The Sports Gripe - What Ticked Me Off In 2010.

I have neglected The Sports Gripe for most of 2010, but not for 2011. I am just really ticked off at what's going on in sports and it's time to vent. Here are the top 5 things that pissed me off the most for 2010.

5. The self proclaimed "King" of the NBA LeBron James turned tail on the people of Cleveland as well as the team ownership when he made his grand announcement that he was signing with the Miami Heat for this season. James "The Jester" made his announcement in front of elementary school kids in New York which was a kick in the nuts to the Knicks and Nets as well. What really makes me sick is LeBron or should I say "LaBone" never even spoke to the Cav's owner to thank him for many great seasons and that he had decided to go with the Heat. What a bush league move.

4. The NFL has struck out against players leading with their helmets and giving head shots on tackles. The No Fun League is dishing out fines like Thom Greco dishing out grub at the soup kitchen. These fines have been particularly large when a quarterback is hit hard anywhere...period. This really ticks me off! Why do they wear helmets in the first place? Maybe to protect their heads? What a concept. As for the QB's, lets just put skirts on them along with some panties. All I have to say is what a bunch of babies. Pa Governor Ed Rendell is right, we are whipifying America.

3. It's not too hard to be mad at NCAA Football and especially the BCS. Once again this year they have showed their inability to rank teams correctly and to also match good teams together in the major bowl games. A great example of this is the Fiesta Bowl which pits Oklahoma against a hapless U-Conn team. Oklahoma is a 17 point favorite. This should never happen. Also, on New Years Day we have two 7-5 teams in Florida and Penn St. playing in the Outback Bowl. Why do two 7-5 teams deserve to play on January 1st? The answer is they don't. Boise St was 11-1 and they got exiled to playing on December 22nd in The MAACO Las Vegas bowl. It has become a joke at this point.

2. It was a very difficult decision as to who would be #1 for this year. There were two NFL players that just really sent me into an outrage and I had to decide who would be #1. Well, at #2 is Michael "Woof, Woof" Vick. This guy brutalizes dogs, comes back to football and is now being considered for the MVP. Are you freaking kidding me! I know many of you will say he did his time...to that I say FU! There is not enough time for what this clown did. He makes me sick. Instead of jail time they should have let a Pit Bull chew his nuts off! The thing that sickens me more is the ignorant Eagles fans took him right in. Kinda like a lost dog. WOOF, WOOF!

1. And of course our #1 is......BRETT FAVRE! Say it...BRETT FAVRE! This stooge has made a total laughing stock out of himself with his faux retirements. He claims this year is his last. RIGHT! He will bone the Vikings just like he did the Packers and Jets. It was good to see him pile driven to the turf by the Bears defense. Speaking of boned, he was just fined $50,000 for not fessing up to sexually harassing Jets employee Jen Sterger (seen on left). He allegedly sent her pictures of his wienie amongst other things. As you can see by the picture of this chick, you would send her pictures of your wienie as well. Next year I expect him to be wearing the silver and black of The R-A-I-D-E-R-S. By the way, fans of The Gripes were over at Chacko's Family Bowling Center on Tuesday night and NBC showed BRETT FAVRE 60 plus times throughout a game he did not play. Shame on NBC Sports. You make me sick!

There you have it, the 5 top things that sent me into an outrage for 2010 in sports. I know some of you are wondering why I did not include that senile old bastard Joe Paterno. Believe me, I will be lambasting him in 2011. By the way, I heard an interview with him yesterday on ESPN Radio and he could not even put a complete sentence together. More to come on JoePa.

The Gutless NCAA

Just last week, the NCAA powers to be showed exactly how gutless they were when they suspended 5 Ohio State players for selling sports memorabilia and taking discounts on tattoo's. Star Quarterback Terrelle Pryor and 4 other players were suspended for the first 5 games of next year. The Buckeye thugs sold Big 10 Championship rings and treasured "Gold Pants" pins as well as other items. I applaud the NCAA for actually handing down suspensions, however why were they not suspended for this years Sugar Bowl game on January 4th against Arkansas. I'll tell you why, because TV ratings would be down and the NCAA would lose precious dollars. If Pryor didn't play, Arkansas would win by 20 in a blow out. Instead the yellow bellied NCAA people suspend them for the first 5 games of next year which are against the Akron Zips, The Toledo Rockets, The Miami Hurricanes, The Colorado Buffalo's and The Michigan St Spartans. Not a real powerhouse of a first 5 games. Michigan State should be the only competition for the first half of their season. My guess is that Terrelle Pryor will somehow find his way back into the line up for that game.

