Bleacher Report - Articles by Satchel Page

NFL Midseason: What We've Learned and How We've Been Deceived

Satchel Page — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:58:42 -0500

What fool picked the Patriots and the Packers?

As we reach the halfway point through the season, let's look at a few things we've learned thus far.

1. The Saints Are for Real

I know. I can't believe it myself. It's still hard for those words to even come out my mouth. But living within a three hour radius of New Orleans, you can sense a confidence in Saints fans that has never before existed. This is including the 2006 and 2000 seasons.

Drew Brees is playing lights out football, and the addition of Darren Sharper has made the defense absolutely frightening.

I still can't crown them Super Bowl bound, and I won't until they make it there. But they have won over their harshest critic.

2. The Colts Will Go 2-14 as Soon as Peyton Manning Retires

Maybe some of you already knew, but it just dawned on me this season. In theory, this guy could win MVP every season. Middle Bro has made Pierre Garcon a household name.

I believed that the Colts would be good, but the way Manning handles the offense is unprecedented. He's more than a coach on the field, as some would like to reference.

He's actually the architect of the entire league and he knows where every individual on offense and defense is going to be every time he gets in between those white lines. There is absolutely no replacing him.

So Colts fans, prepare for an era of futility as soon as he retires.

3. That Romo Kid Ain't as Bad as Some of You Thought

I don't know of any other player that can be so harshly criticized for bad games, yet play beyond spectacular football below everyone's radar.

Recently I wrote an article about some d-bag calling Romo one of the most disappointing quarterbacks in the league along with JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn.

The article was written after the fourth game, in which the Cowboys lost to the one-loss Broncos, and Romo's poor play was a leading factor in the loss.

Romo had thrown for five TDs and four INTs and had a rating of 79.

Since then, in the following three games, Romo has been remarkable, throwing for seven TDs and zero interceptions ! His rating? A 17-point improvement to 96.8. How's that for a disappointment?

4. The Lions, Chiefs, Raiders, Rams, Redskins, Browns, Titans, and Buccaneers Are Worse than Advertised

I don't know if I've ever seen football played this poorly by so many teams. There are, in fact, other teams that could be included in this mix, including the Bills and the Seahawks.

But as far as the bottom eight of the league, this is as bad as it can get. For the Lions, it is a transitional period with a rookie quarterback (although they are always in a transitional period it seems), and that would lead to their record.

For the Rams, Redskins, Titans, and Buccaneers, it appears that it is a quarterback issue. With better QB play from these teams, I think it's feasible for them to at least be competitive.

The Chiefs and Raiders issues are deeper than simple X's and O's, as off the field issues are destroying the teams.

And the Browns?

They are completely dysfunctional in every way. If anyone thought that by them trading Braylon Edwards was going to change anything, you don't know your butt from a hole in the ground.

Cleveland has a team passer rating of 42.7! They are averaging only 9.8 points a game! Their rushing average is an anemic 3.8 yards/game. And their defense is giving up a league worst 409.1 yards/game.

In their one win, Derek Anderson completed two passes in the entire game! Two passes! I don't think their nickname stands for Paul Brown anymore, rather the color of the object their play is most related to.

5. The Spread Offense Is Deceiving

The average points per game in the league is actually only 21.8! Granted, the Browns, Raiders, and Rams are included in the fold. However, the notion that the spread offense is destroying the scoreboards and sending defensive coordinators into a frenzy could not be farther from the truth.

I think it's safe to say that Tom Brady's, Randy Moss's and LaDanianian Tomlinson's records don't appear to be threatened this year. In fact, the Saints and the Vikings are the only two teams that are averaging over 30 points a game.

6. Brett Favre Can Play until He's 50

I never thought Brett Favre was incapable of playing. I just don't like how he's allowed to single-handedly alter the league the way he is.

Favre is probably playing his best football since he led the Packers to the Super Bowl 12 and 13 years ago. If he continues to play at this level throughout the season, for the first offseason in a long time, we might not be talking about him retiring.

7. Where Have the Bengals Been All these Years?

I picked the Bengals to be at the bottom of their division with the Browns. Crow has been eaten.

This is actually turning into one of the more competitive divisions as I can easily see either the Bengals, Ravens, or Steelers winning the division. The sad thing is at least one of these teams is not going to make it to the playoffs.

Here are my awards for the halfway point through the season:

Offensive MVP: Peyton Manning, Drew Brees (tie)

Defensive MVP: Jared Allen

Offensive Rookie: Mark Sanchez

Defensive Rookie: Jairus Byrd

Comeback Player: Cedric Benson

Go-Away Player: JaMarcus Russell

Playing The Rush Card: Fallout Gets Ridiculous

Satchel Page — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:41:16 -0400

Disclaimer: This article is dealing with race. It is solely the opinion of the author. I do not come speaking for all black people, just myself and anyone who may happen to think like me—be they black, white, or any other ethnicity. If you are not mature enough to comment with intelligence, and respect for yourself and others, whether you agree or not, I suggest you read no further.

I used to frequent the chat boards on Espn.com. However, I had to stop because I could find very few chatters who were willing or capable of saying anything with substance dealing with the social climate of the sports world. It seemed at some point, no matter the topic or forum, it would always end up in childish name-calling, wild accusations, and attacks on the poster—not the issue.

For some reason, I was interested in what people had to say about the recent story of Rush Limbaugh and his failed attempt at minority ownership of the St. Louis Rams. The prospect of Limbaugh becoming a part owner of the lowly Rams drew ire from players and owners alike, with Matthias Kiwanuka of the New York Giants and Colts owner Jim Irsay being some of the most vocal members of the opposition along with NFLPA union leader DeMaurice Smith. Before it was all said and done, Rev.'s Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton spoke their pieces as well.

Limbaugh was eventually dropped from the bidding party and he, in turn, spoke his piece about the matter on his radio show. Limbaugh blames Pres. Obama of all people for creating this kind of climate that will not allow him to become a minority owner.

So I checked out a few of the 4000-plus comments, and it is business as usual. They start off with "the NFL did the right thing" or "the NFL caved in," and ended up with "you're a poo-poo face" and "no, YOU'RE a poo-poo face!" Quickly, I left the site and came here.

