Thoughts of the Day (9/24/09)

The Handshake. When kids played little league or pop Warner or some kind of organized sport, all of the adults and coaches would tell them to shake hands with the opposition after all of the games that they were involved in to show good sportsmanship. "Go shake hands with them. It doesn't matter that they won 17-0, you have to show sportsmanship", they would all say. The kids would line up, with their heads down and slap hands with the other team chanting a low mutter of "good game, good game, good game...". None of them really meant it, they just did it because they were told to and because they were taught that good sportsmanship is part of playing competitive sports. Where and when did this end? Now, only coaches come across the field/court/stadium and shake hands, telling the spectators that they are representing sportsmanship for the sore losers/winners in this competition. The handshake shows dignity and is humbling for all when one side says to the other, "good game". If the teams had kept up the tradition of shaking hands, then the losers get the opportunity to meet with the winners and can take from them the idea that...."hey, no worries, you fought well and you'll get it next time"; the winners on the other hand get a chance to be the better humans and show the losers that it was just a game. Some collegiate sports still continue to shake hands, the NHL has kept it going, but mostly, as the level of sports climb the ladder from youth to the pros it has begun to trickle off and disappear. What makes matters worse, is that some of the coaches are so sore from losing or winning that they won't even look the other coach in the eye or won't even make it across the field to reach out and touch someone. One perfect example is the arrogant coach for the New England Patriots, Bill Bellichick. When Bill wins the Super Bowl he walks through his shake with a stone cold demeanor. When he wins a regular season game sometimes he stops by and gives a shake, sometimes he leaves them hanging. But, when Bill loses, especially to coaches he feels are inferior to him, you might not even find him on the field. Everyone knows how dominant the Patriots have been under Bill and that he is a very good coach and everyone knows that he knows all of that as well, but please show some humility, there are kids watching. Professionals need to realize that they set examples for the younger ones coming up behind them and that if they just made an effort to put that hand out there and grab a hold of that peace offering, then the idea of sportsmanship would be reinforced.
What is sportsmanlike conduct? It isn't punching the opposing player after a loss when he isn't looking like Oregon's Lagarrette Blount. It also is not blowing off a handshake from the opposing teams rookie QB after a loss like Bellichick did to the NY Jets' Mark Sanchez. It is however, sportsmanlike when after a loss, teams huddle together and pray at the middle of the court. Although it is only a handshake, it is a symbol peace and an showing of good faith that after all the play is over, at the end of the day, it was just a game.

Thoughts of the Day (9/17/09)

The AFC East, what can we expect from this division this season? The Dolphins have returned back to Earth. No one is fooled by the Wild Cat offense, nor are they worried about the non-threat Pennington is to throw down the field. It's pretty bad that the defending division champions aren't even talked about to repeat. The Fish caught a Fluke last year. The Bills have their hands full, not surprisingly, with T.O. and his big mouth. Did anyone think that T.O. would change his selfish and "it's not my fault" ways just because he moved to small town Buffalo? After the Bills' loss to the Patriots, T.O. threw McKelvin under the bus for taking the kick off out of the end zone and fumbling the ball, basically losing it for them. He also made it clear that he thinks Trent Edwards should make some improvements. And, he said "throw to me". Did he mention the fact that he dropped an important first down pass that would have kept a Bills' drive alive? No. Come on, it won't be long before T.O. alienates himself again from another team, which only means that you can take the Bills' out of the equation for possibly winning the AFC East. That leaves the New England Patriots and the New York Jets. Tom Brady clearly is back and is very capable of getting the Patriots down field fast. The Pats showed that they can come back and are just as good as they were before Brady got hurt, it's his team, so they will go as far as he takes them. As for the Jets, they gave the Texans a taste of their speedy defense, blitzing pressure and ability to run the ball and throw down the field effectively. Teams still haven't seen some defensive impact players, like Sean Ellis and Calvin Pace yet, and opposing teams also haven't had the chance to figure out Mark Sanchez. If the Jets can contain Brady and continue to mix up the offense utilizing Leon Washington, Thomas Jones, Brad Smith and Chansi Stuckey. This weekend, although it is only week 2, will be the biggest weekend for the AFC Eastern Division.

Week 1 Thoughts (9/15/09)

After the last play of Monday night's San Diego/Oakland game, the NFL's first week came to an end and there weren't too many surprises. Most of the teams lived up to what everyone expected, some showed more and some showed much less. Three games that stood out were the defending NFC champion, Arizona Cardinals, losing to the San Francisco 49ers, the Carolina Panthers getting man-handled by the Eagles who forced Jake Delhomme to throw 4 interceptions and lose 1 fumble and of course the New York Jets beating down the Houston Texans with a rookie QB giving a strong performance in his debut. Most of the other games went as we all thought they would, with only a little bit of flare here and there through out each game.

