Extra Credit: The Machine

With Albert Pujols currently tearing up the Brewers, I thought it only fitting to post one of the best commercials ESPN has put out.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

As a sports fan, we all know that it’s going to be a rollercoaster ride of emotions throughout the years as we root for superstars, underachievers, and overachievers that suit up and wear the same colors that most of us are willing to proudly display somewhere in our everyday life. But whenever you boil everything down, it usually falls into one of three categories. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Watching the NBA draft lottery in 2008 as my beloved Chicago Bulls lucked into getting the 1^st overall pick and thus being able to select hometown boy Derrick Rose is a great memory. Finding out about Darryl Kile’s death back in 2002 was one of the worst moments I’ve been through as a sports fan, and it doesn’t get much uglier then Rex Grossman being your quarterback when your team reaches the Super Bowl for the first time in your lifetime. But yesterday was one of the most unique days I’ve ever had as a sports fan, and this is why.

First things first, the good. The Cardinals were down 1-0 to the hated Brewers but Albert Pujols showed why he’s the best player in baseball and why if anyone isdeserving of a $300 million dollar contract, it’s him. He finished the night with 3 doubles and a home run to bag 3 runs and 5 RBIs as the Cardinals won in Milwaukee to even the series up 1-1 as it heads to St. Louis tomorrow tonight.

The bad was that I stayed up to watch my Bears get gashed by Calvin Johnson early and Jahvid Best late as the offensive line was busy either committing 9 false starts or giving Jay Cutler no time to throw. Cutler and Forte looked great and if the Bears had not committed so many costly penalties and been able to keep from giving up the big play (like the Cover 2 is designed to do) they probably would have won the game. Instead they fall 3 games behind the Packers and Lions and are left with huge questions about what they need to do going forward.

And the ugly was the inevitable but painful news that the first two weeks of the NBA season had been lost. I’m going to be writing more about this obviously because I’m such a huge basketball fan but I couldn’t help but feel the sting whenever the news became official. More is going to get canceled, possibly the entire season, but the lockout is finally really sinking in. I was only 10 when the NBA lost games before so this is the first time I’ve really experienced lost games (I’m not an NHL fan) and let me tell you, it’s ugly.

As a sports fan, you expect a lot of ups-and-downs throughout not just the years but from game-to-game and quarter-to-quarter, or inning if we’re talking baseball. But yesterday I was taken on quite possibly the biggest rollercoaster of my sports life, getting jam-packed with all three emotional trips from my three favorite and most closely-followed teams all in the span of a few hours. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go take some Ambien and get some rest, I don’t think I can handle another night like that for a while.

Extra Credit: Derrick Rose's Awesome New Commercial

I love his new commercial, especially since the two guys on the horses represent the Magic and Celtics while the matador I'm assuming represents the Heat.

Extra Credit: Devin Hester Sets Another Record

This week Devin Hester set the record for the most punt returns for a touchdown this week after this excellent return against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Congrats to Hester and the Bears special teams on a great accomplishment!

Roberto Clemente: A Lost Legend

If you're a big fan of baseball, you know his name. But when people talk about the all-time greats, he seems to get passed over. Gehrig. Ruth. Mays. Aaron. Mantle. Williams. Clemente? If you just raised your eyebrows don't worry, you aren't alone. But when you talk to the people who got to watch him play, watch their eyes light up when you ask about Clemente. The first thing mentioned is obviously the plane crash, but I was very surprised that more often then not, the second thing mentioned was his arm from the outfield. Then, I started doing some research and while I knew of Clemente, I had no idea that he truly is a lost legend.

In an era that sees Clemente overlooked because he was in the same time frame as Mantle, Mays, and Aaron, Clemente was right up with them. After joining the Pirates in 1955 he was an instant success in the field, becoming arguably the best corner outfielder of his era. To help prove that claim that seems to be held by most of the people who got to watch Clemente play, I went to baseball-reference.com to look up some numbers. From 1957 to 1972 he finished ranked first in defensive wins-above-replacement (WAR) four times while finishing second five times.

His career really took a turn for the better after the 1960 season when Clemente finished 8^th in the most valuable player voting. Offended at the results, Clemente and Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach George Sisler started working on making Clemente more patient at the plate. They also wanted to have Clemente start getting better contact on the pitches he did swing at so to help with that, Clemente started using a massive bat to slow down the swing but to make much better contact.

The results were obvious from the beginning when Clemente's average jumped from .314 to a league-leading .351, giving him his first of four batting titles in his career. Thanks to his off-season work, the payoff took Clemente from a very good player to an all-time great. But even after so many great years, Clemente felt that he was still being under-appreciated and going into the 1971 World Series made it a point to show the national media that even at 37 years old, he was still one of the best players in baseball. He proved just that as he looked like a men among boys, playing excellent defense and beating up on the Oriole pitchers.

Clemente got to play one of more year before the plane crash tragically took his life. After finding out supplies he was sending to help earthquake victims were being diverted by corrupted Somoza officials, Clemente decided to fly with the supplies in hopes of them getting to the people in need. It wasn't meant to be though, as Clemente and everyone else on the flight were killed on the last day of 1972.

Like I said earlier, Roberto Clemente seems to be a guy that baseball fans know but might not appreciate as much as they should. And before I signed up for this story, I would certainly fall into that category. But the reason for everything above was written from facts that can be found on the internet. I was given the opportunity to interview Bill Mikita, the writer for the movie Chasing 3000. The movie is based on the true story of him and his brother Steve traveling to see Clemente get his 3,000^th major league hit.

At first I was just going to exchange e-mails with Bill but we decided that it would be easier to just catch each other on the phone. Sometimes when things don't work out the way you planned it turns out to be a blessing in disguise and this was certainly one of those times. Just from hearing the way Bill gushed over his feelings for Clemente it instantly gave him credibility.

One of the first things I wanted to bring up was for him to compare what it was like as Clemente neared his 3000^th hit and I asked him to compare it to how Jeter was chasing that same milestone. I obviously knew that it wasn't going to be quite as big a deal considering the whirlwind of media coverage we have today combined with the fact that Jeter plays for the New York Yankees, but I was shocked to find out that whenever Clemente did get his 3000^th hit, it wasn't even a sellout crowd. But don't let the fact that stadium wasn't packed fool you, Clemente was idolized by nearly every baseball fan under the age of 25 growing up in the Pittsburgh area.

My two favorite quotes from Bill Mikita both spoke to not just Roberto's talents on the baseball field but also to his humility off of it. “He was worthy”, Mikita said followed by “his greatness as a player came from his greatness as a person.” As an example of Clemente's high character, after he won his first World Series in 1960 he dressed quickly and proceeded to go walk the streets of Pittsburgh, celebrating with the fans.

Our conversation eventually turned to his movie that was released last year, Chasing 3000. As I said before, it's the story of him and his brother traveling to see Clemente get his 3000^th hit but from every review I've come across, it's about much more then just Clemente. The story focuses a lot on Bill's brother's medical condition and how it gets progressively worse as he goes without medical treatment as the travel from California to Pittsburgh. “It's more a coming of age movie with a baseball theme”, said Mikita and the people who have seen it tend to agree.

