May 21, 2013

Bill Simmons Twitter suspension, First Take, ESPN and more – WFNY Podcast – 2013-03-15

March 15, 2013 by 6 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoScott and I decided to talk about the Bill Simmons twitter suspension and ESPN’s lack of comment on it. Not necessarily the normal topic of conversation on the site, but one that we both cared to touch on.

Here’s what else we talked about that I can remember…

  • First Take and the battle of Richard Sherman and Skip Bayless
  • Skip Bayless’ history as a journalist
  • Stephen A. Smith staying out of trouble
  • Rob Parker getting “fired” from ESPN over RG3 comments
  • Numbers Never Lie
  • ESPN as a behemoth corporation that has no singular editorial voice
  • Grantland and how it kind of lives on an island
  • Chris Fedor and his new gig at 92.3 The Fan
  • How hard it is for radio guys to fill four hours and not be hated
  • People taking media personalities too seriously
  • People are humans who should have beers together

[Read more...]

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Two Cleveland Browns highlight Grantland’s “NFL Trade Value Rankings”

August 31, 2012 by 9 Comments

A couple of Cleveland Browns made the first list of NFL players ranked by level of trade value. The list has become a staple of Bill Simmons’ NBA coverage mostly due to the fact that the NBA is like the stock market. Let’s hope that this, combined with the moving of the trade deadline doesn’t turn the NFL into the NBA with teams constantly “loading up” for playoff runs. A couple of Browns are on the list written by Bill Barnwell and footnoted by Bill Simmons.

Joe Haden makes the inaugural list even though he’s a player on the old rookie wage structure system. He comes in at #34

The scary thing is that Haden, at 23, might be better than either Webb or Flowers. Judging cornerback play is an inexact science, but Haden’s reputation is right there alongside that caliber of player. His big rookie contract guaranteed him $26 million off the bat, so he’s not exactly a bargain; he’s also likely to be subject to a four-game Adderall suspension this season. But Haden just submitted an age-23 season that was better than Darrelle Revis’s age-23 season … and Revis broke out as a superstar the following year.

Big Joe Thomas comes in at lucky #13 ahead of Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, RG3, Mike Vick and Jay Cutler.

Thomas is actually the best player on the Browns and they stink, but the problem is that the Browns have two great players — Thomas and Haden — and haven’t gone out of their way to get Barry Church from the Cowboys yet. (Sorry.) Thomas is the league’s best left tackle and, by acclamation, the league’s best offensive lineman. You think Peyton Hillis got close to 1,200 yards by himself?

Of course, Bill Simmons footnoted Joe Thomas in his often-imitated style…

The best two Browns are a cornerback and a left tackle? The lesson, as always: God hates Cleveland.

It is an entertaining list and worth the read. They not only take into account talent, but also contracts. It is an unbelievable advantage to have drafted someone after the rookie wage scale was in effect. Pay special attention to the Cam Newton vs. Matt Ryan section. If you were starting a franchise from scratch without money being an object, it’s pretty clear that there’s a debate between Ryan and Newton. With money being a factor in a salary cap league? It becomes a lot easier to grab Newton, even after only one solid year in the league.

Maybe next year Trent Richardson can be on the list too.

[Also see: Montario Hardesty: I Think I Played Well]

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Bill Simmons: Anderson Varejao, starting PF for the East All-Stars

February 10, 2012 by 9 Comments

In his latest feature on Grantland.com, Bill Simmons gives us his opinion on who should make up the NBA All-Star team from both conferences. In a somewhat surprising decision, the Sports Guy lists Anderson Varejao as his starting PF for the East. He writes:

As for that fifth spot: I love the way Varejao is playing this season … and if you enjoy guys who put up 11 points and 12 rebounds every night, grab every big rebound in traffic, take monster charges again and again and shut down opposing big guys, you should, too. Isn’t the whole point of the All-Star Game to pick players who are playing as well as they can possibly play? I never watch Chris Bosh and say, “Whoa, Chris Bosh! He’s something! He’s really turned it on!” Why do I have to pick Bosh as a starter again? And also, why should THREE Miami Heat players be starting on the All-Star team? You don’t find this a little kooky? Are they the ’96 Bulls or something? Please. Besides, Varejao has been more of an impact player this year — he’s the best at what he does, and that’s saying something. You win with what he does.

