This would appear to be the year of parity. In other words, no one college basketball team jumps out as being elite above the rest. Everybody's eminently beatable.
Let's check out the current Top 10, because it's highly unlikely a champion will emerge from any lower in the ratings.
Virginia. The Cavaliers are cruising right along with only 2 losses to date, tops in the field. But don't they always have a way of folding when the pressure heats up at tournament time?
Michigan State. The Spartans are perennial contenders, but they were beaten handily by Duke at a neutral site early in the season. To boot, they got hammered at home by Ohio State, and again by rival Michigan. Yes, they've been "clean" since (which is more than can be said for their football and basketball programs -- investigations still underway). Head coach Tom Izzo always has a lot of talent and toughness with his teams. Brains? Not so much.
Xavier checks in at #3. Which is odd, given they were pummeled at home by...
Villanova. How can it be the defending champs are ranked lower than the Musketeers? Maybe because they've shown a scary penchant for playing bad against far lesser teams, hence their 4 losses.
The Dukies are much the same. They can easily dispatch the likes of Michigan State, without their best player, but lose to Vermont? Really? It must drive Coach K crazy.
Kansas always seems to be in the mix. But does anybody really think they're a title contender this year? Not yours truly.
I love Gonzaga, the tiny little private college in the far northwest. For such a small fry, kudos to them for developing an elite hoops program over the years. Even made it to the Finals. But champs this year? Nada.
Purdue is an example of the weakness of the field this year. Yes, they're very good. But can they play with the really good teams? I think not.
Like Kansas, North Carolina is a perennial power. But there's a reason they're all the way to #9. Too mistake and bone head prone. An Elite Eight and maybe even Final Four team is a possibility. But cutting down the nets in Columbus? Don't think so.
Rounding out the Top Ten, and another example of the parity mentioned above, is Cincinnati. They play in the American Athletic Conference. Good luck to the Bearcats if and when they get to the Sweet Sixteen and the competition stiffens up in a large way. The only formidable team of late to come out of the AAC is the lady's hoop version at UConn. But that's a story for another day.
For all the above reasons, this shapes up to be quite the tourney this year. At least half a dozen teams have a legitimate shot at becoming champions.
Though yours truly is always, and I mean ALWAYS wrong when it comes to such things, my feeble minded crystal ball (brain), hence prediction, is leaning towards Nova.
But oh my, how I would dearly love to see the Zags rise up and conquer the field this year.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Monday, February 26, 2018
UConn and Miss. St. lady hoops
To the surprise of few, Geno's Bambinos, sometimes known as the UConn Lady Huskies, roared through the regular season undefeated in college hoops.
But wait a second. So did Mississippi State. If memory serves, it was that same Miss St. team that knocked off UConn in the national semi-finals last year, ending their record setting (by a long shot) winning streak.
True, in turn MS would get toppled by South Carolina in the finals a couple days later.
[Idle thought. South Carolina teams, at least the men's version, are known as Gamecocks. So how does one apply that to the female teams? Lady Gamecocks is an oxymoron. Lady Game Hens? Huh. Do they come in the cornish variety?]
No doubt both will enter the NCAA tournament as #1 seeds. Sure, there's other worthy teams out there, but UConn and Miss St. would seem to be a cut above all the rest.
Here's hoping the geniuses (committee) that fill out the brackets have the sense to align them so that these two teams can only meet in the finals. And it's entirely possible, perhaps probable, that is exactly how it will play out.
This year's Final Four will be held in Columbus, Ohio. Buckeye country, and roughly about the same distance from UConn and Miss St., so no advantage there.
It's fair to say the Lady Bulldogs (an oxymoron itself) have played a tougher schedule throughout the year, having to wade through the tough Southeastern Conference, which includes South Carolina among others.
Meanwhile, UConn is pretty much in a patsy conference, though they did play several non-conference games against highly ranked opponents.
[Idle thought II. Why doesn't UConn join a more competitive conference? It might just be the big ones, notably the ACC, where they'd geographically fit right in, don't want them there to beat up on their mega-universities.]
I dare say a UConn/Miss St. game is the one lady hoops fans really want to see. Even more so than the men, putting 64 teams into the tournament is overkill. At least 50 of them have no chance, ZERO, of seriously competing for the title. Play a couple games, get some hefty checks for their schools, and be happy with whatever TV exposure they can get. But most of them are cannon fodder going in. This is no big secret, the talking head hype machine aside.
Yours truly has watched a few UConn games this year. Sure, they look pretty good, but not as dominant as in years past. They're beatable.
I have not seen a single Miss St. game, but a 30-0 record pretty much speaks for itself.
If it comes to that, and odds say it will, will UConn avenge their semi-final loss to the same team this year? Maybe. Or will Miss St. have their number again?
One thing's for sure. It would be quite the game. What better than two undefeated teams duking it out for the national championship?
Yes, it's still a month away from possibly happening, but yours truly has but three words to say about such a scenario.
Bring it on.
But wait a second. So did Mississippi State. If memory serves, it was that same Miss St. team that knocked off UConn in the national semi-finals last year, ending their record setting (by a long shot) winning streak.
True, in turn MS would get toppled by South Carolina in the finals a couple days later.
[Idle thought. South Carolina teams, at least the men's version, are known as Gamecocks. So how does one apply that to the female teams? Lady Gamecocks is an oxymoron. Lady Game Hens? Huh. Do they come in the cornish variety?]
No doubt both will enter the NCAA tournament as #1 seeds. Sure, there's other worthy teams out there, but UConn and Miss St. would seem to be a cut above all the rest.
Here's hoping the geniuses (committee) that fill out the brackets have the sense to align them so that these two teams can only meet in the finals. And it's entirely possible, perhaps probable, that is exactly how it will play out.
This year's Final Four will be held in Columbus, Ohio. Buckeye country, and roughly about the same distance from UConn and Miss St., so no advantage there.
It's fair to say the Lady Bulldogs (an oxymoron itself) have played a tougher schedule throughout the year, having to wade through the tough Southeastern Conference, which includes South Carolina among others.
Meanwhile, UConn is pretty much in a patsy conference, though they did play several non-conference games against highly ranked opponents.
[Idle thought II. Why doesn't UConn join a more competitive conference? It might just be the big ones, notably the ACC, where they'd geographically fit right in, don't want them there to beat up on their mega-universities.]
I dare say a UConn/Miss St. game is the one lady hoops fans really want to see. Even more so than the men, putting 64 teams into the tournament is overkill. At least 50 of them have no chance, ZERO, of seriously competing for the title. Play a couple games, get some hefty checks for their schools, and be happy with whatever TV exposure they can get. But most of them are cannon fodder going in. This is no big secret, the talking head hype machine aside.
Yours truly has watched a few UConn games this year. Sure, they look pretty good, but not as dominant as in years past. They're beatable.
I have not seen a single Miss St. game, but a 30-0 record pretty much speaks for itself.
If it comes to that, and odds say it will, will UConn avenge their semi-final loss to the same team this year? Maybe. Or will Miss St. have their number again?
One thing's for sure. It would be quite the game. What better than two undefeated teams duking it out for the national championship?
Yes, it's still a month away from possibly happening, but yours truly has but three words to say about such a scenario.
Bring it on.
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Cornholing and other silliness
There was a time, many moons ago, when yours truly went on an annual canoe trip with several co-workers. A six hour drunk-a-thon careening down a river. After stumbling into the campground, cleaning up a bit, and having something to eat, many of us would play a game trying to throw bean bags into a small round opening on an elevated wooden box ten or twelve paces away. At that time, none of us had a name for it.
Later on, we've since discovered that game is called "cornhole". Just a guess, but I'm thinking a lot of us wouldn't have partaken had we known that back in the day. Yet these days it even has tournaments, sponsors, prize money, the whole works. Yessirree, step right up and maybe YOU can become the cornhole champion of the world.
Somehow I don't think my fellow river rats would have considered that a worthy title, especially the women. In fact, to this day I pucker up a little bit whenever I hear it mentioned. Needless to say, I won't be watching the world class cornholers -- brrr -- compete any time soon.
It's just silly.
On the PGA tour, another tournament in Florida just concluded. It was sponsored by a Japanese auto maker so I won't even mention their name. Nevertheless, young Brit Justin Thomas won it. But not until we had been subjected to the usual gag-producing onslaught of Tiger Woods plays, replays ad nauseum, hushed reverence, and the usual hype that continues to surround Eldrick Tont.
Why this is remains a mystery. Yes, he was once great. But the dude's not even in the top 500 in the world these days. And now into his 40s, it's highly unlikely he'll ever be able to compete with the young guns, and they are many, out on the tour these days. Yet his groupies, and the media should be ashamed of themselves, still think they can somehow resurrect him from the trash pile and make him into a champion again. Worse, crowds on hand cheer wildly for him -- when he makes a par putt.
If that wasn't sorry enough, somehow the broadcasters seem to think that Eldrick shooting a round in the 60s is a telltale sign he's "back". Hey, it was a 69 on a par 70 course. One under par. Hardly the stuff of legends. And BTW, the first round he's shot under 70 in three -- count em -- THREE YEARS.
While the other young guns on the tour are averse to saying such, no doubt they know that Woods hardly represents a threat to them any more.
See Tiger make the cut. Hooray, roar the masses. See Tiger 4 shots out of the lead. OMG they say. Never mind that in a bunched up field he was only 4 shots out of last place at the same time.
Oops. There goes another sploosh into a lake -- double bogey -- followed by another bad shot on the next hole.
Make that 7 shots back and hopelessly out of contention.
Hey, hats off to Woods for what he once accomplished. Very impressive stuff. But to think he can return to dominance is like thinking Elvis is going to come back and go out on tour any day now.
It's just silly.
Beware the return of Jon Gruden to the Oakland Raiders. This guy is, and has always been, the real deal. The dumbest thing former owner Al Davis ever did was trade him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a few high draft choices back in the early years of the George W. Bush administration. How did that work out? Gruden's Bucs, who had previously been on a par with the Detroit Lions -- almost laughable -- came back the very first year to demolish Davis' Raiders in the Super Bowl. Ouch.