If you want to check out the movie it isn't hard to find. You can stream it on Netflix as well as order it from both Amazon and Walmart. And before I let you guys leave, here's a quote from Roberto's teammate Manny Sanguillen. “Roberto Clemente played the game of baseball with great passion. That passion could only be matched by his unrelenting commitment to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate and those in need. People saw Roberto as a great ballplayer and humanitarian. He was also a great father, husband, teammate and friend."

Extra Credit: Mayweather Gets Even With Ortiz

I'm sure it won't stay up for long but this is a great video showcasing the illegal headbutt, the hugging, and then the cheap shot that ended up finishing the fight in the fourth round. While I plan on writing an actual piece on Mayweather and how polarizing he is as a boxer, I don't see how anyone can hate the guy solely because of this. Ortiz literally launches himself at Mayweather to headbutt him then makes the huge mistake of not keeping his hands up. While it isn't perfect, it did seem fitting.

Extra Credit: Roberto Clemente Highlights

I've been away for a few days but I've been working on a fairly big piece about Roberto Clemente. So after that little tease I thought for the latest Extra Credit video I'd post some of his best highlights.

Ten NFL Bets I Love

With football season starting just around the corner it's just about time for me to do something I do every year; pick out at least 10 online bets that I would consider to be a really good value. Normally I would just put this down somewhere and save it for the end of the year but I thought this might be interesting enough to put on here. The bets are from sportsbook.com and they aren't in any real order, just whichever I come across first.

1. Philip Rivers to win NFL MVP, + 1200

The MVP award usually goes to a quarterback who leads his team to a division title while also putting up big numbers to win the voters over. Other then Aaron Rodgers, I don't think there is a better lock to meet those criteria then Philip Rivers. He threw for 4700 yards and 30 touchdowns last year and that's without Vincent Jackson being there for 6 games. Add in the sting of missing the playoffs last year along with the very real possibility that Aaron Rodgers ends up missing a few games like last year and I believe that Rivers is as good a candidate as you'll find. He's also considered a long shot apparently by sportsbook.com as you'd only have to bet $10 to win $120 and this first bet is a great, great value.

2. Cam Newton to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, +400

At first I was going to put a combo of both Cam Newton and Julio Jones as they both have the same 4-to-1 odds so putting the same amount on both would give you basically 2-to-1 odds that one of them hits and ends up with the award but for the sake of this list, I decided to just pick the one I thought was more likely to win. While I love Julio Jones, it's hard enough for a rookie wide receiver to get up to speed with a full off-season, let alone a lockout. And while that'll give Newton problems as well, I just think Newton is going to have tons of chances to prove he can play and he'll win the award with his legs, not his arm.

3. Sam Bradford to have the Most Passing Yards, +2000

4. Philip Rivers to have the Most Passing Yards, +270

I'm piggybacking a little bit off of the Bradford hype but with odds like this, it's hard to not like the idea of throwing a 20 dollar bill on him and if he happens to put everything together with as much as they throw the ball, you could have a $400 ticket at the end of the year. They are going to throw the ball a lot like they did last year and while I don't think this is one that is very likely, the fact that the odds are so big makes it worth a second look if only for the fun of rooting for the second year quarterback throughout the year.

Philip Rivers on the other hand is the favorite in this category but it doesn't make him a bad bet. He managed to throw for the most yards while missing a combined 17 games from his two best targets in Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates. It isn't flashy, but it's a solid bet.

5. Ray Rice to have the Most Rushing Yards, +2000

6. Adrian Peterson to have the Most Rushing Yards, +300

Another unlikely one with Ray Rice, but with McGahee gone I expect Rice to get close to the curse of 370 and with a little luck, he can certainly be right in the mix for a chance at the rushing title. With the odds he's getting this is much like the Bradford pick in one that could just be fun to root for but there is value to be had with Ray Rice. As for Peterson, he's also the favorite but for good reason. He's the most talented back in the entire league with a good-but-not-great quarterback. He's going to get more then enough carries to get the most yards and I'd say he probably will. Still, with 3-to-1 odds it's hard to not see the value there.

7. Sam Bradford +4.5 to throw more Touchdowns then Joe Flacco

Another Bradford love bet, last year Flacco threw 7 more touchdowns then Bradford. But the jump from rookie to sophomore should be big for last year's #1 draft pick and while I don't think Flacco is going to have a big drop off, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bradford throw for more touchdowns before even factoring in the spread. Add the fact that it's a pretty big number at 4.5 and I think this is a pretty safe bet.

8. Larry Fitzgerald +90.5 to have more Receiving Yards then Greg Jennings

Larry Fitzgerald is going to catch a lot of passes. I mean, a ton. He had 170 targets last year and instead of a ragtag group of under-achieving quarterbacks he's going to have Kevin Kolb under center throwing him the ball. Meanwhile, with JerMichael Finley back and the numerous weapons that Aaron Rodgers has at his disposal, I just don't see how Greg Jennings is going to be able to have 90 more yards then Fitzgerald.

9. Roddy White -1.5 to have more Touchdowns then Hakeem Nicks

This bet is most about the fact I expect the Giants to be on the down slide this season coupled with teh fact I expect the Falcons to be airing the ball out all year long. Julio Jones will be raw but he should help take some of the pressure off of Roddy White so while I expect Roddy's catches and yards to go down this year, I'd be surprised if he doesn't have at least as many touchdowns as he did last season if not a few more.

10. Calvin Johnson -2.5 to have more Touchdowns then Dwayne Bowe

I know there is a ton of hype around the Lions coming into the season. While I'm not on that bandwagon nearly as much as most people are (I think they are going to be the NFC version of the Texans these past few years, mostly hype) I am a huge Megatron fan. I also know that Bowe led the league in touchdowns last year. But instead of having one of the easiest schedules this year, they are going to have one of the hardest. Because of that, I really expect for Matt Cassel to fall off while if Johnson can get 8 games out of Stafford, I think he has a real chance to have 5 more touchdowns then Bowe will.

Extra Credit: Heisman Hopeful Luck Lays Out Wright

While I won't be writing much (if anything) about college football as it goes on, I will be watching today as the season kicks off and as the favorite for the Heisman, I decided to look up some Andrew Luck highlights. While the one above won't be the ones he'll be needing to make if he ends up hoisting the trophy later this year, it's still a great play.

Extra Credit: Sting Is Here!

A great time in wrestling and a great ending to a pay per view, Sting makes a shocking return to take out the nWo. On a side note, I've been without internet access for the past two weeks so I'm sorry for the disappearance but I'm back now.

Extra Credit: The Miz is Awesome

After talking with people about how WWE doesn't put enough effort into their hype videos anymore I remembered this one from this year's WrestleMania. It was excellently done and really put The Miz over as someone who deserved to be wrestling at WrestleMania instead of a reality TV star who was riding that to some WWE fame.

