It seems as though everyone thinks baseball is on the decline, and that’s pretty tough to the latter with very few intriguing story lines for the casual fan this season. A couple weeks ago we saw the TV ratings come out that were very low, but the A’s were surprisingly up +48% as MCeezy quickly pointed out to me. We’ve seen attendance head south with half the teams drawing under 30,000 per game. The proclaimed best player in baseball just hit his 600th homer, but being a cheater and liar, so nobody seemed to care. The umpires are blowing calls left and right, and replay is still out of the question for some inconceivable reason. The worst part is even the umpires have said they wouldn’t mind it. In the YouTwitFace Era, we need instant gratification. We want everything now, and sitting through long baseball games everyday isn’t always that appealing. There are so many other options out there, it’s hard to keep anyone’s attention for very long anymore. How does baseball win back its viewers? Speed up games, and move into the YouTwitFace Era. Maybe even think about realignment to get people fired up about beating teams within their state/region. Maybe throwing out the whole AL and NL thing wouldn’t even be a terrible idea. I’d love to see a division filled with the California teams (A’s, Angels, Dodgers, Giants, Padres), I can already hear the smack talk between me and my friends. There’s no question that the DH causes games to be longer adding another hitter to the lineup. The AL games take close to a fifteen minutes longer to complete than NL games, so axe the DH. Maybe limiting the time a batter can step out of the box or putting a pitching clock up when runners aren’t on base (they already do that in college). There are tons of solutions, but baseball is so old school that they just don’t conform to the times. I will always love the game regardless of whether it conforms to the times or not, but if they don’t do something, they are going to be battling the NHL for the third most popular sport. One thing I’ve always liked about the NBA and NFL is that they do make an effort to make the game better for us, the fans. Hell, the NFL is looking into putting a mirco chip into the football to see if the ball crosses the goal line or first down marker, and why not use technology to their advantage! Have you ever heard someone regret starting to use the latest technology? Yeah, that’s what I thought… Continue reading
Category Archives: Sports
Raiders Win the Super Bowl….. In an e-mail forward.
Here’s an e-mail forward I got from my mom, who was born and raised in Oakland…..
The coach had put together the perfect team for the Oakland Raiders The only thing that was missing was a good quarterback. He had scouted all the colleges and even the Canadian and European Leagues, but he couldn’t find a ringer who could ensure a Super Bowl win.
Then one night while watching CNN he saw a war-zone scene in Afghanistan . In one corner of the background, he spotted a young Afghan Muslim soldier with a truly incredible arm. He threw a hand-grenade straight into a 15th story window 100 yards away.
KABOOM!
He threw another hand-grenade 75 yards away, right into a chimney.
KA-BLOOEY!
Then he threw another at a passing car going 90 mph.
BULLS-EYE!
“I’ve got to get this guy!” Coach said to himself. “He has the perfect arm!”
So, he brings him to the States and teaches him the great game of football. And the Raiders go on to win the Super Bowl.
The young Afghan is hailed as the great hero of football, and when the coach asks him what he wants, all the young man wants is to call his mother.
“Mom,” he says into the phone, “I just won the Super Bowl!”
“I don’t want to talk to you, the old Muslim woman says.”You are not my son!”
“I don’t think you understand, Mother,” the young man pleads. “I’ve won the greatest sporting event in the world. I’m here among thousands of my adoring fans.”
“No! Let me tell you!” his mother retorts. “At this very moment, there are gunshots all around us. The neighborhood is a pile of rubble. Your two brothers were beaten within an inch of their lives last week, and I have to keep your sister in the house so she doesn’t get raped!” The old lady pauses, and then tearfully says,
“I will never forgive you for making us move to Oakland !!”
Sacramento Mountain Lions Season Preview
Ok, ok, this isn’t a season preview. Who would take the time to preview the UFL season?! I don’t see myself even viewing, or re-viewing the season, so forget a preview. What I did want to do, though, is check out the roster and see if it’s worth heading out to the stadium and dropping a couple bucks to see Sac’s newest team. We all know about Daunte Culpepper and Dennis Green, after all, they are who we thought they were, but I’m curious who else is on the team. The UFL seems like it’s got to be an RFP hotbed. In the spirit of Doin Work, I’ll go through the roster in real time and share my thoughts on any names I recognize….