Look for the Raiders to get a whole lot better, immediately. Outside of the Patriots, Steelers, and maybe Eagles, fresh off their Super Bowl win, Gruden probably could have had his pick to be head coach of most any other NFL team, current contracts notwithstanding. He's just that good and effective.
And there's nothing silly about that whatsoever.
Aw man. Just glimpsed another replay of the cornhole championship on a cable channel.
Nothing against bean bags -- I used to toss them myself back in the silly canoe days -- but for whatever reason I suddenly have this strong desire to sleep on my back tonight.
Go figure.
Later on, we've since discovered that game is called "cornhole". Just a guess, but I'm thinking a lot of us wouldn't have partaken had we known that back in the day. Yet these days it even has tournaments, sponsors, prize money, the whole works. Yessirree, step right up and maybe YOU can become the cornhole champion of the world.
Somehow I don't think my fellow river rats would have considered that a worthy title, especially the women. In fact, to this day I pucker up a little bit whenever I hear it mentioned. Needless to say, I won't be watching the world class cornholers -- brrr -- compete any time soon.
It's just silly.
On the PGA tour, another tournament in Florida just concluded. It was sponsored by a Japanese auto maker so I won't even mention their name. Nevertheless, young Brit Justin Thomas won it. But not until we had been subjected to the usual gag-producing onslaught of Tiger Woods plays, replays ad nauseum, hushed reverence, and the usual hype that continues to surround Eldrick Tont.
Why this is remains a mystery. Yes, he was once great. But the dude's not even in the top 500 in the world these days. And now into his 40s, it's highly unlikely he'll ever be able to compete with the young guns, and they are many, out on the tour these days. Yet his groupies, and the media should be ashamed of themselves, still think they can somehow resurrect him from the trash pile and make him into a champion again. Worse, crowds on hand cheer wildly for him -- when he makes a par putt.
If that wasn't sorry enough, somehow the broadcasters seem to think that Eldrick shooting a round in the 60s is a telltale sign he's "back". Hey, it was a 69 on a par 70 course. One under par. Hardly the stuff of legends. And BTW, the first round he's shot under 70 in three -- count em -- THREE YEARS.
While the other young guns on the tour are averse to saying such, no doubt they know that Woods hardly represents a threat to them any more.
See Tiger make the cut. Hooray, roar the masses. See Tiger 4 shots out of the lead. OMG they say. Never mind that in a bunched up field he was only 4 shots out of last place at the same time.
Oops. There goes another sploosh into a lake -- double bogey -- followed by another bad shot on the next hole.
Make that 7 shots back and hopelessly out of contention.
Hey, hats off to Woods for what he once accomplished. Very impressive stuff. But to think he can return to dominance is like thinking Elvis is going to come back and go out on tour any day now.
It's just silly.
Beware the return of Jon Gruden to the Oakland Raiders. This guy is, and has always been, the real deal. The dumbest thing former owner Al Davis ever did was trade him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a few high draft choices back in the early years of the George W. Bush administration. How did that work out? Gruden's Bucs, who had previously been on a par with the Detroit Lions -- almost laughable -- came back the very first year to demolish Davis' Raiders in the Super Bowl. Ouch.
Look for the Raiders to get a whole lot better, immediately. Outside of the Patriots, Steelers, and maybe Eagles, fresh off their Super Bowl win, Gruden probably could have had his pick to be head coach of most any other NFL team, current contracts notwithstanding. He's just that good and effective.
And there's nothing silly about that whatsoever.
Aw man. Just glimpsed another replay of the cornhole championship on a cable channel.
Nothing against bean bags -- I used to toss them myself back in the silly canoe days -- but for whatever reason I suddenly have this strong desire to sleep on my back tonight.
Go figure.
Friday, February 23, 2018
Olympic blahs and woes
For the first time in my life, I can proudly, or maybe not, say that I haven't watched a single minute of these Olympic games. Sure, I've seen many highlights/replays on sports recap shows, so I kind of know what's been going on. Not sure why that is this year, but I'd guess it has something to do with 1) too much hype, 2) the never-ending hero making (everybody and everything is the greatest, at least among Americans, scream the ever-breathless announcers), 3) I wouldn't know the difference between a toe loop and a Fruit Loop, and don't much care, or 4) any combination of the above.
Idle thought.
That Heineken beer commercial featuring former race car driver supreme Jackie Stewart turning down a brew is really cool.
The one featuring a sumo wrestler on figure skates is really, how do I say, nauseating.
Much like I would never drive, or even sit in, a foreign car, neither would I consume a foreign beer. But at least I remember the brand in the Heineken spot.
Damned if I know what company brought us the mountain of blubber on skates. I'll look closer next time it runs to make sure I don't purchase any of their products.
I love Canada. Every time I've visited has been great. Super friendly people, not much crime, and beautiful country. And where in America will you find a subway with no graffiti?
So I can sympathize with their Olympic woes. First, their girls hockey team gets knocked off by the Americans. That's not supposed to happen. And BTW, what's up with deciding a gold medal game with a shoot-out? Good grief. Let them play until somebody scores another goal, no matter how many overtimes it takes. You wouldn't see Game 7 for the Stanley Cup decided this way. So why in the Olympics? It's like the fans and players got cheated.
Then, one of their hockey girls removed her silver medal from around her neck right after it was placed there. Oh my, the twitter twits went berserk. To all of which yours truly says, hey, it's her medal and she can do what she wants with it. Wear it, take it off, stomp on it, throw it into the crowd, whatever. And it's nobody else's business. I got your back girl.
Then the men's team got beat by Germany. Ouch. That would kind of be like the Germans getting defeated by the Canadians in soccer. That isn't supposed to happen either.
To the surprise of many, tiny little Norway is kicking everybody else's butts in the medal count. Good for them.
No chance N. Korea or the USA will do something stupid with missiles or bombers while athletes from all over the world are gathered in S. Korea. A good thing. When it's all over in a couple days, we'll see.
So far no doping scandals, at least that I'm aware of. Another good thing. But it was long after the previous winter Olympics before the bad stuff came out. Again, we'll see.
Thing is, there was a time, and not long ago, when I'd have been glued to the TV throughout the Olympics. Must see stuff.
Now, it just doesn't seem so important any more.
I dunno. Maybe in 2022.
Idle thought.
That Heineken beer commercial featuring former race car driver supreme Jackie Stewart turning down a brew is really cool.
The one featuring a sumo wrestler on figure skates is really, how do I say, nauseating.
Much like I would never drive, or even sit in, a foreign car, neither would I consume a foreign beer. But at least I remember the brand in the Heineken spot.
Damned if I know what company brought us the mountain of blubber on skates. I'll look closer next time it runs to make sure I don't purchase any of their products.
I love Canada. Every time I've visited has been great. Super friendly people, not much crime, and beautiful country. And where in America will you find a subway with no graffiti?
So I can sympathize with their Olympic woes. First, their girls hockey team gets knocked off by the Americans. That's not supposed to happen. And BTW, what's up with deciding a gold medal game with a shoot-out? Good grief. Let them play until somebody scores another goal, no matter how many overtimes it takes. You wouldn't see Game 7 for the Stanley Cup decided this way. So why in the Olympics? It's like the fans and players got cheated.
Then, one of their hockey girls removed her silver medal from around her neck right after it was placed there. Oh my, the twitter twits went berserk. To all of which yours truly says, hey, it's her medal and she can do what she wants with it. Wear it, take it off, stomp on it, throw it into the crowd, whatever. And it's nobody else's business. I got your back girl.
Then the men's team got beat by Germany. Ouch. That would kind of be like the Germans getting defeated by the Canadians in soccer. That isn't supposed to happen either.
To the surprise of many, tiny little Norway is kicking everybody else's butts in the medal count. Good for them.
No chance N. Korea or the USA will do something stupid with missiles or bombers while athletes from all over the world are gathered in S. Korea. A good thing. When it's all over in a couple days, we'll see.
So far no doping scandals, at least that I'm aware of. Another good thing. But it was long after the previous winter Olympics before the bad stuff came out. Again, we'll see.
Thing is, there was a time, and not long ago, when I'd have been glued to the TV throughout the Olympics. Must see stuff.
Now, it just doesn't seem so important any more.
I dunno. Maybe in 2022.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Michigan teams. Not pretty
The sports landscape involving professional and major college teams in Michigan is not a pretty sight right now.
The Detroit Tigers are in full-blown rebuild mode, having traded away most of their good players for the dreaded "prospects". At least the ones that were tradeable. Aging slugger Miguel Cabrera and ancient one tool (he can hit a little) player Victor Martinez have ridiculous contracts no other team is going to touch. The Tigers are stuck with them. Prognosis -- poor -- in the near future, if not longer.
Somewhat similarly, the Detroit Red Wings (and long overdue) have shed good players and big salaries. They're tumbling towards the bottom of the NHL. The once proud franchise is no more. Prognosis -- same as the Tigers.
After a semi-hot start this season, the Detroit Pistons are wilting fast. Adding Blake Griffin to an otherwise anemic roster doesn't appear to have helped much. Even if they somehow sneak into the playoffs, which isn't likely, there is little doubt they'll get blown out in the first round by an upper echelon team in the Eastern Conference. Prognosis -- likely even worse before it gets better.
Speaking of the Wings and Pistons, they both just moved into a sparkling brand new home, one Little Caesar's Arena. Gee, that's great. Problem is they can't seem to put people in the seats. Which is little wonder given how bad the teams are. Prognosis -- good -- for the Arena. Not so good for the teams.
The Detroit Lions are, well, the Detroit Lions. General Manager Bob Quinn, a former scout for the New England Patriots, appears to be way over his head as a GM. He's botched his first two drafts. And now after finally, FINALLY shedding themselves of Jim Caldwell, they've brought in another former Pat in Matt Patricia as head coach. Will he be the answer to what ails them? Maybe, anything's possible. But wait a minute. Isn't this the same guy that was in charge of the Patriots' defense? The same one that got absolutely torched by an otherwise mediocre Philadelphia Eagles' offense in the Super Bowl? To the tune of 43 points and about 600 yards? And HE'S going to be one that makes wine out of water with the pitiful defense he's inheriting with the Lions? Prognosis -- hope springs eternal when it comes to Lions' fans. Sigh. They just don't know any better.
