FAQ about TO

The Following represents a decent number of emails I have received over the last week regarding my opinions about Mr. Owens:

To: sturm1310@aol.com
Sent: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 13:46:26 -0600
Subject: Consistency
Bob,

I have to say that from a sports perspective you are, in my opinion, the best the Ticket has to offer. However there can only be one word to describe you behavior regarding T.O.; hypocrite. From calling him a cancer to thinking this is a good idea. You had a HSO, stick to it. Not that it matters to you or the station, but I think I?m like many P1s and have lost any respect we had for the Ticket and you with this most egregious flip flop.

Kevin Blair

Honestly, Kevin does speak for many of you. How could I possibly laugh when the Eagles signed him in 2004, and yet cheer when the Cowboys grab him in 2006??? What a hypocrite! Or am I?

From: sturm1310@aol.com [mailto:sturm1310@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 1:53 PM
To: Kevin Blair
Subject: Re: Consistency

You are not alone in this view, which is why I have tried to explain my apparent "flip flop" on this issue.

Team A) On the brink of a world title, clearly one of the top 2 teams in the league was 1 player away. They had to outbid others and outmanuever others-

Team B) Not on the brink of anything, but can get the player at an enourmous discount, which if it works could make considerable gains on the league. The player also faces his compensation being tied to his behaviour- They can cut him at anytime, and aside from the $5 bonus, have nothing to lose if they tire of him-

I did not endorse team A's gamble because of what they stood to lose- I do endorse team B because they have very little to lose, and the price they paid was too much to pass up.

I hope this explains the difference-

Thanks for listening to BaD Radio!

Bob

Kevin continues his assault:

Bob,

Everything I have read (nfl.com, espn.com, AP, etc.) indicates that he is guaranteed $10 mil, not $5 mil as you state. Even at $5 mil who were they bidding against? This is A-rod or Chan ho at Valley Ranch, there is no indication they were bidding against anyone else, so why give $10 (or $5) million? More importantly, this misses the point of your initial cancer HSO, even at the league minimum your opinion was that he was a cancer, a plague on the team, that doesn’t change at any price. You were against him signing with Philly because (perhaps to simplify) he is a bad person, that hasn’t changed, so you should think this is a cancer on the Cowboys. Either that, or admit other pressures have mandated you change your stance. Some times we all just have to salute and carry our orders, but don’t whiz in our ears and tell us it’s raining. You’re better than that. Thanks for the response.

KB

His early comments need a response. For instance, regardless of what he read, Owens is only promised $5 million. They could cut him in training camp, and he only gets $5 million. (Only!). As I explained on the show (evidently, not everyone listens to every minute carefully) they were not bidding against Denver or Kansas City. If they were, they did overbid. But they were trying to find a price that would keep Owens happy. He is a difficult human being, and if you are to hop into bed with him, then you better offer him a contract that will keep him satisfied for an extended period of time. Let’s say you could get him for the minimum. He would likely take it rather than quit football, but he would feel insulted. At his first chance, it would be Philadelphia all over again. How does that make sense for Jones? Once you make the decision that you want him, and that you think he can carry you places you could not go without him, then you pay him what that is worth to you. The Cowboys decided 3 years/$25 million, and Owens was pleased, and told me that he will be happy for all 3 years when it comes to money. Can you believe him?

Also, I never once indicated that I would not take him at league minimum, as KB stated, but once again, allow me to differentiate the difference between Philadelphia’s situation and this one. Aside from what I already said, let’s remember that when he went to Philly, he had never been disciplined by the league, embarrassed at being suspended, shook into the reality that he is out of strikes, and altogether awakened from his insanity. Think of it as a criminal who is finally sent away to prison.

Will he act differently when he gets out? Some will, some won’t. But odds are that once you get a taste of prison, you will think twice before doing it again. I am betting that Owens will be on his very best behavior here BECAUSE of what happened in Philadelphia, not in spite of it. The fact is, as a repeat offender, this criminal may get the death penalty next time. In effect, he may never play football again.

Anyway, that was the response in my head. But once he pulled the same BS that many feel inclined to do these days, which is say that Jerry Jones is telling me what to say due to these broadcast rights, that was all I sent back.

