Cash Cow, Baseball & Congressional Playoffs

Just how much is a left handed starting pitcher worth these days? I would think it is not as much as CC (Cash Cow) Sabathia will be making as a member of the New York Yankees. It seemed common logic Sabathia was going to be a very wealthy man in 2009, but the rediculous amount of money being thrown at a pitcher who has one of the worst postseason records of any Cy Young winner in the past decade leaves me wondering just what the Yankees won't do to bring a championship to their new home. With the economy in a state of shock, and investors unsure what to throw their pots of gold into, the Yankees' deal with CC is the biggest middle finger to the working class that could be made. Not only did they overpay, but they did so at a time where their fans' wallets are getting lighter. And they aren't done yet. This is one of the biggest reasons why the Yankees are so hated by the rest of the country. What will it take to get the Steinbrenners to close their wallet and use some "home-grown" talent to win some throphies?

It's times like these that I wish I had spent more time working on my fastball and less time on "i before e except after c."

On a positive note, the World Baseball Classic is returning in 2009. I really like the idea behind this, and I hope that the tv networks get their coverage right this time around. The last time it was held, in 2006, nearly half of the games were presented with abbreviated video. However, the advent of the MLB Network gives me hope. Competiton drives invention and a desire to succeed. Hopefully, ESPN will use this as a chance to deliver a better tv product this time around. In other words, show the whole game or don't show it at all!

The wonderful folks up in Bristol (ESPN) broke a story today on their Outside the Lines program that made me laugh. Apparently there is only one thing Republicans & Democrats can agree on, college football needs a playoff. And they want to do something about it. The planned legislation does not specify how the playoff system would be implemented, but it is clear on one thing: The BCS needs to go. It seems anyone who has watched one snap of college football has an idea of how to fix the BCS mess. Most will cite the March Madness college basketball tournament as a reason for why the playoff is needed for football. March Madness is one of the most lucrative tv contracts in all of sports and is currently owned by CBS. The network does a tremendous job of promoting, televising, and analyzing the games since they picked up the contract for the games in 1991. Nearly 20 years later, the Madness has thrived on CBS and the station has become synoymous with the March basketball.

Now, imagine if in 2010 when ESPN picks up the rights to the BCS that instead, we have a playoff system in place. The possiblities of some of those useless bowl games actually mattering would have fans salivating. Now, I have a reason to tune in for the Allstate Sugar Bowl because a team's chances of winning a National Championship will be ended within 4 quarters of play. It gives those games a sense of importance and urgency, which are two things sports thrive on. Why else would fans wish for a Game 7 in other sports?

Who would have thought I would agree with congress on something? The playoff system is long overdue for college football. There should be no guess work in determining the National Champion. No one wants to share the throphy. And congress is going to make sure that no one has to share a throphy again.

I was deeply disappointed to hear that Petty Enterprises has released 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Bobby Labonte amid concerns of no sponsorship. Times are tough, especially when one of the crowned jewels of the sport is forced to merge with another team just to make ends meet. The year 2009 will not be a kind one to NASCAR; I certainly hope Brian France has a plan to keep teams afloat this season, or we may be left watching Hendrick Motorsports battle Roush-Fenway Racing for the championship. Oh wait, we already did. Oh well.

Another sad note for NASCAR fans, the Wood Brothers team, another staple of the Cup Series garage for over 50 years, announced plans earlier this week to cut its racing schedule drastically. They will no longer run a full season, and their plans for the Truck Series have also been put into question. I hope this is not a sign of things to come for NASCAR, but with two of the most legendary teams in desperate trouble things do not look promising. Looks like Jimmie Johnson's road to the 4 in a row is going to be easier than previously thought.

Thanks for stopping by, and next time wipe your freaking feet off on the door mat!

Random Thoughts

Before I begin, I would like to apologize to my readers for not updating my blog recently. It is not for lack of trying, but when I post something I want to give you something to think about. I don't just post get my post counts up, that's just pathetic. So just know that if you read something here, it's the best I've got at that time.

