- 08:22 PM
- 11/21/09
I think it has everything to do with the owner
This is the same ownership who had the franchises' greatest player walk away in his prime - there's a message in there somewhere.
Ownership and management have a great deal to do with a team's success, without a big shakeup the Lions are not likely to get any better no matter how many high draft choices they get.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:46 AM on November 19
Hernandez and a handful of others had good seasons and deserved mention.
But ... Absolutely no one had a season close to ZG's.
Is there a listing of the votes and voters somewhere? I can't imagine where the other 3 votes went.
posted by cixelsyd at 02:29 PM on November 18
Zack Greinke wins the AL Cy Young. 25 of 28 first place votes
Hard to believe this wasn't unanimous, lots of quality pitchers in the AL but none even deserved to be mentioned in the same class as ZG this year.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:22 AM on November 18
Bengals sign Johnson ...
Cincy is 7-2 and playing well.
Interesting to see if this pans out to be a TO / Pacman scenario where a good team is destroyed, or if it works (Moss New England, Favre Vikings)
posted by cixelsyd at 12:50 PM on November 17
holden - thanks for posting those, a few of the more obvious examples.
rcade - does that meet your criteria for ridicule?
posted by cixelsyd at 10:12 PM on November 16
it would have been widely ridiculed
It was reported, hence my ridicule.
You don't think I know what I'm talking about, I believe you are a fan of the team and see the QB in a different light - we all have our opinions.
posted by cixelsyd at 09:26 PM on November 16
When has Tony Romo ever refused to shoulder responsibility in a loss?
Are you serious? or possibly just a die hard Cowboys Fan?
Obvious example ... Philly trounces Dallas, greatly aided by Romo's 4 or 5 turnovers. Romo takes the high road and blames the coaching staff and play calling. Not saying that Wade Phillips is in line to be the next Bill Walsh, but still shows a lack of leadership on Romo's part.
posted by cixelsyd at 07:39 PM on November 16
Hey, if nothing else ... the results of that call showed during the post game interviews last night ... just how classy a guy Tom Brady is.
Not a big Pats fan, but you are dead on. More than just class, it's leadership, and another indication of why Brady is as successful as he is.
Also is the main reason why guys like Romo can't bring success to a team with equal or possibly superior talent. Players who don't shoulder responsibility are not leaders.
posted by cixelsyd at 04:44 PM on November 16
If you're going to go for it on 4th-and-2, how about running a pattern that's deeper than 2-1/2 yards?
Agreed .. the call to go seemed legit, the actual play called and route they threw to is a head scratcher.
posted by cixelsyd at 02:25 PM on November 16
Although I think Bellicheat is evil, I do respect him putting trust in his team's strength to finish the game. If they make the play, game is over. If he punts there's a better chance Indy drives 80 yards again and wins.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:07 AM on November 16
use Hines Ward as a DB
Right - Ever seen coWard confront anyone face to face? Guy makes his living gooning players when they aren't looking ..
posted by cixelsyd at 11:59 AM on November 12
Jeter? Gold Glove?
(Bash On)
Real lack of quality defensive 'stops in the AL, apparently. Has anyone ever seen a highlight of a Jeter defensive play?
(/Bash Off)
Really, although it's hard to believe as he's always looked like a 2nd baseman playing short, he is the best at his position in the AL.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:26 PM on November 10
What could possibly be more important than preventing the nation from further infection by the Evil Empire?
posted by cixelsyd at 10:43 PM on November 07
Celebration is teammates congratulating each other for good play.
All of the other crap (posing, chest bump, goofy dances, etc.) is not celebration and belongs only in the WWE.
It's unfortunate that we have a generation being raised watching the bonehead antics of guys such as TO, Shockey, and the guy so embarrased by himself that he had to change his name in Cincy. True role models for our youth.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:43 AM on November 04
The Phils just don't have a guy they can turn to
The Phils are the defending champions. They got it done last year with roughly the same lineup. They need contributions from everyone to succeed.
Yes, Jeter and Rivera are lock HOF'ers. There's probably 3 or 4 other Yanks that would also be if not for steroid abuse. Can you name 2 current Phils that could be mentioned in that category?
the Yanks are a team known for late-inning heroics
Remember this is the same group of superstars that have squandered opportunities for the past 10 years.
