The Brian Cushing Saga

Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing is under fire from both the media and the public due to a recent report that surfaced stating that he tested positive for HCG, a fertility drug that is on the NFLs banned substance list (the same drug that got Manny Ramirez suspended for 50 games last year).

Why is this such a big deal? The failed test is causing such a commotion because it occurred during the 2009 NFL season which is the same season Cushing was named the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Now the members of the media were split on what to do about this. There were some, like Sports Illustrated Senior NFL Writer Peter King, who feel that Cushing should have had award stripped and that a revote should take place. While others, like ESPN NFL analyst Adam Schefter, who believe, "Brian Cushing was suspended four games and has created doubters in him - that is his punishment. Losing an award shouldn't be tacked on."

I agree with Schefter that the award shouldn't be stripped but for a different reason. I don't buy into the whole idea that Cushing has suffered anything simple because his public image took a hit. No, I don't think he should lose his award because he didn't really do anything wrong.

First off HCG is a non-steroidal substance that is produced naturally in the body. Yes it is often found in guys who are coming off a steroid cycle but how can you ban a substance that the body naturally produces. That would make as much sense as banning testosterone. There is no proof that Cushing was on steroids and in 3 subsequent tests he was found to be clean so really all that has happened is an anomaly was discovered and reported as fact.

Secondly if you think that 95% of the players in the NFL aren't on steroids you're an idiot. They all do it they just all don't get caught. Now I am not condoning steroids and trying to justify taking them 'just because everyone else is' but to target a player like this when he is really just the rule and not the exception is wrong. Plus its not like steroids make you a better tackler or allow you to read offenses better that was all Cushing. To take away his award and to diminish his accomplishments would be wrong especially because...

In 2004 Julius Peppers won Defensive Rookie of the Year even though he missed 4 games due to a suspension for steroids. Then there is Shawne Merriman who was suspended for 4 games due to a positive steroid test. By the way this occurred in 2005, the same year he was awarded DROY by the Associated Press. Neither of these two men had their awards taken away. So how is that fair? Why does Cushing become the proverbial line in the sand?

A lot of people are pointing to the fact that there were concerns over his size and strength gains when he was in high school but that argument holds no water for one simple reason: puberty. You can try and say he was on steroids but a more likely explanation is that he hit puberty which allowed him to put on immense amounts of muscle quickly because of elevated levels of testosterone.

This is one of the problems with modern sports. If a guy has a career year or seems to be a big bigger than before people automatically assume steroids. Maybe the guy quit smoking or got married and is no longer out living the Ben Roethlisberger lifestyle. And maybe the guy hit the gym for the first time in his life. Modern nutrition and supplementation is evolving at an exponential rate and it is allowing for gains people never thought possible.

For some reason it seems the media is out to get this kid. The aforementioned Peter King recently tweeted, "There is no way--none--that as one of the 50 AP voters, I can vote for a performance-enhancer as Defensive Rookie of the Year. And I won't." Now this is the same jerk off who voted for both Peppers and Merriman and has yet to say anything negative about either of them so why get so worked up over Cushing? I can`t figure it out.

What I have figured out is that the AP people are pissed off. I think they feel embarrassed that they keep voting for the guys who are dumb enough to get caught and they want to ensure their award doesn`t lose its prestige. So a revote is being held tomorrow to see if Cushing will be stripped of his award. They seem to be rushing to get this over with and not allowing time for all the facts to come out so it doesn`t look good for Cushing but I have faith that not all 50 voters will be as big as a blowhard as Peter King.

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Braden is Perfect, Not You Jebson

Today Oakland A's pitcher Dallas Braden threw the 19th perfect game in the history of major league baseball. Braden threw 109 pitches and struck out 6 to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 and join one of the most elite clubs in baseball. More people have orbited the moon than have pitched a perfect game.

Just how elite is this club? Since 1880 only 19 pitchers (including Braden) have accomplished the feat. Think about that. Tens of thousands of games have been played in that time period and this has only happened 19 times. That averages out to 1 perfect game every 6.84 years or 1 perfect game every 11,000 baseball games.

Before this game Braden was best known for his feud with Alex Rodriguez. Earlier in the season Braden got mad at A-rod for walking across the mound after an inning ended. A-rod's response to this was, "win a few more games and then you can talk." I'm pretty sure he has earned the right to saw whatever he wants now.

