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      Did Cliff Lee take a shot at Rangers/Mariners fans?

      December 16, 2010 /
      Texas Rangers' ace Cliff Lee talks to the media as the Rangers prepare to take on the New York Yankees in the ALCS at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas on October 14, 2010. Game one of the best of seven series will be on October 15, 2010 in Arlington. UPI/Ian Halperin Photo via Newscom

      During his introductory press conference with the Phillies on Wednesday, Cliff Lee was asked about Philly fans and he couldn’t stop gushing about the energy they bring to the ballpark every night. (That’s because they get sauced up before the walk into the stadium but that’s neither here nor there.)

      One interesting comment he made during the presser was about how Phillie fans “don’t need a teleprompter to tell them to get up and cheer.” You can read the full quote (excerpted from the Philadelphia Inquirer) below.

      “They get excited. They’re passionate fans. They understand what’s going on. They don’t need a teleprompter to tell them to get up and cheer, to do that. No, it’s exciting. It’s an historic town. I didn’t realize until I got here how interesting the city is. My family really liked it. I mean, that played a big part in it.

      Granted, Lee might have just meant fans in general and wasn’t talking about anyone specifically when he made the comment. He seems like a humble, good-natured guy and it’s not his style to take pot shots at anyone. (After all, fans at Yankee Stadium harassed his wife and never once has he said anything bad about the Yankees organization, even though he may have been justified.)

      Still, I’m a little ticked off if I’m a Ranger or Mariner fan. No teleprompter was necessary when the Giants were lighting him up in the World Series and Seattle only won about 12 games last year so it’s not like they had anything to cheer about. So if he were taking a small dig at those two fan bases, he’d be out of line.

      But again, I’m sure Lee didn’t mean any harm by it. He enjoyed his time in Texas and has nothing to gain by pissing off fans that embraced him last year.

      External Sports, MLB

      Bears to protest playing at TCF Bank Stadium?

      December 16, 2010 /
      MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 15: Workers shovel snow from the stands as TCF Bank Stadium prepares for a potential monday night football game between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears on December 15, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Preparations are due to the collapsed roof at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. (Photo by Hannah Foslien /Getty Images)

      According to AOL Fanhouse, the Bears and Vikings have no desire to create the 1967 “Ice Bowl” when the two teams square off on Monday Night Football and Chicago players may actually protest playing at TCF Bank Stadium.

      Vikings players have expressed concern about the safety of playing at TCF Bank Stadium Monday night. The Bears may take it one step further.

      According to reports, the Bears might file a protest about playing the game at the University of Minnesota’s football field because of safety concerns. The league is planning on the game being played at that venue, although that may change if the venue can’t be properly prepped in time.

      Meanwhile, players are worrying about the frozen turf, which lacks heating coils under the surface like other cold-weather venues.

      Bears safety Chris Harris commented on his Twitter page, saying, “Players have concerns of traction n the impact of falling on surface that could be as hard as asphalt. What if ur head hits it.”

      I can hear the comments now coming from fans about how the players should toughen up and embrace the elements. How the great ones used to have to play on horrible field conditions every week and how there were no heating coils at Lambeau Field in ’67.

      But while I agree the players have become too pampered, I won’t be the one on Monday night trying to play on a sheet of ice so I’m not going to bemoan them for not wanting to do it either. It would be nice to see the Vikings return to their outdoor roots for one game, but if the field isn’t safe then the field isn’t safe. (Whatever “safe” can be classified as.)

      Move the game to another location and call it a day.

      External Sports, NFL

      New CBA deal to be wrapped up by the Super Bowl? Seems unlikely.

      December 16, 2010 /

      Call me pessimistic but Roger Goodell’s belief that a new labor agreement could be in place by the Super Bowl seems overly optimistic. Especially when he says things like, “if we all commit to [working on the deal] and work hard at it.”

      Nothing has changed over the past couple of months when it comes to settling differences between the owners and players. The owners still want the players to take a pay cut and add games to the regular season, but the NFLPA is in favor of neither. The players want to know why the owners aren’t making any money while the popularity of the league continues to grow, which is certainty understandable.

      While appearing on Wednesday’s edition of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, NFLPA president Kevin Mawae echoed those feelings.

