Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Gore gets extension



Frank Gore can now play football with a clear mind. That’s because the San Francisco 49ers and their star running back have agreed to a 3-year $21 million dollar contract extension that includes $13.5 million dollars guaranteed.

Gore had been upset that the team had locked up star players Vernon Davis and Patrick Willis before the last season of their deals and hadn’t yet done the same for him. 2011 was scheduled to be the last year of his deal.  Now he has his extension and can concentrate on getting his team to the playoffs for the first time in 8 seasons.

It’s a well earned deal for someone that has been a focal point of the offense for the last 5 years. He told GM Trent Baalke that he wants to be a 49er for life and now he probably will. Gore enters 2011 just 931 yards shy of the franchise rushing record.

Sorry Steve, money can't buy Randall's number



 



Philadelphia Eagles newly acquired wide receiver Steve Smith asked to wear the number 12 like he has entire career. One problem. The Eagles haven’t issued the number 12 since the team inducted former All-pro quarterback Randall Cunningham into its Ring of Honor in 2009. The former MVP says that he couldn’t even be paid to request the team putting his old number back in circulation. Cunningham said in a radio interview with Howard Eskin and Ike Reese that “he (Smith) couldn’t pay me a million dollars to wear that number.”

He also said that being inducted into the Ring of Honor was the highest honor he had ever received in his playing career. Cunningham said he would only give his blessing for his son to wear the number. So unless Steve Smith can get DNA proof that he is Cunningham’s son, it‘s time to get a new number.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Guess who's Back!

Peyton Manning orchestrates the offense

Everyone in Indiana can now breathe easy. Reggie Wayne can stop his crying. Peyton Manning is back to save the season. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was activated from the physically unable to perform list Monday and practiced today. Manning, despite numerous injuries to his receivers, threw for 4,700 yards with 33 touchdowns and 17 interceptions last season.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Manning has started 208 straight games and wants Brett Favre’s all time record of starting 297 games. Manning’s ability to play through pain and produce despite diminishing talent makes the Colts a team to watch for this upcoming season. So don’t fret Colts‘ fans, Super Manning is back.

Vick-torious Redemption


Hollywood couldn’t even write this script. Two years and one month after being released from federal prison, the Philadelphia Eagles have signed quarterback Michael Vick to a 6 year 100 million dollar extension. Talk about redemption. Vick was third on the depth chart in 2009 and now, 3,000 yards and 30 total touchdowns later, he is the unquestioned face of the franchise. The contract includes 40 million dollars in guaranteed money.

Did the Eagles over pay for Vick? Yes. Even they think so. ESPN reporter Sal Paolantonio said in a radio interview with Mike Missanelli that the Eagles wanted to pay Vick in the 12-13 million dollar per year range while Vick asked for 18.5. In the end, the Eagles bit the bullet and gave Vick his second 100 million dollar deal, averaging 16.67 per year.

This is a risky deal for multiple reasons. It remains to be seen whether Vick can stay healthy for 16 games or if last season’s success was an anomaly. What we do know is Vick will have to produce better than a 2-3 career playoff record to earn that money. When asked if the measuring stick of this deal is a Super Bowl title, Vick said “absolutely.”  If Vick wants Tom Brady money, time to put up Brady-like results.

Check out some highlights of Vick’s 100 million dollar season.

http://youtu.be/rXlk5B72qZ4

Shady Business; NCAA should pay players to correct its system


In the wake of  NCAA investigations at the University of Miami and Ohio State, the powers that be are scrambling to remedy corruption in college athletics. The answer really isn’t that hard to come by when college presidents and cooperate sponsors stop skating around the subject. Universities are cashing in big time off of these athletes and it’s time that schools start being obligating to compensate them.

I can already hear the holier-that-thou fans who went to schools that never compete sitting in their offices screaming “these guys are being paid with a free education!”  Well a free education is a minimum of what these athletes should be receiving. You never hear of Fortune 500 companies asking people to use their abilities for company gain and offer them free internet access, office supplies, and medical benefits in return. Why? Because that’s the bare minimum and we all want to be paid for what we do well. College athletics is one of the only businesses, and it is a business, that expects  most of it’s workers to be happy not getting paid.

CNN money reported that football programs in BCS conferences raked in 1.1 billion dollars in profits, led by the University of Texas’ 68.8 million dollar gain. That’s an average of 15.8 million dollars for 68 schools. So let me get this right. After schools pay the coaches, training staff, player scholarships and other expenses they still are almost 16 million dollars in the black. It’s not just football either. Men’s college basketball programs in the six major conferences profited 207 million dollars, led by the University of Louisville gaining $16.8 million.  The fact that schools don’t dedicate a portion of their profits to pay the athletes is exploitation in the purest sense.

What’s the problem with the University of Texas taking 2% of that $68.8 million and paying the players with it. That’s $1.26 million that can be divided up by the 100 players into bi-weekly stipends of $630.00 for the 10 months they are in school. And yes football and basketball players should be the ones that get paid because they are the sports that make money. When people start sleeping outside for gymnastics tickets, then they can have an argument.

People are so quick to accuse college athletes of abusing the system without understanding that the system is corrupt and needs to be fixed. It’s time to stop taking advantage of the players and give them what they’ve earned. A piece of the pie.

Friday, August 26, 2011

White Mike: Controversial picture crosses racial lines



ESPN, my favorite media outlet, has been known to tip-toe controversial lines to break quality stories. Well, they've finally crossed the line with their latest piece. ESPN the magazine has been running an ongoing story surveying NFL player's opinions on quarterback Michael Vick. The topics discussed were whether Vick was well-liked, whether his prison sentence was just and whether he had been treated fairly by the NFL.