The once ballyhooed arrival of Jim Harbaugh as the Michigan football coach seems to have worn off. Besides the patsies they typically schedule early in any season, the Wolverines appear to be no more than so-so in the Big Ten conference. They can't seem to beat rival Michigan State any more. Ohio State? Fuhgetaboutit. After the huge Jerry Sandusky sex scandal at Penn State, the Nittany Lions are back. In the last few years Wisconsin has been much better than Michigan as well. For supposedly being a quarterback guru, Harbaugh seems to be having a heckuva time finding even a halfway decent one. Prognosis -- sure they'll get to a bowl game every year. You have to be pretty bad not to given how many of them there are these days. But compete for a national championship? Uh-uh. Not any time soon.
Michigan State is right up there (at last look #2) in the basketball rankings. They've got a legitimate shot at winning it all when the NCAA tournament rolls around in a few weeks. There's no "super" teams out there. Just a bunch of really good ones.
In football, though better than Michigan, the Spartans are second-tier at best.
But here's the thing. That avalanche of allegations regarding hanky-panky by both the football and basketball teams hasn't exactly gone away. It's still there, just quieted down for now, as the investigations continue. Maybe they'll come out of it relatively unscathed. On the other hand, depending on what the authorities (both law-enforcement and NCAA) find in the end, both programs could come crashing down, including taking the head coaches with them. Time will tell. Prognosis -- tick, tick, tick.
All in all, major sports fans in the state of Michigan don't have a whole lot to look forward to right now. And might not in the foreseeable future either.
The Detroit Tigers are in full-blown rebuild mode, having traded away most of their good players for the dreaded "prospects". At least the ones that were tradeable. Aging slugger Miguel Cabrera and ancient one tool (he can hit a little) player Victor Martinez have ridiculous contracts no other team is going to touch. The Tigers are stuck with them. Prognosis -- poor -- in the near future, if not longer.
Somewhat similarly, the Detroit Red Wings (and long overdue) have shed good players and big salaries. They're tumbling towards the bottom of the NHL. The once proud franchise is no more. Prognosis -- same as the Tigers.
After a semi-hot start this season, the Detroit Pistons are wilting fast. Adding Blake Griffin to an otherwise anemic roster doesn't appear to have helped much. Even if they somehow sneak into the playoffs, which isn't likely, there is little doubt they'll get blown out in the first round by an upper echelon team in the Eastern Conference. Prognosis -- likely even worse before it gets better.
Speaking of the Wings and Pistons, they both just moved into a sparkling brand new home, one Little Caesar's Arena. Gee, that's great. Problem is they can't seem to put people in the seats. Which is little wonder given how bad the teams are. Prognosis -- good -- for the Arena. Not so good for the teams.
The Detroit Lions are, well, the Detroit Lions. General Manager Bob Quinn, a former scout for the New England Patriots, appears to be way over his head as a GM. He's botched his first two drafts. And now after finally, FINALLY shedding themselves of Jim Caldwell, they've brought in another former Pat in Matt Patricia as head coach. Will he be the answer to what ails them? Maybe, anything's possible. But wait a minute. Isn't this the same guy that was in charge of the Patriots' defense? The same one that got absolutely torched by an otherwise mediocre Philadelphia Eagles' offense in the Super Bowl? To the tune of 43 points and about 600 yards? And HE'S going to be one that makes wine out of water with the pitiful defense he's inheriting with the Lions? Prognosis -- hope springs eternal when it comes to Lions' fans. Sigh. They just don't know any better.
The once ballyhooed arrival of Jim Harbaugh as the Michigan football coach seems to have worn off. Besides the patsies they typically schedule early in any season, the Wolverines appear to be no more than so-so in the Big Ten conference. They can't seem to beat rival Michigan State any more. Ohio State? Fuhgetaboutit. After the huge Jerry Sandusky sex scandal at Penn State, the Nittany Lions are back. In the last few years Wisconsin has been much better than Michigan as well. For supposedly being a quarterback guru, Harbaugh seems to be having a heckuva time finding even a halfway decent one. Prognosis -- sure they'll get to a bowl game every year. You have to be pretty bad not to given how many of them there are these days. But compete for a national championship? Uh-uh. Not any time soon.
Michigan State is right up there (at last look #2) in the basketball rankings. They've got a legitimate shot at winning it all when the NCAA tournament rolls around in a few weeks. There's no "super" teams out there. Just a bunch of really good ones.
In football, though better than Michigan, the Spartans are second-tier at best.
But here's the thing. That avalanche of allegations regarding hanky-panky by both the football and basketball teams hasn't exactly gone away. It's still there, just quieted down for now, as the investigations continue. Maybe they'll come out of it relatively unscathed. On the other hand, depending on what the authorities (both law-enforcement and NCAA) find in the end, both programs could come crashing down, including taking the head coaches with them. Time will tell. Prognosis -- tick, tick, tick.
All in all, major sports fans in the state of Michigan don't have a whole lot to look forward to right now. And might not in the foreseeable future either.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Detroit Lions gag reflex
Call me weird (trust me, I've been called worse), but I never have liked coffee, or tea for that matter. My wake up drink has long been a tall glass of V8 juice, a healthy shot of lemon juice, and a tablespoon or so of black pepper stirred in.
So there I was sipping away at my morning cocktail as I began to check out a few sports stories.
Lo and behold, I came across one written by a Detroit area scribe (long known for being more "homerish" than Babe Ruth, the Iliad, Odyssey, or Bart and Marge's boy), as he attempted to assess the current state of the Lions. OK, let's see.
Just a couple paragraphs in, there it was. "The Lions have a good nucleus".
I almost spit out my juice. Say WHAT???
Near as I've been able to discern over the last several years, they have Matthew Stafford, a quarterback who throws for a lot of yards, a couple decent, but hardly great defensive backs, and a really good place kicker. And that's pretty much it.
At that, yon scribe said Stafford was a "franchise" QB in his prime. True enough, if that franchise is the Detroit Lions. They seem to think a guy with a career win/loss record of 60-65 is the greatest thing since hi-def TV.
Let's throw in Detroit's version of the Georgia Peach is an abysmal 3-32 against teams with a winning record, and has yet to win a single playoff game after a decade of playing. Oh, he's in his prime alright. The question is -- prime of what?
But it didn't stop there. As mentioned above, the defensive backs, namely Glover Quin, Darius Slay, and Quandre Diggs, seem to be great -- in their own minds. How else to explain the Lions defense being ranked 27th out of 32 teams in passing yards allowed last season? One way or the other, these guys are getting torched.
Ah, but there are "no signs of wide receivers Golden Tate and Marvin Jones slowing down". Indeed. At best, they're B-grade receivers in the first place. How many other teams around the league do you think either or both of them could start for?
The offensive line remains Keystone Koppish. Nobody seems to know who's playing where on any given game day. And they give up a ton of quarterback sacks to boot.
Running game? WHAT running game? They haven't had a decent back since Barry Sanders took an early retirement 20 years ago. That's why Stafford racks up so many passing yards. Because he throws a lot. Because the Lions have had no rushing attack.
"All tight end Eric Ebron has to do is hang onto the ball"? Well, duh. Having a tight end that can actually, OMG, catch, is probably a good idea. So far EE has yet to fit the bill, and that's when he can stay healthy, which isn't often.
The defensive line hasn't been a factor since Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley departed for the greener pastures of free agency a few years back. Granted, they were both thugs (dirty players), but at least they were effective.
Linebackers? Quick, name one of the starters for the Lions. Even if you can, chances are good these guys wouldn't start for any other team. Good grief, they probably wouldn't even be on the roster of good ones.
However, yon scribe was correct when he said the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Super Bowl winning Philadelphia Eagles had turned things around dramatically since the year before.
It's theoretically possible.
Except for one thing.
They're not the Lions. The forevermore C- minus flat-liners of the NFL. In a good year -- for them.
But the thing that makes yours truly gag the most -- V8 or not -- isn't so much the team or the homer scribes that keep peddling the same snake oil/koolaid every year.
Those are to be expected.
What's REALLY sickening are the hordes of Honolulu blue and silver faithful that keep buying the same old schtick -- year, after year, after year, after decade, after decade.
WHATSAMATTUH with these people?
Are they just..... that..... dumb?
I mean, how many times does one have to be kicked in the head (and wallet) before they realize what they're doing is painful? And stop doing it?
Seems simple enough.
Maybe it's something in the Detroit air or water supply. They seem to think the NBA's Pistons have some sort of shot at being relevant as well. Next it will be the Major League Tigers, also a sad sack bunch. Hope springs eternal, right?
Yep, but especially in Detroit.
Mr. T of A-Team fame probably summed it up best years ago.
I pity the fools.
So there I was sipping away at my morning cocktail as I began to check out a few sports stories.
Lo and behold, I came across one written by a Detroit area scribe (long known for being more "homerish" than Babe Ruth, the Iliad, Odyssey, or Bart and Marge's boy), as he attempted to assess the current state of the Lions. OK, let's see.
Just a couple paragraphs in, there it was. "The Lions have a good nucleus".
I almost spit out my juice. Say WHAT???
Near as I've been able to discern over the last several years, they have Matthew Stafford, a quarterback who throws for a lot of yards, a couple decent, but hardly great defensive backs, and a really good place kicker. And that's pretty much it.
At that, yon scribe said Stafford was a "franchise" QB in his prime. True enough, if that franchise is the Detroit Lions. They seem to think a guy with a career win/loss record of 60-65 is the greatest thing since hi-def TV.
Let's throw in Detroit's version of the Georgia Peach is an abysmal 3-32 against teams with a winning record, and has yet to win a single playoff game after a decade of playing. Oh, he's in his prime alright. The question is -- prime of what?
But it didn't stop there. As mentioned above, the defensive backs, namely Glover Quin, Darius Slay, and Quandre Diggs, seem to be great -- in their own minds. How else to explain the Lions defense being ranked 27th out of 32 teams in passing yards allowed last season? One way or the other, these guys are getting torched.
