Bleacher Report - Articles by B D

Brett Favre Makes Debut With Jets, Calls It Quits

B D — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:39:59 -0400

Brett Favre, Jets fans, and Jets players were all waiting for Favre to make his debut for the Jets so they could see what he's got.

Well, he started out well. After a nice reception from the fans, Favre went on to go 5-6 for 48 yards and one touchdown. It is just a pre-season game, but it was good to see him play well in his first start. Also, Favre showed no signs of the "fatigued arm" he mentioned earlier this week, which is a good sign for the Jets.

So all is fine and dandy, right? Eh, not so much.

ESPN's Wendy Nix caught up with Brett Favre after the game and Favre hinted at...gasp...retirement. "You know (Favre tears up), after a game like that I think I just want to go out off into the sunset and leave the game."

Oh boy...but that wasn't everything. Later that night, Favre graced us with some more words.

"I know I can play, I know it, I do, I do know it, no really, I do, but I don't think I can take the grind. I'm done. That's right, I'm done. One game was enough, and that great performance tonight was the icing on the cake."

Well well, Mr. Favre. You retire in March, tell the Packers you want to come back later in March, then actually do come back in August. And you have danced around this retirement idea for a few years now.

It's getting quite ridiculous, Favre, but what's even worse than your inability to decide on anything is having to tell John Madden every time you decide to retire.

God bless the unlucky man who has the job of notifying Madden when you retire, because Madden bursts to tears, rolls on the ground crying, and will not get up for days. And whoever lets him know has to wipe his tears and change his clothes (it hurts even thinking about that) every day.

So Brett, you need to learn your lesson. Just stay retired because we are sick and tired of you, and John Madden can't survive another one of your retirements.

Finally, going off into the sunset wasn't the only reason Brett decided to retire again. He told ESPN's Wendy Nix that, "First of all, I found out Tom Cruise is a Jets fan...you do the math. Second, I just can't stand that Kellen Clemens. He is always asking me stupid questions about playing the QB position. He just doesn't realize I have better things to do!"

After asked what it was that he had that took up his time, Brett replied "I've gotta go annoy the heck outta Aaron Rodgers and pay that eight-year-old to curse at him again!"

So there you have it, Brett Favre has retired again.

Yet there are rumors that he is contemplating a return to football, but this time as a kicker.

In a non-related story, Favre was seen later that night in a slapping match with another man at Burger King. The whole sissy fight started when Favre kept changing his order. Favre won the match in a 10th round KO and is now also contemplating a boxing career.

The Best NFL Fantasy Draft Kit Is One Click Away!

B D — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:18:06 -0400

Ah yes, today, I am the proud parent of a 2008 NFL Fantasy Draft Kit.

I have been working on this baby for about a month now, and it is finally complete.

So here it is. If you want to use it, go ahead. If you don't want to use it, then don't.

If you find any errors at all (spacing, numbers, anything), please let me know because I want it to be the best it can be.

Hope you enjoy it, and GO USA!

(Oh, and you might think a draft kit that is completed on Aug. 15 is kind of late, but I'll tell you this: The best drafts are always in the second half of August. No matter what. You have more information on the players than in July, and it leaves you with the perfect amount of time to tweak your team.)

Philadelphia Eagles Fans Deserve a Break

B D — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:49:56 -0400

Take a minute and look at that picture above the article. Look at it and study it.

How can you not love that face, which also represents so many other Philadelphia Eagles fans?

OK, well I just can't love it either, but I'm here to show you the lighter side of one of the most ridiculed fanbases in all of sports.

Yes, Eagles fans did pelt good 'ole red cheeks with snowballs, and Eagles fans did applaud Irvin's injured neck, and there really was a court system in their stadium.

Oh and don't forget the fact that Eagles fans don't need to be drunk to start a fight or pelt snowballs at the players as well as red cheeks. (For those of you who are not "in the know", red cheeks is Santa Claus...)

