by Jason Jones
Now that I have had time to let the results of the recent NFL draft fester…I decided to do what all disgruntled NFL fans/draft nuts do. I re-drafted the whole thing for my team. Conventional wisdom dictates that no matter what, “we” cannot possibly know more than the people in the war room. I protest that the people in the war room either over-think it, or are quite frankly ill-equipped to handle the task. There are a few points I would like to bring up that are just opinions, but for me, are considered rules when drafting.
1. Bill Walsh. Using the Bill Walsh model of trading back (trade back in increments of 2-10 picks at a time picking up extra draft picks while still maintaining as much value as possible) is a great angle to take, especially when the new regime believes the entire team needs to be torn down. It is a great philosophy to have…in order to acquire impact “skill position” players in the first and second round. YOU DON’T DO THAT TO PICK UP A CENTER!!!!!!
2. Interior Lineman. Offensive Centers, Guards, and Fullbacks are not worthy of the first round unless you have multiple first round picks…and have a limited number of glaring needs. For example, if a team goes into the draft with…say…clear needs at WR, OLB, S, RB, CB, YOU DON’T TAKE AND INTERIOR LINEMAN IN THE FIRST ROUND. I don’t care if God himself called the war room and said this guy will go down as the greatest interior lineman of all time.
3. Why Trade. The fundamental directive of the Bill Walsh philosophy on draft trades was clearly intended to address needs when the team is bad and to build depth when the team is good. The team in question is not good. Clearly, without divulging the identity of the team in question, take my word for it that the starting center is more than adequate.
4. Needs. Two wide receivers that have some sort of “issue”. Call it legal or administrative for now. No certainty that either the #1 or #2 WR will be on the field for that team in 2009. There is a Pro Bowl RB on the roster who has seen his fair share of carries and who’s future is uncertain. A serious QB controversy of the three-headed variety. A linebacker core who ranges from old but adequate to in their prime and adequate to the jury still out. The only reason to draft a LB in this draft would be if a stellar athlete is available early or one might want to “take a flier” on a player late. This team has two young but relatively small CBs and not much in the way depth there. The best safety on this team left in free agency. The second best safety probably would not start for half of the teams in the NFL. So by my count…#1 WR (maybe even twice over the weekend), #2 RB, #3 Safety, #4 ILB, #5 QB, #6 NT, #7 OLB.
5. The Formula. Most people believe there are two schools of thought when drafting. A team either drafts by “team need” or “best player available”. I contest that it is more complex than that, and furthermore, it's not one or the other but both plus more. I would go with something more like…Talent vs. Team Need vs. Value vs. Position of Strength Relative to This Draft Class vs. Intangibles. Basically to make this simpler, take the best player available as it pertains to your team needs. If that doesn’t make the decision clear, then move value…(if you’re picking 15th overall and the biggest need is RB then ILB then CB, 4 first round value RBs, 2 first round ILBs, and 5 first round CBs…you should lean toward the ILB. Is the #1 ILB better than the #1 RB or CB? If not, put the ILB on back burner. Looking at the top RB or CB on the board, which one has the better work ethic, more positive attitude, football’s #1 in his life, etc? Finally, which player regardless of position will most immediately -- and more importantly long-term -- affect your team?
If you have not been able to conclude, I’m referring to the Cleveland Browns. Now I will proceed to show the players that were drafted, and more importantly, redrafting the entire weekend according to players as they come off the board and include the trades that were executed. But before I do that, take a look at the relevant depth chart…(as I see it).
QB Brady Quinn, Brett Ratliff, Derek Anderson
FB Lawrence Vickers, Charles Ali
RB Jamal Lewis, James Davis, Jerome Harrison
TE Steve Heiden, Martin Rucker, Robert Royal
WR1 Braylon Edwards, David Patten, Syndric Steptoe
WR2 Donte Stallworth, Josh Cribbs, Paul Hubbard
LT Joe Thomas, Isaac Sowells
LG Eric Steinbach, Kurt Quarterman
C Hank Fraley, Dustin Fry
RG Floyd Womack, Rex Hadnot
RT John St. Clair, Ryan Tucker
DE Corey Williams, Shaun Smith
NT Shaun Rogers, Ahtyba Rubin
DE Kenyon Coleman, C.J. Mosley
OLB Kamerion WImbley, David Holloway
ILB D’Qwell Jackson, Titus Brown
ILB Eric Barton, Beau Bell, Leon WIlliams
OLB David Bowens, Alex Hall
SS Brodney Pool, Nick Sorensen
FS Abram Elam, Mike Adams
CB Eric Wright, Hank Poteat
CB Brandon McDonald, Corey Ivy
After letting that soak in, now apply the 2009 Cleveland Browns actual draft class (as you do, ask yourself…"how many of these draft picks will even contribute or even eventually become starters?”)
Rd1-21 (21) Alex Mack C 6’4 311 Cal
Rd2-4 (36) Brian Robiskie WR 6’3 210 Ohio St
Rd2-18 (50) Mohamed Massaquoi WR 6’2 210 Georgia
Rd2-20 (52) David Veikune DE 6’2 257 Hawaii
Rd4-4 (104) Kaluka Maiava ILB 5’11 229 USC
Rd6-4 (177) Don Carey CB 5’11 192 Norfolk St
Rd6-18 (191) Coye Francies CB 6’0 185 San Jose St
Rd6-22 (195) James Davis RB 5’11 218 Clemson
Alex Mack could and probably will start almost immediately. If Stallworth and/or Edwards are gone, Robiskie will start…and that will be an indictment on just how bad the receiver core is comparatively speaking to the rest of the NFL. Massaquoi will probably be on the outside of the top 2 regardless of what happens with Stallworth/Edwards. A key NFL scout said that on the very high side potential, Massaquoi is going to be no better than Reggie Brown from the Eagles. Veikune has a motor that doesn’t stop, but so does Anderson Varejao…doesn’t mean he could play OLB in a 3-4. Kaluka Maiava (Little Rock) is a career special teamer. Don Carey and Coye Francies may test well, but will probably never start, including injuries to the starters. James Davis is the only pick that I unconditionally like. Go YouTube that kid. It seems to me that for every run he has over 5 yds, he gets an additional 3-5 yds after contact. He has a decent burst and utilizes the cutback pretty well. This guy is a 4th round talent at worst. I also think short of Alex Mack, he is the only guy drafted by the Browns that even has the potential to start in the NFL.
Now, let’s take a gander at what I would’ve done had I been in control of the war room in Berea…
Rd1-21 (21) Hakeem Nicks WR 6’1 212 UNC
Rd2-4 (36) Rey Maualuga ILB 6’2 249 USC
Rd2-18 (50) Sean Smith CB/S 6’4 214 Utah
Rd2-20 (52) Derrick Williams WR 6’0 194 Penn St
Rd4-4 (104) Gartrell Johnson RB 5’10 219 Colorado St
Rd6-4 (177) Willie VanDeSteeg DE/OLB 6’4 256 Minnesota
Rd6-18 (191) Chris Baker NT 6’2 326 Hampton
Rd6-22 (195) Willie Tuitama QB 6’3 234 Arizona
1. Hakeem Nicks is starter material. He doesn’t have great speed (4.49) but he catches absolutely everything. Which is something we a cannot say about Mr. Edwards.
2. Rey Maualuga. Bottom line, YOU DO NOT PASS ON A GUY LIKE THIS WITH THIS KIND OF VALUE! I had Maualuga as a top 10-15 talent. He is a beast. I also do not think it is far fetched to say that he may be the best ILB in the last 5 years, and yes I would take him ahead of Patrick Willis.
3. Sean Smith. Many publications had Smith as the #1 Safety in the draft with the cover skills to play CB, not just in case but fulltime.
4. Derrick Williams. Look, I am not going to try to tell you that Williams is an automatic starter, however, there is no doubt he has talent to play at the next level. He is six feet tall and runs a sub 4.4 40, and simply dangerous with intermediate routes.
5. Gartrell Johnson. WHO? That’s right GAR-trell Johnson. Just look at his measurables and then take a quick glance at his performance in the 2008 New Mexico Bowl. 5’10 219 lbs, 4.6 40, 20 reps at 225, 34 inch vertical, 9’6” broad jump. Now I hope you’re sitting down. New Mexico Bowl…27 carries, 285 yards rushing, 10.6 yds per carry, 5 receptions, 89 yards receiving, 18.0 yds per reception, 2 TDs, a long run of 77 yds.
6. Willie VanDeSteeg. This guy is a coaches dream. He is built to play a 3-4 OLB. 10 sacks over 50 tackles and a forced fumble as a 4-3 defensive end with his hand in the ground. He might be a slight project, but the learning curve would be dramatically shorter than most.
7. Chris Baker. Let’s be perfectly honest here. Baker is a run-stuffing fatty. On draft day he was listed at 6’2 298. His true playing weight is closer to 325-330, and once he gets into the NFL weight program, we could even get up to 340-350. Also, don’t discredit the fact that he was a top high school prospect who played at Penn St until he 'allegedly' beat the crap out of someone off the field. I like my defensive lineman to have some anger issues.
8. Willie Tuitama. No he’s not related to Marques Tuiasasopo. This guy physically looks like the real deal. He is NFL-starter size. To watch the guy play, you are reminded of a lot of different players. He is very nimble in the pocket and sidesteps defenders effortlessly. He fits the ball in tight spots and in stride which is something Derek Anderson could never do. He is a project, but once Anderson gets traded or released, it would be nice to have a guy like this as the #3 QB.
And the new Cleveland Browns Depth Chart:
QB Brady Quinn, Brett Ratliff, Willie Tuitama
FB Lawrence Vickers, Charles Ali
RB Jamal Lewis, Gartrell Johnson, Jerome Harrison
TE Steve Heiden, Martin Rucker, Robert Royal
WR1 Braylon Edwards, Josh Cribbs, Paul Hubbard
WR2 Hakeem Nicks, Derrick Williams, David Patten
LT Joe Thomas, Isaac Sowells
LG Eric Steinbach, Kurt Quarterman
C Hank Fraley, Dustin Fry
RG Floyd Womack, Rex Hadnot
RT John St. Clair, Ryan Tucker
DE Corey Williams, Shaun Smith
NT Shaun Rogers, Chris Baker, Ahtyba Rubin
DE Kenyon Coleman, C.J. Mosley
OLB Kamerion WImbley, Willie VanDeSteeg
ILB D’Qwell Jackson, Leon Williams
ILB Rey Maualuga, Eric Barton
OLB David Bowens, Alex Hall
SS Brodney Pool, Mike Adams
FS Sean Smith, Abram Elam
CB Eric Wright, Corey Ivy
CB Brandon McDonald, Hank Poteat
Now, not to sound arrogant, but which one do you like better?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
FDH Lounge Show #56: April 29, 2009
By Rick Morris
The 56th edition of THE FDH LOUNGE on SportsTalkNetwork.com (Wednesdays, 7-10 PM EDT) will exemplify yet again our credo that "nothing is off-topic."
After The Opening Statements of The FDH Lounge Dignitaries and our usual look at This Week in The FDH Lounge, we will effortlessly break down the swine flu situation for you. What the heck is going on with this? Fear not, The Dignitaries are on the case. Then, we'll take an extended look at the first 100 days of the Obama presidency, including the very recent news that the Democrats twisted the arm of a defector in the smoke-filled rooms and bought what might possibly be their 60th Senate seat.
From there, towards the bottom of Hour Two, we welcome in Dan Leberfeld from Scout.com's Jets Confidential. He covered what might have been the biggest story of the NFL Draft, New York's acquisition of the fifth overall pick and the selection of Mark Sanchez. As such, the Jets became perhaps the first team in NFL history to hand the keys in such grand fashion to two different potential franchise QBs in the span of eight months. Our talk with Dan will be the springboard to further analysis of last weekend's proceedings. Who were the winners and losers? The Dignitaries will tell you -- after they argue amongst themselves.
In Hour Three, our FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER is given over to our annual Fantasy Triple Crown Draft. If you love to watch the sport's three biggest races, we'll help you to enjoy them even more by organizing a fun and easy pool with your friends. Then, on THE GOON SQUAD, we break down the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here or catch us now on iTunes!
The 56th edition of THE FDH LOUNGE on SportsTalkNetwork.com (Wednesdays, 7-10 PM EDT) will exemplify yet again our credo that "nothing is off-topic."
After The Opening Statements of The FDH Lounge Dignitaries and our usual look at This Week in The FDH Lounge, we will effortlessly break down the swine flu situation for you. What the heck is going on with this? Fear not, The Dignitaries are on the case. Then, we'll take an extended look at the first 100 days of the Obama presidency, including the very recent news that the Democrats twisted the arm of a defector in the smoke-filled rooms and bought what might possibly be their 60th Senate seat.
From there, towards the bottom of Hour Two, we welcome in Dan Leberfeld from Scout.com's Jets Confidential. He covered what might have been the biggest story of the NFL Draft, New York's acquisition of the fifth overall pick and the selection of Mark Sanchez. As such, the Jets became perhaps the first team in NFL history to hand the keys in such grand fashion to two different potential franchise QBs in the span of eight months. Our talk with Dan will be the springboard to further analysis of last weekend's proceedings. Who were the winners and losers? The Dignitaries will tell you -- after they argue amongst themselves.
In Hour Three, our FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER is given over to our annual Fantasy Triple Crown Draft. If you love to watch the sport's three biggest races, we'll help you to enjoy them even more by organizing a fun and easy pool with your friends. Then, on THE GOON SQUAD, we break down the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here or catch us now on iTunes!
Swine flu overview: are we all gonna die?
By Rick Morris
As if the collapsing economy, revival of interest in ABBA through the “Mamma Mia” play and subsequent screenplay, an unpopular war, presidential election of a fresh-faced newcomer preaching idealism and wildly gyrating world oil markets didn’t signify enough of a return to the 1970s, now comes the swine flu back on to the national stage. The last time this plague was on the tips of everyone’s tongues 33 years ago, Gerald Ford was ordering a set of circumstances for the entire country to be inoculated.
Unfortunately, the cure caused as many problems as the disease actually did – since the much-feared pandemic did not actually materialize – due to side effects and various complications that proved fatal or at least grossly sickening to many. As such, it’s worth considering that even though many are touting Tamiflu as a potential solution to the problem, it too has its share of potential troubling issues.
Tamiflu was stockpiled in great amounts by the Bush administration, which was anticipating an avian flu pandemic which may still arise at some point. The shadow that hangs over all of the decisions made by various administrations, past and present, is the flu pandemic of 1918 that killed between 20 and 100 million people worldwide – at a time when global travel was a tiny, tiny fraction of what it is now. More recently, the complete failure of local, state and federal agencies to deal with Hurricane Katrina impressed upon politicians the fact that the American public has a zero-tolerance attitude when domestic tranquility is threatened in any way by emergency factors.
So how scared should we be right about now? Realistically, that question cannot be answered until health authorities can figure out why the virus has been almost completely deadly where it appeared to originate in Mexico and has not killed every last person to contract it outside of there.
But from what we can discern, there’s not much that should console anybody. Smelling blood, Obama administration allies are seizing the opportunity to politicize the potential crisis by blaming the potential pandemic on Congressional Republicans who were willing to allow funding to study such issues but wanted to keep it intellectually honest and out of the “emergency spending” stimulus bill. Meanwhile, in an early sign that the government will only go as far as political correctness will allow, Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano has preemptively ruled out closing the Mexican border regardless of present circumstances.
At the same time that political pygmies were toying with our lives through their tactics, Glenn Beck was reminding us all on Monday of the report from the Pentagon that came out in January that warned that two countries were on the brink of potential collapse: Pakistan and … wait for it, wait for it … yes, Mexico! That country was in grave peril from the pre-existing narco-terrorism crisis, he noted … how hot does the cauldron get once you add to the mix the panic of potential mass death and an economy that will grind to a complete halt as the entire country is quarantined waiting for the crisis to resolve itself? Oh, also, we have a southern border that politicians of both parties refuse to defend properly lest they appear insensitive to Latinos, so we could end up with a further population explosion in this country, this time with a great many swine flu carriers in the bunch. Wonderful!
