T.J. Houshmandzadeh's Madden boycott

Story from FOXSports.com

Among certain circles, the annual release of the new version of John Madden's video game is treated as a national holiday.

Does Housh have a beef?
T.J. Houshmandzadeh thinks he should be ranked higher in the new Madden video game. Here's a look at last year's stats of the game's six highest-rated pass catchers in the NFC:
Player, Team	REC	YDS	TDS
Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	96	1,431	12
Steve Smith, CAR	78	1,421	6
Anquan Boldin, ARI	89	1,038	11
Roddy White, ATL	88	1,302	7
Calvin Johnson, DET	78	1,331	12
Houshmandzadeh	92	904	4

But Seahawks wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh won't be celebrating when Madden '10 comes out next month, telling a national radio host he'll be boycotting the game in protest over his player rating.

"Man, they don't get my rating right," Houshmandzadeh said while appearing on Colin Cowherd's ESPN Radio show Monday. "I just looked at the game and they have this wrong and that wrong. And I understand I averaged 10 yards a catch (in 2008), but it's the offense, man, not me."

For the record, Houshmandzadeh has a rating of 91, making him the sixth-highest ranked wide receiver in the NFC, behind only Larry Fitzgerald (99), Steve Smith (97), Anquan Boldin (94), Roddy White (93) and Calvin Johnson (92). Also for the record, Houshmandzadeh had 904 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2008. Just for comparison purposes, all five NFC wideouts ranked ahead of him put up better numbers; each had at least 1,038 receiving yards and scored at least six TDs.

But according to Houshmandzadeh, those numbers are lying. And he'll be giving the PlayStation a rest until the truth is told.

"I'm not playing Madden no more, until they get my rating right," Houshmandzadeh said. "It might be a little pouting, too. It might be. But, you know, I used to be the best in the world at Madden, so I'm going to miss not playing it. But until they do me right, I'm not playing it no more."

__________

Of all the stories that get published during the NFL off-season, this one was pretty unnecessary, but nonetheless, entertaining.

What does Houshmandzadeh think his boycott will result in? A decrease in sales? Not likely. He probably only helped the franchise even more by affirming the fact that they got his rating right.

Larry Fitzgerald is the head of the class. No argument there, the man can play. Steve Smith and Anquan Boldin both did more (TDs, YDs) in less games, 14 and 12 respectively. His argument for saying "but it's the offense, man, not me" is unacceptable, I mean, who's above him? Calvin Johnson and the (0-16) Detroit Lions' offense. He managed to do more with a lot less. Johnson made his own stats, racked up his YACs, and found his way to the end zone on less receptions as well.

Roddy White also manages to best Houshmandzadeh with a rookie QB in Matt Ryan, getting 400 more yards and 3 more TD. I know Matt Ryan is better than Ryan Fitzpatrick, but even with Carson Palmer, Houshmandzadeh's best receiving yards in a season is 1,143.

And I didn't mention that T.J. Houshmandzadeh is the oldest of the 6 and has the lowest career average yards per catch and has never had a season where he's averaged more than 13.4, Steve Smith averages 14.4 for his career, Larry Fitzgerald averages 14.0, Roddy White averages 15.4, Calvin Johnson in two seasons average a monstrous 16.6, Anquan Boldin is the low man at 12.9, which beats Houshmandzadeh's second best average of 12.3.

So maybe it's not the defense, it's you T.J. To show how ridiculous T.J regards himself beyond reality, you only need to read his quote saying "I used to be the best in the world at Madden." Best in the world? I've never seen on the Madden Challenge on ESPN...

Houshmandzadeh should be thanking Madden for overrating the receiver. Either way, the boycott will not last very soon because Madden is too addicting.

"Shaq Vs." Good Ratings

Yahoo! Blog

"Shaq Vs." will feature Shaq challenging some of the best athletes at their sport head-to-head. Right off the bat, this is an idea gone wrong already.

Shaq has never been known to be a physical specimen. Sure, he's tall, huge, and strong - but generally lacks athleticism. Maybe if he did this 10 years ago, it would be a bit more feasible, but not in the twilight of his career.

And something that Cleveland fans should be worried about is that Shaq's full-time gig is to actually help Lebron and the Cavs make it out of the East and challenge the Lakers, not go around failing to throw a football as far as Ben Roethlisberger, struggle to hit against Albert Pujols, or let Michael Phelps swim laps around him.

The show is not a good idea, Shaq is not athletic enough to keep up with any of these athletes, let alone have the skills to compete. He is also suppose to fight Oscar De La Hoya, play tennis pro Serena Williams and beach volleyball Olympians Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. The only event I see Shaq possibly having a shot at winning is boxing with Oscar De La Hoya simply because he is much bigger than De La Hoya. However, if Shaq needs to come down to his weight class (this might be the best part of the show) - I guarantee it's a lost already.

