A lazy Sunday....

I woke up early today and had coffee with ESPN's Sportscenter. As I sat there and watched the highlights from yesterday and sipped on the hot goodness, it occurred to me that I had this feeling inside me that felt very familiar. It's a feeling I have known for years, many years. That feeling of Spring being just around the corner. I love that feeling!

Watching the highlights there in the quiet, I felt the excitement and energy. I can't explain it in words even though I try. It's like being a kid! It's like being a kid when you know that school will be out soon and you can spend all day in the empty lot playing baseball and hanging out with your friends.

I started thinking about the summer. I started thinking about baseball. It was then I realized that I haven't prepped for the fantasy season. I immediately went to the home office and printed out my free cheat sheet and poured over the numbers, the stats, the on base percentages and the slugging percentages.

I have my wish list for the drafts. Very confidential! I need as many good players as possible. I have an owner in my league who is a 3 time champ. I can't afford to be embarrassed.

So that's where my focus is today. The Oscars are tonight but I did shoulders and arms this afternoon, P90X style, so I am not sure that I will have enough energy to stay awake for all of it. We'll see how it goes.

Passive Aggresive Pistons.... this is unacceptable in everyway!

I have a HUGE problem with the Detroit Pistons players having to protest their coach by not showing up at a shoot around in Philadelphia this morning. I have a problem with everything that caused it. I have no clue what it is exactly. It could be that the coach is a terrible motivator. It could be that management did absolutely nothing before the trade deadline to change the lineup. It could be that the players have a problem with ownership. In any case, as a fan, it’s very embarrassing!

It was reported by many media sources that, on Friday morning, five Detroit Pistons players skipped practice in what a source close to the team called a "player protest" of Coach John Kuester.

Reportedly, Tracy McGrady, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Chris Wilcox did not show up for the shoot around. Center, Ben Wallace also did not attend, but has reportedly been dealing with a personal issue for several weeks.

Two other players, Austin Daye and Rodney Stuckey, showed up after the media was let in when the practice was ending.

First, I have a problem with any player who doesn’t show up for a practice. I am all about the team. If you are a player on a team, you show up for practice. You watch film, you show up for meetings, you do WHATEVER it is that you are required to do. You don’t have a tummy-ache, sleep in, or a headache and not show up. I don’t care if you can’t stand the coach, I don’t care if you can’t stand management or the owner. I don’t care if you don’t like the color of the jerseys! YOU SHOW UP! You are paid, under contract to practice, play to the best of you ability. That’s what you do!

The coach has to hold some accountability in all of this. The coach has to maintain control. The coach has to lead the team through good and bad. Players should be able to voice their opinions without skipping a shoot around though. You have to be able to communicate with your players. Communication CANNOT breakdown so much that the players feel that their only option is to stage some drama like skipping out on a practice.

Coach Kuester stated before the game started tonight that there were players who missed the practice and they were going with those who practiced. Apparently they are handling it within the organization.

Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations needs to have an Organization Meeting with everyone. Get everybody in a room and set the level of expectation. This cannot happen! It’s really ridiculous!

As of about 2 hours before this posting, according to rotoworld.com "ESPN's Marc Stein expects the Pistons to fire coach John Kuester within the next week."

I guess we'll see. Regardless of the outcome, this "player protest" was not the way to handle this.

Does it really matter? Really?

Today it was revealed that the Boston Red Sox hired a private investigator to tail Carl Crawford. Apparently, it caused quite an uproar in the media and talk radio. The Red Sox resorted to these measures to see if he was doing anything "suspicious" before they gave him a seven year deal.

When Carl found out, he admitted that he was a little creeped out and that he now looks within a "100 yard radius" before he enters his car or home.

First off, I don't see what the big deal is. If I was about to sign a seven year deal with somebody for millions and millions of dollars, I ABSOLUTELY would hire a PI to check him out for a week or two. Even if it was just to see if I had an issue with anything he was doing in his personal life that I may have a moral conflict with OR anything that may be a PR nightmare. What if he was a "serial cheater" like Tiger, what if he carried a gun like Plaxico Burress, or what if he was boozing it up every night and then driving home? I think I would want to know these things BEFORE I sign with him. I randomly monitor my step-sons facebook page, I want to know what he's up to.

