I Could Have Saved the NFL Millions!

On March 10, I posted my NFL Lockout rant, NFL Labor Dispute is a Joke! You can click the link for the full post. In this article, I summarized the major issues between the NFL and the NFLPA and detailed the simple, common sense compromises that were needed to get a deal done. Here's a quick recap from that post:

1) Get rid of any money off the top
As revenue grows (as it did since the last CBA), anything off the top becomes less valuable.

2) Split the difference in the two "on record" proposals:

• Owner share of revenue is 51.8% (an increase of $432 million or $13.5 million per team)
• Player share of revenue is 48.2 % (a decrease of the same amount)

3) Implement a simple rookie wage scale
This helps owners and veteran players. If less of the players' 48.2% is tied up for unproven rookie contracts, veterans get paid more! Owners will have more flexibility in the draft and holdouts will be over.

4) Implement a fund for player pension and healthcare
It is the right thing to do. These players get brutalized, and last on average 3 years in the league. The owners still make money when they are walking corpses (see Al Davis).

5) If that isn't enough, go ahead and add 2 more games
More money, but reduce the preseason and limit off-season OTA's. Nobody really thinks the NFL needs 2 more games, but fine.

Now that the CBA is finalized and the lockout is officially over, let's take a closer look at the major issues and see how I did:

1) Get rid of any money off the top CHECK
All revenue system adopted, eliminating the owners' take and the need for opening the books.

2) Split the difference in the two "on record" proposals CHECK
Hard cap and minimum set total player share of revenue at 47% - 48.5%

3) Implement a simple rookie wage scale HALF CHECK
Contract limits and rookie compensation limits implemented. Not a true wage scale.

4) Implement a fund for player pension and healthcare CHECK
$620M paid to legacy players by NFL and NFLPA in the next 10 years

5) If that isn't enough, go ahead and add 2 more games TBD
16 game season for now, players can vote on it in 2013.

Yeah, millions upon millions of legal fees by both sides. In the end, the compromise was crystal clear to a non-lawyer fan on March 10. What a waste.

Jürgen!

I'll keep this short and sweet. I'm happy that Bob Bradley is out as USMNT head coach. I've never really been a fan. Also, I get the excitement over Jürgen Klinsmann - but that needs to be tempered. Klinsmann had previously turned down the job twice in the past 5 years. Most people familiar with those negotiations agreed that he turned the job down because he couldn't get the amount of control he wanted of the overall system. So either one of two things has changed now...

1. US Soccer has relented and will afford Klinsmann the level of control he seeks.
2. Klinsmann is no longer seeking that level of control.

If it's the former, there's reason to be optimistic for the future of US Soccer as Klinsmann will have 10 months before WC '14 qualifiers begin to make big changes. Klinsmann is on the record saying he prefers an attacking style of soccer and he overhauled the mechanical German team during his tenure there. If he's given the freedom things could be exciting with the USMNT in the coming years.

If it's the latter? Well, expect more of the same that we saw from Simpson to Arena to Bradley. In other words, we'll overpower weaker CONCACAF teams and regularly get whooped on by class teams - maybe with a sprinkling of surprising (pleasant or otherwise) results.

I guess what I'm really saying is, as long as Jonathan Bornstein never gets a call up during Klinsmann's reign I'll consider him a huge success and his contributions to US Soccer priceless.

p.s. I mainly wrote this so I could use the umlauts.

Damn the Torpedos!!!

I think it is finally time.

Since the current ownership group took over, the Reds and GM Walt Jockety have been stockpiling talent in the minors. By leveraging that talent now, not only could we make a run at the playoffs and be a legit postseason contender, but we could be set up for the next 3 years. For so many reasons, I think Jockety has got to be ultra aggressive in the next 2 weeks.

First, look at the facts:

• We are the defending division champs, and are struggling this season to find a spark, despite having the same team.
• The Reds are currently 4.5 games out of first, and 9 games back in the Wild Card standings.
• Right now, we have more major league quality starting pitchers than we have spots in the rotation.
  
• We have 4 all-stars on our AAA Louisville team.
• Joey Votto is under team control through 2013, then he will be a free agent. Hasta la vista.
• Major realignment is almost a certainty for next season, and the playoffs are going to be expanded. Bud Selig has all but said this, and everyone is in favor of more teams in the postseason.

So what do the Reds need? A left fielder, a top line starting pitcher, and an extra arm for the bullpen. Amazingly, there are a lot of really good options out there for the Reds, and I think we can realistically cover all these issues - without mortgaging our future.

I have been closely following the trade rumors, and I think I see a way for the Reds to clean up. Each of these trades is being discussed, but here's what needs to happen.

