Bleacher Report - Articles by Josh Millan

Tim Tebow Celebrated By State Legislature

Josh Millan — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:45:26 -0400

The Florida state legislature decided to reward Tim Tebow with the Medallion of Excellence for "his achievement off the field" and passed a resolution in his honor.

I won't deny that Tim Tebow is accomplished off the field. His parents are missionaries in the Philippines, and over his spring break he went and joined them over there. Over my spring break, I drank and sat on my ass. Obviously one of us is better than the other in that regard. He is a paragon of family values and a hell of a good person.

But say my parents were missionaries in the Philippines and I went and joined them over their during my spring break. Say I lived a pious lifestyle like that of Tebow (this is obviously hypothetical). Would I be given a medal for what I did? No. Non-athletes do not get the same treatment.

Tim Tebow is receiving this medal purely for what he did on the field. I would have no problem with this if the Florida state legislature would just admit it. Tim Tebow got this award because he won the Heisman Trophy. He got this medal because he threw for 32 TD's and ran for 23. Hell, if the Florida state legislature said they gave him the award because they couldn't resist staring into his dreamy eyes I wouldn't have a problem with it.

This is just another instance of athletes receiving special treatment based solely for the fact that they are athletes. The state of Florida needs to rethink its priorities. What is more important in that state? The state legislature giving the Medallion of Excellence to Tim Tebow or the state legislature deciding on things that actually pertain to running the state of Florida? I find it hard to believe that the most important resolution the Florida House of Representatives had in front of them was the Tim Tebow Is Awesome Act.

I will commend Tim Tebow however for saying the right things when receiving his award. "There are a lot of role models in football, but there are not a lot of good ones," Tebow said. "People might not think they're a role model, but there are always people watching." I'm glad to see that someone realises the media is going to be all over them. I'd be a good role model too if it got me this.

NFL Draft: San Diego Chargers Stun with First Round Pick by Taking Coach

Josh Millan — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:27:51 -0400

With the the 27th selection in the 2008 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers stunned the NFL world by taking Tony Dungy, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Most experts assumed the Chargers would take a RB to replace Michael Turner or a CB to replace Drayton Florence, who both left in free agency. There was also the possibility of the Chargers trading the pick away due to the lack of value where they were sitting in the first round.

Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, announces the picks in the first round. When he came to the podium to announce the Chargers first round selection, there was a quizzical look on his face. After announcing the pick, a collective "Huh?!" was heard throughout Radio City Music Hall, site of the 2008 NFL Draft.

As soon as the shock had washed away, most began to wonder if this was even possible. Many rule books were consulted and no where could it found whether the selection was either legal or illegal. Goodell was asked to rule on the selection himself, and he ruled in favor of the Chargers.

"We felt that over the past few seasons, the achilles heel for our team has been in our coaching staff," said AJ Smith, General Manager of the San Diego Chargers, when asked about his selection. "As a front office, we felt that the best way we could improve our team was by getting a coach such as Coach Dungy with a proven track record, both in the regular season and postseason, most importantly a Super Bowl victory. True we could have grabbed a cornerback or running back to replace recent losses, but we take risks here and we hope to be rewarded."

The Indianapolis Colts were not available for comment at the time this article was being written but a representative for Tony Dungy was available for comment stating "while Tony is surprised like most at this odd event, he is excited for what the future may hold in San Diego. He has done all that he could do in Indy, and he feels Peyton Manning was holding him back."

Tony Dungy certainly is an upgrade over the previous head coaches Marty Schottenheimer and Norv Turner. While both are celebrated coaches in their own right, neither has had success in the playoffs. Obviously, the Chargers want to win and this shows their commitment to doing so.

What is unknown is what the Chargers will do with Norv Turner but the organization, known for being extremely fan-friendly and involved with their community, have started taking suggestions from their fans. One outspoken Charger fan has let known his wish for Norv Turner to be "fired...out of a cannon into San Diego Bay."

No matter how one feels about the selection, what can be agreed upon is the Chargers definitely made the biggest splash in the first round in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Padres in Slump: Is Change in the Future?

Josh Millan — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:46:29 -0400

The Padres opened a six game set against division opponents Colorado and Arizona on Tuesday April 15th. Going in to that set, the Padres were 7-6 and second in the NL West, 2 GB of the Diamondbacks.

Today, April 21st, the Padres are 9-10, third in the NL West and 4.5 GB of the D'backs. The San Diego Padres are officially in a slump, and as this writer foresaw in a previous article, the Padres will not have much luck getting out of it.

Over the past seven days the Padres are batting .169 compared to a .255 average for their opponents. While we've always known this lineup will never be mistaken for the '27 Yankees, we also never thought they'd be mistaken for a tee-ball team. Never mind, even tee-ballers can hit the ball.

