Money

Jerry Jones loves money almost as much as he loves “Jerrah,” with publicity a distant third.

The Packers immediately signed Parsons to a record-setting contract for a non-quarterback: four-years, $188 million dollars with $136 million guaranteed. His $47 million dollar average salary is the highest ever. A rapid about face for a historically frugal organization that could make Packers fans OD on cheese.

As we’ve seen in each of the last two seasons with Dak Prescott and CDC Lamb, Jerry loves to talk about paying his studs. Then waiting and paying over market value for said studs.

Which made me remember/laugh about Jerry’s infamous quote regarding Ezekiel Elliot “spanking himself.”

While it seemed like something would get sorted out during a very public and messy feud, Jerrah The GM pulled the trigger on dumping Parsons.

The Cowboys got the absolute most out of his rookie contract. A four-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $17,079,793.

Injuries & Effectiveness

By all metrics, Micah Parsons has potentially entered the downside of his career. How much better could he be in year 5 and beyond?

Specifically for the position of linebacker that absorbs punishment on every play, akin to the running back on the offensive side of the ball. And we see how the market treats them.

Dallas has been bad at stopping the run.

Over the last four years – Parsons first four years in the league – the Cowboys finished 18th or worse in rushing yards allowed per game each season:

2024: 29th
2023: 18th
2022: 22nd
2021: 20th

In 2024 he played a career low 13 games. Parsons sat out all of the 2025 training camp and the preseason with back stiffness.

There’s also no clear indication he was going to be ready to play opening day thanks to the back injury which he recently received a second opinion on. The initial MRI “came back clean.”

Players Received

Two first rounders and a space eating defensive tackle, three-time Pro Bowler Kenny Clark. The value of two first rounders speaks for itself.

Shoring up defensive tackle is the first step in building run defense. Linebackers are easier to find. A quality defensive tackle is not.

“I really like Micah,” Jones said. “I appreciate the four years we had him here. He’s a great player. No question, I could have signed him in April. … This was by design. I did make Micah an offer and it wasn’t acceptable, and I honored the fact that it wasn’t done how he wanted — through an agent.”

Jerry even compared the trade to “The Great Trade Robbery” of Herschel Walker to the Vikings in 1989.

“But Micah Parsons did an outstanding job for us for four years and a little bit of the way Herschel Walker may have had his greatest contribution to the Cowboys, what he brought to us when he left could be a tremendous thing for our fans and the success of this team.”

Conclusion

Just like the Luka Doncic trade, on its face, the Micah Parsons trade has an enormous WOW factor.

But when you dig in and get past the hype of the names involved, a year from now we could be singing the praises of the billionaire oil tycoon from Dallas.

Or, he did this to hype up viewership of the recent Dallas Cowboys Netflix special.

The post Did The Cowboys Win The Micah Parsons Trade? appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

The 14th season of “OUCH, My Fucking Clavicle!” is upon us. A league known for its inappropriate fantasy football team names.

Yes, the league is smoking cigarettes, using swear words, MASTURBATING, and skipping days of 9th grade – regularly.

So who better to announce 2025 draft order than noted asshole John Rocker?

But how did we get here?

In the year of our Lord, 2012, Chargers running back Ryan Mathews was a “can’t miss” fantasy first round pick.

Coming off a 1,500+ total yard 50+ rec, 6 TUD season in limited duty, the Mathews Hype was at peal levels entering year 3 as he took the reigns from newly departed best fantasy RB ever, LaDainian Tomlinson.

He was the “missing link” in an offense that featured Vincent Jackson, A Gates, Malcom Floyd, and Triggerman/father of ELEVENTEEN, Philip Rivers.

But then, he broke his right FUCKING CLAVICLE on his first preseason carry – for a nice 5 yard gain which would easily lead the NFL over a full season, .5 fantasy points – and sucked ass all year.

According to numerous reports, including players at field level, after the sound of his clavicle cracking subsided, Mathews reportedly screamed, “OUCH, My FUCKING CLAVICLE – I’m reasonably sure its broken!”

(https://www.nfl.com/news/ryan-mathews-of-san-diego-chargers-breaks-clavicle-0ap1000000048067)

Not only was Ryan “Raw Dog” Mathews broken, but so were innumerable fantasy teams who had selected him with their first round pick. He missed the first 2 weeks and was compromised for far more.

In week 3 he scored his first TUD of the season – and what would be his ONLY TUD of the season.

Then in Week 15, the unthinkable happened in the fantasy playoffs – he broke his LEFT FUCKING clavicle.

(https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/chargers-rb-ryan-mathews-headed-to-ir-with-broken-clavicle/)

According to numerous reports from people at field level, after the sound of his clavicle being crushed against the force of an unforgiving earth, he reportedly screamed, “OUCH, MY FUCKING CLAVICLE – THIS TIME i BROKE MY LEFT ONE!’

Per the Mayan calendar, 12/21/2012 was supposed to be the end of the world. And for many fantasy owners, their world ended with the sound of Mathews’ fragile clavicles being crushed to dust.

Is this YOUR year to get completely buttfucked? Your fate awaits.

Past Champions List:

1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | Your Finish

2024 Restaurant with Ted Danson Demardiac Arrest lSmotherdngravy 12th
2023 Captain Insano Castillo Nation Demardiac Arrest 9th
2022 Penis Inspector 🍆🍆🍆 Deshaun’s Massage Envy Captain Insano 1st
2021 Penis Inspector 🍆🍆🍆 Captain Insano The Boner Express!!! 1st
2020 Penis Inspector 🍆🍆🍆 Sen. Ernie McCracken Buc Nasty 1st
2019 Da Beers Sen. Ernie McCracken Lit & Gay AF 10th
2018 Captain Insano Dickface HernandezNeckTieCo 12th
2017 Marty Ball Dickface Lit & Gay AF 7th
2016 Buttfuckin’ Marty Ball Tom’s lot lizard 1st
2015 Captain Insano The Boner Express!!! DCarr4MVP 7th
2014 DCarr4MVP The Boner Express!!! Sacks to be Cutler 8th
2013 The Boner Express!!! K.C.C.O. Captain Insano 8th
2012 WhoWnts2SmellMadonna FLF Crew IPG 1st

The post John Rocker Reveals Our Fantasy Draft Order At His Discretion appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

Madden 99 Club was initially launched as part of Madden NFL 19.

What is significant about 99? A 99 OVR is the highest rating possible in Madden. During the season, ratings are updated on a weekly basis based on the real-life player performance and skill set, so attributes like Speed, Catch, and Tackle are all accounted for.

What is the Madden 99 Club?

The ratings in modern Madden fluctuate, thanks to the advent of this thing called the Internet. These ratings used to be locked for the year and now move a bit as the season goes along depending on how players play.

So that got me thinking; out of all the versions of Madden for the last 20+ years, back to 1998, how many 99 OVR ratings had been given out?

Has any player ever gotten a rating of 100 overall in Madden?

Did you know that Madden used to give ratings of 100? YES, it is true.

In all, 7 different players have received 100 ovr in Madden – Deion Sanders the only person doing it twice. Scroll down for full list.

Ready for a run through history? Here is the full list, by year and version of the game starting with Madden 1999:

Madden 1999 Player Ratings

100 Overall Club: RB Barry Sanders (Lions), WR Jerry Rice (49ers), TE Shannon Sharpe (Broncos), TE Mark Chmura (Packers), OT Tony Boselli (Jaguars), CB Deion Sanders (Cowboys)

Madden 99 Club: TE Ben Coates (Patriots), C Dermontti Dawson (Steelers), OG Randall McDaniel (Vikings), OG Larry Allen (Cowboys), OG Mark Schlereth (Broncos), OT Jonathan Ogden (Ravens), OT Willie Roaf (Saints), DE Bruce Smith (Bills), DE Neil Smith (Broncos), DE Reggie White (Packers), DE Tony Brackens (Jaguars), MLB Ken Norton Jr. (49ers), CB Jason Sehorn (Giants), K Morten Andersen (Falcons)

Madden 2000 Player Ratings

100 Overall Club: FB Mike Alstott (Buccaneers), CB Deion Sanders (Cowboys)

Madden 99 Club: RB Barry Sanders (Lions), C Dermontti Dawson (Steelers), P Matt Turk (Redskins)

Madden 2001 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: None
The game featured no players with a 99 OVR rating, however it had a few players with the highest rating of 96 OVR.

