Pussycat Woods

Eldrick Woods has decided to make a statement (or something) this Friday at PGA Headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. According to his agent Mark Steinberg, "Tiger plans to discuss his past and his future and he plans to apologize for his behavior." Before anyone should get their hopes up, it should be pointed out that Eldrick will NOT be taking any questions from the press.......at his own press conference!

(YAWN) This is nothing more than a half-assed Mark McGwire-esque type of apology. It's the type of apology that is arrogant in its motive, because it is devoid of real ownership on Woods' part. If he really was interested in owning up to his mistakes, he would take questions. He would take them as long as he could, and then take a few more. If he was really interested in winning the public back, he would take his lumps the same way Kobe Bryant did in 2003 when his own sexual misconduct outside of marriage came out. Have a press conference, make a statement, sincerely apologize, and (tad dah) take questions. Kobe seemed to understand that he would never be able to go back to the way it was in terms of public admiration. More importantly he understood that the truth shall literally and figuratively set him free.

This bizarre statement-and-run from Woods shows that he hasn't learned anything from this entire fiasco. He hasn't learned that he alone is responsible for this situation and nobody else, despite his thinly veiled media bashing in his two previous statements regarding this ordeal. I'd expect even more "Damn Media" comments in this upcoming statement, since Woods has historically pointed the finger, rather than the thumb his entire life. There's also one more key lesson that Woods still hasn't learned yet:

You can run, but you can't hide...

What?!

In a curious at best, lousy timed at worst move, the Chicago Bears fired their Director of Pro Personnel Bobby DePaul today. DePaul has served the Bears in this capacity for more than 9 years, and was seen (along with Greg Gabriel) as one of the big behind the scenes pieces that helped build the 2006 Super Bowl team.

DePaul was responsible for not only key evaluations of Thomas Jones, but also of John Tait, Roberto Garza, Ruben Brown, and Fred Miller to form one of the best Bears offensive lines in recent memory. DePaul was also seen as the architect of the Jay Cutler trade along with bringing in key members of the coaching staff Ron Rivera and Dave Toub from Philadelphia.

So after knowing all of this, two questions emerge. One, what has DePaul specifically done, or not done to warrant firing him? Two, if he was going to be fired...why fire him now?! Not only is Free Agency coming up in 17 days, but the NFL Scouting Combine starts on February 24. Last time I checked, it's important that a Director of Pro Personnel attend the combine, or at the very least one should be in place by then. Does this mean the Bears have a candidate already lined up? That's pretty doubtful considering how they circled the wagons hiring 2 new coordinators, one of which was promoted from within because nobody else wanted the damn job.

Obviously, there has to be more to this than "the organization wants to make a change" token answer. DePaul must have said or done the magic word because it makes no sense to fire him now. One thing that is for sure is the timing of this move is really awful, and it's another indicator that the Bears have no idea what they are doing.

Happy Trails

The greatest player in White Sox franchise history officially retired today. Even though he's been out of the game for two years, Frank "The Big Hurt" Thomas decided to call it quits at a press conference at U.S. Cellular Field this afternoon. Not only did he call it quits, but the Sox themselves called it quits today on anyone wishing to wear the number 35 by retiring the number. As a further sign that all parties have kissed and made up, there are also plans for "Frank Thomas Day" on August 29 where there will no doubt be a statue of Frank unveiled. Among other things, Frank went out of his way to describe how proud he was to be a White Sox player, his personal feelings of admiration and kinship with White Sox Owner Jerry Reinsdorf, and opened the door slightly to the possibility of becoming a hitting coach down the line.

The Beard has never been prouder of Frank Thomas than he is today. It has not always been a rosy ride in terms Frank's popularity with myself, and other White Sox fans. Yes he was prickly in his demeanor. Yes he took things way too seriously, and was too thin skinned sometimes. Yes he was at odds with managers and management on more than a few occasions. If I had to guess what the main thing that Frank was most guilty of though with the fans? It was that he didn't conduct himself like Michael Jordan. He blatantly chose to never play the public relations game the way MJ did. He never went out of his way to lie to people by projecting a heroic image that was all based on B.S. Frank was going to be who he was unapologetically. At the time that was seen by most people as him "not getting it". Now however, his decision to be himself, warts and all, is really admirable.

Part of who he was and still is, was his early outspokenness against Steroids and Performance Enhancing Drugs. Frank has always maintained that it's cheating, and was calling for testing as far back as 1995. Thomas was also the only active player to willingly talk to Senator George Mitchell during his investigations. The media, specifically Sports Illustrated, sent numerous reporters speaking to MLB players off the record in 2002 to get a scope of who and how many players were on steroids. ALL of the reporters came back unanimous that nobody in baseball's inner circle had ever even heard a rumor that Frank was on steroids. That alone should erase any doubt that Frank was clean and Hall Of Fame worthy.

Speaking of the Hall Of Fame, yes he will and should get elected to the Hall first ballot. Here's all you need to know if you're wondering why. Frank Thomas is one of four players ever in the history of MLB to have a .300 career Batting Average, 500 Home Runs, 1500 RBI's, 1500 walks, and 1000 runs scored. The other three players to do this? Mel Ott, Ted Williams, and Babe Ruth. Not Barry Bonds, not Manny Ramirez, not Gary Sheffield or any of the other steroid freaks, but only Frank Thomas has done what those three have done. Where I come from, that pretty much guarantees first ballot Hall Of Fame election wouldn't you agree?

So, cheers to Frank Thomas on his wonderful career, and thank you very much for all the great memories and achievements you accomplished in a White Sox uniform. Put it on the BOAAAAARD!!!

