Perry's Perspectives -I Paid My Taxes, Why Do I Keep Seeing Matt Millen on TV?
You have to question why ESPN and the ABC television network would hire former Detroit Lions general manager Matt Millen so quickly after he was terminated by the NFL team. Did they think that a person such as Millen would be a hot commodity after assembling a team that was the first in NFL history to compile a 0-16 regular season record?
ABC did a good job of cleaning out their closet when they replaced Tony Kornheiser with Jon Gruden in the Monday Night Football booth earlier this year. Broadcasts often became difficult to endure when Kornheiser rambled on about Brett Favre or something else that had nothing to do with the game at hand. Gruden has a great personality and will appeal to both the person who watches football occassionally, but is also someone who garners a whole lot more respect from the astute football follower as well. The reasoning behind this is simple: Gruden is a winner as a leader, and Millen is a loser. So what if Matt Millen calls a good NFL game, a ton of people can announce a decent sporting event. What separates a decent announcing crew from a great one is having a football mind in the booth that knows the game. Fox has it with Jimmy Johnson in the booth, and Troy Aikman calling games. Same with NBC with Tony Dungy in the booth, and Cris Collinsworth announcing Sunday night games.
Matt Millen was GM of the Detroit Lions from 2000-2008, and you know how many players that he drafted are stiill on the team? One (Linebacker Ernie Sims, 1st round pick in 2006). How can you take much that Millen says seriously when he assessing a player during a broadcast after his track record in Detroit. Shame on you ESPN for hiring this guy. Plenty of other more deserving former players (Cris Carter anyone?) or coaches out there who should have had the chance to be in the booth instead of Matt Millen. I just hope that when Gruden leaves the booth to replace Charlie Weis at Notre Dame in the next year or two, that ESPN doesn't replace him with Millen.
From Now on, Bases Loaded with Excitement
One week left in the regular season in baseball, and there still is plenty of drama to be unfolded. The Detroit Tigers hold just a slight two game lead at the moment in the AL Central over the Minnesota Twins, and the two squads are just beginning an enormous four-game series against each other. Another tight race with playoff implications takes place regarding the National League wild card standings where Colorado holds a slim two game lead over the red-hot Atlanta Braves.
Many say that whoever wins the AL Central is a moot point, because they will be the sacrifical lamb to the New York Yankees, when they meet in the divisional playoffs. In head-to-head meetings this year, the Yanks were 7-0 against the Twins and 5-1 against the Tigers.
The Rockies also may be a bit of a weak link in the National League, because they dont have that perennial all-star player that even teams like the Twins have in Joe Mauer, but they are just a bunch of scrappy, overachieving players who played some great team baseball during the 2nd half of the regular season.
I think we will be in for a great postseason in baseball in 2009. The Yankees are so desperately craving their first World Series since 2000. Boston wants to show the Yanks that the Red Sox are indeed the team of the 00's, gunning for their third World Series title of the decade. Then there's Joe Torre who wants to show the Steinbrenner's that he still has game, by leading the Dodgers to their first World Series title since '88 when Kirk Gibson and company shocked us all. The Cardinals have the most electrifying player in the game in Albert Pujols, and arguably the best one-two starting pitching combo in Cris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Let us not also not underestimate the heart of a champion, as the Phillies will once again be in the playoffs. Lets play ball!
Perry's Performer of the Week: Peyton Manning. Six days after winning a hard fought game on the road in Miami on Monday Night Football, this guy throws for 379 yards and 4 TDs in front of another hostile environment in Arizona. This guy is amazing, and will only get better this season when Anthony Gonzalez returns.
Perry's Pet of the Week (Off to the Doghouse You Go!) : Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn. Whenever you are playing a subpar team like the Lions, just implore the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method and run the ball out of the gate with Clinton Portis. Zorn had Jason Campbell passing too much early on, and when Detroit got out to a 13-0 lead, Washington was forced to have Campbell throw more again to stay competitive.