Let me get this out of the way—I hope, after this season, we never have to hear the phrase, “Hopefully Andrew Bynum will be back for the playoffs.” I don’t like this pattern that the latest incarnation of Sam Bowie is falling into…
So Brett Favre has decided to call it a career….finally? IMHO ( In my honest opinion-okay I got that from all the text language that my daughter has taught me), Favre did not want to play for the Jets last season. I have been of the belief that Favre was genuine when he retired after a glorious career in Green Bay and despite his final season ending on a down note, the season as a whole was remarkable.
But I think that Favre, who retired with 3 years and 39 million dollars left on his contract, was offered and accepted a 20 million dollar buyout, had second thoughts not about playing but the money he left on the table. No matter how successful or how much money one has, and Favre stood to make some good endorsement money, walking away from an extra 19 million dollars is not an easy thing to do. I think he and probably his wife, thought that by saying he was coming back, he would force the Packers’ hand and get more money to stay retired. Favre knows he has deity-like status in Green Bay and any reports of him coming back would stir excitement and publicity—-and it did, to say the least—and put Packer management in an uncomfortable situation, and that to keep the situation from boiling over, they would pay him more money.
Favre even showed up to training camp, causing more headaches, and his trade requests and demands to be released were putting his legend and beloved status in jeopardy. To their credit, the Packers held firm, refused to pay the ransom, stayed the course on their youth movement, and traded Favre rather than give in to his hostage demands. Favre’s season in New York, which turned out to be his last, was anything but Favre like. To be sure, the hype of Favre’s arrival got the “other” New York team some headlines, the Jets won more games, and he had his moments. But he had the usual dumb passes, he allegedly divided the locker room by playing prima donna and gone was the usual Brett enthusiasm.
So now he ridden off into the sunset with his records, his Super Bowl ring, and his drama……finally.
I find it absolutely humorous that Texas Ranger owner Tom Hicks calls Alex Rodriguez “damaged goods” and believes he owes him an apology. In three seasons in Texas, A Roid AVERAGED 52 home runs. Damaged goods is what Jason Schmidt, Andruw Jones, or any other Ned Colletti acquisition for the Dodgers. Rodriguez may be a liar and a cheater, but he’s anything but damaged goods. Except in the clutch…
By the way, while Rodriguez is hard to feel sorry for, the truth is he submitted to a test that was supposed to be anonymous and the facts were never to be revealed. It’s akin to a man or women talking a test about infidelity under the guise of anonymity, and so they are truthful never thinking it would come out that there was some extra marital hanky panky, and some years later the results are revealed that one of them admits to an affair, and now he or she pays the price. Of course for years they had denied anything, it’s only natural to protect themselves, just as A Roid was denying anything. It hardly seems fair….
I am in no way condoning what A Roid did, but I find it appalling the way the national media is so hypocritical and judgmental, acting as if Rodriguez owes them an apology, especially those writers who romanticize about the good old days of innocence in sports. I don’t know, A Roid and others imbibing in some performance enhancing, if illegal, substances, doesn’t bother me any more than listening to tales of footballers Bobby Layne and Max McGee playing with hangovers, or the sportswriters in New York City knowingly covering up for the revered Mickey Mantle, sitting out games after too many all nighters. It seems to me that A Rod, Barry Bonds, and others were a little more team conscious than the boozers who played before them…
I have had some dealings with Donald Sterling’s companies, and have learned a lot about just what an a hole this guy can be. But as bad as this low life is, I find myself in the almost unbelievable position of defending him against the racist and age discrimination chargers filed against him by Elgin Baylor. Baylor has been the single worst general manager of a sports franchise in the last quarter century, and to say he was hampered by Sterling’s spending is a downright lie. Baylor was a huge part of the annual Clipper Lottery Party, and his picks of Joe Wolf, Ken Norman, Bo Kimble, and those two Twin Teletubbies, Benoit Benjamin and Michael Olowakandi, are not so shining examples of Elgin’s “great basketball expertise.” Baylor did a sh*t job and if he indeed knew about Sterling and his racist ways, the fact that he continued to take big paycheck after big paycheck says a lot about his lack of character. Elgin Baylor was basically a whore, letting the Clippers prop him up as a face of a franchise, being the Laker legend he was, and now that he’s been let go he feels bad. Yeah, okay Elgin, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Bad general managers come in all shapes and colors, and ages. Elgin just happens to be black and older, and a VERY bad personnel man. Maybe now the Clippers can actually move on. What a concept…
So the Angels signed Bobby Abreu? Excuse me if I still don’t renew my season tickets. Hey, Moreno, Reagins, and Co.—Abreu is 35, and the guy you won’t pay to put you over the hump is only 2 years older and has accomplished much much more than Abreu if he retired right now. I won’t say his name because it hurts too much. Good luck and have fun finishing behind Oakland and Seattle. I can’t stomach another season of Mauch Scioscia, Maicer Izturiz batting third, home runs as are as Dave Smith actually rewarding his Sports God staff, and Howie Kendrick on the injured list….