Otis Amey – The former San Francisco 49ers return specialist is apparently a Sacramento State alumni. I didn’t know Sac State even produced any pro football players, but Amey had a pretty solid run with the Niners. As a guy with NFL experience, surely he must be a starting wide receiver, opposite….
Antonio Chatman – I definitely recognize the name, but I thought I remembered Chatman on the Chargers, but apparently he never played for them. He spent time with the 49ers, Packers, and Bengals. Maybe I was mixing him up with Reche Caldwell??? Who knows, but a guy who played for multiple teams in the NFL must be a starter in the UFL, right?
Justin Goltz – I’ll be honest, I never heard of this guy before an hour ago. But I was checking the local news and saw this kid was the Mountain Lions’ #1 draft pick recently. They have arguably the biggest star in the UFL – which isn’t saying much – so why would they use their first pick on a backup QB? You know what, who cares, it’s the UFL.
Chris Perry – Alright, now we’re talking. Perry didn’t do much with the Bengals, and I’m kind of surprised he’s out of the NFL already, but he was the man at Michigan. Depending on ticket prices, I’m thinking you can do a lot worse than seeing Culpepper and Perry in the backfield.
Tom Malone – May very well be my favorite college punter of all time. You may remember when Malone was at USC, he led the nation in yards per punt, but wasn’t eligible since the Trojans rarely punted the ball away. I’m surprised he didn’t last in the NFL, but I can’t wait to see him unleash an 80 yard punt through the thinnest air in the UFL. Oh wait, Vegas might be hotter.
Zeke Moreno – Another former Trojan, I’m a little less surprised he didn’t hang in the NFL. But something tells me he could be among the top linebackers in the UFL. But on a similar note, we could be among the top blogs that nobody’s read, so that doesn’t say much.
Dontarrious Thomas – Man, this guy was a stud in college at Auburn. The Vikings drafted him in the 2nd round in 2004, but he’s been out of the league since ’08. Apparently he led the team in tackles last season down in SF, so he figures to form quite a duo at linebacker with Moreno.
For season tickets to the Mountain Lions call 1-800-UR-TRIPN because no one should be buying season tickets for the UFL. I don’t care if there “as low as $40,” I’ll check out one game and go from there. Hornet Stadium happens to be on my way to work, and I gotta admit, the field looks pretty nice, but I can’t help but expect a high school football atmosphere. Do they even have a marketing department? Shouldn’t somebody be promoting this thing????
This Asian’s Got Hops!
Ichiro has made quite a few home run saving grabs, but none were as impressive as his countryman Masato Akamatsu’s catch saving some runs for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp’s. Fortunately for us, Japanese baseball doesn’t have crazy copyright laws, so this baseball video will stay up!
More to LeBron’s Move to Miami …
Inspired by Chappy’s latest post (see post below this) I have decided to keep up with the “random thoughts” theme, as the world of sports is sloth like to me at the moment. Stagnant. So why not combine my fascination for two things I can’t turn my eyes from, and write about it?
Forget Wade & Bosh, these are Bron's real friends in Miami
It’s been about a month since we were all witnesses to “The Decision”, yet the media still talks about it as if it happened yesterday. Rightfully so. My first reaction to his hour long special was, “What a douche!” I mean, that was about as classy as “The Situation” is from Jersey Shore. To pick the bigger douche between the two would be a difficult task after that. His decision to make “The Decision” was a complete train wreck, just like the Jersey Shore shows, but, we were all tuned in. We love train wrecks don’t we America? A lot of us were hoping that LeBron would announce he was staying in Cleveland, to fulfill the contrived destiny we create for our stars. But, some of us were hoping for the opposite. Some of us were hoping for exactly what happened. Just like how some of us hope Snooki’s drunk date pukes all over her when she attempts to kiss him. Tell me you didn’t find it all entertaining. And get this, now that the Jersey Shore cast has moved to Miami for the second season, wouldn’t it be great if LeBron was the surprise new roomie? I mean, judging by the way he’s carried himself since the end of last season to now, wouldn’t he fit right in with the orange people? Bron looks like a total “Juice Head” right? Is all of this going down like it has, a coincidence? I’m sure he’s ran into Sitch & DJ Pauley D in Vegas once or twice, they all get along, have a few drinks and then maybe come up with a pact to be casted on a reality show together in Miami. Pending his other pact to sign with the Heat falls through first, of course. Would that be impossible? I think not. LeBron better not bring “grenades” to the house though.
