Bears/NFL Thoughts

Is anybody else tired, confused, and/or frustrated with the current state of the NFL? I know I certainly am. Even with the recent developments of the NFL Lockout being lifted by Judge Susan Nelson in U.S. District Court, this situation still sucks in my opinion.

Of course I understand that in light of the ruling, the NFL has announced that players will now be able to enter their respective team's facilities for workouts, OTA's/mini-camps, coaches meetings, and offseason rehab programs. The NFL has yet to announce when Free Agency will begin, but that announcement will be coming shortly. I understand and comprehend, that it's looking like the players may actually win this labor dispute at this point, but none of that really means anything to me.

The reason why it means very little to me is a simple one : both sides still don't have a labor deal in place. Both sides are STILL unable to figure out a way to divide a $9.5 BILLION DOLLAR pie. Both sides have wasted a tremendous amount of time engaging in meaningless and ego-fueled pissing contests. Both sides have actually tried to convince the public they're "the good guys" in this dispute, even though most forward-thinking fans see right through it...and that leads me to my own personal bottom line in this: no matter who "wins" this dispute, the fans end up losing.

We're the ones who are receiving the most damage from this. We are the ones that the owners will continue to price gouge once this is over. We are the ones the millionaire players will still complain to about being shortchanged by their contracts. We are the ones who will still be subjected to the blackout rule, one of the most antiquated and unrealistic rules the NFL still has in place. But hey, why should that matter to the NFL right?

Even tonight's draft, an event that is symbolic of the annual NFL Rebirth due to the influx of talent that emerges, has become an afterthought for me. I say this despite the Chicago Bears having a first round selection, and drafting an offensive lineman with that pick. An offensive lineman in Gabe Carimi, that might actually be able to play tackle unlike previous first round draft pick Chris Williams. The Bears still showed that they're the Bears however, by completely botching a proposed trade with the Ravens.

As for the First Round itself,  I think all of the QB's taken in the first round suck to high heaven, and I'm shocked they were taken this high. I'm also shocked at what Atlanta did trading all those picks for Julio Jones. Julio is really not worth all those picks, and good for the Cleveland Browns for making a smart deal. The Niners still proved they have no clue what the draft is about, by taking a 20 year old project at the 7th pick. I'm also convinced that Patrick Peterson will be looked at as the best player to come out of this draft when it's reviewed 3 years from now. 

Until then, I'll continue to barely pay attention to the NFL until they work out a labor deal....even with their attempts to convince us that it's business as usual.

An Open Letter To The University Of Notre Dame

Dear University of Notre Dame, her alumni, students, fans/defenders,

I am writing this letter to offer a mocking and sarcastic "congratulations" to you, for you have sunk to a new low today. Over your entire existence, you have made no secret of your self-proclaimed divinity. You also have tirelessly self-promoted, and selectively applied your alleged "higher standard" of which you claim to operate under. People with half a brain knew it was nothing but pure B.S., but unfortunately many people bought into it. One of those people was the late Declan Sullivan.

You remember Declan right? He worked for your "prestigious" at best, "loathsome" at most honest, football program. He was one of the videographers you had on staff, until you killed him by putting him directly in harm's way. Declan was doing his job on a scissor-lift, filming football practice in the middle of a windstorm that gripped the entire Midwest on October 27. He managed to send a couple of tweets during his last moments of life which were obviously filled with concern and terror-you can look at them pictured above if you need proof.

An ordinary university, (let alone a catholic university) most likely would have been absolutely mortified at what happened and would have done everything possible to punish those responsible for Declan's death, but then you quickly remembered, "Hey.....we're Notre Dame! We do whatever we want and answer to nobody!" Christ-like indeed...

Apparently "nobody" included the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA), who despite your efforts to sabotage their investigation, still managed to give you a record fine of $77,500 for ignoring industry standards that could have prevented Declan's death. Still selectively applying your "higher standard", you are appealing the fine, even though you were already caught lying to IOSHA. That appeal alone would be worthy of outrage, but you didn't stop there.

Today you revealed the results of your own toothless and spineless "investigation", in which you concluded:

"We did not find any individual who disregarded safety or was indifferent to safety. Consequently, there was not any individual discipline...Our conclusion is that it's a collective responsibility."

