Free Agency

875200 This is how I am starting to see Free Agency in professional sports. It is killing Pro Sports from a fans perspective.  I mean Gone are the days of Players like Cal Ripken, Steve Yzermine, Mike Shmit.  Guys who fans loved to come out and route for.  Players who were the faces of thier Franchise.  Fans no longer have the one guy on thier favorie team that they can count on throughout the years.  Now the owners want us to think free Agency is a good thing. But it really isn't. They want us to pint the finger at the players and call them GREEDY, PRE-MADONAS. But who is pointing the finger at the owners?  Calling them GREEDY, MONEY GRUBBING SOBs?  The Pittsburgh sports franchises are a good example of this.  I mean don't get me started on the PIRATES. For years now the owners of the Pirates have consistantly traded away thier best players.  Getting other teams to buy out thoes players contracts. That is the name of the game right?  Get a good player, when he starts getting succesful sign him to a deal.  Get the fans to come out and cheer for him.  Then trade him away before his contract is up.  The Rooney's are good at this also.  We'll see what happens with the change in ownership for the STEELERS. it is no longer a COMMITTEE of ROONEYS making decissions about signing or waving players.  Now it is just one ROONEY. But if you look back through the years.  How many Steelers have been released and not re-signed for the Steelers.  LLYOD, PORTER, CHAD BROWN, most recently Alan Faneca. The list goes on.  It seems that in the Pittsburgh Steelers organization once a payer turns 30. He is put out to pasture so to speak and waved. You will also note that a couple of thoes guys I just listed were over 30 and INJURED.  But that is the point isn't it? You hear these retired Pro athletes come on Sports shows like ESPN. They Send messages to the younger guys. Saying quit being Selfish, you need to think about the team, Where is your Loyalty?  BLAH BLAH BLAH.  Well, Where is the owners LOYALTY? These guys don't get gauranteed contracts. If they get injured Busting thier butts for a TEAM, OWNER.  The owner doesn't have to pay for the MEDICAL BILLS.  Doesn't  have to pay for rehabilitation. Not to mention if you do get injured you are at risk of losing your position to a younger player. That is an uncommon thing.  A lot of coaches won't do that to a guy.  But it has happened, Drew Bledsoe-Tom Brady, Vince Young-Kerry Colins. I know Colins stepped in and did a great job for the TITANS last season.  But would he have gotten the starting job had Vince not gone down with the injury?  You can forget about ever getting resigned if you get injured in a year where your contract is up.  Which is what happened to CHAD BROWN, GREG LLOYD, and JOEY PORTER.  I mean these guys are basically treated like VERY EXPENSIVE SLAVES!  The worst thing is this type of atittude of OWNERSHIP is catching on in other aspects of our Society.  And that is killing the economy.  having abgoss tell you he doesn;t like the way you live your life.  But what buisness is it of his OR ANYBODIES(PATROIT ACT!) What you do in your private life as long as you show up to work and do a good job?  But if you get in trouble, or get injured playing in that Summer Bar league softball tournament.  Your employers Insurance rates go up.  So what does your empoyer do?  He fires you!  Starting to sound familar? But but but, you should be ROUTING FOR THE TEAM, THE FANCHISE,  not one single player inparticular.  Yeah , well seeing Greg Madox bounced around his last couple seasons in the MLB.  Was disheartening.  This guy bled ATLANTA COLORS. But he got to old for the Braves organization to give him a big contract so they waved him. Then because of free angency, all he could get from other teams was 1 year deals. which is why we see a lot of thoes types of players(champions) bounce around from team to team. In the twilight of thier careers.  This leads to a lot of these players retiring when they knew they still had GAS in the tank.  Free agency is Why players like Greg Madox, Greg Lloyd were not rewarded for all thier many years of hard work and ALL STAR TALENT. Bu the Franchises, owners they started with.  I hope when Greg Madox gets into the Hall of FAME he choses to not wear a BRAVES JERSEY! HEY BOSS, I NEED THAT FREAKIN RAISE!  This is my perspective, but them again I live in NEW NAZI GERMANY, I mean the GREAT COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA.  A state where Labors laws give Employers the right to fire any employee at any time without any reason!  A State where SINGLE MALES who Do not pay alamony, or child support or have never served in the MILITARY.  HAVE NO RIGHTS AT ALL!  This law is why Single males in PA do not qualify for any type of County, State, or Federal assistance.  We don't qualify for governement housing, Welfare, or any type of Medical help!!!!  I could go on here about how john Murtha has helped hospitals in the Johnstown area. Build a number of brand new medical facilities.  Assisted living communities for the elderly.  But, there are NO FREE HEALTH CARE CLINICS in Johnstown.  Unless you count the Planned Parent hood.  I got off subject,  Sorry for that.  But I had to go there to pint out the similarities. true

