That's right! We're experimenting with the YouTube page to see how it does as far as getting us known a bit more! So check us out, subscribe, and leave us some feedback both on the youtube page, and on the blog!
Here is our page!
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSinBin1
Can't wait to see you guys there!
And here is the direct link to the first post!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Wanting to Experiment
Yes, that's what I said. I'm looking to find ways to make this blog more accessible to more people, and I had thought that there is a possibility of doing some vlogs, but I'm not entirely certain what direction to take with this. Enter all of you guys! I have talked with this in a limited fashion with A-Mac. She doesn't really have access to a camera, so this part would be pretty much entirely me, which I'm fine with. This is definitely something I need and want some feedback on.
Should I bother with youtube, or just keep it on this page?
What should I talk about on video?
Is there a fun format that you think could work?
ANY type of idea would work. So I"m reaching out to you guys, and anybody who comes by and reads this. What is something that you would watch?
HELP!!!
Should I bother with youtube, or just keep it on this page?
What should I talk about on video?
Is there a fun format that you think could work?
ANY type of idea would work. So I"m reaching out to you guys, and anybody who comes by and reads this. What is something that you would watch?
HELP!!!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
TO and OchoCinco
It has been reported that the Cincinnati Bengals have added controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens to their roster with a 1 year deal, worth $2 million plus some incentives options. For quite a while it was looking like TO might not have a team to play for this season, but the Bengals decided that they couldn't resist.
This can be a good move or a move that makes no difference at all. We are all aware of TO's ability to make huge plays. He's done it during all of his career. But we also know of a few other things that he has done during his career, which is the reason that most teams weren't going after him this time around. Let's just say that his presence in the locker room is not one that has ever been described as peaceful. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was great when he took Tony Romo's back after that big playoff loss, but the following season, he was accusing him and Jason Witten of conspiring against him and making sure that TO wasn't getting the big plays. We all remember the famous fiasco between TO and Donovan McNabb.
So why would the Bengals want to go out and do this? Because of his stabilizing influence? Yeah, that must be it. I mean, Cinci has its own problem child in Chad "I refuse to call him by his current last name" Johnson. How do you keep 2 primma donas happy? You can't throw to both of them on every single play, so I guess you just have to hope that both of those loud mouths, who are both past their prime as far as productivity goes, are able to just work for the betterment of the team. I suppose we will see whether or not that happens. All in all, I do think that it is a pretty good pick up for the Bengals.
This can be a good move or a move that makes no difference at all. We are all aware of TO's ability to make huge plays. He's done it during all of his career. But we also know of a few other things that he has done during his career, which is the reason that most teams weren't going after him this time around. Let's just say that his presence in the locker room is not one that has ever been described as peaceful. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was great when he took Tony Romo's back after that big playoff loss, but the following season, he was accusing him and Jason Witten of conspiring against him and making sure that TO wasn't getting the big plays. We all remember the famous fiasco between TO and Donovan McNabb.
So why would the Bengals want to go out and do this? Because of his stabilizing influence? Yeah, that must be it. I mean, Cinci has its own problem child in Chad "I refuse to call him by his current last name" Johnson. How do you keep 2 primma donas happy? You can't throw to both of them on every single play, so I guess you just have to hope that both of those loud mouths, who are both past their prime as far as productivity goes, are able to just work for the betterment of the team. I suppose we will see whether or not that happens. All in all, I do think that it is a pretty good pick up for the Bengals.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Kovalchuk Files a Grievance
In an act that most people figured was going to come along, the NHLPA has filed a grievance against the NHL after it rejected Ilya Kovalchuk's 17 year, $102 million contract because the NHL said that it violated the CBA. In this Puck Daddy article, from Yahoo Sports, he outlines the process of how this will get to arbitration. The way that this sounds, it doesn't sound like there is going to be a resolution to this any time soon.
The issue that the NHL has with this contract is not the amount of money, or even so much the length of time, it's the way that the contract was structured. I will, again, reference you to CapGeek.com to see how Kovy's contract was to be paid out. What the NHL is saying is a violation essentially comes down to the last 8-10 years of Kovy's contract, when he would move from making $11.5 million a year, going down to the league minimum of $550,000 a year by the time he's 40 and no longer scoring 40 goals every year. The Devils did this to manage their cap hit from Kovy so that, even when he was making the $11.5 million a year, their cap hit would still only be $6 million. Basically, the NHL thinks that it is a dishonest contract because, even though the cap hit would still be at $6 million, they don't believe that he would still be playing by the time he was to be making the $550,000 per year. And that is a somewhat realistic assumption. Who is the last power forward that we have seen play well into their 40s? I honestly don't know.
