December 6th, 2012
The entire labor dispute between the NHL and the NHLPA has been up and down ever since things started getting serious in September. So it should come as no surprise that the new format of talks — those going on strictly between the owners and the players — has gone much the same way of a rollercoaster. But yesterday, after things nearly broke apart completely once again, cooler heads prevailed and things started to come together. Or so it may seem.
When talks broke late last night, the two sides had come to an agreement on some very key issues, and the league had yet another offer out on the table. According to Sportsnet, the league has increased the amount they’re offering on the make whole money from $211 million to $300 million. This allows there to be the 50/50 split the players have been asking for all along, yet how that transition would be made is still unknown. That’s good news for fans, as that was one of the key issues and even small movement on it is a positive sign.
Another key issue were the free agency rules and arbitration rights, something else the league conceded on. After yesterday’s meeting, it seems as though they’ll keeping the free agency rules and arbitration rights as they were in the prior contract, as the players had requested.
But it’s not all good news.
The league is not willing to budge on the five-year contract limit, with no more than a 5 per cent variance in salary in any given year. This eliminates the contracts that pay players huge amounts of money at the beginning of the contract, and often at the beginning of their career when they’re healthiest, and then much smaller amounts towards the end of the contract, and the end of the player’s career. Players have also been adamant on not giving this to the league, so it will be interesting to see what movement is made on that point.
Finally, the league would like the next CBA to stand for 10 years, and the players would like to see that set to 5 years. The fans may actually want to lean towards the owners on that one, as very few would like to be facing this same situation five years down the road.
As it stands, according to Sportsnet, the league currently have an offer on the table and are waiting to hear back from the players. After their very lengthy meeting yesterday that went into the wee hours of the morning, the two sides will meet again today.
December 5th, 2012
The Saints aren’t feeling very optimistic these days. In fact, they weren’t even optimistic during their November 30 game against the Atlanta Falcons, their number one rivals. Heckling and even egg throwing began before they even landed on Falcon home turf, and fans were battling it out in the stands as much as the team was battling on the field. The sad news is, assistant coach, Joe Vitt, wasn’t convinced the team would win, and they didn’t. The Falcons intercepted quarterback, Drew Brees, five times for their 23-13 win against the Saints. It looks like the Saints need a confidence booster, but it might be a little too late, even for that.
With 5-7 wins, the Saints need a wild card spot to make it into the play-offs, and that might take nothing short of a miracle. Much of the blame has been placed on losing their head coach, Sean Payton, for the season, who faces charges in the Bounty scandal. Payton was a lion to the team, pushing the boundaries and giving no quarter. Vitt tries hard, and the Saints have played a good game, overcoming numerous obstacles, but a little more is needed than trying hard to get this once ferocious team back into the playing field.
In the meantime, the Giants have been stomping the field, with 7-4 wins. Beginning the season a little cold by losing their first game to the Dallas Cowboys, they didn’t cringe, but went on to beat them in their second game, as well as other leading contenders, such as San Francisco, Washington, and their recent game against the Green Bay Packers. The Giants have every right to expect they will be in the play-offs. Not only are they confident of a win against the Saints, they feel their upcoming game against the Redskins will be as decisive as the first one. They still have Eli Manning, who recuperated their game in the last minute and a half with a 77-yard touchdown.
While it looks a bit dreary for the Saints, miracles have been known to happen. They have a good team, have not suffered a substantial number of injuries, and have played well throughout the season. The Bounty hearings have handicapped their game; their attention more on the fate of Sean Payton than in wrapping up the season by going into the play-offs, and even taking time away from Joe Vitt, as he’s brought forward to testify. It hardly seems like a fair way to bring a good team down, but New Orleans was never a team to take defeat in stride. In their upcoming games, they just might decide to show everyone the type of mettle they are made of, giving the Giants a run for the money; and everyone else while they’re at it.
Be sure to catch the game between the Saints and the Giants on December 9th, as the season begins winding down to its grand finale. You never know when a game makes history, and there are always surprises in store.
November 30th, 2012
Dallas Cowboys Vice President states the rough and ready Cowboys still have a chance to make it into the play-offs. Even though their record leaves much to desired, with 5 wins, 6 losses, a win against the Philadelphia Eagles would even up the ante. Cowboy fans are not so convinced. It was a dismal weekend for the Dallas team, when they lost 36-31 to the Washington Redskins. Even more disturbing for quarterback Tony Romo, was losing for the first time in six starts on Thanksgiving, despite a spectacular career 441 yards high and three second-half touch-downs, including a record 85 yarder to Dez Bryant.