1) James Shields (TB) for Yonder Alonso / Yasmani Grandal / Mike Leake
This is our biggest need, and this trade has to happen. Shields is a dominating #1 ace pitcher. He has a reasonable contract, and is under team control through 2014. A PERFECT fit for the Reds. Alonso has no place to play for the Reds, Grandal has another stud catcher ahead of him in the minors, and Leake has no place to pitch. Did I mention the Rays are desperate for help at 1B and C???

2) Santiago Casilla (SF) for Ramon Hernandez
Hernandez is expendable, and there is high demand for a hitting catcher. The Giants NEED a catcher. Remember Buster Posey and his home plate collision? Casilla is a pretty good reliever, and we still have Hannigan. This also clears the way for our future catcher, Devin Mesoraco. He is ready.

3) Josh Willingham (OAK) for Billy Hamilton Willingham isn't going to be an all-star outfielder, but he is an upgrade over what we have now in left. He could slot nicely into the cleanup slot (he bats 3rd for the A's) and solve a huge problem for us - we are 15th in the NL for cleanup production. If we get lucky, he becomes a Matt Holliday type acquisition for us. Hamilton is a nice player, but he has Cozart and Phillips ahead of him, and likely will not contribute for years.

4) Prospect (ATL) for Johnny Gomes
There just isn't any room for Gomes. The Braves are desperate for another bat, and Gomes destroys lefties. Get a good AAA prospect, instead of letting Gomes warm the bench.

It really is now or never. Either we go for it and shoot for the 3-year window we have with our core players (Votto), or we just hold tight and hope to sneak into the playoffs with a whimper. These trades need to happen, and we become a much better team. Now and in the future.

Ever Wonder...

how a professional golfer would fare at your local public course? I always have, and much to my enjoyment a writer for the Washington Post had the same question. Luckily for us the writer also had the resources to arrange everything.

Tee for Two

What makes this article even more exciting is the course the pro plays with the writer is a course I have played numerous times, East Potomac in DC. The article was written 4 years ago, but the pro, Steve Marino, is still playing very well on the PGA tour (64th in the world rankings).

I assumed that a professional would absolutely tear up a public course. I was thinking they would probably shoot in the mid-50's. However, this wasn't the case, Marino only shot 4 under par! I have golfed with amateurs who played better than that. In addition, Marino was full of excuses: the greens are too slow, the grass is too high, the tee boxes aren't level. Cry me a river; now you know what it's like for the rest of us!

As the article states: great golfers get great scores at great courses, but I was amazed to see how they can't adjust their game to take advantage of an easy course that may not be in great condition. This all makes me feel so good about my golf game: now I can just blame my triple bogeys on poor course conditions!

Enjoy It (While It Lasts)

This year's Women's World Cup has been fantastic. And not just because the good ol' US of A is in the final after two of the most exciting soccer games - men's or women's - I've ever seen, but because the soccer itself has been great in every match. The pace and power of the women's game will never be on par with the men's game, for obvious reasons, but the skill and creativity are quickly catching up. Plus, the women's game doesn't have any of the diving and playacting (save the last 15 minutes of the USA-Brazil game) that can make the men's game so infuriating at times.

But here's the problem - at least, if you're an American - while teams like France and Japan are coming out of the woodwork to challenge the traditional powers, the US women's game doesn't seem to be evolving at the same rate. The US women's team seems to focus on three qualities as being important: work rate, size, and spirit. Not surprisingly, theses are the same attributes that are most often mentioned with the US men's team. If you don't immediately see the problem there, go back and look at the men's results against top competition recently. Spirit and work rate don't win soccer games the majority of the time. If you want to be elite, you first need the skills and creativity, then the tactical awareness and smarts. The spirit and work rate can put you over the top, but lacking the others you're going to spend a lot of time chasing the game.

For the majority of yesterday's semifinal matchup France dominated the US. Dominated. They were better tactically. They relied on positioning, movement, and quick passes. Their touch was outstanding and, player-for-player, they were much more creative. The US won because a) the French goalie was terrible and b) Abby Wambach is a 5' 11" freak of nature. Now look at who the US is facing in the finals. A Japan team that has plowed through two teams - Germany and Sweden - with characteristics very similar to the US, i.e. big, fast, power teams. It's going to be a very interesting game.

The big question is what does the future hold for the US women's program? Title IX and other societal advantages gave the women's program a huge head start on the rest of the world, but they're catching up quickly. If the US women continue to think that just hard work and that indefatigable American spirit will keep them at the top (as the men's program seemingly does), they are sorely mistaken. Other countries will continue to get bigger, faster, and stronger, but will also focus on creativity and tactics. And it won't take long for the US to be left behind. If the US wants to remain ahead of the curve they need to shift focus now.