The Brett Favre saga has been carried on long enough for me to get irritated enough to end my pseudo retirement from SPS and add to the perplexity.

continue reading "Brett Favre vs. Green Bay"

Here are both sides to the argument. Enjoy.

FIRE TED THOMPSON:

Click To Sign The Official Fire Ted Thompson Petition

Ted Thompson has made some pretty terrible decisions in recent history. Last season Brett Favre lobbied for the Packers to trade a late round pick for Randy Moss (Who ended up leading the NFL in touchdowns and was second in receiving yards) and the Packers did nothing.  Today, Friday July 11th, news has broken that the Packers organization told Brett Favre, arguably the best thing to ever happen to Green Bay that he is no longer welcome and that they would rather have Aaron Rodgers under center than the 3 time MVP. This petition is to show show that Packers and football fans in general have realized that Ted Thompson should be fired immediately.  There are plenty of other poor decisions that were made by Thompson but these two are the obvious terrible judgment calls.

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Click To Sign The Official Fire Ted Thompson Petition 

DONT FIRE TED THOMPSON:

[Editors note: The author of this post has since backed down on his stance and has declared that if Thompson does not allow Favre to compete in an open competition, he should be fired. See comments below.]

Making a petition to not fire someone who has a job that is very secure seemed ludicrous to me, so instead I decided to write a column about why Packers GM Ted Thompson should keep his job. How exactly does a man who has been with a team since 2005 that was going to be over the salary cap the next season turn said team around to being one of the youngest (as of 7/12 the final rosters have not been set) teams in the league and have that young team be the reigning NFC North Champions along with being under the salary cap?

Remember the “glory” days of the new millenium when in 2000 Packers fans were introduced to Mike Sherman the former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator who had a Super Bowl caliber team dropped in his lap. These were the days where Packers fans had the leagues only 3-time MVP at the helm of their west-coast driven offense and defensive studs like Darren Sharper roaming the frozen tundra. What exactly did Mike Sherman do with the teams beginning with his 2000 team? Well the Packers went a combined 53-27 with three consecutive NFC North Championships yet the Packers were 2-4 in the playoffs during his tenure. In the end the playoff record would overcome Sherman, along with an injury plagued 4-12 final season, so following the 2005 NFL season he was fired.  Prior to being fired at the beginning of the 2005 season Sherman would lose his position as the General Manager of Football Operations for the Green Bay Packers and Ted Thompson would enter bringing hope to Packers fans everywhere. It may not have sent shock-waves throughout the league, but Thompson had worked side by side with former Packers head coach Mike Holmgren. Together they would build a team that was second only to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2005 season, his first year with the Packers.
continue reading "To Fire Ted Thopmson or Not To Fire Ted Thompson"

Click To Sign The Official Fire Ted Thompson Petition

Ted Thompson has made some pretty terrible decisions in recent history. Last season Brett Favre lobbied for the Packers to trade a late round pick for Randy Moss (Who ended up leading the NFL in touchdowns and was second in receiving yards) and the Packers did nothing.  Today, Friday July 11th, news has broken that the Packers organization told Brett Favre, arguably the best thing to ever happen to Green Bay that he is no longer welcome and that they would rather have Aaron Rodgers under center than the 3 time MVP. This petition is to show show that Packers and football fans in general have realized that Ted Thompson should be fired immediately.  There are plenty of other poor decisions that were made by Thompson but these two are the obvious terrible judgment calls.

 Loading …

Click To Sign The Official Fire Ted Thompson Petition 

     If you haven’t already heard about ChaCha, you are in for a treat.  ChaCha is “a mobile answers service for people on the go” according to their website.  Here is how it works: You text a question to CHA-CHA (242-242).  A ChaCha guide receives your question, searches for the answer on the internet, and texts you back with the answer. The service is free.  It counts as a standard text message so if you have unlimited text messaging it is free. It also includes a link to the source where the ChaCha guide got his or her information so you can verify that the information you get is correct.  You can text them any question and if the answer can be found on the internet you will have your answer along with the source it was found in a minute or two. You can even text the letter “w” and your zip code and they will send you the weather forecast. The service is marketed as a way to turn any phone into a smart phone but for me, it turns my phone into SportsCenter.  Yesterday I was driving to the Braves game at Turner Field in Atlanta and wanted to know how the Nadal-Federer match was going.  My brother texted the question to ChaCha and it gave him the score. Its unfortunate that we didn’t ask ChaCha what the weather was going to be so we could have known that there were going to be heavy thunderstorms.  While ChaCha isn’t marketed as a sports tool necessarily, it is perfect for sports fans without smartphones.  If you want to know how your favorite team is doing, no problem. ChaCha is also extremely useful when you are having a sports argument with a friend.  How many championships has Sam Cassell won? ChaCha to the rescue. Have fun.

1. Chicago- Michael Beasley, PF Kansas State

Most people think Derrick Rose will be the pick here, but if the Bulls are smart, they will take Beasley. Many are concerned with Beasley’s measurements in Orlando, but his standing reach is 8′11”, almost ideal for a power forward. He can score the ball inside and out, while Rose doesn’t really have an outside shot to speak of (Beasley, a power forward, had a better three point percentage than Rose, a point guard, this season). Also, a post player is a bigger need for Chicago than a guard. There have been rumors that Chicago could trade this pick to the Heat for Dwayne Wade, but the Bulls would have to give up more than just this pick, so if there is any deal on the table right now I think it will die by Thursday.

