Draft Diary is on, Chris will be chiming in via text, everything happens as I see no editing.
7:02 we are live from the man cave, spottf:ed cow in hand. NFL Network for my draft, Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Mooch, Micheal Irvin, and Draft Guru Mike Mayock are our announcers. Prime is on the stage
7:03 to a course of boos, Roger Goodell comes out and announces the 2012 draft is open.
7:04 Andrew Luck is on the phone.
7:05 Goodell announces Andrew Luck is the #1 overall pick, not shocked this has been known since week 12.
7:06 Andrew Lucks mom puts a Horshoe pin on his jacket, gotta protect the horshoe that left in the middle of the night to Indy.
7:07 Luck holds up a #12 Jersey, his hat wasn't horrible looks like he asked for bill to get bent before he got up there, must be some Skins fans there as a chant of RG3 breaks out.
7:08 Mayock is breaking down Luck the best prospect since John Elway, Mayock say athletisism is close to Cam Newton. I love the kid wish we could've gotten him, last year.
7:09 Redskins pick is in. RG3, RG3, RG3, RG3, RG3
7:10 Prime has to interview Luck before we can get the Skins pick in. Glad Prime's wife let him get to New York tonight. Two texts one wishing me luck, the other telling me to get excited a little.
7:11 let's get this moving, you got 4 months to interview these guys.
7:12 we've moved on from the Colts already, all I hear is how great RG3 is gonna be. I'm still scared we're getting Ryan Leaf to the Colts Peyton Manning.
7:13 Eisen Browns pick is in already and Goodell hasn't announced Skins pick yet. Redskins select Robert Griffin the third. I like the suit, his g/f though could use an upgrade.
7:14 again all we hear is how great a guy he is, and how he'll fit in the Skins system. RG3 looks like shit in the hat, dude won't be wearing many hats on the sidelines it looks like.
7:15 Griffin III on a #1 jersey, not sure what number he'll rock for the Skins. RG3 says he expects more from himself than any fan will expect from him. RG3 rocking Skins colored socks I like.
7:16 Browns pick is in, yet commercial.
7:17 Chris is wondering if Gaffney will sell his number to Griffin, I've heard the Skins want to trade him, so no.
7:18 With the Cleveland pick in all I can think is what is Minnesota gonna do, Claiborne seems like the pick but they might move back even farther, not sure what's gonna happen too bad we gotta wait for the Browns to get done before anything will be said.
7:19 This is the problem with the draft, ESPN and NFL network both cover it, so they both have to get their interviews in, therefore time is wasted when we could be moving.
7:20 Vikings pick is in, so we're 2 picks behind and the Bucs are on the clock. Cleveland Browns select Trent Richardson, RB Alabama, this was a known pick about an hour ago the Browns moved up one pick to get him. Also, since the end of the season people have been saying Richardson will be a Brown.
7:21 Chris says Kalil to Minny, I say Claiborne was the right pick we'll see.
7:22 for the record NFL Network isn't showing guys on cell phones so Chris may know who's going before I do since he's on ESPN.
7:23 I love how Nick Saban is always at the draft not many college coaches show up and hug their players on the way out. If I'm a kid and got a choice I'm going to Bama since my coach is there for me. NFL Network is reporting Jacksonville has moved into 5 and it sounds like Justin Blackmon is going to be a Jag. Also says Minnesota didn't take Blackmon.
7:25 Trent Richardson has both his kids on the stage, he has a 5 year old, dude keep it in your pants in the league. Chris says hats are embarassing, I agree New Era you've screwed the pooch.
7:26 Eisen says picks 2-7 have all been traded for, feel bad for the Rams they won't get Blackmon now that the Jags have moved up.
7:27 Marshall Faulk says the obvious with the wage scale teams are able to move up and get guys, sort of like the NBA Draft. #4 to the Vikings is Matt Kalil tackle USC. He's a big guy should work well in Minny but I liked Claiborne more.
7:28 Mayock declares the Rams will take Claiborne now, not bad for 6. Commercial for NFL Network, 4 picks in 28 minutes if it wasn't for the networks we'd have 6 done already.
7:30 Chris just said the next 3 picks are made, come on let's get going some of us have to work tomorrow. I already received an e-mail from the Redskins team store with RG3 shirts and hats, DAMN that was fast.
7:31 they show the trade between the Bucs and Jags, Bucs got a 4.
7:32 Dallas trades up to 6, Rams move back to 14. #5 Jacksonville takes Justin Blackmon.
7:33 I LOVE this kid, he's T.O. 2.0 in my eyes big body runs great routes, not a speed demon but a great player. Too bad he'll be in Jacksonville.
7:34 Irvin says Blackmon reminds him of Andre Johnson and Hakeem Nicks, that's a lot of hype. Chris says ESPN is going crazy for the Cowboys now, whoopity doo as long as 9 is their QB they suck.
7:36 Cowboys pick is in, Morris Claiborne has to be the pick.
7:37 #6 Cowboys select Morris Claiborne, hard to see a kid I like go to the Girls, sorry dude I hope your a bust now.
7:38 too many hugs when guys get picked act like your surprised you got invited to New York, your obviously getting picked.
7:39 they show him returning a punt, if I pick 6 I'm not letting him return punts. Cowboys still suck.
7:41 commercial again and the Bucs are using the whole clock apparently. Chris just texted me the trade for the Rams I missed it, Rams get a 2 and down too 14 for the Cowboys to move up 8 spots, it cost us 3 1's and a 2 to move up 4 damn the luck.
7:43 Again the hats are freaking ugly, Bucs pick is in let's get going.
7:44 first suprise of the night here comes Goodell, #7 Bucs select Mark Barron Safety Alabama. Mayock says his downside is a Pro Bowl safety.
7:46 Guessing we're gonna have 5 Alabama guys in the first round, we've got 2 so far in the top 7.
7:47 Mayock says Bucs will be good team next year, I'm not sold on Freeman. Time for the Dolphins to fuck themselves over and pick Tannehill
7:48 8 and 9 are both done already yet no Goodell come on, something needs to change.
7:49 right now the Bills are on the clock. Goodell comes out again #8 Ryan Tannehill, QB Texas A&M a kid who didn't play QB the whole time in college.
7:50 Mayock has him at 19 overall, I have him at 250, he's terrible, not a QB. congrats Dolphin fans your team is set back another 4 years.
7:52 Carolina pick is in, I think Floyd WR from Notre Dame here, or maybe Reiff from Iowa. Erb wants Fletcher Cox from Mississippi St. so does Mayock.
7:53 if it is Cox Buffalo will take Riley Reif from Iowa.
7:54 Buffalo pick is in, Tannehill says he just got married congrats. Chiefs are on the clock.
7:55 Carolina at #9 takes Luke Kuechly from Boston College, Linebacker. Kid is a stud, I know Todd McShay loved him.
7:57 Chris is saying Gilmore to Buffalo, which means Kansas City is doing the happy dance having Reif fall to them.
7:58 Bills pick is in let's get rolling here comes Roger, #10 Stephon Gilmore DB South Carolina, thought the DE Ingram would be first SC guy to come off board. Don't know what this kid brings but you need to cover to play in the AFC East I guess.
8:00 Erb says Poe for KC I think Reiff, Chiefs are using the clock, Arizona is trying to move back, according to Lombardi and La Confora two big insiders for NFL network.
8:01 Chiefs pick is in.
8:03 Mayock says Poe, Floyd, or Fletcher Cox. Mooch says Reif or Decastro from Stanford.
8:04 #11 Chiefs go Dontari Poe DT Memphis, the Chiefs again go for a D-Line guy, stupid pick in my eyes, how many times are the Chiefs gonna strike out on the D-Lineman before they give up.
