European Fashion

Thank you Josh Childress. Ever since you signed your unprecedented 3-year, $20 million contract with Euroleague club Olympiacos NBA fans worldwide have gone into panic.

Childress a four year NBA vet averaged 11.0 points, 1.8 assists, and a miniscule 0.5 steals per game as a member of the Atlanta Hakws. At best he was a solid bench player in the NBA, in Europe he is already being called an American "Superstar."

If Childress is being viewed as a superstar imagine what Kobe Bryant and LeBron James would be. Basketball gods? Immortal hoopsters? Whatever they'd be viewed as, one thing is for sure, they would be rolling in cash. 

James and Bryant have both claimed they would definitely consider playing in Europe once they become free agents in 2010, and how could you blame them? They'd be nuts if they at least didn't look into playing for $50 million A YEAR! That's right, rumor has it that James and Bryant's opening negotiations would start in the 45-50 million dollar range.

Because European leagues do not have a salary cap they are free to toss around as much money as they would like to lure NBA stars.

It is a scary thought, losing the players who are currently donning the red,white, and blue in the Olympics to some team named the Olympiacos. 

Who knows, maybe Bryant and James are just using this a negotiating platform for when they can receive new contracts in two seasons -- or maybe -- they are paving the way for the latest European fashion.

Only time will tell.

In other news former NBA forward Shawn Kemp reportedly signed a deal with the Italian team Premiata Montegranaro. The  six-time all-star hasn't played since the 02-03 season.

Kemp has tried to make several comebacks in both the NBA and Rome, but has not been able to stick with a team.  

 

May-Treanor and Walsh: The best keep getting better

I have Olympic fever, caused by an overly compulsive need to watch every possible event in Beijing (including Equestrian) because I know in one week I am going to have to wait four more years for the 'Filet Mignon' of sporting events to be served again. 

My brain is fried and is on the verge of exploding, due to an un-healthy intake of NBC's HD coverage. My temperature is reaching the boiling point, and the cure to solve this disease is simple: More. 

I need more Dwayne Wade to Kobe Bryant, I need more Michael Phelps quest for eight, and a small sample of Track and Field would do me well. But what I need most of all is Women's Olympic Beach Volleyball. 

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are outrageous.  They flow like a well-oiled machine, and attack like a starved Tiger being let out of a cage. Their level of intensity and skill is incomparable to other teams in the world. 

If you take Michael Phelps out of the equation we might have the most dominant American Olympic athletes in these games. The Athens Gold medalists took one step closer to solidifying their dominance over the sport on Friday against the Belgiums

The duo defeated Belgium 24-22, and 21-10 on Friday. The Americans triumphed against five set points to rally and win the first match and cruised in the second in a 15 minute fashion.

Th victory gives May-Treanor and Walsh their 105th consecutive win. The #1 seeded combo are yet to lose a set in Beijing and will now move into the quarterfinals.

The two have been playing together since 2000, and the games in Beijing are their third.

In the 2000 Sydney games, May-Treanor strained her Abdominal muscle, and they finished a disappointing fifth.

After four years of mastering the international and domestic scene, the two won the Gold in Athens, and didn't lose a game in their seven matches in '04.

Although Walsh has had multiple shoulder surgeries the last few years -- including rotator cuff surgery in November-- the two seem to be cruising nicely on their way to repeating their 2004 performance. The two are yet to lose a game in Beijing, and their 24-22 victory of Belgium is the closest any opponent has gotten so far. 

Speculation says these will the final Olympic games for the tandem, as both are rumored to be looking to spend more time with family after these games.

Take it from me -- a man who has logged nearly twenty-two hours of Olympic coverage to his TiVO -- you want watch the 'Golden Girls' dominate their sport like very few have while you still have the chance to. 

Here is a slideshow of May-Treanor and Walsh through their first few games at the Olympics. 

 

A Letter to the commissioner

Dear Commissioner Goodell, 

How are ya sir? Gettng excited for the 2008 season to kick off?  

I'm sure as you know there are three weeks till the Giants and Redskins kick off the 2008 NFL Season. That means we are twenty-one days away from excessive chest pounding, dressing up as if we were going into battle, and consuming ungodly amounts of meat -- but before we can come up with excuses for missing Church or a family wedding because the Colts and Patriots are on -- we must endure three more weeks of torturous preseason ball.

Preseason football is like sex -- at first it's nice and enjoyable -- than after five (maybe ten) minutes you're bored and looking for the remote.

Granted I may not be the most die-hard NFL Fan, but who in their right mind says that actually enjoy preseason football? No one. 

If you're trying to find out how your team will play during the regular season based on one or two drives by the first team, you might as well try to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.

Did you know that in 2007 the Colts, Packers, Giants, and Patriots all finished last in their respective divisions during the preseason. All four made the playoffs -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- but I do believe the Patriots and Giants had themselves a pretty good year. 

