hotfudgedetroit.com

Since the start of the 1997 season, Dallas is 122-122 in regular-season games. The Cowboys have won only one playoff game in that span after three Super Bowl titles in a four-year span in the first half of the 1990s.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=321001006

Andy wrote:

Since the start of the 1997 season, Dallas is 122-122 in regular-season games. The Cowboys have won only one playoff game in that span after three Super Bowl titles in a four-year span in the first half of the 1990s.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=321001006

The Suburban Avenger wrote:I liked the Cowboys when I was a kid (hell, they won most of the time, unlike the late-70s Saints) but I have loathed them since Jerry Jones purchased them.

Andy wrote:

The Suburban Avenger wrote:I liked the Cowboys when I was a kid (hell, they won most of the time, unlike the late-70s Saints) but I have loathed them since Jerry Jones purchased them.

I remember having a few Cowboys sweatshirts when I was a kid. I don't remember particularly liking the team but I was aware of them. They had crossover appeal back then.

Ansel Rakestraw wrote:

Andy wrote:

The Suburban Avenger wrote:I liked the Cowboys when I was a kid (hell, they won most of the time, unlike the late-70s Saints) but I have loathed them since Jerry Jones purchased them.

I remember having a few Cowboys sweatshirts when I was a kid. I don't remember particularly liking the team but I was aware of them. They had crossover appeal back then.

Hated them then. Hate them now. The only people who liked them in grade school and middle school were the kids with feathered hair and giant back pocket combs who thought their shit didn't stink because they had a t-shirt with a star on it...

America's Team, my ass. They just seemed to slick, superficial and Hollywood....

Jerry Jones, the general manager, will never relinquish that title with the Dallas Cowboys. Much like Jerry Jones, the owner, will never sell the team.

During his twice-weekly radio show, Jones was asked whether he ever would step down as the general manager.

The answer was no way.

"We are not structured that way," Jones told KRLD-FM on Tuesday morning. "We didn't structure it that way with my ownership. There's no way that I would be involved here and not be the final decision-maker on something as important as players, and that is a key area. That's never been anybody's misunderstanding. It's been a debated thing, but it's just not going to happen."

Jones the general manager has a team that's 3-5 overall heading into a game at Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.

Jones the owner and Jones the general manager have won three Super Bowls together. But recently, the general manager has struggled.

The Cowboys have won just two playoff games since their last Super Bowl appearance, in the 1995 season when they beat Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX, and haven't drafted well on a consistent basis. Only five players remain from the 2009 and 2010 drafts combined.

The Cowboys are 123-124 since 1997.

The GM's tenure has been marred by questionable trades; three draft picks given to Detroit for wide receiver Roy Williams; a trade for cornerback Pacman Jones, who was suspended during the 2008 season; and various big-money contracts given to players including safety Ken Hamlin, running back Marion Barber, guard Marco Rivera and safety Roy Williams that didn't pan out.

But Jones has made some good moves, including drafting inside linebackers Sean Lee and Bruce Carter in the second rounds of the 2010 and 2011 drafts and the first-round pick of cornerback Morris Claiborne last year.

"We've had success doing it this way and we're going to have success in the future doing it this way," Jones said. "It eliminates some very serious issues when you look around the league, as to creating an additional layer that you're continually having decisions, making changes and doing those kinds of things."

Barry Switzer is the last coach to win a Super Bowl for Jones. After he was fired following the 1997 season, the Cowboys have hired five head coaches. Only Wade Phillips produced a playoff victory, a NFC wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.

Jones also cleared up a comment he made during an interview on NBC in which he said he would fire himself as GM given the Cowboys' record the last few years.

"It's real clear," Jones said. "I was asked the question, 'If you were an owner and you had a general manager, would you make a change?' Under those circumstances, I speculated that I would probably have made a change, but that's not our situation.

"To change, I'd have to change myself. People don't do that. If you've got the commitment and you have the investment, and I'm talking about in time, effort, all of those kinds of things, you change yourself. You don't change out and have someone else go in there and do it."

