Chundles

As I've gotten older and my family has grown, the time I have for sports in general has decreased dramatically. All that's left now, for the most part, is the Eagles. And let me be clear--no matter how old I get, this will never change. My interest could ebb and flow if the team goes into the crapper, but in general, I plan to bleed green for the rest of my life. Nevertheless, the Eagles offseason has been interesting, and I'm excited for the 2009 season.

Philly's famous boo birds are unhappy (aren't they always?) that the team didn't trade for a Pro Bowl WR, but anyone with half a brain should be able to look at the Eagles offseason thus far and see how amazing it's been.

Where to start? Trading for Pro Bowl LT Jason Peters, and then signing him to a long-term extension, is a good place. We know Peters has the talent to dominate, and if he can consistently show the work ethic required, he will be protecting the blind side of Eagles QBs for a long time to come. Shawn Andrews, who missed the entire 2008 campaign, has been moved to RT to replace the injured free-agent John Runyan (who still may end up an Eagle if he's well enough to play). Replacing Shawn and RG is his brother Stacey, who the team signed from Cincinnati. The Birds also signed Seattle FB Leonard Weaver, who is a true FB who can block, run and catch passes out of the backfield.

In other pre-draft moves, Brian Dawkins, Sean Consodine, Tra Thomas, Correll Buckhalter and LJ Smith all signed with new teams, and the team picked up Safety's Sean Jones and Rashad Baker.

Where things got interesting was on draft day. The Eagles came away with one of the top WRs in the draft (Jeremy Maclin), a potential franchise-type back in LeSean McCoy, an athletic pass catching TE in Cornelius Ingram, starting CB Ellis Hobbs via a trade with the Patriots, among other miscellaneous parts.

Put all this together, and I think (along with every expert I've read) that the Eagles had a stupendous offseason. If everyone is and stays healthy, they should be the favorites to win the NFC. Doesn't mean they will, but they should definitely be in the hunt.

And that brings me to my opening question. Is it September yet?

No, I'm not talking about Lebron James (who didn't come across as terribly likeable on 60 Minutes this weekend). I'm talking about Howard Stern. The King of All Media.

Howard has been a part of my mornings since 1989 when my older brother started driving me to high school. With Howard's move to Sirius in 2005 and the creation of the "all Howard, all the time" Howard 100, it's basically the only thing I listen to in my car.

Over the years, Stern has taken a considerable amount of heat from the mainstream media/entertainment worlds for being a morally depraved, perverted, racist pig. Occasionally, someone without an agenda will recognize that Stern is a living legend, but for the most part, he's not appreciated at all by the "critics." There are plenty of examples that show why the opinion of critics and other talking heads ain't worth shit, but perhaps none more telling than the career of Stern.

Howard coined the term "King of All Media" because he conquered the radio, TV, film, and book words. On Terrestrial Radio, his show was basically #1 everywhere it was broadcasted. On TV, he had a long-running hit show on the E! Channel (to the extent a "hit" is even possible on E!), and a long time ago, a show on Channel 9 in New York that was beating SNL in the ratings (in New York). On the silver screen, the Ivan Reitman-produced and Betty Thomas-directed Private Parts did very well. And in the book world, he had two best sellers: Private Parts, and Miss America. And most recently, Sirius Satellite Radio grew from 600,000 subscribers in 2004 when Howard announced he was making the move, to more than 7,000,000 right before the merger with XM Radio.

All of Howard's achievements speak for themselves, but they don't really tell the entire story. Howard's been a presence on the radio for nearly 30 years. Not all of it was during morning drive time, and not all of it was on stations that people actually listened to, but he's been at the top of his field since the 1980s when he went to Washington DC. And unlike most DJs, Howard doesn't play music 40+ minutes per hour. He talks, and makes people laugh, for more than 4 hours every day.

This fact alone--the time per day Howard entertains his fans--puts him on a level that no one will ever reach. Oprah, Letterman, Leno, etc? An hour per day, pre-recorded. Movie stars? A movie every 2 years or so that requires 3 months of work. Musicians? An album every couple years, and a tour once or twice a year. Etc, etc, etc. Howard and the crew do 4 hours of live radio every single day, and the airwaves are filled with creative material, not prerecorded material (i.e. music). Anyone who listens to Howard knows he's a workaholic. He doesn't want to let his fans down, and he works his ass off to make sure that doesn't happen. So each 4 hr show requires hours of preparation. Has there ever been an entertainer who is as prolific as Howard? I'm open to a dialogue on it, but I don't think so.

