Sports Views

Today I want to talk NHL. Hockey has become a “fringe” sport. Don’t fight me on this hockey fans, but you are a distant fifth behind NFL, MLB, NBA and NASCAR. Oh and watch out for the ever increasing in popularity “Westminster Dog Show” which is right on your tail (pun intended).

49ERS AT RAMS - Frank Gore makes the Rams face an inconvenient truth - the Rams stink. 49ers 25, Rams 20

Atlanta to beat Giants with the run and VICK

Date 7 September 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers - Miami Dolphins 28-14

This is particularly true in the case of live sports, which is one of the few areas in which the straight rebroadcasting of traditional TV to mobiles makes much sense. Video content like news and weather is largely commoditized — it doesn’t matter where it comes from as long as it’s providing the proper information. Entertainment content could be seen as a commodity as well. Maybe you want to see an Aqua Teen Hunger Force video, but if that’s not available and you can watch something else you’re into instead, like music videos, that typically works. But there’s no replacement for live sports content, and it could be a strong differentiator — and one of the few real selling points — of mobile TV.

With his pro football career apparently over, Maurice Clarett seems to have decided to pursue a new line of work in the new year. According to the Columbus Police Department, at shortly before 2 a.m. on January 1, Clarett used a gun to rob two people in an alley behind a bar before leaving in an SUV. Nobody was hurt and only a cell phone was taken.

This gives Theisman and the boys enough time to show Joey Scarrington on the sideline. Bundled to the max in an onslaught of NFL attire, you can’t help but wonder what’s going on in his head. I think it was Black Eyed Peas if you ask me, anybody notice the iPod? Regardless, the boys in the booth bring up his “inconsistancy” and the fact that he won’t play here again because he’s “a major disappointment.” Sounds like our article from earlier in the week, eh?

Brad Pitt did indeed file papers this weekend in Los Angeles Superior Court to finalize my adoption. I hope the press will observe my privacy as I confront the difficult dilemma of whether to adjust my monogram as per Jolie-Pitt or Pitt-Jolie.

(As to that other salacious rumor regarding me, a star NFL quarterback, a gay porn actor and that weekend at Las Palmas Hotel–I have no comment.)

No, Sage Rosenthals should be given a shot. He is the same age or a year or two younger than Feely. Yes he's only started one NFL game ever, and thrown less than 50 passes in the league in his lifetime. On the other hand we've seen plenty of what Frerotte and Feeley can do. Feeley split the Dolphin's QB job last year with now departed Jay Fiedler. Enough said. Frerrote has riddent the bench for 7 years.

The recent death of Thomas Herrion is making many in the NFL look at their health standards once again. Just based on their average BMI (body mass index) these guys make Rosie O'Donnell look like Kate Moss. What's that? Too dated a reference? How about...these guys make Starr Jones look like Paris Hilton? A little better?

Its that time. NFL Fantasy Football is just around the corner. Those of you who know me personally know that fantasy football is very important to me, and I invest a lot of time and money into it. Every year I even fly half way across the U.S. for a big live draft party (I used to live in California and am still part of that league, which is my biggest, most important and largest money league). The rest of the leagues I am in are online, except one free league with 7 other guys from work.

Peter King of CNN SI, herel , rates the NFL training camps opening next week. Basically he rates them on accessibility (to players), eats, tradition and ambiance. My Dad and younger brother are leaving Saturday for Green Bay for a two week stay. Too busy to join them this year, but (as usual) my thoughts are with them.

On the bright side, the most wonderful time of the year is upon us! What could that possibly be, you may ask? Well, my friends, football season is soon to grace us again!! Within the next few weeks, I should be receiving my season tickets to Aggie Football. Within the next month, we’ll be conducting our draft for the pay FFBL I am co-commissioning. I’m also in a free league with some other friends this season. So, that means every Saturday, I’ll either be in Kyle Field or in front of a television watching my boys play. Every Sunday, I’ll be in front of the big screen at home with my StaTracker pulled up on the laptop and flipping between channels on DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket to monitor my players. Life…will be good.

One of the bits of information that goes into drafting that perfect fantasy team is interest in players when they hit the free agent market. You look at the contracts of folks like Shaun Alexander and Edgerrin James and look at how teams are evaluating their talent and durability. Today, though, John Clayton writes about the difficulties that running backs are facing when looking for contracts after reaching 27 or 28 years old. The length of the deal, it seems, often reduces the yearly contract values even though the running back may be a great draft pick for the next year or two.

Well I guess this is the big time!!

In case you missed it, last night I had a cameo appearance on Showcase Network's new series, "The nfL Word", about a group of football-crazed lesbians who are ready to get down (in the pigskin sense)...

Because we found the videos so harmless, we’ve transcribed them here for your reading pleasure. In transcript form, they are also easier to study, for purposes of evaluating the merit of the criticisms. We’ve included our comments.

An in-house video meant to prepare San Francisco 49ers players for dealing with the media backfired on the NFL team Wednesday when it was learned that it featured racist jokes, lesbian soft-porn and topless blondes.

I saw the Longest Yard on tuesday, which I quite enjoyed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a football movie I didn’t like and Adam Sandler is back to his old shenanigans (somewhat) so I give it an A+. The movie ended with a trick play that was rather clever, especially since I saw Brett Favre try it once on Monday Night Football, but of course clever plays in movies never work in the NFL no matter how clever they seem to be.

But when bashers get on their boorrrring “they don’t score enough” rants about soccer, I find another outlet. If their tirades were ever clever (like the “I’m mad as hell” takes can be), I’d appreciate them more.

