Sports Agenda for Wednesday (9/19/12)
Big Story:
The Panthers layoffs included the mascot….the mascot…more on that in a bit. Dolphins general manager put his foot in his mouth again, at least this time he didn't ask someone if they were a prostitute. Either Brian Hartline is a genius or the other Dolphins wide receivers are morons. And, why the NFL replacement refs need to be fired.
Quote of the Day:
"Chains of habit are too light be felt until they are too heavy to be broken." – Warren Buffett
Panthers:
Really Panthers? REALLY?
You fired your team mascot?!?!
Look I understand the lockout causing problems, but it's barely 48 hours old and you can the mascot.
Wow…just wow.
Look I like the Panthers and their staff are some of the nicest people in sports, and I thought what they pulled off last year was nothing short of spectacular.
That's why the lockout has me kinda ticked off about being denied hockey this year.
But back to the point, look put them on leave or something, but there's no need right now to can anyone.
If it was six months into the lockout I'd understand.
But c'mon man, you can't fire the mascot.
Sorry, that just stuck in my craw yesterday when it came out.
Miami Dolphins:
This could take a while to explain, but let's get into it.
An obnoxious and asinine fan walks up to the general manager of the Dolphins and tells him basically he should fire himself from the team.
The general manager listens and then turns to walk away and calls the guy an a$$hole under his breath.
Now Jeff Ireland is persona non grata?
Having had to deal with the public in multiple jobs in my life, I understand that sometimes they can get, well, testy for lack of better words.
There are times in any business where you would like to call people that…or worse.
You just have to walk away and when you get around other people you know, then you can let loose.
So I'll ding Ireland for that.
But….
The fan needs to be dinged as well. That's just disrespectful to do that to someone in their place of work.
I can't say that I blame Ireland for saying what he said, but I also don't know the full circumstances of what went down, so I reserve some judgment on that.
Still, if you're in the stands or protesting say whatever you want about the guy with signs or words.
If you're talking to the guy, at least show him the respect he deserves for the position he holds.
Ask him about a draft pick, what he saw in him, does he think it was a mistake. Why'd he sign this free agent and not another. So on and so forth.
But show some respect, it's just the right thing to do.
Now, on to the team.
Brian Hartline has rapidly assimilated the offense of the Dolphins to the point he is leading the team in receptions and yards.
That's what I was referencing in my comment above…either he's a football genius, or the other receivers not named Davone Bess are complete morons.
Tough call, because I have seen the others try to catch the ball.
Not pretty. Not pretty at all.
But at least Tannehill has a go-to receiver in Hartline and a solid third-down receiver in Bess.
Now, if we can get two tight ends who can catch the ball….we've got an offense!
Never thought I'd write that this year, but stranger things have happened.
NFL:
I needed a day to digest what I saw on Monday Night Football with the replacement refs.
I didn't feel any better today.
The NFL needs to settle with the NFLRA yesterday.
It's becoming just brutal to watch as players run roughshod over the refs who are completely incapable of handling the big stage.
Seriously, Deadspin had a great video of Santonio Holmes calling his own pass interference penalties and then Monday Night's game was a debacle.
No one had control on the field and no correct calls were made during a scrum in the game after a fumble.
It's just gotten out of control and someone, i.e. Roger Goodell, needs to be held accountable.
If I'm the NFLPA I'm considering a walkout due to lack of player safety with replacement refs.
But, the players aren't going to give up their checks for a bunch of refs until someone is carted off the field in bad shape.
Maybe we should call the Saints to help us out? (too soon?)
Follow me on Twitter @timkephart33