Sign me up. Who am I to argue?

For the record, I am not of the opinion that Varejao should be an All-Star. I frequently see Chris Bosh making impact plays for the Heat. LeBron thinks he’s the easy target on that team? Chris Bosh is the guy everyone makes fun of despite the fact he was the most consistent Heat player in the Finals last year and has had an all around excellent season this year.

Varejao has played Center all year, and I think Howard and Hibbert are more deserving centers. But if you want to know why Anderson Varejao matters to the Cavaliers and why the Cavaliers shouldn’t trade him, read that paragraph from Simmons again. It’s nice to see Varejao finally getting some recognition for the way he plays this game.

[Grantland.com: The Sports Guy's NBA All-Star Team]

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ESPN’s Bill Simmons would like Boston to trade for Anderson Varejao

February 3, 2012 by 61 Comments

“…if I were Danny Ainge, I’d offer O’Neal’s expiring, my 2012 no. 1 AND the Clippers’ no. 1 for him.2 Wouldn’t you take your chances with a Rondo-Allen-Pierce-Garnett-Varejao quintet this spring? Or am I just a complete homer?” -Bill Simmons

Ok Sports Guy. I’ll take on your proposed trade.  Here is the offer as you have laid it out.

Cleveland gets: Jermaine O’Neal ($6.226 million), plus Boston’s 2012 first round pick and the Clippers’ 2012 first round pick.

Boston gets: Anderson Varejao ($7.7 million).

Let’s take a hard look at those draft picks first. The Clippers’ pick is technically the lessor of L.A.’s or Minnesota’s pick, but you would have to imagine it would take a few monumental injuries for Minny’s pick to be worse than the Clippers’ pick. Additionally, that pick is top 10 protected this year, so injuries to say CP3 and Blake Griffin would knock them below Minnesota in all likelihood, but also into protected territory. [Read more...]

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Dan Gilbert Fires Back at the Sports Guy…Kind of

September 16, 2011 by 31 Comments

Dan Gilbert’s name is in the headlines once again.  Fourteen months after his scorched earth letter about the “self-proclaimed chosen one,” the majority owner of the Clevleand Cavaliers is allegedly one of the few NBA owners who is providing divide amongst the ongoing labor impasse.  And much like the media circus that allowed him to defend his emotionally fueled email to fans, Gilbert is once again firing back at those attempting to disparage his name.

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Bill Simmons’ Frustration With Dan Gilbert is Unfair

September 15, 2011 by 70 Comments

I don’t want to try and paraphrase Bill Simmons’ stance on the NBA lockout because he has devoted many words and minutes of audio to the topic including a podcast with NBA commissioner David Stern.  It wouldn’t be fair for me to reduce him to just a single opinion.  He has stated multiple times that he hates the whole thing.  He hates the way it is going with the owners, players, union, and even player agents.  He seems to just hate it all when it comes to the lockout.  That being said, he did have some criticisms for Dan Gilbert who has constantly been rumored to be one of the hardest driving forces from the ownership side of this labor situation.

Simmons tweeted the following as a part of a seven tweet rant.  ”Gilbert also overpaid for his team, overpaid players FOR YEARS and would love the current system had LBJ stayed. Now it’s no good for him?”

Duh. Yeah. Now it’s no good for him. [Read more...]

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Bill Simmons Says “The Decision” Worked

June 9, 2011 by 71 Comments

Bill Simmons used his recently launched venture, Grantland, to deliver an article about how “The Decision” was the best thing that has happened to the NBA in 15 years.  No. Really.  He used his new venture on Grantland, where it is supposedly not merely about driving traffic and hits, to proclaim that an event that disrupted the entire structure of the NBA was good for the league. His proclamation is based almost exclusively on ratings.  So, let me rephrase.  Bill Simmons started a venture, Grantland, where quality is derived almost exclusively by not blindly chasing Internet traffic spikes and yet the league he cares so much about was served proudly by an event of extremely questionable taste and judgment because it supposedly drove up ratings?

