Ultimate dude Christmas list…Take notes ladies

Tis’ the season to be merry, and we hear at Frank-lySports want to do everything in our power to help that.  This time, we are reaching out to our female readers(we might have two), to help them with last minute holiday gifts they can provide for their special someone.  There is probably no chance that any of these are cheap, but hey, its the thought that counts.

Also, I’d like to give a special thanks to the highly intelligent, multi-faceted, control group that helped to brainstorm ideas for the list.  Truly a talented group.

1. Super Bowl tickets-If your beau doesn’t want to go to this game, you should probably kick his ass to the curb anyway.

2.Paid admission to his favorite sports team fantasy camp-Odds are he didn’t play, was to fat, to slow, to white, or quit because of you, so give the guy a chance to live his dream.

3. NCAA Final Four tickets-see explanation to reason one…And yes ladies we are serious about that.

4. Season tickets to his favorite college/pro/minor league team-Just another great way for you to spend time(and money) with each other. They even have half season packages for most teams. Don’t buy the cheap seats either, he didn’t go cheap on your ring did he?

5.Plan a Sports-a-holic trip-Hit a multi-city, or multi-game weekend in a city you both have never been to. Check out the Phoenix Suns and Coyotes in the same week, or a college bowl game and hoops game.  He’ll never forget it and he’ll tell all of his friends.  Great way to break up those bromances ladies.

6. 40+ inch TV, hooked up complete with sports package-NFL Sunday ticket, NASCAR, NBA ticket etc(break up may immediately follow)

7. Panoramic view of his favorite stadium-good for over the fire place in your living room(don’t think he won’t suggest it), office, study, or man cave.

8. Autograph memorabilia of favorite player-personalized-Again with the brownie points.

9. Sports movie collection-There are certain movies that men must have and must watch.  Suggestions: Varsity Blues, The Program, Mighty Ducks, The Natural, Field of Dreams, Friday Night Lights, Hoosiers, Rocky, Tin Cup, Little Giants…Its a big list.

10. Favorite team/player jersey-Accessorize your man for game day, you’ll get tons of “brownie points” for that one.

All we are trying to do here is make you the best wife/girlfriend/friend with benefit/stalker that you can be.  At a minimum, this gives you tons of ammo for all the crappy gifts he’s about to give you.  For crying out loud, make us a list already!

Happy Holidays!

What to Watch-Abbreviated Weekend version

I have to plug these events because they don’t get enough pub…Don’t be afraid, give the small school football a watch, you won’t be disappointed

Division II Final
Dec 19th on ESPN
Montana vs. Richmond

Division III Final
Dec 20th 11 A.M. ESPN
Rematch of last year…
Mount Union College vs. Wisconsin Whitewater

I’m telling you, these kids can play…

I’m back baby…

Finally, the Rock has come back to the blogosphere…Err, ok, at least Jon has.  My apologies for not posting lately, many thanks to Fletch for carrying the site for a while.  There is TONS to talk about, so I’ll be getting busier as the holidays grow closer.

So what’s first, I gotta talk about Cleveland State University.  Who this week knocked off #11 Syracuse.  Yikes.  This is what kids dream about, and I’m sure that CSU’s Cedrick Jackson did to in his back yard or playground when he was a kid, draining the last second shot to win it.  No one every stands in the yard as a kid and goes,”Jon gets under the center for the Browns and its first and ten with 11:58 to go in the first quarter.” Jackson got to realize his dream, on a big stage.

The upset isn’t something that CSU has never been a part of, the got a piece of the Butler Bulldogs last January.

Jackson, who was 0-4 from behind the arc for the evening, was able to get one up against loose defense at the end of the game.  The senior guard certainly made the best of his opportunity.

Hats off to CSU.  A quick message to Syracuse, beware of those supposed “cupcakes,” its only a matter of time until you get frosting all over your face.

Maybe Cinderella has a new name already?

Omar

(I have decided to just accept the fact that I will write about the Tribe almost every single time I do this. I love them; I don’t care what anyone thinks, so there.)

 

I’ve started writing this twice now, and I keep deleting it because I don’t want to go on and on about the big names getting big money. Or how CC going to New York is a massive mistake for both parties. What I truly feel is that the Indians have one big addition that they HAVE to make.

