Giving Away Money

Last time I checked the United States was supposed to be in a recession.  Maybe Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson doesn't read the newspapers because today he threw a lot of money right down the toilet as if he had a never ending supply.  Richardson and his team gave perennial scrub Jake Delhomme a five-year $42.5 million dollar extension that will ensure Delhomme ends his career as a Carolina Panther.

Now while some may look at this contract and think it isn't outrageous as $8.5 million per season isnt very much for a quarterback I look at the deal and think that Richardson is either a moron or he was recently kicked in the head as hard as I kicked Tristan in the ass tonight.  

Jake Delhomme for all of his publicity is not a good quarterback.  In his six seasons with the Panthers he has thrown for more than 20 touchdowns only twice while cracking double digits in every season except the 2007 season where he played on 3 games due to injury.  He has never thrown for more than 4,000 yards in his career and his 84.7 percent quarterback rating last season was good for 18th in the NFL behind the likes of Shaun Hill and Seneca Wallace.

Also it must be mentioned that this extension comes just over three months after the 34-year-old Delhomme had the worst game of his career, throwing five interceptions and losing a fumble in Carolina's 33-13 loss to Arizona in the NFC divisional playoffs.  Yet for his masterful performance he is rewarded with a new contract while I currently sit unemployed after an all-star performance at Aviva last year.

For some reason Delhomme has the full support of of head coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney as both have publicly backed Delhomme after the debacle in the playoffs last year.  I guess they feel like they can't do any better but I mean let the guys contract run out rather than just dumping more money on him.  Maybe these two men never actually watch Delhomme play or have no idea what a talented quarterback looks like I have no idea really.

I know that Delhomme is happy because his agent said so.  "Jake Delhomme is incredibly excited to be able to finish his career in Carolina," his agent, Rick Smith, said. "He felt there was unfinished business at the end of last year."  No wonder he is excited.  He probably realised that after his performance last year he was lucky to get a new deal rather than being released (which is what should have happened).

I don't really hate Jake Delhomme he just pisses me off when he goes out and viciously overthrows a receiver only to come off the field yelling at everyone and everything.  He is known for his temper and "competitive spirit" but in the sports world that is a nice way of saying someone is an asshole.  The worst thing was when I watched an interview with Delhomme last year before the playoffs he was asked what kind of quarterback he was and his response "gun slinger."  Doucher.

The only solace I take from this news is that now I know the Carolina Panthers won't be competitive next year because as long as Jake Delhomme is back there taking snaps and trying to be a Brett Favre wannabe the Panthers will not be making any progress.  Thank god for stupid owners.

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The Corpse of BJ Ryan

Sitting at home tonight watching TV.  I know that both NHL and NBA playoffs are on but instead I am concentrating on the Jays game.  They are playing the Rangers and even though it is somewhat of a meaningless game I am still drawn to it.  Maybe it is because I have Ian Kisnler on my fantasy team or maybe it is because even though I am a Red Sox fan I still love the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Either way I am sitting there watching the game and seeing the Jays build a 7-4 lead heading into the 9th.  David Purcey pitched an alright game and the bullpen was solid.  Some clutch hitting helped the Jays build the lead as did 2 Rod Barajas home runs.  I know that the Jays have this game in the bag.  Then I see BJ Ryan run out and my heart literally skips a beat as I know it is all over.

I am sure it was not just me as Blue Jays fans all over the world were thinking the same thing. Ryan is a liability and when he walks out there fans know that he cannot be trusted to get the job done.  Tonight seems different though and Ryan runs to the mound with confidence and takes his warm up pitches like he knows he is gonna get these guys three in a row.

Then the first batter steps into the box and Ryan looks like a deer in the headlights.  It is as if it is his first game in the majors and he is overwhelmed by everything around him.  He gets this look on his face like Henry Rowengartner in Rookie of the Year when he reinjures his arm and can no longer throw gas.  The look is one of 'oh god they are going to find out I have no business being here.' 

It all happened so quickly.  Chris Davis was hit on the wrist and Jarrod Saltalamacchia drew a four-pitch walk.  All of a sudden Ian Kinsler stepped up as the potential tying run.  Kinsler hit into what should have been a double play but an Aaron Hill throwing error allowed Davis to score and Kinsler to move to second.  From there Kinsler stole 3rd and was eventually driven on a Josh Hamilton grounder.

So the score is now 7-6 Bule Jays with 2 outs and Michael Young coming to the plate.  Ryan proceeds to lob one in which Young quickly and efficiently smashes over the center field wall to tie the game.  The sad part about all of this was that I was not surprised.  BJ Ryan could blow a 15 run lead and I wouldn't be surprised.  He is a terrible pitcher who has no confidence and throws garbage.

The worst part about all of this was the next guy up after Young got struck out on 3 straight pitches as Ryan finally decides to throw strikes.  I don't get it.  How can you strike a guy out on 3 pitches but struggle so mightily against all the other batters.  It was as if he was waiting to blow the save before he threw any real pitches.

