Stat you need to know...courtesy of The Nielsen Company...
"CONSUMER TRENDS: There’s a softer side to football fans. People identifying themselves as avid NFL fans outpaced total U.S. spending in skin care by 74% from 2005 to 2007."Hey, if having skin like a baby's ass is wrong, I don't wanna be right.
Well, now that I got that rant off my chest (see below), there's...like...some...stuff going on...in the world of sports...and it's all really...uh...important.
Yeah, it's been a rough news week. How many more months 'til the season starts?
Still, I found a few bites for you. Check 'em out if you dare...
Friday, June 1, 2007 edition.
Check 'em out home slice!
As a general rule to live by, I think this is some pretty good advice. But I would also apply the same words to athletes.
I've been reading a lot lately about guys like Daisuke Matsuzaka and Adrian Peterson, who either have an unorthodox style (Dice-K, Guilty) or just one that could conceivably lead them to injuries (both, but more so AD, you know, All Day Peterson). And from what I can tell, there are mixed feelings on whether to correct a guy's bad tendencies or to leave him be.
My feeling is - Look, these guys are athletes and have been their entire lives. You can tinker with their styles, but if the guy himself doesn't want to change how he plays, he won't. It's up to them, by their own volition to consciously guide their development. So what if they don't want to? Well, who cares. Who's to say if Dice-K didn't throw 120 pitches a night consistently, or if Adrian Peterson didn't pound the ball right at defenders, they wouldn't be total duds. Of course, either way I think they'd be perennial all star/all pros but that's besides the point.
If a guy does something a certain way, and is as dominating as these two guys, let him do it. Maybe offer some council otherwise, but don't try and force anything on them, as some teams/managers/coaches/executives often want to do.
Just my two cents...any opinions?
With all the draft analysis, and the lack of free time to blog recently, I've been neglecting some key pieces of Steeler news. This is my attempt to catch up (bear with me, it might be short).
First order of business - the Steelers have a new mascot, and he needs a name. I don't even know where to begin with this guy. A lot of people have been saying that he bears a striking resemblance to our recently departed coach, affectionately referred to as "The Chin". And this guy sure has a mountain of a chin, but somehow I don't think naming him Bill Cowher will quite do. Anyone have any ideas? I keep drawing a blank. It's probably going to end up being something stupid that rhymmes anyway (Ten Bucks says it's like "Steel Mill Will").
But I digress. Next, despite some less than impressive play last year (but plenty of Chunky Chilli commercial appearances), Max Starks got a one year contract extension worth 1.85 million last Friday. Chances are (as the article indicates), this was a move designed to force any team who might want to trade for him (Arizona Poaching Cardinals, ahem ahem) to give up their first round pick to get him. Nonetheless, it gives Starks one more year to either put up or shut up. He's got all the tools, but like Plaxico Burress, we're just waiting for him to use them. If not, after the season, sayonara Maxwell (though deep down I want to see him kick ass and re-up the contract next season).
Last but not least on my hit parade - we are now (not that we ever ceded this title) once again "Linebacker Paradise." The Steelers staff showed their love for the position by drafting two of the top prospects in the first two rounds of this past weekend's draft. Those individuals being Lawrence Timmons and Lamar Woodley (see this entry for more). Who will assume the role of Joey Porter incarnate? After watching the Post-Gazette's video of Timmons' first Steeler press conference, it seems like the media wants him to be the guy (but with a little more tact of course). He's a soft spoken guy, but was probed about being a leader on defense. Seemed like their was a lack of confidence in him saying what needed to be said. As for Woodley, from what I'm getting, it sounds like he might be the heir apparent to Peezy's swagger. Can't fault a guy who "hates to lose," though I'm curious to know what this so-called "attitude" he has looks like...
There you have it, certainly wasn't short. What can I say, I'm a long winded type of guy...
