My post is called Bigger Bozos than Big Ben and if you go into the browse all recent posts section it's third on the list of NFL posts. First it was back, then gone again. wtf?

Now we all know that Ben Roethlisberger didn't have much brain power before he decided to ride a motorcycle without a helmet. Now, with much of that brain power left on the asphalt, I have been asking the question: is there anybody dumber than Big Ben? Living in Washington, DC, I didn't have to look far. Politicians are as dumb as anybody in the country. I've picked out two, one Dem, one Repub, for an effort at bipartisanship (even though my own politics are just to the left of Hugo Chavez.) So let's start with everyone's favorite Democrat, Hillary Clinton. Here's a quote from a democratic rally this week (for which she was rightfully booed.)

 I have to just say it, I do not think it is a smart strategy either for the president to continue with his open-ended commitment, which I think does not put enough pressure on the new Iraqi government, nor do I think it is smart strategy to set a date certain. I do not agree that that is in the best interest of our troops or our country.

 

Um, Hillary? Those are the only two options. What exactly have you got up your sleeve, a time machine? That's it, we'll kill the 9/11 hijackers on September 10th, and none of this will have happened. Even though Bush is always wrong, he says things and then does things. That's something that the Clintons haven't gotten the hang of. On to our Republican, Tony Snow, who was asked about the 2,500 American soldiers killed in Iraq:

 

It's a number, and every time there's one of these 500 benchmarks people want something.

It's a number was not a good answer. It's actually 2,500 brave American men and women who've sacrificed their lives for a war that most Americans feel never should have happened at all. We're getting near the point that more Americans will have been killed in Iraq than in the 9/11 attacks. Is that just another number Tony?

So happy Friday, and in all seriousness prayers for Big Ben and our troops overseas.

The John Thompson Show 3-7p on Sportstalk 980 in DC is perhaps the greatest sports talk radio show of all time. That’s not saying much of course, considering the sorry state of the medium. Know-nothings like Jim Rome dominate the airwaves by shouting “Rack Him!” incessantly.

Nonetheless, JT 2’s show is unbelievable not only for Thompson’s cantankerous old-guy attitude, but because he has all the connections to get all the good guests. Instead of John Clayton, et al calling in (the old analyst interviewing another analyst routine) real players and other figures that are legitimately connected with the world of sports are interviewed.

The other day NBA Commisioner David Stern was on. He had a lot he could gloat about, but Stern was fairly low-key as always. The dress code has transformed from controversial deprival of freedom to non-stop pre-game fashion show. Even Rip Hamilton who normally resembles a Tupperware Darth Vader looks sharp in an expensive suit. It turned out to be a brilliant move for King Midas.

So what’s next for the great tinkerer? Stern hinted at something that might be coming down the pike, something I’d applaud: stopping the players from ####ing about foul calls all the time.  The Commissioner admitted that there were missed calls, but thinks that the constant whining is unattractive to the game and I agree. Kids emulate players like LeBron. LeBron complains after every single call that goes against him. You think this isn’t going to have an effect? Do you want your kids’ role model to be a cry-baby?

Superman never complained, even when Lex Luthor hit him with the Kryptonite. John Wayne never appeared in a movie called “The PMS Cowboy.” And even the legitimate sports Superheroes didn’t #### and whine even when they had much better reasons than perpetual complaint machine TO.

Lou Gehrig didn’t get up to the microphone in his last appearance at Yankee Stadium and say, “It’s not fair! Why can’t somebody else die instead? I’m Lou Gehrig!” Jackie Robinson endured endless racist words and death threats. Mario Lemieux has been battling a crippling illness and doesn’t moan about it on or off the ice.

So can David Stern shut these spoiled brats up before every picture of an NBA game looks like a birthday party at Jeepers? I hope so, because when you’re on TV, the World is watching. And I don’t want the world to think we’re a bunch of babies.

Bloggers,

Congratulations to those selected as NGS 2 finalists. I want to give a special shout-out to MooreSports, Mr. NFL, rivjo and ShooterB. They were writing great stuff a long time before the contest was announced and I know that they'll do well. Others in the contest I don't know as well (and I'm not going to comb through every blog) but I'm sure they're good writers and deserving. 

It's a beautiful 65 degree day here in DC, I think I'll pull myself away from my keyboard and enjoy it. Although when it hits 95 (as it will soon), I'm sure I'll be back to enjoy myself here in the blogosphere. Cheers!

