Marketer, Coach, Friend, Leader, Veteran, Father, Grandfather, Husband, Son, WINNER.....Sounds like he won at....LIFE

ESPN.com Article Link

Coach Mike Krzyzewski does not lose very often. He's a perfectionist, he believes that hard work and effort pay off. He's been so many things to so many different ppl it's hard to even name them all. I'm not joking either. Being a North Carolina fan your programmed to LOVE EVERYTHING TAR HEEL and DESPISE ANYTHING blue devil, DUKE or Coach K. There are thousands and thousands of fans who hate it when he wins and love seeing him lose but there's is one thing Duke fans and even UNC fans have in common....they RESPECT him.


When Coach K speaks, people listen. Just ask American Express is believe coach has an impact across the nation and what is that impact worth if you were to get his help pitching something???  Well, it's been reported that he makes over $100 thousand dollars when he speaks at conferences, camps, etc. Pretty good for a couple hours of work huh? I don't know what kinda money he's getting from the all too famous American Express television spot but I think it's pretty safe to assume that it's more then 75% of our population makes in a year and def more then I make in a year!


Coach K has an inherant recruiting advantage in my opinion with his increased exposure to the average citizen just because of his relationship with american express and when you combine that with his role as head coach of the USA olympic basketball team it's just something that other coaches across the country will never attain.  Sure college coaches often have sponsorships, many with local businesses and most with the companies that are also dealing with the university which is mandated in their contract. American Express is a national brand with a far greater reach, and much deeper pockets then the local Honda dealership which sponsors the post game highlights or something.


Before he begins focusing on his preparations for the Duke college basketball season he is back on the bench leading USA basketball to the olympics and hopefully another US Gold medal just like he did the last time around. In 2008 the team was lead by Lebron and Kobe who dominated nearly every minute of the tournament going 8-0 overall with 5-0 in the prelims and 3-0 to take home the gold, bring it back to the good ol US of A where it belongs!

It's A Wrap folks

After seemingly being one of the last teams to get all their draftees signed year after year the Patriots have completed all of the contracts for players drafted with 1 day to spare before the start of training camp. This time around the New England Patriots were the 15th team out of 32 to finish.


NFL.com Article Link

One thing the Patriots always seem to have plenty of is offense, yet that is where Bill Belicheck seems to lean with many of his picks the last few years, especially in the early rounds. It's been a rotating door in the secondary even with the Patriots spending pick after pick on possible quality DB's.  They seem to have gotten a stud with Patrick Chung who really came into his own last year and will be looked to even more while they try and get Mr. Brady a couple more rings before he walks away into the sunset a VERY VERY VERY ACCOMPLISHED AND HOPEFULLY GRATEFUL MAN.



This years draft class for New England could be one of the most important ones they have had in years and it also could be one of the biggest difference makers in whether the Patriots are able to get back to the Superbowl. They selected 2 defensive guys in the first round and between Dont'a Hightower and Chandler Jones who are both versatile athletic players. The Patriots had to move up BOTH times in the first round to make sure they secured the players they wanted but it worked out perfectly as far as Bill is concerned. All those screams about defensive wins championships and offense fills the seats probably didn't concern the coach much but after watching the Giants men in the box dominate with a strong edge rush you have to wonder if he finally saw the light.

Well, I don't know about you but I'm excited to see this revamped Patriots defense that seemingly got younger, faster, stronger against the run and pass to go with that offense that puts up points in bunches. I just hope this whole Welker deal or should I call it a non-deal doesn't start to wear on the guy because if anyone deserved a long-term deal for their loyalty and production....IT'S WES WELKER.

I THINK THIS QUALIFIES.....HE'S ON FIRE!!!

ESPN.COM HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT

Remember in the old NBA Jam we all used to play on Sega? After your player hit 3 consecutive shots without the opposing team scoring he's now "ON FIRE" and can't miss a shot basically. Well, it looks like Cody Ross has a little bit of INFUEGO himself. After hitting his THIRD THREE RUN HOME RUN TONIGHT I'D SAY HE'S A DAMN BURNING INFERNO AT THIS POINT! Tonight's 3 run dinger kept the Sox domination of the White Sox going even with the Red Sox being held scoreless by a rookie pitcher named Jose Quintana through the first 8. I don't know if those boys from Chi town are aware....MLB actually plays 9 inning games!