Flip that reasoning around on the NFL, and you can say the same thing: “The NFL isn’t a sport, because it’s filled with 350 pound guys who can’t play without having an oxygen tank ready on the sidelines!” Try saying that on Jim Rome’s show and see where it gets you.

I have a new article up over at Sports Central today. This one is about greedy and selfish players in the NFL. Here is the teaser:

The NFL off-season has been marred by a few selfish acts. It is depressing to think about some of the antics athletes pull off. SC's Kevin Holtsberry takes a look at the immaturity and self-centeredness of some pro athletes and contrasts that to the end of a classy legend's career.

I can’t get into that Arena football league- believe me I tried because for one thing I LOVE football, and since hockey has been on a permanent vacation and baseball hadn’t started I really wantd to like it. I didn’t, it’s a bunch of guys who were not good enough to make the NFL in my opinion, now if it could be used as some sort of minor leagues sytem for guys out of college who aren’t quite ready for the NFL I could see it survivng, but for my money I’d rather watch college football than this.

Dave Pell: “There’s almost no unembarrassing reason for an NFL runningback to be caught trying to sneak a dildo through an airport. . . .”

Now I know that his father, who had the same name, was a football coach, best known for letting Richard Nixon call a play for the Redskins, and for a management philosophy called "The future is now," sort of a prototype for the Bush tax policy. I sort of assumed that the Senator played or coached in the NFL himself, but I got curious about it today. Did he? No. He played a little bit at UVA, apparently. (Of course, I worked for a guy who had a couple of championship rings and was in the Hall of Fame, and you were allowed maybe, at most, one glancing...

In the course of looking this up, I came across an interview with Allen for nfl.com that includes a question from one Adam Schefter so merciless and piercing that that this guy deserves a spot in the White House press corps:

I kept expecting to get a “your order has been cancelled” email from the NFL about the jersey. They just couldn’t actually allow this item to be created, could they? Last week, I saw this story about the Ron Mexico moniker being added to the NFL’s naughty words filter:

A few “Ron Mexico” T-shirts have popped up on eBay, though none of the NFL’s licensed replica jerseys have been sold or posted for sale on the Internet auction site.

OK…living in the Detroit area and not having cabel were killers for me during this year’s NFL draft. I heard all about the Lion’s draft…they’re going to be terrible again this year. I heard one guy say this weekend, “this is going to be their year.” I just laughed.

According to this ESPN article, the Wonderlic is a short-form IQ test given to NFL draftees, with only one NFL player known to have ever managed a perfect score. I scored a perfect 15/15 on the sample test provided with the article, without even putting pencil to paper to work any of the problems out. See how you do on the test, and remember, no cheating now (and in particular, no disregarding the 5 minute time limit!)

That might not be the case for Washington’s second first round pick, Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell. In what has been called “the worst kept secret in draft history,” Campbell was taken with the first round pick obtained this past week from Denver. The decision to draft Campbell while Patrick Ramsey sits as the supposed incumbent starter was controversial from the moment news of the Redskins intention slipped out to the press. Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser is already worked into a lather over the choice, and makes a good point in wondering how good Campbell had to be with Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams in Campbell’s backfield.

At 6′4 Chris Henry is a tantalizing mix of size and speed (4.4 40), who would have possibly been a first round pick if he had stayed in school. The two knocks on Henry are his lack of experience (only played two years,starting for one) and immaturity. However, while ESPN analyzed the pick, Torry Holt, said not to worry about those concerns because Marvin Lewis does not tolerate such behavior. To hear a player from another team say that speaks volumes. W ith 22 TDs in 25 games, Henry has the skills to be a playmaker and will likely be utilized...

San Francisco took Alex Smith from Utah as the #1 pick. You can track all the rest of the 1st round of the draft here and here.

Along with finally providing an answer to the question of which player will be picked first in the 2005 NFL Draft, the first hour of ESPN’s Draft coverage on Saturday, April 23, will also give the world its first look at the next generation of videogames — Madden NFL football will make its next generation debut in a TV ad airing within the first hour of the broadcast, which begins at 12:00pm ET / 9am PT.

The ad, which will run only one time during the broadcast, is a 60-second preview of the photo-realistic graphics and heart-pounding football intensity that is the essence of Madden NFL football — an experience that will come to life like never before on the next generation of video game consoles. This is the future of Madden NFL football, and if you’re a football fan, this is a televised preview that is not to be missed. Set your VCRs or digital video recorders so you can play back the commercial again and again, because you may not...

The next generation of Madden NFL football is coming, and you can get your first glimpse on ESPN during the first hour of the 2005 NFL Draft. Don’t miss it!

But I can assure you of this: with the return of the NFL to NBC starting in the 2006 season, the coolest NFL theme song ever may indeed return to television.

We’ll know soon enough who the first round surprises are, but it will be a few years before we know who really blew this draft. Considering how tricky it is to predict the success of quarterbacks in the NFL you almost hate to see a team break the bank with one. I suppose it’s true of most positions, but it seems truer of Quarterback; you draft potential, not actual performance. That’s why quarterbacks like David Greene of Georgia–the winningest quarterback in NCAA history–is definitely not going in the first round and...

I bring this up in part because I think the same is true of Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith and I don’t understand how they have leapt to the top of the draft board when nobody believes them to be among the best players in the draft. Maybe they are the top two quarterbacks in this year’s draft. Last year they might not have even gone in the first round. I think it is not just likely, but almost a certainty. On the other hand the top two running backs or the top two receivers of this year’s draft are certainly good enough to have gone in the top...

To hear some people in the NFL, the 2005 NFL Draft is as much about Kyle Boller and Trent Dilfer and Akili Smith as it is about Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith and the other players who actually will be drafted in two weeks.