Archive for November, 2008

There’s no shame

Published on November 25, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

There’s no shame in losing to the NY Giants. There’s no shame in the way the Cardinals lost to the NY Giants. But what a shame that Arizona could not pick up a game on the Carolina Panthers, who lost a game in Atlanta yesterday that they should have won. The Cardinals should still figure to be one of the NFC’s top 3 seeds, but had they won against New York yesterday, the #2 seed would be a greater possibility. The possibility of winning in New York in January, after all, is not likely in the Cards, but what if someone else were to do Arizona that favor? Wouldn’t home-field against either Tampa Bay or Carolina be that much bigger of a deal? Winning on the East Coast has been a big deal for this team, but how does it rank on the list of problems for the Cardinals? Burnsy examines:

Cardinals Issues: Give them a pass or is it a problem?

. Running game (or lack there of) – Can’t keep opposing team off the field, can’t keep Kurt Warner off the ground = Big Problem

2. Inability to win a road game on the East Coast = Big Problem

3. Penalties – wasn’t a problem versus NY, but still have committed the third most in the league = Problem

4. Ken Whisenhunt Eccentricities - Fake FGs, onside kicks, free kick, Boldin at QB, Warner lead block = Give him a pass

5. Special Teams – coverage units, missed opportunities (Ralph Brown on onside kick) = Give them a pass

And Terry Porter joined Burnsy on his weekly show. Porter said as of right now he feels Shaq will play tomorrow in Oklahoma City against the 1-13 Thunder. One of the Suns best bench players will also be back, and Porter feels getting back on the court will be the best thing for Leandro Barbosa, after LB lost his mother this month. Porter said getting back on the court was a good release for him when he lost his mother.

 
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What is Warner worth?

Published on November 20, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Kurt Warner’s MVP season may make him VIP this off-season.  But at age 37 is Warner worth as much as $12 mill per on the open market?  He doesn’t have too much tread on the tires due to a late start in the NFL.  But neither did Steve Young, or Rich Gannon- who coincidently won an MVP at age 37.  Gannon played a total of 10 games in the two seasons following.  Here is how some other prominent QBs did during their age 38 seasons:

Steve Young – lasted 3 games before career ending concussion.
Brett Favre – led Packers to NFC Championship, All-Pro – still playing
John Elway- led Broncos to Super Bowl- retired after
Warren Moon- started 15 games for Vikings, All-Pro – played 6 more seasons in the NFL, with 2 more All-Pro years
Vinny Testaverde -  started 16 games for Jets, who finished 10-6 – played 6 more seasons in the NFL, started 15 games for Dallas at age 41 (5-10).
Dan Marino – started 11 games, finished with career low 67.4 QB rating – retired after
Rich Gannon – Following MVP season at age 37 in 2002, started 7 games for Raiders (2-5).  Started 3 more the following year – retired after
Phil Simms – started 4 games for Giants (1-3), started all 16 the following year, All-Pro – retired after
Joe Montana – started 14 games for the Chiefs (9-5) - retired after
Dave Krieg – started 12 games for Bears (6-6), played 2 more seasons as a backup in Tennessee – retired after

The Boston Red Sox dumped salary.  That’s weird.  Even stranger is who took Coco Crisp’s $5.75 million off their hands:  Try the Kansas City Royals!  We tried to come with some other bizarre headlines in sports:

Rod’s bizarre headlines:
Iverson sets assists record
BCS praised for producing clear cut National Championship/Playoff Shunned
Favre retires quietly
Bill Parcells retires
Cubs win World Series
Marlins set baseball attendance record
Mike Shanahan accepts Raiders head coaching position
Raiders most desired coaching destination
Barry Bonds:  SIs Sportsman of the Year
Schilling declines comment
Amare Stoudemire wins NBA’s defensive player of the year award
Yankees rip A’s for Mark Ellis extension:  Steinbrenner says baseball salaries are “out of control”
NHL big ratings winner

Jarrett Carlen’s:
Kurt Warner has bad game, blames God in post game interview
Mike D A’ntoni runs grueling 5 hour practice with Knicks, preaches “defense”
Roger Clemens admits “Ok, I took steroids, big deal”
3 ASU Football players interviewing to be Rhodes Scholars
Isiah Thomas named executive of the year
Yao Ming passes AC Green for NBA consecutive games played record
Brock Lesnar first person to win NCAA Wrestling Championship, WWE Championship, UFC Championship, and Scrabble World Championship
Shawn Kemp named new spokesman for Trojan condoms
Following John McCain’s advice, Cardinals replace Dirk Johnson with “Joe the Punter”
Bill Belicheck under investigation for illegally videotaping Tom Brady and Gisselle Buncheon in bed
Drew Rosenhaus announces that all of his clients will work for free next year
Blue Jackets/Thrashers regular season game narrowly surpasses the Superbowl as most watched sporting event of the year

