What is Peyton thinking going to Denver in the first place? Did he forget that they play outdoors and in the snow? I don't remember Peyton ever playing well in December and January outside in the elements. Maybe it was the fact that Denver's defense is one of the best in the league. Maybe it was Peyton idolizing John Elway. Maybe it was the money that Denver was throwing around (reportedly 5 years, $95 million). I think it is the fact that the AFC is a much weaker conference than the NFC and Peyton got sick of hearing all of the media talking about Eli being a better QB. He needs to win another Super Bowl to be in everyone's conversation as one of the all time great quarterbacks. Right now, I think he is, however only winning one Super Bowl is something that many will hold over him when talking about the truly elite QB's of all time. Having his younger brother win 2 already, and possibly more, has hurt Peyton's legacy just a little bit.
The 49ers have got to be scratching their heads over why he didn't sign with them. Their defense is better than Denver's, the coach seems to be the type player's like to play with, they have better weapons than Denver, and similar to Denver, they have a very easy division. For the 49ers sake, they better repair any damage they have done with Alex Smith. If he decides to go elsewhere, the best available QB now is Vince Young. Ouch. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise for the 49ers. At some point over the last two months, I think everyone forgot the fact that Peyton has had 3 surgeries in the last calendar year. He may be feeling healthy now, but he also hasn't gotten sacked by a blind side rush by Mario Williams either. I hope Peyton plays and is healthy and makes it through the season. I like the guy a lot. I love that he didn't have a one hour TV special to tell everyone where he was taking his talents to. He left Indianapolis in the best possible way. He is all class. However, let's not forget that he is a 36 year old quarterback, coming off of multiple major surgeries on his neck.
On the Ice...
- Big win for the Sabres tonight. Scoring 7 goals was very surprising. Tyler Ennis is playing like a legit #1 center. He has really stepped up his game at a very important time. Maybe tonight's game will wake up some other players who have been struggling, particularly Cody Hodgson. He finally got on the scoreboard as a member of the Sabres by picking up 2 assists. Also, what more can be said about Marcus Foligno? He is on fire! Two more goals tonight, giving him 5 goals over his last 5 games.
- Thank you Detroit Red Wings. You have lost 4 times at home all season, and you decide to lose tonight against Washington. With 9 games left, the Sabres are 2 points out of the final playoff spot. Mark your calendars for Tuesday March 27th. Sabres at Washington.
- The NCAA Tournament has its Sweet 16. Which one of you had MAC powerhouse Ohio in there? I have not enjoyed this year's tournament as much as prior years. Maybe it's the fact there has not been any last second shots that have been made. Maybe it's the fact that St. Bonaventure got screwed by the refs at the end of the FSU game (http://bradriter.blogspot.com/2012/03/awful-non-call-mars-bona-loss-to-fsu.html), or maybe it's the fact that CBS Sports decided to not renew the contract of Gus Johnson after last year's tournament. Nobody announces a game better than Gus Johnson. He can make a 15 foot jump shot in the first five minutes of the game exciting. I really have no idea why CBS let him go. Go a head and Youtube Gus Johnson. You will find all of his great game ending calls throughout the NCAA tournament. All are great.
- North Carolina had some bad luck with starting point guard Kendall Marshall, the ACC's all-time single-season assist leader with 351 this year, and the player who makes UNC's offense go, underwent what the school called "successful surgery" today to repair a broken bone in his right (non-shooting) wrist. Whether or not he can pull a Willis Reed and play on Friday is up in the air.
- I have to give respect to Syracuse. They looked great against Kansas St. on Saturday. Their depth and amazing shooting in the 2nd half led them to a rather easy victory. Scoop Jardine was on fire in the 2nd half. Syracuse did get lucky when Kansas St.'s Jamar Samuels was ruled ineligible about 20 minutes before gametime due to him receiving improper benefits prior to the tournament. He was their leading rebounder and 2nd leading scorer during the regular season. Yes, Syracuse was without Fab Melo, but they had some practice time to get ready for him not being there. Kansas St. had about 1 hour to figure out how to play without their key big man.
- Dwight Howard might be reconsidering his decision right now to stay in Orlando. They only scored 59 points tonight in a loss to Chicago.
- Today was a great day for the ownership group of the New York Mets. First,a $162 million settlement was announced in a lawsuit that originally sought $1 billion in damages. Then, the team announced an infusion of $240 million from minority investors. This allowed them to pay off immediate debts, including a $25 million emergency loan from Major League Baseball and a $40 million loan from Bank of America. The uncertainty of the lawsuit was the main reason behind the $52 million reduction in payroll this year, and an almost certain last place finish in the NL East this year. For those of you that do not know about the lawsuit against the Mets owners, here is a link with today's developments which explain the entire situation (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/york-mets-owners-agree-pay-bernie-madoff-victims-162-million-article-1.1046750).
- Rough day today for the Kansas City Royals. All star closer Joakim Soria looks like he is headed for Tommy John surgery. That's a tough loss for a team that was finally looking like a team that was going to compete for a division title. Good thing they signed Jonathan Broxton this past off-season. He will most likely become the next closer.
- Chase Utley looks like he will be starting the season on the DL due to problems with both of his knees. Its a shame this guy may not ever be healthy again and play at the all-star level that he was at for so many years. Can the Phillies offense survive without him and Ryan Howard? Good thing they have all that pitching. They are going to need to win every game 2-1.
- Bryce Harper was sent down to AAA Syracuse by the Washington Nationals. It's a good move by the Nationals. Give Harper some more time in the minors and bring him up in June or July. When you bring him up, you want to be sure that he is ready. Don't forget, he is only 19 years old. In 28 at-bats this spring training through Sunday, he had no homers, two walks, 11 strikeouts and hit .286. He also really struggled against left-handers.
- The countdown is on to the official start to regular season. Nine more days until Oakland and Seattle start up the season in Japan on Wednesday March 28th. Unfortunately, the game will only be seen on tape delay on MLB Network starting at 6:00am (the game starts at 3:00am east coast time).
- Tough loss for the Youngsters yesterday, losing 60-42 to the Veterans. This game was close at halftime, but the size down low by the Vets took over late and the Youngsters didn't have an answer.
- We are officially 43 days away from the start to the Tuesday Night Rez Softball season. The past several days I have driven by high school baseball teams practicing outside and it has really gotten me excited for the upcoming softball season. This weather has been amazing, hopefully it continues throughout the summer.
- For the 29 other people in Nick Martino's NCAA bracket challenge, yes, that is my wife that is currently in 1st place.
The A's game in Japan is not being shown live? That's crazy. Who wants to watch opening day on tape delay...that's a joke. I guarentee if that was the Yanks or Boston playing that 3am game, it would be shown live on ESPN...no doubt.
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