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VERSUS
So, who is the better individual to help further the entity that is auto racing? Is it Danica Patrick or Dale Earnhardt Jr.?
I would like to know, so please enlighten me hillbillies… If auto racing is a sport, do you accept the fact that a woman (Danica Patrick, who won her first race on Sunday in Japan) can be as good, if not better than a man?
In most other actual sports, mens and womens leagues are kept separate due to the fact that biologically men are stronger muscularly than women.
If you indeed believe that anyone from either gender has the ability to be the best racer in the world, do you think that genders should be mixed within other sports too? Should the top WNBA players be given the opportunity to join the NBA? Should women be preferred by racing leagues because of their marketability to other demographics (mainly other women that NASCAR doesn’t capture)? And if said female is considered “pretty,” it could mean that they are marketable to men for different reasons (e.g. do a google image search for Danica Patrick, and see what the first 20 pics are). Would you be comfortable seeing a NASCAR covered in Tampax, Monistat, or Victoria’s Secret decals? This could mean a change of everything you left-turning hicks love!
Or, if you believe that men are superior athletes, and becuase you still think drivers are athletes, they are therefore superior behind the wheel. This would have you believing that Danica is just a freak of nature? NASCAR is perfect as is, and 98% of the drivers will remain men, because men are simply better at driving.
So, which box would you like to get put into? Are you in favor of making NASCAR a more feminine-influenced entity? Or are you a sexist chauvinist pig? This is open for discussion!
While sitting in my office this morning, I heard the news come down off of a local Minneapolis-based sports talk radio show that Brett Favre had indeed called it quits. “I’m allowed to listen to my radio between eight and nine if the volume is at a reasonable level.” As a loyal Viking fan for my entire life, my initial response was utter and complete jubilation!
I ran to my cell phone and shot a text message that simply stated “Favre retires!?!” to my Packer-loving friends and family, including my lovely wife. We have been married for over five years now, and being a part of a “mixed marriage” has always created some playful banter during football season. Most of my jabs are surrounding how the Packer faithful, are the most psychotic and devoted fans of any team in any sport. I joked that the suicide watch was on in Green Bay, and wondered aloud how many people called in sick to work in Wisconsin today, because they were actually physically ill from the news.
Don’t get me wrong though, I have a huge amount of respect for the Packer fan-base. On several trips to Lambeau Field, I have worn a Viking jersey (even when the Vikes weren’t playing) and received nothing more than the good-natured ribbing about Minnesota’s insanely full trophy case. On a few occaisions, those fans who have booed my choice of team, have bought or given me a beer in the same breath. They are good fans, who know how to party, drink, and be passionate about their squad, and I believe most of their passion stems from the play of number four.
Just think, if sixteen years ago, the Packers had gone out and acquired Steve DeBerg, Chris Chandler, or Ricky Shroeder? Would the Packer fans be as rabid as the ones we see today? I don’t think so. The mid-nineties resurgence of the Packers which came on the wings of Brett Favre and Reggie White, brought that franchise out of a twenty year hole. Previous to that, every seat in Lambeau and County Stadium were sold out, but many were left vacated on gameday. Favre helped take a franchise and make it prominent for the better part of two decades. The run that included a Super Bowl victory in 1996 and a loss in 1997, brought the big white “G” on the green background back into fashion. The Packer fans owe Favre just about everything, but the Vikings and Bears fans owe him an ovation as well.
Without Favre as a long lasting and worthy adversary, the Monday night win in 1998, where Randy Moss torched the Packers secondary wouldn’t seem so sweet. When Moss later “mooned” the Cheeseheads in the 2005 playoffs, no feeling could be better for a Viking fan. When Bears’ coach Lovie Smith got his job in Chicago, his first priority was to beat the Packers. If Mark Brunell or Aaron Brooks would have ended up as the starter in Green Bay, Lovie never would have thrown down the “Packer” gauntlet.
The truth is, as much as I have hated watching Brett Favre throw touchdowns against my team, I have loved watching him throw interceptions to my team. He is one of the most worthy opponents anyone can cheer against, and even though John Madden has his lips firmly planted on the “gunslinger’s” ass, the massive amount of media attention he received just gave both sides something to talk about.
I’m happy to see him go, but sad to see that the Vikings/Packers games will lose a little bit of the spark that Favre brought to it.
Now the Vikings will run away with the NFC North in 2008!
smoothmat.wordpress.com for more mock drafts and opinions.
It’s the football holiday season again! And the NFL’s version of Black Friday is upon us. The top free agents are ready to sign massive contracts and change uniforms, making our fantasy football life just a bit spicier on these late winter nights. Every team is standing outside their favorite player’s house, with the door-buster deals on their mind and a contract in hand, hoping to be one of the few to land that perfect item. There will be a bum rush through the front door, and teams will fight over players like stingy obese women, resulting in the tugging of arms and the pulling of hair. And after the NFL Black Friday’s dust has settled, we will get a taste of how our new squad will look, and even if we don’t get that perfect addition, there’s always NFL Christmas (the upcoming draft).
