Wednesday, February 13 was a particularly tough week for the big 4 sports in this country. And no sport had a rougher time than baseball.
As well all know, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing into the Roger Clemens v. Brian McNamee debate about which one is telling the truth over Clemens' alleged use of Human Growth Hormone. This hearing was a bad day for the sport of baseball. It's best pitcher of the last 30 years (with apologies to Greg Maddux), has been accused of using HGH to the point where the United States Congress decided that it had to step in. It appears from all of the rumored evidence and testimony that Clemens did it. His only saving grace is that McNamee is such a nefarious character that he makes Clemens seem likable.
Well, I stand corrected. Clemens has one other thing going for him about these hearings, and that is the fact that Congress itself looks so bad that any attention that originally might have been directed toward Clemens and McNamee should be directed at Congress itself. The committee Chair, Representative Henry Waxman, has basically called the hearing a mistake, the first thing he got right on this whole issue. The hearing was a complete MISTAKE, as Congress was only looking into something as petty as who is telling the truth, Clemens or McNamee. That is what this hearing turned into.
Admittedly, I did not watch or listen to the entire hearing live, but I did see a couple of non-consecutive hours as well as having seen, heard and read other parts from the hearing. With that caveat, I can safely say that this was a bad day for baseball, but even worse for Congress.
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has jurisdiction to investigate any federal program and any matter with federal policy implications. I am not quite sure what federal policy regulation Roger Clemens could implicate, but apparently embarrasing baseball, Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee is now some type of federal policy. Now, I understand that baseball has an anti-trust exemption granted to it by Congress, and that at any time Congress could rescind that exemption, but that doesn't seem to be what is at play here. I believe that it was Congressman Brian Bilbray (if that is incorrect, my apologies and if someone can supply the correct person, I would appreciate it) who basically said that the committee had jurisdiction over national drug policy, and that the hearings into the drug policy of baseball was under the jurisdiction of the committee, but by canceling the appearances of Pettite, Knoblauch and others, the hearing became simply an investigation into an individual's drug use that was dangerously close to being (if not already) something the committee should not be involved. That would be a law enforcement issue, not an issue for congress. Nevertheless, he continued questioning.
Another issue that made Congress look foolish is that the hearing did not actually investigate anything about drug use in baseball, who supplied the steroids and HGH, who did Radomski and McNamee received the steroid and HGH from, are other current or former team trainers involved, or any other questions. The hearing became simply a challenge to determine who was lying, Clemens or McNamee. The Republicans on the Committee seemed to challenge McNamee and the Democrats seemed to only want to challenge Clemens. Since when did drug use in baseball become a party-line issue.
But as bad as Congress looked, baseball looks worse. Its best pitcher of our generation, and its best hitter of our generation (if you need to ask who this is, you shouldn't be reading this), are both tainted. For a sport that reveres its history as much as baseball does, to have two all time record setting greats (with about a gazillion MVPs and Cy Youngs between them) to be tainted this bad with allegations of cheating, it is going to take a lot of time for the sport to come out of the steroid era and to earn the respect that such a heretofore gentlemanly sport used to have.
Keep in mind, this doesn't even touch on the fact that baseball's most storied and cherished franchise has basically been cheating since at least 2001. I don't mean to assert that the team knew of all of the drugs taken by its individual players, nor do I mean to suggest that other teams weren't affected. But to have as many players implicated from the Yankees taints all of their recent success.
Bottom line - Really bad day for baseball.
On the same afternoon, Senator Arlen Spector, as ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to question Goodell on the issues surrounding the NFL's destruction of all of the tapes and notes supplied by the New England Patriots in response to the "Spygate" scandal, in which the Patriots were videotaping signals of the New York Jets coaches. All reports are that Spector was not satisfied with the answers provided by Goodell and that Spector may open upon an inquiry, and possible hearings into the NFL's investigations into the reports of the Patriots spying.
Bottom line - Bad day for football, and could get worse.
With regard to basketball, Indiana University basketball coach, Kelvin Sampson has been accused of inappropriate and/or excessive contact with recruits, mostly involving telephone calls. These accusations come while Sampson is on probation restricting his contact with recruits for violations while he was the coach and Oklahoma University for inappropriate and excessive contact with recruits, get this, INVOLVING TELEPHONE CALLS!!! Now IU is going to have to deal with this fallout, and they have already launched a three panel investigation with a report due within one week. What seems the most likely outcome is that Sampson will at least be suspended, and quite possibly even fired. And the fact that this has occurred at Indiana is even more ironic, since Bobby Knight was let go for any number of reasons and problems, none of which involved recruiting violations.
Bottom line - Bad day for basketball.
Also on this day, nobody talked about hockey. It is no longer one of the big 4. Whether the fourth sport is NASCAR or golf I will leave for other commentators to decide. But what we do know - it isn't hockey.
Bottom line - well no real bottom line. Hockey hasn't been relevant in a long, long time.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
World's Strongest (Baseball) Man Competition
As we all know, on Wednesday, February 13, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on the use of steroids and HGH in baseball. No, I mean the self-serving attempt to glorify the Mitchell Report. No, that's not it either. I got it. It was the Congressional attempt to vilify both Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee. I will go into details about the Congressional hearing itself on another occasion.
This is about what the hearings accomplished. If you listen to each and every single sports commentator, the hearings answered not one single question that existed prior to the hearing. Although most people believe the Roger Clemens took either Human Growth Hormone or steroids (or both), that belief existed prior to the hearings. No questions have been answered. Or at least that is what every analyst and reporter believes.
They are wrong. We finally have the answer to one of the great and unsolved questions in baseball history: The Great Chuck Knoblauch Throwing Dilemma. (The dilemma was great, not necessarily Chuck Knoblauch.)
In addition to Clemens, McNamee claims that he provided and/or injected steroids and HGH to Andy Pettite and Chuck Knoblauch. Both Petitte and Knoblauch have admitted to using. Now, Clemens is by far the most accomplished of the three players, but if you can remember back, Chuck Knoblauch used to be a pretty fair player as well. Knoblauch was the rookie of the year in 1991, and he was a four time All-Star. Like many good players from small market teams, he ended up on the Yankees. Once on the Yankees, he played fairly well, very well in stretches, until, he forgot how to throw the ball to first base.