8:05 Philly has moved up to 12, for Fletcher Cox, Seattle gets a 4 and a 6 for pick and move back to 15.
8:06 Chris says Cox for Philly as well not a big secret. This Poe dude sounds like a bust, dare I say Amobi Okoye? Mayock says his film is average but he's a workout warrior, yeah bust written all over him.
8:11 5 minutes between writing, yet the Eagles pick was in the whole time, let's get moving.
8:12 #12 Philly selects Fletcher Cox Mississippi St. DT. Cox is only 21 nice move Philly I fucking hate you.
8:13 Mayock can't resist to bring up the wide 9, shut up about the wide 9 it's not something Philly just came up with. Chris has informed me he's on the NFL Network now, can't resist Mayock I know.
8:14 before I die I'd like Mike Mayock to break down my film, good or bad review it'd be cool for him to tell me what he thinks of me.
8:15 Arizona is on the clock, Chris and Larry Fitzgerald want Malcom Floyd from Notre Dame, how far is Riley Reif gonna fall is what I'm wondering?
8:18 Cardinals pick is in Mayock is with me on Reif, #13 Micheal Floyd WR Notre Dame, Larry Fitzgerald gets his wish some talent opposite of him.
8:19 Mayock says he's best blocking WR in draft seems like a good fit for the Arizona
8:20 Rams are on the clock, don't think they can move off this pick again, Chris has Reif, I don't they just drafted a tackle a few years ago, I'm going D-Line Coples or Ingram.
8:22 STL pick is in, get it going I thought we were on 17 no we're only on 14 I'm gonna be here till midnight.
8:23 Chris again says Reiff.
8:25 another commercial this is gonna get old fast.
8:26 just read on Yahoo the Giants are putting Aubrey Huff on the DL for anxiety issues, yeah I'd be pissed too if I was getting paid to not hit with guys in scoring position.
8:27 Eisen just said all the pass rushers of this draft are still there, #14 Ram select Michael Brockers DT from LSU, ok I guess seems like they could've moved back for this guy.
8:28 find it odd that 3 DT's have been taken yet no DE/OLB's find it odd that in a passing league you'd rather have a run stuffer than a guy who can get after the QB.
8:29 Seattle's pick for 15 is in Reiff is gonna have to wait till at least 17 neither team is going for a Tackle.
8:30 Eisen and the boys say Seattle is going pass rusher here. Just made a bet with Erb that the Jets take Jones from Syracuse. #15 Bruce Irvin West Virginia, Mayock says best true pass rusher.
8:31 I'm calling REACH, big time REACH, Coples, Ingram or Jones for the Jets.
8:34 we're back with the Jets still on the clock. Erb says Ingram, I'm with Jones since the Jets threw it out they loved him.
8:36 problem with Jones is Coples and Ingram are both still there, which makes the value of Jones fall a lot. Jets don't need Reiff they got D'Brickashaw.
8:37 J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS is the cheer
8:38 what are we waiting for, come on, Eisen is perplexed the pass rushers aren't gone.
8:39 #16 Quinton Coples DE North Carolina, I thought this guy would go top ten he goes to the Jets. I question what the Jets will do with him, sounds like he'll play DE in the 3-4, not a premium pass rush position.
8:40 Chris says he looks like Julius Peppers, one pick and commercial, DAMN come on, Bengals on the clock, NOW Reiff goes.
8:42 NFL Network is pushing the top 100 players thing, my #1 guy in the league if I got to pick is Calvin Johnson love that guy.
8:44 sounds like Dre Kirkpatrick to the Bengals, can't believe Reiff is lasting this long. Chris is with Kirkpatrick as well.
8:45 Pick is in, let's roll. Eisen brings up this is the Raiders pick, and says this is the first Al Davisless draft, still miss that crazy old fucker
8:46 #17 Dre Kirkpatrick DB Alabama, 3rd Elephant taken in the 1st round, still got Hightower to go for the Tide. Mayock says the Bengals need some youth in the secondary, and he's the only top round DB left.
8:47 Chris says Coples looks stoned and Ingram to San Diego, I agree the Chargers could use Ingram, stand him up and turn him loose.
8:48 Micheal Irvin's breakdown of Kirkpatrick, "I talked to him and said man quit sizing me up, he said I do it to all WR's" nice breakdown shithead.
8:50 Chargers pick is in. Yet we're at commercial damn.
8:51 Dre Kirkpatrick wins best dressed, the hats still suck.
8:52 Chris is confirming Chargers went Ingram, Bears on the clock with tons of options.
8:53 I think Reiff for Chicago, b/c they have a QB who runs for his life. #18 Melvin Ingram DE/OLB South Caroalina, this kid went up the board then back down, he sounds like a stud to me.
8:54 Chris says Reiff as well.
8:56 Bears pick is in at 19, has to be Reiff.
8:57 Chris is not happy uh oh I won't read his texts until the pick is announced I'm guessing it's not Reiff.
8:59 NFL Network guys say DE, #19 Shea McClellin DE Boise St. I saw a mock today that said Packers for this kid. Can't believe they're gonna let Cutler die in the pocket.
9:00 Did Riley Reiff kill a guy and let the secret out or something?
9:01 Titans got their pick in, put the Pats moved into 21st, giving up a 3rd rounder and the Bengals move back to 27.
9:03 that's the point of having a hundred picks to move up always wonder why the Pats don't do it more. Can we move the fuck on, it's always 1 pick commercial, and we got 2 picks in Titans and Pats both are in.
9:04 Does Riley Reiff has a secret porn addiction? I'll say this whoever gets him is getting a hell of a deal and I wouldn't be surprised if someone didn't trade up to get this guy.
9:06 Browns have turned their pick in, we're 3 behind. #20 Kendall Wright WR Baylor to the Titans
9:07 not sure about this kid but today Chris tried telling me RG3 made something out of nothing but Baylor just had a kid go 1st round so far Luck is the only Stanford kid gone pretty sure Baylor had a ton of talent. Mooch call Wright a bigger Desean Jackson.
9:08 Faulk says watch film not the 40 number from combine what unique perspective watch a kid play the game instead of test in it. 11 picks left I might make it.
9:09 New England pick is in, pretty sure Jones is going here, Lions have their pick in, so we're still 3 behind.
9:10 Mayock, Chris and Me all have Chandler Jones #21 Chandler Jones DE Syracuse, Mayock says he'll put 20 pounds on in the next 3 years.
9:11 Chris is still realing from the Bears pick. Browns have 22nd pick and it's in.
9:12 #22 Brandon Weeden QB Oklahoma St. This was almost a given lots of people had Weeden going here. My problem with Weeden is this, he's older than the guy you got now, he's 28 years old. I'm not a fan of his or Tannehill thought there were better options at Qb.
9:13 Goodell brings out soldiers from all the different branches of the military, good moment except for the Lee Greenwood, enough Lee Greenwood.
9:15 Here is my thought on QB's Ryan Mallet waited till forever last year, yet a Granpa and a WR get drafted as QB's in the first round this year? Should've pounced on Mallet when you had your shot.
9:17 just remembered Andrew Luck is one goofy looking dude.
9:18 Lions pick is in, Steelers pick is in, Pats moved up again into the Bronco's pick. Next years first player on IR Calvin Johnson to announce the Lions pick, I'm going Reiff.
9:19 Megatron says #23 Riley Reiff Tackle IOWA, Mayock says hey that's a good pick.
9:20 Great pick for the Lions Jeff Backus is 35, so Reiff makes sense, and frankly he's a top ten talent you got at 23. #24 Steelers David DeCastro Guard Stanford, this kid is all STUD.
9:21 DeCastro will start right away for them.
