The GM Says....2/27

Manny turns down 25 million(ESPN)....Manny's an idiot, so is Boras

I guess Manny doesn't care about his reputation of being all about the money. He was once a fan favorite in Boston and the people in LA absolutely loved him last season but now he is just making himself look bad. If I was the Dodgers I would not even bother talking to him anymore. Go with what you have and hope it works out. There is no reason to keep playing to Manny.


Haynesworth gets $100 million deal(ESPN)......and Daniel Snyder STILL doesn't get it

Poor Redskins fans. Every year Snyder signs a big name free agent or a couple of them and it always backfires on him. I know Haynesworth is good but just a couple years ago this guy stomped on someones head. And it was only the past couple years (when he was in contract years) that he truly started to dominate. ESPN showed a stat about sacks from defensive tackles over the past 2 years and he is only 1.5 ahead of the next group. So is he really worth this much money? $41 million is guaranteed by the way.


Tiger loses in match play 2nd round(ESPN).....and I don't care about golf again

Sorry but I am only watching golf if Tiger is involved and he is already done. If he would have played this weekend I absolutely would have turned it on. But now who do I watch?? I might flip it on to see who is playing Sunday but I won't watch it for very long.


LA starts the NFL search again(SI)....which team would it be?

LA approved something that allows the City to begin discussing a team relocating to LA yesterday. I don't know what that means but apparently they think they are going to get a team. But which would it be? Are there really any teams struggling to make it right now? I mean other than Detroit of course.


Other Links:

RStiles...tell me how you really feel about Manny and the Dodgers (Stiles Points)
Jamie Mottram gives his thoughts on Snyder's spending spree (Mr. Irrelevant)

Verb's Blurb's - 2/25

Ok, so its February and I may have been a little over zealous about stuff going on in sports right now. Along with August, February is horrible for sports and even though I was excited last week when I did my blurb's, let's be honest...

RIGHT NOW, THERE IS NOTHING!

Tiger coming back has been the biggest story of the week and as great as that is for the game of golf, for us sports fans we need more. Hopefully in about two weeks when college basketball gets serious, we will get more but until then I have a few little things for you.

• Stephon Marbury was released by the Knicks and is probably going to be picked up the Celtics. I thought he was released a long time ago so that wasn't really news to me. It seems that Boston is the place where all the washed up, has-beens go to win a championship these days. Last year Sam Cassell and now this year rumor has it that Marbury and Joe Smith are going to do the same thing. This seems weird to me but I guess whatever you have to do to get that ring, right? Me, personally, I would actually like to play for the team when we win a championship, not just ride someones coat tails. That's just me though.
• The Colts released Marvin Harrison yesterday. I think it was a great move by both parties. The Colts knew they didn't want to play Harrison $7 Million again but Marvin knew he wanted more then the Colts would give. The Colts will be better off without him and they showed enough class to let Harrison go because they knew he would be better off without them.
  
• The number 1 team in college basketball lost again last night. The latest victim was Pitt and this was their second time atop the polls. This time they had the ranking for about 17 minutes before they lost. This is about the 9th time the number 1 team lost this season so my solution is to do away with the polls and just say that a group of teams are the top 16 in the country and leave it at that. I am just kidding. The Polls are a fine idea but we need to stop making such a big deal about them. They don't mean jack in college basketball!
• Matt Kenseth has won both Nascar races so far this season. The first one at Daytona was a bit of a fluke but he had the dominate car in California for most of the race. He looks to be very strong this year but we have to remember what happened last year. Kyle Busch won like half of the regular season races and finished last in the chase. Kenseth is on fire right now but its a long season and he can't win them all, can he?
• Alexander Ovechkin is going to get 60 goals again and that team is great to watch. If you didn't see them and the Penguins last Sunday, you missed a good one. Well, good for the Caps anyway. You need to watch Ovechkin! He is the best player in the world right now and he plays every second of every shift like its his last. He is really fun to watch.

Ok, so now that I talked about hockey I think I need to wrap it up. That's it for this week. Let's hope it gets better and gets better soon. March Madness is right around the corner fans!

Verb's Sweet Sixteen - 2/23

College Basketball is awesome baby with a capital A! I had to steal one from Dickie V but it's getting to be that time. It's the best thing going right now. I've been trying to tell everyone for weeks how great college basketball is but I think now it really takes over the spotlight in the sports world. I love it!

The GM and I talked about our 65 teams that we each think are in Sunday during the podcast. If you haven't listened to that you should because it's awesome!

Anyway, now that I have my full field, which is obviously subject to change, I still have to seed my teams. I have been seeding the top 4 teams in each region for weeks and this is my new version. The tournament is getting closer and closer so I am trying to make this as realistic as possible.

Here we go!

East (Boston)

1. Connecticut - They lost to Pitt but the committee is trying to keep everyone close to home because of the economy so they get to stay in Connecticut. This team is still dangerous with Thabeet in the middle.

2. Duke - They may still be the same old Duke team but this spot was the for the winner of the Duke/Wake game Sunday and well Duke won so they get the 2 seed.

3. Villanova - I still think this is one of the most dangerous teams in the country right now. They just won a huge game in Syracuse and with Reynolds and his experience handling the ball this team could go deep.

4. Purdue - Huge win over Michigan State since the my last version. They need to stay healthy but if they do I have a good feeling about this team too. They really seem to play together and are a very good team.

South (Memphis)

1. North Carolina - I know they lost to Maryland but that was an ACC road game and they are still one of the top teams in the nation. Defense, Defense, Defense!

2. Louisville - This team can be up and down and very streaky but Pitino will have his guys tournament ready so if this team peaks at the right time they could easily make the final four.

3. Missouri - This spot came down to the Tigers and Kansas and I just decided Missouri has a better body of work so they get the nod here. I don't know if its really a reward to be put in the same region as Carolina and Louisville however.

4. Clemson - I still don't know what to think about this team. I am a big ACC guy and they killed Duke earlier this season but some of the letdowns they have had worry me. Booker is good on the inside and they can be really good but they can be really average sometimes too.

Midwest (Indianapolis)

1. Pittsburgh - The number 1 team in the land right now! Dajuan Blair has played his way into the player of the year talk. Lavance fields is the most underrated player in the country too.

2. Michigan State - The Purdue loss doesn't really hurt that badly. If they would've lost to Wisconsin at home it, that might have hurt but they made a big run and came back and won by 11. This team is good and have I told you how much I think of Tom Izzo?

3. Wake Forest - This is where the Duke/Wake loser was going to go. Jeff Teague has a lot on his shoulders. Can he win 6 in a row? I don't know but this team is still very solid!

4. Kansas - As I am writing this, Kansas is beating Oklahoma and if they do that they will have the inside track to win the Big 12. I think I have them too low but for now this is where they are going to be. Bill Self lost 80% of his scoring from last year. How good is he and how good is Sharon Collins?

West (Somewhere in Arizona)

1. Oklahoma - Losing to Texas and Kansas without Blake Griffin doesn't drop them from a number 1. Griffin gets to sit out a game and a half and that gives him a break. He still is the player of the year in my opinion and this team is still great. Willie Warren is the real deal!

2. Memphis - Hottest team in the country right now. They can get up and down the floor with anyone and unlike Carolina, they don't mind playing D too. Tyreke Evans is right there with Warren for freshman of the year.

3. Marquette - The South Florida loss still haunts me with this team but they still are a solid club and have the depth and style to win a few games in March. They just have to avoid the big letdown. Depending how deep they go in the conference tournament, this team could still move up some.

