It’s a bit of a shambles this week in the sports’ offices of Inside Pulse as Triggs was at our little round table for a bit and then had to go take care of some bidness. He’ll actually be taking care of said business for a few weeks but we have a pirate filling him for him who never disappoints. Our good friend Paulie has driven his Villager in and parked it in Eric S.’ spot but shhhh don’t tell him!
Lots of stuff to talk about this week as we seem to get more open as time goes on and our mouths just don’t want to shut up. I’m serious though; if you think we’re long winded now…just wait until the NFL draft rolls around. I have some college basketball to watch since it is championship week and I need to get this rolling people, so if you’ll please…
1.) Bluffton University Bus Crash
Spaulding: As if we needed another tragedy in not only the sports’ world, but in general. Like I said last week with the passing of DJ, it seems as if people are keeling over left and right. This is one of the worst because these kids were on the way to play the game they love and then out of nowhere, the crash happens. And it’s not even like it was just a normal crash but going off an overpass and slamming into the road below is just insane. I feel horrible for those that lost their lives, but I also feel so much pain for all of those involved. Not only did the survivors have to put up with the crash and pain itself, but the losses of their friends and teammates. I send out all my thoughts and condolences to those involved and their families. I hope another incident like this doesn’t happen again ever. And I sincerely hope that the death toll could slow down some because 2007 is just churning them out way too fast.
Triggs: Seeing this story as a got into work Friday morning really saddened me. When things like this happen I always think back to my old job. Whenever we would have a huge meeting we would never send our CFO, CEO and CIO on the same plane. It was that don’t put all of your eggs in one basket mentality, but this is something you just can’t do with a school sports team. They all have to travel together because it’s just economical for the school to do. You have to think about all of the colleges in the US and High Schools. There a student athletes being bussed around at pretty much all times in this country. This really is the only way to get them around and for the most part it is pretty darn safe. When you think of all of those schools, to only read about this every once in a while it’s pretty remarkable. My thoughts go out to the families of these students and to the driver’s family.
Chuckles: Why why why WHY do you continue to make me talk about death? This was a tragedy. Half a baseball team dies in a bus accident. That’s not exactly everyday run of the mill death bringing. I’m sure the survivors are completely distraught, but they should be lucky they are alive. I don’t know if they are going to play a game again this year, but it would be a miracle if they did. Double Miracle points if they win. Trigs is right, you have to have these teams travel on buses, some of the bigger schools can afford to fly to games far away, but even they bus to the shorter distanced games. I remember before the OSU/Michigan game last fall, the Michigan buses leaving for Columbus was a big enough event to warrant coverage on ESPNews. Maybe next year the safe arrival will be.
2.) NCAA March Madness
Chuckles: Selection show isn’t until Sunday so we don’t know completely who is goin’ dancing. But this is my favorite time of year. The first two weekends of the tournament are always exciting and riveting. I do whatever I can to watch as much of it as I can. I already have signed up for the March Madness On Demand service to watch games. I’ll be working for the most part of the first 2 sections of games. But I think my boss has wireless in his upstairs apartment so if I take my laptop, I might be able to set that up in the shop and watch some games. Or if I’m in one of the unit I can. But damn, I can’t wait.
Spaulding: Oh I know my Tigers of LSU are not going to be in the tourney this year after a disastrous season, but that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy it. I love the tournament for the upsets more than anything. What sucks is that I won’t be able to see a lot of the first two rounds due to starting a new job recently and not being able to finagle some time off just yet. But maybe I can think of a way by then. We’ll probably talk more about this next week when the field has been set, but it’s still great knowing that it’s almost here and things are about to get nuts.
Paulie: This is the time of year when I actually start caring about and watching basketball of any kind. As I sit and type this I’m sitting at work watching the first game of the ACC tournament on a 40 inch screen. Sadly they chose to have the tournament in Tampa this year so I think more people are watching around my office than are actually there live in the arena. From what I’ve seen it’s a pretty wide open field country wide this year. There hasn’t been a real dominant team that looks to just run away with anything. Best part for me, though is the ACC is probably getting at least 7 teams in and possibly (I know it’s a long shot) 9. And even if my beloved Wolfpack isn’t one of them, I’ll happily root for any other ACC school that’s not Duke.
