Heckler Report

Early Wednesday Hockey Thoughts

2011-03-16T02:25:00.000-07:00

Fuck this week was hard, I want to get something out every week and this was the best I could do.

Brendan Shanahan says the NHL is going to keep the All Star draft in 2012. I'm a big fan of the NHL trying new stuff, but it just wasn't very good. If they're going to do it again at least get Gerry Dee to host it. No offense James Duthie, you're just not very funny. (as long as you say "no offense" before something mean, it's cool)

Don Cherry nails it, which is more rare than it used to be.

How many hockey sticks can you buy for $15,000?

I have a feeling Canucks fans are overvaluing Schneider as an offseason trade piece, remember Halak was a starter and a playoff hero and all Montreal got for him was Lars Eller and some other guy who's name doesn't need to be remembered.

I can't remember an NHL season where the MVP is less obvious, D. Sedin, Kesler, Toews, Thomas, Stamkos, Yandle. I think it has to be Daniel, right? Highest scorer on the team with the best record. Twin brothers winning the Heart Trophy in back to back years. That's fairly incredible. To celebrate they should knock up the Williams sisters just to see what happens.

It's probably not feasible but would Olympic size ice cut down on concussions? I guess you could just build all new arenas Olympic size and have different playing areas like baseball.

I think there's a better than 50/50 chance Winnipeg gets a team NEXT season (either Atlanta or Phoenix). Go Jets!!!!!

It`s been a while

2011-03-11T00:14:00.000-08:00

My next failed attempt as a blogger is starting..........now. Once I miss a post or two it feels hard to come back to. We'll see how long this lasts.

If I were negotiating on behalf of the NFL owners and we wanted to get a larger percentage of revenues without bending on other issues, we could create a new issue. That way instead of saying "we're losing 2% of revenue and they won't budge on guaranteed contracts" the leader of the player's union can say "if we take only 2% less in revenue they'll scrap the 18 game schedule".

The reason I want to blog again is this post I made a while back, it's very poorly written but I kind of nailed it. just sayin

I enjoy the CFL but if you want me to keep defending it to my NFL buddies they're going to have to stop announcing the awards 5 months after the season ends. That's bush league.

My prediction for Jays starting rotation is Romero, Morrow, Cecil, Litsch, Jo-Jo Reyes. It's the most patient and probably the smartest. One, Two, Three are set. Every interview I read with AA is talking up Litsch. Jo-Jo Reyes has no options and is probably going to be this year's Dana Eveland.

Drive Angry sounds like a really good movie, you should go see it.

Pickem Week 1

2010-09-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

With half a handful of posts in August lets hope September goes a little better. NFL starts Thursday and with NFL comes betting. Spreads are for experts, I am no expert.

Min @ NO - I'm taking the Saints, they won the playoff game last year and they're at home. The only way I can see things working out for Minny this year is if Petterson carries this team.

Cle @ TB - Both teams were bad last year, Holmgren is running the show in Cleavland. That`s enough for me, I`ll take the Browns on the road.

Mia @ Buf - I`ll take the fish. Things can change quickly in the NFL but not quickly enough for Bills fans.

Cin @ NE - Part of me wonders if Brady two years removed from knee surgery, Welker back, a few new weapons at TE and Randy Moss in a contract year means the Patriots offense goes all 2007. I`ll take the Pats.

Ind @ Hou - I never bet against Indy, especially in the regular season.

Den @ Jac - I don`t know but you can`t pick all road teams so I`ll take the Jags.

Atl @ Pit - The Steelers are in good shape if they go 2-2 without Big Ben. Two of their next three games are against the Ravens and Titans. This is a BIG week 1 game for the Steelers. I`ll take them and you can mark it down as my push-up lock of the week*.

Oak @ Ten - On the ESPN Eliminator challenge the Titans are the week 1 favorites, I can`t disagree (although I never pick the most popular choice in these drafts)

Car @ NYG - I`ll take the Giants because they`re at home, no more thought than that.

DET @ CHI - I think this is the year the Lions climb out of the basement in the NFC north, the team that replaces them would probably be the Bears.

