Correction: So I completely misspoke. Justin Morneau has been out with a concussion not Joe Mauer.
Today’s show topics include:
Jim Gray acting like a fool
Miguel Cabrera getting drunk
The Basketball Hall of Fame finalists
Dave Duerson’s suicide and the ramifications for the NFL
I’ll be recording this weekend and the topics will include:
Jim Gray gets in another argument while interviewing and athlete
Miguel Cabrera’s DUI and massive drinking problem
The Basketball Hall of Fame finalists for 2011
If you have any thoughts or comments on these or any sports related topics post them in the comments below and I’ll touch on them on the show.
In this episode: Tiger Woods, Albert Pujols, NBA, and Sports Talk Radio. Also, the show is now on Itunes.
On this episode I discuss the NFL, ESPN insanity and the NBA..oh and a little Mets talk.
In Episode two: Super Bowl recap, Phil Simms goes after Desmond Howard and a little NBA.
The first episode of my attempt at a sports podcast. I discuss the upcoming Super Bowl, a little general NFL and the disastrous Cleveland Cavaliers.
In case you have been living under a rock Brett Favre has found himself caught up in a pretty serious scandal, to say the least. If you have not seen this story I would suggest going to Deadspin to get the gist of what is going on. Here are links to a few of the posts about it (note: post 1 contains adult material) : post1 post 2 . There have been statements that the NFL is looking to the allegations of sexual harassment and that the Jets are cooperating. Brett Favre should be seriously concerned, because if he thought his legacy was damaged by flip flopping on retirement, that isn’t even close to what will happen if these stories are true. Also he has to be very concerned about civil lawsuits especially if the photos are of him and unsolicited.
The NFL does not have the greatest reputation when it comes to domestic issues and or sexual misconduct issues, and I am sure the NFL higher ups are sensitive to this. If these allegations are true, Roger Goodell will have no choice but to end Favre’s season and essentially his career. If Rothliberger was suspended six games (reduced to four), for what he did which was possibly rape, even though there wasn’t strong enough evidence for a legal case. After the Ines Sainz incident, which also involved the Jets, Goodell is going to have a hard time sweeping this under the rug even if ESPN and other major networks are ignoring the story.
At this point I don’t expect any real reporting out of ESPN other than trade rumors and things like that. They are a major business partner of several of the sports leagues and Favre has been a cash cow for them over the past few years. Not to mention that ESPN has had its own sexual misconduct issues amongst its employees. Reporters like Peter King and Rachel Nichols who have slobbered over Favre would never dare ask him a question about this. I’m anxious to see how it is handled Monday night and even on the NFL shows on Sunday. I doubt it will get more than a mention.
As for the people who are defending Favre by tearing down the possible victim, stop. You look like a fool when you go to the “she asked for it” card because of how the woman dresses or carries herself. It DOES NOT MATTER how a woman dresses if she says “no” to advances or innuendo then you stop and leave her alone. I do not care if she is hot or sexy or has a large chest, none of that excuses sending pictures of your cock to a woman, especially a fellow employee. And that is the other thing Favre is an employee as well as the female in question. While Favre may be the quarterback, in the end that doesn’t mean anything in the eyes of the law. Sexual harassment laws and policy are pretty clear cut and if this story is true it goes far beyond basic sexual harassment and Favre’s media standing will mean nothing.
I hope the media will treat this Favre story in a professional manner without going soft on him. This is going to be very difficult for some outlets (ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports), while others will feel free to over-speculate. I’m sure the NFL hopes this takes until after the season so that they don’t have to take out a major figure during the season. In reality the league will be fine even if Favre has to take a fall for this. There will be another “good ol’ boy who just loves to play” to take his place in the hearts of NFL commentators and Favre will eventually fade into history. Whatever happens I hope this reinforces the point that these are just athletes and nothing more. Just because someone rides a tractor and plays with high school kids doesn’t make them a good guy or a humble guy. Self entitled pricks are self entitled pricks no matter what job they do or how much money they make.
