When rookie hazing goes wrong… very wrong…
Month: August 2010 (Page 46 of 59)
The Legend of Cecilio Guante (to find out who Cecilio Guante is, click here) argues that Drew Brees is the face of the NFL.
It probably hit many fans long before I’ve come to the realization — or should I say the strong opinion. There is no real way to assert that someone is or is not the face of the NFL. Such a thing is inherently not a fact-based proposition. But it occured to me today that despite the omnipotence of Manning, the allure (no matter the counter current of hatred) that surrounds The Gunslingerm, and the magnetism of young players like Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson, there is only man who has emerged as the new IT representative of the National Football League.
Yup, Peyton may still deliver “cut that meat” lines better than any player in the game and sport a sick Sprint-inspired mustache time and again, but Brees has, at least temporarily, knocked him off the pedestal. Super Bowl MVP. Leader behind one big part of a city’s emotional resurrection. Endorser to more and more brands by the day. Madden cover boy. Brees is everywhere, and it’s not hard to see why. His numbers are off the chart. The story of the Saints is one of the best in rececnt team sports memory. Plus, he’s been highly involved in the NO community and is a former Walter Payton Award Winner, all of which were factors in SI naming Brees Sportsman of the Year in 2009.
‘Cecilio’s Scribe’ makes a strong argument, but Peyton Manning is still the face of the NFL, and will be for some time, barring a two- or three-Super Bowl run by Brees or Tom Brady. Manning is arguably the league’s best player and he’s has tons and tons and TONS of national endorsements, and that’s a strong combination.
So who do you think is the face of the NFL? Vote after the jump…
It’s August 8, and we’re past 2/3 of the way through the MLB season right now. That means teams have roughly 50 games to get their act together and either make a run or hold on to their place in the playoff picture. Ironically as I say that, the rankings have barely changed at all this week. What you don’t see is that the Phillies are creeping up on the Braves, the Dodgers and Mets are falling way behind, and the Tigers have fallen out of their race about as fast as any team can in August. With that, here are the rankings for this week…..
1. New York Yankees (68-41)—The only reason the Yankees are still first here is because you’re first until someone knocks you off. But believe me, the Rays are going to knock them off any day now, no matter how many Berkmans the Yankees add.
2. Tampa Bay Rays (67-43)—Out to prove that 2008 was no fluke, and doing it with a vengeance. Do you think Fox is terrified of a Tampa Bay/San Diego World Series?
3. Texas Rangers (64-46)—Sale complete, but mission not complete. Tim McCarver said on Dan Patrick this past week that he thinks this is the best team in the American League. And who can really argue with that?
4. San Diego Padres (63-46)—Oh hey, speaking of the Padres, these guys just keep winning. Sure, their lead is now just one game over the Giants, but we didn’t expect them to be there in June, much less August or beyond.
5. Atlanta Braves (63-47)—It’s not smoke and mirrors anymore, and this team has a great mix of crafty vets and hungry youngsters. Just look out for the Phillies, because here they come, just two games back.
6. Boston Red Sox (63-48)—Don’t count them out yet. All those injuries and just 6 games back in that division? That’s all I’m gonna say.
7. San Francisco Giants (63-48)—This team has its eye on the NL West crown and they have the pitching to get there. Do they have enough offense (i.e., power) though?
8. Chicago White Sox (63-47)—Sorry Mr. President, I just don’t see this lasting much longer. The other shoe is going to drop, and the Twins are going to pounce.
9. Cincinnati Reds (63-48)—Two words—Joey and Votto. Dude might win the triple crown and his team might reach the promised land for the first time in 20 years.
10. Minnesota Twins (62-49)—Too much talent to be kept down in the AL Central. Do you ever wonder if Johan Santana regrets leaving Minnesota?
Love sports? This time of year is a feast for sports fans. Baseball season is swinging for the fences; trying to figure out who is going to win each division and make it to the playoff is consuming hours of conversation both in person and on the radio. Baseball fans who enjoy the non-professional levels of baseball can watch the elimination games leading up to the Little League World Series and the Series itself. There are plenty of fantasy baseball leagues to entertain baseball sports fans. Some people treat fantasy leagues as if they were affiliate programs — and ask all of their friends to join their league.
Football season is also on the way — both college and professional. The preseason polls for the college teams — the Associated Press Poll, Sports Illustrated and ESPN — have all been released and the discussion and debates about team performances are actively brewing. The professional football season has finally just started — well at least the preseason has started. For the football-starved among us, preseason football is a welcome distraction from the dog days of summer. Fantasy football leagues for both college and professional football are available to give the fan another opportunity to participate in the sport. Even people who like the other version of football — i.e. soccer — can watch some matches in both the U.S. and Europe.
For people who don’t like team sports, there are golf tournaments. The Ryder Cup, which is a golf competition between teams from the United States and Europe, is selecting players and gearing up for early October. Tennis is working its way to the final major of the year, the U.S. Open, with the indoor season. Racing fans have NASCAR and the Sprint Cup to enjoy.
Although it is really hot outside, there is plenty of sport action to watch both indoors and out — with fantasy leagues for added entertainment.
ESPN.com’s David Fleming wrote an interesting piece recently, outlining 12 reasons why NFL training camps should go.
Here are a couple of his points:
1. The Colts are the winningest team during the past decade, right? After all that preparation in camp, they’ve had one winning preseason in the past seven years.
2. Inside their enormous, spotless weight room on the first floor of Reliant Stadium last summer the Houston Texans used a giant board to keep track of every single offseason workout by every single member of the team. By the time the season started the board was completely filled. That would be 100 percent participation. Remarkable. Here’s how that translated onto the field: The Texans started 2-3 and missed the playoffs for the eighth year in a row.
3. I’m sorry to break this to you, but in pro sports, chemistry is a myth. If you could build chemistry through suffering then the Raiders would be the tightest group in the history of the NFL. Winning builds chemistry, not the other way around.
4. At 40, Brett Favre skipped training camp altogether and he ended up having his best season ever, throwing for 4,202 yards and 33 TDs (against just seven picks) with a completion percentage of 68.4 and a passer rating of 107.2.
You can read the rest of Fleming’s 12 reasons here.
Fleming brings up several valid points, although I’ll point out that teams need training camp to install new schemes and get rookies up to speed as much as possible before the season starts. Many teams start slow over the first couple weeks of the season because players are still trying to get into the swing of things. So could you imagine how long it would take for players to be at full go without training camp? We wouldn’t see good football for eight weeks.
That said, Fleming’s point about the amount of time players spend in training camp and how it translates to wins and losses is just. In the end, talent and execution will always win out – not how many practice sessions Player X got under his belt in August. It would be nice if teams and fans didn’t have to hold their breath hoping that no starter gets injured during camp, too.
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