Who Should Be The New Raw GM?

Ok wrestling fans, I have a question for you. Is anyone else sick of John Laurinaitis? I mean let's be honest, weren't you all kind of sick of him before he got the interim GM position on Raw? He is obnoxious and the sound of his voice makes me want to punch babies. But if he isn't going to be the Raw GM, who should be? I have a few ideas that I think would be fantastic.

Kyle's Candidate #1

WWE.com recently put up an article promoting the idea of bringing back the hardcore championship. Obviously this championship which involves the brutal beatings with weapons at anytime and any place would not exactly fit with the "TV PG" rating that WWE has placed on itself, but everything that is going on in this company since the summer seems to be taking the company back to where it used to be. CM Punk talking about the old days and wanting to bring it back while becoming the new Stone Cold, Miz and Truth doing whatever they want whenever they want, and other "superstars"...let's stop the sugar coating...the other WRESTLERS talking about how things were and bringing back the old ways seems to be all very good signs of things to come. Now who better to bring back the old, more violent, more relevant ways of the company than a man who devoted his life to the hardcore lifestyle? Mick Foley is just the man to bring the attitude back to wrestling and stop with the little kid crap all the time. I would love to see this happen.

Kyle's Candidate #2

There is a man who was forced into retirement far too early due to his dedication to the business. He has been injured so many times and it has gotten to the point where the WWE doctors said he would never be cleared to wrestle again. If you keep up with my blog, or wrestling at all for that matter, you know that I am talking about "The Rated R Superstar" Edge. He had a lot of years left in his tank and I believe has a lot left to offer the company even if he is not able to wrestle anymore. The fact that he was taken out of action after Wrestlemania and has still not been given any on air position is insane. The guy should at least be an announcer. But the more I think about it, he can't do as much as an announcer as he could as the Raw GM. He can still be the Edge we all know and love (or hate) and get his TV time that he still deserves.

Kyle's Candidate #3

Maybe the least likely candidate in real life, The Rock seems like he would be an AWESOME choice for Raw GM. Think about it for a minute. They announced this guy's main event match at Wrestlemania 28 the day after Wrestlemania 27 and have done nothing with him since. Yeah, we all know he is going to be at Survivor Series this year, but then what? What happens after his match there? If they were smart, they would bring him in as the new Raw GM so that this rivalry with Cena can build up more until Mania. You can't have two guys who have been around each other 3 times this year be the main event at the biggest event of the year. Bring Rocky back as GM and have him make Cena's life hell for a while. They go back and forth for a few months and BAM...you got yourself a main event that actually means something. Not to mention, having Rocky back on Raw every week would be an excellent change!

So as you may or may not have realized while reading this, all three of these men are from the "Attitude Era". This is not by mistake. I think the GM should be someone who was around during the good days of wrestling when it was more interesting and more exciting. These guys have all been through the good times and know what it would take to get things back on track and where they need to be. And who knows, maybe if they fixed up Raw, they could turn their attention onto Smackdown and make that show stop sucking as well. Long story short, the answer to the problems in the WWE is to put someone from my generation of wrestling in charge of the show and watch how things get better instantly. I know I am not working for the company but I should be because things would be a lot less stupid if I were. Do what the fans want WWE and stop aiming your entire company at kids that are under 12 years old. We were here first and you don't want to lose the hardcore longtime fans for a bunch of Cena loving twerps. Get it together guys and do whatever it takes to get Johnny Ace off my TV screen.

As always, thanks for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

T.O. Moving In?

10/25/11...This is the day that six-time NFL Pro Bowler Terrell Owens held a work out with the hopes of getting attention from an NFL team.

"I only need one team," Owens said in an interview with NFL Network, "I only need one chance"

Unfortunately for Mr. Owens, not one NFL team seemed to care that he was back on the market. Imagine that...after all the years of being a problem for every team he has ever played for, FINALLY, teams decide to stop paying attention to his antics.

I personally think it is great that he is getting exactly what he deserves after all these years of being an idiotic puppet being controlled by his agent Drew Rosenhaus who is as big of an idiot as his client.

Don't worry people, you may still have a reason to get your popcorn ready. Something that I did not expect to see come out of this work out was actually exactly what happened. While no NFL teams seemed interested enough to even send a scout, the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League seem very interested in adding T.O. to their already very good receiving group.

