I am DEFINITELY not going to get into all the stuff about the 2010 NFL season, and all that it may bring/or not. Likewise, I will not delve into the “collision” year, 2011. If there even will BE a 2011 season.
As happens with EVERY aspect of each and every “stalemate,” you hear, see and see nothing but stupidity, especially between a bunch of millionaire players and mega-millionaire owners.
It just boggles the mind that all these super rich ego maniacs are so predicable. Both sides will pout and ponder, both will pretend they will die if they don’t get what they want, then after they do major damage to the game – especially if a season is cancelled – see hockey a few years ago, they will finally reach some agreement that they could of damn well reached in week one!
Talk about the age old dogma, “…kill the golden goose.”
Well, at least one player is doing his best to stave off some limelight concerning the upcoming dog fight – see Michael Vick.
Yep, super idiot Ben Roethlisberger, has done his best to steer the light of potential darkness of a non-season all upon himself.
And, he thought all of this up by using his head. The head hanging between his legs!
Gee, you think he is the first ever player to let his dinking do his thinking?
Within a short 4-year span, Big Ben (is that what he calls “it”) managed to be intelligent enough to buy a super hot motorcycle and refuse to wear a helmet. CRASH. CONCUSSION.
Then he allegedly used his “head” with a woman in Lake Tahoe during a celebrity – CHARITY – golf tournament.
Then, just as that was pretty much dying down, he goes and lets it all hang out in the big-time metropolis of Milledgeville, Georgia.
On Thursday night (beginning a 3-day weekend), a “raucous” party took place. This relatively small school’s enrollment was roughly 65% female.
Thus, you had a bunch of 18-21 year old kids drinking and partying it up.
For some twisted reason, a 28-year old, 6’5,” millionaire pro QB decided he belonged.
The result was this “fit right in” QB found himself accused of sexual assault by a 20-year old female student.
By morning, Roethlisberger had hired a very high brow Atlanta lawyer, thus no comments have come from Big Ben. Likewise, the alleged victim has not commented on the matter.
So, what should we make of this?
At best, we can cough up the “dumb jock” comment.
But this could turn out rather ugly. Remember, Roth. was accused of raping a woman in 2008 in Lake Tahoe during a celebrity golf tournament.
In the first “incident,” he appeared to “get away” from the ordeal.
But this time, he may not be so lucky.
Whereas most of the Pittsburgh fans sided with Ben on the Tahoe gig, not so in Smallville, GA.
The BEST thing that is being said of Ben is he was “lacking in judgment.”
“When you think with your dink, it can land you in the brink.”
Kind and supportive words are not flowing out of Pittsburgh.
The Steelers are known as a prime example of what an NFL franchise should be.
Their lobby is full of Lombardi trophies; Stability, coaches with 15-year tenure, hall-of-fame players abound, and all of them have upstanding, clean reputations.
Pittsburgh is THE earned image of a stalwart franchise.
Pittsburgh is a town of blue collar, hard working, straight up individuals, who know right from wrong.
As such, he may be their football hero, but he is, at least for the moment, become a black mark on their city.
He did not seem to learn much from the motorcycle accident.
Likewise the Tahoe incident.
Who knows, he may be able to “buy” his way out of this one also.
But he is on a bubble right now. If he gets out of this one, he damn well better take the straight and narrow henceforth.
March Madness is rapidly approaching.
Leagues are having their tournaments starting this week, and the hype is beginning.
Now, right or wrong, the majority of college basketball fans, along with TV coverage, it is the men’s tournament that draws the great majority of coverage.
And this year is like most of the last few; i.e. there are no odds on favorite to win it all. And this just adds to the excitement.
Now no one can argue against winning. I mean, that is why you play the game, isn’t it?
Well, perhaps any good thing can, well, be too much of a good thing. NOTE: That is not meant to be a negative comment.
On the women’s side, well, most will agree that there is really no team that can offer much competition.
The University of Connecticut. “UConn.”
For a good while, it was UConn against Tennessee. Most every year.
But now, there is just one.
Not only does UConn currently have the best team, their depth and recruiting abilities show no let up in their success.
Up until 2-3 years ago, Pat Summitt’s coached Tennessee was the team that always fought it out with UConn.
No longer.
UConn has won 71 consecutive games! And, every margin of victory has been in double digits! Including the playoffs.
You have to go way back to the UCLA men’s program, when legendary John Wooden led them to a record 88 straight game win streak. During that run, UCLA won an unbelievable 8 straight NCAA Championships, and 10 of 11.
That will NEVER happen again. College basketball has changed. Way back then, football was THE ONLY game. Not so any more.
Basketball has pretty much caught up with football at least in the East and South.
And while it was DUKE or UNC or some other men’s team, not only has that changed, but the women now are gaining in popularity with the men.
