This is an interesting story questioning Vikings QB Tavaris Jackson's toughness. It basically states that NFL players need to learn how to play with pain or forget about being a starter. That's apparently how the great ones like Brett Favre and Peyton Manning pile up these consecutive game streaks - and something that contributes to their greatness. Apparently, Mr. Jackson hasn't learned this toughness thing yet and is being called out for it in this article.
I guess it's a matter of sucking it up and still being productive when you're less than 100%. There's some sort of old adage about anybody being able to succeed when they're hot, but the great ones figuring out a way to do it even when they're not. I guess a prime example of this was Tiger Woods winning the U.S. Open with a broken leg. He figured it out and got it done, and now he can rest on his laurels. So, is Tavaris Jackson more like Tiger Woods or Eric Gange - a relief pitcher who always looked great until you put him in a real pressure cooker?
Ralph
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
County Attempts to Embarrass Dunlavey
This is classic. The article starts out all nice, with Roger Taft, the lawyer for the County being polite and deferential. "Erie County and the ECGRA do not have a clear understanding as to why this Honorable Court invalidated (county ordinances) which authorized the organization of ECGRA, in its entirety, if that was the intention of the Court," Taft wrote.
However, as you work your way through the article, you see that Taft is merely (as one of my business partners likes to say) "kissing Judge Dunlavey before fucking him." The article later goes on to say, "Taft's order 'questions whether the term 'unrestricted' gaming revenue was erroneously inserted (by Dunlavey) in place of 'restricted' gaming revenue" in some sections." In other words, he's questioning whether Dunlavey completely screwed up and wrote the opposite of what he meant to write! Whoops!, Wouldn't that be an error?
Of course, this is likely just a rhetorical ploy being used by Taft to publicize how ridiculous the County feels Dunlavey's ruling is. As if to say, "This ruling is so outrageous, we just assumed you got it backwards and you meant to say this when you wrote that. We understand, you're a busy guy and all..."
Condescending mo'fuckers. I hope Dunlavey's throws them all in Gitmo!
Ralph
However, as you work your way through the article, you see that Taft is merely (as one of my business partners likes to say) "kissing Judge Dunlavey before fucking him." The article later goes on to say, "Taft's order 'questions whether the term 'unrestricted' gaming revenue was erroneously inserted (by Dunlavey) in place of 'restricted' gaming revenue" in some sections." In other words, he's questioning whether Dunlavey completely screwed up and wrote the opposite of what he meant to write! Whoops!, Wouldn't that be an error?
Of course, this is likely just a rhetorical ploy being used by Taft to publicize how ridiculous the County feels Dunlavey's ruling is. As if to say, "This ruling is so outrageous, we just assumed you got it backwards and you meant to say this when you wrote that. We understand, you're a busy guy and all..."
Condescending mo'fuckers. I hope Dunlavey's throws them all in Gitmo!
Ralph
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Peters Holdout Jeopardizes Bills Season
This Jason Peters holdout could kill the Bills' season. Left tackle is not exactly a high-profile position for non-football fans, but real fans know this guy protects the blind-side of the quarterback, usually taking on the defense's best rusher. And Peters is a good left tackle. Heck, he was our only Pro Bowl selection last year
The Bills also like to run behind Peters. He contributed mightily to last year's two-headed running attack, with Marshawn gaining 1,100 yards and Freddie Jackson looking solid as well. And, now Peters is holding out from training camp for a bigger contract. And the thing is, he's under contract for like the next three years... The Bills apparently signed him to a long-term deal a couple years back at like $2 million a year, which isn't small potatoes, but makes him the third-highest paid lineman on his own team, and puts him pretty far down on the pay scale for left tackles. But, the thing is, when the Bills signed him, there was no guarantee he'd become a star.
The guy was originally an undrafted free agent who played mainly tight end in college. The Bills invested in him and helped develop him, and now he wants his come-uppance. Can I fault him? Probably not, based on the short careers of NFL players and the fact that they need to grab all the money they can while they can. But, it sure sucks for the Bills.
Buffalo has a relatively easy schedule this year (although it may have just gotten harder with the Jets trading for Brett Favre) and had a realistic shot at winning 10 games, even with a fairly mediocre team and a second-year quarterback. However, losing Peters for the year would seem to jeopardize all that.
Reportedly, the two sides are barely even talking. There is some rumor that Peters hasn't fully recovered from off-season sports hernia surgery and that is why he is not showing up. The guy also apparently likes to lay pretty low in the offseason and there is talk that he is just carrying that attitude over into his holdout.
The Bills seem to be in a bit of a quandry. Peters has a pretty hard-ass agent who is also currently orchestrating a holdout for Steven Jackson in St. Louis. This agent has formerly worked for people like Deion Sanders and been responsible for things like "the largest contract for a rookie ever at the time." And the Bills don't want to renegotiate with a guy with three years left on his contract - especially while he is not in camp... It's all fucked up.
Most "experts" can't see Peters holding out into the season because of the money it would cost him. Let's hope they're right. Or let's just hope that in this case the team is bigger than the man, and the Bills can develop somebody else who can step in and fill Peters' shoes without too much of a downgrade/disaster.
The bottom line is that this Peters thing has the potential to ruin what was shaping up as a promising, if not somewhat misleading (based on schedule strength) season for the Bills. I think it bears more attention than it's been getting in the media.
Cheers.