What is going to be the result of all of this? I really don't know. I feel like the NHL will probably win this one, which would be a very good thing, all around. That would set a precedent for the next CBA, and really wouldn't give the NHLPA a leg to stand on when it comes to these insanely long contracts. The whole concept of front loading the contracts has really hurt some teams because they just don't have enough money, and then they become the Atlanta Thrashers and can't keep any stars because they have too much money tied up in 1 so they never really win, and then that one star leaves because he wants to win. Should the NHLPA win this one, and should Kovy get to keep this contract, and should the NHLPA then hire Donald Fehr to lead them into the next CBA "negotiations", I can almost guarantee you that there will be another lockout, or strike, the next time around.
Rarely will I ever pull for Gary Bettman, especially since I've rated him the worst commissioner in professional sports, but in this case, I have to put myself in Bettman's corner and cheer my guts out, because this is one batter that he can't afford to lose.
The issue that the NHL has with this contract is not the amount of money, or even so much the length of time, it's the way that the contract was structured. I will, again, reference you to CapGeek.com to see how Kovy's contract was to be paid out. What the NHL is saying is a violation essentially comes down to the last 8-10 years of Kovy's contract, when he would move from making $11.5 million a year, going down to the league minimum of $550,000 a year by the time he's 40 and no longer scoring 40 goals every year. The Devils did this to manage their cap hit from Kovy so that, even when he was making the $11.5 million a year, their cap hit would still only be $6 million. Basically, the NHL thinks that it is a dishonest contract because, even though the cap hit would still be at $6 million, they don't believe that he would still be playing by the time he was to be making the $550,000 per year. And that is a somewhat realistic assumption. Who is the last power forward that we have seen play well into their 40s? I honestly don't know.
What is going to be the result of all of this? I really don't know. I feel like the NHL will probably win this one, which would be a very good thing, all around. That would set a precedent for the next CBA, and really wouldn't give the NHLPA a leg to stand on when it comes to these insanely long contracts. The whole concept of front loading the contracts has really hurt some teams because they just don't have enough money, and then they become the Atlanta Thrashers and can't keep any stars because they have too much money tied up in 1 so they never really win, and then that one star leaves because he wants to win. Should the NHLPA win this one, and should Kovy get to keep this contract, and should the NHLPA then hire Donald Fehr to lead them into the next CBA "negotiations", I can almost guarantee you that there will be another lockout, or strike, the next time around.
Rarely will I ever pull for Gary Bettman, especially since I've rated him the worst commissioner in professional sports, but in this case, I have to put myself in Bettman's corner and cheer my guts out, because this is one batter that he can't afford to lose.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
NHL and Donald Fehr??
Over the past couple of weeks, I've seen a couple of stories here and there mentioning that the NHLPA was interested in hiring Donald Fehr as the new head of the union. I didn't think too much about it, at first, I recognized the name but didn't really remember why. That is, until I saw a picture of him. As soon as I saw this photo, my blood instantly went cold. The casual sports fan might not recognize him, but if you are big into sports, especially baseball, you know exactly who this guy is.
Donald Fehr was the head of the MLBPA from 1986 - 2009. He was the acting head starting in 1983. Fehr was always known as a very powerful leader of the MLBPA, which, in and of itself, isn't that big of a deal; however, did his job a little bit too well. He was largely responsible, mostly because the union pretty much told him to do whatever he saw fit, for 2 work stoppages in the majors. One in 1985, and the famous one later in the 1994-95 season that caused the cancellation of all the post season and the World Series. Not a great track record there.
The thing for which he is probably the most notorious, just like the game of baseball itself right now, is his "work" to prevent any type of changes in MLB's fight against steroids. Wherever he could, he threw up road blocks in an effort to keep things from going forward. The players are equally to blame in all of that because they gave Fehr all of their authority. Fehr is possibly best remembered for his testimonies in front of congress, where he did everything possible to not answer questions about things the players were open to in changing steroid testing. Bleacher report also has a great take on Donald Fehr and his potential impact on the NHL.