The other problem that I have with this entire thing is don't all of these items that the players sold actually belong to them? Just because these guys have no dedication or allegiance to their team doesn't mean they can't sell these items to pay for a few tat's. However, the NCAA rules are clear and for now it is a violation. Maybe the NCAA needs to take a look at these types of things and rethink their rules a bit. Shit, they have the dumbest rule in all of sports. If a players knee touches the ground even if he has not been hit by an opponent, he is down and they play is over. Several times this year I saw a punter go down for a low snap and his knee hit the ground. By rule, he is down and the other team gets the ball. It is just plain stupid.

Anyway, a thug is always a thug and we see rules violations all of the time. Look at Reggie Bush. Christ, it took the NCAA 5 years to hand down a ruling on Bush. By the time they made him give his Heisman back he really didn't give a crap because he was making millions in the NFL and still is. Speaking of the Heisman, an NCAA rules violator, Cam Newton won that award this year. The most prestigious award in college sports has become a total joke. Cam's father solicited bribes from people for the services of his son. That is a total violation of then rules and it was swept under the NCAA carpet. It appears that the NCAA has a closet full of brooms as well as some skeletons.

Brett Favre

It has been some time that I posted up a sports Gripe. Believe me, I have had many but time was not on my side as the Rolling Stones would say. Anyway, I am going to make time for 2011 and Gripe the hell out of what's going on in sports and there is no better way to start up than with our old pal....BRETT FAVRE. Say it...BRETT FAVRE! This once worshiped football god in Green Bay has quickly gone from hero to zero. To recap his sored history, you have to go back to 2007 when he hung The Pack out to dry because he couldn't decide whether he wanted to retire or not. The folks in Packer land gave him a deadline and then told him to take a hike. Big Brett was then traded to the Jets after a brief retirement. J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets! He played for the Jets for a short time and then retired again. Retire you say! NO! He then signed with the Vikings and is there as we speak, Kinda! Not that this was enough, while with the Jets, Photo Favre allegedly sent racy pictures of himself to a Jets Game Hostess. The NFL has been investigating this for over two months now. Anyway, last year Favre led the Vikes to the NFC Championship game only to throw an interception near the end of the game which sealed it for the Saints. At this time, we all thought, he has got to retire now. NO, he goes into the possible retirement mode over the off season and can't make up his mind. So just before preseason training, the Vikings send a few players down to Favre's compound in Mississippi to beg the QB to come back. After preseason training is over, Favre decides that he is coming back and is quickly made the starting QB. That must have really pissed Tavaris Jackson off. Anyway, he struggled through the 2010 season with elbow tendinitis, broken foot bones, a lacerated chin and now a bum shoulder. On December 1st after getting totally pummeled into the turf the previous night, Favre told reporters, " I am done, I am done". I can tell you this much, stick a fork in me because I am done with BRET FAVRE. Say it, BRETT FAVRE! Good riddance to him. What a joke he has become. I guess some guys just don't know when to quit or should I say retire. Next year I expect him to be suited up for the Jerry Jones and the Cowboys.

The NFL - The New Felon League

The National Football League is on the verge of having to change it's name due to the antic's of it's current and past players. The new name will be The New Felon League. The latest felony charges are currently being placed on ex New York Giant Linebacker Lawrence Taylor. LT as he was known by in his playing days is being charged with the 3rd degree rape of a 15 years old girl. Now it has to be known that the girl was a runaway who was being controlled by a pimp, not that that should make a difference. C'mon LT, didn't you know she was 15 years old? Yea, yea, we all know she looked like she was 21! Also, the girl was also allegedly beaten during the rape. LT must have thought she was a Dallas Cowboy quarterback! This is nothing new for Taylor. LT, a football icon and one of the NFL's greatest defensive players, has a history of drug abuse and other run-ins with the law. He has tested positive for cocaine several times during his NFL career and has been arrested for buying cocaine from undercover police officers. Of course, he is in the NFL Hall Of Fame. What great character this guy has! By the way, Lawrence Taylor's wife said it was a "set up". I think he was all hopped up on coke and wanted to get a little "piece".

Speaking of "set ups", let's talk about one of the current New Felony League superstars. Of course that would be Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben as he is called has "gotten off" on his second sexual assault charge in 2 years. I use the words "gotten off" because he did in more ways than one and the girls did not. Anyway, here is what the victim reported to police on Big Bens latest night club endeavor. Upon arrival at the nightclub, the accuser claims her arm was grabbed by one of Roethlisberger's staff. The person grabbing her arm has apparently been one of the NFL-player's hired bodyguards. Telling the accuser to "sit on a stool", the bodyguard then disappeared out of the room. After a period of time, Roethlisberger allegedly came into the room and, after having zipped down his pants, exposed himself to the young lady. (She then changed his knickname to "Little Ben") At this point, she claims that she told him that "it wasn't OK". At this point in time, the accuser tried to leave through a nearby door. The door was not an exit, however, and would have led the woman into a restroom. She apparently repeated her previous statement, "it was not OK," a number of times before Roethlisberger is alleged to have had sex with her. In the end, she states that Roethlisberger "then left without saying anything. At least he didn't roll over and go to sleep. He does that on the football field.

