I read this on my way into work this morning and it really bothered me. I had no idea who Bob Halloran was before this but apparently he is a sports anchor for Channel 5 and has worked for ESPN News, ESPN.com, and ESPN Radio. Quick recap, he is more successful than me and makes more money. Yet, after reading this piece, it is clear that the dude is a moron. I have spent a lot of time recently trying to figure out what it takes to become a successful sports journalist, and every time, I come to the conclusion that you have to be either a complete douche or incredibly dumb. Unfortunately, I am a boarder line genius and people can see right through my douche persona into my soft and cuddly soul, but I digress. What really pissed me off wasn’t the fact that this idiot is more successful than me, it is the point he is trying to make in his piece.

“The Olympic brand of hockey was sensational. True, it’s the highest level of skill ever assembled on the same ice. That’s what made it outstanding, but the style of play is what made it stand out. Players were physical. Checks were hard. And the game never stopped so we could all watch two guys grab each other’s sweaters. Why not bring Olympic-style hockey to the NHL? Did you really look at the medal round games and think, “Great game. The only thing missing was a good punch in the face”?

And I’ve never understood what fighting brings to the game. I reject out of hand that two guys squaring off sets a “tone” for the game, or that teammates respond by playing harder. The fight is little more than a time out.”

This is just a small excerpt, you can read the entire thing in this morning’s Metro or just click on the link earlier. But the evidence he uses to support his argument is ludicrous at best. There is no doubt that watching the Olympic hockey tournament is far more entertaining than watching a regular season NHL game, but it is not because there is no fighting. It’s because you are watching a collection of all star teams from across the globe lay it all on the line for their countries. There is much more to play for in the Olympics than just another regular season game in the NHL and at the same time you have much more talent on the ice at one time.

If you compare Olympic hockey to playoff hockey in the NHL you will notice much more similarities. While the talent pool isn’t quite as high you are still seeing the best players in the league lay it all on the line to try and get the Cup. There are less fights than in the regular season because every minute counts in a best of seven series. You see just as much intensity in the playoffs as in the Olympics, if not more, and it isn’t because fighting is outlawed.

Even if you were to eliminate fighting in the NHL, to expect the game to morph into they style of play they bring to the Olympics and the playoffs is crazy. It is unreasonable to expect these players to play 81 games a season with playoff intensity. It is just not humanly possible. And while I understand this guys want to have every hockey game be as entertaining as the playoffs or the Olympics, it just isn’t going to happen unless you are one of the true hockey enthusiasts.

- Chris

“We had an opportunity to exchange ideas with the club about a contract extension for Carl and it was clear to all of us that an immediate agreement was not going to materialize.  Thus, we all agreed to table discussions until the end of the year.  We’d like to minimize distractions for Carl and the club and keep the focus on baseball, so we don’t plan to comment upon Carl’s contract status again until after the season.”

Going into this winter I would have bet everything I had on the Red Sox employing either Jason Bay or Matt Holliday in left field on opening day. Their demands weren’t outrageous and I didn’t think the Sox would feel comfortable entering 2010 with 36 less home runs (Jason Bay’s 2009 total) in their lineup. Fast forward to right now and both Bay and Holliday have long since happily signed elsewhere while at the same time the Red Sox added John Lackey and Mike Cameron instead. Ellsbury will play left, Cameron will play center, and the Sox will likely have less thump in their lineup than they had in previous years. What I failed to consider at the time was the prospect of Carl Crawford hitting the free agent market in 2011.

If they do in fact have interest in Crawford, which is purely speculation on my part, then signing Bay or Holliday long term would have made signing Crawford nearly impossible. Not only would there be no position for him, but it would be tough to swallow another big contract when the team is already up against the luxury tax threshold. My best guess is this; Crawford is a younger and more dynamic player of which the Red Sox value higher than Bay and Holliday. He is also likely to command less on the open market. Combining the fact that the Red Sox like him more and that he would cost less than Bay or Holliday and ultimately signing him would be far more valuable to the club financially. This alone made it worth the risk of waiting it out even if they don’t sign him in the end.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Yankees also covet him, which you would expect as both the Sox and Yanks see the damage he can do more than any team in the league due to the unbalance in the schedule. The Yankees were silent when it came to Bay or Holliday and they also let one of their own, Johnny Damon, go to Detroit leaving left field to be occupied by Randy Winn and Brett Gardner. The Yankees spent the whole winter saying they had a hard budget of $200 million, which they spent up to, but I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if they were saving their pennies to make a run at Crawford next year.

