.. but sticking mostly with football:
- From what I can tell, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has done nothing wrong other than make a small mistake in judgment, and even still, I’m not one to evaluate him on the moral barometer.
Assuming you live under a rock, Sanchez allegedly got together with a 17-year-old high school senior, the daughter of an extremely rich Connecticut man. According to reports, the girl worked her way into a New York City nightclub, then proceeded to work her way into the home of Sanchez.
After a number of encounters, the young lady went to Deadspin — the TMZ of sports journalism — with her story and pictures to back it up. Then, like any 17-year-old girl, she changed her mind, didn’t want the story to be on the record and hired a lawyer. Oops.
This has turned into a bit of a PR disaster for Sanchez and the Jets, who have stated they will not discuss the personal life of a player. But the bottom line is this: the legal consenting age in New York and New Jersey is 16, so Sanchez really doesn’t have explain anything to anyone.
Still, the next time he comes together with a young lady, he should make sure she doesn’t have to be in homeroom at 7 a.m., the next morning.
- The Newport Daily News ran a story today about quarterbacks from Northern California. Of course I knew Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady — the MVP of the Super Bowl and the NFL, respectively — are from that area, but I didn’t know just how many signal callers have hailed from NoCal.
Here’s just some of the many from past and present: Jim Plunkett, Jeff Garcia, Trent Dilfer, Gino Toretta, Ken Dorsey, Josh Johnson, Trent Edwards, Matt Gutierrez, J.T. O’Sullivan and Dennis Dixon.
Not bad for a small pocket in a big country.
- Congratulations to Rodgers for winning the biggest game of his life, earning the MVP award of said game and claiming the new Chevy car that comes with collecting said award. But I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again — stop giving brand new cars to professional athletes.
The MVP of any professional championship likely is paid quite handsomely and, therefore, likely has no use for a new car. But it’s a way for Chevrolet to get its name into the forefront of the biggest television draw of the year. Here’s an idea: Make a donation to a local Green Bay charity on behalf of Aaron Rodgers.
- Last night, I watched my first hockey game since Boston’s epic playoff collapse last season, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Bruins beat rival Montreal 8-6 in a back-and-forth game that included a ton of scoring and plenty of end-to-end action.
Just like old times, there was a lot of fighting (which I don’t really care for, but I can understand why hockey fans would be drawn to it) and 182 penalty minutes. I’ll be the first to say that I’m not a huge hockey fan, but if all games were like that, I’d tune in a lot more often.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
D-Rose will Bull is way to victory
Intern Cheyenne, the biggest Chicago Bulls fan I know, is at it again, spreading the word about how great All-Star point guard Derrick Rose is and how he'll win the skills challenge during All-Star weekend:
Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls is the best point guard in the NBA. He is the strongest, fastest and most elusive, and therefore, he will win the skills challenge during the league’s All-Star weekend on Feb. 19-20 in Los Angles.
The only way Rose will not win is if the event is canceled. Rose, who undoubtedly will be the league’s Most Valuable Player, is going to destroy the field, including Hornets point guard Chris Paul. Rajon Rondo of the Celtics is not competing, probably because he knows Rose, who is getting the start at point guard in the game, is going to win.
Rose competed in this event his rookie year in 2008-09 and won. Last year he didn’t compete because of an injury. Judging by past results, Rose is bound to win this year because he’s even better now.
Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls is the best point guard in the NBA. He is the strongest, fastest and most elusive, and therefore, he will win the skills challenge during the league’s All-Star weekend on Feb. 19-20 in Los Angles.
The only way Rose will not win is if the event is canceled. Rose, who undoubtedly will be the league’s Most Valuable Player, is going to destroy the field, including Hornets point guard Chris Paul. Rajon Rondo of the Celtics is not competing, probably because he knows Rose, who is getting the start at point guard in the game, is going to win.