Fans are fairly confident the Cowboys will score a win over the Philadelphia Eagles. While they’ve suffered a lot of injuries in the ruthless battle toward the top, including linebacker, Bruce Carter, they still have upcoming games against Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Washington; all tough teams that are knocking them down this season, the Eagles have been taking their share of losses, as well. With just three wins wrapped up under their belt, the Eagles have been in pain, with a list of inactive players that could make a grown man cry.
Carter was playing a spectacular defense in the Thanksgiving game against the Redskins, until the third quarter, when his collision course against the Washington team gave him an elbow injury. He has since been placed on injured reserve and will probably require surgery.
They are now pinning their hopes on Anthony Armstrong, who just signed on for a receiver position. He has the speed. He has the experience. He spent two years with Washington, from 2009-10 where he caught 51 passes for a 19.1 yard average and five touchdowns. He was recently let go by the Miami Dolphins, and the Cowboys feel it’s Miami’s loss, their gain.
The Cowboys are notorious for starting the season with a bang, but limping through the month of December. They’ve polished up their act with not only introducing Armstrong into the roster, but veteran linebacker, Brady Poppinga, who played with the Green Bay Packer from the years 2005-2010. It’s possible the game against Philadelphia will break their losing streak, turning their normally weak December month into a reversal of fortunes. It’s time for the Cowboys to get tough, because one thing the fans are certain of; if they don’t win the December 2nd game against the Eagles, the Cowboys will not be going into the playoffs.
November 22nd, 2012
The WWE event Survivor Series 2012 has come to a close and history has been made. For quite a while now, the wrestling world has complained that Survivor Series has lost its luster and that the company doesn’t really take any risks in the month of November anymore…something the WWF of old always did.
In fact, Survivor Series used to be a big deal, as far back as the late eighties and as recently as early 2000. Survivor Series saw the debut of The Undertaker, as well as The Undertaker’s defeating of Hulk Hogan one year later. The Rock and the Big Show also won belts during the late nineties. Who could forget 1997, one of the most legendary WWE matches in which Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart in a controversial “screw job” conclusion!
However, fans have noticed that ever since the 2000 era began, few titles ever change hands at Survivor Series, and the tag matches simply don’t pull the weight that they used to. Simply put, the series lacks the “unique selling points” of the Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, and other big profile pay-per-views.
Of course, some of this is due to the fact that in recent years, pro wrestling is a much more interconnected show, with various superstars meeting each other during locker room segments and in various “skits” on camera–whenever they’re not tag teaming or triple-threatening in the ring. In the old days, McMahon’s creative team always seemed to keep feuds and angles segregated, self-contained one-on-one feuds (and usually the big guy beating up a nameless “jobber” rather than a “main eventer”). Therefore, when they all did come together at Survivor Series, in those quadruple tag matches, it was something new and exciting–the novelty was there.
Today’s survivor series focuses on creating a mini-main event card, and hopes that its top superstars will be draw enough. For instance, in 2012, we saw Eve defeat Kaitlyn in the Diva’s Championship match, we also saw Antonio Cesaro defeat R-Truth, and we saw The Big Show defeat Sheamus to retain his World Heavyweight Championship. Lastly, we saw a triple threat match between CM Punk, Ryback and John Cena, all three top dogs in the league, which ended in CM Punk retaining the title by pinning John Cena. (Though he receives some help because of the interference of NXT)
Luckily for us old school Survivor Series fans, the event did feature two Survivor Series Classic encounters, with Team Foley (led by the returning legend Mick Foley vs. Team Ziggler, led by Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler’s team won. We also saw Brodus Clay and company defeat Tensai.
We’ll see what the WWE comes up with next year!
November 10th, 2012
New Yorkers love Broadway and they love the Yankees and next year, they’ll be able to see them brought together. A play regarding the Yankees is coming to the Great White Way, but only enough details have been released to tease New York audiences.
The show doesn’t even have a name yet, but it is known that it will center around the New York Yankees; and some of the most prominent and most dramatic characters that have been a part of the club throughout its history. Fran Kirmser, who’s co-producing the show, said to the New York Times that it’s a “look at the tradition of the Yankees from the 1930s to the present day.”
The fact that Kirmser, who’s also accredited with producing Lombardi in 2010 and Magic/Bird in 2012, is just one of the very few details that have been released. It will be interesting to see how the Yankees’ story does, as Kirmser has mixed reviews behind her name. Lombardi, the show about iconic Green Bay Packers coach, Vince Lombardi, was a huge success on Broadway. Magic/Bird on the other hand, ran only 37 of their scheduled shows before being forced to close due to poor attendance.