What do Baseball Trades, Stephen Curry, and Brett Favre Have in Common?
They don’t really have anything in common, it’s just what I felt like rambling about today. I’ve had a stretch of stuff to do, and that didn’t include much blogging. I guess it’s not a bad thing to have too much to do. If only there were more hours in the day! Anyways, it’s been somewhat slow in the sports world lately, but there were some things I felt like I wanted to get my opinion out there on, so skip to whatever interests you.
MLB Trade Deadline: I liked how much action we saw leading up to, and during the July 31st trade deadline. It seemed more active than normal. Everyone is praising the Yankees for their haul of Berkman, Kerns, and Wood.
Not too many poo poo platters this trade deadline... Mr. Hankey Approves!
Sure it’s nice, but I don’t really see any of them making much of a difference. All three of these guys would’ve been nice acquisitions four or five years ago, but now, not so exciting. After this weekend, I think the Rays did just as good by making a small move to get Chad Qualls. Maybe it’s the NY media trying to make everyone believe the Yankees made some genius moves, but I’m not really buying it. For me it comes down to two teams that were the big winners. The Rangers and the Padres made the moves that made the most sense for their teams to get to the playoffs. I won’t include Houston or Arizona, since we don’t really know how the trades will affect them for a few years. The Rangers addressed their biggest need in getting an ace, Cliff Lee. He hasn’t won a lot since he joined the rotation, but he’s saved the bullpen from having to do anything throwing complete games like it’s a AAA squad. They also added Christian Guzman and Jorge Cantu. They plugged up their hole at first base, and also found a replacement for Ian Kinsler since he went to the DL. I loved the meaning behind all three trades. It was especially surprising for a franchise that is bankrupt. Same goes for the Padres who have their layover until new management is in place, and they were also big winners in my eyes. They’ve been nothing short of amazing with the pitching staff and defense, but didn’t have many hitters that you really feared outside of Adrian Gonzalez. I thought they were done when they got Tejada, which MCeezy or me at this point really understand how he fit in. One thing about Tejada though, is if he’s in a good situation, he is going to fire everyone else up around him. Maybe being in the playoff hunt will spark his bat a little too. They also added Ludwick, which I was shocked to hear. Now they have a legitimate guy to put in front of or behind Gonzalez. I think these moves keep them ahead of the Giants in the NL West.
Stephen Curry’s New Team – I’m already ecstatic on the Warriors upcoming season, and adding David Lee to the roster is welcomed after the original shock of losing Anthony Randolph. Proven guy vs. a guy with a seemingly limitless ceiling. I guess you can’t argue with the proven guy that works hard with everything he does. With the new face of the franchise being Lee and Curry it may have moved the Warriors into a good character type of player instead of the me first attitude we’ve had over recent years, Monta, SJax, Baron (at times), Harrington, etc. The reason I started this ramble was that I am pretty pumped to see Curry made the cut for final 15 on team USA. No, not just because of the mancrush I have on him, but for the experience he’ll gain, and how it will help him down the road. I’m not sure he’ll make the final 12 man roster, but either way it’s a great thing for him to be there around some of the elite younger players in the league over the next month. Too bad his new teammate (David Lee) had to withdraw because of his finger, but here’s what should happen to Curry from this experience. A) He gets to play with guys that aren’t in the D-League (Pretty much the Warriors roster for the 2nd half of 2009-10). B) He might not be able to make a pact like the Miami Trio, since the dubs have him locked up for awhile, and hopefully never let him get away. I mean, he could try to make a pact with a guy like Durant, but that’s unlikely, so maybe he could make a pitch to Iguodala or Granger to move over to the Bay when their contracts are up (4 years). C) He gets to learn from Coach K., and hopefully gets some pointers on defense, and maybe learns a trick or two to stop turning the ball over. D) He gets to learn to play the ultimate team game, since winning is the ONLY thing that matters for Team USA. I don’t think I can say the same for a Nellie led Warriors squad that seems to just want to entertain at times. Hopefully when Nellie starts taking vacations in the season, the new owners dump him.
