THERE'S NO REPLACING MRS. TIMMIS

Everybody who met Kay Timmis, loved Kay Timmis. She could brighten up the darkest
of days  and turn a frown upside down with her mega-watt smile. In a world that often
asks "what  can you do for me?",  Mrs. Timmis was the first to help others and ask, "what
can I do for you?"

The entire community of New Canaan is now shedding a tear for the woman who gave it
so much while never asking for a thing in return.  On Sunday, Mrs. Timmis passed away
suddenly at the age of 82. Nearly everyone felt the same, a punch to the gut, followed by
the words, "Oh, no. I loved Mrs. Timmis. She was such a special and beautiful person."

Mrs. Timmis lived a life of giving, teaching, and trying to make everyone  happy, which
she did by just walking into a room. She had the warmest of hearts and a fertile and festive
mind. She encouraged many who passed through New Canaan to challenge themselves and
grow into the very best person they could possibly be.

Since the 1970's, Mrs. Timmis walked into many school rooms in the New Canaan district
as a substitute teacher. Whenever a teacher was needed, Mrs. Timmis was always there in
a pinch. Short notice or hardly any notice at all, she would drop everything to do what
she truly loved to do and that was to teach the kids in her town.

She taught her friend's children and eventually their children as well. She was known by
everybody and universally loved. When Mrs. Timmis walked into your class everybody in
attendance knew it was going to be a great day. When word spread the great Mrs.Timmis
was substituting that day, students actually arrived early to class and were disappointed
when the bell sounded, which sent them on their way.

Mrs. Timmis was the matriarch of a bright, caring, and sometimes very entertaining clan.
There was Scot, Chris, Jeff, and a true character in Chan, who I played baseball with,
sharing many a laugh and a few great moments with. Then there is Kim, who for a short
time, followed in her mother's footsteps as a teacher at the high school. She is like her
mom in so many ways, giving Mrs. Timmis more than a few reasons to have that
perpetual smile on her face.

It's almost ironic Mrs. Timmis was a substitute teacher for so many years, on-call to
fill in for those who her were sick or had to take a personal day.

Yes, Mrs. Timmis was a substitute teacher, but she is the one who truly can never be
replaced. Never.

Everybody loved you, Mrs. Timmis. Everybody.

Read More

MEDIA AND WHY THEY'RE WRONG ABOUT THE PATRIOTS

 

If I had a dollar every time I heard someone in the national media say Deflate Gate is
a 'major distraction' for the Patriots heading into the Super Bowl, I could buy Tom Brady's
house in Brookline with straight cash.

They never learn.

No franchise is sports is better at dealing with 'major distractions' than the New England
Patriots. They don't fold under the weight of them, but use it as fuel to drive them.

Remember SpyGate? After the first game of the 2007 season where they thrashed the
New York Jets, who in turn turned them in for videotaping their signals, the Patriots
didn't blink.

Everybody outside of New England hated and branded them as cheaters. Yeah, I
guess that was a 'major distraction', but they went on to win every game during the regular
season. A perfect 16-0 and most of the games weren't even close.

Remember Aaron Hernandez? Oh, yeah, their all-pro tight end was arrested for allegedly
gunning down one of his friends in cold blood. Sure, that happens everyday in the NFL.
A team loses one of their best players who turned out to be a sociopath they shared a locker
room with.

How did the Pats deal with that 'major distraction?' They went 12-4 during the regular
season and made it to the AFC Championship game.

Did the media forget about 2008? Tom Brady had his knee shredded in the season-opener
and Belichick turns to Matt Cassel to quarterback the team. Cassell, who never started a
game in college at USC, leads the Patriots to an 11-5 record. Matt Cassell? Really?

Belichick doesn't allow the team to use injuries, murder, or scandal to disrupt the
cohesiveness and success of the team. Never. I covered the team nearly every day for
two years and I saw first-hand the type of players Belichick brings in. They all have
the same DNA: mentally tough, smart,  focused, committed, and men who put the team
in front of everything else. Always.

