There was an article this past week in the Washington Post saying that the Washington Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden was treated this past week for skin cancer. Now it's all fine and dandy now because it appears that the cancer was removed and Bowden will be fine so what's my beef with this? Jim Bowden found out he had this cancer in June, I'll retype that so you make sure you read that right JIM BOWDEN RECEIVED CANCER TREATMENT IN OCTOBER WHEN HE FOUND OUT HE HAD CANCER IN JUNE! How important can any job be that you put off cancer treatment for the rest of the season, sure the trade deadline was in July but you had limited trade commodities, hell even though you put off cancer treatment you still failed to sign your 1st round pick Pithcer Aaron Crow. He should've died out of principle to show people how dumb you can be and not get away with it.
Here's the brief article about it since you have to be a user to browse the more extensive version of the article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102102114.html
Lou Holtz may be the worst analyst on ESPN and that is really hard to do considering myself stabbing myself in the eye when hearing the likes of Steve Phillps, John Kruk, Emmitt Smith and Fernando Vina speak. He spits so much when he talks it puts Sylvester from Loony Tunes to shame, I'm convinced the man is senile and has fake teeth. I feel bad for Mark May and Rece Davis for having to put up with him and his dementia week after week. And recently it's come out he was a member of the Nazi party. Lou has a segment everyweek called pep talk in order to fire up the troops for some team the following week and he referenced Hitler in one of his speeches. Obviously that's a big no-no and I say that without even thinking about the politically correct world we live in, it's just something you don't do infront of a camera.Read an article about it here: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2008/10/18/2008-10-18_lou_holtz_sorry_for_hitler_line.html
What annoyed me though was that there was no repercussion for Holtz aside from being forced to making an apology, now let's go a couple months back during the NBA playoffs when columnist for ESPN Jemele Hill also made a Hitler reference. Hill being a Detroit native and die hard Piston fan compared rooting to the Celtics was like saying Hitler was a victim. The comment somehow slipped past her editor and was online for some 2 hours before the comparison was removed, she got suspended after a gigantic uproar was thrown at her. I guess the good people at ESPN feel that Lou Holtz is an old man and you just can't fix these type of mistakes that he's made. You know how you probably had a grandparent who still calls black people "collard people" or is always going off on some sort of offensive or racist diatribe, maybe it's kind of like that.
But a young black female reporter makes a similar comment she's threatened with her job and suspended for a short time. Ah double standards don't you love 'em. Kind of like how we've hardly heard a peep from ESPN how Yankee's new golden child Joba Chamberlain recently receieved a DUI but if ESPN gets some audio about Terrell Owens saying Tony Romo's farts smell bad they'll have a 15 minute segment on how T.O. is trying to blow up the team with these outlandish remarks. What's even more startling is that Holtz was alive when Hitler's terror reigned which makes his comments even more misguided, I realize both were in the wrong but I don't see why 1 person gets punished while one gets away with it. Of course we'll never know why, we still don't know the full story for why Harold Reynolds was fired.
And despite this double standard ESPN still managed to top itself this week by failing to mention a peep of the Brett Favre fiasco on account not wanting to hurt wittle Bwetty's feewings. And if there was any mention of it from the world wide leader it was to defend the golden boy after
receiving a barrage of criticism from the blogsphere for showing a bias. At this point whenever there is a Brett Favre story on ESPN I'd like for them to put up a viewers discression graphic containing graphic material for those who may want to look away.Sunday Morning Jay Glazer reported that Brett Favre held an hour long conversation with Detroit Lions coaches and then team President Matt Millen. Other teams claimed to have heard about this and other rumors claim Favre has done this with several other teams just not to the exent of Detroit. Here's the article: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8694746/Sunday-Scoops:-Is-Favre-guilty-of-insider-trading
By Sunday Night Peter King of Sports Illustrated and former lover of Favre himself (in the brief separartion from John Madden) received a text from the golden child flatly denying any of this.
Now when looking at the final score for the Detroit-Green Bay game, the score reads 48-25, but the game was much closer then that. Green Bay went ahead 21-0 before Detroit came storming back took a brief 25-24 lead. Green Bay then scored 10 quick points and 2 late defensive TD's to make the score look even more out of hand. So obviously the Lions had a great comeback before they realized what jersey they were wearing.