Brett Favre – Weird, he says he’s retiring for a third time, even though we saw him playing catch a few weeks ago with some High Scool kids. It’s a GREAT thing when a rumor comes out, and nobody believes it. Usually there are people on both sides of the fence, but with this one, nobody seemed to really believe he’s actually made his final decision. I guess it’s the ol’ boy who cried wolf. Love or hate the guy, he’s good for the league. I hate the guy, but do want to see him out there. I was giddy during that NFC Championship game. It was great to root for the Saints to pummel him over and over, and fortunately, they did! If he sucked last year like he did with the Jets, nobody would care half as much, and might be believing the rumor. It’s crazy that he’s the one controlling the NFC North. Is he texting to start a gambling conspiracy? The odds jumped quite a bit as soon as it was announced he is retiring, I’m just sayin… I hope it’s not true, because I like to root against him. It’s like Tiger for me, it’s not fun to root against him when he isn’t dominating. Or like my Raiders. Growing up, I would get crap from people all the time (hater nation), but now friends just feel sorry for me after losing for so long. Brett we need you as a villain, so I, like everybody else, don’t believe that you are retiring. Personally, I think it’s just a cop out, so he doesn’t have to go to training camps, and can make the Vikings bend over backwards buying him an armadillo farm to hunt at. Maybe he just likes the attention, but whatever the reason, I have a feeling he already knows what he wants to do, and that will be to play football.
Tyreke Evans In Traffic
Tyreke Evans won the 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year Award thanks in large part to his unparalleled ability to get into the lane with ease. Here, Evans shows his ability to get in and out of multiple lanes at speeds upwards of 130 mph. Reke was trailing for a good portion of this matchup, but much like his game on the court, he ultimately finishes ahead of the competition. Unfortunately, Evans gets T’d up, as in Tied Up in handcuffs, and is slapped with three years probation. C’mon rookie, I’ve traveled that very stretch of highway hundreds of times in my life…. you gotta know the Highway Patrol is all over it like the NBA officials in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Nonetheless, some sweet moves here on the blacktop….
There Goes More ‘Stros
As a die hard A’s fan, I can empathize with any fan of a losing team. But I definitely don’t envy Astros fans. While the A’s don’t have the financial means to load up their roster with proven talent, there’s always a boatload of talent in the farm system. Remember, they’re only 4 years removed from an LCS appearance, and guys like Andrew Bailey, Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Ryan Sweeney, Daric Barton, Chris Carter, and Michael Taylor give plenty of reason to believe they’ll be back sooner or later. And while I’m waiting for the front office to trade away a guy like Coco Crisp or Michael Wuertz (hopefully Wuertz), the Astros have already gotten started. Frankly, it’s about time. They’re clearly headed nowhere, so it really made no sense for them to hang on to Roy Oswalt. While it’s still to be seen whether or not they move Carlos Lee – I doubt there’s any takers – or Lance Berkman, they’ve at least brought in some young guys who may play a significant role if and when they decide to rebuild, because they need to. In other trade news….
The Padres picked up Miguel Tejada, but I’m not sure what role he’s going to fill. I can’t see them replacing Chase Headley, so Everth Cabrera is going to be the loser in this move, but he’s hitting .199, so Tejada should be an upgrade at the plate. But are they expecting Miggy to play shortstop? Not sure what they’re envisioning there, but maybe it puts pressure on the Giants and Dodgers to make a move as well.
The Rangers acquired Jorge Cantu, which makes more sense in the short term, since Ian Kinsler is headed to the DL. They already swung a deal for Cliff Lee, so making it clear they plan to hold on to the top spot in the AL West.
The Twins picked up Matt Capps, which doesn’t excite me, but may have been the smartest move by any of these teams thus far – except of course the Phillies getting Oswalt. But Capps will move into the closer role, demoting Jon Rauch to setup duties. Your move, White Sox.
A-Rod’s Chase For… Who Give’s a Crap!
