Tuesday's Thoughts

While thinking about what it would be like to follow a real NFL football team, here is what's on my mind this morning:

* Well, Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer became the next in a long line of fired head coaches and general managers who have been fired by the Cleveland Browns and more specifically by that smooth snake oil salesman, Jimmy Haslam.  While there was no question that Ray Farmer had to go, I really believe that Mike Pettine could have remained as head coach.  Pettine's biggest problem was the decline of the most expensive defensive unit in the NFL.  Firing Pettine made sense if the new general manager was going to be hiring the new head coach.  But according to Snake Oil Jimmy, the head coach will be hired first and then he along with Haslam, his wife and Sashi Brown (the new V.P. of Football Operations) will hire the general manager. What a joke.

* Snake Oil Jimmy's press conference was pathetic. Oh we had to hear how he was accepting full responsibility for the failures of his team, If that is suppose to make me feel better, sorry Snake Oil Jimmy but that does nothing for me. What's clear is that Haslam has no idea what the hell he's doing. We are all suppose to be impressed because he has brought in an executive search company to assist in the hiring of the new head coach. Snake Oil tells us that this company was involved in the hiring of Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, Pete Carroll at Seattle and Andy Reid at Kansas City. Really!! An executive search company was needed to bring Harbaugh to his alma mater or Reid to Kansas City?? Give me a break!! What Haslam didn't tell us was that this company was also involved in the hiring of failed NY Jets General Manager John Idzik.

* Haslam's promotion of Sashi Brown is another example of Snake Oil Jimmy's incompetence. Brown is a lawyer who has worked for the team as its cap specialist and contract negotiator. He is not a football guy, yet Snake Oil Jimmy said that Brown will have ultimate say on the 53 man roster. Brown will also have the final say on draft day.

* Every NFL expert and former coaches have said that the Cleveland job will be the least attractive of all the current openings. But not according to Snake Oil Jimmy. His incompetence will result in the Browns settling for a guy who has never been a head coach in the NFL.

* Johnny Manziel needs to be cut. I'm tired of his defenders trying to justify this spoiled rich kid's actions. He doesn't give a damn about his team, his teammates or the fans. All he cares about is promoting himself. But here's the bigger issue, Manziel is not a pro quarterback. He's too small and his arm isn't strong enough. Couple that with him not being committed to being the best he can be and you have an Arena League QB.

* Heard Justin Gilbert, another one of Ray Farmer's disaster first round picks in 2014, yesterday on Cleveland radio 92.3. The reason why he couldn't make team meetings in his rookie season was because he was a hard sleeper. You can't make this stuff up. This clown needs to be cut too.

* I wonder what Sashi Brown thinks of the $9 million contract that Dwayne Bowe got to do absolutely nothing this year.

* What a great testament to the character of Tom Coughlin by former Giant Justin Tuck. Tuck said that not only was Coughlin a great football coach but he also taught his players how to be good husbands and good parents. Will be interesting to see who the Giants will get to replace their former soon to be Hall of Fame coach.

* So much for exciting college football playoff games. Both games were a bust and one has to wonder how good the championship game will be. In fact the bowl games on New Year's Day were also non-eventful.

* The Maple Leafs head out west for a three game road trip beginning Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks. You have to be impressed with the job that Mike Babcock is doing. The turnaround that this franchise has made since Team President cleaned house and brought in Kyle Dubas, Mark Hunter, Lou Lamiorello and Babcock has been amazing. Maybe Shanny could give Snake Oil Jimmy a call.

* With Wild Card weekend approaching, isn't it interesting that Brian Hoyer is leading the Houston Texans into the playoffs. As was pointed out by someone in Cleveland yesterday, the beginning of the end for Mike Pettine may have been when he was forced to keep Hoyer on the bench after he was injured so Johnny Boy could play.

* Here's hoping Cincy, Washington, Minnesota and Kansas City are victorious this weekend.

* Loved seeing Peyton Manning come off the bench and lead the Broncos to victory and the number one seed in the AFC. I'm not a Denver fan but I would love to see Manning lead them to the Super Bowl.

* The best that could happen to the Browns is if Hue Jackson or Jim Schwartz were hired as their new head coach. Both have head coaching experience in the NFL.

* And finally, it was really nice listening to former Browns Head Coach Sam Rutigliano yesterday. Brought back many great memories of the Kardiac Kids Days. Not sure if we will ever get back to Cleveland being relevant in the NFL again under Snake Oil Jimmy.

Are Changes Needed For Baseball

Last night was a classic Game 7 of the World Series with the San Francisco Giants winning 3-2 over the Kansas City Royals. It's unfortunate that many fans, like myself, weren't awake to see it. In Thursday's NY Daily News, Mike Lupica wrote an article about the beauty of baseball and how those saying that changes need to be made are off base. Well Mike, I disagree.

In Lupica's column, he talks about various World Series Game 7s. My first Yankee memory is Bobby Richardson snaring a line drive by Willie McCovey that sealed a 1-0 New York win in Game 7 of the 1962 World Series. By the way, that game was during the day. Sometime in the 80s and definitely in the 90s, few if any World Series games were played during the day. I wonder how many Giants and Royals fans at the age of 10 and under were able to stay up and watch that game? For a sport that's fan base is getting older and older, why wouldn't you at least have the weekend games during the day? There was a time when the World Series would pre-empt football coverage on NBC.

On TSN Drive on TSN 1050 out of Toronto, Dave Naylor reported that Game 7 of the 1985 World Series ended 45 minutes sooner than Game 7 this year and the score and number of hits are the same. Hitters constantly stepping out of the batters box to adjust their batting gloves or their batting helmet is a minutes eater and totally unnecessary. Three and a half to four hour 9 inning baseball games are a joke.  

While Bud Selig has made a ton of money for the owners, the long-term growth of the game simply is not there. There are fewer kids playing baseball. Fewer people under the age of forty are watching baseball. Incredibly long games and night playoff/World Series games is a recipe for not getting kids interested in baseball. The NFL gets it. The Super Bowl starts at 6:30. By 9:30 it's over and most youngsters are able to watch it as are 50-somethings like me. 

I love baseball. As a kid, I played every day whether in Little League or in pick up games. My brother and I would play catch, pretending we were star pitchers like Don Drysdale, Juan Marichal or Luis Tiant. As I got older I played softball 3-4 games a week. This was my game. But most people under 40 don't have that same type of passion. 

If baseball wants to get younger people interested in the game they need to do the following:

- Play at least weekend World Series and playoff games during the day. These are your signature games where memories are made so play them when the majority of people can watch them.

- Have nationally televised Sunday baseball games on ESPN start at 7pm. Once again an hour earlier start ensures that young kids will be able to watch. It will also allow younger families to come to the ball park and come home before 11:30 or 12 midnight.

- Have umpires direct both batters and pitchers to keep the game moving by restricting the amount of time between pitches due to the adjustment of equipment.

- With respect to replay, eliminate the need for a manager to come out and stall while someone reviews the instant replay to see if there should be a challenge. The only way to do that is give the manager more challenges or restrict challenges only to the latter innings. 

Unless baseball acknowledges that it has a problem, they will continue to lose fans. Maybe with a new Commissioner there is a chance for meaningful change. Absent that, baseball may go the way of the Studebaker. For anyone under 50, that was a car back in the early 60s.