Wednesday, February 03 2010
In just over a month, the NFL is planning to remove its salary cap and toss it away like an old frisbee. In just over a year, once the current collective bargaining agreement expires and after more than 20 years of labor peace, this $8 billion a year industry may lock out its players. This article was written by Gary Myers and appeared in The New York Daily News.
It's Super Bowl week - and the posturing is sure to accelerate in south Florida in the coming days. The sand is just about out of the hourglass - the new league year starts on March 5 and the landscape is about to shift with the first uncapped year since the system was instituted in 1994.
The threat of a lockout by the owners in 2011 hangs over negotiations with the NFL Players Association that have gone nowhere, at least not so far, for a league that hasn't lost any games to labor unrest since the 24-day strike in 1987.
One thing is clear: The uncapped year is not going to be a financial bonanza for the players, even if a free-spending owner like Daniel Snyder of the Redskins can whip out his checkbook without worrying about the salary cap. As part of the new rules that go into effect during this final year of the agreement, the unrestricted free agency requirement jumps from four years of service to six. The players who have finished their fourth or fifth year are now restricted free agents.
The scouting report on the UFA market? Slim pickings.
The RFA market? Lots of good players, but the original team owns right of first refusal if it makes a one-year tender offer and receives draft choice compensation if it chooses not to match. That's a big deterrent.
Further, the "Final Eight" teams that made it to the divisional round of the playoffs including the Jets - are prohibited from signing unrestricted free agents until they lose one. The Jets face even more handicaps because they advanced to the Final Four.
The uncapped year was supposed to be incentive for the owners to get a deal done, just as the change on free agent guidelines and a reduction in benefits was supposed to jumpstart the players toward an agreement. Neither side, however, has choked on the poison pills.
The owners opted out of the last two years of the deal they signed in 2006 because they say the fears they had when they reluctantly signed it have come true: Too much of the revenue goes to the players (they currently get 59.9% of revenue) while costs have escalated.
As for the players, they say, "Show us your books."
Of course, there is one obvious question for both sides: How can an $8 billion a year industry have financial issues?
"If you don't manage your business by managing your costs and revenue, you end up in trouble," commissioner Roger Goodell told the Daily News. "There is a big difference between revenue and income. There are many examples of companies with billions in revenue that are not doing very well."
"If we can't get this resolved, we will collectively be the dumbest people on the planet," says agent Neil Schwartz, who represents Jets All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis. "No one is losing money."
The ultimate pressure point doesn't come until the summer of 2011, once teams are scheduled to report to training camp. If that date comes and goes and there is no football, then as each day passes, the prospect of the season starting on time or starting at all is jeopardized.
Will the owners actually lock out its players?
"Our attention is focused on getting an agreement," Goodell says. "That is where we are devoting our energies. We will have a new agreement. It's just a matter of when."
Goodell will meet with the league's owners Saturday morning in Fort Lauderdale, one day before the Saints play the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV and one day after he gives his state of the league news conference. DeMaurice Smith, the new executive director of the NFLPA, inherited quite a mess and will answer questions from the media on Thursday.
Here's your guide to the fun and games when labor problems ruin sports:
Capped vs. uncapped?
The 2009 season was the 16th year of the salary cap. This year the cap number was $128 million. Back in '94, the first year of the cap, it was $34.6 million. Business is good. But there is also a minimum that teams are required to spend: This season, for instance, it was almost $108 million.
In an uncapped year, teams can spend as much as they want. Will the Redskins become the Yankees? No cap also means they can spend as little as they want. Will the Bengals become the Pirates? Will the disparity in talent be so great between the haves and have-nots that the "any given Sunday" hope of the underdog will vanish?
"I don't think it will have an effect on the quality of the game," Goodell says.
Teams still share 80% of their revenue, which has kept the small-market teams in business and competitive. Snyder has proven over the years that you can't buy the Super Bowl. The Patriots and Steelers never spend anywhere near the cap and they combined to win five titles in the 2000s.
Who are the big losers in an uncapped year?
There are 207 players who would have been UFAs in a capped year who now are RFAs. Teams can tender offers to their RFAs, which often scares other teams away because of the draft- pick compensation. Lavernaues Coles moved from the Jets to Redskins as an RFA in 2003 for a No. 1 pick, but it doesn't happen often. The higher the tender, the higher the draft-pick compensation.
