Hello,
Here’s a quick highly random blast of material that may seem familiar but is actually completely original and bleeding authenticity. I don’t get to pull 2 hours of my time away writing about current events when I am banging out 12-14 hour shifts at work this month. My company is wrapped up in its busiest month of activity and there isn’t a lot of time to clean the head. What I do manage to put out is genuine blunt opinion. I am the guy who walks up to you and smashes you over the head with information and walks away without giving you a towel to clean yourself up. I swing in, hit you hard and let you decide what is worth remembering. If you are a member of the St. Louis Blues, avoid this blog because it may cause a concussion.
Tebow mania. A quick blast on the man they call Tim Tebow. I started writing this before he was traded from Denver to the New York Jets last week and finished it the day the trade was completed, which was Thursday. Let’s drop a grenade.
Tim Tebow deserves a chance to be a starting QB in the NFL. At least for another season. He is raw but helped turn a franchise around in 2011. He took a 1-4 team and turned them into a 9-7 playoff team. His defense played well at times but they also got smoked by the Vikings, Lions, Patriots and Steelers. Every QB would like Matt Praters foot as their insurance ticket, but every kicker needs a player to get the team into his range. Tebow deserves a shot at QB. Sure, he could be a tight end or fullback in his sleep, but the kid loves a challenge. Whether its Jacksonville or Miami, Tebow will get his shot. He made terrible passes in 2011, but he also made unbelievable ones as well. The Pittsburgh game in the playoffs will never be forgotten. No one can discount or ignore what Tebow accomplished last season, and that includes his haters and doubters. Skeptics hate this guy but his talent is legit. He’ll rise somewhere else. You’d label me a Tebow loyalist and you wouldn’t be wrong. I like the kid, always have supported him(while recognizing his flaws) and find his style of football to be exciting. He will reinvigorate a city once known as a football town from the bench. Tebow isn’t just a football player. He’s an event. He loves his baby Jesus but craves winning more. Before he retires to a church in India, he’ll leave a mark on this game. Yes, I wrote this while kneeling in traffic.
This is what he is to a team. An asset. He gives you the three sprinkles of greatness. Business, athletics and personality. It’s hard to really dislike Tebow. You can doubt his football ability until the end of the day but hate the man is a wrong deed. How can you? He really really likes him some Jesus. So what? I am not an atheist but I don’t believe in bringing the big GOD down to earth’s proceedings. Tebow does it every minute. Right now, he is sucking down some Jesus prayer. Disliking Tebow for his religion wouldn’t be a smart route. What if he turned around and hated me for my beliefs? I would find a steel pipe, dip it in holy water and hit him over the head with it. I will disagree with Tebow on his religious endeavors but praise every other aspect of him. He does charity work whenever he isn’t sucking down some Jesus. He goes around the country and throughout the world for charity work. If someone needed to be cloned, Tebow would be the first candidate. He does good all over the map. He means what he says and has backed up the talk with some walk. Sometimes athletes tell the truth. Arriving in New York City as the most celebrated backup QB of all time, this will be Tebow’s “Albert Pujols” moment. Is he really about the team and not himself? Will he take a job as a backup for a second time after taking over Denver and sending them to 8 wins and a playoff berth and win? If he does, I am a firm believer in goodwill. This is his moment. I’ll make a solid bet that Mr. Tebow will be a starting QB in the NFL again.
Okay, so did the Jets make a good move? Yes and no. In a way, this is Jets GM Mike Tannenbum showing zero faith in Mark Sanchez, and who can blame him. Coupled with the enormously unsettling Rex Ryan heights, Sanchez has gone 27-20 in the regular season and 4-2 in the postseason but has generally sunk. He gets his stats due to a adept defense and solid running game. Sanchez shows few signs of becoming a breakout solo talent and Ryan and his coaches poked their front office suits for a Tebow boost. They go it and for only 1.1 million this season. However, Tebow’s salary could jump to 6 million in 2013 and Sanchez is making 12 million a season. Next year, the Jets could be the laughing stock of the NFL in paying two quarterbacks a combined 19 million to produce a 9 win season. One scenario. We will see. My best guess is Tebow gets more involved each week, which puts so much pressure on Sanchez that his arm snaps in half and he submits to the Tebow power. The Jets didn’t bring Tebow there to be a bench warming faith nut. They brought him there for a franchise adrenaline shot.
