My computer's been down for the last three days, so I've been unable to rant via this medium. Geez, so much stuff was going on. Certainly, this was cause for celebration in some quarters. Many not only disagree with my ramblings, but consider me a fool. I get that, and they might be right. Yet there are others that seem to hang in there for whatever reason, God bless em. So, in my best imitation of Jack Nicholson in The Shining -- once again -- Heeere's Johnny.
At any rate, a belated congrats to Michigan State football for winning the Big 10 conference championship with a convincing victory over previously (for almost two full years) undefeated Ohio State. Few would doubt that MSU showed themselves to be the superior football team when it mattered. Well done indeed, and on to a New Year's day clash with the Stanford Cardinal in the Rose Bowl. It should be a very good game. This is a big deal for the Spartans and their faithful.
Yet one is left to wonder --- while the Spartans are no doubt thrilled to be going back to the Rose Bowl for the first time since forever --- have they been conditioned to think small? I'll get back to that. Most objective sports fans would likely agree MSU's arch-rival Michigan continues to get a lot more pre, and in-season hype, until they inevitably prove themselves to have been overrated. In the meantime, the Spartans also continue to get the Rodney Dangerfield treatment. No respect. But guess who's been better -- a lot better -- for most of the last several years?
Depending on the poll, MSU was ranked somewhere around #10 before they offed the then #2 Buckeyes in Indianapolis -- a neutral site. Obviously that got the attention of the pollsters, because MSU jumped all the way to #4. Stanford is #5, which should make for a good match-up, but there's something else that has gone unnoticed.
Yes, Florida State, the only undefeated team in the country, has certainly earned their way into playing for the national championship. They will face Auburn, which was #3 before Ohio State got their eyes bucked out by MSU. But wait a minute.....
Auburn had one prior loss. That was at LSU way back on Sept. 21. Not only was it a loss -- Auburn got thumped by two touchdowns, 35-21. Fast forward. On Nov. 16, Auburn had a win fall into their lap against Georgia, when two Georgia defensive backs ran into each other, the football popped up, and miraculously found it's way into the hands of an Auburn receiver for a touchdown. Fast forward two more weeks to Nov. 30. On another miracle play, as time was expiring, Auburn defeated then #1 Alabama when the Tide foolishly attempted a field goal out of their kicker's range, and an Auburn returner scampered a whopping 108 yards the other way for a touchdown, virtually untouched. These kinds of things can happen when you've got a bunch of fat guys on one side, a bunch of fast guys on the other -- and the tables are quickly turned. Nevertheless, Auburn seems to have lived a charmed life.
Conversely, Michigan State had one loss as well. On the very same day Auburn was getting blistered at LSU, MSU lost a squeaker at Notre Dame, 17-13. Since then, Michigan State has handily dispatched every team they've played. Luck had nothing to do with it.
And that's where the thinking small part comes in. Immediately after MSU had won the Big 10 championship, they were celebrating with long stemmed roses in the mouths. Finally, they're going back to Pasadena. Thing is, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio missed a golden opportunity at that time, because the Spartans have been conditioned to think small. Immediately after dispatching Ohio State, Dantonio and his team should have forgone the roses and been chanting -- bring on Florida State and let's see who the best team is. For the above reasons, an argument could certainly be made that MSU is a more worthy contender than Auburn.
But Michigan State hasn't yet got to the point where they think that way. In the Big 10, dating all the way back to the Bo and Woody days, the most important thing was always about who won the conference. It still seems to be that way today.
A couple decades ago, when Miami of Florida was a national powerhouse, they scoffed at such thinking. Let people like the Big 10 and Pac 10 worry about their silly conference championships. The only thing that matters is winning the national title. And they did.
Today, there are those like Alabama and Ohio State which aspire to the same sort of thinking. The records of coaches like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer speak for themselves. They'll be back, complete with more crops of 5-star recruits to take a shot at the big prize. And after all, in the big picture, there's only one bowl game that really matters. All the rest of them can have their parades, big cha-chings for the participating schools, and their three hours of national TV air time in December or January. Bring on the marching bands and the cheerleaders, and let the winner go home with a giant trophy, and even hoist another banner somewhere. Good for them, but only in the wacky world of college football does the regular season end, everything is put on hold for a few weeks (no games, no playoffs), and then 34 -- count-em -- 34 bowl games take place amongst teams that have already been determined to be also rans. Tiger Woods had it right. Even the first runner up is a loser. And nobody remembers, or cares, who that was, let alone going 60-some deep in the field.
So here's wishing Michigan State well in the Rose Bowl. But methinks they should consider setting their sights a little higher. Being happy to play in the same stadium in a "consolation" game 5 days before the championship game goes down at the same venue is not how those that would be king are supposed to think.
Again, Dantonio and company should have eschewed the roses and called out Florida State. Perhaps it wouldn't have made a difference with the pollsters and computers, but it would have sent a very strong message.
We're as good or better than anybody right now, including the overrated SEC. We can beat anybody from that conference. Bring on the Seminoles and let's see what happens. Now THAT would have raised a few eyebrows and caused the talking TV heads to shift into warp-speak drive.
And if the Spartans indeed defrock the Cardinal on the undercard at Pasadena, perhaps they can shed their Rodney image once and for all.
Yet it all starts with attitude. If you want to be the greatest, you have to think you're the greatest, and not be shy about proclaiming it. Cassius Clay knew that. So did Jackie Gleason. It seemed to work out pretty well for those guys. Yours truly thinks the same way. Without a shadow of a doubt, I am the greatest blogger in the world. I think like a butterfly, write like the script to a B movie, hang out with guys like Norton, and there's a certain woman I've always wanted to send to the moon. Let the masses read in awe whatever thoughts I deign to share with them. I AM THE GREATEST. So there.
