I just had to get this off my chest. Why is it that so many ex-athletes think the "common folk" don't understand so much about sports. Sure we don't understand what its like to be in the spotlight, in the locker room and in the game, but other than that we get it. I hate to call one guy out, but Mike Golic got me fired up this last week and change talking about the ND USC rivalry like we don't understand what it is like because we haven't been in the game. Of course he just happened to make it to that game and not to many others. How is he such a big fan? How does he get the rivalry so much? Has he driven to USC or ND for a road game in a packed car? I doubt it. Has he had to save up all year to make it to the ND games? NO! There are people who are die hard fans who do this EVERY game. He went to the school for 4 (or was it 5 because of injury) years! Many people are fans of teams from the time they can walk! They have been hating their rivals for 16 years before going to college.
I understand its different on the field than in the stands, but guess what. We get it. We understand its a bigger game. Every year before Iowa and Wisconsin games the players get a little more fired up. SO DO WE! We get fired up for the game a year before it happens, the day after the game is done! We want to get revenge if we lose, crush them over and over if we win! 1/4 of the players haven't even stepped on the field!
Its not just Golic, its a lot of ex-players. I like a lot of Golic has to say actually. We get it though. We are a HUGE reason the rivalries continue. If the stadium is 1/2 full, the players won't care as much. Rivalry games are PACKED. The media puts it out there, kids on campus let players know its a big game.
So please, quit trying to tell us about rivals. You don't know them any better than we do.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Selig vs. a Donkey
After telling you all about the soon to be change of coaches in Ohio I think its only to give you a much more believable prediction that is easier to comprehend: If a Donkey was running Major League Baseball the sport would be better off.
Bud Selig is beyond an idiot. I don't even know where to start.
Ok, I'll start with him trying to contract the Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos. The Twins had a great franchise that was struggling and trying to rebuild. All Selig wanted was a new stadium so he could make more money and with Pohlad wanting the same thing they worked together to try and force it on the Minnesota fans. He never received the criticism he should have for trying to do that.
Then a couple years later he couldn't even get the All Star game to decide a winner! How lame was that. Calling the game as a tie. Why play if its going to be a tie? It was embarrassing to MLB. He is embarrassing to MLB. To make matters worse we found out that AJ Pierzynski had even offered to pitch - which would have been the highlight of the game - and Selig said no.
Then the whole Steroid controversy came around. Selig and the owners tried to play dumb, tried to "crack down" on the users. I think he may have done a better entering a beauty contest. He knew McGuire and Sosa were juicing, we all did. He did nothing because it was helping him look good by baseball growing in popularity. Then he started testing players urine. Of course most of the steroids they were using only showed up in blood tests. Apparently America is as dumb as he thought though because once again he escaped without much question at all. The players were left to hang as the bad guys. The owners and Selig were left with much bigger wallets and no blame at all from the media. The Red Sox were left with 2 titles thanks to the best 1-2 punch in baseball juicing up. The Twins fans were left wondering what could have been if the infield (minus Morneau) would have hit more than 3 HR's over 4 years....or something close to that.
Selig has done many other dumb things as Commissioner, but this post season is proving to be his finest idiotic move. Baseball a game made to be played every day. Its a game that is supposed to be played in the summer - remember the boys of summer? Well now because Selig thinks he can squeeze a few extra bucks out of TV contracts and save a few small headaches caused by booking hotels we get neither. Now we play games into November - assuming all goes well in the World Series. Now we have breaks in between games that NFL players are probably jealous of.
The Yankees unfortunately finished off the Twins on Sunday. The Angels finished off the Red Sox on Sunday too. Common sense would say take a day off and start play on Tuesday, maybe Wednesday at the latest in case the NLCS has to wait. However we had to wait until Friday to play - that's 4 full days off for both teams. A game that doesn't have more than 1 day off the entire season other than at the All Star break all of the sudden shifts gears and takes a 4 day break. I thought about watching the series, but instead of starting on Tuesday or Wednesday when there was nothing on TV, I had to wait until Friday. Sure the NLCS started Thursday, but Cinci and South Florida were playing. 2 undefeated teams who might have an outside chance at getting in the National Championship game. Sorry. Can't watch. Friday night? Well I forgot it was on, it was the night before college football. It was Friday night. I'm not gonna sit in and watch a game played.
I also don't understand how MLB is so worried about ratings, why would you have a game Monday Afternoon? Monday at 1pm for the 35 million people who live in California. 4pm for the people in NY. Do people magically get off work at 3pm to get home or to a bar to catch the game???? DER.