Regardless, Crawford will no longer be employed by the Rays past 2010. He will command much more than the tight stringed Rays are willing to pay. Even if the Red Sox don’t sign him, the news of him potentially leaving the AL East is nothing short of stupendous. Sure he could end up signing with the Yankees, but the effect he would have on that home run driven offense is less than that of most other teams. But just imagine for a minute having Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford in the same lineup? Yea, you can count me as on the bandwagon.

- Chris

“Listen, I’d like to leave with this, a man who’s worth a billion dollars or more should be able to do everything he wants except kill somebody.” ~Bernard Hopkins on “LA Sports Live”

Everyone was thinking it, it just took someone who has made a living getting his head beat in to finally admit it. Imagine that.

- Chris

ProFootballTalk.com – The Colts had the best two-minute drive quarterback of his era, perhaps any era, and they chose to run the ball with Mike Hart instead. The Colts’ decision to go conservative late in the first half, more than any other, is ripe for debate… The following quote from Peyton Manning indicates that the decision to run came from above. “Had we gotten that first down, we were going to call a timeout and then go back to our two-minute offense, but Jim Caldwell told Tom [Moore] to try to get a first down, try to punch it out first,” Manning said. “We feel like you should convert that third down and we didn’t. Then we gave them a short field and gave them the easy field goal. That was a disappointing series,” he finished. (Manning unsurprisingly didn’t sound thrilled with the decision.)

Let me preface this by saying that I actually don’t mind the Colts, I know, it’s amazing. But for some reason I was always a fan. Obviously this happened long before they became the Patriots biggest and most hated rivals, but still, I think I look at them from a completely different perspective than most in the area. That being said, it really is ridiculous the double standard that is out there when comparing the Colts and the Patriots, and hell, even the Saints.

Coming out and blaming your rookie head coach for blowing the Super Bowl is quite the statement. If it was Tom Brady who said this he would be crucified for months and probably suspended from the league. At the very least he would be fined $10 million. This is a true statement, not just my opinion. The guy who supposedly has all the power in the offense and the ability to call whatever play he wants and change the play to whatever he wants at the line of scrimmage all of the sudden is blaming the play calling? I’m not buying it Peyton, you can’t fool me. Listen, part of being one of the greatest of all time is owning up to your mistakes. Whenever the Patriots lose a game, Brady is the first one to the mic taking the blame, even if he just threw for 400 yards and five touchdowns, Brady comes out and says he could have done something better that would have won them the game. When has Manning ever done this? Just off the top of my head I recall him blaming the kicker and his offensive line for losing playoff games in the past, and now, he is blaming the coach? No way. I didn’t see Jim Caldwell say one word on the sidelines this entire season, let alone in the most important game of the year. He is simply a figure head and it would surprise me if his head set was even plugged in.

Despite this ludicrous outcry, Manning, yet again, is getting a free pass. It’s almost like because he makes funny commercials and has won every regular season game of his life that he gets to just say whatever he wants and never take the blame for a loss. It can’t be Manning’s fault right? He is perfect in every way. Blow me, give me Brady every day of the week.

- Chris

This quote is certainly going to help ease the pain of the clobbering the Ravens put on the Patriots a few weeks back. I still wish Ray Lewis was sitting in jail instead of avoiding murder charges, but what can you do.

“If I’m a Yankees fan, I’m upset we’re not winning 130 games with the roster that they have and the money that they pay out. I think it’s a disgrace they only beat the average team by 10 games in the standings with three times the money. I’d fire that GM. You don’t need a GM. All you have to do is buy the last Cy Young Award winner every year.”

