Spielman....craven GM of the team I used to love, the Minnesota Vikings, got the task of telling the world that the Vikings are once again going to play Adrian Peterson, despite the child abuse charges pending in TX against the football-star-pretend-daddy.
Note the wallpaper behind him.... a press banner. It features the "Radisson" chain as the sponsor. Radisson hotels are owned by a former alma mater of mine, Carlson industries. Very, very big in Minnesota. Imagine tuning in and seeing your name splashed behind a guy who is putting football star idolatry and $$$$ in front of common decency. This just in. Radisson is suspending sponsorship of the Vikings for further review. Let's hope other sponsors join. Because until the NFL gets beaten in the pocketbook, they will do just as they please to protect their stars.
In suspending Peterson, the Vikings were NOT following their own precedents.
The Vikings sat out lesser stars. Last year they dropped AJ Jefferson one day after a domestic abuse incident. And they cut Caleb King on the practice squad in 2012 when he was jailed for fighting and causing a man serious injury. Most famously, they sat out Chris Cook in 2011 for 10 games. Cook was aquitted and went on to play 2 more years in Minnesota before going to SF.
But after a single, horrific loss without the star, the Vikings decided to renege. They decided to follow the "innocent until proved guilty" line for Peterson, even AFTER seeing the horrific pictures of the cuts on the boys legs and torso. A 4 year old. Yeah. His daddy will show him how to behave.
Peterson is rumored to have fathered 5-7 children with different mommas. One of his children was beaten to death last year by the boyfriend of said momma. The league mourned with Peterson until they learned that Peterson did not even meet the child until he was hospitalized and died.
Adrian Peterson is a great football player and a lousy human being. The Vikings have lost me forever.
YAWN. Another bad BCS bowl. Perhaps the playoff system will make it better in a few years, but honestly, it is hard to see past the SEC dominance.
On the other side of the coin... this was a weekend of NFL playoffs that might go down in history as the most exciting ever... and that is without me having a dog in the hunt. Overtime...and last minute plays, especially in the Atlanta vs. Seattle and Denver vs. Baltimore games were nailbiting. Neither of my favorites won these, and I find myself having to root for San Francisco without a whole lot of enthusiasm.
Surprised as I could be that 70+ Monte Kiffin, above, the great defensive coordinator is leaving college ball and his son's team to coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Monte's defense didn't work out at USC (they sucked)... but I really never saw him as coaching at the college level, anyway. It will be interesting to see what transpires.
Speaking of NFL football, coach Mike Shanahan ought to be horsewhipped for endangering RGIII's career by throwing him away on a first round playoff game. Awful and self-serving decision. Seems RGIII and the doctor went right along with it. Now III will be rehabbing for 6-8 months.
You could probably guess that. All you'd have to do is look back in time and see my inability to think clearly when confronted with Sarah Palin, and my endless critique of her, before she became irrelevant. Because Tim Tebow is Sarah Palin. He's a carnival of fan adoration and an object of polarization to those who aren't fans. He's a big hype, modestly contributing actions to build the myth and believe that he is the REAL DEAL. He has fallen prey to his own press, much of which follows him because he does things he's sure will make them follow. He trades on his own faith and religion publicly; I believe he believes, but true believers don't have to demonstrate on a grand stage with Biblical verses painted on their faces and their own version of the Catholic genuflect rolled out on the football field. It's rolled out only when they win or he makes a big play, not if things are not going well. The media makes much about how big an audience his TV games draw. Easy to explain....there are thousands and thousands of fans, but there are also thousands and thousands like me, who really despise the grandstanding. We turn on the TV to watch the train wreck.
