Month: August 2010 (Page 53 of 59)

Is Favre worse than LeBron?

Green Bay Packers fans mock Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre during the first quarter at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin on November 1, 2009. Favre returned to Lambeau Sunday for the first time in an opposing team's uniform. UPI/Brian Kersey Photo via Newscom

As a longtime Packer fan, the last few years of the Brett Favre saga have been particularly tough, especially his decision to sign with the Green Bay’s arch-rival. But the fitting end to the Vikings’ playoff run quenched every Packer fans thirst for karma, comeuppance, whatever. On one hand it would have been fun if Minnesota had crashed and burned to a 6-10 season, but there’s something wonderful about the fact that the Vikings were thisclose to a Super Bowl and their (adopted) prodigal son threw a horrible pass — in a season where he didn’t throw very many (for a change) — that sealed the hugely disappointing loss.

Now he’s doing his annual retirement dance again and appears to be stirring up the media to satisfy his need for attention.

Kevin Hench of Fox Sports argues that Favre’s antics are worse than LeBron’s.

Which is worse for a fan, death by a thousand cuts (Favre) or one swift decapitation (LeBron)?

Nice!

Favre put his loyal lady through hell for several offseasons, took up with a far-off mistress for a year, then came back to town with the one woman he had to know would most devastate his ex.

Compare that with LeBron. He didn’t waffle. His heart didn’t wander and return, wander and return, wander and return year after year. He was ramrod loyal to his betrothed. Until he wasn’t.

Blam.

The doors to the bedroom flew open, and there was South Beach astride LeBron. End of story.

LeBron announced his departure from Cleveland the way Rudy Giuliani conveyed that he was leaving wife Donna Hanover for a younger coworker with more upside. On TV.

It may not have been classy, but it was definitive.

For a month, LeBron has been annihilated for the way he handled “The Decision.” But Favre’s latest retirement reminds us there was actually a much worse way to handle things: the Brett Favre Way.

Sometime last summer, the tide turned against Favre. People still enjoy watching him play, but given his annual antics, far more football fans are rooting against him than ever before.

Other than in a few households in Wisconsin, he’s not as hated or reviled like LeBron is, because Favre’s history with Green Bay was far more successful than LeBron’s run in Cleveland. People are just sick of his act.

What’s worse — death by a thousand cuts or one swift decapitation?

Indeed.

(I love you, Aaron Rodgers.)

Melo to test free agency next summer?

Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD reported this yesterday…

Sources close to the situation don’t expect Carmelo Anthony to sign an extension with the Denver Nuggets this summer.

Anthony is leaning towards testing free agency next offseason, said sources on the same day that the Nuggets let go of Warkentien, Chapman.

Sources say that Carmelo isn’t too worried about next season’s potential lockout and he wants to explore his options next summer.

The Nuggets have been pretty good the last few years, but pretty good doesn’t seem to cut it anymore. It’s possible that Anthony saw what LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh did this summer and wants to form a ‘Super Friends’ of his own, potentially hooking up with Amare Stoudemire and Chris Paul in New York. Paul said as much in his toast at Anthony’s wedding a few weeks ago.

With an aging Chauncey Billups as Melo’s sidekick, the Nuggets don’t appear to be on the verge of challenging for a title. If they were serious about contending, they wouldn’t have given Marcus Camby away two summers ago. They did, however, sign 30-year-old Al Harrington to a mid-level deal this summer, which was a curious addition seeing as he’s something of a poor man’s Melo.

While the Nuggets have a couple of expiring salaries — Kenyon Martin ($16.5 M), J.R. Smith ($6.8 M) — they won’t have enough cap space next summer to re-sign Anthony and add another big-name free agent. Their best bet is to try to acquire a good player by dangling Martin’s expiring contract. Perhaps the Sixers would want to unload Andre Iguodala, whose defense and slashing ability would fit well with Melo and Billups.

The bottom line is that if Anthony ends up ‘testing’ free agency, he’s probably leaving. In all likelihood, if he doesn’t sign the extension, the Nuggets have until the February trade deadline to reshape the roster enough to convince him to stay.

