The Importance Of Music In My Life
August 31, 2008
10:53 pm
A lot of people state that music has a high importance in their lives. For some, this is more than it is for others, but when I say it -- I truly mean it. One of my friends told me I had Musical Tourette's (no offense to those afflicted with the real Tourette's Syndrome) because I will just burst out in a song at random. Being that I know music of all genres, all eras and a diverse set of artists, this could be any song at any time.
Lately, I've been in throwback mode. With music royally sucking since 2001, it's about the only way. I even get strange looks from people when they hear me bumpin' something from 1995 (one of the best years ever in music -- more on that later) as if it is illegal to not be a teenybopper only interested in the latest drop.
From time to time I like to go back to the 1990s, when Bad Boy Records had the mainstream on lock and even had the streets on smash with Craig Mack and The Notorious B.I.G. I recently dug in the proverbial crates and listened to some of that Bad Boy when it was still fresh -- Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear"... B.I.G.'s string of hits, "One More Chance (Remix)", "Who Shot Ya?", "Warning", and a lot of Total's music (one of the few artists whose remixes are BETTER than the original songs -- i.e. the remixes for "Kissin' You" and "No One Else").
The year 1995 was iconic for many reasons. Several artists were dropping albums at the same time. Danceable tracks, fresh debut albums, masterpiece music videos (when they were still thoughtful) and an overall vibe. Arguably, and in my humble opinion, "Can't U See" by Total, featuring The Notorious B.I.G. was the "Cookout Joint" of 1995. Everyone was playing it at their cookout. If you were in middle or high school, you bumped it incessantly. If you were all mushy, it was the perfect song. I don't know a soul who did not like that song. Having Biggie in it only made it better. When the video came out, we were all imitating Puff and Pam's moves. Good times!
The New Jack Swing era (1987-1994) is probably my favorite era. PERIOD. I love 70s music more than anyone except maybe my sister (try me). But the New Jack Swing was exploding just as I was getting into music NOT by Michael Jackson, Prince or the funk records my dad and uncles were always playing. Salsa was all but dead in the 1980s, so there wasn't much else going on but the Pop Scene aside from the burgeoning New Jack, which is merely a symmetrical fusion between Hip-Hop and R&B. However, it worked, because no one had obviously done before. Hip-Hop was relatively new and R&B was dead in the water in the 1980s until this point. I argue that it was necessary for both genres to not only survive but GROW as they have in the twenty years since. Uptown Records (Harlem!) founder Andre Harrell, an intern of his, Sean "Puffy" Combs and a good number of artists from Harlem, The Bronx, Mt. Vernon and Yonkers, New York made up the majority of their roster. However, one of the biggest and best acts on Uptown was a seminal group from Charlotte, North Carolina -- Jodeci. They burst upon the scene in 1991 and forever changed the way male groups did it (Jagged Edge can thank them every time someone buys one of their records). And naturally, this singer named Mary J. Blige has had a LIIIIIIIITLE impact on the game for the past sixteen years...
Some of the artists and groups that either began or prospered in the New Jack era include:
Heavy D. & The Boyz (Uptown).
Jodeci (Uptown).
Mary J. Blige (Uptown).
Christopher Williams (Uptown).
Guy (Uptown).
Soul 4 Real (Uptown).
Father MC (Uptown).
Keith Sweat.
Jade.
Bobby Brown.
Troop.
Bell Biv DeVoe.
Now when we work back to the 1970s, I could go on and on all day. This music is timeless. Groups like The Isley Brothers, Earth, Wind & Fire, The O'Jays, The Ohio Players, Kool & The Gang, Air Supply and many others dominated peoples' tape decks and eight track players. Thankfully, even though the music was several years old when my cousins and I came along, we were very much exposed to everything that our parents, aunts, uncles, older cousins and grandparents were jammin' to in the 1960s and 1970s. This is the reason I am very knowledgeable about music that came out before I was even born. Although it is definitely arguable, my favorite song out of this era (and possibly ever) is "For The Love Of You, Pt. I & II" by The Isley Brothers. Listen to it once, if you haven't already. It puts you in a zone. Words cannot express it, but it is great music -- very much indicative of the Isley sound from about 1972-1980.
Even though most good music came out prior to 2001 (I pity the crowd that is under 18 and thinks Chris Brown and Lil Wayne are as good as it gets), there is still good music out there. You just have to turn off the radio, TV and music videos in order to find it. The best artists, aside from a few, remain unsigned or underpromoted, falling victim to label politics. However, here are a few artists and groups who manage to garner my attention who have either come out from 2001 or later or rose to prominence during the time period and since:
Israel & New Breed.
Smokie Norful.
Jadakiss (solo).
Cam'ron
Jim Jones.
Juelz Santana.
JR Writer.
.40 Cal.
Jaheim.
JoAnn Rosario.
John Legend.
Joss Stone.
Adele.
Juanes.
Kanye West.
Lecrae.
Steven The Levite.
116 Clique.
Canton Jones.
And a few others. There is still good music to be had, but you have to search for it. Since most of the music-buying public buys into the publicity stunts by the likes of 50 Cent and those pushing the pop-tart princesses of the month, no one recognizes good music anymore. Either that, or they argue over who sells the most (as if that is a barometer for talent -- label politics, distribution and other contractual matters factor in much more).
Segue.
Let me talk a little bit about the music industry. From time to time, I venture onto YouTube to find the drop on some hidden gems and obscure vintage records. However, one thing I notice from the music from the 1970s to the late 1990s is that most of the COMMENTS on the videos there are usually appreciation for the artist's work and how the music moved them when they first heard it. Regardless of genre (including hip hop). However, today's music seems to be loaded with vitriol. There isn't any more or less than there was even in the late 1980s (for those who remember the classic LL Cool J and Kool Moe Dee rap battles, or the battles between Roxanne Shante, UTFO and the others). But my point is, I see a lot of people almost seemingly hoping for an artist's downfall. Or comparing them to another artist, because they don't sell as much as the other, and then bashing them talent-wise merely based upon this fact. Again, as I stated earlier, many of the people who buy records only buy what they see on TV and hear on the radio most. If your label doesn't afford you a large budget with which to promote your work or get you on TV like someone from a major label, then guess what? Fewer people are going to notice you. Fewer people will know when your album drops. Fewer people will know about your shows. Meaning, fewer people will buy your records and be able to support you the same way they can for someone who is plastered all over every form of media. It's that simple.
To take it a bit further, let's discuss some industry facts. A lot of people think they know about the inner workings of the music industry, especially the complicated ways in which everyone inside makes money. Some believe that if you don't sell 5 million copies of your record, you're broke. Some believe that the artists who perform are the biggest money-makers. Some believe that the only way to become successful is to sell their soul and make music that contradicts everything they stand for. Not so.
1. Publishing. This is the most important part of an artist's work. Whether you are a singer, rapper, songwriter, producer or anyone involved in the process of compiling the record, if you do not have your publishing through one of the arms in the industry (ASCAP - American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers or BMI - Broadcast Music, Inc.), people can in effect, steal your work and claim it as your own. I've seen it happen to people that I know, and many of us have witnessed it happen to people who are famous -- with all the lawsuits in court seemingly on a daily basis. Without this protection, no one can monitor when someone is performing a song that belongs to you, or whether they stole one of your beats or what have you. Those are just two of the organizations that assist artists in this manner. There are others, but those are the two best bets out there. They charge licensing fees and whenever your work is published and disseminated, you are repaid in what are called royalties. I have a few friends who have ASCAP and a couple who have BMI. If you are serious about your work, then get this done!
2. Royalties. Royalties enable you to be paid on a grand scale for your work. It's that simple. With the aforementioned publishing, your spins on radio can be tracked, if someone wants to sample your record for a beat, it can be tracked, how many units are distributed (which is how the RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America - computes whether someone went silver; 100,000 units, gold; 500,000 units, platinum 1,000,000 units or diamond 10,000,000+ units). This computation is not based upon records SOLD, but records SHIPPED.
For those who like to argue this point when discussing who their favorite rapper is what they sell, keep that in mind. Also, for those are seriously pursuing a career in music -- this is important to your wallet and long-term viability, because this is potentially residual income. Why? Because your work makes money when you aren't even working. If someone plays your record, you get paid. If someone samples your work and you give them the OK (see the case of Biz Markie in the early 1990s regarding sampling work -- it was landmark), then you get paid!
3. Points. This leads me to my third note. Points are important in that they dictate how much money you can make off the sales of a particular record. The simplest way to explain points is the same way they are computed for people who are in the mortgage industry or getting points on their mortgage when buying a house. Points are basically a percentage of the royalties that come from the sales of a particular work (usually an album of some sort). I would encourage those who enjoy producing beats and want to do it seriously to EDUCATE THEMSELVES on the inside-out of points -- it is the best way to make money long-term. Merely selling beats does not create residual income. If you get points on an album, obviously, people will buy it for years, and you will continue to get paid. Without points and with only selling the beat, you get what you negotiate at the point of sale (usually between $2,500 for a beginner using Fruity Loops or Pro Tools, to $30,000 The Heatmakers, Just Blaze and upwards of $100,000 for the likes of Timbaland, Dr. Dre, Swizz Beats, etc.) Accordingly, if you are able to get 3-5 points on an album, think of it as a commission. If a record ships 2 million copies, with an average retail of $12, you can easily profit anywhere between $750,000 to $1M from that record's deal. Some producers or writers can make up to 10 points or so from a record deal. The absolute best in the game are able to get almost all the credit for their work, which is how Jay-Z and Puff (although many industry heads know that this came at the expense of some of his artists and the relationship with them) amassed such fortunes. All you have to do is the math to see how it is very easy to make a fortune and NEVER sing or rap. You just have to know how to turn your talent into a profit within the industry somehow.
4. Distribution. As I discussed in an earlier blog entry, this is important to the promotion of your album. Without large distribution like Universal Records, Epic Records, Interscope or Columbia Records have, it is pretty tough to compete with an artist who has advertising, media placement and tons of albums shipped (even if you are more talented than they may be). If you cannot move units from print to warehouse to the outlets, you aren't going to sell records. Much worse, once it leaks and once people rip their CDs, people will bootleg it, which will decrease future sales. It is not NECESSARY to be on a major label to secure distribution, but it is the best way to ensure you ship enough records that the retailers will buy and are convinced will be sold in their stores. Again, with education and creativity, one can amass a serious fortune and never be on a major label. Besides, with the ground floor being flooded with new artists and the competition level, this is not always a viable option.
Segue.
5. Major Label vs. Independent Label. Some people have been led to believe that if you are not on Def Jam Records, or Bad Boy, or Aftermath or Def Soul, Geffen, Island, Columbia/So So Def or any of the leaders in Hip Hop, R&B, Pop and the other genres that dominate the scene, then you have no chance to make it in the business. Not true. Increasingly, artists are finding that the creativity that many of them sacrifice to get onto a major label is available on an independent label. Concurrently, one (if they are smart) can make even more money on an independent than they can initially on a major label, due to the fact that standard contracts that most new artists sign on a major label restrict an artist's creative freedom to choose producers, songwriting and many other things. The upside to being on a major is the amount of promotion that a talented (or not so talented) artist can receive. There will be billboards, commercials, music videos, radio airplay/spins that exceed anything that most independent label artists can achieve. However, this is not out of the reach of someone on an independent. Whereas most artists average about $2 per record sold in royalties (about 5-7 points, conversely), an independent artist can profit up to four times that, because they own almost all their publishing and don't have the overhead that a major label has, which cut into the artist's profits from an album THE ARTIST created. For those disgusted with the major label politics, an independent label may be the way to go.
A relatively new independent label, Koch Records, has burst upon the scene since the late 1990s with a burgeoning catalogue of artists -- the most visible being The Diplomats, who, at one point had distribution through Def Jam Records, Koch Records and Asylum/Warner Music Records. Obviously, for those with that level of distribution can profit up to twenty times more than an artist on a major label (keep in mind that artists receive nearly 80% of the profit of each album sold, whereas most artists on a major only receive about 10-12% -- this is worth noting when arguing over who sells more and who is broke, haha). But with all these factors at play, publishing, royalties, points, distribution and sales, you can see that going independent isn't the death wish that it once was. The bottom line is that one must be educated about all areas of the music business before breaking in, or else they will be taken for a serious ride.
Happy writing and massive sales!
I love music. I love the legal aspect of the industry, as well as the business aspect. Hopefully, I will be able to share more insight the more involved I get later on.
Peace.
As politically incorrect as I wanna be.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
An Affluent, White Harlem?
An Affluent, White Harlem?
by Andrew Beveridge
August 2008
Lenox Terrace, where U.S. Rep Charles Rangel had four apartments, now qualifies as a luxury building. Townhouses in Harlem sell for one, two and even more million dollars, as real estate developers build new condos in Hamilton Heights and elsewhere, Meanwhile Columbia University arranges to get much of West Harlem declared blighted so its expansion in Harlem, past the Fairway grocery store and Dinosaur Barbecue, can march on.
With the recent city rezoning of the area (see related story), many residents fear they will be pushed aside by new development. What is happening to Harlem? Is it becoming white? Is it becoming a neighborhood for the rich?
Harlem has gone through many changes since 1910. How far the latest transformation will go, though, remains to be seen.
As with many New York neighborhoods, defining Harlem's boundaries can be difficult. Central Harlem follows the definition set out by Gilbert Osofsky in his 1966 book Harlem: The Making of a Ghetto. The southern edge starts at 96th Street on the East Side; at Fifth Avenue and Central Park it goes up to 110th, and then cuts over to 106th Street on the West Side. The northern boundary of the area in most places is 155th Street, though it extends a bit further up on the East Side. Central Harlem is basically north of Central Park and east of Morningside and St. Nicholas avenues.
Prior to 1910, most of Harlem's settlers were middle class, including many notable African Americans. In the 1920s, an efflorescence of culture known as the Harlem Renaissance occurred, and the Apollo Theatre and the Savoy Ball Room were founded. As the "great migration" of blacks from the American South continued, and the size of the black population expanded, an area of concentrated poverty developed. Kenneth Clark's 1996 book, Dark Ghetto, certainly was influenced by Harlem.
Click on the image for full graph or view a text version here.The changes in Central Harlem and New York City are shown in the table. In 1910, Central Harlem was about 10 percent black, Greater Harlem was a little more than 4 percent black, while the rest of New York City was less than 2 percent black. By 1930, Central Harlem was over 70 percent black and Greater Harlem was about 35 percent black, but the rest of New York City was still less than 2 percent black. In short, by 1930, during the Harlem Renaissance, Central Harlem had become very definably black area in a largely white city. By 1950, Central Harlem was about 98 percent black, while Greater Harlem was 57.5 percent black.
Central Harlem lost more than half of its population between 1950 and 1980, and Greater Harlem also saw its population drop as well. This was a period of sharp economic decline in New York City, especially for the black community. This also marked the era of urban renewal, and many older housing units were razed either for public housing projects or for other apartment developments. The new developments did not come close to housing the same number of people. Almost all of the people who remained in Central Harlem, though, were black.
Since1980, Central Harlem has become less black, and by 2006 a smaller percentage of the population was black than in 1930. Meanwhile, the white and Hispanic populations rose. In 1980, there were 672 whites in Central Harlem, constituting about 0.6 percent of the population. By 2006 that figure had increased to 7,741 or about 6.6 percent. Hispanics accounted for 4.3 percent of Harlem residents in 1980, the first year they were classified separately. In 2006,that number reached 18.6 percent.
In short, there had been a turnaround of sorts in Harlem. The white population that had moved to Harlem by 2000 was distributed in many different areas. Between 1980 and 2000, there has been a decline in the concentration of blacks in Harlem. Furthermore, according to the 2006 American Community Survey, the overall decline in black population has continued.
In the early days of Harlem, the black community there was quite diverse, especially when African Americans in Harlem were compared to those who lived elsewhere. During the period of the rapid influx into the area, the level of concentrated poverty increased in Harlem. That accelerated during the 1950s through the 1970s with urban renewal, housing deterioration and a decline in population. At the same time, areas such as Southeast Queens attracted affluent black families.
Now it appears that areas of Harlem are sought after once again. By 2000 and 2006, there were areas of some highly affluent black and white residents. Median household income in Central Harlem had increased from about $13,765 in 1950 to over $26,161 in 2006, in 2006 dollars. Still, this figure is well below the median of $46,285 for the rest of New York City.
Harlem has changed from an impoverished area with a few middle-class families to one where some middle-class people, including a few whites, have moved in and made their homes. In some parts of Harlem, blacks have been joined by Hispanics, but that percentage has not grown much since 2000. Rather, the new residents of Harlem seem to be non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic, who consider themselves to be "other race," neither black nor white. The traditional townhouse areas around Strivers Row, Sugar Hill and Marcus Garvey Park have undergone a rebirth. Stores and restaurants catering to the affluent have opened in West Harlem, while Magic Johnson opened a Starbucks and a Multiplex on 125th Street, near where former President Bill Clinton has his office suite. Columbia University's expansion will bring more change to West Harlem.
What these changes portend for New York City's iconic black neighborhood is hard to fathom. On the one hand, new residents mean that Harlem will have more diversity of income, occupation, educational level and race than it did in the 1970s and 1980s. At the same time, the large stock of public housing and the relatively low income means that high levels of poverty will continue to be a feature of Harlem. Harlem will not lose its black majority or its high concentrations of poverty anytime soon.
Andrew A. Beveridge has taught sociology at Queens College since 1981, done demographic analyses for the New York Times since 1993, and been in charge of Gotham Gazette's demographics topic page since 2000. The opinions expressed are his alone.
by Andrew Beveridge
August 2008
Lenox Terrace, where U.S. Rep Charles Rangel had four apartments, now qualifies as a luxury building. Townhouses in Harlem sell for one, two and even more million dollars, as real estate developers build new condos in Hamilton Heights and elsewhere, Meanwhile Columbia University arranges to get much of West Harlem declared blighted so its expansion in Harlem, past the Fairway grocery store and Dinosaur Barbecue, can march on.
With the recent city rezoning of the area (see related story), many residents fear they will be pushed aside by new development. What is happening to Harlem? Is it becoming white? Is it becoming a neighborhood for the rich?
Harlem has gone through many changes since 1910. How far the latest transformation will go, though, remains to be seen.
As with many New York neighborhoods, defining Harlem's boundaries can be difficult. Central Harlem follows the definition set out by Gilbert Osofsky in his 1966 book Harlem: The Making of a Ghetto. The southern edge starts at 96th Street on the East Side; at Fifth Avenue and Central Park it goes up to 110th, and then cuts over to 106th Street on the West Side. The northern boundary of the area in most places is 155th Street, though it extends a bit further up on the East Side. Central Harlem is basically north of Central Park and east of Morningside and St. Nicholas avenues.
Prior to 1910, most of Harlem's settlers were middle class, including many notable African Americans. In the 1920s, an efflorescence of culture known as the Harlem Renaissance occurred, and the Apollo Theatre and the Savoy Ball Room were founded. As the "great migration" of blacks from the American South continued, and the size of the black population expanded, an area of concentrated poverty developed. Kenneth Clark's 1996 book, Dark Ghetto, certainly was influenced by Harlem.
Click on the image for full graph or view a text version here.The changes in Central Harlem and New York City are shown in the table. In 1910, Central Harlem was about 10 percent black, Greater Harlem was a little more than 4 percent black, while the rest of New York City was less than 2 percent black. By 1930, Central Harlem was over 70 percent black and Greater Harlem was about 35 percent black, but the rest of New York City was still less than 2 percent black. In short, by 1930, during the Harlem Renaissance, Central Harlem had become very definably black area in a largely white city. By 1950, Central Harlem was about 98 percent black, while Greater Harlem was 57.5 percent black.