How bad do you have to play to get traded 1 year into a 7yr/$142 million dollar contract?

Watching Carl Crawford come into MLB as a potential game changing star on a team full of potential but competing in one of if not THE toughest division in all of baseball, the AL East. The division features the Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays, Rays, and the sad Orioles. Being a Sox fan has been pretty easy the last decade, pretty much since they won that first world series in 86 years. For some reason there has always been this little gnat that just would't go away, at first it was just an annoyance but it eventually got much worse. 


That gnat was the Tampa Bay "DEVIL RAYS". Armed with a Hideous name, uniform, and the fair weather fans to match they always seemed to be picking 1st in the draft(since they had the worst record for like 128 years straight) They had some pretty damn good picks back in the day but now their scouting department and GM have done even better developing a farm system that constantly feeds great young stars into the pros and gets the most out of them possible before they reach that point where earnings outweigh statistics.....at least as far as a team with a budget like the Rays are concerned.


Do you know who was the most annoying, frustrating, obnoxious gnat of all??? CARL CRAWFORD. END OF STORY. FLIP THE PAGE. THERE IS NO ONE ELSE WHO EVEN COMES CLOSE. NOT EVEN SOMEONE IN THE SAME ZIP CODE, AREA CODE, STATE, REGION, COUNTRY, PLANET, i'll give you Universe....maybe universe.


While it may have taken time for Crawford to develop into the 5 tool gold glove centerfielder that he was in the last few years with the Rays, even from the beginning you could see this was a guy that was just blessed with such athletic ability that it looked way too easy for him. I remember a game I was at Fenway when the Sox and Rays had a day game and I was in the right field bleachers just a few rows up from the wall. 


 Crawford was shading way over towards the right field side and JD Drew sliced this line drive that right off the bat you could tell it was going to be right in that deep part of the park by the time it was done curving. Crawford covered so much ground I looked away just to say something to a friend and expected to see a man on second and literally didn't believe the guy next to me when he said that he caught it. The way he can move in space is just amazing and then when you combine that with his arm....it's really something to see. But so far, we haven't seen much of anything out of him in Boston.


These trade scenario's don't sound terrible but I still say let's give Crawford some more time to get healthy since he's been hurt over half the time he's been here, he's adjusting to a completely different type of city, fans that know what being real fans means and remember he's always played in the AL East, he WILL get back to playing good baseball, let's not get pennies on the dollar...


ESPN.com article link

Only a man who will make well over $100 million in his short playing career could actually be jealous that its someone else's turn to shine

ESPN.COM ARTICLE LINK
Just yesterday I had mentioned Carmelo Anthony's backhanded slap at teammate of last year and unsigned free agent Jeremy Lin. It was a not too subtle remark about the "ridiculous" deal that Lin was offered saying that he doesn't make the decisions about whether to match offers or not, it's the teams decision.


Well, by today Mr. Melo has had a change of heart, or shall we say change of words, emphasizing that he would LOVE to see him back.....and he even threw in an "HONESTLY" at the end. OK, so we should believe that today your telling how you really feel and it's not because your public relations buddy gave you a jingle and informed you that the Lin kid is pretty popular, and not just in NY either, he's like Elvis popular as of now. 


Let me get this straight though, you make over $20,000,000 this coming season, over $22 million next and then a player option for nearly $24.5 million correct? Jeremy Lin got cut from two different teams before the season even started last year, worked his ass off just to make a roster, got a break when there was an injury and basically gave the Knicks something to play for last year by winning those 7 STRAIGHT games and giving knicks fans something to talk about again...well, other then you scoring 30 a night but taking 30 shots to get it.


Can you imagine what would have happened if while Melo was negotiating his contract that one of his teammates came out and in an interview actually said that he's being offered a ridiculous amount of money more then what he's worth and the team is obviously not making a good decision if they signed him for that? Because that is literally what his statements meant about the Lin deal being offered. How could you mean anything different? 


If the Knicks agreed and signed him to that "ridiculous" offer then your going to all of a sudden say ya, i'd love to have him back? Well, then you would have said something like..." I'm not the owner and I don't make decisions about players but if it was up to me, I think he's worth whatever he gets and he's worth every penny of it. He's a great teammate, player and I can't wait to get back to work with him so we can be better this next year as a team"

I'm not sure what was more Lincredible

Jeremy Lin is not what most would call a "prototypical" NBA Basketball player. Hell, I don't 


think anyone can honestly say that if they saw him walk into a gym with the rest of his 


team someone would whisper to their friend, "Hey look at that Asian guy, I bet he's real 


good!"  