Oh, sure, he whiffed on Hernandez, but that happens. What doesn't happen? Being distracted
by 'major distractions.' It just fuels the Patriots even more.

Remember when the Patriots got blown out by Kansas City on September 29? They
never looked that bad during Belichick's tenure in New England. Trent Dilfer, NFL analyst
for ESPN, went so far as to say, "The Patriots just aren't any good anymore."

The media in New England doubted and vilified them as well, saying Belichick can't
draft, sign quality free-agents, or give Brady, whom many said was getting old before their
eyes, enough weapons to work with. It was absurd.

How'd that turn out? Yeah, the Patriots are pretty good, Trent Dilfer, playing in their
sixth Super Bowl during the Belichick era.

There is nothing, not scandal, not murder, or any other 'major distraction'  that will make
this team come undone and lose focus. They become more focused and use it as fuel.

Deflate Gate will not stop this team from winning the Super Bowl, only the Seattle
Seahawks can do that. However, after this injection of fuel for the Patriots, I don't think that
will be possible.

Read More

WITH BALLS DEFLATED, ROGER GOODELL UNDER PRESSURE

Roger Goodell has to get this one right.

On the heels of the Ray Race scandal which tarnished the NFL's beloved shield and
severely damaged the reputation of its commissioner, Deflate Gate has dipped the league
in controversy, gripping the nation with the Super Bowl less than two weeks away

The New England Patriots, a model NFL franchise but one that got exposed for reckless
and blatant cheating in the SpyGate scandal in 2007, is being accused of thumbing their
noses to the rules and authority once again.

In the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, 11 of the 12 game
balls they provided were found to be underinflated. Everybody outside of New England
has branded Bill Belichick, the mastermind of SpyGate, a cheater again.

Social media's in a frenzy, the public is outraged, and the NFL's reputation could be about
to take another big hit with the entire world watching.

Roger Goodell, this is your big chance to regain credibility and the respect you lost with
the American public, one that doesn't have much faith in your leadership and ability to
guide one of the most powerful brands in the world after seeing how you mishandled
the Rice scandal.

For the commissioner, it's not really about the Patriots' balls, but rather his. He set this
league up to be a high-scoring one where quarterbacks are protected and receivers can't be
touched. Quarterbacks should have footballs they are comfortable throwing with and if
rules allow teams to provide 12 balls per game, then it's a safe assumption most of them
are chosen by the player who handles them the most and under the most pressure to
succeed.

Coaches, players, and front-office personnel see Deflate Gate as a non-issue and some
are even embarrassed that it's become such a big controversy.

But the issue for the commissioner is the apparent blatant non-compliance by the Patriots
once again. It doesn't look good when the NFL's most successful franchise follows up the
SpyGate scandal with this one.

The perception around the country is that Belichick and the Patriots cheat to win. Their
head coach, arrogant and smug, will do what he wants, the league be damned. He wins
often, but the SpyGate scandal will be attached forever and now DeflateGate is threatening
to worsen his image and image of the league even more.

Goodell cannot screw this one up. The fact is, the balls provided by the Patriots were
checked by referee Walt Anderson two and-a-half hours before the game and he personally
approved them. At halftime, they were checked again and found to be underinflated by
two pounds.

If it's discovered the Patriots did a switcher-roo with the balls in that two and-a-half
window from the time Anderson checked them and the start of the game, that's a huge
problem. Huge.

If the Patriots intentionally deceived the referees and the league, they will pay if
Goodell has the intestinal fortitude to do so. You can't let a team as successful as the
Patriots and one that is already a convicted cheater, get away with any shred of deception,
you just can't.

Imagine what the perception will be if there's no punishment against the Patriots and
the commissioner presents them with the Lombardi Trophy next Sunday night? It will
be utter outrage and any credibility Goodell had left after the Rice scandal will be gone
and never be able to be recovered.

This is your chance to get it right, Mr. Commissioner, the world is watching.

Read More

NFL HAS BELICHICK BY THE BALLS

There is a chance Bill Belichick didn't know a thing about the deflated balls. His quarterback,
Tom Brady, is as meticulous and obsessive about preparation as the Patriots head coach is.

