Lou Pickney's Online Commentary
Fanning The Fire
Sunday
September 28, 2003
It's looking more and more like Ohio State RB Maurice Clarett is going to take his challenge of the NFL's early-entry policy all the way. His attorney filed papers in court officially fighting the policy, which prohibits a player from entering until three years after his high school graduation.
There are some who support the policy, saying that younger, less mature players aren't ready for the NFL. Moreover, the NCAA fears that what has happened in basketball with happen in football, with guys leaving school after one year, or bypassing the college process altogher (Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, etc.)
Would that happen in the NFL? Perhaps so. You might see more guys decide to take a shot at the financial gains that can be attained. But, overall, I think its impact won't be as bad as some fear.
With the NBA, a player needs to be a first round pick to get guaranteed cash. In the NFL, however, guaranteed cash all but doesn't exist. Moreover, given the physical differences between basketball and football, having those extras years to grow and mature can make all the difference. At 17, LeBron James had the capacity to play at the NBA level. But I daresay that there are no 17 year olds who have the physical prowess to play in the brutally tough NFL.
Maurice Clarett is an exception, a physically skilled player with great instincts and breakaway speed. He also plays at running back, a position with one of the easiest learning curves around (which is why you see a disproportionate number of running backs excel as rookies compared with, say, wide receivers, linebackers or quarterbacks).
The sad reality is that the rule change probably will entice some players to leave early and end up on the outside looking in. But, in the grand scheme of things, I really doubt that it will have any sort of major impact beyond two or three supremely gifted athletes per year. And if they have the skills to play in the NFL, I say let them. They're adults, and thus should be given the opportunity to work just like any other adults.
I won't be winning my NFL pick 'em this week at work. My upset special of Tennessee beating Pittsburgh worked like a charm. Unfortunately, upsets by Philly, Houston and Cincinnati have me on the outside looking in. Though if this will get the "you always win" comments to subside, then so be it.
We're gearing up for some great things with the forthcoming VIP website for Bubba The Love Sponge. I'm anticipating some really strong sales, as we have some products in development that I think people are going to enjoy. The forthcoming DVD/CD four disc package is going to be quite something. I haven't heard the three audio discs yet, but knowing the material that Spice Boy had to work with, it should be really good. The best of "sex calls" CD should be tremendous.
Less than one week from now, Radiohead is playing in concert in West Palm Beach. My friend Scott Massey and I are going down for the show. Should be a great time. Radiohead is a band I've been wanting to see in concert for years, and I'm looking forward to it.
|  | Randy Savage was punked out in his hometown.
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Speaking of concerts, listen to how Randy Savage spun his disasterous concert in Treasure Island on AllHipHop.com:
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AllHipHop.com: What's a stage show like for you?
MM: It's great, we just did one called Payback for Big 3, and the whole town turned out! We had fights in the parking lot and everything like that, we actually made a mistake with the venue we picked but we turned out the town and it was crazy.
AllHipHop.com: I heard you had a problem with hecklers, do you think that will be a problem with Hulk Hogan fans?
MM: I think it's great I love it; I swear most of them changed from haters to lovers right in the middle of the song. They took off Hulk shirts and put on Macho Man shirts.
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Funny, the only people I saw getting rid of their Hogan shirts were the ones forced to by club management. As for the Macho Man shirts, those were worn by employees at Mr. B's who were given the shirts and told to wear them (with the old MachoMan.com logo). I don't have anything personal against Randy Savage (and I've never met him), but it's just a ridiculous venture for him to be undertaking.
I just now read this headline on the Drudge Report:
RESTAURANTS TO BE NAMED AFTER RADIO STATIONS... DEVELOPING...
With the modern-day radio ownership situation, many companies have gone with creating names to use on all of its stations within a given format. Clear Channel has done that with its "Kiss FM" brand (CHR, aka Contemporary Hit Radio or Top 40) and "The Bull" (country). Cox Broadcasting uses "The Point" for its 80s music stations. I'm curious as to what the full story will be about...
If you like baseball, I recommend that you check out "The Curse Of The Bambino" on HBO. As a Yankees fan, I quite enjoy seeing the Red Sox's years without a World Series title grow more and more. Though, to be fair, Chicago Cubs fans have had to wait even longer (since 1908).
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