Whoa. Who saw that coming? But in a way, it makes sense. The Detroit Tigers have officially waved the white flag of surrender on this season. Not that it was any big surprise, given they're the second worst (barely) team in the American League and have been woefully out of any playoff scenario for quite some time.
Conversely, the Houston Astros, Verlander's new home, are in a "go for it now" mode. This is something the Tigers did not long ago, pillaging their farm system for free agent mercenaries, that have since come and gone. They never did quite make it over the top. Thirty three years and counting since the Motowners last won a World Series, and it certainly appears they're in full-blown rebuild mode now.
True, Houston is literally under water now in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, but it is also one of the fastest growing cities in the country, with money coming out of their ears. Detroit has been shrinking in population, recently went through bankruptcy proceedings, and is hardly a place most out-of-towners would rank high on their "must see" tourism lists.
Yet it is somewhat surprising the Astros would be willing to pick up Verlander's albatross contract when he is an aging pitcher clearly on the back side of his bell curve.
Note to Tiger fans. Miguel Cabrera might well be the next to go. Yes, his fabulous Triple Crown season of not long ago has disappeared in the rear view mirror, but some other team might take a flyer on him and his equally ridiculous contract, hoping he can bounce back and have another decent year or two left in him. But there's no question his production, and day to day health have dramatically declined in the last couple years.
One of the few good hitters the Tigers had, J.D. Martinez, was already dealt for "prospects". As was catcher Alex Avila, who was experiencing the best season of his career. An anomaly perhaps. Yet it should be noted that two of the "hot-shot prospects" the Tigers got in return are potential third basemen.
This does not bode well for one Nick Castellanos, their current starter at that position. Never much with the glove, NC is typically a .240 or so hitter, without much speed. A journeyman at best. His days in Detroit would seem numbered as well.
Last year's American League Rookie of the Year, Tiger pitcher Michael Fulmer, hasn't won a game in two months.
Second baseman Ian Kinsler, also with a whopper contract, has seen age quickly erode his stats as well.
Would anybody else be interested in any of these guys?
Hard to say.
But Justin Verlander, the former Fastball Flakes man, whose entire career to date has been spent in Detroit -- is there no longer.
No doubt Tiger fans will miss him.
But hey, JV now has a legitimate shot at winning a championship with the up and coming Astros. They're young, loaded with talent from top to bottom, and look to remain highly competitive for years to come. The exact opposite of what has happened with the Tigers.
It was no secret they were slip-sliding away and their future looked bleak.
It just got a whole lot bleaker without Kate's old man.
Oh yeah, these guys could be bad, REALLY bad for a few years, before and if they turn it around. And given so many other teams have been infinitely wiser in recent years with their rosters, salaries, and farm systems, very painful times may linger in Tiger-land for quite a while.
See ya, JV. You were a stud there for a while. A couple no-hitters, MVP, Cy Young Award, and all that. But of late, you've barely been a .500 pitcher in Detroit. Great one game, bombed the next.
You're in a better place now.
Or will be, as soon as all that dad-burned flood water finally goes away.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Dumbest play of the week
OK, all pro football fans "get it". The NFL's preseason is, and has long been pretty much a joke. To borrow the words of a Sports Illustrated scribe not long ago, trying to judge a team's potential by their preseason play is like judging the food by reading the menu of the restaurant next door to the one you're going to actually eat at. In a word -- useless.
The Detroit Lions went a sparkling 4-0 in the 2008 preseason. They would then proceed to go 0-16 in the regular season, setting a standard of futility and ineptness that can be equaled, not likely, but never topped, or out bottomed. The greatest here we go, then massive thud of all time.
And we all know that the third preseason game is the only one in which teams actually try, for maybe a half or so.
The fourth one is for the scrubs, marginal players, trying to make their ways onto the roster.
But every once in a while, even a meaningless game like this results in a totally duh, have you no brains whatsoever moment.
Such was the case when the same Detroit Lions faced off against the Buffalo Bills on the shore of Lake Erie.
Late in the fourth quarter, with time running down and the Bills enjoying a somewhat (who cares?) comfortable lead, they had the ball inside their own 10 yard line.
Garbage time.
Still, even at that point, the coaching staff, if they're paying the slightest bit of attention, is evaluating players.
Buffalo came out in a "tight" offensive formation, which resulted in Detroit packing all 11 defenders "inside the box".
