Wednesday's Effort

Before we proceed, I just wanted to stand and applaud Det. Vic Mackey, and wish him well in this tough time for him and his team…

The NFL CBA situation doesn’t look good right now …What does this mean? I wish I knew. Free Agency starts Friday, and Mort tells us that those teams with cap room have nothing to worry about, but the Colts and Broncos and those with no cap room are in a real bind trying to decide how to formulate contracts. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, Scouts, Inc. claimed these three Cowboys could be cut for cap reasons in the next few days:

Dallas Cowboys
OG Larry Allen -- He is getting close to ending an excellent NFL career. He still flashes the ability to dominate at times, but has a $3.5 million salary and $2.5 million March roster bonus. He is a player who can still start in the league, but the Cowboys need to get him to restructure his contract.

DT La'Roi Glover -- With a $4.5 million 2006 salary and $1.5 million roster bonus, his days in Dallas appear to be numbered. He still has the ability to be effective in the right system, but he has never been a good fit for the 3-4 defense Dallas employs.

ILB Dat Nguyen -- Due to injuries, there is a very good chance he is going to retire. He really does not fit the defense either, as head coach Bill Parcells would prefer bigger bodies at the position. With a cap number of close to $2.5 million, Nguyen won't be in a Dallas uniform next season.

I found this list idiotic. Allen will not be cut no matter what, although he could be restructured. Dat basically retired in November. So, is Glover a $6 million dollar player? With no cap issues to speak of, and given his great locker-room presence, I anticipate he is going nowhere, either.

They may have tons of 1st Round picks, But Don Banks points out that Longhorns in the first round are not always huge wins …

But consider some of the names on that list:
• Running back Cedric Benson went fourth to Chicago in 2005, but a contract holdout and a midseason knee injury kept him from making an impact for the playoff-bound Bears.

• Receiver Roy Williams was selected seventh by Detroit in 2004, and while his numbers have been decent (99 catches, 1,504 yards and 16 touchdowns in 27 games), he has only four 100-yard receiving games, and his impact has been far less than the Lions had hoped.

• Offensive tackle Mike Williams went fourth to Buffalo in 2002 and was released by the Bills last week after four disappointing seasons in which his play was often characterized as either too soft or sub-par. Williams represents a major draft bust for Buffalo.

• Cornerback Quentin Jammer was selected one spot behind Mike Williams, going fifth to San Diego. Jammer has been a starter for the Chargers and has been solid if unspectacular most of the time. But for a No. 5 overall pick, his impact quotient has been disappointing.

• Offensive tackle Leonard Davis was the second pick in 2001, just behind Michael Vick. Davis, however, was moved to a less demanding guard position in his first three seasons with Arizona and only switched to the pivotal left-tackle slot in 2004.

• Running back Ricky Williams saw the New Orleans Saints give up their entire draft for the right to choose him fifth in 1999. Williams has been a very productive pro when he has played, but his story has had more than its share of setbacks amid the successes.

• Cornerback Bryant Westbrook was taken fifth by Detroit in 1997, but he has never come close to living up to that lofty draft slot.

I may have been wrong (again). I claimed that the dude who was hit with the ball by Kevin Garnett was looking to get rich. This story claims he is not …we shall see…

The man was wheeled out of the Target Center bowl on a gurney at the insistence of the Timberwolves and not at his request, Tempesta said. Boos followed him into the tunnel, and Tempesta said his friend said that might have been the hardest thing to take.

According to Tempesta, the man bears no grudge toward Garnett or the organization, plans no legal action and simply wants to put the incident behind him. Thus, Tempesta said, his friend was not interested in talking about the situation himself.
"He was not mad for a second at [Garnett]," Tempesta said. "He's mad at anybody who portrayed it that way. ... He's embarrassed about the whole thing. The only thing he's angry with is how the crowd reacted to him."

Revo echoes this website, says Modano right; timing wrong …

USA Hockey must understand that you can't treat the 2006 Olympic team the same as, say, the 1980 Olympic players. Today's pros are accustomed to a higher standard of maintenance. Their hotels, their travel, their meals, their every convenience, is handled by people who do nothing but make sure the athletes are taken care of, first and foremost.

Spoiled? Sure. But they expect a certain standard of treatment, and they're not going to be happy with anything less. For instance, when players asked USA Hockey officials where they could meet their families after games, they were met with shrugs and blank stares.

Bill Guerin found his wife and children at a gas station after one game.