On Sportsnation they put up a poll on Monday asking something to the tune of, Which is more likely to be a smash hit first? A-Rod hitting his 600th homer or Dinner for Schmucks (which is opening tomorrow). At the time I was thinking there’s no way A-Rod goes six games before he hits his 600th, but low and behold it still hasn’t happened, and I’m much more excited about Dinner for Schmucks coming out tomorrow than seeing him get to his milestone. I’m not a big “go to the movies” kind of guy, but this one seems like a can’t miss comedy. It will probably be one of the four I’ll see in a theater all year. Anyways, I’m usually pretty into milestones like this, but A-Rod’s 600th homer doesn’t really pique my interest.
I’m sure it has to do with the numerous guys breaking into the 500 and 600 HR clubs over the last decade, which has it’s diminished the worth a little in the PED era. Seven years ago, I wouldn’t have thought the 600 club would be achieved so easily/often. I never liked A-Rod, maybe because he’s an ass, maybe because we found out that he was a cheater in marriage and during his Mariners and Rangers days, and yes, there was that whole Dallas Braden thing. I can’t find one person that really even likes him, well, some Yankee fans probably do, but who cares about them. I think the real reason I can’t root for him is, he symbolizes the era. Lie, cheat, succeed, and get over paid for doing everything wrong. While he was HGH’d up (assuming he started in HS as some think), that’s about 350 HR’s to put in question. I’m not saying to take away 350 from his total, I’m more debating that he wouldn’t be on 599 yet. I have no idea what you’d shave off the total, 20, 50, 100? Who knows? I don’t really even care though, when it’s all said and done, I still want all the cheaters in the HOF as backwards as that sounds. The reason I come to this conclusion is that, it’s not completely the players fault baseball turned their heads on a more than obvious problem. I was never faced with these kinds of tough ethical decisions, so I can’t say I wouldn’t have tried PED’s of some sort if I was a really good player in that era. I’d like to say I wouldn’t, but the temptation of 70% of players around you using sounds tough.
I remember when Bonds was chasing his home run records, and maybe because I was a little younger, I thought it was more special, but I was rooting for the guy to break those records. No matter what people say about him, you have to admit, every time he came to the plate you wanted to see what he did, and he crushed some balls into the bay like nobody else ever will! Hell, Manny and Ortiz gave me that same kind of feeling, even if I wasn’t rooting for them. I always wanted to see their atbats. A-Rod just doesn’t do it for me, and it’s too bad because I want to care about greatness unfolding. He’s going to hit that 600th homer, and we’ll be talking about the 700th before you know it. I will be rooting against him the whole time, but that does nothing. I just don’t want him to be the face of this era. I’ve dedicated tomorrow to making sure I don’t watch A-Rod in Tampa, and help Dinner for Schmucks be a bigger opening day hit.
Press Hop Part 2
The highly anticipated follow up to the original Press Hop, orchestrated by DJ Steve Porter. Not much to analyze in this one, but for all us sports fans this is a great video mix of some of the most memorable press conferences that we loved to talk about. It must’ve taken this guy forever to mix this. I thank him for wasting away his time in the editing room!
MLB Power Rankings
Sadly, I think baseball is missing HGH...
I haven’t put up some baseball power rankings for awhile. Probably because the A’s had a rough patch, but now that they are on fire, and I can justify putting them in with the top 16 teams in the league again, it’s time to get some new power rankings up for the first 17 weeks of the season. It’s been a year of surprises, and I didn’t see the Padres being ranked third at any point, let alone this deep in the season! With about 100 games in the books every series starts to become more important than the last! Continue reading
CP3, Haren, and Garza’s No-No
Maverick Carter, a face I'm starting to hate more and more...
