Holy Shit is that guy FAST!!!!

So this Jamacian guy, Usain Bolt, is the fastest man on the planet, ever!! He won the 100 Meter in a laugher. He was celebrating 20 meters from the finish line. He broke the record, easily. He could have set a mark that would have been a record for the next 20 years if he wanted. Watching him run was simply amazing.

I watched SportsCenter tonight and they were comparing 40 yard dash times. I'm not sure the 2 examples they used, but the fastest at the combine this season was around a 4.2. Anyhthing there and quicker is about as quick as the NFL gets. If Usain Bolt had run the 40, his time would have been around 3.6. Not a misprint, 3.6!!!!! Somebody teach this guy to catch a football!!!!

The speed this guy has is just absurd. It's effortless. Just amazing that someody can run that fast!

I've never been into the olympics like this. Maybe it's the old age that's made me appreciate them a little more, or maybe it's because I have much more time to watch it? But I have really enjoyed the olympics this year!

Oh, and Bolt set a record in the 200 today too. They're showing the replay in a couple of minutes here, and I'm sure he's going to look effortless, but it's going to be great to watch him run.

If there is a downside to this years' games, it has to be the judging. I'm not a judge. I don't claim to be. And I've watched diving/gymnastics/boxing exactly 1 time in the last 4 years, but this judging is completely ridiculous. I don't even want to get into it, but it's been terrible. It's shocking that the 2 American girls won the gymnastics all-around?? It's been real bad. And it needs to be looked at before the next games in London.

And yesterdays/Monday's US-China baseball game was quite a game. 5 US batters were pegged by Chinese pitchers. 3 guys were ejected. The Chinese catcher was destroyed at the plate by one of the US baserunners. And in the bottom of the 9th, said catcher acted as though he had hit a 10 run homerun to win the game for the Chinese. When in reality, he made the score 9-1 in the final inning.... I didn't see the game, only heard about it, but I really hope that the next guy up got pegged. Imagine if that was a MLB game? Imagine if the game wasn't played in China??? Anyhow, something else I don't really want to get into...

In conclusion, the olympics have been awesome!! I'm really going to be depressed when they're done. That flip that Nastia Lukin does on the balance beam and then lands on one leg is f'n amazing!

The 200 final, that I already know the ending to, is on, so I have to get going!! Enjoy the rest of the olympics!!!

Oh, and the Indians suck, and the Browns looked horrible the other night. That's all I'm going to say about that!

Olympic Fever! Catch It!!

I just can't get enough of the Olympics. I watch all day and all night. And I love watching the obscure sports. Team handball, water polo, volleyball, canoeing, boxing, and even baseball without big leaguers is a good sport to watch. But the swimming, not just the swimming, but the Michael Phelps stuff, has really been something.

He's won 5 gold medals so far this olympics. That's just amazing. He's won in dominating fashion and he's won by split seconds. He's won on relay teams. He's won everything. And not only has he won 5 golds, he's set 5 new world records along the way. Unreal. The relay when they beat the French relay team was one of the most amazing comebacks I've ever seen??? Especially for it to be over the French, what a great victory.

I even watched those little gymnasts last night. I felt real bad for the girl that fell off the balance beam. But the things that they do on that thing are amazing. Flips and twists and shit?? What the hell?? It's amazing!! They won the silver, I wouldn't be too upset about that. But the announcer guy was totally ripping this 20 year old girl to shreds. He certainly wasn't pulling any punches.

But, she choked, and from hearing the stories about what these kids go through, I guess they have ever right to be that upset that she choked.

And this brings me to the tragedy that is the olympics. My girlfriend and I were watching synchronized diving the other day and they interviewed one of the American girls. I believe it was Kelci Bryant who they were interviewing. She stated that she has no friends, she left her family 2 years ago to only train, the only people she talks to are her teammates. She's 18-19 years old and has given up here final high school years to compete. And before the end of the interview she made the comment, "...I have the rest of my life to have fun and do things for myself, but now, this is something I have to do..." Ummmm????? What????? Has anybody told her that her best years are her high school/college years? That she has just decided to give up?

