Thursday, September 16, 2010

Do we really care about Reggie Bush?

By Jeff

No issues really have me so worked up today for a full blog post. So I happily present readers with another list of random thoughts in my head.
  • Reggie Bush is giving back the Heisman Trophy and the '05 award will be left vacant. Who cares? This was five years ago. Do we really need to hear about it every day? And what's with Vince Young saying he would accept it? I understand the award is a big deal, and it being given back (before it was taken) is rare. But the 2005 season is so long ago I just can't find the heart to give a crap.
  • Last weekend's game should be a clear message to Roger Goodell why the league should not consider an 18-game schedule. I could do some research and figure out if there were more injuries in this season's first week than in others, but I'm lazy. It just seemed like there were a lot more last weekend. Heck, it seemed like every play in the Packers-Eagles game ended with someone getting hurt.
  • I love the Civic Arena. I've seen the circus, a Muppets event, a soccer game, countless hockey games, Weezer and Bruce Springsteen there. That being said, demolishing it is the right thing to do.
  • Speaking of Weezer, I've purchased and listened to their latest album, "Hurley", a few times this week. It's a solid album with some very good tracks, some decent tracks and two I will probably skip over the next time around. It's definitely a different sound, and that's what I love about Weezer. Each album has a distinct feel to it. Some are better than others, but they are all unique. I would give "Trainwrecks" and "Hang On" a listen.
  • Zach Duke is really bad. It's scary that the Pirates have three pitchers (Duke, Paul Maholm and Jeff Karstens) who you just know are going to be lit up every time they take the field. Sure, they have glimpses of hope, but they are just glimpses.
  • Chad Ochocinco was fined $25,000 for tweeting during pre-game warmups of a preseason game this season. Detroit Lions Ndamukung Suh was fined $7,500 for this play on Cleveland Browns Jake Delhomme. Any one else think the NFL might want to revisit their fining system?
  • Speaking of NFL punishment, I am fine with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's four-game suspension. Honest. But how does Shaun Rogers get off without a suspension for taking a loaded and cocked handgun to an airport? He even tried to take it on his carry-on.
  • I was OK with the NHL rejecting the initial Ilya Kovalchuk deal with the New Jersey Devils. They had to put their foot down at some point, and the Kovalchuk deal with the tipping point. But to fine the team $3 million and take two draft picks from them is a joke. Other deals like the Kovalchuk deal had gone through, so I don't think the Devils were trying to cheat the league. The deal with rejected, Kovalchuk remained a free agent for a few more weeks and then a new contract was agreed upon and approved. Why couldn't the NHL just leave it at that?
  • That last thought will probably draw a response from RJ (The Boss) saying something like Gary Bettman is trying to destroy the league, cause another lockout, export the league's players to the KHL and kill puppies. 
  • Charlie Day is awesome. He plays Charlie in "Always Sunny in Philadelphia". I recently saw "Going the Distance", his first fairly large role in a major film, and he stole every scene. 
  • I went through the entire first season of "Modern Family" the past two months. It's a great new show that everyone should watch. Although, I'm getting a little annoyed with the documentary style that "The Office" popularized. 
  • Buster Olney ends all of his blogs on ESPN Insider with the phrase "And today will be better than yesterday." I'm going to have to call shenanigans on that one. What if you got an S.T.D. today? How is that better than being S.T.D.-free yesterday? I'm not speaking from experience, but I'm sure it happens every day to multiple people.
Rusted Root - Send Me On My Way

7 comments:

  1. I expected Bettman to fine and dock us picks. To me its even more of a farce then it already was, if thats even possible. You rejected the contract, and then got an agreement to stop this stuff, by allowing this latest Kovalchuk deal through.

    Whatever, after every Kovalchuk goal at home games, I propose Devils fans start a Fu** you Bettman chant. It will be theraputic. We should do an NHL Eastern Conference Roundtable closer to the season.

