We try to do today’s show in five minutes bites. Or, I suppose, bytes. It obviously doesn’t work.
Today, we discuss:
• Tiger’s return and the theory that CBS put the kiabosh on Bay Hill because it would coincide with the NCAA Regionals (and be on NBC) as opposed to his enormous, and protected, return on CBS for the Masters.
• The crazy up and down world of the BIG EAST, including the chance that West Virginia could be a #1 seed. Plus, some Big 12 talk as well! See, we aren’t totally east coast biased.
• A complete and utter dismantling of the ridiculous Floating Realignment idea in MLB. More on that at TSB if you want to read my thoughts and see my plan for realignment. Oh, an a bit of advice for the teams who think they can’t compete for their division crowns because other teams are better: get better. If you can’t beat the Yankees and Red Sox, tough darts. Get better. Sure those two teams habitually make the playoffs, but the Red Sox have only been in two World Series since 1986. The Rays have been in one more recently. I’m not saying things shouldn’t change, but let’s back off the radical ideas because of the “success” of two teams.
• MLS labor talks may lead to a strike. So far, both sides have been doing things right.
• RIP Merlin Olsen. Nick puts out the question, for you, of which current athletes (or recently retired) will we think of more as actors/pitchmen/analysts and less for what they did on the field?
Thanks for listening. Enjoy the basketball this weekend and come back for our March Madness tournament stuff on Monday.
Tags: CBS, March Madness, Merlin Olsen, MLB, MLS, Realignment, Tiger Woods
I’m not an expert on the MLS or anything but as far as the players needing the league – I don’t think that’s true at all.
Tthe players get paid a lot less than their equivalents in Europe. I personally know a couple of players who have rejected contracts from MLS teams to play in Ukraine and Norway. I imagine their skill levels were about the MLS average.
I guess the plus for the MLS is that you can live in the USA but for monetary and footballing reasons the average MLSer would be probably better off in an average European league.
Hi Dan, thanks for the mention, and maybe i should hop off my high horse about aussies in nfl and nba….great show doing the 5 mins segments, it was a nice change up from the interview format – like a clearing house friday.
also have to say well done for being responsive and open to your listeners – have you thought about taking skype calls every now and then?
I haven’t heard anyone mention this about realignment but I think people are missing an important point. Just like gerrymandering occurs to strengthen the positions of the politicians in power, regardless of party, so this would strengthen the position of the stronger teams. If the Yankees and the Red Sox are smart about it, they would compete in different divisions and have an easier, higher likelihood run to the playoffs. If I am the Red Sox, why do I want to fight through the Yankees, or vice versa? One of them would jump to another division. History would take a back seat to a trip to the World Series.
So it won’t change anything. You will still end up with at least one very strong program in each division. And the strongest programs will still control the playoff spots.
The floating alignment – you guys are dead on. It’s not just a bad idea – it’s a LAZY IDEA.
It’s a half assed attempt to not face the facts that they need to fix the game.
I like both your ideas to an extent. And I agree with the point that if you’re tired of the Yanks and Red Sox being at the top-stop them.
It’s like the old saw we talked about in the NFL when the Vikings ran the score up on Dallas- you don’t like it? Play better.
I like Dan’s idea in the Sports Blog to name the Divisions after great baseball players especially since in my addled brain it would be a huge screw you to Gary Bettman for gutting hockey history by removing the names from conferences in division.
And it would work – thereby showing he’s just as big an idiot as ever.
How the hell did I just turn a baseball post into a football and hockey post?
Sheesh.
great show as always.