The Worlds Series now is scheduled to start on October 28th. That of course unless there are any delays. A snow storm in NY or Philly. Bitter Cold in either (it happened in Colorado). What then?
The games should be done by mid October. TV Ratings should come second.
Then Selig's biggest downfall, which has gotten worse and worse throughout his tenure. There is still somehow no salary cap in baseball. The only major sport without a way to keep things fair. Sure there are cute stories occasionally. The Twins continue to surprise people. The Rays made it to the World Series. Other teams will breakthrough every once in awhile. The problem is after every team does, it loses its players and has to rebuild. Can anyone honestly say that if the Twins had Santana and Hunter this year they would not have been the best team in baseball? This isn't including the terrible trade of Bartlett for Delmon which was necessary because we couldn't keep Hunter. Add in a RH hitter batting .290 with 30 HR's in that lineup and watch out. Put an Ace on the mound every 5 days and you know you have that stopper, you have a guy that takes pressure off the bullpen and off the young starters who get put in tough situations.
I can't get into baseball that much when there is nothing fair about it. The Yankees went out and paid CC Sabathia (top 3 in Cy Young this year) AJ Burnett (13-9 4.04 ERA) and Mark Texiera (only hit 39 HR and batted over .290) - and that was on top of a team that without them already had the highest payroll. The Angels rank 6th, Phillies 7th and Dodgers 9th. The teams above them that aren't left had numerous injuries (Mets/Cubs) got knocked out in the first round (Red Sox) and lost a playoff game to get into the playoffs (Tigers) and the Astros just stunk.
Baseball needs a salary cap. I don't care if they want to gives teams a benefit for spending a little more. Even if you want to have a minimum of around $40 million and a max of around $110 million it would be fine. Selig needs to do something.
Baseball has taken a backseat to the NFL. It could take a backseat to College Football if it hasn't already. If the NCAA gets smart and puts an 8 team playoff in, it will pass MLB in a heartbeat. March Madness already has in my mind.
I think a Donkey would be able to keep MLB as the #2 sport because a donkey would understand fairness, a donkey would know if it plows a field every day all summer it should do the same in the fall. A donkey would know if something wasn't finished, finish it (don't let it end in a tie).
That is why a Donkey would be a better commissioner than Bud Selig.
Heck, worse case scenario it would do nothing. Couldn't hurt that much.
Bud Selig is beyond an idiot. I don't even know where to start.
Ok, I'll start with him trying to contract the Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos. The Twins had a great franchise that was struggling and trying to rebuild. All Selig wanted was a new stadium so he could make more money and with Pohlad wanting the same thing they worked together to try and force it on the Minnesota fans. He never received the criticism he should have for trying to do that.
Then a couple years later he couldn't even get the All Star game to decide a winner! How lame was that. Calling the game as a tie. Why play if its going to be a tie? It was embarrassing to MLB. He is embarrassing to MLB. To make matters worse we found out that AJ Pierzynski had even offered to pitch - which would have been the highlight of the game - and Selig said no.
Then the whole Steroid controversy came around. Selig and the owners tried to play dumb, tried to "crack down" on the users. I think he may have done a better entering a beauty contest. He knew McGuire and Sosa were juicing, we all did. He did nothing because it was helping him look good by baseball growing in popularity. Then he started testing players urine. Of course most of the steroids they were using only showed up in blood tests. Apparently America is as dumb as he thought though because once again he escaped without much question at all. The players were left to hang as the bad guys. The owners and Selig were left with much bigger wallets and no blame at all from the media. The Red Sox were left with 2 titles thanks to the best 1-2 punch in baseball juicing up. The Twins fans were left wondering what could have been if the infield (minus Morneau) would have hit more than 3 HR's over 4 years....or something close to that.
Selig has done many other dumb things as Commissioner, but this post season is proving to be his finest idiotic move. Baseball a game made to be played every day. Its a game that is supposed to be played in the summer - remember the boys of summer? Well now because Selig thinks he can squeeze a few extra bucks out of TV contracts and save a few small headaches caused by booking hotels we get neither. Now we play games into November - assuming all goes well in the World Series. Now we have breaks in between games that NFL players are probably jealous of.
