Why in the world would Dez Bryant carry Roy Williams’ pads?

Dez Bryant made the mature decision to finish his deal and get into Cowboys camp on time. Bryant is a player whose decision making wasn’t the best at Oklahoma State, and it cost him his senior season with those Cowboys.

 

His start with Dallas proves to me that he’s trying to turn that around. Instead of waiting for those ahead of him to sign and taking the summer off like so many other first rounders will do, Bryant decided instead to take a fair deal from the Cowboys in order to get to training camp on time.

 

How is he rewarded? He gets called out by an under achieving putz that has let down the Cowboys since they gave up so much to get him two seasons ago. In the process, old school NFL honks like Mike Golic will call him out nationally for not towing the line.

 

Hazing is one area where Mike McCarthy and his staff are way ahead of the game. Other than the old Turkey trick, the Packers don’t have rookie hazing. Green Bay was one of the first teams to bring all players to training camp on the same day. McCarthy believes that rookies are part of the team and should be treated as such.

 

Meanwhile, it looks like Roy Williams lazer focus is still right where it needs to be. Will he carry Bryant’s pads when Dez takes his place in the starting line-up?

 

 

 

 Out of context.

 

ex. Celebrity one is quoted as saying “I love watching 12 year olds.”

 

Sounds pretty creepy, right. Now look at the context of the statement.

 

ex. Celebrity one “I have been interested in youth football since I retired. I love watching 12 year olds. They have the perfect combination of exuberance and aggression.”

 

Given the context, the statement is no longer creepy.

 

That is an example of something being taken out of context.

 

Can someone please show this to Dwyane Wade?

 

Not just Wade, but other athletes and celebs that say something stupid. The latest escape hatch seems to be blaming context. It’s not my fault, you just didn’t listen to all of my comments.

 

What context could possibly explain comparing an NBA losing streak to 9/11?

 

Wade tried to be clever and it failed. It happens. It happens to me all the time.

 

Just apologize and move on. Don’t try to blame the media. Don’t try blame the people that read or heard your ill-advised comments.

 

Own it. You said something foolish. It happens. 

 

Wade was a non-qualifier at Marquette as a freshman. More than the original quote, his “apology” shows us why.

 

 

 

 This whole Lebron thing has me feeling very hypocritical.

 

I thought the reaction from most fans was ridiculous. As a sports society, I think that we have become obsessed with the negative. This guy took less money (still a ton of shekels though) and a lesser role to give himself what he believes to be his best chance to win a championship. How is this bad? How is Lebron evil?

 

I woke up this morning every glad that Dan Gilbert isn’t the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. (He finished second to Mark Attanasio.) From the outside, it would appear that Gilbert’s inability to convince Chris Bosh to come to Cleveland in a sign and trade may have been the final straw for Lebron. So that makes to free agents that took less money and shorter contracts than they could have gotten in Cleveland? What does that say for the Cavs?

 

Gilbert is probably experiencing some of the same feelings that Lebron is. “Oh my God!!! It doesn’t matter how much money we have!!! We can’t get the top players!!!”

 

Lebron had a choice and he left. Put in those terms, can you blame him?

 

Gilbert’s only choice is to sell the team, and right now the value of the Cavs isn’t much.

 

Instead of acting like an owner, Gilbert is ,for lack of a better term, acting the way that I would act. He is pissed, and he’s stomping his feet. (my loved ones and co-workers will recognize this behavior.) Among a number of catty things that were said in a prepared statement, Gilbert promised the fans of Cleveland that the Cavs would win a title before the Heat would. Really? How you gonna do that? See Dan, your team doesn’t have any players right now. You find yourself in the same position that the Bucks and other smaller market teams have been in forever: the top players in the league are no longer in play. Not at all.

 

In the NBA, you can’t win the title without one of the top 5 players (unless your the Pistons with Larry Brown.)

 

The cavs owner has just made a promise that he can’t keep.

 

Here comes the hypocrisy.

 

I thought the Cleveland fans had lost their minds. I harkened back to my childhood when Kareem got traded to the Lakers. I didn’t remember any rioting or jersey burning. Cleveland got seven great years out of Lebron James. What do these people expect? Then I saw the burning jersey. I thought, “These people are delusional. They need to be institutionalized.”

 

Then it hit me.....

 

I was the one that was trying to set up a bon fire of Brett Favre jerseys.

 

It made me think of all of the things that I’ve said about Brett Favre over the past two years. Some of it sounds very similar to the delusional stuff that’s coming out of Cleveland today.

 

It made me feel a few different things. I suddenly empathized a bit more with the lunatic fringe in C-town. Much like I had seen great things with Favre, they had seen amazing things with Lebron. Though the details of their departures were very different, the end result was the same. Both stars were gone, and it was very likely that we would never see their like again in our smaller, colder markets. Two wonderful eras had ended. No fun.

 

It also made me feel a little silly about some of the vitriol that cam through and will continue to come through in my comments about Favre. I thought that some of the critics of James sounded small and petty, but that made me see how an outsider would feel the same with regard to my comments about Favre.

 

So what are the end results:

 

The Heat are the favorite in the East. Don’t kid yourselves or over think this. They should be the number one seed. If they aren’t it’s a huge disappointment.

 

The Cavs will NEVER win a title. They automatically fall back into line with teams like the Bucks. With good drafting and savvy signings they can be a playoff team, but they will never again have the studs to dance with teams like the Lakers, Spurs, and... well.. the Heat!! Eventually, Gilbert will be a bigger villain than Lebron for his empty promise of a title.