Tim Tebow is a great athlete that could have a stunning 10-15 year career in the league as a tight end. But there are no screaming fans and endless press for tight ends, so Tim will not accept his limitations and has determined that he will stay as a quarterback. In the offseason, they will work him endlessly, trying to get his skillset matched up with what a quarterback in the NFL has to do....things that young Cam Newton does effortlessly. So Tebow is doggedly going to stay with the job that makes the headlines. And accept credit for the turnaround of a team that had no chance of winning without their bright defense and excellent kicker. No need to tell me how the other players feel about him. I can guess based on how his former Florida team felt. A grandstander. That is why he stayed on the field after his team lost miserably Saturday night. The rest of the team headed straight for the locker room, to heal, reflect and grieve. Tebow stayed on the field and danced around, congratulating a couple of Patriots, meandering aimlessly, press following, taking energy off the Patriots, who played a superb game.
Did no one tell him that losers leave the field to the victors?
Like Sarah, Tim likes the bigger stage. It fits with his viewpoint about himself. He doesn't have to listen to critics. They are "the haters". His following will lift him up. 10 years from now, we'll probably wake up and his wife will have hit him with a golf club somewhere in Orlando.
I will do my best not to continue to post about him endlessly.
I'm settling in with some falling-off-the bone Memphis Rub babybacks and the Alabama-LSU game, which promises to maybe exceed the BCS #1 bowl we'll all see in January. Football sure has changed in the South; when I came to Florida, every Saturday afternoon was a big one in the SEC and ACC or when cross division rivals like Florida and FSU played each other on autumn afternoons. Now, the big money has made the big games go prime time... and, the weather is so nice at this part of the year that night football in the south is really great!
I had an excellent week of cruising around smoothly in my new 5-speed 2012 JETTA! (My 4th Jetta....); Tom has my 2002 Diesel now. The Jetta is a spectacular White Gold with a Latte Macchiato interior (coffee/cream color seats, with carpet and trim all a deep coffee brown). It's my first new car in 12 years. I'm savoring every minute!
Postscript for Marion: Of COURSE I'm rooting for LSU. Sabin is an evil being.
Having suffered a stroke on Friday, Lee Roy Selmon, ":Mr. Football" of Tampa Bay seemed to be recovering, but suddenly died today. Tampa Bay mourns. Although quarterback Doug Williams, fullback Mike Alstott, Linebacker Derrick Brooks and the slightly unsavory Warren Sapp are all big in Buccaneer history, no one quite captured the nature of Tampa Bay like their first ever draft pick, in 1976. He was an All American with his brothers at Oklahoma, and lived through the difficulty of the winless year that was the Buc's first... only to be elected as NFC Defensive player of 1979, when the Bucs went to the division championships. He retired after 9 years, with 6 Pro Bowls.... and got elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995.
Selmon was a pioneer in bringing Division I football to our local "suitcase" school, USF, as the athletic director. USF beat Notre Dame last night, and every player wore #63...Selomon's number with the Bucs. After his pro career, Lee Roy stayed in Tampa and raised his family... his son, Lee Roy Jr. went to high school with my daughter. Lee Roy was only a few months younger than I, and is commemorated in local landmarks; the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway here, and the restaurant chain he started: "Lee Roy Selmon's Barbeque".
A truly great and gracious man, he will be missed.
After the long wait, the championship game we all malign (due to the lack of a playoff series) came off last night, as exciting as it could possibly be. I had once vowed to root for Oregon as soon as the Ducks took the field in a uniform that was not from the dark side of the moon. They did that Tuesday night... the chartreuse yellow socks, etal, were jarring, but the team looked great. Unfortunately, they were playing Auburn and I know that the force of Bob's whole family was behind the Tigers. My college roommate is also a Dean there. So, Auburn it was, as two, fine previously undefeated teams took the field. I can't write as well as local sportswriter John Romano, so here's his take:
AFTER A LONG WAIT, YEAR OF THE TIGER
For the Auburn players, there is joy.
They are the ones who sweated in the summer, battled in the fall and emerged victorious in the end.
For the Auburn decisionmakers, there is relief.
They are the ones who gambled on an unproven head coach and stood by a renegade quarterback.
And for the Auburn fan?