9:22 Pats gave up a 4 to move up to 25, and the Bronco's move back to 31. Patriots have 2 picks left.
9:23 #25 Dont'A Hightower OLB Alabama, watch out for New England Hightower is a pure stud or as Mayock says a thouroghbread. I love this pick and think the Pats knocked it out of the park.
9:24 4th Bama kid in the first round
9:25 Texans on the clock, I think they gotta go pass rusher here.
9:26 Chris is thinking what all of America is thinking Bill is pissed at his defense so he's going all d in this draft, damn right he is.
9:28 #26 Whitney Mercilus LB/DE Illinois stage says WOW, Wow, twice, in draft speak that is REACH. I'm not sure what other holes the Texans had, but losing the pass rusher in Williams picking up a pass rusher is good idea I guess.
9:30 Bengals 2nd first rounder is in, yet commercial, these last 5 are gonna take an hour.
9:33 They show the Ingram Goodell handshake again, white people should not do hand slaps with black guys who are 20 years younger than them.
9:34 #27 Kevin Zeitler Guard Wisconsin, this kid is gonna be a good pro, most Wisconsin O-Lineman make it in this league.
9:35 Green Bay is on the clock Chris says RB, I think pass rusher to go opposite Clay Mathews.
9:38 this is where these teams who make the playoffs year after year make themselves better, if you f up this pick you could find yourself picking 12 real easy you need to draft at least a part time starter here.
9:39 Packers pick is in and the Vikings have moved to 29. #28 Nick Perry OLB USC, this is the guy the Packers needed someone opposite Clay.
9:41 nothing looks worse than a Green Bay hat with a flat brim, nothing is as anit-gangsta as Green Bay. At least in the NFL, when I see a kid in Iowa with flat brimmed Hawkeye hat it makes me want to choke that shit.
9:42 Vikings pick is in, not sure what the Vikes want here probably a DB or WR since they had to get Kalil at 4. Vikings gave up a 4 and a 2 to get to 29
9:45 #29 Harrison Smith Safety Notre Dame. Not a fan of ND kids but hey Mayock likes him. Sounds like a good zone safety and Minny plays a lot of zone.
9:47 49ers on the clock 3 picks left in the 1st round, Upshaw from Bamaa looks good here setting the Bronco's up at 31 to take Fleener from Stanford.
9:49 turns out I'm dumb Broncs trade the pick to the Bucs
9:50 #30 AJ Jenkins WR Illinois, Mayock has him 8th WR and 2nd round. Not sure WR is a need for the 9ers they have a ton of guys at the position.
9:52 So Fleener will still go 31 only to the Bucs really thought Denver would like him. Chris says Bucs are trying to move Kellen Winslow so Fleener is def the choice, two picks to go. We might be done in 3 hours.
9:55 Bucs gave up a 2 and 4 to get to 31, Bronco's fall to 36. Mayock, Chris and Me all say Fleener for the Yucks.
9:56 #31 Doug Martin RB Boise St. Mayock says he makes a lot of sense, I'm goin you couldn't wait till 36 to get him unless you thought the Giants wanted him.
9:57 Super Champs on the clock, I'm gonna go with Fleener here for them they could use a TE.
9:58 not gonna lie they commercial the hell out of the last 13.picks.
10:00 with the Skins not picking again till the 3rd round I'm not gonna have much interest in the 2nd round unless someone takes Marvin McNutt from Iowa but I doubt it.
10:01 Direct TV is having the NFL package at 199 next year I might be able to budget that.
10:02 back from commercial Giants pick still not in, Fleener or Upshaw for me.
10:03 Mayock says best value Blackmon to Jax, and New England made great moves. Giants pick is in.
10:04 They show the green room and the guys still have their terrible hats on. #32 David Wilson RB Virginia Tech, that is why the Bucs moved up to 31, b/c they were affraid the Giants wanted a RB.
10:06 I made it 3 hour 1st round, nice work could've been faster.
My final thoughts Cowboys made biggest splash. Minnesota made best moves. Bears, Dolphins, Jets, and Chiefs all screwed the pooches. Rams did well also. Have a good weekend follow me on twitter @derekbredeson
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Wreaking=Racing?
Last 2 weeks of the Nascar season have been brutal to watch and my favorite driver even won one of those races. Last week in Kansas they had 3 cautions. At one point the leader had 8 second lead after green flag pit stops. The Texas race 2 weeks ago usually one of the best was a green flag race as well and only 14 cars (I think) finished on the lead lap. Many fans have been complaining that the races are unwatchable while the drivers say they like racing with no cautions and if all you like are crashes find something else to watch.
Well isn't that interesting the drivers don't like to wreak, well duh. Who says when they wake up man I hope I get spun today. I get where they're coming from today's Nascar is different than the day of the Allison boys beating up Yarbourough and Dale Sr. just giving Terry Labonte a little tap to let him know he was there. Today it's a business more than yestday. Me and Chris on Sunday tried to think of drivers who had fulltime sponsorship by one sponsor. We came up with 4 cars, the 2, 15, 55, and 56. The 55 has 3 drivers but Aaron's is the full time sponsor. Even the sports most popular driver Dale Jr. has 2 sponsors. The 3 most successful drivers Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon have split sponsorships. Last year Kyle Busch made the mistake or wreaking a guy in a truck race, got parked for a weekend by Nascar, M&M's took sponsorship off his Cup car the rest of the season. JGR Nationwide sponsor Z-Line Designs asked for Denny Hamlin to drive the car the final race of the season instead of Kyle. I guess my point is this with sponsors being so few and far between and unwilling to fork over tons of cash, you don't want to be known as the villian, especially if your sponsor happens to be a family friendly product, say candy bars, soda, or home improvement stores. Some guys can be dicks, Kevin Harvick because they have adult sponsors, but even then they don't want guys to retaliate when they f them over.
I think that's at the core of the problem, today's drivers are bitches. If you wreak me than I have no choice but to get you back. A few years ago Carl Edwards got turned by Brad Keselowski at Talladega at 200 MPH, his car went into the fence. That was on the last lap and was for the win, could Carl understand this no, instead he waited till the next year and in a race where he was laps down he took out Brad on the last lap at Atlanta when Brad was running in the top ten, not only that he did it at the dumbest part of the track. Why I tell this story is b/c Carl held a grudge over a pass for the lead on the last lap. If you can't handle getting turned for a win there is no way you could hang with Dale Sr. in the 80's or 90's. Today's drivers hold grudges and instead of going fishing on Monday like Sr. and Rusty used to do, they instead cry to the media or go on twitter and bitch about a guy, or in Jimmie Johnson's case cry to the media then deny it on twitter. These guys need to understand that sometimes you need to turn someone to get going, and racing "clean" isn't always entertaining, and the fact that me and Chris could argue who the bigger douche was. That's what sports are about hating someone b/c they beat up your team or your guy.
BUT, on the other end is this, if you only watch Nascar for crashes your watching for the wrong reasons, much like if you only watch hockey for fighting. I like good racing, where using the bumper is a last resort, not first resort. I like racing, not a guy pulling away in clean air, that is more the fault of the COT not the drivers. Another thing that could help is get rid of a few of the 1 1/2 ovals b/c that is where these boring races take place. Dega and Daytona have the big pack and a huge wreak could happen anytime. The short tracks require you to use the bumpe b/c they only have about a groove and half. You think the fans want 3 wide at a short track watch the Bristol race from last month, boring, so boring in fact today they were grinding up the outside lane making it impossible to drive on. Bristol fall race will only have 2 grooves and your gonna have to get mean to pass someone, and tempers are gonna flair good. I want competition not 8 seconds between 1st and 2nd place. I don't want a crash every 20 laps but 3 hours of green flag racing isn't fun to watch, and even though guys were moving back and forth Sunday Fox doesn't show that, they just let you know somebody has moved up 4 spots since the last yellow. I know the COT has a lot to do with this, as does money, but if people would just leave the race at the track, and not carry grudges we could have a lot better racing, and not so many naps.