Only listeners will understand this point, but Howard is by far the best and most interesting interviewer in mainstream media. The haters shouldn't kid themselves that Howard doesn't get any real guests. Maybe back in the day that was true, but today, only the most pretentious of celebs (i.e. Tom Cruise, Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah) won't come on Howard, because they know they'll have to talk if they do. Over the years, Howard has interviewed an impressive array of guests, many of whom visit the show regularly. Paul McCartney, Chris Rock, Stevie Wonder, Martha Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Barbara Walters, JJ Abrams, Bon Jovi, Pam Anderson, the Osbournes family, Arnold, Sly Stallone, Toby Mcguire, AC/DC, John Stamos, Dice Clay, Rudy Guiliani, Seth Rogan, Kevin Smith, LT (the original), Snoop, 50 Cent, and dozens and dozens of others.

Sure, all the other talk shows get the same guests Howard does, but none of them conduct an interesting interview about who these people are, what their lives are really like, who they date, when they first had sex, how much money they make, what happened with various feuds or tragedies from their past, etc. Howard won't have a guest on if he knows they won't talk about things that his audience finds interesting. If Letterman or Leno had this same philosophy, they'd get no one and they'd be off the air. Yes, many of the questions Howard asks are about sex, but isn't this much more interesting than the standard promotional fare we get when these same celebs are interviewed elsewhere? I think it is, and so does Howard's audience of 20MM+ people. I can't think of another media outlet or personality that comes anywhere close to Howard in terms of their ability to conduct an interesting interview with the celebrities of our "pop-culture"--people whose public personalities really aren't that interesting at all.

With his accomplishments across the media world, his longevity and "time spent", and his interviewing skills, it's a no-brainer that Howard is in the upper echelon--of all time--in terms of entertainers. But again, what Howard has created goes beyond that. The current cast of the Stern show is, in my opinion, the best team Howard has ever had. Alongside Howard is Robin, his trusty sidekick and perfect counterbalance. Behind the mic is Fred, who is an absolute master with his choice of sound effects and music throughout the show. Fred also delivers with an occasional impression, game show, or fued with another staff member or fan. Artie Lange replaced Jackie Martling in 2001, and Howard couldn't have made a better choice. I don't think Artie is an elite standup comic, but with his story telling, impressions, one-liners, eating and drug abuse, among other things, he is perfect. And behind the scenes, Boy Gary Dell'Abate is perhaps the best producer in the business, along with being= a never-ending source for ribbing and comedy on the show. And last but not least, Sal Governale and Richard Christie, along with a host of other characters, make up the team of devotees that Howard has brought into the fold. Howard is a brilliant conductor and the mastermind of the operation, but without the brilliant cast and crew, the show would be quite different.

But wait, there's more. From his rabid fan base, Howard has brought the oddest of the odd into our world, and made them household names. Yes, the Wack Pack. High Pitch Erik, Big Foot, Hang the Angry Drunken Dwarf, Jeff the Drunk, Elephant Boy, Gary the Retard, Wendy the Retard, Maryanne from Brooklyn, Beetlejuice and many others. These people are all freaks of one sort or another, and they don't beling on radio. But they are part of this world that Howard has created, and the mad scientist that he is, he has figured out the right formula to bring these people into our lives in a comedic way. It's brilliant. It's OK to feel sorry for some of these folks, but don't blame Howard. It's sounds corny, but by bringing them into his world, Howard has given many of these people reason to live. Their identities are part of the Stern Show, and the fans love them. Without Howard, they would just be the freaks that they are, and no one would care.

Put all these things together, along with a series of radio executives who never supported Howard, a series of attacks from "family values" groups and the government, and it becomes even more miraculous that Howard has achieved what he has.

Spending my car time with Howard and crew is one of my favorite things to do in the world, and I hope he never goes off the air.

It's February in the sports world, and with no blockbuster trades brewing in the NBA, the media (ESPN, really) needs something to talk about. SportsCenter is doing a cool piece on each state's Mt. Rushmore of Sports, which is kinda cool. I just saw Alabama--Hank Aaron, Bear Bryant, Bo Jackson, Willie Mays (played 3 yrs for Negro League team in the state).

In terms of purported "news", the story of the day is obviously A-Rod's admission that he did steroids, and his press conference yesterday from the Yanks Spring Training facility in Tampa, FL. There's a fair amount of outrage at the idiocy of some of Rodriguez's comments/responses yesterday (my cousin did it, I didn't know what I was injecting, etc.), but this story is being blown way out of proportion. Not because steroids in baseball isn't news, but because people just don't like A-Rod. So my advice to Alex is this: Shut the f up. Work on getting the Yankees back to the post season, and when you do, try hard to play well. That's it. If you succeed with this, everyone will love you, and all past sins will be forgotten. Every time you open your mouth (kinda like TO), you say something stupid and perpetuate everyone's belief that you're just a douchey guy who can play baseball really well.

