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      Fran Tarkenton rips Brett Favre…again.

      December 24, 2010 /

      Former Vikings’ great Fran Tarkenton has never hid his distaste for Brett Favre and has once again taken to the media to slam the future Hall of Famer.

      This time, Tarkenton ripped Favre for being selfish in continuing to play this season instead of stepping aside for rookie Joe Webb.

      From USA Today:

      “Why in the world would they play Brett Favre? Or would Brett Favre want to play?” Tarkenton, a longtime Vikings QB, said of the team’s decision to start Favre last Monday. (Via SportsRadioInterviews.com and 97.5-FM in Philadelphia)

      “Is that what is best for the franchise going forward? Of course not. It’s selfish! It’s absolutely selfish!”

      “He talks about the team and, ‘I am for the team but I want to play for the home fans and my teammates,'” Tarkenton said. “It was Monday Night Football last week… He hasn’t had enough publicity in the last week, he has been on the bench for two weeks. It is not right. He ought to keep himself out of the equation and say, this is not best for the team.”

      Regular readers know that I completely agree with Tarkenton’s view on Lord Favre. A month ago I wrote that the Vikings should go with Tarvaris Jackson for the final four games or so because they needed to evaluate his future status with the team. Favre clearly isn’t going to be back next year (whether he retires or moves on to his next project), so the Vikings needed to shift into evaluation mode once they were eliminated. Granted, Jackson proved that he doesn’t have a future in Minnesota either, but at the time there was still question about whether or not he could compete for the starting job next year.

      Is Favre selfish? Egotistical may be a better word. He needs the media attention and the spotlight on him. As Tarkenton said, it was Monday Night Football and Favre saw it as one last opportunity to be the story before he moves on. It wasn’t Joe Webb time – it was Lord Favre time.

      Keep the hits coming, Fran. Love your work.

      External Sports, NFL

      Yankees interested in Manny Ramirez?

      December 24, 2010 /

      Manny Ramirez dropped off the face of the MLB planet last year but he’s still somewhat newsworthy – especially when the Yankees are interested.

      According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, the Yankees have had internal discussions about signing Man-Ram. The club is looking for a right-handed bat to add to their bench, although even Curry admits that a deal with Ramirez is unlikely. He’s a poor defensive outfielder and even at his age, it’s doubtful he’ll want to come off the bench. The Bombers already have a DH in Jorge Posada, so he wouldn’t be a fit there either.

      The Bombers are pretty set in the outfield with Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner. They still need to add a starting pitcher (or three), but leave it to the Yanks to try and acquire as many bats as possible. If their pitching is as bad as it current looks on paper, they’ll need as much offense as possible.

      Assuming Ramirez doesn’t sign with NY, he could land with the Rays, who are interested in signing the 38-year-old.

      External Sports, MLB

      Steelers closing in on AFC North title

      December 24, 2010 /

      When a team suffers a loss and needs a good pick-me-up, the Carolina Panthers often offer the perfect remedy.

      A week after losing at home against the Jets, the Steelers rebounded on Thursday night to beat the Panthers 27-3. Ben Roethlisberger completed 22-of-32 passes for 320 yards and one touchdown, while also adding a second score on the ground. On his lone passing touchdown of the night, he read blitz and quickly hit Mike Wallace for a 43-yard score to give Pittsburgh an early 10-0 lead. Thanks to the Panthers’ brutalness, the Steelers went on to collect their easiest win of the year.

      With the win, Pittsburgh is now in position to wrap up the AFC North and clinch a bye in the first round of the playoffs if it can beat Cleveland on January 2. And actually, the Browns could help the Steelers well in advance if they can knock off the Ravens this Sunday in Cleveland.

      As for the Panthers, the season couldn’t end fast enough for them and John Fox. Their roster is so devoid of talent and it’s tough to evaluate young players like Jimmy Clausen when he has no support around him. Carolina’s running game isn’t bad, but who does Clausen have to throw to? Defenses double-team Steve Smith, leaving Clausen to throw to fellow rookies who are trying to learn the game along with him. And forget protection – Clausen doesn’t have any.

      Of course, by this time one would think he would look a little better than he has. He has little to no pocket presence and his accuracy is suspect at best. His decision-making might be coming along a little, but he still does some things that make you want to pull your hair out (like taking a sack on a 4th and 5 in the second quarter instead of just heaving one in the direction of a receiver). Maybe he’ll develop into a solid starter one day but as of right now, he’s showed zero signs of developing. (Again, that’s not all his fault either.)

      The Panthers will have an awfully different look to them next season, that’s for sure.

      External Sports, NFL

      If Nostradamus were in your fantasy football league…

      December 23, 2010 /

      It’s Labor Day weekend and you’re at your buddy Phil’s house waiting for the draft to start. Tank, who played a little football in college (and thinks he’s a fantasy genius because of it) is sitting on the couch with his laptop on the coffee table.

      Tank: So who did you get to fill in for Doug?

      You: He’s my long lost uncle. I met him at our family reunion last month.

      Phil: Is he solid?

      You: I guess. He told me to let him know if there were any fantasy leagues with spots open. Sounds like he’s a pretty avid player.

      Tank: I can’t believe Doug’s wife forbade him to play. That’s ridiculous.

      There is a knock on the door. It’s your Uncle Nostradamus.

      N: What up, yo?

      Tank: Nice beard, man. Rocking the ZZ Top look.

      Phil: Thanks for filling in last second.

      N: No worries. Where is everyone?

      Phil: We’ve got them on speakerphone.

      N: Schweet. What’s my pick?

      Tank: Well, Doug, a.k.a. the man with no balls, had the #12 pick, so you’re right after me. Wait, don’t you have a cheat sheet or anything?

      N: (tapping his head with his hands) It’s all up here, my man.

      The draft begins. It gets to Tank’s pick (1.11). He gets excited.

      Tank: I can’t pass up Randy Moss here in a PPR league. The guy is money with Brady and he’s in a contract year.

      Nostradamus chuckles.

      Tank: What?

      N: Nothing. Is it my pick?

      Phil: Yeah.

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Larry Brown out, Paul Silas in

      December 23, 2010 /

      Per ESPN:

      After a miserable start to the season in which he took shots at his players and himself, Larry Brown is out as coach of the Charlotte Bobcats in another messy exit in his well-traveled career.

      The team announced later Wednesday that former Charlotte Hornets coach Paul Silas, who lives in the Charlotte area, will take over on an interim basis.

      Here’s what team owner Michael Jordan had to say about the move:

      “I met with Coach Brown two weeks ago about the team’s performance and what we could do to improve it,” Jordan said. “We met again this morning after practice. The team has clearly not lived up to either of our expectations and we both agreed that a change was necessary.”

      Charlotte is 9-19 on the season and has lost four straight. The Bobcats won 44 games last season, so their start is obviously a big disappointment. Brown has a reputation for being able to turn around a franchise, but he has a tendency to wear out his welcome when things aren’t going well.

      SIlas is a pretty good coach. His teams in Charlotte always played hard, so his presence should (somewhat) revitalize the roster. We’ll see.

      For what it’s worth, Brown’s camp is saying that he fully intends to coach again.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News

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