I'll be 30 in a couple of weeks, and I've realized over time that this race card thing is the most pointless argument we can have. If you're an AmericanBlack, White, Asian, Hispanic, Arabic, or any other ethnicity—you're a racist. To use the phrase, it just comes with the territory. And because of that we need to get beyond this and find something else to use when arguing social issues.

It makes no difference whether you choose to express your feelings or hide them and hope the race conversations would evaporate into thin air. It is one of the foundations of this country and our socioeconomic philosophy that in order for this nation to thrive, the people must be pitted against each other in almost every way.

Again, we are all racist. The only difference between now and 50 years ago is we are cowards. Whites would stand up and say, "No, we don't want blacks in our schools and our restaurants. We don't want blacks to vote. We don't want them taking our jobs." Blacks would stand up against their opposition with the commitment and determination we can't even dream about. They put their lives on the line so necessary changes could be made to make America equal for all.

Not us. Not today. We hide behind name-calling and the anonymity the Web gives us, spewing out uneducated and unfounded garbage. We somehow think we have channeled the courage of Malcolm X or Strom Thurmond, typing the most ignorant ideals that we would be afraid to uphold in the wrong setting.

Back in my college days, I challenged myself to speak my social and political beliefs, all the while respecting those with whom I disagree. My beef is never with the individual, but their ideals. That's why I can't condone resorting to name-calling in debate climates.

As far as Limbaugh goes, he had every right to put his name in the draw amongst potential owners of the Rams. And in the same way, the players had just as much right to voice their opinion against it. It's a part of the democratic process. The people spoke out, their voice was heard, and the correct outcome came of it.

The opposition was made solely on Limbaugh's controversial comments. In a league whose ownership is overwhelmingly made up of white conservative men, I find it very hard to find any other reason that they would speak out so loud. They didn't say they didn't want a white conservative to own the Rams...just not that one.

How this issue can turn so quickly into a preschool challenge of put-downs shows that, in spite of what some thought the Obama election would usher, we are not in a post-racial America. And to think that one will exist in our lifetime is as silly as a war on terrorism. These ideals have existed since time and will continue long after we're dead and gone.

As sports fans, as citizens of this country, we should be able to talk about the social climate and its effect on the sports world with respect, integrity, and sound information. There's no need for childish name-calling at all.

Unless, of course, you're a Redskins fan. Then, you are a poo-poo face.

Pull Down Your Dress, Your Star Is Showing: Failure at Sports Journalism

Satchel Page — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:30:22 -0400

Here is why I have a hard time taking sports journalists (I use that term very loosely) seriously. John P. Lopez of Inside the NFL, writes in his blog that the three most disappointing quarterbacks in the NFL are Tony Romo, Jamarcus Russell, and Brady Quinn, "Disappointing QBs contribute to woes in Dallas, Cleveland, and Oakland."

For the ten of you that read my blogs, you know I try to put my bias aside and give fair and sometimes funny reads to quench your sports jonz. But this is where it gets difficult.

I can't speak for either 1st round QB in the 2007 draft. I never believed in Russell for several reasons.

1) Russell left after his junior season. Historically that doesn't go well for QBs. Now there are some exceptions, Drew Bledsoe and more recently, Benjamin Wardell Roethlisberger. But for every Big Ben, there's a ton of Ryan Leafs, Todd Marinovichs, or Rick Mirers.

2) Russell is a product of the Southeastern Conference. And yes, I went to an SEC school so I feel I have a right to say that. Aside from the Manning family, SEC quarterbacks are severely over-hyped. This doesn't bode well at all for Matthew Stafford's career.

3) Russell is an Oakland Raider. Should I have to spell that out? Oakland is where careers go to die. And his died before it could even get started, holding out through training camp in his rookie season, changing coaches, and playing in an archaic "throw-the-ball-ninety-yards-down-the-field" system.

Quinn is the Tony Mandarich of quarterbacks. He's got the body, the looks, the mullet that is long but not too long. And for that, everyone wants him to succeed. But I believe he's been on the bench for a reason and Cleveland fans finally saw why.

Now Romo, I'm going to have to defend. Is he over-hyped? Most definitely. Is he suffering without T.O.? That's safe to say. But I figured him out in his first game against the Giants back in 2006.

Antonio is a young, talented QB that's going to make some spectacular plays and then turn around and make some bone-head plays. Cowboy fans and those closet Cowboy fans, like Lopez, who wait for something to look less than perfect in Cowboys camp so they can pounce on it, can agree that Romo is the barometer of the team and we will only go as far as he can take us.

But I look at the five starting quarterbacks before Romo (Quincy Carter, Drew Henson, Chad Hutchinson, Vinny Testaverde, and Drew Bledsoe) and Brad Johnson's stint during Romo's injury, and I ask: Who would you rather have?!

Romo is by far the best QB we've had in Big D since Aikman. And Romo is still young. He's in his third year as a full-time starter and hasn't had a rating less than 91. Currently his rating is 79.4, but that's no reason for him to hang at the gallows.

People will argue his playoff record. But first, no Dallas qb has won a playoff game since Aikman. And secondly, remember Peyton's first few cracks at the playoffs? No. That's because they're quite forgettable.

While Lopez was attempting to hide his Cowboy fanhood, he failed horribly in recognizing a few other QBs who are faring far worse than Romo and his 2-2 record.

Jake Delhomme, a former Super Bowl quarterback, who led the Panthers to a 12-4 record last year and a first week bye. Currently the Panthers are 0-3, one of those losses at the hands of the Cowboys. Jakey's numbers so far this season? 2 TDs, 7 INTs, and a 54.3 passer rating.

Kerry Collins, another Super Bowl QB, led the Titans to a 13-3 record, best in the AFC. Like the Panthers, the Titans are winless and Collins has thrown for 5 TD's, 6 picks, and a 68.9 rating. In the game against the Jets, Collins threw 13 straight incomplete passes to end the game.

Before he got hurt, Chad Pennington looked terrible. Expectations were high for Trent Edwards who has T.O. now. And although Romo's record is worse than Carson Palmer's, his rating is actually higher. That shows that it takes more than quarterback play to win or lose a game.

Granted, the two losses can be greatly contributed to Romo's play, especially against the Giants where we clearly dominated the "NFC's best team." But to call him the most disappointing QB in the league? That's bogus.

