Dolphins Could Pass On the First Pick

I read an interesting scenario floating around the internet lately. The NFL has crazy guidelines that dictate how much the top picks in the draft are guaranteed to receive. A number one pick oftentimes can hurt a team more than help due to the large salary that gets tied up in the player.

Apparently, when the time allotted for a team to announce its pick in the draft expires, the next team in order gets to pick. The original team who passed can submit their pick at any time thereafter.

Theoretically, Miami could let the clock expire, wait for the next two or three teams make their picks and then pop in a pick at number four or five or even later. They would save a significant amount of money by doing this, and the chances are that at least one of the players they are interested in would still be available.

If this did happen, there is nothing to prevent the team after them from doing the same thing, and the next and so on. Subsequent teams could also submit their picks as quickly as possible in order to keep jumping ahead of Miami (or whatever teams have passed).

It certainly would cause quite a stir, but hopefully in the end the result would be beneficial. Miami (or any team at the top) would be better served by taking a player a few spots down at significantly reduced cost. The league would hopefully revisit the current system and make changes to prevent this from happening in the future.

The NFL players association would of course be strongly opposed to this, as they like the idea of players getting gobs of guaranteed money regardless of what it does for individual teams or the sport. I don’t think worry over NFLPA response should play a role in any thought Parcells may be giving the idea, because it’s looking like we’re heading for a big showdown and possible strike anyway.

In the end, I don’t think there is even a slim chance of this happening, but it makes for interesting discussion.

Dolphins Scouting Brohm, Chris Long

The Miami Herald is reporting that several Dolphins coaches including Tony Sporano and Paul Pasqualoni as well as GM Jeff Ireland have met with Virginia defensive end Chris Long.

The Herald also reports that Jake Long will be visited soon. The Dolphins have already checked out BC QB Matt Ryan and Michigan QB Chad Henne. There have been inquiries about scheduling a visit with Louisville QB Brian Brohm.

Other than the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine, the Phins haven’t scouted Joe Flacco. Also Darren McFadden seems to remain off the Dolphins’ radar.

All this doesn’t really tell you too much. If Miami keeps the first overall pick, Chris Long, Jake Long and Matt Ryan are the three most likely to be taken by Miami. The scouting of other quarterbacks suggests that Miami will take a QB later on, possibly in the second round. Brohm might still be available then depending on how far Matt Ryan falls, and Henne and Flacco will likely be there.

Dolphins Looking at Henne?

The Miami Dolphins have been scouting out Michigan QB Chad Henne, attending Michigan’s pro day and supposedly have invited Chad to come to Miami for a private workout.

Joe Flacco hasn’t received much attention from the Dolphins since they scouted him at the senior bowl and saw him at the combine. Most signs indicate Miami is looking more seriously at Henne at the moment.

Boston College QB Matt Ryan was also scouted by the Dolphins on BC’s pro day, but not too much has been made of the appearance.

My money is still on Chris Long with the first overall pick if the Dolphins can’t trade it. The Dolphins will try to trade that pick and will give it away cheap, possibly a first and second round pick.

I’ve seen quite a few sportswriters talking about Bill Parcells’ drafting strategy and several have suggested that scouting Matt Ryan or other players may just be a ruse to convince other teams that the Dolphins are interested, to either keep pressure off the players they want, or to increase the trade prospects for the first pick. I wouldn’t put it past the big Tuna, and wouldn’t rule out Flacco going to Miami if they are purposely over-hyping Henne. For now though, signs point to Chris long going first and Henne being taken in the second round.

-Jeff

Apple iPod Woes

I purchased an Apple iPod when the 40G models first came out, and spent about $499 on it, plus the cost of accessories from the Apple store. It worked fine for about a year then I started having problems. If the unit ever sat for more than 24 hours without being touched, it would forget all settings. It would forget the last song, playlist, equalizer, contrast, shuffle, even which language to use.

I sent the unit into the company twice, with a brief, concise note explaining the problem. The unit would be returned a week or two later with a stock reply of “Unit performing according to specifications” or something similar. It was a generic reply, not addressing my complaints in any way.

Unfortunately Apple’s web page doesn’t have a way for customers to contact customer support or customer service directly. I find it hard to believe that they don’t have the wherewithal to notice the lack of contact information, and so can only conclude that they don’t care.

I have given thought to other Apple products like the new iPod touch, or a Macbook Pro, but I can’t in good conscience give the company a single cent if I know I’ll just be left hanging with any purchase I make. I’ve been burned by Apple and I won’t get burned again. I’d recommend anyone else who values customer support and service to look elsewhere as well.

Doomsday

This is going down as my favorite movie of 2008, and one of the most fun films I’ve seen in a while. I know it’s still early in the year, but I think Doomsday could hold it’s spot in my heart for a long time.