But it is all in the love of the game, and Eagles fans mean well. They really do. And here are five reasons explaining how.

First off, in what other stadium do you get the pleasure of learning a whole new vocabulary every time you go to the game? You hear words that you didn't know existed, and you hear the same word used more than a thousand times (not an exaggeration).

Also, in what other stadium do you get to learn about the players' mothers straight from the fans? You learn the true facts about Rex Grossman and Eli Manning's mothers.

Plus, in what other stadium do you get to learn the true meaning of "blue collar"? There is not another stadium where you can look around and immediately understand the meaning of the phrase "blue collar".

In addition, in what other stadium do you get to go to court right there if you get in trouble? If you get in a fight with an Eagles fan, you don't have to take a car ride down to the police station. Nope, you can just go down the tunnel and into the Eagles' court.

Finally, in what other stadium can you say that you sat in a historic section called "The 700 Level" and have your main bragging point be the fact that you survived?

When the Eagles played in Veterans Stadium, the 700 level was not a place you wanted to sit. Many horrible events occurred in that section, and if you sat there and survived, you could brag about it for the rest of your life.

So there you have it. Those are the five reasons why Philadelphia Eagles fans are not as bad as a lot of people think they are. You can learn a lot of things from Eagles fans, and they provide you with a few luxuries.

So just give 'em a break.

Note: There isn't a court system in Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles current stadium), but I'm sure there was one in Veterans Stadium. Also, I am an avid Eagles fan, and I love to make fun of my fellow fans, but we are truly very passionate fans. This was just a little article to make fun of my fellow fans.

Breaking News: Jeremy Shockey to the New Orleans Saints

B D — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:54:36 -0400

"The Giants and Saints have agreed to a trade in principle that will send tight end Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans for second and fifth-round picks in 2009, reports NFL Network's Adam Schefter." - NFL.com

What does this mean for the Giants? Not much. Jeremy Shockey is not the same Jeremy Shockey he was a few years ago. His stats have declined the past two years and he has had attitude questions for quite some time now.

Yet, that doesn't mean that he will be a failure in New Orleans.

Shockey is just 27-years-old and has a lot of his career left in him. If Shockey can get it together, I would not be surprised to see another Pro-Bowl appearance for Jeremy.

Also, be sure to watch out for the Saints even more this upcoming season. A big question mark for the Saints was the TE spot and now they have closed that question and given Drew Brees another target. If Reggie Bush can finally produce on the field, the Saints' offense will once again be near the tops in the league.

More to come later.

British Open: Wait, What? They Still Play This When Tiger Woods Isn't There?

B D — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:45:48 -0400

In recent years, we started hearing about the British Open a month before the tournament began.

This year? Well, let's just say that yesterday was the first I had heard about it, and yesterday was when the tournament began.

I am an ESPN addict, I admit it. I don't like ESPN, but where else is there to turn for sports news? Anyway, as I was watching ESPN the past few days, I saw something odd. They showed, for the first time, a preview of the British Open. I was surprised that they didn't cancel the tournament. Tiger Woods isn't there, so why bother play it?

And right when the preview ended, they moved to a different topic and didn't revisit the major event again through the rest of the show. That is pretty sad, considering the fact that they shove every other golf tournament Tiger plays in down your throat.

But this did get me excited. I had just been wondering when the British Open was, and bam, there is my answer.

So, since ESPN won't fully cover the British Open, I suppose I will. (Only for day one, though; I'll be gone this weekend. I know, I'm sorry if I ruined yours with that news.)

The Leader

Rocco Mediate, you are the man. After that U.S. Open performance, I doubted you could do it again. Shame on me. After the first round, you, Robert Allenby, and Graeme McDowell share the lead. You had an up and down day, and battled through tough weather conditions and back pains to secure this first-round lead with McDowell and Allenby, who also both impressed the crowd.