CP3 made me, and the sports-world lose a little respect for him over the weekend after making some trade demands that he can’t really force. If you have a player that is close to or at the top of their position you just don’t trade that guy away when he’s still under contract. The only time you really do is at the trade deadline when you are obviously out of it for the season, and have zero chance to re-sign the guy. I’m sure there’s something about making $14M this year and $16M next year that makes me feel he should honor his contract/commitment to the Hornets. I think the thing that bugs me the most though is that this whole ill-conceived plan to demand a trade was most likely whispered into his ear by his new buddies/agents Worldwide Wes and Maverick Carter. I’ve always been a CP3 fan, and like By, I was really looking forward to his return to greatness in 2010-2011 season. Now that he has taken the Lebron-Maverick-Wes route I’m not sure I will ever view him in the same light anymore. He’s nearly as important to New Orleans as Drew Brees, and the fans there don’t deserve to be jerked around for the next two years by James’ crew and CP3. I prey they don’t contrive some ridiculous hour special for his decision 2012. He shouldn’t have demanded a trade, especially since it sounds like he hadn’t even meet with the new coach (Monty Williams) or new GM (Dell Demps) prior to telling the world he wanted out. Just another flawed power trip by James’ gang of half wits that think they are above everyone, and are the ones pulling the strings. If this isn’t a sign to stay away from Carter and Wes, I’m not sure what will show players that they are bad for the league and a players image. They’ve done well killing Cleveland’s fan base, are they going to kill New Orleans basketball too? Let’s hope not…
Speaking of guys I used to like, Dan Haren was traded to the Angels over the weekend and made his first start last night. I had to tune in to see exactly where my sports hate of him would stand, and just like Vlad and Torii before him, I now have to root against the guy. During his stint with the A’s I didn’t think I’d ever NOT like him. He’s easily the most successful player we’ve had over the last few years. Even the players we got for him ended up being great (Brett Anderson, Carlos Gonzalez, and hopefully Chris Carter pans out too), which made me like him all the more. I had mixed emotions watching him pitch last night, and after he threw a couple of innings I realized this was the end of our relationship for awhile. It’s amazing how quickly you can turn on a player, and I admittedly cracked a small smile when he was hit by a line drive, then immediately felt a little bad I was happy that he got hurt in his first start. I guess I’m just mad that the A’s will have to face him six times a year now… Oh well, if anyone has a complete scouting report on the guy, it’s the A’s!
I was eating dinner at a bar where one of my whiffle ball buddies bartends, and last night I found out he went to Fresno State, and played baseball with Matt Garza in college. It only came up because we were watching Garza pitch the last four innings of his no hitter yesterday. It was pretty impressive as he faced the minimum amount of hitters, and only walked one guy the whole night. It had to be relieving for the Rays, and their fans to be on the right side of a no-no/perfect game as they’ve seen three thrown against them in the last two years. Anyways, my buddy who went to college with him said he wasn’t even the top prospect on their team, which makes his story a little better. He also told me that the guy “acts like a little girl when he drinks” Another thing he mentioned was that he was a really weird guy that kept to himself a lot. Anyways, just thought those might be a couple of interesting tidbits of info on Garza that you probably haven’t heard….
Tiger is Being Tamed by his Age
Awhile back I wrote that I was hoping Tiger Woods wouldn’t break Jack’s record of 18 total majors won. I’m feeling a little more confident of that semi-prediction after seeing Tiger go 0 for 3 in majors so far this year with some of his favorite courses (Augusta, Pebble, and St. Andrews) lined up for him to win, err, lose. We thought he might be holding all four championship trophies by the end of the year, but now we will probably be surprised if he is even holding one. Will he ever win another major again? Ok, that’s probably a bad question, since I’m sure he’ll win at least a couple more over the next decade, but at St. Andrews we saw him do something he’s never done throughout his entire career; question his abilities. For the first time in over a decade of dominance he changed his putter just before the tournament and opted for a Nike putter over his trusty Scotty Cameron, and then on Sunday, he inexplicably changed back to his old trusty Scotty Cameron. It was like Lebron’s choice to make his decision on national TV. Well thought out, but ultimately a bad idea. Does this mean Tiger is starting to blame his equipment for his deficiencies on the course? Is this a sign that he isn’t confident in his abilities, and is looking for new equipment to make up for it? Nearly every guy on the tour changes their swings and equipment to get better, but we never have heard about Tiger changing his trusty putter that sunk everything within ten feet at every critical moment throughout his career, so I’m thinking he’s starting to doubt himself at least a little for more reasons than just the putter switch. Continue reading
It’s About Time….
Every Night is Asian Night!
There’s two things you’ll find a lot of on Doin Work: stuff about the Golden State Warriors, and stuff about Asians. Naturally, I’ve got to talk about the Warriors newest addition, Jeremy Lin. The W’s signed the D-League sensation today much to the delight of the fans. Obviously the Bay Area is home to plenty of Asians, including Lin himself, who grew up across the Bay in Palo Alto. In numerous interviews on countless local sports channels, Lin admitted that he was hoping he’d get drafted by the team, but all hopes were lost when the Warriors ultimately traded out of the second round in the draft. Fate played its hand though, and the Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer will be donning the blue and gold this season.