That quote is from your University President Rev. John Jenkins. Jenkins says this even though it's a known fact ND practiced indoors for two consecutive days before October 27 due to high winds. Jenkins says this despite the fact that Videographer Director Tim Collins kept a female staffer off the scissor-lift that same day because he feared for her safety. Jenkins says this despite Tim Collins saying that ND is practicing outside "contrary to his judgment" that day. Jenkins says this despite the South Bend Regional Airport diverting planes because of extremely high winds. Jenkins says this despite AD Jack Swarbrick dismissing any reports of dangerous winds by saying the conditions were "...nothing out of the ordinary" that day. Do I really need to go on? 

It's rather obvious that there is one person, and one person only, that is responsible for practice being outdoors that day, and its head football coach Brian Kelly. When you consider that every college football coach in the country will tell you that as a head coach you are directly responsible for everything that happens on that practice field, 100%. That definitely includes whether or not practice will be filmed, and where it will be filmed from.

Rather than hold Kelly accountable for his irresponsibility and show any sense of decency, let alone display any of that supposed integrity of which you claim to possess, you have chosen to lay "collective blame" which holds NOBODY responsible. That simply is inexcusable, let alone unforgivable.

By taking these actions, you have exposed yourselves as frauds, hypocrites, and duplicitous phonies of the lowest form. Your failure to deal with this matter appropriately and respectfully is a violation of common sense and intelligence. In short, HOW DARE YOU!? How dare you continue to make a mockery of yourselves, of us, and most importantly Declan's family?! You are nothing more than Talking Monkey's who don't deserve the title of "Human Beings", in addition to having Declan's blood on your hands.

Divinity, piety, and catholic character are two way streets. They are not reserved strictly for those times when positive things happen for you. They must also be applied during times of crisis and tragedy, even if you are directly responsible for those tragic events. It is only then, when your apologies will be taken seriously. Until then remember these wise words:

"Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me". You remember who said that right? He's the one you put "Touchdown" in front of when you speak of him.

Sincerely,

Angelo Pesce aka "Luzinski's Beard"

Start The Buses...

I promised myself that I would wait until the playoffs started before I would write about the Bulls this season. Since the regular season will end this week, I might as well post now. One of the reasons I wanted to wait was because I just wasn't sure what the Bulls were as a team. Obviously they were going to be an improved basketball team from the Vinny Del Negro Era, but I wasn't sure how much improvement would be made in one offseason.

We're all aware of the slew of the moves that were made in said offseason, but the one move that didn't get made was signing LeBron James. After "The Decision" fallout and the dust finally settled, the early indications appeared that the Bulls were little more than "Utah Jazz East". A solid regular season team, that would be just good enough to get eliminated in the second or third round of the playoffs, in other words. My, oh my, were we wrong...

The Chicago Bulls are going to win the NBA Championship in two months, there I said it. I know it's almost become fashionable to say, write, or express it among many media constituents, but it's safe to take this one to the bank. This Bulls team might not be the flashiest, experienced, or the most "star powered" team in the league, but none of that will matter in the end. The Bulls will win the championship because they are the best team in the NBA, point blank.

Look, we all know about Derrick Rose this season. The fact that Rose has improved tremendously as an outside shooter, at the foul line, and defensively is not a secret to anyone except Dan LeBatard. It's a foregone conclusion that Derrick Rose will be named MVP this season (deservedly so). Derrick has ascended from promising young player to bona fide superstar in just three NBA seasons, but Derrick alone is not the reason the Bulls will win.

The Bulls will win mainly because they are the best overall defensive team in the NBA. Tom Thibodeau's team defense is one of the most stifling defensive units I've ever seen. The Bulls play such tremendous help defense, in which all 5 players on the floor show the ability to recognize where the play is going, and where each other's responsibilities are, night in and night out. From Joakim Noah becoming arguably the best low post defender in the league, to Luol Deng finally being able to defend small forwards, to Keith Bogan's ability to be physical with opposing shooting guards, the Bulls can match up against any opponent and shut them down.

The statistics reflect it too. The Bulls are second in the league in points allowed per game at 91.2 (only .4 off the Boston Celtics average). They are fourth the league in steals. They are first in three point field goal percentage, and first in three pointers allowed in the league. They are also first in opponent field goal percentage in the league. The best part is however, that despite leading the league as a team in these categories, you won't find any single Bulls player in the top 5 of any defensive category. Truly reflecting the team concept of help defense the Bulls appear to be mastering as the season moves on.

In the end, the Bulls will net the Larry O'Brien Trophy, the MVP (Rose), Coach Of The Year (Thibs), and Executive Of The Year (Gar-Pax), all of which are deserved. They've already locked up the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and they are one game out from the number 1 seed overall.

LeBron who?