So it is impossible to view the situation right now with any kind of wild optimism. The best hope is that quarantining the sick works as it did in the lower-level cases of SARS and avian flu this decade. That does remain somewhat possible, at least as of today. Additionally, if the predominant strain that spreads is more of the American variety and less of the Mexican one, more people will survive it and it will merely end up as a more lethal version of the existing flu bug that hits every year.
In order to keep tabs on what is happening with this potential pandemic, we recommend two key sources: a roundup of all news relating to this situation that is constantly updated on Glenn Beck’s website and The Flu News Blog, the best source of all virus-related information on the Internet.
As if the collapsing economy, revival of interest in ABBA through the “Mamma Mia” play and subsequent screenplay, an unpopular war, presidential election of a fresh-faced newcomer preaching idealism and wildly gyrating world oil markets didn’t signify enough of a return to the 1970s, now comes the swine flu back on to the national stage. The last time this plague was on the tips of everyone’s tongues 33 years ago, Gerald Ford was ordering a set of circumstances for the entire country to be inoculated.
Unfortunately, the cure caused as many problems as the disease actually did – since the much-feared pandemic did not actually materialize – due to side effects and various complications that proved fatal or at least grossly sickening to many. As such, it’s worth considering that even though many are touting Tamiflu as a potential solution to the problem, it too has its share of potential troubling issues.
Tamiflu was stockpiled in great amounts by the Bush administration, which was anticipating an avian flu pandemic which may still arise at some point. The shadow that hangs over all of the decisions made by various administrations, past and present, is the flu pandemic of 1918 that killed between 20 and 100 million people worldwide – at a time when global travel was a tiny, tiny fraction of what it is now. More recently, the complete failure of local, state and federal agencies to deal with Hurricane Katrina impressed upon politicians the fact that the American public has a zero-tolerance attitude when domestic tranquility is threatened in any way by emergency factors.
So how scared should we be right about now? Realistically, that question cannot be answered until health authorities can figure out why the virus has been almost completely deadly where it appeared to originate in Mexico and has not killed every last person to contract it outside of there.
But from what we can discern, there’s not much that should console anybody. Smelling blood, Obama administration allies are seizing the opportunity to politicize the potential crisis by blaming the potential pandemic on Congressional Republicans who were willing to allow funding to study such issues but wanted to keep it intellectually honest and out of the “emergency spending” stimulus bill. Meanwhile, in an early sign that the government will only go as far as political correctness will allow, Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano has preemptively ruled out closing the Mexican border regardless of present circumstances.
At the same time that political pygmies were toying with our lives through their tactics, Glenn Beck was reminding us all on Monday of the report from the Pentagon that came out in January that warned that two countries were on the brink of potential collapse: Pakistan and … wait for it, wait for it … yes, Mexico! That country was in grave peril from the pre-existing narco-terrorism crisis, he noted … how hot does the cauldron get once you add to the mix the panic of potential mass death and an economy that will grind to a complete halt as the entire country is quarantined waiting for the crisis to resolve itself? Oh, also, we have a southern border that politicians of both parties refuse to defend properly lest they appear insensitive to Latinos, so we could end up with a further population explosion in this country, this time with a great many swine flu carriers in the bunch. Wonderful!
So it is impossible to view the situation right now with any kind of wild optimism. The best hope is that quarantining the sick works as it did in the lower-level cases of SARS and avian flu this decade. That does remain somewhat possible, at least as of today. Additionally, if the predominant strain that spreads is more of the American variety and less of the Mexican one, more people will survive it and it will merely end up as a more lethal version of the existing flu bug that hits every year.
In order to keep tabs on what is happening with this potential pandemic, we recommend two key sources: a roundup of all news relating to this situation that is constantly updated on Glenn Beck’s website and The Flu News Blog, the best source of all virus-related information on the Internet.
NHL 2009 second-round playoff predictions
By Rick Morris
I started at a schweet 7-1 clip in the first round, marred only by a wrong guess on the 4-5 matchup in the East (so sue me!). My picks included the 1-8 upset in the West, so if you joined me in predicting that the Sharks would step on their collective johnsons for yet another season in the playoffs and you had any caysh down on the Ducks straight-up, you should have earned 2 1/2 times what you wagered. You're welcome!
The previous prediction about a Boston-Vancouver Stanley Cup Final was predicated on Chris Osgood continuing to bumble about for the Wings as he did during the regular season. Instead, he was absolutely sensational in the conference quarterfinals (except for the middle of Game Four) and he drew motivation from all of the doubters -- myself most definitely included. I proclaimed him the biggest X-factor in the entire playoff tournament and since he has answered the bell in fine fashion, The Road To The Cup still runs through Hockeytown until somebody proves that they can knock the champs out definitively.
SECOND ROUND
EAST
Boston over Carolina in 6
Pittsburgh over Washington in 7
WEST
Detroit over Anaheim in 6
Vancouver over Chicago in 6
CONFERENCE FINALS
EAST
Boston over Pittsburgh in 5
WEST
Detroit over Vancouver in 6
STANLEY CUP FINALS
Detroit over Boston in 6
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Pavel Datsyuk
I started at a schweet 7-1 clip in the first round, marred only by a wrong guess on the 4-5 matchup in the East (so sue me!). My picks included the 1-8 upset in the West, so if you joined me in predicting that the Sharks would step on their collective johnsons for yet another season in the playoffs and you had any caysh down on the Ducks straight-up, you should have earned 2 1/2 times what you wagered. You're welcome!
The previous prediction about a Boston-Vancouver Stanley Cup Final was predicated on Chris Osgood continuing to bumble about for the Wings as he did during the regular season. Instead, he was absolutely sensational in the conference quarterfinals (except for the middle of Game Four) and he drew motivation from all of the doubters -- myself most definitely included. I proclaimed him the biggest X-factor in the entire playoff tournament and since he has answered the bell in fine fashion, The Road To The Cup still runs through Hockeytown until somebody proves that they can knock the champs out definitively.
SECOND ROUND
EAST
Boston over Carolina in 6
Pittsburgh over Washington in 7
WEST
Detroit over Anaheim in 6
Vancouver over Chicago in 6
CONFERENCE FINALS
EAST
Boston over Pittsburgh in 5
WEST
Detroit over Vancouver in 6
STANLEY CUP FINALS
Detroit over Boston in 6
CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Pavel Datsyuk
Sportsology: What about Vick's vick-tims?
By Rick Morris
Our good pal Russ Cohen at Sportsology, with whom we mutually syndicate material, is a big-time animal lover and protector -- such that I'll probably feel like a big-time heel if I mention that I'm going to the dog track in Wheeling in a few weeks! As such, you know that he's got some thoughts on Lisa Salters' asinine comments about Michael Vick on ESPN's E:60 program.
Russ's Rants - Vick Will Get a Second Chance, Most of His Vick-tims Won't
By Russ Cohen
I recently taped the ESPN E:60 episode that dealt with some of the dogs that survived the Michael Vick ordeal. The piece was good, but before it began, there was a roundtable discussion that was very disturbing.
When the journalists were giving their opinions about the VICK-tims (as they called them), there were two opinions that stood out. Jeremy Schaap came out with a strong stance. “It’s savage inhumane treatment of animals. We have to draw a line in society,” he said this with extreme passion. Soon after that, Lisa Salters spoke (whose name didn’t appear under her while she was talking: note to the producers, they should identify the personalities), and that’s when the show stopped immediately. “We can’t really get invested in you being upset about Michael Vick mistreating dogs when there are people being mistreated,” she answered Schaap in a very condescending way. “So you can harm a human being and not get jail time?”
I thought Schaap’s head was going to explode and he talked about how the Bad Newz Kennels killed and mistreated the animals and Salters just didn’t get it. She didn’t do anything to dig herself out of this statement, and to me, one thing has nothing to do with another. They were talking about Vick and his case, not the millions of other cases against humans that may have had the outcome she was talking about. She didn’t back her statement up with any facts and sadly, I think there are a lot of people out there who may feel this way.
I give NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a lot of credit for talking to animal rights groups all along, and soon he will make an informed decision on whether or not the NFL will reinstate the former Falcons quarterback when he is released from jail. To me, it will be a PR nightmare for the team that wants him and I didn’t think he was a great quarterback when he was playing, so he will be less effective now that he has been away from the game for so long.
We once interviewed Redskins great Joe Theismann and talked about Vick. Theismann loved him and I said he wasn’t going to be that great. This was back in 2003 and I got some stares from Joe but I still stand by my statement. Vick, who last played in 2006, has thrown 71 career TD’s and 52 INT’s. He has 21 touchdowns, but 55 fumbles and he lost 27 of them; nobody ever talks about that. So why would a team want him now at the age of 28? In 2006 his completion percentage was a low 52.6 and even though he rushed for over 1,000 yards, could he do that in a “wildcat” offense? I personally don’t think so.
I feel it’s important to remember that Vick has paid his time but there are a lot of dogs that were either killed by his hand or humanely euthanized because they had too many mental scars to ever be rehabilitated. They won’t ever get a second chance. Thanks to the judge who ordered Vick to pay for the dogs' lifetime care, a few of them got a second chance. When the show interviewed one of the dog owners, she had nothing but contempt for the former kennel owner and I share that opinion.Here is a link to some horrific dog fighting pictures thanks to one of our writers, Rob Bertrand.
Our good pal Russ Cohen at Sportsology, with whom we mutually syndicate material, is a big-time animal lover and protector -- such that I'll probably feel like a big-time heel if I mention that I'm going to the dog track in Wheeling in a few weeks! As such, you know that he's got some thoughts on Lisa Salters' asinine comments about Michael Vick on ESPN's E:60 program.
Russ's Rants - Vick Will Get a Second Chance, Most of His Vick-tims Won't
By Russ Cohen
I recently taped the ESPN E:60 episode that dealt with some of the dogs that survived the Michael Vick ordeal. The piece was good, but before it began, there was a roundtable discussion that was very disturbing.
When the journalists were giving their opinions about the VICK-tims (as they called them), there were two opinions that stood out. Jeremy Schaap came out with a strong stance. “It’s savage inhumane treatment of animals. We have to draw a line in society,” he said this with extreme passion. Soon after that, Lisa Salters spoke (whose name didn’t appear under her while she was talking: note to the producers, they should identify the personalities), and that’s when the show stopped immediately. “We can’t really get invested in you being upset about Michael Vick mistreating dogs when there are people being mistreated,” she answered Schaap in a very condescending way. “So you can harm a human being and not get jail time?”
I thought Schaap’s head was going to explode and he talked about how the Bad Newz Kennels killed and mistreated the animals and Salters just didn’t get it. She didn’t do anything to dig herself out of this statement, and to me, one thing has nothing to do with another. They were talking about Vick and his case, not the millions of other cases against humans that may have had the outcome she was talking about. She didn’t back her statement up with any facts and sadly, I think there are a lot of people out there who may feel this way.
I give NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a lot of credit for talking to animal rights groups all along, and soon he will make an informed decision on whether or not the NFL will reinstate the former Falcons quarterback when he is released from jail. To me, it will be a PR nightmare for the team that wants him and I didn’t think he was a great quarterback when he was playing, so he will be less effective now that he has been away from the game for so long.
We once interviewed Redskins great Joe Theismann and talked about Vick. Theismann loved him and I said he wasn’t going to be that great. This was back in 2003 and I got some stares from Joe but I still stand by my statement. Vick, who last played in 2006, has thrown 71 career TD’s and 52 INT’s. He has 21 touchdowns, but 55 fumbles and he lost 27 of them; nobody ever talks about that. So why would a team want him now at the age of 28? In 2006 his completion percentage was a low 52.6 and even though he rushed for over 1,000 yards, could he do that in a “wildcat” offense? I personally don’t think so.
I feel it’s important to remember that Vick has paid his time but there are a lot of dogs that were either killed by his hand or humanely euthanized because they had too many mental scars to ever be rehabilitated. They won’t ever get a second chance. Thanks to the judge who ordered Vick to pay for the dogs' lifetime care, a few of them got a second chance. When the show interviewed one of the dog owners, she had nothing but contempt for the former kennel owner and I share that opinion.Here is a link to some horrific dog fighting pictures thanks to one of our writers, Rob Bertrand.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
NFL Draft winners and losers
By Rick Morris
Anybody spinning for their team by telling you that "it takes three years to evaluate a draft class" is an absolutely ridiculous human being. Here are the teams that distinguished themselves the most, positively and negatively, this weekend:
[Oh, and if you need an additional point of reference, here's our PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009 guide with complete player rankings among many other features. And here are all the picks for Rounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. And here is our link to videos of the most intriguing prospects in the draft.]
WINNERS
1 Jacksonville: Has anyone in recent memory acquired bookend OTs with their first two picks?
2 St. Louis: The new regime got off to a great start by acquiring legitimate OL and front seven anchors with their first two picks.
3 New England: This organization is always on the winner’s list. While they certainly could have benefited from staying put and picking OT Oher in the last first, the trio of early second-round picks will bring great help – especially local boy CB Butler.
4 Philadelphia: By taking another crack at a #1 WR and some much-needed RB help for Westbrook, this offense may take even another step forward.
5 Carolina: This grade is primarily associated with one pick: DE Brown in the second round. He could have gone as high as the early 20s, so the team got great value thanks in part to the preponderance of reaches by the draft losers. Also, don’t sleep on OG Robinson in the fifth round, one of the best overall values of the draft.
6 Arizona: Beanie Wells at 31? For a team that reached the Super Bowl last year with a sub-par running game? Look out NFC once again.
7 New York Jets: The Jets had a big hole at QB and they filled it in style. The players surrendered in the deal were negligible anyway.
8 Miami: Any other team would have made a ginormous reach to take Pat White in the second round. But not the ‘Fins. Our Senior Editor Jason Jones wrote prophetically before the draft about the damage that Miami could do with a QB such as White at the helm of the Wildcat offense. Game-planning Sparano’s boys just got that much more brutal.
9 Baltimore: A legitimate franchise LT in Michael Oher at 23? Who could blame Ozzie Newsome for giving off a good loud, “THAT … JUST … HAPPENED!” after the pick was announced?
10 Cincinnati: This is a qualified note of approval, inasmuch as OT Smith and LB Rey Rey are quite capable of becoming typical Bengals on the police blotter when exposed to that atmosphere. But they are potential cornerstone players, so even this sickly organization deserves some credit in that regard.
LOSERS
1 Oakland: Ah, good old Al Davis, reaching for a speedy wideout a good 15-20 spots ahead of where anyone else would have taken him. Value? Trading down? Al Davis knows not these things, which is why the team will never sufficiently augment their pathetic talent base while he’s still in charge.
2 Tampa Bay: The new crew really looks like they’re in over their heads. Project QB Josh Freeman and TE KW2 account for most of the impact draft picks of this draft. The brutal NFC South just acquired a new whipping boy for at least the next five years.
3 Cleveland: After a hiatus from the loser’s list during the Phil Savage days, Eric Mangini has brought back the suckage. Any time that a power-hungry head coach in charge asks you to believe that he’s right and the rest of the world is wrong about the value of the players selected where they were selected, he’s universally wrong.
4 Buffalo: What would the draft loser’s list be without the Bills? The only thing worse than reaching for the draft’s best center in the first round, as the Browns did, is reaching for the second-best center.
Anybody spinning for their team by telling you that "it takes three years to evaluate a draft class" is an absolutely ridiculous human being. Here are the teams that distinguished themselves the most, positively and negatively, this weekend:
[Oh, and if you need an additional point of reference, here's our PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009 guide with complete player rankings among many other features. And here are all the picks for Rounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. And here is our link to videos of the most intriguing prospects in the draft.]