And what did the Bills do? Ran a draw play. To absolutely nobody's surprise, the overwhelmed running back was sacked at the one yard line. This play had about as much chance of succeeding as your average snowflake does of surviving long in the Amazon rain forest.
But that's the thing. This, of ALL times, is when a team should show some imagination, and go for the gusto. They have nothing to lose by doing so. So try a trick play, or at least throw the ball -- dammit. Maybe they'll learn something they can pull out later when the games actually matter.
If I'm the owner of the Buffalo Bills, looking down from my luxury box to witness this, I'm outraged. I would say the following ----
What the hell was that? I'm paying you guys millions of dollars and that's the best you can come up with?
The first thing I do is dock the offensive coordinator 10% of his salary. If he squawks, I fire him.
The second thing is I dock the head coach 10% of HIS salary for both having hired this unimaginative troll in the first place, and not overruling such a ridiculous play call when it came through his headphones. And I don't want to hear any guff out of him either, or he'll be looking for another job too -- tomorrow.
I'm a billionaire and can afford to eat their salaries, but I won't tolerate a single second, or play, of totally wasted time. It's not only insulting to me, but our fans as well.
Lord knows it's been quite a while since this team has been competitive -- a trait the Lions certainly share -- what with those pesky Patriots kicking everybody's butts in our division and elsewhere around the league, but I fail to see the point in just ramming one's head against a brick wall when other options were available. At least TRY one.
It has to be dumbest thing I've seen since certain tweets from on high and watching Congress in action lately.
Like those folks, the Bills might not be any good this year -- again -- either.
But I will not sit idly by watching my team, scrubs or not, just mailing it in.
Get after it, as best you can, or I'll get after you.
Yes, I could come down into that nasty smelling, sweaty locker room and have a not so pleasant chat with you folks in person. I dare say you wouldn't find me to be a nice guy under such circumstances.
Yet there is an easier, better way for somebody in my position.
The next time I see stupidity like that from my team, how about if I zap the Wifi capabilities in the locker room?
Or the hot water in the showers mysteriously goes on the fritz?
All easily enough done.
Don't mess with me any more fellows.
Whatever your capabilities are -- LET'S GO.
I will settle for no less.
Yet there is an easier, better way for somebody in my position.
The next time I see stupidity like that from my team, how about if I zap the Wifi capabilities in the locker room?
Or the hot water in the showers mysteriously goes on the fritz?
All easily enough done.
Don't mess with me any more fellows.
Whatever your capabilities are -- LET'S GO.
I will settle for no less.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Brad Ausmus and sour grapes
There is little doubt that Detroit Tiger manager Brad Ausmus will be history when this season mercifully concludes for the Tigers. Is their plunge towards the nether regions of Major League Baseball all his fault?
Probably not. He's stuck with a bunch of grossly overpaid and under performing aging players. Though the Tigers have one of highest player payrolls in MLB, they're also one of the worst teams. This is not a recipe for a manager's continued employment. Somebody has to be the fall guy, and will be BA.
But his recent comment regarding Coors Field in Denver, home of the Colorado Rockies, showed his lack of class.
He referred to it as "pinball baseball". Indeed.
Yet Coors Field, besides being a beautiful facility, offers some of the most exciting baseball. Because it's at "altitude", the ball likely flies a bit farther than it would in other parks. A hitter's paradise and pitcher's nightmare? Maybe.
But who really wants to see pitchers' duels in 1-0 yawners anyway? Fans go to the various stadiums wanting to see some action, dammit. Home runs, balls up the gap for doubles and triples, stolen bases, hit and run plays, stuff HAPPENING. Who cares if the precious pitchers' ERA ticks up a notch while playing there? Both sides have to play under the same conditions, and it's fun baseball, not the dreary, stodgy type evidently espoused by the likes of Brad Ausmus, unless it's his team that romps, instead of the other way around, of course. A bit of hypocrisy may be afoot there.
Nonetheless, if I'm the Colorado Rockies and saw BA's comment about "pinball baseball", I would have issued a response. That being.....
"As regards the Detroit Tigers manager recent slur on our facility, we can sum up what we think of him in one word. PinHEAD.
If any further explanation is warranted, the poor misguided man need only look at the standings. Our team is currently 14 games better than his. We are the thick of the playoff chase while his sad sacks are floundering into oblivion.
He's got a bad team and he knows it. If he doesn't, refer back to the original word mentioned above.
Pinhead.