That from Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti in a recent edition of the Baltimore Sun. I don’t know the context of the statement, but it sounds like Bisciotti needs to stick to football. Sure, it’s always fun to make fun of the Yankees payroll, but is it even possible to win 130 games?  Maybe, but I know you can’t simply buy the last Cy Young Award winner. At least I’m pretty sure. But you definitely need a GM; that I promise you. Who else would stand next to the previous years Cy Young helping hold up the new jersey?

- Chris

Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to an $80 million, five-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday night because the deal had not been announced. The person said the contract could be completed as soon as Thursday.

Verlander won a career-high 19 games with a career-best 3.45 ERA last season. He is 65-43 with a 3.92 ERA in four full seasons with the Tigers.

The sides agreed to bypass salary arbitration. When figures were exchanged last month, Verlander asked for $9.5 million for next season and the team offered $6.9 million.

Verlander ended up securing a more lucrative contract than Felix Hernandez. The Seattle Mariners gave their ace a $78 million, five-year deal. Verlander turns 27 this month and Hernandez, who is 58-41 with a 3.45 ERA, will be 24 in April.

If I was Felix Hernandez right now I would be as pissed as someone who just signed a $78 million contract could possibly be. If Verlander, who has worse numbers in all of the major categories, can get a larger contract despite being more than three years older than somebody fucked up. Sure, it’s hard to complain about $78 million dollars, but if Verlander is getting $80 million than Felix should have gotten at least $90, he is that good.

The real issue here though is that players keep signing long term deals to stay with their current teams, Evan Longoria, Hanley Ramirez, and Josh Johnson for some reason first popped into my mind. While it is ultimately good for baseball that players are signing with the teams that drafted and developed them, it is far more interesting and beneficial for the Red Sox when marquis players hit free agency. Granted, the Red Sox have been operating under the aforementioned theology having signed Jon Lester, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youklis to long term extensions well before free agency was ever an issue. Maybe it is just me, but I love winters with big time free agents and dollars being thrown around left and right. Unfortunately, it seems like those days are behind us as teams become more thrifty with their cash and more invested in their minor leagues. I would much rather spend big bucks to get the players we want and keep our prospects rather then having to trade them away for useful players ie. Victor Martinez and any potential Adrian Gonzalez trade. I’ll just have to continue looking three years down the road to see when the next young stud on a crappy team is going to hit the open market and hope that he too doesn’t sign an extension before he gets there.

- Chris

The All-American Basketball Alliance announced in a news release Sunday evening that it intends to start its inaugural season in June and hopes Augusta will be one of 12 cities with a team.

“Only players that are natural born United States citizens with both parents of Caucasian race are eligible to play in the league,” the statement said.

Don “Moose” Lewis, the commissioner of the AABA, said the reasoning behind the league’s roster restrictions is not racism.

“There’s nothing hatred about what we’re doing,” he said. “I don’t hate anyone of color. But people of white, American-born citizens are in the minority now. Here’s a league for white players to play fundamental basketball, which they like.”

Lewis said he wants to emphasize fundamental basketball instead of “street-ball” played by “people of color.” He pointed out recent incidents in the NBA, including Gilbert Arenas’ indefinite suspension after bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker room, as examples of fans’ dissatisfaction with the way current professional sports are run.

“Would you want to go to the game and worry about a player flipping you off or attacking you in the stands or grabbing their crotch?” he said. “That’s the culture today, and in a free country we should have the right to move ourselves in a better direction.”

That’s a great idea. While we’re at it why don’t we create a blacks only hockey league; a Hispanics only golf league; and even an Asian only football league. Wait, racial profiling is a thing of the past? Slavery was ended 150 years ago? We are supposed to live in a world of tolerance and social equality? What an idiot.

