Jerry Jones = Crazy Man

I'm convinced that the only thing separating Jerry Jones from being one of those crazy, homeless panhandlers who wines about the government taking everything from him is the fact that Jerry Jones is wealthy. Very wealthy. That doesn't lessen his total insanity, though. To-wit: None of his coaches are allowed to speak with the media during the offseason, not even head coach Wade Phillips. The only person allowed to speak is Jones himself (and, I guess, his players). I can understand assistants not being allowed to talk to the media (Parcells and Belicheat have similar rules), but not allowing your head coach to speak to the media? Crazy much?
There was a lot of talk this season about how Phillips lost control of the locker room. There was a lot of talk about how the players stopped respecting Romo over his bromance with Jason Whitten. We saw what happened to the Cowboys. To say they fell apart doesn't begin to tell the story. So, Jerry, explain to me how it is that the team will respect their head coach, how will he be able to regain control of the locker room, if he isn't even allowed to speak to the media? Isn't it more likely that the players, when they have a problem, will say to themselves, "This chump ain't the boss, I ain't going to listen to him. I'll go talk to Jerry, he's the boss." And, you know what, they'd be right.
If I were Wade Phillips, I'd tell Jerry where he could stick it and bolt. But, as you can imagine, Wade didn't lose control of the locker room because he took charge and stood up for himself. The team didn't fall apart because Wade made it clear what was expected of the players. This ought to be a fun year in Dallas, to say the least.

Peter Gammons Was Awful

I took the time to watch the full Peter Gammons interview. All I can say is that he would make a terrible lawyer. Ever hear of a follow-up question, Peter? Christ, it was awful. Just watch.

When Peter asks the steroids timeline, A-Rod says "Pretty accurate." Well, did you use steroids for a longer or shorter period? When Peter asks what substances, A-Rod says he had no idea. And Peter doesn't even ask a follow-up! When A-Rod keeps saying, "Today you'd get in a lot of trouble," Peter doesn't say "But what you were taking was banned then, right?" Further, how could Peter let A-Rod use the weather in Texas as an excuse without asking a follow-up? Ever heard of hydration, A-Rod?

Why is it that no one, other Tom Verducci, is calling Gammons out for doing such a terrible job? ESPN should be embarrassed, absolutely embarrassed.

What Is Still Sacred?

With the news that A-Rod, the man who was supposed to take back the most sacred number in all of sports, 755, tested positive for steroids, it has become clear that every offensive number since 1997 on is tainted. All the HRs, all the RBI, all the runs, all the increased batting averages, they are all meaningless. In my mind, the last decade should be taken out of the record book, none of the numbers should count. More should probably be taken out. Canseco's numbers certainly can't count.
That being said, what number remains sacred? Home runs can't count, the stat has been ruined. Total bases is perhaps the most important number for an all-around hitter, hitting for power won't get you to the top, you have to hit for doubles, singles, everything. Unfortunately, Bonds and Palmeiro are each in the top ten, so that number may well be tainted, especially with Sosa, A-Rod, and Sheffield in the top 50. As for slugging, it's kind of a bullshit statistic, so it can't count. Runs, perhaps? Nope, Bonds is ahead of both Aaron and Ruth. When it comes to RBI, Bonds is in the top five and A-Rod is poised to move to the top soon. Further, Sosa and Sheffield are also high on the list. While Aaron is still on top, thank God, I can't see that as the most important number in sports. Also, RBI depends heavily on the team you play for. If you don't have good players in front of you, you won't knock in a lot of runs. RBI, then, doesn't measure your ability as a player.
After considering all of those numbers, total bases has to be the most important of all. It is the natural choice to take over for home runs. Unlike RBI, it measures your ability as a hitter, it is not necessarily a reflection of those around you like RBI is. Even if no one good is on your team, players still put up good offensive numbers other than RBI. More important, despite all the steroids and all the cheating, Bonds, A-Rod, McGwire, Sosa, and the other scum couldn't take it away from Aaron. That number shows that playing good baseball, well-rounded baseball, and not focusing solely home runs, will still keep you at the top of the stat that recognizes the best all-around hitter. In my mind, 6856 is the new most important number in sports.
What do you think?

What In The Hell?

