Monday, February 28, 2005

The Weekend Wrap

Things We Learned:

-Maurice Clarett is slow and may not get drafted, he ran a 4.72 40 at the NFL combine this weekend. Is this a surprise to anyone? Hey I am all for kids going pro in any sport if they feel they are ready, but again Clarett missed 2 seasons of football. How could anyone think he would be ready for the NFL? He wasn’t that fast when he played at Ohio State. I think he has a multitude of skills that a running back needs, but his lack of experience is what is going to hurt him the most when it comes draft day.

-Whether you like him or not, Barry Lamar Bonds is primed and ready for another huge season. Less than a month after knee surgery he stepped in on Sunday and took some light batting practice work. His rehab is way ahead of schedule and he wants to be out there to shatter records this year and shove it up the butts of all the people that hate him. I hope he injects himself as he crosses home plate when he breaks Hank Aaron’s record.

-The Atlanta Braves and GM John Schuerholz are still serious about their pitching staff. Over the weekend they finalized a long term deal with recently acquired right hander Tim Hudson. This is a franchise that always knows its priorities and gets them taken care of and that is why they are always a contender. (I could’ve been somebody, I Could’ve been a contender)

Things I Liked:

-The Sacramento Kings are already 2-0 without the great Chris Webber. And they are doing this still without Peja Stojakovic. Getting rid of Webber is the old addition by subtraction rule

-I am a New York Giants fan, so I was pleasantly surprised when I heard they are in the running to try and land free agent Wide Receiver Derrick Mason. Normally, since the inception of free agency in the mid 90’s, the Giant philosophy is to pretend as if the Free Agent era has not begun and to not actually sign anyone. However, this was mostly done under the late George Young. General Manager Ernie Acorsi (a Young disciple) seems to have a little better grasp and the rules that you are in fact allowed to sign a player who is a free agent.

Things I Disliked:

-The NFL Combine. Outside of the whole Clarett slow run this thing has no real buzz about it. This year they are televising live coverage on the NFL network but I have not heard about guys stock rising and falling yet. I think GM’s are beginning to finally put les emphasis on these workouts and relying on the production the player had when he was on the field.

-This whole John Chaney situation has gotten completely out of hand. This happens more than anyone cares to know in sports and by people who have half the character of John Chaney. The shame of it all is that there are people out there who are just learning about this man and all they know him for is this incident. This man’s record of educating underprivileged young men through basketball is without equal in the world of sports. He is caring, thoughtful, kind, gentle, bright and most importantly compassionate human being.

DID YOU KNOW OF THE WEEK?

This weekend, as member institutions released their Academic Progress Rate (APR) Reports, the NCAA governing body ruled that it may begin to pull scholarships from schools under its new academic guidelines. A system has been put in place to asses a point total from 0-1,000. Most of the athletic programs in the country received grades higher than the cut line of 925. However, averages for baseball programs were 922 and 923 for basketball and football. The most notable low programs were Fresno State and Baylor (after the shooting of death of Patrick Denehy which greatly effected there graduation rates), both received scores in the low 600’s. And there are 3 teams in the top 10 of college basketball who are right now below the line, Kentucky, Louisville, and Washington. None of the Top 10 football programs in the country were below this line.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

So, don't we all think Maurice Clarett should have spent a season in the CFL or something other than sit on his ass and lift weights while he awaited trial?
Kris, are we the only two people that realize that U.S. Bonds is gonna hit close to .400. It either goes, he'll dominate like last year or people will think he's off the juice, he's coming back from injury, let's pitch to him and get burned like food.
"You cookin', bitch?" - Black Bush on Chappelle.
I hate the Braves, but their front office and coaching staff is always one of the best in baseball. Throw in their minor league staff in that equation as well. Also, name me a pitcher that Mazzone has touched, then got rid of that was any good. Jaret Wright, we're looking at John Burkett and Denny Neagle right now, but will you join them?
Are you forgeting about the last Tennessee Titan free agent we signed that flopped like pancakes at 5-Star? What's the name of that DE that was suppossed to take pressure off Michael Strahan?
Speaking of the NFL Combine, how's Mike Mamula doing these days?
Yes, John Chaney has done a lot of good for black basketball players and making sure inner city kids get degrees, but people don't know about him because A. he has no rings. B. Has he been to more than one Final Four? C. His greatest NBA players are Eddie Jones and Aaron McKie.
I completely agree that Chaney is great, but did anyone have him on the Mount Rushmore of college coaches before, during or after this outburst? His legacy was going to be chasing John Calapari at a press conference for his head, screaming 'I'll Kill You, Cracker!'
OK, he didn't say the cracker part, but that would have been cool. Point is, Cheney is a great man, he's done a lot of great things, but the facts are he controlled a water-downed conference for years - I mean, The A-10 had 2-4 tourney teams tops during the 80s and 90s. He did develop the matchup zone, a great defense but never got the primo talent to push Temple to the top. I say he comes back for one more season and hangs it up, not because of this mess, but because it's time to go, but then again, it's not going to hurt anyone if he stays. Morons that want his head are quick to jump on any bandwagon, so nuts to them.
AND FINALLY, no mention about the Oscars? Nothing about how funny Chris Rock was, at least the trip to Compton and everyone loving White Chicks? How about the fact that Sean Penn needs to just shut the fuck up or I really need to learn spanish so I can holler at Penelope Cruz or Selma? Nothing huh...
Oh well, see you in New York soon.
Beanard King OUT.

12:03 PM  

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