COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY - MIKE IN DA - FEBRUARY 11, 2011

COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY (X-RATED)

Written by: Mike in DA
Date posted: 2/11/2011

SUPER BOWL STADIUM OF FOOD: B.J. RAJI WISHES THE SUPER BOWL WAS IN THIS STADIUM!

FROM THE HMW MAILBAG:

For those not that familiar with Tom Jackson, he is an ESPN NFL studio analyst who is a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Denver Broncos (1973-86) who began to work for ESPN in 1987 and was teamed with Chris Berman on the network's signature NFL shows, NFL Countdown and Primetime. On Monday Night Countdown, Jackson once hosted the segment "Jacked Up!," which featured five hits from the previous day's games. The show's hosts recited the title phrase as they watched some of the most punishing hits inflicted by players on the field.



In the January 6 Peanut Gallery, in one of the ODDS AND ENDS (#3), I wrote the following:


“ESPN football analyst, Tom Jackson, reminds me of the guy at my old company who was around for years and who wasn't good at his job, yet nobody could get rid of him because of his seniority and probably because someone on top was protecting him.” END


HMW reader, Chris, commented on that as follows:


“I disagree with you on Tom Jackson. Maybe he's a little dry at times, but he's solid and knows the game. Chris. END.


When I made my original comment, I didn’t expound on it by giving reasons because there were so many times over the years that he ticked me off by some of the things that he said that I could have written a few PGs on it. I could have gone back to the 1980’s or 90’s for some ludicrous statements that he made, but they were so long ago, most readers are probably not familiar with the situation at each of those times. However, below are a few obvious ones, including an incident last month that you may be familiar with.


I’ll agree with Chris that Tom Jackson is a fairly likable guy and knows the game, but in 2003, he made one of the worst calls in modern sportscasting when the New England Patriots released popular safety Lawyer Milloy before the season started. Milloy then signed with the Buffalo Bills and helped his new team shutout New England on opening weekend, 31-0.


On an episode of NFL Countdown, Jackson claimed that the Patriots were not behind head coach, Bill Belichick: "Let me say this clearly: they hate their coach. Bill Belichick has lost this team."

The Patriots somehow recovered from the Buffalo blowout in stunning fashion, finishing the regular season going 14-1 the rest of the way for a league-best 14-2, and going on to defeat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII (38 for the Roman-numeral challenged). And since Jackson’s claim that Belichick lost his team, Belichick’s Patriots are 113-30, the best in the league over that period, including back-to-back Super Bowl wins over Carolina and the Philadelphia Eagles (SB 39).


Then there was another famous incident, also in 2003, when Jackson was criticized by NFL players for not adequately responding to Rush Limbaugh’s claim that Donovan McNabb was given too much attention and credit by the media because of his race. The incident led to Limbaugh's resignation from NFL Countdown in his short-lived ESPN experiment. The Sunday after Limbaugh's resignation, Jackson delivered a PR speech in an attempt to compensate for his original silence on this matter.


Then there was his comments last month earlier in the day before the Jets-Patriots playoff game of January 16. Jackson once again provided further evidence why no one should put any stock in these pregame "experts" picks. Or maybe anything they say, either.


Jackson looked over at Chris Berman and said the Pats would whip the Jets, 30-10. But after the Jets win, Jackson heard blabbering Bart Scott, in a postgame interview, ripping into him for daring to doubt the Jets. This upset Jackson so much that he scurried over to ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike" morning show and voiced a ridiculous spin.


Jackson actually had the balls to claim his Pats pick was "premeditated," as part of a "psychological game" to reinforce the Jets "bunker mentality of us against the world."


With an insincere flap of his yap, Jackson damaged his credibility. Making matters worse, Jackson then elected to play the mea culpa card. He later told USA Today that he was shocked Scott ripped him: "So," he said, "in an effort to make an excuse for the previous comments, I made comments I shouldn't have." What a fuckin’ mess.


Jackson's job is about analyzing the performance of players and coaches. Jackson is often outspoken. He's a tough analyst. Yet when Scott, a guy who runs his mouth to extremes, torches him, Jackson wilted into a wet piece of toilet paper.


