Source: http://thefdhlounge.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 10:45:40+00:00

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Gangrene (Jets) star power -- can it work?
The sheer amount of sewage churned out about yesterday’s Glenn Beck rally at the Lincoln Memorial would be unbelievable in any other age, but not this one, unfortunately.
1 Beck is speaking of a general restoration of honor that is necessary. The path that our country is going down – not “Capital S Socialism,” but the softer, Western European style – has been in the works for many decades. Essentially, Obama represents the third wave of progressive action in this country, with FDR’s New Deal in the 1930s having come first and LBJ’s Great Society in the 1960s having built upon it. There are those who find this consolidation disturbing and not in the spirit of our Founding Fathers and they are entitled to raise their voices about it – yes, Mathews, even if a black guy is president at the time. Imagine that!
2 Beck is speaking, in general, of taking back our country from those who are taking us down the aforementioned path and leading us into an unsustainable economic future that could only result in national bankruptcy. Again, horror of horrors to the progressives, the right to free speech in this country was not repealed when a minority moved into the Oval Office.
Having said that, I’m glad that Beck banned signs from the rally, not because I fear Tea Party folks showing racism – from the one event I’ve been to, race could not have been further from the agenda and I strongly believe that is the norm – but because lefties have been talking about crashing Tea Party events with their own racist signs to cause bad publicity.
Now, do I believe in everything that all of these people believe? No, of course not. I’m not in agreement with Beck’s recent libertarian pronouncement on gay marriage. And Sarah Palin’s recent turn towards hard-core militarism (showing that she may have been sadly brain-napped by the bloodthirsty Bill Kristol in the same way that Dubya once was) alarms me. But I’m not going to be out there wetting my pants about them gathering up a bunch of good, decent Americans the way that so many weeping liberals are.
Here are Beck and Palin addressing those patriots on the National Mall yesterday.
There are as many blueprints to building a successful NFL franchise as there are NFL franchises. The question is, "do all of them work?"
Consider the Indianapolis Colts. Hall of Fame quarterback, elite wide receivers, running back by committee, a blue collar offensive line, and a relative no-name defense (excluding Dwight Freeney).
New England Patriots? 90% of their dynastic franchise was all no-names and system-grown talent (minus Randy Moss).
I could go on, but the point is almost conclusive: every successful NFL franchise in history has been constructed with a healthy blend of star power, role players, and team-grown talent. However, that is clearly not the approach that the 2010 New York Jets are taking. Can it work?
Let's take a look at the players still around from just a few years earlier. D'Brickashaw Ferguson (first-round pick), Nick Mangold (later first-round pick, same year), Jerricho Cotchery, Shaun Ellis, and David Harris...all drafted by the Jets or a longstanding member of the team (at least three years).
As for recent draft picks and highly-touted acquisitions, the Jets spared no draft value, trade pieces or free agent dollars. Dustin Keller, Damien Woody, Braylon Edwards, Mark Sanchez, Kellen Clemens, Kevin O'Connell, Shonn Greene, Tony Richardson, Kris Jenkins, Bart Scott, Calvin Pace, Darrelle Revis, Brodney Pool, and Jim Leonhard.
Now if that were the end of the story, then so be it. That still leaves a level of balance between star power and role players. That is, of course, unless even more guys are brought in to take the place of those role players. Especially if those new acquisitions are considerably older and potentially past their primes comparatively to their younger role-playing counterparts.
As a generality, I tend to defer to younger, bigger, and faster players, but that is a conversation for a different time. In this instance, I as an onlooker, am in a complete wait-and-see mode. However, if for some reason you have neglected to notice the 2010 offseason moves of the New York Jets, here's a refresher: the Hall of Fame-bound LaDainian Tomlinson, the lifelong Jet-hater Jason Taylor, the opportunistic Antonio Cromartie, and former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes.
As an unbiased fan of football, this is clearly a fan's dream. Not one single hole at any position. Imagine your team; now, imagine going into this season with not one single glaring hole devoid of talent. Not only that but in Tomlinson's case, there is a logjam at one position. In the Braylon Edwards vs. Santonio Holmes situation, are there enough balls to spread around to a receiver corps that as an average is accustomed to somewhere in the ballpark of 2,500 yds and 20 touchdowns? Incorporate the passing game to include Shonn Greene, Tomlinson, Joe McKnight, and Dustin Keller, and if math serves, that would put Mark Sanchez among the top five of quarterback production -- which may be a stretch.
