During the past couple of years I have written about Colin Cowherd a number of times.  A few days ago I wrote about Cowherd being diagnosed with diarrhea of the mouth and that prompted the following e-mail from a loyal reader:


Hey San Diego Sports Guy,
 
There was an article in the USA Today about how attendance in the NFL is slightly down.  Mike and Mike were talking about it this morning.  People are staying home to watch games rather than go to the actual games.  The NFL is not losing fans they are just staying home to watch their games.
 
Colin has been ranting for two plus years how much better it is these days to watch a game from the comfort of your home on HD TV rather than pay the high prices of going to the stadium and wasting all your valuable time of commuting to the game.  In addition, PSL's are soaking fans for every last dime they have.
 
Colin has been saying this for baseball and other sports as well as NFL football.
 
You have to give him credit on this one.  Don't you?
 
Your thoughts?


Even a clock is right twice a day. 

By the way, I've been saying the same thing about football for over a decade...way before the advent of HD TV.  It's precisely the reason that I can count the number of NFL and college football games I've ever attended on both hands.  Football is simply better to watch on television.  Period.  As far as I'm concerned this is patently obvious.

While driving into work this morning, I heard Cowherd lower his voice and slowly enunciate the following words: Sports is a business.  

Wow.  Really?  I had absolutely no idea.  This is just one more example of the No Shit Sherlock kind of pablum that passes for analysis on Colin's radio show on a daily basis.   Want others?  How about this:  "If I'm a starting quarterback in the NFL then I want to play for Bill Belichick rather than Tom Cable."  Or this one: "Top prospects want to play for big time schools.  I mean USC is USC , Texas is Texas and Oregon State is Oregon State."  

Please.  This is one of the best and highest paid sports talk show hosts in the country?  You have to be kidding me.  In one of my prior posts I called Colin the Dane Cook of Sports Radio.  The analogy is spot on.  Beneath the ability to convey and deliver common sense information (and in some cases other people's ideas, opinions and jokes) in a unique way, both performers really lack substance and creativity.    

A lot of smart and successful people listen to Cowherd every day and swear he is the messiah.  I just don't get it.  I literally can't listen to the man for more than ten minutes without turning to another station.  Why do I come back day after day during my morning commute?  The guests...and a lack of quality alternative programming.   If ESPN and Cowherd's producers didn't book good guests I'd never listen to him.  

Agree? Disagree?  If so, let's hear it. 


 
 

  

The Emmys will be handed out on Sunday night and that got me thinking about what passes for brilliance these days. Since I have a few minutes to kill, here are five people/things I find to be brilliant right now.

1.  Roger Sterling - John Slattery's portrayal of the wise cracking ad man is nothing short of sensational. If Roger isn't in a particular episode of "Mad Men" then it likely will be subpar. If Slattery doesn't win the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama on Sunday it will be a crime.

2.  "Modern Family" - Although it has only been on for a single season, this show is already one of the five best sitcoms in television history.  It is really that good and I will be shocked if it's not recognized as the Best Comedy Series on Sunday night.

3.  Cameron Tucker - Eric Stonestreet's Cameron is the funniest character on the funniest show on television.  It is that simple.  If Stonestreet doesn't win Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy then one of his "Modern Family" co-stars will. 

4.  Nick Kroll - Earlier today I heard that new episodes of "The League" will start running on September 16th and I couldn't be happier.  Kroll's character Ruxin is hysterical and makes the show Must See TV.  If you haven't heard of Kroll then you will very soon.  The guy steals every scene he's in as his list of acting credits continues to grow exponentially.

5.  Cee-Lo Green - Stop what you're doing and click on this link.  Just listen to Green's NSFW song twice and I guarantee you won't be able to get it out of your head.  

  

  

Despite my best efforts, I can't seem to avoid hearing about the following six women on a daily basis:

6.  Sookie - When is the vampire craze going to end?  It's not only teenage girls that are completely obsessed either.  Even thirtysomething (and older) men can't get enough of Sookie, True Blood and Twilight.  Please help me understand the allure.  I just don't get it.   

5.  Snooki - With a couple of exceptions, I have absolutely no use for reality television and refuse to watch shows like "Jersey Shore", "Real Housewives of Washington D.C.", "Real Housewives of Atlanta", "Real Housewives of Chula Vista" and "Real Housewives of Sheboygen."   Enough is enough.  Please make it stop.

4.  Sarah Palin - Although she is certainly nice to look at, don't people realize that Sarah Palin has nothing going on upstairs?  Isn't there a more qualified female candidate for the card carrying righties to support? 

3.  Nancy Pelosi - Harry Reid is almost gone and the most despicable women in the world needs to follow him out the door.  How much more damage can one woman inflict on a country? 

2.  Gloria Allred - Even Jesse Jackson is impressed by this shameless shakedown artist.   Whenever a woman is looking to extort money from a wealthy celebrity, athlete or businessman, Allred is inevitably lurking in the shadows.  