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/i ... cowboys-gm

Andy wrote:After being tortured by the Lions for years, I take particular satisfaction when rival fans are faced with issues like this.

Jerry Jones, the general manager, will never relinquish that title with the Dallas Cowboys. Much like Jerry Jones, the owner, will never sell the team.

During his twice-weekly radio show, Jones was asked whether he ever would step down as the general manager.

The answer was no way.

"We are not structured that way," Jones told KRLD-FM on Tuesday morning. "We didn't structure it that way with my ownership. There's no way that I would be involved here and not be the final decision-maker on something as important as players, and that is a key area. That's never been anybody's misunderstanding. It's been a debated thing, but it's just not going to happen."

Jones the general manager has a team that's 3-5 overall heading into a game at Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.

Jones the owner and Jones the general manager have won three Super Bowls together. But recently, the general manager has struggled.

The Cowboys have won just two playoff games since their last Super Bowl appearance, in the 1995 season when they beat Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX, and haven't drafted well on a consistent basis. Only five players remain from the 2009 and 2010 drafts combined.

The Cowboys are 123-124 since 1997.

The GM's tenure has been marred by questionable trades; three draft picks given to Detroit for wide receiver Roy Williams; a trade for cornerback Pacman Jones, who was suspended during the 2008 season; and various big-money contracts given to players including safety Ken Hamlin, running back Marion Barber, guard Marco Rivera and safety Roy Williams that didn't pan out.

But Jones has made some good moves, including drafting inside linebackers Sean Lee and Bruce Carter in the second rounds of the 2010 and 2011 drafts and the first-round pick of cornerback Morris Claiborne last year.

"We've had success doing it this way and we're going to have success in the future doing it this way," Jones said. "It eliminates some very serious issues when you look around the league, as to creating an additional layer that you're continually having decisions, making changes and doing those kinds of things."

Barry Switzer is the last coach to win a Super Bowl for Jones. After he was fired following the 1997 season, the Cowboys have hired five head coaches. Only Wade Phillips produced a playoff victory, a NFC wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.

Jones also cleared up a comment he made during an interview on NBC in which he said he would fire himself as GM given the Cowboys' record the last few years.

"It's real clear," Jones said. "I was asked the question, 'If you were an owner and you had a general manager, would you make a change?' Under those circumstances, I speculated that I would probably have made a change, but that's not our situation.

"To change, I'd have to change myself. People don't do that. If you've got the commitment and you have the investment, and I'm talking about in time, effort, all of those kinds of things, you change yourself. You don't change out and have someone else go in there and do it."

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/i ... cowboys-gm

D-Day wrote:

Andy wrote:After being tortured by the Lions for years, I take particular satisfaction when rival fans are faced with issues like this.

Jerry Jones, the general manager, will never relinquish that title with the Dallas Cowboys. Much like Jerry Jones, the owner, will never sell the team.

During his twice-weekly radio show, Jones was asked whether he ever would step down as the general manager.

The answer was no way.

"We are not structured that way," Jones told KRLD-FM on Tuesday morning. "We didn't structure it that way with my ownership. There's no way that I would be involved here and not be the final decision-maker on something as important as players, and that is a key area. That's never been anybody's misunderstanding. It's been a debated thing, but it's just not going to happen."

Jones the general manager has a team that's 3-5 overall heading into a game at Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.

Jones the owner and Jones the general manager have won three Super Bowls together. But recently, the general manager has struggled.

The Cowboys have won just two playoff games since their last Super Bowl appearance, in the 1995 season when they beat Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX, and haven't drafted well on a consistent basis. Only five players remain from the 2009 and 2010 drafts combined.

The Cowboys are 123-124 since 1997.

The GM's tenure has been marred by questionable trades; three draft picks given to Detroit for wide receiver Roy Williams; a trade for cornerback Pacman Jones, who was suspended during the 2008 season; and various big-money contracts given to players including safety Ken Hamlin, running back Marion Barber, guard Marco Rivera and safety Roy Williams that didn't pan out.

But Jones has made some good moves, including drafting inside linebackers Sean Lee and Bruce Carter in the second rounds of the 2010 and 2011 drafts and the first-round pick of cornerback Morris Claiborne last year.

