End of the road for Owens

It looks as if the most polarizing career in the history of the NFL is finally coming to a close. Sadly the man that was all about "me" is finally getting his wish he retires alone, broke and without fanfare. There is no doubt in my mind that Owens can still play but at 38 who needs the hassle. It's a sad ending to a career that we should be celebrating, or course he already did that for us.

Terrell Owens was released by the Indoor Football League’s Allen Wranglers for missing a visit to a children’s hospital.

“The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back for Mr. Owens was his no-show to a scheduled appearance at a local children’s hospital with other Wrangler players and coaches,” team President Tommy Benizio said. “It’s not the desire of the Allen Wranglers’ organization to disappoint fans by having our most notable player miss a scheduled appearance.”

The 38-year-old Owens ranks second to Jerry Rice in National Football League history with 15,934 yards receiving. He’s tied with Randy Moss behind Rice for the second-most touchdown catches with 153 and has 1,078 career NFL receptions, sixth on the career list.
Owens didn’t play in the NFL last season after having knee surgery in April 2011. He received a contract worth between $250,000 and $500,000 to play with the Allen, Texas-based Wranglers.
“It’s impossible to maintain a player when even our fans notice and comment on a player’s lack of effort both on and off the field,” said team owner Jon Frankel.
Owens, a five-time NFL All Pro, will no longer participate as a team owner, the Wranglers said.
Owens spent eight NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, three with the Dallas Cowboys, two with the Philadelphia Eagles and one each with the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.

Source: Business Weekly 

Why we don't appreciate the Spurs

American Idol  21.5 million viewers.
Mad Men season premiere 3.5 million viewers
Jersey Shore ratings 6.6 million viewers
Breaking bad 2.9 million viewers.

We enjoy simple narratives.(which explains Skip Bayless) Most of life is complex, your boss sucks , your wife won't put out, your husband is lazy, kids are rebellious. As culture we put pressure on ourselves to achieve, when we get home we want an escape, to be entertained, we certainly don't want to think.  Watching TV is perhaps the most passive action one can participate in,turn on the boob tube and shut out the world. We’ve shut the Spurs out.

On the surface the Spurs should be the toast of the league, four rings, their own big three, for god sake Tony Parker was married to Eva Longoria. What’s that you say? They are boring? Aren’t the Patriots boring? When’s the last time one of the Patriots gave an entertaining and engaging answer to a question? Is there a difference between Popovich and  Belichick,Brady and Duncan?

 Basketball and football are team sports but we've always winked at the notion that basketball is a team sport, only in basketball do we talk of stars and supporting casts or as Shaq calls them “others”. When we talk about the history of football we talk about great franchises first, then we get to the players, we when talk basketball when talk top ten players. Basketball is a sport that rewards individual creative expression, in football it's punished. We love Magic’s smile, Bird’s craftiness and Jordan's improvisation.

We love stars. 

Why do we love them? Because they provide drama, we develop an emotional connection to them and then we live vicariously through their every up and down. The Spurs don't give us anything, each man carries the party line with the discipline of a political operative. The result is a team that everyone knows is good but no one cares about. They are an indy film, critics love them but we want to see the Avengers. 

In the end too appreciate the Spurs you have to appreciate subtlety, nuance and substance, admittedly that's not something our populace is very good at. 

Mad Men/Game of Thrones review

Sundays has been my favorite night of television for sometime with last night possibly being my favorite night of TV ever. These two incredibly complex shows couldn't be more different on the surface. Mad Men follows the exploits of a 60's ad agency while Game of Thrones explores the mythical kingdom of Westoros. As one delves deeper the shows are about the same thing, power. More specifically how women deal with their lack thereof.

Last night's Mad Men revolved around Joan's indecent proposal. A rather doughy Jaguar exec offers to vote the agency's way in exchange for a night with Joan. With all things Mad Men the show takes a simple concept and places it under a microscope. The men of the firm are more than willing to serve as Joan's pimps(and compensate her handsomely for it). All except Don(of all people) who attempts to ride in on his White horse and save her.

Meanwhile Peggy fed up with Don, decides to leave the agency. Two women in two different roles work with the hands that life has dealt them and come to two very different decisions and outcomes. For Joan her greatest asset is her sexuality, she uses it and ultimately gains a stake in the agency. Peggy's strength obviously is her brain and she uses it to get more money and a better job.

