The semester is winding down here in C-Ville, but the Champs and Chumps just keep on coming! I can’t let this column go buy without mentioning John Arne Riise’s own goal in the Liverpool-Chelsea match. Liverpool was beating Chelsea, until Riise scored the equalizer on his own team in the Champions League Semifinal. Whoops… I guess I should give you a great goal to balance it out; so here’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s amazing backheel score against Aston Villa. Enjoy.
It bears mentioning that the speculation about this year’s number one NFL draft pick is over. The Miami Dolphins have negotiated a contract with Michigan OT Jake Long. When the Tuna draft him on Saturday, Long gets $30 million guaranteed and the prestige of going first overall. Bill Parcells was playing it safe by negotiating ahead of time. Nobody wanted to see another JaMarcus Russell-type incident.
This week’s Champ comes to us from the world of professional basketball. Everyone knows that LeBron James is on top of his game as the NBA’s most marketable and recognizable player. He recently became the third male to ever grace the cover of Vogue, posing with Gisele Bündchen (watch out Tom Brady!) Oh, did I mention that he can also throw down on the court? The Washington Wizards’ Gilbert Arenas came into the Eastern Conference playoffs talking a lot of trash. Maybe Arenas should worry less about Cleveland and more about himself. LeBron scored 32 and 30 points in Games 1 and 2 of the series, respectively. The Wizards need to step it up on Thursday night or else they are headed home for the season. LeBron should just keep doing whatever he is doing.
Ah, Free Shoes U. We knew it was only a matter of time before one of the Sunshine State’s big three had some kind of off-season mishap. Florida State WR Preston Parker was arrested on the typical package of charges. Parker gets an honorable mention in this Week’s Chump of the Week.
Who does that leave reigning Chump Supreme? Why, none other than Chad Johnson and the Cincinnati Bengals! Johnson, angling for a trade, has voiced publicly that he will sit out this season if he is not appeased. Cincy coach Marvin Lewis to Chad Johnson: Fine. Sit out then. Washington Redskins to Cincy: We’ll take him! Cincy to Washington: No.
I think the Bengals are passing up a prime opportunity to get rid of a guy who is a loud mouth, obnoxious, not real popular in the locker room, and a cancer on the team just to prove a point. They don’t want to give into his demands, so the team just lost the chance at snagging two first round picks in the next two years. I don’t evens see why Johnson wants a trade. Carson Palmer is a decent quarterback, and any team with a better one is not in the market for a wide receiver. This is turning into a lose-lose situation for everyone involved.
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