The Carpenter Trails Begin. Carpenter has been rebuilt by surgeries all over his upper body throughout his rigorous career and he is a true soldier on the grinding way down. However, the low fan will pout here, bitch about Carpenter’s tendency to get hurt and take too long to make the right call. The right call now is to point out that a deal needs to be made. Carpenter takes very good care of his body and HATES being sidelined, so if he misses a couple months, gets healthy, its all good. Look at the bottom line. He is out indefinitely and this news must send general manager John Mozelaik to the phone looking for Roy Oswalt’s number. Give the vet a chance because there is no choice. At this point, the Cards need protection. Pay Oswalt his 10 million dollars because you have to be smart and not hold out and extend solid reliever Lance Lynn past his athletic ability and talent level. This isn’t the time to be stubborn. Mozelaik must pull the quick Jew move here and pull the trigger on Roy, who desperately wants to be a Cardinal.
Story goes that Roy Oswalt wants to pitch at midseason. I would inquire Mozelaik to call him and persuade him with Benjamin Franklin and his family of clones. Any man can be bought. The Cards need protection and Lance Lynn isn’t the answer. Unless Shelby Miller is ready for a two month audition, call Roy. Lynn is a solid reliever but an average starter. There’s no need to turn him into McClellan 2.0 and push him back and forth between the rotation and bullpen.
Skip Schumacher goes down with an oblique injury, which opens up competition for a platoon between Tyler Greene and Daniel Descalso. Tyler really needs to impress me because he can steal bases and play defense but he really can’t hit major league pitching. Descalso is a strong defender at multiple positions and has a better bat. Edge goes to DD here.
A sad note. Sunday night, Henry Rollins came to town and I didn’t go see him. Part of this is blamed on the fact I waited forever to get a ticket. The other blame specs fall on bank account tightness(houdini check tricks) and drained memory muscles. Henry is a ranting maniac and I had been looking forward to a 2.5 hour display of one man standing in place telling stories, shrugging off stress and clearing the head. I missed it and I’m pissed. I’m not “out of coffee” mad but closer to “no bacon bits for my salad” sad. You know me and Henry. We’re from the same breed of “blunt informers”.
Also, listen to Hanni El Khatib, a new Blues artist who isn’t a terrorist or Osama’s sixth cousin but a gritty cool musician with a unique sound. Think Black Keys mixed with Jack White. Look up “You Rascal You” or “Wait, Wait, Wait” and tell me what you think. I heard him on Californication and downloaded an entire album.
Sergio Martinez VS. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.. Time to give the kid a beating. Sergio is the guy to break Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s cherry. Boxing got this right for a change. Martinez is the savvy talented veteran who has earned the right to deal Chavez Jr., a pretender with 45 plus wins and no real challenges, a firm beating. The middleweight division ruled that these two men meet in the ring right as Chavez Jr. was setting up another fight with a bum he could beat one handed. Martinez stopped Paul Williams and owns a belt and a career full of challenges and 50 plus wins. He will serve the kid a beating and blood will spill for a good reason this summer.
The Blues take a few hits but keep on rolling. Please, harsh loyal Blues fans, appreciate what this team is doing. I am every game. They lost 4-3 and 1-0 to the Ducks and Kings last week, but didn’t go down without a fight and stole a point in LA before beating Phoenix 4-0 on Sunday. At this point, the Blues need to finish strong, get as many points in their account but keep their heads up. Don’t let the confidence level dip now. Straight ahead this team shall go. I hate fans who shove all the casual and halfway in fans out the door at this point. What happens to the Blues? Sink or swim? It’s how they deal with losses like Thursday that will define how their season ends.
The Blues need to continue to collect points, play well and are playing some home games this week to pad their lead. Everything changes when the playoffs begin. We know that from a certain incident with Sharks over 10 years ago. The next 2 games are very important. The Blues stranglehold over the top spot is slipping a bit(4 points), so it would be primitive to take down the Preds at home and Hawks on the road this week. The Blues finished their second grueling road trip on Sunday and now have to confront two teams that have handed the Blues more losses in 2012 than any team. If we get 3 points at least, the home ice advantage becomes very realistic. For the Blues, Scottrade traffic in the playoffs is everything. Most nights, this team can compete with any team(the team has been blown out only twice in Hitchcock’s tenure) but the home ice is pivotal for this team.