Then again, I could be wrong about that, and MSU might get blistered in the Rose Bowl. Like the immortal character Dalton once said in Road House -- opinions vary.
And along that line -- no matter what -- when using the facilities, don't eat the big white mint.......
Monday, December 9, 2013
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Football and the name game
The Houston Texans at the Jacksonville Jaguars for Thursday night football? Blech, yuck, ptooey, gag me with the moon, and all that stuff. Who came up with the brainstorm to feature these two teams in prime time? This is god-awful, or at least turrible, as Charles Barkley would say.
After showing some promise last year, the Texans have recently lost their last 10 games in a row. These guys are falling faster than the popularity of a certain President. Nobody expected much out of the Jaguars. Jacksonville's just a town you have to go through on your way to the good stuff in Florida.
Nevertheless, the always rosy announcers had to try to drum up a little interest in this game. For a while, they focused on Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew. That reasoning was flawed from the beginning.
You can't trust those guys with three names. In my younger days, I remember hanging out with William Henry Harrison. Yeah, he finally served a very short while as President, but he was a trouble maker as a kid, especially when a few of us would get together for a trip down a river. Old Willie had this thing about tipping over canoes.
And he's not the only one. History is chock full of them. Oliver Wendall Holmes, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George Bernard Shaw, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, James Fenimore Cooper, Scott Van Pelt, etc, etc. The list is long of people that became famous, but like Willie, they had their dark sides as well.
Worse yet is those folks that precede their name with an initial. Consider the following:
H. Ross Perot
L. Ron Hubbard
J. Paul Getty
L. Brooks Patterson
G. Gordon Liddy
All uppety schmucks that wanted to tell the rest of us how to act, while getting rich in the process.
k.d. lang has taken it to another level. I'm not exactly sure what that consists of, but I don't want to hang with her either to find out.
Back to Thursday night football. Normally, one could say two NFL teams are slugging it out. But in the case of the Texans/Jaguars matchup, it seems to be more like a pillow fight at a girls' sleepover party. These guys are not good.
Besides, think about the two cities themselves.
The best thing to ever come out of Jacksonville was my favorite rock band. Lynard Skynard. Alas, many of their original members are dead now -- but their music lives on. Small town wannabe bands continue to copy their stuff. Walk into any honky-tonk bar, and it won't be long before you hear one of their tunes blasting from the jukebox. The Jags, on the other hand, appear to be as forgettable as it gets.
Houston? They were once known as the home of "mission control" when it came to NASA space flights. Now, other than sending up the vast hush-hush variety of spy satellites, and a few doodads to keep the telecommunications folks up to speed with modern-day technology, it appears NASA, and "mission control" are but a shell of what they once were. Besides, there's the bottom feeding Astros in major league baseball. Did I mention turrible?
Houston, we have a problem indeed.
Ah well, back to the game. Any game is better than no game, I suppose.
And who knows? Maybe Maurice Jones-Drew will grow up to be President himself someday. But I'm not going canoeing with him either.
After showing some promise last year, the Texans have recently lost their last 10 games in a row. These guys are falling faster than the popularity of a certain President. Nobody expected much out of the Jaguars. Jacksonville's just a town you have to go through on your way to the good stuff in Florida.
Nevertheless, the always rosy announcers had to try to drum up a little interest in this game. For a while, they focused on Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew. That reasoning was flawed from the beginning.
You can't trust those guys with three names. In my younger days, I remember hanging out with William Henry Harrison. Yeah, he finally served a very short while as President, but he was a trouble maker as a kid, especially when a few of us would get together for a trip down a river. Old Willie had this thing about tipping over canoes.
And he's not the only one. History is chock full of them. Oliver Wendall Holmes, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George Bernard Shaw, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, James Fenimore Cooper, Scott Van Pelt, etc, etc. The list is long of people that became famous, but like Willie, they had their dark sides as well.
Worse yet is those folks that precede their name with an initial. Consider the following:
H. Ross Perot
L. Ron Hubbard
J. Paul Getty
L. Brooks Patterson
G. Gordon Liddy
All uppety schmucks that wanted to tell the rest of us how to act, while getting rich in the process.
k.d. lang has taken it to another level. I'm not exactly sure what that consists of, but I don't want to hang with her either to find out.
Back to Thursday night football. Normally, one could say two NFL teams are slugging it out. But in the case of the Texans/Jaguars matchup, it seems to be more like a pillow fight at a girls' sleepover party. These guys are not good.
Besides, think about the two cities themselves.
The best thing to ever come out of Jacksonville was my favorite rock band. Lynard Skynard. Alas, many of their original members are dead now -- but their music lives on. Small town wannabe bands continue to copy their stuff. Walk into any honky-tonk bar, and it won't be long before you hear one of their tunes blasting from the jukebox. The Jags, on the other hand, appear to be as forgettable as it gets.
Houston? They were once known as the home of "mission control" when it came to NASA space flights. Now, other than sending up the vast hush-hush variety of spy satellites, and a few doodads to keep the telecommunications folks up to speed with modern-day technology, it appears NASA, and "mission control" are but a shell of what they once were. Besides, there's the bottom feeding Astros in major league baseball. Did I mention turrible?
Houston, we have a problem indeed.
Ah well, back to the game. Any game is better than no game, I suppose.