Extra Credit: DeSean Jackson Rips Out New York's Heart

Does it get any better then this? After a huge comeback to tie the game and with just seconds remaining on the clock, DeSean Jackson bobbles the punt but picks it up and takes it to the house for the victory with no time left on the clock.

Bautista and the Blue Jays Caught Stealing

If you haven't heard yet, Jose Bautista is a really good baseball player. And when he's playing up north of the border, he's one of the best and most feared hitters in baseball. After his first boost in 2010 that saw him go from a season high of 16 home runs to a total of 54 and his OPS jump .240 points the rumors started swirling about steroids. But with the lack of a positive test, the claim that Bautista made an adjustment to his swing accounting for the added power, and that most of his home runs were pulled to the same side of the field left the steroid rumors without a lot of fuel to put on the fire.

Well, now it isn't just rumors that are going to around about Bautista and the rest of the Toronto Blue Jays and it doesn't have anything to do with performance enhancing drugs. Players and managers are accusing the Blue Jays of using the aide of people in the outfield to steal signs and the stats are backing up those claims.

There is a great article about it up here from ESPN and in that article it has the stats that suggest there is something going on whenever the Blue Jays step up to the plate at the Rogers Centre. The numbers are so out of control that Cris Myers, a writer for Baseball Prospectus, even wrote a piece on how in was more then just a statistical anomaly before this report came to light. It isn't as if it's just for Bautista either, there are other players that are having huge splits between home and away games.

As for what is allegedly happening, it boils down to this. There is man in a white shirt in the perfect spot to be seen by a batter in the outfield seats. The batter wouldn't even have to adjust his stance to be able to see this fan, and the placement is obviously of the utmost importance. Somehow, whether someone else is watching the signs through binoculars and relaying the signs or something else, the “fan” is being told what pitch is being thrown. If it's an off-speed pitch such as a change-up, curve, or slider the “fan” will raise his arms up over his head. And if he doesn't raise his arms, the players know that they can sit on a fastball and swing for the fences.

Personally, I think that it's the truth. Teams will try anything to get an edge, especially in your division includes the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Add that to what the players have said and the stats that back up the idea that it's more then just a conspiracy theory and you have a believer in me.  

Extra Credit: Devin Hester Returns a Field Goal for a Touchdown

As a Bears fan I've seen all of Devin Hester's returns for touchdowns but this one is by far my favorite and with the NFL season quickly approaching I couldn't think of any better way to get ready then to watch some of our favorite plays from seasons past. First up, Hester surprises the Giants by catching their field goal attempt and takes it to the house!

Extra Credit: Carmelo's Coming Home

Today I've actually got two videos to post. The first one is the commercial that was played before Carmelo Anthony's first game as a New York Knick and the second video is a fan made version of the same commercial, only using clips from Carmelo in a Knicks uniform. Both are excellent and if you're a huge basketball fan like myself, probably gave you goosebumps the first time you saw them.

Extra Credit: Durant Catches Fire at Rucker Park

When I started this blog I told myself that when I wasn't going to just posting quick news updates and tidbits from here and there. I was going to be actually writing. But the problem with that is that I'm not writing every day so this place can go a week or more without getting some new content. So after brainstorming around a bit, I've decided that I'm going to be posting a video on here at least once a day that I feel is worth sharing. And to kick things off we see Kevin Durant doing what he does best, getting buckets at the world famous Rucker Park in Harlem.

With the lockout looking as if it's going to claim the NBA season this year players are looking elsewhere to showcase their uncanny ability to throw a ball into a hoop. Whether it's Deron Williams signing a contract to play in Turkey, Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant taking their talents to the Philippines or Kevin Durant going from the Drew League in LA to Rucker Park in Harlem, these players are going to find a place to play basketball. "I do this" is a quote from Kevin Durant after all of this and if I do say so myself, he does it pretty damn well.

My Love for the RFA Process

In free agency, there are so many rumors and double talk that for the most part, you're better off just sitting back and watching the dominoes fall rather then try and predict who is going to sign where. My favorite times are when a player claims that don't want to really leave the team that they are on but the money is simply to enticing, it always makes for an interesting situation but one that doesn't come around as often as you would think. That isn't a bad thing either, it's a great thing for both the players and teams that there is something called restricted free agency.

Now I know that if you're reading this you more then likely know what restricted free agency is but after having a conversation about it with someone I work with I don't think I ever realized just how much I like the fact that it is exists in the sports worlds of the NFL and the NBA.

The way it works in the NBA is once a player gets to his restricted year, the team has to sign that player to a qualifying offer and after they do that, they have the right to match any contract the player signs with any other team that off-season as well as the ability to work out their own agreement with him. The player can either go out and find himself the best deal out there and see if his team will match the offer or simply wait a year and become an unrestricted free agent.

As for the NFL, it's slightly different. It works pretty much the same way but instead of a qualifying offer, the team places a tender on a player that is worth a draft pick depending on how much the tender is worth. Then, if another team signs that player the team with the players rights can either match the contract or let that player go for the draft pick that the player was tendered for.

My reasons for liking it are fairly simple, it gives teams in both leagues a chance to either pay their players fairly based on what they are getting from an open market or get some compensation for that player. It rewards teams for drafting well and gives them time to plan ahead in case a player decides that he is more then likely going to be leaving by not signing a long-term extension before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Well, unless you're Cleveland. And while it isn't something that important, it is an aspect of the sports world that I think gets overlooked and if used correctly, can help keep a team on the right track while giving the player options.

NFL Lockout: The 5 Biggest Bullet Points

So I'm not sure if you guys heard or not, but the NFL lockout is finally over. So now that they waited until the last possible moment and there have been probably 2,000 stories written about the fact that yes, pro football is back. Other then celebrating the fact that we will have football on Sundays, this blog is really me deciding the five things are the most important coming out of this massive mess. So, what made the cut?

First things first, the most important thing of all in my opinion is this. The players and owners agreed to a 10 year CBA with no option to opt out of the deal. Again, let me repeat, no opt out option. So for the next ten years we aren't going to have to worry anymore about what everyone just went through and for at least another 7 or 8 years we won't even have to worry about hearing people on ESPN or wherever else you get your sports news talking about a potential lockout coming. Nothing but games from this point on for a while.

One of the few things that both owners and players agreed upon (though the players would never admit it publicly and lose that leverage) was that rookie contracts were out of control. For proof, just look at last year's #1 pick. Sam Bradford proved during his rookie season that he is going to be a great quaterback in this league most likely, but before ever taking a snap he signed a contract that guaranteed $50 million dollars. That was a problem but in the new CBA there is going to be a slotting system and 4 year contracts for 1^st round picks with a 5^th year option that would be the sum of the top 10 players salaries at that position.

So where is that money going to go that the teams are saving? Well some of it will certainly go to the more veteran players getting their second or third contracts, but a lot of the money will be going into something called the “Legacy Fund” that is going to help former players in life after football. I'm sure there are plenty of critics out there already but this fund is a good start. Players will have lifetime health insurance as well as increased pensions and as we learn more about the human brain it's important to take care of the former players to avoid another Dave Duerson tragedy.

