NFLPA & NFL GET REALLY SERIOUS, VICK CANCELS ON OPRAH & A FOOTBALL RIVALRY THAT'S GONE TOO FAR
Two important developments in the possible labor strife just around the corner on March 3rd when the current collective bargaining agreement expires. The league & the union have agreed on two things, one is federal mediation, the other is 7 straight days of meeting beginning on Friday. Sounds like they intend to get serious, let's hope something substantial comes out of these meetings. The NFLPA has also issued a gag order to their membership, let's see how long it will take for some of the larger egos to fire up their Twitter accounts & ignore the wishes of the union.
Kansas City fans shouldn't get too excited about the possibility of Shaun Rogers coming to play for the Chiefs. He went to Texas, he's from Houston originally & he said yesterday before he left New Orleans, "it would be a fairy tale to play for the Texans." Houston needs help in the middle of the D-line, it's more likely he'll sign with the Texans than the Chiefs despite his 1-year history with Romeo Crennel.
The Chiefs named outside linebacker Tamba Hali their "Franchise Player" making Hali one of the highest paid players at his position in the entire league. Hali will make over $10 million next season, whenever that is. They should work very hard to get Hali signed to a long term contract after a new CBA is ratified.
The number of heavyweights with the franchise player tag around the league is pretty amazing. Peyton Manning, Michael Vick, Vincent Jackson, Haloti Ngata, Logan Mankins, David Harris & Hali all have be slapped with the franchise designation lately. Keeps 'em at home, no free agency, but at a really stout price, they receive the average of what the top-5 players at their position are paid. Bad news, no long term deal, but it's a pile of cash for one season, if there is a season.
So Michael Vick agrees to an interview on Oprah Winfrey's TV show. Then he reneges yesterday after what his camp is calling "a possible ambush." So what was the ambush Vick was worried about, stiffing Ms. Winfrey isn't a good P.R. move. Being on her show could have put him in a much better light to women who might not have but bad feelings towards the Eagle quarterback. But the word got out that Oprah had gotten many emails & phone calls from people who have adopted some of the dogs that were rescued from Vick's fighting kennels. They wanted to be on the program with Vick. I said it before & I'll say it again, what Vick did was so hideous & cruel I personally could never forgive him. I have never been a Vick fan since his days at Virginia Tech. I've been an animal lover my entire life & I'm unable to comprehend how people mistreat animals in such cruel fashion. But he was convicted in court, served 23-months in Leavenworth, lost his fortune, was forced to start completely over in his career, he was forbidden to ever own a dog for the rest of his life & he's done all of this while under extreme public scrutiny. He deserves a second chance & as long as he doesn't regress or violate the conditions of his parole, people should let this go. He has done numerous appearances in support of the ASPCA. What do the people who adopted his dogs want from him? Time to move on folks, love your pets but leave Michael Vick alone.
The Raiders signed DT Richard Seymour to a new deal worth $30 million, $22.5 million guaranteed. Seymour has been a dominant player for nearly a decade, but is it wise to pay him this kind of money at 32-years of age? It also puts a crimp in signing all-pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, there just isn't enough money to go around. But since when is Al Davis adept at handling personnel issues? Since it is believed the Jets are going to let corner Antonio Cromartie walk, it's possible they could be interested. But the Jets have Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards & Brad Smith, three-quarters of their receiving corps, all needing new contracts. Where Asomugha lands will be very interesting.
I told you over the weekend Brandon Banks, Redskin return man & former K-State game breaker, had been attacked outside a D.C. nightclub & was stabbed. His agent issued several updates saying Banks had a superficial knife wound in his left side & would be released from the hospital sometime Monday. His agent, Gerald Gould, was actually getting the medical updates from Banks' family & they weren't telling the truth. They were worried he could be cut, so they didn't want his real condition to get out there. Banks received a deep knife wound in his left side that collapsed his lung & filled his chest cavity with blood. He had a chest tube inserted soon after arriving in an ambulance. His condition was critical, but stable & has now improved to good. Banks should be released on Friday. His friend was also stabbed & was thought to be in critical condition, when in truth, Banks was the one injured more seriously.
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has reshaped his coaching staff, three guys are out, one was promoted & two more were hired. In his usual "bite me" fashion, Pelini refused to say whether the former coaches were fired or had resigned.
Another coaching note: former New York Giants' quarterbacks' coach Chris Palmer, recently took over the vacant offensive coordinator's post for the Titans. This was after he turned down the same position with the Kansas City Chiefs. Palmer didn't think about this position too long either, giving the Chiefs a same day reply. Interesting.
The privately funded football stadium for downtown Los Angeles is back in play & people up & down the California coast ought to pay attention. Oakland, Frisco & San Diego all want new stadiums & their local governments simply are so deeply in red ink, they'll receive zero help. Forget about the state government, they're nearly bankrupt. If wither of the private groups can get this stadium built, one of these California franchises will come to play in it. I guess the Vikings would be in play as well, so there would be 4 teams who could possibly inhabit a new stadium.
The sign that any sports' rivalry has gone too far is when anything living is killed because of the rivalry. In Auburn, Alabama, there's a tree-lined parkway that separates the downtown area from the campus known as Toomer's Corner. It's named for a drug store that has been there for nearly 75-years. The huge oak trees at Toomer's Corner are routinely T.P.'d after big athletic wins. Decorating the 130-year old trees has been an Auburn tradition for decades. The Iron Bowl combatants, Auburn & Alabama, have one of the most bitter rivalries in college sports. Now that rivalry has truly gone too far. Harvey Updike, a 66-year old Alabama fan, was arrested & charged in one of the most bizarre crimes I personally had ever heard of. He sprayed the trees in Toomer's Corner with an herbicide that will kill them. The trees have been given about a 10% chance of survival. It's doubtful this idiot will do any jail time, but I'm thinking he might want to move out of state because this could really escalate into something ugly.