Madden 2002 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: RB Marshall Faulk (Rams), TE Tony Gonzalez (Chiefs), LT Jonathan Ogden (Ravens), DT Warren Sapp (Buccaneers), MLB Ray Lewis (Ravens)

Madden 2003 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: RB Marshall Faulk (Rams), LG Larry Allen (Cowboys), DT Warren Sapp (Buccaneers), LE Michael Strahan (Giants), MLB Ray Lewis (Ravens)

Madden 2004 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: WR Marvin Harrison (Colts), WR Terrell Owens (49ers), MLB Ray Lewis (Ravens), ROLB Derrick Brooks (Buccaneers), FS Brian Dawkins (Eagles), K Adam Vinatieri (Patriots)

Madden 2005 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: LT Jonathan Ogden (Ravens), MLB Ray Lewis (Ravens), CB Champ Bailey (Broncos), K Mike Vanderjagt (Colts)

Madden 2006 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: QB Peyton Manning (Colts), WR Randy Moss (Raiders), LT Jonathan Ogden (Ravens), MLB Ray Lewis (Ravens), K Adam Vinatieri (Patriots), K David Akers (Eagles)

Madden 2007 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: QB Peyton Manning (Colts), FB Lorenzo Neal (Chargers), TE Antonio Gates (Chargers), LT Walter Jones (Seahawks), FS Ed Reed (Ravens), CB Champ Bailey (Broncos), P Shane Lechler (Raiders)

Madden 2008 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: QB Peyton Manning (Colts), RB LaDainian Tomlinson (Chargers), MLB Brian Urlacher (Bears), FS Ed Reed (Ravens), CB Champ Bailey (Broncos)

Madden 2009 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: QB Peyton Manning (Colts), QB Tom Brady (Patriots), RB LaDainian Tomlinson (Chargers), TE Antonio Gates (Chargers), WR Randy Moss (Patriots), SS Bob Sanders (Colts)

Madden 2010 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: QB Peyton Manning (Colts), WR Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals), DT Albert Haynesworth (Redskins), FS Ed Reed (Ravens), SS Troy Polamalu (Steelers), CB Nnamdi Asomugha (Raiders)

Madden 2011 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: QB Peyton Manning (Colts), QB Drew Brees (Saints), RB Chris Johnson (Titans), RE Jared Allen (Vikings), MLB Patrick Willis (49ers), CB Darrelle Revis (Jets)

Madden 2012 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: QB Tom Brady (Patriots), TE Antonio Gates (Chargers), SS Troy Polamalu (Steelers), CB Darrelle Revis (Jets)

Madden 2013 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: QB Aaron Rodgers (Packers), WR Calvin Johnson (Lions), ROLB DeMarcus Ware (Cowboys), CB Darrelle Revis (Jets)

Madden 2014 Player Ratings (Called Madden NFL 25 since it was the 15th year EA Sports released the game)

Madden 99 Club: RB Adrian Peterson (Vikings), WR Calvin Johnson (Lions), LE J.J. Watt (Texans)

Madden 2015 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: WR Calvin Johnson (Lions), LE J.J. Watt (Texans), CB Richard Sherman (Seahawks)

Madden 2016 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: QB Aaron Rodgers (Packers), TE Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), RE J.J. Watt (Texans)

Madden 2017 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: TE Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), RE J.J. Watt (Texans), MLB Luke Kuechly (Panthers), LOLB Von Miller (Broncos)

Madden 2018 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: QB Tom Brady (Patriots), RE Aaron Donald (Rams), LOLB Von Miller (Broncos)

Madden 2019 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: QB Tom Brady (Patriots), TE Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), QB Aaron Rodgers (Packers), WR Antonio Brown (Steelers), DT Aaron Donald (Rams), Von Miller (Broncos), LB Luke Kuechly (Panthers), Kahlil Mack (Bears), and QB Drew Brees (Saints)

Madden 20 Player Ratings

EA Sports announced four Madden 99 ranked players before the season – and added three more during the season.

Madden 99 Club: Bobby Wagner, Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack, DeAndre Hopkins (Read our egg-ceptional interview w DeAndre here), Patrick Mahomes (in-season addition), Christian McCaffery (in-season addition), Michael Thomas (in-season addition).

Madden 21 Player Ratings

EA Sports announced four Madden 99 ranked players before the season. And added four more players in-season.

Madden 99 Club: Christian McCaffrey, Aaron Donald, Michael Thomas, Stephon Gilmore.

Added Seahawks QB Russell Wilson on 10/15/2020. And re-added Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins on 11/19/2020. Prior to his Hail Mary game-winner against the Bills, Hopkins was a 98. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was added on 12/10/2020. Packers WR Devonte Adams was added 12/30/2020.

Madden 22 Player Ratings

Madden 22 featured 5 players in the 99 Club at the start of the season, then added 3 more during the season.

Madden 99 Club: Davante Adams, Aaron Donald, Travis Kelce, Jalen Ramsey, Patrick Mahomes (also on the Madden 22 cover), Myles Garrett (in-season addition), Tom Brady (in-season addition), Justin Tucker (in-season addition). 

2/3/21 UPDATE: To commemorate his retirement Tom Brady has re-joined the Madden 99 Club. As far as I can tell he is the first player ever to make the 99 Club, get removed, and then get re-added all in the same season. 

For a deeper dive, read my article “Tom Brady Madden Ratings Thru The years: by clicking here. 

Madden 23 Player Ratings

Four players started the season in the 99 Club, three of which were in the 99 Club for Madden 22.

Madden 99 Club: Davante Adams, Aaron Donald, Myles Garrett, Trent Williams, Travis Kelce (in-season addition), and Christian McCaffrey the first player to ever make the 99 Club with two different teams. 

Madden 24 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: Justin Jefferson, Aaron Donald, Zack Martin, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes.

Tyreek Hill became 1 of 5 players in Madden NFL history to be rated BOTH 99 OVR AND 99 SPD:

Madden 2000: Barry Sanders
Madden 2005: Champ Bailey
Madden 06: Randy Moss
Madden 11: Chris Johnson
Madden 24: Tyreek Hill

Then, it was Christian McCaffrey’s turn. The week before the Super Bowl, McCaffrey became the first player to make the 99 Club as a member of two different team.

Madden 25 Player Ratings

Madden 99 Club: Tyreek Hill, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes.

Madden 26 Player Ratings

Preseason Madden 99 Club: Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.

The post Madden 99 Club: List Of Every Player Ranked 99 Or Higher EVER appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

I watch a ton of Major League Baseball. But in all those hours I had never once seen, or heard, how PitchCom works. This article exists to explain PitchCom to you like you are five-years old.

Why Does MLB Use PitchCom?

PitchCom was implemented to speed up the pace of play. And, to supposedly eliminate sign stealing – THANKS TRASHSTROS 👉🏻🗑️!

No word on if it adapts to trash can banging.

PitchCom – The Basics

The catcher (ex: Salvador Perez) is equipped with a wristband a keypad on his wrist or just above his knee. There are nine buttons for calling the pitch and location.

The pitcher has a receiver/speaker that fits on the inside of his hat, just above his ear.

The catcher presses the button corresponding to the pitch he wants. The pitcher (let’s say Zack Greinke) gives a nod or a headshake to indicate “yes” or “no” once he hears the transmission.

PitchCom allows for 700+ different pitch combinations and locations. In addition to standard pitches (fastball, curveball, slider, etc.) and locations (inside, outside, high, low) MLB teams can customize the signals.

For example, if you were playing a no-good, lying, yellow-bellied, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking MLB team from Houston that’s name rhymes with “Trashstros” you could change fastball to “Your Mom.”

