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.