Random Thoughts: Pushing for Leaf over Manning

by Gary Shelton on July 8, 2018 · 2 comments

in general

Sunday, 4 a.m.

Instead of a gonzo journalist, perhaps Hunter S. Thompson should have been known as a bozo journalist. It came to light this week that Thompson endorsed Ryan Leaf over Peyton Manning in 1998 draft, largely because Leaf "looked strong" and the Colts lacked a good offensive line. Thompson asked "What do you do when that freak (Warren) Sapp comes crashing in?" For the record, Manning did okay.

-- I see where Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are going to have a head-to-head showdown for $10 million. Just to make it interesting, the two will compete in 2006.

--Some odds amaze you. Jameis Winston is a long shot to win the league MVP next season, but his 50-1 odds are as good as Antonio Brown, Zeke Elliott, Eli Manning and Case Keenum. If he can come back from a three-game suspension to win MVP on a team that won five games last season, I think there will be no trouble in coachville. But I don't think that happens.

-- I love early July. Two of the bigger stories in the NFL this week questioned just what kind of meat Kirk Cousins had on the grill and that Tom Brady was ruthless in dodgeball. Next up? Has Rob Gronkowski run out of clean towels?

-- Well, the Rays softened up the Marlins for Washington, huh. On Thursday, the suddenly overconfident Marlins blew a 9-0 lead to the Nationals. Of course, the Marlins had a 9-0 lead. Then on Saturday, Mark Reynolds drove in 10 runs. So why were the Marlins so tough for the Rays?

-- Sure, guaranteed contracts (even for less money) would help NFL players a lot. But unless I'm wrong, the owners would lock the stadiums and go home before they let that happen.

-- I'm not saying that England is excited to be in the World Cup semifinals, but word is the country is considering adding a fourth lion.

-- Laughed at  Alan Dershowitz, who said that defending O.J. Simpson was easier than backing Donald Trump. Added Dershowitz: Or Claus von Bulow or Leona Helmsley or Michael Milken or Mike Tyson. This is much worse than all that."

--Let's see: Before it's done, the Rays could have traded four starting pitchers, three outfielders, four relievers and three infielders over the last year. Will the last Ray out of town please switch off the light?

-- A thought about the Tour de France. Is anyone still using Lance Armstrong's blood?

-- I see where Carlos Gomez apologized to the Gatorade Coolers he wrecked. Next, he'll apologize to the Rays'  lineup card, which is also smashed.

-- I'm hardly a fashion critic, but did you catch the outfit that James Harden wore to the NBA MVP award? I thought he was working for Chik-Fil-A trying to get you to leave the cows alone.

-- You simply cannot take the internet seriously. The latest example was by fansided.com, which announced the Mount Rushmore of the Cleveland Browns. Before you envision what a massive mountain that must be, considering the lack of success, consider this: Jim Brown didn't make it. That's right, a guy who might be the best player ever was left off the four-man unit by the Browns. So who's making this list --  the ex-Browns general managers? You don't talk about mountains without mentioning Everest, okay?

-- Speaking of Mount Rushmore, which gets fairly busy in the off-season, NFL.com polled players. The players who received the most votes were Tom Brady, Lawrence Taylor, Barry Sanders and Deion Sanders. Jalen Ramsey suggested that his Mount Rushmore is "me with four different expressions."

-- Scott Boras, who invented money, says that Bryce Harper hasn't had a bad year, and he blames the shift for the fact his client is hitting .215. Just asking, but don't teams shift for other players, too?

--  Here's a question: If you could change one baseball rule, would it be the elimination of the designated hitter, the implementation of the universal designated hitter, limiting teams to four relievers per game or the elimination of the shift.

-- LaVar Ball says his kid, Lonzo, will make LeBron James better but only if he has the ball in his hands. That ain't going to happen, LaVar. There is such a thing as playing second fiddle, and there is the guy who is lucky to be in the band at all.

-- I think it's great that Ronda Rousey has been included in the UFC Hall of Fame. I just want to know this: Will her likeness have someone else's speaker in her face?

 

 

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