Of course this won’t be the first time baseball, or even the Yankees, have taken the stage. Who could forget Damn Yankees, the musical in 1955 that played over a thousand shows and that was so popular it became a revival in later years. Here’s hoping that this one is as successful!
October 29th, 2012
The Denver Broncos are playing big this year, and rumor has it, they’re on their way to the Super Bowl. If this happens, the brothers Manning may be pairing off as the New York Giants, with younger brother, Eli Manning fighting on the other side, are beginning to appear invincible. With 6-2 wins, they’ve stridden ahead of the season’s contestants, with the only real question left as just who will be pitted against them.
The Broncos have a record of three losses; four wins, giving them a win-loss average comparable to the other leading contenders. However, the Broncos three losses have been against some of the toughest teams in the league; the Falcons, the Texans and the Patriots. With their most formidable opponents out of the way, the Broncos don’t see the rest of the season as a hard line-up to beat, and Peyton Manning, their star quarterback, says he’s just warming up.
Recuperating from a total of four neck surgeries and a lost 2011 football season, 36 year old Peyton Manning insists he can’t really play ball the way he used to. That didn’t stop him, however from leading the Broncos into a 34-14 victory against the New Orleans Saints. His spotless game earned him a completed 22 out of 30 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns. This performance was Manning’s fifth consecutive 300-yard passing game tying the longest stretch of his career, achieved in the 2009 season, and leading the NFL with a 109.0 passer rating.
The Broncos have had a slight setback. Linebacker, Joe Mays, is out for the season with a broken leg. Considered a team leader and a confidence man, the Broncos don’t feel things will be quite the same with without Mays determination to get out on the field and make plays. However, they feel they have a few good potential candidates for filling in Mays’ place from their practice squad. They are also looking forward to the return of their lead tackler, who is eligible to return November eighth, after serving a three game ban for driving while impaired.
The Broncos are confident their game against the Cincinnati Bengals will be a shoe-in, solidifying their win ratio and furthering their chances as candidates for the Super Bowl. If this happens, we might just see what everyone has been waiting for; a contest to the finish between the football champion brothers Manning.
October 18th, 2012
No one thought it would happen. Hockey fans were hanging up their jerseys with tears in their eye and saying good-bye to the NHL hockey season for 2012-2013. But yesterday, a ray of hope came from a most unlikely source — Gary Bettman and the NHL. Yesterday they put an offer on the table that looks good for the NHL, and great for fans. But how does it look for the players? That’s the big question, as they have until October 25 to accept the deal.
In short the highlights of the proposal were:
- A 50/50 split of revenues. This looks fair to the fans, but the players may still see it as the league simply coming up from their unreasonable 43%. The players could still hold stubbornly to the 57% that they want to keep from the old contract.
- A salary cap of $70.2 million, which is where it stood in the last contract.
- The league will increase the current $150 million they contribute to revenue sharing to $200 million to help support smaller and weaker teams.
- Contracts will be capped at 5 years.
- Minimum age for free agency would be moved up one year to 28, from the last age of 27 in the last contract.
- Entry-level contracts would be capped at two years, down from three years.
- AHL contracts to be eliminated from HRR ledger.
- Season would begin on November 2!
The only real problem players could have with this is the contract cap of 5 years. If they do, it will most likely only because some players like to guarantee a certain city for their own retirement. With a deal sounding this fair, and a full season still a possibility, players are likely to lose a lot of fan support if they turn down the deal. However, that doesn’t always mean that they won’t.
During a press conference yesterday, Bettman stated that to still continue on with a regular season, it would mean one extra game added about every five weeks. The league is hesitant to add any more, so as not to tire or endanger player’s health and safety.
That being said, if the players don’t agree to this deal, those jerseys can most likely be hung up after all.
October 16th, 2012
The pre-season games are underway and it already looks like it’s going to be a tight season for the Los Angeles Lakers. They’ve got the players. They’ve got the big stats. But their muscle team faltered by the third quarter of the first pre-season game against Utah Jazz. What was that all about?
The Lakers had the game in their pocket in the second quarter. At half-time, they were eleven points ahead of their opponents, moving that ball with lightning-speed and dumping in those long shots. But Jazz decided not to fold, through thick or foul; and foul was being called a lot that night. There were 22 free throw attempts in 24 minutes of the first half. They tied the score with the Lakers 69-69 by the third quarter and surged ahead to win, 99-86.