And what better day then today. It was only 365 days that Braden was put on the disabled list after being hit by a Vernon Wells line drive. It is also a special day in Braden's life because of the role both his mother and his grandmother played in his life. His mother died when he was a senior in high school and so his grandmother took care of him. He credits both women with his success now and had an emotional moment on the field today with his grandmother who was in attendance.

This was truly a monumental day for Braden and for MLB.

You know who didn't think it was that big a deal? TSN. When Sportscenter aired after the Suns/Spurs game the lead story was about Tiger Woods and how he withdrew from a PGA event because of a sore back. That story was then followed by playoff hockey and then the Jays game. They didn't even start their baseball coverage with the perfect game. This proves once and for all TSN is a shitty sports network.

Now here are some fun facts about Perfect Games that really show off my Wikipedia skills:

- The largest crowd to ever witness a perfect game - 64,519 watch Don Larson throw a perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series

- The smallest crowd to witness a perfect game - 700 people saw Lee Richmond pitch the first perfect game ever in 1880

- Fewest strikeouts in a perfect game - both Cy Young (1904) and Addie Jones (1908) struck out only 3 of the 27 batters they faced when they threw their perfect games

- Fewest pitches thrown in a perfect game - Addie Jones needed only 74 pitches to accomplish the feat in 1908, that averages out to 2.7 pitchers per batter

- Most pitches thrown in a complete game - 120 by David Wells in 1998 which equals 4.4 pitches per batter

- 9 perfect games have been broken up by the 27th aka the last batter of the game with the most recent coming in 2001 when Mike Mussina lost his perfect game when he gave up a 2-strike single to Carl Everett

- The shortest span of time between perfect games - 291 days between Braden's perfect game today and the perfect game thrown by Mark Beuhrle on July 23rd, 2009

- In 1968 Catfish Hunter not only threw a perfect game but also went 3-4 at the plate and knocked in the first and thus winning run

- Oldest pitcher to throw a perfect game - Randy Johnson was 40 years 256 days old when he threw a perfect game for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2004

- The youngest pitcher to throw a perfect game - John Montgomery Morris was 20 years, 105 days old when he did it in 1880

- David Cone's perfect game in 1999 was the only perfect game thrown during Interleague Play

- The team with the most perfect games is the Yankees who have 3 (Larson, Cone and Wells). The Indians (Joss and Len Barker), White Sox (Beuhrle and Charlie Robertson) and A's (Hunter and Braden) are tied for 2nd with two perfect games

- The only non-American to throw a perfect game is Dennis Martinez who accomplished the feat in 1991 for the Montreal Expos

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UFC 113 Predictions

Pretty rattled about tonights event as usually I go home and watch the fights with my buddies at Shoeless Joe's. However I work tomorrow and now am stuck watching the fights in Waterloo where there is no Shoeless Joe's and thus no "the cookie."

For those of you that don't know "the cookie" is a desert they have at Shoeless Joe's that is the greatest food item known to man. It is a giant cookie served with ice cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and a couple of brownies just for good measure. It is the Mona Lisa of deserts.

Alas there will be no "the cookie" tonight, only beer. Now for the predictions:

Lyoto "the Dragon" Machida (16-0) vs. Shogun"Shogun" Rua (18-4)

Interesting fact about this fight: Since Rampage Jackson defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 75 back in 2007, only one 205er—Lyoto Machida—been able to successfully defend the strap and a lot of people (myself not included) feel that Machida lost the first fight.

As for the fight tonight I think Machida is going to walk away victorious. Shogun had 1 chance to beat Machida and he blew it. His strategy for the last fight was near perfect as he pushed the pace and didn't allow Machida any room to stay back and use his counter punches. But Machida knows that Shogun will probably try and do the same thing again and this time he will be prepared for it.

A lot of people are saying that if Shogun wants to win he should take Machida down. “Many people think trying to work on the ground with Machida would be a good way to end the fight,” said Shogun, “but that’s a hard thing to say. Lyoto is very good on the ground. He’s trained in sumo and a lot of wrestling. Besides, it’s very hard to get him down on the ground.”

