I don't think there has ever been such a big disparity in anything than between people who love the NFL draft and people who hate it. I fall into the former category, I think it's the most compelling reality television available.
First of all, you have to really like the NFL to appreciate the draft. And after the first round, no matter where any of these kids are drafted and no matter what they do, they will all have at least $6 Million in the bank, plus a guarantee they will make the NFL team they were drafted to.
It starts in high school, all of those Friday Night Lights kids play their butts off to get an opportunity to play big time college football. There are approximately 110 team Division 1 Schools, with approximately 90 or so scholarship spots open, so you are looking at 9,900 spots. Of course this does not include Division 1AA, D2, D3, etc, but you get the idea.
You would have to think at least 1/3 of these 9,900 kids have been scouted by the pros even before the step foot on a college field. So after 3 years out of high school, these kids can apply to the NFL for early admissions or they could stay and use their eligibility and go pro after 4 years. Either way it doesn't matter, if they are ready, they will make it to the next level.
Than comes the Senior Bowl and the countless other show cases individuals have to show how NFL ready they are. There are Combines where they are tested on all physical attributes, if an NFL is going to invest Millions of dollars onto these kids, they want to know what they are getting, the best thing about it, the NFL Network shows it all live, every kid, every position. Think of it as American Idol audition without the editing, plus the NFL Network has their analysis grade the performances.
Than comes months of hype followed by the draft. You finally get to see where these kids will get a tryout for the post college careers. Some excel, Peyton Manning, some fail, Akili Smith and some surprise the system, Tom Brady And it all happens in front of your eyes.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Play Ball!!
We are just a few hours from the Marlins new ball park debut. Even though there were two games played in Japan last week, tonight is "Opening Night".
Here are my predictions for the upcoming season:
AL:
East - Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles
Central - Tigers, Indians, Royals, White Sox, Twins
West - Angels, Rangers, Mariners, A's
NL:
East - Phillies, Marlins, Mets, Nationals, Braves
Central - Reds, Cubs, Brewers, Cards, Pirates, Astros
West - Diamond Backs, Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, Padres
World Series - Angels - Phillies
Here are my predictions for the upcoming season:
AL:
East - Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles
Central - Tigers, Indians, Royals, White Sox, Twins
West - Angels, Rangers, Mariners, A's
NL:
East - Phillies, Marlins, Mets, Nationals, Braves
Central - Reds, Cubs, Brewers, Cards, Pirates, Astros
West - Diamond Backs, Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, Padres
World Series - Angels - Phillies
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Number One And Done
Congrats to Coach Calipari and The Kentucky Wildcats for winning the National Championship. And while it's still fresh in everyone's mind, let me step up on my soap box and scream at the top of my lungs to David "it's time to retire" Stern. DAVID, wake up and look at the problem with the NBA and the NCAA! The NCAA is not your developmental league, you have one of those. It's time to take some of that money you make from your league and put it into a developmental league so high school kids who don't want to play in the NCAA don't have to. They can be drafted by a pro team and assigned to a minor league team for development.
The NHL and MLB do it very successfully and don't compare your league to the NFL. The time has come where you have a 40 team Developmental system with teams in cities like West Palm Beach, Trenton, Grand Rapids and Las Vegas. Each NBA team has their affiliate and the other 10 teams are made up of free agents and rookies. It's not hard, I think I could figure out the logistics, it's up to you to make it happen.
Oh yeah, NCAA, Stop the one and done. Please, all you are doing is cheapening your product. I know you want the revenue of these "superstar" high school kids, but trust me, people are enamored by College Sports and will buy Jerseys and etc for their team, ala Florida and Tim Tebow.
You'd think with all of the PhD's and Sports Marketing Guru's the NBA and NCAA employee, they can come up with a system that would not cheapen what we are watching now?
The NHL and MLB do it very successfully and don't compare your league to the NFL. The time has come where you have a 40 team Developmental system with teams in cities like West Palm Beach, Trenton, Grand Rapids and Las Vegas. Each NBA team has their affiliate and the other 10 teams are made up of free agents and rookies. It's not hard, I think I could figure out the logistics, it's up to you to make it happen.
Oh yeah, NCAA, Stop the one and done. Please, all you are doing is cheapening your product. I know you want the revenue of these "superstar" high school kids, but trust me, people are enamored by College Sports and will buy Jerseys and etc for their team, ala Florida and Tim Tebow.