Or, a curveball to “Altuve Killed Epstein” – completely up to the team.

It also uses a direct radio connection – no Wi-Fi or mobile data – as those are unsecure. Funny to think that the more technology moves forward, the more it relies on old tech. It can also be recorded in anyone’s voice.

PitchCom can be programmed to speak in any language and can be fully customized. Which makes me wonder how you say, “high hard one” in Swahili.

Up to three other defensive players can wear the PitchCom receiver at the same time – five players total. Batters and runners cannot wear PitchCom.

What Does PitchCom Sound Like?

A dystopian nightmare. Just kidding (kinda).

The voice is fully customizable. Which makes me want my pitch options served to me in the voice of Little Richard on “Good Golly Miss Molly.”

Get you an earful “hear”:

Do MLB Teams Have to Use PitchCom?

“Use of the PitchCom device is optional for clubs and wholly voluntary for players,” MLB said in a 2023 memo to teams. “The decision of one club to not use the PitchCom device shall not preclude their opposing club from using the PitchCom device.”

MLB provides each team at least three transmitters, 12 receivers and two charging cases.

Teams may not have more than three transmitters or 12 receivers at any time. (Looking at you, Jose Altuve you SCUM.)

Is PitchCom The Death Knell of Old School MLB?

Possibly. With the strike zone being framed for TV viewers for over a decade, and successful changes made by MLB like larger bases, the pitch clock, and robot umpires set to take over in the next year or two, it seems that way.

No matter what “improvements” are made to “secure” the game, when you have a billion dollar industry + 32 teams and thousands of employees working tirelessly to find any edge they can exploit, its only a matter of time until they do – like the Infinite Monkey Theorem.

Change is necessary to keep the product, fresh, exciting, and fair – unless you’re the Houston Astros and MLB lets you blatantly cheat and steal multiple World Series victories.

Overall though, the changes MLB implemented recently have made the game more enjoyable to watch (reflected in the most recent TV ratings) and we can hope that continues.

The post How Does PitchCom Work (Thanks Trashstros) 🔊⚾ appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

The term “sure fire Hall of Famer” and the name Salvador Perez, have been linked for years – but is that accurate? Should they be?

As I mentioned in my previous article about Zack Greinke making the Hall of Fame, bad teams need to find a way to sell tickets.

One popular way to do this for an MLB team to anchor their marketing efforts to their best player, and spew hyperbole.

Sure, this wouldn’t work if the player wasn’t good. But when a player gets longer in the tooth, has a prolonged run of success, or just plays for a really long time, “sure fire Hall of Famer/or, “next stop, Cooperstown” practically roll off the tongue.

Just like the weatherman in your neck of the woods, no one remembers his prediction from yesterday, let a lone a week ago.

Because, who is going to fact check?

I am.

And that’s why this article exists – to explore the Baseball Hall of Fame candidacy of Royals catcher, Salvador Perez, aka SALVY.

I will be using the exact criteria the Baseball Hall of Fame uses. Here is the fine print from Baseball Hall of Fame website:

Voting: Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.

It is definitely a nebulous definition. So let’s break each one down in the case of Perez as best we can.

Player’s Record: As of this writing (8/22/25), Salvador Perez is playing in his 14th season (he missed all of 2020 due to injury, when people thought he was cooked).

During those 14 seasons, Perez has accumulated 295 home runs, 987 runs batted in, 1,687 hits, and a career .266 batting average.

He has more home runs than he does walks (266)!

Perez appeared in the 2014 World Series where the Giants bested the Royals in seven games. The Royals won the World Series in 2015 and Salvy was named World Series MVP.

But how do you quantify his effect on games as a catcher? We will get into that later.

Playing Ability:

– 9× All-Star (2013–2018, 2021, 2023, 2024)
– World Series champion (2015)
– World Series MVP (2015)
– 2× All-MLB First Team (2020, 2021)
– All-MLB Second Team (2024)
– 5× Gold Glove Award (2013–2016, 2018)
– 5× Silver Slugger Award (2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024)
– AL Comeback Player of the Year (2020)
– Roberto Clemente Award (2024)
– MLB home run co-leader (2021)
– MLB RBI leader (2021)
– Most home runs by a catcher, single season (48 in 2021)

Integrity, Sportsmanship, Character: I’m lumping all of these together because it is a bunch of word-salad/synonyms your third grade English teacher would be proud that you knew were synonyms.

Have you ever seen Salvy on the baseball diamond without a smile on his face? Gregarious.

Every time he plays, looks like the best moment of his life. Pure joy. Laughing with teammates, coaches, opposing teams, and even the umpires.

Which is really saying something because the Royals have had 5 seasons in his 14 where they finished at or above .500. And made the postseason just three times.

For further perspective, the Royals have lost 100+ games in three seasons during that same span. The Royals’ combined record in 2018 and 2019 was 117-207.

If he was ever going to complain, it would’ve already happened. He’s never complained about his contract or held out. He’s never gotten into any off-field trouble.

Nebulous as it may be, Salvy checks all the boxes in the “Integrity, Sportsmanship, Character” section.

Contributions to the Team: Is there another MLB player more synonymous with his team? Salvy IS the Royals.

The only player that’s even close is Aaron Judge/Yankees and that’s because of NYC’s standing as the largest media market. And he’s never once suffered through a sub-.500 season.

Salvy has played in three postseasons, a total of 37 games. He’s accumulated 32 hits, 6 home runs, 15 RBI, and hit .229. Plus, the 2015 World Series MVP award in a winning effort.

His 295 career home runs are second in Royals’ franchise history only to Hall of Famer George Brett (317). 987 RBIs are 4th behind Amos Otis (992), Hal McRae (1,012), and Brett (1,596).

His 20 multi-homerun games is a club record. 9 seasons of 20+ home runs is a club record. 28.6 offensive His WAR is 5th highest in franchise history. 699 runs scored is eighth most, 1 run behind Mike Sweeney.

His 34.8 position player WAR is tied for 5th with Frank White. His defensive WAR of 13.7 is second only to Frank White (21.9).

Also, how do you quantify his status as “The Captain?” How many pitchers has he made better – for one AB or for an entire career?

How many times has his baseball intelligence and attention to nuance led to a positive outcome that would not have otherwise occurred?

This is the effect a great catcher has above and beyond any other position on the baseball field.

Salvador Perez Hall of Fame Player Comparisons

At this point it is clear: Salvador Perez clearly a top-10 player in Royals history, and probably top-5.

But how does he stack up historically, against the best catchers in MLB history?

– He is 8th all-time in home runs (295) and is 12 behind “The Kid” Gary Carter (307).
– He is 15th in RBI (987) and 3 RBIs behind Ernie Lombardi (990).
– He is 29th all-time in games (1,641).
– He is 22nd all-time in runs (699).
– He is 19th in hits (1,687).
– He is 15th in doubles (314).
– 11th in hit by pitches (92).
– 6th in strikeouts (1,252).

There are 20 catchers in the MLB Hall of Fame. Which is the second fewest by position players, second only to third basemen (19).

I am going to use the next sentences to compare Salvy to the Twin’s Joe Mauer.

Mauer played 15 seasons – one more than Salvy’s current 14th/2025 season. So about the most apt comparison we can get.

Mauer was the most recent catcher inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (2024).

Actually I was wrong, all it took was one graphic. Is Salvador Perez really a Hall of Famer? Based on this graphic comparing him to Mauer, YES.

Prior to Mauer, Ted Simmons was inducted to the HOF in 2020. For Salvy fans this is a little more sobering.

Simmons had an outstanding career that spanned 20 seasons. Not bad for a guy from Omaha, Nebraska who went to Millard South High School, which is about 1.5 miles from where I am typing this right now.

If Salvy dropped dead right now, he’d have the edge on Simmons in the most important categories – dingers, slugging, team accomplishments, and success. I was joking about slugging.

As it stands, and you went Simmons vs. Salvy head to head with other Baseball Sickos, you’d probably see that vote split 50/50.

