the nfl is abuzz with rumor-esque questions these days.
will brett favre return? will michael vick join a team this season? will chad ochocinco change his name again?
okay, perhaps the third isn't so much of a mystery... and that's because 85% of the population doesn't give a crap about chad. the second of those, however, was addressed by the one and only T.O. at the bills' training camp on sunday. owens told reporters that vick should be able to sign with a team and play this season without any further suspension.
"why shouldn't he?" owens said, per espn.com. "there's a number of guys around the league that have done far more worse things than that and gotten a second chance. so i don't see why he shouldn't."
unintentionally, T.O. made the right point - nfl players are rarely punished for criminal activity. i mean, let's face it, ray lewis is scary on and off the field. anyone who's read any sort of expose on the nfl knows the amount of recreational drugs that players use. and plaxico burress shooting himself in a nightclub was as disappointing as it was ridiculous.
so much is made of performance-enhancing drugs and how they set a bad example for kids. but what about criminal activity? shouldn't nfl players and other athletes be held to a higher standard in general? and if so, what's wrong with roger goodell suspending michael vick for four games - or even for a full season - if it's going to prove a point and set the bar?
vick has done his time, the argument goes. bullshit. sure, vick spent two years in prison, but that's nothing in the grand scheme of things. given that he is still on probation and is expected to prove that he belongs in society again, it seems justified to delay his return to the nfl at least a little bit longer.
enough of the red carpet for multimillionaire criminals.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
re: re: because i have to...
last post on this in 2009, i promise.
after saturday's mountain stage wrapped up, the tour de france podium was essentially set, with sunday's ride into paris being little more than ceremonial. standing in at #2 (although several minutes behind tour champion-to-be contador) is andy schleck, representing his red, white, and light blue with pride. his brother frank clocks in at #5, making luxembourg the only country to have two nationals in the top 5.
oh, and for those keeping score, lance didn't race too shabbily either, finishing third and giving astana two top-three finishers. but you know what they say in luxembourg: #3 is not as good as #2.
after saturday's mountain stage wrapped up, the tour de france podium was essentially set, with sunday's ride into paris being little more than ceremonial. standing in at #2 (although several minutes behind tour champion-to-be contador) is andy schleck, representing his red, white, and light blue with pride. his brother frank clocks in at #5, making luxembourg the only country to have two nationals in the top 5.
oh, and for those keeping score, lance didn't race too shabbily either, finishing third and giving astana two top-three finishers. but you know what they say in luxembourg: #3 is not as good as #2.
Monday, July 20, 2009
re: because i have to...
update: it's not just me who thinks that andy schleck's stage 15 ride was noteworthy. the maillot jaune wearer is concerned as well. as contador told reuters:
"The strongest is Andy Schleck but I don't fear someone in particular. The dangerous situation is if they all attack together," he said. "I must make sure I do everything correctly so that my rivals cannot have a chance."
fear the luxembourger.
"The strongest is Andy Schleck but I don't fear someone in particular. The dangerous situation is if they all attack together," he said. "I must make sure I do everything correctly so that my rivals cannot have a chance."
fear the luxembourger.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
because i have to...
big news at the tour de france.
everyone knew it would eventually happen, and on sunday, astana teammates alberto contador and lance armstrong moved into first and second place in the overall standings, leaving pretenders like rinaldo nocentini in the dust. what was perhaps more surprising, however, was the magnitude of the gap between contador and armstrong, with the spaniard racking up a 1 minute, 37 second-lead on the american.
but the reason you should be even more interested in the results: the second-place finisher in stage 15 was andy schleck of luxembourg, finishing just 43 seconds back.
that's right... luxembourg.
the small european country has found a niche in cycling with the schleck brothers. andy's brother, frank, raced very well at last's year tour, even holding the maillot jaune before finishing 6th overall. the two are solid climbers and are giving the tour favorites some decent competition.
come from a small country but carry a big bike, i always say. er... right?
everyone knew it would eventually happen, and on sunday, astana teammates alberto contador and lance armstrong moved into first and second place in the overall standings, leaving pretenders like rinaldo nocentini in the dust. what was perhaps more surprising, however, was the magnitude of the gap between contador and armstrong, with the spaniard racking up a 1 minute, 37 second-lead on the american.
but the reason you should be even more interested in the results: the second-place finisher in stage 15 was andy schleck of luxembourg, finishing just 43 seconds back.
that's right... luxembourg.
the small european country has found a niche in cycling with the schleck brothers. andy's brother, frank, raced very well at last's year tour, even holding the maillot jaune before finishing 6th overall. the two are solid climbers and are giving the tour favorites some decent competition.
come from a small country but carry a big bike, i always say. er... right?