From everything I've heard reported, it's been a long process to get where he's at today, 


and not just in contract offers.  He didn't go to some powerhouse high school, didn't end 


up with highlights on ESPN as a teenager and doesn't have his name on any State's MR. 


Basketball trophy or McDonald's All American teams. A little known fact though is that Lin 


did lead his high school team in California to the state championship, sounds like he 


shouldn't have exactly been unnoticed. When he went on to the next level/ next stage in 


his life it was for a college degree just like most students.  It was not which basketball team 


is going to prepare me best in a year for the NBA and I'll take some classes  but just get 


me into the easiest ones possible cause I have a lot of my game to work on.


ESPN.com Article Link "Knicks let Rockets land Jeremy Lin"- ESPN.com Title


Jeremy Lin attended HARVARD UNIVERSITY. Yeah, and not one of those cheap knock-off schools that borrow the name or some offshoot affiliated liberal arts program, NO, this guy was accepted, went, and graduated from one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the country and even world. He entered Harvard after graduating high school with a 4.2 GPA and choose to major in economics which is one of the most demanding degrees to attain at that demanding school. Oh, and don't forget, and ALL that free time he had to do whatever college kids do while doing really really well in school, Lin fit in running a Harvard basketball team from the most complicated position on the floor, point guard.


In his short NBA career so far he's already been cut by 2 teams last year alone...and one of them is actually the team THAT JUST SIGNED HIM FOR $25 MILLION OVER 3 YEARS!!! The Houston Rockets were apparently so impressed with his sudden improvement(ya, it must have happen in just those few weeks) that they signed an offer sheet that the Knicks decided they wouldn't match.


Well, I wish Jeremy Lin good luck in Houston. The Knicks blew it when they decided to go and sign Raymond Felton after Jason Kidd came to the team to mentor young Jeremy Lin. It was a clear shock and backhanded message to Lin and obviously they didn't want him THAT much or they clearly could have done much better in the keeping their own players, his former teammates, to not mock and insult the contract offer that he got from another team, thank you so much melo. The team is now TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY YOURS TO SHOOT AND NOT DEFEND YOUR WAY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE....maybe they can scrape by and be just good enough to sneak in the playoffs again though, that IS what YOU WANTED out of OVERPAYING for PART-TIME Amare and Melo("Nah, coach I can keep shooting, my arm doesn't hurt yet") RIGHT???

The man they called Yooooooooouk makes his re

ESPN.com article link

He was loved from the first double off the wall, the first ground ball that he ran hard and beat the throw to first, first 15 pitch walk he took, and most of all, first world series he brought home to Fenway Park. Before this year we had almost NEVER seen Kevin Youkilis struggle. The biggest struggle we saw was probably to remember that not everyone is programmed like him, to go all out, all the time....I think we all know a great example in Manny Ramirez.


 Imagine if we could take all the instincts and talent for hitting from Manny and combine it with the heart and dedication from Youk? He was a great unheralded find for our scouts, and Kevin worked hard enough to get every ounce of production out of his talent+ability, no one will ever say Kevin Youkilis dogged it. Well, at least not until 2012 when we saw someone we had never seen before, lost at the plate, making the same mistakes without adjusting and not even doing the little things to help the team win like had always been his trademark.


Now with the White Sox he's back to his old self playing hard, laughing, and guess what? He HITTING. A LOT. Since being traded he has batting average well over .300 and has started every single game.


Alright Kevin, I have to admit I hated seeing you go, but you didn't give anyone much choice huh? Thank you for everything though, you'll always be a RED SOX player to me.

Star NFL Running Backs to stay put for their prime years

ESPN has reported both Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens and Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears have reached deals with their respective teams and avoided playing out the season with the dreaded franchise tag.  With the high turnover rate at running back due to injury and the belief by some that the system has as much to do with success as the actual runner cough cough (Mike Shannahan), it's refreshing to see two teams and two players be able to come together and get a deal done. I think it's better for everyone involved typically and especially in the above noted situations.