And the worst was the Chinese gymnasts. There are all sorts of rumors following these girls around about their ages. The minimum age of all olympic participants is 16. And I can guarantee you that these girls were not 16. They looked about 13, tops. And they looked like very sick 13 year olds. They talked about these girls and how they are taken from their parents at 3 years old to do gymnastics, only gymnastics, for their country. They get to see their families once a year. What happens to these girls once they reach 17??? They obviously don't have any job skills, and I find it hard to believe that they have even had an education. So what happens to them afterwards? Scary.

And my last comment about the gymnastics last night, another comment was made that the Romanian gymnasts are just not what they once were. And what could have possibly happened to them, they were once so proud of their gymnasts. Well, apparently the announcer guy, that was ripping the poor american girl for falling and making a comment that she needs to get her head screwed on straight, spoke to the coach and this is what he said. "...we have to treat these girls differently now. They're westernized, they have friends, and they don't want to train as hard as they should..." Soooooo, wait a second here. These girls are being punished for wanting to have friends and lives outside of the gymnastics world?? God forbid them!!!! We should burn these girls at the stake for having a social life!! They should be winning golds for Romania, not texting their friends!

I always knew that these girls were worked to death, but I guess I didn't actually hear it firsthand like I heard it last night. I feel very bad for these kids. They deserve better than this...

Boxing is a joke. The scoring system they use is archaic. I watched some kid from Cincy fight the other day, somehow he lost. He thought he was winning, but he was losing, he slipped and fell, and somehow he was credited with a point. I do not know what the hell was going on.

But, the rest of the olympics have been great!!! Can't wait to see if Phelps adds to his Gold Medal count. What he's been doing has really been something to watch.

Olympics in Chicago 2016!!!

The 2008 Season Has Begun!!

The Browns opened up last night at a very rainy, thundery, Cleveland Browns Stadium. They lost 24-20, but that's not the important part. The important part is that they looked good. From what I have read at least, they looked good!

DA was 4-5 for 20 yards, 1 TD. A timing throw to Braylon who made a spectacular 1-handed catch was the TD. It seems like the 2 of them are just on the same page. And you can't teach that.

The first team D, and the O, for that matter, played well in their 1 series before the weather decided to halt things. The D held the Jets scoreless, and the O marched down for a TD. I'm not getting real excited, this is the the quarterbackless Jets they held. But at the same time, they're not playing the Little Sisters of the Blind either. So I'm thinking this is good!

Brady played well. He threw one pick. And I've read that it should have been caught, and I've read that it was a bad throw that Syndric Steptoe was able to get a hand on. The game is on the NFL network this weekend, and I have the TiVo already set up to record. But I will make my own decision when I see it..

Overall, it looks like things were positive. No QB sacks. So the O-Line is playing well. And the mcuh improved D-Line played well, without Cory Williams getting much PT coming off the injury.

I like it!! I like it!!! Where's the Super Bowl this season???

I Think I Deserve A Raise

Josh Cribbs wants a raise. He had one good year, and now he wants a raise. He went from an undrafted free agent, to return man extraordinaire, to whiny, overpaid, athlete in the time span of 3 years.

So Cribbs was given a $5K signing bonus when he made the roster for the 2005 edition of the Browns. He was just happy to be playing. He performed, and came back for the 2006 squad. Again, played well, ran one kick for a TD. Started developing into a solid return guy. And was rewarded by signing a 6 year, $6 mil contract with the Browns. I'd call that loyalty?? Who wouldn't??

Then Cribbs has a huge 2007. Gets selected for the Pro Bowl. Electrifies fans. Brought back 2 kicks and 1 punt for TDs. Scared the hell out of opposing special teams coaches. And is now asking for a new, bigger contract. But he also claims that he's not goign to be a distraction and hold out for a new contract.

I just don't understand?? Call me naive or whatever, but I just don't understand why these athletes are the way they are. Yes, they have to strike when the iron is hot, but is a mil a year to return kicks not enough???

I don't know who is to blame. I'm sure the athletes are a part of it. TO, Chad Johnson... But in many cases, I'm sure it's the agents. Trying to make their payday. Cribbs gets a new agent and all of a sudden he wants a new contract? From what I've read about Cribbs, he seems like a pretty humble guy. He should be, he went undrafted and obviously worked his ass off to make the Browns and have the 2 seasons he had that led to the new contract.

