This is the worst weekend of the year. No football. No NASCAR. Just wall-to-wall hoops (although there were some EXCELLENT games today), some golf, and the NHL All-Star Game. Just because there is no football or NASCAR doesn't mean that fans can't vent and throw the objects of their ire Under The Bus this week! I have a few teams that I'd like to throw under the Bus.
NBA
Indiana Pacers: why, oh why, did you have to go out and LOSE to the hapless Miami Heat? The Heat had lost umpteen games in a row prior to facing the Pacers. Yet the Pacers allowed the Heat to play like the 2006 version of the Heat. For that, not only do you get thrown under the Bus, you should be demoted to the D-league.
Phoenix Suns: once again, they fatten up on the bottom feeders of the league by beating the Bulls. I will stop throwing them under the Bus once they face some QUALITY competition. I was happy to see that they had lost to the T-wolves earlier in the week. I'm not worried--they won't win the NBA championship because of the lack of a true big man. Amare Stoudemire is a 4 playing at the 5. He'll be worn down come playoff time. On a related note, I throw the NBA schedulers under the Bus as well.
The roof inspectors at the Staples Center: these geniuses proceeded to cause a 12 minute delay in the first quarter of the Lakers-Cavaliers game because of some rain-soaked clothing they had left on a catwalk above the north basket. Naturally, the water dripped through the slats to the floor behind the basket. That 12 minute delay allowed LeBron James a critical rest period, as he was playing with his usual high energy. He didn't come out at all in the second half. Whatever happened to going to floor level to change clothes in the bathroom? For this act of intelligence, the roof inspectors get thrown under the Bus.
NFL
Oakland Raiders: if the ESPN report is true, and the Raiders are preparing to replace Lane Kiffin with Dennis Green, the Raiders brass should be thrown under the Bus, then the Bus backs up and runs them over again, then moves forward to run them over again, then repeat the process until the Bus runs out of gas. WHY the #### would you do something like that? Especially when the Raiders were being praised league-wide for going in the RIGHT direction? I thought the head coach had the right to hire and fire his own people? As head coach, Kiffin SHOULD have the right to fire Rob Ryan; it's his prerogative.
San Francisco 49ers: for hiring Mike Martz as offensive coordinator. Yes, it's a few weeks late to be doing this, but better late than never. It's a BAD fit. They have a stud TE in Vernon Davis. Martz is DEATHLY ALLERGIC to tight ends. Cam Cameron would have been a better fit in San Francisco. At least his offense goes to the TE at least once a game! The Niners' brass gets thrown under the Bus for hiring Martz.
The League: for scheduling the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints to play in London in late October. Scheduling a regular-season game overseas is a BAD idea. Schedule a preseason game in Week 3 of the preseason in London instead. Week 3 is the week of the preseason that closely mirrors Week 1 of the regular season. NFL, I love ya, you're my favorite sport, but a bad idea deserves to be called out and thrown under the Bus.
Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben gets thrown under the bus for implying that the Steelers' WR corps isn't good enough. No wonder Hines Ward is pissed. I'd be pissed, too. You just threw your All-World stud WR and stud human being under the bus. Big Ben said, "I'd like a taller WR." Instead of meeting with the Steelers' brass behind closed doors to make his request, he opted to air it out through the media. Big Ben, when you won Super Bowl XL as a member of the Steelers, who were your receivers? Was Plaxico Burress among your WRs that season? Yes, it doesn't suck for a QB to have a 6'5" WR that makes plays in the Red Zone. Yet Hines Ward made HUGE plays in the Red Zone game after game that season, including some in said Super Bowl. Hines Ward is closer to 5'10" than 6'5". I'll let Hines Ward drive the Bus that Big Ben is to be thrown under.
MLB
The Media: more specifically, the media that think there are only two teams--the Yankees and Red Sox. Yes, the two teams have a long and bitter rivalry. Yes, they're both very good teams. But it hasn't always been this way. For a long time, the Red Sox sucked while the Yankees ruled baseball. When the Yankees sucked, the Sox were good. There are OTHER teams besides the Yankees and Red Sox. The Myopic Media gets thrown under the Bus.