This is another example of closet fanhood, as Lopez takes the easy route and nit picks the Cowboys faults, instead of looking objectively at the rest of the league and how pitiful other teams are playing. Lopez, why don't you and the rest of the Cowboy Haters Club, come on out of your closet or boudoirs, and admit that you actually love the Blue and Silver. Come on and join me. It's liberating!

P Is for Prognosticate: Satchel's 2009 NFL Preview

Satchel Page — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:11:34 -0400

With only a week before the kickoff of the NFL season, I, Mr. Satchel Page, will throw my hand in with the ranks of pundits and prognosticators predicting the path of the pretenders, paupers, and the eventual princes of the pedestal propping up the prize of all pigskin, the Vince Lombardi trophy.

Now, I don’t know everything. But I do know a lot of things. And I have been quite successful in picking Super Bowl contestants over the past decade. I even called the Ravens and Seahawks, believe it or not. So I feel I have something to contribute that you can ascribe to or at least think about when the season begins.

So without further ado, here is Satchel’s preview of the 2009 NFL season.

AFC East

I think this division will be quite interesting. Maybe not as interesting as last year due to the injury suffered by Tom Brady in Week One.

But with the Miami Dolphins returning as division champs, a healthy and hungry Patriot team, and what I’m believing to be a reemerging Buffalo Bill squad, this division should again come down to the last couple of weeks before anything gets settled.

I’m going with New England because I believe that they are going to play with an edge the entire season and are frankly the most complete team. However, I believe that either the Dolphins or Bills will hold down one of the Wild Card spots. The Jets and Rex Ryan appear to be more bark than bite right now.

Patriots 12-4

Bills 9-7

Dolphins 9-7

Jets 6-10

AFC North

It’s hard to go against the Super Bowl champions in this division. Pittsburgh, when healthy, is probably the best team in the league, even with their deficiencies. And they proved it last year.

This team is just built for the playoffs with a strong defense, a talented running back corps, and an attitude that reminds you of the great dynasties in the NFL.

Baltimore will once again be strong. I expect Joe Flacco to have another good year, although he won’t surprise anybody.

Cleveland will only make noise throughout the year because of the never-ending quarterback controversies. And Cincy? Well, I think this is it for Marvin Lewis and the Bungles.

Steelers 13-3

Ravens 10-6

Cleveland 7-9

Cincinnati 5-11

AFC South

This could very well be the most competitive division in football. Even more so than the NFC East.

If Tennessee is sold on Kerry Collins, they stand a strong chance to make the playoffs. I think Jacksonville will also be in the hunt in the latter part of the season. However, my surprise pick to make the playoffs this year is the Houston Texans.

This is, of course, contingent on the health of Matt Schaub. If Schaub can stay on the field long enough to let his weapons make plays for him, the Texans should look forward to their first ever wild card spot.

Oh yeah, that other team? As long as No. 18 is there, it’s essentially their division.

Colts 11-5

Texans 10-6

Titans 9-7

Jaguars 8-8

AFC West

You might as well put the Trojans in this division so the Chargers can have some competition. San Diego would have to lose their entire first and second squads to lose this one. With three new coaches and two new quarterbacks and one guy still with a lot to prove, this should be a battle for the number one pick in the 2010 draft.

Chargers 13-3

Chiefs 6-10

Raiders 3-13

Broncos 3-13

I’m taking Pittsburgh vs. New England in the AFC championship game. I’ll give you my winner and representative in the Super Bowl in just a few.

NFC East

Here we go. I have to be honest. This year looks like it will either be very good for my Cowboys or very bad. They have the pieces to make a serious contender; however, shoddy play calling and injuries can put our season in the dirt.

Washington will play well this entire season, and yet will find ways to lose a lot of games. New York has too many questions at wide out. Losing Plexi-glass and more importantly, Amani Toomer is going to hurt them more than they think.

And Philadelphia, being the only NFC East team to not have a Super Bowl ring (ha!) will be satisfied with staying in the news because of Michael Vick. Besides, it’s Donovan McNabb’s year to get hurt again.

Cowboys 10-6

Giants 8-8

Eagles 7-9

Redskins 6-10

NFC North

This is where it gets good. This division is chock full of quarterback stories, with none more interesting than the other.

The last shall be first so we’ll start with Detroit and their No. 1 overall pick, Matthew Stafford. The Lions will, in fact, win a game this year either Week 3 against the Redskins, or Week 8 against the Rams. And Stafford, well, he’ll be the starter whenever it happens.

Chicago is going to find out that the Cutler experiment was a major bust, as he will keep them out of playoff contention as he did in his years at Denver. If you ask me—and you just did—as far as SEC quarterbacks go (and I went to an SEC school), the only one I’m sold on is Big Brother Manning.

Minnesota, I think, was a better team before they picked up Brett Favre. Don’t get me wrong; he’s an all-timer. Definitely a top five all-time. But I believe he’s going to throw the season down the drain as he did in the NFC championship game a couple years ago.

Which leads me to Green Bay. It disgusts me to say this, but the Packers look like the monsters of the NFC this year. Aaron Rodgers is a much better fit for this offense than Favre is in Minnesota. And with Dom Capers now the defensive coordinator and installing a 3-4 defense, Green Bay looks the strongest and most primed for the Super Bowl.

Packers 13-3

Vikings 11-5

Bears 7-9

Lions 2-14

NFC South

This division is always much ado about nothing. With only one Super Bowl EVER to split between them, this group is always alternating as to which team can be the flavor of the month and, thus, bring the most disappointment to their fans.

This year, I think it’s the Dirty Birds. Matt Ryan has shown that he belongs in this league as not only a starter, but also among the game's elite. And while he’s been given even more weapons, including future HOF’er Tony Gonzalez, like Flacco, I don’t think Ryan is going to surprise anybody this year.

Carolina, Tampa Bay, and the Aint’s will continue setting their fans up for epic failure with streaky and inconsistent play throughout the season.

Falcons 10-6

Panthers 9-7

Saints 7-9

Buccaneers 5-11

NFC West

This season should prove to be a better showing for the NFC West as opposed to last year. The 49ers are making strides in the right direction. However, without a solid QB, don’t expect them to make much noise.

The Seahawks look as if they are ready to make a strong push back into the playoffs. However, the West will be won yet again by the Cardinals featuring Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, and Mr. Larry Fitzgerald.