As for defense, that's a pill that is easier to swallow. Shaun Ellis, Kris Jenkins, and Mike Devito/Rodrique Wright total a legit 3-4ish 900-plus pounds. Jason Taylor, Bart Scott, David Harris, and Calvin Pace may actually be the best linebacker unit in the NFL by a considerable margin. If that isn't enough, the secondary simply defies the opponent to throw. Peyton, Brady, Brees, and Aaron Rogers would all be out of their minds to not alter their approach at least slightly. Let's hope their offensive coordinators don't get a hero complex. As for the Vince Youngs, Jake Delhommes, Kyle Ortons, and Alex Smiths of the league...they might as well get used to handing the ball off...a lot.
Get one thing straight. I "nothing" the Jets. What that means is exactly what it sounds like. I don't love them and I don't hate them, I nothing them. Depending on the matchup, I will either root for them or against them. I am a huge fan of concepts otherwise disproven by lack of results. For example, defense wins championships. I by no means disagree that the axiom is true. I am however, always in search of some team that has an insane offense and a disgraceful defense to find a way and win. In this regard, I will be rooting hard for a team loaded with star power and name recognition to defy convention and win where every other example of this nature has come up short. So while I will be rooting for my home team and adoptive team as I always will, short of those games, I say, "J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets".
The Sports Talk Network is streaming best-of programming all week while necessary upgrades are being installed. We return with a brand-new episode of THE FDH LOUNGE at our usual time of Wednesday, 7-10 PM EDT next week and it will be of a tremendous and typically unique nature: for the first time, we will be producing an entire show devoted to the start of the football season. Pro, college, fantasy and even a bit of a look towards the state of today's high school football and the developing international scene for American football ... it will all be under discussion with our FDH Lounge Football Think Tank. You first heard this crew during our 100th Episode back in April and arguably, our segment in that show was the foundation of that event. Next week, the panel reconvenes and we'll get you set for the next five months of America's most popular sport, football. Don't miss it!
The college football season is less than two weeks away and I spent about 100 hours this summer analyzing ever matchup for every game this upcoming season. This should be a VERY interesting year for college football. There are 35 Bowl games, meaning 70 teams will be playing in the “postseason”. However, I only predict 68 teams to reach the magic number of six wins. This could be a subplot to the season if the NCAA has to issue a few exemptions to allow teams with losing records to play in December.
Over the next two weeks, I will share my predictions for all of the teams in the Bowl Division of college football. Today, I’ll start with the Big Ten. (NOTE: the records are my predictions for the upcoming season).
(1) Ohio State 8-0 (12-0). Bowl: BCS National Championship. Key games: Oct. 16 at Wisconsin; Nov. 20 at Iowa; Nov. 27 v. Michigan. Key player: QB Terrelle Pryor. #2 Pre-season USA Today Coaches Poll.
THE Ohio State University is the odds on favorite in Vegas to win the National Title (4 ½ to 1). They also are the favorite in every game they play (-3 ½ at both Wisconsin and Iowa and larger in all other games). Pryor is the #2 pick behind defending Heisman winner Mark Ingram to take home the trophy this year at 5 to 1. They open the season at #2 in the USA Today Coaches poll and in my opinion have the most clear path to the title game of all the contenders. Nine starters return on offense and six on defense for a team that lost by three to USC in Week 2 (when they were still good) and found a way to lose at Purdue. Pryor has matured a lot in the past two years and this team has 8-9 other players as well that should be first-team All Big Ten. (NOTE: I do have a degree from OSU but that did not influence my analysis). Anything short of the title (national, that is) will be a disappointment to fans this year.
(2) Iowa 6-2 (10-2). Bowl: Rose. Key games: Oct. 2 v. Penn State; Oct. 16 at Michigan; Nov. 20 v. Ohio State. Key player: QB Ricky Stanzi. #10 Pre-season USA Today Coaches Poll.
