CAREFUL WITH THAT "SOLIDARITY MINUTE", TONY G. VS POLAMALU, SABAN TRASHES BOISE & MIAMI QB SIGNS W/K.C.
Did you catch the NFL's opening game last night? Did you turn it on early enough to catch the players "solidarity minute" where they strolled out onto the field in semi-unison with their index fingers pointing up? It was to show they were "as one" in the negotiations for a new CBA with the owners. The players should be very careful with this move. If they intend to do it at every game I can see it rubbing the fans raw very quickly. In this down economy, many fans have had to scale back on season tickets, single game tickets, DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket. In year's past they've been slapped with PSL's(personal seat licenses) ticket increases, parking increases & has anyone seen a decrease in concession prices.......ever? The owners are a select club of billionaires, the players are for the most part millionaires. Fans struggling to keep the wolves from the door, don't want to see the "solidarity minute" rubbed in their collective faces. The players say by playing this game they are risking their lives & should be paid accordingly. Real bad analogy gentlemen. Cops, firemen & women, those serving in uniform to protect this nation risk their lives everyday, not just during "the season." I asked Chiefs' guard Brad Budde about 30-years ago if it bothered him that he was earning 5-10 times more than a Marine Gunnery Sgt. or a cop on the beat? His answer was "no, they chose to take those jobs." I hope the current NFL players remember that, they chose to play professional football, as fans we aren't responsible for their choice, so don't throw the risk you've decided to take in our faces. I respect the sacrifice that any athlete makes, especially when they run the risk of diminished physical or mental wellness in later life. But let's not make a real-life comparison between the 53rd player on an NFL roster & an Army Spec IV serving as a rifleman in Afghanistan O.K.? That 53rd player is making a minimum 10-times more income than that rifleman & that Spec IV's risk to life & limb is infinitely higher. Both sides run the risk of angering the masses paying the freight for this wonderful sport, so be very careful with how you frame your argument. Everytime a fan is charged $60 to park their car so they can have the privilege to pay another $100 to sit in a seat for 3 hours, remember this, the fan made that choice as well. But they are the least equipped financially to continue making these expensive commitments. Management & the union have it within their power to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. My question is; are they smart enough to prevent such a thing from happening? Until the CBA is wrapped up I will refer to the owners & players union as "BM", billionaires/millionaires.
Here's a great NFL individual matchup for Sunday. Future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez versus safety Troy Polamalu in the Atlanta-Pittsbrgh game. If you have the capability to get this game on your TV or catch it in your favorite sports bar, it could be a classic between two of the greatest players to ever play their respective positions in NFL history. I'm looking forward to it.
Buffalo's Chan Gailey continues to get bad news from his training staff. Starting inside linebacker Kawika Mitchell suffered a foot injury yesterday & was placed on injured reserve, thereby missing the entire season. The Bills look like they could be the worst team in the entire league.
I have railed on the ego of Chad Ochocinco & how I believe it hurts his team, the Cincinnati Bengals. His appearance on 2 different reality TV shows during the team OTA's & mini camp was just another example of what I'm talking about, he's not the player he was just 2 years ago, you know before Twitter, before Facebook, before "Dancing With the Stars?" Monday night, instead of resting his body from the Bengals' opener in New England, Chad will appear on "WWE Monday Night Raw", professional wrestling's answer to Monday Night Football. Cincinnati plays Baltimore the following Sunday, another tough test, but appearing on TV with a bunch of 'roided-up wrestlers is infinitely more gratifying to this narcissist. Why stay home, relax & watch 3 teams you'll play a total of 4 times later in the season? Division rival Baltimore plays the Jets, also on the 2010 schedule as are the San Diego Chargers.