Ari @ Stl - Here`s my upset pick of the week. Bradford has a nice debut, Steven Jackson has a huge day while everyone in Ari wonders if letting go of Leinart was such a good idea.

GB @ Phi - Lots of analysts are selling GB as an elite team this year, I`m buying.

SF @ SEA - I`m picking way too many road teams but SF has a shitty offense while SEA has a shitty offense AND a shitty defense + a new coach and a new system.

Dal @ Was - America`s teams in the Sunday nighter. Take the road team again.

Bal @ NYJ - As soon as Revis signed the Jets became the favorite here.

SD @ KC - How the fuck did KC get an opening week Monday night game at home? SD never starts out well and has all kinds of contract issues. Lets take the Chefs as my second upset pick.

* Push up lock of the week is something my friends and I do. Everybody picks their lock of the week, has to be in a tight game. If you lose that game you have to do 10 push ups in the bar in front of everyone while your friends ridicule you. Feel free to leave your locks in th comment section.

A List of One

2010-08-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

My sleeper list consists of one player. He's crazy talented, he's fast, he's elusive, he finishes runs strong, he's the best player on his team and his ESPN ranking is 84, at his position. My sleeper pick for 2010 is Josh Cribbs. The wildcat may have been invented for this guy.

It's possible I don't know everything

2010-08-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

There's a rumor/conspiracy theory on the internet that could explain the whole Lebron James fiasco. It involves Delonte West, you can Google it yourself. Regardless of the validity of this rumor I realized I don't actually know Lebron James or the details of his decision. I should probably cut him more slack than this. Maybe he's got his reasons?

Some people deserve to get punched

2010-08-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Anderson Silva,

This Saturday you fight Chael Sonnen at UFC 117. I'm not sure if you're aware (because you don't speak English) but Chael Sonnen is bad mouthing you something fierce. Now you're probably the most accomplished fighter in the history of MMA but your lack of English makes it difficult for you to compete in the war of words. I have this blog that 10's of people read and I would be more than happy to put him in his place on your behalf. You can just copy and paste the rest of this letter into an email, sign your name, and send it off to ESPN. I won't tell anyone I wrote it.

Dear ESPN,

I am the most successful fighter in the history of MMA and Chael Sonnen has a day job as a real estate agent. I do not appreciate his lack of respect. I'm going to knock him out, then I'm going to tea bag him on international television.

Sincerely,

Anderson Silva

Dungeons and Dragons for Jocks

2010-07-26T23:27:00.000-07:00

I play a lot of fantasy football, too much actually. For those of you who are neither an NFL fan nor a Fantasy Football fan stop reading now, there is nothing in this post for you. For those of you who have never played but watch some NFL Mathew Berry's Draft Day Manifesto is all you really need to get caught up. For fellow junkies here's another random dude on the internet with an opinion to consider and critique while you probably should be working.

For the record when I say I like someone it's relative to their general ranking, for reference here's a list from the good people at ESPN.

If I pick first overall I'm taking Adrian Peterson, I know most aren't but for me he's just such a freak athlete. I saw an NFL Network commercial last year with him running without a shirt on 220+ times (honest estimate), maybe I'm brain washed. I just think he's safer because he's bigger and plays in a better offense. Don't get me wrong it's like comparing delicious apples with delicious apples.

I like Ray Rice at three but I`m not angry at anyone who picks MJD.

At 4 I think you have to take Frank Gore but after that it should open right up, it`s really just personal preference and drafting styles, the only bad picks are when you pick a player who would definitely be there a few rounds later.

I`m not picking Stephen Jackson, Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne because other people are going to like these guys more than me. That being said I own all three in a keeper league where you can keep any five players and none are going back into the draft.

DeAngelo Williams gets good numbers every year but I don`t like when my first round running back splits carries as much as they do in Carolina.

Andre Johnson is the best and safest receiver by a large margin, he`s the only one I`d feel happy taking in the first round.

I never pick a QB early, I think there is great value late in drafts. I`m fine waiting on some kind of Favre, Cutler, Kolb, Henne, Mcnabb , Flacco, Romo combination platter of three.

