Yeah, try to never do this in sports

 I was hesitant to post something like this, because I didn't want to give it any more attention than it deserves.  But I am doing so - not just to ridicule, but also to make a call to all fans of all teams, to hold each other accountable. For my part, I try to condemn any time something low is done on Giants fans' behalf, such as calling the Cowboys the "Cowgirls," or changing one letter in Tony Romo's name to turn it into an insult.  We're better than that as fans, and the Giants are better than that as a team (save for Week 1).  

Okay, disclaimer up...

Oh, so much to take in.  Where to begin?

*Neither the Joker in general, nor specifically Heath Ledger's remarkable performance of the character in The Dark Knight, has anything to do with the Arizona Cardinals.  The team's mascot is a small red bird.  (Although, a friend I showed this poster to, remarked that the Joker is fitting because the Cardinals are a joke, so that is duely noted.)  Sure, I get it, because "Cards," but again, that isn't short for "Playing Cards" in this case.  This is like shortening "Panthers" to "Ants" and representing them with the characters from A Bug's Life.

"Cardinals Fan...Yes I Am!"

"Fan" and "am" don't rhyme.  I feel like I'm being asked to accept that it does.  Also, this couldn't be more opposite of the tone of the rest of what is going on here.  "Cardinals fan, yes I am!" is something a happy-go-lucky 7 year old is meant to chant.  Guy Who Made This, you kind of compromised your theme of anger; It seems like you just wanted to combine everything you've ever heard about the Cardinals into one thing.  Next time maybe make two separate posters, and put this phrase in the other one.

"F{cardinalslogo}CK THE REST"

Strangely standoffish for a fan of a franchise that the overwhelming majority of fans of other teams, are apathetic about.  Also, representing your team with implied profanity is always a good decision.  This part mainly just makes me sad, so let's move on.

"BIRDGANG"

Along with the overall tone of this picture - minus the cute near-rhyme of course - the term "birdgang" does nothing to dispel the stereotype about Cardinals fans, which says that, besides people who don't know much about football, and/or people who only root for them because they feel obligated to support the team who plays their home games geographically closest to where they live, Cardinals fans is a group largely made up of gang bangers who wanted a different team to root for than the Raiders. 


I'm not going to go as far as to say that something like this encourages or incites fan violence.   But it sure doesn't encourage or incite peace.

Stay classy, Cardinals fan.

Two album reviews

Before I get started, let me say something about music that I said about sports in a post long ago.  (I didn't look back for it, because it was so long ago that I had little confidence my search would pay off.)  It's the concept that just because you don't do something personally, doesn't mean you should ever let yourself be pushed off of your opinion, or that it's any less valid. 

Much like the former athlete's go-to "gotcha" is, "What do you know, you never played at this level," there is a temptation for any current or former musician, or even music journalist, to protest your opinion on what music you like, if it's not what they like.  

With the two albums I'm about to review, I feel the greatness is self-evident.  But if the above disclaimer feels like I'm doth protesting a bit too much, well then, guilty as charged, because the disdain the mainstream music media has for Rush is certainly no secret.

 Away we go...

Rush - Clockwork Angels (2012)

If you've been listening to Sports Limelight over the past few months this will come as no surprise, but Clockwork Angels is already one of my favorite albums of all time.  Every song has so much effort, precision, and emotion in it.  I would say something like this comes along only once in a generation, but Rush has done this before...and have been around for more than a generation. My current favorite song is The Garden, but I will rarely start this album, or listen to any individual song from it, unless I have 62 straight minutes carved out so I can listen to it in its entirety.  

For converting someone who isn't already a fan, try Caravan.

For a review more articulate than mine - try here or here.  (I run out of different ways to say, "I like the way this sounds to me.")

Grade: A+.  There isn't much of a frame of reference for this because I haven't reviewed albums here before, but I can tell you that the only other A+ I have for the past 5 years, is Foo Fighters' Wasting Light.

 

The Offspring - Days Go By (2012)

 

Adam Carolla said this a few weeks ago, and it's so simple and obvious that I wish he hadn't said it because then I could say it and seem like I wasn't copying anyone...but truly, it's impossible to mess up an Offspring song.  This band has been around for over 25 years after all, and it's not surprising given their ability to turn out a bunch of catchy, enjoyable, no-nonsense songs every few years.  Like Rush, the pacing of their album releases has slowed with age, but whenever it's time for another, I'll be right back at the window, the well, or whatever other consumption metaphor fits here. 