So then I guess Shogun will have to knock him out or submit him. “He’s a very tough, well-rounded guy, and he’s not an easy fighter to knock out or submit. He never has been knocked out or submitted in his career.” So how does Shogun plan to beat Machida if he can't take him down, submit him or knock him out? Well your guess is as good as mine.

Machida is 16-0 and has fought the best fighters in the world. He has knock out power and is one of the smartest fighters in MMA today. I mean the guy drinks his own piss how do you beat someone like that? I don't think Machida wants another close decision so he will probably be a bit more aggressive and look to end the fight as quick as possible. I see another repeat of what he did to Rashad Evans.

By the way having seen all of the previews for this fight I cannot help but notice that they try and make it look as though the first fight was a war and was non stop action. I remember that fight vividly and I remember thinking to myself that it was real boring. The fight consisted mostly of leg kicks, body kicks and some clinching. Yeah there were a few punches thrown in there but never once did the bar make a collective gasp. The last fight had as much action as a Amish porno.

Prediction: Machida via TKO

Josh "Kos" Koscheck (16-4) vs. Paul "Semtex" Daley (23-8-2)

I can't remember a time I have been so excited for a fight. One thing I hate about UFC is that there is way too much respect shown between the fighters. I want more WWF style trash talking and in this fight 2 of the biggest shit talkers in MMA face off.

If you watched the UFC 113 Countdown show then you know how much these two dislike one another. In the 20 minute clip dedicated to this fight Daley called Koscheck a "pussy" a "bitch" and said that he is gonna beat Koscheck so bad he will put him on the undercard for the rest of his career. Koscheck responded by making fun of Daley's braces and also calling him a bitch.

To see just how awesome this has gotten check this out. "Heard Koscheck, talking a little....but a real man, can tell his chat is just a front....I can smell his pussy from here....Bitch. For my Supporters, we are also running a competition to help Josh....we can all see he is in desperate need of some advice about what to do with his Blonde 'Fro.....So PHOTOSHOP PEOPLE, Wining hair style will be handed to Josh at the pre fight press conference." If you haven't seen these pictures check them out here (they are hilarious).

Now for the fight itself. If anyone thinks Paul Daley is going to win they are an idiot. Just watch his fight against Jake Shields if you want to see how this will end up. Shields is a decent wrestler, not great, and he took Daley down at will and controlled the fight. Koscheck is an elite wrestler and should be able to do the same thing to Daley, if he wants to. And that right there is the big question. Will Koscheck fight intelligently and take Daley down or will he let the trash talk go to his head and try and stand with him?

I would assume he would go with the latter but you never know. All that dye he puts in his hair may be eating away at his brain.

The winner of this fight gets a shot at GSP so there is extra motivation. Interesting fact: Koscheck has 12 wins in the UFC, no one has more wins inside the octagon without getting a title shot than Koscheck. This should give him some extra incentive to want to put away Daley in exciting fashion.

Prediction: Koscheck via Submission

Kimbo Slice (4-1) vs. Matt Mitrione (1-0)

I don't know why everyone is counting out Kimbo in this fight. He has more experience than Mitrione and he trains with better people than Mitrione also don't forget that . Kimbo has fought decent fighters in the past like Houston Alexander while Mitrione's only win came against Marcus "My Chin is Made of Glass" Jones. A soft breeze could knock out Jones so I completely discount that win.

Mitrione is a one dimensional fighter, strikes only, that has shown to gas quickly. If this fight goes more than 3 minutes cardio could be a problem for Mitrione and as the cardio goes so does the power. This isn't a problem for Kimbo who has shown to be able to throw punches for minutes on end and is also more dedicated in the gym than Mitrione is.

Kimbo has everything to lose in this fight as he needs to prove to the world that he isn't just some YouTube joke who thinks he can fight. I think that extra motivation will be the difference for Kimbo and will have him more prepared plus we all know what happens if he puts those dun dadas on you. The again if Mitrione throws a jab while backpedaling then its all over for Slice.

Prediction: Kimbo via Decision

Patrick "the Predator" Cote (14-5) vs. Alan "the Talent" Belcher (14-5)

Cote will have his hometown fans on his side in Montreal, but he hasn't fought since he lost to Anderson Silva more than a year and a half ago, and I expect him to be rusty against Belcher. Then again Cote has some serious power and that means the fight could end at any moment. Cote does train with GSP and was on a 4 fight win streak (with wins over Kendall Grove and Ricardo Almeida) when he lost to Silva but coming off a major knee surgery makes it hard for me to pick him to beat a guy of Belcher's talent, no pun intended.