Salvy has extended his career by becoming a legit first baseman. Watching him this season, it is easy to estimate he will play at least two more seasons.

If he does that, he will begin accumulating more and more offensive stats.

Which voters love and people can easily point to as another “yes” factor, thanks to catcher being viewed as historically low on offensive numbers in the context of other positions.

But when you lump in Mauer, who legitimately lowered the bat…err, bar for catcher Hall of Fame inclusion, that makes Salvy an absolute no doubt Hall of Famer.

If you want your mind completely blown apart, take a look at “Carlton’s Fisk”:

MY GOD LOOK AT HOSE NUMS!!

In closing, YES, Salvador Perez should be in the Hall of Fame.

The post Is Salvador Perez Really a Hall of Famer? appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

Have you ever seen them in the same room at the same time? Bill Belichick is Gregg Popovich, Gregg Popovich is Bill Belichick. They are the exact same human being. Here is why.

Based on their respective styles in dealing with the media, we hear a lot of comparisons between New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. What we don’t hear anything about is how similar their careers have been in terms of development, duration, style, and success.

Let’s start with this statistical comparison of their head coaching careers. Then we will compare their personal lives. I’m throwing out Belichick’s time in Cleveland because one of the enduring parts of this comparison is longevity with each coach’s current franchise. The numbers are insane and almost identical.

Sure, Belichick has Tom Brady and Popovich had Tim Duncan, but outside of those core players, it’s a revolving cast that fills roles as needed without spending money. And they never deviate. Ever. Ask Deion Branch or Dennis Rodman about how that works.

The systems that both coaches have established for each franchise is greater than any individual player. Systems they learned while under the tutelage of some of the greatest coaches in both NFL and NBA history.

Belichick’s first coaching job was given to him by Ted Marchibroda in 1975, whose coaching tree includes Marvin Lewis, Eric Mangini, Jim Schwartz, Lindy Infante and Ken Whisenhunt. From there he joined the New York Giants and worked under head coach Ray Perkins, while working alongside fellow assistants Romeo Crennel and Bill Parcells.

When Perkins was fired, Parcells became head coach of the Giants and Belichick was promoted to defensive coordinator. New York won two Super Bowls in five years.

After four years in Cleveland, Belichick again worked under Parcells, this time in New England, and they would eventually lose to the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. Belichick followed Parcells to the Jets as an assistant before eventually being hired by the Patriots.

Popovich’s journey from assistant coach to head coach is equally star-laden. After striking up a friendship with then University of Kansas head coach Larry Brown, Popovich joined Brown’s staff when he was named head coach of the Spurs in 1987 and stayed until 1992. He coached alongside notable coaches like Alvin Gentry and Ed Manning, father of stud NBA player Danny Manning.

In 1992 he joined the Golden State Warriors as an assistant under NBA Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson during the height of the “Run TMC” era. In 1994, “Pop” returned to the Spurs as the team’s GM.

15 games into the 1996-97 season, he fired head coach Bob Hill and hired himself as head coach. The Spurs went 20-62 that season (Popovich’s only sub-.500 season), secured the number one pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, drafted Tim Duncan and the rest is history.

Belichick was hired by New England in 2000. Since then, the other 31 NFL teams have used 140+ coaches. Popovich is the longest tenured coach amongst all four major professional sports.

Belichick’s Patriots have won 10+ games in 15 consecutive seasons and made the playoffs in 15 of 18 seasons, missing them only in 2000 (his first season), 2002, and 2008. Popovich’s Spurs’ teams have won at least 50 games for an NBA record 18 straight seasons and have made the playoffs 21 straight seasons.

Are they the same person? Well, we’ve never seen them in the same room at the same time, a la La Toya and Michael. The similarities are striking, both personal and professional.

Which leads to this:

Belichick and Popovich are three years apart in age. Both are of Croatian descent. Both have military education in their backgrounds, with Popovich actually serving time in the U.S. Air Force. Both played their chosen sport in college.

On the inside, they are true old-schoolers that emphasize team performance over individual achievements, even down to the way they sidestep acclaim heaped on themselves.

What kind of conversations does Belichick have with Parcells at this stage of his career? What does Popovich talk to Larry Brown about? Both Parcells and Brown experienced uncommon success in their coaching careers, but they have been eclipsed by their former pupils. What are those exchanges like?

Invariably, a new successful coach, and potentially coaches, will emerge from the coaching tree of both Belichick and Popovich. But will they ever beat the master? Have they set the bar so high that it’s beyond reach?

Is Bill Belichick the greatest coach in NFL history? Is Gregg Popovich the greatest coach in NBA history?

Finkle is Einhorn and Einhorn is Finkle. Bill Belichick is Gregg Popovich, Gregg Popovich is Bill Belichick.

More Patriots And Spurs Content For You: 

• Matt Bonner Haircut: Why Is Vincent Van Gogh Holding A Basketball?
• The Hall at Patriot Place Is The Place To Be
• 2007 Patriots: DE Jarvis Green Recounts How Manning, Perfect Season, Slipped Thru His Fingers
• Patriots Jerod Mayo Trying To End “Overspraying Epidemic”
• Let’s Reflect: “The Admiral” David Robinson’s 71 Point Game

The post Bill Belichick IS Gregg Popovich, Finkle IS Einhorn! appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

We can’t tell you what the meaning of life is but we can at least tell you what all the little things on an NFL jersey, particularly the helmets, stand for.

There are so many branding design elements at work on the current NFL uniform that it is difficult to keep up.

This piece aims to break down all elements of the NFL uniform from head to toe.

Helmets – NFL Decals and Stickers Explained

The Green Sticker on the Back of The Helmet and its Meaning

This little green circle worn on the back of the helmet near the top of the head indicates the player that has a radio communication device in his helmet. The radio only works one way; so the coaches talk and the players listen, unlike how they behave on social media.

The green sticker player was an offense only tool that started in 1994. You will only ever see the quarterback with the sticker on his helmet because he is calling the plays and making adjustments – it would make no sense to waste it on a player who barely sees the field in every sense.

In 2008, the league allowed defenses to assign the radio to one defensive player on the field. As of 2024 the defense can have three players with the green dot, because the nature of defense is more fluid. But, only one can be on the field at a time.

Cleveland Browns coach and NFL icon Paul Brown is credited with this invention in the 1950s during his dynastic run as NFL champions.

The Different Country Flags Decals on Back of Helmet and What They Mean

This started in 2022 as part of the NFL’s effort to “celebrate the growing number of nationalities and cultures that make up the fabric of the League with an initiative that will see players take the field with international flags on their helmets.”

Today, fans will see over 50 nations and territories represented. Here are the stipulations (in a league run by lawyers you know there have to be some):

Players can choose to wear alongside the American flag, the flag of an international country or territory if:

– They lived there for two years or more, or
– Have a parent or grandparent who were born there.

The league started its’ globalization efforts back in the early 1990’s during NFL Europe – which was awesome, YouTube it, kids. With international games now a fixture of regular scheduling, you will see a continued rise in international awareness to grow the audience.

The NFL Shield Stickers on Helmets

The first appearance of the NFL shield on a uniform was in 1969 as a celebration of the league’s 50th anniversary. But it was just on the uniforms as a patch and not a decal on the helmets.

Believe it or not the NFL shield on the helmets did not start until 1991. From Paul Lukas’ wonderful blog Uni Watch:

“The league logo didn’t reappear on NFL uniforms until the start of the 1991 season, when it was added to the base of the jersey collar, the upper-left pant leg, and the back-left base of the helmet.

This means, among other things, that the last NFL game without the league logo on the uniforms was Super Bowl XXV, and that the last play without the league logo on the uniforms was Scott Norwood’s infamous missed field goal attempt.

Memorial Decals on NFL Helmets

When important historic figures associated with the league, or individual teams passes away, the NFL lets them honor a person with a memorial decal.

I am not a fan of former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle and neither should any NFL fan be, as he undercut the American Football League and usurped the title of “commissioner” during a negotiating session to merge the AFL and NFL from the Raiders” AL Davis while he was using the restroom. But his memorial decal was one of my favorites. The NFL actually allows the designers some creative freedom in the design.

