Oh, I Think So

Tight End on a stick off to Carolina New dad and kickball champion Greg Olsen has been traded to the Carolina Panthers.  Upon arrival there, he was given a four-year contract extension.  This means newly unengaged QB Jay Cutler's fave bitch (yeah, tight end/wide receiver, whatever, I am going to beat this line until it's no longer a line) was traded for a handful of beans, a baking-soda-powered submarine, and a sixth-round draft pick next year.  Greg was a pretty good Bears players, so I am puzzled by the trade.  There is some sort of purge going on at Bears Central or in Bourbonnais or somewhere in Bearsville and when the dust settles, I am hoping we have an offense that is recognizable as such. Remember last year?  Jay Cutler, the Hesitatin' QB, who can't seem to let loose of the ball or find any of the guys who was supposed to catch it when he threw it, whose offensive line can't seem to cover him, getting sacked multiple times?  Getting a concus...

It was reported today on the radio that the NFL Players Association has agreed to the terms of the NFL owners and so will be back to it pretty soon with a nice ten-year contract.  In next week's blog I will report on more details. ---------- In my job, work teams sometimes build relationships with vendors such that the vendors invite a team to be their guests.  My present team is comprised of some very hard-working people and not a single person is lazy about getting the job done.  Our client is extraordinarily parsimonious, the client employees act like they are entitled to most everything, and vendors really get sick of this sort of behavior.  A new vendor is on the scene, a generous and classy vendor, and we were invited to stay a night at the vendor hotel, check in early, check out late, were treated to several meals, and were taken to a baseball game at Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs. An Astros pitcher doing his job When I was a teenager, I was insanel...

The NBA is still locked out.  At least one NBA player has signed to play ball in Europe, specifically Turkey.  A reason:  the need to make money for his family.  Ahem.  You make millions of dollars a year and you need to play ball in another country to get food on the table?  I am pretty sure if you injure yourself in another league you will be SOL for injury assistance forever more.  If you'd like, you can send me an email and I will assist you in setting up a budget.  In no time, you will have saved zillions of dollars and your wife and kids won't think you're a mope.  You're welcome. The Joffrey Ballet is still locked out. The NFL is still locked out but rumored to be very close to an agreement but please note the July 15 deadline has come and gone.  It is also rumored the retired players will probably get nothing much out of this deal. ---------- Chicago is a big city and major game shows and talent competitions come here reg...

Last week, I thought the NFL and the players were going to all come to their sense and twirl back to the locker room and the playing field and everyone would be training for the fall, cameraderie developing between the players, and the owners taking their appointed places at their cash registers.  Well, wrong and then some because the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in St.  Louis ruled that the lockout of the players could continue but they did not rule out the possibility of the NFL being sued for anti-trust violations. The last part slays me!  I never thought about it but yes, there is just one NFL, there are no other huge major football leagues, and what they have now is a monopoly.  Of course, if they busted it up, would what we think of a pro football exist?  If the NFL is taken to task for being a monopoly what would the break up spawn?  Big, burly bitches standing on freeway off-ramps with signs saying, "Will tackle anything for food," or "...

The NBA has joined the NFL in a lockout.  The difference is that the NFL will probably come to a conclusion and dash back to their respective fields in time for training camp.  The NBA will probably not come back on time and will miss a few games in their planned schedules.  The lockout in the NFL is the owners wanting to make more money under the present system.  The NBA lockout is the owners saying the system is broken and cannot be fixed and they cannot make money with things as they are. The NBA owners say they are losing money under the present system because the smaller-market teams cannot afford to own a team and actually break even.  They also claim the current system doesn't allow for the highest level of competitive balance.  The big teams -- Chicago, Miami, LA, NY -- can afford the bigger dogs like Carmelo Anthony and the super-expensive-but-was-he-worth-it-really LeBron James.  The NFL doesn't have guaranteed contracts but the NBA does wh...