MMB

What it is!!! It's good to be back to business. I try not to make this blog too personal, but I wanted to shout out to my good friend Sie Glenn and his wife Gaby for throwing an awesome wedding this Saturday. I wish them good times and happiness on the road they are embarking upon. They certainly have a great start. On to business....

-Antonio Bryant was quietly cut from the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. Did I see this coming back in April? Absolutely not. Was I excited to see him play then? Sure was. Could I have told you two weeks ago that he was going to be the odd man out? (Nodding head yes.) Yes, I had information from an inside source that was playing for the Bengals, but the point I wanted to make is this; Terrell Owens has been branded a cancer and bad for the locker room, and been assumed guilty of just about everything besides treason, and in reality, the dude has never been in trouble off the field, always competed, and been one of the more entertaining players around. Sad as it is to admit, we as fans DON'T know it all, and sometimes believing something just because ESPN reports it is akin to trusting a veterinarian to fix your broken leg. Might work, but I'm not going to be the one to trust it. Does John Clayton look like a guy you are going to divulge information about your team to if you play in the NFL? Search your sources, and like the knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, choose wisely.

-Manny going to the Sox? Shocker. I think its a good fit for him. He always does well after a change in scenery, and I think Ozzie Guillen's management style fits him better than some of his previous bosses. Wait and see though, at 38 you have to wonder how much more his body has left in it.

-Aaron Rodgers looks on fire this season. After riding the pine for three years behind Brett Favre, Rodgers has progressed adequately for the last two seasons, and looks primed to lead the Pack through the NFC. Sam Bradford had a much better second game than his first and looked to be settling in to the position. Alex Smith has looked steady and improved, but not to the point of celebration. I'll be periodically checking this situation throughout the season to prove my point that when it comes to football, rushing a quaterback into a starting role and not giving him time and patience and continuity is the quickest way to end a career. I'll be rooting for Alex, and my hope and hunch is he will deliver, but I think this little experiment will prove my point.

-As the dog days of August start to close down and baseball moves into the playoffs, I have to be a little surprised at the lack of excitement going on right now. If I'm Bud Selig, and NFL pre-season games and the LLWS (Little League World Series) have been more of a story than my pennant chase, I think I need to take a look at some changes to spruce up my league, other than just wearing Old School uniforms every few games. Give me some time to think this one over, and if you have any ideas send them to us. Baseball deserves saving.

-Bob Bradley got a four year extension from USA soccer. I will never profess to love soccer, nor be an expert on it, but this confirms to me my earlier suspicions; namely, that USA soccer is still a long way from being a top dog. If you rehire the guy who continually made even the ESPN commentators scratch their heads, it must be because no one better out there wants the job, i.e. Jurgen Klinnsmann. The guy has the track record, lives in the U.S., even laid out his would be plan for U.S. Soccer on air for ESPN, and still won't take it? If I were a speed freak DB who was too short to play in the NFL, I'd be going out to buy a soccer ball tomorrow, because you could be the next Tiger Woods. Soccer will continue to be an afterthought until a legitimate American player can dominate the striker position.

-I'm torn on the Ndamukong Suh incident. On one hand, that was vicious looking, and Jake Delhomme could have been hurt. If you haven't seen it, here is the clip. Delhomme pops up screaming at the official to do something, but the thing that gets me here is this. IT'S PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL, JAKE! IT'S THE NFL!!! This isn't synchronized swimming!!! All Dan Hawkins impressions aside, it kind of ticks me off that he complains right off the bat to the ref. Where is an O lineman to come shove Suh away, too? For a game that touts toughness and strength and just general herculean effort and gladiator-like competition, I wonder if we aren't protecting the quarterback too much at times. No one wants to see Jim Sorgi play instead of Peyton Manning, I get that, but maybe Sorgi is pretty good, and we're missing out on the next Matt Cassel or Jeff Hostetler or Kurt Warner. If girls in lingerie can play on shoddy astro turf, the Jake Delhomme can man up on this one.

-Cookie monster has a twitter account. Oh My Hell.

-Three days and counting....................I'm talking to you Ute fans, but in the meantime, here are some Mike Shinoda mixtapes to get you jacked for kickoff. Keep it Fresh, BBear Out.