Central Harlem lost more than half of its population between 1950 and 1980, and Greater Harlem also saw its population drop as well. This was a period of sharp economic decline in New York City, especially for the black community. This also marked the era of urban renewal, and many older housing units were razed either for public housing projects or for other apartment developments. The new developments did not come close to housing the same number of people. Almost all of the people who remained in Central Harlem, though, were black.
Since1980, Central Harlem has become less black, and by 2006 a smaller percentage of the population was black than in 1930. Meanwhile, the white and Hispanic populations rose. In 1980, there were 672 whites in Central Harlem, constituting about 0.6 percent of the population. By 2006 that figure had increased to 7,741 or about 6.6 percent. Hispanics accounted for 4.3 percent of Harlem residents in 1980, the first year they were classified separately. In 2006,that number reached 18.6 percent.
In short, there had been a turnaround of sorts in Harlem. The white population that had moved to Harlem by 2000 was distributed in many different areas. Between 1980 and 2000, there has been a decline in the concentration of blacks in Harlem. Furthermore, according to the 2006 American Community Survey, the overall decline in black population has continued.
In the early days of Harlem, the black community there was quite diverse, especially when African Americans in Harlem were compared to those who lived elsewhere. During the period of the rapid influx into the area, the level of concentrated poverty increased in Harlem. That accelerated during the 1950s through the 1970s with urban renewal, housing deterioration and a decline in population. At the same time, areas such as Southeast Queens attracted affluent black families.
Now it appears that areas of Harlem are sought after once again. By 2000 and 2006, there were areas of some highly affluent black and white residents. Median household income in Central Harlem had increased from about $13,765 in 1950 to over $26,161 in 2006, in 2006 dollars. Still, this figure is well below the median of $46,285 for the rest of New York City.
Harlem has changed from an impoverished area with a few middle-class families to one where some middle-class people, including a few whites, have moved in and made their homes. In some parts of Harlem, blacks have been joined by Hispanics, but that percentage has not grown much since 2000. Rather, the new residents of Harlem seem to be non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic, who consider themselves to be "other race," neither black nor white. The traditional townhouse areas around Strivers Row, Sugar Hill and Marcus Garvey Park have undergone a rebirth. Stores and restaurants catering to the affluent have opened in West Harlem, while Magic Johnson opened a Starbucks and a Multiplex on 125th Street, near where former President Bill Clinton has his office suite. Columbia University's expansion will bring more change to West Harlem.
What these changes portend for New York City's iconic black neighborhood is hard to fathom. On the one hand, new residents mean that Harlem will have more diversity of income, occupation, educational level and race than it did in the 1970s and 1980s. At the same time, the large stock of public housing and the relatively low income means that high levels of poverty will continue to be a feature of Harlem. Harlem will not lose its black majority or its high concentrations of poverty anytime soon.
Andrew A. Beveridge has taught sociology at Queens College since 1981, done demographic analyses for the New York Times since 1993, and been in charge of Gotham Gazette's demographics topic page since 2000. The opinions expressed are his alone.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
WHY PRAY?!?!?!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
-- Philippians 4:6
God is omniscient. In other words, he knows everything. There is nothing you or I can do, think or say that he is not aware of.
But do you ever wonder why God wants us to bring everything before him in prayer; why he wants us to ask for those things we need? After all, if God already knows what we need, why doesn't he just provide those things for us?
The answer, when we really think about it, is simple.
Yes, God knows all of our needs—emotional, relational, physical and spiritual. But he also knows that if we don't bring those needs before him, we may begin to believe that we are self-sufficient. If we don't bring our requests before God on a regular basis, we may forget the source of all we have been given.
When you have a need, don't forget to bring it before God "with thanksgiving." Be thankful that God has provided a way for you to communicate with him. Use prayer the way it was meant to be used—as a lifeline between you and your Provider. Because when you "present your requests to God," you will begin to realize the power that he truly has to give you what you need.
A Prayer for Today
Dear God, I know that everything I have comes from you. You are the source of all I need to live. I pray that I continue to acknowledge that fact by bringing my requests to you. Help me to rely solely on you and not on my own abilities and strengths. And help me to recognize my reliance on you so I can discover the life that you want me to live.
In Christ's name I pray, Amen.
-- Philippians 4:6
God is omniscient. In other words, he knows everything. There is nothing you or I can do, think or say that he is not aware of.
But do you ever wonder why God wants us to bring everything before him in prayer; why he wants us to ask for those things we need? After all, if God already knows what we need, why doesn't he just provide those things for us?
The answer, when we really think about it, is simple.
Yes, God knows all of our needs—emotional, relational, physical and spiritual. But he also knows that if we don't bring those needs before him, we may begin to believe that we are self-sufficient. If we don't bring our requests before God on a regular basis, we may forget the source of all we have been given.
When you have a need, don't forget to bring it before God "with thanksgiving." Be thankful that God has provided a way for you to communicate with him. Use prayer the way it was meant to be used—as a lifeline between you and your Provider. Because when you "present your requests to God," you will begin to realize the power that he truly has to give you what you need.
A Prayer for Today
Dear God, I know that everything I have comes from you. You are the source of all I need to live. I pray that I continue to acknowledge that fact by bringing my requests to you. Help me to rely solely on you and not on my own abilities and strengths. And help me to recognize my reliance on you so I can discover the life that you want me to live.
In Christ's name I pray, Amen.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
NFL 2008: Predictions - Vol. XIX
Well, well, well... the NFL season has FINALLY gotten here. We were just watching the Super Bowl seven months ago, saying we didn't want football to go away -- but this year has FLOWN BY (thank God -- let's start the countdown to the third week in May 2009 already LOL). NFL 2008 is HERE!
With that said, let's get right into the prognostications and analysis division by division and conference by conference.
*** PLEASE BE ADVISED THE RECORDS WILL NOT COMPUTE EXACTLY -- THEY ARE MERELY TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT I BELIEVE THE TEAM WILL PERFORM LIKE AND WHERE THEY WILL FINISH IN THEIR RESPECTIVE DIVISIONS. NO SMART ALECK EMAILS ABOUT THE COMPUTATION BEING UNEVEN. Thanks.***
National Football Conference
NFC East Division:
1. Dallas Cowboys. Dallas has the most talent in the NFC and possibly the NFL as a whole. No one can sensibly argue that. Their problems are 1) out of control egos in Terrell Owens and Tony Romo (who refused to listen to Parcells' advice!) 2) questionable receiving corps without Glenn now 3) their history of flat out CHOKING in the playoffs in recent years, where they have not won a playoff game since 1996. That said, Owens is still the 2nd or 3rd best WR in the NFL and it will be interesting to see if Marion Barber III can be as effective carrying the ball 25 times a game with defensive coordinators scheming to take him out of the game and get after Romo. I still think they will be the team to beat in the end, but again, they have that postseason thing to shake.
Their special teams are average.
They are like the 1990s Atlanta Braves of MLB! They win a ton of regular season games, but don't do squat in the playoffs. More of the same this year, now that Big Blue showed the NFL "how to do this" (i.e. getting after Romo). Whoever they play in the Wild Card this year will do the same.
As for the regular season - 12-4.
2. New York Giants. The New York Football Giants were already being counted out by the perennial haters (ESPN, FOX Sports, irrational Cowboy and Iggles fans, people who hate New York City in general and those with inferiority complexes that can't stand to see others succeed, etc. etc. etc.) the minute the defections from the Super Bowl-winning team began. Gibril Wilson left, then Kawika Mitchell, then Reggie Torbor. Then Strahan retired. Then we trade Shockey. Then Plaxico Burress' ankle messes up again in training camp and finally, Osi Umenyiora's knee injury knocks him out for the season. That only made the irrationale even worse. Even with all those setbacks, the Giants quietly acquired Danny Clark to fill Mitchell's shoes (Clark is better in all areas as a linebacker, BTW), they acquired Sammy "Good" Knight to replace Wilson and drafted Kenny Phillips, to play strong and free safety, respectively. Phillips hits harder than anyone in the secondary that the Giants have had since Shaun Williams' first year in 1998 (before he got soft). Aaron Ross and Webster are MORE than capable in the secondary, provided the front seven gets adequate pressure, which it will.
Special teams look good, especially with Domenik Hixon emerging.
Much has been made about what Spaggs (Giants' defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo) will do to fill the void of Strahan and Umenyiora. Yes, it is a loss of 23 sacks. But only Osi's knee injury is shocking. People knew Strahan was going to retire if we won the Super Bowl. We did. So he did. Justin Tuck is going to give left tackles fits all season. Kiwanuka will do the same to right tackles. Add to the fact that at times the Giants can shift Kiwanuka back to strongside linebacker and put Renaldo Wynn at left end, move Tuck inside to defensive tackle and shift Dave Tollefson to right end (or put Clark at strongside and put Kiwanuka at right end with Tuck inside at DT, Wynn at LE) and you see the Giants AREN'T out of options here, defensively in regards to pressuring the QB. What they CANNOT avoid is another injury to anyone in the front seven. Antonio Pierce is the ONE player who was indispensible on the front seven even with Osi being considered. Yes, I'm serious. Yes, I'm sane. The offense is better than people think. Eli has swag now. Jacobs, if he stays healthy, will be a 1,200 guy. Ward and Bradshaw give you a couple of different looks as the Giants have the deepest RB corps in the NFL. Burress, "Well-Dressed" Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, Domenik Hixon, Mario Manningham, David Tyree give Eli Manning a plethora of weapon. Shockey's trade is overpublicized. Kevin Boss played great after Shockey broke his leg. The Giants will be fine.
New York Giants (pre-Umenyiora injury) 11-5.
New York Giants (post-Umeyiora injury) 10-6.
Again, the injuries and players who have left the team aren't as big of a deal as people make it seem.
3. Washington Redskins. I will be brief with this one, because they really did not do much change with their roster in the offseason. The big move was getting a new head coach (Jim Zorn) after Joe Gibbs stepped down and changing offensive schemes yet again. Jason Campbell will build upon his very good season last year and they do have weapons to run Zorn's offense. Portis will do his normal 1,300-1,400.
Yes, they looked awful vs. Carolina last week, but at the end of the day, an above average offense and a very good defense means they will be in the mix. Maybe a wild card team again. The NFC East is strong, and they will most likely be the third NFC East team (and last team into the playoffs) in the postseason again this year.
Record: 9-7.
4. Philadelphia Eagles. Without being nasty or placing personal biases ahead of objectivity, I do have to wonder what Donovan McNabb has been smoking that makes him think that 1) they are "the team to beat in the NFC" and/hence 2) be better than the other three teams in the division with, for the 15th straight year -- the CRAPPIEST set of wide receivers this side of the Miami Dolphins! McNabb needs to prove he can stay healthy for once. He hasn't played a full season since they went to the Super Bowl in 2004. Brian Westbrook is the only great player they have, and when he was injured last year, Osi Umenyiora had 6 sacks lining up against Winston Justice. McNabb isn't what makes them go. (Puts on Hubie Brown Second Person Voice) And when your QB doesn't have that kind of pull, then you are not a contender in the NFL. Brian Dawkins, who I respect, is getting long in the tooth. He has a year or two left before he really drops off. The rest of their secondary is weak. Their linebackers are nondescript and Trent Cole, who is a BEAST, is the only lineman you really have to account for with them. MAYBE Mike Patterson here and there and MAYBE Broderick Bunkley (FROM?!?!?! FLORIDA STATE!!!) I just don't see how this team is supposed to be anyone's favorite except delusional Eagles' fans.
Iggles' record: 8-8.
NFC North Division:
No one really cares about this division, but for the sake of arguing...
1. Minnesota Vikings. They have the best running attack in the division. With a conference bereft of quarterbacks, that's the only thing (and a decent defense) that will get you any W's in that division. Adrian Peterson is going to gain close to 1,800 yards this year if he is healthy. Chester Taylor is still giving you close to 1,000 when Peterson isn't in there. With their wimpy QB Tavaris Jackson nicked up again, it's tough for this offense to do much consistently. Their offensive line is arguably the best in the NFL, though. That is enough to keep them in games. Their defense has gotten BETTER, but they still have plenty of holes in their secondary aside from Antoine Winfield. If the Williams Brothers (Pat and Kevin) can get pressure up front and stuff the run, they are tough to beat. Ask the Giants last year.
Record: 9-7.
2. Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers has big shoes to fill, blah blah blah. They overachieved by a good 4 games last year. The other shoe finally dropped (I had been waiting for it all season) in the NFC Championship vs. the Giants. They won't make it to the playoffs, but Rodgers will prove he is going to be good for years to come. Their defense will keep them in most games, but they don't have any real gamebreakers unless WR Greg Jennings and Rodgers can connect deep regularly. I don't see that happening though. At least not early.
Record: 6-10.
3. Detroit Lions. I don't know what to think about this team. Kitna gets you 4,000 yards every year (good for fantasy) and 30 TDs last year (also good for fantasy football). But he gets killed every year, too. They could not run the ball, and really have not since Barry Sanders walked out on top in 1998. They have receivers, but no one plays them honestly (Roy Williams gets double-teamed every game and still makes great catches and had a ton of catches in total last year). Calvin Johnson will be great, but if they can't get their running game going this year, it will be more of the same. Their defense is a joke.
Record: 6-10.
4. Chicago Bears. Their defense is the only thing worth noting. I feel bad for guys like Mike Brown and Brian Urlacher, as well as Lance Briggs -- wasting their prime teams on this train wreck of a team. They refuse to get a real quarterback -- indeed; they have not had one since McMahon and he was overrated. They basically gave Thomas Jones to the Jets, kept Benson (should've been the other way around) and then cut Benson this offseason. I also feel bad for my boy Kevin Jones. He is finally healthy and then ends up with the Bears. What did he do in his youth to deserve this? LOL
Rex Grossman is only in the league because he played under Steve Spurrier (whose QBs have NEVER EVER done anything in the NFL, does anyone notice this???) There's Good Rex (which is below average at best) and Bad Rex (as in worst in the NFL bad). How can you be taken seriously and win in the NFL with a joke of a quarterback? Kyle Orton, while suffering from the Chad Pennington/Matt Leinart syndrome, DOES win games, because he doesn't kill you with the mistakes that Grossman does nearly every game. I still think they will royally suck.
Take Devin Hester out of the equation and they would be the absolute worst team in the league. He literally won the Bears two games last year.
Record: 4-12.
NFC South Division:
1. Carolina Panthers. This division will be tight. However, I give the nod to Carolina for three major reasons: 1) Jake Delhomme is healthy, 2) the running game is solid and Muhsin Muhammad is back with the Panthers to take away the double/triple-teams Steve (Steven) Smith faced all last year and 3) Dan Morgan is out of the picture with his perennial concussions, Mike Rucker retired and Chris Gamble is back healthy. Their defense was always their strong point, but they were injured most of last year on all three levels. Add in Delhomme's catastrophic arm injury and you should tip your hat to them for even winning 7 games last year.
Record: 11-5.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Smoke and mirrors. I said that about Green Bay all last year. I'll be saying it about Tampa this year. Cadillac Williams has the Bernard King-type knee injury. He will never be the same and may need this entire year to recover after missing ALL of last year after initially injuring it early in the Carolina game. Their defense is looking a bit long in the tooth. Derrick Brooks is one of my all-time Florida State guys, but he is 35. This might be his last go 'round. I don't know how they will do it, but...
Record: 10-6.
3. New Orleans Saints. The Saints are a solid football team. Brees will win you a few and rarely cost you one. He just gained a weapon in Jeremy Shockey (if he stops dropping the ball once a game). Their defense is solid with Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma leading the way. I like their receivers, but for some reason, I still don't see them making it over the hump.
Record: 10-6.
4. Atlanta Falcons. The worst team in football. Period. Pray for Matt Ryan.
Record: 1-15.
NFC West Division:
1. Arizona Cardinals. Yes, I think the Cards can do it IF Warner is the QB and IF he stays healthy for at least 13 games this year. Matt Leinart is just not an NFL QB. Any real scout saw this throughout his years at USC (he had a stellar offensive line, great running backs, GREAT receivers and a GREAT defense, my mom could've won the Heisman with that team). He's overrated. But Warner puts up pinball machine numbers (see the last half of the 2007 season). With two of the best WRs in the league in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin (both have had 100-catch seasons) and a decent running game in an aging Edgerrin James and a young stud (pause) out of Richmond, they will be a force. Now if Rolle can anchor the secondary...
Record: 10-6.
***I resign the right to adjust this for a Warner concussion and say they will be 5-11 if he misses more than three games.***
2. Seattle Seahawks. One last hurrah under Holmgren. I put them here because their GLUE on offense, Bobby Engram, will miss several games to start the season. Hasselback does not have much to work with. Julius Jones' best days are behind him in Dallas. Maurice Morris is better at this point. Won't matter. They miss Steve Hutchinson at left guard too much. Walter Jones (FROM?!?!?! YAK...) is great, but he's just a tackle, he can't drive out defensive tackles also. Pork Chop Womack gets it done, but regardless, Seattle will only go as far as their defense (which is very good -- bends but doesn't break) takes them. Tatupu is a very good mike linebacker, and their defensive ends get plenty of pressure with Kerney and Wistrom, but their secondary will decide it all.
Record: 9-7.
3. St. Louis Rams. Can Bulger stay healthy? How effective will Jackson be? Their offensive line is decent. Not great. Same with their defensive line with Howie Long's son. I can't really say much about them. They're really not a good team.
Record: 5-11.
4. San Francisco 49ers. Alex Smith might have just lost his job to J.T. O'Sullivan, who has been a journeyman his entire career. Isn't that something? The 49ers waste tens of millions on a QB with small hands who can't catch a break. They have Vernon Davis, Frank Gore and nothing else to mention offensively. They have Pat Willis at LB, but his 200+ tackles last year were just a testament to the fact their defense was on the field all the time last year and the bookend LBs did not make plays. Willis is VERY GOOD, but 200 tackles is never a good thing; even though it looks good on paper. Their secondary is a complete joke even WITH Clements back there.
Record: 3-13.
American Football Conference
AFC East Division:
1. New England Patriots. Anyone who knows football knows they will not repeat what they did last year. Brady's numbers will fall back to his average (which are better than everyone's other than Peyton Manning's, so that's not a bad thing) and Randy Moss will not put up the same type numbers, either. Only the (90% bandwagon) deluded Patriot fans out there really think this team will come close to that.
Having said that, they will still be formidable and tough to beat regardless. Their linebackers are on their last legs and that got exploited in the Super Bowl. Their secondary is depleted with Samuel gone. Donte Stallworth's defection leaves them thin at WR. How does one figure this team will go undefeated?
Record: 11-5.
2. New York Jets. Brett Favre is overrated and has been this entire decade in terms of how much ink he gets. His best days ended the day Reggie White (thankfully he is with God for sure, RIP) left. And if you go look through your almanac, you see that was NOT last year. They only won that one Super Bowl because of White's two clutch sacks at the end of the game to keep Drew Bledsoe from completing a last second touchdown drive. Barry Sanders should have had the 1997 NFL MVP award to himself after amassing 2,000 yards, but NOOOO, they had to "split" it with Favre. How can you have TWO MVPs? Favre was great that year, indeed, they made it to the Super Bowl again after making it the previous year and winning. But he wasn't even the best QB in that game, and wasn't the best QB that season, NOR is he the best QB ever, as some claim (Elway across the board). Give Barry his due.