This must have been very difficult for the man once dubbed by SportsCenter anchors as the "Fundamentally Sound Chuck Knoblauch". Nobody could explain why instead of making the short throw from second base to first base Knoblauch would often throw the ball into the dugout, off the wall or into the stands. Now we know why. He simply became too strong for such a short throw. Thank you Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for answering the Great Chuck Knoblauch Throwing Deilemma.
This is about what the hearings accomplished. If you listen to each and every single sports commentator, the hearings answered not one single question that existed prior to the hearing. Although most people believe the Roger Clemens took either Human Growth Hormone or steroids (or both), that belief existed prior to the hearings. No questions have been answered. Or at least that is what every analyst and reporter believes.
They are wrong. We finally have the answer to one of the great and unsolved questions in baseball history: The Great Chuck Knoblauch Throwing Dilemma. (The dilemma was great, not necessarily Chuck Knoblauch.)
In addition to Clemens, McNamee claims that he provided and/or injected steroids and HGH to Andy Pettite and Chuck Knoblauch. Both Petitte and Knoblauch have admitted to using. Now, Clemens is by far the most accomplished of the three players, but if you can remember back, Chuck Knoblauch used to be a pretty fair player as well. Knoblauch was the rookie of the year in 1991, and he was a four time All-Star. Like many good players from small market teams, he ended up on the Yankees. Once on the Yankees, he played fairly well, very well in stretches, until, he forgot how to throw the ball to first base.
This must have been very difficult for the man once dubbed by SportsCenter anchors as the "Fundamentally Sound Chuck Knoblauch". Nobody could explain why instead of making the short throw from second base to first base Knoblauch would often throw the ball into the dugout, off the wall or into the stands. Now we know why. He simply became too strong for such a short throw. Thank you Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for answering the Great Chuck Knoblauch Throwing Deilemma.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
A Tale of Two Big Men
As the resident Miami Heat fan here at We Make It Rain, and proudly one of only 863 in existence (and one of only 112 Marlin fans), it falls to me to comment on the trade of Shaquille O'Neal to the Phoenix Suns. In addition, this feels like the time and place to comment on another Heat big man and his affect on the franchise as well, Alonzo Mourning.
The current state of the Heat has to start and end with the phenomenally gifted and tough, Dwyane Wade. I remember where I was when Wade was drafted. About 18 of us went to watch a minor league baseball game in my town, and I was about 7 beers in when it came time for the Heat to pick fifth in that draft. You might have heard of that draft, the first four picks were: (1) Lebron James; (2) Darko Milicic; (3) Carmelo Anthony (or as sinickal would say - "My man, my Melo"); and (4) Chris Bosh. Now, as much as I root for the Heat, there was no way I was staying home to watch the NBA draft, but I did follow it online through my phone. I registered for a text update everytime a pick was made. The Heat organization had been floating rumors about all kinds of picks, Kirk Hinrich and the immortal Pole turned Swede, Maciej Lampe among them. Lampe's name was being thrown around a ton for about the 3 or 4 days before the draft. My boy George, not in any way, shape or form to be confused with Boy George, looks at me and goes, "Wade, nice pick". (Lampe by the way now plays for Khimki BC in the Russian Basketball League).
Now, I actually liked the pick when I first heard it. Wade was fresh off leading Marquette to the Final Four, complete with the first triple double in the NCAA tournament since Magic Johnson. Wade did that in the regional finals against Kentucky. (Sinickal and I attended that Final Four in New Orleans, what a trip). Heat fans were optimistic with the Wade pick after a series of drafts that included the likes of Willie Burton, Alec Kessler and "Baby Jordan" Howard Minor (Yes, I know it's really Harold, but it doesn't really matter what his name is as good as he played). Things were looking up.
Now, as great a player as Wade was and is, you cannot win a championship by yourself, LeBron James circa 2007 notwithstanding. As Wade grew as a player, the question then became, how are we going to surround Wade with the proper players to get to a championship level. Enter Shaquille O'Neal.
Shaquille O'Neal is quite possibly the most physically imposing player the NBA has ever had, and is definitely the most physically gifted since Wilt Chamberlain. As an organization, the Heat surrounded Wade with not only the right parts and pieces, but with literally the one player in the league that could single-handedly take the pressure off Wade both on the court by attracting double teams in the post, and off the court with the media and local sponsors. As we all know, this led to the 2006 NBA championship.
After 2006, the Heat tried to repeat, but had remarkably gotten older almost overnight. Crippled with Shaq and Wade missing a lot of games with injuries, the team limped into the playoffs where they were summarily swept by a much younger and more athletic Chicago Bull squad.
This year, the team has started rebuilding by casting off some of the outside pieces from 2006 (James Posey, Jason Kapono, Gary Payton and my personal favorite - Antoine Walker) and trying to get younger (playing Dorrell Wright, signing Smush Parker) but with injuries to Shaq and Wade, Udonis Haslem having a subpar shooting year, Jason Williams losing a step, and the Heat actually playing Chris Quinn (how on earth is he in the NBA?!), the Heat has the worst record in the NBA. Dwyane Wade is an All-Star starter, so that is something, but even that is rather dubious as he now becomes the All-Star starter with the worst team record in the history of the NBA All-Star game.
The team has made some bad moves, they are handcuffed by salary and are remarkably old and unathletic as a team. At least they have a championship, which should abate some criticism from the few fans that exist. Exit Shaq.
Out west, the Spurs are the Spurs, the Mavericks are the Mavericks, New Orleans is rising with Chris Paul and David West, the Nuggets are exciting with Carmelo, Iverson and Marcus Camby, Houston has T-Mac and Yao, the Lakers have Kobe and the Suns are the most exciting team of all to watch. The Lakers swing the deal with Memphis to get Pau Gasol to go with Kobe, Lamar Odom, and the stabilizing force of Derek Fisher at point. All of sudden, the team with the best record, the Phoenix Suns, who at times have been robotic and lackadaisacal despite their record, felt they had to do something. Enter Shaq.
With this deal, the Suns get the Big Aristotle himself, while sending Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to the Heat. This column is going to be long enough as it is, so I will refrain from commenting (at least for now) on how this will affect the Suns. For the Heat, this deal is a godsend.
First, Shaquille was hardly playing, and he when he was available, teams were collapsing on him, not letting him do anything once he received the ball in the post as the Heat perimeter players don't scare anybody. Second, Shaq has become an on-the-ball defensive liability in the post, racking up fouls like they were his job. Third, with his $20 million dollar salary, there was no hope at getting a high level player to help him and Wade. Exit Shaq.
