
For those of who don’t think the 49ers didn’t do enough on Day 1 of free agency, you’re right. They didn’t.
But Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News, who knows more about football than any of you, reminded us of this:
“Here's Rule No. 1 in NFL free agency -- never sign a player on the opening day. That's when the crazy money is spent, the crazy contracts signed. The fans may love it, viewing every dollar spent as a sign of a commitment to winning by their team. But, oh, the mistakes that are made. Many of these new millionaires become salary-cap hits waiting to happen . . . The bottom line -- those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
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On the other hand, yay burning money, Gosselin you cranky old bastard!
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Now, some hockey, if only to give you a break from the flood of Warrior spit-kisses. First, this tweet from DetroitHockey.Net:
“@detroithockey96 Toronto gets an outdoor game to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the rest of the owners getting together to screw Toronto's owner.”
News
And it’s true. The other owners in the National Hockey Association actually disbanded their league in 1917 and then reformed as the National Hockey League, only without Toronto owner Eddie Livingstone, who was regarded as a monumental pain in the ass (and when owners band together to call someone else too much of a pain in the ass to deal with, you’ve got yourself an epochal ass pain).
Yay Al Davis for not being a hockey owner a century ago!
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More hockey. You should read Scott Price’s Sports Illustrated story on Patrick Kane and draw your own conclusions, but you MUST read Doug Gilmour’s piece on the younger Doug Gilmour in StareAtTheMirrorWhileHighOnPeyote.com . . . er, the Players’ Tribune: The highlight is his description of his first meeting with Toronto Maple Leafs coach Pat Burns:
“When he arrives in Toronto that summer, he’s going to call you on the phone and tell you that he wants to meet you in person. Sit down. Have a beer. Talk. So he’s going to give you an address. You’re going to hop in a cab. And you’re going to drive through an interesting part of town. You’re going to meet your new coach at a . . . well, at a gentlemen’s establishment. Don’t tell your mother.
“You’re going to sit with Pat and have many, many cold drinks and talk about what you want to accomplish together, what you want the team to be. You’re going to talk like human beings.
“And when people there start to recognize you, you’re going to hop in a cab and pick up the conversation at the next joint. This will go on for hours. After 10 beers, you will have planned out the ’93 Toronto Maple Leafs. You will have planned out how to not stink. How to win.
“Pat will say, ‘Doug, I need you to be the best player in practice. Every day.’ And you will say, ‘Pat, yes. Yes. I will do that.’ And Pat will say, ‘If you do that, everybody else will follow.’ And you will say, ‘Pat, I’m not sure I can stand up.’ And you will stumble into a cab and go home.”
Yay coaches who like to drink beer!
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And even more hockey. Wednesday’s Nashville-Calgary game was the first in league history to feature two black officials, linesmen Jay Sharrers & Shandor Alphonso. Nobody noticed, mostly because there were no fights.
Yay progress!
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Now over to someone who believe he is the best hockey player ever, Jim Harbaugh – because when you’re perpetually 12 years old, there is nothing you can’t do. From the Detroit News’ Angelique Chengelis, capturing Harbaugh’s interview with notorious Bolshevik and cheesemaker Rick Eisen and his remarks about having his Florida camp:
“When did the sanctity of spring break become such a hallowed experience? When did that take place? That’s more important than Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Easter, or Thanksgiving? Spring break is drinking, and . . . it seems very unhealthy. My memories of it and what has transpired to the present day, it does not seem like something you can’t afford to miss. I think we can all afford to miss that.”
Jim Harbaugh, temperance hectorer.
Then he dropped his favorite response about the mini-controversy: “In my America you’re allowed to cross state borders and travel the great United States.”
Then he decided it would be good to be a political operative and potential influence peddler.
That’s Judge Judy, which makes me think Jimmy thinks the one thing he lacks in his pursuit of Ohio State is a small claims court judge.
Yay thinking about being a lobbyist when coaching is done!
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Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post tells us that the NBA admitted several officiating mistakes in the Wizards’ 116-109 loss to Portland, and we would of course laugh at this except for the fact that Washington is only 2 ½ games out of the eighth playoff spot in the East and might have actually needed the game for a tangible reason.
This would never have happened, of course, if Joey Crawford were back from his injury. Yay idol worship!
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And finally, here’s to John Elway, who decided to get a bit pissy about Brock Osweiler leaving the Broncos quarterbackless by signing with the Houston Texans:
“We’ve stayed true to our philosophy of building a team with players who want to be Denver Broncos and want to be here. That’s been a successful approach for us,” he said.
“While we did offer a very competitive and fair long-term contract to Brock, we ultimately had to remain disciplined while continuing to assemble a roster that can compete for championships.”
A player with leverage using it – what a creep. Yay Elway forgetting what he did in 1983 when he had leverage!