Belcher had a very good year in 2009 (wins over Denis Kang and Wilson Gouveia) and is, at age 26, one of the younger fighters to keep an eye on in the middleweight division. His fights are always exciting as he constantly pushes the pace and the only real negative about him is his ridiculously bad tattoo of Johnny Cash on his arm (seriously top 5 worst tattoo ever).

I think Cote will be able to survive for a few rounds but will eventually run out of gas in the 3rd round allowing Belcher to finish the fight. The frogs will go home pissed about this one.

Prediction: Belcher via TKO

Jeremy "Lil Heathen" Stephens (17-5) vs. Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout (16-5-1)

Stout has won Fight of the Night four times in his UFC career and Stephens has won Knockout of the Night twice, so this is the kind of fight that's intended to provide fireworks.

Both guys like to strike but Stout is the better striker of the two as he is much more versatile than Stephens who opts for looping haymakers rather than pinpoint accurate strikes. Stout will use his kick-boxing background to put together some sweet combos and frustrate Stephens for 3 rounds..

Prediction: Stout via Unanimous Decision

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Something to Think About

Pop culture author Chuck Klosterman once wrote that he loved to watch college football because he got to witness the greatest moment in someones life. He would watch the Bowl Games of the lesser known teams and be fascinated by the fact that for many of the players this would be the most significant moment of their life. Some players will go on to the NFL and their college career will be treated merely as a stepping stone but for most it will be the highlight of their life.

I found this point of view really interesting because its true but something you never think about. Only a few weeks ago the NFL draft was on and while I was mostly concerned about who the Jets would take I couldn't help thinking about the fact that every time a player was selected a kid no older than 23 would become a millionaire.

Every single player picked in the 1st round of the NFL draft became a millionaire in an instant. They played football their entire lives for free and then their name gets called by the NFL commissioner and they become filthy rich. 32 people make more money in one second than most people will make in their entire life.

Some become richer than others however as the number you are picked at, and also your position, factor into how much your contract and signing bonus will be. For Sam Bradford, the quarterback who was selected 1st overall by the Rams, the payday was huge and he will probably get a contract worth well over $60 million. For Kyle Wilson, the cornerback who the Jets took with the 29th pick, the payday will be a lot less eye opening as he will probably get a contract worth roughly $12 million.

The whole draft I was thinking about this. Then I thought about Jimmy Clausen. Clausen was a quarterback from Notre Dame and was being projected as a sure fire top-10 pick in the draft. He ended up getting drafted 48th overall and in the process lost a TONNE of money. Just how much did Clausen lose by falling so far in the draft? USA Today did a study and here is what they found out:

CNBC's Darren Rovell said that the guaranteed money Clausen will likely earn in the 48th spot is about $2.6 million. At pick No. 8, where ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. had projected him to go, Clausen would have earned about $22.6 million. So that's a difference of $20 million.

The 48th pick in last year's draft, Bears DB Darcel McBath, signed for about $2 million guaranteed. He earned $1.9 million last year.

And the pick at No. 13 last year, Redskins DE Brian Orakpo, signed for about $12.1 million guaranteed. He earned $4.4 million last year.

How crazy is that? Every time Clausen's name wasn't called he lost roughly $500,000 and millions of people saw this. Now Clausen may well go on to have an amazing NFL career and get a huge contract when he becomes a free agent but for now he will be making only a fraction of what he could have been making had he not had so many incidents off the field while at Notre Dame.

What were these incidents you might ask. Well the first one occurred back in 2007 when he was given a ticket for illegal transportation of alcohol because he was driving a friend back from the liquor store and Clausen was underage. Apparently in Indiana it is a crime to have unopened booze in the car if you are a minor.

The second incident occurred in 2009 outside a bar. Clausen was at a bar with friends and family following a loss to Connecticut and was assaulted by some pissed off Notre Dame fans who were drunk and blamed Clausen for the loss. He got a black eye but wasn't charged with anything because, well, he didn't do anything other than get beat up.