4. Washington - This is the best team in the Pac-10. Their point guards name is Isaiah Thomas. That's all I can really tell you here but usually its teams like this that bust my bracket in March.

Those are my top 16 right now! Every team on here other then Memphis was from a BCS conference. It's going to be an awesome month!

Boo Ya!

Tiger's Back!

I am not a huge golf fan. I watch a few of the majors when they are coming to an end on Sunday afternoon. But I don't think I have ever watched a tournament on Thursday or Friday before the cut.

Because for the most part those days don't matter. Sure a guy could win wire to wire and I am sure it happens but in golf you can come from a few strokes down on Sunday and win. So why watch all the other rounds?

This weekends event, the Accenture Match Play Championship, is different. Match play pits player vs player with the guy winning the most holes moving on. Which makes the entire tournament a little more appealing to television crowds.

This particular championship is set up like the NCAA Tourney coming up in March. You get 64 players split into 4 groups with the 1 seed playing the 16 seed and so on. The scoring structure is easy to understand and the suspense carries from the first match through the last match. Unlike the traditional structure where a guy who owns a 5 stroke lead on Thursday could lose by 10 strokes on Sunday. So I am looking forward to it.


Oh and Tiger Woods is returning this week to play and he is the #1 seed going into the tournament. And because of this, because of Tiger returning, I will watch at least a little bit every day.

NBC is excited to have Tiger back as well. They have been running ads all weekend for this weeks tournament (from Awful Announcing). I guess they are counting on big ratings.

The tournament starts on Wednesday and the final is set for Sunday afternoon. I hope Tiger is on every day. It is the only way most people are going to care.

Can he return after 8 months off and dominate?

Will he be even more dominant after fixing his knee problems? - Jay Mariotti thinks so

Is his game ready for a grueling structure like this one?

These questions will begin to be answered on Wednesday when Tiger faces off against the #64 seed Brandon Jones of Australia.

Podcast Episode 20

Earlier today Verb and I recorded the latest podcast. Since there is very little to talk about and because neither of us care about A-Rod and his issues we decided to start the March Madness talk. So for of the show we talked about the Tourney.

Topics:

• Michael Crabtree's injured foot
• The NBA No-Trade deadline
• The return of Tiger Woods
• Brief mention of NASCAR
• We went through our 65 team field
• Discussed which teams are locks
• And gave our bubble teams

Next week we will again talk March Madness as well as other topics in the world of sports.

Wait.....What??

A couple days ago Verb tried to tell you that there is stuff going on in sports. He is full of it.

We all know that February, along with July, are the worst months for sports in the entire year. And honestly August isn't too much better but it helps that football is right around the corner and at least there are preseason games to get a minute or two of football each week.

I mean what you could possibly be excited about right now?

The Combine. Please. It is the biggest farce in the whole draft process. Every year a player comes in and puts on this great show and is all of a sudden a can't miss prospect. And half of the players don't even do anything anymore. They would rather save themselves for their schools pro day in the spring where the conditions are more favorable for them.

The NBA. Why now? If you have a favorite team and you follow them than sure you are excited all season. But for anyone else the NBA doesn't matter right now. Hell just look at the trade deadline yesterday. All month we had heard rumors about big names on the block and then the day came and went with nothing much happening.

And the games are relatively boring. I mean this is the most top heavy league in all of sports. You have about 5 teams that have a legitimate shot at the finals and everyone knows it. And the thing with the NBA is that upsets don't usually happen in the playoffs. The favorites generally make it. So why watch the season?

The NHL. Same as the NBA. If you have a team that you follow it will surely be exciting but for the most part fans are waiting for the playoffs. Add to that the limited number of fans and you have no excitement.

Nascar. Yawn!! I enjoy a little racing from time to time. Usually I can watch the races at tracks like Daytona or Talladega because they are exciting the whole time. But this past Sunday I couldn't even stay awake for the Daytona 500. And the damn thing ended halfway through. The sport (or whatever you want to call it) is barely watchable.

College Basketball. Is it March? We all know the regular season of college basketball is pretty meaningless. I enjoy watching a few minutes of a few games but for the most part there is only 1 game per week that is really worth watching. Now in a few weeks it will be the most amazing thing going on but right now.....Yawn!

Baseball. Who cares about A-Rod? I mean other than all the talking heads on tv does anyone else care? Sure Red Sox fans are in heaven and Yankee fans are pissed but me...I don't give a damn. Half the players cheated in that time frame and it doesn't bother me. But then again I am not a traditionalist and couldn't care less who the home run king is.

And spring training hasn't truly started yet. Like College BB this sport really gets going in March. Until then...let me sleep.


Other than that what is going on? Someone give me something. Come March the excitement returns but February might just be the 2nd worst month for sports all year.

Verb's Blurb's - 2/18

It's February and it's notoriously the time of year when the entire sports world goes into a rut for a few weeks until it comes out of hibernation for March madness. Here at Jumping Offsides, however, we aren't going to get bored and we aren't going to hibernate. We are going to keep you up on the latest happenings in the sports world and that starts today with the latest version of Verb's Blurb's.

ESPN is dominated right now with A-Rod or A-Fraud, whichever you prefer, and his admittance to using steroids years ago. Well, I gave you my opinion in the first place but after hearing the press conference, I expect the story to keep going and going and going until he gives a different response other then, "I was young and stupid." As I have said before, I just wish we could all move on from it and let it go and realize that it is what it is and either put an asterisk in the books or not.

Anyway, lets move onto some of the lesser known stories of the last few days.

• The NFL combine starts today and lasts a week. This is where these kids get to show off all of their skills that have nothing to do with actually playing football. Examples are how fast they can run in a straight line. How many times they can bench press 225 pounds and how high they can jump standing still. I am 100% sure there will be at least two guys that skyrocket up draft boards just because of his workouts that end up being huge busts in the NFL. I just hope its not a guy that my team takes.
• If you listened to the podcast, which you should have, you heard us talk about the dunk contest. It's back and Nate Robinson and Dwight Howard could be in every year and I would be fine. The little guy jumped over the big guy and the big guy easily dunked on a 12 foot high rim. It was unbelievable!
• Pittsburgh beat Connecticut in college hoops. Jim Calhoun would like to blame the refs for getting Thabeet in foul trouble. I am not sure if Calhoun was watching but Dajuan Blair was dominating Thabeet even when he was in the game. This might have had something to do with the foul trouble but he went right after him. Blair caused the foul trouble and 22 points and 23 rebounds is still huge! Oklahoma is probably going to be number 1 next week but really, why not Pitt? They just beat the number 1 team away from home and were number 4 going into the game. I'm just saying!
• Jerry Jones insists that T.O. will be a Cowboy next season. Hey, all the better, I love watching that team struggle and with him in that locker room and Romo "trying" to become a better leader, I can only see 9-7 at best again next season in that great new 1 billion dollar stadium. You're the man Jerry! Keep up the good work!
• The NBA trade deadline is tomorrow. Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, and Gerald Wallace are just some of the names being mentioned. The hottest name on the block right now though is Raef LaFrentz. Yea, that guy. He has a 12 million dollar expiring contract at the end of the season that Portland could pretty much get anyone for. There are so many problems with this. First, I didn't even know Raef still played basketball. Second, WHY THE HELL DOES HE MAKE 12 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR?!. That is ridiculous. It should be interesting how everything plays out but expect Cleveland to make a huge deal a long with Portland. That's just what my sources tell me. (My sources are my brain and my gut).
• The Daytona 500 was this past Sunday. Rain shortened it and the big one happened again. This time it may have been caused by the most popular guy in racing. That's right, Mr. Earnhardt Jr., while a lap down, made a big run on Brian Vickers and when Vickers blocked him Jr. swerved up into him causing a huge wreck and taking out half of the top 10 at the time. I'm just saying. Oh by the way, Matt Kenseth won. The race ended 48 laps short and tomorrow afternoon will be the debut of Gettin Loose for this year and I will go a lot more in depth about all of this then.
  