Now, the Heat have a lineup that includes Wade (when healthy), Shawn Marion, Udonis Haslem, Mark Blount, Jason Williams with Ricky Davis and Dorrell Wright coming off the bench. Marcus Banks should now take the place of Chris Quinn. Now the Heat have about as good a chance of making the playoffs as Mike Huckabee has of winning the Republican nomination for President, but they do have a chance to make games exciting if Pat Riley will do one thing: RUN! Turn into the Suns. Make the games 125 - 118. The team has suddenly gotten athletic, and if they have any plans for the future, entice future free agents by making the game look fun. Get up and down the court, alley-oop, let Williams jack up threes on the fast break and let Marion go get the rebound when necessary. Give the fans a reason to want to attend the game, regardless of record. And then hope for a top 3 pick in next year's draft to address any deficiencies that they still have (which will be many). If not a top 3 pick, maybe a fast point guard like Darren Collison could be available to continue running. Use what you have. That is what the front office did by trading Shaq. Instead of putting pieces into the puzzle, use the pieces you have to make an entirely different picture.
Us Heat fans will thank Shaq for leading the team to a title and for making Miami a relevant team in the NBA. We will also follow and root for Shaq out west. No ill-will to Shaq at all, but it was time to go.
Alonzo Mourning, however, will never be replaced.
Ever since Mourning came to the Heat in the 1995-1996 season, Mourning became the Heat. Sure he scored 23.2 points/game, had 10.4 rebounds/game and blocked 2.7 shots per game that season, but he was much more than statistics. He epitomized heart and hustle. He was one of those rare athletes who not only had talent, but was also one of the hustle guys that would dive after every loose ball, take the extra base or take the extra hit from the linebacker for that additional yard and a half. Most teams with stars look for that hustle/glue guy. Alonzo Mourning was both. Mourning was Pete Rose (without the gambling).
On the defensive end he was unparalleled, culiminating with 3.9 blocks per game in the 1999 season. Just like any shotblocker, sometimes his best defense is when altering shots, not just blocking them. But Mourning was so much more. He was such an aggressive defender, that teams would simply just not even challenge him (Think Deion Sanders in his prime when teams just would not even throw at his half of the field). Just when you thought he was lining up to block a shot, he would take a charge. He would literally do anything, and give up anything he could to win. Literally.
This includes playing hurt. Mourning was hurt so often, and took enough shots and medications to keep playing through the pain and injuries that he lost his kidney. I am not a doctor, and perhaps Mourning was predisposed to kidney disease, but the drugs in his system for years couldn't have helped. And Mourning's kidney succombed to this overuse. What does Mourning do? He continues to play. He was a key member of that 2006 championship team. When Shaq went down with injuries, teams couldn't take advantage of his backup, because on most occasions, Shaq's backup was better than the other teams' starter. When Shaq was in foul trouble, or when Shaq needed a rest, Mourning was there. Mourning was no longer the star, but he still gave maximum effort, coming up with several huge defensive plays against the Mavericks in the championship series.
(New Jersey Nets fans may disagree with the preceeding paragraphs, but this isn't written from their perspective).
Out of the Heat players, for whom do you think the fans were most happy? With all due respect to Shaq's rapping skills with the Fu Shnickens when presciently talking about three of the Heat's 15 players in 1993's "What's Up Doc?", "Not Christian Laetnner, Not Alonzo Mourning", Shaq was wrong. It was all about Zo. As far as the Miami Heat fans go, it will always be about Zo.
Shaq's talent may have finally brought the Miami Heat the championship that they were close to achieving when Zo was the star, but ask many fans who the best player in Heat history is, and the answer will almost unanimously be "Alonzo Mourning".
At least until this Wade kid gets some experience under his belt.
The current state of the Heat has to start and end with the phenomenally gifted and tough, Dwyane Wade. I remember where I was when Wade was drafted. About 18 of us went to watch a minor league baseball game in my town, and I was about 7 beers in when it came time for the Heat to pick fifth in that draft. You might have heard of that draft, the first four picks were: (1) Lebron James; (2) Darko Milicic; (3) Carmelo Anthony (or as sinickal would say - "My man, my Melo"); and (4) Chris Bosh. Now, as much as I root for the Heat, there was no way I was staying home to watch the NBA draft, but I did follow it online through my phone. I registered for a text update everytime a pick was made. The Heat organization had been floating rumors about all kinds of picks, Kirk Hinrich and the immortal Pole turned Swede, Maciej Lampe among them. Lampe's name was being thrown around a ton for about the 3 or 4 days before the draft. My boy George, not in any way, shape or form to be confused with Boy George, looks at me and goes, "Wade, nice pick". (Lampe by the way now plays for Khimki BC in the Russian Basketball League).
Now, I actually liked the pick when I first heard it. Wade was fresh off leading Marquette to the Final Four, complete with the first triple double in the NCAA tournament since Magic Johnson. Wade did that in the regional finals against Kentucky. (Sinickal and I attended that Final Four in New Orleans, what a trip). Heat fans were optimistic with the Wade pick after a series of drafts that included the likes of Willie Burton, Alec Kessler and "Baby Jordan" Howard Minor (Yes, I know it's really Harold, but it doesn't really matter what his name is as good as he played). Things were looking up.
Now, as great a player as Wade was and is, you cannot win a championship by yourself, LeBron James circa 2007 notwithstanding. As Wade grew as a player, the question then became, how are we going to surround Wade with the proper players to get to a championship level. Enter Shaquille O'Neal.
Shaquille O'Neal is quite possibly the most physically imposing player the NBA has ever had, and is definitely the most physically gifted since Wilt Chamberlain. As an organization, the Heat surrounded Wade with not only the right parts and pieces, but with literally the one player in the league that could single-handedly take the pressure off Wade both on the court by attracting double teams in the post, and off the court with the media and local sponsors. As we all know, this led to the 2006 NBA championship.
After 2006, the Heat tried to repeat, but had remarkably gotten older almost overnight. Crippled with Shaq and Wade missing a lot of games with injuries, the team limped into the playoffs where they were summarily swept by a much younger and more athletic Chicago Bull squad.