Call it a pre-season warm-off. The Lakers become more formidable when things start boiling down to the play-offs. They have king players, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, who have both won MVB trophies, but Bryant has been doing a bit of bench sitting with a shoulder injury. He was scratched from the line-up against the Portland Trail Blazers, and though he’s back in play, his game could still be a little off. Not so for Steve Nash, however. He still continues to razzle and dazzle; whether he’s picking up a ball in transition, shooting a pass between the defensive player’s legs, or cutting along the base line; once he has control of that ball, he has no intention of losing it.
The upcoming Sacramento game should be more than just a little interesting. The Lakers have just hired a new coach; Reggie Theus, who has seen more than a small share of basketball glory. Theus’ career includes 14 seasons with five teams in the NBA, making two all-star teams, and rallying up a total of 19,015 points before retiring as a player. He had two successful seasons as the head coach at New Mexico State before transferring as head coach for the Sacramento Kings. He worked for the Kings for eighteen months before being fired in 2008. Replacing coach veteran, Eric Musselman, who joined Herb Sendek’s staff at Arizona State last month, Theus may just be looking forward to the opportunity to avenge himself against Sacramento.
Sacramento says it’s not shaking. It won its preseason game against Portland, at 91 – 80, and it’s ready to take on the Lakers. There’s bound to be plenty of fast action and stomping in the bleachers as the preseason games get underway.
October 8th, 2012
Jerry Lawler is not just a WWE superstar or a WWE legend–he is one of the few icons in the wrestling world that transcend McMahon’s company and date back to the golden age of wrestling. Long before he joined the WWE as a part time competitor and announcer, he was raising hell in Memphis, Tennessee and other small promotions. He was the guy who made wrestling infamous, brawling with celebrity Andy Kaufman on the Late Night with David Letterman show.
Well Jerry Lawler was in the fight of his life, and this time it wasn’t the Junkyard Dog (RIP), Kaufman (RIP) or Randy Savage (RIP). It was a real life heart attack, and one that almost ruined Monday Night RAW. Lawler collapsed at the announcer’s table off-camera. The WWE announcer team kept the audience updated, bringing updates live. Lawler underwent an angioplasty and within two days was able to breathe and react to doctors.
Lawler was returned home within a week and there were no apparent signs of brain damage. Three weeks later and Lawler says he is doing great! The sixty-two-year old told ESPN, “I honestly think I could go into the ring and wrestle right now. That’s how normal I feel. I know it wouldn’t be wise to do that. But I’m improving on a daily basis.”
While it’s always a question of “legit” (real) or “angle” (scripted) when you’re watching an episode of WWE TV, this one was deathly real. The same night Lawler suffered a heart attack he wrestled in a tag match and didn’t seem to have any problem. However, within the two-hour show, he began slumping over at the announcer’s table and paramedics were called.
Lawler’s tenacity is not in question. He later told the press that doctors assured him that he was lucky–only one in 260 people survive this type of heart attack. “The funny thing about this heart attack is I didn’t even realize it was happening. I just passed out.”
Naturally, WWE fans are sending wishes from all over the world. And since we’re talking about Jerry Lawler here, you can rest assured he will be back soon. He’s already talking about returning sometime in October. Buy your WWE ringside tickets and welcome the King back!
October 4th, 2012
The Detroit Tigers took a 1 — 0 victory against Kansas City, but that’s not what has everyone in the Big D celebrating today. It’s not what had Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland tearing up in his eyes; and it’s not why general manager Dave Dombrowski kept reminding everyone to enjoy the moment. This had little to do with the win, and everything to do with the fact that Miguel Cabrera had just made history by winning the Triple Crown.
Last night saw the close of MLB’s regular season, and Cabrera finished it off with 139 RBIs, 44 homeruns, and hitting a .330 batting average. This makes him the leader of the league in all three categories, earning him a Triple Crown, and being just the 15th player in MLB history to do so. Aside from the unbelievable stats, there’s a reason for the celebration. It simply doesn’t come along that often. The last time someone won the Triple Crown, it was when Carl Yastrzemski played for the Boston Red Sox in 1967.
“Everybody said to me it was unbelievable. They were all excited to see this, enjoy this, be a part of something big,” Cabrera said after the game.
And it wasn’t just Detroit fans that were cheering. Everyone knew that they were not only witnessing history, but that they were actually getting a chance to be a part of it. That was something that Cabrera didn’t take for granted, and he said so after the game.
“It was like playing at home, having all the fans cheer for you,” he said. “It was an unbelievable feeling, and I was very thankful for the fans in Kansas City.”
|
|