From: sturm1310@aol.com [mailto:sturm1310@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 2:21 PM
To: Kevin Blair
Subject: Re: Consistency
please don't take the easy approach to possibly suggest that I am being influenced in my stance. That couldn't possibly be further from the truth.

Thanks for listening to BaD Radio!

Bob

To which Kevin sent:

Similarly please don't take the easy approach by avoiding the crux of the issue. You said he was a cancer based on his actions as a person, you now feel he's not a cancer. A person isn't a cancer at x dollars or in x situation and then not a cancer at y dollars or y situation. To be honest you either have to stick to your opioin or state that your cancer HSO was incorrect. Personally I think you were spot on with the cancer HSO. This debate is about intellectual honesty. Thanks.
KB

Wow. What a mouthful he just threw at me! First, I did not say he is not a cancer now. He is most likely still a cancer, but a cancer that just got out on parole and will think twice. Again, I am not hiring him to watch my kids. I just want him to behave and catch Touchdowns. Because of the previous discipline, I expect that he can do that in the short term.

I am not sure why KB cannot get his arms around the concept that I have preached all along. The Eagles had too much to risk to bring in this guy to their mix, especially given that at that time, his price was expensive and he felt that no one could touch him. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have nothing to risk, really, they are a middle of the road team that did not even make the playoffs last year. If you rank the teams in the NFL, the Cowboys are somewhere between 13-18 most likely in the NFL. The risk is minimal. The price is minimal. And he has now been taught a lesson which is that he has about one more chance to enjoy the privilege of making a living playing football.

So, in closing, I believe I was right to be against the Eagles signing him in 2004, and I believe I am right to support the Cowboys taking a chance on him in 2006. It is about risk versus reward. Intellectual Honesty? Not so much. How about understanding a bargain. Would you pay $300,000 for a $275,000 house? No? How about $100,000 for a 275,000 house?

It is a bargain because you paid nothing to acquire him. You paid him a fair fee on a year-by-year basis. And you risk almost nothing as a team.

Hopefully, this makes sense to most of you. I am not asking everyone to agree, but hopefully you can at least comprehend my logic.

Oh, back to the flagship stuff. I promise the 3500 daily readers of this blog (our growth has kind of stalled here, so tell your friends how mediocre this blog is) a Bob Sturm exclusive. I promise to tell you if I am ever told to alter my opinions based on our arrangement with the Cowboys. I promise. But, I am confident it won’t happen, and those accusations that roll in this week make me crazy. What was an opinion that was born in my brain just 2 weeks ago, is now alleged propaganda straight from the desk of Jerry Jones. It really sort of drives me crazy, but I guess it goes with the territory. Hey, it is a nice problem to have I guess, since we now carry the Cowboys games, which is something everyone who works here is very proud of.


Links:

In related news, Richie Whitt examines the relationship of The Ticket and the Cowboys …Pretty much spot on…



Larry Allen the next to leave …Looks like the team bench press title is back up for grabs…

Guard Larry Allen, the team's longest-tenured player and the last remaining link to the Super Bowl titles of the '90s, is no longer a Cowboy.

The team released the 12-year veteran Tuesday for salary-cap reasons.

"This decision is a tough one for me personally," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in a statement. "Larry has been the best in pro football for a long time. His ability and performance set a standard for excellence at his position in the NFL for many years, and we are grateful for his contributions to the Dallas Cowboys.

"We have come to this crossroad today with concern for managing our resources with respect to the immediate and long-term financial structure of our team. Just as importantly, we give great consideration and respect to Larry's future and his ability to explore his professional options. We have also made it clear that the door is open for one of those options to include a return to the Cowboys.

"On behalf of all Dallas Cowboys fans, I salute a sure-fire Pro Football Hall of Famer, Larry Allen."

Allen was scheduled to count $7.55 million against the salary cap for the 2006 season and was due a roster bonus of $2 million on April 1. The Cowboys saved roughly $3.5 million in cap space by releasing him.

---

Allen is the fourth veteran to be released by the Cowboys this off-season, joining defensive tackle La'Roi Glover, receiver Keyshawn Johnson and tight end Dan Campbell.
None had Allen's history or rich Cowboys pedigree.