• David Beckham insists that he will play for AC Milan for the rest of the season. AC Milan wants to give him a contract through 2010. Seems easy enough, right? Wrong! He is still under contract with the L.A. Galaxy and it doesn't sound like the Galaxy want to get rid of Becks. David, listen to me, just go back to L.A. Soccer can't be the only thing on your plate right now so just go back there, make a movie or two and just live up the good life. It's not worth all of this! Your rep wont be tarnished at all. Hey, you might even get lucky and the MLS might take off while you are still playing and you can take all the cred for it. Oh wait, probably not.
  

That's all I have for you today fans. I told you the sports world isn't as boring as we all seemed to think it is. You just have to be patient for a couple of weeks and everything will be fine!

Hang in there and if nothing else just drink more beer. (Please drink responsibly).

Boo Ya!

Sweet Sixteen - 2/16

The farther we get into the season the more people talk about bubbles and seedings and who's in and who's out. I love it because I have been doing it for a month and I don't think its ever too early to start talking about it. The Poll's don't really matter as long as you get into the tournament so why not talk about the bubble or who the number 1 seeds are.

North Carolina beat Duke this past week. That's all I have to say about that.

I am a day later then usual with this post but I am so glad I am. Tonight Pittsburgh played against Connecticut without Jerome Dyson. Dyson is out for the season with a bum knee and I honestly think it won't hurt UConn that much. I was right about tonight's game too because I believe what really hurt them was that Thabeet only scored 5 points and was in foul trouble most of the game.

The other thing that really hurt UConn was Dajuan Blair. 22 points and 23 rebounds will beat any team in the country. What a game and what a player! Jodie Meeks 54 was great and Blake Griffin just had 40 and 23 but neither of those games were against the number 1 team in the country. I am just saying...

The game that might mean the most that is coming up this week is Duke vs. Wake Forest II. This time the game is in Durham but I think if either team wants a shot at a number 1 seed they have to win this game. They may even need more help then that but if everything falls their way, the winner of this game still make get a number 1 seed.

Let's get to this week's seeds!

East (Boston)

1. Pittsburgh - Beating Connecticut gives them the closer game. Boston is closer then Indianapolis so Pitt goes to Boston. Dajuan Blair is huge and Sam Young can score with anyone.

2. Duke - The loss to Carolina was understandable and somewhat expected but losing at Boston College hurts. This team is close to falling even farther and better beat Wake at home if they want to stay here.

3. Washington - I know this is a long way to go but it's because too many Big East teams are in the top 16. This team is solid and you probably don't know much about them. Honestly, all I know is that their point guard is named Isaiah Thomas. Yea, but this one didn't harass a secretary.

4. Xavier - After the unexpected loss to Duquesne, they lost again but this time it was against Dayton. I honestly thought about putting Dayton here because they are really good too. The A-10 is at least a 2 bid conference this year which is more then I expected.

South (Memphis)

1. North Carolina - This team will NOT win the championship if they play D like they did in the first half against Duke. They WILL win the championship if they play D like they did in the second half though. It's really that simple here.

2. Michigan State - This team is so up and down I don't really know what to say. Most seasons when the Spartans do this they usually find it during the tournament. That's the Izzo factor.

3. Marquette - In my mind one loss doesn't usually hurt too badly but South Florida isn't very good. In 9 days they play UConn and can pick themselves back up from that but really South Florida hurts.

4. Villanova - I try not to put 2 teams from the same conference in the same region but its impossible when I pick 5 teams. This was the fifth team and I still think they are a very dangerous team.

Midwest (Indianapolis)

1. Connecticut - They had Boston until they lost to Pitt but I think they will take this. The Dyson loss isn't huge as long as a few role players step up a bit. This team will be fine.

2. Memphis - This team is really good! Trust me!

3. Missouri - I don't know anything about this team either except that they just keep on winning. They needed a buzzer beater to beat Kansas but they did and now we will definitely hear and learn about them somehow.

4. Illinois - This team is solid. I don't think they are where they need to be to make a big run but if they keep improving they could be dangerous.

West (Somewhere in Arizona)

1. Oklahoma - They will be number 1 a week from yesterday. They deserve but they play Kansas. Let's see if they can avoid the number 1 jinx.

2. Wake Forest - This team needs to get its act back together. They may have taken a small step back by beating Florida St pretty good. They are undefeated against ranked teams this year.

3. Louisville - This team is good but they got whooped by Notre Dame. Notre Dame isn't horrible but the score was 90-57. That's bad and deserves at least one drop.

4. Kansas - Three teams from the Big 12. That's right. UCLA lost to both Arizona teams so they don't belong right now so Kansas gets the nod.

Every game is huge these days!

Enjoy!

Episode 19

Another podcast is up. Get it HERE or on the sidebar. Or go to ITunes and subscribe now!!

Stuff we discussed:

• Should steroid users get into the Hall of Fame
• We talked about Spring Training for a minute
• The Dunk Contest
• Which All-Star event in all sports is best?
• Determined that there was nothing else interesting in February
• Talked about the Heat/Raptors trade
• Discussed the goings on of the NBA right now
• Verb says losing Dyson will NOT hurt UConn
• Had a discussion about how many teams from conferences will get in to the dance
• We finished with our opinions on Favre's retirement and
• If we were a NFL GM would we want Michael Vick?

Next week we will have another one up. Send in your questions or comments to jumpingoffsides@aol.com.

The GM Says....2/13

Bud Selig says A Rod "shamed the game".....Bud you are an idiot.

Now is not the time to attack a star player by saying you are "saddened" by the fact that A-Rod used steroids. And why would you say A-Rod "shamed the game" when a few others admitted to using? Selig you are an idiot for that. Now is the time to stand behind your star player and support him. Celebrate him coming forward and accepting his responsibility instead of attacking him. This is exactly why you aren't liked by ANYONE!!

Police arresting people in Phelps case....I told you so!

I said on this site last week that the police in South Carolina are going to try and make names for themselves by doing everything they can to charge Phelps with something. And that is exactly what they are trying to do. They are rounding up suspects and are surely offering them deals to testify against Phelps. This is ridiculous. So the kid did something that he shouldn't have done BUT come on. Is your arresting him gonna help the fight against drugs?? NO its not. Leave your agendas off the job!

Rosenhaus says Boldin, Johnson, and Burress want traded.....Anquan come to Philly!!

Agent Drew Rosenhaus says that he has three clients that are interested in being traded from their current teams. Chad "Not Sure His Last Name" Johnson, Anquan Boldin, and Plaxico Burress are the three clients. Personally I think Burress and Johnson are solid but past their best days. I don't think there is much argument that Boldin is the best of the bunch and please please Andy Reid TRADE FOR HIM!!! Give up one of your first round picks and GET HIM NOW!!

UConn could lose one of top scorers for season.....that would hurt there chances a bit.