I’m thinking this year’s MVP trophy will be handed to either Fitzgerald or Aaron Rodgers. Oh did I mention the Rams? If I did, I didn’t mean to.

Cardinals 11-5

Seahawks 9-7

49ers 7-9

Rams 4-12

The NFC championship will feature the Cardinals and the Packers this year with Aaron Rodgers leading his team to Miami for Super Bowl Ecks Ell Eye Vee.

As for the AFC, I’m taking New England in a close one. I’m expecting magic and redemption from the golden one, Tom Brady.

Super Bowl XLIV

In a rematch of Super Bowl XXXI, the Patriots will redeem their defeat in New Orleans at the hands of Brett Favre and Reggie White defeating the Packers 27-14, and earning Belichick and Brady their fourth Super Bowl.

MVP: Aaron Rodgers

Defensive Player of the Year: Troy Polamalu

Offensive Rookie: Mark Sanchez

Defensive Rookie: Aaron Curry

Comeback Player: Carson Palmer

Breakout players: Darren McFadden, Leon Washington, Anthony Gonzalez, Mario Williams, AJ Hawk, and Antrel Rolle

Talking QB's: Vick and Favre Return to the NFL

Satchel Page — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:56:21 -0400

Is this the week for quarterbacks to be mega-stories in the news, or what?!

In the past six days, the sports world has been dominated by the news of Michael Vick signing with the Eagles and Brett Favre's return to the NFL (yet again) via the Minnesota Vikings. Both stories are double-edge swords, finely dividing sports fans around the country. There are those that believe that the subjects in question should not be allowed to play, while others say it's a football decision and only the owners have the luxury to make a decision that they believe benefits the team.

In regards to Vick, I am happy for him. I'm glad to see the justice system work out in the favor of the law, and not any one entity lobbying for it to balance in its favor. Vick was convicted two years ago, served his time, and now has been given the opportunity to redeem his life which just so happens to be through football.

Even though he's an Eagle, I'm still pleased to see that he is given a second chance. That's what makes America great, isn't it? His signing simply means D-Ware is gonna get the chance to bury him in the star on Week 17.

Anyone that believes that Vick's crime (and make no mistake, it was a crime) is unforgivable and that he lacks the humanity and moral capacity to make a living in his specific field of employment, demonstrates that they themselves lack the moral capacity to forgive another human being, and should thus, have their arguments discounted on the basis of counter-logic and hypocrisy.

There are perverts, murderers, and thieves amongst us all that graciously have been given second chances to prove their value to society and many have triumphed. So let the man play because I wanna see Keith Brooking smack his former teammate a couple of times.

As far as Brett Favre goes, I'm a little less sympathetic. Not that I don't think Brett is capable of playing at an NFL level anymore. I still think he is a good quarterback and better than 50% of the starting quarterbacks in the league now. However, I don't like what Favre is doing to the league. The Favre Effect has reshaped at least one-fifth of the league with his shenanigans.

If Favre either stays with the Packers or retires for good, Chad Pennington is still a Jet, Eric Mangini is still coaching in NY, the Dolphins may have a legitimate shot at either Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez, Sage Rosenfels remains a Texan, Tarvaris Jackson will finally get an all-in bid from his coach, Brad Childress, and Favre will have to now compete for his job-and probably, at this stage lose-with Aaron Rodgers.

Favre has officially put himself in a class A Diva status. And take it from a Cowboy fan who hated to see his diva go. I know a diva when I see one. He is not concerned at all about the Vikings, as he wasn't concerned about the Jets. He used the Jets as an audition for the Vikings that he can still sling the ball. Putting together a remarkable three quarters of the season, Favre then tanked the rest of the year after beating the Titans, who were undefeated at the time, and thus putting the Jets out of playoff contention. And putting Favre in a position to retire and then unretire with the team he chooses.

And now, he wants a shot to get back at the Packers, whom he feels mistreated him. He wants to prove to them that they should have brought him back weeks into camp after he retired and thrust him back into the starting position as if their investment in Aaron Rodgers was peanuts.

There is nothing, save Adrian Peterson, attractive about playing for the Vikings. His 6-10 record in the Metrodome is less than mediocre and pales only to his 0-8 record in Big D (HA!). It's a personal vendetta against his former team, and I for one, hope Nick Barnett officially retires him for good.

I wonder what's going to happen if the Vikings are not successful at the start of the season. Will Favre remain dormant through the rest of the season, only waking to play the Packers? Will Childress be as quick to sit him down as he is with Tarvaris Jackson (who is no Brett Favre but at least deserves an opportunity)?

I'm worried, as a football fan, that Childress is going to try to go deep in situations where he would normally hand the ball off to Peterson.

It's kind of like how the GPS, as snazzy an instrument it is, can make one relinquish their God-given sense of direction to the machine. Well, that machine is Brett Favre, and what makes the most sense in Minnesota is to let that beast in the backfield carry the load. And I don't think Childress is that brilliant and Favre won't allow him to be.

Good thing all we had to worry about was getting Romo away from that succubus Jessica Simpson so he can concentrate on winning games in the last quarter of the season.

Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz Test Positive for PEDs: Here We Go Again

Satchel Page — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:42:07 -0400

I don't feel anything.

Not a single thing.

I was trying to enjoy a late-morning nap, when I get a call from a friend, and reputed Sox hater, laughing hysterically about the latest news.

Manny Ramirez and David "Big Papi" Ortiz are among the 100+ listed players that tested positive for steroids back in 2003.

My stance on the steroids issue has always been the least popular, yet most sensible. The players get the lion's share of the blame, yet

all who are affiliated with the game (players, coaches, owners, fans, and Bud Selig) are all responsible in some shape or form. I don't look at this era as one full of isolated incidents, but rather a culture that was accepted, passively neglected at the least. However, up until now, baseball reported somebody that wasn't a clear-cut Hall Of Famer.

Before I address the leaking of their names, I want to talk about legacy. Just this past weekend, we saw Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice become the newest inductees in the Hall Of Fame.

While Rickey made the cut in his first year of eligibility (while oddly not receiving 100 percent votes), Rice barely crossed that 75 percent vote barrier in his last year of eligibility. I remember watching Rice as a kid, and it's always been an enigma to me why he nor Andre Dawson weren't in the Hall earlier.