Thomas Jones (fam)is a force in the backfield, to go with Leon Washington and other spot backs, they have a running game. Their offensive line is solid with the addition of Alan Faneca. Their receivers are pedestrian, but make plays (Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery & Co.). The real question is their defense, and no one really stands out aside from Kerry Rhodes and Erik Coleman. When your best defensive players are your defensive backs, that says something about your defense -- and it's not a GOOD something.
However, the Jets have a VERY GOOD special teams. Especially returning kicks and punts - Leon Washington is only second to Devin Hester (albeit with much less ink) he scored just as often last year.
Record: 9-7.
3. Buffalo Bills. They have talent, but they can't figure out who their QB is. Their defense has been a revolving door the past few years. LITERALLY. Hard to guage them. If Lynch can run the ball consistently, they'll play a lot of close games. But that's about it. They won't win them without consistent QB play.
Record: 5-11.
4. Miami Dolphins. You can give them a pass this year. Can't really rip them too much after having won only two games last year. They drafted a relatively good set of picks in the 2008 Draft and get injured players back. We don't know most of those players, though, so I'll give them an incomplete right now. They gave up two of their defensive stalwarts in the offseason in Zach Thomas (Dallas) and Jason Taylor (Washington).
Record: 3-13.
AFC North Division:
1. Cleveland Browns. I think this is their year to overtake Pittsburgh. They could have done it last year except QB Derek Anderson got a case of the yips down the stretch last year. Cost them a game vs. Cincinnati. Nevertheless, they have Jamal Lewis, who is in the best shape of his life at RB... a STELLAR TE in K. Winslow, Braylon Edwards at WR making great plays every game and a very good offensive line. Their defense is still lacking a run defense, but they are better. Bend but don't break. I have them winning the division on the last game of the regular season over Pittsburgh in a tiebreaker. Watch Josh Cribbs on special teams!
Record 11-5.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers. They actually got better through draft picks. Their only true loss was Alan Faneca and they had players ready to fill in. Willie Colon (Ah Ah, Oh No) can move to RT and they can move a couple of other players around to make that line just as good as it was earlier in the decade. Santonio Holmes is a game breaker, Roethlisberger seems poised for a big year and Fast Willie Parker should be healthy. Their defense needs S Troy Polamalu to be healthy in order for it to be effective. They were rather pedestrian when he did not play. It hurt them in the end going into the playoffs (along with Parker's injury). If healthy, they will be right there.
Record: 11-5.
3. Baltimore Ravens. McGahee is going to have a 1,500 year. Mark it down. Even though defenses will stack the line with One-Arm Kyle Boller, Troy Smith and Joe Flacco as their QBs. Jonathan Ogden retired and their line is not well-known. I still stand by my prediction about McGahee. Just watch (and no, it's not because I have him in FF). Their WRs are okay, the only one worthy of note is Mark Clayton. Another smoke and mirrors team. Their defense isn't what it was, but they still make plays with Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Samari Rolle, Chris McAlister and Landry. They are one of those teams that are on the fence of not making the playoffs or being the second wild card. I like their return game.
Record: 9-7.
4. Cincinnati Bengals. Marv Lewis is going to get fired if they start the season 0-2 (conceiveable). They won't come back from that 1) T.J. Houshmandzadeh isn't 100%, nor is Chad. They even relented and brought back Chris Henry. You know it's bad when you have undrafted rookies getting time that the starters normally would have gotten in game three in the preseason. Their running game really fell off as Rudi Johnson started playing like RUDY from the movie. He's done. At age 29 and less than 5 full seasons of playing under his belt. Go figure.
Kenny Watson and Chris Perry are okay, but they won't win games for you. The defense is absolutely abysmal, considering Marvin Lewis is a defensive coordinator. Their offense is supposed to be the strong point, but in their last eight offensive possessions in the preseason, they haven't even managed a field goal. Scary.
Record: 6-10.
AFC South Division:
1. Indianapolis Colts. This is mostly by default. I, for one, am not worried about Peyton Manning's injury. He will be there. Marvin Harrison is healthy. Reggie Wayne is in his prime. Anthony Gonzalez has been gettin' it in. Joseph Addai is primed for a 1,400 yard year. If Freeney is healthy and Bob Sanders (best free safety in the NFL, sorry Dawk and Polamalu) can avoid nick-nack injuries, they are going to be in the mix for the Super Bowl. Keep this name in mind: Tony Ugoh. He protects Manning's blind side and is virtually unknown, but he played VERY WELL last year and how well he plays this year is pivotal.
Record: 14-2.
2. Houston Texans. Yes. Houston. If healthy (Andre Johnson), they would have won 12 last year. Does not matter who their RB's are. Their offense is pretty explosive. Their defense isn't great, but it makes timely plays. I expect more of that this year. They were able to hang with Dallas last week.
Record: 11-5.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguwires might take a step back without their defensive tackle tandem anymore. They do get Harvey into the fold to play defensive end, but I have to wonder how much that will matter. Without pressure up front, the rest of their defense is painfully average. They couldn't slow New England in the playoffs last year for this reason.
Record: 8-8.
4. Tennessee Titans. I like VY. He still hasn't improved enough in the passing game to win games from the pocket. Plus, he does not have the receivers. What he DOES have, however, is a running game. They aren't boring to watch offensively. With Vince Young himself, Chris Brown (RUN IT!) and LenDale White, they are up there in terms of running attacks in the NFL. Keith Bulluck is still a force at mike on the other side of the ball. Other than that, their front four is very good with Vanden Bosch and Haynesworth. I don't know about their secondary. Finnegan made plays here and there, but they aren't shutdown corners by any stretch, nor hard-hitting/big-play safeties. Tough to gauge a team like that.
Record: (Fittingly, in accordance with the last line of analysis above) 8-8.
AFC West Division:
This division may return to being fun to watch in a few years, but the Chargers own it until then. I won't spend much time here.
1. San Diego Chargers. Rivers' mechanics are FINALLY sound. That will help their offense overall, with Tomlinson healthy, Gates healthy and Chris Chambers to stretch the field with guys like Vincent Jackson, Kassim Osgood and Eric Parker (back from injury) to put out there as well. Marcus McNeal is one of the best left tackles in the league that no one knows. They will have the best offense in the NFL this year. Not on the Patriots' level from 2007, but at the top this year.
The defense is the focal point. With or without Merriman, the defense is fine. Shaun Phillips was the best LB on the team last year. Merriman should have the surgery and rehab for next year. But he knows his own body. The 3-4 scheme confuses teams, but Jamal Williams, the best nose tackle in the league according to John Madden (and I agree) will determine how effective the four LBs are. The secondary might just be the best all around in the NFL. Quentin Jammer is FINALLY playing up to par after six seasons of not making big plays. Although Terrence Kiel died in the offseason, they are still deep back there. Clinton Hart is up and coming. Special teams are fine.
Record: 14-2.
2. Oakland Raiders. JaMarcus Russell will make strides and their running game is deep, but I don't expect much from them this year. Their defense is suspect with so many players being traded and the dreaded Your-Best-Player-Is-A-Cornerback (Nnamdi Asemougha) situation. Give them another year and a new coach and they will be back into the playoffs.
Record: 6-10.
3. Denver Broncos. Bronco fans won't admit it, but while Cutler is decent, they don't have much else. They just cut their running game (Henry) and they have no receivers to relieve Brandon Marshall of the double and triple-teams he will face. Their defense is weak -- smallish linebackers, no pass rush whatsoever (which killed them last year) and Champ Bailey on the verge of the wrong side of his prime, they can't be expected to do much. Which of course means they MIGHT be better than I think.
However...
Record: 5-11.
4. Kansas City Chiefs. Admittedly, they were bad last year because their offensive line took serious hits with retirements over the past couple of years (Shields, Wiegmann) and the whole fiasco with Roaf. Larry Johnson's injuries did not help matters. I'll dare someone to name their WRs. Or their QBs for that matter. They are terrible. Too bad this will reflect more on Herman Edwards than anyone else.
Record 5-11.
In regards to playoff matchups --
NFC
1. Dallas.
2. Carolina.
3. Arizona Cardinals.
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. New York Giants.
6. New Orleans Saints.
NFC Wild-Card Playoff:
New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals. (Cardinals)
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings. (Giants)
Byes (Dallas, Carolina)
NFC Divisional Playoff:
Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers (Panthers)
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys (Giants)
NFC Championship:
New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers (Giants)
New York Giants - NFC Champions.
AFC Playoffs
1. San Diego Chargers.
2. Indianapolis Colts.
3. New England Patriots.
4. Cleveland Browns.
5. Houston Texans.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers.
AFC Wild Card Playoff:
Houston Texans vs. Cleveland Browns. (Browns)
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots. (Patriots)
Byes (San Diego, Indianapolis).
AFC Divisional Playoff:
New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts. (Colts)
Cleveland Browns vs. San Diego Chargers. (Chargers)
AFC Championship:
Indianapolis Colts vs. San Diego Chargers. (Chargers)
San Diego Chargers - AFC Champions.
Super Bowl XLIII - Tampa, Florida.
New York Giants vs. San Diego Chargers.
I don't DARE pick that one yet LOL... stay tuned this season!
With that said, let's get right into the prognostications and analysis division by division and conference by conference.
*** PLEASE BE ADVISED THE RECORDS WILL NOT COMPUTE EXACTLY -- THEY ARE MERELY TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT I BELIEVE THE TEAM WILL PERFORM LIKE AND WHERE THEY WILL FINISH IN THEIR RESPECTIVE DIVISIONS. NO SMART ALECK EMAILS ABOUT THE COMPUTATION BEING UNEVEN. Thanks.***
National Football Conference
NFC East Division:
1. Dallas Cowboys. Dallas has the most talent in the NFC and possibly the NFL as a whole. No one can sensibly argue that. Their problems are 1) out of control egos in Terrell Owens and Tony Romo (who refused to listen to Parcells' advice!) 2) questionable receiving corps without Glenn now 3) their history of flat out CHOKING in the playoffs in recent years, where they have not won a playoff game since 1996. That said, Owens is still the 2nd or 3rd best WR in the NFL and it will be interesting to see if Marion Barber III can be as effective carrying the ball 25 times a game with defensive coordinators scheming to take him out of the game and get after Romo. I still think they will be the team to beat in the end, but again, they have that postseason thing to shake.
Their special teams are average.
They are like the 1990s Atlanta Braves of MLB! They win a ton of regular season games, but don't do squat in the playoffs. More of the same this year, now that Big Blue showed the NFL "how to do this" (i.e. getting after Romo). Whoever they play in the Wild Card this year will do the same.
As for the regular season - 12-4.
2. New York Giants. The New York Football Giants were already being counted out by the perennial haters (ESPN, FOX Sports, irrational Cowboy and Iggles fans, people who hate New York City in general and those with inferiority complexes that can't stand to see others succeed, etc. etc. etc.) the minute the defections from the Super Bowl-winning team began. Gibril Wilson left, then Kawika Mitchell, then Reggie Torbor. Then Strahan retired. Then we trade Shockey. Then Plaxico Burress' ankle messes up again in training camp and finally, Osi Umenyiora's knee injury knocks him out for the season. That only made the irrationale even worse. Even with all those setbacks, the Giants quietly acquired Danny Clark to fill Mitchell's shoes (Clark is better in all areas as a linebacker, BTW), they acquired Sammy "Good" Knight to replace Wilson and drafted Kenny Phillips, to play strong and free safety, respectively. Phillips hits harder than anyone in the secondary that the Giants have had since Shaun Williams' first year in 1998 (before he got soft). Aaron Ross and Webster are MORE than capable in the secondary, provided the front seven gets adequate pressure, which it will.
Special teams look good, especially with Domenik Hixon emerging.
Much has been made about what Spaggs (Giants' defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo) will do to fill the void of Strahan and Umenyiora. Yes, it is a loss of 23 sacks. But only Osi's knee injury is shocking. People knew Strahan was going to retire if we won the Super Bowl. We did. So he did. Justin Tuck is going to give left tackles fits all season. Kiwanuka will do the same to right tackles. Add to the fact that at times the Giants can shift Kiwanuka back to strongside linebacker and put Renaldo Wynn at left end, move Tuck inside to defensive tackle and shift Dave Tollefson to right end (or put Clark at strongside and put Kiwanuka at right end with Tuck inside at DT, Wynn at LE) and you see the Giants AREN'T out of options here, defensively in regards to pressuring the QB. What they CANNOT avoid is another injury to anyone in the front seven. Antonio Pierce is the ONE player who was indispensible on the front seven even with Osi being considered. Yes, I'm serious. Yes, I'm sane. The offense is better than people think. Eli has swag now. Jacobs, if he stays healthy, will be a 1,200 guy. Ward and Bradshaw give you a couple of different looks as the Giants have the deepest RB corps in the NFL. Burress, "Well-Dressed" Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, Domenik Hixon, Mario Manningham, David Tyree give Eli Manning a plethora of weapon. Shockey's trade is overpublicized. Kevin Boss played great after Shockey broke his leg. The Giants will be fine.
New York Giants (pre-Umenyiora injury) 11-5.
New York Giants (post-Umeyiora injury) 10-6.
Again, the injuries and players who have left the team aren't as big of a deal as people make it seem.
3. Washington Redskins. I will be brief with this one, because they really did not do much change with their roster in the offseason. The big move was getting a new head coach (Jim Zorn) after Joe Gibbs stepped down and changing offensive schemes yet again. Jason Campbell will build upon his very good season last year and they do have weapons to run Zorn's offense. Portis will do his normal 1,300-1,400.
Yes, they looked awful vs. Carolina last week, but at the end of the day, an above average offense and a very good defense means they will be in the mix. Maybe a wild card team again. The NFC East is strong, and they will most likely be the third NFC East team (and last team into the playoffs) in the postseason again this year.
Record: 9-7.
4. Philadelphia Eagles. Without being nasty or placing personal biases ahead of objectivity, I do have to wonder what Donovan McNabb has been smoking that makes him think that 1) they are "the team to beat in the NFC" and/hence 2) be better than the other three teams in the division with, for the 15th straight year -- the CRAPPIEST set of wide receivers this side of the Miami Dolphins! McNabb needs to prove he can stay healthy for once. He hasn't played a full season since they went to the Super Bowl in 2004. Brian Westbrook is the only great player they have, and when he was injured last year, Osi Umenyiora had 6 sacks lining up against Winston Justice. McNabb isn't what makes them go. (Puts on Hubie Brown Second Person Voice) And when your QB doesn't have that kind of pull, then you are not a contender in the NFL. Brian Dawkins, who I respect, is getting long in the tooth. He has a year or two left before he really drops off. The rest of their secondary is weak. Their linebackers are nondescript and Trent Cole, who is a BEAST, is the only lineman you really have to account for with them. MAYBE Mike Patterson here and there and MAYBE Broderick Bunkley (FROM?!?!?! FLORIDA STATE!!!) I just don't see how this team is supposed to be anyone's favorite except delusional Eagles' fans.
Iggles' record: 8-8.
NFC North Division:
No one really cares about this division, but for the sake of arguing...
1. Minnesota Vikings. They have the best running attack in the division. With a conference bereft of quarterbacks, that's the only thing (and a decent defense) that will get you any W's in that division. Adrian Peterson is going to gain close to 1,800 yards this year if he is healthy. Chester Taylor is still giving you close to 1,000 when Peterson isn't in there. With their wimpy QB Tavaris Jackson nicked up again, it's tough for this offense to do much consistently. Their offensive line is arguably the best in the NFL, though. That is enough to keep them in games. Their defense has gotten BETTER, but they still have plenty of holes in their secondary aside from Antoine Winfield. If the Williams Brothers (Pat and Kevin) can get pressure up front and stuff the run, they are tough to beat. Ask the Giants last year.
Record: 9-7.
2. Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers has big shoes to fill, blah blah blah. They overachieved by a good 4 games last year. The other shoe finally dropped (I had been waiting for it all season) in the NFC Championship vs. the Giants. They won't make it to the playoffs, but Rodgers will prove he is going to be good for years to come. Their defense will keep them in most games, but they don't have any real gamebreakers unless WR Greg Jennings and Rodgers can connect deep regularly. I don't see that happening though. At least not early.
Record: 6-10.
3. Detroit Lions. I don't know what to think about this team. Kitna gets you 4,000 yards every year (good for fantasy) and 30 TDs last year (also good for fantasy football). But he gets killed every year, too. They could not run the ball, and really have not since Barry Sanders walked out on top in 1998. They have receivers, but no one plays them honestly (Roy Williams gets double-teamed every game and still makes great catches and had a ton of catches in total last year). Calvin Johnson will be great, but if they can't get their running game going this year, it will be more of the same. Their defense is a joke.
Record: 6-10.
4. Chicago Bears. Their defense is the only thing worth noting. I feel bad for guys like Mike Brown and Brian Urlacher, as well as Lance Briggs -- wasting their prime teams on this train wreck of a team. They refuse to get a real quarterback -- indeed; they have not had one since McMahon and he was overrated. They basically gave Thomas Jones to the Jets, kept Benson (should've been the other way around) and then cut Benson this offseason. I also feel bad for my boy Kevin Jones. He is finally healthy and then ends up with the Bears. What did he do in his youth to deserve this? LOL
Rex Grossman is only in the league because he played under Steve Spurrier (whose QBs have NEVER EVER done anything in the NFL, does anyone notice this???) There's Good Rex (which is below average at best) and Bad Rex (as in worst in the NFL bad). How can you be taken seriously and win in the NFL with a joke of a quarterback? Kyle Orton, while suffering from the Chad Pennington/Matt Leinart syndrome, DOES win games, because he doesn't kill you with the mistakes that Grossman does nearly every game. I still think they will royally suck.
Take Devin Hester out of the equation and they would be the absolute worst team in the league. He literally won the Bears two games last year.
Record: 4-12.
NFC South Division:
1. Carolina Panthers. This division will be tight. However, I give the nod to Carolina for three major reasons: 1) Jake Delhomme is healthy, 2) the running game is solid and Muhsin Muhammad is back with the Panthers to take away the double/triple-teams Steve (Steven) Smith faced all last year and 3) Dan Morgan is out of the picture with his perennial concussions, Mike Rucker retired and Chris Gamble is back healthy. Their defense was always their strong point, but they were injured most of last year on all three levels. Add in Delhomme's catastrophic arm injury and you should tip your hat to them for even winning 7 games last year.
Record: 11-5.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Smoke and mirrors. I said that about Green Bay all last year. I'll be saying it about Tampa this year. Cadillac Williams has the Bernard King-type knee injury. He will never be the same and may need this entire year to recover after missing ALL of last year after initially injuring it early in the Carolina game. Their defense is looking a bit long in the tooth. Derrick Brooks is one of my all-time Florida State guys, but he is 35. This might be his last go 'round. I don't know how they will do it, but...
Record: 10-6.
3. New Orleans Saints. The Saints are a solid football team. Brees will win you a few and rarely cost you one. He just gained a weapon in Jeremy Shockey (if he stops dropping the ball once a game). Their defense is solid with Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma leading the way. I like their receivers, but for some reason, I still don't see them making it over the hump.
Record: 10-6.
4. Atlanta Falcons. The worst team in football. Period. Pray for Matt Ryan.
Record: 1-15.