So those are the two incidents that cost Clausen $20 million. He got caught driving a friend home from the liquor store and was punched in the face at a bar by some upset Fighting Irish fans. That is the difference between driving a Lambo and a Range Rover. Now there may have been other reasons teams passed on Clausen but for the most part it was because people questioned his "character" and his "values."

Sports Illustrated columnist Peter King tried to call Clausen after the 1st round to ask him some questions about why thought he may have not been picked but when he got a hold of Clausen all he was told was, "I don't wanna talk about it" and then a dial tone. Not the most professional way to handle it but can you blame him? I'd be pissed if a lost $100 let alone $20 million.

Whether you think he got a raw deal or not the fact remains that in the span of 24 hours Clausen lost $20 million. He will still get a contract worth over $1 million but its just crazy to think that a 22 year old had to sit and watch as his potential bank account dwindled away.

Just something to think about.

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Bosh Bashing

If you have been watching the NBA playoffs then you have no doubt seen the San Antonio Spurs Manu Ginobli running up and down the court with a giant maxi pad on his face. He is wearing that ridiculous "bandage" because of an injury he suffered when he took an elbow from Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki in Game 3 of their first round match up.

Ginobli suffered a nasal fracture but refused to miss a single game and is currently leading the Spurs in scoring averaging 20 ppg while also adding 5 apg and 4 rpg. Basically he is proving that he is not only a skilled player but also a tough competitor.

I used to loathe Manu Ginobli and would root for him to fail whenever he touched the ball but his great play despite the injury is making a Ginobli fan out of me. It is also making me hate Chris Bosh even more.

The injury Ginobli suffered is the exact same injury Bosh suffered at the end of the regular season. However instead of sacking up and playing, like Ginobli has, Bosh opted to sit out the final games of the season and watched from the bench as his the Raptors lost out on the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Now granted Ginobli and Bosh are in different situations - Ginobli's team is in the playoffs and has a legitimate chance to challenge for a title where as Bosh's team wasn't guaranteed a playoff spot and no doubt would have been swept by the Cavs whether he was playing or not - but there is no excuse for Bosh to do what he did.

But I have already ranted about how Bosh is an overrated player and isn't worthy of the max contract he will be seeking this off-season when he opts for free agency. There is new information to use in my campaign of smearing the Ru Paul of Big Men.

"Been wanting to ask. Where should I go next season and why?" This is a "tweet" from Bosh from a few days ago. How do people like this guy? Is what he is doing not just as bad as what Vince Carter did only a few years ago?

Carter played up injuries and basically tanked his value making it impossible for the Raptors to get fair market value for him (thus the ultimate Poo Poo Platter was acquired in the form of Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams and Aaron Williams). Bosh has made it so clear that he will opt for free agency that any team that was considering trading for him can now just wait until July 1st and sign him without having to give up anything at all.

Speaking of Carter his career and Bosh's career are eerily similar. Carter is an 8x All Star while Bosh is a 5x All Star. Both made the All Rookie First Team and both have made the All NBA Second Team. Both men have represented the USA at the Olympics and both won gold. Carter is a former 5th overall pick from an ACC school while Bosh is a former 4th overall pick from an ACC school. Both are wildly overrated and only gained elite status because they were the primary option on teams that sucked offensively. They both received Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors 7 times and they are #1 and #2 all time on the Raptors scoring list.

Creepy isn't it?

Back to the tweet. Is that not one of the most classless moves ever? Bosh is still a Raptor and should show the Raptors fans a little more loyalty than that. Every time a reporter asked him if he was going to come back or not during the year he would shrug them off and say that he was going to wait until the summer to decide. Now he just comes out and basically says "I am leaving. People of the internet help me decide where to go."

I don't have a problem with Bosh going. If he wants to leave to play for a team with a better chance at winning then he should. The problem I have with Bosh is the way he has handled the situation. Be a man about the whole thing and be straight with the fans. If he came out and said, "I want to play with LeBron. Wherever LeBron goes I will follow because he gives me the best chance to win a championship" then I wouldn't have a problem. That is a legitimate reason for leaving the team.

But Bosh refuses to be honest and open with the fans and has instead opted to deal with the situation via his Twitter account.

May he go on and have all the same success as Vince Carter has had since leaving the Raptors.

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