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I'm filing in for Rick Siegel today. He's on his honeymoon, so that seems like a decent reason to take the week off. I, on the other hand, have a bit of time to kill; so what better way is there than scouring the web for sports tidbits? The main story this week is the replacement referees, but there's a few other thing bubbling up from the NFL's primordial ooze...
The big story here at Turf Show Times is the new site, and by all accounts people are navigating it smoothly. Just know the few bugs we've found so far are being addressed, and that Ryan and Joe both want you to send them 10 e-mails a day from each of you until the site is perfect... I'll get you their home phone numbers for those collect calls later...
So onto the links! I hope you enjoy your morning read....
Curious about the new TST logo? This article has some great links to behind the scenes stories of the monumental project SBNation undertook recently.
Rodger Goodell and the NFL aren't backing down after the Monday Night Football debacle. I'm not so sure this was as big a missed opportunity for a settlement with the NFLRA. There has to be tons of advertiser screaming to make a reality show based on the replacement referees. Maybe they could combine the refs with a dash of PTSD, autism, and a candy brand not named Skittles?
Business as usual for the NFL - The league office handed down a one game suspension and $50,000 fine for Broncos linebacker Joe Mays. His hit on Matt Schaub this last weekend somehow burst to the forefront of priorities this morning... Can you say "lame attempt at deflection"... Hey, that rhymes with interception, and reception...
Social media went nuts after the Monday Night Football disaster. have a look at some of the traffic numbers... I think half of the traffic was from Lang's Tweet?
You know what we need? We need an attorney like Steve Young, and a guy with close-set beady eyes to weigh in, that's what we need... Players are starting to worry about how games are called... Really, they're just figuring out that the ability to hold and foul players doesn't come with a potential cost to win-loss records? It must be the helmets' fault... Brain damage is setting in a wee bit early?
The lockout will get settled now. No you say? Well let me say that when sports bookies, both legal and illegal, lose betting customers because the final call on the MNF game shifted $125 - $150 million in bets, the proverbial "guidos" are going to come callin' on Rodger Goodell. Does he really want a horse head in his bed?
It seems the NFL and the NFLRA met on Tuesday. Smoke and mirrors, or did the representative for the regular Refs just laugh as the NFL stood firm?
ESPN's power ranking have a few shockers. None bigger than the New Orleans Saints all the way down to
#28...
The Arizona Cardinals are winning, right? So how can they win when their offense is ranked #31 in the NFL? I've seen great offenses compensate for bad defenses, and even great Raven's Ds make it so a 6 - 3 final scores seizes the day. But this AZ team is plain bizarre... Teach the Rams how D'Birdys!
The final "rat killin'" I have for the MNF game is really awful. It seems ESPN drew record numbers to their post game shows. Has the NFL sold itself on keeping the replacement ref circus in town?