I don’t really want to talk about LeBron James anymore.  I don’t want to talk about my feelings or what a self-centered egomaniac I think he is.  It is all tired.  It has been stated ad nauseum and there is a specific reason that I am staying away from watching these NBA finals.  I refuse to co-sign for what occurred in the league dynamic this season.  I realize fully that my little “vote” counts for very little in the ratings book.  Trust me, it isn’t about me trying to punish anyone with a “powerful sword” that I have at my side.  It is more about not torturing myself as I vote “none of the above.”

None of that means that I don’t have opinions about the league and what it has become / is becoming.  I will always have an interest in the business of sports.  That is where I have the most problem with Bill Simmons’ latest column claiming that “The Decision” worked.

Let’s get into some of the specifics. [Read more...]

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Sports Media Naturally Align With NFL Players Over Owners

March 14, 2011 by 26 Comments

Maybe this will all seem quite obvious to the rest of you, but it was a realization for me over the weekend.  I have written about the NFL labor power struggle between the players and owners a couple times now. Specifically, I wrote about how you shouldn’t really pick sides. (Part 1 – Part 2)  I provided some of the counter-arguments to the largely pro-player commentary I was reading around the Internet – most notable from ESPN’s Rick Reilly and Bill Simmons.  Then I read a poll at ProFootballTalk that shocked me.  Despite what I have been reading in the media, fans aren’t really standing shoulder to shoulder with NFL players.

The PFT poll asked the question: Who do you blame for the NFL labor situation? the owners, players, both or neither.  As I write this on Sunday afternoon, the results are currently as follows.  With 31,482 votes in, 36.55% blame both, 38.22% blame the players, 24.79% blame the owners, and 0.34% (107 people) blame neither. [Read more...]

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Don’t Pick Sides in the NFL Labor Dispute – Part II

March 7, 2011 by 24 Comments

(Editor’s note: This is Part II of a two-part series discussing the ongoing NFL labor issues.  For the first part, you’ll want to go read it here. Do enjoy!)

This issue that we are talking about right now is Players versus Owners.  If fans had a seat at the bargaining table, Simmons’ issues would be relevant.  Now? Not so much.  But Simmons has found an opening, no matter how minuscule, to show his hatred for what owners have done to fans in the NFL.

Meanwhile, even if some of the owners’ tactics leave a bad taste in our mouths,  how is the NFL doing?  I don’t just mean financially. I mean as an entertainment entity.  People complain about the stadiums and how they are funded, but ultimately the product on the field seems worth the money more often than not.  How else can you explain the righteous TV money and stadium revenue?  

There is no other sport where people flock to the draft, free agency, the playoffs and league championship the way they do for the NFL.

[Read more...]

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The LeBron Aftermath is Surprisingly Quiet

October 12, 2010 by 27 Comments

When LeBron got on TV and took a sledgehammer to the city of Cleveland, wheels started spinning all over the NBA.  

First and foremost, Dan Gilbert got busy with the Comic Sans and wrote the fans a letter.  Beat reporter Brian Windhorst scrambled to a broken record theory about the seven stages of grieving after a loss.  Guys like Skip Bayless and Adrian Wojnarowski were basking in a glow of “I told you so” and newfound respect around the city of Cleveland.  

One of the more memorable things that was written was Andy Baskin’s blog about how he and the rest of the local media missed the boat on LeBron so badly.  It was a refreshing take from Baskin, and it rang most true out of everything else that had been written up to that point.

A few weeks later, the reporting on LeBron finally started to ramp up.  Wojnarowski unleashed an unbelievable story of LeBron almost getting kicked off of Team USA.  He told us about how Jason Kidd was basically assigned to be LeBron’s babysitter and mentor.  Brian Windhorst followed up with some additional revelations of how the recruitment meetings went with LeBron and his posse leading up to his bolting for Miami.  These two articles alone were exciting.  We might have been burned by LeBron, but at least we might get the closure of finding out exactly what happened in that Boston series, right?  Wrong. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Roth’s Momentum, Cavs Predictions, and Haden’s Playing Time

August 3, 2010 by 10 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com

Waiver wire gems: “One of the best acquisitions of the Eric Mangini era was when he claimed Matt Roth off of waivers from Miami last season on Nov. 25 and played four days later. Roth literally stepped in after a couple of days of practice and was productive with seven tackles and a sack in his first game against the Bengals.

