It's both. How else can he be absolutely right unless he takes both sides of the argument?So which is it, Peter?
It's both. How else can he be absolutely right unless he takes both sides of the argument?So which is it, Peter?
In my opinion, those are a distant second or third to the Father's Day note.Leather, you are going to love Peter King's latest travel note today. As well as his thoughts on soda.
Agreed. I'm also partial to his story about the Dolphins' decision to do hard knocks. Stephen Ross didn't make his guys do it, he just told his employees that he wanted to do it and, gosh golly gee, they agreed with him.In my opinion, those are a distant second or third to the Father's Day note.
So, let me get this straight: players drafted in the top of the first round, on average, have been signed by two teams.Six years shouldn't be forever in the NFL, but looking at the top of the 2006 draft is evidence that six years is more than enough to make or break careers. The top 10 players in the 2006 NFL draft have been employed by 19 teams through six seasons -- the smart teams don't stay married to guys when either the marriage isn't working or the priorities have changed.
They let him walk...Because he would have cost too much money to retain!But I bring you this list to make a point about the Houston Texans. They had a chance to re-sign the first pick in the 2006 draft, the man they hoped would be their defensive centerpiece and lead them to multiple division titles, Mario Williams. They let him walk.
Because those guys are cheap!Instead of keeping the first pick in the 2006 draft, they chose to put their pass-rush future in the hands of the 46th pick in 2009 (Connor Barwin), the 42nd pick in 2011 (Brooks Reed) and the 26th pick this year (Whitney Mercilus).
And this is unusual...how? Are the Texans unique in that the salary cap doesn't apply to them? Is King suggesting that they should have, could have, kept all of the expensive veterans on the roster? I mean, what the fuck is the point?For a team that finally won a division and a playoff game in its 10th season, the Texans certainly made a lot of changes.
Yes. Exactly. So, again, why does this merit being your leadoff point of analysis?It's GM School 101
"Teams that suck, draft good players, who become expensive, and must be replaced with cheaper alternatives." Holy shit. He's cracked to code.These Texans illustrate the way of the world in the NFL.
And next week ...
What a pompous asshole. How the fuck do you know what me or my father would want?Don't buy your dad, or your favorite father, anything for Father's Day (June 17) until you read the column next week. I'll have at least six books (seven, if I get aggressive with my reading in the next three nights) for you to consider buying.
In order to get the books you want, you'll have plenty of time to order via Amazon (I do it a lot, and the books, even via regular mail, take three days at the most) or by going to your hometown bookstore (my preferred mode of book shopping). I look forward to this annual Monday Morning Quarterback rite of June. Hope you do too .
What's so irritating about this is that it's not really football news. I mean, teams say bullshit all the time. Look at Rex Ryan, who makes so many bullshit statements King could write a book with them if he ever felt like it. But that's not what King is pissed about. King is pissed because he thinks Harbaugh is making Peter King look like a liar, because King was one of those reporting on Manning to the Niners. It's so obvious, and so petty. Everyone with a fucking brain knows that Harbaugh is just backtracking to defuse any ill-feeling in his locker room. Christ.Well, OK. I've heard all the theories this week about why Harbaugh would say that when the 49ers were clearly very interested in Manning. Harbaugh is showing faith in Smith, mostly. And good for him for doing so.
But here are the facts: The 49ers wanted Manning. Harbaugh is parsing words. "Erroneous'' that the Niners "were flirting with Peyton Manning?'' Come now, coach. Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman flew from San Francisco to North Carolina and, in disguise (hoodies covering their heads to avoid a prying iPhoner from photographing them), watched Manning go through a throwing session. The 49ers thoroughly investigated Manning in many other ways, I'm told, and would have been thrilled if he'd called them that Monday in March and said, "I want to come play for you."
.If you follow football, you'd know that the top three quarterbacks on the Raiders roster are Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Terrelle Pryor. You're one heck of a fan if you know the fourth quarterback Oakland will bring to camp this summer
Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week
Red-eying home from Los Angeles last Tuesday night. Flight leaves at 11:45 p.m. I get to the airport at 10:30 and go to the fish place/bar near the gate. I sit at a table for four and get my computer out. I have already eaten, so I order the most interesting of a group of drab beers on tap, Stella Artois.
At 10:50, a busboy comes around and starts putting chairs up on the tables. You know, the way chairs are put up at the end of a school day, upside down, with the seat on the table and the legs in the air. The guy puts all three chairs up at my table, as if to say, Drink up, schmoe. We're closing soon. Except no one says anything.