If I`m reaching on some guys in the first round it would be Mendenhall then Shonn Green. The difference being Ladanian Tomlinson might be this year`s Willis MaGahee. Shonn Green like Ray Rice last year is obviously the better player but LT might vulture TDs the way MaGahee did last year, at least early on. Then again Willis Magahee might be this year`s Willis MaGahee.

I like Calvin Johnson. Mathew Stafford is a year older, Pettigrew is a year older, Jahvid Best and Burleson can`t hurt either, defenses might not be able to exclusively key in on Johnson.....plus he`s Megatron.

Jennings and Colston are the two best recievers on good pass happy offenses.

I`d be very happy with Crabtree as the second best receiver on my squad going into the season. A year ago he was a rookie who missed training camp and the first half the season due to contract negotiations. Just taking regular snaps would have been impressive but he was by far their best receiver.

Reggie Wayne might put up the same kind of numbers he has the last couple of years making him a lower end number one receiver; he certainly won`t be better. I`m not interested

I like Jamaal Charles, Ryan Mathews, Pierre Thomas and maybe even Matt Forte more than Ryan Grant. No team is going to win their fantasy league because Ryan Grant is their best player.

My sleeper pick is Clinton Portis, he`s the 32nd ranked running back. He was awful last year and deserves this ranking but throw in Shanahan and McNabb and I`ll waste a 6th round pick to see if he was slowed by injuries.

Another is Darren McFadden, he could easily be this year`s Cedric Benson. I`m probably going to do a whole sleepers post in the near future.

Miami goes to Revis Island twice this year to play the jets including week 14. That sucks for Brandon Marshall owners who make the playoffs.

That`s it for today but I`m going to do rambling FF thoughts again.

NCAA Div. I Athletics

2010-07-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

The NCAA is investigating a few prominent Div. I Football programs because some players are suspected of going to a party an agent threw between the end of the season and the Rose Bowl.

Division I Football is a billion dollar industry, largely built on the back of the student athlete who is compensated for his efforts. Make no mistake about it, they are compensated.

The reason people seem to forget this is about 1% of them go on to make millions playing professionally. The other 99% go on to real life and thank their lucky stars every day that they have no student loans. The fact that the NCAA makes so much more is irrelevant.

If you work at a major energy company, bank or pharmaceutical firm the same situation is happening. You make a salary, maybe a very good one, but the money the company makes dwarfs it. It’s the way life goes. It might not be fair, but it isn’t going to change any time soon.

So if you think it’s fine for a Div. I football player to accept kickbacks, cars or accommodations from agents or alumni to supplement their income, you must also concur that it’s perfectly acceptable for a bank teller to keep a share of your deposit, the drug salesman to increase the price of your medicine by 5 cents a pill or a oil exec to tack an extra 5 cents a liter on to the price of gas.

After all, look at all the money their company is making from their hard work.

All Star Break

2010-07-14T01:24:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Monday and Wednesday this week, the day before and after the MLB All-Star game, are the only two days of the year without a major North American sport being played. Try watching an hour long Sports Center, it's painful.

Until Tuesday night the National League had not beaten the American League in 14 years (0-13-1). To put that in perspective, the Montreal Expos only had 7 seasons left the last time the NL won. This was the first time the NL has won a All Star Game since Derek Jeter has played in the show. What I'm saying is, it had been a while.

Lebronagedon

2010-07-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, that was HUGE, AWESOME, RIDICULOUS......one day later and I still can't fully grasp the ramifications of last nights event, somebody get me some decision water.

I heard the rumors before hand that Lebron was going to the Heat, but I just didn't believe it. JGK talked about not watching if you didn't approve of this kind egotistical scene. It was the ultimate train wreck, I just couldn't look away. I never could have imagined one man thinking this was a good idea. He intentionally crippled a city and made sworn enemies with half his fans then sold it as a one hour TV special, it was awesome.

My favorite part (besides decision water) was Lebron saying a few times how much he's done for Cleveland. You're a billion dollar athlete who plays basketball for a living, maybe they've done a little something for you? His sense of entitlement makes his "King" James nickname a little ironic and pretty fucking funny.