Jerome Dyson is scheduled to have surgery next week on an injured knee. He suffered the injury in the Syracuse game on Wednesday night. Dyson is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game. This would be HUGE for the UConn. I think if he is out for the season, which they have yet to determine, that UConn is out as serious contenders for the title. Sure they will still make the tourney and might even make a run but they won't be able to keep up in scoring with a team like UNC.

Ferentz gets new deal for same money.....wow, average gets a good pay these days.

Kirk Ferentz signed a 7 year extension today with the University of Iowa. Ferentz will get the same salary and bonus structure as his current deal had. Last season the Iowa coach made 2.84 million in salary. Hmmm...I wonder if I can find a job where average gets paid that well. In his last 4 seasons Ferentz has led Iowa to a 28-22 record. Not that great but apparently not worth a new coach either.

What's Your Verb? - 2/11

It just won't die.

The steroids in baseball issue will go on and on and on. Two weeks ago it was Clemens. Last week it was Bonds and now its A-Rod. I have said since last year that I wish everyone in the media and all the fans should just realize that steroids were everywhere in baseball for an entire decade or so, and we should just deal with it, understand that it was what it was and move on.

Now I hear sports reporters on the TV saying, "I wish this story would just end and we can move on."

It's guys like them that are keeping it going. Its very obvious to me that at least 75% of players were taking them at the time. If that's the case, then here is my opinion: 75% of players were taking steroids and thus in everyone's opinion had an unfair advantage. If that many players were doing it, did anyone really have an unfair advantage? No.

Now, if all of these clowns that are voting for the hall of fame want to keep everyone that has ever been suspected of using steroids out of the hall, be my guess. Get on your soap box and make your usually unimportant opinion important for 5 minutes and make your point. I promise you however, that there will be a several year period where either no one will get into your precious hall or several guys who probably don't deserve or shouldn't get into your precious hall. At that point you have tainted the hall of fame by putting guys who don't deserve it in anyway. You pick your poison.

I personally would take the guys with the stats who used the juice. If everyone else was doing it then there was really no unfair advantage going either way. Yea, McGwire and Sosa and A-Rod have all put up huge numbers but didn't Clemens do the same thing? I think all the stats and records are inflated, even the pitching numbers!

As for A-Rod doing the unthinkable and actually admitting to taking them. Good for you Alex! Owning up to it is very admirable. You should call your boys Clemens, Bonds and Tejada and just tell them to do the same thing. McGwire you can leave out, only because I think he could care less if he gets into the hall or not.

I have a couple of problems though about how A-Rod was exposed. First of all, the test was in 2003 when steroids had not been deemed illegal yet. If there is no rule against, why is it so wrong? The other thing is that back then those tests were confidential and were to never been released to the public. So why now is it ok for them to let them out? Just because there is a lot of controversy surrounding the whole idea. That's bologna. If A-Rod has tested positive since then, its ok with me.

The other thing that really has me fired up is who are the other 103 guys on the list. I know its nice and easy to throw A-Rod under the bus because he is the best player in the game and maybe the best player ever but I want to know who all the other guys are. That's ridiculous and incredibly unfair to the guy. He has handled it well but I would like to see how the other guys do if their names are given out.

The more and more we give these names out, the more and more guys are going to include themselves so its no surprise. I am willing to bet at least 75% of guys were doing and the more names we give out now, the more we will realize it was everywhere and we can stop punishing just the big name guys and we can move on. I know all of the us fans would love to move on and let baseball and more importantly, congress move on so we can all focus on more important things.

A-Rod, I'm impressed with the way you handled it, but can we just move on already?

The GM Says....2/10

A-Rod admits to steroid use.....good for you Alex.

I don't see why everyone is so upset about this. We all knew that MULTIPLE players (maybe as many as 75-90% of players) were using steroids through this era. So what? It wasn't illegal in baseball at the time. Was it unethical? Sure it is technically cheating BUT who cares? I don't. I think Alex did the best thing he could and I was happy to hear him come out and say yes I did it.

Big Ben plays Super Bowl with broken ribs.....his fame and aura grows.

If you look across the NFL you will surely find guys that are considered tough. And surely some of them have played with worse than broken ribs but for a quarterback to do what he did in the Super Bowl with all the juking and jiving that he did to have broken ribs? Wow.

Pac-Man is no longer a Cowboy.....now he can go be a Raider.

Is there another place for Adam "not PacMan" Jones to go? Sure....Oakland. I would say Cincinnati but they seem to be interested in cleaning up their image. So that leaves Oakland to sign the troubled, and DRASTICALLY over rated, cornerback.

Lane Kiffin screw up again.....is this guy an idiot??

Apparently Kiffin and his staff did a few things that they are not supposed to do when recruits are visiting. One being a mock press conference and the other being a player entering the field through some fog. Apparently you can't simulate a game day atmosphere for a recruit. First of all lets just say that the NCAA is ridiculous. Why not let these kids get a taste of it? But that is besides the point right now. Mr. Kiffin......did you even look at the rule book??? Apparently not. You are absolutely killing your image right now and everyone is starting to ask, was Al Davis right about this guy?

What Position To Use a Top 10 Pick On:

Here at Jumping Offsides we are obviously bigger football fans than of any other sport. Sure Verb is a bigger Duke basketball fan than he is 49er fan BUT if you ask him what sport he would rather watch and talk about it would be football.

So even though the season is over, football will not cease to exist on this site. And since I obviously think I am an expert on this stuff (why else would I write a blog) I am going to give me ideas of what teams should do.

Which obviously leads us to the draft.....

The Lions as you all know are on the clock. And there are multiple mock drafts out there right now. They have it narrowed down to QB Matthew Stafford or OL Andre Smith.

But this is not a scouting report on these players and which one they should take. There are plenty of them out there and I will surely give my opinion at some point but not right now.

No, right now I am going to look back and see what positions are the safest when selecting in the Top 10.

Why? Cause the Lions, and other teams at the top of the draft, need to fill NUMEROUS holes and finding players that can actually play is more important than risking it on a high risk high reward kind of player (like Stafford).

(honestly I think the Lions should trade this pick. even if they only get a mid 1st and a 3rd or something I think they would be fine. but that never happens so we will assume they are going to pick a player)

I have looked back at the Top 10 picks in each NFL draft for the past 15 years. I then decided which players were busts or stars based on my impressions and their statistics and importance. Of course some players got hurt and didn't pan out but that is still a bust in my opinion. Players drafted in the past 3 years haven't really had a chance to become busts or stars yet so they get their own category. And with no further ado.....

Quarterbacks:

There have been 21 quarterbacks taken in the Top 10 since 1994.

• Busts (8): Heath Shuler, Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, Akili Smith, David Carr, Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich, Alex Smith
• Stars (5): Steve McNair, Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers
• Solid (4): Trent Dilfer, Kerry Collins, Michael Vick, Carson Palmer
• Too Early (4): Vince Young, Matt Leinart, Jamarcus Russell, Matt Ryan

This really didn't surprise me. This position is so hard to peg down I don't understand why you would risk your franchise on it. Sure a Peyton Manning might work out but a Couch could ruin one too and they are more likely. But basically only 5 of the 21 or about 25% were really worth their draft position.

Running Backs:

There have been 17 running backs taken.