NCAA
Alabama Crimson Tide: actually, I don't have the heart to throw the Tide under the bus because they're coming hard after Fresno State OC Jim McElwain. And I have a soft spot in my heart for the Tide. Naturally as a Bulldogs fan I want McElwain to stay at Fresno State, but if he does decide to go to Alabama, I wish him the best. The Tide will be getting one of the nation's best college OC's. Tide fan, be very thankful that Nick Saban has a close friendship with Fresno State coach Pat Hill from their Cleveland Browns days under Bill Belichick.
Those are my nominees for this week. Your comments and nominees are welcome.
Yeah, I'm being nice to the Tide. :) If McElwain goes to the Tide, that offense will improve dramatically. While it will be a bummer that my Fresno State Bulldogs will lose a quality OC, it makes me feel better that he'll be under Saban, who coached with Hill in Cleveland under Belichick in 1994-95.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Last edited by jon_464 on January 27th at 8:58 PM.
Good stuff, agree 100% with the MLB section....I'd roll the bus over the already flattened corpse of the media again for the breathless overblown "coverage" about Brady's boot, and Jessica Simpson-gate; treating these as real stories! What a joke! I can't change the channel fast enough....
jon464
The Knicks' organization along with the lowly Pat Riley ought to be thrown under the bus.
As for Roethlisberger he should be wondering what he can do to make himself a better player rather than besmirching the players that played better than him during his Superbowl winning season. If my memory serves me well he wasn't that great on the day.
Daniel Snyder also should be thrown under a bus. First Gibbs leaves and now he sees fit to fire his heirs apparent in Williams and also Al Saunders ? Now they're alluding to the fact that Jim Fassell will be their next coach in Washington. Way to go 'Danny Boy', proving that there's not a bigger as*shole than you in Washington other than those supposedly esteemed members of Congress.
I'd say throw Reggie Bush under a bus merely from the standpoint that he's seen fit get involved with that skank Kim Kardashian. But once he's tapped that #### once or twice, or six or seven times he'll begin to see the error of his ways.
JON; AS A STEELER FAN I GOT TO STICK IT TO BEN? I THINK HE FORGETS, WHEN THEY WENT 15-1, AND HE HAD PLAXICO IT WAS HIS 2 LATE INTS THAT GAVE THE PATS THE AFC TITLE. I STILL WANT HIM UNDER THE BUS FOR THAT LET ALONE THIS FOOT IN MOUTH INCIDENT.
s2d, the sports media has become too much like Entertainment Tonight or Extra!. They SHOULD be thrown under the bus for that alone!
Marty, Ohio State hasn't done anything to merit being thrown under the bus so far. They weren't even expected to get to the national championship game; they've come farther than they anticipated.
Dwindy, there's too many idiots this week that have earned being thrown under the Bus!! I haven't heard anything about whether or not McElwain has accepted the OC position at Alabama. I hope Fresno State plays Alabama; HotfootLori and I will have some friendly smack going back and forth.
Mtmarinerfan, that goes without saying!
K, they're a bunch of maroons!! I think it was GolfWorld that had the picture of the noose. Good nomination! It just goes to show you don't mess with Tiger!
Tophatal, the Knicks and Heat being thrown under the bus is a given. Big Ben didn't play well in SB 40, with a QB rating of 22.3. If you were 0 for 1 without an INT, you'd have a rating of 37.5. Snyder DOES deserve to be thrown under the Bus. Is there a bigger #### as an owner than this guy? Maybe Al Davis, but he has an excuse. I agree with you re Reggie Bush for being involved with K Squared. He could do MUCH better than that. She's skanky and not all that hot.
jon,
It was Golfweek and its senior editor Dave Seanor. (now under bus bound).
Clemens has opened his mouth again so he's back under.
Owners of any sport franchises that continually interfer with their teams player and game operations. The list is too long to mention so we will need more buses.
I am from Central California. I am passionate about sports, particularly the NFL and NASCAR. My favorite teams are: Panthers (NFL), Lakers (NBA), Flyers (NHL), and Dodgers (MLB). I am also a Kevin Harvick fan in NASCAR. I am a Fresno State honk. (I'll admit it!) And I am also a fan of MMA. Jackie Robinson to this day represents what is right about baseball. I also enjoy discussing the relevant (and sometimes irrelevant) issues of the day pertaining to sports. I will never understand why televised poker is so popular. Who wants to see a bunch of people sitting around a table, muttering to themselves? I do my best to keep politics out of my sports discussions. That is why I recently created a nonsports blog, cencalscribe. blogspot.com. That is where I post my nonsports topics.
