Friday, February 11, 2005

Boston.com / Sports / Football / Patriots / More is less

Boston.com / Sports / Football / Patriots / More is less

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the good people at the Boston Globe who put into perspective the inanity of our advertising-happy culture. They recognized that not only do we seem to have a need to make sure everything fits into a neat, little classification, but that we have to over-hype it.
Take the time to read the editorial. It's excellent.
We are the children of an advertising age.
Bravo Boston Globe.
Bravo Bill Belichick.
Now, what do they all do for their encore?

Thursday, February 10, 2005

ESPN.com - NFL - Fred Gems: Eagles' Mitchell sounds off again

ESPN.com - NFL - Fred Gems: Eagles' Mitchell sounds off again

The Mouth that Roared -
Just what does it take to shut this idiot up? Duct tape?
This guy needs a serious reality check. Not only has he not done anything in the league so far, despite being a first round pick four years ago, but when he mouths off he can't back it up. Then to make matters worse, he blames everybody but himself, throws his quarterback and coach under the bus, and then claims that the reason he wasn't able to back up his words is that TO took playing time away from him.
The funniest thing about Mitchell's private fantasy land is his accusation that he got to the Pats because they felt his comments were disrespectful. Well, guess what Freddie - the comments were disrespectful, no, you didn't get to them, if you did, that would imply that you won the game and the Pats D played their normal, disciplined game, and you did get opportunities, your quarterback just didn't trust you.
If this clown is still with the Eagles next year, I'll be shocked. My guess, he gets released by the Eagles in the offseason, bounces around and is out of football in about three seasons. Too much lip, not enough performance.
Great, if sometimes sloppy game. Need to remember, these are the Pats - they're incapable of winning the big one by more than three.

Waiting for the Thaw -
Someone stick a fork in the NHL to let them know they're done. Please!

The Pedro Chronicles -
Pedro showed up early for training camp for the Metropolitans (and the Red Sox disrespected him?)
Pedro was allowed to come and go as he pleased, showing up late for warmups and leaving early on days he wasn't pitching (and the Red Sox disrespected him?)
Pedro was made by his employers of the last seven years the highest paid pitcher in baseball during that time (and the Red Sox disrespected him?)
Pedro whined that the Sox brain-trust brought too many people to visit him with the World Series trophy in the Dominican Republic (and the Red Sox disrespected him?)
The amazing thing about this whole situation is that when the Mets made their final offer, there wasn't anyone to bid against because no other team was going to offer an aging prima-donna with shoulder problems and a history of injuries those years and that money. Sorry Mets fans, but this ain't gonna be your year.

Me and Jose down by the 'Roid Yard -
So Canseco is doing a tell-all book about steroid use among the teams he played for. He dealt only with players he played with and named Big Mac. While Canseco is not the most credible of witnesses, who didn't suspect McGwire to be one of the big suspects. Sure, he was always a big guy and a homerun hitter, but let's be serious, this guy got huge and his power numbers jumped by almost 50 percent. Then when he retired he got really small. Could be a coincidence, but...
On the same note, someone I've wondered about, but never heard named...Nomar. Let it be known first and foremost that I am a Sox fan and loved to watch the man that Mo Vaughn dubbed Spiderman play. That being said, it was a known fact that Garciappara made an effort to boost his power numbers. This effort coincided with both the fraying of the tendon sheath in his wrist and Nomar entirely changing his body type.
At this time Nomar appeared topless on the cover of Sports Illustrated (my wife still has the issue), he had gotten big. I believe the story cited something akin to 25 pounds of muscle added in the offseason.
Now, it is possible to bulk up in that short a period, but not easy, even for a professional athlete. 'Roids would help that. Additionally, and this could just be coincidence, but athletes that use steroids have a propensity towards injuries of connective tissues like tendons.
Just some food for thought.

Next week - more on baseball, the spring outlook and Roids, the NHL lockout, and looking at next year's NFL.