Make or break season for Cards

The buzz is already in the air. While I’m already irked at the fact that even four weeks before the NFL draft, in the middle of spring training and NCAA Tourney time, sports radio is all ga-ga about the draft. Of course everything is all speculation about each athlete discussed, but theymust persist.

So to combat that point, I’m putting the proverbial stake in the ground… If the Cards can’t put a playoff team on the field this year… season ticketsales will plummet.

2006 – The Cardinals left $16 M in their pockets and didn’t make the playoffs – AGAIN!

2007- The Cardinals are slow off the blocks in free agent signings, with a high salary cap and plenty in the coughers. And while they may have been right that Leonard Davis isn’t worth the money… he was the BEST player on the NFL’s WORST offensive line! How can the Cardinals let the best leave, which in the same breath makes the previous “worst” even worse!?!

Here’s the point, those season ticket holders remaining from last season are there this season in hopes of getting their little grubbies on one of this years Golden Tickets… remember, the Super Bowl is in Arizona next season. So there will be a lottery and everyone wants a piece of that pie.

The Cardinals have one chance left to make a name for themselves before the residents of AZ get wise to the greedy ways of the the Bidwells. While I’m not a fan, I wish the Bidwells and Cardinals would succeed. I don’t think the Cardinals have a chance while Mr. B. (and his son for that matter) is still driving. But I hope they prove me wrong.

In the end, if the Cardinals can’t put a product on the field that satisfies the expectations of the fans… the fans will leave which is unfortunate because there is plenty of star power on the field to watch.

Super Bowl Opening Girlie Ceremony

The NFL Super Bowl is THE single televised event of the year which not any other occasion even comes close to rivaling.

It’s got football, it’s got chips, it’s got football, dip, football, beer (Pepsi for me) you get the picture.

But for some reason, which is still lost on me, the NFL thinks it doesn’t have enough. It started going overboard with the halftime show when Diana Ross changed close 5 times during a single song back in SBXXX in AZ.
BTW – I actually thought Prince was decent except for some of the cover songs.

Now the NFL has gone the way of the Olympics with overdone pre-game entertainment.

Let me paint the picture for you — I’ve just finished grilling my rack of ribs to perfection. I’ve got my giant mug of Pepsi. I’ve got my chips, my dip and the remote. I should be set to go.

I turn on the machine and what do I see? I see butterfly’s running over the NFL shield with a kaleidoscope of colors that is about to make me barf. Someone is singing a Alternative-Salsa style song with no discernable words and more fluffy (used in a condecending tone) stuff going all over the place.

It still make me made that on the most Male dominated sport holiday of the year, there are butterflies and caterpillars disrupting what should be something about football.

Save all that stuff for the olympics. This is the day of football. Don’t descecrate it with images that belong on the Martha Stewart show.

Sport Not a Sport

Sports bar discussions regularly include debates comparing one activity to another and which event is better. Somewhere in the conversation, someone tries to through in a curve ball and include an activity that changes the debate to whether or not the event is a “true” sport vs an entertainment event.

I’ve began what will be considered the

Bill of Sports Rights

. Your comments can be used to submit amendments to the Bill of Sports Right pending review of the committee. If your amendment is approved, I’ll include reference to your blog site.

Keep in mind as you read the rules below, ones percieved athleticism is not valid criteria as we’re not talking about the person or team, we’re talking about the activity/event. While athleticism, training and fitness are admirable; those traits define the person not the event.

There are a couple traits that a sport must posses in order to qualify as a sport.

1. The event must include a physical element that challenges the person to be at a certain level of fitness in order to realistically compete.

- sub.1 Bicycling requires extreme endurance abilities to complete all the stages of The Tour de France
- sub.2 Football includes mixes of strength and speed in order to be competitive.

2. A certain amount of technique/skill level must be apparent in order to separate a novice from an expert.

– sub.1 A valid pitch is required to pass through a predefined area of space
– sub.2 Ping pong includes spin on the ball to exaggerate the path of the ball

3. There should be a component to the event which enables an opponent to challenge the other from completing a desired goal.

– sub.1 A field goal can be blocked
– sub.2 The path of a pitch can be altered to give misdirection

4. The winner/scoring mechanism must be objective.

– sub.1 True the requirements of a double flip in gymnastics are defined, but the range of variation in voting results lend that scoring is not absolute. With a scoring range between 7 & 9 among 5 judges, who’s right, who’s wrong?
– sub.2 A place kicker scores a point when the ball moves between and above the polls of a goal post

5. The winner must be decided as a result of human powered activities.
6. Things that detract/disqualify from the possibilites of being a sport:

- sub.1 Enibriation “adds” to the experience or even enables higher scoring
- sub.2 Any performance which scores points for appearance or style
- sub.3 If anyone has ever successfully competed at the highest level while wearing a custome
- sub.4 Adendum 1/23/2007 – Anytime the activity/event can also be described as “art”… automatically disqualified as a sport.

Races (some) are considered sports. Swimmers can draft or prevent some from drafting. Distance runners struggle with break away tactics. Skiing is all challenged by the clock as if the contestants are on the course at the same time.

To Tax or Not to Tax

The NBA will now be in charge of seeking a public/private funding deal for a new stadium in Sacramento.

“The billionaire Maloofs have been roundly criticized by local taxpayers’ groups for seeking public funding for a proposed multi-use arena in downtown Sacramento or north of town near Arco Arena, the Kings’ aging current home.

…they have requested that we take a leadership role in helping them achieve that goal,” Stern said.

I give Stern and all professional sport organizations are resounding Phfffbt!

Granted, professions sport owners, for the majority are not in the business of owning stadiums. I understand that. I understand that the concerts and monster truck pulls that are held in those arenas are not what a professional sport owner wants to have to deal with.

What those same owners lack in perspective, is that they need to prove to the public that if the public puts money up for a stadium, at least an equal or greater portion of the money the owners are looking to increase into their wallets also makes it into the public economy.

The public shouldn’t be expected to be in the practice supporting owners making more money while the public gets stuck with increased taxes and a big thank you for increased ticket prices, parking, hotels, etc.

I can tell from experience, that as an AZ resident, I feel like walking around with a sign which says “Sucker” as it relates to the great deal we just gave the Cardinals. We just gave the Cardinals a brand new stadium, gave them the naming rights, the parking revenue, a sold out season, and a whole lot more… in return:

…A 1-8 team (as of Nov 15^th) which is $10 million UNDER the salary cap BEFORE all the great revenue the team should make this year.

Maybe an amendment should be made to the Fans Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Professional franchise owners should beware that they don’t push their main revenue stream away. While the real money is in the TV contracts, what would that broadcast look like if there were no fans in the room?