Now, why is Fehr bad for the NHL? Not because he's a strong union head. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the union having somebody strong and competent to represent them. I don't think that anybody has an issue with that. But I would seriously caution the NHLPA before hiring this guy, mostly because of the statement that it makes. This guy has a serious track record with work stoppages. To me, this is the players trying to send a message to the owners that they are ready to not play again. This says, "You guys got us in the last round, now we're going to get you, even if we have to have another lockout, or strike, to do it." This would be disastrous for the NHL, who is just now really starting to regain its popularity that it lost after its last lockout. They players are showing that their interests lie solely in their contracts and not in the well being of the game or the fans. Are they really willing to ruin the league with another work stoppage? Do they really think that the fans will take this? I suppose it's something that we will all find out in the days to come, but my serious word of advice to the players of the NHL is to NOT hire Donald Fehr. It would be a recipe for absolute disaster.
Donald Fehr was the head of the MLBPA from 1986 - 2009. He was the acting head starting in 1983. Fehr was always known as a very powerful leader of the MLBPA, which, in and of itself, isn't that big of a deal; however, did his job a little bit too well. He was largely responsible, mostly because the union pretty much told him to do whatever he saw fit, for 2 work stoppages in the majors. One in 1985, and the famous one later in the 1994-95 season that caused the cancellation of all the post season and the World Series. Not a great track record there.
The thing for which he is probably the most notorious, just like the game of baseball itself right now, is his "work" to prevent any type of changes in MLB's fight against steroids. Wherever he could, he threw up road blocks in an effort to keep things from going forward. The players are equally to blame in all of that because they gave Fehr all of their authority. Fehr is possibly best remembered for his testimonies in front of congress, where he did everything possible to not answer questions about things the players were open to in changing steroid testing. Bleacher report also has a great take on Donald Fehr and his potential impact on the NHL.
Now, why is Fehr bad for the NHL? Not because he's a strong union head. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the union having somebody strong and competent to represent them. I don't think that anybody has an issue with that. But I would seriously caution the NHLPA before hiring this guy, mostly because of the statement that it makes. This guy has a serious track record with work stoppages. To me, this is the players trying to send a message to the owners that they are ready to not play again. This says, "You guys got us in the last round, now we're going to get you, even if we have to have another lockout, or strike, to do it." This would be disastrous for the NHL, who is just now really starting to regain its popularity that it lost after its last lockout. They players are showing that their interests lie solely in their contracts and not in the well being of the game or the fans. Are they really willing to ruin the league with another work stoppage? Do they really think that the fans will take this? I suppose it's something that we will all find out in the days to come, but my serious word of advice to the players of the NHL is to NOT hire Donald Fehr. It would be a recipe for absolute disaster.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Broncos Pay Elvis Dumervil
Well, after a number of rather confusing moves from the Broncos during this past offseason, I'm looking at you Tim Tebow, the Broncos finally seem to have managed to do something right! After the "Boy King" got here, he pretty much jettisoned every single remaining Bronco that he had inherited from the Mike Shannahan years. Most notably were Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Tony Sheffler, all of whom were tops at their respective positions. I guess that I wouldn't have been all the surprised to see the Broncos let their best pass rusher go as well. I mean, McD seemed hell bent on keeping people that are "his guys" not Shanny's guys.
Which is why this story made me VERY happy! The Broncos finally agreed to a new contract with Dumervil. The new deal is actually a contract extension that extends him for 5 years, for $58.332 million through the 2015 season.
Now, to be absolutely fair to Dumervil, it is pretty obvious why he managed to get paid while his former Bronco teammates were quickly shown the door. Cutler demanded a trade after it was reported that the Boy King wanted to trade for Matt Cassel, and whined and moaned after Shanny, who spoiled the living daylights out of Cutler, was fired. Marshall, well, we remember his less-than-enthusiastic practice techniques that got him suspended by his team at the beginning of last season, and then his decision to not practice because his "leg hurt" which resulted in him being benched in the last game of the year. And the same thing with Tony Sheffler, who was also benched for the last game of the season last year.
So what is the difference between Elvis and these three guys? Well, just take a look at this quote, and that should tell you everyting.
"Money is not everything, and that's the way I was brought up," said Dumervil, who grew up in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami. "It's nice when you get it, don't get me wrong, but I was always taught that you get what you put into it. And as long as you conduct yourself as such, good things will happen for you." DenverPost.com
What is this? A taste of humility coming from a professional athlete? The Associated Press agrees with this as well. Dumervil did exactly the opposite of what these other guys did, and that's why his services are being retained. He didn't whine and complain about things and make it clear that the team better pony up or else he's out, he just let things play out, continued to show his commitment to working for the team, and the team rewarded him. That is a lesson that all younger players should hold on to. It isn't all about the money, you still have to have respect for your team, and for your organization. This is so refreshing, especially after all the pettiness that has surrounded the Broncos of late.