You'd think with all of the PhD's and Sports Marketing Guru's the NBA and NCAA employee, they can come up with a system that would not cheapen what we are watching now?
Friday, March 30, 2012
The Final Four
What an exciting time of the year for Sport Fans. NHL & NBA season's are winding down, the playoffs loom in the distance. NFL Free Agency and Draft prep is going on. MLB Opening day is less than a week away. The Masters is less than a week away and The NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four is here.
I can't mention the Men's Basketball tournament without a shot at the BCS. One determines their champion on the court, the other determines theirs by a "computer". When EVERYONE is craving a playoff for football, the fat cats in power, won't give in. And have the audacity to convince us, their system is better.
I digress... In game one, we have the battle of Kentucky, UK and Louisville. The stories for this one are so intriguing. John Calipari trying to win his first championship. Rick Pitino trying to win his first at Louisville. Both teams rich in tradition, but never played in the final four. Kentucky, the best team all year against Louisville, the Big East Champs who are streaking at the right time.
Game 2, Ohio State and Kansas. I am surprised with Kansas, I thought they underachieved all year and I thought they were going to choke in the tournament. Bill Self showed me how great of a motivator he truly is. Thad Motta, all around good guy, gets his second final four appearance in 5 years. What I like about Ohio State, is Jarred Sullinger. I think he's the second best player in the Country and the best players usually play the best on the big stage.
So many stories... If Coach Cal doesn't win with this team, will he be labeled, the best coach never to win one? If he does win one, does he pack up and move back to the NBA? Will Ohio State finally win one?
One last thing, I would love to see the NBA and The NCAA come together and first, lose this stupid, you have can't go straight into the NBA from High School and the NBA Developmental league has to improve, where each NBA franchise gets their own affiliate so if they draft an 18 year old kid out of HS, who isn't quite ready for the NBA, there's a place for them to go to learn and improve their game.
I can't mention the Men's Basketball tournament without a shot at the BCS. One determines their champion on the court, the other determines theirs by a "computer". When EVERYONE is craving a playoff for football, the fat cats in power, won't give in. And have the audacity to convince us, their system is better.
I digress... In game one, we have the battle of Kentucky, UK and Louisville. The stories for this one are so intriguing. John Calipari trying to win his first championship. Rick Pitino trying to win his first at Louisville. Both teams rich in tradition, but never played in the final four. Kentucky, the best team all year against Louisville, the Big East Champs who are streaking at the right time.
Game 2, Ohio State and Kansas. I am surprised with Kansas, I thought they underachieved all year and I thought they were going to choke in the tournament. Bill Self showed me how great of a motivator he truly is. Thad Motta, all around good guy, gets his second final four appearance in 5 years. What I like about Ohio State, is Jarred Sullinger. I think he's the second best player in the Country and the best players usually play the best on the big stage.
So many stories... If Coach Cal doesn't win with this team, will he be labeled, the best coach never to win one? If he does win one, does he pack up and move back to the NBA? Will Ohio State finally win one?
One last thing, I would love to see the NBA and The NCAA come together and first, lose this stupid, you have can't go straight into the NBA from High School and the NBA Developmental league has to improve, where each NBA franchise gets their own affiliate so if they draft an 18 year old kid out of HS, who isn't quite ready for the NBA, there's a place for them to go to learn and improve their game.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
How Important Is Coaching??
I have this debate all the time with anyone who doesn't share my viewpoint, but I do not feel coaching in sports is as important as most make it out to be. Coaches make great scape goats when teams fail and they are made to be Gods when teams win, but how do they truly affect an outcome of a game? And in some sports, coaches are less important than others. A good coach is like a good official, they are there, but you don't notice because things are going smoothly on the field, court or ice. After each sport, I'll use a scale of 1-10 to determine how the impact of a coach/manager is to winning and losing. 1 being low and 10 being high.
Let's start off with Baseball, A Manager's job is very overrated. Teams are together for 7+ months of a year, traveling together and spending tons of time on and off the field together. It's obvious, not everyone is going to like everyone else, a Manager's job would have to be family/marriage counselor. Manager deals with the press and all clubhouse issues, but that once again is less on the field and more off the field. Teams hire an array of specialty coaches, hitting, pitching, fielding, etc, so a Manager's job is more of making sure his coaches follow his philosophy. As far as on the field decisions, coaches make the line ups, change the line ups, pitching changes and such. But, if a player is slumping, how can you blame the manager for that? I feel a manager can lose games by over managing, but on a day to day basis, I don't feel they have much say in a team hitting the ball, running the bases, making errors, throwing a ball 94 mph, etc. Scale of 5.