Interesting? I would say so. The AFL might actually be the perfect place for T.O. even if Rosenhaus disagrees. Rosenhaus told the media that the offer was "absurd" and that "Terrell will of course only be playing in the NFL."

Well Drew, it seems that nobody in the NFL is willing to take a chance on T.O. anymore so you better take your head out of your ass and start thinking about other chances. The pay may not be as good by a long shot, but it is a chance for him to continue playing football. Who knows, maybe a season playing in the AFL (if he can stay healthy and produce) would create enough buzz to get him back into the NFL next season.

Other reasons that the AFL would be a good fit for Owens include the fact that he can actually be himself. He will get far more passes thrown his way and have more chances to score on the smaller field. Not only that, but when he does score he can actually dance and have fun and be his normal jerky self in the end zone. Leaving the "No Fun League" and coming to the "All Fun League" could be the perfect thing for his personality.

It might hurt his enormous ego at first that he is playing in the AFL instead of the NFL, but a lot of players have done that and have had extremely successful AFL careers. Owens' style of play is actually perfect for the indoor game. Once he gets the ball in his hands over and over again and becomes one of the main guys in the league, he will probably get over the fact that it isn't the NFL because once again, he will have fans fawning over him. In the end, that is all he really needs is attention because without it he would wither and die.

So in the end, while I do think T.O. is a huge jackass who tends to bring bad luck to every team he plays for, I do think that he could make a large and immediate impact on the Arena League. Not only statistically, but think of the attention his name would bring to the league. Can you say fan increase? I say for once, ignore Rosenhaus and do something right for you T.O. Don't be a puppet for your entire life and do this thing.

As always, thanks for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

The Ups and Downs of Philadelphia Sports

Where do I begin? Should I start with the good and end with the bad or the other way around. Considering there is a lot more good than bad, maybe it just makes sense to get the crappy stuff out on the table first.

Alright, so we are now four weeks into the NFL season. A season that almost didn't happen and the world rejoiced upon finding out that yes, we will have our football. Some cities celebrated a bit more than others. Philadelphia had the most reason to celebrate due to the fact that simply having Michael Vick in town made everyone around the league want to play here. Jason Babin came home and with him came Ronnie Brown, Dominique Rogers-Cromarti, Steve Smith (NYG), Vince Young and of course, the big man himself, Nnamdi Asomugha. Add all those guys to a team that already has great weapons like Jackson, McCoy, Maclin, Celek, Cole, and more...you are looking at a championship caliber team right there. At least they should be. What a shock that they aren't. Sorry to sound less than surprised, but hey, I grew up in the Philadelphia area...no amount of athletic failure can surprise me anymore. We should be 4-0 not 1-3. You can't lose 4th quarter leads three weeks in a row and not get the fans mad. Let's get down to the complaints shall we?

Vince Young...you caused nothing but problems with the Titans. We know you are a good quarterback, but if you could not start the season saying stupid things like "dream team" and jinxing a good thing, that would be fantastic. I can't put everything on Vince though, he hasn't even played in the regular season yet because he got injured without even being touched in the preseason. We can also blame a list of injuries that gets longer and longer every week, most importantly Vick who seems to get hurt EVERY FREAKING WEEK. Maybe if the team did something about getting a damn offensive line we could keep our 100 million dollar man off the turf and out of harms way. Don't hold your breath though, I have been around for 25 years and have yet to see an offensive line do that in Philadelphia. I guess we can always rely on the old fashioned blame Andy Reid for being a fat idiot who makes bad play calls, challenges stupid things and doesn't challenge things when he should. Overall, he has had this job for too long and I have said it for years, GET HIM OUT OF PHILLY! What do you owe him? He has been here forever and we still don't have a Super Bowl win...we make the playoffs all the time and have made it to the big game once under his command. JUST SAY GOODBYE ALREADY!

Ok, let me take my blood pressure medication and get down to the stuff that doesn't make me crazy. How bout them Phillies? Five NL East championships in a row? Breaking the franchise record with 102 wins in one season? Being flat out the most dominant team in baseball due to both their pitching staff and their offense? Yeah, what else can you say other than thank God for Red October and Phillies playoff baseball. Playing the Cardinals in the first round is no easy task. They may not have made the playoffs until the last day of the regular season, but they are a tough teams with a lot of weapons and they took us out six of nine times this season. Keep in mind that three of those six were after we already clinched home field advantage and had a lot of guys benched. Records mean a lot less when the best team in baseball is sitting on the bench. GO PHILLIES!