And Papi, as good as he is, is no Rice nor Dawson. Ortiz is a career .283 hitter with barely over 300 home runs in 12 years of experience. Before 2003, Ortiz's career high in batting average was .282 in 2000; his home run and RBI high was 20 and 75, both in 2002. Certainly there was nothing about Ortiz that suggested he should even be mentioned among today's greats, let alone all-time greats.

Before Ortiz, the only major player whose name was linked to steroids, that I believe their performance was greatly "enhanced" by the magic superhuman drug was Jason Giambi.

Manny, on the other hand, I believed was a HOF'er regardless, along with guys like Bonds, Sosa, Clemens, A-Rod, Palmeiro, and McGwire; guys whose names are linked one way or another to steroids. So I can't say that his performance was enhanced any by the drug. Besides, McGwire, these guys in some shape or form demonstrated that they excelled in other facets of the game besides the long ball.

My belief is that if these guys were among the league's elite with or without being linked to steroids and not solely on steroids (and these are the only great names linked), then they should unquestionably enter the Hall.

In regards to the leaking of the names every two or three months, I believe this is hurting baseball worse than keeping the names completely secret. First of all, I find it very hard to believe, with the information that we do know, that these 105 or so players are the

only guys who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, or that used them. I believe it is way deeper than these tests can verify or that writers can speculate. Secondly, if there was no intention in releasing these names all at one time, then baseball should not have even bothered making this list or keeping it.

What's hurting baseball and not allowing it to move on is that there is some schmuck that has this list in his position and is only dropping a name or two every so often at his convenience. What good reason is there in doing that? What possible good can there be for the game of baseball that would make someone do that?

Clearly, the best thing for Selig to do is release the names all at once, sometime during the offseason so the media and fans can get it out of their system before the 2010 season. To me, that will help everyone get past this issue so that real fans, such as myself, can love the game again.

T.otally O.utrageous: Sports Columnists Release Terrell Owens

Satchel Page — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:38:41 -0400

I've been too pissed to write anything, though I've had a lot on my mind. To say that I was not in an adequate frame of mind to write anything coherent is an understatement.

But as the dust settles and seconds slowly become days, reality kicks me in the butt and I have to deal with the fact that,

Terrell Owens is no longer a Cowboy.

I've been a Cowboy fan since I was six years old. Never have I been so disappointed in upper management. I looked away when they passed up on Randy Moss for Ebenezer Ekuban.

I cringed as they traded their first-round pick which could have been used on Drew Brees, only to draft Quincy Carter later in the second round. I kept mum as they chose not to re-sign Emmitt Smith and when they traded for Adam "Make It Rain" Jones.

But when I heard that T.O. was released this past Thursday, I hung my head in disgust as a father would a son who has committed an act so foul, such an act would warrant no greater punishment than the utter look of disappointment from the man who helped to create him.

It's got nothing to do with him being 35 years old, or his long-documented pouting on the sidelines. If that were the true reason for him being released, then I could sleep better.

The problem I have is that Jerry Jones's hand was forced to do something that he didn't want to do, and what shouldn't have been done. The problem I have is that Jones and his cronies in the front office allowed ESPN and sports columnists dictate their decisions.

The move was neither a smart financial move-less than a year after resigning him to a four-year contract,nor was it a smart football move. In the past three years, all three with the Cowboys, T.O. led all receivers in touchdowns with 38.

That list of receivers includes Randy Moss, who set the record for touchdowns in a season.

But that's doesn't make a sexy story. No, a sexy story is talking about his leading the league in drops in 2007 (forgetting the fact that he was playing with a torn tendon in his finger and catching a ball with a torn tendon is extremely painful).

A sexy story is his alleged confrontations with Tony Romo and Jason Witten.

Journalists know that readers are more inclined to read columns filled with wild speculations and grandiose assumptions in attempt to attract attention with shock value as oppose to substance.

As long as it remains in blogs and barbershop convos, I'm fine. But when you allow this trash into the front office it shows that you lack enough responsibility to make sound business decisions for the good of the franchise.

The most excruciating thing of it all is the quickness in which T.O. was picked up by the Bills after all the "experts" assumed that no team had any real interest in him.

For my poker players out there, would it make sense for a team to show real desire in T.O? If any team mentions that they might have the slightest interest in Owens, then his market value raises.

However, if you keep a tight seal on your negotiations, you get him for one year, $6.5 million.

Hopefully, Jerry has something up his sleeve for the rest of this offseason. If not, we're looking at the bonehead move of free agency period.

Flip It To B-Side Maybe? Sports Most Pointless Records

Satchel Page — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:59:58 -0500

This one's for you, Tim Kurkijan.

How does one define greatness in sports?

When you look back at the careers of Walter Payton, or for you younger guys, Emmit Smith, you think of amazing rushes and piles of touchdowns.

What about Kareem or Wilt? We've seen miles of footage of sky hooks and dunks. And how about the Great One? We might never see 894 goals again, unless they keep tampering with the rules.

And then there's 762.

Whether or not you choose to acknowledge it, Barry Bonds is the home run king. There were plenty of guys who did not want to accept the fact that Ruth's two biggest numbers—61 and 714—were no longer the apex of baseball's power statistic, but they eventually got over it.

If Bonds's records can withstand the likes of A-Rod and Pujols, then it will certainly have its place among the greatest records of all time.

But this post isn't about those numbers.

This is dedicated to the numbers we as sports fans hold in too high esteem, numbers that when you think about them and their relevance to today's sports culture, you're left shaking your head in perplexity.

So let's look at some numbers in the four major professional sports—the NBA, the NHL, the NFL and baseball—that should be put in a large capsule and buried under ground until the apocalypse.

Most Points in a NFL Career (2,544) by Morten Andersen

This is a record that is obviously only held by kickers. And depending on what circle you're in, kickers may not even be considered football players.

Sure the very name of the sport has biological ties to the lowliest position on the field, but that's only because "passball," "rushball," and "tackleball" don't roll off the tongue as well.

Kickers have made huge contributions to some of the greatest highlights in NFL history. But would we miss out if teams had to go for two-point conversions instead? Besides, if you counted touchdown passes, the record would belong to Brett Luscious Favre—hi David ;)—with 2,784.

