Brett Favre to Return??

No, he will not.

But that won't stop ESPN from trying to promote this imaginary story one more time.

For the last couple of years, ESPN has spent nearly all of their time covering Favre's returns when they should have been focusing on NFL Training Camp and the Baseball Season.

But instead, we are all forced to hear them blah blah blah about the greatness of Favre, his potential return and those effects on the NFL. Then we get to hear them blah blah blah more about how they are so sick of hearing about Brett Favre and how they want him to just make up his mind already.

See the inconsistency there?

I know that quite a few people have blamed Favre for his retiring and un-retiring over the last couple of years, but he has really become a sympathetic character in my mind with all these new rumors.

Please, let the man have time to breathe and speak to his wife, kids, and potential coaches in private. If you see him board a plane towards Philadelphia in three weeks then we can talk again.

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Approaching August

Tomorrow is July 25th which means it is the final week in July.

Baseball playoff races are heating up, Football (finally) is heading towards training camp and it is getting hot hot hot.

My air conditioning blew out so it is even hotter in my house.

So, I'd like to make mention of some of the things we should all be watching as we cruise into the month of August. These are in no particular order.

NL Central: This one is obvious. Three teams tied for first place, and none of them are going to win the Wild Card. So, it is an old fashioned playoff hunt; one winner and 2 losers. I'm rooting for the Pirates.

Brett Favre: I know, there has been nearly no mention of him coming back at all but you never know...

AL East: Can't beat the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Jered Weaver: If he keeps up the pace he is on now, he will have one of the greatest pitching seasons in the last 30 years.

Philadelphia Phillies: These guys never seem to get any credit but if they stay on track they will win 105 games this season.

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Tim Cowlishaw on Pardon the Interruption

This is great news. We all love Dan Lebatard and of course Tony Kornheiser, but it's cool for a little change of pace.

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NFL Lockout begins to get serious

I haven't been following the NFL Lockout as much as I should have, frankly because I always just assumed that come July 27th or so, it would have been over and all the players would be reporting to Training Camp.

But here we are on July 20th and there is still no resolution to the issue. Peter King has outlined that it would take at least 3 weeks (I can't find the article but take my word for it) before any Pre-season games be played and at least one Pre-season game before the season could begin. All told, this equals 4 weeks (about a month) from the signing of the CBA to the opening game.

With the NFL season set to begin on September 8th, that still leaves a solid 3 weeks to hammer out a deal with impeding the start of the season. But, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Hall of Fame game will not be played, nor will the scheduled first week of the Pre-Season. I know that the pre-season games are usually meaningless and incredibly boring, but there is still a little excitement when those first games come on the air.

The CBA negotiations are way to complicated for me to break down here, but you can check out Peter King's articles and twitter feed for constant updates and understandings. DO NOT check out ESPN's commentators; those guys have no idea what is going on. Adam Schefter already blew it when he said the lockout was basically over and would end sometime this week. If anything, it is just as complicated as ever especially with this new lawsuit over concussions by former players. Chris Mortensen is pretty solid, but I feel like he is on the air less and less. They need to get him back and let him be the main ESPN insider.

Thats all for now. I still have confidence it will be resolved without any delay in the season. Its just a matter of time.

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Are NASCAR Drivers Athletes?

No!!

I'm not a big NASCAR fan, but I don enjoy watching the end of a race here and there and am usually aware of who won the big races throughout the season.

So why is this question even relevant?

Well, Jimmie Johnson was up for "Best Male Athlete" at the ESPY awards a couple nights ago and Golden Tate (WR for the Seattle Seahawks) posted some interesting tweets about the nomination.

ShowtimeTate Golden Tate

Jimmy johnson up for best athlete???? Um nooo .. Driving a car does not show athleticism

13 Jul

Of course, there was a huge uproar about how drivers are athletes and they may even be better athletes than most of the players in the team sports. But, all those people are wrong and Tate is right.

Heres why. To be an athlete you need to demonstrate some form of excessive physical activity. I'm all for classifying NASCAR as a sport along with Chess, Fishing, Darts, heck throw in Dominos along with them. But, none of the participants in those events are athletes.

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Brandon Tierney Done at SNY's Wheelhouse

In preparation for his early August debut out in San Francisco, Brandon Tierney is wrapping things up over at his night gig at SNY tonight.

Thats right, sadly tonight will be Brandon's last time talking exclusively about New York Sports.

We've done the recap on his New York career in previous posts so I won't rehash it again. Take a look at the archives for where and how to keep in touch with him.

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Christian Lopez to pay for Jeter's 3000th hit?

Well, this somewhat heart warming story is about to take an ugly turn. After catching Derek Jeter's HR on saturday, Lopez took the high road and volunteered to give the ball back to Jeter. In return, he received quite a bit of free stuff from the Yankees, including memorabilia and tickets.

So this is all fine and dandy; everyone wins, nobody's feelings got hurt, and all participants look classy. Sadly though, the taxman could come calling and put a damper on this parade. The New York Times is reporting that based u

pon the value of these gifts (approximately $70,000), Lopez may be forced to pay nearly $14,000 in taxes (based upon the 20% capital gains tax).

Lopez already has nearly $100,000 in student loans and other debt, and another $14,000 bill is probably not what he expected when his girlfriend invited him to a Saturday afternoon Yankee game last week. But, such is the way of the world

we live in where nothing seems to be free anymore. The Yankees have to step up and pay this bill for Lopez (if the tax authorities do pursue this). It is the least they can do after Lopez was such a good guy about giving the baseball to Derek. Of course, if the Yankees do pay the bill, perhaps that would be considered another gift and Lopez would have to pay taxes on that too. But that is a risk I'm sure both sides would be willing to take.

My question is whether Jeter and the Yankees will have to pay taxes on the 3000th hit ball that Christian Lope gave to them. Since the ball is worth anywhere from $250,000 to $1,000,000, the Yankees and Jeter could be on the hook for a gigantic tax hit. If the authorities do go after Lopez, they should go after Jeter too. Its the only fair thing to do.

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American League First Half Awards

Well, we've reached the unofficial halfway point of the season and it is time to give out my first half awards.

AL MVP: Jose Bautista

Most people will tell you that it has been Adrian Gonzalez. These guys are beyond wrong. How can you now go with Jose Bautista? He is batting .334 with 31 HRs and 65 RBIs all top 4 in the AL, plus he leads the league in OBP and Slugging. Sure, he doesn't play on a playoff contender but he is absolutely dominating in the statistical categories.

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander

This one is a little bit tougher, as there are so many players who are having unbelievable pitching seasons. But Verlander takes the cake from all of them. He leads the league in Ks with 147 and his 0.87 WHIP leads the league as well. He is 12-4 and his consistent dominance is keeping the Tigers afloat in the competitive AL Central.

Suprisingly though, he has given up 12 HRs which is double nearly all the other "Top Pitchers" in the American League (Sabathia, Beckett, Weaver, and Felix Hernandez).

AL Rookie of the Year: I don't know

Are there any rookies out there have played really well?? If there are let me know.

AL Manager of the Year: Manny Acta

This one is really easy. The Indians have been terrible the last couple seasons, but have really turned it around this year. I know he was the manager last year as well and they were terrible, but he has found a way to win this year. I hope they make the playoffs. It is great for baseball when there is a strong competitive balance. Sure, there will always be some truly awful teams every season. But, if those teams bounce back a year or two later (like they do in the NFL) then it will keep hopes alive in every baseball city across America.

Anyways, I hope you like my choices. As usual, feel free to comment or email me as you like.

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