Brady came into the league with a chip on his shoulder the size of Gilbrator, the result of
being a sixth-round draft pick and the overlooked quarterback out of Michigan still looks
for any edge he can get to succeed in the NFL.

He is diligent about his training and conditioning program and is a bona-fide nerd when
it comes to film study. When it comes to footballs, Brady is like many other quarterbacks
in the NFL and others that came before him: obsessed.

Boomer Esiason, who enjoyed a long career in the NFL, said quarterbacks are heavily
invested and borderline psycho about the footballs they throw. Who can blame them? As
the face of their franchises, quarterbacks are under the most pressure to perform and have
the team succeed. It's about having the right "feel" to them and getting those they can
throw perfect spirals with.

Brad Johnson, the former quarterback of Tampa Bay who led the Buccaneers to  victory in
Super Bowl XXXVII, admitted he paid ball boys to scuff up and make the 100 balls the NFL
was using for that game, more "user-friendly". Johnson wanted to make sure that in the biggest
game of his career, he was comfortable with the balls he would be throwing.

Do you think Jon Gruden, his coach at the time, knew Johnson paid the ball boys nearly
$7,500 to rub or scuff up the balls? I highly doubt it.

So, there is a chance, albeit a miniscule one, Belichick didn't know Brady took some air out
of the balls, so to speak. Brady could've have done it all on his own.

But it doesn't matter.

Belichick is already a convicted cheater for his lead role in "Spygate". The NFL came down
hard on him, fining him $500,000 and taking a first-round draft pick away from the team.
Robert Kraft, the team's owner, had a hissy fit of epic proportions. Belichick, a man whom
people outside of New England already hated, hated him even more.

Now, with DeflateGate, the NFL has Belichick in the cross-hairs and pretty much has him
by the balls. He is now a repeat offender as a cheater and the league, which is fresh off a PR
nightmare from the domestic and children abuse cases near the start of the season, has
another one on its hands right now.

The NFL must be livid about this latest scandal, especially going into the Super Bowl, the
showcase of the league and an event that attracts media from around the world.

Instead of everyone talking about the great match-up between the Seahawks and Patriots,
the entire, and I do mean entire focus will be on DeflateGate and Belichick's reputation
as a full-fledged cheater.

The Hoodie will be punished for sure. Suspending him for the Super Bowl is not going to
happen. Every great story needs a villain and Belichick is it. He is the best coach in the
NFL,  a mad scientist who searches for any type of formula to give his team a better chance
of winning.

This is too big of a game not to have one of the most hated men to fans around the country
partake in. The ratings will be enormous, perhaps the highest-ever for a Super Bowl

However, Belichick has been in Roger Goodell's office before as a cheater and the
commissioner never expected to call him on the carpet so soon.

Others teams and fans across the country and waiting and watching to see how Goodell
handles this controversy. He clearly botched the Ray Rice scandal and this is his big
chance to gain favor with the fans and players and restore his reputation as a competent
leader.

The punishment is not likely to come during all the Super Bowl festivities, but Goodell
will come down hard on the Hoodie when it's all said and done.

Belichick smeared the integrity and reputation of the game with "SpyGate" and apparently
didn't get the message that came with a $500,000 fine. Expect the commissioner to tell
Belichick to get his checkbook out once again, but this time, he will probably get a seat on
the bench for a while.

Read More

TOP 10 THINGS BELICHICK SAYS AT DEFLATE GATE PRESS CONFERENCE

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will address the media for the first time since news broke
that his team used 11 underinflated balls during the AFC Championship. Belichick's press
conferences are always must-see and must hear when controversy arises. Here are some of
the things the Hoodie is likely to say when asked about DeflateGate.