This year, the team has started rebuilding by casting off some of the outside pieces from 2006 (James Posey, Jason Kapono, Gary Payton and my personal favorite - Antoine Walker) and trying to get younger (playing Dorrell Wright, signing Smush Parker) but with injuries to Shaq and Wade, Udonis Haslem having a subpar shooting year, Jason Williams losing a step, and the Heat actually playing Chris Quinn (how on earth is he in the NBA?!), the Heat has the worst record in the NBA. Dwyane Wade is an All-Star starter, so that is something, but even that is rather dubious as he now becomes the All-Star starter with the worst team record in the history of the NBA All-Star game.
The team has made some bad moves, they are handcuffed by salary and are remarkably old and unathletic as a team. At least they have a championship, which should abate some criticism from the few fans that exist. Exit Shaq.
Out west, the Spurs are the Spurs, the Mavericks are the Mavericks, New Orleans is rising with Chris Paul and David West, the Nuggets are exciting with Carmelo, Iverson and Marcus Camby, Houston has T-Mac and Yao, the Lakers have Kobe and the Suns are the most exciting team of all to watch. The Lakers swing the deal with Memphis to get Pau Gasol to go with Kobe, Lamar Odom, and the stabilizing force of Derek Fisher at point. All of sudden, the team with the best record, the Phoenix Suns, who at times have been robotic and lackadaisacal despite their record, felt they had to do something. Enter Shaq.
With this deal, the Suns get the Big Aristotle himself, while sending Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to the Heat. This column is going to be long enough as it is, so I will refrain from commenting (at least for now) on how this will affect the Suns. For the Heat, this deal is a godsend.
First, Shaquille was hardly playing, and he when he was available, teams were collapsing on him, not letting him do anything once he received the ball in the post as the Heat perimeter players don't scare anybody. Second, Shaq has become an on-the-ball defensive liability in the post, racking up fouls like they were his job. Third, with his $20 million dollar salary, there was no hope at getting a high level player to help him and Wade. Exit Shaq.
Now, the Heat have a lineup that includes Wade (when healthy), Shawn Marion, Udonis Haslem, Mark Blount, Jason Williams with Ricky Davis and Dorrell Wright coming off the bench. Marcus Banks should now take the place of Chris Quinn. Now the Heat have about as good a chance of making the playoffs as Mike Huckabee has of winning the Republican nomination for President, but they do have a chance to make games exciting if Pat Riley will do one thing: RUN! Turn into the Suns. Make the games 125 - 118. The team has suddenly gotten athletic, and if they have any plans for the future, entice future free agents by making the game look fun. Get up and down the court, alley-oop, let Williams jack up threes on the fast break and let Marion go get the rebound when necessary. Give the fans a reason to want to attend the game, regardless of record. And then hope for a top 3 pick in next year's draft to address any deficiencies that they still have (which will be many). If not a top 3 pick, maybe a fast point guard like Darren Collison could be available to continue running. Use what you have. That is what the front office did by trading Shaq. Instead of putting pieces into the puzzle, use the pieces you have to make an entirely different picture.
Us Heat fans will thank Shaq for leading the team to a title and for making Miami a relevant team in the NBA. We will also follow and root for Shaq out west. No ill-will to Shaq at all, but it was time to go.
Alonzo Mourning, however, will never be replaced.
Ever since Mourning came to the Heat in the 1995-1996 season, Mourning became the Heat. Sure he scored 23.2 points/game, had 10.4 rebounds/game and blocked 2.7 shots per game that season, but he was much more than statistics. He epitomized heart and hustle. He was one of those rare athletes who not only had talent, but was also one of the hustle guys that would dive after every loose ball, take the extra base or take the extra hit from the linebacker for that additional yard and a half. Most teams with stars look for that hustle/glue guy. Alonzo Mourning was both. Mourning was Pete Rose (without the gambling).
On the defensive end he was unparalleled, culiminating with 3.9 blocks per game in the 1999 season. Just like any shotblocker, sometimes his best defense is when altering shots, not just blocking them. But Mourning was so much more. He was such an aggressive defender, that teams would simply just not even challenge him (Think Deion Sanders in his prime when teams just would not even throw at his half of the field). Just when you thought he was lining up to block a shot, he would take a charge. He would literally do anything, and give up anything he could to win. Literally.
This includes playing hurt. Mourning was hurt so often, and took enough shots and medications to keep playing through the pain and injuries that he lost his kidney. I am not a doctor, and perhaps Mourning was predisposed to kidney disease, but the drugs in his system for years couldn't have helped. And Mourning's kidney succombed to this overuse. What does Mourning do? He continues to play. He was a key member of that 2006 championship team. When Shaq went down with injuries, teams couldn't take advantage of his backup, because on most occasions, Shaq's backup was better than the other teams' starter. When Shaq was in foul trouble, or when Shaq needed a rest, Mourning was there. Mourning was no longer the star, but he still gave maximum effort, coming up with several huge defensive plays against the Mavericks in the championship series.
(New Jersey Nets fans may disagree with the preceeding paragraphs, but this isn't written from their perspective).
Out of the Heat players, for whom do you think the fans were most happy? With all due respect to Shaq's rapping skills with the Fu Shnickens when presciently talking about three of the Heat's 15 players in 1993's "What's Up Doc?", "Not Christian Laetnner, Not Alonzo Mourning", Shaq was wrong. It was all about Zo. As far as the Miami Heat fans go, it will always be about Zo.
Shaq's talent may have finally brought the Miami Heat the championship that they were close to achieving when Zo was the star, but ask many fans who the best player in Heat history is, and the answer will almost unanimously be "Alonzo Mourning".
At least until this Wade kid gets some experience under his belt.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2008
The NFL announced the 6 newest members of its Hall of Fame today, having elected former Washington Redskins Darrell Green in his first opportunity, Art Monk in his seventh, former Patriot Andre Tippett, former Charger/49er Fred Dean, former Minnesota Viking Gary Zimmerman and former Kansas City Chief star cornerback Emmitt Thomas.
These six electees are more than qualified to be members of the NFL's hallowest halls.
Darrell Green played for 20 years at the one position on the football field at which speed, in most cases the first skill that decreases with age, cornerback. Green never seemed to lose his world class speed, and always covered the opposing team's best receiver. He finished his career with 54 interceptions. Not bad for a guy who allegedly was second only to Carl Lewis in the 100 meter dash on several occasions.
Fellow Redskin Art Monk had an incredible career finishing with 820 receptions, during a time which featured less passing and more concentration on the running game. What is even more amazing, it took him seven attempts until the sportswriters felt that he was worthy. What on earth are the sportswriters thinking? Perhaps they should get their heads out of their ass from time to time and actually pay attention to their votes, as well as the people on which they are voting.