I have to say, the NFL needs to really clamp down on these guys before they become the NBA. The list of players with murder, rape, assault, spousal abuse and DUI's is like a smorgasbord of crime. What the hell are these guys doing? They have the world by the short hairs. They make tons of money, they have lots of fame and they play a game they love. I don't get it? Then again, maybe these are the reasons that they think they are above the law. The New Felon League could be the new name of the league soon unless these guys live up to the expectations that fans, ownership and other players have for them.

Tropicana Field Home Of The Rays

I had a chance to catch some of the Yankee vs Rays game this past Sunday from Tropicana Field in wonderful Tampa Florida. I am not being facetious when I say "wonderful" Tampa because I have been there and it is very nice. Warm weather, beaches, good restaurants and of course great cigars. However, every time I tune in to a Rays home game I see them playing in a lousy dome. I hate domes for sports unless it is a retractable dome like the Seattle Mariners have for baseball. Anyway, why the hell do they play in a dome? The weather is great in Tampa! This is just plain freakin' stupid! In fact Michael Kay of the Yankee's YES Network lead off the broadcast with it's sunny and 75 degrees here in Tampa and we are playing in the Trop. What a joke! Speaking of jokes, during the game Evan Longoria hit a pop up to the infield that hit the upper catwalk of this dump of a dome and landed in fair territory. Now you are probably asking yourself, "I wonder if they have to play it off the catwalk or is it a dead ball?" The answer is the ball is in fair play and anything goes if it hits the upper catwalks. When I was 10 years old we played whiffle ball in the back yard and the ball was playable off our big maple tree. In fact in the playoffs two years ago BJ Upton hit one of the lower rings and they gave him a home run. Yes, you read that right, a home run! This dump is like a stinking pinball machine. They should sit fans up high to hit flipper buttons. Of course, the ground rules are laid out to both teams by the umpires at the beginning of the game. However, its time the Rays get a new stadium possibly with a retractable dome so all of the New York transplants can cheer for the Yankees. I do know that the city of Tampa does not want to foot the bill for a new stadium. They must think that there are usually more Yankee fans in the stands than Rays fans so why should we build it. I guess this statement should really sum it all up. A dump of a dome to play in, no new stadium in sight and the Yankees have more fans in Tampa than the Rays. Maybe it's time to move because the neighborhood is going bad. As I sit here I keep thinking to myself that it would be a shame if they moved because the Yankees would lose 16 semi home games from their schedule.

NCAA Basketball Tournament

The news is out and it's not a big surprise. The greedy people at the NCAA are going to destroy the sacred basketball tournament for the sake of a few dollars or should I say a ton of dollars. The NCAA announced that they are very close to expanding to 96 teams. They claim its not set in stone yet but they even have a new bracket drawn up. This new bracket looks one of Einsteins theorems. The NCAA claims that the tournament will last the same amount of time as the current tournament which will be made to happen by giving 32 teams a first round bye. BOY, that really makes me wanna watch the first round of brick layers run up and down the court. Can you imagine a number 90 seed playing the number 35 seed? What a dumper of a game.

Of course, the addition of more teams pretty much kills the long standing NIT Tournament. The NIT was started in 1938 and has seen many great players such as Walt Frazier, Lenny Wilkins, Ralph Sampson and Reggie Miller play in its games. Over the past few years, the NIT has been relegated to a 2nd chance tournament for the teams that don't make the NCAA Tourney. It's rich history is being cast aside for the almighty dollar. That really stinks.

The bottom line is the NCAA is going to ruin the tournament much as it has with all of the football bowl games. Teams that have no business moving on to "post season" play will be doing just that. I say keep it the same of just expand it by 12 more teams. With the expansion on the horizon, I can only think about how screwed up my bracket will be next year. It will take me a week to figure out who I want to pick.

March Madness More Like The March Fix

It's that time of year when everyone throws in $5.00 or $10.00 to enter their picks for the NCAA March Madness Brackets. I say it's more like the NCAA March Fix Is In Brackets. After watching Michigan St beat New Mexico St last night I am convinced that the fix is in. By the way I had Michigan St on my bracket. New Mexico St was called for a foul with 18 seconds left. Michigan St's player missed the free throw but officials called New Mexico St for a lane violation. Are you kidding me? Refs never call this in any kind of game unless a guy spills into the lane before the ball is actually shot. The zebra's claim a player actually had his toe on the line. I say "Bullshit"! You could pour over endless hours of tape and find that this is a common occurrence in college and pro basketball. The Michigan St. player got another shot and made it. This put New Mexico St down by 3 with under 18 seconds. The Aggies made two futile 3 point attempts but failed at the end. They should have had a third, but the idiots in black and white strips also blew the time on the clock. This is not the only case of "The Fix" during this years tournament. I have watched several games and have seen blatant hacks not called on one team while their opponent barley touches a player and a foul is called.