You don't even get to watch the big guns play for more than one or two drives. I understand the logic of trying to figure out who will fill out the 3rd team defense and practice squad, but for some reason I just don't get giddy about it. 

I don't blame the teams for not starting their stars such as Ray Lewis, Tom Brady, Jason Taylor and Adrian Peterson but when they're sitting out than so am I. 

And I'm not alone in my detestation to the preseason even the NFL is looking for change I hear. Rumor has it that you've desperately  been looking into the possibility of shortening the preseason from four weeks to three, and adding an eighteenth week to the regular season. (OMG that'd be so sweet!)

So excuse me if I have a hard time garnering interest into players who most likely won't be on the team come Week 1. I don't know about you but I'd rather watch Drew Brees hand the ball off to Reggie Bush, the Tyler Palko to Lynell Hamilton combo just doesn't get it done for me. 

 

Pardon the whining, I'll try to find something to watch for now. Apparently the Major League Baseball pennant races heating up and I hear the Olympics are on again this year. I guess that'll do for now. See you in three weeks.  

Sincerely,

Sean Youngberg

Pennington Sweepstakes Heating Up

As soon as we were finally able to let out a gigantic sigh of relief over the 'Favre Hostage Crisis,' it looks like we are about to get caught up in an entirely new circus. A circus I like to call, the Chad Pennington Sweepstakes. 

The magnitude of the Chad Pennington Sweepstakes may not on the same level as the Favre dilemma, heck, many of you probably believe it's blasphemous I even consider the two situations linked at all. 

As soon as Favre was traded to the Jets, Pennington might as well have begun to pack his bags.

Favre will be the starter for the New York Jets, the young Kellen Clemens will be his understudy, and Pennington will be looking for a new team to suit up for. 

It is still very possible that Pennington could be a starter somewhere in the NFL -- it's more likely he'll be donning a headset and a clipboard -- but still possible he could be under center sometime this season.

The Jets have not decided if they will try to trade or release the oft-injured QB, but he will receive his one-way ticket out of New York sometime in the next 24 hours.

That being said let's take a look around the NFL and see what teams could be possible destinations for the QB who has only once played all 16 regular season games in his nine year career. 

I have created a rate-o-meter; Cold, Mild, Hot, and Extreme Heat Advisory Warning; that I will use to rank the teams interest as I see it. 

AFC East

New England Patriots - The Pats have four QBs already on their roster but don't count out the possibility that Belichick might take a stab at his old prodigy by signing his ex-starter in hopes to divulge some 'Man-Genius' secrets. Mild

Miami Dolphins - Josh McCown and John Beck are dueling it out for the starting role, while 2nd round pick Chad Henne waits in the wings, but Parcells could have interest in Pennington who could bring stability to a team in the beginning stages of a massive re-building phase. Cold

Buffalo Bills - Trent Edwards is the man but if he can't handle the job J.P. Losman will be ready to step in. Buffalo could bring in Pennington as an insurance policy or as a way to light a fire under Edwards rear-end. Cold

New York Jets - Oh wait...

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens - The Ravens have a surplus of capable quarterbacks on their roster (or so they believe) there is no room for Chad in John Harbaugh's offense. Cold

Cleveland Browns - Derek Anderson is the starte, Brady Quinn has a solid grip on the number two job, while former Heisman Trophy winner Ken Dorsey is a lock to hold on to his spot as number three on the depth chart. Cold

Cincinnati Bengals - After Carson Palmer no QB on the Bengals roster has more than two years of experience, Pennington could show himself to be a very capable backup, hey Jon Kitna spent years riding the pine in Cinci and now he's a starter...it could happen. Hot

Pittsburgh Steelers- He won't start in the Steel City, and Charlie Batch is one of the most dependable and intelligent backups in the game. That's all she wrote. Cold (freezing) 

 

AFC South

Houston Texans - Matt Schaub is signed to a long-term deal, and Houston refused to part ways with backup Sage Rosenfels even after teams offered a 2nd round pick in return. Cold

Indianapolis Colts - Quinn Gray was signed in the off-season to backup Peyton Manning, so it is unlikely the Colts would be willing to part ways with draft picks or cash when they don't need to. Cold

Jacksonville Jaguars - Cleo Lemon and Todd Bouman are the backups here and Pennington has more talent in his surgerically repaired shoulders than both of them. He would make for a great insurance policy to potential Pro-Bowler David Garrard who missed three games last season due to injury. Hot

Tennessee Titans - Vince Young is the franchise player and backup Kerry Collins (believe it or not) is the second-leading active passer in the NFL, looks like there's no room in the Music City. Cold

AFC West

Denver Broncos - Patrick Ramsey defines inconsistent; as a starter he compiled a 10-14 record, but does have a positive TD to INT ratio (34 to 29). The Broncos don't need another QB but the idea could intrigue Mike Shanahan to take a gander at acquiring Pennington. Mild