Grade: B+.  The song Days Go By is an instant, mass-appeal classic along the lines of Can't Repeat.  O.C. Guns had to grow on me, and I sort of have to be in the mood in order to listen to Cruisin' California (Bumpin' In My Trunk), but the rest could play on a loop 24/7 and I wouldn't protest - until it's time to listen to Clockwork Angels again, of course.

$23 million, sure, that sounds about right

I have otherwise perfectly intelligent and logical friends who, amazingly, still don't understand why I'm not a fanboy for the NBA.  

The Washington Wizards yesterday paid Andray Blatche $23 million to go away yesterday, as part of the league's "amnesty" clause.  Here's a great summary of this complete bum's time in Washington, in the excellent D.C. Sports Bog.  

I'd love to expound on this, one of countless reasons (or might I say, 23 million reasons) why this league is unlikeable, but all I need to do is restate the fact in a way that the full effect is understood.  

Much like this nation's budget deficit, big numbers get thrown around so often that we become somewhat desensitized to exactly how much money we're talking about.  So let me spell it out.  Twenty-three million dollars.  To not play basketball.  $23,000,000.

And the NBA wonders* why it has problems relating to the average sports fan?  What a joke of a league. 

(*I don't think they actually wonder this, at least if they're being honest with themselves.)
 
You then might ask me, "But isn't the amnesty clause good?  What, would you rather teams be forced to keep these guys?"  The answer is, it doesn't matter, because NBA GMs are morons.  With one scrub off their salary caps, they'll just give the money to some other scrub anyway, which we've seen before. 


So, in two years (or maybe even less) when the Nuggets use their amnesty on "Wrong Way" JaVale McGee, paying him the remainder of his 4 year, $44 million contract to get him off their roster...just for giggles let's pretend it wasn't more predictable than a Three's Company episode.

Myra would have wanted it that way

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xs4lai_robert-kraft-acting-with-hot-girlfriend_sport

Pretty embarrassing, even for an organization like the Patriots.

Thanks for making this even easier, commissioner

My catch-all statement for the NBA in the past 5 years or so, has been, "I'm not going to be a fanboy for this league."  In short, it means I'm not interested in consuming it, and I'm not buying what the league is selling. 

I sometimes struggle to stake out this adamant position while not simultaneously thumbing my nose at those who don't agree with me.  Because if I'm saying I'd be a fool for watching this league with its crooked refereeing (not a "conspiracy theory" - THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED), and rigged lotteries, and flopping, I'm sort of by default calling you a fool who is not seeing any of these things.  

But today, I have a terrific example of the root of the problem.  I don't listen to Jim Rome so I didn't hear his interview with David Stern live, but it went mainstream yesterday. 

(Audio and transcript here, courtesy of Sporting News)

I've been clear in the past about why I'm not a Rome fan, but I don't think he was out of place here.  It was a fair line of questioning that the commissioner could have dismissed in a calm, diplomatic, and friendly manner.  Something like, "I'm glad you asked, I always appreciate the opportunity to debunk an unfair criticism of my great league..."

Instead - straight from the Doth Protest Too Much department - he gets immediately defensive, and comes off as a petty, dickish bully.  And need I remind you, this is a commissioner of a professional sports league!  

Mainly pay attention to the attacking of the source instead of addressing the issue at hand, right down to his final statement,  “Listen, I gotta go call someone important like Stephen A Smith now..."  Come on Stern, everybody knows Stephen A. Smith is awful, and name dropping him like it's some kind of super-trolling trump card was pathetic.

All that said, Rome missed out on a big opportunity to ask more specific questions, such as:

"Do you at least acknowledge that a lot of people have doubts about your lottery, and how do you intend to prove them wrong?"
"Why is the lottery not shown publicly?"
"Who supplies the 'codes' used to assign to the teams, and why is the overall process so unnecessarily convoluted?" 

So, again, this is why I don't watch the NBA, and probably never will again, at least as long as Stern is in charge.  You can join ESPN if you want, an organization that supposedly "covers" the league while also being a billion dollar partner in broadcasting their games (Hmm, conflict of interest there?), and be a lapdog for the NBA, but I hope you join me instead.   As consumers, like with most other products, our voice is expressed only by whether or not we consume this garbage. 


***6/15 Update***

Great article by Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski today, on why it's time for Stern to go.  A small portion to whet your appetite...

For all the young diva stars in the sport, no one has an entourage of yes men as deep as the NBA's commissioner. Rest assured, everyone told Stern how out of line Jim Rome was on Wednesday, that Stern’s public tantrum was validated, that Stern justifiably defended his honor. Rest assured, no one dared tell the commissioner he needed to put the NBA above himself, stop the preening and let Kevin Durant and LeBron James be the stars of these Finals.