Mavericks pound the hapless Rockets …

The Rockets are merely playing out the string until they can take their expense-paid trip to Secaucus, N.J., for the draft lottery. Considering what promise their season started with, it's a dismal way to finish. Their last 14 games may seem like jail time.

But that wasn't the Mavericks' concern. They still had to take care of business, which they did with authority, moving ahead by 17 points at halftime and never allowing the advantage to dip back below 10.

The Mavericks weren't sharp. But against the dullest blade in the NBA drawer right now (the Rockets have lost six straight), they didn't have to cut very deep. In their losing skid, the Rockets have scored more than 81 points once. The Mavericks swept the season series, 4-0, and won their 30th home game of the season, one more than last season.

Still, it's hard to get a handle on how well the Mavericks are playing when the competition is modest and they are short four key players.

"I think there's another level for us to go to," Johnson said. "We did some good stuff. We did some bad stuff."

---

Keith Van Horn will be the first to return from the infirmary, probably by early next week if not Saturday in Atlanta. After that, it will be Adrian Griffin, Josh Howard and, lastly, Devin Harris, filtering back to the lineup, Johnson said Tuesday.

"I have a firm schedule," Johnson said. "The worst thing that could happen is if we bring one of those guys back and they [reinjure themselves], then they're in jeopardy for the playoffs. So we have a very conservative plan. The last five or six games, we're optimistic and hopeful to have everybody in uniform. That's what we're shooting for."

Cuban on Owens …

Less than a month after he purchased the Mavs, Cuban signed forward Dennis Rodman -- on Feb. 3, 2000. By March 8, the Mavs were fed up with Rodman's shenanigans, waiving him after only 12 games.

In the Cowboys' case, Cuban believes T.O. will pay dividends for owner Jerry Jones.
"Bad boys usually tend to mellow over time," Cuban said. "At some point, particularly if they haven't won a title and if they are at the top of their game, they realize they can retain their personalities and have fun and avoid some of the drama and hassles they created in the past.

"I'm betting Jerry's timing is perfect and they get a great player who will help the team."
---

Mavs guard Darrell Armstrong was beaming after the Cowboys signed Owens. A devout Washington Redskins fan and Cowboy-hater, Armstrong believes Owens will eventually poison the Cowboys.

"The team killer," is what Armstrong calls Owens. "Does he seem cocky? Yeah, and a little arrogant.

"Him and the Cowboys, I hope all of them don't get along, just because I don't like the Cowboys."

The latest on Soriano versus Nationals ….

With the Nationals off for the first time this spring, Soriano, a veteran second baseman acquired in an offseason trade with the Texas Rangers, did not report to the ballpark Tuesday, when only a few players trickled through.

Soriano told MLB.com that he would decide on Wednesday whether he will play second based on conversations with his wife and his agent, Diego Bentz. "I'm going to think about it," Soriano told the Web site. Jim Bowden, the team's general manager, said via e-mail that he spoke to Bentz, but declined to elaborate on the discussion. Two club sources with knowledge of the situation said Bowden and Bentz were scheduled to speak again late Tuesday night, but that no agreement was expected.

Bentz did not return several phone messages. One high-ranking official with knowledge of the situation said, "It's going to play out [Wednesday] on the field." Two other high-ranking club officials said they were relatively optimistic Soriano would play in left on Wednesday. There were, however, caveats. "We won't know until we see who goes out there," one of the officials said.

The club's position has not changed. The Nationals intend to write Soriano's name in the lineup as the left fielder for Wednesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla. Should he not report for duty -- and there's a chance he won't even make the trip -- the Nationals would then attempt to put him on baseball's "disqualified list," which would mean he would not earn any pay.

LA Kings fire coach; GM is next ….

On the day Taylor fired Murray, the day the Kings slipped out of a playoff spot, Taylor became the next figure on the firing line.

And don't think Leiweke will hesitate to pull the trigger if the Kings can't climb past Vancouver or the Mighty Ducks and salvage something from this sour season.

Taylor gave Murray enough time to find new ways to deliver his message after nearly seven seasons. He could not.

