in an altercation with his then fiancé, which resulted with him knocking her unconscious and dragging her out of an elevator. What do you think of the suspension? Does the punishment fit the crime, or was it not severe enough?
Spencer-
Obviously the biggest problem with Ray Rice's suspension is the fact that two games seems extremely forgiving for something as serious as domestic violence. Not only did he break rule number one of not ever hitting a woman, but he full on knocked rung her bell and knocked her out. That's about as bad as it can get. Obviously since then he has apologized and married Janay Palmer, his fiancé at the time, but that doesn't excuse what he did. The NFL had a chance to take a stand on something that is a big problem not just in United States society, but around the world and instead they came up with a whopping two game suspension. How NFL senior vice president of labor policy Adolpho Birch defended the decision on Mike and Mike this morning is literally beyond me. They dropped the ball and we all know that. Josh Gordon is set to receive a full year suspension for failing a second drug test for a substance that is quickly becoming legal around the nation, but Ray Rice can knock out a woman and just get two games. How lopsided is that? What was even worse for me was John Harbaugh's press conference after it was announced and that the Ravens as a team said they felt shafted by the NFL for announcing the suspension on the first day of training camp. Harbaugh sounded completely idiotic saying that the suspension was "a good lesson for the kids" and all that other nonsense like it wasn't a big deal.
Oh okay John, it's not a big deal that your star running back almost ruined a woman's life. And by the way all this teaches kids is that you can get away with minimal consequences for beating up women. Way to go John. And I get that Baltimore wants to defend their teammate and Ray Rice is important to the team's success but in no way should the Ravens feel shafted by the announcement coming at the start of training camp. You all had to know it was coming, or do you all think what your teammate did was a good thing? Bunch of selfish cry babies man. Sorry your day was ruined cause you lost your running back for two measly games when it should of been eight. Complete garbage man by both the Ravens organization and the NFL. If I'm Josh Gordon, I'm fighting my year suspension till the Super Bowl after all this. Ty-
No. Ray Rice should have received at least a 4 games or 6 game suspensions. The NFL has seemed to completely change the way they dealt with these matters. On one hand I do see why someone would say that the NFL doesn’t have to deal with these manners and should let it play out in the court. Which in Ray Rices case the charges were dropped and his then fiancé has forgiven him and since married Rice. Those facts do complicate the situation but I think that the NFL had a duty to say they weren’t going to tolerate this. This is the same league that disciplined Adam “PacMan” Jones for being in constant nightclub situations without even have been convicted of anything. Yet now they decide to hand out a slap on the wrist. I understand them waiting for the law system to play out because unlike what most people believe people are innocent until proven guilty. But after the investigation they had to take a tougher stand and say that that kind of conduct isn’t tolerated under any circumstance. Instead they choose to perpetuate the notion that women aren’t as important as men. I for one am embarrassed because it reflects badly on myself as a man and it is something women have had to deal with forever and in 2014 we shouldn’t have this issue.
2. Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Archer was upset yesterday after Red Sox DH, David Ortiz, Flipped his bat following a three run home run he hit off of him, that helped Boston ultimately win the game. The "bat flip" has been a controversial topic in the MLB for a long time now, as one of the "unwritten rules" of baseball. What are your thoughts on Ortiz's bat flip and the "unwritten rule" that it is disrespectful?
Ty-
I’m pretty sure that I did a spread option before stating how much I hate the unwritten rules in baseball. I honestly think they are the dumbest things in sports. Second I hate that a celebration for hitting a home run, which is the one play in baseball that is routinely celebrated by many, is a big deal. They give out free tacos at Taco Bell when people hit home runs! But you can’t celebrate your own home run? Bruh! If it was me and I hit a home run I’m bat flipping, hitting a salute, and straight trotting around the bases. If you don’t want me to celebrate something I did in spite of you trying to stop me, then guess what? You should probably do a better job of stopping me. It is one thing to have class but it’s not like Ortiz gave Archer a derogatory gesture.
Spencer-
If any of you follow me on twitter you've seen my rants about this already, and some people have said I am biased on the subject being a huge Red Sox/Ortiz fan, but I want to start out by saying that I have never had a problem with anyone flipping their bat whether that be Ortiz, Yasiel Puig, the Upton Brothers, you name it. My biggest problem with this whole thing goes back to the unwritten rules, which I have always said are garbage. You can't run any organization, sport, business, anything, based on unwritten rules and baseball, for whatever reason, is stuck in this culture that they think it works that way. Why do you think steroids and PED's were a problem for so many year before they started testing? Ya the MLB said you shouldn't do it and amongst the players it was frowned upon and considered cheating but it was an unwritten rule, so naturally people took advantage. Now that's a little more extreme example but none the less it's all the same. If a guy wants to show boat a little bit fine. In college football they made rules to stop touchdown celebrations. In the NFL they let you do it within reason but we see guys celebrate all the time, whether that's with a dance, or giving the ball to a fan, or doing some sign or motion such as the Kaepernick muscle kiss or the Cam Newton Superman, whatever it may be. The bat flip is no more than a batters celebration and adornment of their work.