Highest Career Rating (96.8) by a NFL Quarterback by Steve Young

I teach all grade levels of high school mathematics, and I still can't tell you how they come up with this stat. The funny thing about statistics is if you tickle the numbers enough, you can come up with a number that supports whatever conjecture you have.

That being said, how can you value this record when you can't tell how it's achieved?

Highest Scoring Average (50.4) in a NBA Season by Wilt Chamberlein

No discredit to one of the top three centers of all time, but what?

In 1961-1962, Wilt Chamberlein obviously had one of the greatest seasons in sports history. It was in this season he also scored an untouchable record of 100 points in a game.

But herein lies the problem: Wilt was the largest human on the face of the earth at the time, standing seven feet tall and weighing 275 pounds. At that time, basketball had not seen anything like that.

There was also no three-point line, so the game was oriented more to what went on directly underneath the goal. And who or what large mass took up most of the paint beneath the goal?

I figure if I can't average 50 in a six-year-old YMCA league, I have no business being out there.

Most Career Assists (1963) by a NHL Player by Wayne Gretzky

If an assist was made up of only the assister and scorer, then maybe this record holds a little more weight. But an assist to a goal can go to two players. So if a defenseman clears the puck, it's picked up by a teammate, the teammate shoots, it's saved, another teammate shoots the rebound, and it goes in, all three players earn a point, with the defenseman and the second player to touch the puck credited with an assist.

Translate that to basketball:

Magic passes to Worthy, Worthy shoots, misses, Kareem scores on a put back. Do either Magic or Worthy deserve an assist? Not to take away from Gretzky, who is probably the greatest athlete of the '80s, but if we didn't count this record, would it really hurt his legacy?

Batting Average in a Season (.406) by Ted Williams

Batting .406 is a great accomplishment. Only one thing wrong with this—it's not a record!

Teddy Baseball is simply the last player to bat over .400 for a season. So why do we hold this number in such high regard?

If, in the next 30 years, no player is able to bat over .350, are we going to replace .406 with .364 by Larry "Chipper" Jones? That, to me, sounds less like a yardstick for greatness and more like a lowering of standards.

A Benz isn't quite a Benz if a McDonald's employee can afford one.

Any Distinction Between the Live-ball Era and Pre-1920 in Major League Baseball

Again, if you tamper with numbers well enough, you can get the desired stat. Why should we differentiate records in baseball based on eras? Oh wait! Aren't they trying to do that now? Look here, gods of baseball. By tampering with records and choosing which numbers you are going to acknowledge, you are making more of a mockery out of these numbers than any chemical can do.

As a mathematician, I know how we as human beings invest a lot of reaction into certain numbers in life. A quantity of one million subconsciously sets off a hormonal reaction when we try to fathom that amount of anything. Advertisers exclaim a product is worth $999.99 and for a split second we forget that it's only one measly cent less than $1,000.

There's nothing wrong with tying numbers to certain things because it provides a conventional reaction. The problem exists when the numbers are separated from the very entity they are supposed to represent.

When we remove the athletes from the remarkable feats they set, we forget about all the hard work, commitment, and luck these athletes demonstrated to reach such levels, and that's what makes sports so appealing to all of us.

I leave the floor open to you. What other numbers should we banish from the sports records books?

NBA Overview: Five Things We Learned In The First Half Of The Season

Satchel Page — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:24:04 -0500

With the 2009 All-Star game now behind us, it's time to focus on the real regular season.

With each team having roughly 30 games left to play, we should expect teams to raise their level of play as they jockey for playoff positioning in both conferences.

But before we make assumptions about what is to come before us, let's look at what we have learned from the first half of the season.

1. Beasts of the East

Clearly, the Eastern Conference belongs to three teams: the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic.

With the terrible injury to Jameer Nelson of the Magic, it looks as if it has slimmed down to a two-team race.

Atlanta and Philly have been fair, but their play in last year's postseason was obviously a striptease, lacking any kind of consistent play. Miami is a far cry from last year, but they are nowhere near their level of play from their championship team of a couple of years ago.

And what happened to the Detroit Pistons? This is a team that has been the Atlanta Braves of basketball, reaching the Eastern Finals six years in a row.

So with this lack of consistent play from teams that were supposed to be contenders this year, it looks as if it will be Cleveland vs. Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals.

2. Best In the West

The field in the West is even thinner.

Not even an injury to Andrew Bynum is going to keep the Lakers out of the Finals. The second-best team, San Antonio, is 6.5 games behind and I doubt they will be able to catch the Lakers, who have only lost 15 regular season games since acquiring Pau Gasol last year before the trading deadline.

It hasn't been just the West that has been won by they Lakers, but they also are 4-2 against the East's top three teams, with the only two losses coming to the Magic.

But with Nelson's injury, I don't suspect the Lakers will have to be worried about them. So what happened to the other teams that were supposed to give the Lakers a run?

3. The Sun Has Set

The only thing that comes close to my delight in watching the Lakers and their success, is watching its rivals bow out of competition before them. Since Steve Kerr became GM, the Suns have gone through a complete makeover, trying to look like a real-life basketball team instead of a video game.

Gone are Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Shawn Marion. Hello to Shaq, Jason Richardson, and Matt Barnes. Amare Stoudemire has been the most prominent name in trade talks.

If that wasn't enough, the guy who was supposed to make this a more balanced team, Terry Jermaine Porter, was fired this morning (Feb. 16).

Where once the Suns had direction (though it couldn't lead them to the Finals), they have dissolved to a shell of a team, composed of at least three different groups of men who don't know what they are going to do once the ball is tossed in the air.

4. Not the Year for Mavericks Of Any Sort

Dallas has been dissolving for some time now. You now have to question even more Mark Cuban's move last season that sent Devin Harris to the Nets for Jason Kidd. Now Harris is an all-star player for a poor team, while Kidd is an aged player for an average team. The firing of Avery Johnson didn't help either. Rick Carlisle has proven throughout his coaching career that he can put together a good regular season team, but don't expect them to put a dent in the playoffs.

5. Fresh Meat

So far, I stand by my previous blog concerning the 2008 draft class.

The only thing Derrick Rose has been able to really accomplish thus far is fewer minutes for the other eight guards on the Bulls roster.

The guy who some thought should've been picked first, Michael Troy Beasley, is not even the best rookie on his team. That title would go to Mario Chalmers. It looks like the Rookie of the Year Award will go to OJ Mayo, who has been decent on a crappy team.