The Rogues in Blue are battling the Preds as I type and enjoy a glass of Devil’s Cut Jim Bean whiskey. A deliciously smooth blend of alcohol engineered here to release the stress of one day and the incoming pressure of another. The middle man drink. On Saturday night with friends, I pulled out a 7 year old JUG of Jack Daniels. I poured a glass, added a little water and downed it in less than 15 minutes. I poured another. I am starting to enjoy a glass of whiskey over a beer. I harbor 12 bottles of Guinness Black Lager in my fridge at the moment but right now they are the Angelina Jolie same old familiar tasting brew to the divine digesting Christina Hendricks “man drink” in this Devil’s Cut. Blame it on the Mad Men addiction or the need for something more, but I’m drinking whiskey with regularity these days. Can you dig it?
Saints pay the bounty instead of rewarding it with dollars. Saints Head Coach Sean Payton was suspended for the 2012 season and former Saints defensive coordinator and current Rams coach Gregg Williams is out indefinitely for employing a bounty system on the team from 2009-2011. The coaches paid players extra money for laying deadly hits on quarterbacks and random players on the field. This is a bigger slap on the wrist than Bill Belicheck’s Patriots getting fined and losing draft picks for Spygate. The Saints shakedown is Commissioner Roger Goodell pounding in the nail of player safety. The man is going to make an example out of these old school physical maulers by putting the coach out of business and the ex-defensive ringleader out for even longer. I won’t say I agree with it because physicality is a part of this game and if we are going to start handing out slaps for excessive hitting, the line will get long very quickly and the time given will be extreme. I understand Goodell’s stance here, saying that players can’t go headhunting and quarterback safety has to be enforced. I just think it’s soft and pushing the game in an uncomfortable direction. When do players not go head hunting or try to lay on an extra punishing hit for good measure? James Harrison leads with his head all the time and I don’t care. I am a fan of gore. Carnage is what makes football the most popular sport in America. Baseball is nostalgic but football is wonderfully violent. What is it if the boss keeps chipping away for player safety and makes this game an edgy version of two hand touch? Bad deeds my friends. Let the blood stand. Keep the hits coming. Payton didn’t deserve a year. Williams deserved 6 games but no one deserved a full season. Its cold and brutal but it’s my take. Someone get me my violin.
Rams deal with Gregg Williams blow in stride and sign wide receiver Steve Smith, a former New York Giant who specializes as a slot receiver and accumulated 1022 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2009. The man can play and will serve as an Amendola like third down option for Sam Bradford. If Amendola returns, the wide receiver core only gets stronger. However, the Rams still need to draft Justin Blackmon to give them some size on the outside and an obvious size advantage. Imagine Amendola and Smith on the inside with Danario Alexander and Blackmon as your deep threats. Head coach Jeff Fisher will hire assistant coach Dave McGinnis as his defensive coordinator and the Rams will move ahead. The offense adds an element with Smith in place but needs the magic man in Blackmon.
Web Site Hype-Expectations lean on your shoulder in this situation. With the website more than a month away and prep to be done, its a surreal feeling knowing your work will get global. Writing underneath the covers is cool and productive, but unleashing it on the world is quite another. I can tell you this website is a lot more than a hobby fill in. We have plans for this site that reach beyond a free time plug and farther into an occupational duty and need. Stay tuned my friends.
Justified Moment of the Week. As the series’ weekly hour of greatness begins to unfold tonight, let me allow you a look back at last week’s episode. An hour of television I deemed the best I’ve seen in years. A bad guy’s dilemma with our hero Raylan. Underestimating the crafty double dealing US Marshall. Every season, the good guy encounters a new breed of villain. The baddies learn of the Marshall’s strengths and make an attempt to attack his weakness. The lawman persists in his pursuit as if he doesn’t care what happens as long as the bad men fall. This season, a Detroit mobster fled to Harlan named Robert Quarles(played by the great ad-libbing Neal McDonaugh) and he wants to take over the town. He left Detroit for specific reasons that slowly unfold but we immediately know Quarles is a methodical perfectionist who is a bit crazy. He tries to seek out the criminals in Harlan and slowly twist them until they fit his wrinkled plan. Quarles runs into a brick wall in Givens. He can’t be bought, reasoned with or dealt with easily. He takes work. In an episode aptly named “A Guy Walks Into A Bar”, Quarles walks into a bar and threatens Raylan after his plea to control the sheriff crumbles in a slight of hand move by Givens foe/friend Boyd Crowder(the brilliant Walter Goggins). Raylan responds by pulling out his gun, clearing the bar and firing a hole into the ceiling. He tells Quarles, “Why wait(to get the fight on)” and the two share a delicious stare down. Justified is the best scripted show on television. Best dialogue in the house. I know you’ve heard it all before but this will only continue as this series wraps up its third season in April. Here’s a taste of the scene I was talking about.
