Fun in the sun

As if my posting habits aren't bad enough, I'm off to Puerto Rico for a week to work on my tan. But before I go just a couple of quick thoughts:

-Reggie Bush should remember the lesson of Cedric Benson and Philip Rivers. When you have a pretty good guy playing your position already on the team, it is a big mistake to hold out for much time in training camp. Maybe Bush will sign soon and that will be that. But if not he will only hurt himself and fans who want to see him at his best during the season. Rookies need the time to learn their position at the pro level.

-What the hell's going on with the Minnesota Twins? They are playing out of their minds the last few weeks. Wouldn't it be wild if both the Twins and Tigers made it to the post-season (one as the wild card)? That would be a bit embarrasing for the big money clubs.

-I'm pissed Harold Reynolds couldn't keep his hands to himself. Now John Kruk will have even more room on set to wiggle his fat ass and spout complete nonsense. Harold say it ain't so.

Sucker Punch

Marshall Faulk's knee surgery will take him out for the coming season and probably end his career. To put it lightly, that blows. Why don't you just give me a thousand paper cuts and then throw me in the ocean. That would be preferable to this.

Yes I know Steven Jackson is the man now and Marshall probably would have been mis-used just like he was last season when he averaged 4.5 yards every time he carried the ball. But that's not the point. I'm a Ram fan and Marshall has been the stud of that organization since he was traded from the Colts.

Excuse me, I have to go cry now.

Mark Prior and Kerry Wood: It's time to cut the cord

Poor Cub fans. I mean it's not enough that most seasons their team sucks, or that even when they're good they end up blowing chunks, but they also have to deal with a "what if" factor that never seems to end. I'm of course talking about their star pitching duo of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior that was supposed to anchor their staff for years to come. Basically these two guys have the letters DL stamped on their forehead and it's that nasty ink that takes forever to rub off.

There is no denying the talent these guys have. They've got great stuff. Tantalizing great stuff. So good that you want to keep believing that someday they'll make it an entire season healthy. Maybe it will happen. Maybe they'll eventually catch some luck. Then Cub fans will be glad they have them on their team.

But that is foolish thinking. It's a dream that will never be. What is going on now is just cruel and unusual punishment for their fans. The Cubs need to get these guys healthy and trade them as fast as they can. If they get even a whiff of a decent offer for either guy (and by decent offer I mean anyone that can hold a glove) they need to act calm, agree to the trade, and then run wildly down the corporate offices screaming, "free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, free at last".

Prior's latest trip to the DL is proof enough that enough is enough. Sure these guys may end up on another team and never get hurt again in their careers. Jessica Alba also might give me call one of these days and tell me she has always wanted to meet me in person. It could happen.

World Cup Thoughts

I didn't watch much of the World Cup. In fact I never watched an entire game. I caught a half here and there of different matches. I watched England once, Brazil once, Portugal, Argentina, and part of the final match between Italy and France. Like many Americans I'm really not a soccer fan but I can appreciate the sport when it is played at a high level. I had a couple of thoughts while watching this year's global fiesta:

-Soccer players flop worse than former Duke star Shane Battier. It's really quite embarrassing. I mean for many of these countries where being a "macho" male is quite important, they sure act like a bunch of panzies. Sure you can call it gamesmanship intended to produce an advantage for their team. And maybe it's just part of the soccer culture. But to me it's just a buch of grown men acting like little girls. For a humorous look at this epidemic check this out: http://usa.worldcupblog.org/group-e/secret-italian-training-video.html



-Speaking of women, my wife is not allowed to watch Portugal anymore. She was drooling after a few minutes of watching their star Cristiano Ronaldo. No shocker here, but I can't compete with that. The Italian team is also off limits for her.


-another pet peeve of mine is soccer's stupid off-sides rule. I saw several goals taken away because an offensive player had gotten ahead of the defensive player too early. This game needs offensive help anyway and more goals scored. Take this rule out and things open up.

-In the matches I did watch I only saw one goal scored but it was a great one (the chest bump and kick into the net by the Argentinian. The rest of the goals I saw were from replays later on sportscenter. When they get it right it really is a thing of beauty. Here's a site that shows replays of a few of these goals: http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2006/best-world-cup-goals-so-far.html

These guys really are great athletes. And you have to appreciate how fit they are. I wonder how many miles they run in an average match? Anyone know that one?


-Overall I'm just glad the French didn't win it. I root against them just on principle.

Ben Wallace needs respect. And more money. Same thing right?

Ben Wallace a Bull. Huh. I imagine Piston fans find Big Ben full of Bull-shit right about now. The old "you don't respect me enough to pay me more than I'm worth" tune has started playing now. It's a beauty. How much is a guy like Wallace worth anyway? A lot to be sure. I mean he rebounds, plays great defense and occasionally throws down a dunk. Rebounds and defense are definitely a valued commodity. 41% at the free-throw line and 7.3 points per game---not so much. But still, you can make the case Wallace was the heart and soul of the Pistons and they would not have had the success they did without him. He's one of those guys that you don't build your team around but with some really good players around him, he can be that final missing piece that puts you over the top. Many teams never find that final piece. And that's annoying because I once spent two hours looking for a piece to my puzzle of the Golden Gate bridge and never found it. I probably shouldn't have thrown the rest of the pieces out a two story window after that and then beat my roommate senseless but that's beside the point. You want that piece.

So is a vital piece of the puzzle, one who doesn't give you any offense, worth 52-60 million (I've heard it could be both) over 4 years? I would say yes if it's your final piece. I think the Pistons showed us that even with Wallace they are still missing something. And I don't think he is the Bulls final cog in their still-being-assembled machine either. They still need a go-to guy that can score. But hey, they have cap space and their maneuvering isn't done so we'll see I guess.
This ought to be a lesson to many players out there. If you suck offensively, just play defense and rebound like a maniac and the cash will flow. The Pistons have proved that twice with Rodman and Wallace. Both ended up in Bull uniforms. Huh.