WINNERS
1 Jacksonville: Has anyone in recent memory acquired bookend OTs with their first two picks?
2 St. Louis: The new regime got off to a great start by acquiring legitimate OL and front seven anchors with their first two picks.
3 New England: This organization is always on the winner’s list. While they certainly could have benefited from staying put and picking OT Oher in the last first, the trio of early second-round picks will bring great help – especially local boy CB Butler.
4 Philadelphia: By taking another crack at a #1 WR and some much-needed RB help for Westbrook, this offense may take even another step forward.
5 Carolina: This grade is primarily associated with one pick: DE Brown in the second round. He could have gone as high as the early 20s, so the team got great value thanks in part to the preponderance of reaches by the draft losers. Also, don’t sleep on OG Robinson in the fifth round, one of the best overall values of the draft.
6 Arizona: Beanie Wells at 31? For a team that reached the Super Bowl last year with a sub-par running game? Look out NFC once again.
7 New York Jets: The Jets had a big hole at QB and they filled it in style. The players surrendered in the deal were negligible anyway.
8 Miami: Any other team would have made a ginormous reach to take Pat White in the second round. But not the ‘Fins. Our Senior Editor Jason Jones wrote prophetically before the draft about the damage that Miami could do with a QB such as White at the helm of the Wildcat offense. Game-planning Sparano’s boys just got that much more brutal.
9 Baltimore: A legitimate franchise LT in Michael Oher at 23? Who could blame Ozzie Newsome for giving off a good loud, “THAT … JUST … HAPPENED!” after the pick was announced?
10 Cincinnati: This is a qualified note of approval, inasmuch as OT Smith and LB Rey Rey are quite capable of becoming typical Bengals on the police blotter when exposed to that atmosphere. But they are potential cornerstone players, so even this sickly organization deserves some credit in that regard.
LOSERS
1 Oakland: Ah, good old Al Davis, reaching for a speedy wideout a good 15-20 spots ahead of where anyone else would have taken him. Value? Trading down? Al Davis knows not these things, which is why the team will never sufficiently augment their pathetic talent base while he’s still in charge.
2 Tampa Bay: The new crew really looks like they’re in over their heads. Project QB Josh Freeman and TE KW2 account for most of the impact draft picks of this draft. The brutal NFC South just acquired a new whipping boy for at least the next five years.
3 Cleveland: After a hiatus from the loser’s list during the Phil Savage days, Eric Mangini has brought back the suckage. Any time that a power-hungry head coach in charge asks you to believe that he’s right and the rest of the world is wrong about the value of the players selected where they were selected, he’s universally wrong.
4 Buffalo: What would the draft loser’s list be without the Bills? The only thing worse than reaching for the draft’s best center in the first round, as the Browns did, is reaching for the second-best center.
FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume II, Issue XVII
By Rick Morris
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Video Clips: Top 10 most intriguing NFL prospects
By Rick Morris
In addition to our copious NFL Draft analysis, which of course includes our free downloadable guide PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009, we will be live-tweeting the draft proceedings from the SportsTalkNetwork.com NFL Draft Party at Cleats Club Seat Grille in Parma Heights, OH today via our FDH Lounge Twitter page. Additionally, of course, that means that our updates will be appearing right here in The FDH Lounge Multimedia Magazine on the upper-right part of the page. You can also check out the last-minute mock draft updates from our chief NFL Draft correspondent and our Senior Editor Jason Jones as well as my final mock draft and Jason's NFL Draft Big Board.
And just to round out your NFL Draft Day experience in fine form, here are highlight videos in alphabetical order of the players we consider to be the ten most intriguing in this year's rookie class. This is a very thin group in terms of players who project as multiple-time Pro Bowl participants, but it is very strong at offensive tackle. We included a fair amount of skill position players here, even though a few of them will not go in the top ten, just because they are among the ones who stir the most interest. Enjoy!
Michael Crabtree
Aaron Curry
Eugene Monroe
Knowshon Moreno
Brian Orakpo
BJ Raji
Mark Sanchez
Jason Smith
Matt Stafford
Beanie Wells
In addition to our copious NFL Draft analysis, which of course includes our free downloadable guide PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009, we will be live-tweeting the draft proceedings from the SportsTalkNetwork.com NFL Draft Party at Cleats Club Seat Grille in Parma Heights, OH today via our FDH Lounge Twitter page. Additionally, of course, that means that our updates will be appearing right here in The FDH Lounge Multimedia Magazine on the upper-right part of the page. You can also check out the last-minute mock draft updates from our chief NFL Draft correspondent and our Senior Editor Jason Jones as well as my final mock draft and Jason's NFL Draft Big Board.
And just to round out your NFL Draft Day experience in fine form, here are highlight videos in alphabetical order of the players we consider to be the ten most intriguing in this year's rookie class. This is a very thin group in terms of players who project as multiple-time Pro Bowl participants, but it is very strong at offensive tackle. We included a fair amount of skill position players here, even though a few of them will not go in the top ten, just because they are among the ones who stir the most interest. Enjoy!
Michael Crabtree
Aaron Curry
Eugene Monroe
Knowshon Moreno
Brian Orakpo
BJ Raji
Mark Sanchez
Jason Smith
Matt Stafford
Beanie Wells
Rick Morris NFL Mock Draft Version 2.0
By Rick Morris
NOTE: Version 1.0 of the mock draft, along with all other FDH Lounge and FantasyDrafthelp.com content issued prior to today, can be found in the free downloadable draft guide PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009.
Team
Player
Pos
School
1
DET
Matthew Stafford
QB
Georgia
2
STL
Jason Smith
OT
Baylor
3
KC
Aaron Curry
OLB
Wake
4
SEA
Mark Sanchez
QB
USC
5
CLE
Brian Orakpo
DE
Texas
6
CIN
Andre Smith
OT
Alabama
7
OAK
Darrius Heyward-Bey
WR
Maryland
8
JAX
Eugene Monroe
OT
Virginia
9
GB
Tyson Jackson
DE
LSU
10
SF
Michael Crabtree
WR
Texas Tech
11
BUF
Micheal Oher
OT
Ole Miss
12
DEN
B.J. Raji
DT
BC
13
WAS
Robert Ayers
DE
Tennessee
14
NO
Brian Cushing
OLB
USC
15
HOU
Malcolm Jenkins
CB
Ohio St
16
SD
Rey Maualuga
ILB
USC
17
NYJ
Jeremy Maclin
WR
Missouri
18
DEN
James Laurinautis
ILB
Ohio St
19
TB
Josh Freeman
QB
Kansas St
20
DET
Peria Jerry
DT
Mississippi
21
PHI
Knowshon Moreno
RB
Georgia
22
MIN
Eben Britton
OT
Arizona
23
NE
Vontae Davis
CB
Illinois
24
ATL
Ziggy Hood
DT
Missouri
25
MIA
Aaron Maybin
OLB
Penn St
26
BAL
Clay Matthews
OLB
USC
27
IND
Brian Robiskie
WR
Ohio St
28
BUF*
Everette Brown
DE
Florida St
29
NYG
Kenny Britt
WR
Rutgers
30
TEN
Darius Butler
CB
Connecticut
31
ARI
Beanie Wells
RB
Ohio St
32
PIT
Alex Mack
C
California
NOTE: Version 1.0 of the mock draft, along with all other FDH Lounge and FantasyDrafthelp.com content issued prior to today, can be found in the free downloadable draft guide PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009.
Team
Player
Pos
School
1
DET
Matthew Stafford
QB
Georgia
2
STL
Jason Smith
OT
Baylor
3
KC
Aaron Curry
OLB
Wake
4
SEA
Mark Sanchez
QB
USC
5
CLE
Brian Orakpo
DE
Texas
6
CIN
Andre Smith
OT
Alabama
7
OAK
Darrius Heyward-Bey
WR
Maryland
8
JAX
Eugene Monroe
OT
Virginia
9
GB
Tyson Jackson
DE
LSU
10
SF
Michael Crabtree
WR
Texas Tech
11
BUF
Micheal Oher
OT
Ole Miss
12
DEN
B.J. Raji
DT
BC
13
WAS
Robert Ayers
DE
Tennessee
14
NO
Brian Cushing
OLB
USC
15
HOU
Malcolm Jenkins
CB
Ohio St
16
SD
Rey Maualuga
ILB
USC
17
NYJ
Jeremy Maclin
WR
Missouri
18
DEN
James Laurinautis
ILB
Ohio St
19
TB
Josh Freeman
QB
Kansas St
20
DET
Peria Jerry
DT
Mississippi
21
PHI
Knowshon Moreno
RB
Georgia
22
MIN
Eben Britton
OT
Arizona
23
NE
Vontae Davis
CB
Illinois
24
ATL
Ziggy Hood
DT
Missouri
25
MIA
Aaron Maybin
OLB
Penn St
26
BAL
Clay Matthews
OLB
USC
27
IND
Brian Robiskie
WR
Ohio St
28
BUF*
Everette Brown
DE
Florida St
29
NYG
Kenny Britt
WR
Rutgers
30
TEN
Darius Butler
CB
Connecticut
31
ARI
Beanie Wells
RB
Ohio St
32
PIT
Alex Mack
C
California
Jason Jones NFL Mock Draft Version 2.0
By Jason Jones (posted by Rick Morris)
NOTE: Version 1.0 of the mock draft, along with all other FDH Lounge and FantasyDrafthelp.com content issued prior to today, can be found in the free downloadable draft guide PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009.
Team
Player
Pos
School
1
DET
Matthew Stafford
QB
Georgia
2
STL
Eugene Monroe
OT
Virginia
3
KC
Jason Smith
OT
Baylor
4
SEA
Michael Crabtree
WR
Texas Tech
5
CLE
Aaron Curry
OLB
Wake
6
CIN
Andre Smith
OT
Alabama
7
OAK
Darrius Heyward-Bey
WR
Maryland
8
JAX
Jeremy Maclin
WR
Missouri
9
GB
Brian Orakpo
DE
Texas
10
SF
Mark Sanchez
QB
USC
11
BUF
Aaron Maybin
OLB
Penn St
12
DEN
B.J. Raji
DT
BC
13
WAS
Robert Ayers
DE
Tennessee
14
NO
Malcolm Jenkins
CB
Ohio St
15
HOU
Brian Cushing
OLB
USC
16
SD
Rey Maualuga
ILB
USC
17
NYJ
Josh Freeman
QB
Kansas St
18
DEN
Tyson Jackson
DE
LSU
19
TB
Everette Brown
DE
Florida St
20
DET
Micheal Oher
OT
Ole Miss
21
PHI
Knowshon Moreno
RB
Georgia
22
MIN
Percy Harvin
WR
Florida
23
NE
Larry English
OLB
N. Illinois
24
ATL
Clay Matthews Jr
OLB
USC
25
MIA
James Laurinautis
ILB
Ohio St
26
BAL
Kenny Britt
WR
Rutgers
27
IND
Jeria Perry
DT
Ole Miss
28
BUF*
Brandon Pettigrew
TE
Okla St
29
NYG
Vontae Davis
CB
Illinois
30
TEN
Hakeem Nicks
WR
UNC
31
ARI
Beanie Wells
RB
Ohio St
32
PIT
Alex Mack
C
California
NOTE: Version 1.0 of the mock draft, along with all other FDH Lounge and FantasyDrafthelp.com content issued prior to today, can be found in the free downloadable draft guide PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009.
Team
Player
Pos
School
1
DET
Matthew Stafford
QB
Georgia
2
STL
Eugene Monroe
OT
Virginia
3
KC
Jason Smith
OT
Baylor
4
SEA
Michael Crabtree
WR
Texas Tech
5
CLE
Aaron Curry
OLB
Wake
6
CIN
Andre Smith
OT
Alabama
7
OAK
Darrius Heyward-Bey
WR
Maryland
8
JAX
Jeremy Maclin
WR
Missouri
9
GB
Brian Orakpo
DE
Texas
10
SF
Mark Sanchez
QB
USC
11
BUF
Aaron Maybin
OLB
Penn St
12
DEN
B.J. Raji
DT
BC
13
WAS
Robert Ayers
DE
Tennessee
14
NO
Malcolm Jenkins
CB
Ohio St
15
HOU
Brian Cushing
OLB
USC
16
SD
Rey Maualuga
ILB
USC
17
NYJ
Josh Freeman
QB
Kansas St
18
DEN
Tyson Jackson
DE
LSU
19
TB
Everette Brown
DE
Florida St
20
DET
Micheal Oher
OT
Ole Miss
21
PHI
Knowshon Moreno
RB
Georgia
22
MIN
Percy Harvin
WR
Florida
23
NE
Larry English
OLB
N. Illinois
24
ATL
Clay Matthews Jr
OLB
USC
25
MIA
James Laurinautis
ILB
Ohio St
26
BAL
Kenny Britt
WR
Rutgers
27
IND
Jeria Perry
DT
Ole Miss
28
BUF*
Brandon Pettigrew
TE
Okla St
29
NYG
Vontae Davis
CB
Illinois
30
TEN
Hakeem Nicks
WR
UNC
31
ARI
Beanie Wells
RB
Ohio St
32
PIT
Alex Mack
C
California
Jason Jones NFL Draft Big Board
By Jason Jones (posted by Rick Morris)
NOTE: Comparisons are on a stylistic basis and are not literal projections.