It's definitely good that the Broncos re-signed him, but how well they will actually do this upcoming season is yet to be determined. Until then!
Which is why this story made me VERY happy! The Broncos finally agreed to a new contract with Dumervil. The new deal is actually a contract extension that extends him for 5 years, for $58.332 million through the 2015 season.
Now, to be absolutely fair to Dumervil, it is pretty obvious why he managed to get paid while his former Bronco teammates were quickly shown the door. Cutler demanded a trade after it was reported that the Boy King wanted to trade for Matt Cassel, and whined and moaned after Shanny, who spoiled the living daylights out of Cutler, was fired. Marshall, well, we remember his less-than-enthusiastic practice techniques that got him suspended by his team at the beginning of last season, and then his decision to not practice because his "leg hurt" which resulted in him being benched in the last game of the year. And the same thing with Tony Sheffler, who was also benched for the last game of the season last year.
So what is the difference between Elvis and these three guys? Well, just take a look at this quote, and that should tell you everyting.
"Money is not everything, and that's the way I was brought up," said Dumervil, who grew up in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami. "It's nice when you get it, don't get me wrong, but I was always taught that you get what you put into it. And as long as you conduct yourself as such, good things will happen for you." DenverPost.com
What is this? A taste of humility coming from a professional athlete? The Associated Press agrees with this as well. Dumervil did exactly the opposite of what these other guys did, and that's why his services are being retained. He didn't whine and complain about things and make it clear that the team better pony up or else he's out, he just let things play out, continued to show his commitment to working for the team, and the team rewarded him. That is a lesson that all younger players should hold on to. It isn't all about the money, you still have to have respect for your team, and for your organization. This is so refreshing, especially after all the pettiness that has surrounded the Broncos of late.
It's definitely good that the Broncos re-signed him, but how well they will actually do this upcoming season is yet to be determined. Until then!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
D-Wade appears in an installment of I can't believe that moron really said that.
I just read this on yahoo sports today and had to comment because I just plain can't stand it when people do this. At a charity event that the superstar D-Wade hosts with former Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning, he was making a couple of comments about the upcoming season.
Now, since he now has LeBron James and Chris Bosh with him, the Heat have been everybody's default pick to win the title. So Wade, thinking that he was being realistic about the upcoming year, made the following comment.
“There’s going to be times when we might lose one, two games in a row, maybe two games, three games in a row, you never know. It’s going to seem like the world is crashed down. You all are going to make it seem like the World Trade has just went down again. But it’s not going to be nothing but a couple basketball games lost and we’ll have to get back on track.”
Now, I understand what he's trying to say here. He's trying to say that people are going to overreact when they lose games because they are "supposed" to win them all. I get that, but give me a freaking break man, don't any of these professional athletes have that little person inside their head that tells them "hey, this is a really stupid thing to say, don't say that"? Anyone? Take it from me D-Wade, nobody is going to confuse you guys losing with this.
This brings up one of my other least favorite things that professional athletes do. I HATE it when any type of professional athlete says that they are going to "go to war" on their specific field of play. I don't mind if they say do battle, or if they say that it's going to be a fight, just don't compare a game to an event where thousand upon thousands of people die, it just bothers me.
So, the bonehead of the day award goes to Dwayne Wade! Hopefully he won't think that this is anything catastrophic.
Now, since he now has LeBron James and Chris Bosh with him, the Heat have been everybody's default pick to win the title. So Wade, thinking that he was being realistic about the upcoming year, made the following comment.
“There’s going to be times when we might lose one, two games in a row, maybe two games, three games in a row, you never know. It’s going to seem like the world is crashed down. You all are going to make it seem like the World Trade has just went down again. But it’s not going to be nothing but a couple basketball games lost and we’ll have to get back on track.”
Now, I understand what he's trying to say here. He's trying to say that people are going to overreact when they lose games because they are "supposed" to win them all. I get that, but give me a freaking break man, don't any of these professional athletes have that little person inside their head that tells them "hey, this is a really stupid thing to say, don't say that"? Anyone? Take it from me D-Wade, nobody is going to confuse you guys losing with this.
This brings up one of my other least favorite things that professional athletes do. I HATE it when any type of professional athlete says that they are going to "go to war" on their specific field of play. I don't mind if they say do battle, or if they say that it's going to be a fight, just don't compare a game to an event where thousand upon thousands of people die, it just bothers me.
So, the bonehead of the day award goes to Dwayne Wade! Hopefully he won't think that this is anything catastrophic.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Ilya Kovalchuk, the Final Chapter!!....or is it?