This was my first sojourn to San Diego for Comic Con, or for anything else for that matter, and I was unsure of what exactly to expect. I had pretty good advice going in about things to do and avoid, which was very helpful. Nothing truly prepares you for the sensory onslaught or the sheer size of the event itself. Comic Con flows out of the convention center and infiltrates the neighboring Gaslamp District, making you question if everything you are seeing is some type of marketing campaign or just a normal part of life in San Diego. From Robert Rodriguez handing out tacos to promote Machete to SyFy taking over a cafe and theming it based on one of their shows every turn offers new experience or marketing adventure. One of the best things about the con is the ability to meet creators and writers of comics and artists of all types who have booths on the exhibit floor and are willing to converse about their art. My head is still spinning from this 4 day journey that began last Wednesday at 5 am.
WEDNESDAY
Early Wednesday morning I headed off to the airport on my trek to Comic Con. I flew Southwest, because most of the other airlines have insane fees or shit service, and had no issues or delays. Upon arriving in San Diego, I grabbed a cab and took the short ride to The Hyatt from the airport. I headed to the convention center to see how long the line was to pick up passes. There were about a hundred or so people in line so I went to find something to eat. I ended up at SyFy’s Cafe Diem, which ended up being my first experience at the con. I sat at the bar and the service was good, as was the chili. I was back over at the convention center in about 20 minutes and when I arrived there was no line outside, so I walked right in and picked up my pass.
There were a few hours before the exhibit floor was opening so I went and roamed a little while. I came back with a few people who had to pick up passes still, so I went ahead to get my first glimpse of Comic Con. As I entered the exhibit hall I was immediately overwhelmed. To sum up my feelings the next day someone texted me asking what I thought so far and my response was “amazing/exhausted”. The hall was just a mass of bodies trying to devour every ounce of geekdom and techness the floor had to offer. After five minutes my head was spinning and I was wandering like a strung-out hooker looking for my next fix. After a little while I met up with a group of people and we went to Fred’s for some delicious mexican and beer. All in all my first day was very good even though I lost my bearings in the Exhibit Hall for awhile.
Thursday
I woke up around 730 or so on Thursday morning and headed out to pick up provisions for the day at Ralph’s ,a local supermarket, and then off to see some panels. My first panel was The One Ring : The Hobbit panel. I chose it because it was a smaller panel and had a short line so I could ease into the experience. It was okay, they kind of rehashed all the news about The Hobbit movie that has come out recently and speculating on what may happen to the project. I went to see the 38 Studios panel next.
38 Studios is a game studio headed by Curt Schilling , yes the pitcher, and they were previewing their first release Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. The panel included: Todd McFarlane, R.A. Salvatore, Ken Rolston and Curt Schilling. Todd McFarlane was incredible to watch and his passion and intensity for his craft easily came across. At one point McFarlane was up on the table describing how the characters will live in the world being created. The shots of the game looked absolutely terrific and I am definitely excited to see more of this game.
Before the 38 Studios panel I sat through some of the Caprica, Battlestar and Beyond panel. I have never seen either show so I didn’t know much of what was going on but Bear McCreary, composer Battlestar, Caprica and Walking Dead, was incredibly interesting and I was glad I sat through the panel. I was planning on seeing Assassin’s Creed panel next but never made it there.
That night I ended up going to the G4 / Lucasfilm party with the Media Junkyard crew and Jana. This was beyond insane. There were Stormtroopers everywhere, Darth Vader and Boba Fett chilled at the party, and some other Empire Strikes Back theming and characters. Im not going into any details but needless to say the night ended in the early morning hour and was complete effing awesome. Oh but I will say the Josh Whedon was cutting a rug at the party. A big thanks to the whole Media Junkyard crew for bringing me along on this crazy experience.
to be continued…
Bear McCreary
38 Studios
The One Ring
Fred’s Mexican Cafe
Before writing anything I wanted to completely digest the entire James affair, from the rampant speculation by “insiders” to the reaction by a city of children. It was a strange scene to say the least and reaction certainly did not go the way the James team had planned. LeBron has definitely hurt his image in the eyes of many, but why? Do people hate David Robinson for quitting on a season in order to get a better chance at the number one pick? Do people hate Paul Pierce for doing the same thing the year before KG and Ray Allen arrived? Should LeBron have just stayed in Cleveland because he was born near there? I really don’t understand the vitriol and the notion that somehow people were held hostage. Was anyone tied to a chair and forced to watch “The Decision”? If so perhaps you should call the police and not you local sports talk show. ESPN did not help the situation with its out of control hype machine. They do not know what subtlety means. There is plenty of blame and eye rolling to go around for the whole cast of characters.
