Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 347 of 1503)

      Tom Brady’s comments about Jets, “Hard Knocks” should surprise no one

      August 23, 2010 /
      FOXBORO, MA - AUGUST 02: Tom Brady of the New England Patriots walks off the field after training camp on August 2, 2010 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

      Tom Brady hates the Jets and therefore, doesn’t watch HBO’s “Hard Knocks” because of it.

      Shocking.

      While appearing on sports radio station WEEI this morning, Brady said, “I hate the Jets, so I refuse to support that show.” Good – he should hate the Jets. They haven’t won a Super Bowl since “The Brady Bunch” premiered on TV and yet they’re the most talked about team in the NFL right now. They’re also a direct rival of Brady’s Patriots, so why should he show them any love? (Besides, Brady has more important things to watch these days than “Hard Knocks”…like his wife for example.)

      I was criticized a couple of weeks ago when I wrote that Brandon Phillips’ comments about the Cardinals were refreshing, but I’ll say the same thing here: We need more of this in sports. That’s not to say that Phillips wasn’t out of line with what he said, because he was. But we’ve reached a point in professional sports where rivalries are dying between teams (read that again: between the teams, not fans) because everybody loves one another.

      I like what Brady said and here’s hoping that the Patriots-Jets battles this season are once again highly entertaining. Nobody wants Brady and Rex Ryan to engage in a week-long smack talk, but a simple, “I freaking hate the Jets” from time to time out of an athlete is welcomed by me.

      Now, let’s play some football.

      External Sports, NFL

      Jim Brown should attend Ring of Honor not for Browns, but for the fans

      August 23, 2010 /
      NEW YORK - APRIL 22: Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown is interviewed on the red carpet during the 2010 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

      We can only speculate why Jim Brown has decided not to attend the Browns’ inaugural Ring of Honor ceremony, which will be held at the team’s home opener on September 19.

      Maybe he had other commitments or more important things to do. Or maybe he decided to snub the team after Mike Holmgren removed him from his senior management position (which cost Brown his standing with the front office, along with a six-figured salary) earlier this year.

      But whatever the reason, he needs to realize that the only people that he hurts by not attending the ceremony is the many fans that still appreciate what he did for the NFL and the Browns organization.

      I don’t know the details of what happened between him and the Browns and therefore, I can only base my opinion off what I’ve heard and read. As fans, that’s all we can go on in these situations – what others provide us. But as an outsider, it appears as though Brown is just miffed that the organization took away his fancy title and high-paying salary, so he has decided to give the team the middle finger now that they want him to be there for their event.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Pirates prove that the current structure in baseball doesn’t work for fans

      August 23, 2010 /
      July 18, 2010 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America - 18 July 2010: The view from behind the plate at PNC Park prior to the National League game between the Houston Astros and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates Paul Maholm.

      The Associated Press released information this morning that should make Pirate and general baseball fans sick and Yankee fans even more appreciative of what they had in George Steinbrenner.

      The AP reports that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been able to turn a profit over the last three years – the same Pittsburgh Pirates that haven’t had a winning season in over 18 years.

      According to the financial documents that were obtained by the AP, the Pirates took home $15,008,032 in 2007, $14,408,249 in 2008 and $5.4 million 2009. That’s chump change compared to what a team like the Yankees have been able to take home, but they also win.

      The Pirates claim that principal owner Bob Nutting doesn’t take a salary and that may be the case, but it’s also clear that they’re not using all of their resources to win on the field. How could they be? If they were, former All-Stars like Jason Bay, Freddy Sanchez, Nate McLouth and Jack Wilson wouldn’t be suiting up for other teams tonight. Nor would arbitration eligible or players close to becoming free agents like Tom Gorzelanny, Ian Snell, John Grabow, Xavier Nady, Adam LaRoche, Damaso Marte, Nyjer Morgan, Ronny Paulino and Sean Burnett be playing for other clubs right now either. (Let’s not forget that the Bucs also dealt Jose Bautista – the current home run leader in the AL – to the Blue Jays for 20 shake weights and an instructional shake weight at-home video.)

      The Bucos say that they’re trying to win through the draft and with players like Andrew McCutcheon, Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata, Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie either on the big league roster or in the minors that may be case. They say that they’ve paid nearly $12 million for amateur draft picks and have raised their draft expenditures to $31 million over the last three years.

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      External Sports, MLB

      Lou Piniella did the right thing by stepping down now

      August 22, 2010 /
      Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella stands for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner before the game against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field in Chicago on August 22, 2010. Piniella announced Sunday that the game would be his last game as manager. UPI/Brian Kersey Photo via Newscom

      I don’t blame Cubs fans if they feel cheated by the way Lou Piniella has decided to step down as manager with 37 games remaining in the season. After all, if they have to sit through the rest of this miserably year, why doesn’t he?

      But the fact of the matter is that neither Piniella’s heart nor his mind is in it right now, so why drag the thing out any longer? And besides, does it really matter who’s managing the Cubs at this point?

      Piniella has had to take two leave of absences to attend to personal matters this year, which mainly consists of him visiting his 90-year-old mother who has been ill for most of the season. There are more important things than baseball and seeing as how he was going to retire at the end of the year anyway, there’s no sense going through the motions for 37 more games.

      Following another horrendous loss on Sunday, Piniella had this to say about starting his retirement early:

      “Cried a little bit after the game,” he said, before choking up further in his postgame news conference. “This will be the last time I put on a uniform. This has been very special for me. I’ll go home, do what I have to do there…and enjoy my retirement.”

      Obviously this wasn’t the way he or Cub fans envisioned things ending this season. While the club also struggled last year, many pundits thought they would bounce back and that just hasn’t been the case. The team’s roster is littered with overpaid, underachieving veterans and the youth movement has just begun. It’s a sad way for a World Series-winning manager to walk away from the game, but not everybody can go out on top.

      Piniella wasn’t going to be part of the Cubs’ future and it was probably right that he has decided that they won’t be a part of his present.

      When it’s time, it’s time.

      External Sports, MLB

      Nationals should shut down Stephen Strasburg for the rest of 2010

      August 22, 2010 /
      Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg wipes sweat from his face after the second against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park on on August 15, 2010. UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

      After throwing a 90 mph changeup and grimacing on the mound in pain during the fifth inning of Saturday’s game against the Phillies, the Nationals have little choice but to shut down Stephen Strasburg’s 2010 season.

      This is the second time this month that Strasburg has dealt with an injury. A couple of weeks ago he had a shoulder problem that caused him to miss some time and yesterday’s injury has been diagnosed as a strain of the flexor tendon in his right forearm. Considering this is a club that’s 17 games below .500 and 19 games back in the NL Central, this should be a no-brainer decision for the Nationals. Regardless of what a MRI reveals – his season should be over. Why risk further injury here?

      Something that will be lost in the injury news is how well Strasburg pitched yesterday. He threw 56 pitches before departing the game, throwing 38 for strikes and allowing just one run on two hits to go along with his six strikeouts. He showed the type of mastery of hitters last night as he did when he was first called up in June.

      But again, regardless of how good he looked or how many tickets the Nationals want to sell from here on out, they have to look at the bigger picture. Just because he has suffered a couple of injuries this year doesn’t mean that he’ll have issues the rest of his career and in fact, the early indication is that he should be fine. But why take any chances right now? Both the Nationals and Strasburg have more to look forward to than the rest of this season, which essentially means nothing.

      Shut his season down, have him take a MRI and then proceed with how to handle the results. Getting the young phenom back onto the mound should be the least of the Nationals’ concerns right now.

      External Sports, MLB

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