Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio - Live 6PM Est

Football, Basketball, Baseball, you name it we got
it tonight, and of course Jeremy Lin is still hot
so let's talk about him some more as well.
Join me today at 6PM eastern and let's talk about
it all. See you then!


Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Guilty Or Not, Ryan Braun Is Dirty And Knows It !

Matt Slocum - ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ryan Braun and his "people" can spin it any way they
want, and throw anyone under the bus that they wish,
but the fact remains the same, he is dirty.

Braun may not have the GIANT goalie mask size head
that Barry Bonds had, the MUSCULAR guns on his arms
that Mark McGwire did, or even the TEMPESTUOUS bad
temper that Roger Clemens had/has, but the test he
took on that Oct 1st Saturday night last fall came
back with the highest ever recorded levels of
testosterone in any such test, and that's a fact
that Braun and his people have yet to dispute with
any validity. The sample wasn't tampered with,
and Braun's initial defense which has yet to be made
public had nothing to do with this technicality, and
yet he walks away with the MVP, and no need to serve
a 50 game suspension he deserves. It's a bush league
move by Braun to volunteer a retest months later when
we know full well that all this junk is well out of
his system by now. I do wonder however if testing one
of his long strands of hair is allowed under the drug
testing under the agreement by the Union and MLB, and
if so if he would be so quick to volunteer a retest
then.

Nothing I've written here is NEW, but it is worth
repeating over and over again. Ryan Braun cheated,
and though I should no longer and can no longer be
surprised by such acts of deception by athletes, I
am still disappointed by it, and you should be too.
It will be interesting to see his numbers this year,
don't you agree?

Next question should be why is Manny Ramirez only
going to serve a 50 game suspension when it should be
a 100 for a second offense. Shame, Shame!

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Ranting With Rizzo Podcast For 2-25-12

Saturdays "Ranting with Rizzo" podcast is now
available and ready to go. Have a listen here
or download it and take it with you.
Enjoy the Show !




Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Can These NY Jets Still Be Taken Seriously ?

William Perlman/US Presswire

It may sound like a silly question to some, but it is
certainly one worth asking. Volatility is very quickly
becoming a part of the identity of these New York Jets,
and just when it seemed like everyone wanted to play
for Head Coach Rex Ryan, there seems to be a bit of
discord in the undercarriage. This loosey goosey bunch
may have been given a little too much freedom, and
just the the Boston Red Sox had their beer taken away
this year, the Jets may have to be reigned in a little
as well.

Today's news that linebacker Bart Scott was given
permission to seek a trade was just one more thing that
made me wonder if this ship is going to look a little
like the "Costa Concordia" by season's end, and if a
new captain is going to be at it's helm next year.

The Jets ended the season with the their offensive
captain, Santonio Holmes hating his quarterback, and
all but sulking on the bench as the tried to salvage
one last win in hopes that they could qualify for the
playoffs. When they had a chance to support their
QB and not pick up an option on Holmes' contract they
stuttered and did nothing. Later on in the offseason
when asked about Peyton Manning they once again showed
their #1 QB zero support, and have since done nothing
to squelch any rumors that they might be interested.
Though it's easy to say that just about any team would
do that if they had a chance to get Manning, I would
point out that his own team may not want him.

That leads me to today, and the news that one of Rex's
guys, Bart "Can't Wait!" Scott has been given permission
to seek a trade, with THREE years still left on his deal.
Why sign someone to that kind of deal if you don't think
he's gonna be here for the duration? Truth is the Jets
thought he would be here for the full contract or so, but
something has obviously changed, and not just with Scott,
but all of Rex's guys. Throw into this mix the fact that
ex-jailbird Plaxico Burris has no desire to return to the
team because of their lack of discipline. Did you ever
think you would hear anything that crazy tied to Plaxico
Burris?

I initially wanted to say that this was a Rex Ryan issue,
and make no mistake that he shares quite a bit of the blame
here, but I'm afraid that if this ship sinks in the upcoming
season GM Mike Tannenbaum may be looking for a job as well,
and it wouldn't be unfair to say that he is just as much at
fault as anyone associated to the team, maybe more.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Mad Stork Sports Podcast For 2-15-12

Miss the show?, well here it is. The podcast from
Wednesday night, and Linsanity is still a major
but once again not the only thing on the agenda.
Here's a chance to catch what you may have missed.
Enjoy !



Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Knicks Win With Lin Raise Expectations vs Heat

Reuters/Adam Hunger

Tonight's game vs the Miami Heat is not going to mean
too much in the standings unless the Knicks are going
to come all the way back and win the entire Atlantic
division and take the #1 seed, but if you take the
temperature of the fans right now, you would think
that it's the 7th game of the NBA Finals.

The Knicks had a nice win against a quality opponent
in the Atlanta Hawks last night, but with Joe Johnson
out of the lineup life was a little easier, and so
was the game. Since the arrival of Jeremy Lin into
the starting five the Knicks have had a few good wins
against quality opponents like the Lakers, Hawks, and
the defending NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks, but they
have also had a couple of clunkers against teams like
the Nets, and the Hornets. The quality wins have been
all at home, and the losses have shown that when teams
make a real effort to defend Lin, they can cause the
Knicks some difficulties. The Hornets were the first
to get some film on him, and in turn made it hard for
New York to run it's offense.

Make no mistake, tonight is going to be one to watch,
but please don't think for a minute that LeBron and
Wade have been under a rock this entire time either.
They know what's going on, and just like the NJ Nets
Deron Williams made a point of saving his best game
of the season so far for Jeremy and the New York fans,
don't expect James, and Wade to let Jeremy Lin waltz
into their home and make a name for himself on their
backs. I won't sit here and tell you that Lin isn't
up to the task, but I can assure you that he and his
teammates are going to have to earn this quality road
win, in what is likely to be the first of many tests
in the Jeremy Lin era.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

NY Mets Get Ready For Another Season Of Folly

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Mets Terry Collins is without question one of the
brighter beacons of hope the Mets have right now.
He talks a good game, has some nice young players
on the roster, and they do indeed love playing for
him, but as much as I am a firm believer that a
positive attitude is a must, I'm just not buying
the fact that the Mets are gonna make some noise
this season. They made noise last season for
about 65% of the season, and it was great, but I
can't see them doing any better than that, so
anything less is just a little disappointing.

I won't go over a laundry list of things that they
need to do, change, or you can expect, but I will
tell you that there are a couple of things that
aren't very favorable.

The most obvious of all is ownership. I am not
going to sit here at tell you that I hope they
sell, lose, or are forced to sell the franchise,
I just can't do that, it's not one of my things,
but the Wilpons and their financial problems are
going to be a crutch on this team all year long,
and until they get their affairs in order going
forward.

The second thing that bugs me is that their best
player is being dangled at us, as if a carrot stick
in front of a carriage horse. This time last year
we heard that there was a possibility that Johan
Santana "could" be back in July, then August, then
maybe a start or two in September, perhaps just a
rehab start, but nothing, A few weeks ago the word
was that he "should" be back in time for the start
of the season. What do you mean should?! What the
heck was all this garbage you've been feeding us all
this time then? Setbacks? OK, now he will be back
in time for opening day, but you hope you can get 25
to 28 starts from him. Good Luck with that is what
I have to say.

Then theirs payroll, and though this may sound like
the first gripe, but it isn't necessarily the same.
The thing here is that owners can choose to spend
what they want, money problems or not, and the Mets
have chosen to cut payroll by about $20-30Mil this
season, and there is just no way that by doing this,
that they have improved the team. No Beltran, No
Reyes, No added free agents to help pick up the
slack, and four teams in your division that all
improved. The Wilpons will actually save more since
they will no longer have to pay an extra $18Mil to
Oliver Perez, and Luis Castillo this year.

The last one might be the biggest head scratcher of
all, Jeremy Lin. Yes you read right, Jeremy Lin!
Terry Collins wants us to understand that they may
have a Jeremy Lin of their own, and though he doesn't
know who that is yet, it is just as likely to happen
to the Mets as it is to the Knicks. OK, since no one
can honestly say that they saw how big Victor Cruz was
gonna be for the Giants, and Jeremy Lin was gonna be
for the Knicks, maybe Ruben Tejada, Andres Torres or
some yet to be mentioned player will be the that guy
for Terry Collins and the Mets, but I won't hang my
hat on that either.

I like Terry Collins, and I believe that they will be
very fun to watch at times as well as very frustrating.
I also believe that we all need to step back and learn
from the departure of one of the great New York Mets in
their history, Gary Carter. Carter played hard, had fun,
and always smiled, and now that he's no longer with us
we can appreciate that it's just a game, no matter how
wrapped we get in it, it's just a game.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets Should Be In Philadelphia 76er's Position In The Standings, So Why Aren't They?