This is the Olympics. It has to be better than that. Modano, as one of the team's senior players, spoke up not because it was affecting him personally -- he had no family in Italy -- but because it was affecting how the team felt and, by extension, how it played.

"You sit there and hear everybody, what they're going through for two weeks while we were there, you felt bad," he said. "It shouldn't have been that type of experience. It should have been handled different. I think that's where I kind of had enough."

Those who think that USA Hockey wouldn't have listened if Modano had waited until he got home are simply wrong. They'd have still gotten the message and maybe Modano wouldn't have been portrayed by the international media as a spoiled crybaby.

"I probably would have come home and thought about what I wanted to do and what I wanted to say, make it more constructive rather than just lashing out," Modano conceded.

"A lot of things need to be said, [but] it should have been done between USA and me in a private manner, on how things are operated and have been for a while, so the people in the future can have a great experience in the Olympics and any other world tournament."

Could this be true? Found in tvguide.com’s rumor column:

SHOWTIME FOR THE BLUTHS?: Hmm, maybe the fat lady should shut her mouth and take a seat. The New York Post hears brand-new buzz that Showtime has not only picked up Fox's canceled Arrested Development but has ordered a full 26 episodes.

If you thought the Stars 3rd jersey was bad, check out the Cleveland police logo…remind anyone of a pork product?

1-peat.com …my dreams have come true!

Alright, here is the most amazing piece of today’s blog. An email I received:

Bob-

Aggie forward Chris Walker decided to make several shirtless music videos with a couple of his dorm mates... now they are on the internet.
links to the videos below...

Grapevine’s own, Chris Walker’s stats …

These five videos are amazing, and as far as I can tell, they all star Chris:

What a Wonderful World …
Total Eclipse of the Heart …

Thug Luv …

The Monster Mash …
Til I collapse …

Do they have shirts in the basketball dorms at Aggieland? Genius, boys.

Finally, here is an email that takes Bill Guerin’s side on the Olympic issue:

Bob,

98.7% of the time I agree with you when it comes to hockey. But on the question of pros in the Olympics I think you’re wrong.
Bill Guerin is ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

The owners in he NHL think they can buy a player’s national loyalty and they don’t care about anything but money.

Here are just a few reasons why the pros should play in Olympic Hockey

Here are some reasons why his opinion does not hold water:

1.) A group of non-NHL players would hold no more interest for American audiences – Witness the last two World Junior Championships – Almost no publicity, even when the Americans took Gold.
2.) Your country should always come first. – National pride should not be able to be bought off by some franchise.
3.) The 2002 Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game, the US vs. Canada, was one of the most watched hockey games in American history. So to say it’s “failed” is to ignore recent reality.
4.) The US team would have won, the popularity of Hockey in the US would undoubtedly increase.
5.) The Olympics are, indeed, an excellent showcase for the sport – for every hockey league involved, not just the NHL.
6.) Players in the NHL are the best players in the world. Not using them in the Olympics devalues the competition. The Olympics should be a competition of the “best”
7.) Playing at this level makes players better – Teams that send their players get back more skilled, experienced and rejuvenated athletes.
8.) These guys DO give their all – To suggest anything else is an insult. These guys would all relish getting an Olympic medal.
9.) The NHL complains that some players may be injured. But there is no consideration for the number of players that will have a week to rehab and heal. This is by far the majority of players.
10.) The NHL can’t really complain about shutting down the season. Besides, there would be an All-Star break which would shut down regular play for 4 days anyway. This is just a few days more.
11.) The NHL owners are insured for player injury. So what are they sniveling about? Some of the teams who have players in the Olympics already won’t make the play-offs.
12.) Before the NHL inclusion, the Russian “Red Army” Olympic Hockey Players were all paid to play, and therefore, by definition, professionals anyway. Now it’s a level playing scenario.
13.) If a group of mostly non NHL players beats a team of all-NHLers, then so much more the greatness of the feat. That makes it exciting.
14.) Non-NHL players who perform well in competition with professionals can be identified and can be considered by teams in the NHL – Making the league better.
15.) Everyone seems to pine for another “miracle year”. There will probably NEVER be another Miracle Year. Get over it!
16.) The owners do not care about international competition because it means no profit for them. They don’t really care about the players getting hurt, or what hockey fans want. Witness the fact that after only 1 year of reduced ticket prices, the Stars plan to raise prices again.


Thanks for letting me voice my opinion


Brian Howe

Have a good day, join us in Awesome town at noon.