Well, the drama was played out, the teams made all of their pitches, and we finally know that Ilya Kovalcuk, the prize of this year's NHL Free Agent group, has signed with the New Jersey Devils for a record contract. Now, if you thought that Marian Hossa's deal was crazy, then you'll pretty much go nuts yourself when you hear what Kovy's deal ended up being. Kovy signed a 17, yes 17, year deal, worth $102 million.
Now, in my humble opinion, this is probably the dumbest contract ever offered in the history of contracts. Obviously, the Devils are happy with it because they get their man, and don't really have to go to any lengths to familiarize him with the team as he played there from the trade deadline to the end of the season. So that makes a bit of sense. The big problem with this is two-fold. One, do you honestly expect this guy to play out the entirety of this contract? He's 27 now, which means he'll be well out of his prime by the time that he still has 9 years LEFT on his contract. At that point, you'll be paying a 35 + year old man 11.5 million dollars! Secondly, this sets a very unhealthy precedent for the rest of the upcoming superstar free agents. Professional athletes are a lot like 5 year old boys. They see that Tommy across the street has a super awesome new bike, and they want one, too. So now that Ilya across the street has a ridiculously long and lucrative deal, every single other player is going to want this, too. The players have gone from wanting insane amount of money and being locked out during a CBA year, to wanting still pretty large sums of money, but for an insane time period on a contract. I do not look forward to the next CBA year, because I don't want another lockout canceled season! CapGeek has a great run down of Kovy's salary and how it is broken down. Take a look!
Now, the rest of the problems here lie with the Devils. If you take a look at the Devil's salary for this coming season, you will probably notice a pretty big problem. The Devils are currently 2.52 million dollars over the league salary cap. Which means they need to do something to get under it. So, they have to either trade somebody, or hope that some of their players are able to clear waivers and send them down to the AHL. It seems that most people believe that the Devils are going to try and trade Zach Parise, as he has basically been told that he will never be the teams #1 left wing. That would do it, as his cap hit, this year, is 5 million bucks. The next problem with the Devils is going to lie in the long term. Yeah, sure you, have Kovy now, and let's pretend that, by some miracle, they actually manage to make sure that Parise stays through this year. By the time they have anybody else as a free agent that they want to keep, they pretty much won't be able to, because Kovy's salary is going to jump up to 11.5 million bucks each year after year #2 of his contract. They have, pretty much, mortgaged the team's future. Their future is going to be Ilya Kovalchuk. No, we're not talking a Miami Heat situation, they have 3 superstars that they managed to keep under the cap, not just 1. The Devils will then, essentially, turn into the Atlanta Thrashers who did the exact same thing. Threw a ton of money at Kovy, and then weren't able to keep any of their other stars because Kovy ate up too much money.
But what does Kovy care? He wanted a record contract to beat Ovechkin's, and he got it. What he'll be measured by is pretty simple. Once Ovechkin signed his big deal, he went out and lead the league in goals, scoring 65 by the end of the 2008 season. Will Kovy do something similar, or will he fall into the trap that a lot of players do, and relax? Ahh, the get paid and then take the season off syndrome can strike hard, but I suppose we'll see. Regardless, this is a deal that is bad for all hockey fans but 1, Ilya Kovalchuk. I guess we'll see what types of insane deals come up next offseason as well, because this could get seriously ugly.
Now, I know that A-Mac has some opinions on this as well, and I want to hear them! Post your Kovy stuff A-Mac!!
**Update: Yesterday, the NHL rejected Kovalchuk's deal! Meaning that he is now a free agent again! We will try and keep tabs on what things are happening and where Kovy lands.....again.
Now, in my humble opinion, this is probably the dumbest contract ever offered in the history of contracts. Obviously, the Devils are happy with it because they get their man, and don't really have to go to any lengths to familiarize him with the team as he played there from the trade deadline to the end of the season. So that makes a bit of sense. The big problem with this is two-fold. One, do you honestly expect this guy to play out the entirety of this contract? He's 27 now, which means he'll be well out of his prime by the time that he still has 9 years LEFT on his contract. At that point, you'll be paying a 35 + year old man 11.5 million dollars! Secondly, this sets a very unhealthy precedent for the rest of the upcoming superstar free agents. Professional athletes are a lot like 5 year old boys. They see that Tommy across the street has a super awesome new bike, and they want one, too. So now that Ilya across the street has a ridiculously long and lucrative deal, every single other player is going to want this, too. The players have gone from wanting insane amount of money and being locked out during a CBA year, to wanting still pretty large sums of money, but for an insane time period on a contract. I do not look forward to the next CBA year, because I don't want another lockout canceled season! CapGeek has a great run down of Kovy's salary and how it is broken down. Take a look!