10. Anybody want to talk about the Aaron Hernandez trial?

  9. Ask Charley Casserly about it. He's an expert on everything.

  8. It is what it is.

  7. People told me to give Brady more weapons to work with. Well, there you go.

  6. Red Sox spring training is only 36 days away.

  5. Did you hear about Vince Wilfork pulling a woman from a car? You want to talk
      about that?

  4. Bill Parcells taught me how to deflate balls by sitting on them a certain way.

  3. I just said to the ball boy, "Do Your Job". I didn't tell him to work overtime.

  2. I'll talk about that Kansas City game now if you want.

  1. When I felt the balls before the game, they were real hard.

Read More

'AMERICAN SNIPER' AND THE LOAD OF A GRIPER

Tearing down those who are on top. It's long been the American way,  hasn't it?

Clint Eastwood's film 'American Sniper', created from the memoir of Chris Kyle, set all kinds
of box office records last weekend. It's been nominated for several awards including best
picture and Bradley Cooper is up for best actor after his riveting performance portraying
a Navy SEAL who becomes a legend for his work as a war-time sniper.

The film is critically acclaimed and has everyone talking. Enter Michael Moore, filmmaker
and political activist who nobody has been talking about for quite some time. In this
social-media driven world, the quickest way to change that is to tweet something
controversial which Moore did on Monday:

"My uncle killed by sniper in WW2," Moore tweeted. "We were taught snipers were cowards.
Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren't heroes. And invaders r worse."

So, of course, Moore became trending and suddenly the man, who looks more like the
kind of seal that hangs out near piers in southern California than the ones who put their
lives on the line in the most harrowing of missions, got the attention and publicity that
you just can't put a price on.

I'm sure he'll be on CNN, FOX, and every other network looking to squeeze the last rating
point it can out of the American public. He'll get his face plastered all over the Internet
along with several thousand more followers on Twitter. Yep, when you're in the public
eye that suddenly can't find you, a controversial remark gets people like Moore all the
exposure they crave.

Moore offended nearly every veteran and person who is fighting for its country, something
he has never done or will do. Kyle, like everyone who has ever fought a single minute
for the United States is a full-fledged hero. Nothing Moore says will ever change that.
Never.

Anyone who has fought for our country has more courage than Moore and everyone who
hasn't defended it, combined.

Everything and anything pretty much goes during war and snipers have long been a part of
it. They protect their fellow soldiers and don't just kill for the thrill of it. If an enemy is
sneaking around a corner to fire a rocket-propelled grenade at a convoy, they are fair game
whether they have their back to a sniper or not.

Terrorists hijacked two planes and used them as guided missiles to take down the World
Trade Center towers, killing almost 3,000 people who were just trying to put in a hard days
work. There are few things more cowardly than that.

Kyle had 160 kills in his career which included four deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
He was brave, courageous, and remarkably unselfish. Kyle was trained to shoot and protect
his fellow soldiers by our military and follow assignments. It was no different than the
New England Patriots "Do Your Job" motto. I'm not comparing football to combat but
the mandate is the same.

Moore made it seem like shooting from rooftops and picking off civilians is all snipers
do. Good lord. They fight and face danger every single day. Anyone who gets in an SUV
on some war-torn road on the streets of Iraq is fair game. We've  all read about the number
of convoys that've been taken out by  roadside bombs over the last 10 years, killing and
maiming thousands of soldiers.

We live in a fantasy world. War is real. Unfortunately, the American public has to see
thousands of bodies come home in caskets to realize it. It doesn't really hit home until
we see pictures of veterans trying to re-adjust to their lives after having limbs and part
of their faces blown off.  It's sad, really.

And it's quite sad that Moore has to use the success of 'American Sniper' to gain attention
for himself. He's an intelligent man worth $50 million, he knew what he was doing which
makes it more reprehensible.

Right, criticize the people who put their lives on the line every single day so Moore
can reap all the benefits of the freedom which they are fighting for. He takes shots
at the courageous ones who make tremendous sacrifices just so Moore can continue
to keep what he's doing. Moore has never lifted a finger, broken a sweat, or done anything
for this country except enjoy live off what this great country provides thanks to men like
Chris Kyle.

It's sad and pathetic. It really is.

