It's been a week or so since I posted, so there is a lot on my mind. So here we go with another random list of stuff on my mind
- Why is the media still going crazy with any news about Brett Favre? So some players got a text message that said, "This is it," so what? No word of retirement was mentioned and his teammates just assumed he meant he wasn't playing. At least those were the only quoted words the public was made aware of. While we should blame Favre for his annual need for attention at this time of year, we have to put blame on the media as well. If there wasn't the need to get the scoop on every one else, I think reporters would get more information before running stories announcing Favre is going to retire. Especially after the last five seasons.
- Steelers training camp seems to be going extremely well by all reports. What excites me the most is that second-year lineman Ziggy Hood is looking great, which will make the defensive line quite a force this year. Especially with a healthy (crossing my fingers) Aaron Smith.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates are so frustrating! They go from an amazing, walkoff win Saturday, to getting shelled the next day. It goes back to my post about their lack of an ace. There is no pitcher on the team's staff, or in the organization, who can be the man on a consistent basis. The young lineup is looking very promising, though.
- An arbitrator ruled in favor of the NHL in the Ilya Kovalchuk-New Jersey Devils contract soap opera. Kovalchuk will not be joining the Devils (yet) and will re-enter the free agent pool. Some ESPN writer said that the league might take a closer look at the Marian Hossa, Roberto Luongo and Chris Pronger deals that were signed last offseason and are very similar to the Kovalchuk contract that was rejected by the league. While I hate these deals, and agree that Kovalchuk's contract should have been rejected, you can't go back and void the deals from last year. The league was right to make a stand, but there would be so many problems if they rejected deals that were already approved by the league.
- "Inception" was an excellent film, but not the greatest of all time or nearly as revolutionary as some make it out to be. While the visuals were stunning, the story not mind blowing. The people in "The Matrix" were in a dream world where reality was altered; "Inception" just lacked the robots and computer programs.
- I wasted two of five keepers positions on Joba Chamberlain and Matt Wieters for my fantasy baseball team this season. I'm trying hard not to complain about fantasy sports, but sometimes it's hard.
- Darelle Revis could sit out this season in a contract dispute. The part of me that is a Steelers fan loves it. The part of me that loves football in general is sad. Revis is a rare talent and a joy to watch on the field. If he doesn't play this year, NFL fans are the real losers.
- Speaking of contracts, it's not fair to blame NFL players when they hold out for more money. Only portions of the players' contracts are guaranteed in the NFL, unlike MLB, NHL and NBA. If these players blow out their knees, the team can cut them loose and not have to pay them the majority of the contracts. It's no wonder players are willing to sit out.
- It's ridiculous that Sam Bradford received $50 million in guaranteed money without playing a down in the NFL. It will only get more ridiculous if a rookie pay scale is not incorporated into the next Collective Bargaining Agreement. Maybe we could make a compromise. Give more guaranteed money and put in a rookie pay scale. Wishful thinking, I know.
- How amazing would it be if "Secret of Mana" was reworked and re-released on the Playstation 3? Holy cow! And 90 percent of my readers have no idea what I'm talking about.
- Cedar Point is an amazing place, despite being in the wasteland known as Ohio. The Ladyfriend and I were there this weekend and had a tremendous time. Roller Coasters are definitely in the top 10 inventions of all time. Probably somewhere right between individually wrapped cheese slices and the electric guitar.
- I used to love Shaq. He recently joined the Boston Celtics. I now hate Shaq.
-If Evander can be an impact player on the D line this year, that'll go a long way for the team success this season.
ReplyDelete-If the Pirates are able to sign their top 2 picks this year, Jameson Tallion and Stetson Allie, that's 2 pitchers with the projectability of a #1 type pitcher. If they both sign, which is actually likely due to a hard cap probably coming in the next CBA, they're immediately their top 2 pitching prospects. I'm extremely anxious about this.
-I believe it's ok to complain about fantasy sports when you let me beat you for most of the season. You've pwned me for what feels like 4 years over multiple sports.
-I feel privileged to be part of that 10% (Sidenote-Does this mean you only have 9 other readers?). A squeal, Dawn of Mana, was released for PS2 a few years ago but I never played it. At E3, they announced they're making a port for the iPhone of the game in its entirety. I know you're pumped.
(For the draft, the hard cap I'm referring to is a cap on the maximum salary for a rookie, around the NBA model.)
ReplyDeleteThat actually gives me a reason to buy an iPhone.
ReplyDeleteI'm not that pumped for the pitching prospects. Years of drafting high school pitchers and watching their elbows or shoulders explode has me leery of these two flame throwers.
It's so good to have you back. You have been missed.
You and your cohorts need to keep up the great work. Stuff like this keeps me sane.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of elbows and shoulders, if you ever want to know the anatomy (muscles, innervation, arterial supply) behind those areas and the clinical symptoms involved in problems in those areas, give me a call. We just finished upper limb today. There's so much stuff going on in the hand, it's crazy. In my expert opinion, don't injure anything there.
And by expert, you mean in your two weeks of med school experience?
ReplyDelete