The Surprise

Phil Mickelson, you are not the man. In fact, you are not even a top-100 man. You are a tied-for-123rd man. A plus-9 round, and a plus-6 through the first six holes is not something Phil Mickelson should be doing. You were a "favorite" in a lot of people's minds, and you were a disappointing surprise to a lot of them. You know you are disappointing when you have two men named Graeme ahead of you on the leaderboard. It's ridiculous. I personally never liked you, Phil; I never thought you were all that good, and you keep giving me reasons to dislike you. Phil, get it together.

The Key Storyline Heading Into Friday

Can Mediate and McDowell keep up their surprising starts to this British Open, or will they fold under pressure? Can Mediate once again prove he can play with the big boys? Can McDowell impress the folks in England in just his second PGA event of 2008? We will find out soon enough.

The All-Star Game: What Happened?

B D — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:05:43 -0400

The MLB All-Star Game is, and always was, the best all-star game in all of sports. You have the Home Run Derby one night, and the actual game the next night. It's great fun for the whole family.

But things are changing, especially the players who are in the game.

So I ask: What happened to the old All-Star Game? What happened to the game we knew and loved? Where is that genuine feel in the game? What happened?

Ever since fan voting began, many of the players on the rosters have been Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs players. Do those players deserve it? Most of the time, yes. But this year it got out of hand.

Examples of this are Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia (Kinsler should be the starter), Kosuke Fukudome, and Alfonso Soriano starting. In addition, A-Rod was the leading vote getter, even though he missed quite a few games.

Most of those I just named were either injured or are just starting because of a strong fan base voting for them.

Fan voting has been a problem for many years, but this year, it is not the only problem.

The players vote in the reserves, and they also made the mistakes this year. How Evan Longoria didn't get in is pretty mind boggling. But how Jason Varitek did get in blows my mind. Jason Varitek? Seriously? I know this guy is a great captain and a respected player, but voting him in is just terrible. He doesn't deserve it.

Also, look at last year's voting.

The MVP of the National League last year didn't even make the team! And if you look at other notable selections from years past, there were many times that players like Cal Ripken Jr. didn't deserve to be in the game but still made it in.

A large part of these terrible rosters are the fact that voting starts so early in the season. Why start voting in May? It's ridiculous.

The system is clearly corrupt, so here is how I think the voting should be done.

The fans should not vote at all.

Players who deserve to make it, but are on low fanbase teams like Tampa Bay don't get to make it when undeserving players in Boston do.

So you ask how the voting shall be done?

The managers of all 30 MLB teams vote for the players, and can only vote for a maximum one of their players. This way the rosters are more spread out, and the men who really know the game get to choose the right guys. Also, get rid of the rule that every team needs to be represented.

Finally, the voting would take place exactly two weeks prior to the All-Star Game.

That's it. It's that simple. Managers vote, fans don't. There you go. Problem solved.

Listen, I'm not saying that the All-Star Game is not fun to watch and that the whole roster is terrible. But every year there are so many players that don't deserve to make it on the roster, and there are so many deserving players that don't make it.

And yes, it is just an All-Star Game, but these deserving players may never experience it, so the players who deserve it need to be there. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these players, so let's put them in the game.

I know I would enjoy the game a lot more if the best players of the year make it, and players like Varitek don't. There would be more competition and better representation.

So please, Bud Selig, do something to change the voting. The MLB All-Star Game is the best all-star game in all of sports. Let's keep it that way.

The Week in Review: The Draft, Cinderella, Futbol, and More

B D — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:41:38 -0400

It is Sunday, and you know what that means. Well, you don't... yet. It's time for the week in review! (Note: these will not be in any order)

Starting off, we will head to our favorite Nebraskan city, Omaha.

Yes, Cinderella has struck again. Each year, there is always a team who causes a lot of raucous in their respective sport. Well for college baseball this year, that team was the Bulldogs of Fresno State.

Over the week, there was much controversy on whether this was indeed an example of Cinderella. In my opinion, I think it could go either way. Fresno was thought to be a good team at the beginning of the year, and, they just proved it in the end and not the finish.