By reading this, you may be thinking, "Wow, what a mediocre season." There have been some exciting moments, most notably two weeks ago in New York with Kobe's 61, Lebron's near triple-double, and the Celtics visit to the Garden.

Unless you have only been able to watch Wizards games, there are some redeeming stories this season. But if you thought that the cream might not rise to the top this year, think again.

The End of an Era, Finally: Brett Favre Announces Retirement

Satchel Page — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:36:51 -0500

Could this day have possibly come? Have we really and truly come to the end of an era? Has the great Brett Favre hung up his cleats? For good?

Today (Feb. 11), marks the end of a legendary football career, as Brett Luscious Favre announced-for the 5th time-that he is ending his 18-year career and is retiring from the NFL.

The NFL's all-time leader in almost all major quarterback statistics made the announcement via his agent this morning, stating that he feels that he is not able to perform at a high enough level to compete.

In short, Favre was a legend. How much so? He broke the Madden Curse. The career leader in completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns, and most important, wins, Favre not only brought tremendous skill to the game, but he also made the game fun to watch.

His on-the-field antics (carrying teammates over his shoulders, patting opponents on the butt after sacks, celebrating every touchdown as if it were his first and only) are just as memorable as his laser passes.

For all football purposes, Favre was a true ambassador of the game, one of the chosen few who did exactly what they were put on this planet to do.

Favre was also a primma dona. Like most quarterbacks Favre loved the spotlight. The last three off-seasons centered around Favre teeter-tottering about whether he would play another year or hang it up. Last offseason was a complete circus, with Favre retiring in March, then announcing his return in July just before training camp was to begin.

And every time Favre was swayed one way or another, there was no short of 50 reporters there to get the scoop.

Some can justifiably argue that the trade of Favre to the Jets might have set the franchise back a couple of years, losing two-time comeback player of the year, Chad Pennington, all for one sub-Favre 9-7 season, that saw the Jets outside of the playoffs, Pennington and the Dolphins winning the AFC East, and the eventual firing of coach Eric Mangini.

Favre is what makes today's athlete special. He was all of these things. A second round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991, Favre was regulated to scrap play in his early years, traded to the Packers the following year. He became a starter because of an injury to the magic man, Don Majkowski.

In those years, Favre was known more for his alcohol and pain killer abuse than his laser passes. Since recovering from those struggles, Favre proved to be a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback, a great teammate, a model husband and father, as well as an ambassador for his home state, Mississippi.

Favre was very complex, which makes it all the more enjoyable to root for him (even me) because he was human. A human with super human athletic ability. Through Favre, you lived all the joys, pains, greatness, and defeat in your own life.

Everyone has their own personal Favre story. For me, it was watching him on Monday night against the Raiders a day after his father died. Favre torched the secondary for 399 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 41-7 victory.

So now the floor's open. What's your favorite Brett Favre story?

A-Roid: Rodriguez Admits To Using Steroids

Satchel Page — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:48:02 -0500

In the past hour, sports news junkies got their fix. And this was a major hit. Alex Rodriguez, in the midst of recent allegations of using performance-enhancing drugs, admitted to using banned substances from 2001-2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers.

To many in the baseball world, the sport has taken another PR blow by Rodriguez, who many consider the greatest player of our era.

The latest story comes after A-Rod's name being leaked from the Mitchell Report this past Saturday (Feb. 7). In the report, 106 names were given of players who tested positive for steroids. However, these names were to be kept confidential, only to be used for the purpose of the Mitchell Report.

If you're A-Rod, you have to be thinking "Why me?" Out of all the players, all the names that are listed in the report, why Alex Rodriguez? And why now, with just a few weeks before spring training?

Now the question arises again; What will the Hall have to say about A-Rod? This question is not as easy as you might think.

I think the question will be a little more difficult by the time A-Rod retires. When the steroids issue first reared its ugly head, the big names were Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds.

McGwire was retired by then while Sosa and Bonds were in the twilights of their careers. McGwire, the first name linked to steroids that was eligible for the hall, wasn't even close to getting in and his number of votes has dropped in the past two years.

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, the two best players at their positions in the steroid era, won't be eligible for another three years. How the voters treat either one of these guys should be a barometer for A-Rod.

Rodriguez will be 34 this summer and one can only assume that he has at least six more years of baseball in him. With this assumption, it will be 2020 before Rodriguez will be eligible for the Hall, at the earliest. How will A-Rod and the steroids era be perceived in the future?

My suggestion, while not the most popular, seems to be the most logical. I would suggest that the baseball writers do what they have done throughout the history of baseball and vote the best players of the era in.

With all the things we don't know about steroids and how entrenched they were in baseball, we do know that we may never get to the bottom of it. We won't know every player who used it, or which manager might have encouraged it, or which owner turned his eye as players in his locker room used it.

The fact is, whether you're a naive fan or not, the word "steroids" is just as synonymous to the game of baseball as is "home run." And it has been like that since the '80s. So we won't know the depths of steroid abuse in the clubhouse. And it would be unfair to deny players who, in one way or another, have had their named linked to steroids.

Let's take Bonds and Clemens, for example. We can assume that both of these guys were first-ballot HOFers even if they had never been involved with steroids. Bonds is the all-time home run king, the only player with 500 home runs and 500 stolen bases and 400 home runs and 400 stolen bases. He was the best left-fielder of his time, winning several gold gloves at that position.

We know that Bonds tested positive for steroids and he is set to go to trial for perjury in the first week of March. What we don't know is how many of those pitchers that Barry faced over the years were also using steroids. We do know that number 756 came off a pitcher who was suspended the year before for using steroids.

Clemens, the only seven-time Cy Young winner, has more than 300 wins and is second only to Nolan Ryan in career strikeouts. We know he struck out a ton of guys who used steroids, but we don't know everyone.

The complaint about steroids is that it gives players an unfair advantage. But if we don't know all the players that used it, can it really be an unfair advantage? Should we penalize those players (Bonds, Clemens, Rodriguez, etc.) who succeeded during this era? For players like Fernando Vina, who admitted to using to steroids and has no chance of making it to the Hall of Fame, should there not be any punishment for them?

If you believe that players like A-Rod, Clemens, Bonds, Palmeiro, and even McGwire don't deserve to be in the Hall, then I have to wonder if you are more concerned about the numbers than the actual game of baseball.