This isn't an isolated incident either as Ryan has already blown a 3 run lead this season when on April 11th against the Cleveland Indians BJ had another epic collapse and had to be bailed out by Jason Frasor who once again bailed him out tonight.

At least he knows he sucks as after the game he said, ''I was terrible out there, I was brutal,'' Ryan said. ''Not pitching ahead, not pitching aggressively, making stupid pitches at bad times, just a bad night.''

It is so hard to watch Ryan come out and just ruins games consistently as I can still remember when the Jays first signed him and he used to come into games and just shut the other team down.  He would come out, work quickly, throw only strikes, and throw fast.  Now he tries to be fancy and struggles to hit 90mph on the radar gun. 

So far this season he is 2 of 4 in save opportunities and is sporting an ERA of 11.12.  In his 6 appearances he has given up 7 runs and has 5 walks to only 4 strikeouts.  He is a useless scrub who the Jays need to bench.  I understand that they may have been trotting him out there to increase his trade value but in the end it is only hurting the team.  There are lots of other guys waiting to be the new closer.  League, Carlson, Downs or Frasor could all close for the Jays no problem.

Last year a friend of mine, Draper, tried to defend BJ Ryan saying he was a good closer.  I haven't spoken to Draper in awhile but I doubt he will be defending him anymore.

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Why Try?

Out of all the major sports (Hockey, Baseball, Basketball, and Football) my least favorite is Hockey. This isn't because I hate the Leafs or because I didn't play hockey when I was younger or anything like that.  It is simply because the NHL season is 82 games long and for the entire 82 games 99% of the players in the league don't try. They don't.  They save it all for the playoffs.  They wait until the Stanley Cup is on the line to go out onto the ice and play their best game.

Have you ever noticed when playoff time comes around in the NHL fans get all excited because they want to watch "playoff hockey" like it is some new form of hockey that was just invented and is really special.  I understand that the playoffs mean more and that 82 games is a lot but seriously the level of play in the playoffs is so far above and beyond that of the play in the regular season it looks like two different games.  I have watched all 3 Vancouver-St. Louis games so far and they have been amazing.  Now if they had been regular season games do you think Brad Boyes would be diving to block shots?  Or that scrums would ensure after every whistle because the guys were fired up and excited about the game?

No other sports league is like this, well at least not to this extreme.  In football guys are making crazy plays and trying their best every game of the regular season and the caliber of play in the playoffs is just as high as in the regular season.  You can attribute this to a shorter season if you want but 1 regular season game of football in the NFL is the physical equivalent to 10 in the NHL.  

The real problem I have is that the NHL is struggling as a business.  Every year the league loses money and teams are constantly being bought and sold and there are always talks of relocating teams due to poor sales.  Maybe if the teams all tried for the entire season the fans would be there.  Maybe if the coaches convinced their players to give 100% every game the on ice product would be better and fans would be attracted to the games.

Now I don't expect anything crazy like guys killing themselves mid-season after a 7 game road trip but how about some contact.  You know why fans like playoff hockey?  It is because guys finish their checks and the game is more physical.  The new NHL is all about finesse players and scoring goals but come playoff time the game reverts to its old self and it once again becomes a contact sport.

Look at a team like the Phoenix Coyotes.  They haven't made the playoffs since 2001.  Now they haven't always had the best teams but I truly believe that if they treated every game like it was a playoff game they would make the playoffs.  If they skated hard, finished checks, and had everyone trying to block shots they would be a better team.  No one would want to play them because they played such a physically demanding game.  Hell the team is coached by the greatest player of all time and they still don't try!

Now don't get me wrong there are plenty of guys who try.  A guy like Ryan Kesler is going to go out every night and play his best.  I wish the rest of his team would follow his example but they just don't.  They go out and try to win but they don't play the best they can.  They collect their pay cheque and bide their time until April rolls around and its time to take it seriously.

I love watching playoff hockey.  It doesn't matter who is playing you know the games are going to be good.  You know you are going to see everyone out there giving it their best effort and leaving everything they have out on the ice.  Imagine that happened during the regular season too?  

I am not trying to condemn the NHL or try to tear down the game of hockey.  It is just so hard to watch a quality playoff hockey game and know that this is what I could be watching every time I turn on my TV.  I sit there watching the Canucks play physical and treat every shift like its going to be their last ever and I get frustrated.  To watch your favorite NHL team play in the playoffs is truly a gift and a curse.

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Pound for Pound Disappointment

Anderson Silva is supposed to be the best pound for pound fighter in the world.  Whenever there are commercials to try and promote his fights the UFC claims that he is the best fighter out there.  This can no longer be the case however as in his last two fights Silva has failed to put away both Patrick Cote and Thales Leites. 

