Talk about a bad beat

[detlef]

The over/under on how many times De Smith would say "In this world" during his Mike and Mike interview was set at 10. I thought it seemed a touch high, but I took the over. Dude came out of the shoot and was just golden. Paycheck, baby! Paycheck. He must have said it 5-6 times in the first paragraph!

 

Then he freaking stopped. It was as if, we no longer lived "in this world". What up dude? That's why I never gamble.

 

In seriousness, I guess I understand that he needs to strike while the iron's hot and, it's certainly hot right now for his side. But the whole victory lap bit that he seemed to be going on was a bit off-putting.

[WaterMan]

If I just won a victory over some old billionaires, I would go on that radio show just to dance.

[Whiskey Pimp]

Everything about De Smith is off-putting. How many times did he say that this was good for fans, everything is for the fans, etc?

[detlef]

If I just won a victory over some old billionaires, I would go on that radio show just to dance.

Why is it always about class warfare with you? Yeah, this a real David and Goliath story isn't it.

 

I get it. The one trump card the players have in the sympathy play is that they didn't ask for anything to change. They were cool with everything as is and were happy to keep showing up and working under the deal they struck. That, unless the owners could show that was unsustainable, it was not going to look good for them. Ultimately, that's why I'm inclined to side with them (pending, of course, the info that shows that the expired CBA was just not realistic).

 

But let's not pretend for a second that this is a victory for little guys everywhere. This is not a bunch of coal miners finally earning safe and suitable working conditions so they don't have to choose between feeding their family and breathing.

 

This is a bunch of very wealthy men calling the bluff of some other very wealthy men and seemingly getting the upper hand. Point to the players and good for them, but let's not get carried away.

[Caveman_Nick]

Why is it always about class warfare with you? Yeah, this a real David and Goliath story isn't it.

 

I get it. The one trump card the players have in the sympathy play is that they didn't ask for anything to change. They were cool with everything as is and were happy to keep showing up and working under the deal they struck. That, unless the owners could show that was unsustainable, it was not going to look good for them. Ultimately, that's why I'm inclined to side with them (pending, of course, the info that shows that the expired CBA was just not realistic).

 

But let's not pretend for a second that this is a victory for little guys everywhere. This is not a bunch of coal miners finally earning safe and suitable working conditions so they don't have to choose between feeding their family and breathing.

 

This is a bunch of very wealthy men calling the bluff of some other very wealthy men and seemingly getting the upper hand. Point to the players and good for them, but let's not get carried away.

 

All businesses are the debil to Waterman. Regardless of the fact that he couldn't eat or have clothes without businesses...he hates them, Precious.

[detlef]

Mind you, while we're talking about coming off poorly, Goodell hardly won me over with his tale of doom and gloom in his OpED.

 

First off, and this point is really, really getting old. Don't tell me how the players are making more money now than they used to. Within the context of this argument, it doesn't matter at all. This is about one thing above all, how the profits are split. Now, if Goodell wants to show me that players have been getting fat and the owners have not, that's an argument. But to merely point out that the players are making a lot of money is a completely useless argument.

 

Secondly, the whole blowing up the draft and cap deal is nothing more than a response to the owners opting out of the CBA and subsequent lock-out. As in, "If you want out, we'll give you out. Let's just blow this thing up. Are you willing to risk what advantages the league does have by letting this get to court?" The players were not looking to make any structural changes to anything. They were happy with just keeping things as they were, including all the caps and drafts and restrictions on FA. This whole push back is just that, a push back. Something to make the owners think twice about opting out of the CBA. How do we know this? Because this is not a strike. If it were up to the players, they would still be operating under the now expired CBA that was agreed upon in 2006.