And Burnsy ripped another co-worker.  Sam Youmans gets the honor for his use of “squirreling” in a e-mail.  Here was the sentence:   “I squirreled away a pair of Cardinals vs. Giants tickets for your Friday night road show.”   “Squirreling” is a strange verb, especially when stashing and hiding are available for use.

Cards have won the West

Published on November 20, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The Cardinals have won the NFC West. Mathematical improbabilities aside, it’s done, it’s finished. So, what’s in the Cards for the rest of the 2008 season? Burnsy breaks it down in the inaugural edition of “Legit or Lame.”

The Cardinals will beat the Giants on Sunday:
Lame, but barely. It’s gonna be a lot closer than anyone thinks. The controlled climate and fast track will allow the Cardinals passing game to get up points wise with the Giants.

If the Cardinals want to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl they must beat the Giants Sunday:
Legit. Follow me here. Must beat the Giants, must go 5-1 down the stretch, hope the Giants trip up somewhere else, either at Washington or at Dallas. Both teams finish 12-4, Cards get home-field for NFC title game and could win that game at home.

The Cardinals are capable of beating the Giants on the road in an NFC title game:
Lame. Can’t be done.

The Cardinals will win one of their two late season road games in cold weather cities, Philly or Foxboro:
Lame. Nope. If the Philly game wasn’t coming after 1.) The Giants and 2.) a short week, then maybe, just maybe they could win in Philly. That team looks to be teetering. But it’s such short week, and it’s gonna be so cold, just don’t see it.

So you’re saying they’re chances of winning one of those remaining two road games is better against the Patriots:
Legit, though I wouldn’t bet on it.

With the Cardinals wrapping this up so early, they’ll rest guys as the season winds down:
Lame. If the Cards want to catch Carolina for the two seed in the NFC, they have to take advantage of a schedule that looks more favorable than the Panthers. Could see Carolina going 3-3 down the stretch.

Can the Cardinals go 5-1 down the stretch to pass Carolina:
Lame. Requires beating the Giants and one of those cold weather road teams. Can’t do it.

The Cardinals can beat Carolina on the road:
Legit. Should’ve done it already.

All of this speculation is fun, but who is kidding who, it doesn’t matter. They’re in, enjoy it:
Legit. Hate to be in blowin’ sunshine up your wazoo mode, but it’s true. We never have any expectations of the Cardinals. They could lose in the first round and it would still be a season to remember.

Terry Porter also joined Burnsy on the Sportsline. The coach previewed the upcoming Lakers game, LB’s status (he’s still in Brazil), and why Shaq’s status was “active” in a back-to-back situation last night in Utah.

 
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Hot Stove is Hot

Published on November 15, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The Hot Stove League is in full gear, and let the speculation begin for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Sounds like Randy Johnson will not be back.  Not for the type of money that Arizona is offering.  Sounds like 2nd base will be the main priority.  But should it be?  The 620 Sportsline has a crazy idea:  Trade Eric Byrnes to the Toronto Blue Jays for Scott Rolen.  Rolen goes to 3rd, Mark Reynolds goes to 2B, and “The Eric Byrnes Show” goes away!  Not sure which we like better (actually I’m pretty sure which I do), but take a look at how alike their contracts are:

Scott Rolen 3b
8 years/$90M (2003-10)

•    signed extension 9/02
•    $5M signing bonus
•    03:$7M, 04:$8M, 05:$11M, 06:$11M, 07:$11M, 08:$11M, 09:$11M, 10:$11M
•    additional $4M bonus due Rolen in 2010
•    $10M deferred ($2M/year from 2003 to 2007)
•    full no-trade clause (waived to allow trade from St. Louis 1/14/08, with Toronto paying St. Louis $1.8M and the Cardinals responsible for $4M bonus due in 2010 as part of the deal)
•    performance bonuses: $50,000 each for Gold Glove & All Star selection
•    1 year/$8.6M (2002), avoided arbitration 1/02
o    rejected Philadelphia’s 10 year/$140M offer 2/02
o    acquired by St. Louis in trade 7/02
•    4 years/$10M (1998-2001) (Philadelphia), signed 3/98
•    1 year/$0.175M (1997)
•    drafted 1993 (2-46)
•    agents: Levinson brothers, ACES
•    ML service: 11.060