Spaulding: We like to play some fantasy sports here at Inside Pulse, and the Pick’ Em Tourney for March Madness is no exception. So if you’d like to join in our little game just go to yahoo and use this info: ID# 12178; League Name: IP Pick Em; and Password: pulsesports
3.) NBA All-Star Game 2008 In New Orleans
Triggs: My first thought on this was “is this city ready for this?†But the Saints returned, the Hornets are there, and I guess Mardi Gras was a success…so why not have it in New Orleans? Hell the AFL championship is being hosted in New Orleans. It is very apparent that the city still needs a lot of help and games like this bring in a lot of revenue however there is one unfortunate side effect to this. They will have to dust off the old Katrina footage and remind us all of what happened down there. Ok, that’s not fair of me to say…they won’t have to dust it off. It was only a little over a month ago when the Saints were making a run at the Super Bowl and every single thing you saw or heard was about Katrina and not the accomplishment of the Saints. I almost feel terrible saying something like that but I think its things like this have really made a lot of us a little desensitized to the whole thing. I think this makes me feel even worse. There has got to be a way to sort of remind the public that people down there still need help, but not inundate us with hours of footage we have seen 1000 times already. The All-Star game being there is a mark of progress for the city and hopefully this is something the NBA can focus on. We should be able to smile through the weekend.
Chuckles: The problem isn’t whether the city is structurally ready to host the all star game, its whether the city’s police force can handle the All-Star game. Especially after the horror stories from the Vegas All-Star game; where according to everybody’s favorite idiot in training, Bill Simmons, you couldn’t walk the streets without being mugged or scared crapless. I don’t know if New Orleans could hold up to the added people of the All-Star game. Spaulds, it seems like every other week you’re complaining about someone being shot a block from your house. And bring in all the extra “thugs†for the big game and you’ve got an already thin police force being asked to do more than they are capable of. As for the city itself, it could use the financial boost, but I’m not sure the All-Star game should be a focus for the city. The city should focus on getting the blocks of city that are still ravaged from the storms rebuilt and let the NBA worry about where to have the game. If the NBA wanted to help the city, they’d do just as well to make a large donation to the city.
Spaulding: Ok, here’s where something hits home…a little bit. I am from New Orleans born and raised and lived there presently. I’ll admit that I don’t really care about the city. It’s dirty, boring, trashy, and the crime has always been too high. But no matter what, there’s still always a soft spot in my heart for it because it is my hometown. And notice what I said…the crime rate has ALWAYS been too high. It didn’t just start Mr. Hunter of the NBAPA and Mr. Tracy “Sleepy Eyes†McGrady.
Sure crime and murder is at a very high rate right now and our population is still diminished by half, but they are working on things. Make that, the police force and sheriff are working on things, I don’t speak of our government officials such as our mayor and governor because most times I can’t even tell we have them. What I can tell is that any help is good help right now for a city that is still extremely ravaged by the storms. But they were a year and a half ago, so let it go. Sure there is a ton left to do, but I’m sick of the blame going to the hurricanes for everything. LET IT GO!
The Sugar Bowl went off without a hitch. Mardi Gras went down without a problem. The Saints returned and played eight games here without incident. Next year before the NBA All-Star game we’ll have the Sugar Bowl and BCS Title game down here and I’ll bet they go just fine too. The police force should grow some by then but won’t be up to full force, but security specifically for the game will be hired and brought in. I can’t wait for the festivities and will go to whatever I can. Tracy McGrady…IF you are a part of the team, I hope you keep your ass home. Shaq, you can too if you’re so damn scared.
4.) Boxer Tommy Morrison’s Comeback
Spaulding: Ok, first of all I can’t ever look at Morrison and see him as a serious boxer. I just can’t. Any time I hear anything about him, all I can think of is Tommy “The Machine†Gunn. But anyway, I have no problem with those infected with HIV or AIDS playing sports, but the risk is just too high, especially in boxing. You are in a sport where there is blood and sweat flying all over the place on a constant basis and your mouth is open or you have open wounds…I mean you’re just asking to be infected. OK, so he tested positive back in 1996 and since then it’s been said that he is now HIV negative. I don’t know about anyone else, but I know I wouldn’t want to step in the ring with him. And no, that’s not just because I’d get my ass kicked.
Triggs: Trigger: “Tommy is your HIV positive or negative?â€
Tommy Morrison: “Well my HIV is…â€
Trigger: “IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOUR HIV IS!â€
I am with Spaulds on this one…there is no way I am getting into a ring with a guy that is HIV anything. There are just far too many fluids flying in the ring. Maybe if Morrison got one of those giant full body condoms like in Naked Gun I might get into the ring with him. Really who is going to want to fight this guy? Maybe I just dont know enough about the disease and maybe this isn’t as dangerous as I think it might be, I just not taking a chance and I don’t think there are many out there that would.
Chuckles: Minnesota Manly Man talking here. If he wants to kick my ass, I’m all for it. If he’s been tested, and I think anyone you ask would say the tests today are more accurate that they were 10 years ago, and the test comes back and say he’s HIV negative, let him fight. I understand why most people would be reluctant to get in the ring with him, but it would be flat out wrong to tell him he can’t fight anyone. That’s a violation of his constitutional right to live his life the way he wants too. He wants to get his ass kicked or kick someone else’s; you have to let him go for it.