Now, the rest of the problems here lie with the Devils. If you take a look at the Devil's salary for this coming season, you will probably notice a pretty big problem. The Devils are currently 2.52 million dollars over the league salary cap. Which means they need to do something to get under it. So, they have to either trade somebody, or hope that some of their players are able to clear waivers and send them down to the AHL. It seems that most people believe that the Devils are going to try and trade Zach Parise, as he has basically been told that he will never be the teams #1 left wing. That would do it, as his cap hit, this year, is 5 million bucks. The next problem with the Devils is going to lie in the long term. Yeah, sure you, have Kovy now, and let's pretend that, by some miracle, they actually manage to make sure that Parise stays through this year. By the time they have anybody else as a free agent that they want to keep, they pretty much won't be able to, because Kovy's salary is going to jump up to 11.5 million bucks each year after year #2 of his contract. They have, pretty much, mortgaged the team's future. Their future is going to be Ilya Kovalchuk. No, we're not talking a Miami Heat situation, they have 3 superstars that they managed to keep under the cap, not just 1. The Devils will then, essentially, turn into the Atlanta Thrashers who did the exact same thing. Threw a ton of money at Kovy, and then weren't able to keep any of their other stars because Kovy ate up too much money.
But what does Kovy care? He wanted a record contract to beat Ovechkin's, and he got it. What he'll be measured by is pretty simple. Once Ovechkin signed his big deal, he went out and lead the league in goals, scoring 65 by the end of the 2008 season. Will Kovy do something similar, or will he fall into the trap that a lot of players do, and relax? Ahh, the get paid and then take the season off syndrome can strike hard, but I suppose we'll see. Regardless, this is a deal that is bad for all hockey fans but 1, Ilya Kovalchuk. I guess we'll see what types of insane deals come up next offseason as well, because this could get seriously ugly.
Now, I know that A-Mac has some opinions on this as well, and I want to hear them! Post your Kovy stuff A-Mac!!
**Update: Yesterday, the NHL rejected Kovalchuk's deal! Meaning that he is now a free agent again! We will try and keep tabs on what things are happening and where Kovy lands.....again.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Tiger and The British Open
Well, we're 3 majors into the golf season and people are still surprised that Tiger has not won a major. Rumblings have begun that the once foregone conclusion of Tiger demolishing Jack's record of 18 major titles has now become a question of if, and is no longer a question of when. People are beginning to see Tiger as "mortal" now. I suppose it's hard to argue with the whole question of him being beatable now. We're talking about a guy who made a habit out of eating the competition for breakfast.
At the same time, though, can we really be all that surprised at Tiger's regression? I mean, sure, professional athletes of Tiger's caliber have been able to tune out the outside world no matter what, but how much can you tune out when literally everything is going against you. Don't mistake me, in now way am I condoning Tiger's multiple mistresses and the way he handled his family life. I find it repulsive how a man who is given everything, through endorsements and prize money, still manage to screw their life up completely and wonder how it happened. To Tiger's credit, though, he has been very up front and loud about accepting the fact that he screwed up. But I digress. This is a guy who took a significant of time off from golfing. Dealing with family issues, going to the rehab clinics, trying to salvage a once pristine image. Why do so many people seem so shocked that he would come back and not be the dominant force he once was?
Anybody who has played golf will tell you that taking that much time off will affect the way you play. Your body won't be in the same shape, you lose that muscle memory that comes with the constant repetition of swing after swing, your vision slows down and you begin to second guess yourself, and your confidence will take a dive as a result of all of this. If you are wondering if Tiger's confidence is lacking, all you have to do is take a look at his putting. After 13 majors with the same putter, he changed at the British Open this year. You don't change putters unless your confidence is low. I guess the bottom line with all of this is that, as machine-like as Tiger has looked in the past, he's obviously still human, and won't be the same Tiger that goes out and dominates everybody before he even tees off. He probably won't reach that level ever again. But most people would agree that Tiger at 85%, is still better than most of the field at 100%. So now we just have to wait for him to get back up to that 85%.