Ray Rice signed for around 5 years and $40 million but it was not reported how much in guaranteed money while Matt Forte agreed to a 4 year deal that will pay around $32 million with over half guaranteed at over $18 million. In the NFL where contracts are not fully guaranteed as in other top paying sports like baseball and basketball, the guaranteed money such as the signing bonus is much more important obviously. The teams and player agents use whatever loop holes exist in the guidelines for salary caps and other salary considerations to get as much talent on the field as they can afford while using bloated back-end money and bonus possibilities to get the deal done.




ESPN.com Ray Rice Story Link
ESPN.com Matt Forte Story LInk

now THIS sounds like utter LINSANITY!!!

ESPN.com Article Link


A source has told ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley that the third year of the Rockets' offer -- worth $14.8 million -- makes it unlikely the Knicks would match. With the signing of the more veteran point guard Raymond Felton just a few days ago the whispers began about the Knicks possibly changing directions.Personally I'm confused. Just a week ago Mark Stein, another ESPN reporter, quoted a Knicks source close to the situation as saying they will match any offer on Lin up to $1 BILLION. Math was one of my best subjects in school, I had taken pride in that, until now. Now my world has shifted with the bounce of a ball in the blink of an eye.....


So, if Jeremy Lin has gotten an offer for 3 years and a total of $25 MILLION how exactly is that not matched instantly based on their previous statements? I mean really, let's think about it. Seemingly, they can afford to bring Lin back, give Isiah Thomas a call and put him in charge of looking into any complaints of sexual harrassment or something along those lines. If ANYONE knows SEXUAL HARASSMENT, it's THAT MAN! The Knicks also probably should put together some sort of SHSP somewhat like when parents are allowed to set aside money for their kids college tax free. With a initial deposit of say $600,000,000 into the Sexual Harassment Savings Plan, they could really save a nice chunk on their future law suits with Thomas being allowed to speak to women directly. 


Based on my calculations of Lin's $25 million, the new SHSP, and Isiah Thomas' annual salary of 1 lawsuit covered up, that should leave the New York Knicks about $275 million left to overpay in free agency. It's going to be tough, I know we all probably couldn't do it, but I really think that Knicks infamously ignorant in all things basketball related, can surely get himself a losing season while putting together another amazing awful team, even with $275 in his pocket.


Business Insider.com article link from back before good ol JD fired Mike D


OK, in all seriousness, obviously i'm kidding. Well, not about Isiah Thomas really, or Dolan being a historical screw-up since his nice decision business wise that got him that nice chunk of money to waste on each bad decision he makes. 


I really am not that surprised to be honest in regards to all this possibly not signing him talk. Last year turned into a circus that rejuvenated the Knicks and their fans while simultaneously embarrassing their high paid, defensive liability, Carmelo "I never saw a time all game when I wasn't open to shot, so I did" Anthony. Everything he couldn't do was exactly what Jeremy Lin brought to the table. Great attitude, an obvious hard work ethic, passion for the game, leading by EXAMPLE, making team mates better, and even dominating a game without having a big scoring night. Guess what? That equaled a lot of straight wins. With Lin. Without Anthony. Maybe they need to re-think this whole decline the offer idea.....If Melo was quoted correctly he already had this to offer: 


When asked on Sunday if he thought Lin would be back with the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony was unsure but took a swipe at the Rockets' contract offer to the point guard."It's not up to me. It's up to the organization to say that they want to match that ridiculous contract," he told the paper. 


And this is a TEAMMATE? Let me tell you what Melo. How would you like it if after the Knicks made you their pitch and contract offer, a few teammates said of course they want you back in the same sentence as letting the world know that obviously your not worth that much money though?
GREAT TEAMMATE IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE MELO. DICK. 


AND I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO GET INTO THE ENDORSEMENT DOLLARS THAT JEREMY LIN WILL CREATE FOR HIS TEAM. GUYS DON'T TELL DOLAN BUT CHINA IS HUGEEEEE, THEY HAVE A LOT OF CITIZENS THAT LOVE LOVE LOVE SEEING LIN SUCCEED AND THEY ARE WILLING TO SHELL OUT TONS AND TONS AND TONS OF MONEY ON MERCHANDISE....PROBABLY MORE THE $25 MILLION IN 3 YEARS, YOU DO THE MATH MR. D


Just because you can profit AND DO WELL  in business doesn't mean you can profit and do well in EVERY BUSINESS.