The fourth thing (and last that is actually in the CBA) is that the franchise tag is staying around and it isn't limited to a one-time use on a player. While it might not seem like a big deal, it gives teams a lot of control over impending free agents. In theory, a team could draft a guy at a good slotted salary then pick up the option for the 5^th year and then franchise tag him for the next three and controlling that player for 8 years. Assuming that is how it is going to work, (the option year might count as a franchise tag instead of just an option) it gives the owners some leverage on guaranteed money handed out. The player would still be getting four years of top 10 money so it isn't as if he'll be hurting for cash, but that big guaranteed check that comes with a big free agency signing might elude them.

The last point I had isn't something that is actually written; it's just my opinion. I've said many times that I was never around for any other lockouts but the ones in the past seemed to favor the owners much more then the players. I think that with technology being what it is today and social media having taken off, the fans and media are much more likely to side with the players then the owners. While it was an easy picture to paint that the owners were being greedy, it was also true and backed up repeatedly over and over. Back when all there were was newspapers there would probably just be a story about it in the paper and a mention on the news but today anyone can dig as deep as they want and share what they find. It'll be interesting to see if the NBA players can find a way to get the public on their side the way the NFL players did.

And there you have it, the five biggest bullet points we can get from this lockout, at least from my perspective. So now that I've written something on the NFL lockout being over like everyone else, I leave it to you. If you guys think something else deserved to be up here feel free to let me know.

Why Baseball Needs a Salary Cap (and Not the Kind You Think)

If you're a baseball fan then you've probably noticed that for the first time in a very long time the Pittsburgh Pirates were in first place in the NL Central in the month of July. The same team that hasn't had a winning season since 1992 finally looks to be on upswing and should finish above .500 for the first time in nearly two decades. And with every underdog story there are plenty of fans from other teams that aren't having good seasons jumping on the bandwagon and cheering them on. So other then the exceptionally well ran Tampa Bay Rays, the surprise small-market team underdog story doesn't come around nearly often enough.

The best part of football and basketball is the illusion of parody. No matter what team you like there is almost always a reason to be optimistic most seasons. Sure, some teams have been having some down years but I simply can not think of any team in the NFL or the NBA suffering for the last 15 years without at least something to cheer for. The difference between the two leagues, at least to me, is that the bottom level teams are at least spending money while the bottom level teams in baseball are usually considered less of a major league team and more of a farm team for the Boston and New York's of the world.

I don't think the problem is that the teams at the top are spending to much though, I think the problem is the exact opposite. The at the end of the 2008 season the Pirates had just finished up their 16^th losing season. They had traded away their best players for prospects and cash because they are a small market team and they simply couldn't afford to be a middle-of-the-pack team and be forced to pay their talent enough to keep them around. But then the Pirates financial papers leaked and between those two seasons, the Pirates made $69 million dollars in revenue sharing alone.

That's right, $69 million dollars in just revenue sharing. That doesn't include any money the team actually made themselves, just the money that was basically given to them. Last year the Pirates estimated payroll was right about $35 million and with the increase in how much the top teams spent in 2010 compared to 2008 and I would almost guarantee that the Pirates won't have to shell out a dime from their own pockets to pay any of their players.

If you ask me, that's the problem. There are to many teams out there looking to find ways to simply maximize profits rather then field a competitive team. So what I propose is a salary cap floor plan for all MLB teams. Right now teams are simply required to spend their revenue sharing on the baseball team but as we all know, there are plenty of ways to write off money as a company expense and get away with it. I propose requiring that every dime that is given to a team has to spent on payroll and that so much money from each ticket is required to be spent on the team. This way, given money is helping level the playing field and the fans spending their money to go to the game are assured that at least some of their money is going to help pay the players instead of lining the players pockets.

Just as an example, say the Pirates were required to spend $10 from every ticket they sold in 2010 and the (rough guess from 2007 and 2008 numbers) $35 million from revenue sharing on the team in 2011. They would have had to increase their payroll by $16 million dollars from the $34 million they spent in 2010 on players and had a payroll of at least $51 million. Take into consideration the talent they could've added with an extra $16 million to blow and the idea of small market teams competing more often becomes less of a fantasy and more of a reality.

And it wouldn't have to be every single year. Once every 5 years you could allow the owners to be under the number. A second time in that 5 year span and maybe take 10 percent of their revenue check, then a third year take 20 percent. It would allow the owners to still have a season or two to cash in before making a big push towards putting together a solid team. The Pirates counter to all of this would probably be that they have to pay for PNC Park. Of all the modern stadiums it is probably the best of the bunch and that is certainly something worth paying for. But what's the point of having such a great place for baseball if no one is going to come and watch?

Is Going Overseas Hurting the Players?

With Deron Williams officially signing a contract to play over in Turkey, Kobe looking for a million a month to join him, and multiple other players at least pretending to be considering going overseas, there is less talk about the NBA lockout and more about which players are going where. As an avid NBA follower I've been paying close attention and I can honestly say I've heard more about players attempting to find insurance for playing overseas then I've heard about what kind of progress Hunter and Stern have been making behind closed doors.

The optimist in me wants to believe it's just the fact that there aren't nearly as many leaks inside the meetings for the NBA as there have been for the NFL but I think what it boils down to is that basketball players have options while football players can't really switch from league to league without it hurting their performance once they come back to the NFL. No matter the reason, it is very likely that Deron Williams and at least a few other stars will be suiting up overseas for at least a few games while they try and find a way to work out a new CBA.

Other then that though, there has been a serious lack in NBA news but one little argument that has been going on between writers is that players going overseas might actually hurt the union in their efforts to get what they want added into the new CBA. The reasoning behind that stance is that if the players are willing to go overseas for such low salaries the owners will see it as proof that NBA players would be willing to agree to a huge slash in salaries on this side of the pond just to be able to play basketball in their home country.

And although they have a good point and certainly the viewpoint the owners are going to take I just think there are to many variables that the people with this line of thinking aren't taking into consideration. The contracts that the players are looking for include an immediate out clause in case the two sides can settle their differences and an NBA season happens this year. Call me crazy, but I don't think anyone is going to get top dollar if more then likely they will be bolting maybe a third of the way into the season.

But for now that's what news for the NBA is going to be about. Instead of trade rumors and free agent speculation we're going to be hearing about who is thinking of going to place overseas and which side has more leverage. And if you're in the 13-23 age group like I am this is one of the lowest times ever as an NBA fan, mostly because this past season was probably the most entertaining regular season any of us have ever been able to follow as it happened. So instead of the NBA riding that momentum they are going to probably cancel the first half of the season. The situation is so dire that the two sides aren't even having meeting and that can only be bad news for everyone involved. At least the owners and players can each point to different things they have leverage with as they dig in for a lengthy lockout, we as fans have nothing to cling to really at all.