Maybe that comes off as cocky. Maybe that comes off as arrogant. If that's how that player wants to be portrayed by his or her peers and fans, then fine, but to whine and cry because a guy took you yard and pumped it up a little bit is stupid, mostly because there is no REAL rule saying he can't do that. Don't be such a baby about it. If you got a problem with it then don't leave your curveball up in the zone so the batter can crank it into the outfield bleachers. Get the guy out. How bout that? And don't tell me that because a guy flips his bat that means he deserves a fastball to the skull his next time at the plate, because that's just childish retaliation for a guy beating you. That's literally the opposite of being the bigger man. What kind of world would it be if every time someone was better than us at something, and bragged about it a little bit, we took a bat to their car to get even? You just take your loss and try to do better next time. I'm not saying I agree that guys should be all high and mighty on themselves and walk around like their shit don't stink. That wouldn't be the type of player I'd be. But I think in the nature of sports some players are like that and it's just the way it is.I'll conclude this topic with pointing out that Archer has been victim to the equivalent of bat flipping for a pitcher, with video evidence to prove it...
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black
Spencer-
Hoyer really is the starting guy in his mind right now. Obviously Johnny Football can prove otherwise in camp but I still think Hoyer will emerge as the starter come week one. By week 16 on the other hand, things could be interesting. Although I don't think Hoyer is a bad player, I doubt that he is the team's franchise guy and although he played well in his three starts last year for the Browns, it is a small sample size, and he got hurt, obviously. I don't know how he'll perform for the long haul of the season or even if he'll stay away from injuries to make it to week 16 so it's a lot of question marks for a guy who hasn't done much. We remember Ryan Fitzpatrick having five great games with the Bills a few years back and lead them to a 5-0 start, just to fall off and finish the season at .500. Another factor in all this is when you have a star quarterback as a backup, the second your starting QB struggles, fans will be immediately calling for a switch, which can be hard to deal with. We saw it with Tim Tebow and the Jets, we could see it in Cleveland where Hoyer struggles and the fans want Manziel. That could mean Manziel gets a chance to shine or doesn't have time to develop himself fully into an NFL quarterback. It's a risky situation.
Ty-
I’m not sure who will be the starter at the end of the season because you never know when injury might strike. Everything looks as though Hoyer will be the starter for the Browns on opening day. But obviously we have the preseason games for both quarterbacks to showcase what they can do. If you look back to the Seattle Seahawks situation where Russell Wilson won the job gradually in training camp after performing better in each preseason game than his last. Hoyer still has a lot to prove too because he only has a handful of NFL games under his belt. It could end up being a good thing if Manziel didn’t start right out of the gate because it gives him a chance to learn and it might simmer some of the hype if Hoyer plays well. Right now people are looking for Manziel to be a savior and the expectations should probably be tempered a lot.
Ty-
This is the age old question in sports of whether you pay a player what he has done or what you think he is going to do. I love beast mode and I respect that he wants some long-term security. I always hated the unguaranteed part of football contracts but it is part of the game. So if I’m the Seahawks I don’t pay Lynch more. He has the unfortunate position of playing one of the most disposable positions in football. 28 year-old running backs with as many miles as Lynch has on him don’t typically last much longer. The Seahawks could find a replacement for Lynch that would be a lot cheaper than even the 12 million he is making now. That being said they do need him on this team now because they rely so much on him in the running game. But paying him longterm isn’t smart because they would potentially have to replace his production in the future either way. This is because either Lynch will slow down in the next 2 years or he wont be there anymore. There is no need to commit more money.
Spencer-
No doubt that Lynch deserves his money right now. He is at his peak and for the last three or four years has lived up to his nickname "Beast Mode" time and time again. Had he not been with Seattle last year, no way that offense gets to the Super Bowl even with the defense as dominant as it was. Seattle needs him while Wilson continues to grow and there is no reason they shouldn't pay a guy who is still playing at an extremely high level. I easily understand Lynch's stance. He's looking at it as he's 28, but knows the 30's can be deadly for a running back. Also he doesn't know when his body is going to give up on him, so he wants to make sure he gets one more big pay day before there is any doubts about his ability. It's a great time for him to re-negotiate his contract. Honestly though I think it's best that the Seahawks tough it out until next year to negotiate. If that means Lynch isn't part of the team this year, so be it. Lynch has some leverage right now with a great resume to back up an extension. But Seattle has the leverage of paying his bills and with $7 Million guaranteed this season I don't think Lynch just walks away from that by holding out for the entire season. Give it a few weeks and he'll be there and Seattle can worry about renegotiating next year.
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