Who BTW, has this really nasty habit of spitting through his teeth every 3 or 4 seconds. Does he do that at home with his wife and kids? While driving in his car? At his place of worship -- if any? While sitting down at a restaurant?"
Yep, Brad Ausmus may or may not be highly thought of in Detroit among his own players, fans, and media.
But he's WAY out of line when he starts insulting other facilities such as Coors Field, when his own team plays in the dreary confines of Comerica Park.
And hey, one is named after a wildly popular beer. The other after a banking facility that is always on a mission to gouge customers out of even more money. One can feel pretty good after a couple of Coors, totally voluntary, but maybe not so good when those pesky interest rates of Comerica come crashing into your latest statement -- which is mandatory.
Yet in the end, it's "Pinball" vs "Pinhead".
One has long been a fun game at an arcade, still is, and comes in many varieties.
The other is merely biding time until he gets broomed. Still the same old spitting Brad. Boring as ever. Ain't no changing the stripes on that old cat. He is, ptui, what he'll always be. A loser.
Probably not. He's stuck with a bunch of grossly overpaid and under performing aging players. Though the Tigers have one of highest player payrolls in MLB, they're also one of the worst teams. This is not a recipe for a manager's continued employment. Somebody has to be the fall guy, and will be BA.
But his recent comment regarding Coors Field in Denver, home of the Colorado Rockies, showed his lack of class.
He referred to it as "pinball baseball". Indeed.
Yet Coors Field, besides being a beautiful facility, offers some of the most exciting baseball. Because it's at "altitude", the ball likely flies a bit farther than it would in other parks. A hitter's paradise and pitcher's nightmare? Maybe.
But who really wants to see pitchers' duels in 1-0 yawners anyway? Fans go to the various stadiums wanting to see some action, dammit. Home runs, balls up the gap for doubles and triples, stolen bases, hit and run plays, stuff HAPPENING. Who cares if the precious pitchers' ERA ticks up a notch while playing there? Both sides have to play under the same conditions, and it's fun baseball, not the dreary, stodgy type evidently espoused by the likes of Brad Ausmus, unless it's his team that romps, instead of the other way around, of course. A bit of hypocrisy may be afoot there.
Nonetheless, if I'm the Colorado Rockies and saw BA's comment about "pinball baseball", I would have issued a response. That being.....
"As regards the Detroit Tigers manager recent slur on our facility, we can sum up what we think of him in one word. PinHEAD.
If any further explanation is warranted, the poor misguided man need only look at the standings. Our team is currently 14 games better than his. We are the thick of the playoff chase while his sad sacks are floundering into oblivion.
He's got a bad team and he knows it. If he doesn't, refer back to the original word mentioned above.
Pinhead.
Who BTW, has this really nasty habit of spitting through his teeth every 3 or 4 seconds. Does he do that at home with his wife and kids? While driving in his car? At his place of worship -- if any? While sitting down at a restaurant?"
Yep, Brad Ausmus may or may not be highly thought of in Detroit among his own players, fans, and media.
But he's WAY out of line when he starts insulting other facilities such as Coors Field, when his own team plays in the dreary confines of Comerica Park.
And hey, one is named after a wildly popular beer. The other after a banking facility that is always on a mission to gouge customers out of even more money. One can feel pretty good after a couple of Coors, totally voluntary, but maybe not so good when those pesky interest rates of Comerica come crashing into your latest statement -- which is mandatory.
Yet in the end, it's "Pinball" vs "Pinhead".
One has long been a fun game at an arcade, still is, and comes in many varieties.
The other is merely biding time until he gets broomed. Still the same old spitting Brad. Boring as ever. Ain't no changing the stripes on that old cat. He is, ptui, what he'll always be. A loser.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Matthew Stafford. Good, bad, and ugly
So the quarterback of the Detroit Lions has signed a five year contract extension worth $135 million dollars? Hurray for him. Not exactly Mayweather, Buffet, Gates, Winfrey, or Trump money, but he won't be eating ramen noodles any time soon either.
This is a good thing, maybe.
But Stafford, despite continuing to be hailed in Detroit as some sort of super-hero, has been far from it.
The man is 29 years old, entering his ninth NFL season, and has, to date, posted a 51-58 career win/loss record. A somewhat less than mediocre winning percentage of .468.
On top of that, he has yet to lead his team to a single playoff victory. Not one in his previous eight years. There is little reason to believe it will happen this year either, given the same over-hyped but talent/coaching/brains shy version of the current Lions.
