Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 972 of 1503)

      Does Kurt Warner get enough respect?

      January 23, 2009 /

      John Lavallo of Takeoutmag.com writes that Cardinals’ veteran signal caller Kurt Warner gets no respect and delves into the discussion of whether or not he’s Hall of Fame-worthy (which many media members as Lavallo points out, do not believe so).

      Kurt Warner“Not a singular player in his era”.This is laughable. Let’s assume Warner’s “era” is the late 90’s and early 00’s (that’s sort of an era, I guess). In that time, what did our man do? Threw for nearly 14,000 yards (and another 15,000 yards since), completed nearly 70% of his passes, lead his team to three 500+ point seasons, made 4 Pro-Bowls, won 2 MVP’s, lead his team to 2 Super Bowls, won a championship, along with throwing 400+ yards and collecting an MVP trophy for Super Bowl XXXIV. Warner had the best 3-year stretch of any QB in NFL history. And since 1999 is smack dab in his era, let’s take specific notice of that year. Warner had the best single season of any QB in NFL history, not only because of eye-popping stats (41 TD’s, 4,300+ yards) but also because, unlike Dan Marino in 1984 and Tom Brady in 2007 (both of whom had technically superior seasons, stat-wise), Warner actually ended up winning his last game. In fact, he is only NFL quarterback to throw 40 touchdowns and win a Super Bowl in the same season. Remarkable stats AND a Super Bowl ring? Show me one other QB in one other year, or ANY era, that had a better season than Kurt Warner in 1999. I defy you. And I think Kurt’s era has a part 2 called the ‘late 00’s’, in which he has been the best QB in the NFL over the past 2 seasons (project out his stats from 2007, in which he only started 10 games yet threw for nearly 3,000 yards and add that to a 4,500+ yard 2008 season. Oh, and he led his team to the Super Bowl.

      Lavallo touched on all of the arguments against Warner being a Hall of Famer, so make sure to check out the entire article.

      I’ll chime in on this debate the same way I do all Hall of Fame discussions for active players: let’s wait until Warner’s done playing before we say whether he’s worthy of HOF consideration or not. That might be a cop-out, but he may win three more Super Bowls by the time his career is over with and then there wouldn’t much of a discussion, would there?

      Either way, Warner is going to be a special case because he came back into the NFL with the Rams in ’99, set the league on fire and then damn near fell off the map. Now he’s back setting the league on fire and that’s why you have so many detractors and supporters. Yeah, he’s numbers are outstanding in the years he played well, but injuries made him look like Ryan Leaf for all the years in between. So again, let’s see how his career finishes out when we have the full picture.

      NFL, Super Bowl

      Mark McGwire’s estranged brother said Big Mac used steroids

      January 22, 2009 /

      Jay McGwire, the estranged brother of Mark McGwire, is claiming in a new book proposal that he introduced and injected the former baseball star with steroids.

      In the proposal, first reported Wednesday on Deadspin.com, Jay McGwire alleges that Mark used Deca-Durabolin and that he introduced Mark to performance-enhancing drugs in 1994.

      Jay McGwire writes in his proposal that his brother “began to use, but in low dosages so he wouldn’t lift his way out of baseball. Deca-Durabolin helped with his joint problems and recovery, while growth hormone helped his strength, making him leaner in the process. I became the first person to inject him, like most first-timers he couldn’t plunge in the needle himself. Later a girlfriend injected him.”

      Jose Canseco, in a book he wrote in 2005, claims he and McGwire, former Oakland A’s teammates, used performance-enhancing drugs as far back as 1988. Jay McGwire disputes that in the book proposal.

      The McGwire brothers reportedly haven’t spoken to each other for years.

      Jay McGwire claims in the proposal that Mark McGwire used androstenedione in 1998 to allow Mark “to avoid all the potential adverse side effects that could occur from using anabolic steroids, such as water retention, hair loss, and liver, heart, or kidney stress. In addition, he wouldn’t have cholesterol problems or testicular atrophy. And there were no problems with the law.”

      Jay McGwire, in the proposal, also says he wished his brother would have confessed at the famous congressional hearing, instead of saying he wasn’t going to talk about the past. Jay McGwire also writes that he doesn’t believe missing out on the Hall of Fame will affect his brother.

      “Mark is a man I think most would like to forgive because his reason wasn’t nefarious — it was for survival,” he wrote, according to the proposal. “My bringing the truth to surface about Mark is out of love. I want Mark to live in truth to see the light, to come to repentance so he can live in freedom — which is the only way to live.”

      Ah, so Jay’s book is “out of love” for his brother Mark…the same brother he’s using to get his 15 minutes of fame and a quick buck, and the one who he hasn’t talked to in years. Got it.