Let's go back to football news. Not NFL news, but AFL news. Come on, you guys knew this was coming. The Philadelphia Soul are making a ton of moves this off season. The signing of Doug Plank as head coach was huge. If that wasn't enough, the resigning of Donovan Morgan and Larry Brackins made a lot of Soul fans happy as well. But hold on, there is much more than that. Let's talk about how they brought in former AFL quarterback great and Dallas head coach Clint Dolezel as their new assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. Clint didn't come alone either. He brought the best fullback in the AFL, Derrick Ross, one of the top receivers in the game, Anthony "Tiger" Jones, and some fantastic stability at the quarterback position with Dan Raudabaugh taking snaps. Another big name to come to Philadelphia is WR/KR Jeff Hughley from the Arena Bowl champion Jacksonville Sharks. He is a top receiver in the game and arguably the best returner the AFL has to offer. Granted, much like the Eagles, they need to work on an offensive line to keep Dan protected. Also, not a lot has been mentioned of the defensive side of the ball, but I am sure, the way they are signing players up, that it will be addressed soon. The only major announcement on defense is the return of Tanner Varner. As of now, this team is looking VERY good and I can't wait to get into the season!

In other news, the Flyers start this week. I mean the whole NHL starts this week but who cares about any of the other teams right?

As for the NBA...don't expect to see much action out of those guys, the season isn't looking real good right now.

As always, thanks for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

Blast From The Past: Tony Graziani

There are certain names that will go down in history as some of the best players to ever play in the Arena Football League. One such player is Tony Graziani. He is a man who played the quarterback position masterfully for eight AFL seasons. In his career he threw for 23,606 yards with 494 touchdowns. He was once the highest paid player in the AFL. His arena career ended with a championship in 2008 with the Philadelphia Soul. Since the league returned to action, many AFL fans have wondered where Tony went. I tracked him down and had the chance to talk to him and see how things have been going post football in the life of #7.

Kyle DeRiemer: What have you been up to since leaving the AFL?

Tony Graziani: I have been living in Palm Desert, CA. I opened up a commercial real estate company called TD Desert Properties.

KD: Are you enjoying the new life?

TG: I enjoy my new life, especially raising my three children, Ben – 11, Will – 9 and Ava – 6.

KD: Do you ever miss playing in the AFL?

TG: I miss playing every day. I have been lucky enough to broadcast a couple of games on the NFL Network lately and that has been a good way to get my Arena Football fix!

KD: Have you thought about making a return to the game?

TG: I thought about playing and so I went to play golf to think it over. I was sore the next day and realized that I was in no shape to return.

KD: What would it take for you to come back?

TG: I would need a new knee and the ability to take a hit like Aaron Garcia.

KD: Have you been keeping up with the league since your departure?

TG: Yes, I have many friends who still play so I root for them.

KD: Do you have any thoughts or advice for your former team, the Philadelphia Soul, about their rocky season?

TG: The only thing I would say is that they have one of the best Arena Football minds in Coach Ho running things. All they need to do is listen to him and everything will work out great.

KD: Tell me about your thoughts on Arena Bowl XXII and how it felt to bring back a championship to a city that was starved for one.

TG: It felt great! The progress the organization made in my four years there was tremendous. I came to an organization that had little or no success and turned it into a champion. There is nothing like winning in a city like Philadelphia!

KD: Do you still keep in touch with any of the guys from the championship team?

TG: I do. Guys like Wes Ours, Chris Jackson, Rob Keefe, Mike Mabry, Gabe Nyenheis and play-by-play announcer Ari Wolfe.

KD: As a Philadelphia fan favorite, do you have any words for the Soul fans?

TG: I want to thank them for the unbelievable support and the best four years of my football life. Philly fans are the best in the league and I would love to come back and see them…Maybe I should rethink a return in 2012!

It is safe to say that the Philly faithful would love to see a return. I would like to thank Tony Graziani for taking the time to catch up with me as well as the Arena Football Nation. We hope to be hearing more from him in the near future. As always, thanks for reading...and remember Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

Bad News For Everyone But Arizona

As the Arena Football playoffs draw closer and closer, the two teams that have stood out all season are still reining on top of their respective conferences. The Jacksonville Sharks and the Arizona Rattlers have been dominant forces and don’t show any signs of slowing down.

