-I don't blame Notre Tame for quickly writing off becoming a member of the Big Ten. Financially it doesn't make a lick of sense. But, I can't ignore the idea that becoming a member of a weaker BCS conference would give the program an easier go then their independant schedule.
-Speaking of the Big Ten expansion, I am intrigued. I don't think expanding the conference and drawing out the season with a conference championship game will somehow result in better bowl performance for the Big Ten. However, I would like to see a conference championship game to find an outright Big Ten champion. The fact that Ohio State and Michigan could never play in the championship game doesn't bother me. The Patriots and Colts never met in the Super Bowl over the last decade and it didn't ruin the NFL. If it were up to me, jacking Missouri out of the Big 12 would be a good bet.
-In a recent Bill Simmon's podcast, Bill described a conspiracy theory regarding the 2010 mega free agency blowout in the NBA. The Oliver Stone insanity goes something like this. During a late-night, 2008 Dream Team card game in China, the 2010 free agency blowout participants came up with a game plan to all land with the same team. If you a need drink after trying to digest that one, I suggest Crown Royal, it will at least cause you to pass out, apologize for what you said, AND NEVER LET YOU REMEMBER SUCH A CRAP THEORY AGAIN! Simmons falls into the ever growing category of "journalists" who are trying to pry Leborn out of Cleveland, we are all witnesses.
-No NFL team will go undefeated this year. I like a Chargers vs. Eagles Super Bowl. My predictions tend to be crap, but I still don't like Indy in the playoffs and I think New Orleans is very beatable come January.
- In baseball news, nope not worth talking about. Baseball continues to be like bad movie sequels, the title suckers you in, but you're pissed you dropped the money.
-If and this is a huge if! If Turnover Pryor can learn tho throw the football, Ohio State could win a National Championship next year. A possible 16 returning seniors including the entire backfield, and another strong recruiting class. The only thing standing in their way, a week 2 game against The U and the possibility that Michigan learns how to play defense.
-Bob Knight, who physically assaulted players at Indiana is now lecturing college basketball about integrity? I don't care about graduation rates , you can't smack kids around and then point fingers at other programs.
- Skip Bayless giving the Indianapolis Colts an overall grade of "D" for the decade makes me laugh. Some people get all worked up over Skippy, I like the guy. He is the equivalent of the professional wrestling heel, "the bad guy" at ESPN. It is good for business to be the jerk, it's an act.
This could be a little long winded, but like pizza, it's necessary. First, Bill Simmons is great. We need more people like him that bring a comedic element to sports. Second, i get what you're saying about everyone trying to talk Lebron out of Cleveland, but...you know it's going to happen. There really is no logical reason for him to stay in Cleveland. The market there will put a huge restriction on his goal of becoming a worldwide mogul and I'm not convinced the Cavs have a championship team after the meltdown we witnessed vs. the Magic last year. I know it's a different team but I just don't see the same swagger this year as I did last year out of the Cavs. The only way I can see him sticking it out in Cleveland is if they win a title this year or at least make the finals and keep it close in a losing effort. Anything less than that and you can bet your ass he's on the first flight out of there.
ReplyDeleteFirst flight to where exactly? Salary cap rolling backwards and an impending lockout make the free agent market much less stable and decreases any team's ability to sign more than one marquee free agent. Unless Bosh, Wade, and Bron want to make 6 million a piece for a four year stretch, it's not likely that any of the big free agents, save for Bosh will want to leave extra money and an extra year. Also, not sure if you noticed this, but you know how we hear things about European players like Ricky Rubio and get to see their highlight clips on youtube from time to time? It's like that for LeBron overseas, except Chinese farmers with limited access to media outlets are wearing his sneakers. I think LeBron is coming along just fine in the media mogul department. Nice try though!