Many people think Iowa will make the Rose Bowl this year. They return eight starters of D and six on O from a team that went 11-2 with a victory over Ga Tech 24-14 in the Orange Bowl last year. They were on track to win the Big Ten last year, then they were caught looking ahead to the Ohio State game, lost Stanzi to injury and lost to Northwestern at home 17-10 as a 15-point favorite. Then, they took the game to overtime the following week to the Bucks in Columbus as a 16 ½ point underdog without Stanzi, losing 27-24. Stanzi is 2nd-team All Big Ten on most people’s list and should have a strong senior season. I don’t think Iowa can beat the Bucks and I also predict a loss to a resurgent Michigan team in the Big House on Oct. 16.
(3) Penn State 6-2 (9-3). Bowl: Capital One. Key games: Oct. 2 at Iowa; Oct. 30 v. Michigan; Nov. 13 at Ohio State. Key player: RB Evan Royster. #14 Pre-season USA Today Coaches Poll.
PSU returns eight starters on O and five of D from a team that defeated LSU in the Capital One Bowl last year 19-17 and was 11-2 overall. Last year, an early season loss at home to Iowa 21-10 and the late season 24-7 home loss to OSU landed the Nittany Lions a tie for 2nd in the Big Ten. The head-to-head loss to Iowa was the difference that sent Iowa to the Rose and PSU to the Capital One. Royster is a solid senior, gaining almost 1,200 yards rushing last year; he is clearly the 2nd-best RB in the league and should be the 2nd of the two first-team All Big Ten backs. This team plays at Alabama in Week 2 on September 11 and is currently an 11 ½ point underdog. If they pull the miracle there, then watch out Big Ten. I predict the two losses in conference to be at Iowa and at OSU; pull an upset in either and it would likely be a trip to the Rose Bowl if they handle the games where they will be favored.
(4) Michigan 6-2 (9-3). Bowl: Outback. Key games: Oct. 16 v. Iowa; Oct. 30 at PSU; Nov. 27 at Ohio State. Key player: QB Tate Forcier. NR Pre-season USA Today Coaches Poll.
Which team has the 2nd-best record the past ten years in Big Ten conference play? Yes, it is UM, even after posting a 1-7 league record last year and 2-6 the year before, they still are 53-27 the last ten years -- trailing only OSU, who is 64-16. It is serious do-or-die time for Rich Rodriguez who likely will be without a job next year if the Wolverines do not equal or exceed the prediction I have for them here. They return seven starters on O and eight on D, and the third season is historically the year when a new head coach has the personnel in place to win under his system. Forcier is a true sophomore and learned a lot last year, as he completed 57.7% of his passes, threw for 2,050 yards and had a 13-10 TD to Int ratio. UM will need home wins over Iowa and Wisconsin to finish in this position and I don’t predict them to win at PSU or as a early 15-point underdog in Columbus. They should dominate the lower teams in the league, but anything short of a finish near the top will not be acceptable for the team that has won 40 more games in its history than ANY other team in college football.
(5) Wisconsin 5-3 (9-3). Bowl: Gator. Key games: Oct. 16 v. OSU; Oct. 23 at Iowa; Nov. 20 Michigan. Key player: RB John Clay. #12 Pre-season USA Today Coaches Poll.
Most other experts will tell you I’m off-base with a 5th-place prediction for Wisconsin this year. They have 10 starters back on O and six on D. They are led by senior John Clay, who had 1,517 yards rushing and 18 TDs last year. They were 10-3 and defeated Miami in the Champs Bowl 20-14. However, I think they will lose at Iowa, at Michigan and at home against OSU. All of these games should be close and if things break their way, then the Badgers could find themselves in the Rose Bowl as well -- but I think the teams I have ahead of them have an advantage in the games they will lose.
(6) Michigan State 4-4 (8-4). Bowl: Insight. Key games: Oct. 9 at Michigan; Oct. 30 at Iowa; Nov. 27 at PSU. Key player: QB Kirt Cousins . #NR Pre-season USA Today Coaches Poll.
They were 6-7 last season with the bowl loss to Texas Tech. Cousins makes many lists as the third-best QB in the league; he had a 60.4%, 2680 yds and a 19-9 TD/INT ratio last year. Cousins is a senior and this team will be in most of their games to the end; they return seven on O and six on D. Like last season, they are a .500-level team that should play in a late-December bowl game.