"We've had success doing it this way and we're going to have success in the future doing it this way," Jones said. "It eliminates some very serious issues when you look around the league, as to creating an additional layer that you're continually having decisions, making changes and doing those kinds of things."

Barry Switzer is the last coach to win a Super Bowl for Jones. After he was fired following the 1997 season, the Cowboys have hired five head coaches. Only Wade Phillips produced a playoff victory, a NFC wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.

Jones also cleared up a comment he made during an interview on NBC in which he said he would fire himself as GM given the Cowboys' record the last few years.

"It's real clear," Jones said. "I was asked the question, 'If you were an owner and you had a general manager, would you make a change?' Under those circumstances, I speculated that I would probably have made a change, but that's not our situation.

"To change, I'd have to change myself. People don't do that. If you've got the commitment and you have the investment, and I'm talking about in time, effort, all of those kinds of things, you change yourself. You don't change out and have someone else go in there and do it."

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/i ... cowboys-gm

Sounds like Mike Brown, the owner of the Bengals. All of SW Ohio and Northern Kentucky, I'm sure, love the fact that you revel in the futility of their football team

Kansas City Royals

I met a Royals fan once. We talked about 1985. Awkward.

In 2012, this team will once again try to translate minor league potential into major league success. Sadly, they will be using google translate and will only produce gibberish.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton says he will fight any effort by the Vikings to charge fans extra fees to buy season tickets in the new publicly subsidized football stadium and writes in a sharply worded letter to the team that "it would be better that it not be built" if the team betrays Minnesotans' trust.

In a sharply worded letter Tuesday, Dayton told team owner Zygi Wilf and president Mark Wilf that he is distressed by reports the team may charge seat license fees to help generate money for the stadium. Dayton says he will urge a public authority to block any such move.

The team is due to pay slightly more than half of the $975 million price tag. Dayton told Wilf that the contribution is the responsibility of team owners, not fans.

The governor has long pushed for what he calls a "People's Stadium." He says he won't let the result be a "Rich People's Stadium."

"The project's strong support came from many regular Minnesotans, not just rich Minnesotans, because they believed the Vikings are also their team," Dayton writes, underlining "their" for emphasis. "If a new stadium were to betray that trust, it would be better that it not be built."

Dayton also cricizes the Vikings for their willingness to play a game in London beyond their 2013 commitment to play the Steelers there.

"The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and the Vikings are supposed to be working together to build a new $975 million stadium. It would be far more helpful, if the Vikings focused public attention on a desire to play home games there, rather than elsewhere," Dayton writes.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/86274 ... fees-ideas

Detroit Red Wings' Ian White on commissioner Gary Bettman: 'He's an idiot'

Troy — Ask who is to blame for the current mess that is the NHL lockout and Red Wings defenseman Ian White doesn't hesitate.

White feels commissioner Gary Bettman — who is proposing a two-week moratorium on talks in the two-month old lockout — as the culprit for this mess.

"I personally think he's an idiot," said White Friday after a group of locked out Red Wings finished a work out. "Since he's come in, he's done nothing but damaged the game.

"The moves he's made, teams that are struggling he put in places where there's not viable markets for hockey."

If the two sides agree to stop talking for two weeks — Don Fehr, the Players Association executive director hasn't officially responded to the request — it would obviously extend a lockout that is expected to cancel more games next week.

Currently all games through Nov. 30 are cancelled. The league is expected to cancel another two, or more, weeks next week.

"It looks awful," White said. "Every day I take a look at the calendar, at their position, and nothing has really changed.

"It's pretty close to being tragic (losing the entire season, similarly to the 2004-05 season)."

Niklas Kronwall, the Wings' co-player rep, doesn't feel the season is in danger yet, but doesn't understand the two-week moratorium, either.

"It just doesn't make sense," Kronwall said. "No one on our side feels that's the way to go but that's their words and we'll go from there."