ReplyDeleteFirst, let me take a stab into the dark and say you're a Cleveland fan. Call it a hunch. Second, Lebron has publically stated that a max contract is important to him, but not as important as winning a title. Question: Who wants to come to Cleveland knowing there is a chance that Lebron won't be there? Answer: Nobody. The longer he keeps this to himself, the less chance they have of scoring a high profile 2010 free agent which is going to be the only thing that can improve that team to championship status. I mean, he's giving serious thought to leaving and for good reason. This team is not providing him with the talent he needs to win a title. He could just end everything by saying that he is 100% staying, end of conversation. Wouldn't Wade or especially Bosh say to themselves...Lebron is staying. Cleveland just became a serious option. If he loves it so much in Cleveland and thinks his team can win it all, why is he telling people that he's considering his options at season's end pointing to him certainly testing the free agent market? If winning a title is so important to him and he knows that it just isn't going to happen in Cleveland, doesn't it make sense for him to take less money to go somewhere that has better, younger talent already in place so he can win a single or multiple titles? Or does that make too much sense?
ReplyDeleteThe Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The 97 World Series, and the Browns to Baltimore, tell me Lebron is leaving. However, I would like to see more of my readers, errrr (friends) fight so please keep yelling while I drink beer =) .
ReplyDeleteLebron staying in Cleveland is about as believable as Brittany Murphy dying of a non drug enduced heart attack. What!? Too soon???
ReplyDeleteHim leaving Cleveland is easy to proclaim. It takes little to no sports or basketball knowledge to go out on a limb and say LeBron is gone. Let's bash Cleveland some more! Easy, thoughtless, pointless. But you do need to do SOME research into the NBA market for 2010-2011. It's not a good place to try and make a mark as a player unless you can convince management to swing a sign and trade with one of the two LA franchises or convince Wade to take money way under the max and take a back seat role to the new main attraction in South Beach. The whole buddying up with Jay-Z fantasy can't happen because of the sale of the Nets to the KGB, they're essentially frozen until that gets approved and even then, this is a team quickly plummeting to Clipper-like lows. The Knicks could offer him the opportunity to become a bigger media icon but clearing nearly 50 million in contracts before the end of the season is easier said than done.
ReplyDeletePeople like you overlook one very simple thing when it comes to this LeBron issue. This is a business right? This will be the most important business decision of his life and possibly two cities' sporting live's(fate's? whatever), correct? So why on Earth would you give up any leverage at both the negotiating table and in the GM's office? Look at the stories surrounding the big free agents of next summer. None of them have committed in any direction for a reason. Leverage!! If he tells Danny Ferry to put him on the hook for three more years, what's the impetus for Ferry to scramble and make a move in February that might kill cap space for a season or two? Why would Wade openly commit to Pat Riley without trying to twist everything out of the Heat he was able to? Would you not try to negotiate your own salary and benefits by merely staying mum on what you'll need to work effectively if you could?
Why should you give up any leverage? Because this situation shouldn't be about leverage. It should be doing right for yourself and for your teammates and for the organization you play for. The Cavs can offer Lebron more money than anyone else in the league and he claims to love it in Cleveland. If he loves his team and the guys on it, why would he not defer any leverage he may have in a situation like this and just say..."Cleveland is going to give me the money I want, and I already have my team that I want right here."? If you're suggesting that his intentions are to use every bit of leverage he can to squeeze even more for himself out of a team that could go bankrupt in a few years, then he's more selfish than I originally thought. The Cavs are going to take care of him and pay him what he wants. If he stays, they are going to get the players that he wants no matter what it takes...well, they should anyway. It would be careless not to. He has guys in Cleveland that he thinks can win a title and claims to love playing with. What's the issue then?? Sign the extension! Put your money where your mouth is. Or could it be...that all of this is a facade attempting to smoke screen his true intentions? We'll find out soon enough. But for my money...the whole situation just sounds a little fishy. I'm betting he leaves. Also, the reason guys like Wade and Bosh haven't committed to their teams yet is because their teams can't win a title. We know it and those guys definately know it. They don't want to get locked into a 5 year deal that will surely keep them from winning a championship. It's like signing a death certificate. I'm thinking these guys are holding out so they can see what Lebron decides to do. His decision effects theirs in a big way.
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