And who knows? Maybe Maurice Jones-Drew will grow up to be President himself someday. But I'm not going canoeing with him either.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Interesting tidbits of the day
Wow. The Detroit Pistons went into Miami and knocked off the Heat? Bet not too many people saw that one coming. Nevertheless, Jason Whitlock, former columnist of the Kansas City Star, and currently writing/yapping for/on the 4 letter network, quickly hosed down the Pistons' parade. "It's nothing", quoth the Whitster, "Miami was without Dwyane Wade. No big deal". Geez, he's no fun.
While describing some basketball action, the ever inimitable Keith Olbermann used the phrase "premature jocularity". Innocent enough, I suppose, but also close enough to cause a similar phrase that would have raised a few eyebrows to jump into one's head. An accident? Of course not. The Olbermeister knew exactly what he was saying. He's tricky that way. No wonder he's got in trouble with TV execs so much over his career.
So the Detroit Tigers finally found a closer, eh? Wait a minute. They signed that Nathan guy? Is that the same Nathan that owns the coney island joint in Brooklyn? You know, where they have the 4th of July hot dog eating contest every year? I wonder if Joey Chestnut and the other eating machines know about this yet. Geez, Brooklyn without Nathan would be like a family of four attending a major sporting event, and not having to skip a house payment. That's no fun either.
Hang on... what's that? The Nathan the Tigers' signed isn't the same hot dog guy? Guess he's just an average Joe. And the original coney island Nathan was a Polish immigrant that died back in 1983? Really? And his full name was Nathan Handwerker? The hell you say. Huh. With a name like that -- I'll betcha him and Olbermann were buds back in the day. Funny how these random tidbits connect sometimes.
I finally tried that Gold Bond powder Shaq has been advertising on TV. Pretty amazing stuff. I not only smell better, but I've grown a foot and seem to be getting dumber by the day. Anybody got a Buick I can try to squeeze into?
Still can't figure that insurance company with a reptile as a spokesman. Fifteen minutes might save one a bunch of money, they claim. Well, OK. I'll take them at their word. How about they send a representative to my house for 15 minutes to discuss rates? Is that asking too much? If they want my business, come and try to get it. And they can send the little green lizard if they wish. I doubt I'd be persuaded monetarily, but my yorkies always get excited over a new chew toy.
Things have been way too quiet for way too long on the Tiger Woods' front. He must be up to something.....
While describing some basketball action, the ever inimitable Keith Olbermann used the phrase "premature jocularity". Innocent enough, I suppose, but also close enough to cause a similar phrase that would have raised a few eyebrows to jump into one's head. An accident? Of course not. The Olbermeister knew exactly what he was saying. He's tricky that way. No wonder he's got in trouble with TV execs so much over his career.
So the Detroit Tigers finally found a closer, eh? Wait a minute. They signed that Nathan guy? Is that the same Nathan that owns the coney island joint in Brooklyn? You know, where they have the 4th of July hot dog eating contest every year? I wonder if Joey Chestnut and the other eating machines know about this yet. Geez, Brooklyn without Nathan would be like a family of four attending a major sporting event, and not having to skip a house payment. That's no fun either.
Hang on... what's that? The Nathan the Tigers' signed isn't the same hot dog guy? Guess he's just an average Joe. And the original coney island Nathan was a Polish immigrant that died back in 1983? Really? And his full name was Nathan Handwerker? The hell you say. Huh. With a name like that -- I'll betcha him and Olbermann were buds back in the day. Funny how these random tidbits connect sometimes.
I finally tried that Gold Bond powder Shaq has been advertising on TV. Pretty amazing stuff. I not only smell better, but I've grown a foot and seem to be getting dumber by the day. Anybody got a Buick I can try to squeeze into?
Still can't figure that insurance company with a reptile as a spokesman. Fifteen minutes might save one a bunch of money, they claim. Well, OK. I'll take them at their word. How about they send a representative to my house for 15 minutes to discuss rates? Is that asking too much? If they want my business, come and try to get it. And they can send the little green lizard if they wish. I doubt I'd be persuaded monetarily, but my yorkies always get excited over a new chew toy.
Things have been way too quiet for way too long on the Tiger Woods' front. He must be up to something.....
Revisiting Richie Incognito
Remember Richie Incognito? A month ago, the Miami Dolphin offensive guard (who happens to be white) was front page sports news for his alleged hazing of offensive tackle teammate Jonathan Martin (who happens to be black). The speculation ran wild amongst the knee-jerkers. Incognito was a racist, bigot, bully, you name it.
Then a few more details started to trickle out, and the waters got muddied in a hurry. It turned out Martin wasn't exactly squeaky clean with a few actions of his own in Incognito's direction. Further complicating the matter was the insinuation that the Dolphins' coaching staff may have encouraged Incognito, a veteran, to "toughen up" Martin, barely in his second year in the league. If so, perhaps they perceived Martin as being "soft", not a trait considered admirable amongst the behemoths that are offensive linemen in the NFL. A few well-publicized text messages aside, both ways, nobody seems to know for sure all of what transpired between two guys that, combined, would tip the scales at well over 600 lbs.
In the meantime, the Miami Dolphin organization itself has wisely had "no comment", deferring all such questions on the matter to the league, which is supposedly investigating. The NFL has even summoned a high-priced legal-eagle, noted defense attorney Ted Wells, to get to the bottom of this mess. Wells has made his name in other areas of the law representing high-profile clients, but they seemed to come from political venues. How Mr. Wells will fare sorting out the behind the scenes intracacies of an NFL locker room dispute remains to be seen. And it's not like he has a "client". Nobody's been formally charged with anything, so far.