My favorite all-time “memorial decal” was courtesy of the 1989 Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles QB Coach Doug Scovil passed away midseason one day before a game with the hated Cowboys aka Bounty Bowl II. The Eagles would don a black strip of electrical tape over their helmet wings in honor of their fallen coach for the rest of the season.

The most recent example or variation of this was the black background, white typeface “MLK” stickers worn to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his eponymous day.

NFL Man of The Year Sticker on Helmets

The brown sticker of a man wearing a cap that looks like John Bender from The Breakfast Club is actually the logo for the NFL Man of the Year award. Talk about a LOAD of pressure; man of the year?!

Each team nominates a player at the beginning of the NFL season. That sticker is given to each team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and they wear it on their helmet for the duration of the season.

The artwork is pretty cool. From the Internet:

“The NFL Man of the Year trophy was created in 1969 by artist Daniel Bennett Schwartz, depicting a nondescript caped lineman standing alone on the sidelines, outside of game action; it symbolizes that the award is intended to recognize any player, including one who may perform in a lower-profile playing position outside of the spotlight, whose humanitarian contributions and efforts are worthy.”

NFL Uniforms – Patches Explained

What Is The C on NFL Jerseys and What Does It Mean?

The “C” stands for Captain. The “C” patch (not to be confused with c-pap) on NFL players’ jerseys signifies their role as team captains. 

The team captain designation is a team-appointed position that designates certain players as leaders on and off the field. The NFL started allowing teams to add the C to their uniforms in 2007.

What do the Stars Mean Under the C on NFL Jerseys?

The number of gold stars on the patch represents the number of years that player has been named captain by a team. If he has been named captain for longer than four years, the “C” on the patch is gold.

The white stars represent an empty placeholder for the gold stars. For example, if a player has two gold stars and two white stars, that represents that player has been a captain for that team for two years.

How Many Captains are on an NFL Team?

No more than 6 can go out to midfield for the coin toss. The maximum number of captains the NFL allows to dress and wear the C on their jersey during a game is 8. In 2023, the Giants had 10 captains which seems like a boatload. And means they had one less captain than they did losses (11). By comparison, the 2023 Steelers had 4.

What do NFL Team Captains do?

Not much other than “morale” and being a “leader on and off the field.” Captain’s duties take place before the coin toss. The NFL spells this out in the rulebook, under Rule 18.

Coin toss procedures – Each team can send as many as six team captains to the center of the field. On each team, one captain is designated the “speaking captain” of the delegation. The visiting team or the team designated “visitor” by the referee (if no team is declared ‘visitor’) shall choose “heads or tails” or in the case of a special ceremony coin, the options on the face and rear of that coin.

Seems simple enough, but it can get sticky and really screw the team if a captain isn’t paying attention or doesn’t know what they are doing. Case in point: the Packers Jaire Alexander during the 2023 season.

Alexander was suspended for one game because he went out for coin toss on Sunday even though he was not a captain, and then nearly botched the call.

From the Internet:

“For people that didn’t know Jaire went out as a captain when he wasn’t supposed to, and after the Packers won the toss he said they wanted to play defense. Luckily the ref was chill and let him change his answer or else the Panthers would’ve gotten the ball to start both halves! Suspension is absolutely valid as he’s purposely defying what the coach wants.”

What Is The Brown Cape on NFL Jerseys and What Does it Mean?

One of my favorite questions I’ve heard about the NFL Man of the Year patch on NFL uniforms is, “Why is Darth Vader on NFL jerseys?”

While it make look like Lord Vader, it is actually a patch that signifies the player wearing it has been named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

As long as that player is active he will wear that on his jersey. The NFL started adding this patch to jerseys in 2017.

The post NFL Uniform Breakdown – What Do All The Things Mean? appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

Russell Westbrook, aka Westbrick, makes FAR too much money and isn’t worth a fraction of his salary or per game check.

Westbrook was subbed out of Tuesday night’s 131-116 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks with just over two minutes left in the third quarter and never returned.

And he WHINED about it like only he can, with that stupid face mole he should’ve had removed 10 years ago (like the principal in Uncle Buck), along for the ride.

“I shouldn’t have to hit any benchmark, to be honest,” Westbrook told reporters. “I’ve put a lot of work and I’ve got a lot of respect in this game. I don’t got to hit a benchmark, or I shouldn’t have to. I’ve earned a right to be in closing lineups.”

“EARNED” is in an interesting word choice.

Might be right depending on how you define it.

Russell Westbrook will make $41,358,814 in salary during the 2021-22 NBA season.

Just for funsies, divide that by 82:

and Russell Westbrook aka Westcock makes $504,375.78 PER GAME.

Via 48 minutes per game, he makes $10,508 dollars per minute.

BUT WAIT – It gets worse if you’e a Lakers fan, better if you love this dork.

Russell Westbrook will make $47,063,478 in salary during the 2022-23 NBA season.

My main point of contention with Westbrook is either:

1. How arrogant he is
2. How completely self UNAWARE he is

Like this quote after getting thrashed by the Bucks, benched:

“Westbrook, when asked what has ailed the Lakers this season, said the “No. 1 thing” to correct would be “creating some consistency within our team, which we don’t have at the moment.”

LMFAO! Before getting benched because he SUCKS, Westbrook was three of 11 from the field and turned the ball over four times in 26 minutes during Tuesday’s loss to the Bucks – before getting benched.

So who can we blame for Westbrook’s ridiculous contract that the Lakers can’t trade away because they have ZERO draft picks and ZERO cap space?

LeGM aka LeBron James. Aka Chairman LeBron.

He did it to Cleveland, and now he’s doing it to the Lakers. And people keep letting him get away with it, just like his steroid cycle.

But this isn’t a LeBron SLAM PIECE – this is a Westbrook SLAM PIECE.

There has never been a bigger stat-padder in history. Russell Westbrook is the black Kevin Love in Minnesota.

What has Russell Westbrook done to expand his game? NOTHING.

If you’re going to suck at all other phases, an athletic freak like you should be a killer defender.

NOPE.

Rebound, anyone can rebound – except Russ.

His 7 rpg this szn is lowest since 2014.

Make free throws? Un, nerp a dirp!

66% is 3rd lowest of his 14 NBA season. 

Here’s a novel idea – develop a mid-range game like Kevin Garnett did to extend his career 5+ more years. Expand your bag of tricks.

But to do that, he’d have to actually care. And he doesn’t because of his ridiculous contract.

In his last four games he’s 14 of 51 from the field for a cool .27%. And this ship is not getting righted any time soon.

Russell Westbrook sucks, is a cancer, dresses horribly, and only cares about himself.

The post How Much Does Russell Westbrook Make – Per Game, Per Season, Per Minute? appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

Nowadays, the 1990 NBA Finals inspire neither awe nor reverence (outside of the two finalist hometowns). It is not considered a “classic” as it didn’t go 7 or even beyond 5 games.

It should not be overlooked for three reasons.

For one, it produced 4 close games, a thrilling comeback, an overtime game, and a waved-off buzzer tying game.

Two, it would cement the legacy of one team and player (Detroit and Isiah Thomas), while eternally marking another as a perennial, unappreciated bridesmaid (Portland, Clyde Drexler).

Third, the series would bridge the NBA from the dominance of the Magic-Bird era (as neither man-made even the conference Final in 1990), while keeping Michael Jordan on the cusp of ruling the NBA. Strangely enough, as of 1990, Jordan had yet to taste an NBA Final, yet he would be a hidden figure in this matchup between two underappreciated teams.

For Detroit, their greatness would become magnified over time for beating Jordan’s Bulls. For Portland, they would be forever regarded as disappointing for not winning like the Bulls later did. But that lay in the future.

For the two teams that comprised the 1990 NBA Finals, the way both teams built for the moment (drafts, trades) had been both similar and different.

Both teams would be led by two exceptional men (Isiah, Drexler). But while one was an unprecedented franchise player, the other had been an unwanted one.