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  2. I was really expecting some conspiracy theories in that comment. I'm proud that you're kinda moving on.

    I like the idea of the Roundtable discussion once the season rolls around.

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  3. Man, I love the random thought posts. How could a sports fan not have a strong opinion on one of these topics?

    • I care a lot about the Reggie Bush incident because of two words that no one else is bringing up. Michael Robinson. He only finished in fifth place in the voting, so I’m not saying that he would have won the award. However, had it not been for the Michigan screw job (challenge me on this, I dare you) he would have been a serious contender for the Heisman Trophy.

    • Sad to see the Mellon go, but it needs to be done. RIP.

    • I think Goodell just loves fining Ochocinco.

    • Speaking of NFL punishment, Goodell better perform an investigation to find out who had a hand in the sexual harassment of that reporter in the Jets locker room. He gave Ben a four game suspension for being wrongfully accused of a crime, so a serious crime that was witnessed by many people better be worth at least six games.

    • I had no idea the NHL was going to punish the Devils for circumventing the salary cap. I guess you have to make an example somewhere. RJ might be pissed because Bettman allowed similar deals to go through, and rightfully so, but I applaud him for standing up to the deal that went too far.

    • Soccer players take diving to a new level. Not all of them, not even most of them, but a few do it way too much. I’m fine with a little bit of diving, because I think that falls under the gamesmanship category. They’re just trying to help their team win. Similarly, I am fine with Jeter pretending to be hit when he wasn’t. His post game interview was dead on, “My job is to try to get on base. It’s part of the game. I’ve been hit before and they’ve said, ‘You weren’t hit.’ It’s part of the game.”

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  4. Are you saying I'm not a sports fan?

    What is the Michigan screw job? Does it resemble the Montreal Screwjob at all? All I recall was Mario Manningham catching a touchdown pass in the back of the endzone.

    I agree about the investigation, but I doubt anything will come of it. Unlike the Big Ben incident, there were plenty of witnesses this time and it should be pretty easy to find out what actually happened. If it was really serious, I think fines or suspensions would have already come down. But now that I think about it, the issue is bringing negative attention to the league. So by Goodell's thinking, that is enough to warrant a suspension.

    You are fine with Jeter faking getting hit, and then holding his arm against his side and being treated by the trainer? If he just turned and walked to the base immediately, I have no issue. But acting like he was hurt and then the trainer coming out made me mad.

    Umps making the wrong call is part of the game, but why players intentionally deceiving umpires shouldn't be. If I'm an umpire, Jeter's strike zone just got bigger. And if I hear anyone complaining, I'd say it's just part of the game. You act like a douche, you get treated like one.

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  6. No, I was saying that if I ever read this blog and didn’t comment, this would be the post where I would start.

    They missed an obvious fumble (Mike Hart’s first in like 2000 carries) and Jason Avant caught a 20 yard pass on the last drive and didn’t get a foot down in bounds (Roarty told me this when I got back from the game and it made me even more pissed if that’s possible). I only bitch because of the way the game ended and how close we were to a perfect season. I shouldn’t blame it on the calls since we had a chance to win it on the field, but I still would have liked them to get those two calls right.

    If that ball actually did hit Jeter’s elbow or hand, he would be in a lot of pain and need to be checked out by a trainer. The call could have been reversed if another umpire somehow could tell (or guess) that it hit the bat, so I just saw the faking as Jeter ensuring that he would end up on first base. This happens all the time, but more often a player will get hit in the hand and the umpire says it hit the bat. I put this under the category of a player trapping a ball and pretending he made the catch. Everyone does it, it deceives the umpires, and I’ve seen it work. It’s only natural to do whatever it takes to win. I highly doubt the umpires will hold a grudge against Jeter, but I do think he’ll get a bean ball the next time the Rays play the Yankees (next week) to make up for the free pass he got the other day.

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  7. Blogger won't let me make a comment!

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