For his alleged activties towards Martin, Incognito was suspended indefinitely by the Dolphins. He remains so to this day. But just recently, an agreement was reached between Incognito and the team. He will continue to be on suspension, but also get paid.
Far be it from yours truly to say who's culpable in this whole mess, but if I'm Richie Incognito, life is pretty good right now, at least in one respect. He has a guaranteed contract of about $3.5 million this year. Divide that by 16 game checks, and he's still making a pretty hefty weekly wage for doing nothing. No practices, no getting hammered during games by rushing defensive tackles, no nothing. Bet you wish you had a job like that. I know I do. A couple of those game checks would tide me over rather nicely for quite a while.
But let's not forget Martin either. He went on a "leave of absence" when this whole mess started, and has since been placed on the Dolphins "non-injury" football list, whereby the team can choose to pay whatever portion of his remaining $607,000 salary they want. All of it, none of it, or anything in between. Yours truly suspects the Dolphins will pony up all of it. Because if they don't, and word leaks, as it surely would, that the original alleged "bully" was getting paid, while the alleged "victim" was being financially penalized -- well -- how do you think the media would run with that? Regardless, being placed on the non-injury football list disqualified Martin from playing for the rest of the season. Many think his career is over with the Dolphins, and they're likely right. How he will be perceived by other teams, much less welcomed in their locker rooms, also remains to be seen. By crying foul on Incognito, a teammate that he once lined up next to, Martin may well have made himself a tough sell to other GMs around the league looking for an offensive tackle.
Whether he plays again in 2013 or not, Incognito will be a free agent after this year. It will be interesting to see if the Dolphins attempt to resign him, or what other teams may or may not offer him. It presents a paradox of sorts. Everybody's down on bullies these days -- but that's exactly what an offensive lineman has to be in order to be successful on the field. Trash the other guy across the line that he's locking horns with on any given play. In that respect, Incognito is a 9 year veteran and remains highly thought of for his on-field abilities.
On the other hand is Jonathan Martin. As not much more than a rookie, he didn't exactly distinguish himself on the field of play. And there were those that said he wimped out when the going got tough. That included not only other players around the league, but some on his own team, many of whom are black as well. So as much as some are always looking for a way to play the "race card" -- they can forget about that. It doesn't apply.
Good luck sorting all this out Mr. Wells. But I don't think your efforts will really matter. The NFL may be a lot of things, but in the end, it's a high-priced meat market. Besides skill and stats, it's all about toughness, playing through pain, and what have you done for me lately?
Methinks Richie Incognito will be playing again in 2014. If not for the Dolphins, some other team.
Jonathan Martin? Not so sure. Amongst the big guys in the trenches -- whining is frowned upon. Whatever it was -- personal or otherwise -- handle it. And if you can't handle it, then keep it in the family. The team will sort it out internally. Do NOT go public.
But Martin did. A good idea to get a lot of attention from the media, but likely a bad idea for his career.
We'll see how it all shakes out.........
Then a few more details started to trickle out, and the waters got muddied in a hurry. It turned out Martin wasn't exactly squeaky clean with a few actions of his own in Incognito's direction. Further complicating the matter was the insinuation that the Dolphins' coaching staff may have encouraged Incognito, a veteran, to "toughen up" Martin, barely in his second year in the league. If so, perhaps they perceived Martin as being "soft", not a trait considered admirable amongst the behemoths that are offensive linemen in the NFL. A few well-publicized text messages aside, both ways, nobody seems to know for sure all of what transpired between two guys that, combined, would tip the scales at well over 600 lbs.
In the meantime, the Miami Dolphin organization itself has wisely had "no comment", deferring all such questions on the matter to the league, which is supposedly investigating. The NFL has even summoned a high-priced legal-eagle, noted defense attorney Ted Wells, to get to the bottom of this mess. Wells has made his name in other areas of the law representing high-profile clients, but they seemed to come from political venues. How Mr. Wells will fare sorting out the behind the scenes intracacies of an NFL locker room dispute remains to be seen. And it's not like he has a "client". Nobody's been formally charged with anything, so far.
For his alleged activties towards Martin, Incognito was suspended indefinitely by the Dolphins. He remains so to this day. But just recently, an agreement was reached between Incognito and the team. He will continue to be on suspension, but also get paid.
Far be it from yours truly to say who's culpable in this whole mess, but if I'm Richie Incognito, life is pretty good right now, at least in one respect. He has a guaranteed contract of about $3.5 million this year. Divide that by 16 game checks, and he's still making a pretty hefty weekly wage for doing nothing. No practices, no getting hammered during games by rushing defensive tackles, no nothing. Bet you wish you had a job like that. I know I do. A couple of those game checks would tide me over rather nicely for quite a while.
But let's not forget Martin either. He went on a "leave of absence" when this whole mess started, and has since been placed on the Dolphins "non-injury" football list, whereby the team can choose to pay whatever portion of his remaining $607,000 salary they want. All of it, none of it, or anything in between. Yours truly suspects the Dolphins will pony up all of it. Because if they don't, and word leaks, as it surely would, that the original alleged "bully" was getting paid, while the alleged "victim" was being financially penalized -- well -- how do you think the media would run with that? Regardless, being placed on the non-injury football list disqualified Martin from playing for the rest of the season. Many think his career is over with the Dolphins, and they're likely right. How he will be perceived by other teams, much less welcomed in their locker rooms, also remains to be seen. By crying foul on Incognito, a teammate that he once lined up next to, Martin may well have made himself a tough sell to other GMs around the league looking for an offensive tackle.