Trader Jack and the Unprecedented Superstar

The irony about the 199o NBA Finals Champion Detroit Pistons was that its architect, John William McCloskey, had in fact spent 3 years as coach of the expansion Portland Trailblazers.

Portland was an absolute wreck; Much of it was because of the historically awful drafting of LaRue Martin in 1972. McCloskey would be released before Portland corrected this by drafting Bill Walton, but it taught him some building lessons. At the time, the correct thing to do to build a team was to draft a talented big and worry later about his skill or commitment to excellence.

Martin had neither, and so when McCloskey took over the equally bad Detroit Pistons in 1979 as GM, he looked for both traits in his ideal franchise leader. It would take a few years, but he found his guy in a University of Indiana player Isiah Thomas.

There were two problems with this. McCloskey wanted to build a champion, and Thomas was “generously” listed as 6-1 (likely more 5-10). This defied the conventional wisdom that a man that small could be the franchise foundation.

But Thomas was a rare player. He was exceptionally fast, fearless, a ball-handling savant, and would literally do anything to win a basketball game (this would eventually make him both the eras most unpopular but authentic superstar).

Also, he had a near maniacal rage about winning, and he was unafraid of looking foolish in pursuit of that.

For instance, he already insulted the Dallas Maverick organization, referring to them as “cowshit kickers.” This was by design; The Chicago raised Thomas had no intention of playing anywhere in the deep south, thus his comments.

He also didn’t want to play for Detroit, as they were a team with no established identity or tradition; He told McCloskey “What would you do if I said I didn’t want to play for the Pistons”? McCloskey replied, “Well, we will draft you anyways” and promised to surround him with the requisite talent to succeed.

McCloskey was supposed to be offended; instead, he knew he had his man. Now, he had to build a nucleus around him.

Weeks into Thomas’s career, he found the perfect soul mate for his new star. It was in the form of a tall, awkward player he scouted at the aborted 1980 Olympic Trials. His name was Bill Laimbeer, and McCloskey thought of him as something of a joke, a second-tier player not cut for the NBA.

Now, 16 months later, he studied Laimbeer the man as well as the player. He came with a different perspective. On the surface, Thomas could not have been more different than Laimbeer.

Thomas was short, while Laimbeer was tall. Thomas was temperamental and wore his feelings on the surface. Laimbeer was excitable but also a very closed individual. Thomas was a devout Catholic, a Democrat who would behave like, well a Chicago Alderman (good and bad). Laimbeer was like the wrestler who was an embarrassment to the country club jet-set crowd. Thomas was hood, while Laimbeer it was said actually made less as a player than his executive father.

But, under the surface, the two had plenty in common. Both men were the kind of players that you would want on your team if you were drawing sides.

Both men were very intelligent, with high basketball IQs. Both men got the best of their abilities, as Thomas would become the best ever at shooting over 7-foot men. Meanwhile, Laimbeer became one of the early students of the arc of the basketball, and in turn, became an exceptional rebounder.

The two became both roommates and soul mates, and the foundational blocks to the Piston turnaround.

Shortly thereafter, they would add the third piece; He was a Brooklyn-raised volume shooter named Vinnie Johnson.

Detroit, who won 21 games, now had a young nucleus that improved by 18 games. And Thomas was a revolutionary, the first unquestionable franchise piece at his size.

McCloskey still had plenty of work, but the start was great. All three men would play a key role in the 1990 Finals.

The Unwanted Franchise Player

It is almost a shame that Clyde Austin Drexler never was totally appreciated. He today is largely remembered as the reason Jordan didn’t become a Portland Trailblazer and even in that franchise isn’t considered its best player ever.

Part of this is because Drexler wasn’t wanted by his inaugural coach, who held to the traditionalist view that a team should build around a center.

Also, because drafting the supposed franchise savior in Sam Bowie turned into disaster ignores the awesome job Portland did drafting and trading their way to the 1990 NBA Finals (turning Bowie into Buck Williams, a player coveted by Jordan).

Drexler’s problem was really a conflict between Coach and management. General Manager Stu Inman and scout Morris “Bucky” Buckwalter had fallen in love with Drexler, seeing him as a new Julius Erving. The problem? The coach, the iconic John Travilla Ramsay didn’t agree.

Ramsay, known as Dr. Jack, didn’t feel Portland needed a guard or small forward, Drexler’s positions; he felt the position secure with All-Star Jim Paxson. Ramsay had made his name winning with undersized great centers, Bob McAdoo in Buffalo and especially his prize Bill Walton. He saw Drexler’s athleticism while also believing he was basically a dunker who would get exposed in a half-court game (he was right in this regard).

Drexler was extra space, not the way forward as far as he was concerned. This contributed to the disastrous Bowie drafting; In effect, Portland went traditional in 1984 NBA Draft after defying the odds in drafting Drexler the year before.

Drexler would never forgive Ramsay for this, and in the three years, they worked together clashed mightily. This obscured the fact that (Bowie notwithstanding), the Blazers had done a magnificent job drafting other need positions.

They were: Jerome Kersey in 1984, Terry Porter in 1985. Porter would team with Drexler to arguably give Portland the best backcourt in the Western Conference by 1990 and with Kersey (a great transition player), Portland had the makings of a very exciting team.

The problem? They would have to find a way to beat the best team of the era, the Los Angeles Lakers. This was easier said than done.

They Laughed: Building From Within

When Isiah held his first pro press conference, he said he wanted to build a team with tradition like the Lakers and Boston Celtics. This drew raucous laughter from the assembled press, but Thomas was determined.

After his rookie year, he attended every single Laker final. This was made easier by the fact that his best buddy Magic Johnson was on the Lakers. Thomas wanted to know the Laker secret; the formula required for success. Johnson, though told him he would have to find out on his own.

Rebuffed, Thomas would find his source within another sport. He was smart enough to realize that his Pistons would never be loved like the Lakers, Celtics, or Jordan’s emerging Bulls. He basically took the football model by seeing the Lakers as the Dallas Cowboys, and the Celtics as the rugged Pittsburgh Steelers. Jordan’s Bulls would be the basketball version of the San Francisco 49ers.

What about the Pistons? Well, suddenly Thomas became very enthused with the Oakland Raiders and Al Davis. The Raiders were popular because they were infamous. Nobody, however, denied their success. Moreover, the Raiders had success against all three of the other franchises.

Thomas had his answer and blueprint. His Pistons would thrive in their unpopularity; They would become the “Detroit Raiders” and finally the “Bad Boys.”

Davis, who lived for attention, loved the idea. Whenever the Pistons were in LA (where the Raiders were then based) Davis would generously allow the Pistons to use the Raiders training facility and staff (which helped them in the 1988 and 1989 NBA Finals).

The Pistons had their identity.

Showtime Without Kareem

The Trailblazers also looked to the Lakers for inspiration. After all, “Showtime” had been a modified version of the system Ramsay ran in Portland, with Kareem Abdul Jabbar excelling (and exceeding) in Walton’s role.

The problem for Portland is that after Walton’s feet fell apart, the Trailblazers never found a real replacement for him. The first attempt had been by Mychael Thompson (father of Splash brother Klay Thompson). Thompson had been a gifted but goofy player, and he seemed uninterested in dominating unless he was playing his old college buddy Kevin McHale. He was, in NBA speak, “soft”.

Bowie was a disaster, and his replacement Steve Johnson was solid but hardly an anchor at center. As a result, Portland had a great running team but one that would crumble in crunch time.

This flaw would overshadow the great drafting management did. Portland would finally find a more desirable center in Kevin Duckworth; Duckworth, though, was a 300-pound center who loved to shoot 18-20 jumpers in an era where a man that large was expected to bang inside. He was a very good addition to the nucleus but did not solve their main issue.

So, Portland, instead of greatness, jumped to very good and then fell again (to 39-43) in 1989, only to be swept in round one by the 2-time champion Lakers.