"I anticipate most restricted guys will be tendered at a number that will allow teams to keep them," one general manager says.
That means teams can sign their RFAs to one-year contracts without the huge signing bonuses that fourth- and fifth-year UFAs have been paid since free agency began in 1993. That's a big savings.
The best RFAs who would have been UFAs: Broncos WR Brandon Marshall, Texans LB DeMeco Ryans, Cowboys WR Miles Austin, Packers S Nick Collins, Chargers WR Vincent Jackson, Jets RB Leon Washington, Jets WR Braylon Edwards, Broncos LB Elvis Dumervil, Patriots G Logan Mankins and Chargers LB Shawne Merriman.
"There's not much I can do," Jackson said on the phone about his downgraded status. "Sitting around and worrying about it is not going to accomplish anything."
He wants to remain with the Chargers, and the labor standoff does not preclude the Chargers from signing him to a long-term deal. "I'm definitely ready for whatever happens," he says.
Will the UFAs cash in with no salary cap?
The class of 2010 UFAs have been in the league at least six years. By the end of the sixth season, the best players are usually in the
middle of their second contract. That is reflected in the small number of quality UFAs who will become available March 5.
The final-year rules allow teams to protect one UFA with the franchise tag and another with the transition tag. That potentially will
take players considered game-changers off the market.
The best of the UFAs are on the defensive line: DE Julius Pepper (Panthers), DE-DT Richard Seymour (Raiders), DT Vince Wilfork (Patriots), DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (Titans), DE Jevon Kearse (Titans), DE Leonard Little (Rams) DT Casey Hampton (Steelers). The best quarterback is Chad Pennington, coming off his third shoulder operation.
"I don't see most teams spending crazy," one NFL source says. "If anything they will spend less. I think you will see more below the minimum. It is a function of the economy we are in. There's not a lot of attractive guys out there anyway."
Agent Alan Herman says he believes "the owners see this as a way to reap huge profits for a year before they settle on a deal. It's calculated. They are looking forward to not having to spend a minimum amount on player salaries. We are heading down a nasty road as far as the players are concerned. An uncapped year really doesn't benefit them. I don't think there will be a lockout. After they generate all these profits, why would they lock the players out?"
Can teams still hand out big signing bonuses and not have to worry about cap ramifications if there is no salary cap in 2010?
Yes and no. If a team wants to frontload a contract and hand out a $40 million signing bonus, it won't have to worry about fitting it under the cap this year. But several NFL sources anticipate that as part of a new CBA, there will be transition rules that will pro-rate 2010 signing bonuses into future cap years. This will prevent teams from coming down with Snyder Syndrome.
"We need to make an agreement that is simple so everyone understands it and there are not all these loopholes," one source says.
Is this a good year to dump players with big contracts?
The line starts right here. In capped years, you often heard "it's cheaper to keep him." That meant the salary cap hit was so exorbitant because of pro-rated signing bonus money that teams were forced to hold onto players they no longer wanted.
But an uncapped year gives teams the opportunity to free themselves from bad players with big contracts. They don't get money back, but they can dump all the pro-rated portion into the uncapped year and not have to worry about it any more. Still, it will be tough for teams to rationalize cutting players who had huge signing bonuses, even if they have underachieved. That's why the Jets will probably keep Vernhon Golston.
The late Gene Upshaw, the former head of the NFLPA, often said that once the salary cap was gone it would never come back. If there is no agreement in the next 33 days, has the NFL seen the last of the cap?
The salary cap ensured parity. The Cowboys and Redskins are two of the highest revenue-producing teams in the NFL and in the best position to hand out huge signing bonuses, but nine of the 14 NFC teams made the Super Bowl from the 2000 Giants to the 2009 Saints and none of them were Dallas or Washington. The Giants, a mid-level revenue team because of their stadium, were the only NFC teams to get there twice.
Even though the owners may profit with no cap this year, in the long term they know they need it to achieve cost certainty. "I can't see the owners ever agreeing to a deal that doesn't have a salary cap," one NFL source says. "There will be a cap again."
