Indifferent

Since pretty much every one that knows me, knows I am a HUGE fan of the Dallas Cowboys I have been asked at least 100 times what I thought about the Cowboys hiring Wade Phillips.

For the most part I am pretty much indifferent. My team has not won a playoff game in 10 years, and I am not sure how a coach that has never won a playoff game is supposed to change that fact. That being said I was more than ready to see the exit of the fatty fish. I do feel this team underachieved, but fans for probably every team feel that way about their team except for the Colts and maybe the Saints!

The thing that disturbed me the most about Parcells staying around for another year was the 2007 NFL Draft, and his uncanny ability to pick flops. Aside from Jason Witten, even the good draft picks could have been better. Compare Stephen Jackson to Julius Jones or Shawn Merrimam to Demarcus Ware. Not only did he grossly overestimate talent, but he was drafting talent that couldn't even make the team roster. Our 1st round pick last season did not even dress out on game day for half of the season, and this was not due to injury....

But enough on the Toxic Tuna. When asked about Wade, I stated my indifference but said I will have to look at the signs I see leading up to the season. The first of which of course would be the 2007 NFL Draft. I said at the end of the draft I was left saying huh? That would be the first strike against him.

Let's just say he has 2 strikes left. When they traded out of the 1st round and got the 3rd pick of the 2nd round, and a 1st round pick in 2008, I was very impressed (I promise not to participate in the what if we had drafted Brady Quinn talk 3 years from now). Then we traded back in to the 1st round to draft Anthony Spencer?? To quote Deion Sanders, do you even have this guy on your board??? I followed the proposed draft boards extensively and not once did I hear this guys name.

I even understand Wade's logic here. He looks at how this defense fell apart at the end of the season and the most logical explanation was the loss of Greg Ellis. So his priority was to minimize this vulnerability. This guy Spencer also appears to be quite a playmaker.

So what is my problem? To start I think we reached to get him, giving up a valuable 2nd pick in the 2nd round. The 3rd pick of the 2nd round is effectively a 1st round pick in a draft this deep with talent, and Spencer would have still been available. Secondly, this guy has the stats of being quite a playmaker, but I have to wonder that he may have piled up these stats against teams like Illinois and Northwestern as opposed to Michigan and Ohio St.

The remainder of the draft is even more disturbing. I am left wondering if Spencer may be the only draft pick that may ultimately make the team? I can't figure out the reluctance to draft on the first day and constantly trading to stockpile a bunch of late round picks. The worst of which is the spin they are trying to put on Isiah Stanback. An injured QB that we want to convert to a WR, in a draft where there were as many as 10+ WR's projected to be starters by the start of this season. I guess they are hoping to get the second coming of Patrick Crayton???

I just hope the 2008 Cowboys draft pick doesn't end up being a better pick than Cleveland's. Read more!

Doesn't Necessarily Bother Me...

I am mentiong this although it doesn't necessarily bother me. What do you do when you find out what you thought you understood about a person isn't exactly the case?

A couple of minor infractions, but misconceptions none the less. The first of which was a little over a year ago. Each year I bought a pair of 10-packs to go to the Mavericks games. I thought this was great as an avid Sports fan I was excited that there was a sporting event that my wife found entertaining as well. I didn't catch on to it from the constant mention that there was no point in watching the game until the 4th quarter. I would almost have to agree with that, particularly as it pertains to the NBA.

Then the following year, I called to review the games we should go to in the upcoming season, and to my surprise the repsonse was I don't care, I don't really like going anyhow. Huh??? So I am thinking what's wrong with the Mavs? At this time they had several seasons of 50+ wins, played tough into the 2nd round of the playoffs in the previous season, and had Avery Johnson as their new coach. This was an exciting team to watch. So I am like, what's the deal with the lack of interest? Her response, I was just going to the games because you liked it...... What?? Next time please, feel free to tell me you don't want to go before I spend the $500.

So no big deal, didn't necessarily bother me. The next time was a little more interesting. If you have seen my profile one of my favorite singers is Kenny Latimore. We have every CD he has made, including the duet albums with Chante Moore. We have seen him in concert twice, we even got married to his song "For You," needless to say I am a big fan.