Whether he plays again in 2013 or not, Incognito will be a free agent after this year. It will be interesting to see if the Dolphins attempt to resign him, or what other teams may or may not offer him. It presents a paradox of sorts. Everybody's down on bullies these days -- but that's exactly what an offensive lineman has to be in order to be successful on the field. Trash the other guy across the line that he's locking horns with on any given play. In that respect, Incognito is a 9 year veteran and remains highly thought of for his on-field abilities.
On the other hand is Jonathan Martin. As not much more than a rookie, he didn't exactly distinguish himself on the field of play. And there were those that said he wimped out when the going got tough. That included not only other players around the league, but some on his own team, many of whom are black as well. So as much as some are always looking for a way to play the "race card" -- they can forget about that. It doesn't apply.
Good luck sorting all this out Mr. Wells. But I don't think your efforts will really matter. The NFL may be a lot of things, but in the end, it's a high-priced meat market. Besides skill and stats, it's all about toughness, playing through pain, and what have you done for me lately?
Methinks Richie Incognito will be playing again in 2014. If not for the Dolphins, some other team.
Jonathan Martin? Not so sure. Amongst the big guys in the trenches -- whining is frowned upon. Whatever it was -- personal or otherwise -- handle it. And if you can't handle it, then keep it in the family. The team will sort it out internally. Do NOT go public.
But Martin did. A good idea to get a lot of attention from the media, but likely a bad idea for his career.
We'll see how it all shakes out.........
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Can anybody stop Seattle?
It sure beginning to look like the Seattle Seahawks are on a march to the Super Bowl. After just trashing a really good New Orleans Saints team led by Drew Brees to the tune of 34-7, who's going to stop them?
Seattle is now 11-1. They're 3 games clear of their arch-rival San Fran 49ers, which sport an 8-4 record, with 4 games left to play. Yes, they go to San Fran next week, but even if they lose that game, they're still in the catbird seat.
Regardless of how they fare the following week at the NY Giants -- they'll surely be favored -- the Seahawks close out the season with two games at home. And nobody beats these guys at home. It would appear their worst case scenario is finishing the regular season at 13-3.
New Orleans entered this game at 9-2, and many, including yours truly, thought Sean Payton's boys would give the Seahawks all they could handle We were wrong. This was a blowout every which way across the board. The Saints are now 9-3, tied with the very surprising Carolina Panthers, and they have to face each other twice in the last quarter of the season, the first of the home and home series to be played next Sunday.
Idle thought: Remember way back in the preseason when the gurus at Sports Illustrated predicted the only team worse than the Detroit Lions would be the Carolina Panthers? Right now, both are leading their respective divisions and are certainly well positioned to make the playoffs. Though I've said it before, perhaps it bears repeating. When it comes to the NFL, Peter King couldn't pick his nose with a power auger. How some lowly beat reporters continue to put him up on a pedestal as the ultimate "source" is not only mind-boggling, but laughable.
So unless a rash of injuries beset the Seahawks in the next few games, or head coach Pete Carroll's conscience ever kicks in -- not likely, but that's a story for another day -- it would certainly appear Seattle is headed to the Super Bowl. They'll likely have home field advantage throughout the playoffs -- and who's going to beat these guys in their own crazy building? New Orleans was certainly amongst the best contenders, and look at what just happened to them.
Those people in Starbucks and Amazon land are crazy.
But their football team is really good.
Seattle is now 11-1. They're 3 games clear of their arch-rival San Fran 49ers, which sport an 8-4 record, with 4 games left to play. Yes, they go to San Fran next week, but even if they lose that game, they're still in the catbird seat.
Regardless of how they fare the following week at the NY Giants -- they'll surely be favored -- the Seahawks close out the season with two games at home. And nobody beats these guys at home. It would appear their worst case scenario is finishing the regular season at 13-3.
New Orleans entered this game at 9-2, and many, including yours truly, thought Sean Payton's boys would give the Seahawks all they could handle We were wrong. This was a blowout every which way across the board. The Saints are now 9-3, tied with the very surprising Carolina Panthers, and they have to face each other twice in the last quarter of the season, the first of the home and home series to be played next Sunday.
Idle thought: Remember way back in the preseason when the gurus at Sports Illustrated predicted the only team worse than the Detroit Lions would be the Carolina Panthers? Right now, both are leading their respective divisions and are certainly well positioned to make the playoffs. Though I've said it before, perhaps it bears repeating. When it comes to the NFL, Peter King couldn't pick his nose with a power auger. How some lowly beat reporters continue to put him up on a pedestal as the ultimate "source" is not only mind-boggling, but laughable.
So unless a rash of injuries beset the Seahawks in the next few games, or head coach Pete Carroll's conscience ever kicks in -- not likely, but that's a story for another day -- it would certainly appear Seattle is headed to the Super Bowl. They'll likely have home field advantage throughout the playoffs -- and who's going to beat these guys in their own crazy building? New Orleans was certainly amongst the best contenders, and look at what just happened to them.
Those people in Starbucks and Amazon land are crazy.
But their football team is really good.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Mike Tomlin. Bang him hard
During Thursday night's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, Steeler head coach Mike Tomlin committed a no-no. As a Baltimore player was running with the ball close to the sideline, Tomlin was clearly seen to be standing ever so slightly in the actual field of play.