• Busts (7): Ki-Jana Carter, Lawrence Phillips, Tim Biakabutuka, Curtis Enis, Ricky Williams, Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson
• Stars (5): Marshall Faulk, Fred Taylor, Edgerrin James, Ladainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson
• Solid (3): Jamal Lewis, Ronnie Brown, Cadillac Williams
• Too Early (2): Reggie Bush, Darren McFadden

I think Peterson has proven that if he stays healthy he is a difference maker. Bush is still an unknown but surely isn't a star like the others have been and McFadden is undecided yet. All in all you have only 5 of 17 that are worth their draft position. Not terrible since I would be okay with the 3 solid players but considering what you can get later it is hard to take one this early.

Wide Receivers:

23 receivers have been taken in the Top 10.

• Busts (12): Michael Westbrook, JJ Stokes, David Boston, Peter Warrick, Travis Taylor, David Terrell, Koren Robinson, Charles Rogers, Reggie Williams, Braylon Edwards, Troy Williamson, Mike Williams
• Stars (4): Keyshawn Johnson, Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald
• Solid (5): Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn, Ike Hilliard, Plaxico Burress, Roy Williams
• Too Early (2): Calvin Johnson, Ten Ginn Jr.

We would probably all agree that Calvin is probably a star in the making but we can't put him there yet. I almost put Glenn and Hilliard in the bust category but they have been good at times. Amazingly over half of the WRs taken have been busts. How can you conceivably take one in the top 10 with those odds. You only have a 17% chance to draft a star WR in the top 10 and a star receiver might not do that much for you anyways.

Offensive Line:

There have been 18 offensive lineman drafted in the Top 10.

• Busts (2): Kyle Turley, Mike Williams
• Stars (5): Tony Boselli, Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace, Walter Jones, Leonard Davis
• Solid (7): Willie Anderson, Chris Naeole, Chris Samuels, Bryant McKinnie, Levi Jones, Jordan Gross, Robert Gallery
• Too Early (4): D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Joe Thomas, Levi Brown, Jake Long

I think it is safe to say that Thomas and Long are AT LEAST solid but are probably going to be stars. This position is so far the safest position to draft in the top 10 as there were only 2 busts in the last 15 years. And Turley was okay. I am sure many of you feel that Gallery is a bust but he is still starting all his games at guard so while he didn't make it as a tackle I think he is a solid lineman. Do you get a high reward....not necessarily. BUT you don't have high risk with this pick either.

Defensive Lineman:

The most popular position taken in the Top 10 with 33 selections.

• Bust (10): Mike Mamula, Cedric Jones, Darrell Russell, Andre Wadsworth, Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, Jamal Reynolds, Ryan Sims, DeWayne Robertson, Jonathon Sullivan
• Stars (7): Bryant Young, Kevin Carter, Simeon Rice, Richard Seymour, Julius Peppers, John Henderson, Kevin Williams
• Solid (7): Dan Wilkinson, Sam Adams, Grant Wistrom, Greg Ellis, Chris Simon, Justin Smith, Andre Carter
• Too Early (9): Mario Williams, Gaines Adams, Jamaal Anderson, Amobi Okoye, Chris Long, Glenn Dorsey, Vernon Gholston, Sedrick Ellis, Derrick Harvey

With 33 choices you are bound to get some really good players and some busts. But almost 1/3 of the picks were busts which isn't a good percentage. But there were lots of stars too. This is your classic high risk high reward position. I was surprised at how many teams take DL in the top 10 considering the risk. But it is a crucial position and some teams are willing to take the risk.

Linebackers:

The lowest totals of any position on this list with only 14 Top 10 selections.

• Busts (3): Trev Alberts, Jamir Miller, LaVar Arrington
• Stars (5): Willie McGinest, Peter Boulware, James Farrior, Brian Urlacher, Terrell Suggs
• Solid (2): Kevin Hardy, Chris Claiborne
• Too Early (4): AJ Hawk, Ernie Sims, Keith Rivers, Jerod Mayo

You actually have a better chance of selecting a stud than a bust here. The only player on this list that is a complete bust was Alberts. Arrington is a bust considering his expectations and Miller was okay for a couple years. So why are so few taken early in the draft? It seems that if you have a 33% chance to get a steady player you should take it more often.

Defensive Backs:

There have been 20 defensive backs taken with Top 10 selections.

• Busts (4): Antonio Langham, Bryant Westbrook, Tom Knight, Duane Starks
• Stars (3): Charles Woodson, Champ Bailey, Chris McAlister
• Solid (10): Shaun Springs, Quentin Jammer, Roy Williams, Terence Newman, Sean Taylor, DeAngelo Hall, Dunta Robinson, Pacman Jones, Antrel Rolle, Carlos Rogers
• Too early (3): Michael Huff, Donte Whitner, LaRon Landry

This position is probably the toughest to grade because interceptions and tackles don't necessarily tell you how good a player has been. A good cover corner never gets thrown at so his stats are lower. Either way there were not too many busts here and none since the 98 draft but not too many stars either. Sure you could argue that Newman, Williams, Robinson, Rogers, and Rolle are on their way and that Taylor would have been but they aren't at this time. But overall the position is pretty safe considering everything. Only 4 busts in 15 years is pretty good but you don't necessarily get the "star" player either.

..................

So there you have it. The safest positions to draft in the top 10 are offensive linemen, linebacker, and defensive back. While wide receiver, running back, and quarterback are probably the worst. Defensive line is a toss up right now because so many are undecided yet.

Sure quarterbacks are important but wouldn't you be better off drafting a guy in the second or third round and letting him learn (and save money) instead of risking your franchise on a high risk player. And running back and wide receiver are so deep and so many good players are found late in the draft why would you risk one in the top 10?

So if I am the Lions or any of the other teams in the top 10 I would be taking a longer look at the offensive lineman, linebackers, and defensive backs on the board.

Verb's Sweet Sixteen - 2/9

I know you all missed me Friday morning but the GM and I put our heads together and decided that Monday would be a better day for the Sweet Sixteen. College basketball is the top sport now and will be for awhile so we decided that we should make it a top priority and you can't make it any more important then having it up here for all of you happy 9-5ers on Monday morning.

The other reason is that it gives me more of an opportunity to look back on some games from the weekend and look ahead at a couple of big games coming up this week.

I think the game that meant the most in my mind this weekend in regards to my sweet sixteen was the game between Memphis and Gonzaga. Memphis showed up and Gonzaga really didn't. Well, it didn't seem like they did but if they did they are in big trouble. I think this is a good year to reconsider Gonzaga a mid-major and a good one at that. I don't think they are good enough this year to keep them in that top tier. They played one good game against a good opponent and that was Connecticut (in Seattle) and lost. They may do some damage in the tournament but if they do it will be a surprise for me. On the other hand Memphis looked great. They can really play defense and they can score with anyone. I like this Memphis team a lot more now that I got to see them play somebody. Calipari has got his guys playing some good ball right now and as long as he doesn't have a big let down later in February or in the conference tourney this team should be rolling come the big dance.

The other game that I want to talk about was Syracuse and Villanova. Syracuse at one point this season was in the top 10. They aren't anymore and I know the game was on the road in Philly but they got whooped. Villanova dropped 102 on that zone and the game was never really close. Villanova only has 4 losses right now and three of them are to Connecticut, Marquette and Louisville, the three best teams in their league. The other is to Texas, who at the time was playing some pretty good basketball. Jay Wright has his team looking really good and this is a solid team. Syracuse didn't look good and it better get going real soon. They are 2-5 in their last seven and have Connecticut next. They are 18-6 and still very safely in the tournament but they better get some confidence back or it may be one and done for the Orange this year.