(7) Illinois 4-4 (7-5). Bowl: Texas. Key games: Oct. 30 v. Purdue; Nov. 13 v. Minn; Nov. 20 v. NW (at Wrigley). Key player: RB Mike Leshoure. #NR Pre-season USA Today Coaches Poll.
They were 3-9 last year with five back on O and seven back on D. Leshoure is a junior who is 2nd-team all-conference on a number of lists. I like the Illini to win all three home games (Ind, Pur, and Minn) and win in Wrigley against NW on Nov. 20. Ron Zook may not have been able to live up to expectations in Florida, but he is a good coach, and if the Illini win the games they should this year, then I project a return to a bowl.
(8) Purdue 2-6 (5-7). Bowl: None. Key games: Oct. 9 at NW; Oct. 16 v. Minn; Nov. 27 v. IU. Key player: RB Al-Terek McBurse. #NR Pre-season USA Today Coaches Poll.
They were 5-7 last year, with five back on O and six on D. They have no true standout players, but sophomore McBurse could raise some eyebrows this year. For Purdue to make a bowl, they must beat one of the teams I predict them to lose to: at Notre Dame, at Northwestern, at Ohio State, at Illinois, at Michigan State or at home against Wisconsin or Michigan.
(9) Northwestern 1-7 (4-8). Bowl: None. Key games: Oct. 2 at Minn; Oct. 9 v. Purdue; Nov. 20 v. NW (at Wrigley). Key player: K Stefan Demos. #NR Pre-season USA Today Coaches Poll.
They were 8-5 last year, with seven back on O and six on D. They lost to Auburn in overtime in the Outback Bowl. QB Mike Kafka is graduated from a year ago and without him, I don’t think NW has what it takes to be competitive in the league this year. It says something when your best player is your kicker, and Demos is one of the best in the Big Ten. Too bad NW won’t likely be in many situations where he can win them a game this year.
(10) Indiana 1-7 (5-7). Bowl:l None. Key games: Oct. 30 v. NW; Nov. 27 at Purdue. Key player: WR Tandon Doss. #NR Pre-season USA Today Coaches Poll.
They were 4-8 last year, with nine back on O and four on D. Doss should surpass his 77-catch, 962-yard numbers from last year and be a 1,000+ yard WR, but he may be the lone bright spot for a team that won’t be able to stop anyone from scoring. They should be able to take NW at home, but this may be their only league win this year. For Indiana to make a bowl they beat one of the teams I predict them to lose to: at Ohio State, at Illinois, at Wisconsin, at Purdue, at home against Michigan or Iowa or in Landover against Penn State.
(11) Minnesota 1-7 (3-9) Bowl: Non. Key games: Oct. 2 v. NW; Nov. 13 at Illinois. Key player: QB Adam Weber. #NR Pre-season USA Today Coaches Poll.
They were 6-7 last year, with nine back on O and two on D. Weber is a senior, but this team is so bad, they open as an underdog (4 ½ points) at a Sun Belt Conference team (Mid Tenn St.). Weber’s TD/INT ratio was 13-15 last year and expect him to throw more INTs than TDs once again. Not much hope for the Gophers this year.
NOTE: if two Big Ten teams make the BCS, then I project the Texas Bowl, Dallas Football Classic, and Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl to be forced to pick backup teams. I think there is a good chance the Rose could pass on Iowa and take Nebraska, who I think will be 12-1. This would drop all teams down one bowl. Also if the Buckeyes stumble and miss the Title Game then the Big Ten could fill the Texas Bowl.
Start of August power rankings in parentheses.
After last week’s show that was completely given over to the 7th annual FDH Fantasy Football Mock Draft – results here – we expand back into diversity of our content in a very decisive manner on THE FDH LOUNGE (Wednesdays, 7-10 PM EDT on SportsTalkNetwork.com).
We lead as always with The Opening Statements of The FDH Lounge Dignitaries and our look at This Week in The FDH Lounge before bringing a very distinguished guest in-studio (for only the third time out of our several dozen guests!). Tom Piatak is a Cleveland-based writer who is a contributing editor to Chronicles Magazine and is also published in Taki’s Magazine, The American Conservative and other fine outlets. He’s going to help us examine a common-sense political philosophy shared by paleocons like himself. It represents an antidote to the failures of both of the last presidential administrations. Every poll shows that the American people are frustrated and looking for answers. We’re calling your bluff, America! Tune in and get those answers. By the way, our column that was posted over the weekend lays out the philosophy in at least a bit of detail.
