A Few Short Thoughts

It’s been a week since we last posted, so we’re throwing some stuff out there. Kind of a quick hits or short takes or whatever you want to call them.

1. On the subject of the violent hits. Rodney Harrison, on last Sunday’s Football Night in America (NBC), said that when he was a player, fines didn’t get his attention; suspensions did. This is huge. The NFL has been fining players for all sorts of infractions, but it doesn’t ever seem to discourage their behavior. Suspensions? Now you’re talking!

Also, how about making sure the referees throw some flags on these hits? Players don’t want to hurt their teams’ chances of winning with penalties (well, except for the Cowboys). If players KNOW they will be penalized for these hits during the game, it may give them an incentive to cut it out. This weekend’s games will be the first insight we have into how the crackdown will affect the game.

2. The Titans might be without Vince Young on Sunday, due to ankle and knee sprains he suffered after fumbling a snap on the second series in Jacksonville. Everyone is talking about the injury, but how about the way he got it? He fumbled the snap, and instead of just FALLING on it, he picks it up and tries to get a few extra yards. Vince – you’re health is important to this team, please don’t ever do that again. Just fall on it and curl up in the fetal position.

And if Kerry Collins is the starter, I will be extremely concerned about our offense. Yes, we scored pretty successfully against Jacksonville, but they’re not as good as Philadelphia. Particularly, Kerry’s presence (or rather, VY’s lack of presence) makes it more difficult for Chris Johnson because teams are not afraid of the play-action bootleg. Kerry is also not as likely to throw the ball down the field, which just brings the defense up, again making it more difficult for Johnson. Finally, it seems that the Titans are almost completely ineffective in the red zone with Collins at the helm. I predict a lot of field goals if Collins starts. Let’s just hope the defense can have a great game, particularly with some point-stealing turnovers.

3. Baseball playoffs! First mention of other sports on this blog. Rangers and Giants up 3-2 on the favored Yankees and Phillies, respectively. The Rangers offense looks great, and having Cliff Lee to go in Game 7 is a luxury. And if it goes to 7, and Cliff Lee throws another gem like he did in game three, he will be very close to being considered the best postseason pitcher of all time. Perhaps a couple of gems in the World Series (which would give him 10 or 11 wins and zero losses in the postseason) could seal the deal. The Giants on the other hand, don’t seem to be in as good of a position, having to win the series on the road and not having their ace (Big Time Timmy Jims) in the hole. And while I am rooting for the Giants because they’re the underdog, it would be sweet to see the Phillies face Cliff Lee, a guy whom they got rid of despite the fact that he was the only pitcher Philly had in last year’s World Series who could beat the Yankees.

Another thing about baseball. Earlier in the playoffs (or maybe before they started, I don’t quite remember), ESPN’s Baseball Tonight had an ex-umpire (unfortunately I cannot remember his name) on the show to talk about certain aspects of the game from the umpire’s perspective. It was very interesting and offered a lot of insight into how the umpire actually affects the game (and how the game can affect the way he can perform his job). I would love to see this sort of thing on NFL Live and NBA Fast Break (the NFL and NBA versions of Baseball Tonight). Officiating is an integral part of the game and although we might hope that the officials don’t put their own personal stamp on every game, the truth is that they probably do. It would be very interesting to see ex-referees from the NFL talk about how Peyton Manning’s style of play makes it more or less difficult to officiate than, say, Vince Young’s. Or to hear what an ex-official from the NBA thinks about officiating Kobe Bryant as opposed to Paul Pierce, or Dwight Howard as opposed to Tim Duncan. Just a thought.