OK, obviously the big game of the week is Wednesday night at 9 between North Carolina and Duke. The game is at Cameron Indoor Stadium, which helps Duke a little but what doesn't help Duke at all is the Tyler Hansbrough still plays for Carolina. He is going to be a huge equalizer in this game because as Duke showed against Wake and Clemson, they still don't have an inside game. I think the best way for Duke to neutralize Hansbrough is to go right at him and try getting him in foul trouble. I honestly think the other 4 matchups are pretty even but Zoubek has no chance in that matchup. It's going to be a great game because it always is but my gut is telling me Carolina goes in and beats Duke by about 10 or so. (I am a huge Duke fan and this does not make me happy!).

Lets get to the seeds:

East (Boston)

1. Connecticut - I thought they were over-hyped all season but right now I am willing to say they are the best team in the nation. They struggled a little with Michigan but still won the game. They have a struggling Syracuse team coming in this week but I consider this a danger game for the Huskies.

2. Memphis - I was a little down on this team because of their SOS but they showed me a lot this weekend against Gonzaga. This is a dangerous team that can score and play defense. If they can avoid the let down watch out for this team in March.

3. Clemson - Totally dominated Duke. Lost to Florida State. After the Duke game they were a solid number 2 seed and on the rise. Now they are a solid 3 seed with a lot of question marks. Will the same thing happen to Clemson that happened to Wake after the Duke win. We will see!

4. Butler - This team is the best mid-major we have this year. I know its a year for the big schools but let's give these guys some love. They are a solid team with a lot of good players. I would love to see them play a bubble team from the Big East on Bracketbuster Saturday but that will never happen. I like these guys and a 4 seed is good.

South (Memphis)

1. North Carolina - This team is probably the most talented team in the country and it was only a matter of time before they became a number 1 seed again. Hansbrough is great and once they shore up the defense they will be the favorite to win it all again, if they aren't that already! This week's game against Duke will be for a number 1 seed in the tournament.

2. Louisville - This team was playing great until they ran into Connecticut. That game might have proven how good UConn is, not that Louisville isn't any good. They only really have one tough game left on their schedule and that's a game against Marquette so this team should stay right around here unless a few of the big boys lose. This team is still very dangerous.

3. Michigan State - What a strange team. They have now lost to Northwestern and Penn State this year. Penn State is better then normal but Northwestern isn't very good. I think its a matter of focus. This team loses its focus here and there and that's not good. What is good is that its an easy thing for Izzo to fix. This team will be fine come tournament time.

4. Villanova - This is the most dangerous team in the nation right now. They have only lost to good teams and no one remembers that. They are battle tested coming from the Big East and Scottie Reynolds is an experienced point guard that can definitely score the ball. Look out!

Midwest (Indianapolis)

1. Pittsburgh - Nothing flashy lately but this team is still solid. Oh and outside of Norman and Chapel Hill, Pitt has the best big man in the game right now. Dajuan Blair can carry this team but what's nice is that if he has an off night Sam Young and Lavance Fields have his back.

2. Duke - Losing to Wake was ok. Getting blown out by Clemson was not. This team has been exposed and has some serious weaknesses. They had to make a 16 point second half comeback against Miami to save face. Wednesday is huge. If they can keep it close or win they will take a huge step back and become serious contenders again. If they get blown out like a lot of people are thinking now, the flood gates may open.

3. Xavier - They lost to Duquesne their last time out. That will be the last time you ever hear the name Duquesne on this website but for now they are hurting Xavier big time. I had questioned this team all season because of their weak schedule and now I question it even more. I will give them the benefit of the doubt here but one more loss and they fall hard.

4. Kansas - This is the first time they make the list this year. They are 8-0 in the Big 12 right now. Did you know that? 19-4 overall. Did you know that? I didn't but now I do and you should too. Sharon Collins is good and this team is solid. They are young and will be better in a month then they are now. I would keep an eye on Kansas if I were you.

West (Arizona but not necessarily Phoenix)

1. Oklahoma - Blake Griffin is the best player in college basketball. I think I have said that before but its worth repeating. That guy is great and all the NBA scouts out there need to pay attention. I don't really see anyone on their schedule that can beat them before the tournament. If that's the case they will go into the tournament with one loss. That's awesome!

2. Marquette - They are the second best team in the Big East record wise so that in my mind makes them worthy of a number 2 seed. They are 20-3 but there is one big question right now. How do you lose to South Florida? I know it was on the road but they aren't any good. I think its just a bump in the road and this team is still really good.

3. Wake Forest - Beat Duke and then had a 21st birthday kind of hangover. They lost to Georgia Tech by 2 which was bad and then lost to Miami. That's not bad until you say it was by 27. Whoa! What happened to the team that beat Duke? I still think this team is good but I think its somewhere between the Duke win and the two following losses.

4. UCLA - Ok, the Pac-10 is obviously down this year but I figured I had to put the best team on here somewhere. So why not the number 4 seed in the West? UCLA has won 4 in a row and totally dominated Notre Dame on Saturday. Oh wait, that doesn't count for much anymore. I think that if this team gets on the right track and wins a couple more in a row they could be dangerous.

Ok, there ya have it fans, this week's sweet sixteen.

It just gets better every week!

Let's Go Duke! Beat the Heels! (Sorry, I am a bit of a Homer when it comes to Duke.)

Podcast episode 18

Last night Verb and I did installment number 18 in the Jumping Offsides podcast. Click here to go to the Podcast home page. The sidebar will be updated later.

We covered:

• The Super Bowl
• The Cardinals and Steelers chances to get back to the big game
• The Cardinals dismantling their coaching staff after a Super Bowl
• A-Rod and his steroids
• Kobe vs Lebron
• College Basketball talk
• Bob Knight as a coach
• North Dakota States success this season
• Mid Major discussion
• Bubble team discussion (St. Mary's vs Michigan)
• Nascar talk

It was a full show and you should absolutely check it out!

The GM Says....2/9

A-Rod is a former steroids user.....you surprised?

I am sure you have heard about this and you surely have your own opinion. But here is mine. Steroids were all over the place when this happened (2003) and it doesn't bother me at all. If these guys wanted (or want) to mess up their bodies and futures with steroids than by all means go ahead. The only problem I have with it is with young kids taking it. So illegal is good for me. My problem with THIS particular story is that ARod hasn't admitted it yet. Today ARod should come out and apologize and accept that it happened. IF he does that it will be much better for him and baseball.

Kobe outperforms Lebron in Cleveland.....so what!

I still say Lebron is better. Sure he struggled from the floor and Kobe's team won. But look at the stats. Lebron did more for his team than Kobe. Lebron scored 16 points and had 12 assists meaning he participated in 40 points for the Cavs. Kobe scored 19 and had 2 assists for 23 points. And you throw in the rebounds (8 for Lebron and 3 for Kobe) and you see that Lebron did more than Kobe. The Lakers won cause Lamar Odom had one of his few good games per season.

Warner says Boldin's decision will make his easier......have fun in retirement Kurt!

Kurt Warner told the media yesterday that if Anquan Boldin decides to stay with Arizona then his decision will be easier. *translation - If Boldin comes back, Warner comes back.* But I don't think Anquan wants to stay in Arizona. Why would he? I mean after maybe one or two more seasons in the league Kurt will be gone and Matty Leinart will be the man. Would you want to stay there when other teams want to pay you more?

Tiger welcomes second child, a son.....the future savior of golf arrives.