UCON’s women’s coach, Geno Auriemma, has found some sort of magic. The depth of recruits he has amassed is unbelievable.
As in many sports, the best teams seem to recruit the best. A good reason for that is the “best” players want to play on the “best” team.
Some say that Auriemma’s team pretty much has their lineups set, for the next 3 years!
Thus, some may say that given the dominance of UConn, this “hurts” the women’s game, because there is not competition.
I strongly disagree. When you have a team that is so dominate, you want to watch them to see if anyone CAN, at least, lose ONLY by single digits!
So, while the women’s game, again this year, may not have the suspense, I believe that their audience will be larger with each game UConn wins. I mean, everyone wants to see which team will at least come within single digits!
So while you may not have the suspense as much in the ladies’ bracket, they still will draw a strong viewing public. I know I will watch them this year!
Oh, one more additive to the “Final Four.”
Fans have been wondering how the networks can continue to “improve,” that is, make it, somehow, more exciting.
Well, they have. The NCAA has teamed up with a number of movie theaters to show the Final Four……in 3-D!
Sean McManus, who oversees CBS’ sports and news divisions, says that coverage will be a separate production, using CBS’s regular broadcasters.
McManus says that the 3-D coverage will be shown in about 100 theaters.
Showing that this is the future, Fox had 3-D coverage in some theaters of a Bowl Championship Series title game. Fox also plans a 3-D coverage of this year’s MLB’s All-Star game via Direct TV.
A couple other networks are planning some 3-D showings, so this is most certainly the trend of the future.
Break out your Wheaties glasses!
With MLB well into spring training, well, you gotta have at least a little controversy!
Los Angeles Angels’ center fielder, Torii Hunter, kicked up some dust last week when, in discussing the fewer numbers of African-American players, he referred to Latino players as “imposters” in making the distinction between the two.
Well, of course there had to be some back lash. Yep, my ole buddy, the Rev man himself, Jesse Jackson, immediately jumped into the fray and added how “wrong” it was that African Americans were losing their “role” as MLB players.
Well, no one really heard Jesse speak, as he no longer has much of a following, now that we have a black President.
Besides, Jesse has to be older than dirt. He has been around for ever. At the least, WAY TO LONG!
OK, we’ve got Jesse out of the way. What did the “imposter” Latinos have to say?
The news said there was “a firestorm” of online criticism, so Hunter looked up the word’s definition.
He later said, “I’m sorry if I used the wrong word. I’m not going to apologize.”
He added, “I told the truth. It certainly wasn’t a racist word. I can’t believe people take that as racism.”
Well, it must not have been much of a dust-up, and he said none of this Latino teammates brought it to his attention. “I took no offense to it,” said Angels broadcaster Jose Mota.
Hey, this would not even be in the damn news if the old Rev hadn’t dusted off this mothballs and tried to say something.
Well, I’m gong to cut this one short. WOAH, I can hear the applause….
My right shoulder is still way out of whack. Had internal bleeding all the way down to my elbow.
On the 22nd, I get to go see the Doc who is in charge of Tulane’s Athletic Dept. He is recognized as the guru of shoulders, if there is such a thing.
My orthopedic doc, Mark Hontas, is great, and he has taken good care of me, but he is the first to say that “Your shoulder is so screwed up, that I am referring you to…”
Mark has operated on me 5 or 6 times, and he is the best.
I’ll finish up with a quick report on the infamous NFL Sports Combine held every year in Indianapolis.
Hey, speaking of Indy, I have not heard so much as a single squeak out of Peyton Manning since he threw the big INT to Tracy Porter who ran it back for the clinching TD.
I’m not making a big deal out of it, but I’m just a bit surprised, since he is in so many commercials, et al.
Hey Peyton, you aren’t the first QB who threw the stinker that sunk his team.
I still say Peyton is the best QB in football.
The sports combine.
Fewer and fewer players are showing up. More and more, especially of the top notch players, choose to hold their “tryouts” at their own college field or other place of their choice.
I mean, why in hell do they still put so much focus on the 40- yard dash? I mean, how many times do you run it. For DB’s, you pretty much have to run it backwards, so what the hell.
Then all the “testing.” God, they grill you on just about any/everything imaginable, and some things that are not imaginable!
Really, I don’t think they actuallly get that much out of the players. The only thing I see where it can really be important, is when they sit down and talk to them for a good while. There they can find out a good bit about your personality, and your abilities and mental toughness. Other than that….Pfffffatttt.
I think they even try to measure your jock size. I guess they want to make sure you have the big cajones!
Hey, I still say that the Saints’ coach, Sean Payton, has THE biggest cajones of all. I mean, opening the second half of the SB with an onsides kick…when your team was already down by 4 points! They say the odds on successfully completing an onsides kick are about 8.7 to one against!
Well, that was the turning point!
Single malt has been screaming at me for a half hour.
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