The Yankees unfortunately finished off the Twins on Sunday. The Angels finished off the Red Sox on Sunday too. Common sense would say take a day off and start play on Tuesday, maybe Wednesday at the latest in case the NLCS has to wait. However we had to wait until Friday to play - that's 4 full days off for both teams. A game that doesn't have more than 1 day off the entire season other than at the All Star break all of the sudden shifts gears and takes a 4 day break. I thought about watching the series, but instead of starting on Tuesday or Wednesday when there was nothing on TV, I had to wait until Friday. Sure the NLCS started Thursday, but Cinci and South Florida were playing. 2 undefeated teams who might have an outside chance at getting in the National Championship game. Sorry. Can't watch. Friday night? Well I forgot it was on, it was the night before college football. It was Friday night. I'm not gonna sit in and watch a game played.
I also don't understand how MLB is so worried about ratings, why would you have a game Monday Afternoon? Monday at 1pm for the 35 million people who live in California. 4pm for the people in NY. Do people magically get off work at 3pm to get home or to a bar to catch the game???? DER.
The Worlds Series now is scheduled to start on October 28th. That of course unless there are any delays. A snow storm in NY or Philly. Bitter Cold in either (it happened in Colorado). What then?
The games should be done by mid October. TV Ratings should come second.
Then Selig's biggest downfall, which has gotten worse and worse throughout his tenure. There is still somehow no salary cap in baseball. The only major sport without a way to keep things fair. Sure there are cute stories occasionally. The Twins continue to surprise people. The Rays made it to the World Series. Other teams will breakthrough every once in awhile. The problem is after every team does, it loses its players and has to rebuild. Can anyone honestly say that if the Twins had Santana and Hunter this year they would not have been the best team in baseball? This isn't including the terrible trade of Bartlett for Delmon which was necessary because we couldn't keep Hunter. Add in a RH hitter batting .290 with 30 HR's in that lineup and watch out. Put an Ace on the mound every 5 days and you know you have that stopper, you have a guy that takes pressure off the bullpen and off the young starters who get put in tough situations.
I can't get into baseball that much when there is nothing fair about it. The Yankees went out and paid CC Sabathia (top 3 in Cy Young this year) AJ Burnett (13-9 4.04 ERA) and Mark Texiera (only hit 39 HR and batted over .290) - and that was on top of a team that without them already had the highest payroll. The Angels rank 6th, Phillies 7th and Dodgers 9th. The teams above them that aren't left had numerous injuries (Mets/Cubs) got knocked out in the first round (Red Sox) and lost a playoff game to get into the playoffs (Tigers) and the Astros just stunk.
Baseball needs a salary cap. I don't care if they want to gives teams a benefit for spending a little more. Even if you want to have a minimum of around $40 million and a max of around $110 million it would be fine. Selig needs to do something.
Baseball has taken a backseat to the NFL. It could take a backseat to College Football if it hasn't already. If the NCAA gets smart and puts an 8 team playoff in, it will pass MLB in a heartbeat. March Madness already has in my mind.
I think a Donkey would be able to keep MLB as the #2 sport because a donkey would understand fairness, a donkey would know if it plows a field every day all summer it should do the same in the fall. A donkey would know if something wasn't finished, finish it (don't let it end in a tie).
That is why a Donkey would be a better commissioner than Bud Selig.
Heck, worse case scenario it would do nothing. Couldn't hurt that much.
Ohio Football
I have been talking a lot recently thinking I was pretty smart. Well after today's upset by the Boilermakers its time for my bold prediction of the year: OSU will have a new coach next year. Tressel is gone after this season. Not just because of this last game, but because he can't win the big one. His one big game he won was won on a phantom flag against Miami in the National Championship game. Sure that's sports, but then you have to win some on your own to prove you are made for the big programs. OSU consistently gets the best talent. Last year they returned 20 of 22 starters I believe from a team that lost in the National Championship game. They went out and got pummeled by USC early in the season and lost once again in the bowl game.
OSU will lose 3 games this year BEFORE bowl season. I think Michigan beats them, which will prove devastating to Tressel. After that, and another step backwards, Tressel is done.
That is a bold prediction, since OSU has been consistently at the top of the Big Ten. What is even Bolder is my prediction that OSU will stay in state to replace him with Brian Kelly of Cincinnati.
You heard it here. Brian Kelly will be leading the Buckeyes next year.
OSU will lose 3 games this year BEFORE bowl season. I think Michigan beats them, which will prove devastating to Tressel. After that, and another step backwards, Tressel is done.
That is a bold prediction, since OSU has been consistently at the top of the Big Ten. What is even Bolder is my prediction that OSU will stay in state to replace him with Brian Kelly of Cincinnati.
You heard it here. Brian Kelly will be leading the Buckeyes next year.
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