Favre denies sending text message to Vikings – will play if healthy

CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 20: Quarterback Brett Favre #4 of the Minnesota Vikings against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 20, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

According to ESPN.com, Brett Favre has denied sending text messages to Vikings officials and teammates telling them that he had decided to retire and also told Ed Werder that if he’s healthy, he will play this season.

Favre also insisted that the decision isn’t about money, even though Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Vikings have offered Brett a raise that would increase his 2010 base salary from $13 million to $16 million.

Favre responded to a Star Tribune report that the Vikings were prepared to offer him more money for the 2010 season if he would play by insisting that his salary is not a factor in the decision. “It’s not about money,” he said.

Well, I would hope it’s not about money considering he’s made over $100 million during the course of his career (which doesn’t include the millions more he has made through endorsements). Money has played a factor in everyone’s decisions at some point or another, but it would be asinine to think that he would play next season for $16 million, but not $13 million.

Here’s the part of the story that I don’t get:

On Tuesday, Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said Favre texted his teammates and told them he plans to retire. Shiancoe added he did not receive any direct messages from Favre, but learned of the texts from several teammates.

“He told a couple guys on our team he’s going to retire,” Shiancoe said after practice on Tuesday. “He hasn’t told me yet. I’m going to check my phone right now, but it hasn’t been said publicly yet so I don’t know what to believe.”

So did Favre send the text messages or not? Because if he didn’t, why did Shiancoe say that Favre told some of his teammates via text messages that he was going to retire? Something doesn’t add up here. Either Brett is a lying windbag or there’s a bad game of telephone going on inside the Vikings’ locker room.

Regardless, this report proves that this situation is far from over. As reported all day yesterday, Favre has yet to make up his mind about whether or not to return. Shocking.

Nike hoping to clean up the recruiting mess

High school recruiting, especially in the summer, has to this point consisted of a hodgepodge of camps and tournaments, but Nike took a step towards streamlining in this summer with its Elite Youth Basketball League.

The EYBL is a first-ever league featuring 42 high-level, U17 grassroots teams playing for a championship. It culminates in July at the Nike Peach Jam in North Augusta, Ga.

The concept is simple. The teams, divided into four divisions, will play a predetermined schedule during three weekends this spring — in Hampton (Friday through Sunday), Houston (May 14-16) and Los Angeles (May 29-31). After the third event, the top five teams in each of the four divisions will automatically advance to the Peach Jam bracket, with four at-large teams added to round out the 24-team championship tournament. Teams that receive an automatic bid are guaranteed spots for 2011.

The ongoing nature of the tournament (qualification for the Peach Jam and the Peach Jam itself) gives it more value, because a championship will be won over a few months instead of a few days. And since winning is required for advancement, players *should* put personal success aside for the team’s success.

The only thing that is puzzling to me is the lack of a Midwestern location (Chicago? St. Louis?). I looked at the Los Angeles event that happened in May and there was a team from Wisconsin there. It seems like Chicago would be an ideal spot for all the talent in the Great Lakes region.

Clay Guida brings excitement to the Octagon

LAS VEGAS - JULY 03: Mixed martial artist Clay Guida (L) and actor, comedian and Ultimate Fighting Championship color commentator Joe Rogan appear at the official Silver Star Casting Co. pre-party for UFC 116 at Studio 54 inside the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino early July 3, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for MGM Resorts International)

Nate Lawson of HeavyMMA.com writes that the relentless style of MMA fighter Clay Guida has brought excitement to the Octagon.

What do you think of when you hear the name Clay Guida?

To mixed martial arts fans, the lightweight’s name has become synonymous with adjectives such as exciting, relentless, and perhaps even reckless. His style has won him a handful of fights and lost him a few as well. It’s a style that leads to him taking plenty of damage while also dishing it out.

But the biggest benefit Guida’s fighting style brings him is the fan support that comes along with being one of the promotion’s top entertainers.

Pleasing the fans seems like a very important aspect of being a fighter. Is anyone here waiting anxiously for a UFC Unleashed featuring Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel, Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia, or Kalib Starnes vs. Nate Quarry? Fans don’t want to see someone lay on top of his opponent, move to mount several times, and still fail to get the finish. And no one wants to see a fighter literally run away from his opponent, especially when that fighter is the UFC middleweight champion and arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Read the rest of the article here.

« Older posts Newer posts »