How DeMaurice Smith Saved the Season

To be completely honest, I've just been waiting on a reason to use that picture of DeMaurice Smith ever since I saw it over at Yahoo. When you look like you're trying to dress as smooth as he is, you really need to have a good reason for it or otherwise you're going to come off looking a little over the top. But DeMaurice Smith knew something that we didn't and that ace up his sleeve that probably gave him the confidence to put that fedora on is more then likely the same ace that is going to save the start of this NFL season.

We went from things be quoted as “not looking good” one night to a massive jump in progress the next. As that started to sink in, word got out about a secret insurance policy that Smith had taken out on behalf of the players. The insurance boiled down to that if no football was played this year, every NFL player would be cashing a check worth almost $200,000 for their troubles. Add that to the fact that it is looking like the owners are going to have to pony up to the players because of the $4.3 billion clause for their TV rights in case of no football this year being ruled against their agreement with the players and the owners saw their biggest leverage vanish. The players weren't going to be missing those paychecks nearly as badly as the owners thought they would and because of that, it kick-started negotiations.

Now I know that the season hasn't been saved yet as there still isn't a CBA agreement in place, but the news has been so much more positive since this story broke that for the first time in a month, I actually don't think we're going to miss hardly any of the preseason. And the reason for that is because DeMaurice Smith knew what everyone else did; that the owners leverage would come from their deep pockets . With that knowledge Smith had the foresight to take the owners biggest advantage and turn it into a disadvantage by having that ace and waiting until just the right time to play it.

I was only 10 when the NBA had their lockout in 1999 so I don't remember it really at all but from what I can tell, David Stern grew a sweet beard and the players folded once they ran out of money. Smith prevented that and insured that the players would stand together against the owners even after their paychecks stopped coming and because of that, we're more then likely going to be getting football very, very soon.

CM Punk: How We Got Here

This Sunday CM Punk is going back to his hometown of Chicago to face John Cena for the WWE championship in his last match for the promotion. In case you've missed it, CM Punk has been on fire as of late, even getting time on ESPN thanks to Jim Rome. Like he said on Monday Night Raw a few days ago, wrestling is being talked about mainstream and for once it isn't about somebody dying. The reason behind CM Punk's success is that he has managed to find a way to walk the tight-rope between what is real and what is a show better then any other wrestler since the boom of the internet. Back when Austin and The Rock were ruling the airwaves wrestling fans were far less cynical and much easier to please. And while I am enjoying the ride I can't help but wonder how we managed to get to this point where we'd believe almost anything out of his mouth.

If you haven't watched wrestling in a while you might not realize that except for The Undertaker, there aren't a whole lot of “gimmicks” in the WWE. R-Truth is acting crazy and Santino is a goofball but at the end of the day it doesn't take stretching your imagination to find those guys believable. Most guys are just an extreme version of themselves amped up for our entertainment so CM Punk has certainly found a niche as the tattoo-covered straight edge superstar that is a messiah and is also better then all of us. The Straight Edge Society showed us that CM Punk is a leader who is going to tell us the truth and they hammered that point home even further with the New Nexus. The turning point though? Punk's honest commentary.

I remember hearing that Punk was killing it on commentary. Word was he was injured but because he had so much momentum they didn't want to risk him losing it. What transpired though is what I think led to Punk's believability as a loose cannon the level of the late Brian Pillman. Punk made quiet a few comments about the “real” world outside of WWE's reality and listening to him gave you the impression that you really didn't know what he would say next, but the lines I remember most was about Alex Riley.

At that time Riley was the apprentice to The Miz and had just gotten arrested for driving under the influence. The next time Riley was making his way down the entrance ramp, CM Punk quipped that he was “dressed for court”, along with a few other one liners about Riley's current run-in with the law. From there (and possibly even before that) CM Punk had set the stage that he was more then willing to go outside of the WWE Universe and into the real world for the sake of wrestling. Do I think that he was really shooting? Of course not, but it doesn't matter. We as fans want to believe he was and with how Punk has presented himself, he is the one guy that fans consider just crazy enough to go that far because he's went there (on a lesser scale, obviously) before. We want to believe again like we did when we were younger and Punk lets us do that. And because of that he's right when he tells us he's the best wrestler today.

My Solution to the Problem That is Baseball's All-Star Game

I know baseball doesn't want to admit it and I certainly understand why, but man is it boring. Now don't get me wrong, I love the sport, but in today's world it just seems to drag on forever. With technology keeping everyone in touch with everyone and everything else all the time, we feel like there shouldn't be anything known as “free time”. Hell, whenever a commercial comes on a video online I roll my eyes and pop open a new tab on Chrome and come back to the video once the ad is finished. Thirty seconds is to much for my attention span to handle without being occupied. And with baseball, you've got nothing but free time.

It wouldn't be nearly as big of a problem if there weren't so many games in the regular season. I'm a St. Louis Cardinals fan and have been ever since I was in diapers. But if I watch more then 10 games from start to finish this year, I'll be surprised. Usually, I'm checking on my phone and if it's a close game in the 7^th inning or so I'll flip over and watch the last little bit. Of course there are a lot of fans out there that are much more devoted to their favorite baseball team, but there are a lot more fans like me. They wouldn't call them die-hards if everyone could do it.

So if you're trying to rope in those casual fans like myself for the All-Star game, how are you going to go about doing that? They're latest idea is making it matter by having the winner of the game getting home field advantage in the World Series. I'd be ok with that if they didn't have fan voting for the starters because did anyone from the AL really want Derek Jeter and the year he is having to be a deciding factor on whether or not they got home field advantage? And if it is such an important game, why force managers to make sure that every team is represented? Not to mention the fact that after players backed out either because they pitched two days before, they were injured, or just didn't feel like participating, the total number of All-Stars this year was 84.

But here I am complaining about it without offering up a solution. Baseball is about numbers and tradition more then anything, so what not try and build the festivities around that? Find a way to get Jeter invested in coming to the game and make a big deal about his 3,000^th hit. He's the first ever Yankee to get to that number and even people who don't really like the Yankees like myself are ready to admit that it's really cool he got all 3000 with the same team so why not have the Yankee heroes of old show up to congratulate him for the 7^th inning stretch? That way to see it live you have to at least be flipping back and forth instead of just watching the pre-game stuff.

And with as many players and numbers as baseball has to work with, they can certainly find at least one thing to celebrate every year. They could even have a break between the 2^nd, 4^th, and 7^th innings to different players, teams, or milestones. I'm not saying that would solve the problem, but it's a suggestion worth thinking over if nothing else. It isn't as if anyone is paying attention anyway.

Yao Ming Deserves a Spot in the Hall of Fame

Reports first came out that Rockets center Yao Ming was going to be retiring from the NBA on July 8^th. Though Ming and company have denied those reports, he has scheduled a press conference for the 20^th to discuss his future as a basketball player. After numerous injuries throughout the past 6 years, it's looking more and more likely that he's going to be hanging up the high tops. The more I keep thinking about his career and what he has meant for the sport, I keep coming back do the same question. Does he belong in the Hall of Fame?