He is now the greatest villain in all of sports, leading "the axis of evil" Miami Heat (patent pending). In one hour his image went from Cal Ripken, Micheal Jordan, Wayne Gretzky company to Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Chris Pronger company. This fall from grace in the eyes of the fans can only be matched by Tiger Woods. The best part: he actually took less money to do it.

The term "douche bag" is way over used. It's become sort of a self fulfilling word in that if you use the word douche bag often, you actually are a douche bag. That being said it's the only word I can think of that describes a sports fan who jumps on the Axis of Evil band wagon. The only legitimate excuse for being a Miami Heat fan is you live in Miami. That's it, it's the only one, it's not debatable.

This story has like 8 best parts, another is Cav's owner Dan Gilberts reaction. Here's an excerpt I stole from TSN.

"As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier. "

"You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal."

"This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown 'chosen one' sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And 'who' we would want them to grow-up to become."

"The self-declared former "King" will be taking the 'curse' with him down south. And until he does 'right' by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma."

That is so fucking bitter and so fucking awesome but it gets better.

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE"

HAHAHA! Good Fucking luck, I'm not a huge basketball fan but from what I can tell the Cleveland Cavaliers best player is Antawn Jamison. HAHAHAHA! To add insult to injury with Lebron leaving Cleveland, it probably devalues the Cavaliers franchise by half. A quick google tells me Dan Gilberts net worth was somewhere in the 1.1billion range so now Lebron is richer than him too.

Lebron James is a 25yr old dude who wants to play basketball with his friends and Dan Gilbert is fairly classless in his remarks. I do agree with one thing Gilbet said, there is no way this is good Karma. What these guys have done is create a situation where they are expected to win it all every year. Anything less is failure. If they do win Championships there will be less joy because it's always been expected of them. On Wednesday night I questioned why anyone would watch the NBA if these three joined forces, as their winning would seem like a forgone conclusion. Now I know- I'll watch hoping this end badly.

Don’t Hate The Player

2010-07-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

What does LeBron owe Cleveland? What does he owe the game?

Can anyone really be mad at him for playing the game better than everyone else?

I’m not talking the X’s & O’s of basketball. I’m talking the masterful media-playing, leak-planting, ESPN-Show Running display that he has put on in the last week.

If you are sickened and disgusted by the selfishness that the James camp has shown since July 1st, there is only one way to show it. Don’t care. Don’t tune in to watch it, don’t log onto ESPN to read about it and don’t call into the radio shows to talk about it. Just don’t care.

The whole reason LeBron can get away with it is too many people pay all their attention to him. He has the stroke to make people hang on every word. He likes that power. Why wouldn’t he take it for all it’s worth?

So before anyone says that he can’t go on national TV to “break up” with Cleveland, the only home he’s ever known, remember that the Cavs let it get this far. They signed an endless string of has-beens and never-will-bes to support him. They could have had 2 titles in the bag already making it impossible for him to leave, but they went with Shaq and Mo-Pete instead of KG and Tony Parker. They practically begged him to go elsewhere to win.

Couple that with the little reported locker room dissention in the playoffs this year (there are whispers that 1 teammate crossed LBJ in a way that the few journalists who will talk about it term “unforgivable”) and he has absolutely no reason to feel any loyalty to the Cavs.

So LeBron, enjoy your moment in the sun, go to Miami or Chicago or New York and play to win. Cleveland will be exactly the same with out you. This is to say, chamionshipless.

JGK

A name to know

2010-07-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

Stephen Strasburg is getting a lot of attention and deservedly so, the kid is sick. The other guy to keep an eye on who isn't getting as much attention but maybe should be is Carlos Santana. Not the guy who plays the guitar but the switch hitting catcher from the Cleveland baseball squad with the slightly racist name.

He's been in the show for less than a month but here's his stat line next to Joe Mauer's.

Santana: 22G 70AB 12R 21H 4HR .300 AVG 1.038 OPS
Mauer 25G 95AB 16R 26H 1HR .271AVG .744 OPS

That's a pretty good first month.