Finally, Portland found a sucker for Bowie and traded him on June 24th, 1989 for Buck Williams. Williams was a tough player and a magnificent rebounder and defender. The team would be complete for a 1990 NBA Finals run.

1990 NBA Finals: Pistons Go Back-To-Back

This was the first NBA Finals since 1979 not to involve either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Boston Celtics, and one of two NBA championships of the 1990s won by a team other than the Chicago Bulls or the Houston Rockets (the other was won by the San Antonio Spurs in 1999).

The Pistons became just the third franchise in NBA history to win back-to-back championships, after the Lakers and Celtics.

The Bad Boys won in 5 games.

Game 1: 105-99, Detroit
Game 2: 106-105 (OT), Portland
Game 3: 121-106, Detroit
Game 4: 112-109, Detroit
Game 5: 92-90, Detroit

Game 5 created the indelible, most memorable, moment and defining image of the series Vinnie Johnson’s game winner.

With 10 minutes to play in the game, the Blazers led 76–68. Then The Microwave Vinnie Johnson heated up.

Johnson scored seven points in Detroit’s 9–0 run to close the game and the series. His last shot was a 15-footer from the right sideline with Jerome Kersey draped all over him and 0:00.7 showing on the clock.

The post 1990 NBA Finals: The End of an Era, Bridge to a New One appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

Michael Irvin was a player defined by his will power and toughness on the field as much as his physical skills.

“The Playmaker” was the 15th of 17 children and had to work for everything he could get his hands on as a kid. And that approach and upbringing led to him becoming one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of the NFL.

The native of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida started at the University of Miami under future Dallas Cowboys head coach, Jimmy Johnson.

He was a first team All-American that set Miami career records for receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs. It culminated with the Hurricanes winning the 1987 National Championship.

From there he was drafted 11th overall in the 1988 NFL Draft. Ironically, it was the last first round selection made by iconic Cowboys’ coach Tom Landry. Ironic because jimmy Johnson would replace Landry just one year later as head coach.

At 6’2″ and 207 pounds, Irvin was a big, physical receiver who manhandled cornerbacks. In part because of Irvin’s ability to push off the defender with such ease, the NFL eventually changed its rules to adjust to wide receivers who emulated Irvin’s physical style.

Here’s what Michael said about his approach to taking on DBs:

“It’s something you should always think about. I tell young guys, how often are you going to play this dude? Say your opponent is in the NFC East and he’s a big trying to play physical. I could probably go around him. But since I’m going to see him twice a year, I’m gonna run through him.

“So I would attack his weakness if I want to beat him. I attack his strength if I want to break him. When someone attacks your strength and beats you, you’ve got nowhere to go.

“When I attack his weakness, he can be like, “oh, ok he beat my weakness. I’m just going to get physical now.”

“But if I come out and attack that strength – BAM, BAM, BAM (punches fist 3 times) – and I’m physical with you. The guy is like, “Oh my God, I don’t want to see this dude coach.”

And not even just that one time we play you. But if we play in the same division, you’re going to be thinking about that twice a year.”

Read the full interview with Michael Irvin here:

Who was the best cornerback you ever played against? 

Everson Walls was the best cornerback in the world. Early on when I got into the league, I remember the first time I went against Everson Walls. He came up, acted like he was going to jam me, then walked back, then came back and jammed me. And I fell to the ground.

And that’s when someone said to me, “why are you trying to run around him? Just go through him.” And that started that mindset I mentioned.

I’m not Tyreek Hill, I’m not Julio Jones. I don’t have that kind of speed. I don’t have time to waste. I’ve got to go through you to get to that football.

How does imposing your will and outsmarting your opponents like you mentioned about Everson Walls impact your approach to your life off of the field, day to day?

Well, it’s still the same. This is what’s hard about retirement from football. You have to understand you are not a football player anymore. I went to see my doctor because my knees were bad. And the doctor said, “You’ve got to stop running. Your knees are gone, no more running.”

Me and my wife left the doctors office and went home and I started getting dressed. And my wife said, “Where are you going?” And I said, “I am going running.” She said, “Didn’t you hear the doctor?” I said, “Babe, those are recommendations. He gives those to regular people – I’m not regular.”

I always think I can work though it, I can keep going. Like when I hit 40 years of age, my eyes went bad. And I’m thinking, “I can fix this.” But, you can’t – it’s not a football thing.

I went to the doctor and he said, “Oh yeah, this is presbyopia.” That’s what happens at the age of 40 and you look down at a piece of paper and see spots instead of letters.  So I started wearing the #1 progressive lens and it changed my life. I needed to know that. I was going to try and fix it myself which was impossible. So if you’re going though that, you need to see a doctor. And ask him about the #1 progressively lens in the world, varilux. essilorusa.com.

Is it weird for you to watch Cowboys’ games now and see another wide receiver wearing #88?

Actually it is not weird – I love it. Let me break this down for you, because Drew Pearson broke it down for me. I said, “Drew, I don’t want to do this.” He said, “No – wear it. But don’t just wear it, make my ceiling your floor.”

And then he said, “Michael if they retire it, it goes in the rafters. And the only time we see the number is when I leave the earth and go to eternity, then they pan up during the game and talk about me, then go right back to the game. But if you wear it, every time you make a play, I get my flowers.”

So now, every time Cede Lamp or Dez Bryant makes a play, they talk about me. If one of those guys drops a ball, they say “Michael Irvin would not have dropped that.” So I get my flower.

Every Sunday, I get my flowers – I don’t have to wait until I go to eternity.

Faster in your “prime” – you or Deion Sanders?

Man, Deion. one of the greatest athletes in the world.

Who wins in a fight between Erik Williams and Mark Tuinei?

Ahh, that’s a good one! Ahh that’s a great question! Tuinei is a BAD Samoan from Hawaii, you know what I mean? But Big E is a NASTY MUG. Man, I don’t know who would win – all I know is I would not fight either one of them!

Who was the toughest dudes on those 90s Cowboys teams? 

We had a lot of tough guys. And I’m gonna mention someone you might not think of, but Charles Haley. Not the biggest dude in the world, but he’s a monster man. Erik Williams got that knee operation. And Charles Haley said to him, “Ill tell you when you are ready to play.”

A year later, Big E came back on the practice field. And Charles Haley said, “He’s not ready.” They called the entire team over and they lined Erik Williams and Charles Haley up.

And Troy Aikman said, “Blue 18, Blue 18, HUT” and snapped the ball. And these two men came off the line…and I have never seen anything like that in my life. It was so loud, you could hear it EVERYWHERE.

They collided and they both got up and looked at each other. Erik Williams said, “He’s READY” and the whole team went “CRAZY.”

Charles Haley was the toughest dude on those Cowboys teams.

Were you on the practice field the day Jimmy Johnson uttered the famous like to your kicker, “The asthma field is over there.”?

I was on the practice field. And you did NOT laugh – you were always serious with Jimmy. What tripped me out was to learn years later that Jimmy had asthma! YES! Coach, how are you kicking that man out for having asthma and YOU had asthma?”

“I wasn’t playing, he’s got to play. And he’s not ready to play.”

Tell me a great under the radar Jimmy Johnson story.

I came in one day, me and another player went out on a Thursday night. We’d go out to eat and then we went out. We came in the next day and we were late to meetings. We walked in at the same time.

And he said to me, “Michael you are my leader. I’m so disappointed in you. Get your butt in that meeting and you sit in that chair and you be a leader.”

Then he pointed at the other guy and said, “And you – you get your pads, get your stuff, and get the HELL OUT!” He fired him on the spot – on the spot.

That’s the kind of thing you were always aware of with Jimmy. Whenever you were with Jimmy you were always on your p’s and q’s and ready to play.

What’s the biggest similarity between Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer?

Both are great men. They just went about things differently.

Jimmy believed that I have to press, and keep you pressed, to bring out the best out of you. Barry, who is a great man, approached it from the standpoint I’m paying these guys $5 and $6 million dollars a year – I don’t need to hover over them.

But the reality is, yes you do. Because everybody isn’t as hungry as your top guys. You have to hover over these guys.