All of us (led by the media) place unreasonable expectations on pro athletes just because they're in the public eye and make a lot of money. We expect them to all be great human beings with well developed emotional intelligence and intellect, a deep motivation to be honest and forthright, interesting, likeable and soulful, and also able to express their opinions and feelings in an articulate manner.

Despite their physical and athletic attributes, all these guys are flawed human beings, just like the rest of us. And the truth is, most of them are just not that likeable--at least the ones who get face time on TV. Shaq, Charles Barkley, and others are the exception, not the rule. It's just that some guys are better than others at shutting the F up and not saying anything that isn't plain vanilla. A-Rod really should stick to the Michael Jordan script and only talk about the game and the effort he's putting in to get better. That's it. If he does those things, Yanks fans will love him.

And btw Yankees fans, to quote the great Artie Lange "waaaaaaaaah." Rodriguez is arguably the best player of the modern era, and he's in his prime, so stop complaining. Who cares if he's a douche. If he fixes his post season woes and brings some titles to the Bronx, y'all will love him. I guarantee it. People forget that Joe Dimaggio wasn't the most likeable fellow in the room, but everyone remembers him as a hero, and maybe the best Yankee ever.

My last point: to the extent you care, or want an asterisk next to people's names, etc, as far as I'm concerned, the entire era of baseball--going back to the late 80s with folks like Bo Jackson, Pete Incaviglia, Cory Snyder, McGwire, Clemens, etc--should be identified with steroids. It didn't start in the late 90s. It started 10 years earlier. Does anyone remember how many home runs were hit in 1987? A zillion. Unless it's obvious (Manny Trillo, for example), presume everyone who played during this era guilty, and stop asking folks like Albert Pujols, who very well might've "supplemented", what they think. That's like asking OJ to opine on murder. It just doesn't matter. What matters is championships :)

So please, for the sake of our enjoyment of sports during these shitty economic times, let's stop talking about this. I'm sick of it.

It's February in the sports world, and with no blockbuster trades brewing in the NBA, the media (ESPN, really) needs something to talk about. SportsCenter is doing a cool piece on each state's Mt. Rushmore of Sports, which is kinda cool. I just saw Alabama--Hank Aaron, Bear Bryant, Bo Jackson, Willie Mays (played 3 yrs for Negro League team in the state).

In terms of purported "news", the story of the day is obviously A-Rod's admission that he did steroids, and his press conference yesterday from the Yanks Spring Training facility in Tampa, FL. There's a fair amount of outrage at the idiocy of some of Rodriguez's comments/responses yesterday (my cousin did it, I didn't know what I was injecting, etc.), but this story is being blown way out of proportion. Not because steroids in baseball isn't news, but because people just don't like A-Rod. So my advice to Alex is this: Shut the f up. Work on getting the Yankees back to the post season, and when you do, try hard to play well. That's it. If you succeed with this, everyone will love you, and all past sins will be forgotten. Every time you open your mouth (kinda like TO), you say something stupid and perpetuate everyone's belief that you're just a douchey guy who can play baseball really well.

All of us (led by the media) place unreasonable expectations on pro athletes just because they're in the public eye and make a lot of money. We expect them to all be great human beings with well developed emotional intelligence and intellect, a deep motivation to be honest and forthright, interesting, likeable and soulful, and also able to express their opinions and feelings in an articulate manner.

Despite their physical and athletic attributes, all these guys are flawed human beings, just like the rest of us. And the truth is, most of them are just not that likeable--at least the ones who get face time on TV. Shaq, Charles Barkley, and others are the exception, not the rule. It's just that some guys are better than others at shutting the F up and not saying anything that isn't plain vanilla. A-Rod really should stick to the Michael Jordan script and only talk about the game and the effort he's putting in to get better. That's it. If he does those things, Yanks fans will love him.

And btw Yankees fans, to quote the great Artie Lange "waaaaaaaaah." Rodriguez is arguably the best player of the modern era, and he's in his prime, so stop complaining. Who cares if he's a douche. If he fixes his post season woes and brings some titles to the Bronx, y'all will love him. I guarantee it. People forget that Joe Dimaggio wasn't the most likeable fellow in the room, but everyone remembers him as a hero, and maybe the best Yankee ever.

My last point: to the extent you care, or want an asterisk next to people's names, etc, as far as I'm concerned, the entire era of baseball--going back to the late 80s with folks like Bo Jackson, Pete Incaviglia, Cory Snyder, McGwire, Clemens, etc--should be identified with steroids. It didn't start in the late 90s. It started 10 years earlier. Does anyone remember how many home runs were hit in 1987? A zillion. Unless it's obvious (Manny Trillo, for example), presume everyone who played during this era guilty, and stop asking folks like Albert Pujols, who very well might've "supplemented", what they think. That's like asking OJ to opine on murder. It just doesn't matter. What matters is championships :)

So please, for the sake of our enjoyment of sports during these shitty economic times, let's stop talking about this. I'm sick of it.