Now please allow me this segue. A couple of other nominees did not make the Hall of Fame, notably Cris Carter. Carter only finished his career with the second most receptions and touchdown catches in HISTORY!!! He doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame? Now I understand that not everyone can be elected each year, and I have no doubt that Carter will be in the Hall of Fame in the next couple of years, but in this case, how is he not elected in his first year. We will no doubt hear and read a lot about how Monk's election meant that Carter is going to have to wait, and a bunch of other crap, but what will really know about this experience is that the NFL Hall of Fame is voted on by older, stale and out-of-their mind reporters.
I have read from several reporters and columnists how bloggers are rampant in the sports world, and without any checks or integrity can say whatever they want. That is true, and most bloggers are just writing their opinions and not trying to be reporters or take over the legitimate journalist's jobs. But what we do see by bloggers, especially sports bloggers, is that sometime a fresh (young?) perspective is necessary. Nowhere is this more important than in Hall of Fame voting.
Back to the electees, Andre Tippett was one of my favorite players to watch back in his day. Of course he was no Lawrence Taylor, but then again, who is?
Gary Zimmerman was an absolute force as a lineman for the Vikings and Broncos, and it is good to see the Hall elect another player from the highly underrepresented offensive line.
Now seems like a good time for my second rant. Russ Grimm, Bob Kuchenberg and Randall McDaniel were not elected into the Hall. I have no doubt that at least Grimm, and at most all 3 will eventually be elected. McDaniel was an absolutely bulldozer on the line and with his dark visor on his helmet looked just downright mean!!! The dearth of lineman, particularly offensive lineman, in the hall of Fame is astounding. By numbers they represent almost half of the offense, and given that volume, the voters need to take a good look at a ton of the offensive lineman being considered in the next few years, and make sure that they watch film to get a true sense of these behemoths. If I had a vote, I want to be on record of supporting Grimm, Kuchenberg and McDaniel, and other offensive line stars as well.
I really have no opinion on Fred Dean and Emmitt Thomas, having not had the opportunity to really watch them play, but I have no quarrels with their selection. Congratulations to them.
Rant number 3 - Ray Guy. Guy is simply the best player in the history of the game at his position. Yes, I understand that he is a punter, but the last time I checked, the position of punter existed in the game of football. If the league is going to allow players to kick the ball on the field, those that are the best at kicking the ball need to be rewarded. Ray Guy deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. PERIOD!!!
Now, I understand that there are only limited space in each class (the NFL requires at least 4 and no more than 7 members of each class), and that with those restrictions, not every deserving candidate can be elected every year, but what we see with the current voting is absolutely asinine. Changes need to be made, and I suggest that the voters need to be more highly scrutinized, and even changed. Perhaps term limits should be considered.
On a personal note, as a Bears fan I would love to see Richard Dent in the Hall of Fame, "The sack man's coming, I'm your man Dent. If the Quarterback's slow, he's gonna get bent." Perhaps that day will come soon. His stats show that he is Hall of Fame caliber, but I didn't address this much more because I didn't want my fandom to overshadow the rest of my rants.
Anyway, congratulations to Green, Monk, Tippett, Zimmerman, Dean and Thomas. With Monk finally elected, and going in with his former teammate Green, the Redskins fans will be in Canton in force. However, for my two cents, pay attention to Tippett's speech. He is sure to speak about larger and more important topics than just football and the Hall of Fame.
These six electees are more than qualified to be members of the NFL's hallowest halls.
Darrell Green played for 20 years at the one position on the football field at which speed, in most cases the first skill that decreases with age, cornerback. Green never seemed to lose his world class speed, and always covered the opposing team's best receiver. He finished his career with 54 interceptions. Not bad for a guy who allegedly was second only to Carl Lewis in the 100 meter dash on several occasions.
Fellow Redskin Art Monk had an incredible career finishing with 820 receptions, during a time which featured less passing and more concentration on the running game. What is even more amazing, it took him seven attempts until the sportswriters felt that he was worthy. What on earth are the sportswriters thinking? Perhaps they should get their heads out of their ass from time to time and actually pay attention to their votes, as well as the people on which they are voting.
Now please allow me this segue. A couple of other nominees did not make the Hall of Fame, notably Cris Carter. Carter only finished his career with the second most receptions and touchdown catches in HISTORY!!! He doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame? Now I understand that not everyone can be elected each year, and I have no doubt that Carter will be in the Hall of Fame in the next couple of years, but in this case, how is he not elected in his first year. We will no doubt hear and read a lot about how Monk's election meant that Carter is going to have to wait, and a bunch of other crap, but what will really know about this experience is that the NFL Hall of Fame is voted on by older, stale and out-of-their mind reporters.
I have read from several reporters and columnists how bloggers are rampant in the sports world, and without any checks or integrity can say whatever they want. That is true, and most bloggers are just writing their opinions and not trying to be reporters or take over the legitimate journalist's jobs. But what we do see by bloggers, especially sports bloggers, is that sometime a fresh (young?) perspective is necessary. Nowhere is this more important than in Hall of Fame voting.
Back to the electees, Andre Tippett was one of my favorite players to watch back in his day. Of course he was no Lawrence Taylor, but then again, who is?
Gary Zimmerman was an absolute force as a lineman for the Vikings and Broncos, and it is good to see the Hall elect another player from the highly underrepresented offensive line.
Now seems like a good time for my second rant. Russ Grimm, Bob Kuchenberg and Randall McDaniel were not elected into the Hall. I have no doubt that at least Grimm, and at most all 3 will eventually be elected. McDaniel was an absolutely bulldozer on the line and with his dark visor on his helmet looked just downright mean!!! The dearth of lineman, particularly offensive lineman, in the hall of Fame is astounding. By numbers they represent almost half of the offense, and given that volume, the voters need to take a good look at a ton of the offensive lineman being considered in the next few years, and make sure that they watch film to get a true sense of these behemoths. If I had a vote, I want to be on record of supporting Grimm, Kuchenberg and McDaniel, and other offensive line stars as well.
I really have no opinion on Fred Dean and Emmitt Thomas, having not had the opportunity to really watch them play, but I have no quarrels with their selection. Congratulations to them.
Rant number 3 - Ray Guy. Guy is simply the best player in the history of the game at his position. Yes, I understand that he is a punter, but the last time I checked, the position of punter existed in the game of football. If the league is going to allow players to kick the ball on the field, those that are the best at kicking the ball need to be rewarded. Ray Guy deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. PERIOD!!!