Doomsday is a post apocalyptic action film set in England. A virus has broken out and all of Scotland is under quarantine, walled off, and assumed to be dead. In the year 2035, the virus breaks out again in Britain and survivors are discovered beyond the wall. A special ops team is sent over the wall to find a cure. 

The movie is violent, with lots of corpse shots and plenty of blood splattering.  This gets a little overdone in parts, but not quite as much as a typical horror/slasher film. There are also a few gaps in believability that don’t quite make sense if you stop to think about it.

The key to enjoying this movie is to not think too deeply, just enjoy the action and cinematography. I mean it, if you’re going to get caught up in the logistics of one or two scenes, it will spoil the film for you. If you can sit back and relax and enjoy the excitement, you’ll love it.

Rhona Mitra looks amazing and has solidified her spot alongside other rough and tumble beauties like Resident Evil’s Mila Jovovich or Underworld’s Kate Beckinsale.

The film pays homage and borrows quite a few themes from The Road Warrior, especially during the exciting car chase scene at the end. I loved Road Warrior and if you liked that, you’ll probably enjoy this one as well.

I’ve read a few negative reviews of the movie and quite frankly don’t get it. One or two small points stretch believability a little. That’s about the only criticism I can agree with, although it didn’t bother me. I think the rest were mainly due to false expectations, not knowing what genre it was. This isn’t a horror movie, nor is it a suspense drama. It’s an action flick plain and simple, borrowing themes from Escape From New York, The Road Warrior, Resident Evil, and 28 Days Later.

I give it two thumbs way up.

Suspensions and Fines After Yankees-Rays Brawl

Melky Cabrera was suspended three games for throwing a punch during the altercation. I didn’t see it but MLB sources apparently saw it on video when reviewing the incident. I don’t have a problem with it.

Shelley Duncan was suspended 3 games for his high slide. If you have watched actual video footage of the event, it wasn’t that impressive. The media is sensationalizing the play by persistently posting the single still frame picture from the very end of the play. Duncan’s leg WAS NOT THAT HIGH DURING THE SLIDE. Many fans and columnists are basing their entire opinions of the incident on that single misleading photo, which is totally taken out of context.

I don’t think Duncan was trying to hurt anyone. A high slide is a play used to knock a ball of of a fielder’s glove on occasion. If this had happened during the regular season in absence of the earlier incident, nothing would have been said. In light of the Cervelli incident, one has to wonder if Shelley was playing hard in response to prior actions of the Rays and their coach. The smart play for Shelley would have been to keep his leg low in a normal slide. The league is quick to overreact to anything that could be construed as payback and Shelley should have known better.

The Rays Jonny Gomes was suspended two games for charging from the outfield and slamming into the back of Duncan after the play. Only two games, for a deliberate action that was unquestionably aimed at roughing up another player. Peter Abraham of LoHud.com quotes Gomes talking about Duncan and Cabrera “Those guys are trying to inflict injuries, those guys are trying to inflict pain”. Cabrera’s punch was out of line but the biggest fine of all should go to this dirtbag. Charging from the outfield to slam tackle another player? Another player with his back turned to you, completely unaware? That’s about as deliberate an attempt at injury as you’ll get. MLB definitely made a bad call here not suspending this lowlife for more games.

Duncan’s suspension was foreseeable. We’ll never know what he was thinking. Cabrera’s supposed punch was inexcusable. Likewise there is no excuse for Gomes’ actions.

Joe Girardi was fined for some unknown reason. I highly doubt he told his players to get involved in this. Rays coach Maddon escaped unscathed despite his many inflammatory comments over the last few days. Personally I don’t think either manager should have been punished, but anything handed out should have been distributed equally between the two coaches.

At the end of the day, the Yankees are left with more suspensions, more fines, and more players in a cast. Good job MLB.

We Own the Night

I finally had a chance to watch We Own the Night on DVD and I enjoyed it. There were plenty of big names who all delivered solid performances including Robert Duvall, Eva Mendes, Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg.

One of the first scenes was a little and could have been toned down a bit to make the movie slightly more family friendly. The violence and harsh language wasn’t out of control. I don’t particularly object to sexuality or violence in movies, but in this instance it struck me that there was one scene that didn’t jibe with the tone of the rest of the movie.

Joaquin Phoenix’s character was the only one I became attached too, as the others all had certain characteristics that made them hard to empathize with.

The plot moved along at a good pace and worked for me. I didn’t care for the scene at the end in the smoking field. Without giving away any spoilers, the entire sequence had some sizeable logical holes that turned me off a bit.

All in all, a very good film. If you haven’t seen it yet, go out and rent it.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

I had a chance to watch this film on DVD over the weekend. I give it a thumbs up. It was not without it’s faults, but a worthwhile film nonetheless.

This film is a drama through and through, and not an action movie or spaghetti western. The focus of the movie is the character development of Robert Ford and to a lesser extent Jesse James. Both Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt gave fine performances.

