Nomadic

Last night at another New Jersey Devils game, I came to the conclusion that I've been spending more time in the wonderful (no sarcasm) State of New Jersey than the wonderful (some sarcasm) City of New York in the past month.

Sunday, obviously, keeps the trend going.

With that said, between the IZOD Center and the Prudential Center videos, you have an idea of why the New Jersey Nets want to move. However, hopefully, you have an idea of why the Nets should treat their Barclays Center plans like a juvenile record; seal them, file them and (hopefully) never revisit them.

There will always be a city/town and a team willing to play footsies with each other in order to attract not only major league audiences, but indirectly attract major league employers for spuring economic development. At least that's the idea.

There is always talk of teams that are not performing well financially relocating to seemingly fertile lands. There are rather public discourses about attracting any pro team to Kansas City's Sprint Center, the uncertainty of several NHL teams in the South (east and west) and bringing NFL team back to Los Angeles (because Al Davis is still trying to move the Raiders back to LA and rumors about the Jaguars are still in the air)

However, the resistance coming from some government officials, civic-oriented organizations, small business owners and others will keep the fight going until either the team's ownership gives up or the players start looking around town for real estate.

So from just a curiosity standpoint (leaving politics and community matters out of the equation for now), I pose this to you: if you had full autonomy and authority while not having to worry about financing a stadium/arena:

• Which teams would you move?
• Where?
• Why?
• Finally, would you build a new stadium/arena or renovate exisiting grounds?

Say What?!?!: This post was inspired by what you can find about yourself via Google. Many thanks to No Land Grab.

Overlooked

Ron Jaworski raised an interesting point on last night's Monday Night Football game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.

Shortly after tailback Fred Taylor tied the Jaguars' franchise touchdown record with Jimmy Smith (a truly unheralded wide receiver), a question from Tony Kornheiser was raised about his credentials as he moves up in the NFL career rushing yards tally. Jaworski believes that Taylor's total body of work should place him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

For the few fortunate souls who were still watching the game, that may have been a head-scratching moment for sure.

Kornheiser immediately asked if the fact that Taylor did not play in major NFL markets such as Dallas or New York (which, in reality, just became a big deal nationally in the last two seasons) actually hurts him.

It was a fair conversation on both sides as not only did they have to try to keep the dwindling audience from turning off their TV sets, but they've seen enough football to know who has really got the goods. Yet, it begs the question: is a player who has the numbers, the longevity and the franchise legacy, punished or praised more because of where (s)he plays?

Most people who may have heard this discourse were probably in disagreement with Jaworski because Taylor wasn't a speed demon (though his was underrated) or because he struggled with injuries early on in his career. They'll point to his lone Pro Bowl appearance, despite the fact that Pro Bowl voting is like that for Prom Queen (I don't know this one and I don't like that one, but this is the only person I recognize on the whole list). Yet, considering that Jacksonville is a relatively unknown city beyond the Jaguars and college football history, the players, even one of his ilk, aren't exactly brand names.

This story plays out in every sport as there are players who defined lesser-known franchises without as much as a sniff of post-career credit. So, which athletes in this category do you feel should receive Hall consideration and why, regardless of sport?

Sure...

Why not?



Some words about that building in the Bronx later today and of course, NFLish things tomorrow.

Faith

One of the longest running battles between sports media and sports participants has been waged over religion and spirituality or at least the reverence towards something ‘above us’. Often, a player will praise God in a post-game interview after his or her team walked away with a win. Yet, it’s the scribe that frustratingly or sardonically asks why the player can’t give equal praise in defeat. It’s an understandable qualm being that ideally, sports is the equalizer of all who play, whether one is a devout Jehovah’s Witness, a non-practicing Jew or a respectful, but skeptical atheist.

When Art Monk, the last of the 2008 inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, spoke about his long, long, long overdue honor, he spoke to a heavy Washington Redskins crowd that probably swore something fierce in celebration of the wide receiver’s moment. Where most of us fans and media who revere the game wanted to slap the proverbial face of the PFHoF for taking seven years to elect him, Monk reflected on the peace he made with the long wait by claiming that “as great as this honor is, it’s not what defines who I am or what I have been able to accomplish in my life”

Instead, he discussed where he’d like his identity to show the strongest; through his faith.

“That's right. And even now as a Hall of Famer, the one thing I want to make very clear is that my identity and my security is found in the Lord. And what defines me and my validation comes in having accepted his son Jesus Christ as my personal savior. And what defines me is the word of God and it's the word of God that will continue to shape and mold me into the person that I know he's called me to be.”

As you can tell from the rest of the clip and transcript, Monk was hoping to relay to the crowd that something beyond him allowed for him to have this moment.

The cynical sports writer would have found a way to lampoon Monk for bringing faith into what was supposed to be a celebration for the sport. Yet, maybe because this was one of the most respected wide receivers the game has ever known, there wasn’t a loud cry about his choice of words. In a volatile media market that is analyzing and criticizing the John McCain ad implying that Barack Obama believes himself to be a messiah, you would think that someone on sports talk radio would have gone on a tangent about it all. And maybe someone has.

However, Monk has probably shown us that any problem with sports and faith isn’t always about faith itself, but the person and the timing.

Say What?!?!: Speaking of Monk, an interesting fan question coming out of Jacksonville. Found this on the Jaguars’ website:
Tommy from Atlantic Beach, FL
What effect, if any, does Art Monk finally making it into the Hall of Fame have on Jimmy Smith's chances of making it in?
Vic: Their numbers are comparable. Monk has 78 more catches and 434 more yards, but Jimmy Smith is right with the best of them when it comes to stats. Jimmy’s problem, and it’s the same for all wide receivers, is that the Hall of Fame is starting to become the Hall of Fame of Wide Receivers, and Monk just added another name to the list. I think you’re going to see the Hall of Fame committee turn away from wide receivers for awhile. I think you’re going to see the committee begin turning toward the defensive side of the ball, which does not have enough representation, especially at linebacker.