I found it incredibly ironic that one of the biggest family men in the PGA, Phil Mickelson, put together a great final round and ended up beating Tiger Woods et al. to win the Masters for the third time in his career.
(Full disclosure. My personal “transition time” will be taking a severe beating the next few weeks. I am in the middle of a basement renovation and my wife “volunteered” me to help our contractor put up the dry wall on the ceiling. I blame you Mike Holmes.)
And now onto this week’s questions.
Name: Kevin
Comment: Hello Jim, since you are up with the NFL; what are your thoughts on the Rams looking at taking Sam Bradford instead of Ndamukong Suh? I believe Suh is a beast and I think you take a QB in a later round and teach him. I would take Suh and grab a QB later. There will be a couple of decent QB prospects in Round 2, but there will be no one like Suh left in Round 2.
Answer: Hi Kevin. The countdown to the first round of the NFL draft is on in a big way. You are right; Nebraska Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh is a beast. Suh is also a franchise defensive lineman that can start immediately. Here’s the dilemma for the Rams. They have so many holes in their line-up that it’s hard to know where to start. There’s no doubt that Steve Spagnuolo would love to add a stud like Suh to the Rams defence. But there’s a real feeling in St. Louis that they need a quarterback that can start as a rookie. Especially after seeing what Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco did, the Rams will be gambling that Sam Bradford could do the same. Now the Rams could take Suh in the first round, and then still take a quarterback like Dan LeFevour, or Colt McCoy who could still be on the board for their second round pick, 33rd over-all. But after watching Sam Bradford in his pro day workout, it’s all but a done deal that the Rams will take the Oklahoma quarterback with the first pick in this year’s draft.
I know this, the Detroit Lions are praying to the football gods that the Rams take Bradford so they can grab Suh with the second pick overall. The Redskins acquisition of Donovan McNabb definitely changes the dynamics of the first round. I can’t see Mike Shanahan not taking a big offensive tackle like Trent Williams or Russell Okung with their fourth pick. I will be fascinated to see where quarterbacks like Jimmy Clausen and Tim Tebow end up. Look for some teams to make some deals on draft day to move up and down the first round.
Name: Richard
Comment: O dear wise one, now that the NHL regular season is over, and the Rangers and Thrashers have…um…”soiled” the bed once again, would you please explain to this simple plebeian how Glen Sather and ‘Teflon’ Don Waddell manage to keep their jobs year after year? A thousand thank yous.
Answer: Hi Richard. Let’s start with Don Waddell. Being the GM of the Thrashers is the closest thing to the witness protection program you can find in professional sports. Nobody in Atlanta cares about the Thrashers. Not the fans, not the media, nobody. Waddell keeps his job because he takes next to no heat in a city that is far more fixated on every sport and every league, but the NHL. High school football and basketball in Atlanta get more coverage in the newspaper than the Thrashers.
The Glen Sather situation is another story altogether. Good old Slats has been milking his glory days with the Oilers for all it’s worth. Now, Sather must answer to some angry Rangers fans for all his bad contracts and the failure to get into the post-season. Chris Drury will be an $8 million cap hit next year. Wade Redden will be a $6.5 million cap hit. So for a cap hit next year of $14.5 million dollars, the Rangers received a measly 16 goals and 46 points between the two players this past year. Last year, my colleague Mike Brophy wrote this compelling column on the ongoing failures of Sather in New York.
As to how Sather keeps his job; that is a question that will ultimately be answered by James Dolan at MSG. I will believe that change is coming in New York when I see it.
Name: Brad
Comment: Hi Jim, when talk turns to moving NHL franchises, luxury boxes and corporate sponsorship are brought up as must-haves for a prospective team (e.g., Winnipeg). What I would like to know is how much money can be brought in from TV revenue? I am convinced that most/all Canadian markets can and do make a lot of money off of televised games (not to mention PPV). On the other hand, I would argue the same cannot be said for most US markets. So, how do these numbers stack up against revenues from luxury boxes?
Answer: Hi Brad. I have no doubt that Winnipeg could support an NHL team. If the Peg ever gets a team, it wouldn’t be out of line to expect them to generate anywhere from $6 to $8 million a year in television revenue. As you would expect, teams like Toronto and Montreal make more money off of their TV deals than say the Flames or the Oilers. Now having said all that, the Flames and Oilers do way better than most American NHL teams with their TV deals.