Read More

NFL HAS PROBLEM WITH ITS BALLS

Whoa! Less than two weeks before the Super Bowl, the NFL clearly has a problem with
its balls.

Marshawn Lynch is grabbing his, the Patriots are deflating theirs, and Roger Goodell is still
trying to find a set after it was discovered he didn't have one during his handling of the Ray
Rice scandal. The only thing missing from this made-for-social media drama is the ole ball
coach, Steve Spurrier.

In the famous words of Vince Lombardi, "What the hell is going on out there?"

The Indianapolis Colts, who got annihilated by the Patriots in the AFC Championship,
started screaming about their opponents balls almost as soon as the butt-whoppin' was over.
They claimed New England was using deflated balls, which is highly-questionable.

If that was truly the case, then LaGarrette Blount would have been able to easily jam the
balls down the throat of the ponies defense instead of running it that way for 148 yards
on 30 carries.

Curiously, the referees handled the Patriots' balls after every single play to re-set the action
and didn't do find anything wrong with them. Shouldn't they know the difference between
deflated balls and regulation ones?

Perhaps, the NFL can set up a special ball commission with experts in the field, much
like they did with the domestic violence issue. They can call on 'SNL' legend Pete Schweddy
(Alec Baldwin) owner of "Season's Eatings" where they have special balls for every
season.

The NFL can act immediately during the current investigation of the Patriots' balls and
bring in Schweddy for the examination, after all, he's an expert in all kind of balls.

Maybe the NFL's problem is as simple as "ball security". I mean, during the AFC
Championship game the NFL was using some fresh-faced, wet-behind-the-ears kid to
be the "ball boy".

The NFL is a six billion dollar-a-year industry and they're letting a kid handle the balls
in one of the biggest games of the year? Seriously?

The NFL needs a ball czar and head of ball security. Jerome Bettis would be a great choice,
I think he only dropped the ball once during his career, granted it was in an AFC
Championship game, but he really knew how to take care of the ball on the field.

When told the NFL will conduct an investigation on the Patriots deflated balls, Bill
Belichick simply said, "It is what it is, the balls are out of my hands."

Once the NFL determines what to do about the Patriots supposedly deflated balls, they'll
turn their attention to Marhawn Lynch's seemingly obsession with grabbing his. During
his earth-shattering, go ahead touchdown run against Green Bay, Seattle's mercurial running
back grabbed his crotch for the world to see. Lynch first broke out the move in December
against the Arizona Cardinals and was fined over $10,000.

The ball is clearly in the NFL's court now with Lynch and Seattle on their way to a
second consecutive Super Bowl. The Patriots are tying to win their first in 10 years.
This ball problem is the last thing the league wanted heading into the country's biggest
and most-watched game of the season.

However, I somehow see the NFL's marketing and PR machine turning all of this into
a pubic service announcement for testicular cancer, "Gentleman, we checked our balls,
now it's time to check yours." Yep, be sure to check yours regularly.

A strange year for the NFL, indeed.

Read More

MLK AND 'CONTENTS OF CHARACTER' IN SPORTS

If Martin Luther King, Jr. got a whiff of what's been going on in the sports world
over the past month, he'd probably roll over in his grave. The former civil rights
who famously said and hoped that his four little children would live in a nation "where
they will not be judge by the color of their skin, but by the contents of their character",
must be wondering what the hell is going on here.

The contents of the character of our sports nation are spoiled rotten and filled
with characters who have perfected imperfect behavior. Need proof? No problem.

The NFL? Good, grief. MLK would probably look down as use the immortal words
of Vince Lombardi and say, "What the hell is going on out there?" Ray Rice, Adrian
Peterson, and Greg Hardy tarnished the league's beloved shield with violent and
despicable acts against women and children. Then Roger Goodell didn't know how to
act as a leader and was clearly overmatched when it came to doing the right thing.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver did the right thing when he banned Donald Sterling,
the longtime owner of the Los Angeles Clippers for making highly-explosive racist
remarks in a secretly-recorded conversation. The contents of Sterling's character have
long been questioned and he has been accused for many decades of making inappropriate
racial comments.