Rose competed in this event his rookie year in 2008-09 and won. Last year he didn’t compete because of an injury. Judging by past results, Rose is bound to win this year because he’s even better now.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Brady, Rodgers not yet comparable
Aaron Rodgers began his career as a starting quarterback with much anticipation. Three years into said career, he lived up to the hype by leading the Green Bay Packers to a championship, and Rodgers took MVP honors in the Super Bowl.
With that success arose the inevitable discussions about where he ranks among active quarterbacks. Does Sunday’s victory vault him ahead of the likes of Drew Brees or Super Bowl counterpart Ben Roethlisberger? Is Rodgers now as good as Peyton Manning? Is he entering Tom Brady territory?
The answers to those questions, in order, are: yes, yes (strange as it seems) and not yet.
As much as I’d love to proclaim that the Packers’ No. 12 is better than the Patriots’ No. 12, until Rodgers wins at least one more Super Bowl, that’s simply not the case. Don’t get me wrong, if faced with the popular question of “If you were starting an NFL team from scratch …” I’d pick Rodgers as my quarterback, partly because I’m a biased Packers fan, but mostly because he’s six years younger than Brady.
Right now, though, Brady gets the edge over A-Rodg. I’m not a Brady fan by any stretch (quite the opposite), but he deserves credit for putting up the numbers he did with the Patriots’ sorry excuse for a receiving corps. I know I wasn’t alone in thinking the departure of Randy Moss would be the downfall of the New England offense, and we all were dead wrong. Brady made Deion Branch look like Jerry Rice and would have turned Aaron Hernandez or Rob Gronkowski into a Rookie of the Year candidate if they hadn’t shared the tight end receiving load.
Give Brady the Packers receivers and he would have exceeded the 36-touchdown, four-interception performance that was his 2010 season and been an even easier choice for league MVP.
Super Bowl wins aren’t the only stat that matters when it comes to quarterback greatness. The notion that, if the Steelers had won on Sunday, Roethlisberger should be mentioned in the same breath as Brady is absurd. But Rodgers needs more titles (and some MVP awards) to enter the “Who’s better than Brady?” discussion.
With that success arose the inevitable discussions about where he ranks among active quarterbacks. Does Sunday’s victory vault him ahead of the likes of Drew Brees or Super Bowl counterpart Ben Roethlisberger? Is Rodgers now as good as Peyton Manning? Is he entering Tom Brady territory?
The answers to those questions, in order, are: yes, yes (strange as it seems) and not yet.
As much as I’d love to proclaim that the Packers’ No. 12 is better than the Patriots’ No. 12, until Rodgers wins at least one more Super Bowl, that’s simply not the case. Don’t get me wrong, if faced with the popular question of “If you were starting an NFL team from scratch …” I’d pick Rodgers as my quarterback, partly because I’m a biased Packers fan, but mostly because he’s six years younger than Brady.
Right now, though, Brady gets the edge over A-Rodg. I’m not a Brady fan by any stretch (quite the opposite), but he deserves credit for putting up the numbers he did with the Patriots’ sorry excuse for a receiving corps. I know I wasn’t alone in thinking the departure of Randy Moss would be the downfall of the New England offense, and we all were dead wrong. Brady made Deion Branch look like Jerry Rice and would have turned Aaron Hernandez or Rob Gronkowski into a Rookie of the Year candidate if they hadn’t shared the tight end receiving load.
Give Brady the Packers receivers and he would have exceeded the 36-touchdown, four-interception performance that was his 2010 season and been an even easier choice for league MVP.
Super Bowl wins aren’t the only stat that matters when it comes to quarterback greatness. The notion that, if the Steelers had won on Sunday, Roethlisberger should be mentioned in the same breath as Brady is absurd. But Rodgers needs more titles (and some MVP awards) to enter the “Who’s better than Brady?” discussion.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Pack mentality
Just got done watching Super Bowl XLV for the second and not necessarily the last time. It’s much less nerve-racking when you know the outcome. But I still found myself pumping my fist after big plays and cursing Jordy Nelson’s name when he dropped passes.