Enough of the dynasty like praise to the undeserving already.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:57 AM on November 04
Shouldn't the Yankees be disqualified for trying to get through an entire post-season with only three starters
If the Yanks win it looks like a reasonable decision - throw the 2 guys out there that you've dumped a pile of money into to get the job done, throw Petite into the mix as he's been there before.
If it goes 7 and CC has a bad outing because he's worn out again ....
posted by cixelsyd at 12:23 PM on November 03
If it doesn't go 7 at least the games have been interesting. Philly really hasn't performed well since game 2 (Werth's bonehead baserunning). Yankees have made the plays when needed.
Still, ever so close to a completely different discussion here ... Girardi got away with Sabathia on short rest where he's always sucked, and he's got Burnett doing the same thing (same comment).
posted by cixelsyd at 02:36 PM on November 02
... and hurting Deion's reputation
? Who is it that considers Deion a reputable guy ?
posted by cixelsyd at 05:43 PM on October 29
My prediction is that was probably the last Yankees loss I will get to enjoy in 2009.
CC has been awesome and the offence is producing, but ...
Remember that Pettite and Burnett still need to start a few more games.
Remember also there's 5 or 6 members still around from the "Greatest Choke in Sports History" (according to ESPN) on this year's squad.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:25 PM on October 23
But pointing to chemistry when you have basically the same team and same manager but with 3 new high priced free agents seems seems remarkably shortsighted ...
Apologies for mentioning "chemistry" ... probably much more applicable to other team sports than baseball. By far buying the best talent year after year SHOULD be the formula for success. If CC and Tex had signed with Tampa / Toronto / Texas or a host of other teams we WOULD be watching them.
no problem if the payroll was 400 million
Sadly, it is possible for the Evil Empire to get worse than it already is.
What is needed is 2 or 3 years where the big spenders completely dominate the competition to drive the point home. I would suggest that fans in 70% of the markets already realize in spring training they have no hope. The remaining 30% realize that they are up against great odds due to the additional $80 million in talent that their opposition can purchase.
Sport should be based upon athletic competition .. The Yankees have turned Baseball into a financial competition.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:38 AM on October 22
Does anyone think that the Yankees would be even stronger if they shifted 25% of their payroll expenditures into their minor league system?
Absolutely - With only a 25% shift they'd still have enough funds for 2 of the top 5 free agents each year and develop some team chemistry and continuity.
Would obviously need to change the folks running the show as it requires a different skill set than simply writing cheques.
posted by cixelsyd at 02:03 PM on October 21
You can't stop the Yankees but you sure can try to contain them.
You make them sound like a bad social disease ...
posted by cixelsyd at 01:28 PM on October 21
Whenever the Red Sox succeed (which happens as often as the arrival of Haley's Comet), this "buying a pennant" shit never comes up for some reason.
Perhaps because Red Sox and most other teams don't buy 5-7 of the highest priced free agents each year. They actually have organizations focused on building internally.
posted by cixelsyd at 01:26 PM on October 21
http://baseball.about.com/od/newsrumors/a/09teamsalaries.htm
No surprise - they buy the best players every year. What is surprising is their recent failure with the talent they've had!
posted by cixelsyd at 11:08 AM on October 21
Jeff Reed, Tucker Max ...
Just wasted 6 minutes of my life figuring out who these losers were.
See what happens to the world when there's no place for Jerry Springer rejects to go?
posted by cixelsyd at 07:32 PM on October 19
rump,
I agree that First Nations people should never have been "pushed off their land". I also agree corporations passing off items they've "cloned" from authentic aboriginal artwork should not be allowed .. actually, I can't imagine why there would be a market for such items. (I am proud to own several aboriginal artwork items purchased during travels across Canada).
In the region of Canada I live, I'm sure we'd prevent corporations from marketing such items if the First Nations had an interest in creating them. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure the environment we've created in this country gives the First Nation people incentive to do so.
posted by cixelsyd at 01:22 AM on October 18
Raiders could use a little spit and Polish, no?
posted by cixelsyd at 11:45 AM on October 06
"The best LB since LT" ??
Romanowski ?
Clearly Al is not the only person in Raiderland who is a few fries short of a happy meal.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:42 AM on October 06
A-rod hits 2 HRs and gets 7 RBI in a single inning in October ...
Somewhere there's a lab tech busy performing sample work today.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:58 PM on October 05
I don't like cats, kittens, or Favre.