Tiki Barber

2010-06-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

So.....Tiki Barber, he of minimal NFL accomplishments, yet long on NFL acclaim, decided that having an affair with a 23 year old intern while his wife was pregnant was a lifestyle/career move that he could live with.

The fallout has been swift, with NBC booting him from Football Night in America (Or as it's more commonly known "Dan and Keith talk while Tony Dungy adds anything remotely interesting and about football" and the Today Show. Which makes sense, as their demographic is ladies at home during the day. Probably not going to go over well.

But, as noted by Jeff Pearlman at si.com, he will undoubtedly be rewarded for this behaviour with multiple mulligans due to his affable personality and sporting powress.

This is different than Tiger. The NFL wasn't radically changed by Tiki. The NFL doesn't need Tiki. Attendance and viewers don't drop off the face of the earth when Tiki isn't involved. Elin wasn't 8 months pregnant with twins. Ok, that last part doesn't matter.

But Tiger can afford to pay his divorce debt. Tiki, apparently can't.

So, the old adage that your grandma always told you is true I guess.....Don't have an illicit affair with the 23 yr old intern if you can't afford to lose the job that you met her at and still pay off the multi-million dollar divorce settlement to your wife who was pregnant at home with your twins.

JGK

UFC 116

2010-06-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

One of my goals with this blog is to raise awareness and acceptance of the joys of gambling. How I plan to do this is through education. This Saturday night is UFC 116, Shane Carwin vs Brock Lesnar.

The money line on the fight is Carwin(+125) Lesnar(-155). This means if you bet $100 on Carwin you win $125 or or it means you have to wager $155 on Lesnar to win $100. In bettor's terms you lay 55 with Lesnor or take 25 with Carwin.

In real life this fight is as close to a pick'em as you get. If someone tells you they KNOW who will win this fight they're an asshole (probably wearing a fight shirt). In Vegas life if you bet 100 on Lesnar you can win about 60 but if you bet 100 on Carwin you can win 125. That's 2:1 odds, why the discrepancy if the fight is so close?

Because, and this is important:

The line isn't a predictor of outcome in the fight but instead an indicator of where the action is falling.

It works like "ask the audience" on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Reggis Philbin(the line) asks every sports bettor in Vegas, who then pick A. Lesnar or B. Carwin by placing wagers. Two thirds of the audience choose A one third B. In order to even the action on both sides (ensuring the house wins) Carwin is given 2:1 odds on the money line. This can happen sometimes because biases not related to the fight cause casual bettors to make irrational bets.

ie: Lesnar was in the WWE before joining the UFC and is one of the UFC's biggest names. Carwin despite having more proffesional fights and a better record is a relatively lesser known fighter. Casual fans recognize Lesnar's name but don't recognize Carwin's. They assume Lesnar is better and choose A because they've never heard of B.

I don't have a clue who will win this weekend's fight but I do know the smart money is on Carwin.

The more you know.

Let them play.

2010-06-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

You've read this article before. Maybe not this one but another just like it. Aging star, playing hockey well beyond his prime, should have hung them up years ago, athletes like to go out on top, yada yada yada.

Why do we do this? Why do we care if Mike Modano isn't as good as he was ten years ago but still loves playing hockey? His stat line for last year is 14G 16A -6 in 59GP. Make no doubt about it, he's still good enough to play in the show.

The greatest argument against aging stars is tarnishing their legacy. It's kind of ridiculous to think that his 557 regular season goals(24th all time) and 1359pts(23rd) are tarnished because at 40 yrs old he's "only" a good third line center. If Mike Modano plays again next year it's because he (and who ever signs him) think that he can still help a team win. He's the highest scoring American born player in NHL history and he's not ready to play rec hockey. That should enhance his legacy.

Note: There is one exception courtesy of my friend Mike, when athletes continue to play well past their prime because they wasted their money....that shit is sad.