Is any sane person to believe a QB with such career stats deserves to be the highest paid player in the NFL?
That's not only bad, but pitiful. Only in Detroit could they be desperate enough to shower such a player with boatloads of money and come up with such a deal.
Thing is, by agreeing to stay with the Motown puddy-tats through the year 2022, Stafford has all but sealed his fate.
By the time that contract expires, the modern day Georgia Peach will be 34 years old. Pretty much on the back side of his career bell curve. True, that Brady guy in New England keeps on rolling like the energizer bunny, but no reasonable person would confuse Matthew and Tom. One has always been elite, the other mediocre. One gets it done when it matters most. The other falls flat.
And by the time 2022 rolls around, if Stafford is even capable of playing, no other team will be interested. It's entirely possible the next five years will go by and he STILL won't win a playoff game. Get to the Super Bowl, let alone winning it? The ultimate pipe dream/fantasy. Ain't gonna happen. Not with that bunch.
So yes, he'll be fabulously wealthy and the next few generations of Staffords will have nothing to worry about financially.
But if he ever aspired to a "ring" -- and isn't that the ultimate goal of most players? -- he just kissed it goodbye by signing away the rest of his career with the ever-hapless Lions.
It would have been interesting to see which other teams might have made a pitch for him had he played out this year and became a free agent. No doubt, he could have started for some, but certainly not all.
Forget New England. Even if Brady hangs it up after next year, they have that Jimmie guy waiting in the wings they've groomed all along.
Pittsburgh? A maybe, but only if Big Ben called it quits. The Steelers wouldn't pay mega-bucks for a guy like Stafford to ride the pine.
No way would he displace Russell Wilson in Seattle.
Nor Derek Carr in Oakland.
Eli in Giants land? Uh-uh.
Matt Ryan in Atlanta or Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay? Puh-leeze.
The Cowboys have a young stud named Dak Prescott, so would have little use for Stafford.
The Skins in DC are committed to Kirk Cousins. Ditto.
Drew Brees in New Orleans will only be displaced when he decides to retire, which evidently isn't quite yet.
There are likely a few teams that might consider taking on Stafford, but at a reduced price. Forget his gaudy passing stats, the fact remains he's far under .500 after eight seasons as a starter. Period. And his over-hyped regular season comeback heroics pale in the face of his play-off chokes.
Also true is there are several teams that would be glad to have him. Let's say Cleveland, Jacksonville, Miami, Houston, KC, Philly, San Fran, the Jets, Bears, and Denver -- maybe. Charlotte has already committed to Cam Newton, he of the once promising future, but also the same guy that can't get over the funk of being blasted in the Super Bowl a couple years back.
Yet in the end, Matthew Stafford, a Georgia native, has decided to ride out what is left of his useful career with the Detroit Lions.
That would seem to make him Ernie Banks-ish, with one huge difference. The former star of the Chicago Cubs never had free agency available to him. The north-siders, woeful as they were, owned his butt. He made it into the Hall of Fame, and rightfully so, but never got anywhere near sniffing any sort of championship. He was stuck. Not so with Stafford. He had choices.
And as the past 60 years of the Lions have proven, with no help in sight ----
That's just ugly.
Pity. As they say, the dude could have been a contender.
But as the old song (House of the Rising Sun) goes, being in the wrong place at the wrong time and making the wrong decisions has been the ruin of many a poor boy.
Alas.
This is a good thing, maybe.
But Stafford, despite continuing to be hailed in Detroit as some sort of super-hero, has been far from it.
The man is 29 years old, entering his ninth NFL season, and has, to date, posted a 51-58 career win/loss record. A somewhat less than mediocre winning percentage of .468.
On top of that, he has yet to lead his team to a single playoff victory. Not one in his previous eight years. There is little reason to believe it will happen this year either, given the same over-hyped but talent/coaching/brains shy version of the current Lions.
Is any sane person to believe a QB with such career stats deserves to be the highest paid player in the NFL?
That's not only bad, but pitiful. Only in Detroit could they be desperate enough to shower such a player with boatloads of money and come up with such a deal.
Thing is, by agreeing to stay with the Motown puddy-tats through the year 2022, Stafford has all but sealed his fate.
By the time that contract expires, the modern day Georgia Peach will be 34 years old. Pretty much on the back side of his career bell curve. True, that Brady guy in New England keeps on rolling like the energizer bunny, but no reasonable person would confuse Matthew and Tom. One has always been elite, the other mediocre. One gets it done when it matters most. The other falls flat.