The 6-foot-4 275-pound outside linebacker played the final six games with the Browns and had 28 tackles and four sacks.

Can he pick up where he left off last season?” [Fred Greetham/The OBR]

[Read more...]

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An All-Star Rant

June 18, 2010 by 25 Comments

I went on a bit of a twitter rampage the other day. It started because of this message that ESPN’s Bill Simmons sent out-

Yeah!!!! Four days in Kansas City in mid-July when it’s 110 degrees!!!!! Who’s in???

It was in reference to this piece of news, that Kansas City had been awarded the 2012 MLB All-Star game. As was stated in the article, the game had been promised to Kansas City voters by Bud Selig if they passed a piece of 2006 legislation for improvements to both Kaufman and Arrowhead stadiums. The event is projected to bring $70 million dollars to downtown Kansas City.

So, am I to surmise that Simmons was really just upset about it being hot at the All-Star game? Of course not. Buried in that sarcasm is the underlying reality that Boston had been pushing for the 2012 game because it is the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park. Nevermind that the AS game was just there in 1999. Now, he also argued that the game should have gone to one of the new parks- [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Cavs Problems, PECOTA’s Indians Forecast, and Simmons on LeBron

February 2, 2010 by 34 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com

90043311_DLK021_CAVS_V_LAKE“The Cavs still have a problem. Believe it or not, those problems—along with the good times—started rolling as soon as James took the floor for his rookie season.

That is because the Cavaliers became a good team almost immediately. This impeded their ability to add more players of James’ age through the draft. Instead of building a nucleus around their franchise cornerstone, the Cavs added veterans and journeymen role players to build around a superstar who was barely 20 years old. In short, they were stuck playing for the present instead of the future.

When your franchise player is barely old enough to legally buy his own drink at the bar or club, surrounding him with 30-somethings is never the best strategy to take.” [Amar Panchmatia/Wine and Goldrush]

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While We’re Waiting… Gilbert Arenas in Cleveland, Tortured Teams and Chris Palmer

January 30, 2010 by 19 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering (even on the weekends) of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something else you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Gilbert ArenasAn interesting concept here with the beginning of the buzz. Considering the fact that the #FreeAntawn movement still has three more weeks left, this could be something to look at down the road: “One source close to the situation told ESPN.com that Arenas ultimately landing in Cleveland with the team that has regularly tortured the Wizards in recent seasons — as a sidekick whose arrival would theoretically help the Cavs ensure the re-signing of LeBron James — is a legit possibility to file away.” [Marc Stein/Weekend Dime]

Bill Simmons posted his top 15 rankings of the most tortured franchises in sports yesterday afternoon. Definite must-read for all Cleveland fans out there as our three beloved teams made the top ten complete with this claim about LeBron and the Cavaliers: “For all we know, this season is their last chance with LeBron. It’s going to be like a mutant version of the 1992 Pirates during Barry Bonds’ last season — desperation mixed with urgency — but in this case, Cavs fans won’t have the ‘We Are Family’ title from 1979 to cushion the blow if things go wrong. Just writing about this makes me uneasy.” [ESPN.com]
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Cavs 109, Suns 91: Well Played

December 22, 2009 by 19 Comments

Delonte all smilesAnthony Parker talked about the team being disappointed by their performance in Dallas. He said that was not a mistake they wanted to repeat against the Suns. Good. We like that attitude. The Cavaliers played their most complete game in some time last night. It may have been the most impressive win since the last time these two teams met in Cleveland, a 107-90 Cavs win.