Eric Byrnes of
3 years/$30M (2008-10)

•    signed extension 8/7/07
•    $2M signing bonus (paid in 2 installments in 2008)
•    08:$6M, 09:$11M, 10:$11M
•    no-trade protection
•    1 year/$4.575M (2007)
o    re-signed 2/07 (avoided arbitration, $5M-$4.25M)
•    1 year/$2.25M (2006)
o    signed as a free agent 12/05 after being non-tendered
•    1 year/$2.2M (2005)
o    avoided arbitration 1/05 ($2.5M-$2M)
o    performance bonuses: $25,000 each for 350 & 400 PAs
o    $25,000 one-time assignment bonus if traded
•    1 year/$0.328M (2004)
•    1 year/$0.3M (2003)
•    agent: Michael Sasson
•    ML service: 6.075

With the no-trade protection it would be another Larry Walker for Matt Williams type deal.  Unlike Williams, Byrnes may seek playing time, something he’s much more likely to see in Canada.  Connor Jackson is better than Kevin Mench/Adam Lind, right?  I know, we’re dreamers.  That or just extremely skeptical of the offensive returns of a Ramon Vasquez or Adam Kennedy.

Burnsy’s also skeptical of a man splitting a plate of food with another men.  We’re not saying that happened on Wednesday night.  We’re not saying that happened on Wednesday night at Donovan’s.  And we’re certainly not saying that Gambo and Scott Sutherland split a meal Wednesday night at Donovan’s before the Suns-Rockets game.  We can’t confirm that they were eating off each other’s plates, but we can confirm that a joint dessert was offered by the waiter.  It was declined.  Thankfully.   (Mp3 of Gambo openly talking about this awkward situation is attached above).

Wrapped up the NFC West

Published on November 12, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Jon Bloom filled in for Burnsy tonight:

Two yards separated the Cardinals from a four game separation in the NFC West, and this time they actually came through with the big stop.  How many times could you say that the Cardinals pulled out a game that they shouldn’t have won?  Not many, and although many in the national media may be skeptical, Bloomer is quick to point out that the league’s two best last year pulled out a couple of wins that they probably shouldn’t have either.  Remember New England on Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens?  How about the Giants nearly giving the Dolphins their 1st win of the year in London? The Cardinals have nearly wrapped up the NFC West.  Nothing short of Seattle perfection and Cardinal mediocrity can stop that.  So far mediocre has not been in the Cards this season, and Bloomer doesn’t see any of that resurfacing.

Are there some problems surfacing early in the season for the Suns?  At the very least, Raja Bell’s comments about the offense were implicitly critical of Terry Porter’s new system.  Porter joined Bloomer on his weekly “Terry Porter Show,” and he doesn’t see anything “new” about his half-court system.   Porter says the transition from the fast paced run & gun to a slowdown style took place before he got to Phoenix.  More specifically February 20th – Shaq’s debut as a Sun.  Porter went on to say that Bell does not have any problems “taking to” the new offense.  Rather that it may be a case where Raja doesn’t take as many shots when the Suns are not in transition.

 
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The Suns are “bullies”

Published on November 4, 2008 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The Cardinals are really good.  Or maybe the NFC West is really bad.  Actually it could be both, and it could be a lot tougher for Arizona if they did not play in the worst division in the NFC.  The Cards are within a game in the win-loss column of 10 NFC teams vying for 6 playoff spots.  Luckily the 49ers, Rams, and Seahawks are not among those, and lucky for the Cardinals all they have to do is beat the spread when it comes to expectations here in-town.  That spread is -1 playoff spot.  They’ll beat that.  Burnsy likes the Cards chances the rest of the way, but isn’t sure if he’s wearing beer goggles given the appearance of the rest of the division.

Terry Porter made his weekly appearance on The 620 Sportsline.  This week already started with the big news of a big trade between the Nuggets and Pistons.  Porter called the AI to Mo-town deal a “weird transaction,” and wonders how Iverson will make the transition from Denver’s high powered offense to the slow-down style of the Pistons.  (The team Porter served as assistant on last year, by the way).  By the way the Portland Trailblazers were talking about the Suns on Saturday, you would’ve thought Phoenix was playing some Piston-style hoops.  Porter said he was “proud to hear” the Suns refered to as “bullies.”