Football, A coach's job is more of a manager. He can't really control all 53 guys, but he can control his 10 assistants. He hires people who share his philosophy, but cannot do a thing about what happens on the field, he can only draw up the play and hope to call the right one at the right time. The best coaches are the ones on the field, the "general's" like Peyton Manning or Ray Lewis. Scale of 3.
Basketball, nowadays, NBA players do not even listen to the coaches. Plays might be drawn up and it's 50/50 chance if they follow the play. In fact, coaches spend their days stroking the egos so they feel important. And if things don't go their way and they sulk, coach can't bench them. Since it's a shot first mentality, whomever has the ball pretty much chucks it up.
Scale 1.
Hockey, Probably the best team sport for players to listen to coaches. Schemes are drawn up and are followed as best as possible. Scale 6
I can go into this more and more, but to leave you on this last note, how do you determine the validity of a coach? Record? Championships? Reputation? It's hard to determine who is good and who isn't. Guys like Phil Jackson, take jobs where he knows he will succeed and he succeeds. Other guys take jobs where they know they cannot succeed, lack of talent, support and means to win.
Let's start off with Baseball, A Manager's job is very overrated. Teams are together for 7+ months of a year, traveling together and spending tons of time on and off the field together. It's obvious, not everyone is going to like everyone else, a Manager's job would have to be family/marriage counselor. Manager deals with the press and all clubhouse issues, but that once again is less on the field and more off the field. Teams hire an array of specialty coaches, hitting, pitching, fielding, etc, so a Manager's job is more of making sure his coaches follow his philosophy. As far as on the field decisions, coaches make the line ups, change the line ups, pitching changes and such. But, if a player is slumping, how can you blame the manager for that? I feel a manager can lose games by over managing, but on a day to day basis, I don't feel they have much say in a team hitting the ball, running the bases, making errors, throwing a ball 94 mph, etc. Scale of 5.
Football, A coach's job is more of a manager. He can't really control all 53 guys, but he can control his 10 assistants. He hires people who share his philosophy, but cannot do a thing about what happens on the field, he can only draw up the play and hope to call the right one at the right time. The best coaches are the ones on the field, the "general's" like Peyton Manning or Ray Lewis. Scale of 3.
Basketball, nowadays, NBA players do not even listen to the coaches. Plays might be drawn up and it's 50/50 chance if they follow the play. In fact, coaches spend their days stroking the egos so they feel important. And if things don't go their way and they sulk, coach can't bench them. Since it's a shot first mentality, whomever has the ball pretty much chucks it up.
Scale 1.
Hockey, Probably the best team sport for players to listen to coaches. Schemes are drawn up and are followed as best as possible. Scale 6
I can go into this more and more, but to leave you on this last note, how do you determine the validity of a coach? Record? Championships? Reputation? It's hard to determine who is good and who isn't. Guys like Phil Jackson, take jobs where he knows he will succeed and he succeeds. Other guys take jobs where they know they cannot succeed, lack of talent, support and means to win.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Tebow, Oh Tebow
So Peyton Manning is now a Bronco, The Saints and coach Sean Payton took a butt kicking for bounty-gate, but the biggest news is Tim Tebow going to the New York Jets. I have to say, I am shocked the Jacksonville Jags didn't make the move.
I understand, everyone thinks Tebow is a lost cause as an NFL Quarterback, but I totally disagree with them. Tim Tebow is the poster child for potential. Think Aaron Rodgers on the sidelines all of those years behind Brett Favre. He became more valuable as time went by. The Eagles had the same thing with Kevin Kolb, but Kolb turned out to be not so good.
Tebow wants to be better and with his work ethic and leadership, I have no doubts he will get there. John Elway and the Broncos wanted to win now, they didn't want the project that is Tim Tebow, plus, he didn't want the city of Denver to dictate who he plays and who he benches. I also think there was a little, Tebow didn't have to win a championship and he would still be bigger than John Elway in the that city.
What I don't get is the Jets. They just gave Mark Sanchez an extension, so it's not like they are going to trade him. The brought in Drew Stanton, a capable back up, who according to reports, was told they would not bring in another quarterback. Sanchez will be the starter, but his next bad quarter, the New York faithful will be chanting for Tebow.