The Bills almost and probably should have beat the Patriots, but of course Brady came up in the end with a win at home, cracking his smile from the Stetson cologne ads. The Saints' Drew Brees showcased his ability to dominate and threw 6 TDs against the Arena Football League Detroit Lions. The Giants did their thing and relied heavily on their defense without exposing the most overpaid QB in the NFL. On the other side, the most exciting player in the NFL, Adrian Peterson, did not disappoint, scoring 3 times while rushing for 180 yards against Cleveland, sparing Brett Favre from having to explain why he threw for a paltry 110 yards. Eric Mangini came up short, like he usually does coaching for the team where began his career as a ball boy. Brandon Stokley saved his Denver Broncos from embarrassment against the Bengals, winning the tip drill on a botched interception, taking it 87 yards to the house in a stunning ending to an otherwise boring game. Aaron Rodgers took the Packers down the field with under 2 minutes to play, beating the Bears, who unfortunately lost Brian Urlacher for the entire season and who saw their new QB, Jay Cutler throw 4 interceptions. Not a great start to your career in Chicago, huh Jay? Green Bay may have a chance in the competitive NFC North if Rodgers plays like that all season. Miami came back down to earth after last year's fluke season. Everyone was caught off guard last year with the Wildcat offense, but not this time Chad. Atlanta quietly took care of the Dolphins, sacking Pennington 4 times and taking advantage of Miami's 4 turnovers. Tony Gonzalez continued his success with his new team, Atlanta, and scored on a 20 yard TD pass after the Falcons intercepted Pennington. And, St. Louis showed fans that the circus left town years ago and that the Rams who were once known as the "best show on turf", have lost that high powered offense they once had. Without the likes of Warner, Holt, Bruce and Faulk, they now have become the Detroit Lions of the NFC West, getting shutout by Seattle this week and continuing the horrendous play from last year.

It is only week 1, but that usually is an indicator of how the season will play out for a lot of teams. There is of course plenty of parity in the NFL and some things will change, but starting the regular season off well can set the tone. Hopefully there will be surprises down the road and that fans will get a chance to see some teams succeed that they are not used to seeing do so. There are a lot of players who haven't had a chance to play yet as well, due to suspensions and injury, so that will bring a new feel and boost to those teams. The NFL is an exciting league and it builds up so much hype during the week, that by the time Sunday comes, the fans have almost forgotten about last week. It is true that "on any given Sunday" any team can look like the best in the league, so keep your hopes up Detroit!

Thoughts of the Day (9/14/09)

What a statement Rex Ryan! Known for his genius when it comes to NFL defenses, Rex Ryan displayed yesterday, why he was so successful running Baltimore's defense for 10 seasons. The New York Jets, showcasing a rookie QB and a rookie coach, gave their fans a glimpse of what might be a dominating defense and a consistent, steady offense yesterday against the Houston Texans. Without their two best defensive players, Sean Ellis and Calvin Pace, the Jets still held Houston running back Steve Slaton to 17 yards rushing, wide receiver Andre Johnson to 35 yards receiving and quarterback Matt Schaub to 166 yards passing with no scores and an interception. Now, Houston is not New England, but they do have a very good offense. The Texans were the 3rd best offense in the league last year, averaging just over 23 points per game, 267 passing yards per game and 115 rushing yards per game. They fell way short of those totals in game one of their 2009 season.

Jets fans on the other hand, should be excited about this season after seeing what happened yesterday (9/13/09). Mark Sanchez, the 5Th overall pick of this year's draft, gave the Jets a chance on every snap and with Brian Schottenheimer calling the plays, the offense stayed balanced and poised. Thomas Jones rushed for 107 yards and scored twice and the versatile Leon Washington added 60 yards on the ground while also making 4 catches for 24 yards. The Jets utilized the tight end position and Dustin Keller produced 94 yards receiving, making two big catches for 25 and 40 yards each. The Jets looked fresh and energized. They kept it simple and executed on both sides of the football. There will be mistakes, like the interception yesterday thrown by Sanchez, but it seems like the coaching staff has really prepared this year's team for almost anything and the players have all responded well. Getting over Brett Favre and his indecisive retirement plans could have stung much more if it weren't for Mike Tannenbaum making the right decisions during this years draft and going with Rex Ryan as the new head coach. Eric Mangini really never fit well in NY, he was too passive and he needed to be with a team and in a city that doesn't care about losing as much. Cleveland is a perfect fit for him and now he can be as quiet and monotone as he wants because that city only really cares about Lebron James, not the Browns nor the Indians.

Watching the Jets, it felt like a new franchise yesterday, moving past all of the drama surrounding Belichick and his former coaches and spy gate. Now it is Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez's team. No more Chad Pennington or Favre or Mangini or Coles. The Jets have now removed any distractions from the team and have turned their focus to winning and consistency. It's just too bad they play in New Jersey. For it has been said before on this blog, the NEW YORK JETS and NEW YORK GIANTS are the only professional sports franchises to play their home games in another state. Could anyone imagine the Pittsburgh Steelers playing in Ohio? Or the Dallas Cowboys playing in New Mexico? Pretty dumb to think about isn't it? Well, all Giants and Jets fans must stay used to the idea because the new Meadowlands Stadium is about to open in 2010 and both teams have locked themselves into playing in Dirty Jersey for years to come. Thanks a lot team ownership! Maybe the Mara's and Johnson's were confused on where the state lines were when they decided to re-up in East Rutherford....guys NYC is on the other side of the Hudson River!