On the Game of Thrones front the much ballyhooed battle of Blackwater takes place. There's an interesting dichotomy within with Game of Thrones fan base, it's divided into two camps; show watchers(haven't read the books), and book readers(who tend to demand the show be exactly like the book).

The book watchers have pointed to the battle of Blackwater as a landmark event. This episode should make the most strident fan happy. It's a spectacle to behold. The battle is breathtaking and overwhelming at the same time.

But it's not the battle that's the most awe inspiring aspect of the episode, it's the character work. Various characters show us different stages of fight or flight. Each one of them has a believable and human reaction to conflict.

The best scenes come from Cersei as she's cooped up in a room full of noble women during the battle, we feel her frustration, helplessness and deeply seeded anger over living in a world where men are the only ones that matter.


Such a fantastic hour of television. It's it possible that the next season of breaking bad can start the moment these two shows end. Sundays won't be the same.

New Dark Knight Rises Images and Posters

Is it July 20th yet? Honestly I don't like the Catwoman and Bane suits. It seems like I've been waiting for this movie for so long and then Avengers burst onto the scene and distracted me. It will be hard to top The Dark Knight, but if anyone can do it Nolan can. In Nolan we trust.

Shaq as GM of the Orlando Magic?

O'Neal, who began his legendary NBA career in Orlando, may meet with the Magic as soon as next week, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard. While he has no front office experience, the Magic believe O'Neal's presence within the organization could help them retain Dwight Howard.(credit: Yahoo Ball don't lie blog)

I can't begin to state the utter stupidity of this idea. Shaquille Oneal. A player who never master free throws, a player notorious for coming to training camp out of shape. The same Shaquille Oneal who had little or no interest in studying game film. That Shaquille Oneal wants to a be a GM?

I believe that being an NBA GM is probably the hardest gig in sports, the complexities of the NBA collective bargaining agreement and the petulance of star players make this a thankless nightmare of a job. It's the ultimate hubris of a athlete to think that they can simply walk into a job this complex without any training.

Players need to learn that there is a big difference between playing the game and coaching and/or managing a team. and just in case you think I'm being too hard on Shaq, I would like to point you to his dismal performance as an "analyst"(term loosely used) on TNT.

The defense rests.

Avengers Assemble!

Overview: Beginning with the first Iron man movie Marvel embarked upon the unprecedented concept of creating it's on movie universe. Each of the major characters in the Avengers also had a solo offering, slowly but surely building up to the Avengers.

 What you'll love

Hulk smash: Not only is the CGI pitch perfect  but so is the characterization of Bruce Banner. Hulk steals this movie with several laugh out loud scenes,

Loki: Every movie needs a foil and Tom Hiddleson provides one in the overly ambitious, conniving Loki. The bad guy in story should never know he is the bad guy and Loki provides the most compelling case for his viewpoint. Great acting.

Juggling act: It's not hyperbole to say that this is the most ambitious movie undertaking ever. Avengers not only meets expectations, it surpasses them, somehow managing to juggle all the characters, plots and internal dynamics.

Fanboy orgasm: At it's most basic level  Avengers is a little boy playing superhero with his toys. For the first time in my life a movie surpassed my imagination.

Conflict: It would have been very easy to have had the Avengers get along and become one big happy team, but they don't. These are very different men and the script makes them work for the unity they achieve. Oh yeah the fight scenes are really cool. Hulk vs Thor nuff said

What you won't

Long: At 143 minutes it's a long movie. You could justify it by saying that there's a a lot that they have to get in. However I think it's realistic to say they could have shaved ten minutes off of this sucker.

Story:  The plot revolves around a cube that provides an endless energy source and is a portal for aliens to come to the planet. Shakespeare it ain't.

Enemies: My only legit qualm with the movie is that Loki is the only villain. If Thor beat Loki in his movie why would he need help from the other Avengers to take him down in this one? They attempted to raise the stakes by having an alien invasion. But in the end they just proved to be cannon fodder and a spectacular showcase for Avenger fight scenes.


Bottom Line: Avengers is a must see. Everything you want in a summer blockbuster.

Grade  A