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| I am decomposing. |
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Black Eyed Peas to perform in next Super Bowl
The NFL has had a problem with their halftime show in the past few years ever since Janet Jackson's boob popped out on stage (Thank Justin Timberlake). In order to try and remain "family" friendly, the league has had rock bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Who perform during halftime. The problem with this? The stats show most people under the age of 30 are tuning out. While I personally have no problem watching Mick Jagger decompose on stage, most people I know disagree with me. This was made clear to me last year via my facebook account. Every other status update was some form of complaint about The Who being selected for the halftime show. When I defended the NFL's choice I was surprised to find out most people on my friends list had never even heard of The Who. I assume the NFL's choice this year will appeal to a more general mass of people. The Black Eyed Peas have a variety of songs that appeal to a younger crowd while not offending the "family" group out there. Songs such as "I got a feeling", "Let's get it started", or "Where is the love" are sure to be neutral and vanilla. However, there are certain songs I am sure the NFL won't let them play on stage such as "My Humps" and "Boom Boom Pow" which both revolve around certain female body parts.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The female reporter everyone is talking about...
Ines Sainz. By now you know who this woman is unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past few days. Well, in case you didn't already know (Seriously, where have you been?) she is the Mexican female reporter who has been at the center of some recent controversy regarding female reporters in NFL locker rooms. Sainz attended a New York Jets practice last week with the hopes of interviewing Mark Sanchez, one of the few Hispanic players in the NFL and the Jets current quarterback. Sainz allegedly was harrassed by Jets players while she waited in the locker room. It has also been alleged that Rex Ryan and the defensive backs moved their drill period closer to Sainz in order to try and bump into her. Now while this may seem childish, I will defend the Jets players on this.
I was a high school football player. I remember what it was like when the cheerleaders or track girls would be running around the track during our practices. Some of us would intentionally throw the ball towards them in order to try and show off. No player can say they were not aware the girls were watching. Some of us would get reprimanded by our coaches for turning around to watch them do their cheers. While it is true that the Jets players are adults and professionals, at the end of the day they are football players who behave like children for the most part. They are being paid to play a game. It's not like they were in a corporate office discussing company assets and mergers.
All of this has spurred some heated debate about whether female reporters should be allowed in NFL locker rooms period. Let's use some common sense here. There are 53 men on an NFL team. That's 53 men with raging hormones. That's 53 men playing the most violent sport on this planet who are full of nothing but testosterone. They are in their locker room, their safe haven. They are showering, eating, watching television, listening to music, etc. Some of them are walking around naked, some of them are wearing close to nothing. Enter this woman:
Is it realistic to expect 53 men to all be on their best behavior? Think of the atmosphere you are in. These guys are pulling pranks on one another, every other word out of their mouth starts with an F and ends with a K. They are basically in a frat house. How are they not going to whistle and make comments? Especially when she is dressed like this!
Call me a misogynist if you'd like. Call me a pig. I don't see how the Jets players are to blame for what happened to Ines Sainz. She very well knows what she looks like and she very well knows she's entering a locker room full of sweaty pigs. Anyone who will try to tell you these 53 men are supposed to be gentlemen with manners don't know much about football players.
By the way, now that we're on the topic...Is Ines Sainz hotter than Erin Andrews?
I was a high school football player. I remember what it was like when the cheerleaders or track girls would be running around the track during our practices. Some of us would intentionally throw the ball towards them in order to try and show off. No player can say they were not aware the girls were watching. Some of us would get reprimanded by our coaches for turning around to watch them do their cheers. While it is true that the Jets players are adults and professionals, at the end of the day they are football players who behave like children for the most part. They are being paid to play a game. It's not like they were in a corporate office discussing company assets and mergers.