Thoughts of the Day (9/11/09)

On such a somber day, very emotional for all, we must remember what life has offered us and given us and we all must be involved in the present and look forward to the future. When one loses something, one must be confident and aware that there will always be something else to gain. The balance of life works just like a car battery, with one negative side, a positive will counter that. It unfortunately works both ways, so we cannot ignore the fairness and reality that keeps us all level. Being thankful for whatever force we believe governs our existence is all too humbling for many, and it is imperative we pay homage to those who came before us, to those who have sacrificed for us and to those who fight for what we have. Although we cannot understand why some were taken from us and others still remain, there has to be faith in the aura of our world that good can be found in anything and in any situation. We are all just tiny particles when it comes to the big picture we call the Universe, but don't ever be fooled; every action we take, a reaction is right around the corner. The course by which we all travel is paved by what we do on a daily basis. Let's all make choices that will benefit those with us and those coming up behind us, because if we are to learn anything from today, it's that decisions can change not only our own lives, but those around us. Mark D. Hindy lived his life to the fullest and he greeted each day with a glowing smile and an infectious laugh. If we all lived like Mark did, life would be much more simple, much easier and happier. We all struggle with his loss, we yearn for an explanation and for closure. But Mark would only want us to be strong and to accept life's riches. He was too great for this earth and from now until eternity, he will spread his wings above us and will watch over us until we are granted the opportunity to see him once again. Mark, you will live on in all of us and every time that we laugh, make a joke or crack a smile, a part of you shines through.

Questions of the Day (9/8/09)

As the NFL season draws near, what, if any, predictions can be made about the NY Jets?

Can a rookie QB lead the team to the playoffs?

Can a rookie coach do the same?

Without a big down receiver, how will the offense fair?

Can the team do well without Calvin Pace and Sean Ellis? Whom are both out due to suspensions for the first quarter of the season.

How will Leon Washington be used?

Can the Jets compete with the rest of the AFC? (Patriots, Steelers, etc.)

Question of the Day (9/2/09)

Pushing forward, how will the MLB playoff picture look? It could look something like this:


AL EAST: Yankees

AL CENTRAL: Tigers

AL WEST: Angels

AL WILD CARD: Red Sox

NL EAST: Phillies

NL CENTRAL: Cardinals

NL WEST: Dodgers

NL WILD CARD: Rockies

ALDS: Yankees vs. Tigers

ALDS: Angels vs. Red Sox

ALCS: Yankees vs. Angels

AL WINNER: Yankees

NLDS: Dodgers vs. Phillies

NLDS: Rockies vs. St. Louis

NLCS: Dodgers vs. St. Louis

NL WINNER: Dodgers

WORLD SERIES: Yankees vs. Dodgers

CHAMPION: Dodgers

Question of the Day (9/1/09)- THE NFLDL

What if the NFL had a developmental league like the NBADL?

This week is the last week of the NFL pre-season. Now more then 600 players will be cut from all 32 teams and will be jobless, hoping for a team with injuries to call them. These players obviously all had the talent to compete in the NFL at some level and most excelled in college. If they get cut this week, what opportunities do they have? Not many, and a lot of these guys will have to go back home and work on their farms, family business, restaurants, etc. There is the CFL and UFL, but those rosters are pretty full as well. When the NBA cuts rosters, players can play in Europe, or they can continue on in the NBADL and keep their skills and legs fresh. If the NFL were to have a "minor league" of sorts, players could earn a paycheck and keep themselves in good shape and be ready for a possible call up to the NFL if need be. The NFL is very rich, it has to be to be able to give out such enormous rookie contracts and signing bonuses. What needs to happen, is each team should have a "sub" or "minor league" squad like in baseball, that competes against the other "minor league" teams. The NFL could offer real cheap tickets, like the MLB, and each city would be able to create jobs for people looking to break into pro sports on the management, marketing, sales, broadcasting or any other level that a major league team would offer a job in. A lot of coaches and journalists for example, begin their careers in the minor league baseball system, before getting a chance in the big leagues. It is amazing the NFL can't figure out how to do this without losing money. Instead of doing it in the off-season, the NFL should install the "minor league" system to run parallel to the big leagues and keep the money flow constant. So while teams are earning millions from their pro teams, start the football weekend off on Friday and showcase a "minor league" game to get fans fired up for Sunday. Players can compete on the pro fields and scouts and journalists can watch them during the same weekend they see the pro players compete in the same city. If fans are willing to pay full price to watch pre-season games, why wouldn't they pay 1/4 of that to see the same players go at it before Sunday's game? Maybe owners could offer a package deal that gives season tickets holders a discount on "minor league" games. And when the big league NFL players get hurt, each team can just pick someone out of their "farm system", who will already be in game time shape and can basically step right onto the field. There are obviously plenty of things to work out logistically and financially, but this is a good starting point Commissioner Goodell.