Ah, but there are "no signs of wide receivers Golden Tate and Marvin Jones slowing down". Indeed. At best, they're B-grade receivers in the first place. How many other teams around the league do you think either or both of them could start for?
The offensive line remains Keystone Koppish. Nobody seems to know who's playing where on any given game day. And they give up a ton of quarterback sacks to boot.
Running game? WHAT running game? They haven't had a decent back since Barry Sanders took an early retirement 20 years ago. That's why Stafford racks up so many passing yards. Because he throws a lot. Because the Lions have had no rushing attack.
"All tight end Eric Ebron has to do is hang onto the ball"? Well, duh. Having a tight end that can actually, OMG, catch, is probably a good idea. So far EE has yet to fit the bill, and that's when he can stay healthy, which isn't often.
The defensive line hasn't been a factor since Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley departed for the greener pastures of free agency a few years back. Granted, they were both thugs (dirty players), but at least they were effective.
Linebackers? Quick, name one of the starters for the Lions. Even if you can, chances are good these guys wouldn't start for any other team. Good grief, they probably wouldn't even be on the roster of good ones.
However, yon scribe was correct when he said the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Super Bowl winning Philadelphia Eagles had turned things around dramatically since the year before.
It's theoretically possible.
Except for one thing.
They're not the Lions. The forevermore C- minus flat-liners of the NFL. In a good year -- for them.
But the thing that makes yours truly gag the most -- V8 or not -- isn't so much the team or the homer scribes that keep peddling the same snake oil/koolaid every year.
Those are to be expected.
What's REALLY sickening are the hordes of Honolulu blue and silver faithful that keep buying the same old schtick -- year, after year, after year, after decade, after decade.
WHATSAMATTUH with these people?
Are they just..... that..... dumb?
I mean, how many times does one have to be kicked in the head (and wallet) before they realize what they're doing is painful? And stop doing it?
Seems simple enough.
Maybe it's something in the Detroit air or water supply. They seem to think the NBA's Pistons have some sort of shot at being relevant as well. Next it will be the Major League Tigers, also a sad sack bunch. Hope springs eternal, right?
Yep, but especially in Detroit.
Mr. T of A-Team fame probably summed it up best years ago.
I pity the fools.
Weird stuff
Well now, that was about a scary commercial. Some drug (I forget what ailment it's supposed to help) claims to cause less major bleeding than its competitors.
Hey, I don't want ANY major bleeding. Hello? In fact, none at all would be highly preferable, thank you very much. And that's not even to mention the possible side effects of numb lips, tingly feeling limbs, nausea, irregular heartbeat, and other stuff in the small print at the bottom of the screen. Who in their right mind would gobble a few of those pills?
I'm still trying to get my head around the ad a while back that said if you experience a fatal event, call your doctor right away.
Ah yes, His Highness was back. That would be one Eldrick Tont Woods, sometimes known as Tiger.
In the current golf tournament going on in California (Genesis Open), per usual the viewing public was bombarded with Tiger this and Tiger that.
Never mind he was 5 strokes off the lead after one round.
Key up the Tiger highlights, dammit. And make sure to get an interview. So sayeth the networks.
Also never mind that after the cut came, he was another whopping 5 strokes behind qualifying (having butchered his second round), there were more -- and more -- and more clips of Eldrick.
Yours truly was watching ESPN's sportscenter at about 10 PM when I dozed off. Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. Dude gives me nightmares any more. Then I woke up a few hours later. Guess what? They were STILL talking about Woods.
Hey, didn't this guy bomb out of yet another tournament? Isn't he the same has been that's not even ranked in the top 500 in the world anymore? So why do they keep devoting so much air time to him? Great once? Sure. Nowadays? A hack. Get used to it.
The ongoing idolatry practiced by the Tiger groupies is some weird stuff indeed.
What is it with these people?
Hey, I don't want ANY major bleeding. Hello? In fact, none at all would be highly preferable, thank you very much. And that's not even to mention the possible side effects of numb lips, tingly feeling limbs, nausea, irregular heartbeat, and other stuff in the small print at the bottom of the screen. Who in their right mind would gobble a few of those pills?
I'm still trying to get my head around the ad a while back that said if you experience a fatal event, call your doctor right away.
Ah yes, His Highness was back. That would be one Eldrick Tont Woods, sometimes known as Tiger.
In the current golf tournament going on in California (Genesis Open), per usual the viewing public was bombarded with Tiger this and Tiger that.
Never mind he was 5 strokes off the lead after one round.
Key up the Tiger highlights, dammit. And make sure to get an interview. So sayeth the networks.
Also never mind that after the cut came, he was another whopping 5 strokes behind qualifying (having butchered his second round), there were more -- and more -- and more clips of Eldrick.
Yours truly was watching ESPN's sportscenter at about 10 PM when I dozed off. Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. Dude gives me nightmares any more. Then I woke up a few hours later. Guess what? They were STILL talking about Woods.
Hey, didn't this guy bomb out of yet another tournament? Isn't he the same has been that's not even ranked in the top 500 in the world anymore? So why do they keep devoting so much air time to him? Great once? Sure. Nowadays? A hack. Get used to it.
The ongoing idolatry practiced by the Tiger groupies is some weird stuff indeed.
What is it with these people?
Friday, February 16, 2018
The Lebron James dilemma
OK. A lot of people consider Lebron James to be the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) basketball player. And he might well be. Everything Michael Jordan could do, LJ could and can do, and a lot of it better. Besides, he's bigger and taller.
To judge a player in a team sport like basketball is a bad gauge. Sure, Mike's got more rings than Lebron, but if championships are all that counts, Bill Russell of the long ago Boston Celtics would be the GOAT. Nobody entertains that idea.
We all know that James started off in Cleveland, couldn't quite get them over the hump for a title, and subsequently joined forces with D-Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami to capture the ring he so coveted. Actually two. Then back to Cleveland, his "home" town, to do the same. A feel good story -- kinda.
But lately, LJ has boxed himself in. If he pursues free agency and goes elsewhere in quest of yet another title, instead of being of thought of as the home town boy -- he'll be considered a mercenary.
On that note, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been struggling this year, at least as far as their standards are concerned. They find themselves 5-6 games behind the Celtics and Toronto Raptors in the eastern conference of the NBA. True, they remain on top in the Central Division, but the rest of the teams there are a sorry bunch.
Yet rumors abound that LJ might find his way to Houston or Golden State sometime soon. If either scenario plays out, that club would be the next "super team", much like the Warriors were when Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City to join them.
But there's the rub. James has a no-trade clause in his contract. The Cavs can't deal him for a few players and draft picks if they decide to go the rebuild route. And the age factor is against him as well. While James is still playing at a very high level, it's only a matter of time before he starts slowing down. Likely soon.
The only way he goes elsewhere is to waive the no-trade clause.
But if he does that, many, especially Cavs fans, will rightly interpret it as James signaling for a trade, even if he doesn't come out and say so.
So it would appear he has two choices.
For better or worse, ride it out in Cleveland, which doesn't look especially promising, given Kevin Love is out again, the continuing rise of the Celtics and Raptors, and likely either the Warriors or Rockets -- both formidable waiting for them in the Finals -- with home court to boot.
Or make a ton of money (which is already is -- and given sponsors -- he doesn't need any more) going elsewhere in pursuit of another ring or three. But in that case his once sterling reputation as a "home town" boy would go up in flames. The only people that WOULDN'T be sniping are those fans of the team he went to.
Sure, he's a lock for the Hall Of Fame.
But how will his legacy, which will last much longer than his playing career, play out? And how important is it to him?
Tough call.
But that's why he gets paid the big bucks -- right?
To judge a player in a team sport like basketball is a bad gauge. Sure, Mike's got more rings than Lebron, but if championships are all that counts, Bill Russell of the long ago Boston Celtics would be the GOAT. Nobody entertains that idea.
We all know that James started off in Cleveland, couldn't quite get them over the hump for a title, and subsequently joined forces with D-Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami to capture the ring he so coveted. Actually two. Then back to Cleveland, his "home" town, to do the same. A feel good story -- kinda.
But lately, LJ has boxed himself in. If he pursues free agency and goes elsewhere in quest of yet another title, instead of being of thought of as the home town boy -- he'll be considered a mercenary.
On that note, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been struggling this year, at least as far as their standards are concerned. They find themselves 5-6 games behind the Celtics and Toronto Raptors in the eastern conference of the NBA. True, they remain on top in the Central Division, but the rest of the teams there are a sorry bunch.
Yet rumors abound that LJ might find his way to Houston or Golden State sometime soon. If either scenario plays out, that club would be the next "super team", much like the Warriors were when Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City to join them.
But there's the rub. James has a no-trade clause in his contract. The Cavs can't deal him for a few players and draft picks if they decide to go the rebuild route. And the age factor is against him as well. While James is still playing at a very high level, it's only a matter of time before he starts slowing down. Likely soon.
The only way he goes elsewhere is to waive the no-trade clause.
But if he does that, many, especially Cavs fans, will rightly interpret it as James signaling for a trade, even if he doesn't come out and say so.
So it would appear he has two choices.
For better or worse, ride it out in Cleveland, which doesn't look especially promising, given Kevin Love is out again, the continuing rise of the Celtics and Raptors, and likely either the Warriors or Rockets -- both formidable waiting for them in the Finals -- with home court to boot.
Or make a ton of money (which is already is -- and given sponsors -- he doesn't need any more) going elsewhere in pursuit of another ring or three. But in that case his once sterling reputation as a "home town" boy would go up in flames. The only people that WOULDN'T be sniping are those fans of the team he went to.
Sure, he's a lock for the Hall Of Fame.
But how will his legacy, which will last much longer than his playing career, play out? And how important is it to him?
Tough call.
But that's why he gets paid the big bucks -- right?
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Idle rants
The recent Heineken beer commercials featuring former Formula 1 driver Jackie Stewart are pretty cool. "No thanks", to a free beer, he says. "I'm still driving", as a valet brings his super-duper sports car to the curb. WAY better than that limp-wristed (Neil Patrick Harris?) spokesperson that preceded him. Still, it's a beer commercial, not champagne or one of those sissy drinks with an umbrella sticking out of a glass. Hey, man up Heinecken. You're not helping your cause here.