All of this has spurred some heated debate about whether female reporters should be allowed in NFL locker rooms period. Let's use some common sense here. There are 53 men on an NFL team. That's 53 men with raging hormones. That's 53 men playing the most violent sport on this planet who are full of nothing but testosterone. They are in their locker room, their safe haven. They are showering, eating, watching television, listening to music, etc. Some of them are walking around naked, some of them are wearing close to nothing. Enter this woman:
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| You're a football player in a locker room full of dudes. This walks in. What are you going to do? |
Call me a misogynist if you'd like. Call me a pig. I don't see how the Jets players are to blame for what happened to Ines Sainz. She very well knows what she looks like and she very well knows she's entering a locker room full of sweaty pigs. Anyone who will try to tell you these 53 men are supposed to be gentlemen with manners don't know much about football players.
By the way, now that we're on the topic...Is Ines Sainz hotter than Erin Andrews?
Jacory Harris' last tweet...
Jacory Harris has a history of responding to fans in a fashion that doesn't make much sense to me. Last year he told fans he didn't want them on the UM bandwagon when they had "disappeared" over the last few years. I have no problem with him talking like that except for the fact he has done nothing in his three years at the U to earn this right. If Willis McGahee says something like that, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, or any other UM great says that, it has a little more meaning. Jacory Harris says it and I scratch my head. Especially after he threw 17 interceptions last season and especially after his poor showing against Ohio State last week. Yesterday it was announced Head Coach Randy Shannon banned Twitter. (For full story click UM bans Twitter).
Jacory's comments before deactivating his Twitter account are more alarming:
"To the fans that's here only when things go right. Thank you. We loved you while you were here. Just know if everything goes as planned, don't come back. With that being said....God bless you! Negative or positive. I'm out!!"
Now here's my issue. When Jacory was first recruited out of Northwestern, I was a firm supporter. I believed Jacory would eventually beat out Robert Marve just because it appeared the writing was on the wall. After all, Jacory was part of the #1 rated recruiting class that came out of Northwestern. The fact Jacory split time his first year with Marve was done purposefully to force out Marve in my opinion. Whether that was Randy Shannon's intent or not, Marve left the U after a falling out with the coaching staff. Jacory has shown flashes of greatness during the last few years. Sometimes he hits Travis Benjamin on a deep pass and you can't help but feel, "Finally! We're back! The U is back!" The problem is he follows up a beautiful deep pass with an untimely interception and the occasional four pick game like the one he had against Ohio State.
Until Jacory Harris wins something significant I don't think he has earned any right to tell fans to jump off the UM bandwagon. Leave that to the players who have actually brought respect and honor to the football program. Leave that to Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Just because you play for the U doesn't mean you are part of that circle. You have to earn that. So far Jacory has been nothing but inconsistent. I hope Randy Shannon keeps the Twitter ban all year long and that he bans their facebook accounts as well. All of the current
players should keep their mouths shut until they win something.
Jacory's comments before deactivating his Twitter account are more alarming:
"To the fans that's here only when things go right. Thank you. We loved you while you were here. Just know if everything goes as planned, don't come back. With that being said....God bless you! Negative or positive. I'm out!!"
Now here's my issue. When Jacory was first recruited out of Northwestern, I was a firm supporter. I believed Jacory would eventually beat out Robert Marve just because it appeared the writing was on the wall. After all, Jacory was part of the #1 rated recruiting class that came out of Northwestern. The fact Jacory split time his first year with Marve was done purposefully to force out Marve in my opinion. Whether that was Randy Shannon's intent or not, Marve left the U after a falling out with the coaching staff. Jacory has shown flashes of greatness during the last few years. Sometimes he hits Travis Benjamin on a deep pass and you can't help but feel, "Finally! We're back! The U is back!" The problem is he follows up a beautiful deep pass with an untimely interception and the occasional four pick game like the one he had against Ohio State.
Until Jacory Harris wins something significant I don't think he has earned any right to tell fans to jump off the UM bandwagon. Leave that to the players who have actually brought respect and honor to the football program. Leave that to Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Just because you play for the U doesn't mean you are part of that circle. You have to earn that. So far Jacory has been nothing but inconsistent. I hope Randy Shannon keeps the Twitter ban all year long and that he bans their facebook accounts as well. All of the current
players should keep their mouths shut until they win something.