But, they did have a mediocre record compared to the other big boys, and they were the equivalent to a number 13-16 seed in the men's basketball tournament. So, I'm split, I'll let you decide.

The Giants have signed a big sneeze. The Giants have signed Chris Snee to an extension worth $41.25 million and $17 million guaranteed over six years. $23 million will come in the first three years.

This makes Chris Snee one of the top five paid guards in the NFL. I say it is a great move for the Giants. Right tackle Kareem McKenzie and center Shaun O'Hara are under contract through 2012, so, this signing just improves their o-line for quite a few years to come.

Roger Goodell is in the news once again this week—for two different things. But, this time the news is good news.

First, Goodell announced that he has no intention of moving the Buffalo Bills to Toronto, and that the team is even more secure with the revenue it gets from playing an annual game in Toronto.

This is good news to hear, as I don't want to see Buffalo lose its team just because it is not successful. A team should only move if the team is good and the revenue is still down in the dumps.

Secondly, Goodell proclaimed that the rookie contracts are "ridiculous."

Thank you Roger. Thank you.

Every human on Earth has been saying this, and now that an authority figure has said it, maybe there will be some changes with the NFL rookie contracts.

On Saturday, a no-hitter for the ages was brought to us from the Angels and the Dodgers, and I include the Dodgers because they played the biggest part in this game.

Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo combined to throw a no-hitter in eight innings. Yet, the Dodgers were still winning 1-0 heading to the top of the ninth. The Angels couldn't tie the game, and the game ended 1-0 with the Dodgers winning, even without registering a hit.

Yet, it doesn't even count as a no-hitter anyway. The MLB does not recognize any no-hit performance if it is less than nine innings pitched.

But, the Angels still went down in the record books. They (the Angels) became just the fifth team in the Modern Era (1900-present) to no-hit the other team and lose.

How did the Dodgers score? Jered Weaver made an error in the fifth inning to put Matt Kemp on first base. Kemp then stole second base, and advanced to third on the throwing error to second. Kemp scored on a sacrifice fly.

The controversial part of this game was if the error by Weaver was indeed an error. I say it was an error. Anyone who knows baseball knows that a ball moving slowly or not moving at all needs to be picked up with your hand so you can throw it quicker and pick it up easier. Weaver missed the ball.

Also, if he had gotten the ball, Kemp would have been out, and that is what I call an error.

The 2008 NBA Draft was a big attraction this week. Derrick Rose was picked at number one, followed by Michael Beasley at two, and O.J. Mayo at three. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love rounded out the top five.

I would have selected Michael Beasley at number one, Derrick Rose at number two, Kevin Love at number three, O.J. Mayo at number four, and Brook Lopez at number five.

But, the draft just went a different way. Darrell Arthur and Chris Douglas-Roberts fell far in the draft, yet I expect these players to become the two best players of this draft class.

The Spaniards are the champions. Yesiree, the Spanish national team has won the UEFA Euro 2008 Championship by defeating Germany today 1-0.

Fernando Torres registered the only goal of the match in the 33rd minute. This is Spain's second Euro title and first since 1964.

Despite the low score, Spain dominated the play. They out-shot the Germans all game, especially in the last 20 minutes when they out-shot Germany 7-1.

Spain truly deserved to win. They became just the second team (other was France) to go 3-0 in group play, and also go on to win the cup. Spain can now rejoice as their long drought is over and they have finally won the European Championships.

That's all she (more like he...) wrote for this week. If I forgot something major in the world of sports this past week, then please let me know by commenting on this article and I'll be sure to include your thoughts (if you comment on this article) in my next week in review.

Have a great week and be sure to look out for more of my articles this week and my next edition of "The Week in Review" next Sunday.

The Media and Sports: A Lethal Mix

B D — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:43:13 -0400

The pitch from Mussina. Swing and a long drive! This ball could leave the park! It is...off the wall on a bounce!

And Manny Ramirez is...oh no! He watched the ball fly through the air from home plate, and he ends up with only a single!