As the Baltimore player with the ball got close to Tomlin, he could be seen to noticeably hesitate. Like them or not, head coaches, even from the other team, command a lot of respect from players. That single moment of hesitation allowed a Pittsburgh defender to close the gap and make a tackle. Things happen fast in the NFL.
Though no penalty was called on the play, the league itself is considering handing down some serious penalties on Tomlin and the Steelers for what happened on that particular play. And well they should. No pun intended, but this was out of bounds, and somebody somewhere needs to start drawing a few lines that thou shalt not cross, lest we drop the hammer on thy head.
Tomlin would later say he didn't think he interfered with the Baltimore runner. Indeed, as the runner approached him, Tomlin quickly jumped back. But you know what? That's not good enough. Not even close.
That's the problem, or at least one of them, with sports these days. There's no honor left anymore. Like bratty little kids, everybody is trying to see how far they can push the limits, before they get reeled in and punished.
Tomlin's just the latest example. Look around. In baseball, a baserunner can safely slide into a bag, but the 2nd baseman or shortstop will proudly hold up the ball to the ump as if the runner was out. Now we all obviously could see the runner was safe, and the fielder damn sure knew it too -- but yet they try to scam an official. Or it could be the other way around. If the runner was obviously out, he'll still jump up and protest to the ump. Likewise, he also knew he was out, like a kid getting caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Basically, they're just both trying to cheat -- and that's wrong.
Basketball players will flop on the floor in feigned agony over a foul that never even happened. Hockey players will take a dive trying to draw a penalty for much the same reasons. It's all attempts at cheating.
Again, like little kids, until someone lowers the boom on them, they'll keep, pushing, pushing, and pushing some more to see how much they can get away with. Left unchecked, such cheating becomes so commonplace, that it begins to be accepted as the norm. Witness how every basketball player routinely "palms" the ball while dribbling. "Travelling" calls have become almost non-existent, when it comes to star players in the NBA. The rule says a player is allowed a step and a half after he picks up his dribble. These days, we'll see guys taking, 3, 4, sometimes even 5 steps on the way to the basket. It's not even a close call, but no violation is whistled. Though it's become commonplace -- it doesn't make it right.
So if the rules of play mean anything in various sports -- they should be enforced. Let them get a little lax here, or overlooked there, and after a while nobody knows where the lines are anymore. It's also no big secret that star players with outrageous contracts seem to get away with a lot of shenanigans that a "regular" player would be taken to the woodshed for. That's not right either. They're both playing the same game, so both should be held to the same rules.
The only way this mockery is ever going to stop is if the powers-that-be, as in the commissioners and high lords of the various sports, want it to stop. Like a lot of other things in life, sometimes an offender has to made an example of (banged hard) to get the attention of others that might consider committing the same crime in the future.
So why not start with Mike Tomlin? He's a high-profile guy. If the league dropped the hammer on him in a large way, others would sit up and take notice. Uh-oh, better not do that.
And let's get real. Tomlin's a very smart guy and a heckuva head coach for the Steelers. Certainly he knows the rules when it comes to the markings and boundaries on any NFL field of play. That wide white stripe along both sidelines is there for a reason. Actual a few reasons. It's the border between the field of play and out-of-bounds. Because the white contrasts with the green of the field, it makes it easier for the refs (and the replay folks) to determine whether a player was in or out of bounds on any particular close play.
But it also means -- coaches and players on the sidelines shalt not cross this line while a play on the field is in progress.
There will be those that defend Tomlin. After all, he merely had the tip of his foot across the line, and quickly jumped back, they will say. But that's the problem. Give them an inch....
An analogy. When I worked for GM, there were machines called shears. These were used for cutting sheet metal. Slide in the metal to be cut, press the foot pedal, and the machine would cycle, quickly snipping the inserted metal. It was highly recommended to make sure one's fingers or hands were well clear of the "shear point". Once one hit the pedal, the machine didn't care what else might be in the way. Whatever it was, was going to get cut off. For various reasons, usually carelessness, these sort of accidents happened at times back in the day. The machine had a line. Whether it was just the tip of a finger or an entire hand, cross that line and set things in motion -- and it was unforgiving. Something very bad was going to happen very quickly. And all the king's men or "guys in the booth" couldn't overturn that call. It was done.
On the football field, we'll also routinely see coaches and players encroach upon the field while a "live" play is going on, but most times, unlike Tomlin's gaffe, this is well behind the play. Most likely think, what the heck, no harm, no foul, and who cares? Back to the shear. These machines were usually about 10 feet across. It cycled the same way whether it was a one inch strip of metal, or an eight foot sheet to be cut. More than a few accidents occurred when a worker at the far end wasn't paying attention to another worker inserting a small piece of metal at the other end. Press the foot petal, and if the former's fingers happened to be in the wrong place -- guess what?
Though I surely wouldn't recommend any sort of dismemberment as punishment, yours truly is of the opinion that the various sports need to make up their minds. They can either let the rules keep slip-sliding away, until nobody knows what they are anymore -- or they can be more like those shears. Here's the line. If you want to cross it, even with a fingertip, accidentally or not, you do so at your own peril.
Because if one day somebody pushes a Commissioner's foot pedal, and he decides to cycle his machinery as well, this could get painful in a hurry to the careless offender he decided to make an example of, in the interest of cleaning up his game.
It has to start somewhere. Might as well be Mike Tomlin.
He knew better.....
As the Baltimore player with the ball got close to Tomlin, he could be seen to noticeably hesitate. Like them or not, head coaches, even from the other team, command a lot of respect from players. That single moment of hesitation allowed a Pittsburgh defender to close the gap and make a tackle. Things happen fast in the NFL.