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| Jacory Harris playing for the Northwestern Bulls. |
Twitter Ban at the U
Randy Shannon has banned his players from using Twitter. He says the team needs to regain focus. Is this shocking? Most coaches are control freaks. They have meticulous practice plans that are planned out to the minute. At 3:00 PM you have group drills. At 3:15, you break into individual drills. At 3:30, you work on a passing skeleton. The whistle blows and the players are expected to move around the practice field as quickly as possible. No time is wasted. A friend of mine who played college football told me he couldn't stand to have his whole life planned out for him. His class schedule was selected for him and he was expected to be in study hall while not in practice or lifting weights in the gym. Everything was pre-packaged. For some, this is a small sacrifice to pay in order to play college football. After all, only a very small percentage of us who play high school football make it to the next level.
Which brings me to my point. If it is well understood by anyone who follows college football that the coach is usually akin to a dictator, why is the media making such a big deal out of the fact that Randy Shannon banned Twitter? (Take this Quiz: Who said it? NFL Coach or Dictator?) C'mon. The Miami Dolphins run their organization like the Pentagon. The New England Patriots don't even tell the media when their players are injured, or when they do, they only vaguely describe the injury. The year the Patriots almost went undefeated (Thank you David Tyree and Eli Manning), Tom Brady was listed as having a shoulder injury the entire season. The only thing Twitter does is give the players more control over how they are perceived by their fans and media. However, the social networking site can cause distractions.
All it takes is for one player to post an inappropriate picture (Former Miami Heat player Michael Beasley accidentally posting pictures of his weed) and all of a sudden you have a public relations disaster on your hands that could lead to an NCAA investigation, more media pressure, and a giant headache for the University of Miami Athletics Department. What is shocking to me is how Shannon has not banned other social networking sites such as Facebook. Facebook is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than twitter because of the fact people post photo albums of virtually every social event they partake in.
You went to a party this weekend? Someone took a picture. Were you drinking a beer? You better believe there is a picture somewhere out there. I'll give you a perfect example. Just last year I was at Chili's in Coconut Grove when I realized sitting right behind me was Graig Cooper, a running back who plays for the Hurricanes. I try as much as possible to not be "that annoying fan" who is always asking for autographs and pictures, but I figured he was sitting right behind me and I was really the only one who had noticed he was there. I approached him and asked if it was ok if I took a picture with him. He seemed very shy to be honest, but he took the picture with me (of course he threw up the "U" sign with his hands). Now what would have happened if Graig Cooper was out with a bunch of his friends drinking beers (nothing illegal about that by the way) and I secretly took a bunch of pictures from the corner and later posted them on my Twitter or Facebook account? Would people have made an issue out of it? Maybe, maybe not. What if he was at a strip club? What if he was smoking weed? Players need to be very careful what they do in public. This has always been an issue for all athletes, but even more so in this generation of camera phones.
Which brings me to my point. If it is well understood by anyone who follows college football that the coach is usually akin to a dictator, why is the media making such a big deal out of the fact that Randy Shannon banned Twitter? (Take this Quiz: Who said it? NFL Coach or Dictator?) C'mon. The Miami Dolphins run their organization like the Pentagon. The New England Patriots don't even tell the media when their players are injured, or when they do, they only vaguely describe the injury. The year the Patriots almost went undefeated (Thank you David Tyree and Eli Manning), Tom Brady was listed as having a shoulder injury the entire season. The only thing Twitter does is give the players more control over how they are perceived by their fans and media. However, the social networking site can cause distractions.
All it takes is for one player to post an inappropriate picture (Former Miami Heat player Michael Beasley accidentally posting pictures of his weed) and all of a sudden you have a public relations disaster on your hands that could lead to an NCAA investigation, more media pressure, and a giant headache for the University of Miami Athletics Department. What is shocking to me is how Shannon has not banned other social networking sites such as Facebook. Facebook is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than twitter because of the fact people post photo albums of virtually every social event they partake in.