NFC West Division:
1. Arizona Cardinals. Yes, I think the Cards can do it IF Warner is the QB and IF he stays healthy for at least 13 games this year. Matt Leinart is just not an NFL QB. Any real scout saw this throughout his years at USC (he had a stellar offensive line, great running backs, GREAT receivers and a GREAT defense, my mom could've won the Heisman with that team). He's overrated. But Warner puts up pinball machine numbers (see the last half of the 2007 season). With two of the best WRs in the league in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin (both have had 100-catch seasons) and a decent running game in an aging Edgerrin James and a young stud (pause) out of Richmond, they will be a force. Now if Rolle can anchor the secondary...
Record: 10-6.
***I resign the right to adjust this for a Warner concussion and say they will be 5-11 if he misses more than three games.***
2. Seattle Seahawks. One last hurrah under Holmgren. I put them here because their GLUE on offense, Bobby Engram, will miss several games to start the season. Hasselback does not have much to work with. Julius Jones' best days are behind him in Dallas. Maurice Morris is better at this point. Won't matter. They miss Steve Hutchinson at left guard too much. Walter Jones (FROM?!?!?! YAK...) is great, but he's just a tackle, he can't drive out defensive tackles also. Pork Chop Womack gets it done, but regardless, Seattle will only go as far as their defense (which is very good -- bends but doesn't break) takes them. Tatupu is a very good mike linebacker, and their defensive ends get plenty of pressure with Kerney and Wistrom, but their secondary will decide it all.
Record: 9-7.
3. St. Louis Rams. Can Bulger stay healthy? How effective will Jackson be? Their offensive line is decent. Not great. Same with their defensive line with Howie Long's son. I can't really say much about them. They're really not a good team.
Record: 5-11.
4. San Francisco 49ers. Alex Smith might have just lost his job to J.T. O'Sullivan, who has been a journeyman his entire career. Isn't that something? The 49ers waste tens of millions on a QB with small hands who can't catch a break. They have Vernon Davis, Frank Gore and nothing else to mention offensively. They have Pat Willis at LB, but his 200+ tackles last year were just a testament to the fact their defense was on the field all the time last year and the bookend LBs did not make plays. Willis is VERY GOOD, but 200 tackles is never a good thing; even though it looks good on paper. Their secondary is a complete joke even WITH Clements back there.
Record: 3-13.
American Football Conference
AFC East Division:
1. New England Patriots. Anyone who knows football knows they will not repeat what they did last year. Brady's numbers will fall back to his average (which are better than everyone's other than Peyton Manning's, so that's not a bad thing) and Randy Moss will not put up the same type numbers, either. Only the (90% bandwagon) deluded Patriot fans out there really think this team will come close to that.
Having said that, they will still be formidable and tough to beat regardless. Their linebackers are on their last legs and that got exploited in the Super Bowl. Their secondary is depleted with Samuel gone. Donte Stallworth's defection leaves them thin at WR. How does one figure this team will go undefeated?
Record: 11-5.
2. New York Jets. Brett Favre is overrated and has been this entire decade in terms of how much ink he gets. His best days ended the day Reggie White (thankfully he is with God for sure, RIP) left. And if you go look through your almanac, you see that was NOT last year. They only won that one Super Bowl because of White's two clutch sacks at the end of the game to keep Drew Bledsoe from completing a last second touchdown drive. Barry Sanders should have had the 1997 NFL MVP award to himself after amassing 2,000 yards, but NOOOO, they had to "split" it with Favre. How can you have TWO MVPs? Favre was great that year, indeed, they made it to the Super Bowl again after making it the previous year and winning. But he wasn't even the best QB in that game, and wasn't the best QB that season, NOR is he the best QB ever, as some claim (Elway across the board). Give Barry his due.
Thomas Jones (fam)is a force in the backfield, to go with Leon Washington and other spot backs, they have a running game. Their offensive line is solid with the addition of Alan Faneca. Their receivers are pedestrian, but make plays (Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery & Co.). The real question is their defense, and no one really stands out aside from Kerry Rhodes and Erik Coleman. When your best defensive players are your defensive backs, that says something about your defense -- and it's not a GOOD something.
However, the Jets have a VERY GOOD special teams. Especially returning kicks and punts - Leon Washington is only second to Devin Hester (albeit with much less ink) he scored just as often last year.
Record: 9-7.
3. Buffalo Bills. They have talent, but they can't figure out who their QB is. Their defense has been a revolving door the past few years. LITERALLY. Hard to guage them. If Lynch can run the ball consistently, they'll play a lot of close games. But that's about it. They won't win them without consistent QB play.
Record: 5-11.
4. Miami Dolphins. You can give them a pass this year. Can't really rip them too much after having won only two games last year. They drafted a relatively good set of picks in the 2008 Draft and get injured players back. We don't know most of those players, though, so I'll give them an incomplete right now. They gave up two of their defensive stalwarts in the offseason in Zach Thomas (Dallas) and Jason Taylor (Washington).
Record: 3-13.
AFC North Division:
1. Cleveland Browns. I think this is their year to overtake Pittsburgh. They could have done it last year except QB Derek Anderson got a case of the yips down the stretch last year. Cost them a game vs. Cincinnati. Nevertheless, they have Jamal Lewis, who is in the best shape of his life at RB... a STELLAR TE in K. Winslow, Braylon Edwards at WR making great plays every game and a very good offensive line. Their defense is still lacking a run defense, but they are better. Bend but don't break. I have them winning the division on the last game of the regular season over Pittsburgh in a tiebreaker. Watch Josh Cribbs on special teams!
Record 11-5.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers. They actually got better through draft picks. Their only true loss was Alan Faneca and they had players ready to fill in. Willie Colon (Ah Ah, Oh No) can move to RT and they can move a couple of other players around to make that line just as good as it was earlier in the decade. Santonio Holmes is a game breaker, Roethlisberger seems poised for a big year and Fast Willie Parker should be healthy. Their defense needs S Troy Polamalu to be healthy in order for it to be effective. They were rather pedestrian when he did not play. It hurt them in the end going into the playoffs (along with Parker's injury). If healthy, they will be right there.
Record: 11-5.
3. Baltimore Ravens. McGahee is going to have a 1,500 year. Mark it down. Even though defenses will stack the line with One-Arm Kyle Boller, Troy Smith and Joe Flacco as their QBs. Jonathan Ogden retired and their line is not well-known. I still stand by my prediction about McGahee. Just watch (and no, it's not because I have him in FF). Their WRs are okay, the only one worthy of note is Mark Clayton. Another smoke and mirrors team. Their defense isn't what it was, but they still make plays with Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Samari Rolle, Chris McAlister and Landry. They are one of those teams that are on the fence of not making the playoffs or being the second wild card. I like their return game.
Record: 9-7.
4. Cincinnati Bengals. Marv Lewis is going to get fired if they start the season 0-2 (conceiveable). They won't come back from that 1) T.J. Houshmandzadeh isn't 100%, nor is Chad. They even relented and brought back Chris Henry. You know it's bad when you have undrafted rookies getting time that the starters normally would have gotten in game three in the preseason. Their running game really fell off as Rudi Johnson started playing like RUDY from the movie. He's done. At age 29 and less than 5 full seasons of playing under his belt. Go figure.
Kenny Watson and Chris Perry are okay, but they won't win games for you. The defense is absolutely abysmal, considering Marvin Lewis is a defensive coordinator. Their offense is supposed to be the strong point, but in their last eight offensive possessions in the preseason, they haven't even managed a field goal. Scary.
Record: 6-10.
AFC South Division:
1. Indianapolis Colts. This is mostly by default. I, for one, am not worried about Peyton Manning's injury. He will be there. Marvin Harrison is healthy. Reggie Wayne is in his prime. Anthony Gonzalez has been gettin' it in. Joseph Addai is primed for a 1,400 yard year. If Freeney is healthy and Bob Sanders (best free safety in the NFL, sorry Dawk and Polamalu) can avoid nick-nack injuries, they are going to be in the mix for the Super Bowl. Keep this name in mind: Tony Ugoh. He protects Manning's blind side and is virtually unknown, but he played VERY WELL last year and how well he plays this year is pivotal.
Record: 14-2.
2. Houston Texans. Yes. Houston. If healthy (Andre Johnson), they would have won 12 last year. Does not matter who their RB's are. Their offense is pretty explosive. Their defense isn't great, but it makes timely plays. I expect more of that this year. They were able to hang with Dallas last week.
Record: 11-5.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguwires might take a step back without their defensive tackle tandem anymore. They do get Harvey into the fold to play defensive end, but I have to wonder how much that will matter. Without pressure up front, the rest of their defense is painfully average. They couldn't slow New England in the playoffs last year for this reason.
Record: 8-8.
4. Tennessee Titans. I like VY. He still hasn't improved enough in the passing game to win games from the pocket. Plus, he does not have the receivers. What he DOES have, however, is a running game. They aren't boring to watch offensively. With Vince Young himself, Chris Brown (RUN IT!) and LenDale White, they are up there in terms of running attacks in the NFL. Keith Bulluck is still a force at mike on the other side of the ball. Other than that, their front four is very good with Vanden Bosch and Haynesworth. I don't know about their secondary. Finnegan made plays here and there, but they aren't shutdown corners by any stretch, nor hard-hitting/big-play safeties. Tough to gauge a team like that.
Record: (Fittingly, in accordance with the last line of analysis above) 8-8.
AFC West Division:
This division may return to being fun to watch in a few years, but the Chargers own it until then. I won't spend much time here.
1. San Diego Chargers. Rivers' mechanics are FINALLY sound. That will help their offense overall, with Tomlinson healthy, Gates healthy and Chris Chambers to stretch the field with guys like Vincent Jackson, Kassim Osgood and Eric Parker (back from injury) to put out there as well. Marcus McNeal is one of the best left tackles in the league that no one knows. They will have the best offense in the NFL this year. Not on the Patriots' level from 2007, but at the top this year.
The defense is the focal point. With or without Merriman, the defense is fine. Shaun Phillips was the best LB on the team last year. Merriman should have the surgery and rehab for next year. But he knows his own body. The 3-4 scheme confuses teams, but Jamal Williams, the best nose tackle in the league according to John Madden (and I agree) will determine how effective the four LBs are. The secondary might just be the best all around in the NFL. Quentin Jammer is FINALLY playing up to par after six seasons of not making big plays. Although Terrence Kiel died in the offseason, they are still deep back there. Clinton Hart is up and coming. Special teams are fine.
Record: 14-2.
2. Oakland Raiders. JaMarcus Russell will make strides and their running game is deep, but I don't expect much from them this year. Their defense is suspect with so many players being traded and the dreaded Your-Best-Player-Is-A-Cornerback (Nnamdi Asemougha) situation. Give them another year and a new coach and they will be back into the playoffs.
Record: 6-10.
3. Denver Broncos. Bronco fans won't admit it, but while Cutler is decent, they don't have much else. They just cut their running game (Henry) and they have no receivers to relieve Brandon Marshall of the double and triple-teams he will face. Their defense is weak -- smallish linebackers, no pass rush whatsoever (which killed them last year) and Champ Bailey on the verge of the wrong side of his prime, they can't be expected to do much. Which of course means they MIGHT be better than I think.
However...
Record: 5-11.
4. Kansas City Chiefs. Admittedly, they were bad last year because their offensive line took serious hits with retirements over the past couple of years (Shields, Wiegmann) and the whole fiasco with Roaf. Larry Johnson's injuries did not help matters. I'll dare someone to name their WRs. Or their QBs for that matter. They are terrible. Too bad this will reflect more on Herman Edwards than anyone else.
Record 5-11.
In regards to playoff matchups --
NFC
1. Dallas.
2. Carolina.
3. Arizona Cardinals.
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. New York Giants.
6. New Orleans Saints.
NFC Wild-Card Playoff:
New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals. (Cardinals)
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings. (Giants)
Byes (Dallas, Carolina)
NFC Divisional Playoff:
Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers (Panthers)
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys (Giants)
NFC Championship:
New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers (Giants)
New York Giants - NFC Champions.
AFC Playoffs
1. San Diego Chargers.
2. Indianapolis Colts.
3. New England Patriots.
4. Cleveland Browns.
5. Houston Texans.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers.
AFC Wild Card Playoff:
Houston Texans vs. Cleveland Browns. (Browns)
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots. (Patriots)
Byes (San Diego, Indianapolis).
AFC Divisional Playoff:
New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts. (Colts)
Cleveland Browns vs. San Diego Chargers. (Chargers)
AFC Championship:
Indianapolis Colts vs. San Diego Chargers. (Chargers)
San Diego Chargers - AFC Champions.
Super Bowl XLIII - Tampa, Florida.
New York Giants vs. San Diego Chargers.
I don't DARE pick that one yet LOL... stay tuned this season!
The Home Stretch of the Baseball Season
... and Alex RodrÃguez flies out to end the inning with a runner on base as I speak (bottom of the 5th vs. Boston Red Sox, Wednesday, August 27, 2008).
This has been the tone all season. I knew he had been bad all year when it comes to runners in scoring position and particularly after the 7th inning (an APPALLING 3 RBI after the 7th inning with runners in scoring position??? OVER 130 GAMES??? Steinbrenner is paying $30M a year for this???). The deceiving thing is, you look at RodrÃguez's numbers (.312/28/79/1.020+) and those are pretty decent. But they do not reflect how disgustingly awful he has been when it comes to knocking guys in all year. Grounding into double plays, striking out, flying out weakly... I like Alex, but this got old back in June. If we don't win these next two games versus Boston, our season is over. That's not jumping off the bandwagon, that's REALISM. Our pitching sucks. Andy, who is automatic in August and September, got nailed last night. Ponson only gave us 4 2/3 tonight, so the bullpen will be shot after this series. Moose is liek the 2007 Green Bay Packers (i.e. overachieving ALL year, running on fumes, and you're waiting for the hammer to come down finally -- for Green Bay, it was vs. the Giants in the NFC Championship of course; hopefully, for Moose it ain't tomorrow!)
As for the rest of baseball, I see it this way -- and I will be succinct:
AL East winner:
Tampa. They have the pitching. They have not missed a beat with their bats even though Crawford is out for most of the rest of the season and Percival is down as the closer (again). They will win the AL East. Boston's pitching is iffy at best.
AL Central winner:
Chicago White Sox. By the skin of their teeth. They've been back and forth with Minnesota all year. I just believe the Pale Hose have that moxie that Minnesota doesn't. Shouts to Gardenhire for keeping his pitching staff together. No one thought they would do it without Santana, but I don't see them overtaking Chicago for first.
AL West winner:
The Los Angeles Angels of Los Angeles County of Anaheim City of California Angels. They had the division clinched in June. YAWN.
AL Wild Card:
Minnesota. They will catch Boston and that's that. Deal with it.
NL East:
This is a tough pick. The Mets are not convincing, but they are coming back against Philadelphia as I publish this. We will have to watch this. I pull for the Mets like little brothers, and I can't put that bias aside right now. I see them winning the NL East in a playoff the day after the season ends.
NL Central:
The Brewers were looking prime to catch the Cubs when C.C. Sabathia came on board. I don't see it happening now. The Cubs are the best team in baseball. I actually see them winning it all this year unless someone like Derrek Lee or Zambrano gets hurt.
NL West:
I would LIKE to think the Dodgers would win it, but the NL West is like the NFC West in the NFL. Meaning... who cares who wins the division... they're not going to do anything in the playoffs but be the eventual champion's doormat.
NL Wild Card:
Strictly by virtue of the best record, the Phillies SHOULD win this, but we will have to watch. They have the better top to bottom pitching out of the trio of themselves, St. Louis and Milwaukee.
NLDS:
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Chicago Cubs. Cubs in 5.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets. Mets in 4.
NLCS:
New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs. Cubs in 7.
ALDS:
Minnesota Twins vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Angels in 4.
Chicago White Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays. Rays in 5.
ALCS:
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Tampa Bay Rays. Rays in 6.
World Series:
Chicago Cubs vs. Tampa Bay Rays. Rays in 7.
Wouldn't THAT be something? It's not far-fetched, either. TUNE IN!!!
This has been the tone all season. I knew he had been bad all year when it comes to runners in scoring position and particularly after the 7th inning (an APPALLING 3 RBI after the 7th inning with runners in scoring position??? OVER 130 GAMES??? Steinbrenner is paying $30M a year for this???). The deceiving thing is, you look at RodrÃguez's numbers (.312/28/79/1.020+) and those are pretty decent. But they do not reflect how disgustingly awful he has been when it comes to knocking guys in all year. Grounding into double plays, striking out, flying out weakly... I like Alex, but this got old back in June. If we don't win these next two games versus Boston, our season is over. That's not jumping off the bandwagon, that's REALISM. Our pitching sucks. Andy, who is automatic in August and September, got nailed last night. Ponson only gave us 4 2/3 tonight, so the bullpen will be shot after this series. Moose is liek the 2007 Green Bay Packers (i.e. overachieving ALL year, running on fumes, and you're waiting for the hammer to come down finally -- for Green Bay, it was vs. the Giants in the NFC Championship of course; hopefully, for Moose it ain't tomorrow!)
As for the rest of baseball, I see it this way -- and I will be succinct:
AL East winner:
Tampa. They have the pitching. They have not missed a beat with their bats even though Crawford is out for most of the rest of the season and Percival is down as the closer (again). They will win the AL East. Boston's pitching is iffy at best.
AL Central winner:
Chicago White Sox. By the skin of their teeth. They've been back and forth with Minnesota all year. I just believe the Pale Hose have that moxie that Minnesota doesn't. Shouts to Gardenhire for keeping his pitching staff together. No one thought they would do it without Santana, but I don't see them overtaking Chicago for first.
AL West winner:
The Los Angeles Angels of Los Angeles County of Anaheim City of California Angels. They had the division clinched in June. YAWN.
AL Wild Card:
Minnesota. They will catch Boston and that's that. Deal with it.
NL East:
This is a tough pick. The Mets are not convincing, but they are coming back against Philadelphia as I publish this. We will have to watch this. I pull for the Mets like little brothers, and I can't put that bias aside right now. I see them winning the NL East in a playoff the day after the season ends.
NL Central:
The Brewers were looking prime to catch the Cubs when C.C. Sabathia came on board. I don't see it happening now. The Cubs are the best team in baseball. I actually see them winning it all this year unless someone like Derrek Lee or Zambrano gets hurt.
NL West:
I would LIKE to think the Dodgers would win it, but the NL West is like the NFC West in the NFL. Meaning... who cares who wins the division... they're not going to do anything in the playoffs but be the eventual champion's doormat.
NL Wild Card:
Strictly by virtue of the best record, the Phillies SHOULD win this, but we will have to watch. They have the better top to bottom pitching out of the trio of themselves, St. Louis and Milwaukee.
NLDS:
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Chicago Cubs. Cubs in 5.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets. Mets in 4.
NLCS:
New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs. Cubs in 7.
ALDS:
Minnesota Twins vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Angels in 4.
Chicago White Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays. Rays in 5.
ALCS:
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Tampa Bay Rays. Rays in 6.
World Series:
Chicago Cubs vs. Tampa Bay Rays. Rays in 7.
Wouldn't THAT be something? It's not far-fetched, either. TUNE IN!!!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Random Musings Of the Professor aka The Sports Guy - August 26, 2008
First off, we have lost quite a few celebrities in the past couple of weeks since I last blogged my musings -- several of them relatively young, at that. I just wanted to lead off this entry with shouts to them and all that they contributed to this world to make it better, as well as an extension of condolences to their respective families.