2009-07-17T19:24:38Z

89334 0 Free Agency

2009-07-17T19:29:56Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Justin6812/blog/posts/89334

2008-08-15T13:19:43Z

875200 Justin6812's Blog

2008-08-15T13:19:43Z

3400871

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Justin6812/blog Justin6812 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Justin6812 14260 I am so damn SICK AND TIRED of SEC Country running their mouths about how "great" High School and college football in the south.  Most people forget to realize that Pennsylvania has more tradition than any state as it pertains to High School, and can match any state with college football tradition. Let me start with college football, and the main programs in Pennsylvania.  Penn State University has the winningest coach in Division I in Joe Paterno.  Not to mention their reputation as Linebacker U- linebackers like Arrington, Short, and I can go on.  Many Nittany Lions have vaulted into NFL stardom- Cappelletti, Collins, Brady, Arrington, Engram, and many others.  Despite his off-field problems, Kerry Collins took the 2000 Giants to a Super Bowl.  I understand some of Paterno's recent players have had some legal scrapes, but Joe Pa handled it the right way, and Paterno's players graduate.  Also, look at Stroh1313's photos, he is very close to the first starting black Linebacker in NFL history, Dave Robinson. There is also the University of Pittsburgh.  Pitt is known nowadays as a basketball powerhouse, but a return to glory on the gridiorn is on the rise in Panther Country.  Tony Dorsett won a Heisman Trophy while toting the rock for the Panthers.  NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino is also a Pitt alum, and former Pennsylvania High School football star (and former Chicago Bears head coach) Dave Wannstedt is the current field boss for Pittsburgh.  Most recently, star Cardinals Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald played at Pitt. There is a Division 1-A school that is in obscurity in Pennsylvania, the Temple Owls.  Temple has been a journeyman program, getting booted from the Big East, and currently in the Mid-American Conference for football.  The Owls have fallen on hard times, not having a winning season since 1990, under Jerry Berndt.  Not many people know this- but the most played rivalry in all of college football also resides in Pennsylvania, between two 1-AA schools in the Allentown area.  Those two schools are the Lehigh Mountain Hawks and the Lafayette Leopards.  What is amazing is that both schools are in the Patriot League, which does not award athletic scholarships. On the 1-AA level in Pennsylvania, Villanova and Penn are also solid programs.  Current Pro Bowler Brian Westbrook played his college football at Villanova, as did Howie Long.  Chuck Bednarik was a Penn Quaker.  Penn has one of the largest stadiums for a 1-AA program in Franklin Field.  Let me now start with the High School football in Pennsylvania.  Numerous players enshrined in Canton started in Pennsylvania High School football programs.  Herb Adderley (Northeast High School- Philadelphia), Joe Montana (Ringgold), Joe Namath (Beaver Falls), Dan Marino (Pittsburgh Central Catholic), John Cappelletti (Monsignor #### ), Tony Dorsett (Hopewell), Jim Kelly (East Brady), Chuck Bednarik (Bethlehem Liberty), Jack Ham (Bishop McCort), George Blanda (Youngwood), Emlen Tunnell (Radnor), and Johnny Unitas (St. Justin). Other big names who played High School football in Pennsylvania include coach Marty Schottenheimer (Fort Cherry) and Mike Ditka (Aliquippa), Frank Wycheck (Arichbishop Ryan), Troy Vincent (Pennsbury), Eddie George (Abington), Fred Biletnikoff (Erie Tech), Ed McCaffrey (Allentown Central Catholic), John Spagnola (Bethlehem Catholic), Don Strock (Owen J. Roberts), Jason Taylor (Woodland Hills), broadcaster Jim Nance (Indiana Area), Gus Frerotte (Ford City), Rich Gannon (St. Joesph's Prep- Philadelphia), Curtis Martin (Taylor Allerdice), Ty Law (Aliquippa), Marc Bulger (Pitt Central Catholic), Lavar Arrington (North Hills), James Mungro (East Stroudsburg), Matt Schaub (West Chester East), Bob Sanders (Erie Cathedral Prep), Kevin Jones (Cardinal O'Hara), Kerry Collins (Wilson-West Lawn), Kerry Collins (Wilson- West Lawn), Chris Bahr (Neshaminy), Mark Stepnoski (Erie Cathedral Prep), Ricky Watters (Bishop McDevitt- Harrisburg), Marvin Harrison (Roman Catholic- Philadelphia), Paul Pozlusny (Hopewell), Matt Bahr (Neshaminy), Jim Cefalo (Pittston), Matt Millen (Whitehall), Russ Grimm (Mount Lebanon), Jeff Hostetler (Conemaugh Township), Steve Bono (Norristown), Frank Reich (Cedar Crest), Ron Solt (Coughlin), Bill Fralic (HS- ?, NCAA- Pitt), Bill Callahan (Valley), Carelton Haselrig (Greater Johnstown), Scott Zolak (Ringgold), Gregg Skrepenak (Wilkes Barre GAR), Kyle Brady (Cedar Cliff), and Tim Ruddy (Dunmore). true