You went to a party this weekend? Someone took a picture. Were you drinking a beer? You better believe there is a picture somewhere out there. I'll give you a perfect example. Just last year I was at Chili's in Coconut Grove when I realized sitting right behind me was Graig Cooper, a running back who plays for the Hurricanes. I try as much as possible to not be "that annoying fan" who is always asking for autographs and pictures, but I figured he was sitting right behind me and I was really the only one who had noticed he was there. I approached him and asked if it was ok if I took a picture with him. He seemed very shy to be honest, but he took the picture with me (of course he threw up the "U" sign with his hands). Now what would have happened if Graig Cooper was out with a bunch of his friends drinking beers (nothing illegal about that by the way) and I secretly took a bunch of pictures from the corner and later posted them on my Twitter or Facebook account? Would people have made an issue out of it? Maybe, maybe not. What if he was at a strip club? What if he was smoking weed? Players need to be very careful what they do in public. This has always been an issue for all athletes, but even more so in this generation of camera phones.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
UF the new convicts?
Chris Rainey told his ex-girlfriend it was "time to die, bitch." He was arrested. That brings the total of Gators arrested over the last few years to a whopping 27. The media has yet to put the University of Florida under the microscope the way they did when the University of Miami was dominating college football. In 1995, Sports Illustrated called for the banning of the University of Miami football program after the Pell Grant scandal.
While it is true the Miami program was in disarray at the time, it faced an unprecedented amount of media attention and scrutiny. Why is that no one criticizes the Gators now? Tim Tebow served as a distraction while he was playing at the University of Florida, his off field philanthropic efforts and his religious fervor being as much a part of his image as his talent as a football player. Now that he plays for the Denver Broncos, Urban Meyer might be in trouble. The Gators don't have a media darling to shield them from criticism any longer.
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| Sports Illustrated called for the end of the University of Miami football program. Why not do the same for the University of Florida? |
While it is true the Miami program was in disarray at the time, it faced an unprecedented amount of media attention and scrutiny. Why is that no one criticizes the Gators now? Tim Tebow served as a distraction while he was playing at the University of Florida, his off field philanthropic efforts and his religious fervor being as much a part of his image as his talent as a football player. Now that he plays for the Denver Broncos, Urban Meyer might be in trouble. The Gators don't have a media darling to shield them from criticism any longer.
Heat-Magic: The start of a new rivalry?
Stan Van Gundy. You either love him or you hate him. It seems Stan is in the news every few months verbally sparring with someone. He called out Shaquille O’neal for flopping in a game against Dwight Howard when Shaq was on the Suns back in March of 2009. When Dwight Howard was criticized for not winning in the post-season, he took the opportunity to take shots at Kevin Garnett, saying Garnett hadn’t won much in the NBA before he got to the Celtics. Some members of the media like him because they think he is refreshing (Dan Le Batard for one has him on his radio show frequently and has said Stan Van Gundy is one of his favorite guests). Then there are those who believe the Ron Jeremy look alike should shut his mouth.
Pat Riley is one of them. After months of silence from the Godfather of basketball, Riley spoke about the comments Stan Van Gundy made after the Miami Heat signed Lebron James and Chris Bosh this off-season. Van Gundy called Bosh a “lap dog” for following Dwyane Wade around and the Orlando Magic’s general manager, Otis Smith, questioned Lebron James for not wanting to win on his own. Riles pretty much called Van Gundy and Smith’s comments “stupid” and mentioned how Otis Smith had signed Rashard Lewis from Seattle for $128 million dollars. Note to Stan: Riley has championship rings. Plural. You have none. Until then, maybe you should keep your mouth shut.