Sad but not surprising. Not that they ever were good, as mentioned here numerous times before, but these dubious "pick" segments have degenerated into total nonsense and that is really what pisses me off about Jackson. Jackson just put a new twist on the lunacy. More importantly, many of the participants are serial flip-floppers. During the week you hear them on various radio shows picking a team, but when they hit TV on Sunday they switch their picks.


Since the singular objective of these segments is to make sure they are sponsored, the executives in charge don't care or don't even know some of their guys are picking one team on the radio and changing the pick on Sunday.


Jackson like many sports talkers thinks he's playing to an audience of suckers or morons. I resent that.

THE DISCOVER CARD SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL THAT DIDN'T AIR! MAYBE THE WNBA WILL USE IT!



HARRY CARAY STATUE HAS MORE THAN PIGEON PROBLEMS!

There was an AP report the other day that Harry Caray’s statue outside Wrigley Field had been vandalized again. White spray painted graffiti has been removed and the only identifiable or printable word on the statue was “SOX”. I guess the assumption is that it was done by a White Sox fan(s), but we won’t know unless the culprit(s) is caught.


It’s been a rough couple of months for the Caray statue that sits outside Wrigley Field. First it was moved to a different location in favor of a Billy Williams statue; over the course of the move it was damaged. Then there were a couple of incidents in 2007 and 2009 when Caray’s statue was adorned with the carcass of a Billy goat.


So maybe the next prank or defacement for folks in Chicago with nothing better to do is to hang a couple of dead Billy goats on the statue of Ernie Banks that is outside Wrigley with a sign saying: “Let’s slay two.”

PACKER FANS ARE SLIGHTLY MORE CONFIDENT OF GREEN BAY'S DYNASTY POTENTIAL THAN THE REST OF AMERICA!

THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN FUNNY, BUT COME ON NOW - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

You may remember the study shown here about four months ago when the amount of time spent laughing by the sports talkers on the Fox and CBS Sunday NFL pre-game shows was measured during one of the early weeks of the season.

Well, one of my pet peeves over the years is the amount of laughter that goes on in the studios around the country by sports talkers whether on radio or TV. And much of the laughter is ridiculously overdone and sometimes even annoying to the listener/viewer.

Check out this video from last month, as Joe Theisman calls Danny Woodhead by the wrong name, as he must have recently seen the Billy Bob Thornton flick, "Mr. Woodcock".

woodcock

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS COULD ALWAYS REPLACE THE WASHINGTON GENERALS IF NEED BE?

The Harlem Globetrotters have had some recent close calls in their ongoing series with the much-improved Washington Generals, including one recent game where the Globies were down by four points with 1:21 left, before pulling it out, 67-65.

With that in mind, the word in the hood is that there is some talk to replace the Globetrotters' standard opponent, the Generals, with a more-easily beatable team, aka the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since the Cavs won’t be seeing the NBA Playoffs for a while, they could be available to play the Globetrotters from late April through the summer, which would give the Generals a chance to take some vacation time.

The Cavaliers have lost 26 consecutive NBA games and counting, an NBA record, but there are rumors that there were also a couple of scrimmage losses in there to a couple of D-League teams and the Cleveland Heights YMCA.


The Cavaliers could provide a good comedic foil for one of the Globetrotters traveling teams, while not posing any threat to end the Globetrotters current winning streak.


“We just want to focus on entertaining our fans, without having to worry about possibly losing. Playing Cleveland will take a lot of pressure off us.” said Globetrotters showman “Big Easy” Lofton.

Globie Hi-Lite Bruton said, “The Generals are all about doing their best and almost winning and stuff, and we can’t mess around with that. I’ve been watching clips of the Cavaliers' games on SportsCenter. Wow. Playing the Cavs would be so much fun.”


According to the Globetrotters Website (harlemglobetrotters.com), every one of the Globetrotters exhibitions is an actual competitive basketball game. Read into that what you will, especially if they're playing the Cavs. And if the Cavs aren't available, there's always the Washington Wizards who are 0-25 when they travel on the road.

