Random Friday Thoughts

Even though most, if not all, of my attention has gone to the Soudners this week I still have been following the goings on elsewhere in the world of sports. So as I often do, I present a random brain dump of thoughts - this time to help you procrastinate as you look forward to the weekend.

• Terrell Owens retired yesterday...wait, he didn't? It was all just a joke? Either way I don't care. In fact, I think it is really pathetic. His entire career he was a ME-first guy who always loved the media spotlight. That is fine when you're catching 10 touchdowns a year, but now that you can't find a team to play with, it is straight up pathetic. Here's hoping he just goes away.
• Speaking of guys who can't stay out of the spotlight, Brett Favre continues to do everything humanly possible to kill any good will left towards him. In talking about Aaron Rodgers winning the Super Bowl last year, Favre said "I'm going to be honest, I was not surprised. The biggest surprise to me would be that he didn't do it sooner." Listen, I get it. Brett is bitter. He gave a lot of great years to that organization and when they drafted Rodgers he was hurt. It happens anytime someone is brought in as your successor. It is human nature. But to makes these comments after being retired is pathetic (wow, using it to describe both Owens and Favre - who would have thought that 5 years ago?). Brett, just go away, please.
• Donovan McNabb hasn't been terrible this year (save week 1 where he went 7-15 for 39 yards), but it is clearly obvious that it is time for him to be benched for first round draft pick Christian Ponder. I have nothing against Donovan - in fact, I would rather have him as my teams QB than a handful of other guys, but when you're team is sitting at 0-4 AND you have a highly drafted rookie on the bench, you need to pull the trigger. There is no difference in finishing 4-12 with Ponder and 4-12 with McNabb, so why not get the rookie some experience.
• Indy is also sitting at 0-4 and could realistically win only 2-3 games this year if Manning doesn't come back. An interesting subplot is what the team does if they are 2-11 and Manning is ready to come back. I know Manning is the franchise, but if you're management, don't you have to think seriously about keeping him off the field and making a run for Andre Luck? I know it seems weird, but let's all remember where the Packers are now with Rodgers instead of Favre.
• Zach Parise was just named the Devils captain. It was the right move for numerous reasons, but it definitely was a gamble. Parise signed a 1-year deal to stay with the Devils and if the team sucks and they are unable to re-sign him to a long-term deal during the year, they will need to seriously think about trading him. That will not be an easy thing for fans to handle. I mean, you put all this money into Kovy and yet Zach is the best player on the team. You need to find a way to keep him in Jersey (here's hoping wearing the C goes long way)
• Speaking of the NHL, the Devils favorite opponent, Sean Avery just got released and is going over to Europe. The guy sucks so it shouldn't be a big deal, but I think all Devils' fans are smiling this morning. He just seemed to get under Brodeur's skin like no one else. It will be good to have him gone.
• Now that the Yanks are done, I can focus on hating the Rangers. Man I hate John Tortorella. And Lundqvist. And all their other trolls.
• Robin Ventura was just named manager of the Chicago White Sox. Read it here first: this is going to end badly.
• Apparently TCU is now close to joining the Big 12. I think it is a really smart move for them as it re-ignites some of the old school Southwest Conference rivalries with Texas, Tech and Baylor. However, it definitely sucks for the Big East, who continues to get stood up on the dance floor. Their courtship of the Frogs was smart from a competition standpoint, but having a team from Dallas in a conference with the word 'East' in it's named always seemed weird. This is more fitting (especially if they can get SMU to join with them)
• Can the Matthew Stafford - Calvin Johnson connection last all season? Johnson has 8 td's through 4 games, which puts him on pace for 32 for the season. Obviously that won't happen. If I'm a Johnson owner, I think about selling while his value is amazingly high. If he finished with 15 td's that would be a tremendous year, but it also means he finishes with 7 td's over his last 12 games. Not terrible by any stretch, but definitely below his current form. Trade while high. (oh, and who knows if Stafford can stay healthy for the rest of the season?)
• Thanks to Twitter, athletes no longer have to be robots who never say anything interesting. In fact, a lot of athletes are now starting to say dumb things and get (rightly or wrongly) criticized for it. Currently, their is a lot of chatter going on in Sounders circles for what Daniel Hernandez, apparently still bitter over losing to the Sounders twice this year, had to say. "Congrats to Seattle Sounders for winning the StarFire Open, and doing it on the road at CenturtyLink Field!" In a vacuum, it was a funny statement. The fact is that we did have all 4 games at home, 3 of which were at Starfire. But considering his recent history with the club, fans are not happy. My one plea to them - please keep his personal life out of it. Argue with him over his comment, but keep his family out of it.
• Wait, Vancouver just beat RSL 3-0? And they had 20k+ fans on a night when the Canucks starting their season? Not bad. Not good for RSL though who look locked in to the 3 seed. I'm not convinced that having home field advantage means anything for the Sounders, but recent from definitely seems to give us an advantage.
• I've said it before and I'll say it again, Doug Fister has to be the happiest man in baseball. No way he pitches an elimination game for the Mariners' over the course of a decade if he doesn't get traded. Gutsy (hate using that word in relation to sports) job last night by the youngster against the Yanks hitters.
• I think ESPN handled the Hank Williams Jr situation appropriately. I don't want to delve into politics, but comparing Obama to Hitler is indefensible. (I was not and still am not a George W Bush fan, but I also took offense to all those Lyndon LaRouche people comparing him to Hitler). Kudos to ESPN for taking a stand and letting everyone know that this type of ignorant rhetoric will not be tolerated.
• Speaking of ESPN, has anyone watched Dan LeBetard's new show? I haven't seen it, but actually enjoy listening to the Podcast. I'm not sure it is entirely different from PTI and Around the Horn, but the subtleties make it fun to listen to.
  