I give the guy a look and say, "Closing soon?'' He evidently doesn't speak English. He just shrugs. Then, about five minutes later, the TVs go off. A minute later, about half the lights. A waitress goes to the front door and pulls down a metal gate to the place, then positions herself at a side door, which she loudly opens, and then just stands there.
I get the message. I pack up, walk out. Wouldn't it have been a little more civil to say, at 10:45, "Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be closing at 11. So everyone, please finish up. Thanks."
Know a lot of VPs, do ya Peter?g. Hard to imagine there's a better job being done on TV in supporting roles than by Anna Chlumsky (chief of the Vice President's staff on HBO's Veep) and Timothy Simons (the annoying liaison between the president's office and the Veep's). Chlumsky, the former child star, is positively dead-on at what I imagine the VP's chief of staff to be.
"Rest in peace, person who is only notable for being related to someone who went to school with a Daughter of Peter King."h. Rest in peace, Claire Fauci. Claire was the mom of one of daughter Laura's Tufts classmates, who was an incredibly bright light.
"Let me talk about Claire some more by not talking about Claire, but instead focusing on a football player's act. Never mind the fact that she's dead, look at what a swell guy that Michael Strahan is!"i. Thank you, Michael Strahan, for your kindness. Strahan phoned Claire a couple of weeks ago to send some cheer her way. The only team she liked was the Giants, and Strahan, because he'd done a PSA on marriage equality, which Claire strongly believed in, was her favorite player. Now Michael Strahan -- there was a man Claire loved. And he returned it in a warm phone call.
If you live in Manhattan, like Peter Warbucks. If you live in Brooklyn, or Queens, or the Bronx, or (god forbid) Staten Island, a subway ride to one or both of the parks could take 90 minutes. As always, Peter assumes that his experience mirrors that of everyone, without giving consideration to the fact that he's a member of the proverbial "1 percent". I don't begrudge him his wealth or success, I just wish he'd spend more time doing what he did to get it, and less time reminding us of it.j. Nice time at Cards-Mets Saturday afternoon. One of the great things about living in New York is being subway rides away from big-league teams
"Yes. If the poor people don't like the banishment of soda, then simply raise the price! They can afford it! And if not, then they shouldn't have the right to drink it! The rabble simply don't know whats good for them! Down with sugary drinks! *sips his venti latte with over 400 calories .* Let them drink coffee!"m. The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, is under attack because he wants to eliminate the ability of fast food places to sell super-sized sugary drinks. Under attack is putting it nicely. The papers are killing him. I think Bloomberg's doing the right thing. You can't fight the obesity epidemic in this country by suggesting mild solutions. You've got to fight it. And Bloomberg's trying. Good for him. And if people don't like it, then tax soda. Tax the daylights out of it, the way we tax cigarettes.
As long as we're all making requests, play freebird!TBC...
Why did I immediately assume this was not true?8. I think I'm not going to feed the Darrelle Revis story yet. Not until he doesn't show.
Oh right. That's why.But it's not as simple as saying he should live by the terms of his contract.
Again, call me crazy, but I get the sense that we're going to learn that King is not really a "live-by-the-terms-of-the-contract guy."I am certainly a live-by-the-terms-of-the-contract guy. The Jets paid him, on average, $16.25 million per year in the first two years of the deal. They paid that with the full expectation that Revis would be the best defensive player in football.
We could probably argue that (DeMarcus Ware would be in the discussion), but I think Revis has proven he's the best defender in the league over the past two years. The Jets are due to pay him $6.75 million, on average, in the last two years of the deal. Why set the contract up that way unless you fully intend to re-do Revis' deal after two years?
This is amazing. This fat idiot probably drinks over 1000 calories of Starbuck's Latte's per day, but he's excited that someone wants to limit how much soda someone can drink to battle obesity. He's not very smart, is he?m. The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, is under attack because he wants to eliminate the ability of fast food places to sell super-sized sugary drinks. Under attack is putting it nicely. The papers are killing him. I think Bloomberg's doing the right thing. You can't fight the obesity epidemic in this country by suggesting mild solutions. You've got to fight it. And Bloomberg's trying. Good for him. And if people don't like it, then tax soda. Tax the daylights out of it, the way we tax cigarettes.