Will the networks really be running Three Stooges reruns in the fall of 2011 instead of NFL games? Can there really be a lockout?
Each side has so much to lose by the doors being shut that it's still hard to believe the stadiums could be dark even for one Sunday.
"Our direction from the clubs is to get an agreement," says Jeff Pash, the league's lead negotiator. "Our direction is not to shut down the league. Anyone who believes the preferred option of NFL owners is to shut down the league is really divorced from reality."
The NFL protected itself by getting its 2011 network money guaranteed even if there's a lockout. That money is essentially a loan to help with operating expenses and will have to be made up to the networks. The NFL also hired attorney Bob Batterman, who advised the NHL during its lockout six years ago.
The players are protecting themselves, too. Giants player rep Shaun O'Hara says the NFLPA has instituted the "25/25 program," which encouraged players to set aside 25% of their salary last year and 25% this year, "so they have money if there is a lockout," O'Hara says.
The NFLPA has also created a fund to help players in need by increasing dues to $15,000 before the 2009 season, a $5,000 jump. The union is also holding back rebates and royalty checks.
"We want to work," O'Hara says. "We like our job. We love what we do. We want to play football." This article was written by Gary Myers and appeared in The New York Daily News.
miércoles, 3 de febrero de 2010
martes, 26 de enero de 2010
Countdown to SB XLIV - Ingles
Pro Bowl, Super Bowl festivities don't have to cost super bucks
Having a big Super Bowl experience doesn't have to mean a big expense. This article was written by Sarah Talalay and appeared in The Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.
Oh sure, with the 2010 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida, you could spend a bundle: $195 for the top-priced Pro Bowl ticket, $1,000 for a Super Bowl ticket if you were lucky enough to get one at face value. If you have to try the secondary market — and if the New York Jets win the AFC championship game Sunday — a ticket could set you back a minimum of $2,500 and perhaps as much as $9,000.
Add in some fancy parties and it could take until December to pay off the next two weeks' worth of entertainment. The Maxim party at the Raleigh? Another $1,600 to buy a pass. The Playboy bash at the Sagamore? Nearly $3,000.
Even a trip to the annual Taste of the NFL charity event costs $500 a ticket.
But there are also plenty of ways to experience events without breaking your budget: free concerts, free Pro Bowl practice and free football-themed activities — some of which kick off Wednesday. Get close to the Heisman Trophy. Let Sprint have an NFL player call a friend or relative. Help Pollo Tropical try to break the Guinness World Record for preparing the largest bowl of salsa.
Among the reasons the NFL chose to experiment with moving the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl and to the big game's host city was to offer more events for fans without deep pockets or corporate connections.
"We made a conscious effort to step it up and make sure this is not just a stadium full of people who can only enjoy the festivities," said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee, which is hosting both games and numerous parties, concerts and other events. "We want to make sure, if you can't afford or can't get tickets, we don't want you to be left out of some sort of festivities."
Here's a guide to some of the free and low-cost events surrounding the two big football games:
Jan. 27-30, Feb. 1 and Feb. 3-5
Sun Life Stadium tours: Want to get a behind-the-scenes look at the home of the 2010 Pro Bowl, Super Bowl XLIV and the Dolphins and Marlins? Take an hourlong guided tour for $15. Tours will be conducted during Pro Bowl week on Jan. 27 and 28 at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.; Jan. 29 hourly noon-6 p.m.; and on Jan. 30 hourly 4-6 p.m. And during Super Bowl week, on Feb. 1 and Feb. 3 hourly 4-6 p.m., and on Feb. 4 and 5 hourly noon-3 p.m. Information: nfl.com/superbowl/44/guide/stadium
Jan. 28
Super Art & Jazz on the Avenue: Free music, football-themed activities, player appearances, gallery stroll. 6-10 p.m., Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.
Jan. 29
Super Art in Park: Free music from Ketchy Shuby, Fourth Dimension, Jacob Jeffries Band and DJ Le Spam & the Spam Allstars; art; sports memorabilia; kids' activities. 6 p.m.-midnight, Ponce Circle Park, 2810 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables.