Kansas City Chiefs - This may be the perfect fit for Pennington. Herm Edwards his former ball coach in New York is the head coach in KC, the team is young and in a re-building phase, the Chiefs could use a veteran presence under center, and Brodie Croyle has not played well since taking over as the starter mid-way through last season. Extreme Heat Advisory Warning

Oakland Raiders - JaMarcus Russell is the man for the Silver and Black or at least Al Davis hopes so, back up Andrew Walter shows a lot of promise and could end up a starter one day. Cold

San Diego Chargers - Philip Rivers is 25-7 since taking over as the Bolts starter, and even though he's coming off major knee surgery he looks to be doing fine. Although backup Billy Volek is nothing special he has shown to be reliable in limited opportunities. Cold

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys - Tony Romo is the young stud in Dallas, but his backup the old and worn down Brad Johnson is on his last legs. Johnson is an intelligent backup who might have some gas left in the tank but it makes sense for Dallas to acquire the younger Pennington to bring in someone who can play well if Romo should go down with injury. Mild

New York Giants - The Giants already signed their oft-injured backup who never lived up to the hype when they picked free agent David Carr in the off-season. Cold

Philadelphia Eagles - Although Donovan McNabb hasn't played an entire season since 2003 he is the starter in Philly, his predecessor Kevin Kolb waits on deck, and the reliable A.J. Feeley is in the hole. Cold 

Washington Redskins - Jason Campbell has been groomed for three seasons now to be the man in D.C. if not Todd Collins, who came in last year when Campbell went down to win four games and earn a playoff berth is a very efficient backup. Although we never know what Dan Snyder is thinking or planning to do, it's safe to say he's happy with the QB situation in our nations capital. Cold

NFC North

Chicago Bears- Every team in the NFC North needs quarterback help, none so as badly as the bears. They don't have a juggernaut running attack like the Vikings, a playoff caliber team like the Packers, or a potential top notch offense like the Lions. When you have to flip a coin to decide who will be your first team quarterback, you know things have gone array. Extreme Heat Advisory Warning

Detroit Lions - Of the four teams in the North the Lions seem to be in the best position when it comes to QB depth. But a closer look shows us Jon Kitna has been consistenly inconsistent while backups Drew Stanton and Dan Orlovsky combine for a total of two regular season appearances, no starts and zero touchdowns. Hot

Green Bay Packers - When they tossed Favre to the corner they got rid of the franchise's best player and arguably one of the best signal callers to ever play the game. What an interesting turn of events it would be if Pennington ended up the veteran backup to Aaron Rodgers. Hot

Minnesota Vikings - No team has more potential to have a blowout season this year, it all comes down to Tavaris Jackson. If the second year starter can minimize errors than the Vikes are poised to make a big run in '08. Backup Gus Frerotte provides Minnesota with a seasoned veteran if Jackson should become injured or cannot produce under the pressure. Mild

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons - We're still waiting to see if Matt Ryan will be thrown to the wolves or if first year coach Mike Smith will be patient with the 'savior of the organization.' Nonetheless, Ryan is the future of the team, while the likes of Joey Harrington, Chris Redman and D.J. Shockley will have to battle it out for the final roster positions on the depth chart. Cold

Carolina Panthers - We will have to wait and see if Jake Delhomme can perform like he used to after Tommy John Surgery (all reports from training camp say he's throwing as well if not better than he used to.) Backup Matt Moore played well in three games last season, winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the month for December and putting up victories over NFC South Champions Tampa Bay and NFC West Champions Seattle. Mild

New Orleans Saints - The backup position in the Bayou was sealed up when the Saints signed sixteen year veteran Mark Brunell. Cold

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - You've heard it before, Jon Gruden collects quarterbacks like a stamp collector collects stamps or a deer collects ticks. But don't count on the defending NFC South Champs to make a move for Pennington just because they couldn't land Favre. Tampa Bay has five QBs currently on their roster including Jeff Garcia, Brian Griese, and Chris Simms who have all been starters in the NFL. Cold

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals - Second year head coach Ken Whisenhunt committed to Matt Leinart as the starter before training camp opened, what kind of message would he be sending if he went out and acquired Pennington? The Cards also have a very capable backup by the name of Kurt Warner. Cold

St. Louis Rams - The off-season signing of Trent Green gives the Rams a durable backup incase Marc Bulger gets injured once again -- however Green is getting up there in years and concussions -- a younger Pennington might suit St. Louis better. Mild

San Francisco 49ers - Alex Smith is looking more and more like a first round bust, and now the 49ers have themselves an undesirable position battle between Smith and seven year veteran Shaun Hill. Pennington would be a nice fit for San 

Francisco under new  offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Mild

Seattle Seahawks - Matt Hasselbeck, like a fine wine, seems to get better with age. Seneca Wallace and Charlie Frye provide the four time defending NFC West Champs with two efficent backups. Cold

Only time will tell where and what's next for Pennington.