Getty Images

Just because you're a Billionaire it doesn't mean your
the brightest bulb in the batch, and though I am not
necessarily accusing New Jersey Nets Owner Mikhail
Prokhorov of being a dummy, I do have one question I
would love to ask given the opportunity, Why did you
let Rod Thorn go?

The reason for this question is quite simple, and jumps
off the page for anyone that either roots for the Nets
or follows the NBA, the 76ers have been on the rise
ever since Thorn got their, and the Nets cannot say the
same. In June of 2000 Rod Thorn joined the Nets as
their head man and guided them to their only two NBA
Finals appearances, back to back, and even though they
were both losses, it was an impressive feat nonetheless.
He left during the offseason in 2010, and the Nets have
a record of 34-82 since, while the Sixers sit in first
in the Atlantic division this season, and have a record
of 61-53 in that same span which happens to coincide
with when Thorn took over in August of 2010.

What gives? You want Dwight Howard. You want to Deron
Williams to stay, and not leave via free agency.
What are you showing them and future free agents that
this is a team worth joining, besides money, and maybe
that right there is the answer, $MONEY$. I guess it may
not matter to some guys, but if you want a Championship
then it will take someone that can spend your money well,
and thus far Billy King hasn't shown he is capable of
shining Rod Thorn's shoes. It will also make it hard
for the Nets fan out there to stay optimistic, whoever
he is.


Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

A.J. Burnett Goes From Trash To Treasure In Pittsburgh

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

Though I am not really sure who said it, it's something
that we have all heard before: "One Mans Trash Is Another
Man's Treasure", and that is exactly the case for the New
York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates when it comes to
the trade of A.J. Burnett this past weekend.

N.Y. Yankee fans couldn't be happier as a whole to get
A.J. Burnett out of town, and many volunteered to drive
him to wherever he was going as a bonus to it all.
A.J. Had clearly worn out his welcome after having been
so underwhelming with a 34-35 record with a 4.79 ERA in
his three seasons with the Yankees. It's certainly not
what the fans or the Yankees were expecting after they
signed him to a 5 year deal for $82.5Mil in 2009.
The Yankees did win a World Series in that time, but the
numbers were enough to send most of them into therapy,
and that was unacceptable in that part of N.Y. Baseball.

Then comes the the part where A.J. is welcomed with open
arms and seen as "Treasure", and not "Trash" by the
Pittsburgh Pirates and most of their fans. Of course the
Pirates haven't won a World Series since 1979, are trying
to avoid a 20th consecutive losing season, and the Yankees
are willing to pay sixty percent of Burnett's remaining
$33Mil salary in order for the Pirates to take him off
their hands. There is no question that A.J. Burnett will
be an instant improvement to a Pirates team that had it's
moments last season, but wasn't able to retain any of it's
early season scucess. It's also likely that he will be
the instant ace for Clint Hurdle, but it does show how
clear that perception is everything.

This makes both fan bases happier if not necessarily elated,
and is truly likely to improve both teams. What else can
one ask for? It's not likely to hurt Burnett's career much
either, as has been noted many times, a change of scenery
is good, and maybe he can pull a Lin.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Gary Carter Passes, But The Kid Will Never Die

Photo: Ray Stubblebine/Reuters

I remember the announcement like it was yesterday, and yes
some of the facts get a little blurry after 29 years, but
there was an announcement on Monday Night Football that
the New York Mets had made a blockbuster trade to acquire
Gary Carter form the Montreal Expos. Yes, you read right,
they announced it during a FOOTBALL game, so you knew it
was BIG news. So many feelings ran through me, because
one of my favorite Mets was being traded to Montreal in
the package, Hubie Brooks, but once I got over that part
of the process, all I could think is how good the Mets
were gonna be, and good they were.

The Mets only won one title with that group, and they
probably should have, and could have won more, but they
haven't won one since, so they obviously made the right
move. People will talk and say many things about Gary
Carter, like the rally he started against the Red Sox
in game six to stave off elimination, and eventually win
that game and the series, or that he never met a camera
or microphone he didn't like. What you will also find
though, is that just about every single thing you hear
will attach his smile to it, and his infectious energy.

Gary Carter wasn't my favorite Met, but maybe he should
have been. I was more of a Keith Hernandez fan, but that
doesn't matter today, because I miss him like many Mets
and baseball fans everywhere, and realize the the world
is just not as good a place without him in it.

R.I.P. Kid, you were one of a kind!


Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Mad Stork Sports Podcast For 2-15-12

In case you missed the show, or just want to hear
it again, here is the podcast of it from Wednesday
night. Linsanity was a major topic, but certainly
not the only thing on our agenda. Here's a chance
to catch what you may have missed. Enjoy !





Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Pitchers & Catchers Are Ready To Roll

(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

I'm sure the the upcoming baseball season will have
have many more story lines than I can possibly put
together here in this little article, but here are
a few questions that are bound to come up.

Manny Ramirez is trying to make a comeback, do you
or anyone else care?, and doesn't he have to suit
out 100 games to serve his suspension first?

How does adding Bobby Valentine to the mix affect
the Red Sox Yankees rivalry? Is it still going to
be just those two teams in the AL East in 2012 or
does Tampa pull it out of a hat again?

Do you like the fact that the new wild card rules add
an extra wild card team and essentially make it harder
for any wild card team to win the World Series?

Is the pressure of winning both the MVP & the Cy Young
going to be so much that Justin Verlander is bound to
have a bad season this year, or can he sustain what he
accomplished in 2012 and benefit with the addition of
Prince Fielder?

Will the Wilpons still be owners of the New York Mets
for the rest of 2012 or in 2013?

If Johnny Damon plays this season does he help or hurt
his chances of being considered for the Hall of Fame?
Here are some of his numbers: 2,723 Hits, almost 1,000
walks, over 400 stolen bases, 200+ HR's and at least
two rings.

What will the St. Louis Cardinals look like without Tony
LaRussa running the show?, and will they get the chance
to repeat?

Are the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles/Sacramento/Beverly
Hills/San Bernadino/Compton the team to beat in the AL
with the additions of Albert Pujols, and C.J. Wilson?

Can Josh Hamilton stay clean?

Will the whispers begin about whether Albert Pujols
is lying about his age? or whether he has used PED's?

Can Don Mattingly and the Dodgers surprise the NL and
make their way to the World Series under new ownership?

Are the Phillies a real threat without Ryan Howard for
a large chunk of the start of the season?

What now for Ryan Braun?

Will the Miami Marlins draw more than 15,000 a game
once the new stadium luster wears off?, can they compete
for the NL East with the Phillies and Braves?

Bonus question? Will Jeremy Lin be asked to toss out
ceremonial first pitch at any baseball game this year?

Thoughts and Prayers out to Tony Gywnn, get well soon !

Their will be many more were these came from.
Play Ball !


Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

The NBA Is Making Noise? It's About Time

(AP Photo/Jim Mone)

All the talk lately has been about one guy, and one
team, Jeremy Lin and the NY Knicks, but for the NBA
it's been more than just that. Last year was marked
with all the talk of the Miami "Dream Team" the ugly
break up of LeBron, the Cleveland Cavaliers, their
owner and their fans, certainly not a way you want
your league to be remembered. Though it's often been
said that no publicity is bad publicity, this type of
publicity wasn't always so good.

Enter the 2012 NBA season, wait, what 2012 NBA season?
Lockout, public indifference, bickering among the ranks,
and the owners with a stranglehold around the players
neck. Not a very good start. Fortunately for the
league and it's fans their has been a little bit of a
turnaround even while it struggles to justify why it's
trying to squeeze in 66 games in so few days other than
to admit and be honest about the fact that all they are
really concerned about how much money they can make.
OK, enough negativity. Truth is there are a few nice
things going on in the league right now that are making
it appealing to more people than usual.

Like I said at the start, Jeremy Lin has made quite a
few headlines, and if you're on Twitter the one thing
you notice is that it's not just NBA people. Everyone
from Adam Schefter who covers the NFL for ESPN to fellow
MSG mates on the NY Rangers are constantly Tweeting about
this guy. The nicknames don't stop coming, Lin-derella,
Just Lin Baby, Lin-ing, and yesterdays favorite was
appropriately "Be My Va-LIN-Tine". As long as he and the
Knicks keep winning, don't expect it to stop.

Then of course their are the aforementioned Cleveland
Cavaliers who have found that their is "LAL", or Life
After Lebron. Stinking it up in the 2010/11 season put
them in a position to get a good draft pick and though
that doesn't always pan out (LA Clippers past 20 years),
it has so far for them. They have already won more than
half as many games as they did all of last year, and Kyrie
Irving has been anything but a bust with 18ppg and 5.1ast.
Until he had his concussion it was clear they were doing
much better with him in the lineup, and he returns tonight.
Believe it or not they are only two and a half games out
of the final playoff spot in the east, and there are still
forty games remaining for them. Cleveland can be relevant
again, and you better believe that their owner will try and
lock up this young talent before he hits the free agency in
a few years. And oh yeah, by the way, he's Australian.