Well isn't that interesting the drivers don't like to wreak, well duh. Who says when they wake up man I hope I get spun today. I get where they're coming from today's Nascar is different than the day of the Allison boys beating up Yarbourough and Dale Sr. just giving Terry Labonte a little tap to let him know he was there. Today it's a business more than yestday. Me and Chris on Sunday tried to think of drivers who had fulltime sponsorship by one sponsor. We came up with 4 cars, the 2, 15, 55, and 56. The 55 has 3 drivers but Aaron's is the full time sponsor. Even the sports most popular driver Dale Jr. has 2 sponsors. The 3 most successful drivers Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon have split sponsorships. Last year Kyle Busch made the mistake or wreaking a guy in a truck race, got parked for a weekend by Nascar, M&M's took sponsorship off his Cup car the rest of the season. JGR Nationwide sponsor Z-Line Designs asked for Denny Hamlin to drive the car the final race of the season instead of Kyle. I guess my point is this with sponsors being so few and far between and unwilling to fork over tons of cash, you don't want to be known as the villian, especially if your sponsor happens to be a family friendly product, say candy bars, soda, or home improvement stores. Some guys can be dicks, Kevin Harvick because they have adult sponsors, but even then they don't want guys to retaliate when they f them over.
I think that's at the core of the problem, today's drivers are bitches. If you wreak me than I have no choice but to get you back. A few years ago Carl Edwards got turned by Brad Keselowski at Talladega at 200 MPH, his car went into the fence. That was on the last lap and was for the win, could Carl understand this no, instead he waited till the next year and in a race where he was laps down he took out Brad on the last lap at Atlanta when Brad was running in the top ten, not only that he did it at the dumbest part of the track. Why I tell this story is b/c Carl held a grudge over a pass for the lead on the last lap. If you can't handle getting turned for a win there is no way you could hang with Dale Sr. in the 80's or 90's. Today's drivers hold grudges and instead of going fishing on Monday like Sr. and Rusty used to do, they instead cry to the media or go on twitter and bitch about a guy, or in Jimmie Johnson's case cry to the media then deny it on twitter. These guys need to understand that sometimes you need to turn someone to get going, and racing "clean" isn't always entertaining, and the fact that me and Chris could argue who the bigger douche was. That's what sports are about hating someone b/c they beat up your team or your guy.
BUT, on the other end is this, if you only watch Nascar for crashes your watching for the wrong reasons, much like if you only watch hockey for fighting. I like good racing, where using the bumper is a last resort, not first resort. I like racing, not a guy pulling away in clean air, that is more the fault of the COT not the drivers. Another thing that could help is get rid of a few of the 1 1/2 ovals b/c that is where these boring races take place. Dega and Daytona have the big pack and a huge wreak could happen anytime. The short tracks require you to use the bumpe b/c they only have about a groove and half. You think the fans want 3 wide at a short track watch the Bristol race from last month, boring, so boring in fact today they were grinding up the outside lane making it impossible to drive on. Bristol fall race will only have 2 grooves and your gonna have to get mean to pass someone, and tempers are gonna flair good. I want competition not 8 seconds between 1st and 2nd place. I don't want a crash every 20 laps but 3 hours of green flag racing isn't fun to watch, and even though guys were moving back and forth Sunday Fox doesn't show that, they just let you know somebody has moved up 4 spots since the last yellow. I know the COT has a lot to do with this, as does money, but if people would just leave the race at the track, and not carry grudges we could have a lot better racing, and not so many naps.
Mock Draft
Night before the draft, thought maybe I'd give a mock a try. I, however don't know enough to do a whole first round so I figured why not try the first 10. Here we
1. Indianapolis Colts-Andrew Luck QB Stanford. This is already done according to sources and Luck himself. Good fit for the Colts hard to pass on John Elway 2.0. I love Luck and was hoping RG 3 would wow the Colts and they'd fall in love with him letting Luck fall to 2.
2. Washington Redskins (From Rams)-Robert Griffin III QB Baylor. This also is already done. The Redskins told the world when they gave up 3 1's and 2 to move up 4 spots in the draft. I'm not the worlds biggest fan of RG3 but if the Redskins think he's the guy than so be it. Question though is this what weapons to the Skins have? We have 2 young RB's and signed Pierre Garcon this offseason so maybe we got weapons but who knows. 5 years from now when Rams win the Super Bowl they can thank the Skins, but since when have the Rams been good at drafting?
3. Minnesota Vikings-Morris Claiborne DB LSU. Everyone thinks Matt Kalil here but a guy at work (Vikings Fan) said he'd rather have Claiborne which got me thinking. Your the Vikings you play inside you have Megatron, Green Bay, and now Brandon Marshall in your division maybe getting a shutdown corner isn't the worst idea. Claiborne is a stud and playing opposite Tyron Mathieau at LSU, he played better than the Honey Badger just didn't make the big plays in the big games like he did (or have a sweet nickname.)
4. Cleveland Browns-Trent Richardson RB Alabama. I'm not a huge fan of RB's I claim they're a dime a dozen. However, everyone love Richardson and he's better than Mark Ingram who came out last year. Cleveland has a lot of problems but LT isn't one of them so picking Kalil would be a mistake however someone could trade for this IF the Vikings don't pounce on him.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Matt Kalil OT USC. This is highly unlikely and will probably be Claiborne here, but Tampa could use a cornerstone tackle and really aren't that far away. As I said Kalil probably won't fall but stranger things have happened. If he doesn't fall could be a hard choice for Tampa between Claiborne and Justin Blackmon.
6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington)-Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma St. The trade with Skins couldn't have worked out better. The Rams are gonna get the game changing WR they need in the offense and they'll get him at 6 instead of 2 (not to mention 3 other picks). Blackmon screams Terrell Owens to me, not the fastest but big, strong, great route runner. Everything you need to be a possestion guy in this league.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars-Riley Reiff OT Iowa. Lots of talk about Jacksonville moving off this pick if someone wants Ryan Tannehill. If they stay they need to build up front on both sides of the ball and to me Reiff seems like a logical choice. He protects the QB, run blocks and doesn't have a ton of penalties. If they go defensive front look for Melvin Ingram or Quinton Coples.
8. Miami Dolphins-Micheal Floyd WR Notre Dame. I know this is a reach but if Miami takes who everyone thinks they are (Tannehill) that would be the most terrible reach since Ted Ginn Jr. Miami just traded Brandon Marshall getting a game changer on the outside seems like a great fit. They could also go with a pass rusher but their the Dolphins so they'll screw this up take Tannehill and set the franchise back 4 more years. Matt Moore isn't a terrible QB and he's better than Tannehill who's better suited to be a WR than QB.
9. Carolina Panthers-Quinton Coples DE North Carolina. Carolina once drafted a DE out of UNC, his name is Julieus Peppers it worked out for them, go back to the well Carolina, go back.
10. Buffalo Bills-Melvin Ingram DE South Carolina. Buffalo is gonna pray Reiff falls to them at 10, if he doesn't getting pass rusher opposite Mario Williams would be a great idea. Most dominant pass rushers need a guy opposite them. Clay Mathews was a different player 2 years ago than last year b/c he had a good player opposite of him. Think of Mathis and Freeney in Indy, better together than apart.
Well that's all I have the energy for be sure to check out my diary of the first round tomorrow night. In the meantime follow me on twitter @derekbredeson.
