Archive for November 14th, 2012

WATERCOOLER CHAT: JETS FANS CROSS LINE WITH TEBOW, CY YOUNG WINNERS, TORII HUNTER GETS GREAT DEAL

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, somewhat of a schoolyard situation is developing.  Everybody knows the New York Jets are having a lackluster year at 3-6.  But, now, when teammates were asked if possibly Tim Tebow should start at quarterback, the Jets were less than kind with their answer.  Anonymous players said Tebow shouldn’t start because he’s “terrible”.  Now, it’s one thing to say you’re sticking with one particular player as your starter or say that the back-up isn’t ready or something to that degree, but to say that a teammate is terrible might be crossing the line.  Tebow said that he was frustrated and even saddened by these reports, but said he uses these type of moments to get stronger and better as a player.  Then again, even though he might not be the best quarterback, it’s hard to deny that he did lead the Broncos to the playoffs last year.  And the Jets don’t exactly have a good thing going for them right now.

BASEBALL

Elsewhere, in baseball, it was time for the coveted Cy Young Winners.  This goes to the best pitcher in each league (and considers a variety of factors including wins, strikeouts, ERA, and a whole slew of different stats the baseball experts have concocted).  Last year, the league showed some maturity giving the award to a great pitcher on a bad team (Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners).  And this year, the honored recipients were R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets for the National League, the first knuckleball pitcher to win the award, and David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays, a guy who almost got the Rays to the playoffs.  Having this award on their resume is what every pitcher dreams of coming into the league.  These two can genuinely call themselves the best pitchers in the baseball… at least for now.

And elsewhere in baseball, it’s the end of a beloved era in Los Angeles, as Torii Hunter won’t be back with the Angels next season.  Hunter came to the Angels early last decade and was a fan favorite.  Now, coming off an amazing year as a 37-year old, he has signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Tigers worth an impressive $26million.  The Tigers fell just one series short of winning it all last season, and clearly they’re looking to boost their bats, as they couldn’t hit anything against the Giants in the World Series.  They need a team leader like Torii to get on base and get those much needed runs to provide support for their phenomenal pitching.  At the same time, the Angels won’t miss him much as they have a slew of talent to cheer for next year, including the emerging superstar Mike Trout.  In any event, congratulations to Hunter.

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WATERCOOLER CHAT: BIG BEN INJURED, LAKERS CALL TO JACKSON, HOPE SOLO ASSAULTED BEFORE WEDDING

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, after Monday night’s narrow victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, one which left Steelers fans puzzled how they could possibly need overtime to beat a lowly Chiefs team, the Steelers look to be in rough shape.  During the game, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was hit by Kansas City defensive end Justin Houston.   Roethlisberger suffered injuries to his ribs and throwing shoulder, and apparently woke up extremely sore.  The team is reporting that Big Ben could be out for a while.  If this is the case, the Steelers will turn to back-up Byron Leftwich, who has been battling injuries of his own.  The Steelers are a bit of a strange team this year.  They’re enigmatic, and you never know which team will show up.  Either way, they will need solid play out of Leftwich if they want to make a playoff run.

BASKETBALL

An update to how the Lakers coaching situation panned out.  The Lakers first interviewed Phil Jackson for the job, and Phil told general manager Mitch Kupchak that he needed the weekend to think about it.  Kupchak told Jackson that he had a job to do and would continue interviewing other candidates.  Then, the Lakers decided to hire D’Antoni, not because of Phil’s “demands” or anything the media has been speculating about, but just on account of basketball decisions.  They feel that D’Antoni’s fast-paced offensive scheme is superior to Jackson’s triangle offense.  So, when they opted for D’Antoni, the Lakers decided it would be best to call Jackson and let him know they went in another direction, as opposed to having Jackson call on Monday, say he accepted the job, and then have to tell him he didn’t have it.  They woke Jackson up in the middle of the night, and Jackson was complimentary of D’Antoni.  In the end, this seems to be the right move for the Lakers, and they should be a dangerous team moving forward.

OTHER

Finally, in some pre-marital gossip, former Seahawks tight end Jeramy Stevens and U.S. Women’s Soccer Star Hope Solo were planning to get married after being in a relationship for two months.  A little fast for most, but they applied for a marriage certificate anyway.  But, just a night before their wedding, Stevens was taken into custody for “assaulting” Solo.  The judge says there isn’t enough evidence to prove that Stevens did anything, so he won’t be held.  Apparently, the couple was fighting over whether they would live in Seattle or Miami after the wedding.  This story is still developing.

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