The World Baseball Classic is going on right now and here are the games the U.S. team are playing this week. You can find the complete television schedule here. (All times Eastern.)
Tues, 4pm: Mexico vs USA – ESPN2
Wed, 4pm: Canada vs USA – ESPN2
Author: John Paulsen (Page 895 of 937)
Here’s the latest on the headache…err…labor dispute between the NFLPA and the owners.
The owners began meeting Tuesday at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport to vote whether to accept the latest proposal given them by the NFL Players Association. But to make it financially acceptable, they will have to agree first among themselves on expanded revenue sharing, just what Gene Upshaw, the union’s executive director, has been saying in more than a year’s worth of talks.
At this point, it’s not just a dispute between the players and the owners, it’s also a dispute between the low-revenue teams and high-revenue teams.
Low-revenue teams such as Buffalo, Cincinnati and Indianapolis say high-revenue teams — Dallas, Washington and Philadelphia, for instance — should contribute proportionately to the player pool because they can earn far more in nonfootball income such as advertising and local radio rights. Those high-revenue teams might contribute only 10 percent of their outside money compared with 50 percent or more for low-revenue teams.
In addition to advertising and local radio rights, big-market teams are able to demand more for naming rights and corporate luxury suites.
Man, I just want good football.
Of the guys who actually wanted to play, the biggest name to be left off the Team USA list is Allen Iverson. It’s created quite the buzz in Philly, but by all accounts AI is handling the decision like a pro.
Iverson, to his credit, has handled the situation with quiet class. He’s not firing back or taking the bait from the Philadelphia media, simply saying he wanted to play and is sorry it’s not going to work out.
Some have even speculated that since AI endorses Reebok, that Team USA-sponsor Nike pushed for his absence.
Why would Nike want the face of Reebok? Would there be another controversy, like the Dream Team covering its gear logos with the American flag in Barcelona?
And then add the curious fact 15 of the 23 players are already in Nike’s endorsement stable. Hmmm. Jerry Colangelo, general manager for the U.S. senior program, shot back Sunday at all the AI conspiracies.
“There is no validity to that, no truth at all,” Colangelo said. “When you get down to it, that’s an attack on someone’s credibility. I take that one a little bit personal. … We weighed all considerations. The final determination was to invite those that we did. There was a lot of speculation, some very bizarre. I just think we’re better off going the route we are.
“That doesn’t mean this is perfect, that it is foolproof, and it means no disrespect to Iverson. I absolutely (applaud) him for playing in 2004 when the other names weren’t there, and I respect and appreciate the way he has handled this.”
I’ve said it before, but AI’s gritty play during the ’04 Olympics was one of the best things about that team. I’m not a huge fan of all the drama that seems to surround him, so maybe that has something to do with the snub. He is also nearing his 31st birthday, so maybe his age factored into the decision as well.
Keep an eye out for extra Couch Potato Alerts as the conference tourneys get started later this week. In the NBA, San Antonio has a tough week, going on the road to play the Lakers, Clippers and then the Suns. The game against Phoenix is the second of TNT’s doubleheader on Thursday.
NBA
Mon, 10:30pm: San Antonio @ LA Lakers – local
Tues, 10:30pm: San Antonio @ LA Clippers – local
Thurs, 8pm: Denver @ Philadelphia – TNT (HD)
Thurs, 10:30pm: San Antonio @ Phoenix – TNT (HD)
In the spirit of March Madness, the NBA is conducting a Big Dance Bracket where fans (or dirty old men) can vote for their favorite dance squads. Since the site is only providing still pictures of the respective dance squads, I’m guessing that we’re supposed to vote based on their appearance, not their dance prowess.
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