1.  Brett Favre - Wait a second, #4 isn't a chick?  If not, Favre has to be the biggest pussy drama queen in sports. 

  

A few nights ago I happened to stumble upon a second Hanes spot in which Michael Jordan is sporting a Hitler mustache.  The first commercial (shown above) was bad enough, but another one Hanes?

Asked to comment about the spot, Hanes Senior VP Sidney Falken said the following:

"The new ads keep the same humorous tone and show Jordan still trapped on a flight with Rick. Jordan also keeps the "toothbrush mustache," which had the blogosphere buzzing when the campaign first launched. "The beauty of the campaign is its ability to stay fresh and engaging."

A toothbrush mustache?  Fresh and engaging?  You're kidding, right Sidney? 

Hanes and their marketing department's decision for Jordan to channel his inner Hitler yet again is absolutely mind boggling.  Click here to see the second spot.   

  

Bill Simmons and Jason Whitlock are two of the most successful and polarizing sports columnists/writers/broadcasters of the last decade.  Love 'em or hate 'em this is an assertion that simply can't be disputed.  

If you are a male between the ages of 18 and 45, there is a 95% chance that you are familiar with their work.  However, if you are a bit older or possess a lot of estrogen then perhaps you have heard of neither.  As a public service to anyone out there in the blogosphere who hasn't heard of Bill or Jason, here is a brief guide:

Name: Bill Simmons
Self-anointed nickname:  The Sports Guy
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 180 pounds soaking wet

Good                                                Bad
 
Boston Celtics                                Los Angeles Lakers
Boston Red Sox                             New York Yankees
New England Patriots                   Indianapolis Colts
Larry Bird                                         Vince Carter 
Tom Brady                                       Peyton Manning
Pedro Martinez                                Roger Clemens
Manny Ramirez                               Alex Rodriguez
Daryl Morey                                      David Kahn
The Real World on MTV                Keith Olbermann
Isiah Thomas as a player             Isiah Thomas as a GM                    
LeBron James pre-Decision       LeBron James post-Decision
Homerism                                       Objectivity (for the most part)
Mentioning friends in columns    Anyone with the temerity to question Bill's opinions
Beverly Hills 90210                        All other watchable television shows in the 90's
Karate Kid & Teen Wolf                 Almost every other coming of age 80's movie                     


Name: Jason Whitlock
Self-anointed nickname: Big Sexy
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 360 pounds (on a good day)

Good                                     Bad

Jeff George                          Nearly every quarterback in the NFL
The Wire                               Every show other than Entourage & Mad Men
Burger King                          Broccoli
Wendy's                                 Bananas
Buzz Bissinger                     Mitch Albom
Taco Bell                               Bell Peppers                         
Dan Le Batard                      Mike Lupica
The Big Lead                        Deadspin   
Strippers                                Jesse Jackson
French Fries                          Celery
Barack Obama                      Sarah Palin
Chocolate Cake                    Strawberries
Ball State University              ESPN 
Kansas Jayhawks                Scott Pioli                                   
Kansas City BBQ                  Al Sharpton
Will Leitch                               Rick Reilly
Athletes getting in trouble    Hip Hop Generation      










 

  

Is there a bigger jackass in sports than Brett Favre?  Perhaps...but he has the biggest ego bar none. This is not even debatable.

After rumors surfaced yesterday that Favre had retired for a third time I just had to chuckle.   In a brief e-mail exchange with my friend Jimmy D (or JDub as he is affectionately known) I stated with complete certainty that Favre would be in a Vikings uniform at some point during the season. 

Unfortunately, since "the ole gunslinger" seems to have his own sports channel and dozens of ESPN reporters eager to enable him this crap is going to continue to go on day after day and year after year.  What an absolute disgrace #4 has become.   

  

Football is right around the corner, but I still have basketball on my mind.

The Miami Heat will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals next season.  There is absolutely no doubt about it.  Sorry Boston and Orlando:  you also have championship caliber rosters but you're definitely going to be on the outside looking in.  

In addition to the Heat, Lakers, Celtics and Magic there are about seven other teams that have been scrambling to reach elite status according to "those in the know" in the NBA.  These teams include Atlanta, San Antonio, Dallas, Utah, Denver, Portland and Phoenix (although the loss of Amar'e Stoudemire might make the Suns an also-ran in the Western Conference).   

While each of the seven aforementioned teams has various strengths, by the end of next season don't be surprised if the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks (barring a serious injury to Andrew Bogut) are battling to be the fifth best team in the league.  Don't believe me?  Take a look at the Bulls and Bucks rosters:

Bulls Starters
Joakim Noah
Carlos Boozer
Luol Deng
Derrick Rose
Ronnie Brewer

Bucks Bench
Kurt Thomas
Taj Gibson
James Johnson
Kyle Korver
C.J. Watson

Bucks Starters
Andrew Bogut
Corey Maggette
Drew Gooden
Brandon Jennings
John Salmons

Bucks Bench
Carlos Delfino
Keyon Dooling
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Ersan Ilyasova
Larry Sanders
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Jon Brockman
Michael Redd (due back in February 2011)

The front offices of both teams deserve to be commended for vastly upgrading their respective rosters.  However, if I'm Gar Foreman in Chicago then I'm burning up the phone lines right now trying to acquire Portland's Rudy Fernandez.  Reportedly, the Celtics are on the verge of obtaining the sharp shooting Spaniard for a mere late round draft pick. 