Now I'm not shocked that ESPN is trying to ignore this all week but how it happened and how they tried to avoid it was downright hilarious. profootballtalk.com (PFT) obtained an email from an employee where they were ordered to not report or discuss the Favre story, here's the excerpt:
Under the heading “DO NOT REPORT . . . DO NOT REPORT . . . . DO NOT REPORT . . . DO NOT REPORT” (um, we get the point) appears the following:
“Yesterday, FoxSports reported that Brett Favre spent 60 to 90 minutes before the Week Two game between the Lions and the Packers educating the Detroit coaching staff regarding the Packers’ offensive strategies. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY RELIABLE SOURCES THIS REPORT IS NOT TRUE. We did NOT report it yesterday. Today, the NFL responded to the report, saying even if Favre did this he did not break any league rules. We are NOT reporting it today, because that would mean airing the erroneous report. DO NOT REPORT IT.”
That excerpt was obtained Tuesday afternoon, also Detroit Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli was still not commenting on the situation which again makes you think something was up. And by Tuesday Night ESPN finally released a statement to PFT as to why they hadn't reported it: “Like all reports that come in, we gave careful consideration to this one,” ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said. “We couldn’t confirm it. It’s obviously a judgment call. Given the nature of the story, we needed to bring a lot of sensitivity to our reporting and do what we felt was the most responsible thing.”
Sensitivity my ass, the only thing they're sensitive is to Brett Favre's feelings, they went as far as to clear up that the conversation between Favre and Tony Romo the previous week was initiated by Tony Romo and not Favre as originally thought. This was only stated because of the notion that Favre sticks his nose into other team's business (Gee when has he ever done that?)
Even on ESPN's website they employee writers to blog about each of the 8 NFL divisions and Kevin Seifert who's beat is the NFC North still had yet to say anything about it under order from those up top.
Part of the reason they (ESPN) hadn't commented on the story was the validity of it, which is complete BS, just reading up on this story alone I have found out just how good Jay Glazer is with his sources, the man last season got the big scoop breaking the "Spygate" story, this past offseason he was the 1st to report about the Packers filing tampering charges against the Vikings when the whole trade Favre story was hot. And if question him with Favre well he beat NFL Network, Chris Mortensen and Peter King in reporting the Packers traded Favre to the Jets.
But by then it was to late, Glazer earlier in the week saying he believed his story was true by 1000% and on the Dan Patrick show saying it had 1 million % credibility. And when asked about ESPN saying his report was garbage, "Don’t make it personal with me. I’ll make it personal with you.”
Finally Favre decided to pipe up to the media confirming that he did in fact respond to Matt Millen's questions about the Packers and there tendencies. He still decided to defend himself by saying players and teams do this all the time like his teammate Calvin Pace gave some tips when playing the Cardinals. But you know the only difference between those 2 Brett? Calvin actually played for the Cardinals while you're just bitter and as a Packer fan I'd almost feel inclined to turn my back on him until he retired because I would be crushed if a guy like Emmitt or Troy decided to relay info to the Redskins or Giants. He also claimed the conversation was only about 15-20 minutes and was also spent discussing other things like hunting etc...He sure changed his stance from earlier in the week when it was "complete BS"
And back to ESPN, after finally realizing they've been completely owned here's what the higher ups said in another excerpt emailed to PFT:
This story is now HOT.
We had not reported it because it was unsubtantiated [sic].
Today, however, Favre addressed the issue in a public forum so we will go with it.
Use this lead-in:
On Sunday, Fox Sports reported that ex-Packers quarterback Brett Favre had been in contact with the Detroit Lions before their Week 2 game with the Packers, educating the Lions coaches on Green Bay’s offensive schemes.
The Lions, by the way, lost that game 48-25.
Later that day, Favre denied the report in a text message to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King.
Today at Jets camp, Favre addressed that report in his weekly press conference….
WE WILL BE BRINGING IN SOUND FROM THIS SESSION.
But then when ESPN does get around to reporting the article it is completely skewed, so pathetic I just want to link you to PFT's take on it: http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/22/espn-butchers-the-favre-story/
CREDIBILITY COMPLETELY SHREDDED! If only there were bigger outlets out there for me to watch instead of almost having to rely on ESPN's biased news network, oh how I yearn for a network with some actual journalistic integrity.
