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      Butkus defends Sayers in war of words with Urlacher

      May 21, 2010 /

      Things are getting interesting in the “Windy City.” After Gale Sayers ripped his former team earlier in the month for their poor play last season, current Bear Brian Urlacher discredited Sayers by pointing out that the running back never won in his career.

      Now Dick Butkus is getting into the mix.

      From the Chicago Tribune:

      On Thursday, Butkus responded from his Southern California home, telling the Tribune: “It’s a real reach to say: ‘What did Gale do?’ (Shoot), Urlacher wasn’t even born yet, what does he know?

      “I say things to other people, too, about the Bears. It’s total frustration. You think (Sayers) is saying it because he hates the Bears? You get so tired of sitting there watching them.”

      “Gale is absolutely right when you talk about a linebacker who has played nine years and he is coming back off an injury,” Butkus said. “There should be some concern whether he can reach his ability again.

      “I’ve gone through it. To go nine years and come out with knee injuries … you know your ability is going to be hampered a little bit. (Urlacher) is dead wrong right there. Maybe that’s why he was trying to deflect that part of it by saying: ‘Well, what does he know? He never won.’

      “It’s a little defensive move on his part. His pride got hurt.”

      Urlacher looks like a child here. He didn’t like what Sayers had to say, so he decided to make this situation into a Sayers-vs-the-Bears thing. It’s not. Sayers was asked about the Bears, he gave his honest opinion and that should have been the end of it. Whether Urlacher, Jay Cutler or Lovie Smith agreed with him or not, there’s nothing for them to say. Urlacher should have viewed the situation as if Sayers was a part of the Chicago media and was just voicing his displeasure with the way the Bears played last season (which, by the way, wasn’t very good).

      Butkus is right – Urlacher is being defensive because he was called out and his pride hurts. Instead of proving his mettle on the field, he jumped into a war of words with a former Chicago great, which wasn’t too smart.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      John Hollinger’s Draft Rater is back

      May 21, 2010 /

      Last year, John Hollinger’s Draft Rater really liked Ty Lawson and Tyreke Evans, and that turned out well. The year before, it liked Michael Beasley over Derrick Rose, who wasn’t even listed as the top point guard in the draft. It also liked Kevin Love (score) and thought Anthony Randolph was way overrated (fail).

      In the past, Hollinger’s system has been pretty accurate, all things considered.

      The Draft Rater has yet to miss a lottery pick who became an All-Star in its top 12 collegians list — although that string may end in another year or two thanks to a miserable 2008 performance (Russell Westbrook and Brook Lopez both were overlooked that year). And if it’s blown a couple of picks, look at the actual draft and you’ll find even more mistakes by the pro teams themselves.

      On the other hand, the Draft Rater has picked out five All-Stars that the pros missed among the first 12 collegians — Carlos Boozer, Rajon Rondo, Danny Granger, Josh Howard, and David West. No misses, five additions. I like that ratio.

      It’s a good read, but to sum up, the Rater thinks DeMarcus Cousins is the top player in the draft, with Evan Turner and John Wall reasonably close behind. Questions about Cousins’ coachability will likely hinder his draft stock, but I think he’s going to be a great player. You don’t rebound like he does and not love the game. He just needs to get into a good, stable situation with a solid coach and grow up a little bit.

      It’s going to be interesting to watch how he progresses through the draft process. Do we hear stories about how he’s texting his friends during interviews with NBA teams? Does he dog it in certain workouts? If he acts like a pro over the next month, it could mean he’s picked #2 or #3 instead of #5 or #6.

      The Rater also predicts some duds; Cole Aldrich, Patrick Patterson, Ekpe Udoh, Ed Davis and Hassan Whiteside are the big names on that list.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft

      Blue Jays figure out new way to beat opponents: Stop them at the border

      May 21, 2010 /

      According to a report by the Toronto Sun, MLB players with criminal records have been warned that Canadian officials may not let them into the country, even if they were only sentenced to a minor crime.

      “Individuals who are not Canadian citizens may be detained at the border and, in certain cases may not be permitted to enter Canada at all, if they have any sort of past criminal record,” he wrote. “Recently, Canadian authorities have stepped up enforcement of these laws, resulting in several non-Canadian players travelling to Toronto with their teams being detained at the border because of a past criminal record.”

      He warned that “even an arrest, conviction or suspended sentence many years ago for a minor crime, or a juvenile offence, can result in a border detention.”

      “It’s getting late in the game folks, and the Yankees will have to go to their pen in order to save a victory here in Toronto. Of course they can’t use Joba Chamberlain because he never made it across the boarder due to that arrest for driving under the influence, speeding and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle back in October of ’08. Well played, Canada.”

      Could you imagine if the Bengals were set to play the Bills for one of Buffalo’s home games in Canada? Cincinnati would only be able to use half its roster and Pacman Jones might be shot on the spot. Yiiiiiikes.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Sixers hire Doug Collins

      May 21, 2010 /

      After years — literally years — of flirting with a return to the NBA, Doug Collins is reportedly set to become the 76ers next head coach. Per Philly.com…

      The 76ers have agreed to terms with Doug Collins, ending their search for a new head coach, an NBA source said Thursday night.

      An announcement is expected Friday. Collins could be formally introduced by the team as early as Monday.

      Another source confirmed that the two parties had agreed to a four-year deal, although the contract’s exact value was not known.

      Collins sure gets a lot of attention every offseason given his coaching record:

      Collins, currently working as an analyst with TNT, previously coached the Chicago Bulls (1986-89), Detroit Pistons (1995-98), and Washington Wizards (2001-03). His career coaching record is 332-287.

      He has had winning seasons in four of eight seasons, and coached two teams to 50+ wins. He has never coached in the NBA Finals.

      His teams did show improvement in Chicago and Detroit. He has stayed relevant by becoming one of TNT’s top color commentators.

      Stephen A. Smith thinks that the signing is a coup for the franchise:

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      On surface, 49ers’ power structure is sound

      May 21, 2010 /

      The 49ers have announced that interim general manager Trent Baalke, who oversaw the team’s draft last month, has been named vice president of player personnel. Joel Patten, who was with the Rams and worked with Baalke in the Redskins’ organization, is now the new director of college scouting.

      Team president and CEO Jed York has made it clear that Baalke won’t have as much control over budget matters as former GM Scot McCloughan did, but that might be a good thing in the end.

      On paper, this is a structure that should work. Patten will have the opportunity to concentrate on the scouting, while Baalke can focus on draft day decisions and Singletary can control the roster. With notable exceptions like the Cowboys, Redskins and Bengals, most teams’ front offices are set up this way and it’s a system that seems to have success.

      That said, Baalke and Singletary have to constantly be on the same page in terms of personnel decisions or else the entire structure will fall apart. Everyone saw what happened in Oakland when Lane Kiffin couldn’t get along with Al Davis (or more specially, the decisions Al made on draft day) and while the 49ers aren’t the circus that the Raiders are, they could be if the marriage between Baalke and Singletary doesn’t pan out. Hopefully San Fran never has to worry about that though.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

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