I think it may surprise many of us how often this goes on in sports. I think it may surprise you how many times regular civilians are tailed or checked out by potential employers. Makes me think twice about what I post on my Facebook page.

And what's all this about 100 yards? Where does this guy live that he can see 100 yards radius? I live in a very suburban neighborhood and I can't see in a 100 yard radius from my front porch. For one, there's a because there's a big house in the way for more than 175 degrees. Then there's the neighbors houses and trees... I think that Crawford should stick to baseball where things are measured in feet, leave the yards to the football players!


Also, the post Carmelo Anthony trade is still quite the talk of the tri-state area, especially after last night's debut. It's not all in a good way.

It seems that many in the New York media don't believe Donnie Walsh after he stated on his twitter account that Isaiah Thomas was not involved in the trade in ANY way. Thomas has been careful about the way he answers direct questioning about the trade and whether he consultated in the trade.

The NY media, many of them, all say that they don't believe Mr. Walsh.

I say "Who gives a shirt!?!?" I mean really, who cares? Does it matter? Outside of the general feeling that Isaiah has no idea how to run a basketball organization or coach a team for that matter. We all know that he was an amazing player but once the jersey turned into a suit and a tie, it's like he lost use of his brain. Maybe the Knicks organization is trying to distance themselves from Isaiah. Maybe Isaiah is trying to save face with the general public and get back in the Knicks front office. Who knows? Even more importantly, WHO CARES?  Does it matter if he lied? Who does he have to answer to? HE OWNS THE NEW YORK KNICKS!!!

Seriously, if he doesn't want the impression that Isaiah was involved, who cares? I wouldn't have involved Isaiah! I'm not sure that Isaiah knows what's best for the Knicks. But... what do I know? Donnie Walsh sure isn't calling me to ask for my advice. Then again, I'm not sure I would want him calling me.... I probably would tell him to sign Brett Farve just as a joke....

Tomorrow's Friday! Make it count, make it memorable!

Off topic item....

I would hate it if this turned into something that turned into an infomercial, but I want to tell you about something that has changed my life. It’s something that, in the past, I had just kind of scoffed at. I have considered myself, at different levels of course, an athlete.  I have played a variety of different sports. When I was a kid, growing up in Mid-Michigan, we played football, baseball, basketball. Those were our mainstays. Then, at times we would play a little rugby, a little volleyball, a little hockey. We ALWAYS had a game going.

After High School, there were college club sports. I stuck with basketball for a while. Then at some point, I’m not sure exactly where or when it happened, it all kind of just stopped. ALL of it. Of course there were some “after-church” softball games and charity flag football games but there’s just not much time in my life for sports as I get closer to the forty year mark.

I recently was hired in a position that is closely connected to the educational system. With that, comes “alumni basketball” and “alumni football” and sports goes hand in hand with everyday business.

After some prodding and some heavy pressure in the form of requests, I started playing basketball twice a week with the “alumni league” which I can only compare to an “old timers” league. That my friends was a HUGE mistake! Pain is a strong, descriptive word. It’s really not strong enough to be used in a description of what I felt in the days after those nights of running with these guys. Knees, back, shoulders, arms, even my neck hurt.

In one of many discussions with my wife she made it crystal clear to me what the problem was. She asked me a question that was so obvious that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of myself. She said “how much did you weigh when you last played basketball before this?” I said “225 lbs”. She said “and how much do you weigh now?”  “280 lbs” I replied. She said “so your knees and legs are pushing 55 lbs more into the air than what they are used to, why are you surprised that they hurt?”  She was right, she couldn’t be more right. I was WAY out of shape.