What's worse than the sorry city of Detroit constructing a shiny new state of the art -- for a few years anyway -- arena for the pitiful Detroit Pistons and Red Wings (that they can't even come close to selling out because the teams are so bad)? The old one, Joe Louis Arena. He was a boxer, dumber than a rock, from Alabama, that wound up a broken stumble bum after his career in the ring, which ended over a half century ago. So they named a hockey arena after this guy? Only in Detroit.
Interesting how new Detroit Lions' head coach Matt Patricia used to look like Grizzly Adams with his unkempt beard while the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. Once he showed up in Detroit, he'd spiffed up and appeared almost gentleman-worthy. Almost. Hint to Matt. Lose the pencil over your ear, dude. I mean, whether in Foxborough or Motown, what good was a pencil when you never had anything in your hands to write on? Hello? (He called the defensive formations for the Patriots from a list -- that was laminated. Try to use a pencil to write on a piece of paper that's been laminated and see how well that works.)
Still, the good Mr. P faces a daunting task. No, not because other than a pretty good quarterback and an excellent place kicker the Lions are a mishmash of second/third rate talent. Thing is, with the ridiculously soft schedule -- and catching every break possible along the way -- they managed to win nine games last year. So anything short of ten wins in 2018 will make Matty P look like a step backwards. And good luck coaxing 10 Ws out of that sorry crew. He should enjoy the dough, because like all the others before, he just wandered into the graveyard for NFL head coaches. This is where they go to die. The Detroit Lions have been around since before WWII, but no head coach, once there, EVER got another head coaching job in the NFL. Odd, or maybe not, given the good-ole-boys coaching carousel we've seen so much of in recent times. EVERYBODY gets another crack. Unless they passed through the Lions' twilight zone.
It's laughable how Lebron James -- and so many of the media and fans -- think he's somehow in charge of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hey, he's a player. A very good one, arguably the best -- but still a player. He doesn't get to decide who his teammates are. That's the purview of the general manager, via the draft, trades, and free agent signings. We all remember how dear Lebron wanted to come "home" and win a title for Cleveland. And so he did a couple years back.
But here's the thing. Why would Lebron come out publicly to say he was exercising the "no trade" clause in his contract if he didn't think the front office might be considering shipping him out? It might be the best thing they could do. Get a few serviceable players and draft picks in return to build for the future while he's still playing at a high level -- before Father Time takes his inevitable toll. And if he keeps mouthing off, maybe we'll have to change James to Jimmy. Just shut up and play. Only the groupies and idiots care about what he has to say.
The Daytona 500 in going off this Sunday. A great race. Sorta. The first few laps are always exciting, and we can count on a big pile up towards the end. The 400+ miles in between? Maybe not so exciting. Anyone want to guess when Danica Patrick will be involved in a wreck? You know it's going to happen. Let's just hope she doesn't take out some of the guys that have a legitimate shot at winning this thing.
BTW. Why is NASCAR the only sports entity that puts its biggest event at the start of the season, rather than at the end?
Can that be right? The Cleveland Browns of the NFL have $104 million bucks worth of cap space and 12 draft picks this year? Dang, they should be able to load up their roster and actually be competitive this year. Hmm. Nah, Hugh Jackson is still the head coach and it's still Cleveland. They'll find a way to screw it up, because that's just what they do. Only in Cleveland (or maybe Detroit) can a head coach go 0-16 and have their fans think he'll be the answer -- eventually. Sigh. As the noted Mr. T once famously uttered -- I pity the fools.
Uh oh. Eldrick must have entered another PGA tournament. How else to explain the nauseating Tiger "highlights" that keep popping up on the sports channels? But it's different than in years past. Used to be, the trendy bet of the day was whether or not Woods would conquer the entire field to win a championship. Nowadays, it's whether he'll make the cut or not.
Oh my. How the mighty have fallen indeed.
How many times do I have to say it?
Stick a fork in him. He's been done for years. The young guns on tour these days will smoke him like he once did the former generation. And that's just the way it goes.
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Sports blahs
Idle thought. Why is it we call them a "pair" of pants. By that very statement I've fallen into the same trap by using "them", a plural word. After all, it's a singular item. Pairs of socks, shoes, eyes, make sense. But not pants. Nor trousers for that matter. Who came up with this nonsense?
OK, enough of that. Onward.
This is the slow time of year in American sports.
Major League baseball teams are just getting ready to report to spring training, so nothing's going on there.
The college football bowl games and the Super Bowl are recent memories. No action in store for a few more months.
The NBA and NHL are slogging through the dog days of the middle of another season. They won't heat up until the playoffs start in a couple months.
Same with college basketball. What the rankings are now, and how they've changed in the last couple months, have never been of any consequence. That won't get interesting until the NCAA tourney starts. And even then, rankings won't matter, other than seeding the tournament. Win six games and a school is champs. Anything less, and you lose. Period. The Final Four is definitely overrated, a media creation. Where else in sports are the semi-finalists hyped to this insane degree? Put another way -- does anybody really care who finishes tied for third, or even runner-up for that matter? Good grief, a few months after it's over, many have a hard time remembering who the champs were.
Yep, the roundy round folks are practicing at Dayton getting ready for the 500.
Idle thought II. Why is it NASCAR is the only sport that plays their version of the Super Bowl as the first race of the year? Seems bass-ackwards. Wouldn't it make a lot more sense that, instead of Homestead, the Daytona 500 was the LAST race of the year before their version of the playoffs? Better yet, the FINAL race to determine the champion at the END of those playoffs?
Golf is puttering along, but few pay much attention until the Masters tournament, which happens in early April.
The Indy cars are probably racing somewhere every week, but does anybody care until the Indy 500 rolls around in late May? Further, how many people pay attention to their other races once the granddaddy is over?
Pro tennis just saw the Australian Open end. "Old man" Roger Federer is still amazing. They'll play every week too, but not counting tennis groupies, most divergent sports fans only tune into the majors anyway. Wake them up when Wimbledon starts in a few months. Or is it the French Open next?
Ah yes, the Olympics. Is it just me or have they seemed to get more boring every four years as time goes on?
.
OK, enough of that. Onward.
This is the slow time of year in American sports.
Major League baseball teams are just getting ready to report to spring training, so nothing's going on there.
The college football bowl games and the Super Bowl are recent memories. No action in store for a few more months.
The NBA and NHL are slogging through the dog days of the middle of another season. They won't heat up until the playoffs start in a couple months.
Same with college basketball. What the rankings are now, and how they've changed in the last couple months, have never been of any consequence. That won't get interesting until the NCAA tourney starts. And even then, rankings won't matter, other than seeding the tournament. Win six games and a school is champs. Anything less, and you lose. Period. The Final Four is definitely overrated, a media creation. Where else in sports are the semi-finalists hyped to this insane degree? Put another way -- does anybody really care who finishes tied for third, or even runner-up for that matter? Good grief, a few months after it's over, many have a hard time remembering who the champs were.
Yep, the roundy round folks are practicing at Dayton getting ready for the 500.
Idle thought II. Why is it NASCAR is the only sport that plays their version of the Super Bowl as the first race of the year? Seems bass-ackwards. Wouldn't it make a lot more sense that, instead of Homestead, the Daytona 500 was the LAST race of the year before their version of the playoffs? Better yet, the FINAL race to determine the champion at the END of those playoffs?
Golf is puttering along, but few pay much attention until the Masters tournament, which happens in early April.
The Indy cars are probably racing somewhere every week, but does anybody care until the Indy 500 rolls around in late May? Further, how many people pay attention to their other races once the granddaddy is over?
Pro tennis just saw the Australian Open end. "Old man" Roger Federer is still amazing. They'll play every week too, but not counting tennis groupies, most divergent sports fans only tune into the majors anyway. Wake them up when Wimbledon starts in a few months. Or is it the French Open next?
Ah yes, the Olympics. Is it just me or have they seemed to get more boring every four years as time goes on?
.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Goodbye Danica Patrick
And for that matter, good riddance.
Yours truly is hard pressed to think of any individual in the history of sports that was more over-hyped and under performing. Basically, Danica Patrick was a media darling, but a terrible race car driver.
Like Kyle Petty once said (and got torched by the politically correct crowd for), she can go fast but she'll never be an accomplished racer. Truer words were never spoken.
A certain crowd wanted, wanted, wanted Patrick to win races. They NEEDED her to win.
And all along the way, dear Danica was provided with the best equipment and crews. But she couldn't win.
Her only checked flag in the Indy car circuit came in an obscure race in Japan that most of the top teams and drivers didn't even bother to show up for.
It was laughable how biased the broadcasters were when DP was racing at the Indy 500. Typically, when most contending cars would come into pit, for more fuel, adjustments, and new tires, Patrick would stay out for another lap or two.
The announcers would breathlessly scream -- OMG, DANICA PATRICK IS LEADING THE INDIANAPOLIS 500!!!
Indeed she was -- until she had to pit herself and the field reset itself, which would find her far back in the pack.
In all her years of driving in the NASCAR circuit, she never won a single race.
However, she did have the not-so-good distinction of wrecking the most cars. Not only her own, but taking slews of other drivers with her in such pile-ups that she so often caused. The official count is unknown, but it's likely in the hundreds. At roughly $400,000 a pop to build new race cars, this could get pretty expensive for the sponsors that had to pay for them. It's no wonder her sponsor Go Daddy -- went. If you had a daughter that wrecked your car every time you let her drive one, how long would it take you to keep the keys away from her in the future?
I read the Wikipedia account on Danica Patrick, along with a few others. In trying to rationalize how she was involved in so many wrecks, they divided it into two categories.
1) Wrecked unintentionally. This they attributed to bad "racing luck".
2) Wrecked intentionally. Chalk that up to being "targeted".
Yet they omitted the most obvious.
3) Wrecked due to her own incompetence and luck had nothing to do with it.