2. Miami- Derrick Rose, PG Memphis

Like mentioned earlier, Rose needs to improve his outside shot if he wants to be a superstar at the next level. Many people want to make the comparison to Chris Paul because Paul was not a great shooter coming into the league, but Rose does not have the passing skills that Paul has, and that is what makes Paul so effective. That said, I believe Rose’s athleticism is too impressive to be passed up at No. 2. He has great size at 6′3” for a point guard and his strength and quickness is going to give NBA point guards fits trying to keep him out of the paint. He must improve his shot to become a great player though.
continue reading "2008 NBA mock draft"

Cream of the Crop

Derrick Rose – A wonderful prospect who thinks he could be a franchise player. Questions persist about his outside shot and his defense but overall he seems like he will at least provide a significant upgrade for either the Bulls or the Heat at the point with his insane athleticism and ability to create for others.

Michael Beasley – Dominant offensive player who was a great rebounder at the college level. He measured at only 6’7” ½ after having been listed at 6’10” during his year at Kansas State. Height is of course no indication of skills but it would make him a bit undersized to play in the post for the NBA and I believe that he will have a hard time guarding quick small forwards because of a lack of commitment and foot speed on the defensive end. With that said he looks like he has the ability to score on anyone, I feel like he may be in the Carmelo Anthony mold which is not to shabby.

The Next Cut

O.J. Mayo – a shooting guard with a sweet stroke and great athleticism. Looks like an NBA player and he might be a good player to bet on to win the rookie of the year award next year. He should be an immediate impact player as a wing and will get some time at point guard.

Brook Lopez – A solid big man with relatively few wholes in his game. Not great athletically but he seems to use his size well on both ends of the court. Has good and polished post moves. Projects to be starting center though I would put his ceiling as a good Chris Kaman.

Russell Westbrook – My favorite of the combo guards. Thrives on the defensive end with the ability to disrupt the game reminiscent of Rajon Rondo using his quickness and instincts to get in passing lane and pressure the ball handler. His intensity is another exciting quality which I think will help ease his transition. If he can continue to grow as a point on the offensive end could end up being a top 3 or 4 players in this draft.

Some Questions
continue reading "NBA Draft Prospects"

While teachers give elementary, middle, and high school students summer reading lists to keep them busy over the summer I figured I could share a few of my favorite sports novels with the 3 sports fans that read my articles on this site.

Rick Reilly - Missing Links

We all know Rick Reilly for his mixture of clever, moving, shocking pieces he became known for by writing the back page of Sports Illustrated. Missing Links is a fictional novel about a group of golf addicts. The story features a group of friends that play golf for the love of the game. They play on a dump of a golf course which is juxtaposed directly next to a pristine country club. The main characters decide to hold a competition to see who can play a round on the neighboring course. Reilly is a great storyteller and shows the he can write more than nonfiction with this book. Anyone that appreciates golf will have trouble putting this book down will find themselves laughing as often as they turn the page.

Paul Shirley - Can I keep my jersey
continue reading "A Sports Fans Brief Summer Reading List"

I am currently studying abroad in Paris, which made for a golden opportunity. I am literally a metro ride away from Roland Garros the home of the French Open. It seemed simple enough; I would simply make my way over there from my apartment and buy myself a ticket.

This plan was set to go to disastrously awry not once, but twice. On my first attempt I became a victim of simple ignorance. I arrived to discover that all the legitimate tickets had already been sold. This sucked. Paris is a huge city, going by metro is an hour commitment each way and I basically had sunk an entire day into this venture. At this point I had the choice of either giving up on this chance of a lifetime or coming back. I made the obvious choice to return, after all I am a sports fan at my core and I can cheer and respect world class talent no matter the sport.
continue reading "The French Open"

Does anybody know where Bill Walton has been during this year’s NBA Playoffs? Its not that I want him calling games; he might be harder to listen to than a Reggie Miller/Dick Vitale hybrid. Despite being a terrible announcer, Bill definitely provides very high quality entertainment. So here’s a top five list my favorite Bill Walton commentaries that leave you scratching your head.

Top 5 Quotes

Found here.

5.”Greg Ostertag is one of the top centers on this planet!”

4. Exchange between he and Tom Hammond: “John Stockton is one of the true marvels, not just of basketball, or in America, but in the history of Western Civilization!” Tom: “Wow, that’s a pretty strong statement. I guess I don’t have a good handle on world history.” Bill: “Well Tom, that’s because you didn’t go to UCLA.”

3.”Manu Ginobli is one of the greats. Not just of this generation, but of all time.”
continue reading "Where is Bill Walton? Top 5 Quotes and Top 5 video clips"

Post game thoughts:

Well, I was wrong. The usually reliable third quarter at home for the Hornets turned ugly for them in Game 7. They couldn’t hit the backside of a barn in the third quarter. David West was very disapointing in the second half. Tyson Chandler did a great job on Tim Duncan in the second half when New Orleans stopped doubling him, but everyone on the Spurs stepped up down the stretch. Michael Finley hit two threes, Robert Horry hit a big three, Bowen hit some shots, Parker hit shots when the Spurs needed him to, and Ginobli played great the entire game. The Hornets didn’t show up coming out of the locker room in the third, and when the shots started falling in the fourth it was just too late to knock off the defending champions.
continue reading "Live Blog: San Antonio at New Orleans (game 7)"