Though no penalty was called on the play, the league itself is considering handing down some serious penalties on Tomlin and the Steelers for what happened on that particular play. And well they should. No pun intended, but this was out of bounds, and somebody somewhere needs to start drawing a few lines that thou shalt not cross, lest we drop the hammer on thy head.
Tomlin would later say he didn't think he interfered with the Baltimore runner. Indeed, as the runner approached him, Tomlin quickly jumped back. But you know what? That's not good enough. Not even close.
That's the problem, or at least one of them, with sports these days. There's no honor left anymore. Like bratty little kids, everybody is trying to see how far they can push the limits, before they get reeled in and punished.
Tomlin's just the latest example. Look around. In baseball, a baserunner can safely slide into a bag, but the 2nd baseman or shortstop will proudly hold up the ball to the ump as if the runner was out. Now we all obviously could see the runner was safe, and the fielder damn sure knew it too -- but yet they try to scam an official. Or it could be the other way around. If the runner was obviously out, he'll still jump up and protest to the ump. Likewise, he also knew he was out, like a kid getting caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Basically, they're just both trying to cheat -- and that's wrong.
Basketball players will flop on the floor in feigned agony over a foul that never even happened. Hockey players will take a dive trying to draw a penalty for much the same reasons. It's all attempts at cheating.
Again, like little kids, until someone lowers the boom on them, they'll keep, pushing, pushing, and pushing some more to see how much they can get away with. Left unchecked, such cheating becomes so commonplace, that it begins to be accepted as the norm. Witness how every basketball player routinely "palms" the ball while dribbling. "Travelling" calls have become almost non-existent, when it comes to star players in the NBA. The rule says a player is allowed a step and a half after he picks up his dribble. These days, we'll see guys taking, 3, 4, sometimes even 5 steps on the way to the basket. It's not even a close call, but no violation is whistled. Though it's become commonplace -- it doesn't make it right.
So if the rules of play mean anything in various sports -- they should be enforced. Let them get a little lax here, or overlooked there, and after a while nobody knows where the lines are anymore. It's also no big secret that star players with outrageous contracts seem to get away with a lot of shenanigans that a "regular" player would be taken to the woodshed for. That's not right either. They're both playing the same game, so both should be held to the same rules.
The only way this mockery is ever going to stop is if the powers-that-be, as in the commissioners and high lords of the various sports, want it to stop. Like a lot of other things in life, sometimes an offender has to made an example of (banged hard) to get the attention of others that might consider committing the same crime in the future.
So why not start with Mike Tomlin? He's a high-profile guy. If the league dropped the hammer on him in a large way, others would sit up and take notice. Uh-oh, better not do that.
And let's get real. Tomlin's a very smart guy and a heckuva head coach for the Steelers. Certainly he knows the rules when it comes to the markings and boundaries on any NFL field of play. That wide white stripe along both sidelines is there for a reason. Actual a few reasons. It's the border between the field of play and out-of-bounds. Because the white contrasts with the green of the field, it makes it easier for the refs (and the replay folks) to determine whether a player was in or out of bounds on any particular close play.
But it also means -- coaches and players on the sidelines shalt not cross this line while a play on the field is in progress.
There will be those that defend Tomlin. After all, he merely had the tip of his foot across the line, and quickly jumped back, they will say. But that's the problem. Give them an inch....
An analogy. When I worked for GM, there were machines called shears. These were used for cutting sheet metal. Slide in the metal to be cut, press the foot pedal, and the machine would cycle, quickly snipping the inserted metal. It was highly recommended to make sure one's fingers or hands were well clear of the "shear point". Once one hit the pedal, the machine didn't care what else might be in the way. Whatever it was, was going to get cut off. For various reasons, usually carelessness, these sort of accidents happened at times back in the day. The machine had a line. Whether it was just the tip of a finger or an entire hand, cross that line and set things in motion -- and it was unforgiving. Something very bad was going to happen very quickly. And all the king's men or "guys in the booth" couldn't overturn that call. It was done.
On the football field, we'll also routinely see coaches and players encroach upon the field while a "live" play is going on, but most times, unlike Tomlin's gaffe, this is well behind the play. Most likely think, what the heck, no harm, no foul, and who cares? Back to the shear. These machines were usually about 10 feet across. It cycled the same way whether it was a one inch strip of metal, or an eight foot sheet to be cut. More than a few accidents occurred when a worker at the far end wasn't paying attention to another worker inserting a small piece of metal at the other end. Press the foot petal, and if the former's fingers happened to be in the wrong place -- guess what?
Though I surely wouldn't recommend any sort of dismemberment as punishment, yours truly is of the opinion that the various sports need to make up their minds. They can either let the rules keep slip-sliding away, until nobody knows what they are anymore -- or they can be more like those shears. Here's the line. If you want to cross it, even with a fingertip, accidentally or not, you do so at your own peril.
Because if one day somebody pushes a Commissioner's foot pedal, and he decides to cycle his machinery as well, this could get painful in a hurry to the careless offender he decided to make an example of, in the interest of cleaning up his game.
It has to start somewhere. Might as well be Mike Tomlin.
He knew better.....
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Suggested football rule changes
Most will scoff at what they read below, and this started out to be tongue-in-cheek indeed, but the more I got thinking about it..... Well, you decide.