• USA-Honduras on Saturday. Another chance to see how well Klinsmann new system is progressing. It is a game we should win, but more important to me right now is seeing something new, something exciting from the team.

OK, I think that's it for now. Enjoy the weekend.

Beadle a Hater

I recently got rid of the My Girls list from the side of the webpage. The simple fact was that every week only two women - Erin Andrews and Michelle Beadle - were worthy enough for the top spot (we're talking sports here, not overall Girls). In terms of the sports world they are my two favorite women. Shocked was I to find out that actually they hate each other. Ok, there is no evidence of Erin hating Beadle, but Beadle certainly doesn't like Erin. In a new 750-page book about ESPN, authors Jim Miller and Tom Shales give an oral history of the company and more importantly, delves into numerous rivalries and fights over the years. From what I hear, there's the normal stuff like fights between alpha-males (Berman vs Kornheiser) and I imagine lots of other details surrounding run-ins with the law. To me, though, the most interesting stuff is what Beadle had to say about Erin and her peeping Tom ordeal. She noted, "I felt bad for her. She looked fabulous but it was such a violation. I mean, I've had moments in my apartment in New York when the blinds were up for one brief second and you think, "Ugh!" but that's nothing compared to what happened to her. Nothing." She then added that "I think things might have been handled differently, but she seems to be moving on. Sometimes these things turn out better for people." Finally, she noted that she is not a fan of Andrews and that "Everyone who knows me knows that." Obviously I have not read the book yet and are simply getting these quotes from book reviews, but wow, if they read the same in context, then that totally skews my view of Beadle.

Look, I think we can all agree that not only has Erin survived the situation but she has actually seen an uptick in her career. It's kind of a fact. Before the incident she was popular sideline reporter whose only hosting gig was for the College World Series. Since then she has been a guest on Oprah, was on Dancing with the Stars, got a co-hosting gig on College Football Gameday and has even been seen on Access Hollywood as a red carpet interviewer. Certainly her professional life is different now than it was before.

The thing I don't like is the tone in which Beadle talks about the whole situation. First, bringing up how good Erin looked in the video does not give off the impression that you take what happened seriously. It's just disrespectful. I mean, this was a serious crime against Erin and I can't believe that a fellow female would brush it off so casually like it's not a big deal. I know she said it was 'such a violation', but you can't it seriously. Second, implying that things could have been handled differently certainly suggests resentment. I'm sure that ESPN handled the situation with kid gloves and I'm sure that they messed up along the way, but honestly, how do you handle a situation like that? As it is, female sideline reporters get little to no respect. Andrews was no better than some of the other reporters and yet was most popular for reasons apparent to every heterosexual male. She is attractive and talked sports, but still couldn't gain the same respect as a dude who talks sports. When she is violated in such a way, how do you handle it? How does she not lose all credibility when she is simply the girl who got secretly taped? Finally, suggesting that she has benefited is one thing. However, when you lead into that with your other quotes, you again sound resentful. Just overall a terrible job by her.

Beadle is obviously resentful that Erin used her ordeal to further her career to which I ask, "What was she supposed to do?" Some people in her situation might have been afraid to come back into public. Some might have been afraid to continue working. She decided not only to acknowledge what happened, but she took it a step further and sat down with Oprah. I can understand why some people may feel uncomfortable with this decision, but as for the other opportunities, I don't see how you can say no. What was Erin supposed to do? Say no when Gameday asked her to host the first hour of the show? Was she was supposed to go to her boss and say, "You know sir, I think I might only be getting this job because of what happened to me in my private life. I should hope you gave equal weight to equally qualified people like Michelle Beadle..."? Come on, that's crazy. It's not like ESPN was committing a crime. They are in the entertainment business and drive towards higher ratings. It's not like they are compromising their values by putting Erin on tv. She has never been convicted of any sort of crime, been in porn, gotten hooked on drugs or done anything wrong besides be attractive and get spied on. There is not a single legitimate reason why she shouldn't be a host. She didn't ask to be spied on. She didn't ask for it to come out in public. She didn't want or expect it to happen, but that doesn't mean she can't turn it into a positive.

So if I'm Michelle Beadle, I try to keep my mouth shut regarding this topic. To me, this is a big hit to her credibility. If she wants to move up in ESPN, all she has to do is continue what she is doing. I love her on SportsNation and I know the rest of America does too. She is the 'kind of chick' you want to have a beer with and talk sports. That is something that possibly only Linda Cohn and Suzy Kolber can say - and she does it better than the both of them. Just do what you do. Don't be hateful. (oh, and don't be a home wrecker...look it up if you want more info)