To say that Ruth, Cobb, Wagner, Walter Johnson, and DiMaggio would not have taken a substance to give them an advantage is illogical. These guys were great players and over time they have become more legend than human. I don't believe that every one of them would have used performance-enhancing drugs, just like I don't believe every player now is using them. But I'm sure a lot of them would have.

I don't condone the use of performance-enhancing drugs. However, I understand that 1) there were more players using them than we could imagine and 2) Selig and the owners allowed this to go on for years before they realized that it damaged their perception to the public eye.

Selig, I believe, is more concerned about his legacy than any of the players whose names have been leaked or whose name will be leaked in the next couple of years. He certainly hates that it was under his watch that baseball has taken its blackest eye since segregation.

I like to look at this era as if in a classroom during a test. If a majority of the students have a copy of the test, the teacher and the principal both know this, yet they do nothing about it until parents find out.

Who, then, is really at fault?

Quoth the Sheriff: 'Hey Shaq, Tell Me How My Badge Taste'

Satchel Page — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:40:00 -0400

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio asked for future NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O'Neal's special deputy badge Tuesday after his now-famous freestyle at a New York night club. Surprisingly, Arpaio's decision is not in reference to his freestyle, but his derogatory and foul language. Go figure.

I am by no means a criminal. I haven't even received a speeding ticket in almost six years. But I know two things: Cops (a) use profanity and (b) use racial epithets.

I myself have been a "victim" of both by white cops and black cops. And I know that Satchel Page is not a special case. Being a black man in this country, you can almost expect that at some point in time. It's not a badge that we wear to reserve any special attention. It's just a reality that we have to deal with and challenge. And I'm pretty sure that at least one of Arpaio's officers have used obscenities and racial slurs to enforce their authority over a potential suspect.

In this hyper-sensitive racial climate that we live in today, our celebrities, politicians, and athletes are subject to have their words heavily scrutinized for questionable language. And many times they are treated unfairly. This case is an example of such. I clearly do not believe that Shaq's punishment was justified.

First, we must understand the setting. Shaq was performing a freestyle at a nightclub. Anyone who knows anything about hip-hop and, in particular, in a freestyle setting, also knows that anything goes. Much to the chagrin of the ancient establishment, hip-hop is a genre of music, and, therefore, an art form.

And Shaq's freestyle, as wack as it was, falls under the jurisdiction of the arts, which grants him amnesty for such language. Hip-hop music, especially freestyling, is a platform for raw expression, as it artistically details those deep crevices of one's mind and lays out one's perspectives on life unapologetically.

As an emcee, I can tell you that the stream of consciousness does not go to "oh, who am I going to offend if I say this" when freestyling. And there is a beauty in that.

I personally do not use the now-notorious, but ironically, ever-more popular "N"-word toward anyone, and haven't in about six years. I do use that word in context, however, in reference to one's actions and not a particular person or persons, i.e. someone acting "N"-word-ish (that was silly) as it then somewhat removes racial connotations and becomes its literal definition as someone who is ignorant.

Secondly, although it's almost embarrassing to admit, rap is one of Shaq's occupations. True, we haven't had an album from Shaq since 1998's Respect—knock on wood—but that's a mere technicality. He's been busy winning four NBA titles and other individual awards since then. So he hasn't had time to spare in the lab.

If Shaq had his police badge removed from him for his comments while freestyling, he should've never been given a badge to begin with. It's naive to think that Shaq does not use such language on the court, his most prominent breadwinner. I'm pretty sure that Shaq's language on the court would make that freestyle safe enough for your grandmother to sing along to.

So why would Shaq's badge be removed? Simple: FACETIME!

Aside from the Internet and its allegiance to anonymity, television is the best medium to say and do stupid stuff and be popular for it. And you don't have to become a Paris Hilton, famous for doing nothing. You can settle for just blowing-a-silly-rap-caught-on-video-and-that-is-blown-out-of-proportion famous.

Besides, the ramifications for that are a lot less risky than Ms. Hilton's. He would have been better off saying that Shaq was a lousy cop. Or, better yet, fire him for his entire filmography. That would be a lot more justifiable.

Well, congrats to you, Sheriff Arpaio. You, good sir, have knocked down Satchel Page's writer's block.

Say It Ain't So, Jerry Jones: Dallas Fans, Get Your Umbrellas!

Satchel Page — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:16:16 -0400

So I'm feeding my 1-year old son Froot Loops while watching Sportscenter and what do I see to my surprise and utter dismay? Jerry Jones has agreed to trade our fourth round pick to the Titans for the Fruitiest of Loops, Adam "Make It Rain" Jones, formerly known as Pacman. The trade also stipulates that if Make it Rain has significant playing time this year, assuming he is reinstated, the Cowboys will also have to give up a draft pick next year. Now if Jones is not reinstated or does not have significant playing time, we will get a draft pick from Tennessee.

Let me say that in the few games that he has played, I have never seen anything special about Adam Jones. And for all of his off-field shenanigans I don't think whatever he brings inside the white lines is worth the trouble. Considering our vertical defensive woes from the past two years, I know that the defensive back position is a serious need. But I would rather take my chances in the draft than dealing with this PR headache.

This acquisition makes me think of the 1997 NFL Draft. That's right eleven years ago we had the chance to pick up the most explosive Wide Receiver of this era, Mr. Randy Moss. However, in an effort to clean up our image, Jerry Jones went into another direction, taking Ebenezer Ekuban in the first round and passing up on Moss. Moss then was drafted by the Vikings and commenced to give us a legendary Thanksgiving beatdown, Kevin Smith in particular. Now Moss was considered a troublemaker, and obviously to many teams, not worth the risk being picked 24th overall. Aside from some on-the-field antics and columnist spins and misquotes, Moss has had a Hall of Fame career. All the while, Adam Jones will only see his bust at the nearest Strip Joint (kaCHING).

Jerry Jones has made some absolutely tremendous moves during his dual tenure as Owner and GM. The drafting of the 'Big Three", the mega free agent move signing Deion Sanders, and more recently, signing undrafted rookie Tony Romance, and picking up T.O. But come on Jerry. If you wanted Pacman that bad we could've bought you an Atari on ebay. At least we know that one will play right.