Then the story took a racial turn. A question on the survey asked players if they felt Vick would have been treated differently if he were white. 58-percent of the players agreed his treatment would have different if he were white. Where ESPN completely dropped the ball is when they posted a picture of a white version of Michael Vick.

For a company that has made great business decisions in the past, this has to be one of the worst. Maybe George Bodenheimer, company president, didn't know that people used to paint their faces black and white to entertain others while degrading blacks in the process. This picture takes away one man's identity to fatten another mans pocket. They sold Vick out to sell a story. For a billion dollar company who usually gets things right, ESPN sure got this one all wrong.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Morgan helps Brewers win; "Tony Gumbo" gets wreckless on the mic



Nyjer Morgan of the Milwaukee Brewers went 4 for 6 and scored two runs in an 11-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. But it was after the game where he really made some noise.

During the post game interview, Morgan morphed into "Tony Gumbo," one of his alter egos. As he proceeded to grab the microphone from the reporter and takeover the interview, I couldn't help but to think that he was falling right into the stereotypical uneducated black athlete role.

Black men across the country had to be slightly offended, I know I was. I mean, when was the last time you saw Derek Jeter or Dustin Pedroia grab microphones during interviews and refer to themselves in multiple aliases? I guess the buffoonery continues. Thanks Nyjer for setting us back a few years.


Here's the clip, you be the judge.  


Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Raiders Shock no one; Take Pryor in 3rd round of Supplemental Draft


The Oakland Raiders may have gotten themselves their quarterback of the future when they took Ohio State’s Terrell Pryor in the 3rd round of the NFL Supplemental Draft. Pryor entered the draft when he was ruled ineligible by he NCAA due to receiving  improper benefits while at school. The embattled QB threw for over 6,100 yards and 57 touchdowns in his three years at OSU. Pryor will be suspended  for the first 5 weeks of the season for not cooperating with NCAA investigation of Ohio State.


The fact that Al Davis took this guy should be no shock to anyone. We all know that old Al falls in love with measurables (see: Heyward-Bey, Darrius) and as soon as Pryor ran 4.36, his ticket to Oakland was stamped. Davis has been out of touch with the NFL since he traded coach Jon Gruden to Tampa. Let’s just hope Pryor lasts longer than JaMarcus Russell.

Silent slugger: Thome Smashes 600th homer, cements HOF career

Jim Thome has always been the type who let his play do the talking. His dignified and quiet persona has allowed him to play 21 seasons in somewhat anonymity. But on August 15, the slugger from Peoria, IL hit a ball loud enough for all baseball fans to hear. That’s when Thome became just the 8th member of the 600 homerun club, solidifying his hall of fame status.
Surprisingly, writers from several media outlets still doubt Thome’s hall of fame chances. Detractors feel that he was never one of the 2 or 3 best players at his position, lacks awards, and he played designated hitter (DH) too much to be a hall of famer. In a nutshell, they feel Thome belongs in the class of very good ballplayers but not with the greats in the hall of fame. But when you take a look at Thome’s numbers, he is already among baseball’s greats. His .403 on-base percentage is better than the likes of Joe DiMaggio and Rickey Henderson. His 1 homerun per 13.6 at bat ratio is 5th all time, ahead of Ted Williams and Albert Pujols. To celebrate his consistency, from 1995-2008 Thome averaged 37 homers and 100 RBI. Within that stretch, he had a five year period (2000-2004) averaging a .281 batting average, 45 homers, 117 RBI and finished top seven in MVP voting three times. I would say that’s playing like one of the best at your position.
Thome hasn’t been a DH his whole career either. He spent 16 of his 21 seasons playing first or third base and compiled  a .988 fielding percentage. He has also shown clutch hitting with his 12 walk off homeruns which ranks second all time. Finally, the guy has just accomplished something that seven men prior have done, four of them clean of performance enhancing drug use. Thome hit his 600th homerun in fewer at bats than anyone other than Babe Ruth, and he did it all the right way.
Sure, Thome wasn’t the Hollywood ballplayer with endorsement deals bursting from his bank account. All he did was play the game with dignity and put up numbers that rival almost anyone in history. He didn’t lie, cheat or cut any corners. He just used his God-given ability to slug his way through the record books. Thome’s plaque will be revealed in Cooperstown five years or so after his retirement. The true baseball writers will recognize that Thome may have played the game quietly but he sure as hell carried a big stick.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Good Will Hunter: Phillies add Pence, protects title chances

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard steps to the plate in the top of the first inning with his team up 1-0. With a runner on second, Howard gets a series of off-speed pitches before grounding one weakly to second. Next up to bat was the newly acquired all star Hunter Pence. Pence rips a fastball into the gap for an RBI double. With Pence hitting behind him, Howard homered in two of his next three at bats. That’s what Pence is. He’s lineup protection. I grew downright irritated listening to scouts and so-called experts tell the entire Philadelphia area what Hunter Pence isn’t. Leading up to the MLB trade deadline all I heard was questions about his bat speed, his low walk totals, and his tendency to strike out often.  Luckily the Phillies only care about what he is and what he can do. The facts are he’s a two –time all star with a .290 career average. He provides the right-handed bat and protection for Howard that the Phillies sorely needed. He is a hardnosed player with a style that reflects the city. After top prospect Domonic Brown’s progress slowed, the team had to make a move to improve their championship chances. With the team’s expectations, they couldn’t afford to let Brown play through growing pains.  This is a win now team, in a win now city, with win now fans. This organization has a World Series or bust mentality. The team improved its championship chances by adding some much needed protection to their lineup. That’s exactly what Pence is. Good old-fashion protection.  Philadelphia style.