I wasn't going to comment on the media hysteria I witnessed on Thursday after Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady was involved in a traffic accident on his way to the team's training facility. ESPN, MSNBC & CNN featured local Boston feeds from traffic helicopters hovering over the 2-car accident. The helicopters followed an ambulance to a nearby hospital & later they descended on the Pats headquarters before the team announced Brady was fine, he hadn't even gone to the hospital & was at the facility. Brady's $100K Audi broadsided a minivan that ran a red light, according to three witnesses. Three people in the van were not injured but the father of the driver had to be taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Like I said, this part of Brady's day was completely overshadowed by his sparkling new $72 million 4-year contract. Until today, when the daughter of the injured man spoke out to the local media. She wasn't happy about the coverage of the accident "Why? Because we're poor, we don't have any money. Because Tom Brady is famous." Her brother, 49-year old Ludgero Rodiguez was cited for failing to stop at a redlight. This will go nicely with his history of other citations for speeding, having an unrestrained child in the front seat, refusal to take a breathalyzer test, improper equipment, DUI & driving on a suspended license. He just got his license reinstated last month. So he's certainly not responsible for this, but his poverty is? Wow.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have a real road trip this weekend when they travel from Oahu to West Point, New York to battle Army, a trip of over 5,000 miles & nearly 9 hours of flying. There's some jet lag huh?
Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom will play Sunday vs. New England. He was cited for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing drugs but has appealed the test. Until there is a final ruling on that appeal, Odom can continue to play for the Bengals.
Bill Parcells has resigned from his vice president's position with the Dolphins. He will remain as a consultant. Word out of South Florida is Parcells was very disappointed in QB Chad Henne's performance during camp & the preseason. CB Sean Smith's demotion also was a factor in his move away from the day to day operations of the team.
Shannon Sharpe, a player I have touted for the Hall of Fame the past two voting cycles, is in some trouble down Atlanta way. For, a reported 10th time, Sharpe has had a domestic problem with one of his ex-girlfriends, baby-mama's or a current squeeze. Michele Bundy filed for a restraining order against Sharpe on Friday morning. She alleges domestic violence in their current relationship. Since no investigation had been launched until she filed for the restraining order, no charges for domestic violence have yet been issued. I was very disturbed to hear this history of rough treatment of the many women in his life. I've always liked Sharpe, even tho he tortured the Chiefs as a Denver Bronco, but if these allegations are true, he just moved to near the bottom of my personal sh*t list. Men who abuse women, children or animals are gutless, regardless of their athletic accomplishments. These charges began in 1994 & as I said, this is the tenth incident, all revolving around 4 women, two of them having his children. CBS, who employs Sharpe as a pregame analyst, had no comment. I'm guessing he'll be on the set come Sunday morning.
Houston Cougar quarterback Case Keenum had a 31-consecutive game streak of throwing at least one touchdown pass, until tonight. He was knocked silly attempting to make a third-quarter tackle after an interception. This game has featured horrific tackling & some of the worst pass coverage I've ever witnessed. The Cougars just threw their first TD pass of the game with 3:52 to play in the game, but lead 54-24. Houston has 656 yards of total offense, 310 on the ground & UTEP has 440 yards, get the picture? More joystick football.
Alabama coach Nick Saban has decided he should be the spokesman for all things college football now that he has his second national championship. On his weekly radio show he took a shot at Boise State, just couldn't resist it. But his reasoning wasn't very sound. Saban said "it's all about a body of work, not just beating one team. We defeated Virginia Tech to start last season & then defeated 6 other teams that were the caliber of Virginia Tech or maybe better. Maybe more than that if you throw in Texas & Florida in the SEC Championship." Would those six regular season opponents "as good or better than Virginia Tech" include Chattanooga, North Texas or Florida International, their other three non-conference opponents? How about LSU(beaten by Penn State in bowl), Kentucky(beaten by Clemson in bowl), Tennessee(hammered by Virginia Tech in bowl) or Mississippi State(5-7 record, no bowl bid)? O.K., O.K. seriously, he must have been speaking about their 4 games with Florida, Auburn, Arkansas & Ole Miss, all winners of at least 8 games plus their bowl games. But that's not 6 is it? In fact, Texas was in the redzone when QB Colt McCoy was injured thrusting freshman Garrett Gilbert into the game in the 1st quarter. Nick's memory is as short as his......well it's short. Just 20 months ago his 12-1 Crimson Tide team, favored by 10 1/2 over Utah were humiliated by the non-BCS Utes 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl. The score made more respectable with 10-4th quarter points after being down 31-7 thru three quarters. I'm not trying to take anything away from Saban, he's a superior recruiter & a heady coach that takes no bullsh*t. I like that, but why take shots at a team outside your conference who you have nothing to worry about unless your team stumbles, which isn't their fault either. Keep poking Boise State with a stick & somebody will pay come bowl season, mark my words.