Chris Henry's Brain

2010-06-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's not dominating news coverage but this might just end up being a really big deal. This story is suggesting that it's at possible that Chris Henry could have gotten brain damage from playing football. The kind of brain damage that was found is called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Symptoms of CTE are similar to Alzheimer's with the added bonus of

" CTE carries specific neurobehavioral symptoms, Bailes said — typically, failure at personal and business relationships, use of drugs and alcohol, depression and suicide"

Random thoughts on this:

Chris Henry was a shitty dude most his adult life, this most be somewhat comforting to his family.

He was only 26 years and he was a wide receiver (a relatively low contact position). There are thousands of pro, college and even high school kids who have taken more shots to the head than he has.

How long until professional athletes in trouble with the law are using this as a legal defense? Think Mike Tyson, Oj Simpson, Micheal Vick, Ben Rothlesberger, Tito Ortiz

How bad would the effects of collision sports have to be before we stopped playing them?

The Score reminded me today who else was linked to CTE at the time of his death.....Chris Benoit.

I don't know the legitimacy of these findings but it's not a stretch to think banging your head is bad for your brain. This might end up being a big deal.

Let the record show.

2010-06-28T00:43:00.000-07:00

The consensus number one pick in the NHL draft this year was Taylor Hall. Tyler Seguin is basically a year younger, put up similar offensive numbers and could possibly end up being much better than Hall. Let the record show that like the Edmonton Oilers did, I would have drafted Hall with the first pick. He played well at the world juniors, back to back memorial cup MVPs and he plays a little tougher. If Seguin turns into a star, and Hall a bust, I won't be one of the people using hindsight to criticizing the Oiler's pick.

Also let the record show:

I think Micheal Grabner is really fucking speedy. Grabner plus the first round pick is a lot to give up for Ballard, but it's time for the Vancouver Canucks to try to win the cup. I'd do this trade. It could end up being a lighter version of Dallas trading Joe Nieuwendyk to the Calgary for a prospect in 95. As it turns out they traded away Jerome Iginla which is only fine because the Stars won a cup and Nieuwendyke the playoff MVP.

I think the NY Rangers out thought themselves on draft day. They never thought Fowler(projected 4) and Gormley(projected 5) would be there at ten, they looked at the rest of the D men and fell in love with McIlrath. Their drafting history isn't good enough to be making leaps like that. Given McIlrath's pre-draft ranked around 15, I think this was the worst pick of the day. Even if you're going to draft McIlrath have the presence to trade down.

If I were running the Leafs I would have drafted Kirill Kabanov in the third round. He's got lottery talent but dropped to the third round because he's been an asshole all year, dropped by two teams and an agency. Given that historically 26% of picks 61-75 go on to play 100 games in the show (Numbers Game), I'd be inclined to see if the kid learned anything on his fall from grace. Too bad he went to the Islanders and we'll never get to see if he could have turned into anything.

I think that Pittsburgh trading a conditional 7th round pick for the negotiating rights to Hamhuis is the most understated great move of the week. Even if they don't sign Hamhuis, this puts a shit tonne of pressure on Gonchar and his agent.

Hockey or Die pointed it out somewhere and I agree. Erik Gudbranson the third overall pick sounded like a very smart dude for his age. Since I don't really know jack about any of these players that's enough to sway me to thinking that was the best pick at that spot.

I've been slow posting lately but will probably have something hockey related for free agency, check back later in the week.

Baseball Brawls

2010-06-21T00:19:00.000-07:00

The buzz around Victoria this weekend is the bench clearing brawl at the Victoria Seals Game (minor league baseball). For kicks I threw "hockey Brawl ECHL" into you tube as a point of comparison and this is what came up.

Halak Deal

2010-06-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, a little surprising. Halak to the blues. You can't judge a deal like this today but early indications point to police cars being tipped over in Montreal. Two questions come to mind, how badly are the fans in Montreal going to hate on Price if he starts out slow? And who the fuck are these guys? Here and Here.

Facts and Opinions.....

2010-06-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

It blows my mind that there are forums out there for every Aaron, Marty and Gord to spout off about things that come into their head.

It is even more unbelieveable that someone might even read them. And care about them. Enough to comment on them. On the internet where everyone can see. This isn't an email string that will die a quick, painless death in someone's "Deleted" folder. This is eternity.