Quarterback Possible Landing Notes
Derek Anderson(RFA) CLE, ATL, BAL He is a RFA, team would have to give up two picks.
David Carr KC, BUF, MIA Recently released, one of the best options out there.
Todd Collins STL, WAS, MIN High priced, old backup.
Daunte Culpepper ATL, BAL, CHI Wants to start, has a chance in those three cities.
Trent Green MIN, STL, BUF Has had too many concussions to start, solid backup.
Byron Leftwich KC, BAL, OAK No not a Manwich, a Leftwich!
Josh McCown OAK, MIN, BAL Might start if resigned by Oakland.
Billy Volek SD, NYJ, BAL Could his drive against the Colts land him a start?
Running Back Possible Landing Notes
DeShaun Foster HOU, MIA, DAL May be a yardage hog, and split time in a new town.
Earnest Graham(RFA) TB, HOU, KC Most likely the starter for the Bucs next year.
Julius Jones DET, DAL, MIA Wants to find a new role, but may end up splitting.
Jamal Lewis CLE, HOU, DET Old guy had a great 07, it might pay off for him.
Michael Turner HOU, DET, NYJ The top back available will get paid.
Derrick Ward CHI, NYJ, MIA Looked great in Super Bowl run.
Wide Receiver Possible Landing Notes
Bernard Berrian MIN, CHI, TEN Many teams wanting his field stretching abilities.
Marty Booker NE, MIN, NO Veteran presence needed on young corps.
Isaac Bruce STL, SD, TEN Has played 85 seasons, will he play another?
Jabar Gaffney MIN, KC, NYJ Showed brilliant flashes with the Pats last year.
Justin Gage TEN, HOU, BUF Was Vince’s favorite target, will he resign?
D.J. Hackett MIN, CHI, SF Might be sleeper free agent of the year.
Devery Henderson STL, OAK, MIN Fast as can be, can he take the next step?
Randy Moss NE, GB, DAL Greatest receiver of all time wants a ring…badly!
Tight End Possible Landing Notes
Alge Crumpler GB, NYJ, CAR Silly Falcons, Alge might have been your best player!
Bubba Franks MIN, DET, CIN Way past his prime, he might just not be signed.
Eric Johnson CAR, ATL, DET Can he be productive, I’m not sure.
Kicker Possible Landing Notes
Josh Brown SEA, KC, NO, DEN He is a good kicker, and a better person.
John Carney KC, NO, DEN, WAS Carneys are known for small hands, and accuracy.
Jason Elam DEN, WAS, NO, SEA Elam was kicking in Denver before it was cool.
Olindo Mare WAS, SEA, KC, DEN Oh Lindo!
Shaun Suisham WAS, NO, KC, SEA There really isn’t much to write about kickers.
After being sick for the last week and change I have come to hate winter just a little bit more. I curse the descendants that thought living in Minnesota would be a good idea. Just because it has a similar climate to Scandinavia, does not mean it’s a great place to settle down and start an onion farm. I suppose if I wanted to be in a warmer climate, we could load up the truck and move to Beverly, but it’s not so easy when the kids are involved and I don’t have a truck. So, I’m stuck here in this snow globe until it all melts after March Madness.
The first half of winter doesn’t seem to drag on as long as February does simply due to a little diversion that I like to call the National Football League, and the lovely by-product of said league called fantasy football. I love fantasy football. No other sport is arranged quite as perfect as the NFL for the fantasy game. I believe this so much that I simply cannot stick with any of the other conventional fantasy sports. My gripes about the other leagues are as follows…
The NBA just feels like one of the most heartless sports ever. If the average NBA player doesn’t care until mid-May, why should I?
The NHL just has never cut it for me in a fantasy sense, simply because I can’t stay motivated to keep up with those teams that drop the puck south of the Mason-Dixon Line. If they cannot produce an outdoor rink, they should not produce an NHL squad.
Major League Baseball is pretty cool, and I follow it as much as I can, but the length of the season and amount of games played turn me off from a fantasy standpoint.
NASCAR is not a sport.
So, with that being said, I feel like I need to find something to fill in the dead time between Week 16 and March Madness. I love to place a bit of money on contests of strength and skill, but what contests are left to be contested? Here are three different ideas, even though some of which already exist.
Fantasy American Idol At this point there are 20 contestants left on one of the worst shows ever to grace the airwaves. Even though I truly believe that the show is terrible, I have probably seen a portion of half of the shows this season, and have realized the fantasy potential. I figure if one were to enter a league of any size, each owner could select four idols as your team. A simple one point for every round survived should suffice as a scoring system. Everyone could pick and just wait for the weekly outcome. My team of four players would include David Archuleta, Carly Smithson, David Cook and Kady Malloy. Think you could choose better? Post a comment on the blog.