Friday July 8th 2011 will be remembered as a day that every playoff bound team in the league will remember. Unfortunately for them, they won’t remember it for a good reason.

The Arizona Rattlers, who already have one of the top receiving groups in the league, added All-League receiver Chris Jackson. His return to the league should be an exciting thing, but it may end up only being exciting in the city of Phoenix.

Jackson has 991 catches for 13,229 yards and 318 touchdowns in his nine years in the AFL. He holds the second most touchdowns in AFL history. He won Offensive Player of the Year twice. Add to that his championship with the Soul in 2008, this guy is a monster signing to an already stacked team.

The reason for signing Jackson was so that if the NFL lockout ended and Rod Windsor has to leave the team, there is another man ready to take charge. While it may hurt other teams to see Jackson heading to a team that doesn’t seem to need the help, it made sense for him.

“I feel privileged to come in at a time where this team has already done a phenomenal job thus far in the season. Being a resident of Arizona, I decided I would give it a go and help out wherever needed. It’s a storied franchise and it’s good to be a part of it finally. I like that I have an opportunity to pursue another championship,” Jackson said.

After losing Donovan Morgan to the UFL, I am sure Philadelphia would have loved to see him back in Soul colors, but things didn’t pan out that way. Regardless of what team he will play for, it is good to see him back in the league again. Welcome home Chris.

As always, thanks for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

Something To Remember In Philly

In 2008, Philadelphia was buzzing over their newest franchise. The Soul dominated the regular season, took control of every situation in the playoffs and pulled off the win in Arena Bowl XXII. This...is not 2008.

The Soul have had a very tough time this season and currently have a 5-10 record. In order for the Soul to have a chance at the playoffs, they must win every game till the end of the season. If that is not bad enough, the Pittsburgh Power and Cleveland Gladiators would have to lose every game till the end of the season.

While it may not look very likely this season, there is one thing that the people of Philadelphia need to remember. When the Soul emerged on the AFL scene in 2004, their record was a 5-11 washout. This is not new to Philadelphia as they have seen it before, and we all know what happened after that.

The Soul need to get back on track. It now seems like a trend to start slow for this team. The thing about starting slow is there is a lot of room for improvement. Once this team gets back into the swing of things, they will be bringing in league leading attendance again. That kind of crowd support can only help make a team better.

This is a team that has a ton of potential and will bring it out as the seasons roll on. Don’t be too upset about this slow start. As Philadelphians, we need to live by the quote we have lived by for many years. “There is always next year.”

As always, thanks for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

Thank You Edge

Monday, April 11th 2011 is a day that wrestling fans will remember for years to come. It is a sad day in the WWE Universe. Nobody died, but one of the greatest wrestlers of our time was forced into retirement by injury. Adam Copeland, AKA Edge, came to Monday Night Raw with the sad news and was given a standing ovation and much cheering and chanting for his many accomplishments in the WWE.

Edge has done so many things in this company. His first title with the WWE (then WWF) was in 1999 when he won the Intercontinental Championship. He formed a tag team with best friend William Reso AKA Christian and won the WWF Tag Team Championship 7 times. They became known for Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches. In 2001 the tag team split up.

All together, Edge has held 31 titles. He has been World Champion 11 times. 4 of those were WWE Championships and 7 were World Heavyweight Championships. He held the Intercontinental belt 5 times. He held the US championship just once. His total tag team tally is 14. He and Kurt Angle are the only 2 men who have held every single active male championship in WWE. On top of that, he won the King of the Ring tournament in 2001, the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match in 2005 and the 2010 royal rumble.

All of these accolades make Edge one of the best wrestlers of our time. It is unfortunate that a long lasting spinal injury brought on by a broken neck some years back is ending his career much earlier than it should be. However, when it comes down to it, it is better to see him retire (with his 11th world championship) before he ends up paralyzed or worse dead. Thank you Edge for everything you have done for the wrestling industry and for the wrestling fans worldwide. Just know that even when we hated you, we still loved you. I look forward to seeing you inducted in to the Hall of Fame…hopefully in 2012.

As always, thanks for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

NFL Lockout Good or Bad?

While no warm-blooded American football fan wants to think of a world without the NFL, it seems more likely as the weeks go by that the big wigs at the top of the NFL ladder are doing everything they can to take our favorite sport away from us. What will we do on Sundays now? Spending time with friends and family without bone crunching hits in the background doesn’t seem natural anymore.