Emmitt Troy and I went to Coach Johnson once and said, “Coach we don’t need all these pre-practice speeches” – he literally gave a speech before EVERY practice. And he said, “I know you guys don’t need it – I ain’t saying it for y’all. I’m saying it for the 53rd man on the roster and I’m not gonna stop doing it.”

Favorite play of your career? When Michael Irvin lays his head on the pillow at night and thinks about his life, what is your absolute favorite play or the one thing you go back to thinking about? 

When I was a kid I used to throw rocks in the neighborhood and they’d come to my mom’s house and say, “Your son broke my windows – he’s never going to be anything.”

So then when I got into the NFL, and I scored that first TD on an ‘A route’ in Super Bowl 27, and the first thing I thought about was all those people. And how I just scored a TD in the Super Bowl in front of all of them.

And then, 18 seconds later, I caught the second TD. When I threw my leg up, spun around and jumped into the endzone – it was the greatest moment in my life.

Wanna find out more about the #1 progressive lens in the world, go to essilorusa.com. And YOU TOO can see perfectly like The Playmaker.

The post Michael Irvin Tells Incredible 90’s Dallas Cowboys Stories (VIDEO) appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

He did – and it tasted great.

Sorry kids, this isn’t “C Breezy” – this is the greatest kicker in the history of the #Nebraska Cornhuskers. And the best kicker the @Houston Texans have ever had. Kris Brown is the all-time leading scorer in Texans history and it isn’t even close.

Watch the Kris Brown video here:

Back before NFL kickers could nail ’em from 50+ yards, Kris Brown did it with regularity and had one of the strongest legs in the league during his 12-year NFL career.

After the best video intro you will ever see in your life, Kris and I sat down in a Dunkin’ Donuts he owns in Omaha, Nebraska.

We talked about his time playing for the Huskers, his two National Championships, and leaving the school owning every significant kicking/scoring record in school history.

His transition from NFL All-Pro to Dunkin’ owner and Midwest CZAR of all things Dunkin’. Kris owns 14+ Dunkin’ restaurants throughout the greater Kansas City, Omaha, and Council Bluffs areas.

We addressed the elephant in the room: his shared name with R&B crooner, sex symbol/dance champion Chris Brown and how his name dominates Google searches for “Kris Brown.”

Other questions:

– When rearing his children, does he threaten to kick them rather than spank them like a regular parent since his leg was God-given, the way Achilles was dipped into protective juices.

– Does he ever want to kick former Nebraska kicker/NFL player Alex Henery for braking all of his kicking records?

– Was the #Texans thrilling first win in franchise history on Sunday Night Football vs. the HATED Cowboys on national TV the best game he ever played in?

Dunkin’ Stuff:

Dunkin’ franchisees are all independent local business owners who all support their local communities in many different ways. Recently, Kris Brown and his team have gone out into their communities to help spread joy and spark goodwill through various other donation and volunteer opportunities, including donating to Food Bank of the Heartland, Kansas
City Food Bank, and Harvesters – The Community Food Network. Kris and his team have been hard at work, serving more than just coffee and donuts to their Omaha community, and they are just getting started.

The post NFL Kicker Kris Brown Kicked A Donut Into MY SKULL – VIDEO appeared first on I-80 Sports Blog.

In my mind’s eye, I imagine Norman Powell has a business card that says “Professional Scorer” on it.

It’s color looks white but isn’t – it’s actually Bone.

The font is Copperplate Gothic, loaded with flare serifs that accentuate his on-court flair and the way his hand hangs on the follow through of yet another successful field goal attempt.

There are no superfluous design elements because that would detract from its, and his, effectiveness.

Note the Hotmail email address. If it doesn’t have anything to do with scoring efficiently, Norman Powell wants nothing to do with it. That extends to his choice of a personal email client.

As I was combing the Creative Commons image licenses to find an image I could use for this post, with open usage rights so I won’t get sued, I inadvertently stumbled into the absolute perfect image.

Even though it is a picture of Normal Powell, he plays second fiddle to Kawhi Leonard.

Even though the focus is supposed to be on Norman Powell, Norman Powell recedes to the background and let’s someone else get the shine.

Meanwhile, he probably scored 25 points that night, on 10/12 shooting including 3/4 from deep.

Let’s look at scoring efficiency.

Of the 46 NBA players using over 20 possessions per game this season, only ONE player ranks higher in scoring efficiency:

Nikola Jokic

Professional Scorer Norman Powell is tied for second with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Karl-Anthony Towns.

If the tie-breaker was two names to form your name instead of three, he’d be second.

So in my mind, he is second. Second. Behind the greatest basketball player on earth.

It’s literally Norman Powell and The Joker and everyone else on earth.

So who TF is Norman Powell? How did we get here?

Currently, he’s the leading scorer on the Los Angeles Clippers. Ahead of guys like James Harden (annual salary: $33,653,846) and the aforementioned Leonard ($49,205,800).

THAT’s how much of a professional scorer he is.

He’s like a local plumber that doesn’t advertise, just gets the job done ($20,482,758). And you’re always pleased with his work.

Amongst his PPG average of 23.8, NP converts 82% of his free throws and 42% of his three point attempts. But what I appreciate the most is his .554% conversion percentage on two-point shots.

Comparison: Harden converts just .448% from two and .341% from three, Leonard .502% and .365%.

And what does he get for his efforts? He finished fourth in balloting for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in each of the last two seasons.

It’s like you know of him, but you don’t know him.

And that’s the way (I presume) he likes it.

““Just get me the G-D rock once I find some open space and I operate, with professionalism.”

– Norman Powell to himself (presumably) on every possession.

No matter how sparsely he was utilized, NP has always scored with efficiency.

Powell was drafted in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors, a place most draft picks go to die. The second round I mean. But back then, even Toronto was an NBA nothingburger.

He played 14 minutes per game and scored just under 6 PPG on 4.7 shots per game.

Fast forward to the Raptors championship season of 2019. He played a career high 18.8 minutes and scored a career high 8.6 PPG. No coincidence.

For the next three seasons between two teams (Raptors and Trailblazers) his per game scoring increased each season to a career high of 19.6.

For the subsequent two seasons mostly in Portland, he averaged 17 and 19 PPG in his seventh NBA season, while playing about 30 minutes per game.

In 2021-22 season and his first year in La La Land, Powell shot a career high .419% on threes, the highest of his career. And connected on .461% of his overall field goals and .811% of his free throws while playing a career high 32.4 minutes per game.

The following season, Norman Powell stumbled upon his Peter Parker, Bruce Wayne or Clark Kent moment and he (presumably) didn’t even realize it – the three ball.

He became the team’s sixth man starting just 8 of the 60 games he played and (someone) realized his points per possession efficiency skyrocketed. In just 26 minutes per game he scored 17 PPG and hoisted the second-most threes in his career.

But at .397% conversions, which would be sufficient for most, Powell went into the lab and mixed up some chemicals and stuff and drank it, while getting bit by a spider (presumably), as his parents were being murdered, while remembering his home planet of Krypton and the reckless scientific experimentation that caused him to flee.

From there, he was all business. A professional, if you will.

Last season, he took and made more threes than ever, connecting at a career-high .435 clip.

He hit 83% of his free throws and the Clippers exceeded expectations by winning a shocking 51 games and securing the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

The Clippers had seen enough. They re-inserted him as a starter this year and he’s having a career year.

While shooting a career high 7.7 threes a game and connecting on .424%, making a career high 3.3 per game, he’s making .554% of his twos, and averaging a career high 23.8 points per game.

Did I mention in 33 minutes per game (career high) he is only averaging 2.0 turnovers per game, and for his career he averages just 1.3? Completely professional.

Assists? Who cares.

Rebounds? What is that aside from a fat chick you hook up with?

Steals? Doesn’t matter but since you asked career high 1.3.

Points Per Possession? Second in the entire NBA.

That’s why Norman Powell is a Professional Scorer.

That’s why his business card says that.

And this is why you should pay your respects.

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