Happy 20th Anniversary!!!

February 11, 2010 is the 20th Anniversary of two monumental and extraordinary events. The first, and more prevalent event took place earlier in the day, with the release of Nelson Mandela from 27 years of incarceration from Victor Verster Prison. Mandela was taken by motorcade to Cape Town City Hall where he address 50,000 strong from the balcony, and the millions of television viewers around the world.



The second event occurred later on that day in Tokyo, Japan. James "Buster" Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson in the 10th round of their boxing match. In what was supposed to be a tune-up fight for then "Iron" Mike Tyson, quickly became one of the most legendary upsets to ever take place in Boxing History. Tyson, at the peak of his career at the time, still had a presence and an agreed upon perception that he was indestructible. Douglas at the time however, had been described in the words of Jim Lampley as having "...difficulty looking spectacular." None of that mattered though as Douglas fought an inspired fight. Even though he took an 8th round knockdown from Tyson, he got up and rallied back to knockout Tyson with an uppercut and series of combinations that turned the boxing world on it's knees.

Not too many days happen like that...

Another Beatdown? Why NOT!

The Dayton Flyers beat the Charlotte 49ers 75-47 tonight at UD Arena. For the second straight game, Dayton not only beat the first place team in the Atlantic 10, but humiliated their opponent with an embarrassing point differential. Dayton once again displayed the stifling defense that has been so dependable all season long, as they out-rebounded the 49ers 44-33, and limited Charlotte to shooting 25% from the field. Dayton improves to 17-6 (6-3 in the conference), and has re-established themselves in the A-10 race, and NCAA Tournament Picture.

The (delightful) story of this game though was the play of Chris Wright. He scored a career high 30 points by going 11-15 from the field, at the same time snaring down 9 rebounds, and blocking 2 shots just for good measure. This is a crucial stretch of games for the Flyers. The kind of stretch where star players are expected to rise to the challenge, elevate their games, and put the team on their backs. Wright has done that for 2 consecutive huge games now, and he has never been more impressive than he was tonight. We may be witnessing a very good player deciding to become great right before our eyes. It's also clear that his play has elevated others around him as Chris Johnson chipped in 14 points (3 three point field goals), 7 rebounds, and has emerged as more than just a complimentary player, but possibly a rising star in his own right.

Next up is another tough challenge for Dayton in Rick Majerus and his St. Louis Billikens. Like Dayton, the Billikens are 6-3 in the A-10 conference and have lost only twice at home. A tough task, but a task that Dayton should be able to accomplish.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more..."

Telling...

New Bears Head Coach-Err Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz gave an interesting interview today on WSCR's Mully and Hanley show with Chicago Tribune NFL Bigfoot Dan Pompei sitting in for Hanley. Some of the highlights of it include:

• How close he and Kurt Warner were to being the Bears offensive coordinator and QB in 1999 if McCaskey would have closed the deal on hiring Dave McGinnis.
• He reiterated that he's never had a QB as talented or as bright as Jay Cutler, and how ecstatic he is to be working with him.
• He shared his plans to use Devin Hester as a number 3 receiver similar to Az-Zahir Hakim with the Rams. Martz said Hester could be "Stupid Good" in that role.
• Martz pretty much said he's made up his mind that the only way Greg Olsen is going to see the field is if he learns to block.

The theme that most sticks out during the interview, is that he isn't talking like an assistant coach. He's speaking so freely that it's clear he answers to nobody, and that Lovie has given him free reign to run half the team. That's not to say this approach can't work, but one of the main concerns about Martz was his ego, and so far it looks like the plan to placate that ego is to leave him in charge of all things Bears Offense. The Beard actually agrees with Martz that Hester is most effective as a number 3 receiver, but is concerned that he doesn't think Olsen can be effective in his offense.

We shall see though. The next telling sign will be if he attends the Combine with Lovie on February 24, to scout for that all important third round pick...

Super Bowl Digest

In one of the most boring "classic" Super Bowl games every played, the New Orleans Saints provided one of the more memorable upsets, and are now Super Bowl Champions. Congrats to them, former Spare Bear Sean Payton, and what's left of their original fanbase.

The game itself while not stagnant, was also not spectacular. Both teams ran efficient offenses for the most part. Neither team's defense was particularly interested in tackling anybody. Tracy Porter's pick 6 joins the likes of other Super Bowl pick 6ers such as Willie Brown, Jack Squirek, and Reggie Phillips to name a few. There was only 1 sack in the contest, which was made by the remarkable Dwight Freeney. There was only one play that went for more than 30 yards the entire game, and that was Austin Collie's 40 yard grab in the 4th quarter. Some other key stats included both teams essentially splitting the Time Of Possession (N.O. 30:11 IND 29:49), both teams punting only twice, neither team had a running back run for over 100 yards, and neither team had a fumble the entire contest. The most remarkable stat really is that the Saints defense gave up 432 total yards, and STILL won the game! So much for defense wins championships in today's NFL.

So what does this say for the rest of the league? One thing's for sure is that the NFL is as much of a passing man's league than ever before. Unfairly or not, Peyton Manning did show that he can lose a game like any other quarterback in a pressure situation. Reggie Bush, while in many ways continues to be a bust, still made significant contributions to a championship season. When the 2010 season starts, we can expect several teams to run a similar offensive scheme as the Saints. Drew Brees likely has made huge strides this season to Hall Of Fame election.

Most of all though, we saw that Upsets and Underdogs still make for great television as this Super Bowl was the highest rated television program in the history of television.

"Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"!