This morning, there is salvation. Or vindication. Or restitution. Or whatever you want to call what happens when you devote every fiber of your soul to a football program that goes 53 years between national championships. For Auburn, the wait is over! Barely, but it's over.
On the final play of the 2010 season, Wes Byrum kicked a 19 yard field goal to beat Oregon 22-19 in the BCS Championship game on Monday night. This is Auburn's 3rd unbeaten season in 17 years, and the first time in those 17 that they won the ultimate prize.
The defense, ranked 54th in the nation was better than expected in stopping Oregon's potent offense, and Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton was as good as advertised; although the hero of the game turned out to be freshman running back Michael Dyer. Newton had a dreadful first quarter, but once the Ducks took at 3-0 lead, Newton came alive. The final drive after Oregon had tied the game in the last three minutes will forever be a part of Tiger lore.
For until now, the Tigers have been the Red Sox with a drawl. The New York Rangers on the plains. They have been a grand program with a grand history and a giant hole in their resume when it comes to titles. They have had national titles in sight, in their hands and in their hearts, but never put another one down on paper.
All that changed last night. Congratulations, Tigers!!
I'm up early, cooking. I've been assigned the veggies and bread. Of course, I will make the traditional sweet potato biscuits.
Veggies are garlic green beans, eggplant caponate and Marion's family sweet potato souffle. I'm stoked to be cooking!!!!
I thought I would give y'all some insight on the famous Macy's parade, since I have a bit of an insider's view this year. Here you go:
Back in the 1920's, Macy's Parade balloons were released into the sky at the end of the parade. The balloons would float around for a few days until they eventually landed. An address label was sewn into each balloon, so whoever found and mailed back the balloon received a $50 gift certificate.
From 1942 to 1944, World War II brought the parade to a halt. With the scarcity of rubber and helium at an all time high, balloons were deflated and donated, providing 50 pounds of scrap rubber for the war effort.
Macy's has a facility, labeled "Parade Studio", in Hoboken, where the balloons are conceived and designed. The facility used to be a Tootsie Roll factory.
This year in football, there will be 3 games instead of 2. While the league tried its best to present competitive games this year, they wound up with 3 great teams... each in a different game, playing a team with a (yawn) record. Oh, well!
Enjoy your Turkey Day, and may all your families be blessed on this holiday!!
I've been frustrated by how little time I seem to have for writing, and couldn't figure it out. I am now working 40 hours a week, instead of 70, so wouldn't ya think I would be reviewing and posting regularly? I finally realized what was getting in the way ---
FOOTBALL!!
I've had a full weekend of college and half-day of pro football (after going to the Rays game Friday night....I gotta stay away...they lost and I am bad juju for them.... so I'll just follow from home).
The Bucs have surprised with two victories against mediocre opponents. And I'm pretty sure this won't continue (I have them 5-11 for the season). But yesterday's game was entertaining.
Kellen Winslow, pre-game -- he wracked up 83 yards receiving.
We're hoping for a solid year for the USF Bulls, now that they have a real coach of the Holtz variety. They lost to the Gators, but could have a strong year in the Big East. I may even be able to afford a game or two, live.
Rocky the Bull
And finally, it does my heart good to see the Evil Favre get his come-uppance. Two losses, and three interceptions and a fumble today. Show up for the pre-season you weenie prima donna!
Favre on the Sidelines in the Loss to Miami, Week 2
This comes along at a genius time...just when most of us are itching for the season to start. Maybe I'm just too big a football fan. But I can't stop watching this video. Although there are really some star shots here, and some big time football clips (sweetness! Landry! Joe Paterno with black hair!)...the best are the peewee and high school clips. Not to mention the shot of Chesney in his #7. Superb. If it moves me that much, I can't imagine how much it means to someone who played the game.
The darker side of football includes the ego of those who are raised up by their activities in the sport and who lose perspective of what is right and what is football.