How about those Sixers? 20-9 as of this writing and leading
the Atlantic division. David Stern has to be loving that!

The Oklahoma City Thunder leading the West at 22-6 is another
feather in the NBA's cap. Young vibrant starts ready to make
noise, and bring some of middle America into the mix. Gotta
Love it if your ready to negotiate new TV rights for the NBA.

The LA Clippers in 1st in the Pacific division ahead of the
Lakers? That's a double LA TV boom for the Stern. Shhhhhh

So many more stories that are worth mentioning, but I will
leave you with the Minnesota Timberwolves who finally got
their Ricky Rubio, and along with Kevin Love are only two
games out of a playoff spot out West. With Rick Adeleman
at the helm there, it's only a matter of time before they
compete, and make some noise as well as be fun to watch.

And don't forget the trade deadline that is right around the
corner. Will Dwight Howard be traded?, and if so where?
Does he make the Nets respectable? Put the Clippers over the
top? Change places with Amare Stoudimire? So many scenarios,
and so many more headlines for the league to capitalize on.
Difference is, this time they can smile a bit.


Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Spending Valentines Day With Jeremy Lin

Courtesy: Yahoo Sports

The title of this post may be a little misleading, BUT
it is somewhat accurate. Tonight when my wife arrives
home from a long day at work, she will have an above
average meal on the table waiting for her, as well as
fresh baked dessert, and a Valentines card to mark the
occasion. Some of the remaining details will be kept
private of course, but what I can tell you is this, one
thing that probably would not have happened about a week
ago, us watching a Knicks game together, will.

Jeremy Lin fever has gripped the country, especially NY,
and the NBA. All for a bunch of reasons that are not
all wrong or right. One of the wrong ones includes his
being linked to Tim Tebow in some way, while one of the
better ones is that he has the Knicks moving in the right
direction once again, and is giving them a huge spark
with his energy and infectious play. The comparisons to
Steve Nash are flattering of course, but unfair to both
Nash and Lin. Lin still has a huge road to travel before
he can try on those shoes.

Tonight may be Valentines day for many people around the
world, but apparently the Raptors had some help from the
magic eight ball or something when they got the idea to
make this Asian Heritage night on their schedule. The high
flying division rival Knicks will be visiting with their
very own Asian sensation and it will be a packed house at
the Air Canada Center, which is bound to make any guy that
brought his basketball loving date to this game look like
a huge hero, and bound to get a big smooch to go along
with the evening.

Make no mistake about it, I will be spending Valentines
evening with my lovely wife, but Jeremy Lin is going to be
right there for both of us to watch instead of some RomCom
movie to cheese up the evening. It may not be your idea
of romance, but love has many faces, and tonight we will
be keeping one eye on Lin-derella.


Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Ranting With Rizzo Podcast For 2-11-12

If miss the show, then there's always the podcast
to help you keep up with you busy schedule and to
free up your weekends. This is a post football
season podcast, and we try and put a bow on things.
Enjoy the show !




Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Lin, Love, And The NBA Chance To Grab Headlines

Let's face it, after the NFL season ends a great
many of us go through the lull of trying to figure
out what sports we want to follow. After Baseball
and Football, only the diehard NBA & NHL fans can
continue on with no shakes or shivers of any kind.

This week though I was able to grab three things
that made me turn my attention to the NBA.

The Lakers worked out Gilbert Arenas to see if he
was worth signing. Wow, I didn't even realize that
he wasn't playing for anyone, kinda embarrassing
on my part really.

Then I saw the story on Yahoo Sports that said
something about Kevin Love of the Timberwolves
thinking that it would be a good idea if the NBA
took MLB's idea of making the All-Star game decide
home field advantage in the Finals. Is he nuts?
Doesn't he realize that they are trying to get rid
of that stupid idea? Maybe he's taken too many
rebounds to the head.

Third but not least is of course the Jeremy Lin story
out of New York with the Knicks. I don't know much,
but I have seen him finish the last two games that they
played, they won, and he plays hard from what I can see.
None of these things are things you can argue with, BUT,
apparently every Tom, Dick, and Harry that calls in to
the sports talk radio stations in New York has already
decided that they know how this is gonna turn out when
Carmelo and Amare return to the starting lineup.
Boy was I glad to hear what they had to say, I wouldn't
want to be kept in suspense or anything, and I'm sure
they saved Carmelo and Stoudamire a boatload of time
as well. All the same though, I think I will start
watching more now, and take my chances. I'm sure the
NBA is loving this, and they don't have to spend a
bunch of advertising dollars for this feel good story
that even has a crazy connection to Tim Tebow.
You can't beat that!