I don't like cats in hats, I don't like kittens with mittens, nor do I like that Favre fellow, whether he wears purple or green and yellow.
posted by cixelsyd at 04:25 PM on October 01
I succumbed to the advertising flurry and purchased Nike shoes on 2 occasions years ago.
Their products suck.
I've never bought a Nike product since, and have no intention of ever doing so.
Some of the commercials are interesting, though.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:32 AM on October 01
It was a laminated reminder with the message "Don't pick your nose" printed on both sides.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:07 AM on September 29
Canada has an Olympic team?
Thought this entire Vancouver Olympics deal was simply a means for politicians to funnel taxpayer $$ to their buddies.
posted by cixelsyd at 03:20 PM on September 23
Tony Romo sucks again (still, always). Wade Phillips is a loser. Dallas has some unbelievable talent, but they are going nowhere with that type of leadership.
posted by cixelsyd at 07:03 PM on September 21
Bears / Packers was one butt ugly game, and it wasn't because the defences dominated. We've become accustomed to the Bear's offense sucking but the special teams also took a dump yesterday (was nice of Cutler to do a Brett Favre tribute in the Bay).
Vikings were able to keep the wraps on Favre and ride their horse to a "W" - wonder how long that can continue ..
Anyone else tired of listening to Chris "rag doll" Collinsworth ... give us some variety, dude. What the hell is this "rag doll" anyways?
posted by cixelsyd at 12:06 PM on September 14
Man, times have changed. I remember when the Bay area was the mecca of NFL 'ball ... Raiders and 49ers were powerhouse franchises, at the same time the Patriots were a joke. Really shows how much good management means to a team - Al Davis needs to step aside, someone needs to boot the clowns in SF out ... Patriots look just fine for now and the future.
I don't like Seymour at all as a player, but I can appreciate his desire to stay/go somewhere he can contribute to success.
posted by cixelsyd at 09:17 PM on September 11
Polamalu made a good pick, but it was a poorly thrown ball due to pressure on the QB - he was beat on the play if the ball was on the money.
The guy does have a knack of making some spectacular plays, but makes an equal number of bonehead mistakes. I'll take Ed Reed any day over Polamalu.
posted by cixelsyd at 05:25 PM on September 11
Wait, so they had an organized, full team handshake after the game?
You kick someones' butt during the game, you deserve to be congratulated. Eliminate the post game handshakes ... what, are we now the LeBron generation ?
Blount should shut his mouth and simply perform on the field.
Hout has proven he's a loser even when his team wins.
posted by cixelsyd at 04:26 PM on September 04
As a fan I vote to relieve Bettman of his duties.
posted by cixelsyd at 01:12 PM on September 01
For a number of years the Red Sox had Nomar and no more ... They rode him hard. He never really returned to form after an injury and was basically let go.
Also ... If you lived with Mia do you think you'd have any energy left to play baseball ?
posted by cixelsyd at 10:53 AM on August 28
Bettman continues his orderly process of destroying the NHL and alienating it's fans.
It would seem to me the league would be better off having teams playing in cities that would have a fan base. Throwing money at a team to keep it in a city where nobody cares about it is only avoiding admitting failure.
Doesn't it make sense to have 5,000 extra bodies in the seats rather than 5,000 seats paid for but empty?
posted by cixelsyd at 11:50 AM on August 26
Has Kentucky responded to any of this?
Seriously, knowing that whatever they accomplish will be tagged "Kentucky (*Calipari)" must be turning some of that blue to red. Althetes, alumni, fans, and administration must feel they've been screwed -
At least over at Louisville the coach only screws the fans ....
posted by cixelsyd at 01:59 PM on August 21
Just finished watching John Chaney tear a strip off Calipari, too bad there was intervention ....
I agree with the Memphis record being removed from the books, but the NCAA really needs to impose a ban on coaches who commit the crimes. The school has it's program damaged beyond repair while the cowardly criminal runs away as fast as he can ... with no NCAA penalty whatsoever.
Kentucky, you've been slimed !!!
posted by cixelsyd at 08:09 PM on August 20
Look, this guy completely sucked the last half of the season in NY. He cost his team a playoff berth because of his lack of conditioning and severely diminished skills.
What does he do to improve this year? Nothing - skips training camp again, he'll be older and in worse condition. He has no interest in mentoring his younger teammates, so no value there either.