He's right about Revis but for the wrong reasons.I can't resist. I have to pre-empt leather with my own thoughts about King's musings on Darrelle Revis:
Why did I immediately assume this was not true?
Oh right. That's why.
Again, call me crazy, but I get the sense that we're going to learn that King is not really a "live-by-the-terms-of-the-contract guy."
[/left]
Maybe they structured the contract this way because it's somewhat common for players (and their agents) to insist that contracts be front-loaded to mitigate some of the financial risk associated with long-term, non-guaranteed contracts?
If only there was a knowledgeable writer who had covered the NFL for years and could weigh in on these things....
Edit: I apologize for not thinking of a way to properly mock King's elegance in using the legal term "re-do" to describe the state of affairs here.
Is there anyone in 2012 who doesn't know that Amazon's not lying when they say "two-day shipping?" Unbelieveable.My favorite part of his Father's Day explanation is that he has to tell us how Amazon.com works. "It usually takes them three days to ship a book!" Yeah, no shit Peter but what about if you wanted to order "Abbey Road"? Can you tell us what that CD looks like and how fast it will get to my house? SPOON FEED ME, PETER! SPOON FEED ME!
Three quick responses. (And I will assume that what you say about Revis' contract is gospel truth, since I do not know the details.)He's right about Revis but for the wrong reasons.
If Revis doesn't hold out in 2012 or 2013 he becomes a free agent the day after the 2013 season ends _and_ the Jets take a $9 million cap hit for him in 2014 _and_ they can't franchise him.
If they don't extend Revis this year and he stays healthy and plays well, they are in as bad a position as you can be in with a star player a year from free agency--Revis's agent will just say give me the richest contract for a defensive player ever by the first day of training camp or my guy is going to hit the open market and blow up your cap at the same time.
I only hope he takes the time to tell me if I'd like to read that book for father's day afterwards.What's so irritating about this is that it's not really football news. I mean, teams say bullshit all the time. Look at Rex Ryan, who makes so many bullshit statements King could write a book with them if he ever felt like it.
King usually says something like, "Glad I could help."
https://twitter.com/SI_PeterKing/status/209693619332980736RT@PMGeekAndy: Your factoid of the week on the Raiders' 4th string qb was your best factoid ever ... Why thank you!
https://twitter.com/SI_PeterKing/status/209691210368032770RT @PatTh0mas: You seen what you look like? ... Yes. To be generous, I'd call myself "portly."
Three quick responses. (And I will assume that what you say about Revis' contract is gospel truth, since I do not know the details.)
First, I could make a pretty strong argument that it's better for the Jets to stick to their guns for at least another year before attempting to "re-do" the contract.Second, WTF is King talking about? If what you are saying is true, there is literally zero chance that Revis holds out this year, because it would gut all of his negotiating leverage going forward. Too bad there is not a real NFL reporter with connections who could have dug up that fact before King talked about it...
- Two years can be an eternity in the NFL, and I'd want Revis to stay healthy through this year before I tear up this contract and take on the risk of another extension.
- Revis has no leverage this year because he cannot hold out.
- Next year you're going to want to re-visit the issue, and if you have to add something up front to help Revis get over the "insult" of not restructuring his contract this year, you do it. But it's worth it (to me) because you take a year's worth of injury risk off the table.
Lastly, that provision about the cap hit the Jets have to take if he leaves as a free agent is one of the dumber things I've ever seen.
In addition to the pot/kettle dynamic, it's hilarious how ignorant he is on the issue as well.https://twitter.com/SI_PeterKing/status/209691210368032770
Really? Calorie intake in beverages is trending DOWN? But kids nowadays are so FAT... Hmmm...The industry has struggled in recent years as more health-conscious Americans have shifted away from sugary sodas toward bottled water and sports drinks like Gatorade. That's led to a 20 percent reduction in the calories consumed per capita through carbonated beverages over the last decade, according industry tracker Beverage Digest.
