December
28, 2005: NFL Commentary, Week 16
By White Russian
Just Another Two-Faced Liar
A few comments on J. Damon in addition to last
week's commentary:
On May 1, 2005, J.Damon said:
“There’s no way I can go play for the Yankees, but I know they are going to come after me hard. It’s definitely not the most important thing to go out there for the top dollar, which the Yankees are going to offer me. It’s not what I need.”
J. Damon also said way back in May:
“I’d like to finish my career here. I’m not sure they’ll let me do it, if they offer me [only] two or three years (on a contract). I want at least four or five.”
Seven
months and 20 days later, on December 21, 2005, J. Damon agreed to sign with
the Dark Side for four years, $52 million. The Red Sox offer stood at 4 years,
$40 million, with the understanding that they were still negotiating. Clearly,
money is what he “needs.” But basically, as asserted last week,
at some point the amount of money becomes so large as to become not about
the money, but about establishing who is the biggest star. In the baseball
world, players like J. Damon need to feed their ego, and the only way for
them to feed their ego is with a massive contract. They are unable to see
themselves as the best of the best unless they make the most at their position.
The
point to be made to J. Damon? Do not go down the P. Martinez road and say
you didn’t feel the love from Sox management. You, P. Martinez, and
the fans all know that is a load of crap. It was a load of crap when P. Martinez
claimed a lack of respect drove him away and it is a load of crap when you
feign hurt feelings over Boston’s perceived lack of urgency in signing
you. And don’t tell the fans that you wanted to stay, because clearly
you could have stayed if you truly “wanted” to. And finally, don’t
say that money is not the most important factor in your decision making. Legitimate
offers were made to you and P. Martinez, but you both left to go to a team
that was willing to grossly overpay your value. The real difference between
Boston and the teams you and P. Martinez signed with? Money. So in the end,
it really does just come down to money, because that is what players like
P. Martinez and J. Damon need to feed their massive egos.
News You May Have Missed
While
looking at an article about Buffalo Bills fans attending home games who are
upset that they are not allowed to bring in anti-management signs to the Bills
games, the following interesting bit of news was squeezed into the final paragraph:
Earlier this season, the Bills barred fans wearing 'Ron Mexico' jerseys from entering a game against Atlanta. Falcons quarterback Michael Vick allegedly used the name "Ron Mexico" as an alias after being sued by a woman who accused the player of infecting her with herpes.
Minor Irritations Probably Not Worth Mentioning
Spoiling the Ending – With the College Bowl season here, there
seems to always be a game on, either live or as a replay. But why does ESPNU,
when they show a three hour replay of a game played earlier that day, also
display the final score on their sports ticker on the bottom of the screen
while showing said replay?
False Goodbyes – Monday Night Football is not really going away. Yes, it won’t be on ABC anymore as it moves to ESPN, but the farewell given to it made it seem as though there will never be a Monday Night Football game again. That said, it was pretty cool to see some of the old clips of Howard Cossell, accompanied by the classic Monday Night Football music.
Parking Garage Scam Revisited
Just two weeks after the BMTG exposed
a scam that had been going on for at least six months, the parking garage
in question in downtown Sacramento has suddenly fixed its clocks. The BMTG
has been pleased to find that, so far, the time stamped on the parking ticket
that is issued upon entry to the garage has been consistently correct.
Fantasy Notes
Can
someone explain how, after 15 weeks of suck, the Buffalo Bills suddenly go
out and beat Cincinnati 37 to 27 on the road? Or how the San Francisco 49ers
can be 2 and 0 against the Rams and 1 and 12 against the rest of the league?
Everything
went Sandman’s way in the Pick ‘Em game this week. His questionable
picks came up golden as he missed only 3 out of 16 games. His 16 point pick
was Tampa Bay over Atlanta, who kicked the winning field goal with just under
20 seconds left to play in overtime.
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