Nicolas Anelka - Dead From Laughter

The aftermath from the French embarrassment at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa finally culminated today with four players from the team receiving multi-game suspensions from the French Football Federation.  Nicolas Anelka received an 18 game suspension, Frank Ribbery received 3 games, Partrice Evra got 5 games and Jeremy Toulalan got 1 game.   

If you don't remember the whole incident began when Anelka was sent home and fined after insulting then coach Raymond Domenech at a team training session (I say "then coach" because he has since been fired a move that I feel should have occurred before the tournament even started).  After he was sent home the players boycotted the next practice in defiance of the decision.

The only reason I am writing about this is because when I read Anelka's reaction to the suspension I laughed for quite a while.   Check out this tirade in the French newspaper France Soir:


“For me, this whole thing with the commission of whatever it is is an aberration, a masquerade to make sure they don't lose face.  They have punished a void, as Nicolas Anelka never existed in this pitiful and colourful affair. I repeat: the page with les Bleus was turned on June 19 when I was evicted from Knysna

They are real clowns, these people... I am dying with laughter.

The France team is all in the past. I wear a blue shirt with Chelsea every weekend and that's far enough for me."

What a beauty speech.  As if French Football didn't have enough problems after the World Cup debacle they now have players from the team laughing at them as they ban them for 18 games.  Anelka wasn't even mad.  In fact he seemed amused that the French Football Federation would even consider this a punishment or that he would even entertain the thought of playing for France ever again.

At this point I was laughing.  Then I found out that Anelka had already retired from international football meaning this "punishment" was a huge joke and had no bearing on Anelka whatsoever.  Even if he hadn't retired the 18 match ban would probably end up lasting about 2 years, give or take a few months, at which point Anelka would be 33 and not a consideration for the team.

Reading reactions from people on the internet it would seem that most people are hating on Anelka for not only this latest outburst but also what he did in South Africa.  Many people are saying that he is rude and disrespectful and that no matter how lousy a coach is he should still be treated with the respect his title and position demand.

I might agree with this position if not for two glaring oversights. 1)While he may be outspoken and a bit of a drama queen Anelka has never spoken out against a coach before in anyway like this.  In fact he has the reputation of being a great teammate and a solid guy in general and 2) Raymond Domenech might be the worst coach in football history.  Everyone in France called him 'Inspector Clouseau' and would often second guess his squad selections.  If any coach deserved to be called out its this Ensign Ricky.  I mean just look at him:

Going forward France will have to try and win matches without some of their best players.  Anelka was easily their best striker and Ribbery is one of the best midfielders in the world.  In the same paper Anelka made his outburst in new French head coach Laurent Blanc had this to say, ""Obviously, this is not the ideal situation for French football who would need all its trump cards to tackle the qualifying campaign for Euro 2012."

Maybe this is a good thing.  Now France can focus its attention on more pressing matters other than football, like surrendering in foreign wars.

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Admitting a Mistake

Yesterday I opened my gamil inbox and saw this email waiting for me from a reader named Boston City:

I was just curious as to what you think about Big Ben now, concerning what you wrote in your blog that you wrote over a year ago about a 31 year old Casino Hostess, who you think made up a story about Rothlisberger raping her. Now that a 20 year old college girl is accusing him of rape, and that several witnesses said his private security, who were offduty cops, would not allow them access to their friend. Also, that Ben paid off the owners of the bar to make the security tapes from that night disappear. All the evidence points to you looking like an assclown, in my estimation, and jumping to a conclusion before you had all the facts.

These athletes spend MILLIONS of dollars, giving the money to private detectives and PR firms to make the victim look like the criminal. The truth is, if you have money, you can not only get away with rape, but even if its on video, you can buy people off. Hell, even R Kelly got off, and he is on video f*cking a 13 year old!

Looking back on it now I don't know why I defended Roethlisberger.  I even prefaced the original article by saying that I hate him and am in no way a fan of hs or the Pittsburgh Steelers.  If anything I probably should have celebrated what transpired and used it as ammunition to fuel my sports hate for him instead of defending him and saying the girl was a liar.

But hindsight is 20/20 and its easy to say that I should have known Roethlisberger was lying now that we learned about the 2nd rapey incident involving "Big Ben."  Now it has come out that not only is Roethlisberger a rapist but he is also rude, arrogant and a bad tipper.  Sports Illustrated ran a piece about him after the 2nd incident occurred that shed light on his attitude and behavior in public and it was anything but flattering.  