    We’ve all been there—puzzling as to why our team has lost a key piece, or was unable to acquire the prize free agent from the small-market team. It seemed as if your general manager was a major player in the negotiations then for some reason your favorite player was gone. The GM always “did everything they could” and the team really wanted said free agent. Then the player says the team had no offer that was close and had no interest in matching. (Then the player says the new contract wasn’t about money…but that’s another post.) What gives?
    Oftentimes your team’s owner and GM have no intention of signing the player they are supposedly bidding for. Whether it’s a money issue, cap room or a desire to go with somebody else (usually less well-known, but sometimes equally productive) the team just isn’t interested. Due to the pressure from fans to see the team actively attempting to acquire free agents (in the hopes of winning, of course) or to drive up the price of a player for your rival teams, the team will pretend to be a player in the bidding for a free agent. Here’s several types of fake bidding that occur:


“We Really Tried"

    This is usually done by teams to alleviate pressure to acquire a popular free agent or keep a local hero. It requires another team to play the bully, so your GM can paint your team as a helpless victim.     A recent case was Antwaan Randle El. The Steelers quickly resigned themselves to losing Randle El. No game was necessary; their fans were satisfied that the Super Bowl Champs were going to operate successfully within a limited budget. But a lot of noise was being made by Chicagoans (Michael Wilbon for example) that the Bears ought to bolster their receiving corps by bringing a hometown boy back to the Windy City.


    The Bears’ actions were strictly David Blaine. An $18 million offer was floated on the breeze as Randle El made his way to Redskins Park. Randle El turned it down flat before even meeting with Cerato, Snyder and Gibbs. Everybody involved knew that the Skins were going to come to the table with significantly more, especially the Bears. They slid in a nice low-ball hoping the Redskins would knock it out of the park, and they did.
    The Bears knew well that the Redskins reputation for “overpaying” would cover their #### on the low-ball. Plus, they would get the benefit of saying “We tried to get Randle El.” Furthermore, the Bears “never had a chance” because of the “overpaying” of the Redskins. What would have happened had the Bears made a serious offer in the neighborhood of what Randle El finally received? Maybe he’d still be in Washington, but maybe he’d be in Chicago. The Bears never wanted him. Instead they got exactly what they wanted without spending a dime.


    Johnny Damon was a similar “We tried” only in slow motion. The market for Damon was softer than expected. Damon was looking for 5 or 6 years, and had no takers. The Sox had floated a low-ball 3-year offer and almost got what they didn’t want: Johnny Damon in the outfield. There were a bunch of teams with similarly bogus offers on the table like the Orioles (who are always “almost” getting free agents) but nobody to take the fall for the Sox when their World Series hero left town.
    Then the Evil Yankees Empire stepped in. The Yankees saved the day, offering the 4th year, “overpaying” an older player and playing the big, rich, bully for the Red Sox to blame--even though the Sox have the 2nd highest payroll in baseball. The Red Sox float the “We tried” balloon and Coco Crisp is playing at Fenway a little too quickly to have not been the plan all along.


    Why do these teams “overpay” these guys anyway? Randle El can be worth at least $31 million to the Redskins, while maybe not being worth as much to the Bears in their situation. Washington already makes tons of money, but now the Randle El jerseys are flying off the shelves and Snyder can jack up ticket prices, which is just what happened.
    Steinbrenner is making money 18 different ways off of the Yankees. Not only Damon jerseys and fannies in the seats, but television deals that would make the Devil Rays drool. The Yankee product gets a big boost in the middle of the off-season, and Big Stein gets richer. Being the villain isn’t a problem when you’re making money hand-over-fist (and Darth Vader is the coolest character in Star Wars  anyway.)


“Bid Them Up”

    Ebay is a dangerous thing. You’ve bid on something and someone with a evil-sounding screen name outbids you. You bid against each other a few times and now you’ve reached your limit. Then the devil on your shoulder whispers, “bid him up.” So you put in a few extra bids just to cost him a little Cabbage Patch Kid collection.
    Teams do this with free agents all the time. Every extra dollar tied up may cost your rival a player down the line. This is very popular in the American League East.
    Toronto had entered very credible negotiations with Marlins hurler AJ Burnett. As they neared the end of reeling in Burnett, there were still teams hanging on somewhere near the Toronto number. Baltimore and Boston stayed in the mix to drive the price up another $5 million at least. Toronto got their man, and Baltimore and Boston got to squeeze their division rival for the price of a quality utility man or middle reliever.

“The Phantom Offer”


    If you really want to play it safe, this is the way to go. Atlanta mastered this maneuver years ago. The Hawks always have acres of cap space and no intention of using it. Two years ago when Kenyon Martin was a free agent, the New York Times reported that the Hawks were expected to tender Martin a max deal offer. This would have been a bold addition for the hapless Hawks had it been a real offer.
    But it never materialized. This “Phantom Offer” had a little bit of the “we tried” (if you weren’t paying too close attention) and ultimately “bid up” the price to a max deal for Denver.  The beneficial effect of this non-bid is a bit less than tendering an actual offer. The financial risk, of course, is zero, so any benefits are free. We’ll see whether there’s a bid or a no-bid on Harrington this summer. I’m guessing non-bid.

    Owners and GM’s play a lot of games because, like it or not, sports is a big business. The same brinksmanship and deceit occurs in high-stakes business deals around the world. I think it is important to realize that just like when David Blaine supposedly holds his breath for nine minutes, nothing is what it appears to be.