I started doing research on weight loss programs. There are a lot out there and they ALL make huge promises. I couldn’t find one that looked like it would be “my thing”. I couldn’t find one that I thought I could stick to without getting bored. Then, I was in a hotel room in upstate NY at a trade conference and I couldn’t find anything worth watching. I was flipping around the channels and out of NOWHERE I see this infomercial for a workout program called P90X. Riveted! I was riveted to that to TV for an entire 30 minutes. I was hooked. I started looking into it online and there were hundreds, HUNDREDS of videos on YouTube of people that showed amazing results.

So, I started. It was a slap in the face when I began. Hard! P90X is HARD! When you do a P90X workout, you know that you “did something”.

I am not going to get into a breakdown of each DVD, it would take too long. They are complex and intense. P90X is not for everyone.

I will say this. I am two thirds of the way thru this journey and I am 26-28 pounds lighter. I am stronger, I have more energy, more drive, more stamina. My biceps are an inch bigger, my pants fit better, my posture is better. It’s ALL better! Everything is better.

I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is looking to not only lose weight, but also get in the BEST shape of your life. If you are able to commit to doing this, you WILL see results!

Off topic, I know, but I felt like I had to put it out there. Have a great day!

Is it just me.....

.... or does February really lack in the sports department? There’s no football, baseball hasn’t really gotten started, the NBA has really fallen off my radar in the past few years, college basketball barely interests me when it’s on because players don’t play for four years anymore, and hockey.. well, hockey’s another story.

I don’t get it, who schedules these things? Why did they forget about February? Retrospectively, thank God it’s the shortest month that there is but… I hate this feeling.

Let’s break it down a little bit…

Football – Owners and players are still in negotiations with the mediator but there are reports that say not much progress is being made. Players don’t care because they don’t get paid when they don’t play. Owners don’t care because they don’t get paid when there are no games. So, like I observed in previous posts, it’s all about the money.  I am starting to lose my faith that the 2011 season will not be affected.

The NBA – I have watched one complete game since 1993… one. The NBA has completely fallen off my radar. It’s dead to me. I was a HUGE Pistons fan back in the day. “The microwave”, “the worm”, Isaiah, Bill Lambier, and Dumars, I miss those days! I remember when game night was ALWAYS looked forward to. I remember HATING the Bulls and the Celtics. Now, I really couldn’t care much less. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s that guys leave college before they have real fundamentals, before they are really good. Maybe it’s because they go straight out of High School more often. Maybe it’s because teams REALLY don’t stick together anymore. LeBron left Cleveland and didn’t even shift his eyes to look in the rearview mirror. The Pistons had an AMAZING team in 2005 (when Joe Dumars was the President of Basketball Operations) and as soon as the trophy was in the case, key players were gone. What happened? I’m not entirely sure.

The conditions in the NBA have influenced the NCAA basketball so much that players don’t stay in college long enough to develop themselves to be great players. They stay long enough so that they so that they are good players but then they go for the money and they are gone. Meanwhile, they don’t develop skills and they don’t become GREAT players and they don’t get an education. When was the last time a player stayed in college until graduation?  

Baseball - It's started but it's still way too early. There's talk but it hasn't really started, at least not enough for my radar to pick it up.

Hockey -  When I was a kid I loved hockey. The Wings were my team. I loved the Wings. Steve Yzerman was the MAN! I followed them for years. Until recently. Now I can’t bring myself a game. What is that? Why don’t I watch anymore? I haven’t found a replacement. I’m not watching shows about High School singing clubs or horrendous shows about parenting. I don’t know what it is. I wish I did.

In any case, February is a slow month in sports. There’s nothing I can do about it…. It just is. At least that’s what I can tell. If you know better, then please, enlighten me.

Cutting off your nose....

I know that I said that I would be posting all weekend. I was not able to do so as I was petitioned by my wife to turn our guest room into a "den". I know when to "hold 'em and when to fold 'em." This was a time to fold and just do the work....


In the midst of all of the amazing sports news on Friday (yes, that's sarcasm that you smell) the Indianapolis Colts cut former NFL Defensive Player of the Year safety Bob Sanders, owner Jim Irsay announced Friday.


Well, I guess you could call it an announcement... he posted it on twitter. I'm not really sure what to say about that. The actual post read "We have released Bob Sanders today, we thank Bob 4 all his incredible contributions from his Sup Bowl pic 2 def player of year honors."