THE MAJORITY OF SEAHAWKS FANS AREN'T THIS UGLY! 

FLUB OF THE DAY

On Thursday morning on the John and Lance Morning Show on 1560 KGOW, Richard Justice said that only two of the entrances/exits/gates to Cowboys Stadium were open last Sunday for the Super Bowl because of concerns about ice and snow falling from the roof. If that was true, a lot of the crowd would have missed much of the first half.

It would be nice if Richard got his facts correct. Actually six of the ten gates were open into Cowboys Stadium, as the NFL was working with the Arlington Fire Department to safely direct fans into the building. The four gates that were closed were Gates B, D, G and J.


Aerial views of the stadium showed long lines of ticket-holders waiting in outdoor lines to pass through security checks, but at least it was a pleasant wait, as it was sunny and around 50 degrees.

On Friday morning (2/11), John and Lance were listening to a Jerry Sloan sound bite in which Jerry was talking about a 26-56 season. John and Lance figured it was probably in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s when that happened, but it was actually in 2004-05. Hey guys, that’s why KGOW gave you a computer – for looking things up when you’re not sure. It took me 15 seconds to find it.

EVEN THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING CELEBRATED THE PACKERS' VICTORY!

COOLEST SPORTS NICKNAMES: "ICKEY"

Today’s sports nicknames are terrible, such as Bidge, A-Rod, and L.T. They are nothing more than a combination of a player’s first and last name. But nicknames haven’t always been so bad.

Here is another cool one from the past: “Ickey".

Elbert L. Woods (not to be confused with Eldrick Woods) is a cool name for a losing vice presidential candidate from the 19th century. But for an NFL running back? Not so much. The rotund running back, who became famous for his “Ickey Shuffle” touchdown dance, got his nickname from his younger brother, who had trouble pronouncing “Elbert” and his mispronunciation sounded like “Ickey.” Sparing you from a terrible first name? Now that’s a good brother. Today Woods is the president and head coach of the Cincinnati Sizzle of the Women’s Football Alliance, which just goes to show you that a cool nickname can only take you so far.

COMMENTS ON THE SALLY JENKINS ARTICLE

The following are some comments from D.D. on Sally Jenkins article, "After a bloated Super Bowl in Dallas, it's time to rein in big game" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/07/AR2011020705610.html), which you can also find on the previous post. Just in case you haven't read the article, it is basically about the outrageous cost of attending an NFL game.

"Sally writes: 'It's not clear what the pain threshold of the average NFL fan is: The average cost of attending a game for a family of four is $412.64. At Cowboys Stadium, it's a staggering $758.58. Twenty-one stadiums were built in the NFL from 1995-2003, at a combined cost of $6.4 billion. Know how much of that the public paid for? $4.4 billion. Why are we giving 32 rich guys that kind of money, just to prey on us at the box office and concessions? The Dallas deal should be the last of its kind. Cowboys Stadium cost 1.15 billion dollars. Taxpayers kicked in 25% of that.'

Thanks to Sally, we learned the cost of imbibing at the Super Bowl, which was enough to make you choke. Margaritas set you back $19; a glass, not a bottle of wine, was $12; and a single beer, not a six-pack, was $10. This takes price gouging to a new level. I understand this is America, the home of capitalism. While I also understand many people believe the government already controls too much of our lives, how about a sensible federal arena/stadium concession price cap. However, the chance of that happening is the same chance as Mike in DA dunking over Kevin Durant.

 

The NFL owner is in business to make money and he’s entitled to a healthy profit. However, if the owners and fans are unable to come to a compromise on what is considered a reasonable markup on concessions at sporting events, then I say let the federal government set the boundaries. My opinion would be different if fans were allowed to bring food and drinks into the stadium, but they aren’t. If you want a bite to eat at a sporting event, you have two options. You either go hungry or you go broke.

Actually, I prefer the third option; stay at home. There’s nothing like a 60-inch big-screen TV and the beer tastes a lot better when it doesn’t cost me one of those fine looking Alexander Hamilton bills ($10 for the monetarily-challenged)." END. 