The movie seemed to drag on in parts and felt too long as a whole. There was one camera trick used repeatedly throughout the film where the outer edges of the picture were blurred. This was completely unnecessary. Cheap gimmicks like this to try and create an effect are amateurish attempts to make something look edgy or artsy and point to a director’s lack of ability to make the most of traditional filming.

Director Andrew Dominik definitely captured some shining moments in the film, but his attempts at being overly creative with the camera and his inability to trim time off of a few overly lengthy scenes keeps this good movie from becoming a great film.

Definitely worth a rent if you haven’t seen it, but make sure you’ve got a comfortable seat, you’re going to be there for a while.

Spring Training Turns Ugly

During Saturday’s spring game between the Yankees and the Rays, Yankees’ catcher Francisco Cervelli ended up with a fractured wrist after a collision at home plate with the Rays Elliot Johnson, a young prospect trying to make the team.

Johnson was heading for home and most likely would have been out if he attempted to slide and so decided to barrel into Cervelli hoping to knock the ball loose. In a regular season game, it was absolutely the right play to make. For a preseason game, it was a  dubious call.

Running into someone at full speed obviously has a increased chance of injuring a player compared to a low slide. Johnson, however, is a young player, in the middle of a game, trying to impress the coaching staff to give him a position on the major league roster. He’s trying to put forth extra effort and do all he can to make the team. Sometimes, when you are going all out, the split second decisions you make aren’t always the best.

Cervelli will likely be out 8-10 weeks as his fracture heals. The injury may require a pin to be placed surgically. Needless to say the injury eliminates any chances he had of making the big leagues at the start of this season.

Elliot Johnson defended his actions and claimed he wasn’t trying to hurt anybody, rather he was just doing his job. The telling comment, however, was: “Looking back on it, I’d have to say I’d probably do the same thing.”

That last bit was just uncalled for. Why not just say he was fired up during the play, didn’t mean to hurt anyone and apologize for overdoing it?

Yankees manager Joe Girardi was livid and let reporters after the game know he was upset with the play. On the other hand, Rays manager Joe Maddon gave a littany of approvals for his players playing tough. “I loved the hardball” was a classless remark.

I’m all for players giving extra effort and trying hard to make the team, but not at the expense of another player’s safety. I’m sure no one involved was intentionally trying to injure anyone, but some caution could have been exercised in this game that didn’t count.

Rays manager Maddon could have easily stuck up for his player and apologized at the same time, saying something like “The kid got excited and tried to make a play, the result was unfortunate and he probably should have slid into home during a spring game”. Yet all he said was that he was pleased with the play of his team and the fact that they were playing hardball (by the way, Cervelli also was hit by a pitch earlier in the game).

Spring training is all about getting players ready for the regular season, not trying to knock out the other team before they have a chance to take the field for real. As it is I feel that spring training lasts too long. Most hitters are ready to go after only a couple of weeks. Pitchers need more time to work on their mechanics and get ready, but can’t they do that in batting practice?

Baseball needs to shorten up the pre-season schedule. Managers need to provide a little guidance to their younger players, and everyone needs to remember that these games are just practice.

I can almost understand Johnson’s actions in the heat of the moment, but his comments and especially the comments of his manager afterward demonstrated a lack of character. Unfortunately, this incident will not likely be forgotten and things are sure to get heated during their next matchup.

Dolphins Draft Update

Who will the Miami Dolphins draft with the number one overall pick? Has the situation become any clearer after the recent free agent signings?

Veteran defensive tackle Jason Ferguson, acquired from the Cowboys will fill an immediate need for a nose tackle in the 3-4 position. That should end all speculation that Glen Dorsey could go number one. I’m not sure Glen is the best DT in the draft and the Dolphins certainly have already filled that need.

There have been rumors about Parcells requesting tapes of Boston College QB Matt Ryan (against league policy), which have been dismissed as false. The Dolphins did have a representative at the workout of Kentucky QB Andre Woodson.

The Dolphins also signed veteran QB Josh McCown and he has said that he will compete for the starting job. Josh himself said that going by the numbers, the Dolphins will draft another QB this year.

My instinct says that Matt Ryan isn’t worth the first overall pick to the ‘Phins, unless they can line up a trade with another team that wishes to trade up. The fact that Miami has been checking out second tier QBs like Woodson tells me that that is the direction they are going in with later (2nd or 3rd) round picks. Look for Joe Flacco to be a hot commodity in the second round, and guys like Michigan’s Chad Henne or Kentucky’s Woodson to be available in the third. Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm will most likely be gone by the end of the first round.

While OT Jake Long is a top pick contender, I still have to give the nod to DE Chris Long with the number one pick. After that look for Miami to go after a QB in the 2nd or 3rd round and an inside linebacker with another early round pick.