Now a reality show that I will actually watch will be "The T.O. Show," Terell Owens will be observed in his natural space and has always been an entertainer. He takes on himself in the show (a role he has mastered) and not other athletes and ratings like Shaq will do.

In the match-up between "Shaq Vs." Ratings, Ratings will win by K.O. after 3 episodes.

Backups breaking the bank

On Tuesday, July 14, two career back-up who seem to have always been in the shadow of the best player at their respective position got paid big-time and by big-time, I mean overpaid.

These two guys, Matt Cassel and Marcin Gortat seemed to be in the worst position possible, backing up arguably the best in their league at their position, Tom Brady(QB) and Dwight Howard (C). But one season ending injury and playoff game suspension later, both have fat contracts in hand for the summer.

Cassel, who until this year has not started since high school (7 years) took over center for Tom Brady after he suffered a season-ending injury against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first week of the season. After putting together a respectable (11-5) record with slightly above average numbers, Cassel was traded to the Chiefs in the offseason after being franchised by the Patriots. This past week, he signed a contract similar to 2007 first-pick JaMarcus Russell. Cassel's contract is for six years at $63 million, with $28 million guaranteed for the first two years and more than $40 million through the third year. Russell's contract was for six years, $68 million, with over $31 million guaranteed and more than $44 million over the first four years of the contract.

Given the market, both for quarterback and the economic market, the Chiefs definitely overpaid for the 21 touchdowns the Quarterback threw in 2008, 7 of which came in the last 3 games of the season against Oakland, Arizona (likely their worst game of the season), and Buffalo. Cassel did put up good numbers, but this was in a Patriots system that featured Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Benjamin Watson, a stable of effective running backs, and a great offensive line. Cassel came to the Chiefs upon Tony Gonzalez's departure, Larry Johnson's decline, and a terrible offensive line. The only bright spot on the offense is wideout Dwayne Bowe. Cassel's number were slightly better than average last year, but look for those numbers to decline with a weakened supporting cast.

Derek Anderson threw for 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions with a 82.5 QB rating (Cassel was 21 TD/11 INTs/89.4 QB Rating) during his lone full season in 2007 with the Browns and signed a 3 yr./$24 million contract extension in 2008. The two quarterbacks had similar numbers, Cassel's $10.5 million/yr., when compared with Anderson's $8 million/yr. renders him overpaid. But the Chiefs, unlike the Browns are putting their franchise's future over the next 5 years on Cassel's shoulders and rewarded him with an unusually high-priced contract for the career back-up. Like Cassel's career, his contract has been anything but the norm.

After Cassel's contract, Jim Sorgi must be praying for Peyton Manning to go down. He has 6 TDs, 1 INT, and a 89.9 QB rating for his career. Before 2008, in 3 seasons Cassel's career numbers were 2 TDs, 2 INTs, and a 71.8 QB rating. Sorgi was also a one-year starter for the Wisconsin Badgers and started 17 games during his collegiate career, already beating Cassel in that department. Sorgi's numbers are better than Cassel's and he's had more career starts (college and NFL) since 2001, so he might just need an opportunity before getting the next big contract for a career backup.


Marcin Gortat was a relative unknown in the basketball world until the NBA Playoffs this past year but had a 5 yr./$34 million deal matched by the Magics on Tuesday. Right off the bat I would have to say the magics overpaid purely because the price for Gortat got bid up by the Mavericks who attempted to make a splash in the 2009 free agent market simply because others were holding out for 2010. They had money to spend and like usual, overpaid everyone (Kidd, Marion) when they really didn't need to. The Magics know they overpaid because they were competing with the Mavs, but they also overpaid because although Vince Carter is an upgrade over Hedo Turkoglu, losing Gortat would have been a step back based on what other Eastern conference contenders did to improve themselves.

Gortat logged only 5,4, and 9 minutes in his last 3 games against the Lakers, proving ineffective. His season averages of 3.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game is not impressive for someone set to make $7 million a year.

Channing Frye who averaged 4.2 points and 2.2 rebounds signed a 2 year contract worth $2 million a season with the second year being at his option the following day with the Phoenix Suns. Frye, who I believe has greater potential averaged 12.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a rookie. Orlando should have pursued the free agent who would have come considerably cheaper than Gortat and has greater potential to blossom backing up Howard while gracefully accepting the role as oppose to Gortat's desire to start and prove his potential.

Todd Lamar Doxey

Today marks the one year death of Oregon defensive back Todd Doxey. Doxey died last summer after a swimming accident on the McKenzie River next to the University of Oregon campus.

Doxey's impact is noted by the fact that Rivals.com featured a story about Todd 8 weeks after his death, it was also the featured story for a week on the Yahoo! homepage. Last year, a different Oregon player wore his "29" jersey each week until the Ducks ended the season with a win at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, Doxey's hometown.