Now, I understand that there are only limited space in each class (the NFL requires at least 4 and no more than 7 members of each class), and that with those restrictions, not every deserving candidate can be elected every year, but what we see with the current voting is absolutely asinine. Changes need to be made, and I suggest that the voters need to be more highly scrutinized, and even changed. Perhaps term limits should be considered.
On a personal note, as a Bears fan I would love to see Richard Dent in the Hall of Fame, "The sack man's coming, I'm your man Dent. If the Quarterback's slow, he's gonna get bent." Perhaps that day will come soon. His stats show that he is Hall of Fame caliber, but I didn't address this much more because I didn't want my fandom to overshadow the rest of my rants.
Anyway, congratulations to Green, Monk, Tippett, Zimmerman, Dean and Thomas. With Monk finally elected, and going in with his former teammate Green, the Redskins fans will be in Canton in force. However, for my two cents, pay attention to Tippett's speech. He is sure to speak about larger and more important topics than just football and the Hall of Fame.
NBA All Star Game
The NBA All-Star game is nigh, and on the eve of the Super Bowl, We Make It Rain feel that it is almost time to start caring about basketball. That is why we are going to offer our own suggestions for the rosters of the NBA All-Star game. A few rules. (1) The starting five are going to be the five players - one at each position - in each conference who I feel deserve to start this year; (2) the seven backups are going to be selected just like they are in the NBA - 2 forwards, 1 center, 2 guards and 2 from any position; (3) my substitutes are going to selected to fill in gaps and/or weaknesses in the starting lineup; and (4) if a selection seems close, I will give a little more weight to someone who has not been in the game before. My team, my rules. On to the selections.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Starting Lineup
SF - LeBron James
PF - Kevin Garnett
C - Dwight Howard
PG - Chauncey Billups
SG - Dwyane Wade
Most of the starters should seem self-explanatory. I selected Billups over the actual starter Jason Kidd because I feel that he is simply better at this stage of Kidd's career. With James, Garnett and Wade, this team isn't going to lack for passing anyway.
Substitutes
F - Caron Butler
F - Antawn Jamison
C - Chris Bosh
G - Michael Redd
G - Richard Hamilton
When I look at the starting lineup, Chauncey Billups is the only player with true 3 point range, although both James and Wade can get hot from three. Because of this, Redd is selected. He is the purest shooter in the east, at least among those with talent enough to be an All-Star. Butler has a good mid-range game, as does Richard Hamilton. I don't believe any explanation is needed for Bosh. Jamison is an interesting player because he can score on almost anyone in the paint with his quick release, but is also unselfish enough to lead a good second unit.
At-Large Selections
Jose Calderon
Joe Johnson
From the first ten selections, it is apparent that the team needs a bit more size and another pure ball handler. Jose Calderon plain and simply deserves it, and gives the team another point guard. Johnson doesn't address the teams issue of size, but with Howard, Bosh and Garnett, this east team is very active. Assuming nobody is in foul trouble, the length of Bosh and Garnett might be enough.
Left off from the actual rosters are Jason Kidd and Paul Pierce. Both excellent players, but I felt Calderon and Johnson deserve it a bit more this year.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Starters
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Marcus Camby
C - Tyson Chandler
PG - Steve Nash
SG - Kobe Bryant
Now this team is very interesting, especially when compared with the actual Western Conference starters. No Allen Iverson, Yao Ming or Tim Duncan. Some of this will be remedied with the substitutes, but I did simply want to mention a couple of facts here. Duncan doesn't seem to be having his best year. Is he one of the best 4 or 5 players on the planet - Yes. But, do Camby and Chandler need to be rewarded for their phenomenal seasons to date - Absolutely. Chandler especially adds something on the defensive end, which will be important with Garnett, Howard and Bosh on the floor. Therefore, no Ming, Duncan or Iverson.
Substitutes
F - Dirk Nowitzki
F - Carlos Boozer
C - Amare Stoudemire
G - Allen Iverson
G - Chris Paul
Iverson and Paul would be starting on almost any other All-Star team, and deserve the nod. Nowitzki gives us an additional pure shooter to go with Nash. Anthony and Bryant can also be streaky from the outside. With Bryant and Anthony as great slashers who can get into the paint (as can Paul and Nash from the point guard position), Boozer and Stoudemire are incredibly active and can work their way open on the inside for easy baskets.
At-Large Selections
Al Jefferson
Brandon Roy
I wanted to add David West to this team, but I couldn't select him over Al Jefferson simply because Jefferson is on an absolutely abysmal team. Brandon Roy is an exciting young player that can do a lot of things well.
Key omissions include West, Baron Davis, the three big Spurs, Yao Ming and Chris Kaman, all of whom could make the All-Star team in a normal year. Ginobili is having the best year out of all of the Spurs, and Duncan is simply the best player while Parker makes everything go, but none of them seem to be having that "wow" type of season as they normally have. Couple that with rather exceptional seasons by Jefferson, Chandler, and just the absolute outstanding play by seemingly all of the guards in the west, and we simply don't have enough room for all of the deserving players on the roster. Anyway, Duncan, Parker and Ginobili probably want the rest, after playing well into June for seemingly the last decade.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Starting Lineup
SF - LeBron James
PF - Kevin Garnett
C - Dwight Howard
PG - Chauncey Billups
SG - Dwyane Wade
Most of the starters should seem self-explanatory. I selected Billups over the actual starter Jason Kidd because I feel that he is simply better at this stage of Kidd's career. With James, Garnett and Wade, this team isn't going to lack for passing anyway.
Substitutes
F - Caron Butler
F - Antawn Jamison
C - Chris Bosh
G - Michael Redd
G - Richard Hamilton
When I look at the starting lineup, Chauncey Billups is the only player with true 3 point range, although both James and Wade can get hot from three. Because of this, Redd is selected. He is the purest shooter in the east, at least among those with talent enough to be an All-Star. Butler has a good mid-range game, as does Richard Hamilton. I don't believe any explanation is needed for Bosh. Jamison is an interesting player because he can score on almost anyone in the paint with his quick release, but is also unselfish enough to lead a good second unit.