Player
Pos
School
Comparison
1
Aaron Curry
OLB
Wake
Joey Porter in his prime
2
Brian Orakpo
DE/OLB
Texas
Shawne Merriman
3
Jason Smith
OT
Baylor
Ryan Clady
4
B.J. Raji
NT
Boston College
Vince Wilfork
5
Andre Smith
OT
Alabama
Levi Jones
6
Michael Crabtree
WR
Texas Tech
Braylon Edwards+Plaxico Burress divided by 2, then -4 inches=Crabtree
7
Tyson Jackson
DE
LSU
Richard Seymour
8
Eugene Monroe
OT
Virginia
D'Brickashaw Ferguson
9
Rey Maualuga
ILB
USC
Ray Lewis
10
Mark Sanchez
QB
USC
Phillip Rivers
11
Matt Stafford
QB
Georgia
Mark Bulger
12
Robert Ayers
DE/OLB
Tennessee
Jared Allen
13
Aaron Maybin
DE/OLB
Penn St
Jason Taylor
14
Everette Brown
DE/OLB
Florida St
Simeon Rice
15
Knowshon Moreno
RB
Georgia
Poor Man's Marshall Faulk
16
Micheal Oher
OT
Ole Miss
Khalif Barnes
17
Brandon Pettigrew
TE
Oklahoma St
Kellen Winslow
18
Brian Cushing
OLB
USC
D.J. Williams
19
Jeremy Maclin
WR
Missouri
Reggie Wayne
20
Larry English
DE/OLB
Northern Illinois
LaMarr Woodley
21
Percy Harvin
WR
Florida
Santonio Holmes, Santana Moss hybrid
22
Vontae Davis
CB
Illinois
Asante Samuel
23
Chris Wells
RB
Ohio St
Michael Turner if healthy
24
Derrius Heyward-Bey
WR
Maryland
Speedy Marques Colston
25
Clay Matthews Jr
OLB
USC
Mike Vrabel
26
Josh Freeman
QB
Kansas St
Young Daunte Culpepper but lighter in the pants
27
Alphonso Smith
CB
Wake
Ronde Barber
28
Malcolm Jenkins
CB/S
Ohio St
Nnamdi Asomugha if he were a safety
29
Michael Johnson
DE/OLB
Georgia Tech
John Abraham
30
James Laurinautis
ILB
Ohio St
Jonathan Vilma
31
LeSean McCoy
RB
Pitt
DeMeco Ryans
32
Kenny Britt
WR
Rutgers
Poor Man's Brandon Marshall
33
Darius Butler
CB
Uconn
Darrelle Revis
34
Evander Hood
DT
Missouri
Broderick Bunkley
35
Donald Brown
RB
Uconn
Marshawn Lynch
36
Hakeem Nicks
WR
UNC
Poor Man's Andre Johnson
37
Ebon Britton
OT
Arizona
Jamaal Brown
38
Lawrence Sidbury
DE/OLB
Richmond
Derrick Burgess
39
Clint Sintim
OLB
Virginia
Keith Brooking
40
Louis Delmas
S
Western Mich
Gibril Wilson
41
William Beatty
OT
Uconn
Jon Runyan
42
Connon Barwin
DE/LB/TE
Cincinnati
Jamaal Anderson-Jonathan Vilma-Tony Scheffler
43
Alex Mack
C
California
Jeff Saturday
44
Sean Smith
CB/S
Utah
Quentin Jammer
45
Peria Jerry
DT
Ole Miss
Trevor Laws
46
Victor Harris
CB
Virginia Tech
Dunta Robinson
47
Austin Collie
WR
BYU
Hines Ward
48
Eric Wood
C
Louisville
Olin Kreutz
49
D.J. Moore
CB
Vanderbilt
Carlos Rogers
50
Darry Beckwith
ILB
LSU
Tedy Bruschi
51
Patrick Chung
S
Oregon
Adrian Wilson
52
Ron Brace
NT
Boston College
Poor Man's Marcus Striud
53
Brian Robiskie
WR
Ohio St
Javon Walker in Green Bay on the high side
54
Phil Loadholt
OT
Oklahoma
Tarik Glenn
55
Shawn Nelson
TE
Southern Miss
Vernon Davis
56
Rashad Jennings
RB
Liberty
Tiki Barber
57
Duke Robinson
OG
Oklahoma
Young Larry Allen
58
Emanuel Cook
S
South Carolina
Antoine Bethea
59
Max Unger
C
Oregon
Kevin Mawae
60
Pat White
QB
West Virginia
Young Donovon McNabb but smaller
61
Sen'Derrick Marks
DT
Auburn
Luis Castillo
62
Fili Moala
DT
USC
Kelly Gregg
63
Paul Kruger
DE
Utah
Aaron Smith
64
Derrick Williams
WR
Penn St
Justin McCareins
NOTE: Comparisons are on a stylistic basis and are not literal projections.
Player
Pos
School
Comparison
1
Aaron Curry
OLB
Wake
Joey Porter in his prime
2
Brian Orakpo
DE/OLB
Texas
Shawne Merriman
3
Jason Smith
OT
Baylor
Ryan Clady
4
B.J. Raji
NT
Boston College
Vince Wilfork
5
Andre Smith
OT
Alabama
Levi Jones
6
Michael Crabtree
WR
Texas Tech
Braylon Edwards+Plaxico Burress divided by 2, then -4 inches=Crabtree
7
Tyson Jackson
DE
LSU
Richard Seymour
8
Eugene Monroe
OT
Virginia
D'Brickashaw Ferguson
9
Rey Maualuga
ILB
USC
Ray Lewis
10
Mark Sanchez
QB
USC
Phillip Rivers
11
Matt Stafford
QB
Georgia
Mark Bulger
12
Robert Ayers
DE/OLB
Tennessee
Jared Allen
13
Aaron Maybin
DE/OLB
Penn St
Jason Taylor
14
Everette Brown
DE/OLB
Florida St
Simeon Rice
15
Knowshon Moreno
RB
Georgia
Poor Man's Marshall Faulk
16
Micheal Oher
OT
Ole Miss
Khalif Barnes
17
Brandon Pettigrew
TE
Oklahoma St
Kellen Winslow
18
Brian Cushing
OLB
USC
D.J. Williams
19
Jeremy Maclin
WR
Missouri
Reggie Wayne
20
Larry English
DE/OLB
Northern Illinois
LaMarr Woodley
21
Percy Harvin
WR
Florida
Santonio Holmes, Santana Moss hybrid
22
Vontae Davis
CB
Illinois
Asante Samuel
23
Chris Wells
RB
Ohio St
Michael Turner if healthy
24
Derrius Heyward-Bey
WR
Maryland
Speedy Marques Colston
25
Clay Matthews Jr
OLB
USC
Mike Vrabel
26
Josh Freeman
QB
Kansas St
Young Daunte Culpepper but lighter in the pants
27
Alphonso Smith
CB
Wake
Ronde Barber
28
Malcolm Jenkins
CB/S
Ohio St
Nnamdi Asomugha if he were a safety
29
Michael Johnson
DE/OLB
Georgia Tech
John Abraham
30
James Laurinautis
ILB
Ohio St
Jonathan Vilma
31
LeSean McCoy
RB
Pitt
DeMeco Ryans
32
Kenny Britt
WR
Rutgers
Poor Man's Brandon Marshall
33
Darius Butler
CB
Uconn
Darrelle Revis
34
Evander Hood
DT
Missouri
Broderick Bunkley
35
Donald Brown
RB
Uconn
Marshawn Lynch
36
Hakeem Nicks
WR
UNC
Poor Man's Andre Johnson
37
Ebon Britton
OT
Arizona
Jamaal Brown
38
Lawrence Sidbury
DE/OLB
Richmond
Derrick Burgess
39
Clint Sintim
OLB
Virginia
Keith Brooking
40
Louis Delmas
S
Western Mich
Gibril Wilson
41
William Beatty
OT
Uconn
Jon Runyan
42
Connon Barwin
DE/LB/TE
Cincinnati
Jamaal Anderson-Jonathan Vilma-Tony Scheffler
43
Alex Mack
C
California
Jeff Saturday
44
Sean Smith
CB/S
Utah
Quentin Jammer
45
Peria Jerry
DT
Ole Miss
Trevor Laws
46
Victor Harris
CB
Virginia Tech
Dunta Robinson
47
Austin Collie
WR
BYU
Hines Ward
48
Eric Wood
C
Louisville
Olin Kreutz
49
D.J. Moore
CB
Vanderbilt
Carlos Rogers
50
Darry Beckwith
ILB
LSU
Tedy Bruschi
51
Patrick Chung
S
Oregon
Adrian Wilson
52
Ron Brace
NT
Boston College
Poor Man's Marcus Striud
53
Brian Robiskie
WR
Ohio St
Javon Walker in Green Bay on the high side
54
Phil Loadholt
OT
Oklahoma
Tarik Glenn
55
Shawn Nelson
TE
Southern Miss
Vernon Davis
56
Rashad Jennings
RB
Liberty
Tiki Barber
57
Duke Robinson
OG
Oklahoma
Young Larry Allen
58
Emanuel Cook
S
South Carolina
Antoine Bethea
59
Max Unger
C
Oregon
Kevin Mawae
60
Pat White
QB
West Virginia
Young Donovon McNabb but smaller
61
Sen'Derrick Marks
DT
Auburn
Luis Castillo
62
Fili Moala
DT
USC
Kelly Gregg
63
Paul Kruger
DE
Utah
Aaron Smith
64
Derrick Williams
WR
Penn St
Justin McCareins
Thursday, April 23, 2009
What If We Analyzed Crazy?
by Jason Jones
We are on the heels of the 2009 NFL Draft. As I have crunched every logical scenario for most, if not all, of the 32 teams, I find myself looking at the not-so-logical. This year's rumors have not lived up to the foolery of previous year thus far, so I let my mind wander. I personally am not a Dolphins fan, however, you had to marvel at the success of the worst team in the NFL in 2007. Just by adding in a new formation (the WILDCAT) this team was very entertaining to watch. So let's take a gander and what could be if they took the wildcat to the next level.
I’ve mapped out a way to become an offensive juggernaut as well as improving and adding depth to their young defense (Joey Porter excluded from “young”).
-First and foremost, the threat of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams only remains a threat if the defensive coordinator is deathly afraid of the passing game. Ted Ginn will probably evolve into a wonderful wildcat WR. But after him, that’s where the discussion ends.
-For some strange reason, Al Davis seems to be backing off Jeremy Maclin in the first round due to his 4.5+ 40 time. And if projections are to be taken as mandate, so is the rest of the league. So, suspending reality (at least in my mind) we draft WR Jeremy Maclin with 25th overall pick in 2009. Also in 2009, on his shiftiness and reliability catching the ball in traffic, we take a flyer on WR Quan Cosby. On the high side he might prove to be a poor man’s Wes Welker. Moving on to the 2010 draft, WRs keep getting picked. In the first round again, we select RB (but in this scheme better utilized as a kick returner and WR) Joe McKnight from USC. Like Ginn, McKnight is not a protype at WR or RB for that matter, but could be huge in the wildcat formation. To counter things so that it doesn’t seem like the entire offense is predicated on trick plays, we add another conventional WR, Brandon LaFell from LSU. Now, when you look at the depth chart, you would have one conventional WR and one Wildcat WR paired up. Jeremy Maclin and Ted Ginn, then Brandon LaFell and Joe McKnight.
-Next would be QB. Chad Pennington did more than was expected in 2008, however, for the sake of this discussion, we are considering a full-time wildcat formation. Threats of all possibilities from almost all positions. Wait for it…with the second of two picks in the third round, Miami selects QB Pat White from West Virginia, to…yes…play QB. Then just slide the other two QBs down a spot. White starts, Pennington backs him up and Henne backs up Pennington.
-Tight End is not a huge and sexy position even in the wildcat. However unimpressive it is, clearly it is important to get a guy who can block as well as catch. So let's skip any draft picks and go straight to the 2010 free agency period. Josh McDaniels feels so strongly in his system no one person is irreplaceable. So, in 2010, the Dolphins acquire TE Tony Scheffler. Again, slide everyone down one spot.
-The offensive line is important, but for the sake of discussion, let's assume they just draft for depth and an occasional sleeper to improve the o-line.
-Defensive line…the lifeblood of any 3-4 defense (assuming they continue with that evolution). Kendall Langford was a typical Parcells draft pick. He was considered a slight reach, but has stepped in and performed like a starter…where he will remain. Jason Ferguson is ok, but no real stud NT. And there doesn’t seem to be one on the horizon. Just for insurance sake, in 2010 the Dolphins select Kellen Heard late. Heard is 330+ pounds and outside of the elite NT’s, size is most important. Technique can be learned. Also in 2010, they sign Derrick Burgess from Oakland. He is a fringe Pro Bowl talent. And if this wasn’t unconventional enough, we will put him at weak side DE in a 3-4. Risky move, I know. Adding depth on the line, in 2009 they draft Paul Kruger and DeMarcus Granger in 2010.
-Linebacking core is where the majority of the defensive pressure will come from and Miami has a very good start. Joey Porter (for now) and Phillip Merling will be the mainstays at OLB. We will also add Chike Okeafor from Arizona in 2010 free agency and move Matt Roth to OLB in a rotational capacity. On the inside, a little experimentation. Start Channing Crowder on the strong side and start Reggie Torbor somewhat out of position, backing them up rotationally with key special teamers, Williams Kershaw and Darry Beckwith (2009 second-day draft pick).
-The secondary doesn’t really change much. Will Allen at the #1 CB spot and Gibril Wilson at the FS spot are the class of this aspect of the defense. Draft Patrick Chung in 2009 and sign Nick Harper in 2010, which leaves the depth to Yeremiah Bell, Tyrone Culver, Jason Allen, and Mark Parson.
-Now keep in mind, this exercise was done in all seriousness. The drafted players mentioned are all attainable according to projections relative to where the Dolphins should be drafting. In addition, the free agent signings are realistic. None of them are top-flight free agents that will demand a large contract. So once again, let's look at this starting 22 (offense and defense) on paper.
QB1 Pat White
QB2 Chad Pennington
FB Brannan Southerland
RB1 Ronnie Brown
RB2 Ricky Williams
TE1 Tony Scheffler
TE2 Anthony Fasano
WR1 Jeremy Maclin
WR2 Ted Ginn Jr
WR3 Joe McKnight
WR4 Brandon LaFell
LT Jake Long
LG Andy Kemp
C Jake Grove
RG Ikechuku Ndukwe
RT Vernon Carey
DE Kendall Langford
NT Jason Ferguson
DE Derrick Burgess
OLB Joey Porter
ILB Reggie Torbor
ILB Channing Crowder
OLB Phillip Merling
SS Patrick Chung
FS Gibril Wilson
CB Will Allen
CB Nick Harper
We are on the heels of the 2009 NFL Draft. As I have crunched every logical scenario for most, if not all, of the 32 teams, I find myself looking at the not-so-logical. This year's rumors have not lived up to the foolery of previous year thus far, so I let my mind wander. I personally am not a Dolphins fan, however, you had to marvel at the success of the worst team in the NFL in 2007. Just by adding in a new formation (the WILDCAT) this team was very entertaining to watch. So let's take a gander and what could be if they took the wildcat to the next level.
I’ve mapped out a way to become an offensive juggernaut as well as improving and adding depth to their young defense (Joey Porter excluded from “young”).
-First and foremost, the threat of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams only remains a threat if the defensive coordinator is deathly afraid of the passing game. Ted Ginn will probably evolve into a wonderful wildcat WR. But after him, that’s where the discussion ends.
-For some strange reason, Al Davis seems to be backing off Jeremy Maclin in the first round due to his 4.5+ 40 time. And if projections are to be taken as mandate, so is the rest of the league. So, suspending reality (at least in my mind) we draft WR Jeremy Maclin with 25th overall pick in 2009. Also in 2009, on his shiftiness and reliability catching the ball in traffic, we take a flyer on WR Quan Cosby. On the high side he might prove to be a poor man’s Wes Welker. Moving on to the 2010 draft, WRs keep getting picked. In the first round again, we select RB (but in this scheme better utilized as a kick returner and WR) Joe McKnight from USC. Like Ginn, McKnight is not a protype at WR or RB for that matter, but could be huge in the wildcat formation. To counter things so that it doesn’t seem like the entire offense is predicated on trick plays, we add another conventional WR, Brandon LaFell from LSU. Now, when you look at the depth chart, you would have one conventional WR and one Wildcat WR paired up. Jeremy Maclin and Ted Ginn, then Brandon LaFell and Joe McKnight.
-Next would be QB. Chad Pennington did more than was expected in 2008, however, for the sake of this discussion, we are considering a full-time wildcat formation. Threats of all possibilities from almost all positions. Wait for it…with the second of two picks in the third round, Miami selects QB Pat White from West Virginia, to…yes…play QB. Then just slide the other two QBs down a spot. White starts, Pennington backs him up and Henne backs up Pennington.
-Tight End is not a huge and sexy position even in the wildcat. However unimpressive it is, clearly it is important to get a guy who can block as well as catch. So let's skip any draft picks and go straight to the 2010 free agency period. Josh McDaniels feels so strongly in his system no one person is irreplaceable. So, in 2010, the Dolphins acquire TE Tony Scheffler. Again, slide everyone down one spot.
-The offensive line is important, but for the sake of discussion, let's assume they just draft for depth and an occasional sleeper to improve the o-line.
-Defensive line…the lifeblood of any 3-4 defense (assuming they continue with that evolution). Kendall Langford was a typical Parcells draft pick. He was considered a slight reach, but has stepped in and performed like a starter…where he will remain. Jason Ferguson is ok, but no real stud NT. And there doesn’t seem to be one on the horizon. Just for insurance sake, in 2010 the Dolphins select Kellen Heard late. Heard is 330+ pounds and outside of the elite NT’s, size is most important. Technique can be learned. Also in 2010, they sign Derrick Burgess from Oakland. He is a fringe Pro Bowl talent. And if this wasn’t unconventional enough, we will put him at weak side DE in a 3-4. Risky move, I know. Adding depth on the line, in 2009 they draft Paul Kruger and DeMarcus Granger in 2010.
