebuild mode a few weeks back. Also true is they escaped the notoriety that would have come with a 100 loss season. Barely. But their final record of 63-99 is there for all to see.
This, after a 6-2 start. In other words, the Tigers went a woeful 57-97 after the first week. A whopping 40 games under .500.
Gone is manager Brad Ausmus. Don't be surprised if he re-surfaces as the skipper of another team before long. Though he had no managerial experience before getting hired by the Tigers, he's now had a few years to learn the proverbial ropes. And the Tigers' collapse shouldn't be laid at the feet of Ausmus. He can only play the cards he's dealt. It wasn't his fault the Tiger brass showered aging players beyond their primes with outrageous long-term contracts. To boot, Ausmus is an upstanding guy. Friendly, open, and most importantly honest with the media. No whining and no excuses. It just is what it is.
The Tigers were a flawed team even before they pulled the trigger on the salary/player dump. Not enough quality starting pitching. Little to no team speed. A suspect defense at many positions. And a batting practice quality bullpen. Only the rosiest of optimists gave them much of a shot at making the playoffs before the season even began.
[For the record, yours truly saw them as maybe an 80 win team, third or fourth place in their own division, but playoffs? Highly unlikely.]
Now gone are long time ace Justin Verlander, who's tearing it up since he landed in Houston. The Astros are a very talented young team who look to be serious World Series contenders for several years.
Also gone is J. D. Martinez. He's smacking the ball all over the park for Arizona, also a playoff team.
Alex Avila, son of general manager Al Avila in Detroit, got shipped out. Though he was never a sparkling defensive catcher, he was having his best season ever with the bat.
Justin Upton was having a very good season, but he's now with the LA Angels. Though they fell short of the playoffs, where would you rather be as winter approaches? Detroit or southern California?
The lone bright spot for the Tigers appeared to be Nicholas Castellanos. Long considered little more than a "journeyman" player, who was at best a mediocre fielding third baseman, NC had a break out year with the bat. He hit about .275, not shabby at all, but also clubbed 25 homers and drove in over 100 runs.
But the bullpen got even worse, if that's possible. It was almost painful to see the relievers coming into the game because you just knew they were going to get lit up. No lead was safe once those guys started going to the mound. The aforementioned Ausmus probably put in at least a few miles walking from the dugout to the pitcher's mound and back to remove the present pitcher and bring on the next dose of cannon fodder for the opposing hitters.
It should be noted that a few of the "kids", either "prospects" acquired from other teams or brought up from the minors, made fairly good showings.
But this comes as little surprise. After all, this was the first time opposing pitchers had faced them, so didn't know their strengths and weaknesses at the plate. You can bet all this will be pored over and diagnosed during the off-season through film study and the like. Whether or not the young Tigers can or will be successful in their sophomore seasons remains to be seen indeed.
For now, the immediate future of the Tigers looks fairly bleak. It's entirely possible, perhaps probable, they'll continue to stink it up for the next few years. Any new manager they bring in, regardless of his baseball acumen or experience, is still going to be stuck with the same rag-tag bunch that felled Ausmus.
But dang. 63-99? Who woulda thunk it? Such a Hindenburgish performance brings to mind old Warner Bros. toon Pepe LePew. El stinko.
Yep, they set a milestone alright.
Dead last.
Thud.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)