 

Mark Shapiro has said the team has a list of needs and that they are going to attack those needs as best they can. I trust Shapiro, much more than I do Wedge, and I think that he will explore every avenue he has. That isn’t what I feel the team must do. They will get a guy to close, and they will figure out a way to sure up their infield. They may even add a number 3 or 4 starter. But I have not heard one mention of a guy named Omar.

 

I know Omar is a 40 year old shortstop. His ability is in decline, as it should be for a 40 year old man, and his days as an elite defender are in the past. However, there is something to be said for loyalty. When he left several years ago, Omar was shown the door in one of the most disgraceful moments in Indian history. No one will say it, but the fact he is older than Wedge and more respected than him is a huge reason why he was let go. Calling it a youth movement or a rebuilding move just paints over the fact that Omar was willing to stay. He asked for the type of money he deserved, and he was willing to stay with the organization he grew up in. (I also know he was a farm project in Seattle)

 

As much as Thome, Belle, and Manny leaving here hurt the moral of fans, watching arguably the most popular player in town leave because he was no longer wanted was crushing. He is at the end of his career, and he may still retire, but shouldn’t he do so in an Indian uniform? If ownership is wise, they’ll offer him a deal and let him rejoin the organization…whether he retires or not. Let him teach Cabrera how to be an elite fielder and the rest of the team how to approach the game with heart and brains all the while having a good time.

 

I truly believe that one day, Omar Vizquel will be in Cooperstown, and it is an honor having had him here for so many years. He deserves to go out wearing that familiar 13 as an Indian.

In the Fletch-Oh Plaxico

 

It may not be a popular opinion, especially throughout the five-boroughs, but the more I hear about Plaxico Burress and his latest incident the more I think he deserves everything that he gets. For a long time, athletes have been held up to a different standard, many getting a slap on the wrist for a crime that would put a normal man or woman in jail for years. Example, the fact that Jamal Lewis was sentenced to four months in prison for his cocaine deal shows that many of these guys can get away with anything. That is, unless it involves the crazy folks from PETA.

 

I believe that it was with the things that happened to and around Michael Vick shows that the “above the law” status of professional athletes is crumbling.

 

What Burress did was stupid, and not in the sense of he did something dumb by bringing a loaded gun into a nightclub. I mean stupid in the vane of who the hell sticks a loaded pistol into the elastic of a pair of sweatpants? Was anyone surprised that the gun slipped out of its place?

 

The fact that he didn’t hurt anyone else is very lucky for him, and that may be the only thing that keeps him out of jail. He shot himself in the leg, and from what I’ve heard it isn’t too serious. But the question must be raised as to why he thought he needed to bring the gun with him.

 

To his credit, he made it known that he had the weapon. The club knew he was carrying it and they let him in, even though it was forbidden, because they couldn’t tell a millionaire athlete to piss off. This man isn’t a trained professional; he’s a kid who THINKS he needs it because he isn’t smart enough to leave his cash at the bank. From a report I heard, Burress felt the gun necessary because he carries thousands of dollars in cash and wears thousands more in jewelry. Here is a thought, leave the money, gun and jewelry at home! A debit card works just as well as cash, and it takes up a lot loss room that a stack of cash and a pistol with a way too sensitive trigger.

 

New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has come out and said that he wants Burress prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and I agree. Burress will go and spend a million dollars on a legal team that will get him by with a fine and a “don’t do that again” punishment, but maybe, just maybe, if he were to get the type of punishment I would get if I were to do the same thing, some of these guys would GROW UP! You are an athlete, not a GOD.

 

Roger Goodell has made it very obvious that he isn’t going to deal with this type of stuff, and I expect Plaxico to be suspended all of next season. But, that isn’t what some of these guys need. They need to know that the NFL isn’t going to be the only judge for their actions. Burress may be a good guy, I don’t know him, but he is just adding to the long list of embarrassments the league has gone through.

Maybe it will take someone actually getting killed before anyone takes this stuff seriously. Or, maybe if a dog gets injured during the chaos, PETA will jump in and make sure someone gets in real trouble.