So why is the Fix In? Simple, if a few Cinderella's don't make the big ball, the interest of the fans drops off. This tournament is all about the gutless NCAA making a bundle of money. They know that everybody wants to see a team from a small conference advance to the Sweet 16, so they rig a game or two to make it happen. Remember 2008 when Davidson made the Elite Eight? Everybody was talking about "What If"? This years little giants may be Murray St, St. Mary's or Cornell. If the favorites won every game what fun would the tournament be? The NCAA also knows that at least 2 or 3 of the number one seeds must make the Elite 8 or further. If they didn't, then everybody's brackets would be done early and interest would be gone. As for me, I refuse to watch anymore games because I can't stand watching the ref's call a one sided game or call a ticky tack foul when guys are getting hacked all over the court. I will however keep a close eye on my bracket even though I was in trouble after day 1. By the way, how about those 3 people in the ESPN Bracket contest who were perfect after day 1. I say that's a bunch of Bull! It's just like the female office secretary who knows nothing about sports winning the pool by picking teams because she likes their colors. Yep it happens every year. As for me, I made my annual $10.00 donation to this years winner.

A Few Sports Gripes

SHAME ON NASCAR - NASCAR proved that they are spineless lizards when they gave Carl Edwards probation for 3 races after he purposly flipped Brad Keselowski during the final laps at Sunday's race in Atlanta. In case you don't know, NASCAR's version of probation is nothing but a light tap on the wrist. Keserlowski was enroute to the best finish in his young career when Edwards retaliated for an earlier bump by spinning Keserlowski around and sending his car airborne into the wall. Keselowski finished in 36th instead of 5th where he was with only a few laps left to go. I say Edwards should have been suspended for 3 races for his revenge on the track. Shame on NASCAR for not having enough guts to deal out the correct punishment to one of their stars.


JOE PA IS CRYING AGAIN - Joe Paterno came forward on Wednesday when he heard that Notre Dame may be interested in joining the Big 10 by saying that Notre Dame had their chance to join a few years ago and we don't want them. I say Joe, shove it up your ass! He simply does not want anymore competition that may cost him a loss. He wants to keep those sponges like Youngstown St, Temple and Kent State which are on their schedule for 2010. I say Notre Dame should tell Joe Pa and the big babies in the Big 10 to go to the corner to suck their thumbs. ND should be bound for the Big East.


NOT AGAIN BRETT - Here we go again, Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre. If you know me, you can here me honk out his name. On The Tonight Show Favre stated that he was not sure if he was retiring or not. You gotta be kidding me! How many times is this guy going to try to get away with this. The media needs to shut him out because frankly, we just don't give a shit anymore. I hope we don't have to go through another "goodbye" press conference with Favre breaking down to tears. I may break down to tears if I have to see it one more time on Sports Center.


Michael Vick-I THINK I MAY THROW UP - Vick wants to leave the Eagles because he thinks he deserves to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. With his inflated ego along with his time served he can only be suited for one team. THE RAIDERS! Don't be surprised if Al Davis goes after Vick along with malcontent T.O. What a combination that would be. Vick can fight his dogs out in California while T.O. complains that he is not getting the bone during the fights. Good luck Mike. You're gonna need it!

NBC's Coverage Of The Winter Olympics

A few months ago when I realized that the Winter Olympics were right around the corner I, unlike some other knuckleheads were filled with joy. There is no better sport than Olympic athletes competing for the pride of their country. Skiing, speed skating, hockey and curling, yes curling are all great to watch. However, after watching a few nights of NBC's coverage I was outraged at the number of commercials that they ran. It seemed like there were more lousy commercials than covered events. This drives me up a wall! At times, NBC actually went to 2 minutes or more of commercials, came back to the Olympics for less that a minute and then back to more commercials. I couldn't believe it! It appears that NBC is on target to lose $250,000,000 on their coverage, so I guess they are milking everything they can get out of the car companies, beer makers and erectile disfunction med makers. If I went and raided the fridge every time a commercial came on I would weigh 400 pounds. I'm not sure how much more I can take. NBC has also blown it with the events that they deem worthy of prime time. How come NBC thinks figure skating is more popular than the live USA vs Canada hockey game? We all had to go to MSNBC for the tape delay of the game. Don't get me wrong, figure skating is good to watch but not over the USA vs Canada hockey game. NBC also thinks that all of us are interested in all of these feel good human interest stories about the athletes. HELL NO! Last night, they did one of these stories about the forgetfulness of the captain of the Swedish Women's Curling Team. I say forget about these stupid stories and get the actual events back on. Overall, NBC's coverage rates a C- on my sports report card with no extra credit in sight.