And by the time 2022 rolls around, if Stafford is even capable of playing, no other team will be interested. It's entirely possible the next five years will go by and he STILL won't win a playoff game. Get to the Super Bowl, let alone winning it? The ultimate pipe dream/fantasy. Ain't gonna happen. Not with that bunch.
So yes, he'll be fabulously wealthy and the next few generations of Staffords will have nothing to worry about financially.
But if he ever aspired to a "ring" -- and isn't that the ultimate goal of most players? -- he just kissed it goodbye by signing away the rest of his career with the ever-hapless Lions.
It would have been interesting to see which other teams might have made a pitch for him had he played out this year and became a free agent. No doubt, he could have started for some, but certainly not all.
Forget New England. Even if Brady hangs it up after next year, they have that Jimmie guy waiting in the wings they've groomed all along.
Pittsburgh? A maybe, but only if Big Ben called it quits. The Steelers wouldn't pay mega-bucks for a guy like Stafford to ride the pine.
No way would he displace Russell Wilson in Seattle.
Nor Derek Carr in Oakland.
Eli in Giants land? Uh-uh.
Matt Ryan in Atlanta or Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay? Puh-leeze.
The Cowboys have a young stud named Dak Prescott, so would have little use for Stafford.
The Skins in DC are committed to Kirk Cousins. Ditto.
Drew Brees in New Orleans will only be displaced when he decides to retire, which evidently isn't quite yet.
There are likely a few teams that might consider taking on Stafford, but at a reduced price. Forget his gaudy passing stats, the fact remains he's far under .500 after eight seasons as a starter. Period. And his over-hyped regular season comeback heroics pale in the face of his play-off chokes.
Also true is there are several teams that would be glad to have him. Let's say Cleveland, Jacksonville, Miami, Houston, KC, Philly, San Fran, the Jets, Bears, and Denver -- maybe. Charlotte has already committed to Cam Newton, he of the once promising future, but also the same guy that can't get over the funk of being blasted in the Super Bowl a couple years back.
Yet in the end, Matthew Stafford, a Georgia native, has decided to ride out what is left of his useful career with the Detroit Lions.
That would seem to make him Ernie Banks-ish, with one huge difference. The former star of the Chicago Cubs never had free agency available to him. The north-siders, woeful as they were, owned his butt. He made it into the Hall of Fame, and rightfully so, but never got anywhere near sniffing any sort of championship. He was stuck. Not so with Stafford. He had choices.
And as the past 60 years of the Lions have proven, with no help in sight ----
That's just ugly.
Pity. As they say, the dude could have been a contender.
But as the old song (House of the Rising Sun) goes, being in the wrong place at the wrong time and making the wrong decisions has been the ruin of many a poor boy.
Alas.
Monday, August 28, 2017
Pitying Floyd Mayweather
Yeah, I get it. On the surface, the premise of pitying a guy like Floyd Mayweather sounds ridiculous.
After all, here is a dude worth several hundreds of millions of dollars. He has a fleet of luxury cars, likely several mansions here and there to rival the one of Jed Clampett, and his pick of the day among a virtual harem of women eager to share his company. Throw in a yacht or two, a wardrobe of fancy clothes, shoes, and other accessories that would fill up your average warehouse, add a private jet and all the other goodies, and why, pray tell, would anybody feel sorry for him?
But we should. This is a very shallow, insecure man, with a serious ego problem.
It is no great secret that Floyd Mayweather has in the past been a notorious woman beater. These little "problems" have all been made to go away through buying them off. The power of money indeed.
And he leaves a long trail of former wives, girlfriends, and mothers of his children in his wake. Yet these same, ahem, ladies, continue to dutifully follow along in his entourage. Well gee, I wonder why? Did I mention money?
Good grief, the man even calls himself Floyd "Money" Mayweather. And flaunts it like no other sports figure has ever done in the past. It's not only shameful, but embarrassing just having watched it over the years.
But a boatload of money and fame does not necessarily make a man.
Floyd Mayweather tossing around $100 bills like they are confetti to somehow try and impress people only further proves his inferiority complex. Wearing underwear with C-note designs all over them? Really? Does that sound like a dude at peace with himself?
Or more like a glorified pimp trying to strut his stuff?
Over his boxing career, it is true Mayweather has gone undefeated. After fighting the usual assortment of bums to make a name for himself, and the full backing of the media machine hyping him every step of the way, Floyd then realized his opportunity to shape his future.
