Sunday Wrap-Up

So I’m starting a new mode of delivery for the blog. Like any good GM I’ve stockpiled numerous resources of information and decided to start linking stories and giving my take on all of them.
I know this isn’t something new but its something that I’ve always thought that with my special brand of humor (read sarcasm), it will hopefully get people to notice. My thoughts will be in bold.
However I do caution to my non-NY readers, that its no coincidence that there will be mostly New York related stories. As a result of New York’s main rivals, I will also be checking in on several other newspapers from other parts of our great nation and comment on any major news story.


So here we go:

The biggest news out of football was the firing of Herm Edwards which isn’t that much of a surprise considering his lack of success and Scott Pioli’s succession into the GM role and ridding it of any former Jets (just pure conjecture on my part.).

One of my favorite columnists from the Kansas City Star, Jason Whitlock, put out an interesting take on a story and the early reaction from it. In the story, Whitlock gives new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli a clever nickname (slow Po) for his patience in dealing with one of owner Clark Hunt’s more favorite employees, Herm Edwards. However, he raises a question over whether the immediacy in which ESPN’s Chris Mortenson’s report about Mike Shanahan on the verge of signing on to become the NFL head coach (quickly refuted by former Broncos bear writer and now super NFL inside guy, Adam Shefter) and its quick toning down job by ESPN means that Pioli doesn’t want it to seem to his owner that he was going to fire Herm regardless without gathering enough intel.
He also names a few possible qualified individuals who may be eligible for the head coaching gig in K.C. and lets just say that he’s a Parcells fan.

Another one of my favorite KC Columnists, Joe Posnanski has an opinion of his own and they have nothing to do with Scot Pioli doing due diligence. It has to do with him having no class for a guy who was as loyal as they come.

Personally, I think Scott Pioli is as good a hire as any franchise has made this offseason thus far. I think he will be good for a franchise that, like Joe Posnanski has put it, “had a uniquely inflated view of themselves.” However, knowing how loyal Herm is to his guys, I know that leaving him to blow in the wind wasn’t good and who knows if the whole Jets/Patriots thing had anything to do with it. I guess we’ll never know. Until the tell all book.

Speaking of tell all books, according to the New York Daily News, and the New York Post, Joe Torre is setting to release a new book called the “Yankee Years”, written with help from Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, and published by Doubleday. In this book, a few nuggets of information he passes along include A-Rod’s supposed nickname that teammates frequently called him: “A-Fraud” and also A-Rod’s obsession with his rivalry with Derek Jeter and Brian Cashman’s betrayal on several fronts.

It seems that New York’s obsession with former Yankee skipper Joe Torre will never die down. Apparently the context in which each of these allegations were written are very vague so until I read it in writing that Joe Torre said this, I won’t believe it. Even as a Met fan, I respected Torre’s dignity and gentlemanly approach which never seemed a fit with the combustible element of the Steinbrenner family. I find it very hard to believe that after years of being a good guy about it, Torre would break character and write a tell all book. All of this doesn’t sound like Torre at all to me and more like Tom Verducci’s own opinion of the matter. I will give you all a report after I read the book, which should come by the time that Torre has to next renegotiate a contract.

Just ten minutes after I posted this article, guess what, SI and Tom Verducci responded and said what I thought. The Post and the Daily News took it out of context. Here's the rebuttal
One of the major storylines that’s taking up most of newspages is the feel good story of Larry Fitzgerald. I meant Sr. He’s the father of that other Larry Fitzgerald, all world WR of the Arizona Cardinals. He writes for the Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, and hosts a local sports talk radio show. But Sunday the difficult task of keeping true to his journalistic profession while maintaining the true essence of what it is to be a father will be as difficult as anything. Here are two stories, one by Mike Wilbon, from the Washington Post, and the other by Rick Reilly. Two very feel good stories that do exactly that.

Personally, this reminds me of watching Eli Manning’s father during the Giants-Patriots game. The man was either nervous or having an ant farm going to town on his insides. The fact is, that whole “no cheering in the press box” rule is the biggest bunch of bull but understandable given that no serious sports writer should show bias towards any team.
However, being a father should trump any other responsibility that Senior has this Sunday, watching his son Junior play for a world championship. After all, isn’t this every father’s dream? Watching first hand as his child ascends to the mountain top of his/her profession? Good luck Larry, both of your jobs Sunday will be more difficult than anyone will ever care to know.

As for more Super Bowl news, it appears that a place in Arizona is actually being called Steelers West.

When ESPN did its silly almost weekly ritual of making all time lists, it went to make another foolish list of greatest franchises in the history of sports. That list is so subjective since we can’t really base it on purely championships because each sport has its own nuances and not every athlete in each sport is built the same way.
One thing I do know is that Pittsburgh fans travel very well. They are so dispersed within this country (much like Yankee, Red Sox and every other traditional team fan base), I would have to put them at the top of the list. The legion of fans they created when in the 70’s they won four championships and how that fan base has come to not only multiply as the years went by but be so spread out is amazing. This should piss off the 7-10 “real” Cardinal fans out there who feel the ultimate sense of accomplishment after watching their team finally reach the Super Bowl.

Here’s another story, about Larry Fitzgerald written by LZ Granderson who quickly is becoming one of my favorite Page 2 writers, not named Bill Simmons.

I said this during the Eagles/Cardinals game to my cousins and I’ll say it again for the general public. Watching Larry Fitzgerald makes me angry and sad at the same time about Plaxico Burress. Angry that he threw it all away in one single stupid action. Sad that HE would have been the difference against the Eagles.

As if you need another reminder about how much it sucks that there is no football this weekend, well, here it is.

Yet another reason to look forward to being married/living with a partner. It sucks that Sundays have suddenly lost its meaning. Another reason why the NFL is so great is that one whole day and a night is synonymous with it. Do you think of Sunday and Monday night as anything other than being football? I think not. After next Sunday at about 11, not only will Sundays stink, the NFL Network, one of my favorite channels will become the most boring channel in the history of cable television.

Of course I’d be remiss if I didnt’ link you to a few Obama related stories. Barack Obama made history when he became the 44th president. Here are a few stories related to Obama.

First off, Scoop Jackson of ESPN’s Page 2 decides to make a few pledges in honor of Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Secondly, Jason Whitlock writing in Foxsports.com about Tony Dungy being the Barack Obama of the NFL head coaching profession.

First off, Scoop’s pledges are true, and some are just down right hilarious. I do think that Whitlock’s piece speaks more profoundly about what has happened in the coaching game in the NFL in context to the first black president. He speaks mainly about Tony Dungy’s influence. How no owner or GM wanted to miss out on the next Tony Dungy, that talented coordinator who had the chops to be a head coach in the league but was not considered thanks to the color of his skin. While the problem persists in college, the NFL has had better results thanks to the Rooney Rule which makes every single team doing a coaching search to interview at least one qualified minority candidate. Its unlocked a lot of doors that might not have been opened thanks to the usual way of doing business.