- Peyton Manning is going to be released by the Colts tomorrow. It is a sad end to a Colts career that ranks among the greatest of all-time. Few quarterbacks have come close to accomplishing what Peyton has in a Colts uniform. Now, he follows other greats like Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, and Joe Namath, icons in the cities where they brought home championships and set records, and will finish out his career on another team. It is unlikely that Peyton will retire but I guess that is always a possibility until he signs with another team. Right now, it seems like the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, and maybe even the Jets will kick the tires on Manning. If I had a gun to my head I would pick the Cardinals. They could trade or release Kevin Kolb, who I believe has a $7 million roster bonus due to him if he is on the team by March 17th. I might be wrong on the date and I can't find a good source on it but I do know he has a roster kicker due for $7 million. Teaming with Larry Fitzgerald would be fun to watch. I have already stated my thoughts on Peyton and the Jets...it is a bad idea for the team.
- So apparently the Saints are the dirtbags of the NFL. Former defensive coordinator, being the biggest dirtbag of them all, allowed players to receive extra bonus pay for injuring opposing teams stars. He also apparently did the same thing while in Washington. The fact that the players, coaching staff, and front office allowed this to happen under their very noses disgusts me. There has been a lot of players coming to the defense of Gregg Williams, saying this kind of thing is rampant in the NFL and isn't a big deal. To them I say, it is a rule in the NFL. The use of bounties is outlawed. It is not okay, regardless of who allows it, for anyone to break the rules of the game. The game's very integrity is based on those rules. They are there for a reason. Oh, and don't worry about former NFL players suffering from various mental disorders from taking too many hits to the head. Don't worry about players like Dave Duereson who suffered severe depression as a result of his head injuries. Yeah, those guys don't count because you got paid, right? Asinine comments from asinine people. The NFL has a huge issue on it's hands regarding player safety and to have a team completely disregard the long-term health of those men for a few hundred or few thousand extra bucks is disgusting. If I were NFL commissioner, and the Saints are lucky I am not (and so are the Rams for whom Gregg Williams is now a defensive coordinator), I would demand the firing of Sean Payton, Gregg Williams, and general manager Mickey Loomis and suspend them from the league for three years. I would also demand the IRS investigate the players for unreported income, something the IRS is doing anyway, and support any decision they make in regards to that money, including jail. I would also force the Saints to surrender their first round draft pick for the next three years and fine them one hundred times the total amount of money that was posted in this bounty system. I would also make them pay another one million dollars to fund the healthcare plan of retired players. If the Saints didn't care about injuring those players then they shouldn't mind helping them afford the long-term healthcare so many players need after they leave the field.
My penalties are stiff, maybe too stiff in some of your minds. However, the Saints allowed the league's rules to be undermined, put players health in jeopardy, and circumvented the NFL salary cap. They undermined the integrity of the game. I don't want to hear about how every team does it. Nobody else has gotten caught and if they were caught I would demand similar penalties for that team, or teams, as well. As for the players who think it is no big deal? Wait until you retire after suffering from several concussions. Wait until you need knee replacement surgery at 45 years old. Wait until your body is similar in age to that of a 90 year old at age 50. To them I say, shut up and let the NFL do it's job by enforcing the rules. The NFL needs to make an example of the Saints and they need to do it now.
- Deron Williams can score 57 points against the Bobcats but Jeremy Lin score 25 and he gets back pages and the whole Linsanity thing. I get it, Lin came from out of nowhere and helped turn a struggling Knicks team around. I get it. But, lost in the whole fog of Linsanity is the fact that he is still only the second best point guard in the New York area. I love watching Lin play. But Deron Williams is the best player in the New York area, yes, better then Carmelo Anthony right now and better that Amare' Stoudemire. I'm just telling the truth.
- I swear you can't keep Yankee fans happy. Michael Pineda throws two innings and already there are some fans calling the trade a bust. Seriously? After two innings? Pineda didn't throw in Winter Ball this offseason for the first time in a few years. His arm needs to get built back up. He isn't a bust. Not yet. The trade could still be a bust down the line but I would hold my judgement for several seasons and see what happens. This new generation of Yankee fans is driving me nuts. They were born in the 1990's and don't know what it's like seeing a crappy team. I saw the 1990-1992 Yankees. It wasn't pretty. I watched as former Yankee youngsters like Doug Drabek, Jose Rijo, Otis Nixon, Fred McGriff, Jay Buhner, Bob Tewksbury, and others go on to win Cy Young awards, championships, and otherwise be productive for other teams. You don't know what it's like to watch Matt Nokes, Mel Hall, and Jesse Barfield as everyday players. All these younger Yankee fans know is success and it is rotting their perspective. Since 1995 the Yankees have failed to make the playoffs once. ONCE! I had to wait 15 years of my life before I saw the Yankees in a postseason game. I know Andy Hawkins. I know Scott Sanderson. I know Rick Rhoden. I know Dave LaPoint, Jimmy Jones, Clay Parker, Tim Leary, and Wade Taylor. Those were pitchers in case you were wondering, some of them considered the ace on the staff like Sanderson, Rhoden, and Hawkins. Younger Yankee fans should thank God they don't have ownership or a general manager that will put them through another decade of futility. It was bad. I was young back then and loved my Yankees. I loved Alvaro Espinosa, Don Mattingly, Butch Wynegar, Pat Kelly, Mike Stanley, and Matt Nokes. So, my message to younger Yankee fans who weren't around for the 1990 debacle is: Chill out. Enjoy the game of baseball for what it is, a wonderful thing on a summer afternoon or evening. Enjoy the little things about the game. Stop thinking like the world will end if a bad trade is made. Stop thinking 2 innings of Spring Training baseball means anything more than a warmup. Relax. Settle down. Then again, maybe the Yankees need to go through a few years of futility again. I lived through it once and can do so again. I will stay loyal to my team no matter who they put out on that field.
- Speaking of the early 1990's Yankees, former first overall draft pick Brien Taylor was arrested last week for trafficking cocaine. I can remember when he was drafted and everyone immediately thought of Dwight Gooden as a young pitcher. Taylor was on his way before he injured his shoulder in a fight that he wasn't really a part of. Now this. It is sad to see. For my younger readers, imagine the hype surrounding Stephen Strasburg only you never get to see him pitch in a big league game. Taylor was supposed to turn the Yankees around. It never happened. The Yankees turned themselves around and the rest is history. It still would have been interesting to see what Taylor could have done for those dynasty Yankees. To this day I am still left wondering and every now and again I come across a rookie card of his and think about what could have been. Just sad.
- For what it's worth it is nice to see Johan Santana out on the mound again. I would love to see him pitch a full season with his old form again. I'm sure Met fans would love to as well. Before he got hurt he was simply amazing to watch, a true pitcher, a complete pitcher. He was an artist. Maybe he still is.
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