Jan. 29-31
South Florida FanFest: Sinbad Sports and Billboard present festival of sports memorabilia, player autograph signings, Orange Bowl stadium tribute area with pieces of the old stadium for sale, interactive games and music. Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Drive. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Jan. 29-30; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Jan. 31. $15 for adults, $10 for children under 12. Info: southfloridafanfest.com.
Jan. 30
Pro Bowl practice: Watch 86 of the NFL's biggest stars at a free practice for the 2010 Pro Bowl. 9 a.m., Lockhart Stadium, 5301 NW 12th Ave., Fort Lauderdale.
USA Football: Team USA vs. The World: USA Football's 2010 Junior National Team (45 of the country's top high school seniors) play 45 of the best players ages 19 and under from around the world. Noon, Lockhart Stadium, 5301 NW 12th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Free.
Super Saturday in the Street: Free "extreme tailgating" event hosted by the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee and local businesses. Noon-6 p.m., between 19th and 21st avenues, downtown Hollywood.
Pinball Palooza Family Day: Billed as "pinball meets football," meet NFL players, see pinball machines, play games. 2:30-5:30 p.m., Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Family admission is $5 (arcade games not included).
Jan. 31
Game Day Fan Plaza: The NFL's free pregame entertainment area on the grounds of Sun Life Stadium (Gates F, G and H) with interactive games, Vince Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl rings on display, player appearances (11 a.m.-2 p.m. for autographs), entertainment, food and merchandise. Free to the public. The NFL Flag National Tournament of Champions featuring 24 teams of kids ages 9-14 will take place on the clinic field. All participants will be recognized on the field prior to the Pro Bowl and receive tickets to the game. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Go to sbxliv.clickandpark.com for free parking coupon.
Feb. 3-7
Super Bowl XLIV Live Auction: Check out more than 280 football items ranging from a football signed by the 1972 undefeated Dolphins team to a New York Jets jersey worn by Joe Namath that will be auctioned off on Super Bowl Sunday. A free preview of the items — and a free appraisal for fans who want to have their own memorabilia assessed — takes place at Super Bowl Fan Zone in Lummus Park (Ocean Drive and 10th Street) on South Beach on Feb 3, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Feb. 4-5, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; and Feb. 6, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. The auction, which is also free to attend, will be held Feb. 7 at The Hard Rock Cafe, 401 Biscayne Blvd., R-200 at Bayside Marketplace, Miami, with public bidding beginning at 1 p.m. Bids can also be made Feb. 7 by phone or online through Feb. 6. Information: HuntAuctions.com
Feb. 4
Super Clematis by Night: West Palm Beach's free entertainment event gets a football theme with chances to meet players, interactive games, a drumline competition and performance by Starship with Mickey Thomas. 5-11 p.m., on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach.
Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam: First of two days of free concerts on South Beach features Rihanna and Justin Bieber, and hosts Entourage star Kevin Dillon and TV anchor Nancy O'Dell. Gates at Eighth Street and Ocean Drive open at 5 p.m.; concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are almost free — they must be reserved with a $1.25 service fee through Ticketmaster.com . Info: nfl.com/fanjam
Feb. 4-6
Sprint Phone-a-Friend: Sprint has arranged to have NFL players call a relative or friend on the company's wireless phones. Free. Feb. 4 and 5, 4-8 p.m.; Feb. 6, noon-6 p.m. Ocean Drive between Seventh and Eighth streets, South Beach.
Feb. 5
Pepsi Musica Super Bowl Fan Jam: Day 2 of free South Beach concerts goes Latin with Nelly Furtado, Paulina Rubio and Pitbull, hosts Telemundo stars Leti Coo and Jessi Losada along with actor Karim Mendiburu. Gates at Eighth Street and Ocean Drive open at 5 p.m.; concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets cost a $1.25 service fee through Ticketmaster.com. Info: nfl.com/fanjam
Feb. 4-7
Eats Beats and Cleats: Festival celebration of sports takes over Lincoln Road on South Beach. The $350 VIP and $85 daily passes promise autograph signings, open bar and extras, but there's plenty to see for free, as well. You'll be able to glimpse players, buy Super Bowl merchandise and check out sports memorabilia on display, including the Heisman, Super Bowl, World Series and NBA championship trophies. Feb. 4, 6 p.m.-midnight; Feb. 5 and 6, noon-midnight; Feb. 7, noon-6 p.m. Lincoln Road between Alton Road and Washington Avenue. Info: ebcmiami.com
Feb. 6
2010 DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl: Fourth annual celebrity flag football game featuring former NFL players and celebrities includes a pregame show and postgame concert by the All-American Rejects. Gates open at noon, pregame show 1:30 p.m., game 2:30 p.m., postgame concert 3:30 p.m. South Beach at 21st and 22nd streets. Free.