Ah, the sweet swing and the sweet smile of Manny makes for a perfect figure for baseball. The fans love him, his teammates love him, and the media loves him.

But, I bet you his skipper, Terry Francona, is upset with him most of the time. The reason? Well, as we all know, Manny watches and admires his work after a nice long ball, and sometimes the ball doesn't even go out of the park!

I'm fine with his slapping the hand of a fan, or going through the door and into the scoreboard at Fenway, because that's just fun and it doesn't harm anything or anyone.

But, he costs his team runs when he gets a single out of what should be a double. And, he isn't the only players to do this.

After Ken Griffey Jr. hit no. 600, the first thing I noticed was the fact that he just jogged right from the start. When Barry Bonds hit no. 756, what did Bonds do? He put his hands in the air like he just don't care.

And tonight, watching SportsNet Philadelphia and SportsCenter, I see that after almost every home run, each player admires their work and doesn't do more than jog right from the start. And in some of those games, the players' team hitting the home run is down by more than five runs!

Hey moron, you are down by five runs! Stop your celebrating!

I see a big problem with this, and it starts with the media.

Tonight, I want you to watch SportsCenter, and take notes of everything they show. What do they show in baseball? Mostly the home runs and the spectacular diving plays, most of which the players don't need to dive.

They don't show the tremendous throws, or the great pitches, or just the all-around smart and genuine plays.

What about football? They show the touchdowns or the great catches or the interceptions. They don't show the great coverages by defenses, or the great pass blocking by offensive lines, or the great route running.

Those are the true aspects of the game. So, if you really want to take notes, even mental notes, then go ahead, and then compare them to this. It will be shockingly similar. (I won't continue to other sports just for the mere fact of space and not boring the heck out of you.)

So, my main point is, the media shows these things because they are the flashy plays. They are the plays that appeal to people. And, I'm not mad about that. What I don't like is what they do to the plays. They basically "spike" them.

They add special effects, songs, highlight reels, and top 10's. All of that makes players feel like they want to be more flashy and do that touchdown dance, and flex the muscle after they dunk, and pump their fist to their heart after a home run in which they jogged from the start.

I don't blame the players for this at all, and I know it is fun for them. But, it isn't genuine to the game. The media is taking the important aspects of the game away from the game.

Before, a player would run his heart out after each hit, even if it was hit to Pluto. He would dunk the ball and just run back, or simply just lay it up. He would just flip the ball to the referee and go to the sideline.

Now, the media makes all the celebrations seem like the best part of the game. But, what ever happened to those fundamentals above? Almost nobody ever runs a ground ball out. The pitcher often forgets to cover the bag.

And now, most corner backs are just going for the interception when they know they won't get it when you could defend the receiver and maybe stop the pass. These are the things that can give a team a win or a loss.

I know the media is just doing their job. I don't blame them for what they do, because, who doesn't like to watch that big dunk? I know I want to see it. But, in the back of my head, I still know that I would like the game better without the flashiness that the media has imported.

Things like the NFL and NBA drafts are also "flashed out", when they really should just be covered like the MLB and NHL drafts are: quietly. The media takes everything that appeals to the public and makes it the biggest story of the day. And, it's ruining the sports we love.

Look at what Goodell said today about rookie contracts. He called rookie contracts "ridiculous". They truly are ridiculous. But, part of the high contracts is the coverage each player gets, and the amount the draft itself is covered.

Also, all these players in the NFL going to jail and getting in trouble with the law is linked to the media in some parts. With the way the media portrays sports stars as hero's, some players think of themselves as untouchable, and they end up in the wrong place doing something they will regret.

All in all, watching the home run, the dunk, the touchdown is exciting, but, it is ruining the genuine part of the game. The truly spectacular plays like a 6-4-3 double play is what should be showed, not the flashy plays like a home run that means nothing to a game.

Sports and the media mixed together may seem like a success, but, in reality, it is destroying the games we know and love.