Thanks to PFT for all the links on the story, here are all the links I used for this final story in order:
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/19/favre-denies-helping-lions/
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/21/espn-continues-to-ignore-favre-story/
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/21/espn-issued-internal-do-not-report-warning-on-favre-story/
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/21/espn-explains-decision-not-to-report-favre-story/
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/22/glazer-goes-on-the-warpath/
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/22/favre-admits-to-strategy-session-with-millen/
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/10/22/espn-finally-embraces-the-hot-favre-story/
And finally before you thought Isiah Thomas couldn't become an even bigger douche bag and laughing stock reports surfaced that he OD'ed on sleeping pills. It's unclear about whether or not it was a suicide attempt. My favorite comment from a message board that I frequent, "Guy can't succeed in anything since his playing career ended, can he?" Tasteless and hilarious. So get off your overplayed and rehashed Nazi schtick Lou Holtz suicide humor is where it's at. But the pathetic part of this pill popping incident was Isiah tried to pin it all on his daughter and even got his son to go along with it. Rush Limbaugh was a pill popper too but he didn't pin any of on his kids that's low even by Isiah standards, what else is there for this guy, just a classless waste of space, and yet all NBA fans are praying he gets another job so his reign of terror can continue.
This is what Isiah had to say about the incident in the AP report, "It wasn’t an overdose,” he told the newspaper. “My daughter is very down right now. None of us are OK.” Then Harrison County Police Chief gave us this golden nugget, "I understand that this person claims it was his daughter; he is lying,” Hall said. “It was definitely not his daughter, it was a male. We know the difference between a 47-year-old black male and a young black female.” Maybe the quote of the year, just when you thought he couldn't go any lower.
Last little bit before I get to picks, the NFL is stupid for not having a Sunday night game because it wants baseball to have it's moment in the sun. What a stupid thing that is, when did sports become about anything but money? Did I miss a memo? I love baseball but if I'm football I'd want to jam my foot up there ass as long as they're going to call themselves the National Pastime and just absolutely crush them in the ratings. I'd try as hard as I could to get a Cowboys vs. NFC East division foe to just completely embarrass baseball, they'd probably still get more ratings if they put a Bengals/Lions game on TV as nauseating as that matchup sounds. It also makes me wonder why John Madden got last week off if he was going to get this week off anyways, just because the fatty's afraid of flying gives him no excuse to miss an announcing assignment because he doesn't want to drive 3 straight weeks across country, especially if you'd get these next 2 weeks to recover.
Alright finally on to the picks, man I had an awful week for picks, now I know why this stuff is so hard to predict, I don't know if the league is mediocre because the league is all close in talent or what but I got murdered.
Last week: 3-11 just abysmal and embarrassing, stupid close games. 0-3 in the over/under could have been a tie if not for that stupid half a point in the Giants/49ers game.
Games I'd bet on: 0-3 and missed on the over/under, so much for trying to build some credibility to this thing.
On the year: 39-44-3 vs. the spread 14-11-2 vs. the over/under
And games I'd bet on: 3-4 and 1-1 for the over/under
Week 8 games:
Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles (-9)
I'm praying for a shootout here as I have the Burner Turner, McNabb and Rowdy Roddy White on my fantasy team this week. Though Atlanta has been no pushover this year they've been less then stellar in 2 of there 3 road games. Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson will release the hounds upon rookie QB (and current favorite for Rookie of the Year) Matt Ryan and he'll likely be in for a long day. I also read under Andy Reid the Eagles are 9-0 after the bye, Eagles big and I'll take the over which is set at 45. Atlanta's offense better at least halfway show up because I'm tired of losing the over/under by 3 points because an offense can't score 10 freakin points.
KC Chiefs @ NY J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS (-13)
The Chiefs are averaging 8 points on the road for the year and there season just got worse because Brody Croyle is very brittle (which I hate to see, he has a cannon for an arm) Lately these teams facing large spreads have overcame them for the most part, and I expected the Jets to roll big last week but they were on the road. This is a home game and I expect a bounceback performance, Jets.
St. Louis Rams @ New England Patriots (-7)
The Rams are playing with an all time confidence right now and they should be, but the Pats looked equally as impressive last week as they jet us all witness just how truly terrible Denver's defense is (especially once Champ Bailey gets hurt) I'll take the Patriots and people will start buying into them, especially if Sammy Morris has another big game on the ground this week.
Buffalo Bills (-1.5) @ Miami Dolphins
The 1st time I go with Miami last week and of course they crap the bed, and I've been equally as bad picking the Ravens. The Bills need to win this and they will.
