Weekend in Review

These weekends sure are dull sports-wise this time of year (especially since I don't like baseball).

First are foremost, kudos to Jalen Rose for sticking it out and getting his degree. He did his last year online, and it took him 5 1/2 years to get through it but he finally finished. Someone brought it up on the basketball board over at The Wolverine but no one really commented on it before it got buried beneath the DeShawn Sims thread du jour. He indicated that a big reason he went back for his degree is that it would mean more that way when he tells kids to stay in school. Good job, Jalen. And I hope we see you with the Pistons next year.

Packers defensive tackle Grady Jackson signed with Drew Rosenhaus (aka The Devil) and promptly indicated his desire for a new contract. But ha ha ha he might not be able to get one! The Packers gave him a $65,000 advance on his contract for next year and NFL rules prohibit a team from giving a veteran player a raise in the twelve month span following a contract renegotiation. The advance is considered a contract renegotiation. I'm sure they'll find a way around it if they want to (signing bonus + the same salary for 2005?) but I think GB is going to play hardball with these guys. If he had stuck with Bus Cook as his agent (the same guy that represents Favre) he might have had a better chance, but I think Green Bay is getting really sick of Rosenhaus, especially after he orchestrated Walker missing the minicamps. I still can't get over the fact that Cletidus Hunt is holding out. Next thing ya know Bill Schroeder will be asking his team for more money (if he's still in the league).

From all accounts, but especially this one because it has an awesome recap of all the summer league games, Alex Acker and Jason Maxiell are having great summer leagues so far. Acker has put up 16 and 21 points (somewhere around there) and Maxiell has had two great games, showing how hard he's willing to work (he even made an opponent bleed...in the freaking summer league). Darko didn't have a good first game but I guess he looked better in game #2. Delfino apparently hasn't shown much, neither has Paulding. The giant Greek kid whose name I'm not going to attempt to spell isn't playing because of a broken hand. He's on the Darko-track apparently. Amir Johnson apparently looks lost out there, but that's to be expected. I hope they get the D league up and running for this coming year, because he could really benefit from playing and not being our 15th man, carrying Darko's towels. Not to put too much stock into the summer league but it sounds like Acker and Maxiell could contribute next year.

According to TSN the NHL and NHLPA were still meeting today as late as 9:45 pm. They've met 7 straight days, and 80 times since the middle of February (very roughly, that's every other day). What The Blog That Yost Built would like to know is why the hell didn't they start doing this...oh...LAST SUMMER! They had known for at least a year, probably more, that a lockout was very possibly going to happen, but it seemed like last summer both sides were willing to let it happen. They met quite a bit in the time leading up to EJ Hradek's false announcement that there would be a season and got pretty close to a deal. Now they've basically locked themselves into the negotiating room to get a deal done and what do you know...they've made progress! Go figure. Meanwhile, Manny Legace ripped into Bob Goodenow again. He's one outspoken backup goalie! I love that he says what he thinks and doesn't just speak the NHLPA line. I'm waiting for him to rip Goodenow for letting his kid go to State. MLive became the latest publication to send me into convulsions by suggesting that the Wings may turn to old goalie Chris Osgood once the lockout is over. My uncle once said that if Ozzie played for Michigan, the fans would have to change the chant to "sieve, sieve, sieve, sieve, sieve" during Temptation. Even though Ozzie gave up the ability to play for U of M a long time ago, Al Montoya tried his best to get that chant started last season. Don't do it Kenny Holland. Resist the urge to ever have to make me see this again:

Decent enough race in Nascar today, minus the 900 tire failures. Michelin would've been proud. Dale Jr. deserves some kudos for having his head out of his butt for 2 races in a row now. Hopefully that is a trend that will continue. I can't imagine the last 10 races if none of my drivers (Jr, Harvick, and J. Gordon) make the Chase for the Championship. Right now I think they're 13-14-15. Harvick and Gordon would be sitting a lot prettier if people would stop taking them out. They've both had dismal summers. All 3 of them are around 100 points out of the Chase with 8 races to go before the "playoffs". I think Gordon is too good of a driver to not make the Chase. Junior and Harvick both need some luck to go their way. Junior looks like he's breaking out of his slump and Harvick has had good cars, but things haven't gone right for him at all (flat tire today, someone wrecked him last week). I feel like one of those two will get in, but too much needs to go right for both of them to get in. And Tony Stewart is a grade A asshat. Everytime they show the guy I have an overwhelming urge (that I frequently don't control) to flip the TV the bird.