5.) NFL Free Agency – this may get lengthy
Chuckles: Tons of movement early on. Nate Clements who was the consensus top player available signed an absolutely INSANE deal to go to San Fran. $80 million dollars is about $30 million more than he was worth.
Joey Porter getting cut was a big shock too. He’s one of the top line-backers in the game and to see him get cut in a move to save something like 5 million dollars in roster bonuses was ridiculous. That’s one thing I’d like to see change in the NFL. If teams give player roster bonuses they should be obligated to give that player the bonus, not just be able to cut the player right before the bonus is due.
Adalius Thomas going to New England isn’t really a shock, they needed to get younger at linebacker and he brings some youth and some good pass rush ability to the Pats LB’s corp..
Could anything be crazier than the Jake Plummer saga? Tampa and Denver agree to a trade. Plummer decides to retire rather than go to Tampa (what is this, 1985 again). Tampa signs Garcia instead. And then trades for Plummer anyway? Plummer is a decent QB, not great, but manageable. I really thought Denver was really the best fit for him. They didn’t ask him to do to much just hand off and run the play action roll out every now and then, which really is the way Plummer works best. It’s been a fun first couple a days.
Spaulding: Oh how much do I love this time of year? Chucklebutt has already touched on some of the bigger deals, but there’s a lot going on already. Clements’ deal is just completely insane. I mean I know the guy is good, but I never expected him to get that kind of money. Let’s see if he falters in talent after the big money like so many have before.
Plummer’s funny! The Bucs went from Gradkowski and McCown at the end of last season to a QB battle of McCown, Gradkowski, Simms, Plummer, and Garcia. If you ask me, that’s a damn good problem to have, and the final decision on who starts may be the thing that saves Gruden’s coaching job.
The biggest movers so far have been the Pats and Broncos. Here is one of the scariest things I could possibly think of though for anyone having to play Denver next year. John Lynch, Dre’ Bly, and Champ Bailey all in the same secondary. Holy crap would I not want to be a quarterback throwing against that trio. I’ll be surprised if any opposing QB has a decent completion percentage in a game against the Broncos next year.
Free agency is far from over though and here’s hoping my Saints can sign someone of relevance to our defense. My two biggest hopes are Jags’ safety Deon Grant or Bengals’ safety Kevin Kaesviharn because our secondary has to be improved more than anything else.
Paulie: Oh the moves that have been and will be made. There’s been a lot of shakeup this off-season for what was supposedly supposed to be a pretty tame free agency period. Oakland has been curiously quiet, only listening to trade offers for Randy Moss and making no moves to improve the running game even with the glut of running backs available out there. Ol’ Cox up there may see a silver lining in Tampa, but all I see is a quagmire waiting to happen with 3 slightly below average incumbents, one geriatric who’s the definition of system QB and only had one good season since the 49’s dumped him, and one guy who would rather retire and sit out at least a season than play for them. Not that my Panthers can say much after signing Tuiasosopo as the backup for Delhomme.
I do think that before all is said and done in Denver they’ll end up with Washington’s 1st rounder at #6 and Bly will be a Redskin. It’ll happen. Mark my words. Because Dan Snyder is an idiot.
Buffalo must have a really good draft strategy laid out cause their offense is now officially devoid of top talent. Though Levy was able to sucker Baltimore out of three draft picks for McGahee after they totally botched the cut and sign for Jamal Lewis.
All in all though, as has been said elsewhere, the legacy of this free agency period is going to be the rampant inflation of contracts after so many mediocre players who most people have never even heard of got top notch contracts. Perhaps that little low end cap that got put into the last CBA is going to end up biting owners in the butt.
Wasn’t it fun this week with all the mish-mashing we had going on? I do want to apologize but hey, our dear friends have things they have to do sometimes and well they just need to go take care of them. And no I’m not going to tell you what Triggs’ business is, cuz that’s none of your business. Get it?
If you want to know anything about me though, don’t hesitate to ask. Paulie is rather open too, but as for Chuckles…he likes it when you call him “Chucklebutt.†Go ahead, do it…I’ll wait. Fun huh?
Ok pals and gals that is it for this week but for more sports news be sure to stay tuned into Tailgate Crashers here at Inside Pulse. Lots of baseball news coming from our good friend Eugene in his daily “Riding The Pine†segments. They’re really good and extremely chock full of information. So if you want baseball stuff, go there…trust me you’ll get much smarter. You know how to reach us, so drop us a line by e-mail or go here in the forums. Til next week folks and for those that didn’t see it on yahoo…Captain America is dead. Heh, I’m such an ass!
