By: Jon Morrill
In the past two weeks, the Chicago Cubs have acquired two speedy defensive stalwarts with French-sounding names in Juan Pierre and Jacque Jones to help battle Le White Sox, Le Cardinals, Le Wind, Le Ivy, and Le Curse of Le Goat. Of course, both Jones and Pierre are American as apple pie and… well, French fries; with Jacque Jones being a native San Diegan and Juan Pierre from Alabama. But it’s a still fun angle to play.
Indeed the hot stove of Major League Baseball is piping hot with signings, arbitration and trades galore. We see teams overpaying for players usually considered above average, but nothing great. Teams create havoc for their budget in the future when they sign 27-year-olds to five-year deals that never work out. Ah, the smell of free agency in the off-season.
Continued from “We Are Penn State Football – Part I”
Michigan. As I’ve said before, when I see that word I instantly think scUM. It seems every season since Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference in 1993, scUM referees really like to have fun with Penn State coaches, players and fans. Penn State vs. Michigan, as young as the rivalry is, may turn into one of College Football’s most fierce rivalries in the coming seasons. It’s too bad it hasn’t turned into a major rivalry all around the College Football world already. Because of the size of the Big Ten, every season a few teams don’t end up playing each other. There is one team that a Big Ten team is locked into playing every season, in Penn State’s case it is Michigan State, for the very last game of every season. Mix in the recent bad years of Penn State with that and the PSU vs. scUM rivalry really just hasn’t blown up yet like it may very well.
Will Brett Favre retire? Should Brett Favre retire? Are the team and management letting Brett Favre down? Is Brett Favre letting them down? Who hasn’t asked these questions about the most beloved player, by media and fans, in football today? For weeks now, questions about Favre’s future have been as persistent as any other subject, including the Colts run towards perfection.
Most football analysts claim that Favre, at age 36, still has plenty of gas left in the tank. According to the analysts, the Packers are 3-11 because Favre has a weak supporting cast. They say he has no running game, a porous offensive line, and no playmaking receiver. To them, Favre’s play is never the culprit when the team fails to perform adequately. However, any astute analysis will show that it’s Favre who hasn’t performed adequately – for years.
By Ryan McGowan
My warmest regards for the holidays to all SportsColumn readers. After a long hiatus, BostonMac has emerged from his cocoon of semi-retirement to comment on the Yankees’ signing of Johnny Damon.
Is there any better early Christmas present than a whole slate of football games on Christmas Eve? What a great schedule.
Last week was a good week as most of us went 13-3 and only Trevor went 10-6. We’re looking to repeat that strong performance this week. Here we go with the Week 16 NFL picks.
Don’t forget the podcast to go with this week’s picks. You can listen/download the mp3 file directly here or you can subscribe to the podcast using this feed. If you have iTunes, go to your Advanced Menu, click on Subscribe to Podcast and enter this url: http://feeds.feedburner.com/nflpickspodcast
Black Shoes. Basic Blues. No Names. All Game.
It was a cold Saturday in early October. You know, the kind of day where just looking outside makes you gloomy inside. I was in Buffalo, NY for a baseball clinic the next morning and I arrived at the Marriott with my dad and younger brother a few hours before the Penn State vs. Michigan game was slated to start. PSU vs. scUM is more how I like to think about it. I hate Michigan. No, let me rephrase, I HATE scUM REFS! What are these guy’s real purposes? An average fan would tell you to conduct the rights and wrongs of a game/match, but then again isn’t that why instant replay was invented? An average fan would also tell you the job of a referee/umpire is to make sure things don’t get out of hand during events, but even an average fan must know that is not in fact the case (Pistons-Pacers brawl anyone?). So then why do we have referees? If you ask me, they were put on earth to give sports fans like myself a reason to complain. I’m not afraid to admit it. Sometimes it is mind-boggling the mistakes they make, makes you wonder why they even pay those sunovabitches.
The holidays are here and everyone is eager to go out and buy their loved ones gifts that they will enjoy. People go out to the malls in both Boston and New York looking to get the baseball fan in the family a nice new jersey. In New York hot sellers are a nice Derek Jeter jersey or maybe an Alex Rodriguez one. For people in Boston they probably go out and buy a nice David Ortiz jersey or Johnny Damon one. Oh wait! This just in, the Johnny Damon jersey’s are coming off the shelves today, and new ones are being put up on New York shelves. Why do you ask? Well the New York Yankees are proud to offer their beloved fans a new gift idea, a new blue and white pinstripe Johnny Damon jersey!
Ben Cherington and Jed Hoyer, Co-GM’s of the Boston Red Sox, have fans along Yawkey Way wondering why they woke this morning to find that the Grinch(es) had stolen Christmas. By allowing the Yankees to swipe Johnny Damon out from negotiations once controlled by Boston, these GM’s have crippled the team for 2006 leaving fans confused as to the direction this team is taking for the near future.
After dealing prospects for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell and adding, through another trade, a 34 year-old second baseman (Mark Loretta), it seemed that the Red Sox were bolstering their team for immediate impact in 2006. Then management dealt Edgar Renteria to Atlanta for top prospect Andy Marte. Though Renteria never got comfortable in Boston, this move weakens the team for the next few years. Because of the money sent to Atlanta in the deal, the Red Sox are effectively paying Marte $4 million a year as a back-up plan if Mike Lowell further declines. Finally, by remaining firm on their original 4 years for $40 million they allowed the Yankees to hang around in the Johnny Damon bidding long enough to lure him away for an extra $12 million, the Red Sox, barring a holiday miracle, have taken a big stride backwards from contention in 2006.
There’s one thing the Colts and Texans have in common, they’re both consistent. The Colts have been riding the top spot since week 2 and the Texans have been in the cellar since week 5. One loss and one win shouldn’t change this.
I know it’s Christmas week but I couldn’t resist a couple of shots at Michael Vick. Perhaps it’s just my way of countering the slobbering by Joe Theisman on Sunday night.