In Hour Two, we bring you a special edition of THE GOON SQUAD, our first hockey show-within-a-show in awhile, as we take a quick overview of our initial expectations for the season’s standings and also the best fantasy pool performers. From there, we welcome in a very unique individual, probably the only prominent pro wrestling journalist who is also a worker, and therefore, one of “the boys.” Bryan Alvarez wrestles in his spare time and also covers the business and MMA for Figure Four Weekly and the Wrestling Observer – where he is partnered with the man who basically founded the grapplin’ news business in the 1980s, Dave Meltzer. He’s covering all the big stories right now, from SummerSlam to the ill-fated ECW revival in TNA to the unfortunate passing of Lance Cade and we’ll talk about all of that and more.
In Hour Three, our colleague from The 21st Century Media Alliance, Tom Denk from Mr. Flatstick comes in for a review of the PGA Championship from the breathtaking Whistling Straits – and we are also joined by golf analyst Kevin Currie from The Sports Network. We’ll look back at all aspects of the weekend that was, from rules controversies to those who stood out for good and for ill – and we’ll look ahead to the season’s remaining big events and the intrigue surrounding the Ryder Cup.
We close as usual with THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER as we review last week’s aforementioned football mock draft. We have some outside eyeballs to help judge us in the form of a past guest who we are happy to have back, Tim Heaney from KFFL. We’ll also be sure to remind you of the endless usefulness of our draft guide for this season, FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2010, a joint effort of your favorite 21st Century Media Alliance entities – with the fantasy content powered by your pals at FantasyDrafthelp.com, of course!
Our FDH LOUNGE (Wednesdays, 7-10 PM EDT on SportsTalkNetwork.com) prides itself on covering the widest array of topics anywhere. Having said that, unless we are in the middle of a presidential election, we may go a few weeks here and there without talking politics and public policy. I love the subjects, but it’s business-first at FDH and in my role as executive producer of the show, I refuse to get too far out in front of the public’s appetite for the subjects. So it’s always fun when I allow us to indulge on these matters – much less what we’ve got lined up this week, which I believe will really deliver some answers at a time when the American public seems desperate for them.
Because our show is geared to a national or international audience, we rarely get to have guests in-studio. There’s not too many who are within driving distance of our headquarters city of Cleveland who we know are going to have stories that resonate to our wider viewership. Of our several dozen guests on 100+ shows, we’ve actually only had two in-studio: Ziggy cartoonist Tom Wilson and the head of one of the finest new media/social media operations in all of professional sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Mike Maleski (who is due back sometime in the next two months, incidentally). Now, we’re not complaining about this: it’s not like we told Bob Barker, Tommy Lasorda and our other great guests, “Hey, either show up here or it’s no-go!” We took them over the phone, gratefully.
But it’s outstanding to have somebody who can appear with us and deliver on a great level in terms of content. The man joining us in-studio this week can do just that. Tom Piatak is a Cleveland-based writer who is a contributing editor to Chronicles Magazine and is also published in Taki’s Magazine, The American Conservative and other fine outlets. But it gets even better. He is uniquely positioned, because he writes about it all the time, to help break down the philosophy of paleoconservatism.
So at a time when the Tweedledumbs and Tweedledumbers of the world are lining up to push their false choices and dueling idiocies on the American people, it’s going to be great to have the reinforcement of an authority like Tom as we dissect real, substantive policy alternatives to those that the Demo-publicans are shoving down our throats. Additionally, for a program like ours that tries to be different in its approach whenever possible (without being hacky in doing so), it’s certainly a plus for us to be covering a school of thought that is so criminally underrepresented in the rest of the media.
^ Foreign policy: Neither the pansy pacifism of the post-Sixties left nor the reflexive militarism of the neocons (best exemplified by William Kristol calling for the United States to invade Iran as a means of settling the Israel-Hezbollah war of ’06) – instead, a common-sense non-interventionism that calls for (overwhelming) force only in those rare instances in which America’s vital national interest is truly at stake.