2009-07-04T03:50:29Z

88547 1 Why Pennsylvania is the best football state in America...

2009-07-04T03:50:53Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/armstead98_1998/blog/posts/88547

2008-04-14T13:00:32Z

14260 Rantings from the Ramparts

2008-06-06T00:00:13Z

76745

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/armstead98_1998/blog armstead98_1998 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/armstead98_1998 17468 My beloved Penguins are no match for the Detroit Red Wings. It's so painful to watch. They've now blown a 2-0 lead in a do-or-die game 5. They went the first 12 minutes of the 3rd period without even getting a shot on goal. Since the latter half of the 2nd period all the way through the 3rd, Detroit has turned up the intensity only about 1000 notches while Pittsburgh looks like they're on life support with no business being on the same sheet of ice. It's equivalent to watching my cat, Holiday, carry around a live chipmunk only toying with him with no chance in hell of it ever surviving. About a month ago, I watched my Sixers lose to the Detroit Pistons after having given me hope by taking a 2-1 lead in the series by stealing game 1 in Detroit. Much like the Red Wings who seem to be able flip the switch anytime they feel the need to, the Pistons did the same beginning in game 4. With the Sixers leading 2 games to 1 and leading by double digits at halftime of game 4, the Pistons morphed into a totally different team and played the rest of the series on a completely higher level than the Sixers and won that game and then the next 2 games in a row to close out the series 4-2. It wouldn't be quite as bad if it wasn't for the fact that the last 3 times the Sixers made the playoffs dating back to 2002, the team that eliminated them was none other than you guessed it, Detroit. As if that isn't bad enough, In 2002 when they eliminated us, our coach at the time, Larry Brown, bolted after that to go coach said Detroit Pistons team, and promptly led them to an unlikely championship, something he was unable to do for us during his tenure in Philadelphia. Talk about adding salt to the wound. It goes even deeper. For years and years, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers had been the dormats of Major League Baseball. To this day, the Pirates still are, but the Detroit Tigers were able to turn it all around in 2006, going from worst to first. Although they didn't win the World Series that year, they at least got there and have played well since then. How you ask? By hiring the Pirates beloved Jim Leyland who once managed us to the brink of the World Series 3 years in a row in the early 90's. Not only that, but 3 of his assistant managers were former Pirates' head managers. Not only that but some of the star players from those early 90's Pirates teams, such as Andy Van Slyke, were also hired on Detroit's staff as position coaches. Even though none of these individuals saw the light of day of the World Series while wearing a Pirate's jersey, they were able to bring a perennial basement dweller in Detroit to that oh so elusive World Series that we couldn't make it to despite all the talent we had back in the day. Then there is Penn State and Michigan football. For the past 10 meetings in a row, Michigan has beaten Penn State. In that string of losses includes a heart-wrenching last second (literally) loss that cost us a shot at being undefeated and playing for the national championship. Despite the fact that Michigan was only 3-3 at the time, and had just lost at home the week before to Minnesota of all teams, and we were undefeated, it didn't seem to matter...we were destined to lose. Combine that with the fact that we had just completed a long TD drive to take a 25-21 lead and it just hurts more. Add to it that there was only 1 second on the clock when Michigan ran their game winning play. That wouldn't be as bad if Michigan's coach hadn't lobbied the ref to add 2 seconds to the game clock about 30 seconds prior to that - for what reason I still don't know, but the ref granted it and in the end it enabled Michigan the time needed to run that last game winning play to beat us 27-25. We ended up settling for an 11-1 record that year and 3rd in the nation instead of going undefeated and possibly playing for the national championship. So ya, Michigan....I hate everything about you. true

2008-06-02T23:20:18Z

56225 1 Michigan - I despise you

2009-01-30T21:37:34Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Maccaveili/blog/posts/56225

2008-04-18T18:32:30Z

17468 Maccaveili's Blog

2008-04-18T18:32:30Z

70307

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Maccaveili/blog Maccaveili http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Maccaveili