So what makes a better Christmas gift than to buy the greatest hits and sneak it in the wife's CD player for the next time she hops in the ride. Set at the perfect volume, on the perfect song. So a few days later, no mention of the CD, so I ask what do you think of the Kenny Latimore CD? The response I don't know I don't really like his music??

OK, I am starting to see a disturbing trend. I am continually uncovering pleasures that I thought we shared, only to find out I was projecting my own desires on her. Makes me wonder what else it is that I love, that she could just assume do without....

Doesn't necessarily bother me, just thought I would write a blog about it? Read more!

Talking Football in May..

Had to make a quick entry based on my disappointment in every single NFL General Manager (GM)for being inept and essentially handing the Lombardi Trophy to the Patriots this season.

It really bothers me that the team that was a 1st down away from playing in their 4th Super Bowl in 6 years was able to upgrade their team so significantly. To start they got the #1 Free agent (FA) player on the market in Adalius Thomas. They were able to re-sign there own hottest player on the market. There used to be a day when free agents from one the league's best team was coveted..

They had a major concern at the wide receiver (WR) position, so they signed Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, and Kelly Campbell. Stallworth was at the top of the FA list for WR. Welker is a coveted player, and Campbell is a former 1st round draft pick from the University of Tennesee who has had limited playing time sitting behind 2 Pro Bowl WR's in Cincinati.

They also managed to have 2 1st round draft picks, to address there only outstanding need at Safety. The other they used to get a 2nd 1st round pick in 2008.

To cap it all off the icing on the cake. The Patriots get Randy Moss, at one time arguably the best WR in the game, with no reason to believe he will not be able to re-gain that status. They get him for a 4th round pick, which turned out to be John Bowie??? This is after the Raiders had already drafted 6 players in 4 rounds. Are you kidding me, not one NFL team could make a better offer than this? This is unbelievable? The Raiders were shopping Moss for a 1st round pick, but every NFL team stepped to the side and let the bull run right by........ Every NFL GM gets an F grade for this off-season. They will all get time to study to make a better grade next year while watching the Patriots in yet another Super Bowl! Read more!

B-O-N-D-S

Why is it that in their hearts every sports fan in the U.S. wishes they can be in the stadium when Bonds breaks the HR record, but won't admit it?

This is going to be the biggest sports moment of our era. He is the greatest hitter people my age have ever seen. He has nearly 3000 hits, is a career .299 average hitter, and he hits a HR every 13 at-bats (AB). That is amazing especially considering he is walked every 4 at-bats. Put those together and he is hitting a 1 HR every other game.

I had the opportunity to attend a San Francisco Giants game just recently. It was my birthday and I was in SF and I could think of no better way to celebrate than to go to AT&T Park and see Bonds play.

It was a great experience. To begin I was overwhelmed by the fan support. The game was a sellout on a Thursday over 41K fans, 80% of which had on Giants gear. To those of you Cardinals, Red Sox, Yankees fans this is no big deal, but for a guy coming from Texas this was awesome. I had to purchase tickets on a website where season ticket holders can sell their unused tickets.

I can definitely attest that the Bonds "hate" comes from outside of SF. When Bonds came up to bat he received a standing ovation. Are you kidding me they see this guy every day? His first AB he slaps a double off the center field wall for an RBI. The whole crowd sighed with disappointment. How many players can hit an RBI double and the home fans are disappointed??? We all truly believe that he is going to hit a HR every time he steps up to the plate (assuming he is pitched to).

He may not have the greatest personality. The steroids cloud may always follow him, but we can' forget that at the time most players were using. So whose to say he would not have hit more if the pitchers of that day were not using. He admitted using the cream and the clear, but he denies knowledge they were steroids. So he is lying, they can't substantiate this as a fact, and at the time MLB was not testing. He still holds to the fact that he has never tested positive for steroids......

The old-timers can put an asterisk by his name for the rest of their lives, but when I am siting in the room with a bunch of young kids talking about baseball. I will be telling them about Barry Bonds, the greatest hitter that I ever had a chance to see play the game of baseball. Read more!