When he finally got around to fighting decent opponents, it was always on his terms. He would set the date. And venue. And guarantee himself the lion's share of the purse. His own people would select the ring-side judges as well as the referee within the ropes during the actual bout. Everything was oh so carefully choreographed -- to his advantage.
And just recently he has pocketed upwards of $250 million dollars for, ahem, "fighting" a man that had never before participated in his sport.
If one does the math, that equates to Floyd Mayweather having earned roughly $180,000 a SECOND, every tick of the AA battery powered clocks on so many walls, while in the ring against Conor McGregor. Do you see something horribly wrong with this picture?
And who, pray tell, was dumb enough to click on the "rent" pay-per-view button that cha-chinged them for a C-note over such a farce? Certainly not I.
With any luck, we have seen the last of Floyd Mayweather, and it can't come too soon. Good riddance.
While there will always be those that shower praise upon him for his accomplishments, the same sort of folks also cheered on the likes of Mike Tyson, Tiger Woods, and Barry Bonds back in their hey-days. All turned out to be terribly flawed individuals in one way or another.
So let Floyd Mayweather ride off into the sunset -- please -- and enjoy the fame, money, and other worldly possessions he has amassed during his career. Some misguided folks will likely even consider him a sort of hero. Heavy on the misguided.
But for all of that, Floyd Mayweather was, is, and will always be nothing more than a small little man at heart, a petty individual continually beating his own drum in search of those that would admire him for the wealth he has accumulated. Sorry dude. Like the Beatles once sang way back in the 60s, money can't buy ya love.
And for that, he deserves neither acclaim nor hatred.
Merely pity.
After all, here is a dude worth several hundreds of millions of dollars. He has a fleet of luxury cars, likely several mansions here and there to rival the one of Jed Clampett, and his pick of the day among a virtual harem of women eager to share his company. Throw in a yacht or two, a wardrobe of fancy clothes, shoes, and other accessories that would fill up your average warehouse, add a private jet and all the other goodies, and why, pray tell, would anybody feel sorry for him?
But we should. This is a very shallow, insecure man, with a serious ego problem.
It is no great secret that Floyd Mayweather has in the past been a notorious woman beater. These little "problems" have all been made to go away through buying them off. The power of money indeed.
And he leaves a long trail of former wives, girlfriends, and mothers of his children in his wake. Yet these same, ahem, ladies, continue to dutifully follow along in his entourage. Well gee, I wonder why? Did I mention money?
Good grief, the man even calls himself Floyd "Money" Mayweather. And flaunts it like no other sports figure has ever done in the past. It's not only shameful, but embarrassing just having watched it over the years.
But a boatload of money and fame does not necessarily make a man.
Floyd Mayweather tossing around $100 bills like they are confetti to somehow try and impress people only further proves his inferiority complex. Wearing underwear with C-note designs all over them? Really? Does that sound like a dude at peace with himself?
Or more like a glorified pimp trying to strut his stuff?
Over his boxing career, it is true Mayweather has gone undefeated. After fighting the usual assortment of bums to make a name for himself, and the full backing of the media machine hyping him every step of the way, Floyd then realized his opportunity to shape his future.
When he finally got around to fighting decent opponents, it was always on his terms. He would set the date. And venue. And guarantee himself the lion's share of the purse. His own people would select the ring-side judges as well as the referee within the ropes during the actual bout. Everything was oh so carefully choreographed -- to his advantage.
And just recently he has pocketed upwards of $250 million dollars for, ahem, "fighting" a man that had never before participated in his sport.
If one does the math, that equates to Floyd Mayweather having earned roughly $180,000 a SECOND, every tick of the AA battery powered clocks on so many walls, while in the ring against Conor McGregor. Do you see something horribly wrong with this picture?
And who, pray tell, was dumb enough to click on the "rent" pay-per-view button that cha-chinged them for a C-note over such a farce? Certainly not I.
With any luck, we have seen the last of Floyd Mayweather, and it can't come too soon. Good riddance.
While there will always be those that shower praise upon him for his accomplishments, the same sort of folks also cheered on the likes of Mike Tyson, Tiger Woods, and Barry Bonds back in their hey-days. All turned out to be terribly flawed individuals in one way or another.
So let Floyd Mayweather ride off into the sunset -- please -- and enjoy the fame, money, and other worldly possessions he has amassed during his career. Some misguided folks will likely even consider him a sort of hero. Heavy on the misguided.