Nobody has ever questioned the contents of Jameis Winston's athletic ability, but the
former Heisman Trophy winner certainly didn't make MLK proud by the way he acted
off the field. The Florida State quarterback was accused of rape, stole crab legs from
a local supermarket, and got up in the student union and made an obscene gesture while
spewing vulgar comments.

The football program at Sayreville High School in Long Island was shut down after
several seniors hazed a few underclassmen in ways that I'm not comfortable even writing
about. Sometimes people just don't get it even in 2014-2015. To humiliate someone by
violating in some stupid ritual goes far beyond being unacceptable. It is just flat out sick.

There needs to be some kind of re-set and re-adjustment because it's getting ugly.
It's ugliness that not even Martin Luther King, Jr. could've foreseen.

Read More

BELICHICK THE GREAT 'MOVING ON TO SEATTLE'

Will anybody in New England ever doubt Bill Belichick again?

Is there going to be someone stupid enough to question his draft record again?

Any newspaper in the Hub ever going to run a headline again asking, 'In Bill We Trust?'

Yep, all that happened after the Patriots got crushed by Kansas City on September 29 which
dropped their record to a god-awful 2-2.

Please, if you didn't see the greatness of Belichick before this season then I really hope you
are a believer after the Patriots dominated Indianapolis to earn a berth in the Super Bowl for
the sixth time in the Belichick era in New England (2000-present)

Please, if the Patriots lose a regular season game next year, just say, 'it's cool. We have
Belichick. He'll figure it out. He always does.' No need to panic and jump off the Tobin
Bridge.

I won't go into the fact that's he's won 75 percent of his games in New England and punched
a ticket to sixth Super Bowl. Six! That's insane! Isn't that right fans of Cleveland, Buffalo,
Jacksonville, Atlanta, and New York? (Jets)

Remember when everybody was questioning whether or not Belichick had given Tom Brady
enough weapons to work with, especially when the window of his career is closing at a rapid
rate?  What is so bad with Gronkowski, Edelman, LaFell, Amendola, Blount, and Vereen?

What good were all those weapons John Elway gave Peyton Manning to work with? Yep,
Manning got another early start on making those 100 commercials that will appear during
the 2015 season whether he plays or not.

Dear fans and media in New England: please don't ever question Belichick again. The guy
has been working in the NFL longer than most have you been alive (40 plus years). He's
been breaking down film and working 20 hour days on schemes forever. Imagine if he
came into your office and told you how to do your job? This just in, Belichick probably
could do it better than you.

Greatness has been right in front of your eyes for the last 15 years, I hope you've seen it
and will appreciate it. Belichick has never used injuries as an excuse. Good, lord, remember
when Tom Brady went down in the first game in 2006? Belichick somehow coached up
Matt Cassell, a quarterback who never started a game in college and got him to win 11
games as a starter in the NFL.

Remember when the Aaron Hernandez situation threatened to rip the team apart and
be a 'distraction' that could have taken them down the wrong road?

Belichick has led the Patriots to 10 or more wins in 13 straight seasons. That's amazing.

The guy dresses like Rocky Balboa on the first day of training in the first of the Rocky
series. Cut-off sweats that look like they've been worn 100 times without ever being
washed.

He is understated and refuses to put attention on himself. All he cares about winning, that's
it, that's all.

As he eloquently stated during AFC championship, the Patriots are 'moving on to Seattle.'
Belichick is amazing. Appreciate it and most of all, don't ever question him again.

Read More

THE DISSECTION OF JIM TOMSULA

With his first word at his introductory press conference, the critique of Jim Tomsula was
on. Everybody in 49ers nation hung on his every word, gesture, and facial twitch trying to
figure out if he was the right choice to replace Jim Harbaugh as the new head coach of the
storied franchise

In this social media and talk radio world, everybody had an opinion of Tomsula's first
press conference and one-on-one interviews with the media. He was dissected like a frog on
the first day of a biology class. Some of the 'experts' said he was awkward as a public
speaker and his long pauses and non-answers gave people cause for worry.