Gene Upshaw. (1945-2008)
Isaac Hayes. (1942-2008)
Skip Caray. (1939-2008)
Bernie Mac. (1957-2008)
Kevin Duckworth. (1964-2008)
There are several others, but in the interest of space (I TRY to limit myself to 1200words per entry) I will keep it brief. However, the last one of those listed probably was the one that jolted me most. Gene was 63, and his death was shocking because he had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer mere DAYS before he succumbed. Isaac Hayes was 65 years old, but had health problems in the past few years. Sad, but not a total shock. Bernie Mac's condition, which he had suffered with periodically for 25 years predisposed him to frequent bouts with pneumonia, and hence, while shocking, his death was not surprising. Skip Carey had been sick for years. After all that, Kevin Duckworth's (or "Duck", as NBA fans referred to him when he was in his best years with the Portland TrailBlazers in the early-to-mid 1990s when they were making NBA Finals runs with their Drexler, Kersey, Porter, Ainge, Buck Williams-led squads) passing last night was totally out of the blue. Those who really knew him saw his weight balloon even more than it did while he was playing, but he was seven feet tall -- and guys that height tend to have heart problems; especially if they are overweight. Nevertheless, no one outside of the Portland area had heard a peep out of Duckworth, 44, in the ten years since he retired. Then, BAM! first thing I see on ESPN.com this morning was that Duckworth had died. Forty-four years of age! Rest in peace, all.
In regards to the news --
I watched the Democratic National Convention's "opening ceremony" of sorts last night. Michelle Obama's speech was rousing, genuine and heartfelt. That's all you ask when someone makes a speech. You don't want to hear politispeak, a bunch of impossible-to-fulfill promises and feather-ruffling. She spoke glowingly about Barack, her children and her track record about helping people with a sincere heart. Where have people like this been all these years when it comes to running for President??? Barack will have a tough time topping a speech like that -- and he's a great orator, as most know. We shall see how things evolve the rest of this week.
I see that Major League Baseball is instituting instant replay for disputed Fair or Foul/Home Run or Not calls. This can be good, but I can't help but think that eventually this will prove to be a Pandora's Box of sorts and will only push those (idiots) who say baseball is boring FURTHER away from the game. Eventually, players, managers and general managers are going to push for botched plays at first base, or plays at the plate to be challenged. The delays will only make a three and a half hour even longer, potentially. Let's hope not.
Olympic gold? Well, I am happy they did it. But let's stop all the foolishness about them being better than the Dream Team. NO. FRIGGIN. WAY. This "Redeem Team", while star-laden, is about two or three MEGASTARS short of being able to handle the Dream Team. Let's explore:
1. While Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade played stellar defense in the 2008 Olympic Games, neither one of them would have been able to stop Michael Jordan. I refuse to discuss the topic. I feel very strongly about this.
2. Carmelo Anthony is a stupendous talent offensively. THe knock on him has been, and probably always will be 1) he does not play defense, 2) he drifts around the perimeter too often every game instead of driving to the basket consistently, 3) at 6'8" 235 lbs, he does not hit the boards like he should (because of the aforementioned drifting onto the perimeter every game far too often). He is not Reggie Miller.
3. Dwyane Wade, with his inconsistent shooting, would not pose a threat when you have guys like Chris Mullin who NEVER missed shots (see the 1992-93 NBA Playoffs - Golden State vs. Phoenix when Mullin truly did not miss a shot for almost half of the game, and not layups, either). He is acrobatic (Wade) and a beast defensively, but I just don't see how these guys pose a threat to the Dream Team.
4. Annnnnnnnnnnnnd at Centerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... at Seven Feet from Georgetowwwwwwn... number 33... cooooooooo-captain... PAAAAA-TRICK Ewing! I don't have to say more, but I shall, nonetheless. Pat was in his prime (PLUS they had David Robinson coming in when he went out) in 1992. His patented baseline J with the high release and follow-through, along with his patented trounce (he always walked, but so did Mike) across the lane was unstoppable and MONEY from 1988-1997. What could Bosh, Howard (MAYBE) or any of those other big men on the "Redeem Team" do with Ewing? That's right.
5. Scottie Pippen. Best one on one defender (in my opinion, but it is arguable) ever. Kobe would be whining more than he ever did during the Boston series in the 2008 NBA Finals. Wade would resort to flopping like he did in the 2006 NBA Finals (where are the so-called Heat fans from that year, by the way???) and Anthony would just quit (see his annual first-round exit in the playoffs -- and especially this year when his teammates resorted to taking cheap shots at Kobe and "The Machine" Sasha Vujacic, when they were about to be swept. Anthony, being a captain of the team, definitely did not show great leadership sulking around the entire series. Imagine Scottie getting in his @$% (no homo). Anthony probably did not have two hands laid on him the entire Olympics because of the rules. Scottie (along with Alvin Robertson, Joe Dumars, Michael Jordan -- all of whom make Bruce Bowen look like the CHUMP that he is) was one of the best defenders at taking advantage of the hand-checking that the NBA allowed players to employ until the past few years. He would steer offensive players the way HE wanted them to go and guys like Anthony and Wade, who are mediocre shooters at best, would just fold under pressure -- much like Thunder Dan Majerle and Danny Ainge did in NBA Finals matchups versus the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s).
6. I could go down the list man for man, but basically, the "Second Five" of the Dream Team would demolish the best players on the Redeem Team. The players were more fundamentally sound back then. Let's face it. I love Dwight Howard (no homo) and those of you who know me know Kobe is my favorite player in the NBA. But these guys would not stand a chance. Case closed. Enough with the nonsense.
Now, to the NFL --
My New York Football Giants reached out to Michael Strahan to see if he would be amenable to coming back now that we lost the best defensive end in the NFC, Osi Umenyiora, to a season-ending knee injury. People who do not watch the Giants and only saw the Super Bowl think we only won because of our defense. Given this, I have been hearing a lot of "mail it in, it's over. No playoffs for your boys". And I want to see empirical evidence that even leads one to believe this.
First of all, while Gibril Wilson (the heart and soul of the secondary the past four years) defected to the Raiders (say goodbye to your NFL career, fam...) and Kawika Mitchell left to go to Buffalo, Strahan's retirement was not a shock and it did not kill the Giants' hopes of making the playoffs and repeating as NFL Champs. The Giants QUIETLY (and I do mean QUIETLY) acquired Danny Clark. And while he is not a big name in the NFL, he is a prototypical strongside linebacker. Umenyiora's injury forces the Giants to move Clark to the strongside (he had been playing weakside throughout the preseason). Gerris Wilkinson, provided he can avoid the silly injuries that have stunted his growth since he entered the NFL, is what you would like in a weakside 'backer when it comes to his 6'3" 230 lb frame. Antonio Pierce is a stalwart at Mike linebacker. Some Giants fans take him for granted. Let's HOPE the Giants' front office (we're watching you, Jerry Reese!) does not drop the ball by not re-signing him. This Strahan situation could have been a colossal mess if the Giants had paid Strahan his asking price of $12 million PLUS to come back, when guys like Umenyiora, Pierce and Plaxico Burress were asking for new contracts all offseason. I, for one, am glad Stray chose to stay retired. He went out healthy, on his own terms (although he might want to go ahead and mail his gonads -- pause -- to his wife, after that divorce settlement!) and with a championship. Imagine if Michael Jordan had done that in 1998??? Nevertheless, I digress. The Giants' secondary is BETTER than last year. Corey Webster, who ended Brett Favre's Green Bay career, has his confidence back. Aaron Ross is going to be a shutdown cornerback within the next year or so. Our nickelbacks are veterans who made plays all season/postseason in R.W. McQuarters (Romo) and Sam Madison (helping to shut down Randy Moss in the Super Bowl).
However, when it comes to Strahan, Mathias Kiwanuka was a BEAST in the Big East Conference. I know. Because I watched him KILL Chris Rix and Drew Weatherford while he was playing defensive end at Boston College. Most non-football minds and those who don't even watch the Giants (but are always commenting) call him a 'tweener, meaning no one knows whether to call him a DE or a LB, but he always played DE and played very well in Steve Spagnuolo's (or as Troy Aikman calls him, "Steve Spagnola" -- next time Joe Seacrest Buck and Aikman do a Giants' game, or Aikman refers to Spagnuolo, see if I'm making this up) system. He will be fine at LE, and can move over to RE, allowing Wynn to play LE when Justin Tuck comes in to line up at DT (how good is this guy? When I get a chance, I'm coppin' a #91 jersey). Justin Tuck is about to open a lot of eyes in the NFL while Osi is out.
Offensively, I would have NEVER used the two words in the same DISSERTATION, much less the same sentence, but Eli Manning has found his swag! When a QB has swag, he makes plays that no one ever saw him make before. Given that our running back corps are one of (if not THE) deepest in the NFL with Brandon Jacobs (boom-boom-boom - ala Chris Berman), Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw (shouts to another guy playing RB in the NFL at 5'10" and under and 200 lbs and under -- hold it down for guys like me who are 5'10" and 190 LOL) we will be right at the top in terms of running the ball AGAIN this year. Factor in that Eli won't be making the same mistakes this year and you have the makings of a great offense. The offensive line is in the Top Three in the NFC and Top Five in the NFL as a whole. Disagree? Give me proof. Minnesota has a great line. So does San Diego. Who knows about Indianapolis' for sure? But they have perennially been great. Carolina's offensive line is going to be very good this year. Outside of that, whose line is better than that? Washington's? No, although they are right there, no hating. New England's? No. They get away with holding and clipping (like the San Francisco teams of the late 80s/early 90s) more than anyone. Even in the Super Bowl, Brady would've been sacked three or four more times had the refs called the BLATANT holding calls that were overlooked. Baltimore's offensive line is done for with Ogden retired. So count all that up, a stellar offensive line. The best set of RBs top to bottom in the NFL. Very good receivers in Burress, "Well-Dressed" Amani Toomer, Steve (not "Steven", Sam Rosen!) Smith, Domenik Hixon and then Sinorice Moss and rookie Mario Manningham in the fold. NOT TO MENTION THE SUPER BOWL HERO, David Tyree. We're going to be alright.
Now, when it comes to the Race Card, I don't pull it often. But much like when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) was dominating everyone from Inwood and Harlem to Westwood in Los Angeles, the rules-makers changed things to prevent a man of color from dominating. Lew was not allowed to dunk (nor was anyone else, but the rule "coincidentally" came along when Alcindor left Power Memorial High School in New York to attend UCLA). John Wooden claims it wasn't done for that reason. I'm sorry, I don't buy it. Same with Bob Gibson in baseball (segue) in the 1960s. Gibby was so dominant that they had to lower the pitching mound. The guy had FILTHY stuff (baseball people know what "filthy" means). So I read that this kid in New Haven, a nine-year old with a 40 mph fastball (equivalent to a grown man throwing 102 on the gun) and a nasty curveball has been effectively banned from the kiddie league in Connecticut because none of the other kids could hit him. One team actually QUIT before a game started when they found out he was pitching. MOREOVER, the league coordinators want to break up the kid's team and don't want him to pitch for "safety reasons" -- even though the kid has Brandon Webb-like control. That's terrible for two reasons 1) you teach kids to be QUITTERS early on in life. Sports for kids is character-building. It should not become about wins and losses until you are at least 12. When you are telling 8-10 year olds to quit, they're going to quit every time the going gets tough in life. That can be more detrimental than POSSIBLY being beaned in the forearm with a cut fastball (part of the game) or having a guy strike you out 15 straight times. There are guys who were scared to face Unit (Randy Johnson) in his prime. This guy is 6'10" and his arm is seemingly in your face by the time he releases the ball. Plus he's left-handed. Plus he throws (even to this day, at age 45) 100 mph. Do guys quit? NO. You get in there and get after it! I bring up race, because there were dominant pitchers before Bob Gibson (Christy Mathewson, Cy Young, Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, Bob Feller, etc. etc. etc.) and no one ever even considered the type of wholesale changes to prevent pitchers from being dominant before Bob Gibson (who is Black) came along. Same thing with this kid in Connecticut. He is NOT the first dominant young man who can pitch. But I can't help but think that if he were (he looks as if he is either Black or Puerto Rican or a mixture of both) White, this would not be an issue.
On a lighter note, I like to listen to the announcers for the games of various sports. For years (25 to be exact) I have listened to the likes of:
Harry Caray (Chicago Cubs).
Marv Albert (The G.O.A.T. of ALL announcers/MSG Network/New York Knicks/Boxing/New York Rangers/Westwood One for the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, NBA Finals/NBC Sports/TNT Sports).
Dick Stockton (CBS/TNT Sports).
Bill Walton (NBC/ESPN/ABC Sports).
John Madden (CBS/FOX/ESPN/NBC Sports -- for the under 21 crowd who don't even know who John Madden is and what he did before the GAME came out, the dude was a great coach and the best NFL announcer for 25 years).
Troy Aikman.
Doug Collins.
Dick Vitale ("Dickie V.")
Bill Raftery.
Gus Johnson.
Phil Simms.
Sam Rosen.
Skip Caray.
Rick Sutcliffe.
Ken "Hawk" Harrelson.
Tommy Heinsohn.
Michael Kay.
Steve "Snapper" Jones.
Tom Hammond.
Magic Johnson/Isiah Thomas DEBACLES-ON-THE-AIR in the early 1990s.
And the list goes on... let's tackle these guys one by one. I do impressions of most of them.
Harry Caray, who passed away in 1998 was a legend. Back when the Cubs were televised 145 times a year, even non-Cubs fans saw Caray and his announcing career. He became famous for his seventh-inning stretch at Cubs' home games. He was also known for his HUGE bifocals. However, actor Will Ferrell has brought Caray's legacy back to mind (albeit in a spoofy manner) with his impressions over the years. Ferrell is SPOT ON with it, too. My dad and sister used to watch Cubs' games (I was not a fan, but I loved watching them play. BTW, for the record, I was a Mets fan from 1984-1989 -- due to my aunt who lived on Long Island having Mets' games being shown (somehow?) on Channel 11 when we spent summers with my grandmother while she kept her sister's house.
Side note: I became a Yankee fan in 1989 for the same reason I became a Florida State Seminoles fan in 1987 -- DEION SANDERS. So while I am not your typical "lifetime" Yankee fan, I was a fan at the tail end of the awful Bronx Zoo years, LONG before and LONG AFTER World Series titles, so don't test me.
I digress.
Harry Caray is missed. Announcers don't have that quality to them anymore. HOOOOOOOLY COWWWW!!!
Marv Albert, who in my mind -- and few can dispute this, is the best announcer ever to do it. He has done EVERY sport and done it better than any. And no, I am not biased as a Knicks fan. His work speaks for itself... "Oh!!! A spec-TAC-ular move... by Michael Jordan!!!"... "Here's Jordan for three... YES!!!!!!! Did you see that look?!?! Michael... INDICATING... he can't believe it!!!"... "Here's Miller off the catch-and-shoot... (subdued) yes..." -- and one of my favorites, "Starks drives, pulls up... YES!!!! IT COUNTS!!!......... AND....... THE....... FOULLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Albert's voice and tone are perfect for sports. He knows how to capture the moment (anyone who saw any of the aforementioned plays, being that they were all over 15 years ago, can remember where they were and exactly what year it was -- THAT is what a great announcer does). He lets his color analyst(s) breathe. He does not get in the way of the game. The only travesty is that he dressed up in women's clothes and bit that chick in 1997. Otherwise, he would be doing the NBA Finals INSTEAD of that awful team ABC has been putting up since the glorious NBA on NBC days ended in 2002.
THE. BEST. EVER. PERIOD. He is probably my best impression. Ask my best friends, they know I do a spot-on Marv Albert. Also remember, Marv has the driest sense of humor and the best deadpan this side of Kenny Mayne.
Dick Stockton mostly appeals to people who came along before CBS Sports lost the NBA to NBC in 1991. He still does games on TNT and did games on other networks here and there. To me, he is one of the best ever, but these days he is associated with CONSTANTLY butchering players' names and always starting sentences with "and" (listen to him this season upcoming NBA season on TNT... I do not tell lies).
Bill Walton. Now, I will admit, Walton is as polarizing of a figure as Kobe Bryant, Cam'ron or Tom Brady. But if you like Walton, you can't help but to tune in whenever he is on the air. Whether it is his outlandish declarations "Greg Ostertag is the greatest center in the HISTORY of the Western Conference" or "Kobe Bryant is making Ray Allen look like a SIXTH GRADERRRRR-UH" or his hyperbole such as "And the Pistons take a COMMANDING LEADDDD-UH!!! (while the score was 6-2 in a game)". You either love or hate him, but he is hilarious. See his YouTube videos and just LISTEN to what he says... unless you're a humorless ogre, you will die laughing (especially if you know basketball and the historical figures he sometimes mentions). Walton is one of my best impressions, because he had a stutter for years and now overpronounces words to prevent the stutter (i.e. the "-UH" at the end of statements from time to time), which makes him hilarious to imitate. Comedian Frank Caliendo does a pretty good Walton, too. See YouTube.
John Madden. Let's see. I can go on and on about Madden. Most people know him. He is one of Frank Caliendo's favorite impressions. I do a spot-on Madden, as well. With the NFL season upon us, I won't delve to far into him. Just watch Sunday Night Football on NBC and/or play Madden NFL '09. You will see why he is one of my favorites. One thing I am NOT looking forward to is Madden's UNNATURAL affinity for Brett Favre. He talks about Favre at every turn (although not so bad lately, can't help but think that NBC told him to tone it down because so many people complained that Madden talked about Favre even when Green Bay wasn't playing!). And he never said just "Brett" or "Favre". He always said "Brett Favre". Brett Favre did this. Brett Favre can find bin Laden. Brett Favre can win a game by himself. And he always responded to Pat Summerall and now Al Michaels with "and..." For instance, Pat Summerall, in his classic Texas drawl, would prompt Madden with a statement similar to this:
Pat: John, Darrell Green is 38 and still going strong in the NFL...
John: Yeah... and... and... and... that's true. And... and... and.. he is! Because great players, play great football... and when you play great football, then you're a great player and great football wins games.
Pat (ALWAYS after a statement like this): Thanks, Johnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...
BTW, yes, I do a great Summerall, too. But that isn't difficult. Just talk slowly, with a country drawl and get the vocal down. The "Thanks, Johnnnnnnnnnnn..." is classic.
Summerall was a kicker for the New York Football Giants in the late 1950s. Just a little FYI.
Al Michaels. Along with the music for Monday Night Football, you associate his voice with football. You hear Michaels and that tune comes to mind(I would link it, but I am trying to avoid using copyrighted information in my blog -- most people know the MNF music by now). Can't wait until next week!
The NBA on NBC/Monday Night Football on ABC -- just a side note about the musical jingles for both. Hearing the NBA on NBC theme song being played during the USA Basketball games last week nearly gave me goosebumps. That music was like a fire alarm -- you RAN to the nearest TV set, because a great double or tripleheader was about to come on the air.
The same with Monday Night Football. ESPN (as with everything else it has acquired from the originator) has RUINED the music, by arrogantly putting their own spin on it, instead of leaving it as was. MNF music got you riled up for a game on Monday Nights. Now they are mostly snoozefests. Boo to ESPN/ABC!
John Facenda is a little before most of my readers' time. Unless you are about 28, 29, 30 and older, you do not remember NFL Films televising highlights from games in the 1970s and early 1980s. These were mostly rerun until 2006 on regular cable. You can still find them on NFL Network from time to time. Some people dubbed him The Voice of God (I won't go that far personally, for obvious reasons) but many people imitated his voice. Chris Berman does it when he says "The FROOOOOOOZEN Tundra of LAMMMMMM-BEAUUUUU FIEEEELD". It was Facenda who coined that phrase while doing highlights of the Ice Bowl, the NFL Championship game between the Green Bay Packers (or PACKUZZZZ, as Facenda would say) and the Dallas Cowboys. Alternatively, Berman imitates Facenda when talking about the rivalry between the Green Bay PACKUZZZ and the Chicaaaaago Buzzzz (Bears). Facenda was Italian, but he sounded Shakespearean when narrating the highlights for NFL Films. GREAT TIMES. Wish he had lived longer. The rest of the 1980s were great afetr he passed in 1984.