But for all of that, Floyd Mayweather was, is, and will always be nothing more than a small little man at heart, a petty individual continually beating his own drum in search of those that would admire him for the wealth he has accumulated. Sorry dude. Like the Beatles once sang way back in the 60s, money can't buy ya love.
And for that, he deserves neither acclaim nor hatred.
Merely pity.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Funny, or just dumb?
See the lady in the stands in DC watching her beloved Nats take on the NY Mets. See the Mets close the gap in the ninth inning to only trail 5-4. See yon lady wring her hands in despair. OMG, a Chicken Little moment appears to be upon her. The sky is falling. Woe is me.
See the Nats over 20 games ahead of the Mets, and 13 ahead of their closest division rival. They're already a lock for the postseason. So what gives with this woman?
Then again, maybe it just dawned on her that she had to skip a house or rent payment to attend such a meaningless game in the first place. OMG indeed.
So funny -- or just dumb?
See the latest and greatest flashlight commercial. You can freeze them in ice. Run over them with cars. And like the Timex watches of old -- they just keep on ticking -- or shining. That's nice, but who's dumb enough to freeze or run over a flashlight in the first place?
See the stranded lady motorist who has her hood up, is outside the car leaning up against the grill, but has her trusty flashlight blinking on the fender. If anything, it is sending a signal of "please mug me, take my money and other belongings, and otherwise abuse me at your pleasure".
Funny -- or just dumb?
See the same commercial show a camper (not seen) with a fire going within a foot of his/her tent -- totally unsupervised. Guess what happens if the wind shifts just a tad and blows the flame in the direction of the tent? The handy-dandy flashlight isn't going to help. Getting out of a tent up in flames can pretty much put the kibosh on an otherwise joyful excursion in the out of doors. Is this the audience the flashlight people are targeting? Careless idiots?
Funny -- or just dumb?
Remember the recent whack-em-all contest between the Detroit Tigers and NY Yankees. Batter after batter on both sides were plunked by pitched balls, including a beaning.
See a Detroit area columnist rant and rave how Yankee pitcher Betances should be suspended for days, weeks, maybe months. Yet in the next paragraph, see yon scribe come to Tiger Miguel Cabrera's defense for his assaulting behavior on the field. Miggy should not be suspended, maybe not even fined. Can you say "homer"?
When the league got done handing out penalties the following day -- several players were suspended and undisclosed fines levied -- Betances went unscathed. No suspension. No fine. No nothing.
Cabrera got nailed the hardest with a seven game suspension -- currently on appeal -- good luck with that -- and methinks yon Detroit homer might well be popping Xanax like M&Ms.
This is the same guy that hypes the Detroit Lions every year, but then rips them when they turn out to be their usual "lead-em on, let-em down" disappointing selves. Then blames it on the team. No mention of the Honolulu blue and silver Kool-Aid he was dishing out by the tanker full going into each season to the ever-gullible fans.
Leave us not forget, these are the same folks that get into games for free -- no skipping a house payment for them -- take an elevator up to the press box for the best seats in the house -- get free concessions while there -- and are further paid while doing so.
Yet they can turn right around and whine about the outrageous prices average fans have to cough up for much lesser accommodations?
Not sure what that is. Neither funny nor dumb quite seem to be appropriate.
But whatever it is -- it ain't right.
See the Nats over 20 games ahead of the Mets, and 13 ahead of their closest division rival. They're already a lock for the postseason. So what gives with this woman?
Then again, maybe it just dawned on her that she had to skip a house or rent payment to attend such a meaningless game in the first place. OMG indeed.
So funny -- or just dumb?
See the latest and greatest flashlight commercial. You can freeze them in ice. Run over them with cars. And like the Timex watches of old -- they just keep on ticking -- or shining. That's nice, but who's dumb enough to freeze or run over a flashlight in the first place?
See the stranded lady motorist who has her hood up, is outside the car leaning up against the grill, but has her trusty flashlight blinking on the fender. If anything, it is sending a signal of "please mug me, take my money and other belongings, and otherwise abuse me at your pleasure".
Funny -- or just dumb?
See the same commercial show a camper (not seen) with a fire going within a foot of his/her tent -- totally unsupervised. Guess what happens if the wind shifts just a tad and blows the flame in the direction of the tent? The handy-dandy flashlight isn't going to help. Getting out of a tent up in flames can pretty much put the kibosh on an otherwise joyful excursion in the out of doors. Is this the audience the flashlight people are targeting? Careless idiots?