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Jeremy Lin, Tim Tebow Comparisons Way Off Base

Getty Images

The sampling is way to small, and four games out of
about 66 are equal to only about 6% of the season
this year, but I already think that Jeremy Lin will
be a more established NBA player than Tim Tebow will
be an NFL player. So what?, and why compare the two?
Just because Lin said that he admired Tebow, and has
been a bit of an instant success, who may or may not
be a bit of a Jesus fan? Again, so what?

Everyone is looking for a link, Rich Cimini of ESPN NY
@RichCimini tweeted, "Year of The Undrafted Free Agent
in New York: Victor Cruz and Jeremy Lin.", Uh Cruz won
a Super Bowl the Knicks are under .500. Lin seems to
be a little bit of a Bible thumper, so he immediately
has to be compared to Tim Tebow? Well the stats don't
support that. In his last four games, the brunt of
this "Lin-sanity", Lin is averaging 28.5 PPG, 8 Assts,
and the Knicks are 4-0, and only three of those games
are starts. Those three stats alone dwarf anything
Tim Tebow did as an individual, even though it's true,
his team did win. All that said with that kind of
success and attention, there will come the hate too.
After the game Andrew Bynum said: "Today we just added
to his hype and probably kept him in the league for 10
years", hmmm, a little envy maybe?

I saw his post game interview after the Knicks, Laker
game at MSG, and at no time did he mention Jesus, Thank
God, or anything like that, but he did mention teammates,
and point out individuals. The only comparison I see so
far is that they are athletes, weren't expected to do
anything of any significance, and win. Not a bad combo.


Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Mad Stork Sports Podcast 2-8-12

In case you missed the show, here is the podcast of
it from the live show on Wednesday night. Here is
a chance to catch what you may have missed.
The discussion was Giants and Patriots aftermath,
Super Bowl XLVI breakdown and all the chatter about
it since. A little news from around the world of
sports is also included. Enjoy !




Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

For Manning Family Eli Provides A Little Payback For Peyton

Courtesy BSO
It was never Eli Manning vs Tom Brady, just like it
was never Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning, but you can't
help but see the connection in latest defeat of Brady
that Eli and the NY Giants provided on Super Bowl
Sunday to the "Dynasty" that once was the Patriots.
As I mention in a previous radio show, this isn't like
Mike Piazza facing off against Roger Clemens, there is
no head to head encounter, football is quite different.

Year after year the Brady, Belichick and the Patriots
tortured big brother Peyton Manning in his quest to
win a Championship of his own, but the Patriots always
in some way, shape, or form stood in his way and in the
way of the Indianapolis Colts. By the time Peyton got
his trophy, the Pats had already won three, so though
their was the thrill of victory for Peyton, there were
also far many more tortured nights previous to that.

Now little brother Eli, the lesser talented QB of the
two according to the experts and most of the fans that
follow this great game we call football, had his chance
four years ago at Super Bowl XLII to bring down the well
oiled, undefeated machine that was destined to win once
again, and break a record that had stood nearly four
decades, an undefeated season and a Trophy to go with it.
It was an impossible task, but possible it became.
Now four years later those very same Pats, Brady, and
Belichick had their own chance at redemption just like
all those times Peyton looked for his and finally got it,
except they didn't. Tom, Bill, and even Robert(Kraft)
were once again turned away by Peyton's little brother Eli.
Their would be no redemption on Sunday night for the Pats
with a second chance against the team that ruined perfection
for the them and their fans, but perhaps a little for the
family Manning.

Eli and Tom didn't square off head to head, but Eli did
look like what Brady used to look like and Brady like what
folks thought Eli was, just not quite good enough.
I guarantee you that Eli did not have this in the forefront
of his mind, but in looking back he can, if he wishes to,
consider that he provided Tom Brady and company a little
payback for all the frustration big brother Peyton had to
endure oh so many years ago, and the little brother showed
everyone that even big brothers can use a hand now and then.

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Ranting With Rizzo Podcast For 2-4-12

In case you missed the show prior to the "BIG" game
on Sunday here is the podcast. You get a chance to
see if any of what I said came true, and how close
it was to the truth. Enjoy the show !



Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Stone Cold Lock(s) Super Bowl XLVI edition

The Stone Cold Locks makes one last appearance for
the 2011 NFL Season, and I'm holding on with a
fairly healthy 50-9 record trying very hard to make
sure that I don't fall into double digit losses on
the last game of the year. I picked the Giants a
few weeks back to represent the NFC in the BIG
game, but I never made a pick for the AFC, nor did
I pick a Champion. This game is extremely close to
call, and a win by either team would not be a
surpise, but I have to make a choice, here it is:

New York Giants - I just have little to no faith
in the New England secondary, and think that Eli
Manning has crossed over into that group of QB's
that can get the job done. Brady is till better,
and a killer, but I'm afraid that without Rob
Gronkowski, he just won't have enough to do it
by himself. Gronkowski is not to be counted on
for this game, they will have to pull something
else out from their bag of tricks to win this if
the Patriots are going to do it at all.

Enjoy The Game !

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2012 Football Hall Of Fame Members & The Disgusting Process That Got Them In

Courtesy ESPN

First of all I wish to make sure that I don't
forget to congratulate the newest members of
the Pro Football Hall of Fame, they are a
deserving group and this piece should do next
to nothing to take away from their hard work
and dedication. Curtis Martin, Willie Roaf,
Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman, Cortez
Kennedy, and senior selection Jack Butler are
the 2012 inductees. That's the Good news.

The bad news is that the group who had the job
and honor of electing them in, are a bunch of
MORONS! Between the Jerks up in Cooperstown
and the almighty dipsh*ts that are given this
assignment, it is extremely hard to tell which
group tops the other for ineptitude. I wrote
a piece regarding this very same issue back in
August to make a case for Ray Guy who is without
question the best punter the game has ever seen,
and wrote a piece back in December about the
recent induction of Ron Santo into Cooperstown.
Time and time again the same question begs to be
answered when the likes of Santo in Baseball and
Jack Butler for the NFL today get inducted, What
makes them a Hall of Famer today, that didn't make
them one in _______(You fill in the year)?

Butler last played pro football back in 1959, and
today someone realized that he belonged in the
Hall of Fame? FORTY THREE YEARS later, Really ?
Are you kidding me??? What kind of sick joke is
this??? There have been far too many players
inducted in after their death, fortunately Butler
84 is still alive, but why did he have too wait
so long to get a chance to enjoy this honor?

Dick Stanfel is 84 and alive as well, but he
won't get that pleasure today, he was denied.
I don't know enough about Stanfel to make a case
for him, but I do know enough about the likes of
Bill Parcells, Charles Haley, and Tim Brown that
I can say they definitely deserve to be in, but
today they too were denied, as were Chris Carter,
Andre Reed, Kevin Greene, Aeneas Williams, and
Will Shields. The crappiest part about those that
didn't get in, is that some will, but NOT today.
This is a long and complicated process that the
list of men at the end of this article are trusted
to carry out and yet they seemingly toy with the
fate of the men who actually PLAYED he game.

As a Raider fan myself, I can stand atop a mountain
and scream out more names than you can imagine,
but the again I am all to used to this. If you look
at your favorite team you too will find a laundry
list of players that legitimately belong as well,
so I know that there I am not alone. I could also
go on for days at how corrupt this process has
become, and I feel like no one is listening.
It's just one more story for the water cooler.
I know that you might notice that I didn't mention
the NBA or NHL Hall of Fames, but I don't know
enough about their issues to state them here, I
just hope they are better, even if only a little.

Also please try to grasp this if you will as I wrap
this up, the biggest gripe is not that a player does
or doesn't get elected, but that it's become so
political, and writers hold these life long grudges
against players and organizations which then in turn
influence the way the vote. Whispers today had the
rejection of Bill Parcells come down to a matter of
not being well liked. Who cares, is it a popularity
contest? In using baseball again for a moment, I
ask this, why did Eddie Murray not get in on his 1st
year of eligibility? Oh yeah, he too was not well
liked. A player close to my heart like Ken Stabler
who came out of Alabama right after Joe Namath is
not in, but may get in later, and yet he has better
numbers than Namath, just as many Super Bowl rings,
a better winning percentage, & completion percentage,
and yet Namath is in, but Stabler is not.

I could really go on, and on with the likes of Tom
Flores, Cliff Branch, Lester Hayes, Tim Brown, Ray
Guy, etc., but I won't. I will always ask this one
question if they do eventually get elected in, as I
will with any other player who didn't get in, in the
first two or three years of eligibilty; Why is it
that without them playing one more play, coaching
one more player or deciding one more game, they are
in the Hall of Fame now? Why?

