Orlando Woolridge dies at the age of 52. He had been under hospice care for a chronic heart condition.
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Despite the contrary, John Skelton should be the least of Kevin Kolb’s worries in training camp this year.
Because if Skelton passes him on the Cardinals’ depth chart, it’ll already be too late for Kolb to save his career in the desert.
The 27-year-old Kolb is entering a make-or-break year in Arizona. The Cardinals signed him to a six-year, $65 million contract after acquiring him from the Eagles last July but the deal only contains $12 million in guaranteed money so it’s not as if Ken Whisenhunt has a financial obligation to start Kolb in Week 1. Twelve million is nothing to sneeze at but when you look at some of the other guaranteed money that has been given to quarterbacks, Kolb’s deal pails in comparison. (For example, Peyton Manning received $18 million in guaranteed money from the Broncos and he didn’t even take a snap last season.)
Kolb played in just nine games last year and when he was healthy, he wasn’t very good. He completed just 57.7-percent of his passes and while he did throw for nine touchdowns, defenses also picked him off eight times. He somehow lost seven fumbles as well, which is almost impossible when you spend half the season on the sidelines nursing injuries.
Although he seemingly has all the tools to succeed as a starter in the NFL, Kolb has only flashed brief moments of brilliance. There was that 326-yard, three-touchdown performance against Atlanta in 2010 that got everyone all hot and bothered, and there was also that 247-yard, one-touchdown game against the Cowboys in December of last year (a 19-13 overtime win for the Cardinals). But thanks to injuries and uneven play, Kolb has never put it all together.
Considering he compiled a 68.9 QB rating in eight games last season, one would assume that Skelton isn’t a threat to Kolb’s job. But through the use of witchcraft and magic, they went 5-2 with him under center.
Winning is the only thing that matters in the NFL and if Kolb can’t prove that he’s a winner, he might be starring at a career as a backup. There will always be a team willing to take a shot on a quarterback that had so much potential coming into the league but what has Kolb done to prove that he’s a starter capable of winning six games, nevertheless 10? Granted, his offensive line has to be significantly better in pass protection than they were a year ago but with weapons like Larry Fitzgerald, “Beanie” Wells and rookie Michael Floyd, Kolb doesn’t have any excuses not to succeed.
It’s now or never for the former Houston product.
Let the NBA mock drafts begin. New Orleans will grab Anthony Davis, and then we’ll see if Micheal Jordan snags Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as Chad Ford predicts, or whether he goes with Thomas Robinson as predicted in the USA Today mock draft.
If you haven’t been paying attention to Major League Baseball this season, then it’s time to wake up.
Because you’re missing quite a show.
It’s not even June and we’ve already seen a perfect game pitched by Philip Humber and a no-hitter by Jered Weaver. Josh Hamilton hit four home runs in a game against the Orioles on May 8 and by May 29 Melky Cabrera reached 50 hits…in the same month. Chris Sale even struck out 15 batters on Monday and didn’t even pitch eight full innings.
Baseball will never touch the love affair that America has with football, but 2012 already has the makings of the most exciting season in recent memory. When you consider that the Orioles and Nationals are in first place while the Phillies and Red Sox are stuck in the cellar of their divisions, that’s exciting stuff by itself. (Or, at the very least, intriguing stuff.)
So are young players Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, who are raking Major League pitching despite the fact that they’re not even old enough to buy their teammates a beer yet. When you think about what Carlos Beltran and Rafael Furcal are doing in St. Louis, it’s not as if baseball is entirely a young man’s game either. Players from all ages are doing incredible things and making baseball a must-watch every night.
The game has become interesting off the field as well. Since his five-game suspension Ozzie Guillen has held his tongue but he’s still a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. Apparently so is Indians’ closer Chris Perez, who all of a sudden has turned into a walking quote. What’s great is that Perez is also pitching his ass off, so he’s not making headlines just for being a mouthpiece. Just days after he hit one of the more improbable home runs you’ll ever see, Reds rookie Todd Frazier also saved a man’s life by using the Heimlich Maneuver while eating at a downtown Pittsburgh restaurant.
A no-handed home run and the Heimlich Maneuver all in the same week? Fantastic.
Yes, the law of averages is bound to catch up, as we’ve already seen with Albert Pujols. El Hombre entered play on May 6 with a batting average of just .194 with no home runs and five RBI through 114 plate appearances. Since then, he’s raised his average to .238, has blasted eight home runs and has driven in 23 runs. At some point things will come back to the mean in baseball and maybe the intrigue will die down with it.
But whether you’re a diehard or casual fan, it’s fun to watch Major League Baseball these days. Bud Selig has a good product on his hands and the best part is it’s a steroid-free product. (Well, not entirely steroid-free; just ask Guillermo Mota.) Thanks to the nightly feats of guys like Hamilton, Cabrera, and Matt Kemp, the storyline is no longer about how some big-headed monster is chasing down the home run record. Good, clean baseball is on display at ballparks across the nation.
And how refreshing is that?
Just how insufferable is Terrell Owens to work with? Enough for a team that he owns to release him.
That’s right, Owens has been released by the Indoor Football League’s Allen Wranglers, who cited T.O.’s refusal to play in two upcoming road games (which had playoff repercussions) as well as skipping out on a scheduled appearance at a local children’s hospital as reasons for his termination. His ownership stake has also been terminated.
“It’s disappointing and unfortunate,” owner Jon Frankel said in a statement. “But (he) could no longer be tolerated by the Wrangler organization.”
Considering none of the 32 teams has dialed Owens’ number the past two years, that sentiment is likely shared by the NFL as well. He has always taken phenomenal care of his body but given his personality and age, there’s absolutely no chance any team will take a chance on him moving forward. Get yourself released from an IFL team and you can forget any NFL teams contacting you.
Furthermore, what kind of selfish human being is a no-show for an appearance at a lock children’s hospital? Granted, there are always two sides to every story but what was his excuse? That he had to make another appearance on Dr. Phil to bitch about his current financial predicament? What an ass.
The nice thing about Owens’ release from the Wranglers is now he has become even less relevant than he already was. Not that it’s right to bask in others’ misery but this latest setback is downright comical.
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