This whole thing makes me think back on the NHL lockout in 2004. It was terrible that all the diehard fans had no NHL hockey to watch. Everyone had the same thoughts about that as we do now about the NFL. What will we do? The answer was simple and it was right in front of us: The AHL. All of a sudden a new league sprang into the forefront. Everyone went to those games because that was the biggest game in town. But what if the NFL does end up depriving its fans for the 2011 season? All of the money that the league makes on merchandise, tickets, concessions, etc. will still be in the people’s pockets. What will the football starved of America do with it?

The answer there is as simple as the NHL/AHL situation. People will still want to watch football. People who may have never been to or seen an arena football game will have the AFL on their radar. The view of the AFL could change drastically. No longer would we have to worry about the 2009 “season” happening again. People will come out in droves to watch their sport of choice. And for the people who don’t live in AFL markets, they can watch it on television. The league would have to get a station that would play a lot of their games, something similar to the ESPN deal that used to be in place. It may cost a little extra money, but if the AFL is the only game in town, there is a good chance that the money would be made back very quickly with merchandise and tickets. Not to mention the fact that now an entire nation of football fans will open their eyes to a new league…one that they may have never even thought of much. This could be a chance to show the world what we already know. The AFL is one of the most exciting, fast paced and enjoyable sports around.

So while I love the NFL as much as everyone else, it is just hard to look past the enormous potential that a lockout could open up for our league. Players from the NFL that still want to play could come and bring even more buzz to the AFL. There are just too many good things that could come out of this to make it completely bad. So…what do you think AFL Nation?

As always, thanks for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

Arena Football Nation

To the "many" readers I have out there, I just want to explain why my blog has been a little slow lately. I have been writing for www.arenafootball.com about the Eastern Division. If you are a fan of what I write, please follow me on there. I regularly post my articles up on facebook and twitter after they are posted by the league. I hope that you all enjoy them. In the meantime, I will try to keep up with this blog as much as I can. It will be tough to do regularly because I have deadlines now and I don't just write about stuff that pisses me off. However, surely there will be things in the sports world that make me want to punch a child...and when those things happen and I have time to bitch about them...you know you will be hearing from me on here again. Thanks for all of your support and please do follow me on the AFL website.

As always, thanks for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

Rex Ryan.....SHUT UP PLEASE

Listen Rex,

This is a plea from everyone in the NFL and all of the fans who have to hear your stupidity over and over again. Please stop guaranteeing that you will win the Super Bowl. It is getting to the point where I don't know which is more obnoxious.

"I guarantee we will win the Super Bowl next year" -Rex Ryan-

OR

"I am going to retire from football so I can send pictures of my junk and sell jeans" -Brett Favre-

Both of them are driving me crazy, and while we might have finally heard the last of the "I am going to retire" crap from Grandpa Brett, a new era of stupidity seems to have started and I am wondering how long it will take for him to realize he is making promises he can't keep and finally stop putting his foot in his mouth. I mean, I know that's what he is into and all, but seriously dude....keep the foot to mouth ratio down.

Point being, you saying you will win the Super Bowl every year is like T.O. saying he will be playing for a team longer than one season before everyone gets tired of him and kicks him to the curb (that means it isn't going to happen). SO PLEASE SHUT UP REX!!!!

As always, thanks for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

FINALLY......The Blog Covers Wrestling

Alright alright, I know what you are going to say. "Professional wrestling isn't a sport, why are you talking about it on this blog?" Well, the answer is simple, and it is a two part answer.

1) Like it or not, professional wrestling is one of the top watched "sports" in the world. It doesn't matter if it is scripted and planned out, the guys who put on that show are some of the toughest athletes out there.

2) It's my blog and I like wrestling.

That being said, lets talk about the last few weeks of awesome that we have witnessed. Three weeks ago, a momentous return to the ring occurred. After seven long years of making movies, (only some of which were not terrible), The Rock returned to Monday Night Raw announcing that he will be the guest host of Wrestlemania. In the process of doing so, he put Michael Cole and John Cena in their place and it looks like Cena has a freight train coming his way soon. This comeback put on by The Rock was received by a very loud standing ovation from the fans, which goes to show you that WWE fans are loyal. Where else can a former champion and all around bad ass leave the ring and make a movie like "The Tooth Fairy" and still be received as a God among men when he comes back? Exactly....even Hollywood was too embarrassed to be happy for him after that movie.