Upon further review, the Green Bay Packers still are Super Bowl champions. Here are several random thoughts on the game and the other junk that has become part of the game.
• Aaron Rodgers, deservedly, was named MVP after completing 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns. So much for any notion that he might have Super Bowl jitters. Rodgers was surgical, and his numbers would have been even more impressive had his receivers (mostly Nelson) not dropped so many of his perfect throws. He did miss on a few attempts, but the rest of his throws were right on target.
• Speaking of those drops, Nelson had nine catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. If he hadn’t dropped a few balls, he might have had close to 200 receiving yards, which could have given him MVP honors over Rodgers. But you have to give Rodgers credit for sticking with Nelson and continuing to find him despite his butter fingers.
• The injury bug that’s plagued the Packers all season showed up again. At the end of the first half, Donald Driver, Sam Shields, Nick Collins and Charles Woodson all went to the locker room early with injuries. When we learned Woodson was out and saw that Driver wasn’t going to get back in, I feared the worst. But as they’ve done all season, the Packers overcame.
• Now that my team won the Super Bowl, I’m trying not to be too bitter about the Defensive Player of the Year award. But who had the bigger impact on the biggest game, Troy Polamalu or Clay Matthews? It wasn’t close.
Now some off-the-field stuff:
Joe Buck is the most overrated broadcaster in sports. Fox’s No. 1 guy is borderline awful. His tone drives me nuts and he’s way too opinionated. The one thing I will give him credit for is shutting up occasionally and letting a big moment speak for itself. Troy Aikman is growing on me as a color commentator, but he needs a new partner.
Much is made of Super Bowl commercials, and more often than not, they disappoint. Some of them were amusing (the car commercial with the kid dressed up like Darth Vader and the Pepsi Max spots were my personal favorites), but it seemed like a lot of companies wasted a lot of money.
Speaking of money, while watching a couple hours of post-game coverage, I felt I had no choice to be to online and spend more than I ever have on a hat. My Super Bowl XLV Champions lid should be here within a week.
Upon further review, the Green Bay Packers still are Super Bowl champions. Here are several random thoughts on the game and the other junk that has become part of the game.
• Aaron Rodgers, deservedly, was named MVP after completing 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns. So much for any notion that he might have Super Bowl jitters. Rodgers was surgical, and his numbers would have been even more impressive had his receivers (mostly Nelson) not dropped so many of his perfect throws. He did miss on a few attempts, but the rest of his throws were right on target.
• Speaking of those drops, Nelson had nine catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. If he hadn’t dropped a few balls, he might have had close to 200 receiving yards, which could have given him MVP honors over Rodgers. But you have to give Rodgers credit for sticking with Nelson and continuing to find him despite his butter fingers.
• The injury bug that’s plagued the Packers all season showed up again. At the end of the first half, Donald Driver, Sam Shields, Nick Collins and Charles Woodson all went to the locker room early with injuries. When we learned Woodson was out and saw that Driver wasn’t going to get back in, I feared the worst. But as they’ve done all season, the Packers overcame.
• Now that my team won the Super Bowl, I’m trying not to be too bitter about the Defensive Player of the Year award. But who had the bigger impact on the biggest game, Troy Polamalu or Clay Matthews? It wasn’t close.
Now some off-the-field stuff:
Joe Buck is the most overrated broadcaster in sports. Fox’s No. 1 guy is borderline awful. His tone drives me nuts and he’s way too opinionated. The one thing I will give him credit for is shutting up occasionally and letting a big moment speak for itself. Troy Aikman is growing on me as a color commentator, but he needs a new partner.
Much is made of Super Bowl commercials, and more often than not, they disappoint. Some of them were amusing (the car commercial with the kid dressed up like Darth Vader and the Pepsi Max spots were my personal favorites), but it seemed like a lot of companies wasted a lot of money.
Speaking of money, while watching a couple hours of post-game coverage, I felt I had no choice to be to online and spend more than I ever have on a hat. My Super Bowl XLV Champions lid should be here within a week.
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