Why not make the following three team deal:  Luol Deng, James Johnson and a 2nd round draft pick to Portland for Fernandez, Nicolas Batum, Jerrod Bayless and Joel Przybilla's expiring contract.  Bayless would then be shipped to the suddenly point guard depleted Minnesota Timberwolves and the Trailblazers would also receive a lottery protected #1 draft choice along with center Greg Stiemsma.

According to the ESPN Trade Machine this deal works and I think it's a win-win-win for all three teams...especially the Bulls.  Fernandez would thrive as the starting shooting guard and form a premier Big 3 with DRose and Boozer. 

Is that trio as good as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh?  No, but I'd take it in a heartbeat over Boston's "Going in Style" threesome of George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg...er...Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.   

The Bulls are back and one more deal will make them a legitimate title contender for the next five years.  Only this time around Tom Thibodeau is going to be the one leading them to the promised land instead of Phil "I'm The Luckiest Man In The World" Jackson.  It's going to be a Zen Free Championship Zone in the Windy City and I couldn't be more pleased.  

  

There are many questions in the world of sports that may not have answers. Here are six of them:

1. Is Phil Jackson the luckiest head coach in history?

The Zen Master has won as many titles as I have when he doesn't have at least two of the following five players on his team at the same time:  Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. 

2. Was Tiger's relentless pursuit of poon the real secret to his success?

Although I do believe Woods will eventually win 20 majors, his performance lately has been underwhelming to say the least.

3. How does Stuart Scott continue to get plum assignments on ESPN?

As far as I'm concerned, Stu hasn't been fresh or funny since 1999.

4) What is Bryant Gumbel writing on his legal pad right before he starts speaking with each segment reporter on HBO's Real Sports?

Eggs, milk, Bud Light, Cheez Doodles & Cool Whip is my guess but I'm open to suggestions.

5) How did Billy King get another GM gig after running the 76ers into the ground?

Hiring King was the cherry on top of the New Jersey Nets' Summer from Hell.   

6) Why do people make such a big deal about who "broke" a story about a personnel decision?

Yesterday I read about a beat writer "breaking the story" about Marc Iavaroni being named as an assistant coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.  First of all:  Really, who cares about the Clippers naming an assistant coach?  Secondly, a press release will be announcing the exact same thing within an hour or so.  Do journalists/writers/bloggers/reporters need to be tripping over themselves to take credit for something that will be announced anyway?   

I can understand if a reporter uncovered a sordid story about a coach dealing drugs or being busted in a prostitution sting and being forced to resign in disgrace...but the hiring of an assistant coach for the LA Clippers?  Please.  If you can provide a plausible answer to this question or any of the others I'm all ears.  In fact, I'll even send a Kemp's Kids t-shirt to the person who leaves the best answer in the comments section.


     

 

  

It's a done deal.  The Miami Heat will win the NBA title next season.  Now that Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and Big Z are on board it's all over but the shouting (and celebrating).  

In other NBA news, ridiculous contracts continue to be bestowed upon marginal, average and slightly above average NBA players.  Although I like all four of these guys, here are the worst of the worst:

Joe Johnson:  6-years and $123.7 million

Travis Outlaw:  5-years and $35 million

Amir Johnson:  5-years and $34 million

Wesley Matthews: 5-years and $34 million (offer sheet that will likely not be matched by Utah)

Elsewhere, the New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Clippers appear to be engaged in a cat-and-mouse game of seeing which moribund franchise can sign the most 2nd-tier players in one free agency period.  Although it’s very close, right now I’m giving a slight edge to the Clippers because of the Brian Cook acquisition.  Somehow, the soft 6′9″ three-point shooting Cook convinced the Clippers to give him a two-year deal even though his only other serious offer came from a team in the WCPBL.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't briefly comment on Minnesota Timberwolves GM David Kahn's latest blunder.  Earlier today, Kahn dealt one of the league's best threats inside the paint for a trade exception and two mid to late first round picks.  Reportedly, a portion of the trade exception will be used to sign point guard Luke Ridnour to a 4-year $16 million contract.  

Yes, another point guard will likely be added to the roster before the end of the day.  Ridnour will join Jonny Flynn and a second former Bucks guard, Ramon Sessions, in a very crowded backcourt.  At this point, Kahn seems to be going out of his way to become one of the five worst GM's in NBA history.  How else can what he has done over the past two years be described?

Props to the Jazz for picking up a younger, less expensive and slightly better defender (at least Jefferson is a threat to block a few shots) than Carlos Boozer.   Another example of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.