Come on Tiger get the kid some clubs already. If you could get him out there on the course soon you could make millions, oh wait you already have millions. Well you could do good for him. Congrats Tiger, and thank you. Raise him to be a golfer so we can all enjoy the sport after you retire. Without him golf will never survive.

NASCAR season started this past weekend....did you tune in?

I did for a couple minutes. Saturday night was the Bud Shooutout with is just 28 cars for 75 laps at Daytona which is one of two tracks, the other being Talladega, where the action is actually enough to keep me awake for HALF the race. After watching that race I have this to say, if you like crashes...tune in next Sunday for the 500. Cause there are gonna be lots of em. Oh and Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. will be on the front row to start (which means absolutely nothing at Daytona).

LeBron or Kobe?

Everyone needs to remember that New York doesn't play any defense at all but I still want to compare the two performances and tell you which performance I think was better.

Kobe had 61 points, which is the most ever in the Garden and he did it first.

Then LeBron went for 52 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. He did it second but that my friends is a triple double. Now I know he got his 10th rebound with 2 seconds left but its still at triple double and still would've been great if he got 9 rebounds.

Those are the pure stat lines but now I want to talk about the stuff beyond the stat sheet. They say Lebron is playing better defense this year. That's awesome but Kobe is a perennial all-NBA defensive player so Lebron can play better D all he wants but Kobe is still right there with him.

Lebron played a few more minutes but to me that really doesn't make a huge difference.

Kobe had just lost Bynum the night before and Gasol was his only real helper.

Lebron has Mo Williams, and Zydrunas is back.

Kobe didn't miss as many shots and didn't miss any free throws.

I think both of these guys had incredible games and I think they are the two best players in the NBA but when I break down the two performances against each other, I have to take Lebron in this one.

I will always take a triple double over straight scoring. 61 is a lot, but so is 52. Lebron just did everything else too!

The GM Says....2/5

Another day and a few more sports stories that you want to hear my opinion on.


McNabb calls out defense.....this is not good.

I don't know how many of you have seen this but Donovan McNabb recently basically called out the defense about the Cardinals drive that won the NFC. IF (and in the media it is a big IF) he actually said exactly what they are reporting AND he didn't say anything else than this is not good for Eagles fans. I think D-Nabb is usually pretty good with the words and generally doesn't cross his teammates so I am going to assume that he said something else or the words are being taken out of context. BUT D-Nabb himself better come out and say that publicly or this is going to end badly with Philly fans.

The Dukies lose badly.....and I would be worried if I were a Duke fan.

Most people will say that the regular season isn't that important and a loss isn't a big deal since everyone is going to do it. BUT for Duke this just shows that they can't survive when they miss three pointers. Which is the exact same thing that has doomed them in the past few years. Now obviously their defense and overall play is better than recent years but they still live and die with the 3 ball and when it isn't falling they run into trouble. I personally thought they were past that but it does not appear that they are.

Bechham wants to play in Italy.....who can blame him?

I have read and heard numerous opinions about how little Becks has achieved here in the States and I think most of the people saying that are idiots. They say he hasn't scored many goals.....well no shit....he isn't a forward you idiots. He plays midfield which is not where most goal scorers play. Beckham's skill has always been to set up the forwards not to score goals himself. I think he has done something for soccer here in the States but a sustained success on the World level would do more.

Chiefs TE wants to stay but RB wants to go.....good, give them what they want!

Tony Gonzalez wants to remain a Chief but Larry Johnson wants to go elsewhere. I say good! Gonzalez can still play and Johnson hasn't been good or healthy in a few years. So trade or release LJ and move on. There are backs out there that can fill in for him. But keeping him is probably not a good idea. He isn't a team player most of the time anyway and he surely isn't one when he isn't happy.

James scores 52 at Garden.....he is the best player right now.

I am not saying he is the best ever or even in the conversation, although he might be someday, BUT right now he is the best all around player in the NBA. He is a scorer, his defense has improved, he can pass with anyone, AND maybe most importantly he is a great leader. Since his first game he has carried the Cavs on his back. And as good as Kobe is he wasn't able to get it done without Shaq or another top notch player.

Tiger says he is almost back.....thank god cause golf sucks without him.

I don't watch a lot of golf to begin with but when Tiger isn't competing for the championship I don't watch at all. The US Open last year was amazing and watching the Masters when Tiger is playing late on Sunday is great to watch. But watching anyone else....I couldn't care less.

Verb's Blurb's - 2/3

The Superbowl was the only thing we heard about for 2 weeks. The game was great and all the hype is great and what not but it always frustrates me when all the talking heads forget that there are other things going on in the sports world.

There are a few that I would like to share my opinion about so I decided to give you another addition of verb's blurb's. Some of these would have been major stories if it wasn't for Superbowl week.

Let's get after it...

• Bob Knight is thinking about coming back to coaching. Where? Georgia! I know it's not a huge program and really it's a football school but I think Mr. Knight should do it. He can still recruit, he can still teach and he can still win. Oh and he WANTS to do all of that too. Why Georgia though? Well, the SEC is down and really he won't have the same problems with recruiting as he did when he was at Texas Tech. He would be fine and Georgia would definitely be a tournament team once again.
• Staying in college basketball Pat Summit is one win away from getting to 1,000 for her career. I don't care if you don't like women's basketball but that's serious and that's awesome. Congratulations Pat, you are one of the best coaches college basketball has ever seen!
• Michael Phelps was caught smoking weed. Haha! Awesome! He isn't going to be sanctioned or penalized or anything unless some Sheriff in South Carolina presses charges. Good luck with that buddy! I don't mind Phelps doing this. So he is human and does real things other then swim. Good for you Mike!
  
• Nadal and Federer played in a Grand Slam final again! It went 5 sets again! Nadal won again! He is definitely the best player in the world now and probably will go 2 for 2 this year. I am seriously wondering if he will win all 4 this year. If he doesn't, I am sure it will be Federer that wins and that would mean he would tie Pete Sampras's record. I hope Fed gets to it because he has done a lot for the game and is one of the best ever! Either way, these two guys are worth watching every time they play!
• Manny Ramirez turned down a 1 year, 25 million dollar contract from the Dodgers. He wants more years and I understand that but I think its a legitimate argument that during this time of economic crisis, what message does this send? I understand, the economy probably isn't affecting ManRam but still. I am just saying.
• Andrew Bynum, Jameer Nelson and Chris Paul all went down with injuries this week. Believe it or not, I think the Nelson one is the one who hurts the most. The Lakers still have Gasol, and Paul is only day to day. Nelson handles the ball every possession for that team and he can really shoot too. I really can't take the Magic seriously without him.
• I wish the steroids thing in baseball would just end already!

That's all for this episode!

Tell me what you think!

The GM Says....2/4

After a little time off I am back to tell you what I think about the current sports news stories.


Signing Day in college football......important but not defining.

Some people get all excited when their team signs a top 5 class. They should. It is important BUT just ask Notre Dame how well it translates to wins! Signing day and projecting classes is like projecting NFL teams after a draft. You can't tell right away. Sometimes it takes years to figure out which players will be great and which ones won't. But you do have a better chance with a top class so it is important. But not the be all end all of your team.


Raiders keep Tom Cable as coach.....I doubt anyone else wanted the job!

Is Cable a good coach? I don't know. I write a blog and watch football, I have no idea how he is gonna be. But I can't help but wonder if Al Davis just couldn't generate much interest in the job. I mean to be the coach of the Raiders you have to be willing to give up control over player personnel and assistant coaches. And then you have to wonder if Al is going to fire you after 2 years. I can't imagine any of the top candidates were really very interested.