ODDS AND ENDS:

1. In Philadelphia, the Eagles named their former offensive line coach, Juan Castillo, as their new defensive coordinator. That caused a little stir in Philly. I can’t remember any time where something like this has happened in the NFL where a career offensive coach has been named to take over a defense or vice versa. I guess it’s the equivalent of a baseball team taking their hitting coach and naming him to be the pitching coach, though I don’t remember that ever happening, but Babe Ruth could have been a good candidate to do it.


2. Remember last August when Lou Piniella informed the Chicago Cubs management that he was resigning immediately from the Cubs as the manager. Piniella cited personal obligations as the reason for his abrupt departure. After analyzing his mother’s condition, it became clear to Lou that his mind was not on baseball and the time had come for him to step aside, rather than wait until the end of the season. Well, “Sweet Lou” has signed on as a special assistant/consultant to the SF Giants’ Front Office. With Lou Piniella as a Giants special assistant, expect to see increased distance on Manager Bruce Bochy’s base-throwing and dirt-kicking skills. Piniella will report to GM Brian Sabean whenever Sabean cares to drop by Piniella’s Florida home.

 

3. On Wednesday, the NFL won – on appeal – the right to suspend Pat and Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings for testing positive for banned substances a year ago. Previously, a lower court had ruled that the NFL policy on banned substances violated a state law in Minnesota; now an appeals court says the policy is OK. Pat Williams has said that he has spent almost $1M in legal fees so far in this case and now he just wants it to be over, so he can play again, presumably to replenish his stock portfolio. The ruling here means that the Williamses can be suspended for four games each at the start of the 2011 season, that is, assuming that there is a 2011 season.

4. You have to give credit where credit is due. The officiating in the Super Bowl was as close to perfect as could be. It always seems to happen that when someone does flawless work, it usually goes ignored. Even the one “replay rule” timeout was an obvious correct call.

5. Instead of having celebrities sing the National Anthem at Super Bowls and sometimes botch it up, why not put the words on the video board and ask the thousands in the stands to sing it just like we did in seventh-grade assembly.

6. Connecticut played and lost to St. John's Thursday night (2/10) on ESPN. On its 14-man roster, only Tyler Olander is from Connecticut. They have players from Nigeria, Germany, California, Colorado, Georgia, Tennessee, and Maryland. And I thought UConn was a state school.

CRIER'S CORNER

BASKETBALL ACTION



Yesterday’s Record ATS: 5-3
Cumulative Season Record ATS (excludes “pushes”): 339-224

Today’s Action (for reading purposes only):


NBA


INDIANA* (-8) over MINNESOTA
The Wolves will be eager to get out of Indy with the Sixers looming tomorrow in the confines of the Minnesota tundra. Former Coach O’Brien would have been fired sooner, but management really didn’t have any confidence in the assistants. He lost the team early in the year criticizing them in the press. As mentioned here last week, don’t be shocked if they have a good spurt in the honeymoon period with new coach Frank Vogel, who once worked as an advance scout for the LA Lakers and was also with the Celtics among others. The Pacers have won five of six under his command. INDIANA, 106-92


PORTLAND (-2.5) over TORONTO*
When you go over the Toronto roster, nobody scares you. Jose Calderon is a serviceable guard, but not a star. Andrea Bargnani can score, but he’s not the toughest guy around and Sonny Weems is a nice young talent, but he’s light years away from changing a franchise. Go with the Northwesterners. Andre Miller not only plays a classic point, but he is a thief to boot. PORTLAND, 99-90


UTAH* (-6.5) over PHOENIX
There’s a new coach in town as Ty Corbin has replaced Jerry Sloan. Talented Mehmet Okur has struggled with a sore back and when you have a wrist injury like the one that Utah’s Deron Williams was fighting, it plays with your head and your game. The Suns could be very tired as they had to run with the Warriors last night, while Utah has had a day to rest since facing the Bulls. C.J. Miles is playing quality minutes on both ends of the floor for the Jazz. UTAH, 105-92


COLLEGE HOOPS


There is no action for the Crier today.



HMW

MIKE IN DA

Email: houstonmediawatch@yahoo.com
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