Crying in Football. This week, members of the Miami Dolphins reported to training camp. Rookie defensive tackle, Manuel Wright, reported to camp overweight and with back problems. For this, new head coach, Nick Saban, lit into the 21 year-old in front of the entire team. Wright broke down in tears when the screaming ended. The worst part of the whole incident is that the cameras were rolling. I have seen this poor kid crying no less than ten times in the last 24 hours.
You might be surprised to hear compassion coming out of the Banshee when it comes to crying in football. But, I gotta say that I really feel for this kid. Okay, so if you get a $190,000 signing bonus as an undrafted rookie then you shouldn't come into camp overweight. Nonetheless, there is almost nothing worse than being publicly chastised by someone from whom you are trying desperately to gain approval.
I say good luck to you, Mr. Wright. And to the media, I say enough is enough. Stop showing this.
Welcome home. Those words lit up the marquee at Madison Square Garden this afternoon. New York native Larry Brown has finally reached an agreement to coach the New York Knicks next season. Despite his age and his poor health, the Knicks signed Brown to a 4 year deal worth between $8-10 million a season. If I recall correctly, that makes Brown the second highest paid coach in all of sports. Phil Jackson holds the top spot. If any basketball coach is worth that kind of money, Brown is that coach. This signing is probably a good move for the woeful Knicks because it has already generated buzz around the upcoming season. That's always good for ticket sales. Brown has made his name by bringing horrible teams up to respectability and even playoff success. But, this Knicks team has about the worst front office in the history of basketball. This team is about $50 million over the salary cap and 20 games under .500. Even Brown can't work this miracle. At least not next year.
Manny gone wild. The MLB trading deadline is coming up in just a few short days. And rumors are swirling around the northeast that the Boston Red Sox are entertaining offers for World Series MVP Manny Ramirez. I am going to declare right now that the chances of Manny Ramirez being traded during this season are absolutely zero. Zilch. There is no chance.
Even a rabid Red Sox hater like the Banshee cannot dispute the fact that Manny is an astonishing hitter. He hits for power and average and is a run producing machine. But, this guy is just way too weird for any other team to take on mid-season. My fingers are too tired to type out a whole history of what a weirdo this guy is. So, I'll stick to just this past week. During a home game at Fenway last week, there was a brief meeting on the mound. This was not a pitching change. Yet, Manny took the opportunity to disappear into the Green Monster in left field. Why? To urinate, of course. The thing is, there is no bathroom inside the Monster. Manny wasn't back on the field when play was set to resume. Then over the weekend, Manny renewed his yearly request that he be traded. But, if anyone was considering coming after this guy and his gargantuan contract, Manny pretty much ended that with his antics last night. Yesterday, Manny refused to play despite the fact that injuries had left the Sox shorthanded in the outfield. Why the refusal? Because he'd already asked for the day off.
Manny Ramirez still has 4 years and $60+ million left on his current contract. The only team in baseball that could afford to take on that contract right now is the New York Yankees. That will simply never happen. The Sox will not send their top slugger to the Yanks, and Joe Torre would not take on this guy's antics.