Now before you roll your eyes and move on, you have to remember that it is not the NBA hall of fame, it's the basketball hall of fame. There are college players, international stars, and WNBA players all enshrined so you can't just take what happened in the NBA into consideration, you have to judge the player over his entire career. And while Yao never had the chance to dominate the NBA because of his feet, he did have enough time to show us just how talented he was before he came over.

But the real reason that Yao deserves to get the call is because of everything he has done in terms of exposure for the NBA in China. He has done more for the popularity of the NBA then anyone since Jordan hung up his sneakers in favor of golf cleats. Add that to the fact that he was on his way to being an elite center in the NBA, was an international level elite center, and showed enough pride to rush back from injuries to play for his country and thus shortening his career, I think he deserves at least a spot. Maybe he isn't a first ballot guy and maybe he isn't in the very top echelon of players all time, but no player meant more to the sport's growth these last few years then Yao and in a 1000 years, I think that is something worth remembering.

Ranking the NFL Divisions By Quarterback Talent

When it comes to football these days, it's all about who you have under center. It's become a passing league and for better or worse, the days of smash mouth football are over. Of course it's better for the players health and safety, especially with all we've learned about concussions over just the last few years. Growing up a Bears fan, I'm a big supporter of defense, running the ball, and take pride in following the black and blue division. Really, I didn't have a choice other then to resist the change given the history of quarterbacks for the Chicago Bears.

You can't stop change though and while I still appreciate a good defensive battle more then most NFL fans, I've also started learning more and more about the technical side of offense outside of the latest exploits on the latest Madden game. But unless you have the NFL package, one game a week is going to be in one division no matter what. I'm lucky enough to live where I get to watch my Bears every week, but that also means I get to watch more NFC North games then any other division in football. And one thing I've noticed is that while it used to be just Brett Farve as the lone star QB in the black and blue division, the teams in the NFC North are actually one of the better teams when it comes to quarterback play.

So after making a list of each division and writing down the starting quarterbacks according to ESPN.com (except for teams that drafted a QB in the first round this year), I ranked each division 1-8 in terms of quarterback talent. What I found the most interesting was even though most people would consider the AFC to be the superior conference, I found myself ranking the top 3 groups as all from the NFC. But enough with the tease, from best to worst, here is my take on how each division stacks up in the quarterback department.

1 - NFC South

Headlined by two Pro Bowl quarterbacks, a Pro Bowl alternate in his first year, and the #1 pick from this year's draft, this division is the most talented from top to bottom. Drew Brees is considered by many to be the #3 quarterback in the entire league and Matt Ryan is probably the best young quarterback we have in the entire league. Josh Freeman had a coming out party last year and with his build (a lot like Big Ben) he's a pretty good bet to become one of the better quarterbacks in the entire league. And while Cam Newton is an unknown commodity he was talented enough to be this year's top draft pick and I'd rather have him starting under center then say, Alex Smith.

2 - NFC East

This group actually has three quarterbacks who can lay claim to having been Pro Bowl caliber players in recent years with Tony Romo, Eli Manning, and Mike Vick all under center for teams in this division. The best of the group last year was easily Mike Vick who finally looks as if he's put it all together to become the most dangerous offensive player in the entire NFL. Eli Manning once again looked to be a solid starter and Romo should be back and better then ever with a top 10 pick being used on an offensive lineman. What kept this group from being in the top spot was the idea that Rex Grossman might actually be a starting QB on another team. I'm a Bears fan and while there were some highs with Sexy Rexy, there were a lot more lows.

3 - NFC North

I know what you're thinking but before you go and call me a homer, take a look at the list. The Packers have probably the #4 QB in the entire league in Aaron Rodgers. Then you have Jay Cutler who is a great talent and should have a much better season after having a year to learn the Mike Martz system. And if Matthew Stafford can stay healthy he has tools to be considered one of the better quarterbacks in the league, especially if Calvin Johnson is still lining up on the outside for him. The Vikings are obviously the team lacking in this group but every division has at least one guy sticking out like a sore thumb and I'd much rather it be a first round draft pick like Ponder then someone like Jason Campbell.

4 - AFC South

5 - AFC North

I had a really hard time deciding between these two divisions, hence why I'm putting them together here. Both divisions have two quarterbacks that are considered elite with Manning and Schaub in the South while the North is represented by Big Ben and Joe Flacco. I like Manning a little bit more then Roethlisberger but Flacco more then Schaub. The only reason I rank the South higher is that I think Gabbart and Locker will turn into a better QB duo then McCoy and Dalton. Still, this was probably where I had the most trouble because both divisions are so similar in talent and potential.

6 - AFC East

The last three divisions are filled with one talented quarterback and three others that you probably only want to see on the field if it's the pre-season. But this division has a guy named Tom Brady so that automatically puts it ahead of both the AFC and NFC West. After Brady you've got Sanchez and Fitzpatrick, two guys who at least up to now, you can count on to win a few games but not quite talented enough to win a Super Bowl, and Chad Henne. Henne is yet another guy who would be much more suited as a back-up QB but will most likely end up getting some starts under center.

7 - AFC West

Much like the AFC East, this division has one elite level quarterback and three other guys that would be considered serviceable starters. Philip Rivers is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and has proven that he's got the toughness to stay on the field. But I'm not a believer in Tebow ever being more then a slightly better Vince Young and neither Cassell nor Campbell do anything for me and both are at the peak of their talent level. While you could argue that there isn't a bad quarterback in this group, I'd counter with there is only one above average one and that puts this division almost dead last.

8 - NFC West

Was there ever any doubt which division would come in last? This division has a potential franchise guy in Sam Bradford and really, not much else. Matt Hasselbeck is nearly done, John Skelton has the look of a career journeyman, and Alex Smith looks worse and worse as he continues to fail while Aaron Rodgers picks up a Super Bowl win. This is easily the worst division in the entire NFL and when you look at the guys throwing the ball, it isn't hard to see why.

The NBA Lockout Looms

When July 1^st hits it is looking more and more likely that the NBA owners will end up locking out the players. I wrote something last week about how I think it will end up getting worked up but this is about what is actually happening right now, not what I'm thinking and hoping will happen three or four months down the line. And what is happening right now is the owners are attempting to scare the players into giving in before the deadline by threatening to push for a $45 million hard cap and to eliminate guaranteed contracts. While I don't see either of those things happening, if the NBA is really going to be narrow-minded enough to not give in on those points, we are looking at a lost season.

Do I think that we are going to be without basketball? Before I read about that I would've bet my house on not missing any games in this next season. Now I'd still probably bet a paycheck or two on that fact, I'm not nearly as sure as I was just 2 hours ago. The league had a strike shortened season less then 15 years ago so it isn't out of the realm of possibility that come Halloween the only NBA players we'll be seeing will be knocking on our doors hoping for candy and not pencils and apples. And before anyone goes and compares this lockout to the current NFL one going on, let me point out the biggest difference. The NFL is making money, the NBA is losing it.