Former Miami Dolphin quarterback Pat White will sign with Kansas City. The Kansas City Royals that is. White was released by the Dolphins last Saturday on final cutdown day. he had experienced limited success as Miami's 2nd option at the Wildcat spot. White had four excellent seasons with the West Virginia Mountaineers but had ignored Major League Baseball which had drafted him 5 times. He was ineligible to be on a practice squad since he appeared in 13 regular season games in '09. The Royals will sign him to a minor league contract as an outfielder. White is 24-years old.
Those of you in or around Kansas City on Saturday, can stop by Sports Nutz(40 Hiway & Blue Ridge Cutoff) & see Chiefs' rookie sensation Dexter McCluster & starting wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Both players will be available for autographs from 11:30 AM till 1:30 Saturday afternoon. They'll also have a live band & 101 the Fox will be broadcasting live from the store just 1/2 mile north of the Truman Sports Complex. Stop in & see their awesome selection of Chiefs gear & tell Phil & Jim I said hi.
Here's a great NFL individual matchup for Sunday. Future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez versus safety Troy Polamalu in the Atlanta-Pittsbrgh game. If you have the capability to get this game on your TV or catch it in your favorite sports bar, it could be a classic between two of the greatest players to ever play their respective positions in NFL history. I'm looking forward to it.
Buffalo's Chan Gailey continues to get bad news from his training staff. Starting inside linebacker Kawika Mitchell suffered a foot injury yesterday & was placed on injured reserve, thereby missing the entire season. The Bills look like they could be the worst team in the entire league.
I have railed on the ego of Chad Ochocinco & how I believe it hurts his team, the Cincinnati Bengals. His appearance on 2 different reality TV shows during the team OTA's & mini camp was just another example of what I'm talking about, he's not the player he was just 2 years ago, you know before Twitter, before Facebook, before "Dancing With the Stars?" Monday night, instead of resting his body from the Bengals' opener in New England, Chad will appear on "WWE Monday Night Raw", professional wrestling's answer to Monday Night Football. Cincinnati plays Baltimore the following Sunday, another tough test, but appearing on TV with a bunch of 'roided-up wrestlers is infinitely more gratifying to this narcissist. Why stay home, relax & watch 3 teams you'll play a total of 4 times later in the season? Division rival Baltimore plays the Jets, also on the 2010 schedule as are the San Diego Chargers.
I wasn't going to comment on the media hysteria I witnessed on Thursday after Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady was involved in a traffic accident on his way to the team's training facility. ESPN, MSNBC & CNN featured local Boston feeds from traffic helicopters hovering over the 2-car accident. The helicopters followed an ambulance to a nearby hospital & later they descended on the Pats headquarters before the team announced Brady was fine, he hadn't even gone to the hospital & was at the facility. Brady's $100K Audi broadsided a minivan that ran a red light, according to three witnesses. Three people in the van were not injured but the father of the driver had to be taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Like I said, this part of Brady's day was completely overshadowed by his sparkling new $72 million 4-year contract. Until today, when the daughter of the injured man spoke out to the local media. She wasn't happy about the coverage of the accident "Why? Because we're poor, we don't have any money. Because Tom Brady is famous." Her brother, 49-year old Ludgero Rodiguez was cited for failing to stop at a redlight. This will go nicely with his history of other citations for speeding, having an unrestrained child in the front seat, refusal to take a breathalyzer test, improper equipment, DUI & driving on a suspended license. He just got his license reinstated last month. So he's certainly not responsible for this, but his poverty is? Wow.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have a real road trip this weekend when they travel from Oahu to West Point, New York to battle Army, a trip of over 5,000 miles & nearly 9 hours of flying. There's some jet lag huh?
Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom will play Sunday vs. New England. He was cited for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing drugs but has appealed the test. Until there is a final ruling on that appeal, Odom can continue to play for the Bengals.
Bill Parcells has resigned from his vice president's position with the Dolphins. He will remain as a consultant. Word out of South Florida is Parcells was very disappointed in QB Chad Henne's performance during camp & the preseason. CB Sean Smith's demotion also was a factor in his move away from the day to day operations of the team.