Seems like this is where we are going with announcements and apologies in sports.


But this release brings up an interesting topic of conversation. Is the Colts defense a recipe for disaster for a player like Sanders? Sanders has played only nine games over the past three seasons, that will get anyone cut. This lack of playing time was not because he was "distracted" by off field legal issues or any of those kind of pesky problems, he was hurt. He was hurt because of a couple of reasons.

1. The Colts defense required him to play in the box. The often-used eight-man front pulled Sanders close to the line where he had to take on pulling guards, kick out blocks from the fullback and spend a lot of time absorbing hits. I think that this recipe is one for disaster to any player.
2. His personal style of play. Sanders' nickname is "The Eraser". He plays with reckless abandon , almost as if he doesn't care if he gets hurt.

I think in the right defensive scheme, he could flourish. Troy Polamalu is another one who flies around the field making huge hits. In the Pittsburgh scheme it works really well.


There a lot of teams who could benefit from the Colts release of Sanders, like Detroit. They need defense BADLY!








In any case, I need to get something off my chest.


I live in the NY metro area and I listen to a lot of sports radio. It's the only pre-set station in my car. I have to say this...


If the "Carmelo-Anthony-trade-to-the-Knicks-talks" don't end soon. I may get my Kid Rock and Guns n Roses CDs out of the shoe box.


It really doesn't have 3 weeks worth of information to talk about. Yes, I know it's being dragged out because Denver is asking for everyone on the Knick squad except for Stoudemire AND a first round draft pick. I know that Knicks fans are some of the most passionate fans in sports, but in the name of all that is holy, can we PLEASE find something else to talk about?


I know that there's not much else going on. The NFL labor talks are old news and not much is happening there. The MLB season is still way too young to talk about much. It's really bad here! EVERYONE has an opinion about it too. An enraged fan called in yesterday to complain about Carmelo himself not doing enough in all of this to help make it go faster. Frustrations galore!


Seriously, it has to stop. It's annoying now and I have had enough!


I really need MLB Opening Day to get here faster!  39 days, 3 hours, 36 minutes and counting!

Something quick....

So I am about to call it a day but before I do...

A newsflash popped up on my radar about an hour ago.

The NFL has found, after a 6 month investigation, that the Detroit Lions are guilty of tampering violations. They are going to forfeit their seventh-round pick and swap fifth round picks with the Chiefs in this year’s draft. Commissioner Roger Goodell ruled they tampered with players under contract to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010.

The investigation was initiated after Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham, who once had the same job with the Chiefs, was quoted by the Detroit Free Press as saying he would be interested in signing some Chiefs players if they were released.

The actual quote read like this "They keep wanting to dump players. I would like to be there to catch a lot of them, because I know a couple of those guys. ... Some of those young kids I coached, I really believed they were going to be good players, and I know I'm right about that."
Wow! So let me be sure I understand! The Lions still get to pick in rounds 1 - 6 just not in the 7th and in the 5th they have to trade picks with the Chiefs. Roger, Roger, Roger, - is that anything more than an inconvenience? How is that a punishment? I guess the old saying rings true "the punishment must fit the crime".

NO EFFING WONDER you guys can't figure out how to strike a deal with the NFLPA. No wonder you can't figure out what to do with 9 billion dollars! This is kinda dumb I must say! I mean, I understand that the NFL is so stringent with tampering and not talking to players or coaches without permission. But, COME ON! This is a little dumb... don't you think?

So talking about being interested in talking to players IF they are released is a crime? Sooooo the first amendment right to freedom of speech doesn't apply here? Just asking because, it seems reasonable to me that the Lions could appeal here.

The league indicated its punishment wasn't based solely on that quote. It also found that the Lions had "impermissible contact with a player (or his agent) under contract to the Chiefs," according to its release. But they wouldn't specify what player or agent or who did the talking so.... you know, trust them! They know!

Right!

Have a great weekend! I WILL be posting here all weekend to so, "stay tuned" as they say! Whoever "they" are!