A few things stood out in this one, but perhaps most important was a return of defensive intensity. Particularly in the second half. The Cavaliers held Phoenix to 38 points in the second half, and they did it by limiting drives to the basket, fast break opportunities and wide open looks. They jumped in passing lanes and kept Steve Nash in front of them. Offensively, they kept the ball moving. The Suns aren’t the team you study when you want to see good defense, especially from Amare Stoudemire (who was absolutely terrible) but the Cavs sure looked sharp cutting to the basket time and time again. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Displaying A Different Brand Of Chemistry This Season

November 25, 2009 by 16 Comments

Cavaliers

While watching Cavaliers games this season, it’s not tough to notice it’s a much different experience than last season. Not only are the players on the court, but the style of basketball is much different from the type of basketball this team played last season. Also, last season the Cavaliers ran away with games in the 2nd half and this year the Cavaliers routinely let teams back into games in the 2nd half. But to keen observers of this team, one of the more noticeable differences is the team chemistry.

In Bill Simmons’ latest book, The Book Of Basketball, he talks about the time he met Isiah Thomas poolside at a Vegas hotel and mustered the courage to ask him about “The Secret”. You see, back when the Pistons were The Bad Boys, they often talked about “The Secret” to their success. So Simmons naturally wanted to know what it was.    [Read more...]

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Bill Simmons on LeBron Controversy

June 4, 2009 by 13 Comments

The LeBron debate rages on for another day as we wait for the actual basketball to be played in the finals.  A lot of the national press has weighed in whether we wanted to hear their opinions or not.  One polarizing writer had not been heard from until today.  I am talking about Bill Simmons.  I know a lot of people out there sometimes don’t like him because he talks about Boston so much.  Still, when it comes to the NBA, Bill Simmons is about as big a fan of “The Association” as you will find.  His opinions and observations are usually spot on when it comes to that topic.  Well, maybe not always when it deals with the Celtics.  Regardless, he starts off his latest mailbag with some talk about LeBron and what kinds of silver linings that LBJ and the Cavs can take away from this year’s playoff run.  Of course, Simmons also comments on the “controversy.”

When you caused a controversy by storming off the court after Game 6 and refusing to attend your press conference, you did something even better: You brought us back to the days when “rivals” didn’t hug each other like Red and Andy after every game, when NBA stars actually took losing personally and treated their peers like enemies instead of friends. I loved it. That was an old-school move. And as reader Brian Naftaly points out, you accomplished something even better: You made your teammates cover you in the postgame press conference, marking the first time all series they did something or helped you in any way. That was genius. Hold your head up high, LeBron James. You could not have done more with the possible exception of coaching the team … and really, that might not have been a bad idea. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Bill Simmons on the Cavs, Pedro Rumors, and LBJ’s Playing Time

March 12, 2009 by 20 Comments

While We’re Waiting aims to be the round-up of the recent WFNY-esque information for your morning viewing. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email in the sidebar.

mo-williams-clippers

The Sports Guy speaks about watching LeBron and Mo’s fourth quarter against the Clippers: “I can’t even describe how bummed out my section was, but let’s try: Ever been sitting on the airport runway for a few minutes and have the pilot blindside you with, “Hey folks, some bad news, the weather got worse, we’re gonna have to go back to the gate and wait this out for a couple of hours before we take off …” and everyone collectively groans in disbelief and agony? That’s what the Clippers fans were like. And let the record show that Pilot Mike Dunleavy was making the announcement.” [Bill Simmons/Page2]

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Browns are “worst-coached half-decent team”

November 12, 2008 by 13 Comments

Now, I don’t know what exactly this says for Herm Edwards and the Kansas City Chiefs, but Bill Simmons has named the Cleveland Browns #25 in his latest rankings calling them the “worst-coached half-decent” team in the league.  I guess that makes the Chiefs the “worst-coached borderline-awful” team.***  I am sure there are a fair number of Simmons haters out there.  I am not one of them, but even I get annoyed with the man on occasion.  That being said, he couldn’t be more dead on when talking about the Cleveland Browns right now. [Read more...]

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Gems From the Net…

May 22, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Some interesting tidbits from around the Web, starting with a hilarious video staring Cleveland’s newest Cy Young winner. Scott found this one on Home Run Derby.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seOw0Z5Oo5w[/youtube]

For those of you who are regular readers, you may remember another incident involving Sabathia and his ‘hidden talent’. Yes, I find this hilarious. Yes, I want that guy in my dugout! [Read more...]

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