Funny -- or just dumb?
Remember the recent whack-em-all contest between the Detroit Tigers and NY Yankees. Batter after batter on both sides were plunked by pitched balls, including a beaning.
See a Detroit area columnist rant and rave how Yankee pitcher Betances should be suspended for days, weeks, maybe months. Yet in the next paragraph, see yon scribe come to Tiger Miguel Cabrera's defense for his assaulting behavior on the field. Miggy should not be suspended, maybe not even fined. Can you say "homer"?
When the league got done handing out penalties the following day -- several players were suspended and undisclosed fines levied -- Betances went unscathed. No suspension. No fine. No nothing.
Cabrera got nailed the hardest with a seven game suspension -- currently on appeal -- good luck with that -- and methinks yon Detroit homer might well be popping Xanax like M&Ms.
This is the same guy that hypes the Detroit Lions every year, but then rips them when they turn out to be their usual "lead-em on, let-em down" disappointing selves. Then blames it on the team. No mention of the Honolulu blue and silver Kool-Aid he was dishing out by the tanker full going into each season to the ever-gullible fans.
Leave us not forget, these are the same folks that get into games for free -- no skipping a house payment for them -- take an elevator up to the press box for the best seats in the house -- get free concessions while there -- and are further paid while doing so.
Yet they can turn right around and whine about the outrageous prices average fans have to cough up for much lesser accommodations?
Not sure what that is. Neither funny nor dumb quite seem to be appropriate.
But whatever it is -- it ain't right.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
The absurdity of the cable TV folks
This is something you would expect might happen in a third-world country, still struggling to feed itself -- not in a highly tech-savvy empire such as the United States. (Although to be fair, the so-called richest country on the planet should be ashamed of itself for still having so many homeless and starving people on their streets).
Nevertheless, as this is written, the much bally-hooed "fight" between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather should have been starting any minute.
It's not like the pay-per-view cable TV folks haven't had ample time to prepare. This bout has been months in the making.
But yet on the very cusp of the main event going off, there's a problem.
The pay-per-view system has crashed, perhaps due to a lot of late, likely drunk or high suckers trying to click and cough up $100 for what one Sports Illustrated writer recently -- and rightly -- referred to as a "glorified cholera outbreak".
Thing is, both McGregor and Mayweather have been dutifully training for this spectacle. As it drew nigh, they were no doubt on very regimented schedules. Especially on the night of the actual fight.
Every minute was already planned out. Eat, rest, nap, warm up, whatever.
Then it all got put on hold because the cable folks suffered a "technical malfunction"? This is ludicrous.
These guys are sitting in their dressing rooms waiting for the tech nerds to solve a problem they should have long anticipated and been ready for?
And the ring-side audience that coughed off mega-stupid bucks to be there sit and twiddle their thumbs? They likely had flights to catch at McCarron to get out of town. Now those could go by the wayside as well? If so, these will not be happy campers waiting for the next one.
Yep, America might well be a leader in many things, but having well thought out plans -- on a lot of fronts in recent years -- doesn't appear to be one of them.
Nevertheless, as this is written, the much bally-hooed "fight" between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather should have been starting any minute.
It's not like the pay-per-view cable TV folks haven't had ample time to prepare. This bout has been months in the making.
But yet on the very cusp of the main event going off, there's a problem.
The pay-per-view system has crashed, perhaps due to a lot of late, likely drunk or high suckers trying to click and cough up $100 for what one Sports Illustrated writer recently -- and rightly -- referred to as a "glorified cholera outbreak".
Thing is, both McGregor and Mayweather have been dutifully training for this spectacle. As it drew nigh, they were no doubt on very regimented schedules. Especially on the night of the actual fight.
Every minute was already planned out. Eat, rest, nap, warm up, whatever.
Then it all got put on hold because the cable folks suffered a "technical malfunction"? This is ludicrous.
These guys are sitting in their dressing rooms waiting for the tech nerds to solve a problem they should have long anticipated and been ready for?
And the ring-side audience that coughed off mega-stupid bucks to be there sit and twiddle their thumbs? They likely had flights to catch at McCarron to get out of town. Now those could go by the wayside as well? If so, these will not be happy campers waiting for the next one.
Yep, America might well be a leader in many things, but having well thought out plans -- on a lot of fronts in recent years -- doesn't appear to be one of them.
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