^ Trade: Neither the trade-wars-be-damned protectionism of the ivory-tower left nor the unrestricted free trade of the neocons that leads to unilateral economic surrender – but a fair-trade policy that seeks a level playing field with our trading partners around the world.
^ Economics: Neither the Marx-inspired hate-for-the-sake-of-hate approach to Big Business of the left nor the blind worship of all things demanded by the Fortune 500 on the neocon side - but the knowledge that Big Business is a force that operates solely according to what is best for it (for good or for ill), often eager to co-opt Big Government to crush the real backbone of America, small business.
^ Border security and national sovereignty: The commitment to preserving the sanctity of the nation’s borders that the neocons have been dragged to kicking and screaming but have never advanced an inch.
^ Social issues such as defense of traditional marriage, protection of innocent unborn life, respect for religious holidays and institutions, etc.: Commitment (stemming from respect for the historic successes of Western Civilization) to carry out the positions that the neocons mouth half-heartedly but do not implement.
^ Opposition to Big Government and respect for the Tenth Amendment: See social issues.
Additionally, the paleocon philosophy allows for a great deal of bridge-building with libertarians. While they are not simpatico on social issues (and may, in fact, be a few degrees closer to liberals on non-Big Government matters), they share a large part of the liberal/neocon critique with what has been referred to as the Old School Right.
How do the paleos get from here to there in terms of amassing the political power to implement smart policies? Well, fortunately, there is an opening right now in terms of the most motivated force in politics, the Tea Party. The reenergized voters under the auspices of this movement need to be convinced that the Republican Party self-destruction that led to Obama’s rise happened because the neocon death grip on the GOP made it inevitable. We will know that the proper positioning of the Tea Party movement is in the process of succeeding when the following counterintuitive take becomes mainstream: “Barack Obama’s biggest mistakes have come from doubling down on the ones made by George W. Bush.” And of course, we will know this because it will mean that the feeble Bush-rehabilitation clowns like Karl Rove and Sean Hannity have been shouted down as they deserve to be.
^ One of the first columns we ever ran at The FDH Lounge: the definitive deconstruction of George W. Bush from the right.
^ An outstanding explanation by the very smart Southern Avenger Jack Hunter about how reflexive anti-Obama partisanship hurts real conservatism.
^ The Wikipedia page on paleoconservatism, which breaks it down in exquisite detail.
Three years ago today, we launched this site as part of our continuing expansion into as many aspects of New Media as possible. We’ve recapped our brand’s accomplishments many times previously, so it would probably be excessive to do so again here, but I want to express on behalf of the FDH partners and everyone who has been a part of the FDH family our appreciation to those who have followed us and appreciated the path we have blazed. This is an absolutely unique media property in its scope and ambition and it could not have even been remotely possible prior to the digital age because we have had to build it on a shoestring. As I have said before, it has evolved into the kind of creative entity that I had subconsciously sought my entire life and I’m not alone in the FDH ranks in feeling that way. In a world of constant change, you can count on this: nothing is off-topic with us and nothing ever will be.
EDIT: Picks being added below! And in a nod to time constraints, we are having to drop the D/ST position.
THE FDH LOUNGE (Wednesdays, 7-10 PM EDT on SportsTalkNetwork.com) is given over completely this week to the show-within-a-show THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER as we convene The FDH Lounge Dignitaries and selected outside guests for the 7th annual FDH mock draft program (meaning that yes, it does pre-date The Lounge itself!). Check this space during the draft, because we will be updating results as the night ensues!
Also, for your own draft needs, be sure to utilize the wonderful free guide FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2010, a joint effort of your favorite 21st Century Media Alliance entities – with the fantasy content powered by your pals at FantasyDrafthelp.com, of course!
Here’s the format for our mock draft: it's 12 owners, 12 rounds, with 2 QB, 3 RB, 3 WR, 1 RB/WR flex, 1 TE, 1 D/ST, 1 K. It is a "Draftmaster Format," where there are no transactions past the draft date and EVERY player selected would be used every week.