Doxey was an amazing athlete, student, and person. He ranked No.2 in the San Diego Section for receiving yards at 2,669 and as a Safety always seemed to get a pick whenever he desired. Although it was Doxey's abilities at Safety that caught the attention of many Division I programs, in basketball Todd helped the Hoover Cardinals to their first section basketball title in 44 years during the 2006 season. He meant a lot to the school, reviving a basketball program as well as earning respectability for a football program that went (0-10) and (0-9-1) prior to Todd's enrollment.

More so than being the talent that the Cardinals needed, Doxey brought character, humility, and respect to the team and school. A team that saw receivers with T.O. like personalities ruin team chemistry and that also ran themselves out of college football. Hoover's most touted player before Doxey was Ellis Jones, a two-way player who went on to play cornerback for San Jose State. After two seasons, Jones was arrested on armed robbery charges for his Craigslist robberies.

Doxey was filled with talent and had a bright future. This past year, Oregon Safety Patrick Chung was selected 34th overall in the draft by the New England Patriots. Cornerback Jairus Byrd followed at 42nd overall to the Buffalo Bills. Doxey was suppose to back-up Chung last season and start this upcoming season. Under the tutelage of Chung, coupled with playing alongside Byrd and a talented secondary, Doxey had the talent, opportunity, and potential to be a first or second rounder during the 2011 NFL Draft (he of course would stay to complete his degree).

In comparison to the recent passing of NFL Quarterback Steve McNair, Doxey as a 19 year-old, with one season of college football had 3,000 people attend his memorial, exceeding capacity. McNair played 13 NFL seasons as well as 4 seasons at Alcorn State University and had 8,000 people attend his memorial. The comparisons not only show how beloved Doxey was in the San Diego community as well as on campus with the Ducks, but also that his reach had as much impact as McNair's did in only 19 years.

On a wall inside the Hoover gym is Todd Doxey’s retired No. 9 football jersey, the only football jersey ever retired in the school's history, a history that recently included second round NFL Quarterback Tony Banks. It serves as a constant reminder of how much he meant to the Cardinals’ athletics program and how high in esteem he is held at the school which also serves as Ted Williams' alma mater.

R.I.P T.D.

Albert Pujols robbed...in 2002

For anyone looking at this year's all-star roster, no one should be shocked that there are four first basemen going to St. Louis for the all-star game; Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder, and Ryan Howard. All of them are having great seasons and to defend Gonzalez' selection - he does this without any protection and was killing it the first 6 weeks of the season, Howard's selection is because he won a ring last year on top of solid power numbers.

*Player	AVG	HR	RBI
Albert Pujols	.337	30	77
Adrian Gonzalez	.268	24	48
Price Fielder	.306	20	74
Ryan Howard	.256	20	60

However, if you go back and look at the 2002 season, there were only 2 first baseman chosen for the game in Milwaukee; Todd Helton and Richie Sexson. Where was Albert Pujols? Although this was only his second season, Pujols made the all-star team the year before as a rookie and ended the season batting .329 with 37 home runs and 130 RBI, helped St. Louis tie for the National League Central Division title, and was unanimously voted the NL Rookie of the Year. So although his name was not as big then as it is now, he was still known for an extremely impressive first season that is not often seen.

So there are a few possible reasons why Albert Pujols did not get selected; a) he did not have a great start, b) Bob Brenly chose to select his players, and c) Richie Sexson was a Brewers. I'll have to strongly make the case for Bob Brenly, followed by Richie Sexson as reasons why Albert Pujols was robbed by Bob Brenly.

*Player	AVG	HR	RBI
Todd Helton	.344	16	60
Richie Sexson	.280	18	57
Albert Pujols	.286	17	56

The all-star game was held in Milwaukee and managers tend to select players from the host team if they are borderline all-stars to appease the fans. Well, Sexson was coming off a season in which in blasted 47 dingers and when comparing his numbers with Albert Pujols, they were identical. So Sexson was definitely deserving of his selection.

This brings me to my next point. If this year's manager, Charlie Manuel, can and did pick 4 first basemen, why didn't Bob Brenly do the same back in 2002? It was because Brenly chose to do a classless thing and instead choose his players for Albert Pujol's spot. Just looking at the 2002 All-star roster, I can already notice two positional players that maybe should not have been on there; Junior Spivey and Damian Miller, both Diamondbacks. The 2002 all-star team carried 3 catchers; Mike Piazza, Benito Santiago, and Damian Miller. That's a bit odd, Piazza and Santiago were having good years and should have been on there, Miller on the other hand played the same position his manager did and made it onto the team. And Junior Spivey is Junior Spivey, a player who's no longer in the major leagues. Clearly, Bob Brenly favored his guys as opposed to opposing AL all-star manager Joe Torre who selected only two Yankees as reserves; Derek Jeter and Robin Ventura.

