Arian Foster: Why Can't They All Be Like This Guy?

For those of you who haven't seen this video, it is Arian Foster's press conference after the Houston Texans signed him to a hefty new contract. Foster will make $43.5 million — nearly half of that guaranteed — over the next five years for the Texans. And needless to say, he's very appreciative.

Press conferences like this one make you despise the guys who hold out from their contracts. They make you wonder how an NFL player has the audacity to bicker with a team that is offering him $65 million dollars. No, no, no — I want $68 million. Seriously? Why can't more of them be like this guy?

A lot of fans were brought to tears by this interview today. When I turned on ESPN, I thought his mother died or something. I saw him crying, saw his very emotional demeanor, and I heard him talking about his mother. Before I saw the headlines, I actually thought he had lost a close family member. And it turns out he was just that grateful about a new contract.

People often say that athletes are overpaid. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. But when you think about sports as the biggest entertainment source in America today, how are these guys any more overpaid than actors, singers and other celebrities? No matter who it is, they have to couple their God-given talent with perseverance and hard work. Was Foster graced with natural talent? For sure. But thousands of kids are blessed enough to have that same type of talent. Thousands of kids face the adversity he faced. They don't all come out on top. But it's good to see one of the ones that does being so grateful for the opportunities he's been given and the people he has been able to help.

I don't know what Foster's first purchase will be when the Texans send him a nice big check, but I think it's a fairly safe bet that it won't be a purchase for himself. Perhaps a nice, shiny ring to put on his mother's finger will be the first item to knock off his checklist.
  

Bookie Tips: Supah Wednesday Picks

Since I haven’t been keeping up with the daily picks, I have decided that I will give you three sure fires to make up for the lost time. I’ve been on absolute fire this weekend since that epic Duke loss.

I have been watching a lot of college ball lately and I have grown to love this disgruntled UCLA team. They are playing USC who is having a down year, and UCLA looks like they are hitting their stride at the right time entering the tournament.

The Pick: UCLA (-12.5)

SMU vs. Marshall - I like this game today, going to be a close one. SMU is the 7-point dog and I think they are a lot better than that. And Marshall hasn't had any good athletes since Randy Moss left.

The Pick:  SMU (+7)

Montana vs. Weber St. - Montana has been winning me money and as much as that makes me sound like a degenerate gambler I will take it. Nothing like a Big Sky Championship game to get you through this Wednesday.

The Pick: Montana (-5)

PS. Pretty sure nothing but savages at Montana U. Nothing but beast monster when i tried to find a nice pic for you fellas.

Tweet of the Day — Mike Wallace

This tweet comes from Mike Wallace (@Wallace17_daKid), who the Pittsburgh Steelers did not slap with the franchise tag this week. Therefore, Wallace will have a first-round tender on him as he hits the free agent market. He's all buddy buddy with Ocho and the Law Firm right now. Could it be a sign? The Pats have two first rounders this year, both at the bottom of the class. Instead of taking a wideout, might they consider going after Wallace? Talk about a perfect outside receiver to stretch the field.

Probably just dreaming, but it's worth some thought.

Tweet of the Day — Stevie Johnson & Ryan Fitzpatrick

Today's Tweet of the Day comes from Stevie Johnson (@StevieJohnson13) of the Buffalo Bills. He tweeted this picture of his quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, who had "He's Back" shaved into the side of his head when his top wide receiver signed an extension with the Bills. This is primarily funny because this duo is all pumped up and shit, but Buffalo will continue to suck until the day pigs fly over their stadium.
 

Bomb Threat — Who's the Culprit?

Chowdah bringing the heat with our second edition of Bomb Threat. This one is an absolute code red. Evacuate the entire vicinity because we're talking about elite level bombs right now that do major damage. Who's the guilty party?

NBA Weekly Recap: What a Game!

Hey Chowder fans, Ed B. here. Back on our old blog, Ultimate Boston, I did some daily NBA recaps. It was fun for a while, but it got tough trying to find stuff to write about. When the only game is Milwaukee vs. Utah, there's not going to be much that's interesting to talk about.

So I decided to go with a weekly, catch all NBA write-up format. This way, I can look at only the cream of the crop in games and news for the week without fishing for stories. Obviously, if there is major NBA/Celtics news during the week, I'll have it covered. For the most part, however, my NBA talk will be held to these recaps.

Celtics Report: What a game! I know this blog is about last week technically, and the game happened this week, but this game needs to be talked about right now. The NBA suffers sometimes from lack of excitement in regular season games, and this game seemed no different in the second quarter; the Knicks were leading by twelve at one point, and it appeared to be another sub-par game amongst rivals. However, the fourth quarter and subsequent overtime showcased some of the finest in NBA basketball since the finals; it was that good. Rajon Rondo had one of the best games of his career, as did Paul Pierce, who hit a truly insane three to send the game into the extra period. The Knicks' Carmelo Anthony looked to be turning it on late in the fourth, but cooled down after Pierce's three; it was a dagger in that game. Lin showed that he still has a lot of work to do, as Rondo soundly thrashed him on both ends of the court. If that game doesn't change Ainge's mind about shopping the point guard, nothing will.