1. Indianapolis Colts-Andrew Luck QB Stanford. This is already done according to sources and Luck himself. Good fit for the Colts hard to pass on John Elway 2.0. I love Luck and was hoping RG 3 would wow the Colts and they'd fall in love with him letting Luck fall to 2.
2. Washington Redskins (From Rams)-Robert Griffin III QB Baylor. This also is already done. The Redskins told the world when they gave up 3 1's and 2 to move up 4 spots in the draft. I'm not the worlds biggest fan of RG3 but if the Redskins think he's the guy than so be it. Question though is this what weapons to the Skins have? We have 2 young RB's and signed Pierre Garcon this offseason so maybe we got weapons but who knows. 5 years from now when Rams win the Super Bowl they can thank the Skins, but since when have the Rams been good at drafting?
3. Minnesota Vikings-Morris Claiborne DB LSU. Everyone thinks Matt Kalil here but a guy at work (Vikings Fan) said he'd rather have Claiborne which got me thinking. Your the Vikings you play inside you have Megatron, Green Bay, and now Brandon Marshall in your division maybe getting a shutdown corner isn't the worst idea. Claiborne is a stud and playing opposite Tyron Mathieau at LSU, he played better than the Honey Badger just didn't make the big plays in the big games like he did (or have a sweet nickname.)
4. Cleveland Browns-Trent Richardson RB Alabama. I'm not a huge fan of RB's I claim they're a dime a dozen. However, everyone love Richardson and he's better than Mark Ingram who came out last year. Cleveland has a lot of problems but LT isn't one of them so picking Kalil would be a mistake however someone could trade for this IF the Vikings don't pounce on him.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Matt Kalil OT USC. This is highly unlikely and will probably be Claiborne here, but Tampa could use a cornerstone tackle and really aren't that far away. As I said Kalil probably won't fall but stranger things have happened. If he doesn't fall could be a hard choice for Tampa between Claiborne and Justin Blackmon.
6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington)-Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma St. The trade with Skins couldn't have worked out better. The Rams are gonna get the game changing WR they need in the offense and they'll get him at 6 instead of 2 (not to mention 3 other picks). Blackmon screams Terrell Owens to me, not the fastest but big, strong, great route runner. Everything you need to be a possestion guy in this league.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars-Riley Reiff OT Iowa. Lots of talk about Jacksonville moving off this pick if someone wants Ryan Tannehill. If they stay they need to build up front on both sides of the ball and to me Reiff seems like a logical choice. He protects the QB, run blocks and doesn't have a ton of penalties. If they go defensive front look for Melvin Ingram or Quinton Coples.
8. Miami Dolphins-Micheal Floyd WR Notre Dame. I know this is a reach but if Miami takes who everyone thinks they are (Tannehill) that would be the most terrible reach since Ted Ginn Jr. Miami just traded Brandon Marshall getting a game changer on the outside seems like a great fit. They could also go with a pass rusher but their the Dolphins so they'll screw this up take Tannehill and set the franchise back 4 more years. Matt Moore isn't a terrible QB and he's better than Tannehill who's better suited to be a WR than QB.
9. Carolina Panthers-Quinton Coples DE North Carolina. Carolina once drafted a DE out of UNC, his name is Julieus Peppers it worked out for them, go back to the well Carolina, go back.
10. Buffalo Bills-Melvin Ingram DE South Carolina. Buffalo is gonna pray Reiff falls to them at 10, if he doesn't getting pass rusher opposite Mario Williams would be a great idea. Most dominant pass rushers need a guy opposite them. Clay Mathews was a different player 2 years ago than last year b/c he had a good player opposite of him. Think of Mathis and Freeney in Indy, better together than apart.
Well that's all I have the energy for be sure to check out my diary of the first round tomorrow night. In the meantime follow me on twitter @derekbredeson.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Ballparks
Few weeks ago I made the comment on Facebook that the new Marlins park was ugly, and AT&T in San Francisco was still the best looking ballpark in the majors. I got a few responses of people telling me what they thought, so it got me thinking how would the 30 ballparks rank in the majors. I'm not really doing anything scientific just putting my thoughts down as to why I like or don't like certain parks. For the record I've only been to 4 current parks, 5 total parks. I've been to Miller Park, Wrigley Field, US Cellular, and Chase Field. So without further ado here comes another list.
30. O.co Coliseum, Oakland California, Opened in 1966. This place gets my worst b/c it's the only dual-purpose stadium left. It hosts the Raiders and A's, it's old and has zero ammenities. Also it's in Oakland I've never been to Oakland but you never hear people say their going to Oakland, San Francisco yes, Oakland NO.
29. Tropicana Field, St. Pet,ersburg, Florida. Opened in 1990. The home of the Rays is junk. It has a cross walk at the top of the dome that's in play. The roof is white. The field looks weird on TV and from what I've heard it's not in the best part of town. The Rays are a good team and yet nobody wants to go watch them play.
28. Marlins Park, Miami, Florida. Opened in 2012. What is nice about this place? The fish tanks behind home, the home run celebration sculpture in left center. All the green, the fact it has a dance club in right field in case you don't want to watch the game. It has a pool in left field which is cool but already done. The place just doesn't seem like a ballpark to me that's all. However, the retractable roof is the 2nd coolest roof in all of sports behind Milwaukee's.
27. Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario. Opened in 1989. The place is ok for Canada I guess. It has a retractable roof but I've never seen it open. It's all turt except for little patches around each base, it's ugly. The field is also cookie cutter style of the 70's as well. It does have a restraunt in it which was cutting edge in the 80's and now most new stadiums have some form of it.
26. US Cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois. Opened in 1991. New Comiskey as it was called missed the retro look by a year or two, had they only waited this place would be a lot cooler. It still has that 70's cookie cutter field. The pin wheel home run celebration thing is a bit 80's ish. It's been a while since I've been there so I can't speak for how it is now, but I didn't really like the place when I was there.
25. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1962. Yuck, Dodger Stadium is old, it's in LA, it houses the Dodgers, it let's people beat the shit out of opposing fans. This place sucks, maybe it should be lower but it's old and Jackie Robinson played there so that helps.
24. Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas. Opened in 2000. The place is in downtown Houston so that's cool, but it has a hill in centerfield, in play. A fucking hill are you kidding me. It also has a train for it's home run celebration, not a fan. Also, it's built on a block so the seats are right on top of the field and it's so small they put a large wall in left field, where have I seen that before?
23. Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia. Opened in 1996. The place did host the Olympics so that's cool. It though isn't a cool stadium. They built it after the retro boom but didn't do anything retro. Instead they made it look like the old stadium. It still has the cookie cutter outfield. I'm just not a fan of the place and the fact they were good for 20 years yet nobody goes it annoying.
22. Angels Stadium, Anaheim, California. Opened in 1966. They have renovated it. But it's still the same as Dodger Stadium, open in the outfield, cookie cutter dimensions. They did put some rocks out in the outfield but I don't know the place just screams 60's at you when you watch a game there.
21. Comerica Park, Detoit, Michigan. Opened in 2000. It has dirt from the pitching mound to home plate, how ugly is that. It's Detroit though so it's got the history and stuff, ok park just not a fave of mine.
20. Petco Park, San Diego, California. Opened in 2004. The place is where the home run goes to die. It's freaking huge. Over 350 to everywhere except the lines, and the ball doesn't carry b/c San Diego doesn't get overly warm in the summer. They built the place to stop Barry Bonds from killing them all the time. I walked right next to this park little over a month ago, it's in a nice area (the Gaslamp District), but it seems crammed in the middle of downtown, again I'm not a fan I want some room for my parks.