What that means to me is when the NFL gets to the point of losing games, more then likely they will suck it up and get something done so that the money making machine of professional football doesn't risk getting off the tracks. To hell with the rookies who are basically getting a wasted season because they can't meet with coaches and learn the NFL system and thus are stuck waiting until next off-season before they can really get the one-on-one work that they need as young players, they need to figure out how to split $9 billion.

The NBA though needs to figure out a way to protect their owners from themselves and in the grand scheme of things, that is more important to them then this season. It would be a tragedy for them certainly with the NBA on the heels of it's best season in a decade and with more stars then you can shake a stick at, but sometimes tragedy is necessary. But at least I get this lockout. It isn't two groups grabbing for as much cash as they can get their hands on, it's one group with a serious problem and both groups wanting to find a solution to keep things going along without a bump in the road.

I really do believe that it is going to come down to some form of revenue sharing. The players have said they are willing to come down from their 57% of profits that they get, but you can't expect them to keep taking pay cuts and losing other benefits like guaranteed contracts and a soft cap without looking at the big market owners like the Lakers and Knicks and asking them to chip in to help out at the same time. But it's looking more and more likely that instead of watching Chris Paul throw alley-oops we're going to see Sportscenter lockout highlights of guys in suits. And if that is still happening when it starts to cut into the actual season, it will be a damn shame.

Thank You For The Wonderful Start

I just wanted to take a minute to say thanks to everyone that's coming and visiting this place whenever I post something new. This started off a week and a half ago getting about 10 views an article and it's already ballooned up quite a bit. The piece about Derrick Rose as an example has 21 views this week and about 25 at my affiliate, Sports Jabber. CM Punk has brought me 22 people here already from last night. It's really cool to see that people like what I'm writing enough to keep coming back and looking at it.

If anyone else has any advice or criticisms feel free to let me know, I've got tough enough skin to handle it and I'm always hoping to improve. Or if you've got anything you want me to write about, feel free to tell me on here or on either Facebook or Twitter. And if you like my work, pass it along using the buttons on the bottom of the pages.

Also, if anyone else reading has any blogs or websites or know of anyone who would want to be affiliated, just let me know. I've got a spot on the bottom of teh blog for them and I'd also be shouting out to them like I did Sports Jabber earlier in this post. Oh, and if anyone wants to write anything for this or even do a story/debate together to go on here, just let me know. Again, thanks for coming here and seeing what I'm doing, I wouldn't be writing this stuff if no one enjoyed reading it.

Hurry Back CM Punk

When you're watching basketball, football, or wrestling, you watch for those “wow” moments. They don't happen often but when they do, you know it when it's happening. And last night on Raw whenever CM Punk sat up on the stage and proceeded to run down the entire WWE company, I got goosebumps. I know that it wasn't a “real” shoot and everyone out there upset about that fact shouldn't bother watching wrestling in the first place. This is a soap opera that walks the thin line between real and fake and a lot of that is the problem that wrestling has in general these days, but that's a story for another day all together. CM Punk right now is the best in the world at walking that line. Even though you know it's scripted (I don't see them letting him go on for 6 minutes without doing something if it isn't planned that he's at least going to semi-shoot) CM Punk has played his character so well that in a setting where we don't believe, he makes us.

That's why if he ends up leaving it'll be one of the worst things to happen to wrestling in a long time. For those that don't watch, CM Punk's contract is up (rather conveniently) on July 17^th, the same day CM Punk challenges John Cena for the WWE Championship in Punk's hometown of Chicago. Punk's running with the storyline of whenever he wins the title he's done with the WWE and he's taking their biggest title with him. It won't happen obviously, but even the idea of it makes for an intriguing event coming up. But with CM Punk taking some time off, I'm not sure who is going to take his place as the guy carrying Monday Night Raw.

Not since Chris Jericho leaving has a talent quite like CM Punk just decided to hang it up for at least a little while. But while we had see Chris Jericho in his prime throughout WCW and the WWE, CM Punk is still in his prime. He's only 32 years old and while in a lot of sports that would be late in a career, it isn't uncommon for a wrestler to keep going past 40 and in some cases, even further then that. I'm sure he isn't going to be gone for long and I'm sure that when he does return it'll be as big of a deal as deserves, but I can't help but just feel deflated knowing that the best thing going right now is hanging up the boots. Who else in the WWE right now is capable of the goosebump moment? No one else popped into my head and that's the saddest part of all. There's no off-season and everyone deserves a break and I hope CM Punk enjoys his. He has more then earned it. But I just hope he hurries back.

Why Derrick Rose Is Staying In Chicago

Now that the reigning NBA MVP resides in Chicago instead of Cleveland the Bulls fans have been hearing at the water coolers and on the message boards about how he'll be the next hometown MVP to be leaving for greener pastures. The thought process is that the Bulls have committed so much money to Boozer/Noah/Deng that Rose will eventually want to go and play with other superstars like the Miami Trio or Carmelo/Amare/Star to Be Named Later. But Derrick Rose isn't LeBron James and even though there are some valid concerns, hopefully this will ease a mind or two on the future of the Bulls.

Unlike LeBron, I really believe that Rose has that old school superstar mentality of being the star and going to war with your own guys instead of teaming up with other stars. With Dirk and the Mavericks beating the Heat and winning the NBA title, it shows that the way of one superstar surrounded by players who can compliment that star is still a formula that can win a title. While I'm sure that the Heat will eventually win at least one title and if the Knicks add Chris Paul or Deron Williams they will probably win at least one in the next 10 years too, I fully expect the Thunder and the Bulls to both at least win a title also. Taking that and adding it to the fact it's going to be much harder to get three superstars on one team (most likely) and the point that Rose will have to find himself on a team with other transcendent players isn't valid.

Another difference in the situations is that Derrick Rose has never been shy about the fact that he is from Chicago and that is his hometown. LeBron James has always called Akron home and whenever he left for Miami he was quoted as saying that Cleveland wasn't his hometown, Akron is where he is from. I'm not faulting LeBron for that so much that I'm pointing out that Rose is from Chicago, not a nearby area. This is his team in his city and he won't ever be telling the fans that he's from Gary, Indiana.

He's also humble. Once again, while LeBron will have a bad game and tell people that we take his talent for granted Rose has repeatedly tried to take the blame for losses and pass on the credit for wins. Personally, I think the difference between the two come from the fact that LeBron was an only child and Derrick had three older brothers that looked after him. He's credited his brothers with keeping him off the streets and focused on basketball and just playing a huge role in how he turned out as an adult and I would suspect that his humbleness is rooted down in there.

Really, it comes down to the fact that Derrick Rose and LeBron James are two different people. I'm not bashing LeBron James or even his decision to take his talents to South Beach? Did I like it? Of course not. And I'm also of the opinion that if this Bulls squad won a title the way it was designed it would mean more to Rose's legacy then if LeBron wins two titles down there. But LeBron is going to be happy down there. As for Rose, I think where he is going to be happy is in his hometown. At least I really, really hope so.