Another extremely exciting bit of comeback news has to do with the mysterious 2-21-11 commercials that were being aired during Raw and Smackdown week after week. They weren't really all that mysterious because they showed bits and pieces of the person they were advertising and any wrestling fan knows this person just by looking at his hat.

So the lights go down, the commercial starts to play in the arena and then it is pitch black. By now everyone knows what is coming. A little lightning and pyro and then the man we have all been waiting for. The Deadman is back. For those of you who are not sure who I am talking about, the Deadman is the Undertaker.

You can always tell when it is Wrestlemania season because Taker shows up a month before, gets people hyped up about his match that he no doubt will win and keep his undefeated Mania streak alive, then sticks around for maybe another month or two and then disappears back into the night as quickly as he came. While it is cool to see him make his comeback, it loses something when it is year after year. I have been an Undertaker fan since I was a kid...even stuck with him through his stupid "American Bad Ass" gimmick. I don't want to only see him a couple of months a year. Come back and stay back please.

Anyway, back to what I was saying. The Deadman is back and he is standing in the middle of the ring. He starts to reach for his hat which is his signature (he will take the hat off and roll his eyes into the back of his head). As he grabs the brim of his hat, another entrance song starts to play. Shocking....looks like someone is trying to have a Wrestlemania moment with Taker. But, this isn't just any entrance music. It is yet another long awaited return.

The lights go down and all you hear is "Time To Play The Game" and the place FREAKS out because obviously, Triple H is back from injury. Well...injury and making a stupid looking movie, but more so the injury. Triple H gets in the ring and stares the Undertaker down. He then looks up at the Wrestlemania sign which makes Taker do the same. Taker looks at Triple H and laughs then walks away. As he is about to get out of the ring he turns around, walks right up to the Game's face and does the good old Undertaker Throat Cut with his thumb to which Triple H counters with a very big suck it motion. With that, the men left the ring and we have a Wrestlemania match set without any words being said.

I can only imagine how cool it must be to have an entire arena go nuts for you and you don't even have to say a word. Those are the big things happening in the wrestling world right now. There are a few other matches that are happening but that is for another day. Today, we just talk about the return of the greats. The return of some of the attitude era's best stars. Wrestlemania looks to be one hell of a show this year, don't you think?.................."IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK"....I am sorry, I am just a little bit excited about The Rock.

As always, thanks for reading....and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

Better To Be Pissed Off Than A Pist-on

There isn't much to say about the Detroit Pistons lately other than "wow".

Clearly, after two years with coach John Kuester, this team is going nowhere and it is obvious to everyone in the league as well as us normal folk looking in. As if the last two seasons have not made your organization look stupid enough as it is, now all the veterans on the squad decide to boycott the coach, basically sending an extended middle finger to not only him, but the entire organization as well as the fans that still support their losing team night in and night out. Any team that has to play a game against ANY team in the league with 6 players is going to have trouble winning. It doesn't matter if it is the Celtics or the Cavs, you won't win a game like that.

The team came into Philly to play the Sixers last week with 5 starters and 1 bench player against an up and coming team that is starting to look like a dangerous group. This is one of the dumbest ideas I have heard in a very long time. all but 6 players on the team didn't show up to shoot around in the morning of the game (all for their own reasons...which really means in protest) and so they were benched for the game.

Now, I personally am all about sticking it to the man and making a statement. However as funny as it seems from the outside looking in, and as happy as I was to see the Sixers win that game, There are some things to point out.

As I already said, you sent a message of "screw you" not only to the coach but everyone in the organization that works hard to keep this terrible team running as well as the few remaining fans that stick by you guys. On top of that, Sixers fans who were expecting to see Tracy McGrady, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey and Ben Wallace come into town were greeted by Charlie Villanueva and his ugly mug. Your selfish act is now affecting 2 fan bases and anyone else watching on TV that wanted to see some of Detroit's bigger names.

Guys, basically your season is in the dumps already. So instead of being all whiny and controversial and making all of you look stupid, why don't you just sit back with your enormous pay checks that you will be receiving no matter how bad your record is and enjoy your court side seats to every game. You make yourselves look bad, you make your team look bad, you make your city look bad. At the end of the season, get on your hands and knees and beg the GM to fire Kuester and start all over. Don't cause a scene in front of the world. If you don't want to do your job and get all that money, then by all means, pass it over to me. But if you want your money, MAN UP!