Can someone explain to me just how in the hell the following two athletes are left out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- Cris Carter and Shannon Sharpe? When invitations to Canton are handed out, how can you not include these two gentlemen? Let me give you the names again -- Cris Carter and Shannon Sharpe. They are not in the Hall of Fame? Really? How can that be?
Let's take Cris Carter. Eight straight 1,000 yard seasons. Third all-time in receptions (retired second in receptions). Seventh in receiving yards (since his retirement, he's been passed by Isaac Bruce, Marvin Harrison, and T.O.). Fourth in receiving touchdowns (since been passed by T.O. and Randy Moss). When he retired, he clearly had established himself as one of the top receivers in the game. He's been passed by people who are clear Hall of Famers (with the exception of Bruce, who benefited from being in a pass-happy offense and ran up a lot of numbers). Without question, he was one of the top receivers in his era. And being the best in your era makes you a Hall of Famer. Him not being in is a disgrace.
Same for Shannon Sharpe. When he retired, he had the most receiving yards for a tight end. Not only that, but since he broke onto the scene, the tight end has become a more important position. Faster people play tight end because of what Sharpe did, stretching defenses and putting pressure on the linebackers. He helped change the position, and he should be recognized for it. I mean, he blocked for two 2,000 yard rushers and won THREE Super Bowls. Yet neither he nor Cris Carter are in the Hall of Fame.
Canton -- what a joke.

The Super Bowl

Who will win? The team with the best defense, the Steelers, or the team that can get rid of the ball just fast enough to beat the team with the best defense by running multiple slants, the Cardinals? Hard to say. Let's see what Carl of Aqua Teen has to say.

The Steelers? Well, if Carl says it, then it must be true. To be honest, though, I'm kind of pulling for a Cardinals upset. However, I'm only pulling for an upset if the game plays out as follows . . .
1) Kurt Warner gets injured on first play from scrimmage;
2) Matt Leinart comes in;
3) Leinart throws for 350 yards;
4) Leinart throws for 4 TDs; and
5) Leinart wins MVP.
As a side note, he doesn't necessarily have to throw for 350 and 4TDs, he just needs to dominate. I'm not picky, but I'd prefer the 350 with 4 scores. As for the MVP, it is a must. If he doesn't dominate, then it's all for naught.
Why am I pulling for this? As you know, I am sick and tired of hearing that Kurt Warner is a Hall of Famer. If he gets hurt and Leinart comes in and plays exceedingly well, then it is proof that Warner's great play is more a result of those around him than his actual ability. And if that does happen, then Warner does not get into the Hall of Fame.
GO CARDS!!!

Joe Torre to Yanks: Frack You

I must say that I find the reports about Joe Torre bashing the Yankees in his new book hilarious. Let's set the stage for why I find this funny . . .
Since the Yanks won their last World Series, the franchise has made several stupid decisions that have come back to haunt them. To-wit:
1) Letting Andy Pettite go (before bringing him back);
2) Signing A-Rod;
3) Signing Randy Johnson;
4) Signing Jaret Wright;
5) Signing Carl Pavano;
6) Signing Matsui;
7) Signing Johnny Over The Hill Damon . . .
Well, you get the idea. Offering Torre a pay cut and a one-year contract was the perfect example of how stupid the Yankees have become. You don't force out a manager who took you to the postseason 12 years in a row. Sure, maybe the team failed to accomplish anything, but that was hardly Torre's fault. It was the fault of the organization for putting so much money into pitchers and players who were either not that good or well past their prime (you see that they learned their lesson with this year's free agent spending spree). The fact that some of those teams made it the postseason was remarkable. And Torre deserved nothing but respect for getting those sub-par teams to the playoffs. A manager who wins three World Series deserves a lot more than a pay cut and a one-year contract.
I'm glad to see that Torre is striking back and calling out the Yankees for dumb move after dumb move.
Man, looking at that list of those free agent signings, I can't begin to understand how Brian Cashman has managed to keep his job all these years. Looks like yet another dumb move by the Yankees . . .

Jeff Kent

Jeff Kent retired and now there's some debate as to whether he's a Hall of Famer. His offensive stats are extremely impressive for second basemen. He hit almost 400 home runs, has over 1500 RBI, and has close to 2500 hits. He passes Ryne Sandberg in practically every major offensive category, even batting average, and I think that most people would agree that Sandberg is the yardstick for greatness among second basemen.
However, Kent and defense didn't really go hand-in-hand. Where Sandberg got 9 Gold Gloves, Kent had zero. And Kent, despite his offensive numbers, only managed 4 Silver Sluggers. That shocked me, but not as much as learning that Sandberg had 7, including 5 straight. Sandberg was also a 10 time All-Star, whereas Kent made it half as many times.
At first blush, Kent looks like a Hall of Famer. I mean, all those home runs, hits, and RBI from a second baseman is something that has to be acknowledged by the Hall, right? But if you look at his All-Star appearances, his lack of Gold Gloves, and his few Silver Sluggers, you start to wonder if he is a Hall of Famer after all. Maybe, on further inspection, Kent is more a product of his era. Kent benefited from smaller ball parks, expansion, and watered-down pitching. I don't hard, it's hard to say.
To be honest, I really can't come to an opinion on this one. Thoughts? I can't make up my mind and could use some help. I think that Ted Keith from SI.com is right -- we need more time to evaluate Kent and compare him to other second basemen from his era, just before, and shortly thereafter.