-Linebacking core is where the majority of the defensive pressure will come from and Miami has a very good start. Joey Porter (for now) and Phillip Merling will be the mainstays at OLB. We will also add Chike Okeafor from Arizona in 2010 free agency and move Matt Roth to OLB in a rotational capacity. On the inside, a little experimentation. Start Channing Crowder on the strong side and start Reggie Torbor somewhat out of position, backing them up rotationally with key special teamers, Williams Kershaw and Darry Beckwith (2009 second-day draft pick).
-The secondary doesn’t really change much. Will Allen at the #1 CB spot and Gibril Wilson at the FS spot are the class of this aspect of the defense. Draft Patrick Chung in 2009 and sign Nick Harper in 2010, which leaves the depth to Yeremiah Bell, Tyrone Culver, Jason Allen, and Mark Parson.
-Now keep in mind, this exercise was done in all seriousness. The drafted players mentioned are all attainable according to projections relative to where the Dolphins should be drafting. In addition, the free agent signings are realistic. None of them are top-flight free agents that will demand a large contract. So once again, let's look at this starting 22 (offense and defense) on paper.
QB1 Pat White
QB2 Chad Pennington
FB Brannan Southerland
RB1 Ronnie Brown
RB2 Ricky Williams
TE1 Tony Scheffler
TE2 Anthony Fasano
WR1 Jeremy Maclin
WR2 Ted Ginn Jr
WR3 Joe McKnight
WR4 Brandon LaFell
LT Jake Long
LG Andy Kemp
C Jake Grove
RG Ikechuku Ndukwe
RT Vernon Carey
DE Kendall Langford
NT Jason Ferguson
DE Derrick Burgess
OLB Joey Porter
ILB Reggie Torbor
ILB Channing Crowder
OLB Phillip Merling
SS Patrick Chung
FS Gibril Wilson
CB Will Allen
CB Nick Harper
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
FDH Lounge Show #55: April 22, 2009
By Rick Morris
As we announced in the last month, we’re seizing the mantle from NPR’s “All Things Considered” – because when they bring you a show that’s got this much variety (or is this random, depending on your preferred nomenclature), then they can have their freaking name back! The 55th edition of THE FDH LOUNGE (7-10 PM EDT on SportsTalkNetwork.com) brings a wide spectrum that those public radio poseurs can only dream of.
After The Opening Statements of The Dignitaries of The FDH Lounge and a look back at This Week In The FDH Lounge, we pause to review the 10th anniversary of the Columbine massacre. It seems unbelievable that a decade has passed since that horrible mark on American history. Through the lens of time, are there any lessons we can draw from it? Then, we bring in a special guest: Colin Delany from epolitics.com, a great website that views politics through a largely online lens. The first president in American history to be elected by harnessing the disparate uses of the Internet is approaching the end of his first 100 days in office and they have been probably the most transformative ones since Ronald Reagan stepped in to clean up after Jimmy Carter 28 years ago. How is this era unfolding and can we draw any lessons yet for the next few election cycles? We’ll talk it over. Towards the end of the first hour, we take a look at the start of the NBA Playoffs and ascertain whether there are any big surprises unfolding.
In Hour Two, we welcome in WFAN sports-talk radio host Evan Roberts for a perspective on sports from the Big Apple. With two new ballparks having just opened up, the NFL Draft in town this weekend and two of the three area NHL franchises in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he’s got a lot to talk about these days and he’ll share with our Lounge audience. From there, we move on to geopolitics and take a look at the Obama jaunt to Latin America. Catching flies with honey, or projecting weakness to American adversaries? There’s probably going to be some disagreement with this topic. After that, Scout.com’s Giant Insider reporter Ken Palmer, the man who has been at the heart of the Braylon Edwards trade rumors, tells us about what is swirling on his turf with the NFL Draft. He also covers the New Jersey Devils and has some thoughts on their tough series with Carolina, one of the first round’s true toss-ups.
Then, in Hour Three, we move into our dedicated show-within-a-show segments of THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER and THE GOON SQUAD. On the fantasy show, we examine some early-season “Buy Low” and “Sell High” candidates, before delving into an examination of the 2009 fantasy value of the top skill position rookies in this weekend’s NFL Draft. Speaking of which, if you haven’t already, you really, really need to check out PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009, our free draft guide in conjunction with Sportsology and 1stDownScouting.com. Then, our “Goon” regulars are joined by Russ Cohen from Hockeyology to break down the Stanley Cup Playoffs – and we’ll go inside every series.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here or catch us now on iTunes!
As we announced in the last month, we’re seizing the mantle from NPR’s “All Things Considered” – because when they bring you a show that’s got this much variety (or is this random, depending on your preferred nomenclature), then they can have their freaking name back! The 55th edition of THE FDH LOUNGE (7-10 PM EDT on SportsTalkNetwork.com) brings a wide spectrum that those public radio poseurs can only dream of.
After The Opening Statements of The Dignitaries of The FDH Lounge and a look back at This Week In The FDH Lounge, we pause to review the 10th anniversary of the Columbine massacre. It seems unbelievable that a decade has passed since that horrible mark on American history. Through the lens of time, are there any lessons we can draw from it? Then, we bring in a special guest: Colin Delany from epolitics.com, a great website that views politics through a largely online lens. The first president in American history to be elected by harnessing the disparate uses of the Internet is approaching the end of his first 100 days in office and they have been probably the most transformative ones since Ronald Reagan stepped in to clean up after Jimmy Carter 28 years ago. How is this era unfolding and can we draw any lessons yet for the next few election cycles? We’ll talk it over. Towards the end of the first hour, we take a look at the start of the NBA Playoffs and ascertain whether there are any big surprises unfolding.
In Hour Two, we welcome in WFAN sports-talk radio host Evan Roberts for a perspective on sports from the Big Apple. With two new ballparks having just opened up, the NFL Draft in town this weekend and two of the three area NHL franchises in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he’s got a lot to talk about these days and he’ll share with our Lounge audience. From there, we move on to geopolitics and take a look at the Obama jaunt to Latin America. Catching flies with honey, or projecting weakness to American adversaries? There’s probably going to be some disagreement with this topic. After that, Scout.com’s Giant Insider reporter Ken Palmer, the man who has been at the heart of the Braylon Edwards trade rumors, tells us about what is swirling on his turf with the NFL Draft. He also covers the New Jersey Devils and has some thoughts on their tough series with Carolina, one of the first round’s true toss-ups.
Then, in Hour Three, we move into our dedicated show-within-a-show segments of THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER and THE GOON SQUAD. On the fantasy show, we examine some early-season “Buy Low” and “Sell High” candidates, before delving into an examination of the 2009 fantasy value of the top skill position rookies in this weekend’s NFL Draft. Speaking of which, if you haven’t already, you really, really need to check out PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009, our free draft guide in conjunction with Sportsology and 1stDownScouting.com. Then, our “Goon” regulars are joined by Russ Cohen from Hockeyology to break down the Stanley Cup Playoffs – and we’ll go inside every series.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here or catch us now on iTunes!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Video Clips: Fun Timewasters
By Rick Morris
From time to time, we try to accommodate our Lounge content consumers who just want some fun, light entertainment. Hence this edition of our Video Clips series, entitled "Fun Timewasters." These are simply some video clips that you can enjoy and consume in the form of good, mindless entertainment. On with the show!
Ric Flair bringing you promotion for a NASCAR race like you've never seen it in your life!
If you don't think chick fights can be that gnarly, you've never seen the big one from Kill Bill 2. You've been warned: the last move executed (and what is done with the body part involved in the last move executed) may be the most gruesome thing you've ever seen!
With the 2009 NBA Playoffs getting underway today, it's the appropriate time to take a look at the greatest game in Lebron James' career -- so far! Game 5, Eastern Conference Finals, 2007.
What kind of high-priced luxury hotel has Barry Sanders and a host of other famous jocks as guests all in the same night?
Harry Kalas called many Phillies games for Comcast; as such, they put together a great summation of his career:
And here's a compilation of some of Harry's greatest calls:
From time to time, we try to accommodate our Lounge content consumers who just want some fun, light entertainment. Hence this edition of our Video Clips series, entitled "Fun Timewasters." These are simply some video clips that you can enjoy and consume in the form of good, mindless entertainment. On with the show!
Ric Flair bringing you promotion for a NASCAR race like you've never seen it in your life!
If you don't think chick fights can be that gnarly, you've never seen the big one from Kill Bill 2. You've been warned: the last move executed (and what is done with the body part involved in the last move executed) may be the most gruesome thing you've ever seen!
With the 2009 NBA Playoffs getting underway today, it's the appropriate time to take a look at the greatest game in Lebron James' career -- so far! Game 5, Eastern Conference Finals, 2007.
What kind of high-priced luxury hotel has Barry Sanders and a host of other famous jocks as guests all in the same night?
Harry Kalas called many Phillies games for Comcast; as such, they put together a great summation of his career:
And here's a compilation of some of Harry's greatest calls:
WrestleMania 26 -- book it this way!
By Rick Morris
Like I did last year, I'm bringing you a wish list for the next WrestleMania, almost one year out from the big day. As with last year, I'm trying to keep this in the realm of the politically possible. For example, I'd still like to see John Cena end the Undertaker's undefeated streak at Mania, but I don't see that as being at all possible for next year.
^ WWE Championship: Randy Orton vs. John Cena. Health permitting, we know we're getting this one next year as Orton is in the midst of the biggest "franchise heel" push since HHH got his a decade ago. The company sees Cena as their current face of the product right now, but realistically he's more at the level of a Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels in the '90s rather than a Hogan, Austin or Rock. He's running out of chances to get to that next level and be taken seriously and this feud could be his make-or-break chance. The WWE doesn't want to hurt his appeal to the kiddies or lose their new PG reputation, but they're going to have to let Cena get some edge back (no pun intended) or he'll get eaten alive by a crowd that doesn't seem to want to boo Orton anyway. If both guys are on their game, this could be one of the most memorable all-time main events. That would be a welcome contrast to this year.
^ World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. Shawn Michaels. Think about it: Edge needs a win in a world title match at Mania, something only granted to Orton and HHH so far as heels. Michaels needs somebody who can have another great Mania match with him and there are reports that this match could be his last. Having Michaels cross brands for a few weeks would kill two birds with one stone. And with HBK's reluctance to work on Tuesday nights, you could pre-film enough stuff on Mondays, even extra matches, to give him a presence on Smackdown for a few weeks.
^ ECW Championship: Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger. This feud should be built to over the course of the year, with Bourne finally winning the title somewhere around December. That would make this match the blowoff where Swagger wins the title to crown his ECW career before they both move on to bigger and better things on either Monday or (preferably) Friday nights.
^ Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho. We've seen the formula that works over the past two years: super-talented cocky opponent vowing to end the Undertaker's Mania streak. Could anyone possibly be any better in that role than Jericho?
^ HHH vs. William Regal. This would be a great match, and with HHH and Regal as longtime real-life friends, it could be politically possible under certain circumstances. If Regal were somehow paired with Orton's Legacy faction in some way, the combination of his own heat and the reflected heat of Legacy could make this a match that the fans would clamor for under the right booking conditions. Essentially, HHH and his, errrrr, backers in the company would have to settle for a mid-to-upper card win at Mania instead of a match for a world title. Aside from his injury in 2007 and his match with Undertaker in 2001, he's wrestled for a world title at every Mania since 2000 -- the only run that has ever rivaled Hogan's one through the first several WrestleManias. Assuming that the proverbial crowbar could separate HHH from a world title match or rematch from Mania 17 with 'Taker, this would be an excellent substitute.
^ Unified World Tag Team Title Match: Legacy vs. Jeff Hardy & Rey Misterio. Jeff and Rey Rey would make a great high-flying "dream team" combo and could have a great match with Legacy -- the team that figures to be the dominant one over the next year across the company with the (rushed) Miz'n'Morrison breakup.
^ Lumberjill Tag Match. The format that the company used at Mania 24 with the rest of the Divas in the company appearing outside the ring for a tag match was probably the best possible way to get all of them on the card. It really doesn't matter which four ladies you pick for this match, inasmuch as nobody appears to buy tickets on this basis, but I'd look to pair the top faces from Raw and Smackdown against the top heels from those shows. If I had my druthers, it'd be Beth Phoenix and Michelle McCool against Maryse (who would have to turn face by then) and Eve.
^ Battle Royal with Money In the Bank immediately following. If the company wanted to maximize intrigue about who would win Money In the Bank, they'd wait to crown the participants with a battle royal at Mania. Take the final six survivors of the battle royal and then immediately start the ladder match. As for who to elevate, I'm torn between MVP and Shelton Benjamin, but I'd probably give it to Benjamin because I believe that MVP would have an easier time cracking the main event without the "magic briefcase."
^ US Title Match: The Miz vs. MVP vs. Batista vs. John Morrison. A win here could do a great deal to further establish Miz in his own right and with the Mania season cross-brand madness (which actually is only a further manifestation of the rest of the year!), Morrison could easily materialize as a challenger. Optimistically, MVP wouldn't need a win in this match by this time to be taken seriously and Batista would give some good "main event" flavor to the match. I could see him turning heel over the course of the year once he gets his revenge on Orton, because Raw is so thin in terms of main event heels (and don't hold your breath waiting for Matt Hardy or The Miz to get the proverbial rocket strapped to their backsides).
Like I did last year, I'm bringing you a wish list for the next WrestleMania, almost one year out from the big day. As with last year, I'm trying to keep this in the realm of the politically possible. For example, I'd still like to see John Cena end the Undertaker's undefeated streak at Mania, but I don't see that as being at all possible for next year.
^ WWE Championship: Randy Orton vs. John Cena. Health permitting, we know we're getting this one next year as Orton is in the midst of the biggest "franchise heel" push since HHH got his a decade ago. The company sees Cena as their current face of the product right now, but realistically he's more at the level of a Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels in the '90s rather than a Hogan, Austin or Rock. He's running out of chances to get to that next level and be taken seriously and this feud could be his make-or-break chance. The WWE doesn't want to hurt his appeal to the kiddies or lose their new PG reputation, but they're going to have to let Cena get some edge back (no pun intended) or he'll get eaten alive by a crowd that doesn't seem to want to boo Orton anyway. If both guys are on their game, this could be one of the most memorable all-time main events. That would be a welcome contrast to this year.
^ World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. Shawn Michaels. Think about it: Edge needs a win in a world title match at Mania, something only granted to Orton and HHH so far as heels. Michaels needs somebody who can have another great Mania match with him and there are reports that this match could be his last. Having Michaels cross brands for a few weeks would kill two birds with one stone. And with HBK's reluctance to work on Tuesday nights, you could pre-film enough stuff on Mondays, even extra matches, to give him a presence on Smackdown for a few weeks.
^ ECW Championship: Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger. This feud should be built to over the course of the year, with Bourne finally winning the title somewhere around December. That would make this match the blowoff where Swagger wins the title to crown his ECW career before they both move on to bigger and better things on either Monday or (preferably) Friday nights.
^ Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho. We've seen the formula that works over the past two years: super-talented cocky opponent vowing to end the Undertaker's Mania streak. Could anyone possibly be any better in that role than Jericho?
^ HHH vs. William Regal. This would be a great match, and with HHH and Regal as longtime real-life friends, it could be politically possible under certain circumstances. If Regal were somehow paired with Orton's Legacy faction in some way, the combination of his own heat and the reflected heat of Legacy could make this a match that the fans would clamor for under the right booking conditions. Essentially, HHH and his, errrrr, backers in the company would have to settle for a mid-to-upper card win at Mania instead of a match for a world title. Aside from his injury in 2007 and his match with Undertaker in 2001, he's wrestled for a world title at every Mania since 2000 -- the only run that has ever rivaled Hogan's one through the first several WrestleManias. Assuming that the proverbial crowbar could separate HHH from a world title match or rematch from Mania 17 with 'Taker, this would be an excellent substitute.