During one interview with Comcast SportsNet, Tomsula was asked who he had in
mind as his defensive coordinator. His answer was short and spot on--he didn't name anybody.
Which was smart, not stupid. Why would he give a name of a coach who is still employed
by another organization? He didn't want to put anyone in an uncomfortable position. Still,
there are a lot of skeptics in the Bay Area who don't feel Tomsula is ready for the job just
becauseof his introductory press conference and how he answers questions from the media.

Good, grief.

Rex Ryan blows into Buffalo with his usual hot air about going to the playoffs and being
the 'bully' that nobody wants to play. The media in western New York eats it up and everybody
loves Rex. Trouble is, Rex had a team that went 4-12 last season and didn't bully anybody.
His Jet team that he coached didn't make the playoffs over the last four years. People want
to judge him on his press conference? Really?

Does anybody want to judge Bill Belichick on his performances during his press conferences?

As Bill Parcells once said famously, "You are what your record says you are?" He didn't
say anything about press conferences and public speaking, did he?

Calm down, San Francisco. Don't judge Tomsula on what he says, but rather on what he
does. What the heck does it matter how he acts in front of the media? Is it any indication
of his ability as a coach and a leader of men?

 

I heard one sports jock question why Tomsula wasn't on anybody's list for the rest of the
jobs that were open around the league. Well, how many people passed on longtime NFL
assistant Bruce Arians? He was never a 'hot' candidate anywhere at anytime despite having
a great track record. Teams like the Jets, Browns, Bills, Jacksonville, and St. Louis could've
had him for a song. Everybody passed. Everybody except Arizona.

Arians has been a two-time NFL coach of the year, resurrecting a Cardinals franchise that's
never had any sustained success. He's a great quote, but the man knows how to coach
and motivate his men.

An introductory press conference is like the NFL combine: you get picked, prodded, and
vetted over and over, but as soon as the first game is played, nobody gives a rats ass about
bench presses, shuttle runs, wonderlic test, or 40-yard dashes. It's what you do when the
pressure is on.

Who cares about a press conferences and what a coach says? It means absolutely nothing.
Belichick never says anything of substance with the media, why should Tomsula. I'm not
comparing the two coaches, that certainly wouldn't be fair, but let's be real, no coach should
be judged on what they spew or don't spew at a press conference.

There is no doubt Tomsula has a tough act to follow in Harbaugh, but judge him on his
record, not how he acts in front of the media. It means nothing. Absolutley, nothing.

Read More

THE COMEBACK OF JOE PATERNO

Joe Paterno has been dead since 2012, but the former Penn State legend appears to be in
the midst of making an epic comeback.

On Friday, the NCAA restored 111 of Paterno's coaching victories which had been vacated
as part of the near-crippling sanctions imposed on the school for the child sex-abuse scandal
involving former Paterno longtime assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky. Paterno was fired by
the school he essentially built and his reputation was besmirched forever--or so many people
thought.

Many of those people, especially the ones who wear the colors of the Nittany Lions saw it
as a significant victory for Penn State and Paterno, who is once again the atop the record books
as the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division I football history.

There was suddenly joy in Happy Valley and a glimmer of hope the man who was the
beacon of university and all the good things that it supposedly represented, would get his
good name back. A breath of fresh air seemed to blow through campus for the first time
since the scandal broke in 2011.

The good vibes continued Friday when the Penn State hockey team wore decals on
their helmets that simply said, '409', which is the total number of wins Paterno compiled
in his illustrious coaching career.

Now, there is even talk of bringing back the 7-foot, 900 pound statue of Paterno that
was all but ripped off its moorings and put into some clandestine storage spot on campus
shortly after the NCAA lit into Penn State with those unprecedented sanctions.

Whoa! The comeback of Paterno is going full-throttle, I guess.

