Three notable fines came out of the NFL’s offices today, and if you had to guess who was fined the most between Bears quarterback Jay Cutler [berating an official], Bears lineman Tommie Harris [punching an opponent in the face] or Bengals wideout Chad Ochocinco [waving a one-dollar bill in front of an official], which way would you go?
Harris got the lightest punishment [a $7500 fine]; apparently punching non-quarterbacks in the face isn’t as bad as saying mean things about an official. Cutler’s next game check will be $20,000 lighter this week, as will Ochocinco’s. Who would have expected the NFL to be upset about a player claiming he was trying to bribe an official?
The question that everyone asks about this bit of “fun” seems to be, “Did anyone think he was serious?” If you saw the game live, you saw a tight shot of Ocho’s hand, and then a quick cutaway–nobody knew that he wasn’t serious. And with all the scuttlebutt about games being decided by officials, the message needed to be sent–influencing our officials is not a laughing matter. The cameras eventually caught handing the dollar back to a member of the field crew. Maybe he should have hung onto it. More.
A report coming out of Ohio claims that the Columbus Blue Jackets have lost at least $12 million per year since their inception and that the team could move if the city does not offer “financial relief” in the near future. The Blue Jackets are one of the few teams in all of pro sports to play in an arena that’s entirely privately owned in Nationwide Arena, but one of the more popular “relief” options listed in the report involves Franklin County purchasing either part or all of that arena with tax revenue.
The Blue Jackets’ president, Mike Priest, who supports the chamber’s idea of using public money to help defray the team’s costs, tells reporters, “We’re just trying to educate that this is what a sustainable model looks like.” –NYTimes
Taxpayers in that area voted three times to reject a tax increase that would have created public money for an arena. And it’s worth noting that the gaming referendum that passed earlier this week will put a casino in that same “Arena District.” And those publicly-funded stadiums have done wonders for the Browns, Indians and Reds. But even if the team decides they can’t cut it in Columbus anymore–which will probably happen anyway–WHERE ARE THEY GONNA GO? Kansas City? Great, have fun in the middle of nowhere. Tell Mrs. Parker and Zack Greinke we said hey.
One of the biggest gripes about baseball is that everyone seems so sure that only a few teams have any chance of winning the title in a given year. The logic indicates that teams in smaller markets don’t have the financial firepower to compete for talent with a team like, say, the Yankees, who can spend the equivalent of Liberia’s annual GDP to corral any free agent they please. Never mind that the supposedly lowly Tampa Bay Rays won the AL pennant last season, or that the Florida Marlins won it all six years ago (and that was after liquidating nearly all of the roster from their 1997 title run). But I digress.
The NBA maintains wage controls, in the form of a specific but exception-laden salary cap, to prevent that sort of talent hoarding from happening. Kinda like that “whore fund” that your buddies took to Vegas that one time. And I guess it works, since the New York Knicks have become a perennial laughingstock in the NBA’s biggest market, and free agency seems like the least likely answer to get them on track.
Because of the N.B.A.’s salary-cap rules, the Knicks cannot outspend any other team to land a superstar. In fact, [LeBron] James and [Dwyane] Wade can make millions more by staying put. [Knicks coach Mark] D’Antoni is tremendously popular among N.B.A. stars, but his charm and his wide-open offense will get the Knicks only so far on the recruiting trail. Ditto for the mystique of Madison Square Garden and the lure of Madison Avenue. –NY Times.
So the Knicks can’t “buy” themselves into the playoffs like the Yankees supposedly have done, but honestly, while everyone waits for the Summer of LeBron to play out, how can anyone be excited about that team this season? And forget about the NBA for a minute; the competition for a New Yorker’s entertainment dollar is so damn high, especially in These Trying Economic Times. Those whore funds can only stretch so far, people.
Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, fresh off his loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, was given a 2-year, $30 million extension by the Bears, keeping the Vanderbilt product with the team through 2013.
A person familiar with the negotiations said the deal includes approximately $20 million guaranteed and roughly $30 million in new money. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the terms were not released.
“Thanks to the Bears, the McCaskey family and all the Bears fans for the support,” Cutler wrote Tuesday night on his Twitter page. –Y! Sports.
And he’s obviously very excited about that. Jay, you just got $20 million guaranteed. You could buy half of sub-Saharan Africa if you wanted. How about a little smile? Aren’t you gonna smile for us, Jay? We just gave you a lot of money for a smile. Can you smile? Can you gimme widdle bitty smile? Where’s that smile? THERE IT IS! Good boy! Here, have some candy. NOOOOOO!!!
By now you’ve probably listened to the less-than-charismatic voicemail sent out by the New York Jets feature head coach Rex Ryan [audio and transcript are after the jump in case you haven't]. But what you may not realize is how much Jets fans would have to shell out to cheer them on for their game against the Patriots on Sunday. It’ll be about three figures a pop.
Just checked TicketMaster and was able to find four together in Section 323 for Sunday’s Pats-Jets tilt.
(They’re $90 apiece plus a bunch of annoying charges that raise the total over $100 per.) –Neil Best [earlier this afternoon]
Even in New York, that’s a lot to shell out for one game, and doesn’t even include parking or concessions. The string of blackouts happening around the league is pointing to a real issue for the NFL: while The Gameday Experience might be better than watching the game at home, but it isn’t as cost-effective. And this is in the old Giants Stadium, not the billion-dollar-plus gigantiplex that the Jets are co-opening with the Giants next fall. It may not be long before these teams are just playing their games on giantic sound stages with nothing but TV cameras surrounding them. What obese, painted patrons shall we make fun of then? Read the rest of this entry »
People are tripping over themselves to laugh at the contract that sixth-overall pick Andre Smith signed with the Bengals last week. Smith, who held himself out of training camp only to injure his foot on the first day of practice, apparently is as discriminate with his reputation as he is with his diet.
Smith essentially signed what is really a six-year contract (don’t believe the four-year claim, the team can easily buy the last two years) worth an expected value of $42 million, assuming he hits all the normal thresholds. If Smith hits all the “Superman” clauses in the contract (he basically has to go to the Pro Bowl and Cincinnati has to get to the playoffs every year), he can make a maximum of $50 million.
Now, compare that deal to what quarterback Mark Sanchez(notes) got from the New York Jets at No. 5 and what wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey(notes) got from the Oakland Raiders at No. 7. Sanchez signed a five-year deal in which he will make $47.5 million if he hits the normal thresholds and can max out at $60 million. via.
Additionally, Hayward-Bey can make up to $38.5 million on his five-year deal. Andre Smith’s pro career is not off to the start that he could have hoped. Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son. He’s playing for the Bengals. If he’s not drunk now, he will be…