No one dares tell Stern the ultimate truth that his ego, his vindictiveness, is an embarrassment to the league.

Also, delicious mop-up from Stern's "I gotta go call someone important like Stephen A. Smith now..." comment.  I went ahead and listened to some of that interview - Stern actually did talk with Smith that day, surely as part of a media sweep to promote the NBA during its finals. 

It was basically a 17-minute slobber fest right from the start, when Smith's co-host says to Stern as they bring him on, "What a great time to be you!"  That of course should not be surprising, as Smith works for ESPN television, and his show is on ESPN radio.

Opportunity in the face of a broken fifth metatarsal

Giants' receiver Hakeem Nicks broke his foot in practice last week.  He hopes to be back in time for Week 1, and I believe he can do it.  But even if he doesn't make it back in time for that one, against Dallas, it's not the end of the world.  

He should be back in midseason form by, well, midseason.  And in the meantime, his absence will provide opportunities for others to step up.  No team has thrived in the "next man up" aspect of football like the Giants in recent years.  It was Domenik Hixon's torn ACL just last year that opened the door for Victor Cruz to burst onto the scene, after all.  And this year, even well before the games that count begin, it's Hixon himself, along with Ramses Barden and rookie Reuben Randle who will benefit from extra practice reps. If you're any of those three, or if you're anyone evaluating them, these next 3-4 months will be crucial.

Hixon has to show that he's ready to bounce back from his second torn ACL.  He's been a tireless worker in coming back, and knows the playbook as well as any Giants receiver, so he's put himself in a good position if his body cooperates. 

Barden is coming into a "show me" year if there ever was one.  At 6'6", and having shown good hands, he has the chance this season to prove not just that he belongs in the NFL, but that he can be a mainstay in a rotation of capable receivers who are sure to benefit from having Eli Manning throwing them the ball. 

Randle was touted as a player who can start from day one.  We'll find out soon whether that statement is an accurate one. 

However, while no Giant is irreplaceable other than Manning, it is important to have another threat in the lineup so Victor Cruz can continue to flourish the way he did last year, without constantly facing double teams.

Your official Days of Thunder car rating system

Five stars = The car's perfect Harry.

Four stars =  The shocks are right, we're dialed in. Don't change a thing.

Three stars = All right Harry, when it comes to the car I take your word.

Two stars = Her ass is all over the place.

One star = The car just feels all wrong!

The 4th time being "Defending Champs"

With all its ups and downs, the 2011 Giants season was the most satisfying and fulfilling season that I've ever followed, in any sport.  It stands alone, complete and special, no matter what happens in 2012.  But what I welcome most regarding the 2012 Giants, is the opportunity to defend their title. 

How did the Giants fare in their previous 3 chances?

1987 - Started 0-5, including the players' strike that lasted 3 weeks, during which the Giants replacement players went 0-3.  They finished 6-9 and missed the playoffs.

1991 - Bill Parcells quit (I'm not calling it a retirement as he returned to coach 3 more teams) - and the head coaching job was given to Ray Handley, a name that makes just about any Giants fan cringe.  They finished 8-8, and again, missed the playoffs following a Super Bowl win.

2008 - With most of the miracle 2007 team minus Michael Strahan back for another run, they started 11-1, and looked unbeatable at times.  But then Plaxico Burress shot himself and the team wasn't the same.  They went 1-3 in their last 4 regular season games, finishing 12-4, and still earning 1st round bye...but came out flat in the divisional round and suffered a brutal 23-11 home loss to the Eagles.

So, needless to say, the Giants haven't fared well in title defenses their previous 3 tries.  But, I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with the opportunity this year.  And when it comes to the Giants, title defense season or not, we should be prepared to expect the unexpected.

2004-2010 Giants and Jets draft reviews

2004

Giants
2nd round pick Chris Snee, has been an anchor on the offensive line from the start, and is a 3-time Pro Bowl selection. 4th rounder Reggie Torbor, 5th rounder Gibril Wilson, and 7th rounder Derrick Ward all played roles in helping the Giants win the Super Bowl in the 2007 season, and all are still in league. But the main story here, of course, is Eli Manning, the kind of #1 overall pick, and once in a generation player that you do give up multiple 1st round picks to get. Thank you, then GM Ernie Accorsi, for the best QB the Giants have ever had.

Grade: A+. Simply put, the foundation of a champion.