Oakland Raiders @ Baltimore Ravens (-7)
Dare I say another positive thing about Joe Flacco only to be partially disappointed again this week? Sure, both teams are riding high after last week, this will be an ugly game but I'll guess Jamarcus Russell throws at least 2 INT's and the O-line struggles to protect them, Ravens.
Washington Redskins (7.5) @ Detroit Lions
The 'Skins were supposed to run all over there last 2 opponents and frankly it's upset me that they havent (yea right) I thought they were ready for primetime but have slipped against the likes of the Rams and Browns. They should be dominating these opponents since this is there easy part of the schedule. The Lions have beat the spread the past 2 weeks and have made games the past 2 weeks, I'll still pick the 'Skins and Clinton Portis (who's running better then anyone right now) since this is a game they should win handily.
Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers (-4.5)
I've learned to not trust the NFC South when playing on the road but have now learned to trust them at home. They are a combined 3-9 on the road where they are a combined 14-1 at home. Panthers. Over/under set at 43.5 the Panthers aren't known for there offense (does this team have a real identity yet though?) but I'll take the over since they're playing the Cardinals.
San Diego Chargers (-3) "@" Nawlins Saints
The same rules should apply here but this game is in England it's pretty much all bets are off. For the 2nd straight week the Bills are playing are travelling across the country (or in this instance the globe) so who knows if fatigue will be a factor, plus west coast teams struggle with this noon start time. The Saints will be without Reggie Bush and struggled mightily without him getting slaughtered @ Carolina last week. Marques Colston will try and give it a go this week as will Jeremy Shockey. Deuce McCallister and DE Will Smith are facing possible suspension after this week for taking some weight loss pills (or masking the pills for steroids) This is a game to stay away from, the Chargers suck on the road and the Saints are banged up, if I have to pick I'll take Drew Brees, maybe try and prove a thing or 2 to his former organization.
Tampa Bay Bucs @ Dallas Cowboys (-2)
Why the hell is Dallas favored? I realize the home team normally gets 3 points so technically they're not but this team is falling apart infront of our eyes and is just depressing the hell outta me. I expect a fired up effort by our defense this week though aside from 1 game where Jeff Garcia played for the Cleveland Browns he's thrown for 10 TD's and 1 INT at Texas Stadium. But my God Brad Johnson almost made me want Drew Bledsoe back there last week, at least he can throw an accurate ball, Johnson may have thrown 1 or 2 decent looking balls last week, all the others were either to high, to low behind receivers or just lame ducks that hung in the air. I might call for Brooks Bollinger next week if he craps the bed again, do you know how pathetic that sounds? BROOKS BOLLINGER! I'm taking the Bucs, I've picked the Boys ever week and I think they've only covered the Cleveland game. SHOW ME SOMETHING DALLAS!
Cincinatti Bengals @ Houston Texans (-9.5)
Houston for the 2nd straight week favored by a substantial amount against the leagues trash, there offense is good and should cover especially by a team led by Ryan Fitzpatrick (I can't get over that little note) Texans
Cleveland Browns @ Jacksonville Jaguars (-7)
Not much to say about this game, Jaguars
NY Giants @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5)
Nothing would make me happier then to watch Eli with that goofy confused look on his face sulking on the sideline, we got a preview of it in Cleveland when we got see our favorite Eli instead of this Eli on an undeserved pedestal. Eli throws 3 picks and the Steelers roll in steel town.
Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers (-5)
I'd hate to live on the west coast where I'd be subjected to this crapfest between a franchise corrupt with injuries and another in disrepair having recently fired there coach among other terrible moves the franchise has made lately. But I'll take the franchise in disrepair (49ers) with there new coach Samurai Mike
Monday Night
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans (-4)
I don't know what to make of this Colts team they are very frustrating, I finally expected them to be "back" last week and put on a show vs. the Packers but they got obliterrated so I'll have to bet against them for now. They just arent playing good football right now and 2 of there 3 wins they were more then fortunate on. Titans, but I'd be interested to see the Titans fall behind early because I'm not sure how they'd fare trying to overcome a 2 TD deficit since there defense hasn't put them in that predicament yet.
And now for the games I'd bet on (trumpets please)
Eagles at home vs. the Falcons, Bills on the road vs. the Dolphins and Patriots at home vs. the Rams.
Over/under I'd bet on would be Philly vs. Atlanta take the over at 45
And to the person who commented on not enough Packers last week (Dan?), I'll see what I can do, but they're on a bye this week.
So until next week where I'll probably be writing to myself...
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