Fixing the NBA Lockout Problem

With the NBA draft tonight, I couldn't help but think about how this is the night that the fans of the bottom dwelling teams get a glimmer of hope. I'm a Chicago Bulls fan and while I know we've had a lot of success, we as Bulls fans from 1999 on have been living in the lottery for the most part. Granted, I'm not a fan of the Clippers or Timberwolves so I'm not quite as experienced as other fans, but I know what it's like to have this be the best night of your NBA season. What I'm really worried about though is that this might be the only memory of the new basketball season here in 2011.

But no one needs to worry because I've decided to figure out just how the new CBA is going to look. Right now, the biggest problem that the owners have is that they are losing money because they simply can't help themselves from giving out big contracts. So to save them from themselves, contract length is going to shrink to 4 or even 3 years most likely. Also, there will probably be another amnesty cut to help teams get things going again. The reason for an amnesty cut? A more strict soft cap and a hard cap are also highly likely scenarios.

Something that I think also needs to come into play is some form of revenue sharing. Both the NFL and the MLB want to see it happen and with the players reportedly willing to go from getting 57% of the revenue to around 53%, the owners are going to be looking at bigger profits so the idea of finding some money to spread to the small market teams losing cash isn't far fetched. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the players association tell the owners that if they are going to be making all these concessions for the owners because so many teams are losing money that the owners have to include at least some form of revenue sharing.

As I list my likely CBA bullet points, I fully expect the league to not punish teams for being over the hard cap for the first 5 years. But if you are over the hard cap in those first 5 years, you can only offer the minimum to players and get your draft picks. Adding salary isn't an option.

My Version of the Next CBA

1. Soft cap of $55 million, a drop of $3 million
2. Hard cap of $70 million
3. One time amnesty cut
4. Contract length max is a 3 year deal with a team option for a 4^th year
5. Players resigning with the team with their rights can get a 15% increase in salary year-to-year while other teams can only go to 10%
6. Only exception for a team over the soft cap is for 4 million a year
7. Players guaranteed to get 53% of the revenue

With that set-up, teams would have to cut down salaries quite a bit to stay under the $70 million hard cap. Last season there were 9 teams over the $70 million in salary, though 3 of those teams were less then a million over that mark. It would also keep teams from committing so much money to players that aren't worth nearly that much money. If you add up the money that Rashard Lewis, Michael Redd, Andrei Kirilenko, Gilbert Arenas, Vince Carter, Kenyon Martin, Elton Brand, and Predrag Stojakovic made it's $139 million. Those are all contracts that surely wouldn't have made it as long as they will under the current CBA and would save the owners nearly half of the $300 they say that was lost this season.

I don't think that salaries will be rolled back, hence the grace period of 5 years for teams currently way over those limits. I also think that guaranteed contracts are going to stay as part of the reason that the players association accepts the shorter contracts. And while I'm sure there are problems with my ideas and flaws in how I have it set-up, but in terms of a starting point, I think this would be a fair way to settle the owners worry of rising debt and keeping the players happy with the amount of money being spent on the talent on the court. Hopefully the two sides can come together and figure out a way to not jeopardize next season. But if a lockout does happen, I just hope David Stern brings back his sweet lockout beard pictured above. Talk about a win-win.

Where Is The NFL At Again?

Now that summer has officially started, I find myself for the first time actually noticing that football isn't gearing up to get started. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the NFL but apparently not as big of one as I thought. Honestly, I can say I'm shocked they haven't managed to figure out a way to make $9 billion dollars go around yet as the toll the lockout is taking on the fans just keeps growing. I never knew making buckets and buckets of money was such a burden but you know what they say, mo' money mo' problems.

Maybe it's because rather then sitting through SportsCenter and catching the latest updates on the lockout while waiting on highlights I can just hop online and see what happened in MLB and NBA, but I haven't even really heard much on the lockout until the last few days. They say that the owners have agreed to offer a deal that gives the players 48% without taking any off the top, no 18 game schedule, rookie scale, and a lot more money for the retired players. The fact they are finally making some progress is great news, but it'll be even greater when they come to an agreement with the players union or whatever they're calling it these days.

Normally this time of the year I'm still researching just who the Bears drafted this year and watching highlights of their college careers while checking out any first round picks from all the teams if I'm not familiar with them. About this time last year I was watching Major Wright, Corey Wooten, and J'Marcus Webb film hoping that the Bears had found a diamond in the rough since the Bears 1^st and 2^nd round picks had been traded to other teams.

Instead, now I'm following the Cardinals more then I ever have in the dog days of the baseball season even though Albert Pujols just managed to fracture his forearm and paying attention to whether or not the NBA is getting ready to start a lockout of their own. I'm really hoping that once the NFL starts back up (whenever it is) that I fall right back into my own normal NFL routine. I'm not one of these fans who is going to “boycott” because of the lockout and just not watch, I want my football back. I'm just not sure why I don't want it back more.

Remembering The Bias Brothers

As a father I wanted to write something special for this Father's Day. At the same time, I had kept reading about how today was the 25^th anniversary of Len Bias' death. While I'm not old enough to remember watching the forward from Maryland fly through the air I have watched enough highlight clips like this one to know he was a special player. It wasn't until not to long ago however that I truly understood just how talented this young man was and the the tragedy that happened not only robbed the ones around him of watching him mature in an adult, it robbed us as basketball fans a chance to watch him turn into true greatness.

This was the guy who was going to go to Boston and allow Bird and McHale to take nights off in the regular season and extend both of their careers for a few years. Bias was also the obvious guy who very easily could've positioned himself as Micheal Jordan's rival. When you look back at Jordan's career, was there any player that you would call his rival? Wilt and Russell, Bird and Magic, Hakeem and Robinson. Those were rivalries. Jordan went up against the Pistons, the Pacers, the Knicks and the Jazz, but there was never that one guy who challenged his greatness. And maybe Bias wouldn't have either, but he had as good of a chance as any.

So I'm doing my research on Len Bias when I find out that not only did he die tragically of a cocaine overdose, he had a younger brother who not only was a talented basketball prospect but also saw his life end to soon. Jay Bias, named after his father James Bias, was riding in a car just four and a half years later when he was shot in back twice just blocks from Maryland University. He was pronounced dead at the same hospital as his older brother and just like that, James and Lonise Bias had lost two sons, one only 22 and the other only 20.

According to Wikipedia they decided to take up vocal roles in the fight against drugs and trying to strengthen gun control and while I'm glad they are trying to turn their tragedies in something positive, I can't help but feel my heart break for them. We've all heard about the tragedy of Len Bias and while some of you probably remember hearing about his younger brother, I'm sure I'm not the only one to just be finding this out either.

A parents worst fear is losing their child and I can't imagine the pain that would cause. So like most fathers on Father's Day I'm going to hug my little girl, go to a cookout and see my dad and the rest of the family that lives around here, and then probably lay around the house and for once make my wife watch something I want instead of the other way around. But I'm also going to remember how lucky I have it. My dad is still around and even more important, my little girl is here, healthy and (usually) happy. I hope to spend the next 50 Father's Days with her but that isn't guaranteed and I don't plan on taking it for granted.