Bonds tested positive for drugs.....wow, that's shocking news! (yawn)

Is anyone really surprised that Bonds tested positive? I highly doubt it. If Bonds still thinks he can convince people that he is innocent than he must be getting his advice from OJ!


Tar Heels lose Ginyard for season.....BUT they are still the favorites.

Come on. Really is a single player (role player) really that important. People are acting like the loss of Marcus Ginyard is damaging to the Heels chances. I don't think so. He has only played a few games this season and UNC seems okay to me. Would his return have HELPED their chances? Yes but losing him does NOT damage their chances.


Mike Tomlin is the NFL's Renaissance Man according to Jay Mariotti.

I like the piece by Jay. I have tried to read most of what he is writing now over at AOL but sometimes I miss some. This write up about Tomlin was mostly stuff you already knew or heard about but it is still a good read. He seems to be the perfect style of coach for any NFL team and I just hope that all these teams hiring new young coordinators realize that it takes a certain STYLE of coach to do what Tomlin has done.


Chad Johnson now WANTS to be a Bengal.....probably cause no one else wants him!

I don't have a big problem with Chad Ocho Cinco or whatever the hell his name is. His celebrations aren't a big problem to me. I like some of them. His demanding a trade last off season is a different story and I think it turned some teams off of him. AND the fact that he was TERRIBLE this season surely didn't help his appearance. But I bet if Houshma-zillie resigns with the Bungals then Chad will want out AGAIN!


Dan Reeves has an office in Dallas......is any Cowboy's coaching job safe?

Reeves is rumored to be coming on as a consultant/overseer for Wade Philips. Really? That sounds like trouble brewing. If you are a boss would you want another guy standing around watching you waiting to give you advice? It is bad enough that Jerry Jones thinks he is a coach but now you have Reeves coming in. Hey....I like it. I am an Eagles guy. Come on in Dan and screw up the Cowboys more!!


Bud Selig makes a ridiculous amount of money......but is he the worst Commissioner?

I would say that Selig should take a 90% pay cut. That would pay him $1.8 million which is still more than enough. BUT some people have said he is the worst Commissioner in sports and he shouldn't be making that much. I would say that the idiot running the NHL into the ground, Gary Bettman, is by far a worse Commissioner. With expansion and labor problems the NHL has become a joke in the US and a new commissioner is needed NOW!


Jason Whitlock says referee Terry McAulay was SB MVP......why? cause the Cards couldn't do it?

Basically Jason says that there were so many questionable calls that the Cards were at a disadvantage. I am not going to argue that there weren't some bad calls. BUT 3 of those calls (all personal fouls) came on the same drive that ended with a Steelers field goal. And really the Cards Plaxico Burressed themselves on multiple occasions and just weren't good enough. I thought the officiating was average at best but so what. Calls even themselves out over a season. I am sure there were a couple wins this season where Arizona got a few questionable calls.

In my opinion...

The GM gave his opinion about the Superbowl earlier today and I wanted to let the game sink in and hear all the talking heads and hear their opinions before I gave mine. I think its safe now for me to tell you I think it was a great game and there were so many things that impressed me.

As the GM said, no football game will ever be exciting from kickoff to final whistle. If that ever happens the final score will be 91-84 and incredibly outrageous!

I understand, it was 17-7 at halftime. Not much scoring but that's what was so great about it. You had the Steelers defense who had figured out how to stop Larry Fitzgerald. That was the big question. Could the Steelers stop Fitz. The first half proved they could. Oh and Arizona could have easily been ahead 14-10 at half and who would've predicted that.

I don't know how many of you know, but James Harrison was cut by the Steelers 3 times!

Now he has the longest play in Superbowl history. Dick Lebeau made an incredible call and James Harrison made an incredible play!

The second half speaks for itself.

If there were any questions about Larry Fitzgerald being the best Wide Receiver in football, they were answered Sunday night. Flat-out the best!

Kurt Warner is a hall of famer! He played incredibly well also. He made one bad read and fumbled on a big hit. Otherwise he was great!

Big Ben is great too! 21-30 and the way he kept some plays alive were incredible. That last throw was perfect. He hit the exact spot that he had to, to give Holmes a chance to make that catch.

That catch was the most amazing catch I have ever seen. I have seen some catches that took more skill but they were never to win the Superbowl. I don't think this makes Holmes great but that catch was!

My hat goes off to both teams. Arizona should be proud and the Steelers should be excited.

I can't wait for September so we can start this all over again!

So He Inhaled....Who Cares

Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps was photographed back in November doing something illegal on the campus of South Carolina University.


Turns out the 23 year old champ likes to relax by smoking a little marijuana on occasion. Which if you didn't know is illegal in this part of the world.

But is it really a big deal? Not to the business or sports world.

The big wigs on Madison Avenue have already given him a free pass by saying it isn't going to affect their endorsement deals with him. The IOC has said they support him.

Of course they do. He is still the only truly popular Olympic athlete in this country. Why would they risk making things worse for themselves by dumping him?

But the cops? Well that is a different story.

It is now being reported that the Richland County Sheriff's department is currently investigating the incident and could bring charges against Michael.

Really? Are the cops going to start going around and arresting everyone who has smoked some marijuana on the SC campus? Cause I think their jails would probably fill up pretty fast.

Sounds like someone is trying to make a name for themselves and capture their 15 minutes of fame.

Okay....Now What??

I know I am a day late and probably a dollar short but I did watch the Super Bowl on Sunday and I do have an opinion on it.

I thought it was one of the better Super Bowls and football games that I have seen in a while. I am not going to say it was the best because honestly I am too young to have seen most of the Super Bowls and I am not going to pretend to know what happened in all of them.

Some people think the game was okay for 3 quarters with a good 4th quarter and I somewhat agree with that. BUT I think most football games are like that. Very few football games are great games for all 4 quarters. AND Super Bowls have so much hype to live up to that they rarely manage to do it. Everyone wants to see the best game ever but how often do we actually get to see that.

The National Championship game this season was another very good game that some people say was great and others say sucked because it isn't consistent from kickoff to final whistle. Games like that just don't exist.

If you know of a game that was amazing from opening kickoff to the final gun then you let me know cause I can't think of one. But like I said I am too young to remember them all.

I am not saying this was a great Super Bowl but I think it was an incredible game with the best catch I can remember seeing.

It wasn't the best catch or most difficult catch ever but what catch meant more??? I can't think of one. Sure Tyree's catch last season was important and amazing but they still had to score after that. I believe "the catch" from Dwight Clark was in the NFC Championship game and not the Super Bowl which makes it less important. Personally I think it was the best catch ever as far as importance and difficulty.

That's my story and I am sticking to it.

But I ask you now....

Now What???

The next big event is probably March Madness and that is a whole month and a half away.

I like college basketball but it isn't always exciting and I don't watch more than a few games each week.

I don't watch the NBA and really don't follow it at all.

I like hockey but watching regular season hockey on TV is very anti-climatic and not very interesting.

NASCAR starts soon and I enjoy it for a couple laps each week and the Daytona 500 is pretty cool but after that it is boring.

Baseball is great for spring training and opening day (week) but after that it really just sucks. By May I don't care anymore.

So really this is a pretty crappy time for sports in my opinion. It is better than the end of June through July but still there isn't much to get excited about.

What are you gonna do now?