Black Keys Song of the Week-Black Door from Magic Potion
Update on the Blues-They take down Pekka Rinne and the Predators at Scottrade by the score of 3-0. A legit dominating win that truly sets the Blues up for a decent run towards the end of the season. Rinne is the thorn in this team’s side for the past 2 seasons and after outlasting him in Nashville in a shootout win in February, the Blues beat him straight up tonight. The shutout was the 15th of the season for the Blues and a record setting 30th win at home this season. Jamie Langenbrunner, David Perron and TJ Oshie scored for the Blues but the real star was Brian Elliot. The low hanging fruit sign hasn’t allowed a goal in 187 minutes and has 3 shutouts in a row, the last 2 bringing wins. The Blues strength is versatility in 2011-2012 but the heart and soul is great goaltending from Halak and Elliot. This team continues to surprise even the most cynical fans in this city sickened by past defeats. The road ahead is interesting indeed.
The Discovery Channel fired Bear Grylls and cancelled his show, Man VS. Wild, last week and I kind of hate it. Grylls was fun to watch every Wednesday for 12 weeks a year, watching him survive in the worst conditions. A former British soldier turned survivalist turned teacher, Grylls taught us genuinely helpful tricks for keeping a pulse when you are stranded and made it entertaining. Sure, it wasn’t as dangerous as it looked, but the thrill was there along with the danger he faced. Grylls was fun to watch because he ran at serious danger and not away from it. In 2010, he had his crew bury him alive in tons of snow to experience what being trapped by an avalanche felt like. His carbon dioxide levels dropped down to drastic measures and he held out longer than most would to prove a point. He brought viewers to the Discovery Channel and opened the door for current shows Deadliest Catch and Sons of Guns. The reason had to be cost and production schedule and fierce demands from Grylls and his fearless crew, but something tells me a deal could have been worked out.
Random Fire-10 Things
- Tiger Woods winning a tournament doesn’t prove he is back. He is simply alive again and a threat to all the average “not as good as Tiger” golfers who thought the king was finally dead. Woods win this week makes him a contender. Don’t get too worked up.
- I have a desire to see The Hunger Games but won’t spill blood over a seat. I will be the smart person taking this movie in at cinemas three weeks after its release, when the boner has died down and the diehards are reading the second book.
- Wrath of the Titans could be a smelly pile of dog shit when it hits theaters, but Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, and Ralph Fiennes dueling inside the legends of Zeus and the Gods tales sounds like a guilty pleasure to me.
- To watch The Walking Dead 18 hours straight next weekend or not to watch it and wait for the second season to finish? Decisions are everything.
- Mad Men finally returned on Sunday and delivered a 2 hour premiere that proved to be revealing, powerful, informative and utterly exhausting. This is one of the best shows on television because it’s an extension on existentialism and the idea that individuals want to mean something. Jon Hamm’s Don Draper is a twin brother of Tony Soprano in the fact that his biggest threat is his own disbelief in his existence and appeal. One man protects himself with two cast iron shields. A great show but one that takes plenty of time and patience. The 2 hour premiere felt like 6 hours in a 1960s advertising firm. Good and bad.
- Looking down at your kid and reminding yourself you helped make this person never gets old. It happens at least 5 times a day.
- Overtime and extremely tiring work schedules mean something when the paycheck arrives but not much at all the rest of the time. When you get paid, the check runs away to bills and all you are left with is the feeling your life is slipping away pretty quick. Hence the need to do something more useful with your time.
- Once again, complaining about gas prices is like screaming at the sky for raining on your picnic. Get a hobby. Start walking, live closer or make a friend. Just don’t complain. You’re better than that.
- Ryan Reaves is a mad man on the ice. A perfect 4th line grinder who knows how to fight and skate with the puck. Reaves isn’t just a goon or enforcer. He is a hockey player and one who knows his job. He gets out there, lays clean body checks and feels the need to throw a shoulder into anyone. An exciting young talent.
- Most underrated Blues player. Alex Pietrangelo. Secret front runner for the Norris Trophy. He accumulates minutes, logs tough shifts, collects assists and is a real leader and the finest of the young breed of gunners on the Blues.
That’s all folks. The tank is empty, the mind needs rest and the body is in need of a refuel. Work starts soon here at the stroke of midnight(hint hint, I am not at home writing this). Things need to be done and there aren’t many people to do it. Thanks for reading and if you cared to looked twice, I appreciate the time given. A writer is only as good as his readers.
Good morning,
DLB