Many people who watch the fights try and stick up for Silva and say that he is just bored or that these guys aren't on his level.  Well if they aren't on his level shouldn't he just smash them like he did to Chris Leben and James Irvin?  Why do scrub fighters take him the distance while good fighters he pounds out in the first round?  I don't know the answer but the fact that it is even a question is a real piss off.

When you see fighters like Georges St. Pierre and Fedor you see men who want to go out and dominate their opponents.  They don't sit back and dance and then apologize after they put on a crappy fight.  They go out and try their best to win fights and prove they are superior.  Their goal is to win.  They don't care if it is flashy or exciting they simply want to win.  Silva on the other hand appears to have no desire to win.  He seems content with dancing around the ring for 25 minutes and doing little to no damage.  

Tonight should have been a great night as with his win Silva set the record scoring his ninth straight win inside the Octagon and setting the title defense streak at 5.  Unfortunately the night was ruined by one of the most boring fights I have ever seen.

“The Spider” was taken the distance for the for the first time in his career since 2004, which clearly did not sit well with the fans sitting ringside or the people at the bar I watched the fights at.  The 185-pound showdown turned out to be quite a snorefest that if you had gotten up to take a piss you wouldn't have missed anything. Seriously Silva danced for 15 minutes and Leites laid on his back.

Silva didn’t do much in the first two rounds against the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, opting to keep his distance and stay out of harms way. But when he did attempt to engage, Leites did what most laymen and keyboard warriors would do and flopped to the canvas like a dead fish, looking to bait Silva into a ground match.

Silva refused to engage him on the ground and forced him to stand up roughly 15 times.  There was one flash of action however as Silva had Leites on the ground and fed him a few shots causing a minor cut to open. He couldn’t seal the deal, however, when all was said and done and it went to the judges scorecards.

To let everyone in the arena and at home know how big an ass he is Silva threw up his arms after the final bell sounded and jumped up on the cage as if he had just participated in a fight rather than a 25 minute dance class. It was just as bad as someone yelling "Anything is Possible!"

To make matters worse Silva in his post-fight remarks didn’t seem to concerned about the perception, said fans sometimes just don’t get it. He’s right, but that fight was just downright painful to watch … maybe that’s what happens when a title challenger gets his big chance with a finish over Drew McFedries.

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Celtics Are Done

The only team that could have given the Cavaliers a problem in the Eastern Conference lost their best player for the entire playoffs and are now looking at an early exit.  It was announced on Wednesday that Kevin Garnett will miss the entire 2009 NBA playoffs with a serious knee injury.  Garnett who suffered the injury a few weeks ago was both the teams emotional leader and star defender.  He was also having a solid statistical season averaging 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds a game.

On paper the Celtics were the only team who could beat Cleveland in the eastern conference and their chances were slim.  Of the entire eastern conference there are only 3 teams worth mentioning, the Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Boston Celtics.  Now some might argue with previous statements and say that Orlando is a better team than Boston.  I would disagree on offer this in response: if Orlando struggles to hit 3's can they win?  The answer is an obvious no.  Orlando lives off the 3-pointer and Dwight Howard inside.  Howard can't score enough on his own to carry a team.  If the 3-point shooting is off then Orlando is done.  Also they lack experience in the later rounds of the playoffs.

Boston was also in for a tall order as they key to the series would have been who would guard LeBron James?  Last year James Posey did it and did an amazing job.  This year the task will fall on Paul Pierce who at 31 with nearly 900 NBA games played just can't keep up with LeBron in a 7 game series.  Therefore the Celtics would have been forced to shut down everyone else on the team and hope LeBron can't win 4 games on his own.

The problem that the KG injury exposes is no longer is it the Big 3 + Rondo.  Now it is Pierce, Allen, Rondo, and no one.  The Celtics have a terrible bench that boasts the likes of Big Baby, the pound for pound biggest scrub in the league.  The Celtics scoring would take a hit not only from the loss of KG but if Pierce is playing defense on LeBron how can he also carry the team offensively?  It cannot be done.

This is all of course assuming that the Celtics make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.  First they have to get back the Chicago Bulls.  While Chicago was only a .500 team for the season they finished 14-6 with some impressive wins at home over Orlando and New Orleans.  The Bulls can run and they have a much deeper bench than the Celtics.   Point guard Derrick Rose looks like the consensus pick for Rookie of the Year and guards Ben Gordon and John Salmons are playing really well as of late.  Forward Tyrus Thomas has also been playing well over the past few weeks and is starting to turn into the player everyone thought he would be when he was drafted 4th overall in 2006.

So forget making it to the NBA Finals the Celtics have to make it out of the 1st round first.  While they may be a better team than most they will face you have to wonder how the loss of KG will affect the team mentally.  The Celtics can either rally as a team and show that they are more than just one player or they can fold and walk away quietly.  The only thing I know for sure is that this year no one will be yelling "anything is possible!"

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