So, if you put something on there, you'd better believe in what you are saying.

Here goes nothing:

Tiger Woods; He should not have to give his wife $750,000,000 because he banged a few more women than he should have. She was a nanny before she met him. Ok, I'll give you that she very well may have been the worlds hottest nanny, but that entitles her to $5,000,000 tops. Add in the public humiliation and ridicule, say another $5,000,000 worth. That's $10,000,000. Take your money and be happy he didn't decide to look after it a "different" way.

Also, he doesn't owe anyone an explanation. He should get a "face-or-gut" shot on any of the scabs who called him out. Guess what Jesper? You're making about 1/3 of what you're making now without him. The proper answer to that question was "C'mon guys, you know I can't say anything about that!"

NBA basketball; You guys are a joke. 2 months to play a post-season? Gimme a break.

I guess, you need 3 days in between games to let the ex-players who have since been annointed "experts" by ESPN to spout off in what is often unintelligible english about the importance of playing with "energy". I have heard Mike and Mike get 3.5 of their alotted 4hrs in the morning doing strictly "Kobe vs. MJ". Of course, that's after Lebron was eliminated. Before that, it was All Lebron, All The Time. No wonder these guys are Superstars. You pump their tires to the point of bursting, then hope for scoop on the aftermath. No one can possibly care that much about basketball. No one.

World Cup; Quit bitching about the vuvuzelas (sic?). It's like having a world-wide event in Sasky and having Uganda tell us we need to quit wearing watermelons on our heads. It is their custom, it is their country and it is their choice to piss away their chance to promote their game, their people and their country. It's only approx. 3 billion people watching. Surely South Africa can afford that. Right?

That's all for the facts, next time, I'll give you some opinions........

JGK

Bud Selig and Steroids

2010-06-17T00:45:00.003-07:00

Bud Selig has been the Acting Commissioner/Commissioner of Major League Baseball since 1992, including the labor stoppage of 1994 that led to the cancellation of the World Series. After 2004 fans were slow to come back to baseball in many markets. Then something magical happened, balls started jumping out of the park, HR after HR after HR and fans couldn't get enough. In 1961 Roger Marris set a single season record with 61 HRs. Between 1961 and 1990 two players hit more than 50 HRs including no one in the 1980's. Then between 1995-2005 that feat was accomplished 19 times. Rogger Marris's 61 HRs was bested 6 times, lastly by Barry Bonds with 73 in 2001.

Only it wasn't magic. On January 20th 2004 George W Bush delivered his fourth State of the Union Address. Hidden in the War on Terror propaganda was a peculiar paragraph:

The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message - that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now.

I remember at the time it was written off by experts as George being George, not so strange considering he was the owner of the Texas Rangers from 89-98. In 2005 Jose Canseco wrote a shameless tell all novel about steroids in baseball, naming some of the biggest names including himself. I'm no historian but this is basically what got the ball rolling on steroids.

At first names like Roger Clemens and Barry bonds were shocking but they just kept pouring in. (Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmero, Andy Petite, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz) Baseball fans are now skeptical of every player. An entire generation of baseball is tainted. As well as it's most prized asset; it's record book.

Baseball and Bud Selig have vilified prominent players linked to steroids. In 2007 Barry Bonds led the league in on base percentage (.480) but he couldn't find a job in 2008. He even offered to play for free. Teams claimed he was a cancer in the clubhouse and not one team was willing to take a chance on him. But the truth is lesser players with larger problems get second and third chances all the time. This was league wide collusion. He and other players became scapegoats for the era when the problem seems lager than a few all stars.

Over 120 players have been at least loosely connected to performance enhancing drugs and the number is likely way higher than that. In 1995 Brady Anderson hit 16 HRs then followed it up with 50 HRs in 1996. Barry Bond's head grew six hat sizes. Everyone knew something was going on. George W. Bush (6 years removed from baseball) seemed to know but the Commissioner didn't?. It just seem unlikely to me. Either way, at this pay rate shouldn't you be somewhat accountable for the actions of your company.

