Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Some Guy Named Moss?...I Dunno

"Don't think twice, it's alright."

So we're officially a day removed from the acquisition of Randy Moss...and I'm still pretty much how I was yesterday morning...just in a daze. Again, I'm just in total disbelief that a guy like Moss, given his past, would ever play for New England, but it's just as I said before: Bill Belichick loves to totally mess with people. This is how he has made his living. He is the master of head games, always staying one step ahead of everyone, and being completely unpredictable in his actions. Remember, this was a team that, nine years ago, was disgusted by the mere mention of the possibility of drafting Moss. However, this is a completely different team who have adjusted to how the NFL works. They have built this team around a core group of veterans who welcome in anyone that is willing to help the team get to its ultimate goal of winning another championship. From all indications, Moss is going to do everything in his power to make that happen. I mean let's face it, he literally and figuratively is escaping a "black hole" in Oakland (their hardcore fans sit in a section called "The Black Hole," so it kind of works out for me here...I know Trey Wingo already made that joke yesterday, but honestly, do you not think even I could have figured that one out?). That franchise, although currently being overhauled, is around ten years away from being an actual playoff contender. That's right, ten years...at least, and you know what? Randy Moss doesn't have that kind of time. He's 30, and he's probably got about four or five...maybe six good years left if he's lucky. Also, think about this: Moss never caused any problems when Minnesota was rocking and rolling in his first few years, getting to two NFC Championship games in his first three years, and making the playoffs for four consecutive seasons. Then, once the Vikings started to go downhill, so did Moss. Sure, he had his moments before then (most notably the infamous water bottle incident in a playoff game against the Rams, costing him $40,000), but once a player who is as competitive as Moss is winds up on a team that isn't fully committed to winning, it can drive a guy mental. He realized that not everyone had the drive to win like he did, and that can really grow on a guy after awhile, so, he did a lot of questionable things, and said even more questionable statements, but I really do believe this guy is not in a Terrell Owens kind of mold, where he will be a "cancer" to a team. I believe that Moss simply was troubled and wanted so very badly to win that it caused him to do some interesting and bizarre stuff. When it comes down to it, this team is too strong to let any one player disrupt a team. Not many teams can say that, but the Patriots have easily the strongest clubhouse in the NFL, and basically, if Moss recants on what he has said, and starts being a nuisance, he'll be gone, plain and simple. I really don't see that happening, and when you consider Moss is taking a monstrous pay cut (the complete opposite of what T.O. did, further telling me that Moss is committed to winning, and not out for himself), and only cost the Patriots a fourth-round pick, this was simply a no-brainer. I am so excited to watch this offense (which I hope I will be doing live and in person come August when the Pats travel to Charlotte to take on the Panthers in preseason play). This is going to be one incredible year.

I would like to personally thank the Golden State Warrior fans for creating the most enthralling atmosphere for an NBA game in a long, long time. I mean that crowd on Friday and Sunday was absolutely bananas. As Sports Guy described, it really was a flashback to the old days in places like the Garden, the Rose Garden, and the Forum, where it felt like the crowd literally willed their team to victory. At any given point, the Mavs could have started to run away with the game, but the crowd simply was not going to let that happen. They had waited too long, and put up with a lot of bad teams to get to this point, and right now, the defending Western Conference champs are on the ropes, down three games to one. And if that wasn't bad enough, even if Dallas wins their home game in Game 5, they have to travel back to Oakland, and a rabid fan base will be awaiting their arrival, and they smell blood in the water, so once again, I simply cannot see the Warriors giving up this series right now. I mean eventually, all those high first-round picks are going to pay off, especially when you invest money into a difference-making free agent, like with what they did with Baron Davis, and build around a young nucleus of budding stars, like Jason Richardson, Michael Pietrus, and Andres Biedrins. Also, when you factor in the kind of value they received in their midseason trade with the Pacers (Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson for Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy), you had to realize that this team would eventually catch fire, and they certainly did, with Harrington and Jackson being the firestarters that gave the Warriors new life, and their fan base something to cheer about.

I find it absolutely hilarious how a guy like Joe Torre could seriously be on the "hot seat" right now. I mean...seriously man. What does this guy really have to play with? Four of his starters spent the beginning of the year on the DL, and their Opening Day starter was Carl Pavano. I mean what more is there to say? Personally, if anyone should be on the hook right now, it should be Brian Cashman. Sure, he got rid of some bad contracts over the offseason (Johnson and Sheffield), but after that, what did he do? He did very little to improve the pitching staff (Pettitte, Igawa, and Sanchez in the Sheffield deal), and other than that, the Yanks put it in neutral. They had no fall-out plan in case things went the way they have so far, and so, they are suffering because of it. Everyone keeps saying how tough of a job it is to be the Yankees' GM, which is total bull. Being the Yankees GM is like running a fantasy baseball team. You basically have unlimited resources, and can pick and choose whoever you want to play for your team, because I would say about 90% of the players in the game today would kill for the chance to play for the Yankees, and have a chance to play in the postseason on a regular basis. It's not as though Cashman is like Theo Epstein, who showed up on the job with a depleted farm team and monstrous contracts. Instead, it was Cashman who created those circumstances to himself. He was the guy who paid Giambi, Sheffield, Johnson, Pavano, and all the others those huge deals, and it was Cashman who mortgaged the future of the franchise, and traded away their best prospects so now, they are left staring at a bleak future of having to constantly go out and get veterans, and not have any productivity come from their farm system for a long time. Cashman has had success in the past, but has really lost his knack of evaluating talent. In my opinion, it's time for the Yankees to start fresh, but getting rid of Joe Torre is not the answer, because if he's not the best manager out there, he's at least in the top two or three.

I know this was rather short, but I figured I would just throw some things out there before I became completely engulfed with studying for finals/losing my mind. Oh well, you gotta work hard to be able to play hard later...and to say this Summer is going to be amazing is a big, big understatement. Again, I am super-psyched to be heading to Charlotte in a week. This represents a new chapter in my life, and to be honest, I've been waiting for this for a long time. It's not as though I didn't live it up in college (did that and some...shhh...), but now, I am going to have such a sense of freedom. Living on my own, trying to make it happen again in a new place...I'll admit, it's kind of scary, but at the same time, I welcome the challenge, and am looking forward to finally settling in somewhere (I have not lived in the same place consecutively for more than a year...having a Summer pad was nice, but still, it did take me away from my friends, which definitely bummed me out a lot...total double-edged sword). So, hopefully I will be updating you on how everything is going, but if I don't, I just want to let everyone know that everything is great down here, and I'm so thrilled that I'm so close to graduating. As always, thank you so much for reading. Again, I encourage you guys to give me feedback and tell me what you think. I really have found a passion for doing this, so I hope you are enjoying it as much as I do writing it. Take care now. Peace.

~Mell-o

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