In my April 6th version of Random Notes I listed my Top Ten NFL Players to Root Against, in no particular
order. Below is an updated list with one addition. Eli Manning’s Draft Week stunt easily vaulted him
into the top ten. Eli proved that he is a pampered, egotistical, spoiled brat by essentially declaring
himself a free agent and announcing that he wanted to sign with the Giants. The Chargers drafted Manning
but he refused to wear the Chargers cap on the podium after his name was announced. Not only was I
disgusted by Manning’s actions, but I wondered why in the world he would rather play in New Jersey than
San Diego. I can only assume that Eli has never been to San Diego.
My new list also includes rankings – sort of. Leonard Little is now ranked #1 with the other nine players
on the list tied for a distant second. Little killed a woman in 1998 while driving with a blood alcohol
level twice the legal limit. Because he was an NFL star, he escaped with virtually no punishment for
taking the woman's life (90 days in a workhouse and community service). Because the Rams organization
has no class, they welcomed the talented Little back to the team and eventually rewarded him with an $11
million contract. It was bad enough that Little killed a person. It is worse that he was arrested
for DWI last month. Clearly, Little has no intention of letting the well-being of other people get in the
way of his boozing. Hopefully, the justice system will not be swayed by Little’s celebrity status this time
around and will lock him up for the maximum allowed by America’s disgracefully lenient drunk driving laws.
Eli Manning is merely a disgrace to the NFL. Leonard Little is a disgrace to the human race.
- 1. Leonard Little
- 2. Eli Manning
- 2. Jeremy Shockey
- 2. Terrell Owens
- 2. Keyshawn Johnson
- 2. Ray Lewis
- 2. Randy Moss
- 2. Bill Romanowski (will he play again?)
- 2. David Boston
- 2. Sebastian Janikowski
What a contrast between Leonard Little, a man who ended a woman’s life and obviously isn’t bothered
by the possibility of doing the same thing again, and Pat Tillman, a man who gave up a multi-million
dollar contract, his NFL career and eventually his life to hunt down Osama bin Laden and Company. Many
pro athletes have done great things for society but none in recent memory has proved more honorable
than Pat Tillman. Sadly, there are some fruitcakes out there that have chosen to disparage Tillman’s
sacrifice. Cartoonist Ted Rall referred to Tillman as an idiot and a sap in the May 3rd edition of his
political comic strip. Rall believes that Tillman is an idiot for wanting to serve his country and
bring justice to the perpetrators of September 11th. I can only hope that someday, Mr. Rall runs into
some of Tillman’s former teammates. Maybe then we’ll find out who really is the sap. If you would like to
see the cartoon, please click HERE.
I hate to give Rall the publicity but it really doesn't matter at this point because either way he is
going to make loads of money by exploiting Tillman's death.
I wonder who would win a battle between Orioles pitcher Buddy Groom and former Phillies outfielder
Bake McBride?
I’m a big fan of Tim Duncan and I’m happy for all of his success. At the same time, it is painful to
watch the man dominate the game and win Championships (he should add another this season). I literally
fell on the floor of my living room on NBA Lottery Day in 1997 when the Celtics ended up with the #3 and
#6 picks in the Draft where Duncan would no doubt be chosen #1. The futures of both franchises changed
dramatically that day. Oh, what might have been.
I caught the last thirty minutes of the final episode of Friends last week. In case you missed it,
Ross chased down Rachel at the airport to proclaim his love for her. As far as surprise endings go,
that one ranks right up there with Rocky Balboa beating the Russian in Rocky IV.
Now that we have QuesTec is most Major League parks, I think it's time to start publishing umpire
statistics in the newspaper and online. If a player is batting.220, everybody sees it on a daily basis.
But, we never see which umpires are the best and worst behind home plate. The good umpires should be
rewarded and the bad ones should suffer the same humiliation that a player does when his average dips
near the Mendoza line. I’d love to see the home plate umpire’s season stats (% correct calls, # of
terrible calls) before the game and running stats within the game.
The most likely scenario in the NHL is that Tampa Bay and San Jose will meet in the Stanley Cup
Finals. That means Florida against California for the world championship of ice hockey. Short
of beer being banned, this has to be Canada's worst nightmare.
Has there been a good NBA Playoff game since Bird and Magic retired? The Pistons beat the Nets
78-56 last week. 56! Back in the 1980’s the Celtics and Lakers would both have 56 before halftime.
Could someone please teach these guys to shoot and pass?