Ralph
The Bills also like to run behind Peters. He contributed mightily to last year's two-headed running attack, with Marshawn gaining 1,100 yards and Freddie Jackson looking solid as well. And, now Peters is holding out from training camp for a bigger contract. And the thing is, he's under contract for like the next three years... The Bills apparently signed him to a long-term deal a couple years back at like $2 million a year, which isn't small potatoes, but makes him the third-highest paid lineman on his own team, and puts him pretty far down on the pay scale for left tackles. But, the thing is, when the Bills signed him, there was no guarantee he'd become a star.
The guy was originally an undrafted free agent who played mainly tight end in college. The Bills invested in him and helped develop him, and now he wants his come-uppance. Can I fault him? Probably not, based on the short careers of NFL players and the fact that they need to grab all the money they can while they can. But, it sure sucks for the Bills.
Buffalo has a relatively easy schedule this year (although it may have just gotten harder with the Jets trading for Brett Favre) and had a realistic shot at winning 10 games, even with a fairly mediocre team and a second-year quarterback. However, losing Peters for the year would seem to jeopardize all that.
Reportedly, the two sides are barely even talking. There is some rumor that Peters hasn't fully recovered from off-season sports hernia surgery and that is why he is not showing up. The guy also apparently likes to lay pretty low in the offseason and there is talk that he is just carrying that attitude over into his holdout.
The Bills seem to be in a bit of a quandry. Peters has a pretty hard-ass agent who is also currently orchestrating a holdout for Steven Jackson in St. Louis. This agent has formerly worked for people like Deion Sanders and been responsible for things like "the largest contract for a rookie ever at the time." And the Bills don't want to renegotiate with a guy with three years left on his contract - especially while he is not in camp... It's all fucked up.
Most "experts" can't see Peters holding out into the season because of the money it would cost him. Let's hope they're right. Or let's just hope that in this case the team is bigger than the man, and the Bills can develop somebody else who can step in and fill Peters' shoes without too much of a downgrade/disaster.
The bottom line is that this Peters thing has the potential to ruin what was shaping up as a promising, if not somewhat misleading (based on schedule strength) season for the Bills. I think it bears more attention than it's been getting in the media.
Cheers.
Ralph
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Dunlavey Bitch Slaps Erie County
This really doesn't seem good for Erie County. We're talking $5 million per year that the County has already committed to projects like the already controversial runway extension. I guess the County has other sources of revenue, but I'm assuming taxpayers will end up making up the difference at some point.
Here's two quotes from the article that explain Dunlavey's ruling:
1. "In his ruling, Dunlavey criticized the county for ignoring the costs that Summit and the contiguous townships must bear for traffic; sewers; fire, rescue and other emergency services; and infrastructure costs related to the racetrack and casino.
"He wrote that the county, if it is not careful, might 'kill the golden goose' (the casino)' by refusing to award the required restricted funds."
2. " 'The specific use of the word 'shall' indicates that the Legislature did not intend the broad discretion the county is actively seeking, but instead intended to have grants awarded to the municipalities affected by the establishment of a licensed gaming facility,' Dunlavey wrote.
"Dunlavey said the county's 'novel interpretation' suggested that County Council 'deliberately chose certain parts of the Gaming Act to benefit the county's plans,' such as the use of restricted money for the runway extension project."
Dynamics of the Ruling
To tell you the truth, this ruling by Dunlavey caught me off guard. Most of the info. I've gotten on this matter has come from the Erie Times-News, and the Times seems to have been squarely backing the County. Shows you what the liberal media knows.
Dunlavey is a former Gitmo torture guru, and from what I can tell from his interviews in the Times, is a cowboy. I think the boys in Summit share this disposition. So, I retrospect, I guess it's really not the surprising that Dunlavey sided with them.
I guess the biggest surprise should be that I did not see this coming - kind of like the whole George Bush presidency. No matter how educated a semi-city folk like me tries to make himself, them damn rednecks will creep up on you and get you when you let your guard down.
Cheers.
Ralph
Here's two quotes from the article that explain Dunlavey's ruling:
1. "In his ruling, Dunlavey criticized the county for ignoring the costs that Summit and the contiguous townships must bear for traffic; sewers; fire, rescue and other emergency services; and infrastructure costs related to the racetrack and casino.
"He wrote that the county, if it is not careful, might 'kill the golden goose' (the casino)' by refusing to award the required restricted funds."
2. " 'The specific use of the word 'shall' indicates that the Legislature did not intend the broad discretion the county is actively seeking, but instead intended to have grants awarded to the municipalities affected by the establishment of a licensed gaming facility,' Dunlavey wrote.
"Dunlavey said the county's 'novel interpretation' suggested that County Council 'deliberately chose certain parts of the Gaming Act to benefit the county's plans,' such as the use of restricted money for the runway extension project."
Dynamics of the Ruling
To tell you the truth, this ruling by Dunlavey caught me off guard. Most of the info. I've gotten on this matter has come from the Erie Times-News, and the Times seems to have been squarely backing the County. Shows you what the liberal media knows.
Dunlavey is a former Gitmo torture guru, and from what I can tell from his interviews in the Times, is a cowboy. I think the boys in Summit share this disposition. So, I retrospect, I guess it's really not the surprising that Dunlavey sided with them.
I guess the biggest surprise should be that I did not see this coming - kind of like the whole George Bush presidency. No matter how educated a semi-city folk like me tries to make himself, them damn rednecks will creep up on you and get you when you let your guard down.
Cheers.
Ralph
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)