[email protected]
twitter.com/tkulfan

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2012 ... z2CPiM9rUw

*I don't know if you ran across this column by Hall of Fame voter Pat Caputo, but I bring it up because in it he says he will leave Craig Biggio off his ballot because … well, I had a hard time coming to grips with his precise reasoning. I'll quote what seems to be the key paragraph:

"Biggio is far less suspected [than teammate Jeff Bagwell] because of his smaller frame, but he was on those [Houston] teams and reportedly close to those players [admitted PED users Ken Caminiti and Andy Pettitte and suspected user Roger Clemens], and his power numbers did suddenly and magically rise at one point of his career (not just home runs but doubles) and before the Astros moved into a more hitter's friendly ball park. Again, I am very skeptical about there being any 'magic' involved."

OK, a few things. Biggio's "jump" in doubles and homers happened between 1992 to 1993, more than a decade before Roger Clemens or Andy Pettitte came to Houston, and two or three years before Ken Caminit's power surge and the time when he admitted using steroids. So that bit of logic seems just a little bit specious. It also happened when he turned 27, which is precisely when A LOT of people make a big power jump -- George Sisler, Buddy Bell, Al Simmons, Joe Rudi, Stan Musial (From 19 to 39 homers? What's up?), Brooks Robinson, etc.

But perhaps more to the point: Do you know who else played with Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens? Yeah. Derek Jeter. And he also played with Jason Giambi. And he also played with Alex Rodriguez. And he also played with Gary Sheffield. Hmm. And between 1997 and 1999, his home runs more than doubled, his slugging percentage was 150 points higher, very interesting, very interesting indeed ...

… or no. Actually not interesting. At all. Terrible. Shameful. Not interesting. Look: If you don't want to vote for Craig Biggio, don't vote for him. If you don't want to vote for him because you suspect him of something that you have absolutely no proof, hey, it's your vote, and you have a right to cast it your way as long as you have it. But to publicly charge someone with something without even the slightly bit of evidence beyond counterfeit timelines and amateurish statistical analysis should be beneath a Hall of Fame voter … or anyone else.

Mulligan wrote:Joe Posnanski takes one of our local deep thinkers to task ...

*I don't know if you ran across this column by Hall of Fame voter Pat Caputo, but I bring it up because in it he says he will leave Craig Biggio off his ballot because … well, I had a hard time coming to grips with his precise reasoning. I'll quote what seems to be the key paragraph:

"Biggio is far less suspected [than teammate Jeff Bagwell] because of his smaller frame, but he was on those [Houston] teams and reportedly close to those players [admitted PED users Ken Caminiti and Andy Pettitte and suspected user Roger Clemens], and his power numbers did suddenly and magically rise at one point of his career (not just home runs but doubles) and before the Astros moved into a more hitter's friendly ball park. Again, I am very skeptical about there being any 'magic' involved."

OK, a few things. Biggio's "jump" in doubles and homers happened between 1992 to 1993, more than a decade before Roger Clemens or Andy Pettitte came to Houston, and two or three years before Ken Caminit's power surge and the time when he admitted using steroids. So that bit of logic seems just a little bit specious. It also happened when he turned 27, which is precisely when A LOT of people make a big power jump -- George Sisler, Buddy Bell, Al Simmons, Joe Rudi, Stan Musial (From 19 to 39 homers? What's up?), Brooks Robinson, etc.

But perhaps more to the point: Do you know who else played with Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens? Yeah. Derek Jeter. And he also played with Jason Giambi. And he also played with Alex Rodriguez. And he also played with Gary Sheffield. Hmm. And between 1997 and 1999, his home runs more than doubled, his slugging percentage was 150 points higher, very interesting, very interesting indeed ...

… or no. Actually not interesting. At all. Terrible. Shameful. Not interesting. Look: If you don't want to vote for Craig Biggio, don't vote for him. If you don't want to vote for him because you suspect him of something that you have absolutely no proof, hey, it's your vote, and you have a right to cast it your way as long as you have it. But to publicly charge someone with something without even the slightly bit of evidence beyond counterfeit timelines and amateurish statistical analysis should be beneath a Hall of Fame voter … or anyone else.

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/40513908/