Morning Link Dump - 01/18/11
Obligatory Sports Babe
This morning we'll go with Columbian songstress Shakira, who according to The Spoiler (or, technically it's from a Spanish site, but I heard of it by way of The Spoiler), is rumoured to be making the rounds with Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. So... that'll do.
Quote of the Day
“I wanted to further fuel them in a little of a cement—cement them in that bunker mentality of ‘us against the world.’ And so, I accept Bart’s comments for what they were, but I hope that he understands that I actually am a fan of the Jets, and Rex Ryan, and that defense. I think that they were well served by the fact that, yes they were angry and they got a little angrier, and I think it served them well on the field.” - ESPN analyst and the target of Jets linebacker Bart Scott's post-game rant, Tom Jackson, according to SportsGrid, trying to claim he predicted a Patriots blowout on Sunday to motivate New York.
And About Those Jets...
"What if the New York Jets weren't the New York Jets? What if Rex Ryan's green rogues were instead a beacon of humility—a soft-spoken franchise that didn't crow, didn't chirp, didn't predict Super Bowls, didn't crudely curse their opponents, didn't thunder at every slight real or imagined, didn't celebrate victories by running around with their arms outstretched like Boeing wings, and weren't led by a loud coach fond of distilling a team sport into a narcissistic revenge fantasy?" writes Jason Gay of the New York Times.
"It wouldn't be the same. It would be gracious. It would also be totally boring.
"Let's curb all the cheap, easy moralizing about the Despicable Jets. Time to end the caterwauling about the End of Sports Civility and the theatrical hand-wringing about the pristine sensibilities of young fans. Let's stop leaving a copy of John Wooden's 'Pyramid of Success' on Mr. Ryan's bedside table and hoping he'll transmogrify into the genteel Wizard of Westwood. Call off the town-meeting intervention with Tony Dungy, Coach K and Miss Manners. The pitchfork parade of Jets haters, so eager to see Earth's Most Obnoxious Team get a comeuppance, has officially become prissy, joyless and soooo last week."
Crosby Making A Stand?
"Even though Sidney Crosby is a shoo-in to be chosen Tuesday as one of the captains who will pick the teams for the NHL all-star game, do not be surprised if he declines to participate, even if he recovers from his concussion," says a juicy report full of unnamed sources from the Globe and Mail.
"The word filtering out of the Pittsburgh Penguins is that Crosby is an angry young man, angry enough to pull his considerable star presence from one of the league’s showcase events because he does not think the NHL is doing enough to protect its players. An NHL source said Crosby is not likely to tell the NHL he is withdrawing from the all-star game to protest the fact neither player who hit him on the head was suspended. However, he could easily decline and cite the need for complete recovery from a mild concussion.
"The source said Crosby, who showed up at the all-star game in Montreal two years ago even though he sustained a knee injury and could not play, is not inclined to do any more such favours right now."
Why You Won't See An NFL Team In LA Anytime Soon...
"All national revenues, such as sales of television rights, are divided 32 ways," concludes a report, also from the Globe and Mail, on why the NFL isn't likely to return to Los Angeles in the near term. "Each NFL franchise receives an equal share. It is impossible to say how important national revenues are relative to other revenues for the league as a whole, as only one NFL team -- the publicly owned, small-market Green Bay Packers -- makes its financial information publicly available. In 2010, three-fifths of the Packer’s income - $157- out of $258-million – came from its 1/32 share of national revenues.
"The revenue sharing system means there is little incentive for a team to move from a small to a large market. Yes, if the Vikings moved to LA, the NFL could potentially gain millions of additional Southern California viewers – and millions more in revenue. Yet the Vikings would only receive 1/32, or about 3 per cent, of that revenue. That’s not enough to offset higher stadium or property tax costs.
"Interestingly enough, however, the overall effect of equal revenue sharing on total profits is ambiguous. Yes, incentives to move to large revenue-generating markets are muted, dampening national TV and other revenues. At the same time, the revenue protection created by equal sharing means that teams are very mobile. That mobility allows franchises to push for taxpayer subsidies, lowering costs."
Quote of the Day II
"Aaron is the best QB and the receiving corps is the best ever, maybe. But [defensive coordinator] Dom [Capers] and the defense gets the MVP award at this stage." - Brett Favre trying to ingratiating himself to Packers fans in an email to ESPN's Ed Werder, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Quickly
This was a little too earnest and uplifting to me, but some people liked it: the butterfly effect as applied to football (aka soccer) via Who Ate All The Pies.
The Daily What spotted some strange wording in the New Orleans Times-Picayune-- and I don't just mean "Picayune."
For those of you who missed 60 Minutes on Sunday while football was on (read: everyone) CBS News has posted their segment on Bill Walters, "the most dangerous gambler in Las Vegas." (Bonus: as reported by some hot foreign girl.)
I figured that this Lego recreation of Ohio State's stadium (as seen on Lost Lettermen) was going to be impressive-- but I had no idea it would be this impressive.
Incase You Didn't Believe It's Cold in Yellowknife...
Apparently when it's - 30 C, boiling water instantly evaporates when you throw it in the air. Who knew?