But in the end, pick a side. If you want a new contract, sit out until you get it. If you don't, get out and play and shut your mouth.

But why have 1 good season and then become a whiny little overpaid athlete. Go out, play the game, and here's an idea... Win a fucking Super Bowl?? Give your team that chance to sign other players around you. One person does not win a Super Bowl.

Moving on to other Cleveland news, and greedy athletes. LeBron James has stated that he'd be interested in going over to Europe, Greece to be exact, to play for some team over there. For $50 Million a year. That's not a typo. $50 Million.

He's 23 years old right now. So when his contract is up in 2010, he's going to be 25. Say he plays over in Europe for 3 years, he's going to come back and be 28 and should be in the prime of his career and could concievably play another 10 years in the NBA. Play in Europe for 3 years at $50 million??? Who in their right mind would not do this???? Seriously?? $150 million for 3 years???? Hell yes I'd go over there for a couple of years.

I am a very loyal person. If I were in LeBron's shoes, there is no way I would leave Cleveland for New York, New Jersey, LA, Philly.... But offer up $150 Mil for 3 years? Should I find a house or is the club going to do that for me?

News and Notes on this humid Tuesday afternoon

Here's just a few of the things that have been going through my head over the last couple of days.

This internet social networking is simply amazing. People that I haven't heard from in years have reached out to my facebook page. Unreal. It's neat to see what everybody is up to, where they are at, kids, marriage... People that I'm pretty sure I would not otherwise speak to I have been in touch with. What a great thing this whole internet has done for us!

I love reading the message boards after all of the articles I read on the Plain Dealer online. Fucking hysterical! My favorite was a reader that is making his case for Brady Quinn being the starter because of a ball he threw in some preseason game last year, he can't remember which one, and he thinks Jurevicious caught it, but he's also not sure. He's claiming that it's the best throw he's seen in years. I'm not even going to comment about this further. I'll never understand why having 2 capable QBs is such a huge problem???

My girlfriend makes the most amazing Buffalo Dip.

CC is dealing in Milwaukee. Such a shame the Tribe could not keep him around.

I was in Cleveland this weekend and went for a boat ride on the Goodtime III. Very nice. it was a beautiful day and the trip up the Cuyahoga was very relaxing! I was simply amazed that the East bank of the flats is gone. Not just abandoned, but gone!!! The buildings were gone! Everything!! What a great place that was about 7 years ago.. What the hell happened.

From what I've been reading, Anderson to Braylon is looking real good in camp!! I just got chills!!!

I'm tired of the hole that keeps leaking in the middle of my living room.

It's very painful watching somebody you love in a miserable relationship with an absolutely miserable person.

And lastly, one of the most amazing things happened in Cleveland Hopkins Airport on Sunday afternoon. My flight back to Chicago was delayed 3 hours. I was with my 6, soon to be 7, year old. I thought I was going to have a hard time occupying her for the delay, but she made friends with some little girls in the airport and had a ball. But that's not the story, the story is that one of the little girls was from somewhere in the Middle East, I don't know where, and she didn't speak English, she spoke Arabic. This didn't matter to the 4-7 year olds and the fun they had. It was absolutely amazing to watch the 3 of them play together even though they couldn't communicate with the little Mid Eastern Girl. The 3 of them had so much fun. It's really something the lessons little kids can teach.

Super Bowl Aspirations?

Training camp in Berea opened on Wednesday. And this is the season. This is the season for the Browns. This was supposed to be the season for the Indians. But we're not going to talk about that. And we're going to focus on the positive. And the positive is playing in Cleveland Browns stadium this fall!

The defense is going to be much improved. With the additions of Shawn Rogers and Cory Williams on the D-Line, which was the weakest part of the '07 Browns, may be the strength of the '08 version. The reviews on Rogers have been real good so far. He's very quickly becoming a leader on the D.

And so far all I've read are great things about Kellen Winslow. He wants a new contract, but he vows to not be a distraction... Again, positive thoughts, so we're not going there. But it really sounds like he's dedicated to being the best player out on the field.