      “Every week and every year we hear that the ratings are up, more tickets are sold this year than ever before, more advertising is being sold now than ever before, all that does is generate revenue and we have to listen to the owners tell us that we’re not making money. That’s a hard thing to understand when you won’t show us where you’re losing money because you’re afraid to show us your books.”

      While fans would love to see Goodell’s projection that a new deal could be wrapped up by the Super Bowl, even he is being realistic about the situation.

      “It takes productive dialogue, which means we’ve got to get to that place where we’re making significant progress in getting an agreement,” he said. “It’s not just about meetings and dialogues. It’s about getting real, significant progress on the key issues.”

      I’ve held the belief that the NFLPA and owners won’t leave millions of dollars on the table by not getting a new deal worked out. While I still believe that, it would also be naïve to think that greed doesn’t exists. Both sides want to make as much money as possible and a 2011 lockout is still a real possibility.

      So instead of talking about it, let’s hope both sides will actually get something done after the holidays so we can have football next fall.

      External Sports, NFL

      Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 15

      December 16, 2010 /
      ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 21: Quarterback Jon Kitna of the Dallas Cowboys scrambles with the ball against tackle Sammie Hill of the Detroit Lions at Cowboys Stadium on November 21, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys beat the Lions 35-19. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

      Every week, I highlight a few players to start and a few players to sit at each position. I’m a firm believer in starting your studs, so I won’t suggest you bench Drew Brees or Arian Foster because they have tough matchups – just go ahead and keep them in your lineup. Instead, I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances.

      As usual, I’ll discuss these players within the context of my weekly positional rankings, so remember — everything is relative.

      Jon Kitna has played pretty well since taking over for Tony Romo, and this week he has a nice matchup with the Redskins, who have struggled mightily against the pass this season…Josh Freeman should continue to put up solid fantasy lines the rest of the way. This week he has the Lions, who did play well against Aaron Rodgers for a half last week. Still, this is a secondary that has given up 20+ to Jon Kitna, Donovan McNabb and Mark Sanchez in the last eight weeks, so Freeman should finish with good stats…Jason Campbell is probably available on your waiver wire (or was earlier in the week) and has a terrific matchup with a reeling Broncos defense that has given up 1.8 pass TDs per game this season.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Assessing blame for Tarvaris Jackson’s lack of development

      December 16, 2010 /
      GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 14: Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson #7 of the Minnesota Vikings runs with the ball during their NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on December 14, 2008 in Glendale, Arizona. The Vikings defeated the Cardinals 35-14. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

      To the 12 people that watched the Vikings-Giants game on Monday night, it was apparent that Tarvaris Jackson hasn’t grown as a quarterback. Granted, he hasn’t had much time to grow while watching Brett Favre play over the last two years, but he’s been in the league since 2006 and yet you would swear he’s still a rookie.

      The Vikings placed quarterback Jackson on injured reserve Thursday with turf toe, effectively ending his season and most likely his tenure in Minnesota. Brad Childress wanted a “diamond in the rough” when he selected Jackson with the last pick in the second round of the ‘06 NFL Draft and he got one in Jackson, although he never wound up polishing it.

      Part of the blame for that falls on Childress, who was too busy chasing Brett Favre on his ranch in Mississippi to develop the former small school product. Or maybe Childress knew that Jackson was a mistake and that’s why he took painstaking measures to ensure Lord Fave would grace Minnesota with his presence. Either way, somebody failed Jackson along the way.

      The former Alabama State product was projected to go in the later rounds of the ’06 draft but as we all know, projections mean very little. The truth is that other teams wanted Jackson that year too but the Vikings were the ones who got aggressive in the end. Hindsight is always 20/20 and while many people thought it was a reach to take Jackson in the second round, the bottom line is that Childress wasn’t the only one who saw a raw but talented athlete.

      The draft is littered with success stories about quarterbacks who weren’t taken in the top 10. Tom Brady is one – Drew Brees is another. Jackson didn’t play against top competition while at Alabama State but that’s not the only mark of a college quarterback. Given the right amount of time and coaching, there were plenty of people who thought they could turn Jackson into a bona fide NFL starter and Childress was one of them.

      Alas, it didn’t happen. Maybe Jackson just needs a change of scenery and a coach who won’t spend all of his time sucking face with a future Hall of Fame quarterback. Some players take a long time to develop and maybe that fits Jackson.

      Or maybe he’ll never develop. After all, the draft is littered with plenty of those cases, too.

      External Sports, NFL

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