The Canadian Press published a story in 2008 that said that 31% of ticket revenue from the entire NHL was generated by the six Canadian based teams. It is only logical to assume that if Winnipeg gets a team; then that number will go up. The average Canadian sports fan will go out of their way to watch an NHL game on TV. While there are some American teams in the NHL with a loyal fan base, they just don’t have consistent TV numbers to compete with ratings in Canada. Luxury box revenue is a different story. Because of the laws of supply and demand, Canadian NHL teams can charge big money for their private boxes and still sell them.
At the American Airlines Center, home of the Dallas Stars, you can rent an 18 person private suite for $3,750 dollars. That cost includes food, beverages and parking passes. At the Bell Centre in Montreal, you can rent a 12 person luxury suite starting at $4,000 dollars. That price includes two parking spots, a hostess and an open bar. So the big difference is the television revenue and that’s where a team like the Canadiens will always have a big advantage over a team like the Stars.
Name: Stacey at the U of T
Comment: Hi Jim, your colleague Don Taylor often mentions players he feels belong on the NHL’s All-Name team. I’m interested in hearing what Clubber’s All-Name team would sound like, but to open it up a bit, how about we put all the other professional sports leagues into the mix?
Answer: NFL – Former Browns wide receiver – Fair Hooker
NBA – Former Cavs guard World B. Free
MLB – Former Philadelphia A’s pitcher – Chief Bender
MLB – Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown – a three fingered pitcher from the turn of last century who threw 55 shutouts
XFL – He Hate Me (Rod Smart)
Australian Soccer – Norman Conquest
Ipswich town and Colchester United– Lee Beevers
CFL – Junior Ah You – Alouettes Defensive End
NBA – Carlos Boozer – great player – an even better name
MLB – Rusty Kuntz – former Tigers DH
NCAA Football – Former Nebraska Cornhusker – I.M. Hipp
NFL – Colts safety Melvin Bullitt – anyone named after Steve McQueen’s greatest movie character (Frank Bullitt and all time best chase scene) is alright in my books.
Don’t forget some of these gems:
God Shamgod
Spud Webb
Madison Hedgecock
Pete LaCock (former Royal and Cub)
Cookie Gilchrist (punishing fullback in the CFL and the old AFL)
Don Sweet (Alouettes kicker)
I am sure I forgot some other great names. That’s the one thing about sports, it always produces athletes with incredibly unique names.
Name: Spence in Vancouver
Comment: Love the weekly column, Jim! Although it’s NHL playoff fever here in Vancouver right now, I have a basketball question for you: Who do you think is the best “small” player ever to play in the NBA? I grew up a huge Muggsy Bogues fan, but am interested in your response. Cheers!
Answer: Hey Spence, Muggsy Bogues is a good choice. However, I might have to go with five foot seven inch Spudd Webb as one of the best “small men” to play in the NBA. The dude won the NBA’s slam dunk contest in 1986. Maybe the best of the best of NBA little men was Nate “Tony” Archibald. Standing a mere 6’ 1” and weighing a slight 160 pounds, Archibald was a 6-time all star, an NBA champ with the Celtics and a member of the hall of fame. Allen Iverson wasn’t far off.
Name: Nasib
Comment: Hi Jim, Who do you think the Oilers will draft this year? And also do you think the Oilers will try to get Toronto’s first round pick from Boston?
Answer: Hi Nasib. First off, since the Oilers finished 30th, they will have the best odds of winning the draft lottery. So they don’t need to swing any deals. I am sure Steve Tambellini and Kevin Lowe will do their due diligence. But at the end of the day, I can’t see how the Oilers won’t take Taylor Hall from the Windsor Spitfires.
Name: David in Toronto
Comment: Hi Jim! Do you think that if I put mushrooms, cheese AND eggplant on my California Sandwiches, chicken cutlet sandwich, I am overdoing it? Am I obstructing the pure essence of the polygamist marriage between chicken, flour, tomato sauce, oil and bun… with these intruders??…or should they be welcomed into this Epicurean Orgy?
Keep up the great work!
Answer: Hi David, you bring up a difficult scenario. I have always believed in the “code” that no man has the right to tell another man what to put on his sandwich. Personally, I don’t think it is possible to overdo a delectable chicken cutlet sandwich. David, if you feel like loading it up with the works, then go for it.
Just a heads up. With the NFL draft coming up, I am busy working on a mock draft for the website. So Ask Jim Lang will return the week of April the 26th. In the mean time, keep the questions rolling in.