May 25, 2008

REALLY – There’s a common saying that men who talk loud, act tough, and drive fast cars with big engines are over compensating for a lack of power under their own engine. So what does it mean if Danica Patrick storms down pit road trying to square off against another driver?
I will tell you what it means – it means that Danica is a serious driver who isn’t going away. She is there to win. While some ignorant fools would think Danicamania is just a PR stunt, it’s REALLY not. To be successful, she has to work harder and be more intense than her fellow competitors. That attitude got her into the Indy Car Circuit, and that same attitude will catapult her to more wins.

SERIOUSLY – Is this the year that the Yankees playoff run is over? It started in 1996 with the arrival of Derek Jeter to the major leagues and World Series wins in ‘96, ‘98, ‘99, and ‘00. Then came the World Series losses in ‘01 and ‘03. Next, the embarrassing AL Championship loss to the Red Sox in ‘04 after the Yanks were up three games to none. The streak could end with three straight losses in the Divisional Series, the departure of manager Joe Torre, and a .2008 .500 season under Joe Girardi.
The Yankees are paying for their greedy owner George Steinbrenner who traded away their prospects and signed aging veterans to huge contracts. That organizational business plan was NOT how they won the four World Series, but it is how the team and organization was destroyed. Now, general manager Brian Cashman is trying to return the business plan to developing youngsters, but the team is struggling. It will take time, but this business plan will be successful – unless the young Hank and Hal Steinbrenner lose patience and act like their father. If they do, the organization will self destruct again, SERIOUSLY.

C’MON – The third highest paid quarterback in the NFL next season is Matt Ryan. Have you heard of him? He was the quarterback for Boston College last fall and the third overall pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 2008 NFL Draft. Yes, this means he has taken ZERO professional snaps. Not only is he getting $35M guaranteed, Matt Ryan will make more than Tom Brady next season., C’MON! Yes, maybe it is time that the NFL looks into rookie salaries!

May 21, 2008

REALLY – Cancer sucks! It really sucks. Cancer is one of the scariest words in our language. Too many lives are cut way too short due to cancer. I cannot imagine what goes through the mind of somebody once he or she is diagnosed with cancer. It must be horrible, and people stricken with cancer need some hope; hope that they can overcome cancer and return to their normal lives.
Certainly Lance Armstrong provided a public figure to look up to, and now we have the arrival of Jon Lester, starting pitcher, Boston Red Sox. Lester overcome a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Not only did Lester return to the majors, he returned and succeeded. He was the starting pitcher who won the clinching game of the World Series in 2007 against the Colorado Rockies, and now John Lester has pitched a complete game no hitter to defeat the Royals.
While two walks blemish it from being called baseball’s “perfect game”, this was mankind’s “perfect game”. Lester showed that not only can somebody beat cancer, one can return to their previous life and succeed at the highest level, REALLY!
Moms, Dads, brothers, sisters, and friends. Lawyers, teachers, secretaries, doctors, businessmen and women, engineers, and the list of jobs goes on and on. Together, we can all feed off of the energy of each other – getting hope from public successes like John Lester and Lance Armstrong – to overcome cancer and return to our everyday lives.

SERIOUSLY – Professional athletes need to honor the contract that they signed. If you think that the market for your position is going to increase significantly in 3 to 5 years, then don’t sign an 8 year contract. Holding out from your team for a contract (when I say contract – it really should say “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Money, Mo’ Money“) is extremely selfish. A pro who holds out is so selfish that he cannot see that he is hurting more than just the team’s ownership and management, he is destroying his team – SERIOUSLY. As a part of team, each individual is only as strong as its weakest link – and the weakest link is somebody who is off worried about his next paycheck, rather than his next practice or game.

C’MON New Orleans Hornets! I know it is heart breaking to lose in a Game 7 on your home court, but don’t stop working this off-season and please keep this team together. This is one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NBA, and most importantly, this team is helping rebuild a terribly broken city. Chris Paul for MVP in 2009.

May 19, 2008

REALLY – the MLB Players Union is going to look into why Barry Bonds doesn’t have a contract even though he wants to play. Does this truly need to be done – REALLY?? So what if American League teams would rather see what some of their younger players can do, rather than signing a FORTY-THREE year old, clubhouse cancer, who would bring any team signing him negative press. Shouldn’t the MLB Player’s Union be spending its time and money figuring out how to clean up a game tarnished by performane enhancing drugs.