At-Large Selections
Jose Calderon
Joe Johnson
From the first ten selections, it is apparent that the team needs a bit more size and another pure ball handler. Jose Calderon plain and simply deserves it, and gives the team another point guard. Johnson doesn't address the teams issue of size, but with Howard, Bosh and Garnett, this east team is very active. Assuming nobody is in foul trouble, the length of Bosh and Garnett might be enough.
Left off from the actual rosters are Jason Kidd and Paul Pierce. Both excellent players, but I felt Calderon and Johnson deserve it a bit more this year.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Starters
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Marcus Camby
C - Tyson Chandler
PG - Steve Nash
SG - Kobe Bryant
Now this team is very interesting, especially when compared with the actual Western Conference starters. No Allen Iverson, Yao Ming or Tim Duncan. Some of this will be remedied with the substitutes, but I did simply want to mention a couple of facts here. Duncan doesn't seem to be having his best year. Is he one of the best 4 or 5 players on the planet - Yes. But, do Camby and Chandler need to be rewarded for their phenomenal seasons to date - Absolutely. Chandler especially adds something on the defensive end, which will be important with Garnett, Howard and Bosh on the floor. Therefore, no Ming, Duncan or Iverson.
Substitutes
F - Dirk Nowitzki
F - Carlos Boozer
C - Amare Stoudemire
G - Allen Iverson
G - Chris Paul
Iverson and Paul would be starting on almost any other All-Star team, and deserve the nod. Nowitzki gives us an additional pure shooter to go with Nash. Anthony and Bryant can also be streaky from the outside. With Bryant and Anthony as great slashers who can get into the paint (as can Paul and Nash from the point guard position), Boozer and Stoudemire are incredibly active and can work their way open on the inside for easy baskets.
At-Large Selections
Al Jefferson
Brandon Roy
I wanted to add David West to this team, but I couldn't select him over Al Jefferson simply because Jefferson is on an absolutely abysmal team. Brandon Roy is an exciting young player that can do a lot of things well.
Key omissions include West, Baron Davis, the three big Spurs, Yao Ming and Chris Kaman, all of whom could make the All-Star team in a normal year. Ginobili is having the best year out of all of the Spurs, and Duncan is simply the best player while Parker makes everything go, but none of them seem to be having that "wow" type of season as they normally have. Couple that with rather exceptional seasons by Jefferson, Chandler, and just the absolute outstanding play by seemingly all of the guards in the west, and we simply don't have enough room for all of the deserving players on the roster. Anyway, Duncan, Parker and Ginobili probably want the rest, after playing well into June for seemingly the last decade.
A Historical Look At The New York Giants
One of my favorite things to do from time to time is to take a look back at some of the rosters of past teams, once we have a chance to reflect on the careers of some of the players on those teams. For a prime example of this, look back at the rosters of the early 2000s Miami Hurricane teams. Just absolutely loaded.
However, in honor of the the Super Bowl, this entry is going to look back at the 1990 New York Giants football team. This is the team that went on to win Super Bowl XXV in Tampa, Florida, which admittedly is my favorite Super Bowl of all time. Some of the many reasons for this are: (1) I attended; (2) the Whitney Houston national anthem sung at the height of the first Gulf War; (3) the NFL announced its Silver Anniversay All-Super Bowl Team; (4) Thurman Thomas at the absolutely height of his career, and the only reason he did not win MVP was because of; (5) local legend Ottis Andersen winning MVP; (6) Giants with a 2:1 time of possession advantage; (7) Scott Norwood's miss; and (8) (did I mention that) I was at the game.
Well, anyway, this entry isn't a typical look back at the roster of a championship team. I want to highlight a particular portion of the team roster - the coaching staff. As most people know, Bill Parcells was the head coach, and as many of us have heard recently Bill Belichick (Defensive Coordinator) and Tom Coughlin (Wide Receivers) were both on that staff. That in and of itself is a ton of coaching talent. But that wasn't it. The remaing coaches were:
Ron Erhardt - Offensive Coordinator
Ray Handley - Running Backs
Mike Pope - Tight Ends
Fred Hoaglin - Offensive Line
Romeo Crennel - Defensive Line
Al Groh - Linebackers
Mike Sweatman - Special Teams Coordinator
Charlie Weis - Assistant Special Teams
The list of coaches that either had head coaching experience at the NFL or major college level, or became head coaches at that same level are: Parcells, Erhardt, Handley, Belichick, Crennel, Groh and Weis. Just absolutely amazing.
Seeing how that coaching staff turned out, it is amazing that Giants only won by a missed 47 yard field goal instead of absolutely routing the Buffalo Bills that year.
It remains to be seen if either of these two staffs in tomorrow's Super Bowl will ultimately measure up to the success of that 1990 New York Giants coaching staff. Only time will tell.
However, in honor of the the Super Bowl, this entry is going to look back at the 1990 New York Giants football team. This is the team that went on to win Super Bowl XXV in Tampa, Florida, which admittedly is my favorite Super Bowl of all time. Some of the many reasons for this are: (1) I attended; (2) the Whitney Houston national anthem sung at the height of the first Gulf War; (3) the NFL announced its Silver Anniversay All-Super Bowl Team; (4) Thurman Thomas at the absolutely height of his career, and the only reason he did not win MVP was because of; (5) local legend Ottis Andersen winning MVP; (6) Giants with a 2:1 time of possession advantage; (7) Scott Norwood's miss; and (8) (did I mention that) I was at the game.
Well, anyway, this entry isn't a typical look back at the roster of a championship team. I want to highlight a particular portion of the team roster - the coaching staff. As most people know, Bill Parcells was the head coach, and as many of us have heard recently Bill Belichick (Defensive Coordinator) and Tom Coughlin (Wide Receivers) were both on that staff. That in and of itself is a ton of coaching talent. But that wasn't it. The remaing coaches were:
Ron Erhardt - Offensive Coordinator
Ray Handley - Running Backs
Mike Pope - Tight Ends
Fred Hoaglin - Offensive Line
Romeo Crennel - Defensive Line
Al Groh - Linebackers
Mike Sweatman - Special Teams Coordinator
Charlie Weis - Assistant Special Teams
The list of coaches that either had head coaching experience at the NFL or major college level, or became head coaches at that same level are: Parcells, Erhardt, Handley, Belichick, Crennel, Groh and Weis. Just absolutely amazing.
Seeing how that coaching staff turned out, it is amazing that Giants only won by a missed 47 yard field goal instead of absolutely routing the Buffalo Bills that year.