Here are the folks you can ask, if you wish to:
Ari Kent Somers, Arizona Republic
Atl Len Pasquarelli, The Sports Xchange
Bal Scott Garceau, WMAR-TV
Buf Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News
Car Darin Gantt, Rock Hill Herald
Chi Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune
Cin Joe Reedy, Cincinnati Enquirer
Cle Tony Grossi, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Dal Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News
Den Jeff Legwold, Denver Post
GB Cliff Christl, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Hou John McClain, Houston Chronicle
Ind Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star
Jac Sam Kouvaris, WJXT-TV
KC Bob Gretz, KCFootballReport.com
Mia Edwin Pope, Miami Herald
Min Sid Hartman, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune
NE Ron Borges, Boston Herald
NO Pete Finney, Times-Picayune
NYG Bob Glauber, Newsday
NYJ Gary Myers, New York Daily News
Oak Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange
Phi Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News
Pit Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
StL Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
SD Nick Canepa, San Diego Union Tribune
SF Nancy Gay, FoxSports.com
Sea Mike Sando, ESPN.com
Tam Ira Kaufman, Tampa Tribune
Ten David Climer, The Tennessean
Was David Elfin, AOL Fanhouse
Darryl Ledbetter Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At Large Howard Balzer, The Sports Xchange
At Large Jarrett Bell, USA Today
At Large John Clayton, ESPN/ESPN Magazine
At Large John Czarnecki, FOXSports.com
At Large Dave Goldberg, AOL Sports/Fanhouse
At Large Peter King, Sports Illustrated
At Large Ira Miller, The Sports Xchange
At Large Len Shapiro, Miami Herald
At Large Vito Stellino, Florida Times Union
At Large Jim Trotter, Sports Illustrated
At Large Charean Williams, Ft. Worth Star Telegram


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Mad Stork Sports Podcast 2-1-12

The Podcast is here so if you missed the live show
on Wednesday night here is your chance to catch what
you may have missed. The discussion was Giants and
Patriots, comparison talk of Super Bowl and all time
quarterbacks, as well as some odd news from around
the globe in the world of sports. Enjoy !



Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Peyton Manning Cleared To Play. Now What?

(AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

It's not my money and it's not my team. Heck I
don't even root for the Colts, but as far as I'm
concerned the answer is pretty easy. Keep Peyton
Manning and either draft Andrew Luck and tell him
to sit back, learn and STFU, or trade the pick for
the giant pirates booty it will probably be worth
to every owner and GM who's drooling over it like
their life depends on it.

Manning is the same guy that took a 5 year $90Mil
extension, when Jim Irsay wanted to give him $100Mil
for the same amount of years. Manning is the reason
the Colts even count as an NFL team. He is one of
the biggest contributing factors as to why the city
of Indianapolis is hosting a such a gigantic event
this week. Peyton Manning has been cleared to play
by the top doctor in the area that has ailed Manning
most, and another Doctor just for good measure.
The Colts went from 10-6 in 2010 with Peyton Manning
to 2-14 in 2011 without him, and the team didn't even
change any major parts.

If money is not the issue, and Irsay says it's not,
the answer is beyond clear. Take into account that
this year there will be a rookie salary cap, so
instead of having to pay Manning his $28Mil bonus,
and a rookie another $18Mil or so, to ride the bench,
the hit will be much less, and you can use that $10Mil
that Peyton didn't want to take from you to see how he
does. If he doesn't work out and you are in love with
Andrew Luck and draft him, he will have spent a full
season learning from one of the best QB's the game has
ever seen, be ready to take over. The would show a
little loyalty, and payback someone who deserves it.
Also keep in mind that you can probably trade the pick,
get a huge return, and still draft a QB just in case
there are any further issues, and yes you can probably
trade into a spot to get RG III, who I would much rather
have anyway.

The Andrew Luck media machine is no different than the
next hot quarterback parade that happens EVERY year.
Looking back in retrospect you might think that these
names are bad examples to use here, but I assure you
that at the time these guys were ready to get drafted,
someone had them up on the board as CANNOT MISS picks.
Akili Smith, Tim Couch, JaMarcus Russell, David Carr,
David Klingler, Joey Harrington, Andre Ware, Rick Mirer,
Heath Shuler, Ryan Leaf, sorry couldn't help myself.
Do any of those names ring a bell? Well I'm afraid
the list will only get longer every year, and I'm sorry
to have to throw this out there but, Tom Brady was a
6th round pick, Joe Montana was 3rd round pick, Roger
Staubach was a 10th round pick and Aaron Rodgers was
picked twenty three spots after Alex Smith.

I can't see how this is an issue, I just can't

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