Jets
1st round pick Jonathan Vilma was with the team until 2007, and I felt he got a raw deal when he was pushed out the door by the Mangini regime because they deemed he didn't fit their 3-4 scheme. He's gone on to have a solid 2nd act with the Saints. Cornerback Derrick Strait, their 3rd round pick, was out of the league within two years, but they got good value in round 4 with receiver Jerricho Cotchery who was with the team through 2010, until he too was given a raw deal when the team decided on a whim they needed Derrick Mason instead. Mason was then released midseason. Cotchery spent 2011 with the Steelers. 5th rounder Safety Erik Coleman played 4 years with the team, and is currently a Lion.

Grade: B-. Some good players, but no lasting impact.

Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2004 here.

2005

Giants
Only 4 draft choices, but it was definitely a case of quality over quantity.  2nd round pick Corey Webster has been a mainstay at cornerback, and enters 2012, his 8th year with the team, looking as good as ever.  3rd round pick Justin Tuck is a dominant, versatile end, who has been the heart and soul of the defense, has 45 1/2 career sacks, and will go down as one of the best defensive linemen in Giants history.  And that wasn't all...in the 4th round, the Giants got Brandon Jacobs, who rushed for over 4800 yards, and a franchise record 56 Touchdowns, before leaving for the 49ers last month in free agency.  Even 6th round pick, defensive end Eric Moore, has hung around the league with 4 teams, and has been a Patriot the past two.

Grade: A.  Another Ernie Accorsi masterpiece that would pay dividends for years to come..

Jets
Also didn't have a 1st round pick in 2005, but did have two seconds, and used them on K Mike Nugent, and CB Justin Miller.  Nugent is currently a Bengal, with a career accuracy over 80%, but the 2nd round has proven to be too high for him.  Miller found a niche as a kick returner, but played his last NFL game in 2009.  The 3rd round brought the Jets Defensive Tackle Siona Pouha, still a key contributor with the team, and 4th and 6th round choices, Safety Kerry Rhodes and Tight End Joel Dressen, are still in the league, with Rhodes in Arizona and Dressen in Houston.

Grade: C+.  Best summed up with, "Eh."


Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2005 here.

2006 

Giants
Ernie Accorsi's last draft.  The Giants took Mathias Kiwanuka in the 1st round, a slightly better than servicable pro who has done an admirable job switching between defensive end, and outside linebacker.  I'd like to see him back in the end rotation full-time going forward.  2nd round pick Sinorice Moss was a bust, as was 3rd round pick Gerris Wilkinson.  They really rebounded in the 4th round though, with Barry Cofield, dependable and durable at defensive tackle until getting a big contract in free agency with Washington following the 2010 season.  Fellow 4th round pick Guy Whimper, and 5th round pick Charlie Peprah, didn't do much as Giants, but were still in the league elsewhere through 2011.

Grade: C.  Kiwanuka and Cofield are good players, but Accorsi didn't come away with the kind of depth he would have hoped for.
Jets
Surprisingly fruitful.  First year GM Mike Tannenbaum, succeeding Terry Bradway, came away with an excellent haul of talent.  T D'Brickashaw Ferguson wasn't quite #4 overall material, but isn't a bust by any means.  C Nick Mangold, taken late in the 1st round, is one of the best at his position, and while QB Kellen Clemens in the 2nd round didn't work out, 3rd rounder S Eric Smith, 4th rounder WR/KR Brad Smith, another 4th rounder, HB/KR Leon Washington, certainly did.

Grade: A-.  A draft that really helped the Jets rebuild quickly, and paved the way for two AFC divisional round victories at the end of the decade.


Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2006 here.

2007

Giants
To say that 1st year General Manager Jerry Reese was up to the task would be a gross understatement.  1st round pick Aaron Ross was taken a little high, but even if you swap his spot with 2nd round pick Steve Smith, you still come out ahead.   3rd round pick Jay Alford didn't have much of career, but who could forget his thunderous sack of Tom Brady in the final moments of Super Bowl 42.  4th round pick Zak DeOssie is still the team's primary long snapper, and 5th round pick Kevin Boss was dependable.  And Reese saved the best gem for last, RB Ahmad Bradshaw in the 7th round.

Grade: B+.  The class gets a little bonus because so many of them immediately stepped in and contributed to a championship, even if this group has fallen off a bit since.
 
Jets
Only had 4 choices, but made the most of them, first taking All-Pro CB Darrelle Revis in the 1st round, with the 14th overall pick.  They hit another home run in the 2nd round, with LB David Harris.  6th round pick T Jacob Bender didn't pan out, but 7th rounder WR Chansi Stuckey did. 
 