World Cup

2010-06-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

As a sports blogger it would be timely to post on the World Cup, but I just can't speak intelligently about futball. So in case you've never seen it, here is a soccer player biting another player's balls instead. Enjoy!

A blog worth reading?

2010-06-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

Check out ESPN's Pierre LeBrun's Blog from Monday morning. Then skip back to my Sunday night post. Not a bad start!

I'm Dumber for Having Read This

2010-06-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes advertisers make commercials that are intentionally annoying because they are memorable. I'm wondering if that is the case with Jim Kelly's latest article. I'm not sure if it's the worst thing I've ever read but I'm not sure it isn't either. The comment section at the bottom does an adequate job of of ripping it apart. (with the exception of one comment I'm not convinced Kelly didn't post himself).

My "favorite" line is:

The Los Angeles Kings, a big-market that has been adrift almost since the days of Marcel Dionne

Yeah almost, except for the Wayne Fucken Gretzky era, I don't know if you've heard of him, he was pretty good at hockey and sort of popular.

2010 NHL Free Agency Preview

2010-06-13T22:09:00.001-07:00

The NHL playoffs are done and as most of Canada could care less about the Jays, it's time to get outside. Before you do let's have a look at this years NHL free agency class. Lists are a tool generally reserved for shitty bloggers who can't articulate ideas in a structured form. With no further adieu here is my list of stuff to look out for in 2010-11 NHL offseason.

1. Free agents - a quick Google gives me this list of free agents courtesy of Sports City. The two biggest names are Marleau and Kovalchuk. You have to think one of them ends up with the Kings. They're this year's Chicago, young and talented with available cap room due to entry level deals. I think the 8 year sixty two million dollar front end loaded deal Hossa signed last year is a good comparison. Less money than they could make else where but a real shot at a cup.

2. My favorite sleeper pick in this year's free agency class is Paul Kariya. He's been a favorite of mine since we cried together following the 94 Olympics (at the same time, not actually in the same room). If his time is done in St. Louis (and I have no idea if it is) I think he would fit in very well with the Penguins in a Satan/Guerin mold of washed up wingers trying to extend they're careers alongside Malkin or The Kid.

3. I have a feeling that who ever signs Lee Stempniak is going to regret it, since getting paid by the Blues for scoring 27 goals in 06-07 he's had 18 good games, they just happened to be his last 18 game this year. (14G, 4A) Anything over 2 mil is too much and he's probably going to get a raise on the 3.5 mil he's currently getting.

4. Players like Luongo, Hossa, Savard are signing ridiculously long term front end loaded deals as a way to get their money and provide their team with financial flexibility. This doesn't impress the NHL but it seems a year later they're not actually going to do anything about it. Essentially a 28 year old player sings a 10 year deal for 10 million for the first 6years and 1 million for the last 4 years. The total value of the contract is 64 million with a cap hit of 6.4 million a year. If the player retires in 4 years, he gets paid 40 million for his time with a cap hit of only 25.6 million and the remainder of his contract comes off the books the day he retires. What's interesting is that if a player is 35 when he signs a long term contract it doesn't come off the books when he retires. That's why the Oilers signing 36 year old Khabibulin to a 4 year contract last year was such a bad idea. That's why you probably shouldn't be elated when your team signs Sergei Gonchar to a 4yr 20 million dollar deal.

5. Every year teams overpay for defencemen who don't put the puck in the net because that's what the market seems to dictate. See: Bouwmeester. This year I think it will be Volchenkov. He blocks shots with his face and truly is a shut down defencemen but if his contract gets over 5 million that's probably too much for a guy who has never scored 20 points.

6. Generally the high end guys signed in free agency need to be super elite player to be worth their weight in the salary cap era, therefore the best bargains in the free agent pool are guys in the middle ground. Guys who play lesser roles on winning teams then price themselves out of town like 2009 Samuelsson. Potential guys in this free agency class include Kyle Wellwood, John Madden, Tomas Holmstrom, Matt Cook, Paul Martin and Willie Mitchell if he's not dead.

All the action starts July 1st, stay tuned.