Shannon Sharpe, a player I have touted for the Hall of Fame the past two voting cycles, is in some trouble down Atlanta way. For, a reported 10th time, Sharpe has had a domestic problem with one of his ex-girlfriends, baby-mama's or a current squeeze. Michele Bundy filed for a restraining order against Sharpe on Friday morning. She alleges domestic violence in their current relationship. Since no investigation had been launched until she filed for the restraining order, no charges for domestic violence have yet been issued. I was very disturbed to hear this history of rough treatment of the many women in his life. I've always liked Sharpe, even tho he tortured the Chiefs as a Denver Bronco, but if these allegations are true, he just moved to near the bottom of my personal sh*t list. Men who abuse women, children or animals are gutless, regardless of their athletic accomplishments. These charges began in 1994 & as I said, this is the tenth incident, all revolving around 4 women, two of them having his children. CBS, who employs Sharpe as a pregame analyst, had no comment. I'm guessing he'll be on the set come Sunday morning.
Houston Cougar quarterback Case Keenum had a 31-consecutive game streak of throwing at least one touchdown pass, until tonight. He was knocked silly attempting to make a third-quarter tackle after an interception. This game has featured horrific tackling & some of the worst pass coverage I've ever witnessed. The Cougars just threw their first TD pass of the game with 3:52 to play in the game, but lead 54-24. Houston has 656 yards of total offense, 310 on the ground & UTEP has 440 yards, get the picture? More joystick football.
Alabama coach Nick Saban has decided he should be the spokesman for all things college football now that he has his second national championship. On his weekly radio show he took a shot at Boise State, just couldn't resist it. But his reasoning wasn't very sound. Saban said "it's all about a body of work, not just beating one team. We defeated Virginia Tech to start last season & then defeated 6 other teams that were the caliber of Virginia Tech or maybe better. Maybe more than that if you throw in Texas & Florida in the SEC Championship." Would those six regular season opponents "as good or better than Virginia Tech" include Chattanooga, North Texas or Florida International, their other three non-conference opponents? How about LSU(beaten by Penn State in bowl), Kentucky(beaten by Clemson in bowl), Tennessee(hammered by Virginia Tech in bowl) or Mississippi State(5-7 record, no bowl bid)? O.K., O.K. seriously, he must have been speaking about their 4 games with Florida, Auburn, Arkansas & Ole Miss, all winners of at least 8 games plus their bowl games. But that's not 6 is it? In fact, Texas was in the redzone when QB Colt McCoy was injured thrusting freshman Garrett Gilbert into the game in the 1st quarter. Nick's memory is as short as his......well it's short. Just 20 months ago his 12-1 Crimson Tide team, favored by 10 1/2 over Utah were humiliated by the non-BCS Utes 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl. The score made more respectable with 10-4th quarter points after being down 31-7 thru three quarters. I'm not trying to take anything away from Saban, he's a superior recruiter & a heady coach that takes no bullsh*t. I like that, but why take shots at a team outside your conference who you have nothing to worry about unless your team stumbles, which isn't their fault either. Keep poking Boise State with a stick & somebody will pay come bowl season, mark my words.
Former Miami Dolphin quarterback Pat White will sign with Kansas City. The Kansas City Royals that is. White was released by the Dolphins last Saturday on final cutdown day. he had experienced limited success as Miami's 2nd option at the Wildcat spot. White had four excellent seasons with the West Virginia Mountaineers but had ignored Major League Baseball which had drafted him 5 times. He was ineligible to be on a practice squad since he appeared in 13 regular season games in '09. The Royals will sign him to a minor league contract as an outfielder. White is 24-years old.
Those of you in or around Kansas City on Saturday, can stop by Sports Nutz(40 Hiway & Blue Ridge Cutoff) & see Chiefs' rookie sensation Dexter McCluster & starting wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Both players will be available for autographs from 11:30 AM till 1:30 Saturday afternoon. They'll also have a live band & 101 the Fox will be broadcasting live from the store just 1/2 mile north of the Truman Sports Complex. Stop in & see their awesome selection of Chiefs gear & tell Phil & Jim I said hi.
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