19. Citi Field, New York, New York. Opened in 2009. Anything to do with the Mets is gonna be second fiddle to the Yankees. It has a giant apple for a home run celebration, whoopity doo. It cost over 900 million and there isn't a single thing where your like whoa that's pretty cool.
18. Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington. Opened in 1999. I don't hate the place, I just don't like it. It's a "retro-modern" park but it doesn't have a lot of the cool things other ones do. It's location is right next to the football field and some of the better parks have better locations.
17. The Ballpark at Arlington, Arlington, Texas. Opened in 1994. It took the "retro-modern" theme to the extreme usting a little bit of all the old stadiums in the design. I like the place just have 1 problem with it, when it gets warm I could hit a homer out of the joint. To say it's a hitters park is an understatement.
16. Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. Opened in 2008. You don't get a look at the place since the Nationals aren't on TV a whole hell of a lot, I like the place though. Has the downtown feeling but also the ballpark feeling. Also, from the upper deck you get some good views of the capitol and Washington Monument.
We're entering the top half, frankly it started getting hard now, lots of nice parks with cool features.
15. Yankee Stadium, New York, New York. Opened 2009. It's a basic replica of the old stadium, but it's not the old stadium. They got the monument park, some of the history, but not all the history. The old park you could say Babe Ruth played right field here, this stadium your like Brett Gardener set foot in this outfield not the same. Another negative is the place is so homer friendly it's almost unfair. 314 down the right field line and the ball carries that way easily.
14. Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Opened in 2004. I won't say this about anywhere else but Philly did a cool thing putting all there facilities in one area, the Flyers, Phillies, 76ers, and Eagles basically share parking lots. It has the dual level bullpens, with the visitors on top of the home which is neat. I'm not huge Philly fan but this place is pretty all right.
13. Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri. Opened in 2006. It replaced the 70's Busch Stadium. Has a great view of the Arch over center field. The park is a great place in a great baseball city.
12. Coors Field, Denver Colorado. Opened in 1995. The only home the Rockies have had is gorgeous park. They have the "Mile High seats" a band of purple seats in the upper deck that are a mile about sea level. It also has a micro-brewery in right field how cool is that. Known as the homer capitoal of the Majors, now the balls are kept in a humidor before games to cut down the bombs.
11. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1973. The only cookie cutter park I've ever liked. They have the waterfalls in right field, the scoreboard is also has a crown on top of it. The place is kind of plain but for some reason I love it and it's the field I want to go to 3rd most behind Fenway and AT&T.
10. The Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, Ohio. Opened in 2003. Again a stadium that replaced a cookie cutter. I've heard nice things about the place. It tends to be hitter friendly I've likened it to a little league field. I think the city of Cincinnati gets forgotten a lot but it's one of the best baseball cities of them all.
9. PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Opened in 2001. The fact they stole the Giants idea of having a water landing for home runs beyond the stadium doesn't hurt them in my eyes. It's right along the Allegheny River and location helps a lot. It has good views of downtown Pittsburgh, it's a nice place just wish they had a nice team.
8. Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Opened in 2001. The roof of this place alone is awesome. It's a clam shell and how it opens and closes is unreal. It's location isn't the best but when you can pull off the freeway, park, and start drinking 200 ft from the entrance I don't need to be downtown. I do prefer the old Bernie Home Run celebration but the new one is ok. It's also much better than the old county stadium.
7. Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois. Opened in 1914. The world's largest urinal also happens to be the 2nd oldest park in the pro's. The Ivy, the hand run scoreboard. The place is cool, and this year they added some screens and cooler seating making it a little more modern. The rooftop seats across the street is also pretty cool, now if only it could host a World Champion, the Cubs have never won it all while playing in Wrigley, maybe they should tear it down and build a new place.
6. Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio. Opened in 1994. The place took over in the 90's. Camden Yards started the "retro-modern" look, but then Jacobs Field showcased it by having good teams and always being on TV. It has the multiple level fences the new style is known for. I loved the place as a kid but now since the Indians aren't as good I wonder if it's lost some of it's luster.
5. Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona. Opened in 1998. My favorite park I've ever been too. The bullpens in the corners are cool. The pool in right center was inovative that nobody had seen. Also, the retractable roof is pretty cool. A feature I like is you can walk from 3rd base to 1st base on the concourse and watch the game the whole time it's so neat. I'm sure other parks have that feature but Chase was the first time I've seen that. Another thing is it gets loud in that joint, not many parks get loud but I've witnessed it.
4. Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Opened in 2010. An open air stadium in Minnesota who would've dreamed of such a thing. I'll blame global warming. The place has great views of downtown, and I'm not sure why but I think it's just a great place.
3. Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in 1992. The place that started the movement. 2/3 of today's parks took their cues from this place. I'm on record of saying just b/c your first doesn't make you best but this place is close. The wherehouse district helps a lot. It was the first to have the two tierd bullpens. It was helped by having Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak happening in it so you saw it a lot.
2. Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in 1912. The oldest park around. A cathedral to baseball, it's celebrating it's 100th year of existence. What isn't to love about Fenway? The Green Monster, the huge Citgo sign, the short porch to right. The place is awesome and has some of the most passionate fans in the country. I know Boston gets shoved down our throats but don't blame Fenway for that the place is a landmark and hopefully will be around forever.
1. AT&T Park, San Francisco, California. Opened in 2000. They took the retro-modern look and put it into overdrive. The best part of the park is the location. The bay is amazing and all along the outfield seats you can look out over it. The splash landing over right field was unique. Giant glove in left center is cool. The fact you can walk in the right field fences and watch for free is neat. Don't forget the giant Coke bottle in left. Triple's alley in right center, where it's 421 to the alley is awesome. I read an article about a guy in 2010 during the World Series was standing on a stairway in left field just looking at the bay, not paying attention to the game at all and the reporter asked him what he was doing he said he was just lost in the beauty. This was during the World Series and the guy couldn't believe what he was seeing OUTSIDE the stadium. Has to be a great place and I can't wait to go there someday.
There you have it, I know it's long winded and I hope I can go to everyone of these someday. Come back tomorrow for more stuff or follow me on twitter @derekbredeson.
30. O.co Coliseum, Oakland California, Opened in 1966. This place gets my worst b/c it's the only dual-purpose stadium left. It hosts the Raiders and A's, it's old and has zero ammenities. Also it's in Oakland I've never been to Oakland but you never hear people say their going to Oakland, San Francisco yes, Oakland NO.
29. Tropicana Field, St. Pet,ersburg, Florida. Opened in 1990. The home of the Rays is junk. It has a cross walk at the top of the dome that's in play. The roof is white. The field looks weird on TV and from what I've heard it's not in the best part of town. The Rays are a good team and yet nobody wants to go watch them play.
28. Marlins Park, Miami, Florida. Opened in 2012. What is nice about this place? The fish tanks behind home, the home run celebration sculpture in left center. All the green, the fact it has a dance club in right field in case you don't want to watch the game. It has a pool in left field which is cool but already done. The place just doesn't seem like a ballpark to me that's all. However, the retractable roof is the 2nd coolest roof in all of sports behind Milwaukee's.
27. Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario. Opened in 1989. The place is ok for Canada I guess. It has a retractable roof but I've never seen it open. It's all turt except for little patches around each base, it's ugly. The field is also cookie cutter style of the 70's as well. It does have a restraunt in it which was cutting edge in the 80's and now most new stadiums have some form of it.
26. US Cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois. Opened in 1991. New Comiskey as it was called missed the retro look by a year or two, had they only waited this place would be a lot cooler. It still has that 70's cookie cutter field. The pin wheel home run celebration thing is a bit 80's ish. It's been a while since I've been there so I can't speak for how it is now, but I didn't really like the place when I was there.
25. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California. Opened in 1962. Yuck, Dodger Stadium is old, it's in LA, it houses the Dodgers, it let's people beat the shit out of opposing fans. This place sucks, maybe it should be lower but it's old and Jackie Robinson played there so that helps.
24. Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas. Opened in 2000. The place is in downtown Houston so that's cool, but it has a hill in centerfield, in play. A fucking hill are you kidding me. It also has a train for it's home run celebration, not a fan. Also, it's built on a block so the seats are right on top of the field and it's so small they put a large wall in left field, where have I seen that before?
23. Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia. Opened in 1996. The place did host the Olympics so that's cool. It though isn't a cool stadium. They built it after the retro boom but didn't do anything retro. Instead they made it look like the old stadium. It still has the cookie cutter outfield. I'm just not a fan of the place and the fact they were good for 20 years yet nobody goes it annoying.
22. Angels Stadium, Anaheim, California. Opened in 1966. They have renovated it. But it's still the same as Dodger Stadium, open in the outfield, cookie cutter dimensions. They did put some rocks out in the outfield but I don't know the place just screams 60's at you when you watch a game there.
21. Comerica Park, Detoit, Michigan. Opened in 2000. It has dirt from the pitching mound to home plate, how ugly is that. It's Detroit though so it's got the history and stuff, ok park just not a fave of mine.
20. Petco Park, San Diego, California. Opened in 2004. The place is where the home run goes to die. It's freaking huge. Over 350 to everywhere except the lines, and the ball doesn't carry b/c San Diego doesn't get overly warm in the summer. They built the place to stop Barry Bonds from killing them all the time. I walked right next to this park little over a month ago, it's in a nice area (the Gaslamp District), but it seems crammed in the middle of downtown, again I'm not a fan I want some room for my parks.
19. Citi Field, New York, New York. Opened in 2009. Anything to do with the Mets is gonna be second fiddle to the Yankees. It has a giant apple for a home run celebration, whoopity doo. It cost over 900 million and there isn't a single thing where your like whoa that's pretty cool.
18. Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington. Opened in 1999. I don't hate the place, I just don't like it. It's a "retro-modern" park but it doesn't have a lot of the cool things other ones do. It's location is right next to the football field and some of the better parks have better locations.
17. The Ballpark at Arlington, Arlington, Texas. Opened in 1994. It took the "retro-modern" theme to the extreme usting a little bit of all the old stadiums in the design. I like the place just have 1 problem with it, when it gets warm I could hit a homer out of the joint. To say it's a hitters park is an understatement.
16. Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. Opened in 2008. You don't get a look at the place since the Nationals aren't on TV a whole hell of a lot, I like the place though. Has the downtown feeling but also the ballpark feeling. Also, from the upper deck you get some good views of the capitol and Washington Monument.
We're entering the top half, frankly it started getting hard now, lots of nice parks with cool features.
15. Yankee Stadium, New York, New York. Opened 2009. It's a basic replica of the old stadium, but it's not the old stadium. They got the monument park, some of the history, but not all the history. The old park you could say Babe Ruth played right field here, this stadium your like Brett Gardener set foot in this outfield not the same. Another negative is the place is so homer friendly it's almost unfair. 314 down the right field line and the ball carries that way easily.
14. Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Opened in 2004. I won't say this about anywhere else but Philly did a cool thing putting all there facilities in one area, the Flyers, Phillies, 76ers, and Eagles basically share parking lots. It has the dual level bullpens, with the visitors on top of the home which is neat. I'm not huge Philly fan but this place is pretty all right.
13. Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri. Opened in 2006. It replaced the 70's Busch Stadium. Has a great view of the Arch over center field. The park is a great place in a great baseball city.
12. Coors Field, Denver Colorado. Opened in 1995. The only home the Rockies have had is gorgeous park. They have the "Mile High seats" a band of purple seats in the upper deck that are a mile about sea level. It also has a micro-brewery in right field how cool is that. Known as the homer capitoal of the Majors, now the balls are kept in a humidor before games to cut down the bombs.
11. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1973. The only cookie cutter park I've ever liked. They have the waterfalls in right field, the scoreboard is also has a crown on top of it. The place is kind of plain but for some reason I love it and it's the field I want to go to 3rd most behind Fenway and AT&T.
10. The Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, Ohio. Opened in 2003. Again a stadium that replaced a cookie cutter. I've heard nice things about the place. It tends to be hitter friendly I've likened it to a little league field. I think the city of Cincinnati gets forgotten a lot but it's one of the best baseball cities of them all.
9. PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Opened in 2001. The fact they stole the Giants idea of having a water landing for home runs beyond the stadium doesn't hurt them in my eyes. It's right along the Allegheny River and location helps a lot. It has good views of downtown Pittsburgh, it's a nice place just wish they had a nice team.
8. Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Opened in 2001. The roof of this place alone is awesome. It's a clam shell and how it opens and closes is unreal. It's location isn't the best but when you can pull off the freeway, park, and start drinking 200 ft from the entrance I don't need to be downtown. I do prefer the old Bernie Home Run celebration but the new one is ok. It's also much better than the old county stadium.
7. Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois. Opened in 1914. The world's largest urinal also happens to be the 2nd oldest park in the pro's. The Ivy, the hand run scoreboard. The place is cool, and this year they added some screens and cooler seating making it a little more modern. The rooftop seats across the street is also pretty cool, now if only it could host a World Champion, the Cubs have never won it all while playing in Wrigley, maybe they should tear it down and build a new place.
6. Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio. Opened in 1994. The place took over in the 90's. Camden Yards started the "retro-modern" look, but then Jacobs Field showcased it by having good teams and always being on TV. It has the multiple level fences the new style is known for. I loved the place as a kid but now since the Indians aren't as good I wonder if it's lost some of it's luster.
5. Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona. Opened in 1998. My favorite park I've ever been too. The bullpens in the corners are cool. The pool in right center was inovative that nobody had seen. Also, the retractable roof is pretty cool. A feature I like is you can walk from 3rd base to 1st base on the concourse and watch the game the whole time it's so neat. I'm sure other parks have that feature but Chase was the first time I've seen that. Another thing is it gets loud in that joint, not many parks get loud but I've witnessed it.
4. Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Opened in 2010. An open air stadium in Minnesota who would've dreamed of such a thing. I'll blame global warming. The place has great views of downtown, and I'm not sure why but I think it's just a great place.
3. Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in 1992. The place that started the movement. 2/3 of today's parks took their cues from this place. I'm on record of saying just b/c your first doesn't make you best but this place is close. The wherehouse district helps a lot. It was the first to have the two tierd bullpens. It was helped by having Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak happening in it so you saw it a lot.
2. Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in 1912. The oldest park around. A cathedral to baseball, it's celebrating it's 100th year of existence. What isn't to love about Fenway? The Green Monster, the huge Citgo sign, the short porch to right. The place is awesome and has some of the most passionate fans in the country. I know Boston gets shoved down our throats but don't blame Fenway for that the place is a landmark and hopefully will be around forever.
1. AT&T Park, San Francisco, California. Opened in 2000. They took the retro-modern look and put it into overdrive. The best part of the park is the location. The bay is amazing and all along the outfield seats you can look out over it. The splash landing over right field was unique. Giant glove in left center is cool. The fact you can walk in the right field fences and watch for free is neat. Don't forget the giant Coke bottle in left. Triple's alley in right center, where it's 421 to the alley is awesome. I read an article about a guy in 2010 during the World Series was standing on a stairway in left field just looking at the bay, not paying attention to the game at all and the reporter asked him what he was doing he said he was just lost in the beauty. This was during the World Series and the guy couldn't believe what he was seeing OUTSIDE the stadium. Has to be a great place and I can't wait to go there someday.