This is not unfamiliar territory for Miami fans. We have been hated before. Just look back to the things people were saying about the Miami Hurricanes in the late 80’s and 90’s. Hell, the Miami-Notre Dame rivalry was known as the Catholics vs. Convicts. Lebron James has called this Heat team “Team Dillinger” after John Dillinger, a Depression era gangster who was so dangerous the federal government changed the way the FBI operated just to attempt to catch him. This following year, and for the next decade or so if this team sticks together, the NBA will have to come up with new ways to defend the trio of Wade, Bosh, and Lebron.
I can’t wait to see the fireworks that Heat-Magic will bring this upcoming season. There’s already tons of bulletin board material and this drama already has back story to it—Stan Van Gundy was a Heat assistant for almost 12 years and his brother Jeff was the coach of the New York Knicks after Riley ditched them to come coach the Heat. It’s been a long time since the Miami Heat had a real rivalry, dating back to the Heat-Knicks wars of the late 90’s. The Knicks haven’t been relevant in quite some time thanks to Isaiah Thomas and his scouting ability, so that rivalry has pretty much deflated (although if the Knicks pull of a trade for Carmelo Anthony or sign him in the off-season the Heat-Knicks rivalry will be hotter than ever). Stan Van Gundy. You either love him or you hate him. As a Heat fan, I want Stan to keep talking as much as possible. The more he speaks negatively about the Heat, the more drama he adds to the regular season and playoff matchups.
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| According to Shaq, Van Gundy is the "Master of Panic." How's that for a porn name? |
Pat Riley is one of them. After months of silence from the Godfather of basketball, Riley spoke about the comments Stan Van Gundy made after the Miami Heat signed Lebron James and Chris Bosh this off-season. Van Gundy called Bosh a “lap dog” for following Dwyane Wade around and the Orlando Magic’s general manager, Otis Smith, questioned Lebron James for not wanting to win on his own. Riles pretty much called Van Gundy and Smith’s comments “stupid” and mentioned how Otis Smith had signed Rashard Lewis from Seattle for $128 million dollars. Note to Stan: Riley has championship rings. Plural. You have none. Until then, maybe you should keep your mouth shut.
This is not unfamiliar territory for Miami fans. We have been hated before. Just look back to the things people were saying about the Miami Hurricanes in the late 80’s and 90’s. Hell, the Miami-Notre Dame rivalry was known as the Catholics vs. Convicts. Lebron James has called this Heat team “Team Dillinger” after John Dillinger, a Depression era gangster who was so dangerous the federal government changed the way the FBI operated just to attempt to catch him. This following year, and for the next decade or so if this team sticks together, the NBA will have to come up with new ways to defend the trio of Wade, Bosh, and Lebron.
I can’t wait to see the fireworks that Heat-Magic will bring this upcoming season. There’s already tons of bulletin board material and this drama already has back story to it—Stan Van Gundy was a Heat assistant for almost 12 years and his brother Jeff was the coach of the New York Knicks after Riley ditched them to come coach the Heat. It’s been a long time since the Miami Heat had a real rivalry, dating back to the Heat-Knicks wars of the late 90’s. The Knicks haven’t been relevant in quite some time thanks to Isaiah Thomas and his scouting ability, so that rivalry has pretty much deflated (although if the Knicks pull of a trade for Carmelo Anthony or sign him in the off-season the Heat-Knicks rivalry will be hotter than ever). Stan Van Gundy. You either love him or you hate him. As a Heat fan, I want Stan to keep talking as much as possible. The more he speaks negatively about the Heat, the more drama he adds to the regular season and playoff matchups.
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| Jeff Van Gundy holding on for dear life |
Monday, September 13, 2010
Miami Dolphins look mediocre in win...
