Jwill's Log

Eric Gagne has been performing terribly lately. Ever since he’s been traded to the Sox, he has racked up a terribly high ERA of 15, giving up 14 hits and 10 runs (all earned) in a mere 6 innings through his 7 appearances. He’s only blown three saves this season, sure, but guess what? Two of those blown saves came this month, with the Sox, including the one last night against the Angels. I know it’s good to give a guy time to get into things, but look, the Yankees are 5 games back. We can’t have this guy blowing leads that much more often and just hope the Yankees lose. Clay Buchholz looked better than he did in his major league debut, and I swear Kason Gabbard looked pretty good too. I loved Gabbard and I’d much prefer him here as a solid starter than to have a closer who has proved himself but is currently doing terrible. I don’t need someone with such a nasty August ERA with the likes of my beloved Okajima, Papelbon, Delcarmen, and the works. Gagne needs to adjust quickly, or Gagne’s gotta go!

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Sports players have that drive…they don’t want to call it quits until their body forces them to. A little risky in terms of injury (especially in football), but the willpower is amazing.

I want to get back to the NFL overtime situation I talked about a long time ago. Right now, the NFL’s overtime system is sudden-death; that is, the first person to score wins. This makes overtime less of a test of skill and more of a test of luck. Remember that a coin toss is done before overtime begins, and that the person who wins this toss has a choice to receive or kick. The person that receives in overtime has a huge advantage because if they score any points at all, they win. This means they could kick a field goal from as far as the 35 yard line or get all the way in for a touchdown. If a team gets points on its first overtime possession, it wins. That’s barely fair. Overtime, like the regulation period, should test all aspects of a team once again. The current system does not always do so, since teams can win before they even get the chance to switch sides. Baseball gets it with overtime (called “Extra Innings”) – both teams get a chance to hold the other team to as few runs as possible and to score as many runs as possible. In baseball, there is no coin toss; visitors always bat first. There’s nothing really wrong with that, and overall, I like how Extra Innings works.

College football gets overtime right. Both teams start at the opposing 25 yard line, and they try to get either a TD or a field goal. A coin toss still dictates who goes first, but its weight in the determination of the winner or loser is nowhere near as great, as the other team will get a chance on offense. After both teams take turns on offense, the team that scored more points wins. If they’re still tied, they do it again. Why doesn’t the NFL follow this method, or at least a variation of this method? If they think the 25′s too close, they could always start them at midfield or so. I think it makes a lot more sense. I’d be livid if I played hard, good football for sixty minutes just to lose to a stupid coin toss.

Commissioner Goodell has barred Pacman Jones from joining training camp, as he has been plagued with off the field incidents. Check the link.

Again…these “professionals” gotta chill out when they’re off the field…

Sources: Boston.com, Bloomberg.com

“Ever since you have seen me as a player, I’ve been looking at myself as an owner,” Martin said at a small, 45-minute news conference at the team’s Manhattan offices, one of several stops on a whirlwind media tour…

Martin never sought the spotlight during his career, a rarity among today’s professional star athletes. His humble attitude earned him respect around the league, something he thinks will help him once he’s running a team.

Boston.com article

Martin’s done a good job being a strong influence while keeping a low profile. You may see players like Ocho Cinco, Terrell Owens, Michael Vick, and LT making the news again and again for breaking records and causing a general ruckus, but Martin quietly made it to 4th place on the all time leading rusher list in the NFL, which is quite an accomplishment in the tough, physical position of running back. He’s only behind Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, and Barry Sanders. That’s an honor beyond honors.

While looking at some other Martin news, I’ve read (thanks to Bloomberg.com) that Martin has played 11 seasons in the NFL, and that he is 34 years old at the time of retirement. He had to retire because of injuries, specifically a “bone on bone” thing with his knee that has kept him from playing since December of 2005. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had very good words for Martin, saying he “represents everything an NFL player should be”. I believe this too, and I’m glad he’s been such a great guy these past 11 years.

I would love to see Martin as an owner. I wish him the best of luck.