There you have it, I know it's long winded and I hope I can go to everyone of these someday. Come back tomorrow for more stuff or follow me on twitter @derekbredeson.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Bounty
Getting amp'd up for a draft diary next week, so I figured might as well shoot out a couple of blogs this weekend and maybe into next week before Thursday's first round. Got a couple of ideas just need to put them into motion. First thing that is on my mind is this stupid bounty case in New Orleans.
For the record I'm a Gregg Williams guy, I wanted him to coach the Skins when Joe Gibbs retired. Instead Dan Snyder ran him off and hired Jim Zorn as head coach setting the Redskins back 3 years. I've heard Williams ran a bounty system for the Skins, and I'm against that, but the fact everyone is acting shocked is really pissing me off. Bounties in sports are as old as sports. I found a few things when the suspension of Sean Payton and others came down. One of the examples was from 1986 when the Green Bay Packers had numbers of Chicago Bears players written down on the towels on their wastes. A defensive lineman picked up Jim McMahon and dropped him on his head after Jim threw a pass, not right after, like 5 steps after. THAT was a bounty. A few years ago the Baltimore Ravens admitted to having a bounty out for Hines Ward and Rashard Mendenhal of Pittsburgh, including Ray Lewis breaking Mendenhal's leg. THAT was a bounty, and NOBODY got suspended. I understand why the Saints got in so much trouble, it's because they lied and said they ended. When in fact they didn't end. The full year suspension of Sean Payton is a tragedy and completly unfair.
A few weeks ago a tape got leaked of Gregg Williams speech before the playoff game against San Francisco. He made comments about hitting a concussed player, and questioning Micheal Crabtree's passion. What do you think coaches say before games? When I was in high school I remember a kid from another school playing nose tackle was about 5'6" 140lbs. and wreeking havoc on the confrence. That week of practice our coaches told our 200+ offensive lineman to beat him up. Make him think twice for playing against us. Kick his ass into submission. That's in high school, I can only imagine what college and pro coaches say, let alone what other players say. I'm pretty sure if you heard what was said in the locker room you'd be shocked, pretty sure everyone says, including analyst if you want to win you kill the head of the snake. Meaning, you wanna beat Minnesota get Peterson, you wanna be New England hit Brady. I hear it all the time on ESPN or NFL Network guys saying if you wanna be Tom Brady hit him, get around his feet he doesn't like it. That almost sounds bountish.
Your hearing rumors of player suspensions for this bounty system. That is absolute crap, from what I've heard Gregg Williams was running the bounty system, and Gregg Williams, the Saints GM, and Sean Payton were the ones who lied to the NFL. I haven't read everything but I haven't heard the NFL asked players if it was still happening. The name I keep hearing Jonathan Vilma put 10 grand on the table for whoever took out Brett Favre, 10 grand? Oh boy 10 grand to hurt a guy who never gets hurt so if your gonna take him out it's gonna have to be an illegal hit that costs you 50 grand, so your out 40 grand, nice work. If players were putting up their own money I'm guessing it was at the pushing of Gregg Williams to do so. I look at it like this, when you go after orgainized crime you get the Boss, and the henchmen get lighter sentences. So if Williams gets at least a year than any player suspension should only be a fine, if that. These guys were following orders don't punish them.
My wrap it up thought is this. Bounties aren't right. Lieing isn't right. However, acting like bounties are a new thing is stupid. Being shocked guys are gunning for each other is stupid. The NFL acting like they care about player safety and not just superstars safety is stupid. The hypocrasy of this ruling is annoying, if you wanna get tough on bounties get tough 5 years ago when Terrell Suggs admited to having a bounty for those Steelers, and Ray Lewis celebrated breaking Mendy's leg. All the sudden now the NFL is getting sued by former players they get tough. Final thought the hits they showed of Brett Favre and Kurt Warner in the playoff run were mostly clean including the hit that took Warner out. QB throws a pick he's fair game in my eyes. Like I said I'll be around a lot more this weekend, in the meantime follow me on twitter @derekbredeson to get my thoughts on everyday things.
For the record I'm a Gregg Williams guy, I wanted him to coach the Skins when Joe Gibbs retired. Instead Dan Snyder ran him off and hired Jim Zorn as head coach setting the Redskins back 3 years. I've heard Williams ran a bounty system for the Skins, and I'm against that, but the fact everyone is acting shocked is really pissing me off. Bounties in sports are as old as sports. I found a few things when the suspension of Sean Payton and others came down. One of the examples was from 1986 when the Green Bay Packers had numbers of Chicago Bears players written down on the towels on their wastes. A defensive lineman picked up Jim McMahon and dropped him on his head after Jim threw a pass, not right after, like 5 steps after. THAT was a bounty. A few years ago the Baltimore Ravens admitted to having a bounty out for Hines Ward and Rashard Mendenhal of Pittsburgh, including Ray Lewis breaking Mendenhal's leg. THAT was a bounty, and NOBODY got suspended. I understand why the Saints got in so much trouble, it's because they lied and said they ended. When in fact they didn't end. The full year suspension of Sean Payton is a tragedy and completly unfair.
A few weeks ago a tape got leaked of Gregg Williams speech before the playoff game against San Francisco. He made comments about hitting a concussed player, and questioning Micheal Crabtree's passion. What do you think coaches say before games? When I was in high school I remember a kid from another school playing nose tackle was about 5'6" 140lbs. and wreeking havoc on the confrence. That week of practice our coaches told our 200+ offensive lineman to beat him up. Make him think twice for playing against us. Kick his ass into submission. That's in high school, I can only imagine what college and pro coaches say, let alone what other players say. I'm pretty sure if you heard what was said in the locker room you'd be shocked, pretty sure everyone says, including analyst if you want to win you kill the head of the snake. Meaning, you wanna beat Minnesota get Peterson, you wanna be New England hit Brady. I hear it all the time on ESPN or NFL Network guys saying if you wanna be Tom Brady hit him, get around his feet he doesn't like it. That almost sounds bountish.
Your hearing rumors of player suspensions for this bounty system. That is absolute crap, from what I've heard Gregg Williams was running the bounty system, and Gregg Williams, the Saints GM, and Sean Payton were the ones who lied to the NFL. I haven't read everything but I haven't heard the NFL asked players if it was still happening. The name I keep hearing Jonathan Vilma put 10 grand on the table for whoever took out Brett Favre, 10 grand? Oh boy 10 grand to hurt a guy who never gets hurt so if your gonna take him out it's gonna have to be an illegal hit that costs you 50 grand, so your out 40 grand, nice work. If players were putting up their own money I'm guessing it was at the pushing of Gregg Williams to do so. I look at it like this, when you go after orgainized crime you get the Boss, and the henchmen get lighter sentences. So if Williams gets at least a year than any player suspension should only be a fine, if that. These guys were following orders don't punish them.
My wrap it up thought is this. Bounties aren't right. Lieing isn't right. However, acting like bounties are a new thing is stupid. Being shocked guys are gunning for each other is stupid. The NFL acting like they care about player safety and not just superstars safety is stupid. The hypocrasy of this ruling is annoying, if you wanna get tough on bounties get tough 5 years ago when Terrell Suggs admited to having a bounty for those Steelers, and Ray Lewis celebrated breaking Mendy's leg. All the sudden now the NFL is getting sued by former players they get tough. Final thought the hits they showed of Brett Favre and Kurt Warner in the playoff run were mostly clean including the hit that took Warner out. QB throws a pick he's fair game in my eyes. Like I said I'll be around a lot more this weekend, in the meantime follow me on twitter @derekbredeson to get my thoughts on everyday things.
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