Boston

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Don’t know much about the explosions in Boston, but the marathon is an international event for pros and amateurs. It’s big whether it’s an accident or attack.

The guy w/fake girlfriend who disappeared in the BCS championship game must show and prove

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SB Champion Coach Jim Harbaugh reacts to Manti Te'o's 40 yard dash at the NFL combine

SB Champion Coach Jim Harbaugh reacts to Manti Te’o’s 40 yard dash at the NFL combine. Same reaction most football fans had to Te’o in the BCS chamionship game.

Te’o insists he’s faster than a 4.8 forty yard dash. He may really believed it just like he believed in a girlfriend he never saw. In reality, he probably is pretty slow in top speed, but as the combine showed he has pretty good explosion and agility making him an average to below average NFL athlete. But after watching him disappear against Alabama (aka a bunch of pro-bound players) and then come into the combine slower than expected: We don’t believe you. You need more people.

How to destroy an NBA team in one season

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Many of my fellow 76ers fans wanted to send Igoudala because they don’t value defense, rebounds and a high shot percentage from a guy who doesn’t light up the scoreboard. We amnestied Elton Brand, traded Andre Igoudala and a young big player in Vucevic for a flyer on Andrew Bynum (aka 2013-2014 season cap room).

Not many of those send Iggy fans have much to say about it this season. This team was no champion last year, but they were fun to watch. This year’s team is no champion and they are not fun to watch. At all.

On protecting legacy

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Sports writers willfully missed Canseco and the birth of the steroids era.

They gleefully overlooked the McGwire/Sosa arms race.

They myopically focused on Barry Bonds,because he was churlish to them, while they romanticized the Red Sox winning the two steroids augmented sluggers (David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez) who powered the race and were accompanied by a loudmouth Curt Schilling who foolishly stated everyone who cheated should give their awards back. He still has his championship rings after winning playing alongside proven cheats in Arizona and Boston. They missed Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro who were of a character worth trusting.

Now they want to correct that by skipping a HOF voting year. Well guess what: with baseball’s stringent rules, some non-cheater will not get in while they live. All the cheaters I listed above, did great things while being enabled by writers, GMs and managers across the league. While sportswriters happy to marvel at opposite field home runs from shorts stops and a league thirsty for ratings decided to turn the other cheek. Now sportswriters are pompously appointing themselves to punish all HOF eligible players. With the limited slots and high threshold to get in, there guys who didn’t cheat that can kiss induction goodbye. And none of those steroids cheats will have to give away a ring, a trophy or a plaque.

The writers need to move on unless they are willing to give up their paychecks for their work during the 20 or so years of the steroids era.

On injuries and football

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Peyton Manning didn’t get bulging disks in his neck mowing the lawn and four surgeries later he’s leading a new team to a familiar place: the playoffs. Steve McNair was never healthy and had considered retiring. A young Donovan McNabb hopped around on a broken ankle for most of a game where he threw 4 TDs against the Arizona Cardinals then returned later that season. Adrian Peterson began the tail end of his ACL/MCL tear rehab by beginning a season long assault on Eric Dickerson’s rushing record after all time great Jerry Rice offered unsolicited opinion against Peterson returning so early.

When the often disliked QB Jay Cutler limped off the field with a ligament tear in his knee two seasons ago it was a markedly different reaction than what you would expect from a lot of folks:

Fellow NFL players questioned Cutler’s toughness on Twitter during the game, and ESPN analyst and former Super Bowl-winning QB Trent Dilfer called him out after the game.

“You can play this position (QB) hurt,” Dilfer said on ESPN. “Some of us have.”

Cutler said he hurt his knee late in the second quarter and said he was unable to play effectively after trying just after halftime. (Video of Cutler’s remarks below.)

“We gave it a go in that first series,” Cutler said, “but couldn’t plant and throw, so …”

Players such as Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew and Cardinals DT Darnell Dockett suggested on Twitter that Cutler had let his teammates down.

But Bears LB Brian Urlacher rejected those who would question Cutler.

“Jay was hurt,” Urlacher said.. “I don’t question his toughness. He’s one of the toughest guys on our — he’s tough as hell. He’s one of the toughest guys on our football team. He doesn’t bitch, he doesn’t complain when he gets hit, he goes out there and plays his ass off every Sunday, practices every day.
“So, no, we don’t question his toughness.”

Bears coach Lovie Smith said there was no hesitation to pull Cutler after officials determined his knee was too sore to play. He appeared to grow agitated by repeated questions about Cutler’s status.

The players are consistent with the cliches : gotta play hurt. ball ’til you fall. are you hurt or injured? The real answer is: I’m afraid to lose my job and place in pro football so if I can play, I’ll play. The same for coaches: I’m afraid to pull a guy with a rocket arm that can win me this playoff game because in two years I may end up with a 10-6 record and a pink slip (see Lovie Smith).

Many journalists, football analysts and the public questioned whether Cutler had guts after Lovie Smith and Jay Cutler did what ‘Skins fans and many journalists wanted RG III and Shanahan to do: take RG III out of the game.

Robert Griffin III is not the Redskin’s fans’ quarterback, He’s not some fantasy team’s quarterback and he’s not any of our responsibility. He’s Daniel Snyder’s employee and Mike Shanahan’s direct report. The decision to risk his health to play football was between RG III and his coach. It’s a standard decision. It’s not a “right decision” because this isn’t a moral decision it’s a decision warped by a hyper sensitivity to professional preservation in the most insecure employment contracts in professional sport.

Most of us spectators are happy to pressure players to “play hurt” and we lionize those that do until one of our favorites gets “injured” in a big game or we see what playing hurt looks like 30 years later.

Actual NFL.com Headline: “Lewis’ charisma is unconquerable”

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really. Someone actually wrote that garbage.

A guy who should be named Rick Reilly Jr narrates a video in which he decides to walk right past the assertion that Ray Lewis has equally the same amount of homages to Jesus Christ and Tony Montana in his living room. That needs to be reconciled 1st if you are going to bring that up. On the field, one of the greatest if not greatest linebackers ever.

Off the field, a motivational speaker aka surprise house guest in locker rooms and team meetings across the nation. Here’s a sampling of his new career:

Lewis has stated already: after this year he’s done with football. Look forward to more speeches.