      If Jay introduced and injected Mark with steroids, then he should have evidence of doing so. If he doesn’t, then I don’t know why anyone should believe a word this clown says.

      MLB

      Peter Schrager makes me laugh

      January 22, 2009 /

      Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com recently put together a list of 10 “un-truths” in the NFL and his No. 8 is a real doozy:

      8. The BCS is an “unfair” system. Want to talk “unfair”? How about the Patriots — who finished with 11 wins — sitting home in January while the 8-8 Chargers, 9-6-1 Eagles, and 9-7 Arizona Cardinals all play in the postseason. My guy Kevin Hench can talk (er, whine, kick, and scream) about this far more passionately, but in the same year everyone cried about the BCS, the NFL’s postseason system left an 11-5 team out in the cold. The Texas Longhorns weren’t the only ones who got a raw deal this year.

      The Texas Longhorns weren’t the only ones who got a raw deal this year.

      No sh*t – so were the Utah Utes.

      Yeah, the Patriots were jobbed big-time this year and the Browns were screwed last year. But those are just two teams – one team per season – over the past two seasons. The BCS continuously bends multiple teams over on a yearly basis and people still defend it.

      Schrager’s comparison is freaking laughable and when you consider the Chargers made it to the divisional round, the Eagles made it to the NFC Championship and the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl, it weakens his point even more.

      College Football

      GM A.J. Smith mocks LT

      January 22, 2009 /

      In a recent blog entry on his personal website, LaDainian Tomlinson wrote that he had no intentions of leaving San Diego and that he had no control over whether or not he would remain a Charger.

      On Wednesday, Chargers’ GM A.J. Smith essentially mocked LT’s website entry when broached about the subject.

      LaDainian TomlinsonSmith empathized, yet was typically unmoved by the sentiments expressed by LaDainian Tomlinson on his Web site Wednesday.

      Tomlinson’s statement was actually not anything different than what he had said in previous weeks on the topic of his time in San Diego possibly coming to an end.

      The statement read:

      “I have been getting a lot of messages on my site regarding me leaving San Diego. I feel that I need to make it very clear that I have NO intentions of leaving San Diego. San Diego is where my career started and where I’d like it to end. I have nothing but love and the upmost (sic) respect for this team, the players, and the Spanos Family. Me being traded is completely out of my hands. I have ABSOLUTELY no control in that decision making. All I can do is wait and see how it all plays out. As for now, I am a Charger and will be until I am told otherwise.”

      Smith, who has acknowledged he is contemplating whether to release or trade Tomlinson or renegotiate his contract, was later asked about Tomlinson’s statement.

      “My first reaction was we both have similar feelings,” Smith said. “I have no intentions of leaving San Diego. San Diego is where my GM career started and where I’d like it to end. I also have nothing but love and the utmost respect for this team, the players and the Spanos family. I have absolutely no control over how long I will be with the Chargers.

      “As for now, I am the Chargers’ GM, and I have major decisions to ponder for the organization now and in the future. My recommendation to Dean Spanos will be what’s in the best interest of the team – both short and long term. That’s my job. That’s what Dean hired me to do.”

      Was this a bad joke that just didn’t land or is Smith tired of being asked about the LT situation so he decided to have some fun with reporters? Because this clearly looks like he is trying to mock the player that has been the backbone of the San Diego Charger franchise for almost a decade.

      NFL

      Brewers close to a 2-year deal with Prince Fielder?

      January 22, 2009 /

      According to Jon Heyman of SI’s FanNation, the Brewers are closing in on an $18 million deal with first basemen Prince Fielder.

      Prince FielderStar first baseman Prince Fielder and the Brewers are closing in on a two-year contract believed to be worth at least $18 million. An announcement could come as early as today, SI.com has learned.

      Fielder submitted an arbitration figure of $8 million while the team submitted $6 million, but the two sides have been working toward the multi-year agreement since. SI’s Tom Verducci first learned that the sides were in talks for a two-year deal.

      Fielder hit 34 home runs, had 102 RBIs and batted .276 as the Brewers made the playoffs for the first time since 1982 last year. Fielder, only 24, has hit 84 home runs over the last two years.

      This makes sense for both parties. If I have all the rumors straight, Fielder essentially wants to be paid similar to Ryan Howard. But the Brewers don’t want to dole out that kind of long-term money to a defensive liability with weight issues and declining power.

      But Milwaukee also doesn’t want to give up on a young slugger who hasn’t even reached his prime yet. So instead of signing him to a one-year arbitration deal worth between $6-8 mil, they make it a two-year deal for essentially $9 mil a year ($1 mil more than he asked for in arbitration) and buy themselves more time without committing to Fielder long-term.

      Good plan – we’ll have to see if it goes through.

      MLB

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