As for being targeted, the other drivers on the track likely held their collective breaths while the wrecking machine was still among them, lest they be caught up in another one of her $400K a pop gaffes.
Multiply that figure by all the cars she was responsible for taking out one way or the other, and the figure might well be in the billions. What a colossal waste of high tech racing equipment. And all this because the PCers so desperately wanted a woman to be competitive in a sport long dominated by men?
We can remember her foot-stomping hissy fits. We can remember the fawning talking heads and their seemingly mandatory -- and endless -- interviews with Patrick, trying to boost her image. We can remember -- or hopefully forget -- her pitiful attempts at modeling. (If people wanted to see stick girls dressed in leather, they could go to an anorexic biker show).
But wreck, after wreck, after wreck, with no wins to show for it would seem to be her true legacy.
Hence, to no great surprise, Danica finds herself without a major sponsor this year. Of course this is being spun as her planning to retire all along. Please.
Yet ever seeking another 15 minutes, Ms. Patrick somehow plans on racing at the two marquis events this year. The Daytona and Indy 500s.
All I can say is good luck to the other guys and/or gals that find themselves on the same tracks as the one woman demolition derby. Always be aware where she's at lest you become her latest victim.
In sum, this finally, mercifully, appears to spell the end of Danica Patrick's so-called racing career.
And it can't happen a moment too soon.
Yours truly is hard pressed to think of any individual in the history of sports that was more over-hyped and under performing. Basically, Danica Patrick was a media darling, but a terrible race car driver.
Like Kyle Petty once said (and got torched by the politically correct crowd for), she can go fast but she'll never be an accomplished racer. Truer words were never spoken.
A certain crowd wanted, wanted, wanted Patrick to win races. They NEEDED her to win.
And all along the way, dear Danica was provided with the best equipment and crews. But she couldn't win.
Her only checked flag in the Indy car circuit came in an obscure race in Japan that most of the top teams and drivers didn't even bother to show up for.
It was laughable how biased the broadcasters were when DP was racing at the Indy 500. Typically, when most contending cars would come into pit, for more fuel, adjustments, and new tires, Patrick would stay out for another lap or two.
The announcers would breathlessly scream -- OMG, DANICA PATRICK IS LEADING THE INDIANAPOLIS 500!!!
Indeed she was -- until she had to pit herself and the field reset itself, which would find her far back in the pack.
In all her years of driving in the NASCAR circuit, she never won a single race.
However, she did have the not-so-good distinction of wrecking the most cars. Not only her own, but taking slews of other drivers with her in such pile-ups that she so often caused. The official count is unknown, but it's likely in the hundreds. At roughly $400,000 a pop to build new race cars, this could get pretty expensive for the sponsors that had to pay for them. It's no wonder her sponsor Go Daddy -- went. If you had a daughter that wrecked your car every time you let her drive one, how long would it take you to keep the keys away from her in the future?
I read the Wikipedia account on Danica Patrick, along with a few others. In trying to rationalize how she was involved in so many wrecks, they divided it into two categories.
1) Wrecked unintentionally. This they attributed to bad "racing luck".
2) Wrecked intentionally. Chalk that up to being "targeted".
Yet they omitted the most obvious.
3) Wrecked due to her own incompetence and luck had nothing to do with it.
As for being targeted, the other drivers on the track likely held their collective breaths while the wrecking machine was still among them, lest they be caught up in another one of her $400K a pop gaffes.
Multiply that figure by all the cars she was responsible for taking out one way or the other, and the figure might well be in the billions. What a colossal waste of high tech racing equipment. And all this because the PCers so desperately wanted a woman to be competitive in a sport long dominated by men?
We can remember her foot-stomping hissy fits. We can remember the fawning talking heads and their seemingly mandatory -- and endless -- interviews with Patrick, trying to boost her image. We can remember -- or hopefully forget -- her pitiful attempts at modeling. (If people wanted to see stick girls dressed in leather, they could go to an anorexic biker show).
But wreck, after wreck, after wreck, with no wins to show for it would seem to be her true legacy.
Hence, to no great surprise, Danica finds herself without a major sponsor this year. Of course this is being spun as her planning to retire all along. Please.
Yet ever seeking another 15 minutes, Ms. Patrick somehow plans on racing at the two marquis events this year. The Daytona and Indy 500s.
All I can say is good luck to the other guys and/or gals that find themselves on the same tracks as the one woman demolition derby. Always be aware where she's at lest you become her latest victim.
In sum, this finally, mercifully, appears to spell the end of Danica Patrick's so-called racing career.
And it can't happen a moment too soon.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
The Josh McDaniels caper
Football fans know Josh McDaniels. He's currently the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. The guy that calls the plays for Tom Brady and Co., and reports to head coach Bill Belichick.
Even before the Pats lost the Super Bowl, most everybody thought McDaniels was headed to the Indianapolis Colts to assume the head coaching duties (Chuck Pagano having been fired on New Year's eve), immediately after the game. It appeared to be a done deal.
Indeed, the Colts had even announced the hire and scheduled the usual press conference to trumpet their latest and greatest field general.
But not so fast.
Evidently, McDaniels changed his mind at the last second. That's his prerogative, of course, but it sure caused an ongoing uproar. People are sniping at McDaniels and the Patriots from every direction.
Yet nobody seems to know just exactly what happened to cause this to occur. Some speculate Pats owner Robert Kraft offered him a hefty raise and/or promised him the head coaching position in Foxborough when Belichick steps down/retires. The latter is signed for another year, and might just hang around as long as Brady does. Or not. Another mystery.
Thing is, a raise itself wouldn't explain it if money were the only thing in play. In this day and age any head coach, especially a new one, would receive upwards of $5 million bucks a year. No way is a coordinator going to paid anywhere near that. So in effect, if we can assume that while McD got a raise in the short run, he actually took a sizable pay cut in the long one. Odd.
Few would doubt the Patriots are very much contenders to go right back to the Super Bowl next year. To that end, the wise guys in Vegas have them as the favorite, odds-wise.
And the Colts aren't a very good team. True, they didn't have the services of quarterback Andrew Luck, out with an injury all year, but it's no sure thing Luck can turn a 4-12 record into something respectable either. Nor is it a certainty he'll ever be as good as he was before after fully healing from said injury. The jury most definitely remains out.
It should be noted that even if McD had taken the Indy job, this wouldn't be his first go-round as a head coach. In 2009 he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos who went a mediocre 8-8. The following year they were a miserable 3-9 when he was fired mid-season.
Could there be some dirty tricks/bad blood afoot here? Possibly. Let's not forget the Colts organization were leading the "deflategate" charge against Brady and the Pats just a few short years ago. Whether it had merit or not is debatable, but it was an embarrassment to the Pats in any case.
It could well be Kraft saw a chance to get back at them. Screw them out of their head coach at the last second. Of course, that is only one of many theories, none of which have been proved or disproved to date. The public at large may never know what happened and why. It's not like the Pats did anything illegal and could be subpoenaed to testify regarding same. And if there's anything more secretive than that Kim guy in N. Korea, it's the inner workings of the Patriots.
We should also consider that McD took a page out of his boss Belichick's book with this little caper, only not quite as drastic. Back in 2000, Belichick had signed on to be the NY Jets head coach, officially, but only one day later, abruptly resigned. One could logically ask, why bother going through the interview process and signing the contract to quit the very next day? Very strange. Did Kraft, even way back then, make Belichick an offer he couldn't refuse? Eighteen years and eight Super Bowl appearances later, including five victories, it's pretty tough to argue Belichick didn't make the right decision. But it stunk at the time.
Regarding McDaniels, many are outraged, including Tony Dungy, a former head coach of the same Colts, who was quite successful. But TD needs to shut up. He's been out of the game for quite a while and is just an analyst (talking head) of late. His opinion doesn't count any more than a guy on a bar stool somewhere.
But here's the kicker. If indeed McD is in line to replace BB when he finally steps down, he'll inherit a team that is likely without Tom Brady. Take him away and the Pats might get quite ordinary in a hurry. In that regard, his move doesn't make a lot of sense. He turned down big bucks to stay with an unsure future at best. Yes, he has a wife and kids, and moving them from the Boston area to the Indianapolis area would be a hassle, but coaches (and athletes) do that all the time.
However, there's another detail, quite blatant, that nobody seems to have considered yet.
Think what you will of McDaniels and/or the Pats/Kraft, but the bottom line is this mess is entirely the fault of the Colts.
How so? Any prudent business person (or lawyer) will tell you coming to a verbal agreement is a good thing. But a contract is not a contract until the parties have signed on the proverbial dotted line.
Evidently the Colts had signed off on it and assumed McDaniels would shortly as well. A mere formality. But it's foolish to announce a done deal to the world when it isn't officially done yet at all.
That little formality came back to bite them in the butt. They remain without a head coach and have to start the process all over again. Ouch.
Then again, though he's under contract, it's not a certainty either that Belichick will return for another season. He could walk away as well, immediately elevating McDaniels to the head coach of the Pats. Maybe that was part of the Kraft deal. Another unknown, but some are speculating it might be the case. We'll find out when training camp starts next year, if not before.
In the end, though many may disapprove, what McDaniels did is just another day of business. He exercised one of his options.
But he better hope things work out well with the Patriots, because the other 31 teams in the NFL probably don't think too highly of him right about now. And like he changed his mind, so could Kraft regarding his future employment. Ya never know. Ask the Colts about that. That scenario would leave McDaniels out on an island somewhere.
Perhaps in a way, it would be fitting. What goes around -- comes around sometimes.
Even before the Pats lost the Super Bowl, most everybody thought McDaniels was headed to the Indianapolis Colts to assume the head coaching duties (Chuck Pagano having been fired on New Year's eve), immediately after the game. It appeared to be a done deal.
Indeed, the Colts had even announced the hire and scheduled the usual press conference to trumpet their latest and greatest field general.
But not so fast.
Evidently, McDaniels changed his mind at the last second. That's his prerogative, of course, but it sure caused an ongoing uproar. People are sniping at McDaniels and the Patriots from every direction.