Much has been made of late about head injuries in football, notably the NFL. New rules have been created whereby a tackler isn't supposed to lead with his head (helmet). Particularly if his target is "on or around the head or neck area" of the opposing player he's about to hit. More particularly yet if that opposing player happens to be a quarterback. (Yet, there are times when a tackler rightfully aims at the torso or legs of a ball carrier, but at the last second, the ball carrier ducks his own helmet anticipating contact, and -- well -- sometimes the helmets cracking just doesn't seem to be avoidable.)
Given the speed and ferociousness the game has evolved into, this is probably a good idea. A lot of these guys are dumb enough already without having their brains further turned into mush. Seen and heard them talk on TV? I rest my case.
But there's always been an easier way to solve this problem. Getting rid of the helmets entirely would seem to be a little Draconian, but as long as potential tacklers have them, there will be those that continue to use them as weapons. So why not split the difference?
Just cut the tops off the helmets, exposing the tops of their heads. Leave the rest of the helmets intact as protection against the various other not-so-niceties that happen during the course of a game. If a player still wants to lower his head to make contact, he would do so at his own peril. Good luck with ramming the top of one's exposed head into the helmet or pads of another player. They might be dumb, but they're not THAT dumb -- I think. All that helmet to helmet contact would stop immediately. Problem solved.
Tired of all the face-mask penalties? Me too. It's easy to understand how a defender trying to latch onto anything he can get to make a tackle will wind up grabbing a facemask, intentionally or accidentally. Given the current situation, it's probably just a matter of time before a tragedy occurs. If a ball carrier is going full speed one way, and his head/neck get violently twisted another by a tackler -- one hates to think about what could possibly happen in a worse case scenario. If that neck gets twisted a little bit too far, too fast, and snaps -- welcome to the wonderful world of an on-field fatality. And oh my, would the you-know-what hit the fan, but it would be too late for that poor devil.
Thing is, it doesn't have to be this way. Get rid of the facemasks. Replace them with the high-tech, super-duty clear visors many current NHL players wear. If they're tough enough to stop a slap shot, they're certainly tough enough to withstand anything that might happen in the NFL. And unlike facemasks, there's nothing to grab on to. Besides, despite the wide variety of facemasks football players currently wear, depending on what position they play, one way or the other the bars in that grid have to impede vision once in a while. This would not be a hindrance with a full-face visor. And trust me, NHL players need every bit the vision NFL players do -- if not moreso. Another problem solved.
How am I doing so far?
Yours truly has a few suggestions on how to vastly improve the penalty calling in the NFL as well. Some of this stuff is archaic to the point of being absurd. There are much better ways to go about it.
An example: Why is it that one team can commit a 5 yard infraction, and the other a 15 yard infraction -- on the same play -- but the penalties offset, and the down is played over? Does that sound fair, much less make sense to you? Not me.
That, and more penalty rants --- next time.
Much has been made of late about head injuries in football, notably the NFL. New rules have been created whereby a tackler isn't supposed to lead with his head (helmet). Particularly if his target is "on or around the head or neck area" of the opposing player he's about to hit. More particularly yet if that opposing player happens to be a quarterback. (Yet, there are times when a tackler rightfully aims at the torso or legs of a ball carrier, but at the last second, the ball carrier ducks his own helmet anticipating contact, and -- well -- sometimes the helmets cracking just doesn't seem to be avoidable.)
Given the speed and ferociousness the game has evolved into, this is probably a good idea. A lot of these guys are dumb enough already without having their brains further turned into mush. Seen and heard them talk on TV? I rest my case.
But there's always been an easier way to solve this problem. Getting rid of the helmets entirely would seem to be a little Draconian, but as long as potential tacklers have them, there will be those that continue to use them as weapons. So why not split the difference?
Just cut the tops off the helmets, exposing the tops of their heads. Leave the rest of the helmets intact as protection against the various other not-so-niceties that happen during the course of a game. If a player still wants to lower his head to make contact, he would do so at his own peril. Good luck with ramming the top of one's exposed head into the helmet or pads of another player. They might be dumb, but they're not THAT dumb -- I think. All that helmet to helmet contact would stop immediately. Problem solved.
Tired of all the face-mask penalties? Me too. It's easy to understand how a defender trying to latch onto anything he can get to make a tackle will wind up grabbing a facemask, intentionally or accidentally. Given the current situation, it's probably just a matter of time before a tragedy occurs. If a ball carrier is going full speed one way, and his head/neck get violently twisted another by a tackler -- one hates to think about what could possibly happen in a worse case scenario. If that neck gets twisted a little bit too far, too fast, and snaps -- welcome to the wonderful world of an on-field fatality. And oh my, would the you-know-what hit the fan, but it would be too late for that poor devil.
Thing is, it doesn't have to be this way. Get rid of the facemasks. Replace them with the high-tech, super-duty clear visors many current NHL players wear. If they're tough enough to stop a slap shot, they're certainly tough enough to withstand anything that might happen in the NFL. And unlike facemasks, there's nothing to grab on to. Besides, despite the wide variety of facemasks football players currently wear, depending on what position they play, one way or the other the bars in that grid have to impede vision once in a while. This would not be a hindrance with a full-face visor. And trust me, NHL players need every bit the vision NFL players do -- if not moreso. Another problem solved.
How am I doing so far?
Yours truly has a few suggestions on how to vastly improve the penalty calling in the NFL as well. Some of this stuff is archaic to the point of being absurd. There are much better ways to go about it.
An example: Why is it that one team can commit a 5 yard infraction, and the other a 15 yard infraction -- on the same play -- but the penalties offset, and the down is played over? Does that sound fair, much less make sense to you? Not me.
That, and more penalty rants --- next time.
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