Such an example is illustrated by the example of Jim Leavitt, coach of the University of South Florida Bulls. Leavitt is the frontspiece of the University’s effort to create a big time Division 1 football program. I have been a fan of their efforts. When I moved to Tampa in 1995, USF did not have a football program. A local “boy”, Jim Leavitt, who was the defensive coordinator at Kansas State (where he was mentored by Bill Snyder), came back, taking a pay cut, to start the program. USF fast tracked the program and gave Leavitt pretty much whatever he needed to do so (except a stadium; Leavitt had to “make do” with the new Bucs NFL stadium, Raymond James; initially attracting crowds of 12,000; there have been times in the last two years where USF football watchers filled the 66,000+ stadium.)
The University toiled in Division I-AA from 1997-2000, moved to Division I as an independent in 2001-2002, went to Conference USA in 2003-2004 and joined the Big East in 2005. There they were 9-4 in 2006, ascending to national prominence in 2007 when they defeated powerhouse West Virginia. Such a meteoric rise is almost unprecedented in college football.
They got into the top 25 that year, and have had some successes since, though not as much as the University had hoped that Leavitt, a charismatic, often religious personality with a Bobby Knightish demeanor, would bring them. Leavitt, somewhat surprisingly, had risen to the level of doctoral student in psychology at the University of Iowa… a degree seeming to be a little “out of touch” with his sidelines persona. USF rewarded Leavitt handsomely with a $12.6 million 7 year contract extension in 2008, a big raise from his $7 million 2006 (7 year) contract.
With the money and the fame, and pursuit by bigger-time college programs, it appears that Leavitt’s ego has gone further and faster than his good sense. The incident that caused his recent downfall is the purported grabbing by the throat and facial slapping of one of his players at halftime. USF conducted an extensive internal review of the incident, hiring an outside law firm to assist. Clouding the issue is that, while the review went on (an probably in direct defiance of the confidentiality and “no retaliation” policies that exist whenever such an investigation is taken in the workplace) Leavitt had conversations with the player and purportedly told him to “choose your words wisely, I am the most powerful man in this building”. No doubt it was Leavitt’s lack of apology and denial of these words and most likely the facts of the situation that have resulted in his firing. Possibly (and I think more will come out) there have been other, non-reported incidents of similar behavior by Leavitt in the past.
In any case, the university could not see their way clear to keeping Leavitt, with apology and perhaps anger management study (USF has a great course, and also a great course in Workplace Violence Prevention) and fines. They terminated him on January 8.
Leavitt announced his intention to seek recourse against USF for wrongful termination this morning at an ill-advised press conference. In his rambling and emotional speech he cited “amen” and another religious reference, ill-advised. His lawyers are well-meaning employee rights and personal injury attorneys from his hometown. They are not prepared to play on a national level. He seeks reinstatement, hurting the University immeasurably in their search for a successor coach. Without success here, he may never coach again. Too, he may simply be looking for a decent settlement, since the $7+million left in his contract will be reduced to less that $67k in severance for termination with cause.
There needs to be a no tolerance policy for workplace violence in every workplace, and USF is no exception. That the coach did not display violence against another employee, but rather against a student (a customer, really) that put the University at risk is a clear cut case for termination. The student in question has hired a national profile attorney, Barry Cohen, to represent him against… the coach? The University? Certainly, by firing him, USF has mitigated this loss, although the whole affair hurts them athletically.
And while Leavitt's behavior publicly may be compared favorably to the ouster of known bully-to-all Mark Mangino and Mike Leach's downfall at Texas Tech (where he is said to have locked a player in a shed, humilating him, because he believed the player was faking a concussion)... all three are likely to keep their infamy alive simply by the "chaining" of these incidents. As one notable sportswriter said: "Like the rest of college football, they all learned that it's okay for coaches to be coaches. It's not okay for them to be tyrants."
Leavitt's teams are among the most highly penalized in college football. Undisciplined...like the coach?
Is this a guy who is too tightly wrapped, or what???