Lebron James and "The Pass"- Friday night, Lebron James had the ball with four seconds left to go in a great game vs. the Utah Jazz. James, having his best statistical season (and one of the best overall) drove to the hoop, stopped at the top of the key, dished the ball to PF Udonis Haslem, and the shot was missed. The second the shot clanked off the rim, Twitter blew up with "James choked again." Let's be honest here; it was a good pass, and the pass wasn't too far out of Haslem's comfort zone. It was a good basketball play. However, the problem is this: James is the best player on that team, and NEEDS to take that shot. Nine times out of ten, would Jordan pass it off in that situation? Kobe? Larry? No, because they realized that they were the best on their respective teams. Lebron is the alpha-dog on the Heat juggernaut, and he has to show that. Deferring to players other than Wade in that situation will never look good. If Lebron wants to be in the company of the Jordans, the Birds and the Kobes, he has to shoulder the responsibility of being the best; physical prowess and natural talent can only take you so far. Look at Wilt Chamberlain. Nobody (at least that I can see) is deriding James because they dislike him; they're doing it because they WANT to see the most naturally gifted player of this generation put it all together and take the reigns as the one of the greats. The bad effects of "The Decision" are gone. Pure NBA fans want James to finally figure out how great he can be.

Von Wafer Memorial Boneheaded Play of the Week - Who doesn't love a good Martell Webster play? How about that time he dunked when his team desperately needed a three? Well he didn't top last week's mistake, but this missed alley-oop was chuckle-worthy nonetheless. Expect to see this award be frequented by the likes of Javale McGee, the aforementioned Webster, and other players who seem to take a lot of bad beats on the court.

From the Vault - Each week, I'll be posting a video/clip of some classic NBA moments that I love to watch on YouTube and other video websites. This week, we get Hakeem Olajuwon vs. David Robinson from the 1995 Western Conference Finals. Just watch and enjoy.

RISING - Ersanity, Kobe's mask

STEADY - Linsanity, Rip's mask

Dead in the Water - Vinsanity, Lucious Harris' mask

Statline of the Week - Rajon Rondo: 18-20-17. That's insanity.

Follow Ed B. on Twitter for more NBA info @edbethinking

Frustration: The Word of 2012 for the Boston Bruins

There were many words that could be used to describe the calendar year of 2011 for the Boston Bruins. Hope, excitement, amazement and surreality were the words of their playoff run that culminated with a Stanley Cup championship in June. Joy, confidence and relief may have been some of the words used last November, when the Bruins bounced back from an abysmal start and regained their prowess as the class of the NHL.

As for 2012, the only word that comes to mind is frustration.

After a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday, the Bruins find themselves in a rut that has lasted quite a bit longer than expected. There have been flashes of positivity from new acquisitions Brian Rolston and Greg Zanon, but on the whole, things have not improved very much. Here are some reactionary thoughts I have after seeing the B's drop one-goal games on back-to-back days against New York teams.

Tim Thomas isn't as sharp as he needs to be.
Last season, it was the unique and incredibly effective style of Tim Thomas that catapulted the Bruins over their biggest obstacles and into the promised land by season's end. For much of this season, it has been the same story — but not consistently. Games like Sunday's affair with the Rangers are the types of games that raise concern across Bruins nation. What happens if Thomas loses his mojo in the playoffs? Boston's defense has morphed into one that concedes some chances and needs to be bailed out by their goaltender. These concerns have certainly been heightened with the loss of insurance blanket Tuukka Rask, whose injury may be pretty significant.

Too many close calls at the offensive blue line.
Many of the Bruins scoring chances are generated from their defensemen when possession has already been sustained in the offensive zone. Having said that, the B's defensemen are making way too many risky plays at the edge of their own zone that can turn into quick counter-attacks the other way. I'd like to see them start to focus their offensive zone play in the lower areas of the ice, even if it means occasionally rotating the third forward up high. We've seen the Bruins have success with that forward in the high slot before. 

We finally have a pulse coming from the third line.
Time for a little bit of optimism. We have a pulse! The third line finally showed some signs of life on Sunday when Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Caron each notched big goals for the Bruins. Having three lines that can score is a critical characteristic of successful Bruins teams. Last year, they put it together and got timely scoring from guys up and down the lineup. Right now, there are a few lines not doing much. One of them, in the past few games, anyway, is the second line. But it's not all bad news...

Brian Rolston reminds me of Mark Recchi.... a little bit.
Please don't misconstrue my words and say that I am claiming Rolston to be as good a fit as Recchi was last year. We most certainly are not at that point yet. Having said that, in the last couple of games, I've seen some progress with Rolston playing alongside linemates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Rolston is a fundamentally sound, smart veteran player with lots of experience and a Stanley Cup under his belt. That sounds a lot like Mark Recchi to me. Just remember — there were times last year when Bruins fans were calling for Claude Julien's head. Why is Recchi playing? The guy is too old. He's washed up. He's slow. He brings nothing to the table. Those fans ate their words. That leads me to my final observation...

Relax. Let the cards fall as they may.
Here's the bottom line. The Bruins went through struggles last season. Championship teams often have struggles somewhere along the line. Would anyone have thought the New York Giants were going to ride a hot streak all the way to a Super Bowl victory back in the middle of the season? For the Bruins, the top priority is getting healthy by the time their first playoff game comes around. If Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley return to the lineup, they will be exactly where they want to be. They aren't playing their best hockey right now, but just try to ask yourself — is now the time of year that you want them to play their best hockey?

Pretty simply, the answer is no. Now isn't the time to play your best hockey. Let's hope the B's are saving that for April and planning to keep it going through June once again.


Follow Derek Robinson on Twitter (@SirDRob).
 

Tweet of the Day — Chad Ochocinco

I know the day has barely even begun, but I saw this tweet late last night and could not refuse it the spot as Tweet of the Day today. Chad Ochocinco (@ochocinco) gets peed on by a real "Lion." That's priceless. Lion most definitely needed to be encompassed by quotation marks, too. Just to clarify that he was talking about a "Lion" and not a lion.

Now for the second part of this situation, which is the good part. He posted a picture an hour later...