Whoaaaa-Nelly, it's Keith Jackson. Nuff said. College football starts Thursday. Shouts to Keith as he does Pac 10 games watching USC and UCLA "ma-TRIC-u-LATE the ball down the field!"
Brent Musberger. I loved listening to him do games in the 1980s for CBS Sports. Then he became full of himself and annoyed viewers with his "Watch this friends..." gaffle whenever the slightest thing happened on the field. He's still a legend, and you know it is a big college football game when you hear his voice. I appreciate him more now than I did in the 1990s when he seemed to always favor UF (Florida Gators) whenever my boys at Florida State played them... same with FSU vs. The U. (Miami Hurricanes). He's great.
Troy Aikman. Aikman is one of Madden's good friends, and he sounds like it -- only with an Oklahoma twang. I do believe Aikman is probably the best and most thorough (slightly over Phil Simms) color analyst in the NFL, but one of my good friends who I used to work with at Aetna back in the day pointed out to me back in 2004... Aikman always (like other announcers) said he talked to X player or Y player on "Thursdee" or "Fridee". And he inquired, "Mike... what is a THURSDEE???" I nearly died laughing, because although I never paid attention to Aikman say that in the past, I had heard him say it and someone else NOTICING IT made me laugh myself into one of those coughs like chain smokers do when they exert the slightest bit of energy doing anything that requires them to breathe. Now I have several people listening to Aikman and while that is hilarious, he IS the best doing it. Shouts to Aikman, even THOUGH he is a Cowboy.
WFAN Radio 66 in New York. Bob Papa, admittedly a Giants homer, is my local favorite. Giants' fans love Papa. Dick Lynch always seems out of it half of the time during the game and Papa and Carl Banks disagree and argue through several subsequent plays while on air. THE FAN is great radio when the Giants are playing though. And yes, I am a homer.
Brad Nessler. There's something about country accents and football that go together. This guy is one of the best ones to do it right now. He absolutely BOMBED doing the NBA on ABC, but he deserved a mulligan. We will forget it if he does.
JVG (Jeff Van Gundy). He coached the Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1999 and was on the staff under Paulie Walnuts (aka Pat Riley) when the Knicks made the NBA Finals in 1994, so he gets a lifetime pass from us Knick fans. However, on the air, he was annoying to the point where I would turn the channel or watch the game on mute - until this year. Let's hope he maintains a sense of humor.
Doug Collins. Simply the most insightful color analyst the NBA has to offer. He did the Olympics for a reason.
Dick Vitale. An imitation of him is superfluous and everyone has tried it at least once while he was on the air OPENLY campaigning for Mike Krzyzewski and Duke Basketball for the past 20 years. He is great for the game, though. We suffered with subpar announcers while "Dickie V." was out with vocal chord surgery in January. Thank God we have him back.
Bill Raftery. MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE announcer in college basketball. For the life of me, I could never figure out why he didn't do the Final Four all these years, instead of that CURMUDGEON Billy Packer (and his replacement, Clark Kellogg... who never looks at the camera while at CBS Sports' studios???) While I will admit I am biased, because Raftery is a Seton Hall guy, a Jersey guy and a Big East announcer most of the time, most people like him. "SEND IT IN, JEROOOOOME!!!" (when Jerome Lane broke the backboard at Fitzgerald in Pittsburgh in 1988 -- my dad and I were watching the game live and I became a Raft fan that night). I could list Raftery phrases all night, but there are so many... you just have to Google or YouTube him and enjoy!
Gus Johnson can make watching paint dry seem amusing. He does Knicks games now. He has the most professional use of the term "pause" (a sure fire sign he spent a lot of time in Harlem World since moving to New York to do Knicks games LOL) when Spike Lee said "I like Dick" following the 2007 NBA Draft in an interview (YouTube it). Why isn't he doing the Final Four?!?! Jim Nantz should stick to golf and leave College Basketball AND the NFL alone!!!
Phil Simms. He gets a pass from us Giants fans for life, even if he has the worst diction this side of Tim Hardaway. I am still trying to figure out what "eem" means. My sister actually brought this to my attention a few years back during a Colts/Patriots game (she is a Colts fan). Simms said something to the effect of "Well, Peyton and Marvin usually make that play... as you see here, Peyton gets it TO 'eem (him, I guess?) and Marvin just drops it, Jim. That's rare." So of course, ever since that moment, I crack up whenever I hear Simms or any other hick from Kentucky or West Virginia (John Kruk) say it. LOL
Rick Sutcliffe is a guy who you could sit and talk baseball with casually at the bar. He sounds like he is just having a beer and watching the game while doing games for ESPN. He makes the game entertaining. Glad he is over the cancer.
Sam Rosen. Otherwise a very good announcer over the years, lately, I have noticed while watching Carolina Panthers games, that he likes to call Steve Smith #89 "STEVEN" Smith. Yes, we know "Steve" is a derivative of Steven, but the man says to call him "Steve" so Rosen calls him "Steven" everytime he references Smith. It's annoying, but funny. Shouts to Philip Brady on this one, one of the biggest Panther fans I know and who dealt with my ranting about being annoyed by Rosen for an entire year LOL
Skip Caray. Well, we lost him this year. It is sad, because he had been doing fewer and fewer games the past few years. This year, I never saw him once on the air. But
he was a legend. He was a Braves homer and unapologetically. But he did criticize them when necessary, though, so you can let that ride. My enduring memory of him is his Kermit The Frog voice while saying "and here's Chipper Jones... base hit... one run will score, two runs will score... and the Braves lead 4 to 3!!!" (you have to hear it, words on the screen do no justice). I do a spot on Skip Caray (although Rich Eisen was better at it when he hosted SportsCenter on ESPN back in the day) He is already missed. R.I.P.
Tom Heinsohn. I like him because he is like that drunk uncle at a cookout. He will say anything, nevermind he is on WEEI with over 2 million people listening on any given night. I like irreverent announcers.
Michael Kay. This guy is a huge Yankee homer. But he is the voice of the Yankees. John Sterling, on the other hand, is annoying with his Home Run calls "it is high... it is far... it is outta here" (particularly funny when the ball DOES NOT leave the yard and he has to change it LOL).
Steve "Snapper" Jones can best be remembered by his on-air bouts with Bill Walton. Too bad we don't have NBA on NBC anymore. ESPN messed that up, too.
Tom Hammond, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas. The first should stick to Track & Field. Magic needs to learn how to talk. Isiah does, too (and stay away from my Knicks FOREVER!!!)
Finally, one of my favorite MLB announcers calls games for the Chicago White Sox. Ken "Hawk" (for his hooknose) Harrelson. From the time the game begins "and before we show you our picks to click, you choose yours at home" (with a strong South Carolina accent), to a pitcher losing a perfect game bid, "well, cancel the postgame show!" to a White Sox pitcher striking an opposing batter out (Harrelson is the biggest homer of them all) with a resounding "HE GONE!!!" Perfect english, right? Amazingly, Hawk is mostly known for that "He Gone" line. I worked it into my vernacular in the 90s. The dudes on Baseball Tonight are just now saying it LOL. He goes completely silent when the White Sox are struggling and probably his most well-known phrase, which he utters when a White Sox batter hits a potential Home Run "that ball hit hard... get up ball... STREEEETCH... STRETCH!!!... He looks up... You can.... PUT IT ON THE BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARD... YYYYYYYYESSSSSSSSS!!!" Back in the early 1990s, Harrelson partnered with Tom Paciorek "Wimpy"/"Wimparoo" and now with Darrin Jackson "Feisty". They both would join in with the "YYYYYYYYYESSSS" when White Sox batters hit jonrons. Great stuff! Tune in sometime, Hawk is a legend. He was the first player (when he played for the Red Sox) to wear batting gloves. He gave Frank Thomas the nickname that everyone who knows baseball knows Thomas by, "The Big Hurt". He gave Lance Johnson his nickname, "One Dog" (Johnson wore #1). And he talks as if the players can actually hear him when the White Sox need runs. "C'mon Ross... get us started... we need you to do a JOB". Just listen to a White Sox game on their WGN telecasts. You will be pleased.
That is all for this time... more tomorrow.
Gene Upshaw. (1945-2008)
Isaac Hayes. (1942-2008)
Skip Caray. (1939-2008)
Bernie Mac. (1957-2008)
Kevin Duckworth. (1964-2008)
There are several others, but in the interest of space (I TRY to limit myself to 1200words per entry) I will keep it brief. However, the last one of those listed probably was the one that jolted me most. Gene was 63, and his death was shocking because he had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer mere DAYS before he succumbed. Isaac Hayes was 65 years old, but had health problems in the past few years. Sad, but not a total shock. Bernie Mac's condition, which he had suffered with periodically for 25 years predisposed him to frequent bouts with pneumonia, and hence, while shocking, his death was not surprising. Skip Carey had been sick for years. After all that, Kevin Duckworth's (or "Duck", as NBA fans referred to him when he was in his best years with the Portland TrailBlazers in the early-to-mid 1990s when they were making NBA Finals runs with their Drexler, Kersey, Porter, Ainge, Buck Williams-led squads) passing last night was totally out of the blue. Those who really knew him saw his weight balloon even more than it did while he was playing, but he was seven feet tall -- and guys that height tend to have heart problems; especially if they are overweight. Nevertheless, no one outside of the Portland area had heard a peep out of Duckworth, 44, in the ten years since he retired. Then, BAM! first thing I see on ESPN.com this morning was that Duckworth had died. Forty-four years of age! Rest in peace, all.
In regards to the news --
I watched the Democratic National Convention's "opening ceremony" of sorts last night. Michelle Obama's speech was rousing, genuine and heartfelt. That's all you ask when someone makes a speech. You don't want to hear politispeak, a bunch of impossible-to-fulfill promises and feather-ruffling. She spoke glowingly about Barack, her children and her track record about helping people with a sincere heart. Where have people like this been all these years when it comes to running for President??? Barack will have a tough time topping a speech like that -- and he's a great orator, as most know. We shall see how things evolve the rest of this week.
I see that Major League Baseball is instituting instant replay for disputed Fair or Foul/Home Run or Not calls. This can be good, but I can't help but think that eventually this will prove to be a Pandora's Box of sorts and will only push those (idiots) who say baseball is boring FURTHER away from the game. Eventually, players, managers and general managers are going to push for botched plays at first base, or plays at the plate to be challenged. The delays will only make a three and a half hour even longer, potentially. Let's hope not.
Olympic gold? Well, I am happy they did it. But let's stop all the foolishness about them being better than the Dream Team. NO. FRIGGIN. WAY. This "Redeem Team", while star-laden, is about two or three MEGASTARS short of being able to handle the Dream Team. Let's explore:
1. While Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade played stellar defense in the 2008 Olympic Games, neither one of them would have been able to stop Michael Jordan. I refuse to discuss the topic. I feel very strongly about this.
2. Carmelo Anthony is a stupendous talent offensively. THe knock on him has been, and probably always will be 1) he does not play defense, 2) he drifts around the perimeter too often every game instead of driving to the basket consistently, 3) at 6'8" 235 lbs, he does not hit the boards like he should (because of the aforementioned drifting onto the perimeter every game far too often). He is not Reggie Miller.
3. Dwyane Wade, with his inconsistent shooting, would not pose a threat when you have guys like Chris Mullin who NEVER missed shots (see the 1992-93 NBA Playoffs - Golden State vs. Phoenix when Mullin truly did not miss a shot for almost half of the game, and not layups, either). He is acrobatic (Wade) and a beast defensively, but I just don't see how these guys pose a threat to the Dream Team.
4. Annnnnnnnnnnnnd at Centerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... at Seven Feet from Georgetowwwwwwn... number 33... cooooooooo-captain... PAAAAA-TRICK Ewing! I don't have to say more, but I shall, nonetheless. Pat was in his prime (PLUS they had David Robinson coming in when he went out) in 1992. His patented baseline J with the high release and follow-through, along with his patented trounce (he always walked, but so did Mike) across the lane was unstoppable and MONEY from 1988-1997. What could Bosh, Howard (MAYBE) or any of those other big men on the "Redeem Team" do with Ewing? That's right.
5. Scottie Pippen. Best one on one defender (in my opinion, but it is arguable) ever. Kobe would be whining more than he ever did during the Boston series in the 2008 NBA Finals. Wade would resort to flopping like he did in the 2006 NBA Finals (where are the so-called Heat fans from that year, by the way???) and Anthony would just quit (see his annual first-round exit in the playoffs -- and especially this year when his teammates resorted to taking cheap shots at Kobe and "The Machine" Sasha Vujacic, when they were about to be swept. Anthony, being a captain of the team, definitely did not show great leadership sulking around the entire series. Imagine Scottie getting in his @$% (no homo). Anthony probably did not have two hands laid on him the entire Olympics because of the rules. Scottie (along with Alvin Robertson, Joe Dumars, Michael Jordan -- all of whom make Bruce Bowen look like the CHUMP that he is) was one of the best defenders at taking advantage of the hand-checking that the NBA allowed players to employ until the past few years. He would steer offensive players the way HE wanted them to go and guys like Anthony and Wade, who are mediocre shooters at best, would just fold under pressure -- much like Thunder Dan Majerle and Danny Ainge did in NBA Finals matchups versus the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s).
6. I could go down the list man for man, but basically, the "Second Five" of the Dream Team would demolish the best players on the Redeem Team. The players were more fundamentally sound back then. Let's face it. I love Dwight Howard (no homo) and those of you who know me know Kobe is my favorite player in the NBA. But these guys would not stand a chance. Case closed. Enough with the nonsense.
Now, to the NFL --
My New York Football Giants reached out to Michael Strahan to see if he would be amenable to coming back now that we lost the best defensive end in the NFC, Osi Umenyiora, to a season-ending knee injury. People who do not watch the Giants and only saw the Super Bowl think we only won because of our defense. Given this, I have been hearing a lot of "mail it in, it's over. No playoffs for your boys". And I want to see empirical evidence that even leads one to believe this.
First of all, while Gibril Wilson (the heart and soul of the secondary the past four years) defected to the Raiders (say goodbye to your NFL career, fam...) and Kawika Mitchell left to go to Buffalo, Strahan's retirement was not a shock and it did not kill the Giants' hopes of making the playoffs and repeating as NFL Champs. The Giants QUIETLY (and I do mean QUIETLY) acquired Danny Clark. And while he is not a big name in the NFL, he is a prototypical strongside linebacker. Umenyiora's injury forces the Giants to move Clark to the strongside (he had been playing weakside throughout the preseason). Gerris Wilkinson, provided he can avoid the silly injuries that have stunted his growth since he entered the NFL, is what you would like in a weakside 'backer when it comes to his 6'3" 230 lb frame. Antonio Pierce is a stalwart at Mike linebacker. Some Giants fans take him for granted. Let's HOPE the Giants' front office (we're watching you, Jerry Reese!) does not drop the ball by not re-signing him. This Strahan situation could have been a colossal mess if the Giants had paid Strahan his asking price of $12 million PLUS to come back, when guys like Umenyiora, Pierce and Plaxico Burress were asking for new contracts all offseason. I, for one, am glad Stray chose to stay retired. He went out healthy, on his own terms (although he might want to go ahead and mail his gonads -- pause -- to his wife, after that divorce settlement!) and with a championship. Imagine if Michael Jordan had done that in 1998??? Nevertheless, I digress. The Giants' secondary is BETTER than last year. Corey Webster, who ended Brett Favre's Green Bay career, has his confidence back. Aaron Ross is going to be a shutdown cornerback within the next year or so. Our nickelbacks are veterans who made plays all season/postseason in R.W. McQuarters (Romo) and Sam Madison (helping to shut down Randy Moss in the Super Bowl).
However, when it comes to Strahan, Mathias Kiwanuka was a BEAST in the Big East Conference. I know. Because I watched him KILL Chris Rix and Drew Weatherford while he was playing defensive end at Boston College. Most non-football minds and those who don't even watch the Giants (but are always commenting) call him a 'tweener, meaning no one knows whether to call him a DE or a LB, but he always played DE and played very well in Steve Spagnuolo's (or as Troy Aikman calls him, "Steve Spagnola" -- next time Joe Seacrest Buck and Aikman do a Giants' game, or Aikman refers to Spagnuolo, see if I'm making this up) system. He will be fine at LE, and can move over to RE, allowing Wynn to play LE when Justin Tuck comes in to line up at DT (how good is this guy? When I get a chance, I'm coppin' a #91 jersey). Justin Tuck is about to open a lot of eyes in the NFL while Osi is out.
Offensively, I would have NEVER used the two words in the same DISSERTATION, much less the same sentence, but Eli Manning has found his swag! When a QB has swag, he makes plays that no one ever saw him make before. Given that our running back corps are one of (if not THE) deepest in the NFL with Brandon Jacobs (boom-boom-boom - ala Chris Berman), Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw (shouts to another guy playing RB in the NFL at 5'10" and under and 200 lbs and under -- hold it down for guys like me who are 5'10" and 190 LOL) we will be right at the top in terms of running the ball AGAIN this year. Factor in that Eli won't be making the same mistakes this year and you have the makings of a great offense. The offensive line is in the Top Three in the NFC and Top Five in the NFL as a whole. Disagree? Give me proof. Minnesota has a great line. So does San Diego. Who knows about Indianapolis' for sure? But they have perennially been great. Carolina's offensive line is going to be very good this year. Outside of that, whose line is better than that? Washington's? No, although they are right there, no hating. New England's? No. They get away with holding and clipping (like the San Francisco teams of the late 80s/early 90s) more than anyone. Even in the Super Bowl, Brady would've been sacked three or four more times had the refs called the BLATANT holding calls that were overlooked. Baltimore's offensive line is done for with Ogden retired. So count all that up, a stellar offensive line. The best set of RBs top to bottom in the NFL. Very good receivers in Burress, "Well-Dressed" Amani Toomer, Steve (not "Steven", Sam Rosen!) Smith, Domenik Hixon and then Sinorice Moss and rookie Mario Manningham in the fold. NOT TO MENTION THE SUPER BOWL HERO, David Tyree. We're going to be alright.
Now, when it comes to the Race Card, I don't pull it often. But much like when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) was dominating everyone from Inwood and Harlem to Westwood in Los Angeles, the rules-makers changed things to prevent a man of color from dominating. Lew was not allowed to dunk (nor was anyone else, but the rule "coincidentally" came along when Alcindor left Power Memorial High School in New York to attend UCLA). John Wooden claims it wasn't done for that reason. I'm sorry, I don't buy it. Same with Bob Gibson in baseball (segue) in the 1960s. Gibby was so dominant that they had to lower the pitching mound. The guy had FILTHY stuff (baseball people know what "filthy" means). So I read that this kid in New Haven, a nine-year old with a 40 mph fastball (equivalent to a grown man throwing 102 on the gun) and a nasty curveball has been effectively banned from the kiddie league in Connecticut because none of the other kids could hit him. One team actually QUIT before a game started when they found out he was pitching. MOREOVER, the league coordinators want to break up the kid's team and don't want him to pitch for "safety reasons" -- even though the kid has Brandon Webb-like control. That's terrible for two reasons 1) you teach kids to be QUITTERS early on in life. Sports for kids is character-building. It should not become about wins and losses until you are at least 12. When you are telling 8-10 year olds to quit, they're going to quit every time the going gets tough in life. That can be more detrimental than POSSIBLY being beaned in the forearm with a cut fastball (part of the game) or having a guy strike you out 15 straight times. There are guys who were scared to face Unit (Randy Johnson) in his prime. This guy is 6'10" and his arm is seemingly in your face by the time he releases the ball. Plus he's left-handed. Plus he throws (even to this day, at age 45) 100 mph. Do guys quit? NO. You get in there and get after it! I bring up race, because there were dominant pitchers before Bob Gibson (Christy Mathewson, Cy Young, Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, Bob Feller, etc. etc. etc.) and no one ever even considered the type of wholesale changes to prevent pitchers from being dominant before Bob Gibson (who is Black) came along. Same thing with this kid in Connecticut. He is NOT the first dominant young man who can pitch. But I can't help but think that if he were (he looks as if he is either Black or Puerto Rican or a mixture of both) White, this would not be an issue.