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Re: watching the lakers erode away their hopes for repeating
When I saw the title of this post, of course I thought the sole focus of this post would be on the Lakers' likely loss of Odom. While you mention that, your premise is that the Artest acquisition and Ariza loss is what will have the most influence.
Respectfully (always!), I disagree.
You're right - Ariza's solid. I also think it's true that Ariza can play the "backup" or "No. 3" (perhaps even No. 4 or No. 5) scoring role quite well. But, it's your characterization of Artest that I mostly disagree with.
1. Artest played well with Yao and T-Mac, then knew how to be the "leader" when T-Mac (and later Yao) went down. Despite his past reputation, Artest knows that he's lost to Kobe before and he won't be taking the "lead" of this team anytime that No. 24 is on the floor.
2. As you mentioned, Artest is a defensive stalwart. Of course, Ariza had his shining moments on the defensive end as well, but the point is this: Artest on the floor means that Kobe won't have to guard the other team's best player/scorer (be it LeBron, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, etc.) Ariza may get to that point in his career, but he's not there yet.
3. While I'll admit to having worries about his character/attitude, I've pretty much stopped thinking about that. As I said in #1, his ego should be kept in check by Kobe, and Phil knows how to deal with people like him (i.e. Dennis Rodman). Moreover, if Odom comes back, Artest and Odom grew up together supposedly, and I'm sure that will help.
My biggest concern is the return of Odom, but frankly, I still (perhaps wrongly) believe that Odom will be back. The latest I've heard is that Odom called Jerry Buss this week to reignite talks, in the midst of Miami offering him a deal.
The Lakers can still pay Odom the most, and frankly, his little spat probably earned him a better deal than he would have got had he signed on July 1.
With Odom back, the team is virtually the same as it was last year. Artest and Ariza are a near wash in my book, though if you hold a gun to me I probably give the edge to Artest.
Without Odom is obviously a different story, but despite Bynum's disappearance in the 2009 Playoffs, you can't forget about the player he can/could/may be come the 2009-2010 season.
Always the eternal optimist, I still bet on a 2010 repeat.
Respectfully (always!), I disagree.
You're right - Ariza's solid. I also think it's true that Ariza can play the "backup" or "No. 3" (perhaps even No. 4 or No. 5) scoring role quite well. But, it's your characterization of Artest that I mostly disagree with.
1. Artest played well with Yao and T-Mac, then knew how to be the "leader" when T-Mac (and later Yao) went down. Despite his past reputation, Artest knows that he's lost to Kobe before and he won't be taking the "lead" of this team anytime that No. 24 is on the floor.
2. As you mentioned, Artest is a defensive stalwart. Of course, Ariza had his shining moments on the defensive end as well, but the point is this: Artest on the floor means that Kobe won't have to guard the other team's best player/scorer (be it LeBron, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, etc.) Ariza may get to that point in his career, but he's not there yet.
3. While I'll admit to having worries about his character/attitude, I've pretty much stopped thinking about that. As I said in #1, his ego should be kept in check by Kobe, and Phil knows how to deal with people like him (i.e. Dennis Rodman). Moreover, if Odom comes back, Artest and Odom grew up together supposedly, and I'm sure that will help.
My biggest concern is the return of Odom, but frankly, I still (perhaps wrongly) believe that Odom will be back. The latest I've heard is that Odom called Jerry Buss this week to reignite talks, in the midst of Miami offering him a deal.
The Lakers can still pay Odom the most, and frankly, his little spat probably earned him a better deal than he would have got had he signed on July 1.