^ Unified World Tag Team Title Match: Legacy vs. Jeff Hardy & Rey Misterio. Jeff and Rey Rey would make a great high-flying "dream team" combo and could have a great match with Legacy -- the team that figures to be the dominant one over the next year across the company with the (rushed) Miz'n'Morrison breakup.
^ Lumberjill Tag Match. The format that the company used at Mania 24 with the rest of the Divas in the company appearing outside the ring for a tag match was probably the best possible way to get all of them on the card. It really doesn't matter which four ladies you pick for this match, inasmuch as nobody appears to buy tickets on this basis, but I'd look to pair the top faces from Raw and Smackdown against the top heels from those shows. If I had my druthers, it'd be Beth Phoenix and Michelle McCool against Maryse (who would have to turn face by then) and Eve.
^ Battle Royal with Money In the Bank immediately following. If the company wanted to maximize intrigue about who would win Money In the Bank, they'd wait to crown the participants with a battle royal at Mania. Take the final six survivors of the battle royal and then immediately start the ladder match. As for who to elevate, I'm torn between MVP and Shelton Benjamin, but I'd probably give it to Benjamin because I believe that MVP would have an easier time cracking the main event without the "magic briefcase."
^ US Title Match: The Miz vs. MVP vs. Batista vs. John Morrison. A win here could do a great deal to further establish Miz in his own right and with the Mania season cross-brand madness (which actually is only a further manifestation of the rest of the year!), Morrison could easily materialize as a challenger. Optimistically, MVP wouldn't need a win in this match by this time to be taken seriously and Batista would give some good "main event" flavor to the match. I could see him turning heel over the course of the year once he gets his revenge on Orton, because Raw is so thin in terms of main event heels (and don't hold your breath waiting for Matt Hardy or The Miz to get the proverbial rocket strapped to their backsides).
Geopolitics roundup
By Rick Morris
We have long covered geopolitics at The FDH Lounge, both in terms of our own analysis and linking to great coverage elsewhere. Here’s our latest roundup of top news and analysis on the Internet.
From The Long War Journal, Pakistan has just given into the jihadists and signed sharia into law in key parts of the country.
From The Long War Journal, Al Qaeda's Shadow Army commander outlines Afghan strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal, the electricity grid in U.S. has been penetrated by spies.
From the New York Times, control of cybersecurity has become a political football.
From The Counterterrorism Blog, the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group has made inroads in the Obama Administration.
From the NEFA Foundation, here’s a study called Core Al-Qaida in 2008: A Review.
From Haaretz, a pundit says that “I would advise Netanyahu to attack Iran.”
From the Times in Britain, Israel stands ready to bomb Iran's nuclear sites.
From the Washington Times, the Gulf states get set for a raid on Iran's nuclear sites and some revenge attacks that might follow.
From Janes, the US seeks force transformation with dramatic shift in budget priorities.
From Janes, Britain is already planning special security arrangements for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
From Janes, the race for the Afghan presidency is getting hot.
From In From the Cold, the line of succession in North Korea is examined.
From Investor’s Business Daily, questions about how much manipulation Russia is perpetuating on America right now via US adversaries.
From The Foreign Policy Blog, the IMF releases a portion of dire World Economic Outlook.
We have long covered geopolitics at The FDH Lounge, both in terms of our own analysis and linking to great coverage elsewhere. Here’s our latest roundup of top news and analysis on the Internet.
From The Long War Journal, Pakistan has just given into the jihadists and signed sharia into law in key parts of the country.
From The Long War Journal, Al Qaeda's Shadow Army commander outlines Afghan strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal, the electricity grid in U.S. has been penetrated by spies.
From the New York Times, control of cybersecurity has become a political football.
From The Counterterrorism Blog, the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group has made inroads in the Obama Administration.
From the NEFA Foundation, here’s a study called Core Al-Qaida in 2008: A Review.
From Haaretz, a pundit says that “I would advise Netanyahu to attack Iran.”
From the Times in Britain, Israel stands ready to bomb Iran's nuclear sites.
From the Washington Times, the Gulf states get set for a raid on Iran's nuclear sites and some revenge attacks that might follow.
From Janes, the US seeks force transformation with dramatic shift in budget priorities.
From Janes, Britain is already planning special security arrangements for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
From Janes, the race for the Afghan presidency is getting hot.
From In From the Cold, the line of succession in North Korea is examined.
From Investor’s Business Daily, questions about how much manipulation Russia is perpetuating on America right now via US adversaries.
From The Foreign Policy Blog, the IMF releases a portion of dire World Economic Outlook.
The right-wing death cult
By Rick Morris
Barack Obama, November 6, 2012: "And most of all tonight, I'd like to thank Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and the folks at Red State for making my re-election possible!"
Don't think it can happen? Then you're wrong, because at the moment, it's the likeliest outcome, and for people like myself who oppose the overwhelming majority of Obama's policies on substantive public policy grounds, it's nothing short of infuriating.
I've written about many elements of this previously: the GOP's insistence on looking obstructionist for obstructionist's sake notwithstanding having no power to obstruct Obama right now, the right's shameless overlooking of so many Bush Administration moderate and even liberal policies, the endlessly stupid Republican "kitchen sink" attack approach on Obama last year rather than the targeted and effective approach I advocated and the continuation of the asinine "kitchen sink" approach this year.
The common thread is that so-called conservatives are getting drunk on their own venom right now and it's hurting the cause tremendously. In many ways, it's like the Browns fans who years ago doubled down on support of Butch Davis even after he had been exposed as the biggest buffoon ever to roam NFL sidelines. When things aren't going your way, you've got to examine your approach.
After a year of attacks on Obama so unfocused that they could have been excerpted from a Tourette Syndrome tirade ("Celebrity!" "Reverend Wright!" "Socialist!"), the group so aptly named years ago "The Stupid Party" by right-wing journalist M. Stanton Evans evidently aspired to continue living up to that tag. So many opponents of the president are so out of it right now that they didn't even realize that Obama was letting himself be thrown into the briar patch by getting into a feud with Rush Limbaugh -- whose unbelievably unproductive line about hoping Obama fails gave Democrats every opportunity to slime the hapless Republicans.
But it didn't end there. Limbaugh's "Amen Chorus" propelled him to a nationally-televised slot at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) when he defiantly belched out his line yet again. And his flunkies at Red State (who never missed a chance to suck up to George W. Bush, even while he was putting everything conservatives had worked for over the course of decades at risk with his ineptitude) then self-righteously picked up the mantle and implied that those who also didn't want Obama to fail were squishes of some sort. Again, mighty rich coming from the "George W. Bush is God" chorus.
Think about the implications of their ill-considered proclamation. Of course, nobody with a brain wants Obama to succeed in inflicting policies on the country that will bring harm. I hope that he doesn't succeed in implementing most of his policies, although I know that he will. But that's not what they're saying! They're simply saying, "I hope he fails." Really? So, by definition, if we get into a military crisis with North Korea or Iran or somebody like that, you hope he fails? And if that's not the brainless thing that you mean, why on earth would you not qualify that in some way?
For the life of me, I don't know why Republicans are making it so easy for Obama to continue to marginalize opposition to this administration. I'm not saying not to criticize this administration on substantive grounds, because to do so is like shooting fish in a barrel. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be Tea Parties, because they were a great manifestation of patriotism and activism (and one of the most prominent people involved in them, Glenn Beck, is a truly intellectually honest opinion leader who is quick to proclaim the failings of BOTH political parties).
But I am saying that such statements and actions should be counteracted in some small way by giving credit where it is due when appropriate. One example of this might be Obama's decision to put aside his infantile opposition to warrantless wiretapping on the campaign trail and realize that the real world demands pragmatic approaches to fighting terrorism. This reversal was a great move on his part and the right is wrong to try to demonize anyone who tries to balance their copious criticism with encouragement on occasion.
And I am saying that even if the Limbaughs and Hannitys of the world can't put aside the juvenile worship of George W. Bush that animates their hatred of Obama, the rest of the right wing would be wise to do so. It's quite funny that I saw so many conservatives over the past few years who swore that under a Democrat president that they would never succumb to the "Bush Derangement Syndrome" that drove the wackos like Daily Kos -- and yet, here we are in the spring of 2009 with so many Bizzaro World Kos types littering the right side of the spectrum.
What's most unbelievable about all of this is that the folks most vehement in espousing their public hatred of all things Obama are apparently the ones who are the least secure in their public policy convictions! I can afford to sit back, take a deep breath, and only attack Obama here and there because I know full well that his policies won't work for this country and that time will bear this out.
Moreover, even though most of my friends are fairly apolitical, most also tend to have similar views to my paleocon ones on the rare occasions when we talk politics, so they would certainly be persuadable anti-Obama voters (having said that, though, persuadable voters are the ones most likely to be alienated by over-the-top partisanship, as evidenced by the stated wish of FDH Senior Editor Jason Jones to punch Sean Hannity in the nose notwithstanding the fact that Jason is right-of-center on many issues). Oh, and you know what else persuadable anti-Obama voters don't like? Racism aimed at the First Family in the form of a shot at "The First BabyMomma." Minus any kind of handy scapegoats, Obama should not be in a strong position for re-election because of the negative effects that his policies will have on the country.
So why would anyone on the right volunteer for the role of Obama scapegoat? Limbaugh I understand at least, because he's just a businessman who doesn't really care about the harm he's doing. His plutocratic wealth is growing by the day as his ratings increase and that's his bottom line, protestations about his "beliefs" notwithstanding. But I don't see anybody else (aside from possibly Hannity) growing wealthier by being a useful idiot for Barack Obama. So I ask again, why would anyone take on that role willingly -- and how are they going to live with themselves when they succeed in inflicting four more years of this administration on the country?
Barack Obama, November 6, 2012: "And most of all tonight, I'd like to thank Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and the folks at Red State for making my re-election possible!"
Don't think it can happen? Then you're wrong, because at the moment, it's the likeliest outcome, and for people like myself who oppose the overwhelming majority of Obama's policies on substantive public policy grounds, it's nothing short of infuriating.
I've written about many elements of this previously: the GOP's insistence on looking obstructionist for obstructionist's sake notwithstanding having no power to obstruct Obama right now, the right's shameless overlooking of so many Bush Administration moderate and even liberal policies, the endlessly stupid Republican "kitchen sink" attack approach on Obama last year rather than the targeted and effective approach I advocated and the continuation of the asinine "kitchen sink" approach this year.
The common thread is that so-called conservatives are getting drunk on their own venom right now and it's hurting the cause tremendously. In many ways, it's like the Browns fans who years ago doubled down on support of Butch Davis even after he had been exposed as the biggest buffoon ever to roam NFL sidelines. When things aren't going your way, you've got to examine your approach.
After a year of attacks on Obama so unfocused that they could have been excerpted from a Tourette Syndrome tirade ("Celebrity!" "Reverend Wright!" "Socialist!"), the group so aptly named years ago "The Stupid Party" by right-wing journalist M. Stanton Evans evidently aspired to continue living up to that tag. So many opponents of the president are so out of it right now that they didn't even realize that Obama was letting himself be thrown into the briar patch by getting into a feud with Rush Limbaugh -- whose unbelievably unproductive line about hoping Obama fails gave Democrats every opportunity to slime the hapless Republicans.
But it didn't end there. Limbaugh's "Amen Chorus" propelled him to a nationally-televised slot at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) when he defiantly belched out his line yet again. And his flunkies at Red State (who never missed a chance to suck up to George W. Bush, even while he was putting everything conservatives had worked for over the course of decades at risk with his ineptitude) then self-righteously picked up the mantle and implied that those who also didn't want Obama to fail were squishes of some sort. Again, mighty rich coming from the "George W. Bush is God" chorus.
Think about the implications of their ill-considered proclamation. Of course, nobody with a brain wants Obama to succeed in inflicting policies on the country that will bring harm. I hope that he doesn't succeed in implementing most of his policies, although I know that he will. But that's not what they're saying! They're simply saying, "I hope he fails." Really? So, by definition, if we get into a military crisis with North Korea or Iran or somebody like that, you hope he fails? And if that's not the brainless thing that you mean, why on earth would you not qualify that in some way?
For the life of me, I don't know why Republicans are making it so easy for Obama to continue to marginalize opposition to this administration. I'm not saying not to criticize this administration on substantive grounds, because to do so is like shooting fish in a barrel. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be Tea Parties, because they were a great manifestation of patriotism and activism (and one of the most prominent people involved in them, Glenn Beck, is a truly intellectually honest opinion leader who is quick to proclaim the failings of BOTH political parties).
But I am saying that such statements and actions should be counteracted in some small way by giving credit where it is due when appropriate. One example of this might be Obama's decision to put aside his infantile opposition to warrantless wiretapping on the campaign trail and realize that the real world demands pragmatic approaches to fighting terrorism. This reversal was a great move on his part and the right is wrong to try to demonize anyone who tries to balance their copious criticism with encouragement on occasion.
And I am saying that even if the Limbaughs and Hannitys of the world can't put aside the juvenile worship of George W. Bush that animates their hatred of Obama, the rest of the right wing would be wise to do so. It's quite funny that I saw so many conservatives over the past few years who swore that under a Democrat president that they would never succumb to the "Bush Derangement Syndrome" that drove the wackos like Daily Kos -- and yet, here we are in the spring of 2009 with so many Bizzaro World Kos types littering the right side of the spectrum.
What's most unbelievable about all of this is that the folks most vehement in espousing their public hatred of all things Obama are apparently the ones who are the least secure in their public policy convictions! I can afford to sit back, take a deep breath, and only attack Obama here and there because I know full well that his policies won't work for this country and that time will bear this out.
Moreover, even though most of my friends are fairly apolitical, most also tend to have similar views to my paleocon ones on the rare occasions when we talk politics, so they would certainly be persuadable anti-Obama voters (having said that, though, persuadable voters are the ones most likely to be alienated by over-the-top partisanship, as evidenced by the stated wish of FDH Senior Editor Jason Jones to punch Sean Hannity in the nose notwithstanding the fact that Jason is right-of-center on many issues). Oh, and you know what else persuadable anti-Obama voters don't like? Racism aimed at the First Family in the form of a shot at "The First BabyMomma." Minus any kind of handy scapegoats, Obama should not be in a strong position for re-election because of the negative effects that his policies will have on the country.
So why would anyone on the right volunteer for the role of Obama scapegoat? Limbaugh I understand at least, because he's just a businessman who doesn't really care about the harm he's doing. His plutocratic wealth is growing by the day as his ratings increase and that's his bottom line, protestations about his "beliefs" notwithstanding. But I don't see anybody else (aside from possibly Hannity) growing wealthier by being a useful idiot for Barack Obama. So I ask again, why would anyone take on that role willingly -- and how are they going to live with themselves when they succeed in inflicting four more years of this administration on the country?