I thought the Jags would be a great fit. Blaine Galbert didn't show much last year and I am not sure if he has it in him to be a great QB in the NFL. The Jags rarely sell out their games and I am sure their merchandise sales is at the bottom. Tim Tebow, immediately sells tickets to this franchise, they will not be able to keep merchandise on the shelves. The bring in someone to teach Tebow how to play like an NFL QB and let's face it, win or lose, for the next 3 years, Tebow-mania would be running wild.
The Jags ownership should be in it to win championships, but right now, I don't see them being any better than a .500 team in a small market. So, as joe blogger, if I see this, I am sure rich Billionaire isn't delusional enough to think they will win their conference and represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. So, make the move for Tebow, make lots and lots of money and build the franchise around him. It should have been a win-win.
I understand, everyone thinks Tebow is a lost cause as an NFL Quarterback, but I totally disagree with them. Tim Tebow is the poster child for potential. Think Aaron Rodgers on the sidelines all of those years behind Brett Favre. He became more valuable as time went by. The Eagles had the same thing with Kevin Kolb, but Kolb turned out to be not so good.
Tebow wants to be better and with his work ethic and leadership, I have no doubts he will get there. John Elway and the Broncos wanted to win now, they didn't want the project that is Tim Tebow, plus, he didn't want the city of Denver to dictate who he plays and who he benches. I also think there was a little, Tebow didn't have to win a championship and he would still be bigger than John Elway in the that city.
What I don't get is the Jets. They just gave Mark Sanchez an extension, so it's not like they are going to trade him. The brought in Drew Stanton, a capable back up, who according to reports, was told they would not bring in another quarterback. Sanchez will be the starter, but his next bad quarter, the New York faithful will be chanting for Tebow.
I thought the Jags would be a great fit. Blaine Galbert didn't show much last year and I am not sure if he has it in him to be a great QB in the NFL. The Jags rarely sell out their games and I am sure their merchandise sales is at the bottom. Tim Tebow, immediately sells tickets to this franchise, they will not be able to keep merchandise on the shelves. The bring in someone to teach Tebow how to play like an NFL QB and let's face it, win or lose, for the next 3 years, Tebow-mania would be running wild.
The Jags ownership should be in it to win championships, but right now, I don't see them being any better than a .500 team in a small market. So, as joe blogger, if I see this, I am sure rich Billionaire isn't delusional enough to think they will win their conference and represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. So, make the move for Tebow, make lots and lots of money and build the franchise around him. It should have been a win-win.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
oh Nail oh Nails, oh how the mighty have fallen
Lenny Dykstra needs help. He is a sick dude and always has been. Hopefully 3 years in jail it will help him, I kind of doubt it. Dykstra should be a sign of whats wrong/potentially wrong with athletes. I hope this incident serves as a wake up call to others.
I have a problem with this whole bounty gate. I see after every game, guys from both teams join hands and pray in the center of the field and thank God no one was seriously hurt, yet teams are trying to knock out the opponents star player. What a contradiction! I hope Roger Goddell throws the book at Gregg Williams and The New Orleans Saints!
March Madness is here, and I am still not sold on Kentucky winning 6 games in a row to win John Calipari his first National Championship. In fact, here's the Chaney Reports Odds of your soon to be crowned National Champion:
Syracuse 9/2
Kentucky 6/1
North Carolina 7/1
Kansas 9/1
Michigan State 10/1
Duke 12/1
Ohio State 12/1
Missouri 15/1
Marquette 15/1
Michigan 20/1
The Field 8/1
I have a problem with this whole bounty gate. I see after every game, guys from both teams join hands and pray in the center of the field and thank God no one was seriously hurt, yet teams are trying to knock out the opponents star player. What a contradiction! I hope Roger Goddell throws the book at Gregg Williams and The New Orleans Saints!
March Madness is here, and I am still not sold on Kentucky winning 6 games in a row to win John Calipari his first National Championship. In fact, here's the Chaney Reports Odds of your soon to be crowned National Champion:
Syracuse 9/2
Kentucky 6/1
North Carolina 7/1
Kansas 9/1
Michigan State 10/1
Duke 12/1
Ohio State 12/1
Missouri 15/1
Marquette 15/1
Michigan 20/1
The Field 8/1
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