Vikes looked like a young team on the rise with and excellent playoff shot without him. Really don't understand this move.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:11 AM on August 19
Guy reminds me of a bad social disease - something you can't get rid of no matter how hard you try.
The Vikings have been officially infected.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:35 AM on August 19
An unproven rookie turning down a contract like that ?
Good advice, Borass.
Kid hasn't played a game and already has a tarnished reputation.
posted by cixelsyd at 04:50 PM on August 17
There are presently two Ontario based teams
Oops yes, the Senators.
Easily forgotten figureheads in Canada, senators are highly paid and rarely show up for work. Blame the similarities for my omission.
posted by cixelsyd at 05:49 PM on July 30
Why anyone would buy a team that needs to be kept in Phoenix is beyond me (money laundering is the only possible explanation I have). Move the 'Yotes to Ontario and it would easily be the best NHL team in the province. Considering that the other Ont based team is one of the most profitable in the league, it's a sure win situation for both the league and the new owner.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:14 PM on July 30
Heard he bought a condo in Minnesota, 1 floor below Favre's. No pets allowed.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:02 PM on July 27
He better make as much as he can as fast as he can any way he can. The players responsible for his failure are gone, the coaches responsible for his failure are gone ....
I wonder who he plans to blame this year?
posted by cixelsyd at 04:02 PM on July 17
While they were together he was a shitty QB with a decent looking girlfriend.
Now that they are split he can concentrate full time on being a shitty QB.
posted by cixelsyd at 08:02 PM on July 13
Gave the Lakers little chance this year due to their lack of toughness and defence, but they managed to get by an over matched opponent in the final. Ariza's contribution was the key to their success, without him Vujasuck and Walton (pylon 1 and pylon 2) would have seen more minutes.
Artest is a little slower than Ariza, but better both offensively and defensively. Most of all, he's a warrior, and this is what LA has sorely lacked since the Shaq era.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:23 AM on July 03
Orlando just topped the baffling Shaq trade .... they give up Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston for ??? Vince Carter ??? and will probably lose Turkoglu to boot.
Celtics are once again the team to beat in the East.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:54 PM on June 26
Brilliant move - reduce LeBron to a jump shooter by clogging the middle. LeBron's shot improved much this past year, but ultimately his effectiveness comes from his ability to drive the ball. Opponent's defensive focus was to force LeBron into being a jump shooter, many were not successful, but Cleveland management has solved that problem.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:22 AM on June 25
I'm not sure why but the Nuggets bigs just do not match up well with the Laker front line
Lakers bigs play little .. by that I mean they rely on quickness, and I think that is what is giving Denver problems.
Denver is the much tougher team overall and I expect Lakers are in big trouble if they don't start getting bigger efforts from guys other that Kobe and Ariza.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:32 AM on May 22
Toronto, all Maple Leafs, all the time.
That must suck for the last several years.
"Several" should probably read "Seventy" ....
All of Canada is unfortunately subject to a nightly dosage of the Make Believes.
MNF?
I vote for Heidi from the Red Sox Broad cast - has the same delivery as Aikman but looks a whole lot better in a sweater.
posted by cixelsyd at 05:46 PM on May 19
"People can give their opinion about the girl but" ...
But what? I know of no person with a single alias who is above board ... this "lady" has 7 aliases we know of and legal issues.
Worse yet - she looks like exactly who she is.
posted by cixelsyd at 02:57 PM on May 08
Will really miss him ...
Still enjoyed his commentary even though it no longer inspired me to sit through a Lions - Bengals game as it once did.
Troy Aikman is obviously knowledgeable about the game, but he's boring as hell and is best suited as a 3rd commentator. Collinsworth is annoying, Michaels has lost his touch ...
Time for some new blood.
posted by cixelsyd at 06:06 PM on April 17
Outspoken and opinionated he is, but he's also one of the best clutch pitchers the game has ever seen, and everything he comes up with has some validity.
Too bad there aren't more like him in the game.
posted by cixelsyd at 09:53 AM on March 24
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
I'm calling B.S. on the argument that this incident garnered more publicity because it was a woman who did it
Saw the clips and have to agree. Multiple 'loogan acts in cowardly fashion - that's one sick individual.
Truth is we don't often see that type of behavior in male sports as it would be "corrected" real quick after the first act. Females don't respond in the same manner and this wacko took advantage of that fact.