So there was definitely a theft that occurred as a 3rd first baseman should have been added to the team that year. This is important because Albert Pujols has made the all-star squad every year from 2001-2009, except for 2002, a blemish on an otherwise perfect Cooperstown resume.

And if you are wondering where Brenly's managerial decisions have brought him, currently, he's a broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs, while Torre is still coaching and Pujols is still an all-star for the 7th straight year (this would have been 9th if not for Brenly).


*All numbers are as of July 1st of that same year in an effort to evaluate how the candidates were doing at the time when the all-star selections are usually finalize.

A.J. Burnett is burning..

A.J. Burnett is currently on fire. In his last five games, he is sporting a (4-1) record with a 1.36 ERA and the last win in this stretch came against the Minnesota Twins, a team that features Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and co. For the season, he's 8-4 with a 3.77 ERA. At the end of May, Burnett was (3-2) with a 4.78 ERA and certainly did not look like the $16.5 MM/yr. pitcher that the Yankees paid for. So with Burnett gaining momentum, what does this mean for the Yankees?

It means they now have the No.2 starter they paid for behind CC (no, I didn't spell this wrong, he dropped the .,. after getting traded to the Brewers) Sabathia. Although they are currently only 1 GB of the Red Sox and leading the AL Wild Card standings, this gives them more than a playoff appearance, they now have a chance to win the World Series.

Over the past 20 years, the majority of teams that have gone on to win it all have had a few things in common; good pitching and great/timely hitting. Good pitching means having solid No.1 and No.2 starters (Hamels/Myers, Beckett/Schilling, Schilling/Martinez, Johnson/Schilling, Beckett/Penny) with a shut-down closer (Lidge, Papelbon,). Hitting is less consistent, so either great hitters continue to be great hitters when it really counts (not A-Rod) or timely hitting is provided by the not so expected (Mike Lowell in 2007, David Eckstein in 2006, Jermaine Dye in 2005, etc.). The Yankees had a solid line-up, legitimate No.1 starter in Sabathia, and closer in Mariano Rivera. Now they have the last piece, a No.2 starter in Burnett. So look for the Yankees to continue challenging the Red Sox, Rays, Tigers, Rangers, and Angels in the AL for a spot in the World Series and potentially to win it all.

Of course, my prediction is still Boston winning it all in 2009.

Rooting for Roddick

Andy Roddick was supposed to lose to Roger Federer on Sunday. After all, going into the match his career mark against the Great One was a staggering 2-18. In Grand Slams, the Swiss Sensation had bested the American in all seven of their matchups, with only one contest reaching a fourth set. Tennis legends Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, and Pete Sampras joined thousands of fans at the All England Club expecting to see Federer cruise to his record 15^th Grand Slam victory. To everyone there, Andy Roddick was supposed to play the role of Brett Favre laying down for Michael Strahan to record the single season sack record. Only one problem: someone forgot to tell Andy.

What transpired over the four hour and fifteen minute contest goes beyond the numbers that describe it: 77 aces, 181 winners, 77 total games, 436 total points. The final set lasted thirty games – more than most expected the entire match would take. What made this Wimbledon so different for Andy? How did David manage to hang with Goliath – no, challenge Goliath – for so long... Other than a 135 mile per hour serve of course? Like many underdogs, Andy relied on the most innate competitive instinct: heart.

To say the past three years were difficult for the American would be an understatement. His last Grand Slam final came in 2006, and since then he suffered a number of injuries, went through a highly-publicized coaching change, and saw his ranking slip as low as #12 in the world. After defeating hometown favorite Andy Murray in the semi finals, Roddick discussed the turbulent years, saying “Brook (his wife) and I had a lot of talks on… if I still thought I could play…. I definitely openly questioned it at that point.” Later, cameras caught him in a rare emotional moment as he broke down in the conference lobby, revealing how much the opportunity to compete in the finals meant to him.

After the epic five-set saga against Federer, one could not help but feel bad for Andy. He choked up numerous times in the on-court interview following the match, and his passion for the game of tennis felt genuine. He expressed his desire to join the all-time greats among the list of Wimbledon champions. After the match, many analysts called the finals a “moral victory” for Roddick, but like a true competitor the American saw no silver lining. Asked to describe what he did that day, Andy replied; “I lost.”

It was refreshing to see a professional athlete display so much genuine passion and respect for the sport he plays. Though Federer is certainly a legendary champion and deserves all the accolades, when asked if he was “the happiest person (after winning)”, he answered “I don’t know. I mean, I’m very happy. I don’t know if I’m the happiest person in the world. I don’t think so.” One can only imagine how Andy would have replied.

I, for one, am hoping he gets that opportunity at Flushing Meadows.