As always, thanks for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

THE MELO-DRAMA IS OVER

Thank GOD we don't have to hear anymore about "Where is Carmelo Anthony going to go? Will he be a Nugget all season? Why did the Nets trade fall through?"

The better question is, who cares?

We know that Carmelo is a star in the league. He is a great player and any team that lands him is instantly going to be better. But we don't have to hear about the situation all year. Now he is in New York with the Knicks. The combination of Anthony and Billups has been a good duo for a while now, but throw Amar'e Stoudemire into the mix and one would think a dangerous team this would make. Well, offensively yes, they are dangerous. Problem is there is no defense in New York....at all. They gave away the only person who played defense to get Melo there.

Even so, their offense does put them above a lot of teams in the league. Sixers fans can only hope that the lack of defense makes them fall in the standings, but we shall see. The only thing that is for sure is that Melo has found a new home and we don't have to hear about him anymore. Thank GOD!

As always, thanks for reading....and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

We Hate You Too Jayson....

I for one WAS a huge Jayson Werth fan when he was in Philly. When he got here, I feel like I was the only person in Philly who actually liked him. People would ask me "Why do you like that guy" and my response was one simple word: Clutch. Now I have a few choice words instead of Clutch and none of them are nice and/or complimentary.

Why is that? I was one of the few people who was still willing to root for him even in a division rival's uniform. I may not like the Nats and I may not root for them, however one player on the team was in my good graces. What could have happened? I was sad to see him leave here, but excited for him to get such a gross overpaying contract. Good for him right?

Yeah, until he is quoted saying he hates the Phillies.

Really dude? Your idiot GM says "I hate the (expletive) Phillies)" and you agree with him? You don't have to argue with your new boss, but you could at least keep your mouth shut in silent protest you jerk! Your career was in the toilet when we got you. Who else in baseball was going to give you a chance after that injury? Oh that's right...NOBODY. Not only did we give you a spot on the team, you worked your way up to starter AND got a huge fan following. Without the Phillies, it is safe to say you would be a nobody right now.

It's sad because come May 3rd when you come back to Philly, you were set to have one of the biggest and loudest standing ovations in history when you stepped up to the plate for the first time. Instead, you will be lucky if you don't get beamed by a dollar dog. Why a dollar dog? Because I am not wasting any more money on you and I doubt anyone else would either. You might have just joined the ranks of T.O. in Philadelphia sports. I can't wait to see you booed out of the building while your terrible team walks to their bus with their tails between their legs.

Congratulations, you went from Philadelphia hero to biggest heal of 2011. So I am actually glad you hate us...because trust me, We hate you too Jayson!

As always, thanks for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.

New Era With Some Old Faces

In Philadelphia, football is not just a game.  People eat, sleep and breathe their Eagles.  But what happens when the Eagles lose in the playoffs yet again?  A serious wave of depression hits the city.  While the Sixers are getting better, the Flyers are continuing to be dominant and the Phillies are starting their spring training, there is still no football to get excited for. 

There was a time not long ago that football fans could rest easy knowing that there would be football again soon.  Not your every day football, but the arena variety.  Fans came out in masses, just excited to see the gridiron…even if it was half the size.  And in return for the fan’s support, the Philadelphia Soul brought home a championship in 2008.  After that exciting day, the league vanished.  When it returned, it returned missing its Soul. 

Cheer up Philadelphia; you have more football to look forward to.  The team that never actually lost their championship is back and ready to keep you on the edge of your seats all over again. 

While most of the team and coaching staff are comprised of new faces, there are some old faces making a triumphant return to the city that once embraced them.  The Soul recently resigned fan favorites WR/DB Mike Brown and WR Larry Brackins as well as hiring former lineman Phil Bogle as lines coach.  These three names bring a smile to the face of any Soul fan.  They were here to bring the championship to the city in 2008 and they plan to do it all over again in 2011 as they attempt to reclaim the trophy that they never had the chance to lose.

The season starts on March 11^th in Pittsburgh against the new franchise, the Pittsburgh Power.  You can hold your heads high again Philadelphia.  Football season is just about to get started...and these guys have actually won a championship recently...just sayin'

As Always, thank you for reading...and remember

Those who can't play must judge like a pro.