1) According to King, he wants to "eliminate the ability of fast food places to sell super-sized sugary drinks". Well, first off, yes. You're eliminating their ability to sell larger cups of these drinks. However, most fast food, restaurants, and movie establishments offer free refills on sodas. You're not ever actually cutting the ability of people to drink the same amount. What you are doing, however, is reducing profit margins in an industry where there's little room for profit anyways. Carbonated drinks are one of the few high margin products food places offer. Most customers won't be happy with a major pricing shift designed to bring a drink likely 1/2-1/3rd the size of what they were getting in line with what they were paying for the jumbo drink before. If it's kept the same, customers will be paying less for a smaller sized cup, but if free refills are still in effect, will still ultimately have access to the same amount of soda.m. The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, is under attack because he wants to eliminate the ability of fast food places to sell super-sized sugary drinks. Under attack is putting it nicely. The papers are killing him. I think Bloomberg's doing the right thing. You can't fight the obesity epidemic in this country by suggesting mild solutions. You've got to fight it. And Bloomberg's trying. Good for him. And if people don't like it, then tax soda. Tax the daylights out of it, the way we tax cigarettes
You forgot Oprah, who I believe actually had staff do serious research into book recommendations and then used the clout of her book club to try to get Americans to read classics.Yea. Again, he has such a huge ego that simply having an awesome, well-paying, job isn't enough. He has to be Dear Abbey, Atticus Finch, and Anthony Bourdain, too.
You missed the most basic misunderstanding in that it somehow eludes Mr. King that people switching from sugary carbonated beverages to sugary non-carbonated beverages is not progress.So, let's recap some of the fun little King... misunderstandings.
This is awesome. Because this is how he thinks, especially the bolded part."Hey, you know, I don't like to brag... but I read. Yeah, it's true. Books. Real ones, with hard covers and big words and stuff. If you want, I could put you onto a good book or two. Oh, no, don't worry about it, it's my pleasure. I find is both ennobling and humbling to be able to share my superior taste and erudition with the masses. Just trying to do my part."
He also missed how remarkably stupid it is for King to say Coca Cola and Pepsi are getting hurt by Vitamin Water and Gatorade.You missed the most basic misunderstanding in that it somehow eludes Mr. King that people switching from sugary carbonated beverages to sugary non-carbonated beverages is not progress.
This is the same guy who once wrote "Beernerdness: Gotta hand it to Fenway Park for improving the beer quality. Blue Moon on tap in the bleachers, Sam Adams summer ale and ShockTop Raspberry upstairs" and referred to Blue Moon as a "craft beer."I love the 'drab beer on tap' line. It's an airport bar, Pete. Do you expect them to have top shelf 1926 Scotch Whisky on hand?
(empahsis added).k. Beernerdness: Good job by the Mets, making Kona Longboard Lager and Brooklyn Lager available, just a few steps from our seats. CitiField respects the diverse beer drinkers
I think that Peter King thinks that he has highly exceptional beer tastes and tries to impart that on his readers every week. What he doesn't get is that the people he is targeting his opinions to fall into two categories:Does "diverse beer drinkers" refer to the diversity of beers, or the diversity of the drinkers?
Does King think that those are diverse types of beer (they aren't), or does he think of himself as an unusual beer drinker (he isn't)?
He's like, the Last Man in America to discover that shitty beer is shitty, and pats himself on the back for it every week.
Also, you know, it'll still be perfectly fine under Bloomberg's proposition to get said Big Gulp. Being sold at a convenience store, it's not subject to the ban.He dodges the question entirely. The question isn't "how much sugar is in your drink?" It's "how would you feel if Bloomberg told you that you couldn't drink your [marginally less unhealthy] beverage of your choice"?
Not only that, but the guy specifically frames the question as latte vs 20oz Coke and King responds with latte vs 28 or 44oz Big Gulp.He dodges the question entirely. The question isn't "how much sugar is in your drink?" It's "how would you feel if Bloomberg told you that you couldn't drink your [marginally less unhealthy] beverage of your choice"?
He's not a grown man, dirty. He's a proud COFFEENERD!As a grown man, he drinks a triple grande hazelnut latte every day? That's pretty great.
The sad thing is that, like the college kid who pretends to love Jazz but only owns Kind of Blue and doesn't know Coltrane is on it, King actually thinks he's a coffeenerd.He's not a grown man, dirty. He's a proud COFFEENERD!
His belief that Starbucks is a top rate coffeehouse combined with his bitching about the beer options in an airport lounge is really all you need to know about Peter King and the sophistication of his personal tastes.The sad thing is that, like the college kid who pretends to love Jazz but only owns Kind of Blue and doesn't know Coltrane is on it, King actually thinks he's a coffeenerd.
You can drink whatever you want but pretending that Starbucks makes you sophisticated or cultured is just sad. Not realizing that your pumpkin lates and somebody else's megasoda are, like, exactly the same thing shows a level of empathy and respect for other's autonomy normally found in 13 year olds.