- Chris

It was a hard battle, and the rest of the team did all that they could, but in the end, the Vikings couldn’t overcome the inevitable truth that Brett Favre (with quite a bit of help from Adrian Peterson) would crumble and blow it all when the final horn sounded. In the biggest game of the year, Favre went 28/46 for 310 yards a score and two picks, the second in the final minute of the game. It was a perfect example of what NFL realists have been trying to explain to the rest of the world for some time now. What Favre worshipers call “gun slinging” in reality is nothing more than being irresponsible with the football. Already in field goal range, Favre, who mind you was hurt during the third quarter, passed up what would have been an easy ten yard scramble instead to throw across his body to the opposite side of the field and into the hands of the defense. While Favre was far from the sole culprit in this embarrassing loss, had he simply thrown the ball out of bounds for once in his career they would have won the game. Instead, the Saints win the coin flip and easily drive down the field to kick the winning field goal.

Before this weekend I was still undecided who the best team in the NFC was, but after watching this game it became clear to me that the Vikings were the the cream of the crop. They had talent at every position with play makers on both sides of the ball. However, you can’t win in the playoffs when you turn the ball over. On top of two interceptions by Favre, the Vikings fumbled the ball six times, losing three of them. Two of the fumbles were by Adrian Peterson, hands down a superstar, but likely vanished to the bench on a Bill Belichick coached team. Despite what seemed like a turnover on every drive, the Vikings still managed to almost pull it out. But in the end, Favre came back to bite them, just like I knew he would.

Many people are now asking what’s next for Favre. It seems to me like he has a pretty consistent track record. He will debate for months whether or not he should retire, then he will leak stories all spring about maybe coming back, then finally he will announce his final comeback with a team to be determined in the future. It seems pretty obvious to me, no?

And one more thing to take note of, if this was indeed Brett Favre’s last game with the Vikings he will have thrown an interception on his final pass attempt for every team he has played on. Fitting if you ask me.

- Chris

He has to be, right? He makes literally every field goal during the regular season and then once the pressure mounts during the playoffs all he does is fold. Not only this year either, he has consistently sucked after week 17.

2005 – Missed a 40 yard game winner in the Wild Card game

2006 – Missed a 50 yard game tying field goal against the Patriots

2007 – He missed two field goals

2009 – Three, count them, three field goals in the 17-14 loss to the sixth seeded Jets this past weekend.

Of course this happens against the Jets too, really a slap in the face to all Patriots fans. Fucker.

- Chris

Just one day after the MLB Players Association came out publicly accusing the Florida Marlins of not spending enough of their cash received from revenue sharing, the team signs young stud Josh Johnson to a four year extension worth $39 million, $1 million more than the deal Zack Greinke signed prior to his 2009 Cy Young season. The deal calls for Johnson to earn $3.75 mm in 2010 and $7.75 mm, $13.75mm, $13.75mm in the following three years.

It’s hard not to look at this deal and then the Marlins opening day payroll over the last four years (’06 $14.9 mm, ‘07 $30.5 mm, ‘08 $21.8 mm, ‘09 $36.8 mm) and wonder how on earth they are going to keep both Johnson and Hanley Ramirez on the team past the 2010 season. Hanley is set to make $7 mm in 2010 and then $11 mm, $15 mm, $15.5 mm, and $16 mm over the next four years. Combined, Johnson and Hanley will command $18.75 mm in 2011, $28.75 mm in 2012, and $29.25 mm in 2013. These totals exceed what the team paid in total payroll in 2006 as well as 2008 and take up the majority of the 2007 and 2009 total payrolls as well. Based on the Marlins past history and reluctance to spend any money, there is  reason to believe that neither of these players will become permanent fixtures of the Marlins franchise. Odds are they will both be traded for a plethora of prospects whom the Marlins will pay next to nothing to put a serviceable team on the field.

Obviously the odds of the Red Sox landing either of these players via trade, let a long both of them, is slim. But we all know how much Theo Epstein loves Hanley Ramirez. And you can bet your ass a young pitcher like Johnson would really tickle their feathers as well. I will likely have to settle with owning both on my 2011 fantasy baseball team, but hey, a guy can dream, right?

- Chris