Scoring is as follows: 4 points per passing TD, 1 point per 25 yards passing, 1 point per passing 2-point PAT, 6 points per receiving or rushing TD, 1 point per 10 yards rushing or receiving, 2 points per rushing or receiving 2-point PAT, 2 points per “big play touchdown” (50 or more yards), 1 point per kicking PAT, 3 points per FG, with a 1-point bonus at 45 yards, a 2-point bonus at 50 yards and a 3-point bonus at 55 yards, 6 points per defensive or special teams TD, 1 point per interception, sack or fumble recovered and 2 points per safety.
I’ve broken down the LeBron James situation – comprehensively and almost immediately – before. But as I indicated on our THE FDH LOUNGE program (Wednesdays, 7-10 PM EDT on SportsTalkNetwork.com), I felt a need to take my observations from our show’s post-mortem and respond to a lot of the continued idiocy that circulates unabated on the subject.
But fortunately, I am here as always to lend needed reason and enlightenment to the discussion.
^ First and foremost, the reasonable Cavs fans who are bent that LeBron left (as opposed to those who believed in the mindless “hometown boy” crapola as a reason he shouldn’t go) recognize what I said on the program: LeBron operated as Tony Soprano for seven years, shaking down this organization as though it were a small, vulnerable business under the thumb of a mob kingpin. His “boyz” (who, speaking of TV analogies, each operate on the level of “Turtle” – the lowliest bag-carrier on Entourage – notwithstanding the resumes that falsely claim they have ever accomplished a single thing in life on their own) displaced team officials and employees of the flagship broadcaster on a regular basis (by the way, that excellent blog entry, written by a friend of a friend although I do not know him personally, gives a comprehensive account of the behind-the-scenes garbage that LeBron and Co. secretly perpetrated for seven years). LeBron could not leave with a clean slate after taking – and taking – and taking – for seven years. He shook down the organization for countless favors, coerced the owner into putting some of his “Turtles” on payroll and forced the team into countless short-term moves because he wouldn’t commit to them – only to leave town citing a better opportunity than the one HE created as a virtual co-GM and only to do more recruiting in the first seven days for his new team than he did in the previous seven years. If you understand nothing else, understand this: LeBron is the Cavs’ deadbeat dad. We often hear that pathologies repeat themselves in family dynamics and while by all notions LeBron has been a good and loving dad to his own kids, he has done to the Cavaliers organization exactly what his own biological dad did to him and Gloria (by the way, speaking of Gloria, props to Michael Beasley’s dad for the Tweet of the Year). Chalk this up to yet another cliché example of what the lack of a father figure teaching accountability can do to a person. This sewage about “He was a FREE agent! He can play anywhere he like, yo!” completely ignores the moral debt that LeBron incurred through his seven years of shakedowns and forced short-term mode of operating.
^ On a similar note to the last one, as we discussed on the show, the biggest steaming pantload came from some guy who writes for something called the Akron Law Café through the Ohio.com website (no, I will not be linking to his dung heap, thank you very much). On that site, he “bravely” stated the “controversial” point of view that “LeBron had the constitutional right to go wherever he wanted!” To which I replied on the show, “Nice straw man you built there, egghead.” Hey, I didn’t claim that it was a particularly civil reply! I truly didn’t think I had scraped the bottom of the barrel until I found the person who tried to justify his LeBron sycophant status by claiming that hordes of people were somehow claiming that what he did violated everything the Founding Fathers held dear.
^ While Jesse Jackson was rightfully denounced in most corners for his moronic injection of race into this issue, as I said on the program, I give him credit for at least doing so openly. Nothing to me is more galling than those who covertly play the race card, hiding behind “one love” to try to find something good to say about a fellow brotha regardless of circumstances (see Orenthal). If you spend five minutes listening to jerks like Michael Baisden or Tom Joyner, you will find people going out of their way to defend LeBron – for reasons they don’t have the nards to talk about openly, just a bunch of “well, in fairness …” pabulum that is never accompanied by their stated motivation. Gutless! I even had some troll come after me on Twitter, denying that Spike Lee was playing the race card with his “40 acres and a mule” statement about Dan Gilbert! He actually claimed that I played the race card by correctly recognizing what Lee had done. This troglodyte is sadly representative of a part (hopefully a small part) of the population that looks for any excuse whatsoever to play the “Hate Whitey” card – but to do so in a subtle, cowardly manner. As long as our country is being poisoned by people more concerned with a group identity than with the common identity of being American that we all share, we’re going to be in trouble regardless of anything else that happens in the world.