It remains to be seen if either of these two staffs in tomorrow's Super Bowl will ultimately measure up to the success of that 1990 New York Giants coaching staff. Only time will tell.
Reason #1 We Hate American Hockey Fans
The readers of this blog may wonder why I actually went through the (admittedly minimal) time and effort of my last post. Well, first it was actually a legitimate post critiquing the NHL. Second, it was pretty much a set up for this post.
While hanging with my boy Alvaro having some wings and beer and watching the Maryland-Duke basketball game, we noticed that the NHL All-Star game was actually on one of the televisions in the sports bar. A kid next to me, already having quenched most of his thirst this evening, starts talking to us about the hockey game. Apparently, this kid (around 25 but acting 16) played hockey somewhere in Ohio where his family is "known in the local hockey community". He played some small college club hockey, and still plays in some adult club leagues now (and yes, they do have hockey leagues in Florida). He also made it known that he was a dual citizen - United States and Switzerland. I guess if war ever broke out in the Vatican he could claim U.S. status rather than having to guard the Pope.
Anyway, Alvaro has a theory as to why hockey is not very popular in the U.S, because most of the great players are not American. Swiss Miss then proceeds to tell us why this is. "Because the way the bigger American players are taught to play has been legislated out of the league. Things like clutching-and-grabbing aren't allowed, so the Americans that grew up playing clutch-and-grab defense cannot make it to the professional level. However, the Europeans grow up playing a wide open style of hockey, which is being rewarded by the NHL." Now, Swiss Miss may be right, but he was indignant about it. Almost as if he wanted to say, "How dare the NHL keep less skilled players from bullying those that actually have more speed and talent." Like each sport doesn't try to showcase those players that actually have talent and skill over those less talented (the Pat Riley era Knicks notwithstanding). What a dope. This guy probably likes soccer's offside rule as well. The reason we hate hockey fans like this guy is:
THEY ACTUALLY THINK THEIR FAVORITE SPORT IS RELEVANT!
The NHL All-Star game was showing on one television out of 80 in this bar. ONE! The people were watching the Duke-Maryland basketball game (which by the way, if you haven't seen Bambale Osby play - make sure you catch him).
If the NHL is ever going to be popular in the United States it needs to: (1) Play on a real network; (2) reward the most skilled players - or at least not hinder the most skilled players; (3) find somehow for the true athleticism of the players to be showcased through the television camera; and (4) have hockey fans like Swiss Miss shut their traps until they actually know about what they are talking.
While hanging with my boy Alvaro having some wings and beer and watching the Maryland-Duke basketball game, we noticed that the NHL All-Star game was actually on one of the televisions in the sports bar. A kid next to me, already having quenched most of his thirst this evening, starts talking to us about the hockey game. Apparently, this kid (around 25 but acting 16) played hockey somewhere in Ohio where his family is "known in the local hockey community". He played some small college club hockey, and still plays in some adult club leagues now (and yes, they do have hockey leagues in Florida). He also made it known that he was a dual citizen - United States and Switzerland. I guess if war ever broke out in the Vatican he could claim U.S. status rather than having to guard the Pope.
Anyway, Alvaro has a theory as to why hockey is not very popular in the U.S, because most of the great players are not American. Swiss Miss then proceeds to tell us why this is. "Because the way the bigger American players are taught to play has been legislated out of the league. Things like clutching-and-grabbing aren't allowed, so the Americans that grew up playing clutch-and-grab defense cannot make it to the professional level. However, the Europeans grow up playing a wide open style of hockey, which is being rewarded by the NHL." Now, Swiss Miss may be right, but he was indignant about it. Almost as if he wanted to say, "How dare the NHL keep less skilled players from bullying those that actually have more speed and talent." Like each sport doesn't try to showcase those players that actually have talent and skill over those less talented (the Pat Riley era Knicks notwithstanding). What a dope. This guy probably likes soccer's offside rule as well. The reason we hate hockey fans like this guy is:
THEY ACTUALLY THINK THEIR FAVORITE SPORT IS RELEVANT!
The NHL All-Star game was showing on one television out of 80 in this bar. ONE! The people were watching the Duke-Maryland basketball game (which by the way, if you haven't seen Bambale Osby play - make sure you catch him).
If the NHL is ever going to be popular in the United States it needs to: (1) Play on a real network; (2) reward the most skilled players - or at least not hinder the most skilled players; (3) find somehow for the true athleticism of the players to be showcased through the television camera; and (4) have hockey fans like Swiss Miss shut their traps until they actually know about what they are talking.
NHL All-Star Game
Last Sunday was the NHL All-Star game in the international hockey hotbed of Atlanta. [Cue Jermaine Dupri] "Welcome to Atlanta where the players play". The elected starters for the game were:
Eastern Conference
Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Pengiuns
Vincent LeCavalier - Tampa Bay Lightning
Andrei Markov - Montreal Canadians
Zdano Chara - Boston Bruins
Martin Broduer - New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
Jarome Iginla - Calgary Flames
Pavel Datsyuk - Detroit Red Wings
Henrik Zetterberg - Detroit Red Wings
Niklas Lidstrom - Detroit Red Wings
Dion Phaneuf - Calgary Flames
Roberto Luongo - Vancouver Canuks
Just like any All-Star game, once the substitutes are selected, there is much debate over which deserving players were left off the roster. In short, who got snubbed?
I can answer this question very simply. THE FANS!!! Nobody cares about the NHL All-Star game. In fact, nobody can even find it on television. I think it was on the Home and Garden Network.
As exciting as the sport of hockey can be, the league has made itself 100%, absolutely irrelevant.
Eastern Conference
Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Pengiuns
Vincent LeCavalier - Tampa Bay Lightning
Andrei Markov - Montreal Canadians
Zdano Chara - Boston Bruins
Martin Broduer - New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
Jarome Iginla - Calgary Flames
Pavel Datsyuk - Detroit Red Wings
Henrik Zetterberg - Detroit Red Wings
Niklas Lidstrom - Detroit Red Wings
Dion Phaneuf - Calgary Flames
Roberto Luongo - Vancouver Canuks
Just like any All-Star game, once the substitutes are selected, there is much debate over which deserving players were left off the roster. In short, who got snubbed?
I can answer this question very simply. THE FANS!!! Nobody cares about the NHL All-Star game. In fact, nobody can even find it on television. I think it was on the Home and Garden Network.
As exciting as the sport of hockey can be, the league has made itself 100%, absolutely irrelevant.
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