Alright, enough of that. What is going on in the NFL? Tom Brady's done for the season. And that means the Patroits are in deep trouble. I'm not going to judge Matt Cassel, New England's backup, because I have not watched him play. But I will say this, it is going to be a uphill climb for the AFC Champions for the rest of this season. It will be interesting to see how they fare the rest of the season. And if Cassel doesn't live up to expectations, I would not be surprised to see the Pats looking for a replacement QB on the trading block.

Aaron Rodgers deserves much better media than what he has got thus far. If I hear Rodgers compared to Favre one more time before season's end, my head may explode. How can you compare the two when one has not played a full season? Could someone please relay that message to the folks in Bristol? I'm going to spew nonsense about Rodgers being Favre-like in Green Bay because that is probably never going to happen again. Rodgers will be good, he will win some games, and he will do what Favre seems unable to do, shut up and play!

What happened in Cleveland? My Browns faced their team's mortality it would seem against the Dallas Cowboys. I have to admit, I picked the Brownies to lose that game (Kinda bittersweet, huh?) The problem is the problem the Browns have had since they returned in 1999, their defense sucks. And while offense wins games, defense wins championships. So until Cleveland puts together a defense that can get through an offensive line, were going to waiting a while for a championship in Cleveland. (You would think I would be a little more optimistic about the home team!)

NASCAR continues to put on some of the worst racing seen in many years with the Car of Tomorrow. The race at Richmond, the race before the chase, was so boring that I felt bad for everyone who braved Tropical Storm Hanna to see it. The racing probably would have been better had everyone raced for 400 laps instead of 25! This whole "save your stuff for the end" crap needs to end! Recently I went go-karting with my brother and my best friend and had a great time! Good speed, hard corners, and loose cars is a recipe for a good time in my book! Anyone who enjoys NASCAR or racing of any kind needs to get behind the wheel of one these things. But with all the fun, I did notice something wrong. There are rules at the track at was racing on:

1. No intentional bumping
2. No spinning
3. No cutting someone off

And if you didn't obey these rules, you were parked. Sound familiar? It should, because this is the same crap NASCAR drivers are dealing with now. My point, rules are fine, in moderation and with the idea that they be fluid. Bring back the old NASCAR! Oh, and support go-karting.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I had the misfortune of watching WWE Unforgiven, the most recent PPV. The event was held in my backyard in Cleveland, and I tried desperately to get tickets for the event. I'm so glad I didn't. There was so much that went wrong, from World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk losing his championship without even competing in a match; Chris Jericho getting beaten six ways from ugly and still having the ability to come out later in the show and win the World Heavyweight Championship; to Big Show beating the hell out of the Undertaker; and matches that just, well, sucked.

The only good thing to come out of that event was the Championship Scramble concept match. The rules to this match are convulted and tough to follow, but it basically boils down to this:

• 2 men start the match. Every 5 minutes a new superstar enters the ring until all 5 competitors are in the ring. The match last 20 minutes.


• A pin or submission names that person the "interim champion" of the match. He is not officially recognized as champion until the match ends, if he is the "interim champion" at its conclusion


• The "interim champion" does not have to be pinned or submit in order to lose his status.
  

Overall, the match was fun to watch, and presented some good exciting moments. Unfortunately, it was not enough to save this PPV. Please save your money and avoid this one at all costs.

Remember how I said I was not going to buy Madden 09 for the XBOX 360? Well, I didn't. I bought the "Collector's Edition" for the Playstation 3! Boo me all you want for that, but at least it didn't have Brett Favre on the cover! Another game that is on my watch list is WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 (no surprise there!). If you are a wrestling fan, head over to ign.com and checkout the exclusive content on this year's SvR game. Early reports look good, but we won't know for sure until the game's release in November.

One final note, I'm going to be experimenting with this blog over the next week or two to see what all blogger can do. So, if you notice some changes to this entry and they look a little weird, just know that they are intentional and will most likely be fixed.

Alright, that's all I've got for now. Thanks for reading, and as always, I'll try to get it right next time.