Grade: A.  If you're only going to have 4 picks, this is how it's done.


Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2007 here.

2008

Giants
Reese picked up where he left off in 2007, adding another layer of young talent.  The defending Super Bowl champs drafted at the tail end of each round as they will in 2012, and Reese took two defensive backs in the first two rounds.  Had it not been for knee injuries, Kenny Phillips and Terrell Thomas might have been two of the league's elite.  Still, a good start, and Reese followed up with WR Mario Manningham in the 3rd, now Rams LB Brian Kehl in the 4th, and another victim of serious knee injury, LB Jonathan Goff in the 5th.

Grade: B-.  A pretty solid draft with no real busts...and thank you one last time Manningham, for the sideline catch in Super Bowl 46.
 
Jets
Spent the #6 overall pick on Vernon Gholston, who would record just 16 tackles, and no sacks, before being released following the 2010 season.  They rebounded nicely by taking TE Dustin Keller later in the 1st round, but the rest of this draft class, CB Dwight Lowery, QB Erik Ainge, WR Marcus Henry, and T Nate Garner, didn't give them much either.

Grade: D.  Keller's good, but you just can't miss on a pick that early, as badly as they did with Gholston.


Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2008 here.

2009

Giants
They took a lot of raw talent - some has worked out, and some hasn't, at least not yet.  1st round pick WR Hakeem Nicks is a game-changing player, and might end up the best Giants receiver ever.  2nd round pick LB Clint Sintim spent the 2011 season on injured reserve with a torn ACL, and next year might be his last chance to stick.  3rd round choice T Will Beatty looks promising at tackle, as does WR Ramses Barden, but both sorely need to flash a lot more in 2012.  Another 3rd rounder, TE Travis Beckum, hadn't shown much before tearing his ACL in Super Bowl 46, and that may turn out to be his last game.  4th round pick HB Andre Brown, after spending most of his career on the practice squad, might face a make or break year in 2012, after the departure of Brandon Jacobs.

Grade: B.  3 years ago and it's already almost too early to judge this draft, but Nicks carries this class, and I'm projecting breakout years from Barden and Beatty.

Jets
Just three picks: Round 1, number 5 overall, Mark Sanchez, Round 3, number 65, Shonn Greene, and round 6, number 193, Matt Slauson.  Sanchez and Greene are entrenched in the Jets backfield for better or worse, going into their 4th season.

Grade: D+.  It's not that Sanchez and Greene are quite that bad...but having made such commitments to these two, especially Sanchez, the Jets deprived themselves of the ability to go in another direction, which almost makes it worse than if they hadn't drafted these players at all.

Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2009 here.

2010

Giants
In the 1st round, they took maybe the greatest singular Giants defensive force since Lawrence Taylor, in DE Jason Pierre Paul.  2nd round pick DT Linval Joseph also looks like a keeper, and I would love to see these two play together on the Giants' line for another 10 years.  3rd round pick S Chad Jones was injured in a serious car accident shortly after being drafted, and is still trying to fight his way back.  5th round choice, G Mitch Petrus, looks to be a good one, and really helped spark the running game whenever he filled in last season.  6th round pick DE Adrian Tracy is still around, but understandably will have a hard time finding his way into the rotation.

Grade: A-.  So hard to project after two seasons, but sure looks promising.
 
Jets
Another thin class, with just 4 players - Kyle Wilson in the 1st, Vladimir Ducasse in the 2nd, Joe McKnight in the 4th, and John Conner in the 5th.

Grade: C.  McKnight seems to have found a niche as a change of pace back, and Conner looks to be a solid starting fullback.  That's all I can give you on this class, for in a Joe Morgan like moment, I must admit that with the exception of bits and pieces of a few games, I haven't seen them play...but I hope they can be more consistent.

Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2010 here.

Overall, I tried not to be swayed too much by two biases - my Giants fan bias...and the Super Bowl bias, which is that when you win a Super Bowl, it's hard to not look at a draft as a complete success, because you won a Super Bowl (or two) with these players.

I can't wait to see the Giants do Thursday through Saturday.  This is a great time of year because more than any other single aspect of the league, the draft is what the saying, "In Reese We Trust," is all about.

Faith Hilling

South Park hit it out of the park again this week, with the episode Faith Hilling, poking fun at the "Meme" craze. It's been said before ad nauseam, but whenever they spoof something current, it's great.

Meanwhile, The Simpsons will do a show on this subject in 2017, and it will be about "Bavaroing."