Taylor gave him time to revamp a poorly organized power play — please, no more dump-and-chase with a man advantage — but Murray, sometimes too ostentatious about his hard work and long hours, never found time to fix that crucial element. Nor did Murray take the power-play portfolio away from assistant John Van Boxmeer, who lacked creativity and vision and was also fired.

Taylor, and by extension Leiweke, gave Murray more time and resources than any King coach before him, but the wait for the Stanley Cup is 38 years and counting.

"It's probably the right decision, but in part, shame on the players," Leiweke said by telephone from New York, where he was tending to business involving another tentacle of the AEG empire.

"Shame on Jeremy Roenick for not sticking his nose in every night. Shame on the players who laid Andy out to dry. They'd better perform now.

"Dave had no choice. I'm not saying Andy did everything right, because he didn't. But it wasn't a lack of effort on his part. I want every player to look in the mirror, and only a few can say they gave 100%. We've got 12 games left and now what this does is it sends a message to Dave and everybody that we're not going to accept losing. You want to blame Andy? Andy's gone. I'm very curious to see what they say now."

By the way, the race for the final playoff spots in the Western Conference is really amazing. Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim, and Edmonton are fighting for 3 spots. It is really something.

Tennis to add replay! …

The men's and women's tours have decided to phase in instant replay beginning at Key Biscayne. It will be used only on the stadium court, with disputed calls reviewed on video screens visible to the players, umpire and fans in a process expected to take less than 10 seconds.

''We're the guinea pig, which we're happy to do,'' tournament chairman Butch Buchholz said. ''I've got to believe the players are going to love this. You'd like to have a situation where you're not going to lose a tennis match because of a bad call.''

Not all players favor instant replay, though, and that includes traditionalist Federer.

''I hope I play on the outside courts so I don't have to face it,'' he said jokingly. ''I guess it's going to affect me the most, because I'll probably play many matches in the next few months on center courts.''

Stop me if you have heard this story before, Keith Jackson to retire from ABC ….

Keith Jackson has not retired from ABC Sports, but he is seriously contemplating it. He said last night that he planned to tell ESPN executives in discussions that begin today: "I'm retired. Talk me out of it.' "

He added: "My posture is, I consider myself retired. I can feel the fork. Fifty-three seasons is a long time."

Jackson said he did not expect to be persuaded to stay but would listen to any offer from ESPN, which operates ABC Sports. "Their approach has been, 'Tell us what makes you comfortable,' " he said.

But, he said, "I'm 77 and I feel it." He said he had made on-air mistakes, "and I hate it." Jackson planned to retire after the 1998 college football season but was asked to stay by Howard Katz, then the new head of ABC Sports.

Through to the FA Cup Semi-finals! Liverpool 7, Birmingham City 0 …

Birmingham's hex on Rafael Benítez had always looked like a figment of the imagination. Not that anyone at St Andrew's could have imagined the Spaniard would inflict a first victory over Birmingham in such humiliating circumstances. Within four minutes the contest was over as Liverpool tore into their vapid hosts, though far greater pain followed as the European Champions exposed Birmingham's glaring deficiencies with alarming ease, running up comfortably their biggest win under Benítez.

Indeed, such was the misery of this thumping defeat that come the end Steve Bruce and not the Birmingham defence was most in need of protection. The Birmingham manager, sheltered by a significant police presence for virtually the entire second half, suffered the ignominy of an irate fan running in his direction before the interval. The supporter was belatedly stopped in his tracks though Liverpool most certainly were not.

Benítez's side, rampant throughout, cut through Birmingham effortlessly. This was nothing short of shooting practice for his side who cantered to their 22nd FA Cup semi-final and their first for five years.

Having gorged on the feast served up by Newcastle's and Fulham's benign defences, Liverpool arrived in buoyant mood. Two victories and eight goals in the space of four days imbued confidence in weary limbs; this was Liverpool's 53rd match of the season and their second in 72 hours following the triumph at St James' Park on Sunday, though they cannot have imagined that Birmingham would be so sympathetic to their cause.

Finally, I really don’t mean to sound gay here, but before I write anything about last night’s finale of my favorite show on TV, I really need to come to grips with it. Wow. That sounds gay.

Sucks about Lem.