Thanks Flav. Even former Public Enemy and VH1 reality show star, Flavor Flav wants in on the action, thanks again for the intro Flav. Like the man says, Time To Keep It Real.
Leading off . . "Big Game" James Shields. I've watched 9,000,013 hours of baseball this postseason, and that's including the entire game 5 of the ALCS, and I'm left with just one question: Which game was it that James Shields earned the nickname "Big Game"? Now before 2008, James Shields and the Tampa Bay Rays never won much more than a scratch ticket, and even that is
debatable. During the regular season, the Tampa Bay righthander was 6 games over .500 with an earned run average of 3.56, good for 25th among major league starters. In his three postseason starts prior to Thursdays game 2 of the World Series, Shields was a mediocre 1-2 including not 1 but TWO losses to the Boston Red Sox in the LCS. Granted, his performance last night was very good, it's ONE game, and he was being referred to as "Big Game" long before that. Pitchers like Curt Schilling (3 World Series & 1 MVP), Josh Beckett (2 World Series & 1 MVP), and Mariano Rivera (4 World Series & 1 MVP) are all guys who have earned the right to be called "Big Game", not James Shields. So for now, I'm calling for a moratorium on the nickname until he does it in more than one game and in more than one season. KEEP IT REAL!Chargers vs. Saints, IN LONDON. I get it, you want to expand the game globally. I understand the money move involved here, developing a fanbase in Europe specifically in England brings in major television dollars. However, as Roger Goodell says "maybe we'd go so far as to have a franchise here someday", really?!?! I'll tell you right now, that would be one game on my teams schedule I'd circle, as a game I WOULDN'T want my team participating in. Like NHL franchises in the southern United States, NBA franchises in Oklahoma City, and MLB teams in the state of Florida, an NFL team in Europe is a little too much for me. For starters, they refer to our game "Football" as errrrrr, no idea. They've used the name or some form of it, "Futbol", for what we call soccer. In the U.S. when fans go overboard in the stands, it's story #1 on ESPN that night. In Europe, fans throw Molotov cocktails on the field. Lastly, the one time I spent any significant time in Europe, ten days, it took me literally a week and a half to get straightened out after the cross Atlantic flight. I'd rather not spend my off week turning my watches back to the right time, sleeping till noon, and eating dinner at 11:00 PM! Hey ROG, can the Euro-games! Keep It Real!
So your former high school All-American (2000), Darius Miles. You were selected 3rd overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000, the Clippers for a high school kid? Maybe not the best opportunity in the world, still an opportunity not many people get. After being bounced around from Los Angeles, to Cleveland, and then to Portland, where you were released after losing significant time due to a knee injury. Finally, you get a great shot: To play for a contending team looking to repeat, the Boston Celtics. You've just collected some 28 million dollars from Portland and are looking to come back from injury and make an impact on
a very good franchise. But wait, you fail a drug test and will be forced to sit down for the first 10 games of the 2008 season, no matter what team you play on. One would think that a guy, coming off potentially career threatening knee surgery, would put down the weed and pick up the basketball, one would think. Not Darius, oh no, its rumored that this is his fourth violation of the NBA's substance abuse policy. Absurd, this is clearly not the first time that we've seen a situation like this in professional sports, and as many times as it happens, I still don't understand it. As a professional athlete you could retire at age 35 and have enough money saved that you never have to work again, EVER. Your free to buy all the marijuana you want after the age of 35, you could get high every single day and no one would care. So I ask, WHY DON'T YOU JUST WAIT TILL YOUR CAREER IS OVER?!?!?!? Celtics GM, Danny Ainge, can continue to say the suspension had nothing to do with Miles being cut by the Celtics this week, but I'm not buying it. Your defending champs with a full roster and a looking to lose one player, can you really justify not cutting the guy who is getting high and won't play for the first ten games of the season? Would pro-athletes put down the blunts, at least till you retire. As for Miles, at least he has his illustrious motion picture career to work on now, according to IMDB.com, Miles has played himself in like six movies, six more movies than I ever would have thought he'd be in. Sidenote: Steeler wide receiver, Santonio Holmes, was arrested this week in possession of three blunts. Smooth move, did I mention he's in season?
I may not be picking games this week; due to time constraints, but I'm going to give you one. In Matt Ryan's return to his home state of Pennsylvania, the Atlanta Falcons rout the Philadelphia Eagles. Ryan got his first road win at Lambeau Field, so anyone who thinks he can't win away from Hotlanta, step off. Now, the entire NFL took notice when Ryan signed a record breaking rookie contract, nearly $38 million guaranteed,
and I hope they are all taking notice to his 4-2 record as a starter including wins against Chicago and Green Bay. To myself, and Boston College fans alike, we saw this in his senior campaign in 2007, and as for Arthur Blank, the contract he gave Ryan doesn't seem as crazy as you thought. Now the rookie quarterback isn't doing this on his own. In large part, he should thank the newest Falcon, running back Michael Turner, who is off to an amazing Atlanta debut, 597 rushing yards in six games, good for third amongst the NFL. Hats off to rookie NFL head coach, Mike Smith, who has not only limited the load Ryan would have to shoulder in his first season, but done it to perfection. He doesn't make Ryan throw 40 times a game in order to win, given that Ryan only averages 26 attempts per start. However, when the game was on the line against Chicago, it was Ryan who found an open Michael Jenkins for a 26 yard completion setting up a game winning Jason Elam field goal. When credit is due, you need to give it. KEEP IT REAL!Were headed into week 8 of the NFL season, and ask yourself, who is winning the Super Bowl? The Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers, and Minnesota Vikings have been all together disappointing. The New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, and
Indianapolis Colts have caught the injury bug in a bad way. The Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, and Arizona Cardinals are all division leaders who have at times looked like bottom feeders. The Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants, who lock up this week, aren't exactly, lighting the world on fire. The Steelers escaped with an early season win against the Ravens, that for all accounts, should have been a loss. The New York Giants struggled mightily against the now 0-7, Cincinnati Bengals, and got whipped by the Cleveland Browns. They have most deceiving win loss record among NFL heavyweights, (5-1), with wins against Zorn & the Skins in their first game, the Linehan Rams, Bengals, a 1-5 Seahawk team, and the 49ers, who just fired their head coach. Still think they are top dogs? Should we talk up the undefeated Titans? A more than physical defense, but like the Giants, they've beaten up on NFL dogs. Are you ready to talk Buffalo football yet? Wins against Seattle, Oakland, St. Louis, and the Chargers after flying across country don't exactly do it for me. So again, it's week 8 in the NFL, we have no idea who is going to the Super Bowl, and in a word it can be described as, Chaos. Keep It Real folks. . . That's Friday, October, 24th.
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