It really was a long time coming for a team that could so easily win over THOUSANDS of fans instantly just by adding an Asian. Any team will tell you they’re more concerned with the players on the floor than the number of fans in the seats, but that’s not true. Clearly the W’s weren’t that concerned with fielding a good team, but they always have an entertaining one. Why not add the best Asian you can find? I’ve long felt like the team should make a play for Yao, or more realistically, Yi, just for the excitement factor. I’m not sure how big of a role he’ll play on the team, but he sure will provide some excitement when he’s on the floor. Just check out how these Vegas Summer League fans were reacting to his play….
Is an 18 Game Season Good For the League?
It sounds like the NFL owners are planning on voting in favor of extending the regular season from 16 to 18 games. I can fully see why they’d want to financially, ALL the owners would benefit from the extra home game, and get paid more in TV revenues. Nobody wants to go to the pre-season games, and even less people want to watch them. Cutting them from four to two is a good idea, but personally I don’t want to see them add onto the regular season. Cali4Dre and I debated via e-mail about it today.
Cali4Dre: You going to give a reason why you’re against it? More games means more games to watch on tv with your homies and have a beer. And also more weeks of fantasy football! They would probably take out some of the pre-season games away, and move the season up a week in August, which is better than anything else in August going on in sports.
Chappy: I agree from a fun standpoint it’s a good thing, and I wouldn’t mind the added fantasy weeks and drinking with the homies on Sunday’s as well. The only reason I’m against it, is that every year there are teams that are already in the playoffs, so they sit guys for the last two games. So if they add more games does that mean the best teams will be sitting guys for four games!?! If your team sucks, (like my Raiders have the last few years) you just want the season to be over. All this really does in my eyes is give a few teams an extra shot at making the wild card round… I feel like it’s not going to make things more interesting, but in fact less interesting at the end of the season…
Cali4Dre: All I got to say BOOOOO!!!!! I would think a team that gets off to a crappy start, and hits full stride later in the season might actually WANT those last couple of games to give them a chance to get into the playoffs. How many teams (like the Texans two years in a row, or Pats last year with a 10-6 record) just barely miss the playoffs and really could have proven their worth with two more games? Plus those fantasy players on good teams would still only sit the last two games of the season either way. I don’t see them sitting more than that because they can’t be complacent with anything less than a 4 game lead at that point, which rarely happens, plus you need guys to stay in game shape and not get rusty going into the playoffs. The best teams already get a first week bye…
Chappy: That’s the teams fault for getting off to a crappy start. Hell, four pre-season games should get you plenty prepared, so there’s no real excuse for a team getting off to a slow start. Every year towards the end of the year, I’m over the regular season. I just want to see the playoffs, and won’t want to wait the extra two weeks. It’s cool talking about different playoff scenarios and all at the end of a season, but teams that go 13-0 or 12-1 aren’t going to be fighting for a playoff spot, especially since they’ve probably beaten the other team trailing them once or twice in their own division games, and hold the tie breaker. I think it will take away from a good thing they already have going.
Cali4Dre: You should definitely be watching soccer then…
Chappy: Why is that?
Cali4Dre: Cause it sounds like you get tired of football too quickly, you should watch a real sport like soccer! But I can understand why a Raider fan would be tired of the season already by October!
Chappy: Haha, another thing I was thinking is, would it make games less meaningful? We know players take regular season games off in the NBA and MLB, so would the longer schedule make guys take more games off? We know that sometimes teams just don’t show up, but would that happen more with a longer season? I’m not saying it definitively will, but it’s just another reason I’m somewhat against it…
Side note, I think the Raiders are going to be a lot better this year, and I AM excited about that!
Cali4Dre: I think you need to stop drinking at work!
Chappy: Because I’m making sense, or because I think the Raiders are going to be better?
Cali4Dre: No, I don’t think players will take games off, because NFL contracts are mostly based on incentive pay, less than half is guaranteed money… so it behooves them to play as much as possible and as hard as possible at all times to keep getting snaps and stats.
And YES, definitely thinking the Raiders will be better 🙂
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