With Odom back, the team is virtually the same as it was last year. Artest and Ariza are a near wash in my book, though if you hold a gun to me I probably give the edge to Artest.
Without Odom is obviously a different story, but despite Bynum's disappearance in the 2009 Playoffs, you can't forget about the player he can/could/may be come the 2009-2010 season.
Always the eternal optimist, I still bet on a 2010 repeat.
watching the lakers erode away their hopes for repeating
if you asked me two months ago whether the lakers would have a chance to repeat as nba champions, my answer would have doubtless been yes. los angeles had the kind of depth at every position - and clutch scorers like fisher and bryant - that they would have had as good a chance as any to take home two in a row.
but now, i'm not so sure. many think that letting ariza go and picking up artest was an upgrade, but that isn't the case. ariza might not be the kind of lockdown defender artest is, but he has great instincts and comes up with timely steals, as was made very evident during the playoffs. moreover, his offensive play was a perfect match for the lakers - ariza knows how to be a no. 3 scorer and to contribute in appropriate ways. artest, on the other hand, likes to jack it up without much regard for the rest of his team, the time of the game, or whether he's actually having a good shooting night. and with odom almost certainly on the way out as well, the lakers just got much weaker at the forward position.
the lakers might have had the pacific division locked up from the moment the season began with if they had returned most of their 2008-09 roster. that might still be the case - but it's going to be a much tougher run once they get to the playoffs.
but now, i'm not so sure. many think that letting ariza go and picking up artest was an upgrade, but that isn't the case. ariza might not be the kind of lockdown defender artest is, but he has great instincts and comes up with timely steals, as was made very evident during the playoffs. moreover, his offensive play was a perfect match for the lakers - ariza knows how to be a no. 3 scorer and to contribute in appropriate ways. artest, on the other hand, likes to jack it up without much regard for the rest of his team, the time of the game, or whether he's actually having a good shooting night. and with odom almost certainly on the way out as well, the lakers just got much weaker at the forward position.
the lakers might have had the pacific division locked up from the moment the season began with if they had returned most of their 2008-09 roster. that might still be the case - but it's going to be a much tougher run once they get to the playoffs.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
ridiculous contracts
news broke today that the chicago blackhawks had snagged winger marian hossa to a $68.2 million deal. not too shabby, you might say - but still just a fraction of the money that sluggers like mark teixeira are getting.
but wait... there's more.
this deal keeps hossa with the hawks for - count 'em - 12 years. 12 years. one dozen. double-digits. eleven more than one. no matter how you put, that's a long ass time.
okay, this guy is clearly a great player. he's been successful in every city he's played in, and he helped detroit to another stanley cup finals run in 2008-09. but he's 30 years old. how can a team bank on someone being effective until the age of 42? we're not talking about a low-contact sport like golf where average career spans extend well into middle age. this is a heavy-hitting league, and as a star scorer, hossa takes his fair share of hits every season. he's going to get banged up, and even if he avoids major injuries, it's pretty tough to predict whether he'll be able to maintain his performance levels several years from now.
i get it. chicago is getting close to being a perennial cup contender once again, and it wants star who can get the team over the hump. hossa is likely to do that. the only question is: even if the blackhawks bring home the trophy in the next five years, what's hossa going to do in the seven after that?
12 years. wow.
but wait... there's more.
this deal keeps hossa with the hawks for - count 'em - 12 years. 12 years. one dozen. double-digits. eleven more than one. no matter how you put, that's a long ass time.
okay, this guy is clearly a great player. he's been successful in every city he's played in, and he helped detroit to another stanley cup finals run in 2008-09. but he's 30 years old. how can a team bank on someone being effective until the age of 42? we're not talking about a low-contact sport like golf where average career spans extend well into middle age. this is a heavy-hitting league, and as a star scorer, hossa takes his fair share of hits every season. he's going to get banged up, and even if he avoids major injuries, it's pretty tough to predict whether he'll be able to maintain his performance levels several years from now.
i get it. chicago is getting close to being a perennial cup contender once again, and it wants star who can get the team over the hump. hossa is likely to do that. the only question is: even if the blackhawks bring home the trophy in the next five years, what's hossa going to do in the seven after that?
12 years. wow.
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