SERIOUSLY – an NFL player will get weighed 10 times throughout the season, and if that player is under his required weight, he gets a $25,000 bonus each time, SERIOUSLY! Kris Jenkins, DT, New York Jets, can get himself an extra quarter million dollars this season, just for making weight. Isn’t this ridiculous – this is a new low for professional athlets. SERIOUSLY, isn’t it enough that you get paid several million dollars a season to play your favorite sport, but now you get 10 bonuses for being in shape. That is embarrassing. How dare a professional athletes report to his job in shape? SERIOUSLY – can you image if a secretary got a bonus for typing 60 words a minute or if a reporter got a bonus for turning in his article on time? Can we start punishing athletes for their lack of respect for their own job requirements?

C’MON – when will this presidential election be over so we can all move on with our lives and make some progress? I am a big U.S.A. supporter, and I love this country, its people and its values. But C’MON, doesn’t it make you sick to see how much money this candidates are spending? In January of 2008, Obama spent $30M and Clinton spent $28.4M. In February of 2008, Obama spent $42.9M and Clinton spent $31.8M. That’s just two months – together, they have raised a half of a BILLION DOLLARS! C’MON – when does it sink in that all this money spent “campaigning” can be used to actually solve the problems of their constituents?

May 15, 2008

REALLY – when will members of Congress butt out of professional sports? As a loyal tax paying citizen of the finest country in the world, I am just sooooooooooo happy that our Congress is worrying about videotapes of hand signals or the use of illegal substances or if Barry Bonds lied – REALLY. It is so good that our members of Congress don’t have better things to work on like health care or the deficit or global warming. Look, the Patriots have been punished extremely hard by the new NFL commissioner, and the careers of Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, and Palmeiro are forever scorned due to the accusations and Congressional hearings. If Congress does want to get involved, instead of performance enhancers or videotapes, maybe Congress could work on figuring out why it cost me $200 bucks to go to a ballgame with my wife – REALLY!

SERIOUSLY – I am having a problem because I love ice hockey. It is one of the greatest games and my favorite sporting event to see live (indoor lacrosse is a close second with the continuous great music playing- but I digress). So SERIOUSLY, do I watch the playoffs on Versus/Outdoor Life Network or don’t I? If I do watch the game – will it make the ratings higher so ESPN will want to cover NHL? If I don’t watch the game – will the NHL finally wake up and move it off of that channel – that channel is so low on your cable listings, it is somewhere between the Hallmark Channel and the Watching Paint Dry Channel. SERIOUSLY NHL – make it better!

C’MON – Am I right or am I right?! American Idol goes with David vs. David in their final. The show’s producers got their equivalent of Yankees/Red Sox, Patriots/Colts, Lakers/Celtics. What? What was that Simon? All I hear is BLAH BLAH BLAH CHA-CHING CHA-CHING BLAH BLAH BLAH CHA-CHING CHA-CHING! C’MON make it less obvious.

May 14, 2008

REALLY USC, you have never heard of “Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me”. REALLY USC, you have Chinese classes and you have Chinese history/culture classes. Maybe you should take them and apply this philosophy to your athletic program. REALLY USC, you didn’t know Reggie Bush was getting “gifts”. Okay, you got away with it once, but REALLY USC, you didn’t know O.J. Mayo was getting “gifts”. That’s twice USC!! Now, we definitely need this investigation to run its course, but if these allegations are found true, please NCAA or the Pacific 10 conference, do not be afraid to bring the house down on this program, REALLY bring the heat.

SERIOUSLY, what is up with baseball. The Rays and the Marlins are in 1st Place – yes, it is the middle of May and the Rays and Marlins are ahead of the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Mets, Phillies, Braves in the standings. The Rays have been picking at the top of the draft for years, and that youth is starting to arrive in the big leagues. SERIOUSLY pay attention to this team – in a couple of years, the older popularity and fear of the AL East, guys like Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz, will be replaced by the Rays combination of BJ Upton, Evan Longoria, and Carl Crawford.

The Marlins have the most dynamic shortstop in the entire game, Hanley Ramirez. A true five tool player: He hits for average, he hits for power, he has great speed, he flashes a great defensive glove at short, and he has a big arm. If he was playing for a bigger market team, he would be more popular than Jose Reyes of the Mets.

Do I think that the Marlins and Rays have a chance at the playoffs this season – HELL NO! But these are teams of the future – SERIOUSLY.

C’MON, anybody who says American Idol isn’t fixed is joking themselves. Lets face it – what was once a search for the best unknown singer in America is now a search for the next artist to add to the amazing financial machine that is American Idol. AI has the a spring full of highest rated TV shows, a summer with sold-out concerts across the nation, and a fall/winter with several hit records for the producer’s record company. That’s some serious cash money – so of course the producer’s are going to fix it. Ruben flopped – Fantasia flopped. C’MON, isn’t it obvious to everyone that the producers want David Cook to win?

Sayesha gets a song from Happy Feet . . . and David Cook gets to end the show with one of the best rock love songs of all time, Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing”. Not only is it right in David’s wheelhouse, it is one of the most memorable songs of our generation.