NBA 2009 playoff predictions
By Rick Morris
FIRST ROUND
EAST
Cleveland over Detroit in 4
Boston over Chicago in 7
Orlando over Philadelphia in 5
Atlanta over Miami in 6
WEST
Los Angeles Lakers over Utah in 5
Denver over New Orleans in 6
Dallas over San Antonio in 7
Houston over Portland in 7
SECOND ROUND
EAST
Cleveland over Atlanta in 6
Orlando over Boston in 6
WEST
Los Angeles Lakers over Houston in 6
Denver over Dallas in 6
EAST CONFERENCE FINALS
Cleveland over Orlando in 6
WEST CONFERENCE FINALS
Los Angeles Lakers over Denver in 5
NBA FINALS
Cleveland over Los Angeles Lakers in 7
FINALS MVP: Lebron James
FIRST ROUND
EAST
Cleveland over Detroit in 4
Boston over Chicago in 7
Orlando over Philadelphia in 5
Atlanta over Miami in 6
WEST
Los Angeles Lakers over Utah in 5
Denver over New Orleans in 6
Dallas over San Antonio in 7
Houston over Portland in 7
SECOND ROUND
EAST
Cleveland over Atlanta in 6
Orlando over Boston in 6
WEST
Los Angeles Lakers over Houston in 6
Denver over Dallas in 6
EAST CONFERENCE FINALS
Cleveland over Orlando in 6
WEST CONFERENCE FINALS
Los Angeles Lakers over Denver in 5
NBA FINALS
Cleveland over Los Angeles Lakers in 7
FINALS MVP: Lebron James
FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume II, Issue XVI
By Rick Morris
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tea Parties & Right Wing Extremism
By Tony Mazur
April 15th is traditionally known as Tax Day here in the United States, but it will also be remembered for a tremendous showing of anger towards the increasing liberal movement.
The Tax Day Tea Parties were nationwide protests against higher taxes and bigger government brought on by President Obama and his administration. The Tea Parties were held in 773 cities across the U.S., and there was even a protest in front of the White House. I am proud to say that I was at the Cleveland, Ohio Tea Party held on Mall C, between City Hall and the courthouse.
I expected criticism from the liberal media, but I was appalled at what I have read and heard. We were called racists. We were called hate mongers. Every insult in the book was thrown at us. But I didn't see that down on Lakeside Avenue. I saw hard-working, tax-paying Americans. I saw Christians. I saw families. I saw people who are completely fed up with this administration, and it hasn't been three months. There were no acts of violence. There was no abusive language (unless you count the phrase "I'm mad as hell!"). Nothing of that sort.
When I think of the word "extremist", I think of someone who can put the lives of innocent citizens in danger. Well, the media has coined these Tea Party-goers "Right Wing Extremists". Remember, if liberals protest over inane issues such as global warming, gay marriage, and legalizing marijuana, they are considered "brave", and they are standing up for what they believe in. If a conservative protests against REAL issues such as high taxes, big government, and abortion, they are "fools", and need to go back to work.
I think the Tea Parties were an astounding success, and I look forward to attending the next one. And this isn't a partisan affair. Republicans have done their share of wasteful spending, especially during the Bush administration. No one is clean. The Tea Parties were set up to make more people aware of what is currently happening and what could happen if we don't act fast. And believe me, our voices were heard. Big time.
April 15th is traditionally known as Tax Day here in the United States, but it will also be remembered for a tremendous showing of anger towards the increasing liberal movement.
The Tax Day Tea Parties were nationwide protests against higher taxes and bigger government brought on by President Obama and his administration. The Tea Parties were held in 773 cities across the U.S., and there was even a protest in front of the White House. I am proud to say that I was at the Cleveland, Ohio Tea Party held on Mall C, between City Hall and the courthouse.
I expected criticism from the liberal media, but I was appalled at what I have read and heard. We were called racists. We were called hate mongers. Every insult in the book was thrown at us. But I didn't see that down on Lakeside Avenue. I saw hard-working, tax-paying Americans. I saw Christians. I saw families. I saw people who are completely fed up with this administration, and it hasn't been three months. There were no acts of violence. There was no abusive language (unless you count the phrase "I'm mad as hell!"). Nothing of that sort.
When I think of the word "extremist", I think of someone who can put the lives of innocent citizens in danger. Well, the media has coined these Tea Party-goers "Right Wing Extremists". Remember, if liberals protest over inane issues such as global warming, gay marriage, and legalizing marijuana, they are considered "brave", and they are standing up for what they believe in. If a conservative protests against REAL issues such as high taxes, big government, and abortion, they are "fools", and need to go back to work.
I think the Tea Parties were an astounding success, and I look forward to attending the next one. And this isn't a partisan affair. Republicans have done their share of wasteful spending, especially during the Bush administration. No one is clean. The Tea Parties were set up to make more people aware of what is currently happening and what could happen if we don't act fast. And believe me, our voices were heard. Big time.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
FDH Lounge Show #54: April 15, 2009
By Rick Morris
This federal tax day promises to be the least painful in history, notwithstanding the government's ever-growing grasp for caysh. Why? Because THE FDH LOUNGE's 54th episode (7-10 PM EDT on SportsTalkNetwork.com) will soothe your pain!
After The Opening Statements of The Dignitaries of The FDH Lounge and a look at This Week In The FDH Lounge, we take our first look at this day's Tea Party events before welcoming in Fox Sports Senior Writer Alex Marvez. He's a multi-talented writer who wears many hats, including President of the Pro Football Writers of America, FoxSports.com MMA columnist and Scripps-Howard pro wrestling columnist. We'll talk to him about current events in all three areas.
Then, towards the end of Hour One, we'll return to some Tea Party coverage before bringing in a gentleman for a sad note at the top of the next hour. Bill Vargus, sportscaster at Fox 29 in Philadelphia, comes on the program to contribute some insights about his friend Harry Kalas, who passed away suddenly on Monday. Kalas was an important figure in modern sports broadcasting as well as being a great person and Bill will help contribute to our understanding of him. After that, we'll look at Texas telling the federal government to go take a flying leap. Valid point or reminder of troubling "states rights" days of the past down south? Toward the end of the hour, we'll be joined by SLAM! Wrestling staffer Jon Waldman, who is editing the forthcoming book SLAM! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle. It details wrestling history as it has been covered by SLAM! since 1997. We'll look back and also at the present terrain in pro wrestling.
The third hour will feature slightly truncated versions of THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER and THE GOON SQUAD after a short segment examining whether anyone can plausibly challenge Lebron James for NBA MVP this year. On THE INSIDER, we unveil our brand-new PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009 and we'll go inside the upcoming NFL Draft. We'll also look at our 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Pool Draft Board. That will provide a logical, smooth segue to THE GOON SQUAD, as we deliver our playoff predictions and also break down Miami of Ohio's epic choke for the ages in the NCAA national championship game last Saturday.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here.
This federal tax day promises to be the least painful in history, notwithstanding the government's ever-growing grasp for caysh. Why? Because THE FDH LOUNGE's 54th episode (7-10 PM EDT on SportsTalkNetwork.com) will soothe your pain!
After The Opening Statements of The Dignitaries of The FDH Lounge and a look at This Week In The FDH Lounge, we take our first look at this day's Tea Party events before welcoming in Fox Sports Senior Writer Alex Marvez. He's a multi-talented writer who wears many hats, including President of the Pro Football Writers of America, FoxSports.com MMA columnist and Scripps-Howard pro wrestling columnist. We'll talk to him about current events in all three areas.
Then, towards the end of Hour One, we'll return to some Tea Party coverage before bringing in a gentleman for a sad note at the top of the next hour. Bill Vargus, sportscaster at Fox 29 in Philadelphia, comes on the program to contribute some insights about his friend Harry Kalas, who passed away suddenly on Monday. Kalas was an important figure in modern sports broadcasting as well as being a great person and Bill will help contribute to our understanding of him. After that, we'll look at Texas telling the federal government to go take a flying leap. Valid point or reminder of troubling "states rights" days of the past down south? Toward the end of the hour, we'll be joined by SLAM! Wrestling staffer Jon Waldman, who is editing the forthcoming book SLAM! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle. It details wrestling history as it has been covered by SLAM! since 1997. We'll look back and also at the present terrain in pro wrestling.
The third hour will feature slightly truncated versions of THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER and THE GOON SQUAD after a short segment examining whether anyone can plausibly challenge Lebron James for NBA MVP this year. On THE INSIDER, we unveil our brand-new PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009 and we'll go inside the upcoming NFL Draft. We'll also look at our 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Pool Draft Board. That will provide a logical, smooth segue to THE GOON SQUAD, as we deliver our playoff predictions and also break down Miami of Ohio's epic choke for the ages in the NCAA national championship game last Saturday.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here.
NHL 2009 playoff predictions
By Rick Morris
FIRST ROUND
EAST
Boston over Montreal in 5
Washington over New York Rangers in 6
Carolina over New Jersey in 6
Philadelphia over Pittsburgh in 7
WEST
Anaheim over San Jose in 7 !!!!!
Detroit over Columbus in 6
Vancouver over St. Louis in 6
Chicago over Calgary in 7
SECOND ROUND
EAST
Boston over Carolina in 6
Philadelphia over Washington in 6
WEST
Detroit over Anaheim in 7
Vancouver over Chicago in 7
EAST CONFERENCE FINALS
Boston over Philadelphia in 6
WEST CONFERENCE FINALS
Vancouver over Detroit in 6
STANLEY CUP FINALS
Boston over Vancouver in 6
CONN SMYTHE TROPHY WINNER: Zdeno Chara
Additionally, here are the first round predictions from my co-host of THE GOON SQUAD segment of THE FDH LOUNGE, Kyle O'Rourke:
EAST
Montreal over Boston !!!!!
Washington over New York Rangers
Carolina over New Jersey
Philadelphia over Pittsburgh
WEST
San Jose over Anaheim
Columbus over Detroit !!!!!
St. Louis over Vancouver !!!!!
Chicago over Calgary
FIRST ROUND
EAST
Boston over Montreal in 5
Washington over New York Rangers in 6
Carolina over New Jersey in 6
Philadelphia over Pittsburgh in 7
WEST
Anaheim over San Jose in 7 !!!!!
Detroit over Columbus in 6
Vancouver over St. Louis in 6
Chicago over Calgary in 7
SECOND ROUND
EAST
Boston over Carolina in 6
Philadelphia over Washington in 6
WEST
Detroit over Anaheim in 7
Vancouver over Chicago in 7
EAST CONFERENCE FINALS
Boston over Philadelphia in 6
WEST CONFERENCE FINALS
Vancouver over Detroit in 6
STANLEY CUP FINALS
Boston over Vancouver in 6
CONN SMYTHE TROPHY WINNER: Zdeno Chara
Additionally, here are the first round predictions from my co-host of THE GOON SQUAD segment of THE FDH LOUNGE, Kyle O'Rourke:
EAST
Montreal over Boston !!!!!
Washington over New York Rangers
Carolina over New Jersey
Philadelphia over Pittsburgh
WEST
San Jose over Anaheim
Columbus over Detroit !!!!!
St. Louis over Vancouver !!!!!
Chicago over Calgary
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Assistance for the perverts at MSNBC
By Rick Morris
[DISCLAIMER: Sometimes you have to sink to the level of scum merchants to get your point across. This is one such time!]
So all the pre-verts on MSNBC like the fey David Shuster and Ray Maddow want to belittle the taxpayers' rights movement and associated Tax Day Tea Parties by liberally using the word "teabagging?" It's clear that they get an increased blood flow to their naughty parts by putting words like that out there in the hope that, somewhere, they can get a small child to run to an adult and ask, "Mommy, what's teabagging?" It's clear that Phil Griffin, eunuch that he is, will not at this late try to enforce any standard of broadcast decency on the troglodytes he allegedly manages. And hey, with a Democrat in the White House, it's clear that nobody on that low-rated network is going to be whistling "The F-C-C won't let me beeeee" anytime soon.
With all of that said, let me prove the moral superiority once and for all of right-thinking Americans like myself. If these dbags want to sit there and giggle at upstanding Middle American taxpayers who are sick of being abused by the government, that's their right. I, in turn, will not only turn the other cheek, but will provide them with material in their new quest to gain viewers by dumping any semblance of broadcast standards. It's the least I can do!
As such, here's some material I fully expect to be emanating from the pieholes of MSNBC shock talkers in the days and weeks to come. No royalty payments necessary, you pinko swine, I'm doing it out of the kindness of my heart!
^ "A California Congresswoman named Loretta is painting a 'Dirty Sanchez' for Republican supporters of border control."
^ "President Obama appears to be threatening North Korea with a 'Roman War Helmet' if the communist country continues to pursue a nuclear program."
^ "It seems as though the midterm elections will provide the third consecutive opportunity for a 'donkey punch' right to the party of the elephants."
^ "President Obama's alternative energy plan includes copious amounts of support for hydroelectric energy from Lake Erie. GOP opponents of the plan should brace for a 'Cleveland steamer.'"
[DISCLAIMER: Sometimes you have to sink to the level of scum merchants to get your point across. This is one such time!]
So all the pre-verts on MSNBC like the fey David Shuster and Ray Maddow want to belittle the taxpayers' rights movement and associated Tax Day Tea Parties by liberally using the word "teabagging?" It's clear that they get an increased blood flow to their naughty parts by putting words like that out there in the hope that, somewhere, they can get a small child to run to an adult and ask, "Mommy, what's teabagging?" It's clear that Phil Griffin, eunuch that he is, will not at this late try to enforce any standard of broadcast decency on the troglodytes he allegedly manages. And hey, with a Democrat in the White House, it's clear that nobody on that low-rated network is going to be whistling "The F-C-C won't let me beeeee" anytime soon.
With all of that said, let me prove the moral superiority once and for all of right-thinking Americans like myself. If these dbags want to sit there and giggle at upstanding Middle American taxpayers who are sick of being abused by the government, that's their right. I, in turn, will not only turn the other cheek, but will provide them with material in their new quest to gain viewers by dumping any semblance of broadcast standards. It's the least I can do!
As such, here's some material I fully expect to be emanating from the pieholes of MSNBC shock talkers in the days and weeks to come. No royalty payments necessary, you pinko swine, I'm doing it out of the kindness of my heart!
^ "A California Congresswoman named Loretta is painting a 'Dirty Sanchez' for Republican supporters of border control."
^ "President Obama appears to be threatening North Korea with a 'Roman War Helmet' if the communist country continues to pursue a nuclear program."
^ "It seems as though the midterm elections will provide the third consecutive opportunity for a 'donkey punch' right to the party of the elephants."
^ "President Obama's alternative energy plan includes copious amounts of support for hydroelectric energy from Lake Erie. GOP opponents of the plan should brace for a 'Cleveland steamer.'"
Monday, April 13, 2009
The FDH New York Bureau remembers Harry Kalas
By Steve Cirvello (posted by Rick Morris)
I have been covering Phillies games since 2004 when they moved into their new Stadium. During that time, I have met and talked with everyone on their announcing team. Just last Wednesday, I was at the game where the Phillies received their 2008 World Series rings. Guess who threw out the first pitch that day? Harry Kalas. To a standing ovation. (It almost reached the plate.)
I used to run into Harry in the Press Box before and during the games when he used to shuttle back and forth between the Phillies' TV and Radio booths (he still called innings on radio). When I saw him last week, I went up to him and congratulated him on last season and shook his hand, and he was wearing his ring. One of my goals was to eventually try to get him to come on The FDH Lounge like I was able to do with Jim Jackson and Tom "The Phillie Phanatic" Burgoyne, even Jayson Stark, with other members of the announce team 'on deck' for us during the season as their schedule permits.
There is a stairwell right off the Press Box where Harry used to smoke before games and during whatever inning he had off that day. If I happened to run into him in there, I would always stay and talk with him for a few minutes or so about the team and things that had happened on the field. I remember one time when the movie'Leatherheads' had come out, Harry had done the voiceover for the movie preview trailer and commercial. I asked him, "So Harry, what's George Clooney really like?" He took a puff and responded, "Ha, Ha, Ha.......LEATHERHEADS!!!!" He did it right there in front of me and I totally marked out for it. I'll always remember that one.
As someone who recently lost his mother to lung cancer, hearing this news was very disappointing to me. In life, you just get used to seeing some people in certain settings. Everytime I walk in my mom's house, it makes me sad that I'll no longer be able to just say hello to her anymore, and the void in my life is huge from that. Now, not seeing Harry Kalas walking through that Press Box anymore will be really bizarre. I'm glad I got to meet him and talk with him, and that he was willing to chat baseball with some young mark like me. To me, he WAS The Phillies.