Yet nobody seems to know just exactly what happened to cause this to occur. Some speculate Pats owner Robert Kraft offered him a hefty raise and/or promised him the head coaching position in Foxborough when Belichick steps down/retires. The latter is signed for another year, and might just hang around as long as Brady does. Or not. Another mystery.
Thing is, a raise itself wouldn't explain it if money were the only thing in play. In this day and age any head coach, especially a new one, would receive upwards of $5 million bucks a year. No way is a coordinator going to paid anywhere near that. So in effect, if we can assume that while McD got a raise in the short run, he actually took a sizable pay cut in the long one. Odd.
Few would doubt the Patriots are very much contenders to go right back to the Super Bowl next year. To that end, the wise guys in Vegas have them as the favorite, odds-wise.
And the Colts aren't a very good team. True, they didn't have the services of quarterback Andrew Luck, out with an injury all year, but it's no sure thing Luck can turn a 4-12 record into something respectable either. Nor is it a certainty he'll ever be as good as he was before after fully healing from said injury. The jury most definitely remains out.
It should be noted that even if McD had taken the Indy job, this wouldn't be his first go-round as a head coach. In 2009 he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos who went a mediocre 8-8. The following year they were a miserable 3-9 when he was fired mid-season.
Could there be some dirty tricks/bad blood afoot here? Possibly. Let's not forget the Colts organization were leading the "deflategate" charge against Brady and the Pats just a few short years ago. Whether it had merit or not is debatable, but it was an embarrassment to the Pats in any case.
It could well be Kraft saw a chance to get back at them. Screw them out of their head coach at the last second. Of course, that is only one of many theories, none of which have been proved or disproved to date. The public at large may never know what happened and why. It's not like the Pats did anything illegal and could be subpoenaed to testify regarding same. And if there's anything more secretive than that Kim guy in N. Korea, it's the inner workings of the Patriots.
We should also consider that McD took a page out of his boss Belichick's book with this little caper, only not quite as drastic. Back in 2000, Belichick had signed on to be the NY Jets head coach, officially, but only one day later, abruptly resigned. One could logically ask, why bother going through the interview process and signing the contract to quit the very next day? Very strange. Did Kraft, even way back then, make Belichick an offer he couldn't refuse? Eighteen years and eight Super Bowl appearances later, including five victories, it's pretty tough to argue Belichick didn't make the right decision. But it stunk at the time.
Regarding McDaniels, many are outraged, including Tony Dungy, a former head coach of the same Colts, who was quite successful. But TD needs to shut up. He's been out of the game for quite a while and is just an analyst (talking head) of late. His opinion doesn't count any more than a guy on a bar stool somewhere.
But here's the kicker. If indeed McD is in line to replace BB when he finally steps down, he'll inherit a team that is likely without Tom Brady. Take him away and the Pats might get quite ordinary in a hurry. In that regard, his move doesn't make a lot of sense. He turned down big bucks to stay with an unsure future at best. Yes, he has a wife and kids, and moving them from the Boston area to the Indianapolis area would be a hassle, but coaches (and athletes) do that all the time.
However, there's another detail, quite blatant, that nobody seems to have considered yet.
Think what you will of McDaniels and/or the Pats/Kraft, but the bottom line is this mess is entirely the fault of the Colts.
How so? Any prudent business person (or lawyer) will tell you coming to a verbal agreement is a good thing. But a contract is not a contract until the parties have signed on the proverbial dotted line.
Evidently the Colts had signed off on it and assumed McDaniels would shortly as well. A mere formality. But it's foolish to announce a done deal to the world when it isn't officially done yet at all.
That little formality came back to bite them in the butt. They remain without a head coach and have to start the process all over again. Ouch.
Then again, though he's under contract, it's not a certainty either that Belichick will return for another season. He could walk away as well, immediately elevating McDaniels to the head coach of the Pats. Maybe that was part of the Kraft deal. Another unknown, but some are speculating it might be the case. We'll find out when training camp starts next year, if not before.
In the end, though many may disapprove, what McDaniels did is just another day of business. He exercised one of his options.
But he better hope things work out well with the Patriots, because the other 31 teams in the NFL probably don't think too highly of him right about now. And like he changed his mind, so could Kraft regarding his future employment. Ya never know. Ask the Colts about that. That scenario would leave McDaniels out on an island somewhere.
Perhaps in a way, it would be fitting. What goes around -- comes around sometimes.
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles. Super Bowl champions
Despite being somewhat heavy underdogs going in, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots fair and square in Super Bowl LII. 41-33.
And it was no fluke, though some questionable calls were made -- or not made. You just knew that pesky "catch" rule would rear its ugly head somewhere along the line. Sure enough, it did, on a couple different occasions, both of which benefited the Eagles.
In recent times, this so-called rule has become a joke. Nobody seems to know just when it was enacted (though Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions was its first notable victim a few years ago). Further, it's a crap-shoot as to how it will be interpreted on any given play. Is it a catch? Not a catch? It's ludicrous. I mean, what difference should it make whether a player is deemed a "runner" or a "receiver"? If an offensive player breaks the plane of the goal line with the ball for a nanosecond, it should be a touchdown -- right? Always used to be. But now the rules are different for a runner or receiver. This type of convoluted, brain-warping logic would make even the government bureaucrats blush. Maybe.
Thankfully, the on-field officials, and more importantly the faceless "guys in the booth" back in New York City didn't attempt to change the outcome of the game on a few plays. They let the initial rulings stand. To be sure, there was no undisputed preponderance of the evidence to overturn what the on-field officials saw in the first place. One can only hope the NFL folks get together in the off-season and clarify this mess or, better yet, deep-six the catch rule altogether. Sometimes the old ways are just better. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The game itself featured a little bit of everything, except maybe stout defense. Only one punt during the whole game. Over 1200 total yards of offense. A botched extra point. Another misfire on a short field goal attempt. Trick plays galore. As one would expect of two Super Bowl caliber teams, very few penalties called. Also no quarterback sacks.
There was plenty of buzz as to whether Nicks Foles, QB of the Eagles, would hold up during such a pressure packed atmosphere. He not only held up, but played superbly, out Tom Bradying Tom Brady.
[Idle thought. The Eagles are going to find themselves in quite the quandary during the off-season and the beginning of camp next year. How do you re-sit a guy that played to near perfection once he was called upon, throughout the remaining regular season games, the playoffs and the Super Bowl as well? Sure, Carson Wentz is the "starter" for the Eagles. But he couldn't have possibly played any better than Foles did. Will a trade be in the works? Either way, Foles is justifiably in line for a huge pay raise.]
Who would have thought just a scant few weeks ago that the same Nick Foles, then a back-up, would be hoisting the Super Bowl MVP trophy when it was all over? Yet he not only pulled it off, but deserved every bit of it.
Alas, for Patriots' fans (and certainly Tom Brady), this came as a crushing defeat. Ironically, it was Brady himself that sealed his fate. Late in the game, as the Pats were coming back, (an almost predictable scenario, given their heroics in games past), #12 coughed up the football when attempting to pass. The Eagles quickly recovered, and that was basically game over.
Yet they had one last prayer. With under a minute to go, and no time-outs, Brady and the Pats had the ball inside their own 10 yard line, needing a touchdown and a two point conversion to tie it. Sure enough, they got within Hail Mary range, and Brady heaved the ball into the end zone. A whole lot of people were holding their breaths as the ball finally came down. Could the Pats pull off one last miracle? Though the ball briefly was batted in the air, in the end it finally hit the ground, and the game clock showed 0:00.
Eagles win, and good for them.
No doubt, they're tearing things up in the so-called City of Brotherly Love right about now.
Yours truly had no favorite going into this game. Sure, I admire Tom Brady for everything he's accomplished in his storied career. There is no doubt he's the GOAT (greatest of all time) when it comes to NFL quarterbacks. And he appears to be squeaky clean in his private life as well. A beautiful wife, couple kids, good husband and father, doesn't blow his own horn, wear a bunch of bling, have a fleet of luxury cars, and no "posse". Just your all-American type of guy.
Then again, who can resist pulling for the underdog, which the Eagles definitely were? I just wanted to see a hard fought game and may the best team win -- though I fully expected it to be the Patriots.
And the Pats certainly played well. Nothing to be ashamed of.
But the Eagles were just better on this day.
So hats off to them. They earned it.
For now, their quarterback controversy/dilemma can wait for a while.
Let them party, have their parade, and enjoy it all. Super Bowl champions has a nice ring to it, no pun intended.
But it will surely come.
[Idle thought II. Many, including myself, have played football "squares" in pubs or elsewhere over the years. This is where a 10 by 10 grid is laid out, you pick a square or squares, cough up whatever the stakes are on that particular game, and the numbers are randomly drawn later and filled in. They represent the last digit of the score in the game, typically every quarter. Numbers like 0, 7, and 4 are good. Usually, numbers like 2, 5, and 9, not so good. Anybody unfortunate enough to wind up with 5-5 or 9-9 has little chance of winning because those numbers don't offer typical scores in a game. 2-2 is probably the worst, typically a sure loser. Lo and behold, guess what the numbers were at half time of the Super Bowl? Yep, 2-2. The longest of long shots came in. Go figure.]
And it was no fluke, though some questionable calls were made -- or not made. You just knew that pesky "catch" rule would rear its ugly head somewhere along the line. Sure enough, it did, on a couple different occasions, both of which benefited the Eagles.
In recent times, this so-called rule has become a joke. Nobody seems to know just when it was enacted (though Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions was its first notable victim a few years ago). Further, it's a crap-shoot as to how it will be interpreted on any given play. Is it a catch? Not a catch? It's ludicrous. I mean, what difference should it make whether a player is deemed a "runner" or a "receiver"? If an offensive player breaks the plane of the goal line with the ball for a nanosecond, it should be a touchdown -- right? Always used to be. But now the rules are different for a runner or receiver. This type of convoluted, brain-warping logic would make even the government bureaucrats blush. Maybe.