While the lineup issues aren't a surprise to anyone who knows the San Diego Padres, the pitching issues are. Over the last 7 days, the Padres have a team ERA of 4.02, overall not that bad, but when you combine it with the 5.10 ERA of the bullpen, it makes it hard for the team to hold a lead even when the starters throw lights out.

Add it all together and you have a recipe for success. That is if your definition of success is playing like the San Fransisco Giants. Speaking of the Gigantes (for my bilingual readers out there), the Padres have a four game set with two against the Astros and 2 against that bay area team, starting tonight.

If the Padres ever had a chance to change their fortunes, these four games are it. Following these games comes another series against the Diamondbacks who are, unfortunately for the Padres and the rest of the NL West, the best team in baseball.

However, the current trends show the Padres will only continue to frustrate their fans and only thrill once or twice every five days. At least they have Jake Peavy and Chris Young.

The team needs a shot in the arm from somewhere. Could it be in the form of Chase Headley? That is for the front office to decide, and Padres fans to lament over until it happens.

NFL Draft: Leaf Taken by Chargers, Crowned Future of San Diego's Franchise

Josh Millan — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:46:44 -0400

New York - The San Diego Chargers struck it big today when they moved up and drafted Ryan Leaf, the quarterback from Washington State, with the second pick of the draft. In order to acquire this pick, the Chargers traded this years and next years first round picks, this years second round pick, linebacker Patrick Sapp, and Pro Bowler Eric Metcalf. Charger fans need not worry however because Leaf is worth all this and more.

His measurables are amazing. He stands 6'5" and weighs 240 pounds, both amazing numbers for a quarterback. His size means he is durable in the pocket and can take hits if they come. He has a cannon for an arm but also shows great touch when he needs to.

His stats in his junior season, his first and only full season as a starter in the college ranks show a man poised to make the jump the sunday league. He threw 33 touchdowns compared to only 10 interceptions while posting a passer rating of 161.1, second in the Pac-10.

Leaf led Washington State to a share of the Pac-10 title this past year and ended the school's 67-year Rose Bowl drought. The team lost to the eventual co-national champion Michigan Wolverines in that game.

Many personnel men thought it a close race between Peyton Manning - QB, Tennessee - and Leaf for who would be selected No. 1 overall. Manning was taken by the Colts with the first pick leaving Leaf for the Chargers when they traded up to the second pick.

Manning is seen as the more polished quarterback, having the Manning legacy and starting at Tennessee for 3 years. Leaf though is the more physically stunning prospect and could potentially be the better pro.

The Chargers front office officials claim that even though they took the second quarterback, they took the best player in the draft. They are going to need that to be true if they are to return to the form of previous seasons after going 4-12 last season.

Charger fans should be excited for seasons to come with the addition of this young man and his bright future.

NCAA Basketball and the Freshman Exodus

Josh Millan — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:59:18 -0400

This is the time of year, after the NCAA Tournament, that college players start declaring for the NBA draft. This year, just like last year with Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, some of the biggest names to declare will be freshman.

Some have the talent; it is true.

Michael Beasley, PF from Kansas State, is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft after a season in which he averaged 26.2 points per game and 12.4 rebounds per game, third and first in the nation respectively. Another freshman, Derrick Rose, PG from Memphis, right behind him at No. 2. Others such as OJ Mayo (SG from USC) and Eric Gordon (SG from Indiana) are also projected to be drafted in the top 10.

What remains to be seen about these men is whether they are ready for the next level, not as players, but as men. The idea of 19-year-old young adults being paid millions of dollars to play a game, when they could be getting an education that could better serve them, is a little shocking. The culture of money that now controls the minds of not only pro players but now college players is getting to be a little much.

When the NBA instituted the new draft rule (through the Collective Bargaining Agreement) disallowing high schoolers to make the jump to the pros, many people rejoiced. The college game had been missing out on some of the best players in the land.

It is still, however, not much better. Many of these stars who would have gone from prep to pro are now just going to one year of college. While it provides for exciting storylines in that one year (take a look at this years college basketball season), it often leaves the fans wanting more. Could Michael Beasley have won a national championship in Manhattan, Kansas?

Now we will never know.

Many of these athletes reach the NBA as raw talent after just one year in college, needing time to adjust to the pro game's pace and players. Their skill sets are unrefined and while raw talent may have been able to get the job done in the college game against many lesser athletes, the same cannot be said for the NBA. These young men could refine their game in college and get an education at the same time.

There are still other high profile freshman who have not declared yet, such as Kevin Love of UCLA. As a fan of the college game, I hope they stay.

As someone who wants to see these young men grow into something more, I hope they stay.