Toomer's Corner the morning after the BCS Championship
Harvey Updyke, Tree Killer
Kansas City fans shouldn't get too excited about the possibility of Shaun Rogers coming to play for the Chiefs. He went to Texas, he's from Houston originally & he said yesterday before he left New Orleans, "it would be a fairy tale to play for the Texans." Houston needs help in the middle of the D-line, it's more likely he'll sign with the Texans than the Chiefs despite his 1-year history with Romeo Crennel.
The Chiefs named outside linebacker Tamba Hali their "Franchise Player" making Hali one of the highest paid players at his position in the entire league. Hali will make over $10 million next season, whenever that is. They should work very hard to get Hali signed to a long term contract after a new CBA is ratified.
The number of heavyweights with the franchise player tag around the league is pretty amazing. Peyton Manning, Michael Vick, Vincent Jackson, Haloti Ngata, Logan Mankins, David Harris & Hali all have be slapped with the franchise designation lately. Keeps 'em at home, no free agency, but at a really stout price, they receive the average of what the top-5 players at their position are paid. Bad news, no long term deal, but it's a pile of cash for one season, if there is a season.
So Michael Vick agrees to an interview on Oprah Winfrey's TV show. Then he reneges yesterday after what his camp is calling "a possible ambush." So what was the ambush Vick was worried about, stiffing Ms. Winfrey isn't a good P.R. move. Being on her show could have put him in a much better light to women who might not have but bad feelings towards the Eagle quarterback. But the word got out that Oprah had gotten many emails & phone calls from people who have adopted some of the dogs that were rescued from Vick's fighting kennels. They wanted to be on the program with Vick. I said it before & I'll say it again, what Vick did was so hideous & cruel I personally could never forgive him. I have never been a Vick fan since his days at Virginia Tech. I've been an animal lover my entire life & I'm unable to comprehend how people mistreat animals in such cruel fashion. But he was convicted in court, served 23-months in Leavenworth, lost his fortune, was forced to start completely over in his career, he was forbidden to ever own a dog for the rest of his life & he's done all of this while under extreme public scrutiny. He deserves a second chance & as long as he doesn't regress or violate the conditions of his parole, people should let this go. He has done numerous appearances in support of the ASPCA. What do the people who adopted his dogs want from him? Time to move on folks, love your pets but leave Michael Vick alone.
The Raiders signed DT Richard Seymour to a new deal worth $30 million, $22.5 million guaranteed. Seymour has been a dominant player for nearly a decade, but is it wise to pay him this kind of money at 32-years of age? It also puts a crimp in signing all-pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, there just isn't enough money to go around. But since when is Al Davis adept at handling personnel issues? Since it is believed the Jets are going to let corner Antonio Cromartie walk, it's possible they could be interested. But the Jets have Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards & Brad Smith, three-quarters of their receiving corps, all needing new contracts. Where Asomugha lands will be very interesting.
I told you over the weekend Brandon Banks, Redskin return man & former K-State game breaker, had been attacked outside a D.C. nightclub & was stabbed. His agent issued several updates saying Banks had a superficial knife wound in his left side & would be released from the hospital sometime Monday. His agent, Gerald Gould, was actually getting the medical updates from Banks' family & they weren't telling the truth. They were worried he could be cut, so they didn't want his real condition to get out there. Banks received a deep knife wound in his left side that collapsed his lung & filled his chest cavity with blood. He had a chest tube inserted soon after arriving in an ambulance. His condition was critical, but stable & has now improved to good. Banks should be released on Friday. His friend was also stabbed & was thought to be in critical condition, when in truth, Banks was the one injured more seriously.
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has reshaped his coaching staff, three guys are out, one was promoted & two more were hired. In his usual "bite me" fashion, Pelini refused to say whether the former coaches were fired or had resigned.
Another coaching note: former New York Giants' quarterbacks' coach Chris Palmer, recently took over the vacant offensive coordinator's post for the Titans. This was after he turned down the same position with the Kansas City Chiefs. Palmer didn't think about this position too long either, giving the Chiefs a same day reply. Interesting.
The privately funded football stadium for downtown Los Angeles is back in play & people up & down the California coast ought to pay attention. Oakland, Frisco & San Diego all want new stadiums & their local governments simply are so deeply in red ink, they'll receive zero help. Forget about the state government, they're nearly bankrupt. If wither of the private groups can get this stadium built, one of these California franchises will come to play in it. I guess the Vikings would be in play as well, so there would be 4 teams who could possibly inhabit a new stadium.
The sign that any sports' rivalry has gone too far is when anything living is killed because of the rivalry. In Auburn, Alabama, there's a tree-lined parkway that separates the downtown area from the campus known as Toomer's Corner. It's named for a drug store that has been there for nearly 75-years. The huge oak trees at Toomer's Corner are routinely T.P.'d after big athletic wins. Decorating the 130-year old trees has been an Auburn tradition for decades. The Iron Bowl combatants, Auburn & Alabama, have one of the most bitter rivalries in college sports. Now that rivalry has truly gone too far. Harvey Updike, a 66-year old Alabama fan, was arrested & charged in one of the most bizarre crimes I personally had ever heard of. He sprayed the trees in Toomer's Corner with an herbicide that will kill them. The trees have been given about a 10% chance of survival. It's doubtful this idiot will do any jail time, but I'm thinking he might want to move out of state because this could really escalate into something ugly.
Toomer's Corner the morning after the BCS Championship
Harvey Updyke, Tree Killer
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