As for the rest of golf itself, the fact that Tiger is no longer in that dominant mode is great for the game! We still got to see somebody dominate St. Andrew's this year, and it wasn't at all who we thought it would be. I mean, I'm still working on how to pronounce this dude's name! Louis Oosthuizen, if you find out, please tell me! But now we get to see all the other player's playing their best and bringing out the excitement, yes the excitement, that golf has! It is no longer people playing for second. Sure, it's exciting to see Tiger pull of the shots that he's capable of, but it's just as exciting seeing 3 or 4 others go down the back 9 and not knowing who's going to win like with did at the U.S. Open.
At any rate, everybody needs to calm down about all this Tiger stuff. He'll figure it out. The rest of my take on Tiger is to just leave his personal life alone. I know all that I ever wanted to know about his sex life, and then some. Don't get me wrong, he deserves his lumps about what he did, but he's going to get them whether I give him a hard time about it or not. If you've ever been divorced, you know how rough that would have to be; but now imagine that you had to pay half a billion dollars and have every single detail of that divorce advertised and spelled out to every person in the world whether they wanted to hear about it or not. As I said, he'll get his lumps. Plus, throw into it that he's managed to lose this, a smoking hot Swedish Super mode, to come home to, and life is pretty rough.
I look forward to when Tiger regains all of his form, but until then, I will enjoy all of the great drama that will come with each tournament. Golf remains an exciting game, regardless of what Tiger does.
At the same time, though, can we really be all that surprised at Tiger's regression? I mean, sure, professional athletes of Tiger's caliber have been able to tune out the outside world no matter what, but how much can you tune out when literally everything is going against you. Don't mistake me, in now way am I condoning Tiger's multiple mistresses and the way he handled his family life. I find it repulsive how a man who is given everything, through endorsements and prize money, still manage to screw their life up completely and wonder how it happened. To Tiger's credit, though, he has been very up front and loud about accepting the fact that he screwed up. But I digress. This is a guy who took a significant of time off from golfing. Dealing with family issues, going to the rehab clinics, trying to salvage a once pristine image. Why do so many people seem so shocked that he would come back and not be the dominant force he once was?
Anybody who has played golf will tell you that taking that much time off will affect the way you play. Your body won't be in the same shape, you lose that muscle memory that comes with the constant repetition of swing after swing, your vision slows down and you begin to second guess yourself, and your confidence will take a dive as a result of all of this. If you are wondering if Tiger's confidence is lacking, all you have to do is take a look at his putting. After 13 majors with the same putter, he changed at the British Open this year. You don't change putters unless your confidence is low. I guess the bottom line with all of this is that, as machine-like as Tiger has looked in the past, he's obviously still human, and won't be the same Tiger that goes out and dominates everybody before he even tees off. He probably won't reach that level ever again. But most people would agree that Tiger at 85%, is still better than most of the field at 100%. So now we just have to wait for him to get back up to that 85%.
As for the rest of golf itself, the fact that Tiger is no longer in that dominant mode is great for the game! We still got to see somebody dominate St. Andrew's this year, and it wasn't at all who we thought it would be. I mean, I'm still working on how to pronounce this dude's name! Louis Oosthuizen, if you find out, please tell me! But now we get to see all the other player's playing their best and bringing out the excitement, yes the excitement, that golf has! It is no longer people playing for second. Sure, it's exciting to see Tiger pull of the shots that he's capable of, but it's just as exciting seeing 3 or 4 others go down the back 9 and not knowing who's going to win like with did at the U.S. Open.
At any rate, everybody needs to calm down about all this Tiger stuff. He'll figure it out. The rest of my take on Tiger is to just leave his personal life alone. I know all that I ever wanted to know about his sex life, and then some. Don't get me wrong, he deserves his lumps about what he did, but he's going to get them whether I give him a hard time about it or not. If you've ever been divorced, you know how rough that would have to be; but now imagine that you had to pay half a billion dollars and have every single detail of that divorce advertised and spelled out to every person in the world whether they wanted to hear about it or not. As I said, he'll get his lumps. Plus, throw into it that he's managed to lose this, a smoking hot Swedish Super mode, to come home to, and life is pretty rough.
I look forward to when Tiger regains all of his form, but until then, I will enjoy all of the great drama that will come with each tournament. Golf remains an exciting game, regardless of what Tiger does.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Supposed Mid Summer Classic
In honor of the supposed slowest sports day of the year, a post!