NCAA president Mark Emmert said the settlement did not serve to acknowledge any
error on the part of the NCAA or signal victory for Penn State. Yeah, right, try telling
that to fans, athletes, coaches, administration, and alumni who saw the once sterling
reputation of the school dunked in a cess pool. Try telling that to the Paterno family
who have been fighting so hard to restore JoePa's reputation.

Yes, the restoration of his 111 victories is a clear and present victory for Paterno and
Penn State, no matter what the NCAA and Emmert say. It's cause for the Penn State
faithful to thump their chests and say, "You see, the NCAA was too harsh on Paterno
and the program. Paterno got wronged and now they trying to make it right."

However, no one should be going overboard with the Paterno 'comeback.'

First of all,  it's sad that wins have once again become so very important. The people
in Penn State are celebrating as if the Nittany Lions got into next year's College Football
Playoff already.

Our society is obsessed with winning. I haven't read one article about Paterno and his
wins that mentioned the children who were sexually  abuse, having their innocence
stripped away long before it ever should have. Anybody ask them how they feel
about Paterno's "wins"?

Instead, people are talking victory for Penn State when a child-sex abuse scandal happened
on their campus.

I will never profess that I know exactly what happened on the Penn State campus with
Sandusky and those children. I'm not the kind of person who believes every I hear or read.
But it was crystal clear the administration at Penn State tried to cover everything up and
Paterno admitted that "he should've done more."

He knew about what was going on, perhaps, not in every grotesteque detail, but as the
kingdom of the university, Paterno pretty much knew about everything that happened
concerning his football program.

All of it happened under his watch and there should not be any "comeback" in the making.
I realize our country is a forgiving one and time allegedly heals all wounds, but there
is no reason to turn Paterno back into something he clearly was not: a saint.

Paterno, like many administrators at Penn State made some fatal mistakes and it clearly
cost him and the university. Why are people trying to make like the Sandusky scandal
never happened and Paterno had nothing to do with it?

Do these "wins" really mean anything to anybody except Penn State and the Paterno
family?

Some people want to try to re-write history and make Paterno a god again, which is
laughable in the first place. He, like Bear Byrant, Bud Wilkerson, Bobby
Bowdown and other coaching "legends" are not gods. They are just football coaches
who are flawed like the rest of us.

Let Paterno have his wins back and even his statue, but forget about the comeback.
Nobody, not even the brand that is JoePa, can make people turn a blind eye to the
scandal that happened at Penn State, like so many in the administration, including
Paterno, did.

Read More

CHARLES BARKLEY & KENNY SMITH TALK ARREST OF GREG ANTHONY

CBS basketball analyst Greg Anthony was arrested Friday for soliciting a prostitute and faces
a possible 180 days in jail. The former star at UNLV and New York Knicks was in Washington
D.C. and set to call a college game on Saturday

Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, who work for Turner and teamed up with Anthony during
last year's NCAA tournament, weighed in on the arrest of their colleague.

Barkley: Damn, knucklehead. The guy makes over a million dollars to do nothing on tv but
shine his head and wear fancy suits and he's got to go pay somebody for sex?  He must've
been more desperate to get laid than Ernie Johnson.

Smith: Yeah, but he DID play at UNLV. Getting a hooker in Vegas is as easy as getting
water from the watercooler. Not much different in D.C.  Cut him some slack?

Barkley: Oh, that coming from the guy who only got his degree from UNC because he took
those fake Afro-American classes. You're better than that, Kenny.

Smith: Who knows, maybe he was just trying to show the Knicks he can still score. They
need some help and he had thoughts of making a comeback and helping out that sad team.

Barkley: I'm telling you, the dude must've been hanging out with Tiger Woods.

Smith: True, but Tiger never had to pay for it. After all, he IS Tiger Woods.

Barkley: Yeah,  but nobody other than you, me, Greg Gumbel, and that Seth Davis dude, don't
know who the hell Greg Anthony is. Marv Albert recovered from cross-dressing and his biting
thing. Greg will be back.

Smith.  True. Do you think we'll start seeing, "Greg Anthony on the road to the Final Ho"
jokes on Twitter.

Barkley: They've already started.

Disclosure: This is a parody.

Read More