Here is an excerpt:

A man who agreed to be identified only by his first name, Craig, says that a few weeks before the Milledgeville incident, he overheard Roethlisberger making lewd comments to a pregnant waitress at a Pittsburgh T.G.I. Friday's. The waitress, when asked last week, recalled Roethlisberger's saying such things as, "Did your boyfriend forget to pull out?"

he says Big Ben will whine about team selection, talk mean-spirited trash and flex his biceps when he makes a good play. He despairs when he sees Roethlisberger blow off attempts by older Steelers, such as Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, to give him advice.

So we know that Roethlisberger is a giant asshole.  He treats women poorly, thinks he is above paying for drinks, won't take advice from SuperBowl winnings quarterbacks and also whines about little things like what the teams will be at a pick up baseball game. Basically the guy is a giant walking douche.

So I admit I was wrong on that one.  I defended one of the biggest pricks in sports and chose to disparage some poor random girl who was only trying to get justice after being wronged.  I am willing to admit this.

Having said that I still feel like a majority of the people that accuse athletes of transgressions are simply looking to get rich by exploiting the fact that athletes are public figures and can't afford to have their reputations damaged.  In this sense I think Roethlisberger is the exception and not the rule. 

For instance I will go to my grave believing that Kobe Bryant didn't lay a finger on that girl in Colorado.  Nothing short of his testimony to the contrary or indisputable video evidence will convince me otherwise. That is partly because I am a huge Kobe Bryant fan but I also know a lot about Kobe as a person (well as much as anyone can know from reading interviews and watching his documentary) and he just doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would do something like that.  Dude only cares about winning NBA Championships and cementing his name in basketball history.  

But the main reason I side with athletes in cases like this is because I find it hard to believe that so many of them can be rapists who prey on women.  Maybe I am naive in thinking this way but I don't associate with anyone that is a rapist nor have I even heard stories of friends of mine knowing rapists so I find it difficult to believe that these guys who get paid millions of dollars would just go around raping women.  But that might just be me.

I know Albert Pujols won't even get on an elevator with just a woman for fear of being accused of something. That may sound crazy but in reality look what can happen should an athlete get mixed up with someone who wants to make some quick money.  It is a serious issue for athletes these days as wrong place wrong time can lead to a serious mess that could possibly ruin their lives.

In summation I would just like to once again admit I was wrong.  I made the classic blogger mistake that discredits the blogospehere as a whole, I wrote a snap judgment without having all the facts.  But I realize now that Ben Roethlisberger is not worth defending and that he is indeed a rapist who on multiple occasions has sexually assaulted women.  Sorry Boston City.

Best to finish with a quote:

"I stuck my d*ck in this game like a rapist, they call me Slim Roethlisberger" - Eminem.

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Strasburg Steps Up

In the 2010 MLB draft the Washington Nationals selected Bryce Harper 1st overall.  Harper is a 17 year old phenom that was being touted as one of the best hitting prospects in baseball history.  He has been getting national attention since he was 15 and should no doubt flourish once he reaches the majors.

The only question now is when will that be?  And will it be with the Nationals?

The deadline for singing draft picks is midnight tonight and as of right now Harper remains unsigned.  His agent Scott Boras is holding out for a deal that would make Harper the highest paid rookie in MLB history breaking the previous record for a position player set by another Boras client, Mark Teixeira. 

"There are few high school players in the draft history, since 1965, that have the extraordinary tool of power," Boras said to Sports Illustrated following the draft. "When it's evidenced, it's rare."

Players holding out like this is nothing new in baseball, especially for the Nationals, as just last year phenom pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg waited until just minutes before midnight to sign his record $15.1 million contract.  That is why the comment that Strasburg made yesterday to USA Today is so odd.  Not only did he wait until midnight to sign but he is also a Scott Boras client.

"If [Harper] wants to play here, he's going to play here he doesn't need advice from anybody to convince him otherwise. If he doesn't want to play here, then we don't want him here."

Some people might look at that comment and call Strasburg a hypocrite as he did the exact same thing only a year ago but I look at that comment and think that Strasburg has taken on his new role with the Nationals as the 'Savior of the Franchise.'  He stepped up for his team and that's something Nationals fans, players and the front office need to appreciate and respect.

Instead of pulling a Dwyane Wade and trying to recruit players to his team Straburg is letting it be known that the Washington Nationals aren't a charity and don't need Harper's help.  He isn't going to pander to Harper and I think that's a great sign going forward for a franchise that is often seen as an embarrassment.  Strasburg has put the team on his back and is letting everyone know that going forward the Nationals are no longer the joke of the league.

Harper has yet to make a public comment about what Strasburg said but I think it may have hit home with him.  Harper may see this as a challenge to his character as Strasburg's comments have made him look like a greedy young kid who sees baseball as more of a business than a game.  It makes Harper look like a hired gun and also like an arrogant ass who wants to ensure he gets more money than anyone before him.