Yesterday, the American League and the National League got together and played a little exhibition game to give a lot of players a break. This tradition goes back to 1933, predating I am guessing every reader of this blog. While it started out as a good idea, the All Star Game has grown bloated, over hyped, and irrelevant. The All Star Game is slowly creeping into Pro Bowl territory in relevancy in the American Public and within the sport itself. Bud Selig(the second worst commissioner in pro sports) grew the rosters to 34 a piece this year. Baseball managers are used to dealing with 25 players, usually 12 hitters and 13 pitchers. I understand that Bud wants every team to be represented but I disagree with this assessment. While you might lose some fans, its better in the long run for just the 25 best players in each league to play. The reason I am calling it Pro Bowl irrelevant is the number of stars skipping this year who were voted or picked to be on the team in the first place including the best closer in baseball, Mariano Sandman Rivera. Anyone familiar with the Pro Bowl knows that the starters are rarely who is voted in now with many of them skipping. Tom Brady, I am looking at you!
The voting itself is flawed as is all fan voting. Ichiro will always be the starting OF as long as he plays as he has an entire country behind him, just like Yao in the NBA. There has been problems before the internet with stuffing the ballot box, most notably when the Reds in 1957 with 7 starters and the A's in 1988 when Terry Steinbach was elected starting catcher. Yadier Molina was elected the starting catcher this year, echoing the sentiment of the writers in 88 that decried Steinbach's election. Molina was replaced at C in the 5th inning by Brian McCann, who won MVP this year do to his 3 run double in the 7th. McCann has been having the better year statistically than Molina. To be fair to Terry Steinbach, he won the ASG MVP that year!
The reserves are picked between player and manager votes plus MLB has their Final Vote promotion where fans get to vote on the last player for each league. MLB and the Managers hand picks 5 or 6 snubs for this role.
Last but not least, the real reason its overhyped is that Bud caused a boo boo when he ended the 2002 All Star game at a tie in extra innings. After that, to repair the damage he added the marketing strategy of which league wins the ASG, gets home field advantage in the World Series. Bud basically decreed that an exhibition game counts so much. Shouldn't it be based on who has the best record, that gets home field. It works for every other sport. If its supposed to count, Bud should shrink the rosters and make sure the managers actually play their best players and try to win it. I think though that it should be a welcome break and an exhibition of the best players. I generally like All star competitions and watch all 4 major ones.
For once, the game was actually good. Lets hope the rest of the season is.
Yesterday, the American League and the National League got together and played a little exhibition game to give a lot of players a break. This tradition goes back to 1933, predating I am guessing every reader of this blog. While it started out as a good idea, the All Star Game has grown bloated, over hyped, and irrelevant. The All Star Game is slowly creeping into Pro Bowl territory in relevancy in the American Public and within the sport itself. Bud Selig(the second worst commissioner in pro sports) grew the rosters to 34 a piece this year. Baseball managers are used to dealing with 25 players, usually 12 hitters and 13 pitchers. I understand that Bud wants every team to be represented but I disagree with this assessment. While you might lose some fans, its better in the long run for just the 25 best players in each league to play. The reason I am calling it Pro Bowl irrelevant is the number of stars skipping this year who were voted or picked to be on the team in the first place including the best closer in baseball, Mariano Sandman Rivera. Anyone familiar with the Pro Bowl knows that the starters are rarely who is voted in now with many of them skipping. Tom Brady, I am looking at you!
The voting itself is flawed as is all fan voting. Ichiro will always be the starting OF as long as he plays as he has an entire country behind him, just like Yao in the NBA. There has been problems before the internet with stuffing the ballot box, most notably when the Reds in 1957 with 7 starters and the A's in 1988 when Terry Steinbach was elected starting catcher. Yadier Molina was elected the starting catcher this year, echoing the sentiment of the writers in 88 that decried Steinbach's election. Molina was replaced at C in the 5th inning by Brian McCann, who won MVP this year do to his 3 run double in the 7th. McCann has been having the better year statistically than Molina. To be fair to Terry Steinbach, he won the ASG MVP that year!
The reserves are picked between player and manager votes plus MLB has their Final Vote promotion where fans get to vote on the last player for each league. MLB and the Managers hand picks 5 or 6 snubs for this role.
Last but not least, the real reason its overhyped is that Bud caused a boo boo when he ended the 2002 All Star game at a tie in extra innings. After that, to repair the damage he added the marketing strategy of which league wins the ASG, gets home field advantage in the World Series. Bud basically decreed that an exhibition game counts so much. Shouldn't it be based on who has the best record, that gets home field. It works for every other sport. If its supposed to count, Bud should shrink the rosters and make sure the managers actually play their best players and try to win it. I think though that it should be a welcome break and an exhibition of the best players. I generally like All star competitions and watch all 4 major ones.
For once, the game was actually good. Lets hope the rest of the season is.
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