Fantasy LostYou could almost run a death pool on the show, because it seems fairly obvious that someone could die on any given show. Since we now know that only the Oceanic Six leave the island, and the O-6 seem to have to lie about the lives of so many other plane survivors. I think that a roster of any six people on the island would be appropriate, with any new characters finding their way to the island being a part of the free agent pool. Every character is available for all owners, and people can pick up and drop as many times as they want. Receive one point for every death on your roster. On my roster I want Claire, Miles, Charlotte, Desmond, Karl and Juliet.
Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament PoolIf you call yourself a hockey fan, you know that the premier event in all of hockey happens in Minnesota in early March, and is known only as the “Hockey Tournament.” As of last year I started a pool for both the Class A and AA tourneys. Every year it’s a complete crapshoot, even with the addition of the top four seeds in the eight team tournament. Last year the Iron Range dominated the tourney, with Hermantown beating Duluth Marshall in class A, and Roseau defeating Grand Rapids in the big school title. My home school, Minnetonka is still alive in their section finals, and don’t count them out if they make the tourney. If you want to be in this year’s pool, email me at smoothmat@hotmail.com, and I’ll send you a bracket.
If anyone else is as bored with the weather as I am, they would see that the format of the American Idol game could be used in any reality show, and if you have any great fantasy ideas, such as Fantasy America’s Next Top Model, leave a comment on the blog.
Most of the time, the organizations in the top ten slots in the NFL draft need to fill so many holes that it is nearly impossible to have a first round pick become an impact rookie out of the gate. This has become so apparent that the overall tendency has really started to shift away from drafting certain positions that were formerly mainstays of the top five. Drafting a running back or a wide receiver in the first 16 picks is done a lot less often than we saw 15 to 20 years ago, and the reason for that may be the amount of busts that have arisen from those two positions lately.
Here is a list of running backs and receivers drafted in the top 16 in recent history…
2007
Calvin Johnson (2) WR-DET (Mixed reviews in a injury plagued rookie year)
Adrian Peterson (7) RB-MIN (Stud that should have gone in the top three)
Ted Ginn Jr. (9) WR-MIA (Drafted way too high, just like Cam Cameron was on draft day)
Marshawn Lynch (12) RB-BUF (A very solid pick so far)
2006
Reggie Bush (2) RB-NO (Houston might have known what it was doing by passing on Bush)
2005
Ronnie Brown (2) RB-MIA (Average when healthy, not quite as good as projected)
Braylon Edwards (3) WR-CLE (Turned it on in year three, one of the league’s top ten WRs)
Cedric Benson (4) RB-CHI (Major disappointment for the Bears)
Cadillac Williams (5) RB-TB (Had a great first game, since then below average)
Troy Williamson (7) WR-MIN (Uses Astroglide as lubricant on his receiving gloves)
Mike Williams (10) WR-DET (Took a year off, got fat, got terrible, way to go Millen)
2004
Larry Fitzgerald (3) WR-AZ (Has been a top 15 receiver every year of his career)
Roy Williams (7) WR-DET (The only Lions receiver to work out so far)
Reggie Williams (9) WR-JAX (Came on a bit in ’07, other than that, giant bust)
Lee Evans (13) WR-BUF (If we started the season on November 1, he might be the greatest receiver ever)
Michael Clayton (15) WR-TB (Busty McBusterson)
2003
Charles Rogers (2) WR-DET (The Mayor of Bustville)
Andre Johnson (3) WR-HOU (If he was healthy and had an O-line that could give the QB some time, he might be Randy Moss II)
2002
Donte Stallworth (13) WR-NO (Average at best)
William Green (16) RB-CLE (Does anyone really remember William Green?)
Now class, what did we learn from all of these facts? First, the amount of talented “skill position” players taken in the top half of the first round may be on the decline. Second, those chosen in the coveted top 16 pan out to be super star studs (which a top 16 pick should be) at a terribly low rate. By my count of the 20 players listed above, only six actually turned out to what I classify as great players. This is a 30 percent average, which is great if you are hitting a baseball, but will get you fired as an NFL general manager, unless of course you are Matt Millen.
If you check out the picks from 16 to 32 in those drafts, you may find a different story. The illustrious group includes Javon Walker, Willis McGahee, Larry Johnson, Steven Jackson, Laurence Maroney, Santonio Holmes, Joseph Addai, DeAngelo Williams, and Dwayne Bowe. All of these players have shown either consistent fantasy upside, or flashes of brilliance when on the field and/or healthy.
The moral of the story is that players like Darren McFadden, who is a sure thing top ten, may not be a good fantasy bet next season, as he will no doubt join a bad team. Whereas DeSean Jackson, Mario Manningham, Malcolm Kelly, Limas Sweed, Felix Jones and Jonathan Stewart, all of which have seen projections from the top ten to the second round, have a greater chance to find a meaningful spot on a better roster, and therefore have a better chance of being the 2008 impact rookie you so richly deserve on your fantasy squad.