Yes that is exactly how Strasburg looked last year when he waited until the stroke of midnight to sign but he has the benefit of the fact that sports fans have short memories and only care about 'what have you done for me lately?'  Nationals fans will overlook that fact because they are caught up in the 'Strasmus' hysteria.

This could also have been a huge mistake by Strasburg.  If Harper elects not to sign with the Nationals it would really hurt the team.  Harper would be a great help to Washington and would bring a power bat to the order and could provide some needed help behind plate all the while getting a chance to learn from one of the greats in Ivan Rodriguez.

What would the reaction of the fans be if Harper specifically mentions the comments made by Strasburg as a reason for his not signing?  What if instead of motivating Harper to sign he took it as an insult and gives says, 'fine if you don't want me eff you?'  This could turn nasty for Strasburg quickly.

I don't see that happening though.  The Nationals know they need Harper and can't afford to let another 1st round pick slip away (see Aaron Crow in 2008).  I think Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo will get Harper to sign and in the end this will all blow over.  But until Harper signs on the dotted line everything is up in the air.

If nothing else Nationals fan should look at this situation and be optimistic.  Strasburg has only been apart of the Nationals for a few months and already he is taking his position within the team seriously.  He is now the face of the franchise (sorry Ryan Zimmerman) and showing the kind of loyalty to a team that takes some players years to develop.  He is becoming the leader of a young team trying to build for the future.

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Thank You Chael

After Chael Sonnen lost to Anderson Silva at UFC 117 last week fellow Middleweight Michael Bisping got on Twitter and made this comment, ""I'm gonna beat akiyama then beat sonnen, he can't do that to me. come on you salesman!!!! you can't hold me down f-g!"  To which Chael replied, "If Michael Bisping ever addresses me in public comment again, I will bury him where he stands."

This will go down as one of the best lines in sports history and will be part of my lexicon for years to come.  Just this week I have told at least a dozen people that I will bury them where they stand for a number of different reasons and it never gets old and always gets a great reaction.

Thank you Chael Sonnen.  Thank you for that beautiful line.  But not just that.  Thank you for being entertaining and not just another boring fighter that says the same things over and over again.  Thank you for not touching gloves with Silva at the start of the fight (I hate when guys talk trash in the lead up to a fight and then touch gloves before the bell rings, so lame).

Chael Sonnen is what I want the UFC to become, sports entertainment.  Growing up I was a huge wrestling fan and would watch every WWF pay per view and every episode of RAW.  As I got older I learned it was fake and become less and less interested in it as it was just acting and then choreographed fight scenes.  I liked the interviews and stuff because they were hilarious but the actual wrestling I could care less about.

Enter MMA and the UFC.  The UFC had the actual fighting but lacked in the entertainment side.  Guys would say the same things over and over again before fights and after fights.  

"I think opponent X is a great fighter so I'm gonna have to give it my all to win."  

"I think I am more well rounded and have more experience.  I want this fight more than him."

Boring.  Imagine Chael Sonnen had acted like that in the lead up to his fight with Anderson?  Would fans have cared even 1/4 as much?  When the fight was first announced I brushed it off as another easy win for Silva and didn't give Sonnen a chance in hell.

Then he opened his mouth.  The stuff this guy said before the fight made me think 1 of 2 things.  Either he is 1) the most confident person on the planet and might actually kill Anderson or 2) he is just trying to promote the fight and get fans interested.  Either way I was loving it.  

Chael Sonnen made me care about that fight more than I have cared about any other fight in UFC history. I went from apathetic to emotionally involved after his first interview in which he claimed the fight was going to be a one-sided pounding and he was swinging the hammer.  It brought me back to my WWF days except this time the interviews were real and the end result was going to be an actual fight instead of a choreographed dance.

Now Chael is going after Bisping and creating more interest and drama.  Now I wanna hear what these guys are going to say to one another even though they aren't going to fight anytime soon and all it took was Bisping calling Chael a f-g and Chael telling him he would bury him where he stood.

Chael isn't the first guy in the UFC to talk smack and he certainly won't be the last as it seems to becoming more common to talk trash before a fight and really disrespect your opponent.  The next season of the Ultimate Fighter hasn't even aired yet and already there are reports that Josh Koscheck's constant chirping really got to GSP.  Will that drive up interest in the fight?  Of course.  Koscheck knows how to promote fights just like Chaek.

Who could forget the when Koscheck fought Paul Daley and talked so much smack to him before and during the fight that Daley took a swing at him after the fight was over?  Daley wasn't innocent in the whole affair however as before the fight he held a contest on his website encouraging fans to photoshop pictures of Koscheck and he even gave the winning picture to Koscheck at the weigh-ins.