 

Along with Lebron’s abrupt heal turn, Wade and Bosh also involuntarily became bad guys on Thursday night, and I’m not sure why. Much like James, they took less money and a lesser role to try to win a title. That’s usually something that doesn’t happen, but when it does it’s usually admired by fans. You have to wonder if those two are reconsidering their decision.

 

I don’t think it was a great night for the NBA. It will be interesting to see how they market the Heat. It will also be interesting to see if the luke warm NBA fans in Miami will pack American Airlines Arena every night, or if highlights from Miami will continue to feature an embarrassing number of empty seats.

 

 As T.O. would say “Getcha popcorn!!!” 

 

 

I’ve finally figured out why Michael Vick needs an entourage.

 

He is too stupid to be alone.

 

Vick, fresh from a stint at Leavenworth and lucky to be back in the NFL, apparently celebrated his 30th birthday with an off-the-chain, bootylicious, hip-hoppin’, open to the public blowout in Virginia Beach. Allegedly, one of his old dog killin’ buddies showed up and was shot.

 

This creates a huge problem for Vick. Part of his agreement was that he separate himself permanently from the other dog torturers. If authorities can prove that Vick knowingly associated with the now dead dog torturer, I believe he will be going back to Leavenworth.

 

Also, the party was public and Vick and his brother Marcus were to get the admission ($30 general admission, $50 VIP.) I wonder what the VIP’s get to do, maybe choke slam a pit bull? I’m thinkin’ that the Hangin’ Judge Rog Goodell is going to be less than thrilled when he finds out how the Vick boys are spending their off-season. Not exactly a camp for handicapped kids, hmm?

 

Does Michael Vick have a functioning brain cell left? I wonder how Tony Dungy feels today? He put himself on the line to get Vick back into the league and this is how #7 repays him? Dungy should drop him like a hot rock, but he won’t. Dungy really cares and wants to help. It’s too bad. Dungy means well, but Vick is irretrievable. 

 

How could anyone in good conscience hand this moron the ball and expect to win? When the opportunity for one more big contract was practically there for the taking, it was more important to Vick to prove that he was still hood.

 

Say what you want about Ray Lewis, but have you heard of him being involved in anything untoward since his manslaughter trial in 2000. He may still hang out with the same idiots, but not in public. He doesn’t have huge public parties and keep the admission. He realized what there was to lose and decided that he had changed. He had outgrown the losers that he grew up with.

 

Michael Vick hasn’t figured that out. For all of his talent, it’s not worth it to any NFL team to have him around. He will end up dead to young or incarcerated. 

 

 

 Who ever decided that pitchers need to leave a game after 100 pitches?

 

How is this the magic number for every pitcher?

 

The nexus for this tirade is Ken Macha’s decision to yank Yovani Gallardo after jus 105 pitches and six innings in Saturday’s loss to the Rockies. Gallardo had surrendered one earned run on three hits at the time. The bullpen proceeded to give up 7 earned runs over the next 2 innings. Nice!!!

 

Most managers won’t even let a pitcher finish a shut out now.

 

I know what your thinking: They’re doing it to prevent injury.

 

What are you saying? Managers are clairvoyant? That frightens me, especially with some of those guys.

 

This all changed when the money changed. Once organizations started investing millions in players they tried to turn this into a science.

 

Has it helped with Chris Carpenter? No manager over manages more than the Genius Lanny Poffo (T. LaRussa), yet his fragile ace can’t seem to make it through a season. Does anyone rag on the genius for wearing out Carpenter? What about Mulder? Pitch counts have been strictly enforced with Chris Capuano. Two Tommy John’s? What happened?

 

Bottom line is managers observe the bogus 100 pitch border for one reason: self preservation. Since the fans and the media have glommed onto this trumped up number any manager that dares to leave a pitcher in past 100 pitches (Dusty Baker) is accused of burning out their young arms. No proof of that. None. Just an assumption from people that don’t know any better. 

 

Young, strong pitchers like Gallardo should be allowed to go deeper into games and into pitch counts. Injuries will happen no matter how many pitches are thrown.

 

You can’t play (or manage) afraid. 

 

 

 I’m really trying on the World Cup. I get how important it is to the rest of the world. Fish is one of my favorite people and he loves soccer. I’m not a hater. Really.

 

I can’t watch a whole game. Not yet. Maybe as we get closer to the final, but for now, give me the last 5 minutes and some highlights.

 

It just seems like everybody is too worried. It’s too hard to score.

 

In hockey, they may have low scoring games, but they beat the daylights out of each other in the process.

 

Soccer just seems very tentative. It’s like a power play with no shooting. Eventually it’s just frustrating.

 

And then, there are the horns.

 

Does this get to be like white noise eventually? Is it like living next to a pig farm? Eventually you don’t notice the smell? For right now, the horns annoy me. You can’t escape them.

 

The athleticism is amazing. The players are incredibly fit and skilled. I admire them a great deal.

 

I actually played soccer through eighth grade at a very pedestrian level. As a bruising defender with very limited skills, i just sort of ran after the ball and kicked it, hoping that another human would get in my way so I could bowl them over. I think I may have even concussed myself at one point. (I know you’re all shocked that I may have sustained a head injury or two.)

 

I don’t begrudge anyone the love of the beautiful game. 

 

I like it. I hope the U.S. does well. 

 

Call me when the finals are on.