^ Many have noted that the NBA legends who mocked LeBron for seeking to play with megastars rather than beat them are speaking of a different time. They are indeed. Can anyone say, though, that this is a better time in terms of the lack of killer instinct that most of today’s best players lack? Different isn’t necessarily worse, people, and advancement of time doesn’t always equal progress.
^ Anyone who denies that LeBron carries forward two huge historical burdens is the worst kind of know-nothing. First, as Dan Gilbert mentioned, no megastar in the history of the game has had to deal with the very real probability that they quit on their team during multiple playoff games. As I have said, I’m still not 100% sure that he “quit-quit,” but at best, he dealt with his frustrations in a way that undermined his team. Look on down the line in this history books and you won’t find a precedent as smelly as that one among the all-time greats. Second, we have never seen – perhaps in the entire history of sports – a player on a glide-path to become the greatest of all-time in the history of his sport willingly throw it away. Unless D Wade gets hit by a bus in the next few years, LeBron will always be one title short of him, thereby completely obliterating the “greatest of all-time” case. Of course, the Dastardly Trio in Miami has been getting spun as a bunch of unselfish winners by their jock-sniffers, but all they’ve proven is that they can’t do it themselves and want to collectively gravy-train each other. Granted, Wade is the closest to an exception to this rule because he’s already got a ring, but let us not forget that his was won at the tail end of “when Shaq was Shaq” and that his recruiting proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he thinks he needs the 82nd Airborne to ever get back to that point. By the way, in terms of Wade deciding to join LeBron as a national laughingstock by becoming his biggest enabler – he might want to dial up some Cavs employees (past and present) to find out how that story inevitably ends when LeBron feels that you’ve outlived your usefulness to him.
With most of television’s anchor programs on hiatus for the summer rerun/special programming season, it’s a good time to take a look at the state of the best shows on TV. If you don’t presently watch these programs, you may want to use the summer to get acquainted with past episodes via season DVDs, Hulu or some other means.
NOTE: Only programs still in production are being counted for this list, so while the awesome show Las Vegas is still being shown in reruns on TNT, it is ineligible here despite the fact that it would have cracked the top five. Ditto for TBS’s My Name is Earl, which would have made the top ten. Both shows were prematurely cancelled by NBC. Honorable mention programs include Royal Pains and Psych, both of the USA Network.
THE FDH LOUNGE (Wednesdays, 7-10 PM EDT on SportsTalkNetwork.com) proves for the umpteenth time yet again this week that "nothing is off-topic" on "The Great American Radio Show on Internet TV."
We lead as always with The Opening Statements of The FDH Lounge Dignitaries and our look at This Week in The FDH Lounge before getting into a full range of topics with The Dignitaries. Don't believe us? The Ground Zero mosque controversy, the FDH 10 Best Shows Currently on TV (with the list and video samples to be posted here just prior to the segment) and the winners and losers of MLB's trading deadline all take place in the first half of the program alone.
From that point forward, at the bottom of Hour Two, we resume last episode's 2010 NCAA football breakdown. On that show, Charter Dignitary Nate Noy dropped a bombshell: his research indicated that absent many upsets by the teams that Boise State plays this week (thereby building up their strength-of-schedule ratings), the blue turf team is poised to be shut out of the national championship game this year even if they are the only undefeated team -- because the computer numbers will sufficiently offset the poll numbers in the BCS formula. We dig further this week, taking a look at the biggest intersectional games of the year, what Vegas is telling us based on game odds already established and the consequences of the game of "musical chairs/conferences" that is only on pause, realistically. Oh, and speaking of football, The Dignitaries have got a little something waiting for them.
That takes us all the way up to our final segment, the "show-within-a-show" THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER as we review FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2010, a joint effort of your favorite 21st Century Media Alliance entities – with the fantasy content powered by your pals at FantasyDrafthelp.com, of course! The mock draft in that guide provides a perfect base for looking ahead to next week's special episode, which is completely given over to our annual mock draft show. We'll hit all the high points to get you ready for your draft or auction.
NOTES: Vegas over-under win totals are in parentheses. This feature is serialized from our brand-new guide to fantasy football and beyond, FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2010.

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