I would also like to mention that I always enjoyed his voiceover work with HBO's Inside The NFL Highlight Show. He was great. At some point this year, I will bring at least one member of the Phillies family on The FDH Lounge to talk about and remember Harry Kalas. You can count on that. Thanks for the memories, Harry, and I'm glad you went out a World Series Champion.
I have been covering Phillies games since 2004 when they moved into their new Stadium. During that time, I have met and talked with everyone on their announcing team. Just last Wednesday, I was at the game where the Phillies received their 2008 World Series rings. Guess who threw out the first pitch that day? Harry Kalas. To a standing ovation. (It almost reached the plate.)
I used to run into Harry in the Press Box before and during the games when he used to shuttle back and forth between the Phillies' TV and Radio booths (he still called innings on radio). When I saw him last week, I went up to him and congratulated him on last season and shook his hand, and he was wearing his ring. One of my goals was to eventually try to get him to come on The FDH Lounge like I was able to do with Jim Jackson and Tom "The Phillie Phanatic" Burgoyne, even Jayson Stark, with other members of the announce team 'on deck' for us during the season as their schedule permits.
There is a stairwell right off the Press Box where Harry used to smoke before games and during whatever inning he had off that day. If I happened to run into him in there, I would always stay and talk with him for a few minutes or so about the team and things that had happened on the field. I remember one time when the movie'Leatherheads' had come out, Harry had done the voiceover for the movie preview trailer and commercial. I asked him, "So Harry, what's George Clooney really like?" He took a puff and responded, "Ha, Ha, Ha.......LEATHERHEADS!!!!" He did it right there in front of me and I totally marked out for it. I'll always remember that one.
As someone who recently lost his mother to lung cancer, hearing this news was very disappointing to me. In life, you just get used to seeing some people in certain settings. Everytime I walk in my mom's house, it makes me sad that I'll no longer be able to just say hello to her anymore, and the void in my life is huge from that. Now, not seeing Harry Kalas walking through that Press Box anymore will be really bizarre. I'm glad I got to meet him and talk with him, and that he was willing to chat baseball with some young mark like me. To me, he WAS The Phillies.
I would also like to mention that I always enjoyed his voiceover work with HBO's Inside The NFL Highlight Show. He was great. At some point this year, I will bring at least one member of the Phillies family on The FDH Lounge to talk about and remember Harry Kalas. You can count on that. Thanks for the memories, Harry, and I'm glad you went out a World Series Champion.
RIP Harry Kalas and Mark Fidrych
By Rick Morris
What became a sad spring for baseball last week with the untimely passing of Nick Adenhart just became that much more difficult today with the news about one of the game's greatest broadcasters and one of the men who best exemplified the fun of the game.
Hall of Fame announcer Harry Kalas warmed the hearts of a tough and often bitter sports market. Everyone in Philly loved Harry Kalas; he was an institution.
His call of the Phillies winning the World Series last year was a great one; we used it in a promo for our FDH LOUNGE Internet TV show where we like to compile various pop culture sound effects just because it sounded special coming out of his mouth:
He also loved to sing High Hopes:
Jayson Stark, a wonderful part of the baseball media in his own right and a Philly native, summed up what Harry Kalas meant to a city:
He was also the voice of NFL Films in the past few decades, including their commercials:
Think about this: Kalas became the lead voice of NFL Films after the great John Facenda passed on -- how would you like to have to follow those two acts?
Phillies president David Montgomery said today, simply, "We've lost our voice." What more can you say?
Just as Harry Kalas stirred a love of baseball, so too in a different way did Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. Every so often in the history of the game, a young phenom comes along and blows a breath of fresh air and reminds the fans just what they love about the game. In last week's tribute to Adenhart, I mentioned that some fans saw him that way. Fidrych's fun-loving ways, punctuated by an urge to talk to the baseball while on the mound, did strike some old-time fans the wrong way as they lumped him in (erroneously) with some of the more disrespectful aspects of youth culture that had been building since the late '60s. But in actuality, Mark Fidrych was a perfect symbol of his time, a refreshing representation of the bicentennial summer of '76. As the nation tried to put the traumas of the last 10+ years behind it and tried to bask in the patriotic glow of 200 years of existence, this fun-loving young hurler was reinforcing a love of the game among fans, building on baseball's momentum after the legendary 1975 World Series. Sadly, Fidrych proved to be too much a man of that brief moment, as he would go on to take his place among the game's pantheon of stars cut short by injury. We can only speculate about how outstanding his career could have been had he remained healthy. Think of the duels in his middle and later years with Clemens ... or Saberhagen ... or Jack Morris.
Here's some footage of "The Bird" speaking about his time in the game:
Both Harry Kalas and Mark Fidrych were class acts, gentlemen beloved by many who leave behind grieving families tonight. Both, in their own ways, reminded us of what we love about sports and how noble they can be at their best. Both, I am sure, would be honored to be mentioned in the same breath as the other. RIP to both, two American originals.
What became a sad spring for baseball last week with the untimely passing of Nick Adenhart just became that much more difficult today with the news about one of the game's greatest broadcasters and one of the men who best exemplified the fun of the game.
Hall of Fame announcer Harry Kalas warmed the hearts of a tough and often bitter sports market. Everyone in Philly loved Harry Kalas; he was an institution.
His call of the Phillies winning the World Series last year was a great one; we used it in a promo for our FDH LOUNGE Internet TV show where we like to compile various pop culture sound effects just because it sounded special coming out of his mouth:
He also loved to sing High Hopes:
Jayson Stark, a wonderful part of the baseball media in his own right and a Philly native, summed up what Harry Kalas meant to a city:
He was also the voice of NFL Films in the past few decades, including their commercials:
Think about this: Kalas became the lead voice of NFL Films after the great John Facenda passed on -- how would you like to have to follow those two acts?
Phillies president David Montgomery said today, simply, "We've lost our voice." What more can you say?
Just as Harry Kalas stirred a love of baseball, so too in a different way did Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. Every so often in the history of the game, a young phenom comes along and blows a breath of fresh air and reminds the fans just what they love about the game. In last week's tribute to Adenhart, I mentioned that some fans saw him that way. Fidrych's fun-loving ways, punctuated by an urge to talk to the baseball while on the mound, did strike some old-time fans the wrong way as they lumped him in (erroneously) with some of the more disrespectful aspects of youth culture that had been building since the late '60s. But in actuality, Mark Fidrych was a perfect symbol of his time, a refreshing representation of the bicentennial summer of '76. As the nation tried to put the traumas of the last 10+ years behind it and tried to bask in the patriotic glow of 200 years of existence, this fun-loving young hurler was reinforcing a love of the game among fans, building on baseball's momentum after the legendary 1975 World Series. Sadly, Fidrych proved to be too much a man of that brief moment, as he would go on to take his place among the game's pantheon of stars cut short by injury. We can only speculate about how outstanding his career could have been had he remained healthy. Think of the duels in his middle and later years with Clemens ... or Saberhagen ... or Jack Morris.
Here's some footage of "The Bird" speaking about his time in the game:
Both Harry Kalas and Mark Fidrych were class acts, gentlemen beloved by many who leave behind grieving families tonight. Both, in their own ways, reminded us of what we love about sports and how noble they can be at their best. Both, I am sure, would be honored to be mentioned in the same breath as the other. RIP to both, two American originals.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter
By Rick Morris
On behalf of everyone with FDH, I would like to wish you and yours a Happy Easter. It is a very meaningful and profound day for those of us who celebrate it as it is a reminder of the pathway back to our loved ones at the end of our time on this earth -- and a memorial of the ultimate sacrifice that made it all possible.
In the spirit of the day, here is a video with footage from the movie "The Passion of the Christ" that views the events through the eyes of Mother Mary.
On behalf of everyone with FDH, I would like to wish you and yours a Happy Easter. It is a very meaningful and profound day for those of us who celebrate it as it is a reminder of the pathway back to our loved ones at the end of our time on this earth -- and a memorial of the ultimate sacrifice that made it all possible.
In the spirit of the day, here is a video with footage from the movie "The Passion of the Christ" that views the events through the eyes of Mother Mary.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume II, Issue XV
By Rick Morris
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
For the most part, we keep our fantasy content on our fantasy website and fantasy blog and keep this site for content on all subjects. It allows our readers to find specific content more easily that way. However, it has come to our attention that because our new fantasy sports newsletter is published on the older Blogger platform that our readers may be limited in their ability to subscribe to it. There does not appear to be a way to have content on the FantasyDrafthelp.com blog forwarded to an aggregate news reader -- however, we know that we have that ability here. So we will link to that newsletter each week right here when it is published. Here is this week's newsletter.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
RIP Nick Adenhart and friends
By Rick Morris
It's absolutely surreal how fast things move in today's society. As I type this, at this time last night, Nick Adenhart was in the midst of what would be his final Major League start, a dominating performance that would be marred only by an uncharacteristic meltdown from the LA bullpen. At that time, that was what the shape of misfortune looked like.
Now, tonight, the public has had all day to absorb the sad news that he and his friends met with a tragic fate after the game at the hands of a drunk driver and there are already many tribute videos to select from on YouTube. In the course of my (relatively) short life I've seen the news cycle move faster and faster to where it is now almost instantaneous. It feels awfully surreal and certainly does not make news like this hurt any less.
We grieve for his friends and family and also the friends and family of the other unfortunate souls in that vehicle which was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The loss of Nick Adenhart as a pitcher -- which those of us who closely follow the long-term fantasy baseball picture can well appreciate -- pales in comparison to the loss of him personally. By all accounts, he seems to have been a great guy, very down-to-earth and the kind of person who made you proud to be a baseball fan because he seemed by his nature to underline your pure enjoyment of the game when you watched him. Our Senior Editor Jason Jones has written about this before -- the kind of loss you feel when you hear about something like this that you did not get to know such a person firsthand. I'm sure that's what many people are feeling tonight as anecdotes and tributes are flowing in from all over the baseball world.
As previously mentioned, there are already many tribute videos available tonight. I selected one that I thought was in the proper spirit of Easter Week. Nick Adenhart and his friends are now in a better place though that scarcely lessens the pain of their loved ones. May they be able to derive some comfort from that eventually. RIP.
It's absolutely surreal how fast things move in today's society. As I type this, at this time last night, Nick Adenhart was in the midst of what would be his final Major League start, a dominating performance that would be marred only by an uncharacteristic meltdown from the LA bullpen. At that time, that was what the shape of misfortune looked like.
Now, tonight, the public has had all day to absorb the sad news that he and his friends met with a tragic fate after the game at the hands of a drunk driver and there are already many tribute videos to select from on YouTube. In the course of my (relatively) short life I've seen the news cycle move faster and faster to where it is now almost instantaneous. It feels awfully surreal and certainly does not make news like this hurt any less.
We grieve for his friends and family and also the friends and family of the other unfortunate souls in that vehicle which was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The loss of Nick Adenhart as a pitcher -- which those of us who closely follow the long-term fantasy baseball picture can well appreciate -- pales in comparison to the loss of him personally. By all accounts, he seems to have been a great guy, very down-to-earth and the kind of person who made you proud to be a baseball fan because he seemed by his nature to underline your pure enjoyment of the game when you watched him. Our Senior Editor Jason Jones has written about this before -- the kind of loss you feel when you hear about something like this that you did not get to know such a person firsthand. I'm sure that's what many people are feeling tonight as anecdotes and tributes are flowing in from all over the baseball world.
As previously mentioned, there are already many tribute videos available tonight. I selected one that I thought was in the proper spirit of Easter Week. Nick Adenhart and his friends are now in a better place though that scarcely lessens the pain of their loved ones. May they be able to derive some comfort from that eventually. RIP.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
FDH Lounge Show #53: April 8, 2009
By Rick Morris
The 53rd edition of THE FDH LOUNGE (7-10 PM EDT) on SportsTalkNetwork.com will be full of the variety that has made us so notorious over time.
We lead off with our good friend, fellow STN host The Scout Ken Becks, proprietor of the new 1stDownScouting.com website. With the NFL Draft just weeks away, the Silly Season of personal workouts and rampant rumors is well underway. The Scout will help us sort out fact from fiction in terms of the ’09 draft class. Then, following The Opening Statements of The Dignitaries of The FDH Lounge and our weekly look at This Week In The FDH Lounge, we welcome in some amazing entrepreneurs, Kyle Alford and Nick Parsons of Beta Pong. This company is focused on providing high-end product support to the outstanding collegiate sport of beer pong! What’s it been like basically inventing an industry? We’ll find out!
Then, in Hour Two, longtime wrestling photographer George Napolitano of FilmMagic.com gives you the lowdown on what it was like to be at ringside for WrestleMania 25 and shares his thoughts on other great moments in the business that he has covered.
Also, as promised last week, we examine some profound political and economic statements from Glenn Jacobs, aka Kane in WWE. We’ll play some audio and get reactions from Lounge Dignitary Burrell Jackson, who is sure to take issue with at least a few of the thoughts. Next, we’ll examine the growth of what has been labeled the “right-wing death cult” – the self-righteous pundits purporting to speak for all conservatives in wanting Barack Obama to be a complete failure.
In Hour Three, THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER (9:00-9:30 PM EDT) brings you a look at overall fantasy sports strategy, FDH-style and also a glance at the players who could benefit from being on potential dark horse contenders in ’09. And with the Masters starting on Thursday, we’ll take a look at this year’s top candidates to cash for you in a Masters pool. After that, on THE GOON SQUAD (9:30-10:00 PM EDT), we examine a column from our good friend Russ Cohen at Hockeyology that identifies five reasons the Flyers will be a threat in the playoffs. From there, we examine the NHL standings and then preview the biggest remaining regular season games.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here.
The 53rd edition of THE FDH LOUNGE (7-10 PM EDT) on SportsTalkNetwork.com will be full of the variety that has made us so notorious over time.
We lead off with our good friend, fellow STN host The Scout Ken Becks, proprietor of the new 1stDownScouting.com website. With the NFL Draft just weeks away, the Silly Season of personal workouts and rampant rumors is well underway. The Scout will help us sort out fact from fiction in terms of the ’09 draft class. Then, following The Opening Statements of The Dignitaries of The FDH Lounge and our weekly look at This Week In The FDH Lounge, we welcome in some amazing entrepreneurs, Kyle Alford and Nick Parsons of Beta Pong. This company is focused on providing high-end product support to the outstanding collegiate sport of beer pong! What’s it been like basically inventing an industry? We’ll find out!
Then, in Hour Two, longtime wrestling photographer George Napolitano of FilmMagic.com gives you the lowdown on what it was like to be at ringside for WrestleMania 25 and shares his thoughts on other great moments in the business that he has covered.
Also, as promised last week, we examine some profound political and economic statements from Glenn Jacobs, aka Kane in WWE. We’ll play some audio and get reactions from Lounge Dignitary Burrell Jackson, who is sure to take issue with at least a few of the thoughts. Next, we’ll examine the growth of what has been labeled the “right-wing death cult” – the self-righteous pundits purporting to speak for all conservatives in wanting Barack Obama to be a complete failure.
In Hour Three, THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER (9:00-9:30 PM EDT) brings you a look at overall fantasy sports strategy, FDH-style and also a glance at the players who could benefit from being on potential dark horse contenders in ’09. And with the Masters starting on Thursday, we’ll take a look at this year’s top candidates to cash for you in a Masters pool. After that, on THE GOON SQUAD (9:30-10:00 PM EDT), we examine a column from our good friend Russ Cohen at Hockeyology that identifies five reasons the Flyers will be a threat in the playoffs. From there, we examine the NHL standings and then preview the biggest remaining regular season games.
It’s going to be a great program and we hope you can be a part of our audience. As always, we urge you to watch the show live (or listen if you’re on dial-up), but if you can’t catch this as it’s happening, you can always catch the FDH archives 24-7 right here.
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