Thankfully, the on-field officials, and more importantly the faceless "guys in the booth" back in New York City didn't attempt to change the outcome of the game on a few plays. They let the initial rulings stand. To be sure, there was no undisputed preponderance of the evidence to overturn what the on-field officials saw in the first place. One can only hope the NFL folks get together in the off-season and clarify this mess or, better yet, deep-six the catch rule altogether. Sometimes the old ways are just better. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The game itself featured a little bit of everything, except maybe stout defense. Only one punt during the whole game. Over 1200 total yards of offense. A botched extra point. Another misfire on a short field goal attempt. Trick plays galore. As one would expect of two Super Bowl caliber teams, very few penalties called. Also no quarterback sacks.
There was plenty of buzz as to whether Nicks Foles, QB of the Eagles, would hold up during such a pressure packed atmosphere. He not only held up, but played superbly, out Tom Bradying Tom Brady.
[Idle thought. The Eagles are going to find themselves in quite the quandary during the off-season and the beginning of camp next year. How do you re-sit a guy that played to near perfection once he was called upon, throughout the remaining regular season games, the playoffs and the Super Bowl as well? Sure, Carson Wentz is the "starter" for the Eagles. But he couldn't have possibly played any better than Foles did. Will a trade be in the works? Either way, Foles is justifiably in line for a huge pay raise.]
Who would have thought just a scant few weeks ago that the same Nick Foles, then a back-up, would be hoisting the Super Bowl MVP trophy when it was all over? Yet he not only pulled it off, but deserved every bit of it.
Alas, for Patriots' fans (and certainly Tom Brady), this came as a crushing defeat. Ironically, it was Brady himself that sealed his fate. Late in the game, as the Pats were coming back, (an almost predictable scenario, given their heroics in games past), #12 coughed up the football when attempting to pass. The Eagles quickly recovered, and that was basically game over.
Yet they had one last prayer. With under a minute to go, and no time-outs, Brady and the Pats had the ball inside their own 10 yard line, needing a touchdown and a two point conversion to tie it. Sure enough, they got within Hail Mary range, and Brady heaved the ball into the end zone. A whole lot of people were holding their breaths as the ball finally came down. Could the Pats pull off one last miracle? Though the ball briefly was batted in the air, in the end it finally hit the ground, and the game clock showed 0:00.
Eagles win, and good for them.
No doubt, they're tearing things up in the so-called City of Brotherly Love right about now.
Yours truly had no favorite going into this game. Sure, I admire Tom Brady for everything he's accomplished in his storied career. There is no doubt he's the GOAT (greatest of all time) when it comes to NFL quarterbacks. And he appears to be squeaky clean in his private life as well. A beautiful wife, couple kids, good husband and father, doesn't blow his own horn, wear a bunch of bling, have a fleet of luxury cars, and no "posse". Just your all-American type of guy.
Then again, who can resist pulling for the underdog, which the Eagles definitely were? I just wanted to see a hard fought game and may the best team win -- though I fully expected it to be the Patriots.
And the Pats certainly played well. Nothing to be ashamed of.
But the Eagles were just better on this day.
So hats off to them. They earned it.
For now, their quarterback controversy/dilemma can wait for a while.
Let them party, have their parade, and enjoy it all. Super Bowl champions has a nice ring to it, no pun intended.
But it will surely come.
[Idle thought II. Many, including myself, have played football "squares" in pubs or elsewhere over the years. This is where a 10 by 10 grid is laid out, you pick a square or squares, cough up whatever the stakes are on that particular game, and the numbers are randomly drawn later and filled in. They represent the last digit of the score in the game, typically every quarter. Numbers like 0, 7, and 4 are good. Usually, numbers like 2, 5, and 9, not so good. Anybody unfortunate enough to wind up with 5-5 or 9-9 has little chance of winning because those numbers don't offer typical scores in a game. 2-2 is probably the worst, typically a sure loser. Lo and behold, guess what the numbers were at half time of the Super Bowl? Yep, 2-2. The longest of long shots came in. Go figure.]
Friday, February 2, 2018
Lebron James rumors
It seems like they never stop. They being what team Lebron James may play for next.
Hoop fans know that LJ is a native of Akron, Ohio, and the closest thing he has to a "home town" team is the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he's currently doing his second tour of duty.
We can recall when the pro basketball world held its breath, particularly those in Cleveland, as Lebron approached free agency the first time around. With much fanfare he finally announced he was "taking his talents" to the Miami Heat.
This was likely due to James realizing he'd never win the championship(s) he so coveted while with the then version of the Cavaliers. So he, along with Chris Bosh, headed south to join forces with Dwyane Wade and create a "super team". Per his own words they would win not one, not three, not four, etc titles. While there he would win two.
Back in Cleveland, his former fans/groupies were busy burning his jerseys. They felt betrayed.
After several years in South Beach, free agency beckoned again. It was pretty much universally accepted that the only team Lebron would play for besides the Heat, was where he had started, and what passed for home.
So he went back to Cleveland. Those that had once loved, then spurned him, now loved him again.
This is all quite understandable and reasonable. Few considered James a mercenary. Sure, he originally wanted to win with the Cavs, but couldn't get them over the top. So he went elsewhere where he could and did win championships. Then back home to try it again. Indeed, just a couple years ago, he and the Cavs upset the Golden State Warriors and captured another title. Cleveland was delirious with joy.
But now that pesky free agency has reared its head once again.
And rumors abound James might go elsewhere to join a "better" team, much like he did with the Heat several years before.
In particular, the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors themselves have been floated about.
Thing is, if James were to abandon ship again in quest of another ring, all the reasoning mentioned above would go out the window. He would truly and justifiably be perceived as a mercenary with loyalty to none but himself. The Cleveland folks might have round two of jersey burning, or of Lebron in effigy. Let's just say being spurned again likely wouldn't go over very well with Cavs fans.
The Rockets. If LJ went to Houston to join the likes of Chris Paul and James Harden, they would likely be right on a par, if not better than the existing Warriors. But in order to fit James' sure max-contract into their salary cap structure, a few other players would have to go. How would the chemistry work out? Nobody knows.
The Warriors. The knee-jerk reaction is to assume if LJ teamed up with the likes of Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and that bunch, they'd be virtually unbeatable.
But not so fast. Like the Rockets, a few guys would have to go, most likely Klay Thompson being at the head of the list. And Durant would probably have to eat a big pay cut to accommodate LJ's sure-fire max salary and stay under the cap.
Chances are, KD, every bit the player LJ is, wouldn't be too fond of the "new guy" outearning him.
Forcing Lebron into that equation could well backfire and upset the proverbial apple cart. There could be some serious ego problems for coach Steve Kerr to have to deal with.
And hey, the Warriors are already the best team in the league. Would they dare fool with that chemistry trying to get even better? It could well come back to bite them. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Regardless, if James leaves Cleveland again, his once stellar image will take a beating from all sides except the team he goes to. And, as mentioned just above, even THAT team could have some headaches.
If he wants to continue to look like a nice guy, LJ has pretty well boxed himself in. Stay in home town Cleveland and everything's just peachy with his reputation. Go any place else, again, and titles or not, he'll get slaughtered by the media.
For his own sake, here's hoping The "King" thinks long and hard about all this.
The world will definitely be watching.
Hoop fans know that LJ is a native of Akron, Ohio, and the closest thing he has to a "home town" team is the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he's currently doing his second tour of duty.
We can recall when the pro basketball world held its breath, particularly those in Cleveland, as Lebron approached free agency the first time around. With much fanfare he finally announced he was "taking his talents" to the Miami Heat.
This was likely due to James realizing he'd never win the championship(s) he so coveted while with the then version of the Cavaliers. So he, along with Chris Bosh, headed south to join forces with Dwyane Wade and create a "super team". Per his own words they would win not one, not three, not four, etc titles. While there he would win two.
Back in Cleveland, his former fans/groupies were busy burning his jerseys. They felt betrayed.
After several years in South Beach, free agency beckoned again. It was pretty much universally accepted that the only team Lebron would play for besides the Heat, was where he had started, and what passed for home.
So he went back to Cleveland. Those that had once loved, then spurned him, now loved him again.
This is all quite understandable and reasonable. Few considered James a mercenary. Sure, he originally wanted to win with the Cavs, but couldn't get them over the top. So he went elsewhere where he could and did win championships. Then back home to try it again. Indeed, just a couple years ago, he and the Cavs upset the Golden State Warriors and captured another title. Cleveland was delirious with joy.
But now that pesky free agency has reared its head once again.
And rumors abound James might go elsewhere to join a "better" team, much like he did with the Heat several years before.
In particular, the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors themselves have been floated about.
Thing is, if James were to abandon ship again in quest of another ring, all the reasoning mentioned above would go out the window. He would truly and justifiably be perceived as a mercenary with loyalty to none but himself. The Cleveland folks might have round two of jersey burning, or of Lebron in effigy. Let's just say being spurned again likely wouldn't go over very well with Cavs fans.
The Rockets. If LJ went to Houston to join the likes of Chris Paul and James Harden, they would likely be right on a par, if not better than the existing Warriors. But in order to fit James' sure max-contract into their salary cap structure, a few other players would have to go. How would the chemistry work out? Nobody knows.
The Warriors. The knee-jerk reaction is to assume if LJ teamed up with the likes of Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and that bunch, they'd be virtually unbeatable.
But not so fast. Like the Rockets, a few guys would have to go, most likely Klay Thompson being at the head of the list. And Durant would probably have to eat a big pay cut to accommodate LJ's sure-fire max salary and stay under the cap.
Chances are, KD, every bit the player LJ is, wouldn't be too fond of the "new guy" outearning him.
Forcing Lebron into that equation could well backfire and upset the proverbial apple cart. There could be some serious ego problems for coach Steve Kerr to have to deal with.
And hey, the Warriors are already the best team in the league. Would they dare fool with that chemistry trying to get even better? It could well come back to bite them. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Regardless, if James leaves Cleveland again, his once stellar image will take a beating from all sides except the team he goes to. And, as mentioned just above, even THAT team could have some headaches.
If he wants to continue to look like a nice guy, LJ has pretty well boxed himself in. Stay in home town Cleveland and everything's just peachy with his reputation. Go any place else, again, and titles or not, he'll get slaughtered by the media.
For his own sake, here's hoping The "King" thinks long and hard about all this.
The world will definitely be watching.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)