John Stewart made a good point last week about Wall Street's reaction to the first details on the bank bailout: who gives a sh*t what Wall Street thinks!?!?!

I agree. While it's overly simplistic to say Wall Street caused all the problems we're in the middle of, they certainly were a big part of it. If they don't want our money to help their businesses survive, than someone should have the courage to tell them to go F themselves. Put them in the unemployment queue and see what they think then.

The Obama Administration has been granted, by the American people, a chance to fix the giant mess we're in, so let's all shut up and give them a chance. Take some solace in the fact that decisions are being made based on fact and with input from a broad swath of experts. That's what the American people deserve, and that is oodles more than we got from the Cheney/Bush administration.

I read this morning that Caterpillar Corp. agreed to rescind some of the 22k layoffs they recently announced if the stimulus bill passes. This is bad.

Our economy needs a recalibration. Businesses that grew too quickly need to slow down; banks that lent money to the wrong people need to be more conservative; home buyers need to buy houses they can afford, US automakers need to learn how to innovate, etc.

What we don't need is to give these large, multinational, multibillion dollar organizations a reason to continue the status quo. If that's all the stimulus bill does, we'll be right back where we started whenever the money runs out. And next time, it'll be more expensive than it is today.

I know it's been more than 3 weeks since the Eagles lost the NFC Championship game to the Cardinals, but it took me a while to feel like talking about it. I was also busy setting up the new home for my Eagles blog--bloggingthebirds.blogspot.com.

In my first-ever blog post on the Eagles, I noted that I would track the highs and lows of the 2008 campaign. Little did I know that the 2008 season would epitomize so well what it means to be an Eagles fan. The season started with some promise, then they ripped my heart out, then they won a couple games in a row, then they ripped by heart out again with the Ravens and Bengals game, they they won a couple more in a row and got themselves back into contention, then they ripped my heart out yet again by losing to the Redskins in Week 16. And then, the NFL Gods sprinkled some pixy dust on the Eagles in Week 17 and they made the playoffs. It was a season of ups and downs, with the team breaking the franchise scoring record, but at times seeming so inept that the Lions could've beaten them.

By the time the playoffs rolled around, people were back on the wagon. Reid and McNabb were back in the playoffs, the Defense was dominating, and people were talking about the Eagles being this years version of the NY Giants. After a Wild Card win in Minnesota, and then a win at the Meadowlands against the defending Super Bowl champs, I honestly believed they had a chance.

Which brings me to the NFC Championship game, against the Cardinals. Yes, the Cardinals, who beat the favored Falcons in Phoenix, and then travelled to North Carolina and whooped the Panthers. While they were playing well, so were we, and so I liked our chances. I shouldn't have been so quick to forget the heartburn that this team caused me, as this game was the perfect microcosm of the entire 2008 season. All three units were miserable in the first half, and the Cardinals took a double digit lead into the second half. My heart was ripped out, and I was already planning for 2009. The team woke up during the short halftime break, however, and came out fired up. The defense started shutting down Kurt Warner and his offense, and McNabb lit the place up and pulled the Eagles back on top.

Late in the 4th quarter, the Cards got the ball back, trailing 25-24, and scored a TD and the 2pt conversion. 32-25 Cardinals. Heart palpitations on hold, as the Eagles got the ball back with plenty of time on the clock. Unfortunately, on par with the entire season, the offense couldn't get the job done, and the Cardinals advanced to their first Super Bowl in team history. Heart ripped out, again.

After watching the Cards play a solid game against the Steelers, I feel a little better about losing to them. But still, we were the better team, and we blew it with our crappy first half on all sides of the ball, and we blew it late in the 4th quarter with our shitty WRs and a QB who buckled with the entire offense on his shoulders.

Anyway, the team did have a good run this year. Afterall, we knocked both the Cowboys and the Giants out of the playoffs, and that feels good. But another year goes by with another team that's not the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. That sucks.

I am looking forward to next year, as I think the team did make some great progress this year. Reid and McNabb will be back, we found a star in Desean Jackson, Westbrook should be healthy, and the Defense had a great year. In terms of personnel changes, I would bet that we see some new blood on the O-line, at TE, an RB that Reid trusts and can take some of the load off Westbrook, and likely a pass rushing D-lineman. And of course, if the opportunity comes to land a #1 WR who is not a sociopath, we should take it. The team still lacks a #1. I can guarantee you that either of the Cardinals starting WRs would've made the catch that Kevin Curtis didn't on the Eagles final drive of this season. I guarantee it.