On a lighter note, I like to listen to the announcers for the games of various sports. For years (25 to be exact) I have listened to the likes of:
Harry Caray (Chicago Cubs).
Marv Albert (The G.O.A.T. of ALL announcers/MSG Network/New York Knicks/Boxing/New York Rangers/Westwood One for the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, NBA Finals/NBC Sports/TNT Sports).
Dick Stockton (CBS/TNT Sports).
Bill Walton (NBC/ESPN/ABC Sports).
John Madden (CBS/FOX/ESPN/NBC Sports -- for the under 21 crowd who don't even know who John Madden is and what he did before the GAME came out, the dude was a great coach and the best NFL announcer for 25 years).
Troy Aikman.
Doug Collins.
Dick Vitale ("Dickie V.")
Bill Raftery.
Gus Johnson.
Phil Simms.
Sam Rosen.
Skip Caray.
Rick Sutcliffe.
Ken "Hawk" Harrelson.
Tommy Heinsohn.
Michael Kay.
Steve "Snapper" Jones.
Tom Hammond.
Magic Johnson/Isiah Thomas DEBACLES-ON-THE-AIR in the early 1990s.
And the list goes on... let's tackle these guys one by one. I do impressions of most of them.
Harry Caray, who passed away in 1998 was a legend. Back when the Cubs were televised 145 times a year, even non-Cubs fans saw Caray and his announcing career. He became famous for his seventh-inning stretch at Cubs' home games. He was also known for his HUGE bifocals. However, actor Will Ferrell has brought Caray's legacy back to mind (albeit in a spoofy manner) with his impressions over the years. Ferrell is SPOT ON with it, too. My dad and sister used to watch Cubs' games (I was not a fan, but I loved watching them play. BTW, for the record, I was a Mets fan from 1984-1989 -- due to my aunt who lived on Long Island having Mets' games being shown (somehow?) on Channel 11 when we spent summers with my grandmother while she kept her sister's house.
Side note: I became a Yankee fan in 1989 for the same reason I became a Florida State Seminoles fan in 1987 -- DEION SANDERS. So while I am not your typical "lifetime" Yankee fan, I was a fan at the tail end of the awful Bronx Zoo years, LONG before and LONG AFTER World Series titles, so don't test me.
I digress.
Harry Caray is missed. Announcers don't have that quality to them anymore. HOOOOOOOLY COWWWW!!!
Marv Albert, who in my mind -- and few can dispute this, is the best announcer ever to do it. He has done EVERY sport and done it better than any. And no, I am not biased as a Knicks fan. His work speaks for itself... "Oh!!! A spec-TAC-ular move... by Michael Jordan!!!"... "Here's Jordan for three... YES!!!!!!! Did you see that look?!?! Michael... INDICATING... he can't believe it!!!"... "Here's Miller off the catch-and-shoot... (subdued) yes..." -- and one of my favorites, "Starks drives, pulls up... YES!!!! IT COUNTS!!!......... AND....... THE....... FOULLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Albert's voice and tone are perfect for sports. He knows how to capture the moment (anyone who saw any of the aforementioned plays, being that they were all over 15 years ago, can remember where they were and exactly what year it was -- THAT is what a great announcer does). He lets his color analyst(s) breathe. He does not get in the way of the game. The only travesty is that he dressed up in women's clothes and bit that chick in 1997. Otherwise, he would be doing the NBA Finals INSTEAD of that awful team ABC has been putting up since the glorious NBA on NBC days ended in 2002.
THE. BEST. EVER. PERIOD. He is probably my best impression. Ask my best friends, they know I do a spot-on Marv Albert. Also remember, Marv has the driest sense of humor and the best deadpan this side of Kenny Mayne.
Dick Stockton mostly appeals to people who came along before CBS Sports lost the NBA to NBC in 1991. He still does games on TNT and did games on other networks here and there. To me, he is one of the best ever, but these days he is associated with CONSTANTLY butchering players' names and always starting sentences with "and" (listen to him this season upcoming NBA season on TNT... I do not tell lies).
Bill Walton. Now, I will admit, Walton is as polarizing of a figure as Kobe Bryant, Cam'ron or Tom Brady. But if you like Walton, you can't help but to tune in whenever he is on the air. Whether it is his outlandish declarations "Greg Ostertag is the greatest center in the HISTORY of the Western Conference" or "Kobe Bryant is making Ray Allen look like a SIXTH GRADERRRRR-UH" or his hyperbole such as "And the Pistons take a COMMANDING LEADDDD-UH!!! (while the score was 6-2 in a game)". You either love or hate him, but he is hilarious. See his YouTube videos and just LISTEN to what he says... unless you're a humorless ogre, you will die laughing (especially if you know basketball and the historical figures he sometimes mentions). Walton is one of my best impressions, because he had a stutter for years and now overpronounces words to prevent the stutter (i.e. the "-UH" at the end of statements from time to time), which makes him hilarious to imitate. Comedian Frank Caliendo does a pretty good Walton, too. See YouTube.
John Madden. Let's see. I can go on and on about Madden. Most people know him. He is one of Frank Caliendo's favorite impressions. I do a spot-on Madden, as well. With the NFL season upon us, I won't delve to far into him. Just watch Sunday Night Football on NBC and/or play Madden NFL '09. You will see why he is one of my favorites. One thing I am NOT looking forward to is Madden's UNNATURAL affinity for Brett Favre. He talks about Favre at every turn (although not so bad lately, can't help but think that NBC told him to tone it down because so many people complained that Madden talked about Favre even when Green Bay wasn't playing!). And he never said just "Brett" or "Favre". He always said "Brett Favre". Brett Favre did this. Brett Favre can find bin Laden. Brett Favre can win a game by himself. And he always responded to Pat Summerall and now Al Michaels with "and..." For instance, Pat Summerall, in his classic Texas drawl, would prompt Madden with a statement similar to this:
Pat: John, Darrell Green is 38 and still going strong in the NFL...
John: Yeah... and... and... and... that's true. And... and... and.. he is! Because great players, play great football... and when you play great football, then you're a great player and great football wins games.
Pat (ALWAYS after a statement like this): Thanks, Johnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...
BTW, yes, I do a great Summerall, too. But that isn't difficult. Just talk slowly, with a country drawl and get the vocal down. The "Thanks, Johnnnnnnnnnnn..." is classic.
Summerall was a kicker for the New York Football Giants in the late 1950s. Just a little FYI.
Al Michaels. Along with the music for Monday Night Football, you associate his voice with football. You hear Michaels and that tune comes to mind(I would link it, but I am trying to avoid using copyrighted information in my blog -- most people know the MNF music by now). Can't wait until next week!
The NBA on NBC/Monday Night Football on ABC -- just a side note about the musical jingles for both. Hearing the NBA on NBC theme song being played during the USA Basketball games last week nearly gave me goosebumps. That music was like a fire alarm -- you RAN to the nearest TV set, because a great double or tripleheader was about to come on the air.
The same with Monday Night Football. ESPN (as with everything else it has acquired from the originator) has RUINED the music, by arrogantly putting their own spin on it, instead of leaving it as was. MNF music got you riled up for a game on Monday Nights. Now they are mostly snoozefests. Boo to ESPN/ABC!
John Facenda is a little before most of my readers' time. Unless you are about 28, 29, 30 and older, you do not remember NFL Films televising highlights from games in the 1970s and early 1980s. These were mostly rerun until 2006 on regular cable. You can still find them on NFL Network from time to time. Some people dubbed him The Voice of God (I won't go that far personally, for obvious reasons) but many people imitated his voice. Chris Berman does it when he says "The FROOOOOOOZEN Tundra of LAMMMMMM-BEAUUUUU FIEEEELD". It was Facenda who coined that phrase while doing highlights of the Ice Bowl, the NFL Championship game between the Green Bay Packers (or PACKUZZZZ, as Facenda would say) and the Dallas Cowboys. Alternatively, Berman imitates Facenda when talking about the rivalry between the Green Bay PACKUZZZ and the Chicaaaaago Buzzzz (Bears). Facenda was Italian, but he sounded Shakespearean when narrating the highlights for NFL Films. GREAT TIMES. Wish he had lived longer. The rest of the 1980s were great afetr he passed in 1984.
Whoaaaa-Nelly, it's Keith Jackson. Nuff said. College football starts Thursday. Shouts to Keith as he does Pac 10 games watching USC and UCLA "ma-TRIC-u-LATE the ball down the field!"
Brent Musberger. I loved listening to him do games in the 1980s for CBS Sports. Then he became full of himself and annoyed viewers with his "Watch this friends..." gaffle whenever the slightest thing happened on the field. He's still a legend, and you know it is a big college football game when you hear his voice. I appreciate him more now than I did in the 1990s when he seemed to always favor UF (Florida Gators) whenever my boys at Florida State played them... same with FSU vs. The U. (Miami Hurricanes). He's great.
Troy Aikman. Aikman is one of Madden's good friends, and he sounds like it -- only with an Oklahoma twang. I do believe Aikman is probably the best and most thorough (slightly over Phil Simms) color analyst in the NFL, but one of my good friends who I used to work with at Aetna back in the day pointed out to me back in 2004... Aikman always (like other announcers) said he talked to X player or Y player on "Thursdee" or "Fridee". And he inquired, "Mike... what is a THURSDEE???" I nearly died laughing, because although I never paid attention to Aikman say that in the past, I had heard him say it and someone else NOTICING IT made me laugh myself into one of those coughs like chain smokers do when they exert the slightest bit of energy doing anything that requires them to breathe. Now I have several people listening to Aikman and while that is hilarious, he IS the best doing it. Shouts to Aikman, even THOUGH he is a Cowboy.
WFAN Radio 66 in New York. Bob Papa, admittedly a Giants homer, is my local favorite. Giants' fans love Papa. Dick Lynch always seems out of it half of the time during the game and Papa and Carl Banks disagree and argue through several subsequent plays while on air. THE FAN is great radio when the Giants are playing though. And yes, I am a homer.
Brad Nessler. There's something about country accents and football that go together. This guy is one of the best ones to do it right now. He absolutely BOMBED doing the NBA on ABC, but he deserved a mulligan. We will forget it if he does.
JVG (Jeff Van Gundy). He coached the Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1999 and was on the staff under Paulie Walnuts (aka Pat Riley) when the Knicks made the NBA Finals in 1994, so he gets a lifetime pass from us Knick fans. However, on the air, he was annoying to the point where I would turn the channel or watch the game on mute - until this year. Let's hope he maintains a sense of humor.
Doug Collins. Simply the most insightful color analyst the NBA has to offer. He did the Olympics for a reason.
Dick Vitale. An imitation of him is superfluous and everyone has tried it at least once while he was on the air OPENLY campaigning for Mike Krzyzewski and Duke Basketball for the past 20 years. He is great for the game, though. We suffered with subpar announcers while "Dickie V." was out with vocal chord surgery in January. Thank God we have him back.
Bill Raftery. MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE announcer in college basketball. For the life of me, I could never figure out why he didn't do the Final Four all these years, instead of that CURMUDGEON Billy Packer (and his replacement, Clark Kellogg... who never looks at the camera while at CBS Sports' studios???) While I will admit I am biased, because Raftery is a Seton Hall guy, a Jersey guy and a Big East announcer most of the time, most people like him. "SEND IT IN, JEROOOOOME!!!" (when Jerome Lane broke the backboard at Fitzgerald in Pittsburgh in 1988 -- my dad and I were watching the game live and I became a Raft fan that night). I could list Raftery phrases all night, but there are so many... you just have to Google or YouTube him and enjoy!
Gus Johnson can make watching paint dry seem amusing. He does Knicks games now. He has the most professional use of the term "pause" (a sure fire sign he spent a lot of time in Harlem World since moving to New York to do Knicks games LOL) when Spike Lee said "I like Dick" following the 2007 NBA Draft in an interview (YouTube it). Why isn't he doing the Final Four?!?! Jim Nantz should stick to golf and leave College Basketball AND the NFL alone!!!
Phil Simms. He gets a pass from us Giants fans for life, even if he has the worst diction this side of Tim Hardaway. I am still trying to figure out what "eem" means. My sister actually brought this to my attention a few years back during a Colts/Patriots game (she is a Colts fan). Simms said something to the effect of "Well, Peyton and Marvin usually make that play... as you see here, Peyton gets it TO 'eem (him, I guess?) and Marvin just drops it, Jim. That's rare." So of course, ever since that moment, I crack up whenever I hear Simms or any other hick from Kentucky or West Virginia (John Kruk) say it. LOL
Rick Sutcliffe is a guy who you could sit and talk baseball with casually at the bar. He sounds like he is just having a beer and watching the game while doing games for ESPN. He makes the game entertaining. Glad he is over the cancer.
Sam Rosen. Otherwise a very good announcer over the years, lately, I have noticed while watching Carolina Panthers games, that he likes to call Steve Smith #89 "STEVEN" Smith. Yes, we know "Steve" is a derivative of Steven, but the man says to call him "Steve" so Rosen calls him "Steven" everytime he references Smith. It's annoying, but funny. Shouts to Philip Brady on this one, one of the biggest Panther fans I know and who dealt with my ranting about being annoyed by Rosen for an entire year LOL
Skip Caray. Well, we lost him this year. It is sad, because he had been doing fewer and fewer games the past few years. This year, I never saw him once on the air. But
he was a legend. He was a Braves homer and unapologetically. But he did criticize them when necessary, though, so you can let that ride. My enduring memory of him is his Kermit The Frog voice while saying "and here's Chipper Jones... base hit... one run will score, two runs will score... and the Braves lead 4 to 3!!!" (you have to hear it, words on the screen do no justice). I do a spot on Skip Caray (although Rich Eisen was better at it when he hosted SportsCenter on ESPN back in the day) He is already missed. R.I.P.
Tom Heinsohn. I like him because he is like that drunk uncle at a cookout. He will say anything, nevermind he is on WEEI with over 2 million people listening on any given night. I like irreverent announcers.
Michael Kay. This guy is a huge Yankee homer. But he is the voice of the Yankees. John Sterling, on the other hand, is annoying with his Home Run calls "it is high... it is far... it is outta here" (particularly funny when the ball DOES NOT leave the yard and he has to change it LOL).
Steve "Snapper" Jones can best be remembered by his on-air bouts with Bill Walton. Too bad we don't have NBA on NBC anymore. ESPN messed that up, too.
Tom Hammond, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas. The first should stick to Track & Field. Magic needs to learn how to talk. Isiah does, too (and stay away from my Knicks FOREVER!!!)
Finally, one of my favorite MLB announcers calls games for the Chicago White Sox. Ken "Hawk" (for his hooknose) Harrelson. From the time the game begins "and before we show you our picks to click, you choose yours at home" (with a strong South Carolina accent), to a pitcher losing a perfect game bid, "well, cancel the postgame show!" to a White Sox pitcher striking an opposing batter out (Harrelson is the biggest homer of them all) with a resounding "HE GONE!!!" Perfect english, right? Amazingly, Hawk is mostly known for that "He Gone" line. I worked it into my vernacular in the 90s. The dudes on Baseball Tonight are just now saying it LOL. He goes completely silent when the White Sox are struggling and probably his most well-known phrase, which he utters when a White Sox batter hits a potential Home Run "that ball hit hard... get up ball... STREEEETCH... STRETCH!!!... He looks up... You can.... PUT IT ON THE BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARD... YYYYYYYYESSSSSSSSS!!!" Back in the early 1990s, Harrelson partnered with Tom Paciorek "Wimpy"/"Wimparoo" and now with Darrin Jackson "Feisty". They both would join in with the "YYYYYYYYYESSSS" when White Sox batters hit jonrons. Great stuff! Tune in sometime, Hawk is a legend. He was the first player (when he played for the Red Sox) to wear batting gloves. He gave Frank Thomas the nickname that everyone who knows baseball knows Thomas by, "The Big Hurt". He gave Lance Johnson his nickname, "One Dog" (Johnson wore #1). And he talks as if the players can actually hear him when the White Sox need runs. "C'mon Ross... get us started... we need you to do a JOB". Just listen to a White Sox game on their WGN telecasts. You will be pleased.
That is all for this time... more tomorrow.
Monday, August 25, 2008
How To Get Distribution For Musicians
* Just a little insight for those who are struggling as artists -- publishing is my other main point and that will come in another note -- but DISTRIBUTION is how you can gain sales and increase your bottom line.
Regards,
-- mdw
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Most inexperienced artists believe that a distributor is the pipeline to the people. In theory it is, but in practice it is not. A distribution company is only as good as the record company's promotional power. Yes it is important to get your CD in the store, but it is much more important to get your CD OUT of that store. It's as much the record companies job to do that as it is retail's. A distributor can only try its hardest to convince a retail store to take your CD. To secure shelf space a record company needs to present all its marketing commitments (and honor them) so retail stays confident that it can shift units.
Let's face it, record stores are saturated with product. Why on earth would a store take a CD if it isn't sure it will get sold. The kind of things that retail needs to see if it is to readily accept your product is:
Radio Play
If a single is being worked at radio (through an independent radio promoter) and getting spins, this might be enough to convince a store in that neighborhood to take your record. The amount of demand for the record will determine the amount of units the store takes.
Retail Price And Positioning
Visibility in a record store is everything! If you were to buy an "end cap" (those displays at the end of an aisle), or a month on a listening station, or rack display, this is enough to attract the attention of a store. However, it has become increasingly competetive even when you pay for this!
Touring
Playing live shows can help create a demand for a CD and this of course is key.
All labels have what they call a "one sheet" - a hand out sheet with bullet points outlining their marketing strategies and promotional commitments. This is the first step, but then those commitments have to be met. These commitments are extremely expensive.
If a label refuses to spend promotional money on their act a number of things can result;
1) The CDs remain in the store buried amongst the thousands of others waiting to be found.
2) The CDs after a matter of weeks, get returned to the record label.
3) The record store takes less units from the same artist's next CD, often refusing to stock it altogether.
The last point is interesting. A brand new artist can generate much more excitement in the retail marketplace than an artist with a failed record. The label with the new artist, providing they stump up their promotional dollars and have a good several weeks at radio before they go to retail, can distribute a good amount of units in the marketplace. The artist with a previous record that "bombed" however, will need to do a good deal more convincing in order to get the stores to take more product.
So my big question is; "Can you afford distribution?". To get a record in every store via a reputable distributor immediately puts you in competition with major labels who have gobs of promotional money they can drop if they need to.
My advice for independent artists is to localise. By all means try to get your CD in retail stores, but do it yourself. Strike up a relationship with the store buyer and offer your CDs on consignment. Don't give them any risk. When you do gigs in that neighborhood make a point of telling your audience that they can buy your CD in such and such store (even if you sell CDs at your gigs!)
