Now, How Did That Happen?

Anthony Smith is now out with a torn bicep. If you ask me, the injury didn't occur during the game, but came about after the game when his teammate put him in the locker room shower and beat the hell out of him for making a stupid guarantee.

Seriously, it takes a special type of athlete to pick up a team on his back and get the job done himself. Anthony Smith is not on such a list populated by guys like Joe Namath or Mark Messier. In fact, the only list he's on right now is the injured reserve, and I'm pretty certain that his teammates put him there for saying the Steelers would beat the Patriots in a national news forum.

Consider this a special message to professional athletes out there whose egos are too big
for their own good: you're teammates read the paper and was Sportscenter. If they can't identify you on their own and have to find out who you are because you said something stupid, you better pray that you can back it up. I hear shower beatings are a bitch.

A New Addition

Congratulations, Shannon Sharpe. You've now joined the Cage Match of Sports Personalities that everyone hates. Maybe a few well places punches will knock the marbles out of your mouth, allowing you to speak clearly.

Seriously, you spoke on the pre-game show this morning, and I swear, I understood an average of every seventh word - including a few sentences which sounded like you were gargling mouthwash with cotton balls left in your cheeks from oral surgery right before you stepped on set.

Shannon Sharpe, welcome to the Cage Match. Good luck.

Let's Make a Deal:

10 years/$250 millon for the AL MVP


---OR---


3 years/$37.5 Million for the World Series MVP
("It's 'The Price is Right,' Happy.")


Sounds to me like someone is driving up the market by getting really overpaid...

Can we get five and 200?

Somewhere, Bridget Moynihan, is wondering why she couldn't get the same love that Tom is giving to Randy.

It's halftime as I type, and Randy Moss has eight receptions for 112 yards and four touchdowns. It looks like that "Other #81's" comments from a few weeks ago got to him, as he's looking to quickly overshadow Terrell Owen's big day (8 rec, 173 yd, 4TD).

And by the way, why haven't we heard from an unhappy Owens that Tony Romo is stealing all of his thunder?

Thanks, Jacoby!

Firstly, I apologize for the severe lack of anything posted here in the last month or so. It's a little hard to find time and/or energy when you're working 50 hours a week, though there may be some big changes on the horizon. Stay tuned.

Onto business.

It's a sad state of affairs in the NHL. Earlier this week, Ryan Jones' hit from behind on Patrice Bergeron, in which Bergeron was knocked unconscious, taken off the ice on a stretcher, and suffered a concussion and a broken nose, landed him a two-game suspension. Why do I have issues with him being punished for a dirty hit? Well, firstly, I was taught at a young age that YOU DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, hit anyone from behind. There were, and continue to be, stiff penalties for doing so, as well as several programs out there to teach children how to take checks. Safety is not something to be overlooked in a game that features oversized men with sticks in their hands and blades on their feet.

Secondly, the hit was the third such incident for the Philadelphia Flyers this season, following Jesse Boulerice's crosscheck to the face of Ryan Kesler, and Steve Downie's headshot of Dean McAmmond. Both recieved stiff suspensions for their actions, and Jones' hit was no different - a dangerous play where someone was seriously injured. A two-game suspension does not send the right message to children who saw the vicious hit (which Jones apologized for during the game, which earns him some kudos, but not much), nor to a team that appears to have little regard for safety. Why not do something to the team (as Scott Burnside suggested, remove draft picks or fine the organization) for not controlling their players?

Lastly, why do non-professional sports organizations hand out stiffer penalties? For instance, Bowling Green forward Kai Kantola was suspended three games for a hit from behind, despite the fact that the player he hit returned to the game. I don't mean to imply that Kantola's hit was less dirty or punishment-worthy, but come on, NHL - get your act together. If college hockey has the guts to stand behind their rules (The suspension came from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, not the NCAA), shouldn't the NHL, which has to concentrate on rebuilding fan and advertising bases?

So, to sum this up, The NHL needs to practice what they preach, and not be afraid to take action against dirty hits. Players lives do, in fact, hinge on it.

Bring on the Champagne!

What a great time it is to be a Boston sports fan - the Red Sox are in the playoffs, the Patriots are 4-0, the Celtics are tied for first place, the Bruins are one game back, and the Revolution continue to exist. Hurrah!

And on that note, I really need some time off from work. I swear, I'll post something real in the coming days.