One of my favorite trash talking moments in UFC history occurred in the Countdown video for the Kenny Florian BJ Penn fight that took place at UFC 101.  Florian is mid interview and makes exclaims, "I am better on my feet than he is, I am better on the ground then he is and I have the ability to stop him, I might even beat him in the 1st round."  Then it cuts to BJ who looks furious and ask, "did he really say that shit?!"  Classic.

Going forward in the UFC I think more and more fighters are going to adopt Chael Sonnen's strategy for promoting fights.  Talk trash to get people interested.  I for one am on board.  The more the UFC becomes like the WWF the better.

And if one more person talks trash and then touches gloves with their opponent before the bell I will bury them where they stand.

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Pay That Man His Money

One of the biggest reasons for the New York Jets success last season was the defenses ability to shut down opposing offenses. They blitzed often and put pressure on the quarterback forcing interceptions and bad throws.

I remember a particular game against the Patriots where the Jets had the lead late in the 4th quarter and instead of going to the prevent defense they blitzed Tom Brady on four straight downs with 7,8,7 and then 8 guys. Brady got sacked twice and threw two incompletions sealing the victory for the Jets.

Now the Jets defense is well rounded and isn't weak in any particular area. They stop the run well with Kris Jenkins clogging up running lanes. Their linebackers are great in both run and pass defense and have great speed allowing them to get to the flats quickly. However their biggest advantage was in the secondary as they lead the league with the fewest pass yards per game at 153.

The most important player in the secondary was Derrelle Revis. In only his 3rd season in the NFL Revis established himself as the premiere shutdown corner in the league and even earned the nickname Revis Island.

Every week Revis would be matched up against the opposing teams best receiver and every week he would make them a non-factor. He never received safety help and more often than not the quarterback wouldn't even look to his side of the field. He deflected 31 passes and had 6 intercepions all the while making only $1 million as he was still playing under his rookie contract.

Throughout most of last season the topic of Revis' contract was discussed by Revis and Jets ownership but never fully addressed properly. Now Revis is refusing to participate in Jets training camp and is holding out for a new contract, one that he hopes will make him the highest paid cornerback in the NFL.


This is where the debate begins.

Currently the highest paid cornerback in the league is Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders who last year signed a record breaking, and complex, 3 year deal. The first two years of the deal are worth $28.5 million and if the Raiders want to keep him then in the third year of the deal he will have to earn the average of the top 5 paid cornerbacks in the league or $16.75 million whichever is higher.

So this is what Revis is working with. He wants a 10-year deal worth more than $160 million that will ensure he remains a Jet for his whole career but will also make him the highest paid corner in the league.

The only problem with that is that Asomugha's contract is insane. The fact that Al Davis aka 'The Corpse of Al Davis' aka 'the Sea Monster' gave him this contract speaks more to the insanity of Al Davis than to the quality of Asomugha. Not to say that Asomugha isn't a great cornerback, arguably second best in the league, but no one in the NFL deserves a contract like that.

So whats happening now is that Revis wants Asomugha money and the Jets are trying to convince him that this won't happen. Al Davis strikes yet again.

I can see where the Jets are coming from here as they don't want to get bent over the negotiating table simply because Al Davis forgot to take his medication but in this case I have to side with Revis. He is the best player on your team and the leader of the defense. Pay him. Pay him whatever he wants. If the team truly wants to win a SuperBowl this year, which every member of the organization has said is their goal, then make sure you have the best cornerback in the league on the field.

Maybe if the Jets hadn't gone out and spent money on washed up free agents like LaDainian Tomlinson and Jason Taylor this wouldn't be as much of an issue. Without Revis the Jets will struggle to go deep in the playoffs as it would force Antonio Cromartie to be the shutdown corner which is a role he is vastly under qualified for. The guy can't even pay child support how is he going to stop Randy Moss and Brandon Marshall?

In issues like this the fans usually side with the team as they think players are just being greedy but how can you not side with Revis on this one? He is the best corner in the league. His own coaches and teammates tell him this all the time and yet he is woefully underpaid. What happens if he blows his knee out this season and can't ever play again? He's only 25 years old and doesn't have anything to fall back on.

I have no problem with a player asking for more money in order to gain financial security especially if the player is well deserving of a raise. Added to that is the fact Revis wants to remain a Jet for his whole career. He wants a long term deal that will ensure he spends his whole career in New York. That has to earn him some credit from the franchise. It's not as if he wants a 4 year deal so he can become a free agent again in a few years and land another big pay day.

But it seems like this holdout isn't coming to an end anytime soon. Last I read Revis' agent said he and the Jets were "40 million apart." I hope the Jets come to their senses soon and just pay Revis so this drama can be over with and the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS can win a SuperBowl already.

Random YouTube Video (Courtesy of Josh Acheson)