LeBron was naive to think that this would build his brand to a new level, especially considering the cities and owners he was dealing with. I really have no issue with the whole process, but I would have liked it better if Wade and Bosh were there with him. He absolutely made the correct basketball decision by going to the situation that gives him the best opportunity to win multiple titles and be on the top of the league season after season. The Cavs are a bad team without him, not mediocre, they are bad. In seven seasons they could not find a way to get a legitimate second option. If they had done a better job building their team, maybe he would have stayed. The Knicks suck, plain and simple. Bad owner, bad style of play, bad free agent signing with Amare Stoudemire and no shot to win a title any time soon. Chicago was a viable option but I just think Miami was a little better. LeBron no longer worked for the Cavs. His contract was up and he owes them and the city nothing. He was payed for seven years and certainly earned his salary, to say otherwise is just being bitter.
Cleveland’s reaction to this was pathetic and childish. From an ownership rant to the fans burning jerseys, it was a display of complete idiocy. This is a business, nothing more. James was drafted by the Cavs, he did not choose the Cavs. In the end Dan Gilbert and his organization did not do a good enough job to keep their most important asset. Could anyone else on the Cavs roster even start for the Celtics or Lakers? In seven years you could not find one complimentary player of significant talent and you expected him to stay? Fans piss and moan all the time about players only going for the money and not gong for the best chance to win. So what happens when a player goes for the best chance to win over money? Fans call him a coward, backstabber and much worse I’m sure. Sorry Cleveland but Bosh did not want to live in your town and that was the final nail in you coffin. Oh and good luck with Dan Gilbert, I’m sure he will win plenty of titles over the next ten years.
The most delusion fans in all of this, however, were the Knicks fans. This notion that MSG is some basketball Mecca is bizarre. The Knicks are an historically mediocre to bad franchise. Currently they are one of the worst organizations in the NBA. Why the hell would anyone, who wanted to win, go to a team that hasn’t won since the early 1970′s and has been in the toilet for the last decade? What are the selling points? A coach that doesn’t know the meaning of defense, a free agent who didn’t begin to rebound and play defense until the second half of last season (right in time for free agency), or an owner who thought it was a good idea to send Isiah Thomas to recruit James. The only reason the Knicks were in the running was because it is NYC.
If you want to hate LeBron or call him a coward or whatever else, go ahead but realize this is a business and James had the hammer. If you don’t think people like Gilbert and the Dolans have used the hammer to make their fortunes you are a fool. James, Wade and Bosh had leverage and they used it to their own benefit. It’s the same thing anyone of use would have done in our jobs. If you are valuable enough to ask for a raise or take another opportunity at another company you would do it and if you didn’t you’d only be cheating yourself.
For many years the belligerent drunks of the world dominated live sporting events. While they were a minority of the crowd they certainly made the experience of going to the game completely unbearable. Over the past decade or so, since the stadium boom, teams have slowly pushed the vociferous losers who start fights and berate normal people.
I used to go to quite a few games in my teens and early twenties but quickly grew tired of scumbags wanting to fight and running off a constant stream of expletives while annoying most of the people around them. Recently the games I’ve attended there has been a drastic reduction in the crazy behavior and it is much more family and sane human being friendly. My assumption is that the investment teams and cities (mostly cities) have made into new facilities has forced them to charge more and cater to a better client base. By better I do not mean wealthier, I simply mean families and businesses.
Corporate clients are not going to give away tickets to a customer only to risk them being berated and assaulted. There is no room for that in the current sports world. As and example, I was at a Phillies game a couple weeks ago (Jamie Moyer’s 2 hitter) and was sitting behind the visitor dugout. about two rows in front of me was a “gentleman” who from the second he sat down was yelling borderline material at the Braves. In his mind he was funny and entertaining, I assure you he was not. Eventual he figured out that a woman a few more rows up was the sister of the braves pitcher, so of course he begins to harass and bother her. This lasted about an inning before she contacted security. He was rightfully moved not kicked out and the incident was done. If this was ten years ago he would have been held up as a hero and cheered but mostly people just looked away from him as he left and there was a security presence the rest of the game to make sure none of his boys pulled the same thing.
The crackdown on idiocy is a great thing in my eyes. I now look forward to going to games and will be looking at plans for two teams next year. The pro sports leagues have gained a new customer in me by creating a much safer and cleaner atmosphere to enjoy the game I hope the trend continues well into the future.