Do what you can to get some radio play in that area too. This, along with your live shows, might create a certain amount of demand to shift enough units for each retail store to take you seriously and want to continue to support you. From time to time record stores will do "in store appearances" with independent artists and this will allow you to build a stronger relationship with a store, and sell a few units. In a perfect world that store may even add your disc to a listening station for a month to help generate some business. I have seen this happen many, many times. They understand that it costs labels thousands of dollars to do this and that indies are operating on a shoestring. They very often want to help if they believe in a band.
Having said this, retail pretty much wants to deal only with distributors and labels. However, they will support a new artist if they like them. Walk into your local store and ask to speak to the buyer. Give him your CD, be nice and see what happens.
Remember, don't just think about getting your CD IN the store, think about how you might get it OUT!
Sincerely,
James Eichelberger
Chief Operating Officer - Keeplock Entertainment Inc.
http://www. myspace. com/JamesEichelberger
Regards,
-- mdw
-----------------------------
Most inexperienced artists believe that a distributor is the pipeline to the people. In theory it is, but in practice it is not. A distribution company is only as good as the record company's promotional power. Yes it is important to get your CD in the store, but it is much more important to get your CD OUT of that store. It's as much the record companies job to do that as it is retail's. A distributor can only try its hardest to convince a retail store to take your CD. To secure shelf space a record company needs to present all its marketing commitments (and honor them) so retail stays confident that it can shift units.
Let's face it, record stores are saturated with product. Why on earth would a store take a CD if it isn't sure it will get sold. The kind of things that retail needs to see if it is to readily accept your product is:
Radio Play
If a single is being worked at radio (through an independent radio promoter) and getting spins, this might be enough to convince a store in that neighborhood to take your record. The amount of demand for the record will determine the amount of units the store takes.
Retail Price And Positioning
Visibility in a record store is everything! If you were to buy an "end cap" (those displays at the end of an aisle), or a month on a listening station, or rack display, this is enough to attract the attention of a store. However, it has become increasingly competetive even when you pay for this!
Touring
Playing live shows can help create a demand for a CD and this of course is key.
All labels have what they call a "one sheet" - a hand out sheet with bullet points outlining their marketing strategies and promotional commitments. This is the first step, but then those commitments have to be met. These commitments are extremely expensive.
If a label refuses to spend promotional money on their act a number of things can result;
1) The CDs remain in the store buried amongst the thousands of others waiting to be found.
2) The CDs after a matter of weeks, get returned to the record label.
3) The record store takes less units from the same artist's next CD, often refusing to stock it altogether.
The last point is interesting. A brand new artist can generate much more excitement in the retail marketplace than an artist with a failed record. The label with the new artist, providing they stump up their promotional dollars and have a good several weeks at radio before they go to retail, can distribute a good amount of units in the marketplace. The artist with a previous record that "bombed" however, will need to do a good deal more convincing in order to get the stores to take more product.
So my big question is; "Can you afford distribution?". To get a record in every store via a reputable distributor immediately puts you in competition with major labels who have gobs of promotional money they can drop if they need to.
My advice for independent artists is to localise. By all means try to get your CD in retail stores, but do it yourself. Strike up a relationship with the store buyer and offer your CDs on consignment. Don't give them any risk. When you do gigs in that neighborhood make a point of telling your audience that they can buy your CD in such and such store (even if you sell CDs at your gigs!)
Do what you can to get some radio play in that area too. This, along with your live shows, might create a certain amount of demand to shift enough units for each retail store to take you seriously and want to continue to support you. From time to time record stores will do "in store appearances" with independent artists and this will allow you to build a stronger relationship with a store, and sell a few units. In a perfect world that store may even add your disc to a listening station for a month to help generate some business. I have seen this happen many, many times. They understand that it costs labels thousands of dollars to do this and that indies are operating on a shoestring. They very often want to help if they believe in a band.
Having said this, retail pretty much wants to deal only with distributors and labels. However, they will support a new artist if they like them. Walk into your local store and ask to speak to the buyer. Give him your CD, be nice and see what happens.
Remember, don't just think about getting your CD IN the store, think about how you might get it OUT!
Sincerely,
James Eichelberger
Chief Operating Officer - Keeplock Entertainment Inc.
http://www. myspace. com/JamesEichelberger
Thursday, August 21, 2008
A Little About Gene
As an avid follower of all things sports since 1984 (and increasingly, the business/litigation aspect since 1997), Gene Upshaw was one of the most powerful men in the United States. Think about it. You're the boss of a union (later, the Players' Association, after the de-certification of the union in 1989) that paved the way for players to make over $4 billion in salaries in 2008, you made it possible for the players to earn a 60% stake in the revenues generated by the NFL and most importantly, you made it such that players can willingly change teams via free agency -- whereas they could not prior to 1993.
Free agency is commonplace now in all sports, but the NFL was one of the last major leagues to "catch on", as it were. Before the 1993 season, you were expected to report to the team that drafted you, and if you made the team, you stayed with that team until your career was over -- unless the team traded you.
Players' salaries were roughly what administrative assistants' salaries were in the 1970s. Naturally, they were not living the lifestyles that players live now with huge signing bonuses, so they can flash their "mooga" in the public eye and "make it rain" at the club before going back to their 30,000 sq. ft. mansions in their Lamborghini Gallardoes and Bentley coupes. No, those players from the 50s, 60s and 70s had to work side jobs in the offseason -- an offseason that was much longer than the current (as the AFL and NFL played 14 games until the late 1970s, when the schedule increased to 16 games and later added two more preseason games to have a total of 4 and sometimes 5). Many of those players are now in their 50s, 60s and entering their 70s. Some of them have debilitating injuries and illnesses (John Mackey, Jack Tatum, Conrad Dobler, Earl Campbell -- and the list is much longer). Given the fact that salaries were dramatically less during the time that these guys played, they are currently unable to pay their steeping medical fees. This was a major point of contention between the retired players and the Upshaw-led National Football League Players' Association until Upshaw's sudden passing.
Regardless of this fact, and whatever rift the veteran players who are in their 30s (and are at risk for losing their jobs to incoming rookies making $35-50 million in guaranteed money before playing a down in the NFL) Upshaw ushered the NFLPA into the 21st century with maverick negotiations with the NFL's owners and the NFL commissioner (first Pete Rozelle until shortly before his resignation in 1989, then Paul Tagliabue from 1990-2006 and currently Roger Goodell 2006-present). These negotiations enabled the NFL to become the biggest spectator sport and the most popular of the major league sports in North America. Additionally, the players' salaries skyrocketed to unforeseen levels in the 15 years since free agency began. Along with the aforementioned revenue sharing that the players command and it is easy to see why Gene Upshaw was literally and figuratively a "Big Man" in the NFL and the US as a whole.
RIP Gene -- (1945-2008)
P.S. Upshaw had been in talks to avoid bringing the salary cap back after the current NFL/NFLPA deal expired in 2010. Without the cap, players' salaries would be limitless and almost certainly, the teams that play in major markets and have the most revenue (Dallas, New York Giants, New England, Washington) will be able to invariably snatch up the biggest name players on the market and set the league back two decades -- as the smaller market teams will not be able to compete. This occurred in Major League Baseball and still does occur to this day. However, smaller market teams such as the Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins are either leading their respective divisions, near the top or leading their Wild Card standings in the leagues they represent. Let's hope that small market teams (i.e. Green Bay, which is one of the legendary teams in NFL history, playing in a city of 102,000 people) never get the short end of the stick in the NFL again. Let's HOPE the next NFLPA Executive Director continues Gene's work.
Free agency is commonplace now in all sports, but the NFL was one of the last major leagues to "catch on", as it were. Before the 1993 season, you were expected to report to the team that drafted you, and if you made the team, you stayed with that team until your career was over -- unless the team traded you.
Players' salaries were roughly what administrative assistants' salaries were in the 1970s. Naturally, they were not living the lifestyles that players live now with huge signing bonuses, so they can flash their "mooga" in the public eye and "make it rain" at the club before going back to their 30,000 sq. ft. mansions in their Lamborghini Gallardoes and Bentley coupes. No, those players from the 50s, 60s and 70s had to work side jobs in the offseason -- an offseason that was much longer than the current (as the AFL and NFL played 14 games until the late 1970s, when the schedule increased to 16 games and later added two more preseason games to have a total of 4 and sometimes 5). Many of those players are now in their 50s, 60s and entering their 70s. Some of them have debilitating injuries and illnesses (John Mackey, Jack Tatum, Conrad Dobler, Earl Campbell -- and the list is much longer). Given the fact that salaries were dramatically less during the time that these guys played, they are currently unable to pay their steeping medical fees. This was a major point of contention between the retired players and the Upshaw-led National Football League Players' Association until Upshaw's sudden passing.
Regardless of this fact, and whatever rift the veteran players who are in their 30s (and are at risk for losing their jobs to incoming rookies making $35-50 million in guaranteed money before playing a down in the NFL) Upshaw ushered the NFLPA into the 21st century with maverick negotiations with the NFL's owners and the NFL commissioner (first Pete Rozelle until shortly before his resignation in 1989, then Paul Tagliabue from 1990-2006 and currently Roger Goodell 2006-present). These negotiations enabled the NFL to become the biggest spectator sport and the most popular of the major league sports in North America. Additionally, the players' salaries skyrocketed to unforeseen levels in the 15 years since free agency began. Along with the aforementioned revenue sharing that the players command and it is easy to see why Gene Upshaw was literally and figuratively a "Big Man" in the NFL and the US as a whole.
RIP Gene -- (1945-2008)
P.S. Upshaw had been in talks to avoid bringing the salary cap back after the current NFL/NFLPA deal expired in 2010. Without the cap, players' salaries would be limitless and almost certainly, the teams that play in major markets and have the most revenue (Dallas, New York Giants, New England, Washington) will be able to invariably snatch up the biggest name players on the market and set the league back two decades -- as the smaller market teams will not be able to compete. This occurred in Major League Baseball and still does occur to this day. However, smaller market teams such as the Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins are either leading their respective divisions, near the top or leading their Wild Card standings in the leagues they represent. Let's hope that small market teams (i.e. Green Bay, which is one of the legendary teams in NFL history, playing in a city of 102,000 people) never get the short end of the stick in the NFL again. Let's HOPE the next NFLPA Executive Director continues Gene's work.
The Drop Right Now...
My options are plentiful, but my living arrangements AREN'T what's good. My swag took a serious hit in the past couple of weeks. Here's why:
I got the internship with CBS Sports (and have a couple of backup gigs on deck with Warners and CCI in New York if for some reason, CBS doesn't work out). However, I feel somewhat uneasy. First of all, it is one of those unpaid internships. If my cake was where it was before I came back to school, of course I'd have no problem doing this. Therein lies the problem. Being a full-time student, TRYING to remain legitimate and legal with your hustles on the side... it makes it tough to take such an offer when it doesn't pay. Add on the fact that living in New York gets more expensive by the minute and you can kind of see where my concern lies.
That's not all, though. It's not all bad news. Everything else would be copastetic if I didn't have to find an apartment like YESTERDAY. Given that I am trying to graduate on time (which for me was ACTUALLY last fall, before I changed my major -- and is now May 2009), I really need to knock out these last 10 or 11 classes so I can stack that mooga before the fall 2009 semester. I would rather begin law school in the fall of that year rather than having to wait until the fall of 2010.
Part of me -- as MUCH AS I ABHOR Greensboro -- would rather take the "easy" route and live in a comfy situation and finish up my degree studies there. I use "easy" loosely, because the same companies that repeatedly tried to lure me away from Aetna throughout the entire 2002-2004 period won't even give me shouts back on an application. Now what makes me LESS appealing (with MORE education now) than I was before -- when I would've commanded much more in salary to leave a cushy job (time and a half overtime every week, stock options which we cashed out 5-6 times a year and bonuses every quarter -- I was making 40K with no bills other than my 350Z and the costs of working on it for fun) that I could do in my sleep. I always wondered why they would not let me work from home, then merely three months after I left, they began sending everyone home to work. Personal vendetta anyone? LOL
Anyway, my point has always been this: while my parents live here and I've had an easy life during the time I HAVE lived in Greensboro, my heart and life have always been in New York. I hated to leave in '98 and more and more I realize I have unfinished business to take care of like I was EPMD. I'm already behind schedule, given that my original class was '01! So you can get with me when you see that my sense of urgency is definitely on another level than that of someone who is a traditional college student. I don't have time to waste, because I want to have my own private practice up and going by the fourth quarter of 2013 (to my lawyer friends who want to form a conglomerate, get at me and let's talk business!)
However, in the short term, let's talk about the CUNY (City University of New York) system. I heard all the horror stories when I was in school in Brooklyn before. At the time, I figured I had made the right decision to stay out there and go to LIU (until I found out they were Don King and I was Mike Tyson and the thousands of dollars I THOUGHT I had, they had swindled me out of). I still contend that was a great school if you are about the social aspect. However, I will also admit that when I wasn't hanging with some of the cats from class, I was always in Harlem. Looking back, although LIU was a decent school, I have come full circle and finally enrolled at the school I SHOULD have applied to back in 1997 -- CCNY (or City, as we refer to it). I would have been able to develop a better relationship with some long lost family who were peppered all over Harlem World back then, whereas now, I find myself making up for lost time in that arena. This has not come without its snags. For now one of the reasons my plans are in limbo is the fact that I had fallen out of touch with or never really had a relationship with some of my family who lives Uptown. This would definitely help me smooth the transition of moving back to New York. City is really buggin' when it comes to getting paperwork to me (and countless other friends who I know have matriculated through the CUNY system over the years). I didn't get my acceptance letter until last week, and I find that I still need to submit more paperwork on a rush basis in order to even attempt to get in this semester. I tried to be as proactive as possible and get everything in to them in a timely manner... still didn't prevent the typical CUNY BS. That said, the schools themselves are GREAT, but dealing with the administration is like trying to watch SportsCenter or an NFL game without hearing about Brett Favre -- ANNOYING.
BUT GOD.
I still believe things are going to work out for the best. I did get accepted to Hunter College as a non-degree student, which basically allows for me to take classes during the fall, take the internship and if I WANTED TO, I could come back to UNCG and just finish up in the spring and walk in May 2009.
Another option is to continue forward with the original plan of going full-time at City, doing the internship and then to maintain, a whole assortment of stuff I ain't really got to talk about. At the end of the day, my wilderness is over and I'm glad. Shouts to those who prayed and encouraged me through that period. Shouts to those who hated, lied, whispered and slandered me, rejoicing in my downfall for that time... your day is coming and I hope you can remember to cling to God going through, because it's definitely what got me through and I'm much better for having gone through it. Satan thought he had me completely defeated, and much like Job, God only allowed for him to do everything SHORT of taking my life (yeah, there have been some serious moments where some wild spit could've popped off and I could've checked out of here EARLY). But I'm good.
In regard to my plans for the fall 2008 semester... stay tuned -- because I don't even know, B...
I got the internship with CBS Sports (and have a couple of backup gigs on deck with Warners and CCI in New York if for some reason, CBS doesn't work out). However, I feel somewhat uneasy. First of all, it is one of those unpaid internships. If my cake was where it was before I came back to school, of course I'd have no problem doing this. Therein lies the problem. Being a full-time student, TRYING to remain legitimate and legal with your hustles on the side... it makes it tough to take such an offer when it doesn't pay. Add on the fact that living in New York gets more expensive by the minute and you can kind of see where my concern lies.
That's not all, though. It's not all bad news. Everything else would be copastetic if I didn't have to find an apartment like YESTERDAY. Given that I am trying to graduate on time (which for me was ACTUALLY last fall, before I changed my major -- and is now May 2009), I really need to knock out these last 10 or 11 classes so I can stack that mooga before the fall 2009 semester. I would rather begin law school in the fall of that year rather than having to wait until the fall of 2010.
Part of me -- as MUCH AS I ABHOR Greensboro -- would rather take the "easy" route and live in a comfy situation and finish up my degree studies there. I use "easy" loosely, because the same companies that repeatedly tried to lure me away from Aetna throughout the entire 2002-2004 period won't even give me shouts back on an application. Now what makes me LESS appealing (with MORE education now) than I was before -- when I would've commanded much more in salary to leave a cushy job (time and a half overtime every week, stock options which we cashed out 5-6 times a year and bonuses every quarter -- I was making 40K with no bills other than my 350Z and the costs of working on it for fun) that I could do in my sleep. I always wondered why they would not let me work from home, then merely three months after I left, they began sending everyone home to work. Personal vendetta anyone? LOL
Anyway, my point has always been this: while my parents live here and I've had an easy life during the time I HAVE lived in Greensboro, my heart and life have always been in New York. I hated to leave in '98 and more and more I realize I have unfinished business to take care of like I was EPMD. I'm already behind schedule, given that my original class was '01! So you can get with me when you see that my sense of urgency is definitely on another level than that of someone who is a traditional college student. I don't have time to waste, because I want to have my own private practice up and going by the fourth quarter of 2013 (to my lawyer friends who want to form a conglomerate, get at me and let's talk business!)
However, in the short term, let's talk about the CUNY (City University of New York) system. I heard all the horror stories when I was in school in Brooklyn before. At the time, I figured I had made the right decision to stay out there and go to LIU (until I found out they were Don King and I was Mike Tyson and the thousands of dollars I THOUGHT I had, they had swindled me out of). I still contend that was a great school if you are about the social aspect. However, I will also admit that when I wasn't hanging with some of the cats from class, I was always in Harlem. Looking back, although LIU was a decent school, I have come full circle and finally enrolled at the school I SHOULD have applied to back in 1997 -- CCNY (or City, as we refer to it). I would have been able to develop a better relationship with some long lost family who were peppered all over Harlem World back then, whereas now, I find myself making up for lost time in that arena. This has not come without its snags. For now one of the reasons my plans are in limbo is the fact that I had fallen out of touch with or never really had a relationship with some of my family who lives Uptown. This would definitely help me smooth the transition of moving back to New York. City is really buggin' when it comes to getting paperwork to me (and countless other friends who I know have matriculated through the CUNY system over the years). I didn't get my acceptance letter until last week, and I find that I still need to submit more paperwork on a rush basis in order to even attempt to get in this semester. I tried to be as proactive as possible and get everything in to them in a timely manner... still didn't prevent the typical CUNY BS. That said, the schools themselves are GREAT, but dealing with the administration is like trying to watch SportsCenter or an NFL game without hearing about Brett Favre -- ANNOYING.
BUT GOD.
I still believe things are going to work out for the best. I did get accepted to Hunter College as a non-degree student, which basically allows for me to take classes during the fall, take the internship and if I WANTED TO, I could come back to UNCG and just finish up in the spring and walk in May 2009.
Another option is to continue forward with the original plan of going full-time at City, doing the internship and then to maintain, a whole assortment of stuff I ain't really got to talk about. At the end of the day, my wilderness is over and I'm glad. Shouts to those who prayed and encouraged me through that period. Shouts to those who hated, lied, whispered and slandered me, rejoicing in my downfall for that time... your day is coming and I hope you can remember to cling to God going through, because it's definitely what got me through and I'm much better for having gone through it. Satan thought he had me completely defeated, and much like Job, God only allowed for him to do everything SHORT of taking my life (yeah, there have been some serious moments where some wild spit could've popped off and I could've checked out of here EARLY). But I'm good.
In regard to my plans for the fall 2008 semester... stay tuned -- because I don't even know, B...
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