Not to change the subject abruptly, but I'm watching Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on the Food Network. I do believe this guy has the best job in the world. He goes all over the place eating good food. Not the gourmet crap that most food reviewers go to. He's at a BBQ place in Memphis right now, and I'm seriously considering hopping into the car and heading down there...

Anyhow, all of the things I've read so far about the first 3 days of training camp are good. And of course the debate is who is goign to play QB for this team. I hate this debate, and I'll never understand why having 2 capable QBs is a bad thing?? I don't know what the stat is, but very few QBs made it through last season unscathed. Also, do we forget the DA has only been a starter for one year? He started 3 games in the lost '06 season after Charlie Frye was nearly decapitated because he enjoyed holding onto the ball and making poor, slow, decisions? DA didn't even start the first game last season? And for the majority of last season, he play fantastic football. So well that both Braylon and Winslow made the pro bowl. Along with rookie left tackle Joe Thomas. You don't think that had anything to do with the way Anderson played?? Yes, he played horribly against Cincinnati. That was painful to watch, very. But if you are going to crucify the guy for 1 or 2 bad games, in his first season as a starter, you're crazy.

It's frustrating to listen to. The blogs that I read from the Plain Dealer talked about the first couple days of Training Camp, talked about how DA threw 3 interceptions on Thursday. And there were already talking about how horrible he is and how he should be the backup, and how Brady is such the better QB, and how... Just annoying. Braylon even came out and said that it was a huge distraction last season not knowing who the QB is going to be.

DA is the guy, he's going to stay the guy. So stop all of the Brady Quinn talk for a while. I'm already tired of it. Again, what's the problem with having 2 quality QBs?? Exactly.

Looking forward to signing up for the NFL Sunday ticket! Can't wait for the season to get going! Can't wait to see the excitement in Cleveland!

Let's Get Back to Baseball!

Now that the All-Star break is over, it's going to be nice to get back to some baseball. This promises to be a fantastic 2nd half of the season. Not really for the Indians, but there are some real good races that are going to take place this summer and fall.

The best is the race in the AL East. With the Red Sox, again, leading the way after the break, it's really going to be interesting to see how this plays out. Will the Rays be able to get out of the funk they found themselves in going into the break?? Are they young enough to just go out and play baseball forgetting that they're taking on the Yanks and the Sox. Or are they going to be too young and falter in the 2nd half.

The NL Central leading Cubs who are up 4.5 on the Cards and 5 on the Brewers. Both the Cubs and the Brewers greatly improved their pitching staffs in the acquisition of Harden and Sabathia. Both of which are starting to pay dividends. This is going to be a great run. 3 teams, half a season. Lots of excitement on the Northside.

The AL Central with the Sox up a game and a half on the Twins. Not even close to what was predicted at the beginning of the season. But the real wild card is going to be what Detriot can do the rest of the season. They have really been surging in the last month or so and may come back to surprise the Sox and Twins. There's too many good players in Detriot to just falter.

The NL West, it's going to be a race. But everybody has a sub .500 record. I don't even want to comment. The Dodgers should be much better than they are. Maybe because they have Juan Pierre playing outfield. That guy has a worse arm then most kids in little league.

And another fantastic race is goign to be the NL east. Will the Phillies be able to come through and hold the half game lead over the surging Mets? Hopefully Ryan Howard learns to not strike out so much, my fantasy team would be very happy about this, but the rest of the lineup, outside of Howard, Utley, and Burrell, needs to start producing. The pitching has been solid, but they need to score some consistent runs to make the post season.

So, my predictions:

AL East - Sox. The Rays will falter. Sadly.
AL Central - Twins. The Sox just don't have enough to hold off the rest of the AL Central
AL West - Angels. Boring
NL East - Phillies. Too much offense, Howard is going to blow up in the 2nd half.
NL Central - Cubs. They're going to hold off the Brewers. The Cards will fall off, Cubs and Brewers will go down to the wire.
NL West - Dodgers, I guess.
AL Wildcard - Detroit
NL Wildcard - Brewers

My cat, Manny, just caught a fly. It was pretty cool watching him stalk this thing for the last hour or so. He's pretty excited about his catch!

Have a great Thursday!