You will hear from several NFL analysts and experts that in the NFL, a win is a win. Although this is true, especially when the Dolphins haven’t won in Buffalo in God knows how long, this win should be a cause for some alarm. In today’s NFL, teams who score 15 points on the Buffalo Bills aren’t going to win the Super Bowl. Teams who pass for less than 200 yards aren’t going to be part of any parades. Although the Dolphins did in fact win, at the end the Bills still had a chance with 2 minutes left in large part due to the fact the Dolphins could not run out the clock. By the way, that is the same Dolphins who so heavily emphasize the running game and have spent an inordinate amount of money on their offensive line. The Dolphins' offensive line is like Tori Spelling—tons of expensive plastic surgery, same result.
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| Same result- Ugly |
The only real bright spot on that line is Jake Long. The Dolphins' defense had to save the team much like it did back in the Jimmy Johnson/Dave Wannstedt era. Although this is an encouraging sign, it is not what you expect from a team who just picked up Brandon Marshall in the off-season. You would figure that our offense would be more explosive now with the addition of Marshall. You would expect that with the running back duo of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, the addition of a Pro Bowl receiver, and an extra off-season working with the first team, Chad Henne would look impressive in a regular season debut against the lowly Buffalo Bills. However, here was Henne looking very Jay Fiedler-ish when we have been told over and over again he is the future of this team.
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| "I hope this is not picked off." |
Maybe I am jumping the gun on this, and I could be very wrong, but Chad Henne doesn’t seem to be the answer. We were told by the media and the coaching staff that Chad Henne would allow this offense to be able to throw the ball deep and get what they call “chunk” yardage. Yet, against the Bills, there was Henne doing a lot of dinking and dunking. Maybe being a Chad Pennington understudy rubbed off on him a little too much, but if our offense is going to continue dinking and dunking all the way down field, we are going to have the same struggles we had with Pennington as the starter. (By the way, I am going to go out on a limb here and tell you that Chad Pennington is by far the best dinker and dunker on this team).
By now you might be thinking that I am doing an awful lot of complaining. The truth? Yes I am. And here is why. As a life time Dolphin fan, I am sick and tired of seeing mediocre offensive play. I have seen the Dolphins' defense dominate at times over the last 15 years and I have seen them have a good, maybe even great running game at times (and then Ricky Williams took off to Australia to live in a tent and smoke a lot of pot). But what I have not seen is the Dolphins win in the playoffs.
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| "I don't remember the last time my ass felt clean." |
I remember when Jimmy Johnson was still coaching and then even into the Wannstedt years how people would bash Jay Fiedler. I defended him. My friends and family would argue with me, “How can you defend Fiedler? Every time he throws a deep out it’s pick six the other way!” I defended Fiedler because we were winning. I had seen the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Baltimore Ravens win with good defense, good running game, and mediocre quarterback play. We had a few 11-5 years there with Jay Fiedler and that Zach Thomas/Jason Taylor/Sam Madison/Pat Surtain led defense. Those teams were fun to watch and gave you a false sense of hope come playoff time. We were always a good team, right on the brink of being very good. In the end though, Fiedler would throw the interceptions we all knew he would and the running game would fail because no one feared the threat of the pass, and somehow the defense that had held it all together for a whole season would unravel.
Then we all got slapped in the face with a brick and were welcomed to the “this is what the Detroit Lions have experienced for their entire existence” era which culminated with a 1-15 season. Cue the Bill Parcells regime walking in and immediately becoming the opiate of the Miami Dolphins’ fan base. Here we are in the third year of the Parcells era (even though he stepped down, this is still the coach and general manager he handpicked and he had substantial say in the current personnel of this team), and we still have a million questions left unanswered.
I am tired of watching 15-10 games. If we win the Super Bowl, I’ll take it without a problem. However, I have been a Dolphin fan long enough to not be misled by these types of games. I know that if Chad Henne doesn’t start looking like a star, no amount of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown is going to win the Super Bowl in this modernized NFL. No passing game in today’s league equals early playoff exits. It’s been a long time since 1972 and I am pretty tired of investing so much of my time and energy in watching a team that is going to leave me feeling disappointed each and every week for half of the year.
Comments and debate are welcome.
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