Happy Friday! I sincerely hope the week has treated you well. It certainly has been an eventful week in my world! No, that's not really me, but it's a good representation of how the week has gone, and how I might end up tonight if all goes according to plan. I'm hitting the road yet again this weekend to attend a good old fashioned wedding. Springfield Illinois here we come! After the rehearsal dinner tonight I plan on barely being able to make it to the wedding on Saturday. Hopefully I won't reek of booze in the morning. Nothing a little AquaVelva and some breathe mints won't take care of right?
As many have stated, this is the part of the year when the well runs dry for football related news. Below you may find just as many snippets about football as you will amusing and rather unrelated topics.
In the news:
New Toy For Shurmur
The Cleveland Browns added a young Baylor, uh, Utah, uh, Baylor wide receiver in one Josh Gordon. There were rumblings, however faint, of the Rams possibly going after the former teammate of Robert Griffin III in the 2012 Supplemental Draft. The Browns selected him in the 2nd round, for which they will surrender next years 2nd round draft pick. Yours truly was very excited this afternoon when I logged on to the SB Nation app and erroneously read a headline from TST saying the Rams had selected RGIII's boy. I was so elated I announced the selection to my office and started talking about how the Rams now have 100 wide receivers in the stable. HAHA! That's what I get for thumbing through my phone while eating pork rinds and drinking Red Bull. But seriously, don't we have 99 receivers on this team?!?! The Browns pick up Baylor's number one wide out from 2010. Some say he would have been picked up in the NFL Draft in round one had he played this year. The Browns can certainly use the help after deciding to draft 28 year old Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden in the 1st round to hand the ball off 40 times a game to another 1st rounder, University of Alabama running back Trent Richardson. Here's a Gordon highlight from 2010.
El Birdos
The St. Louis Cardinals are ready to make the push to the playoffs in the National League Central. Picking up after the All Star break, the Red Birds find themselves only 2.5 games out of first place trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates, mostly consisting of Andrew McCutchen will surely collapse as is their modis operandi. The Cincinnati Reds are the real challenge in the Central along with the MVP led Milwaukee Brewers. Of course once play resumes the Cubs will win a few games in a row and someone in Wrigleyville will proclaim, "We're going to the Series!", and they will promptly slump. The Cardinals have one of the hottest lineups in baseball, and I don't mean that in a sexy way. The Cardinals rank 1st in the National League in nearly every offensive stat, and are 4th when you add in the American League. Of course they need all of that offense with a 13th rank pitching staff.
Poised for a Comeback
Who has played better in their first two years than Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman? This guy! According to Matthew Melton over at the Bleacher Report, Bradford is set for a major turn around from the 2011 season. While not ground breaking news, Melton does a great job with stat lines and player/personnel justifications to back up the argument. If Sam isn't too gun shy a la David Carr, he should be able to come out and sling the pigskin pretty well to any one of his 99 wide outs. Here's hoping Melton is right on the money with this prediction.
Other Sports:
Blake Griffin to Miss Olympics
The Clippers forward will not be playing against the rest of the world's finest basketball players this summer in England. He was hurt during a routine scrimmage this Wednesday. Supposedly he will be ready for the 2012-2013 season. That is good news for the team that just singed Blake to a $95 million 5 year extension.
US Olympian's Suits Made in China?
The US Olympic Committee is in hot water over the Made in China labels affixed to the uniforms which will be worn by the US team during opening ceremonies. Without getting too political, one can see how this rubs many the wrong way. At a time when America is suffering through an economic downturn, our factory workers could use a few extra contracts thrown their way. The men's uniforms are said to run $1,945 while the fairer sex will be wearing $1,473. Just going with the cheaper women's uniform, with 530 Olympians from the US, that's $780,690 sent overseas. But that's capitalism right?
Fun for Your Friday Morning:
It's the age old expression of stupidity, "your don't know your ass from your elbow." Of course I'm talking about the donkey! Here is a little quiz to get your brain on the right track for the weekend.
Thank for the read and I hope this weekend treats you well Rams Nation! Enjoy!