Super Bowl Saturday Night: Free concert and fireworks display on Fort Lauderdale beach, featuring O.A.R., Barenaked Ladies and Robert Randolph & the Family Band. Event begins at 4 p.m., concerts start at 6 p.m. and fireworks are scheduled at 9:40 p.m. Fort Lauderdale Beach Park adjacent to the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel at State Road A1A just north of Holiday Drive.
Feb. 7
Pollo Tropical Super Bowl of Salsa: Help attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest bowl of salsa at a free tailgate party on Super Bowl Sunday across from the big game. A Pollo Tropical restaurant is planning a salsa of at least 600 pounds in a 9-foot-wide, 5-foot-deep stainless steel bowl. Food sampling, music, bounce house, kids' activities, freebies and contests. The restaurant will donate a meal to the Boys & Girls Club of Miami-Dade for each participant in the salsa-making. Noon-4 p.m., Pollo Tropical, 19500 NW 27th Ave., Miami Gardens. This article was written by Sarah Talalay and appeared in The Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.
Having a big Super Bowl experience doesn't have to mean a big expense. This article was written by Sarah Talalay and appeared in The Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.
Oh sure, with the 2010 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida, you could spend a bundle: $195 for the top-priced Pro Bowl ticket, $1,000 for a Super Bowl ticket if you were lucky enough to get one at face value. If you have to try the secondary market — and if the New York Jets win the AFC championship game Sunday — a ticket could set you back a minimum of $2,500 and perhaps as much as $9,000.
Add in some fancy parties and it could take until December to pay off the next two weeks' worth of entertainment. The Maxim party at the Raleigh? Another $1,600 to buy a pass. The Playboy bash at the Sagamore? Nearly $3,000.
Even a trip to the annual Taste of the NFL charity event costs $500 a ticket.
But there are also plenty of ways to experience events without breaking your budget: free concerts, free Pro Bowl practice and free football-themed activities — some of which kick off Wednesday. Get close to the Heisman Trophy. Let Sprint have an NFL player call a friend or relative. Help Pollo Tropical try to break the Guinness World Record for preparing the largest bowl of salsa.
Among the reasons the NFL chose to experiment with moving the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl and to the big game's host city was to offer more events for fans without deep pockets or corporate connections.
"We made a conscious effort to step it up and make sure this is not just a stadium full of people who can only enjoy the festivities," said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee, which is hosting both games and numerous parties, concerts and other events. "We want to make sure, if you can't afford or can't get tickets, we don't want you to be left out of some sort of festivities."
Here's a guide to some of the free and low-cost events surrounding the two big football games:
Jan. 27-30, Feb. 1 and Feb. 3-5
Sun Life Stadium tours: Want to get a behind-the-scenes look at the home of the 2010 Pro Bowl, Super Bowl XLIV and the Dolphins and Marlins? Take an hourlong guided tour for $15. Tours will be conducted during Pro Bowl week on Jan. 27 and 28 at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.; Jan. 29 hourly noon-6 p.m.; and on Jan. 30 hourly 4-6 p.m. And during Super Bowl week, on Feb. 1 and Feb. 3 hourly 4-6 p.m., and on Feb. 4 and 5 hourly noon-3 p.m. Information: nfl.com/superbowl/44/guide/stadium
Jan. 28
Super Art & Jazz on the Avenue: Free music, football-themed activities, player appearances, gallery stroll. 6-10 p.m., Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.
Jan. 29
Super Art in Park: Free music from Ketchy Shuby, Fourth Dimension, Jacob Jeffries Band and DJ Le Spam & the Spam Allstars; art; sports memorabilia; kids' activities. 6 p.m.-midnight, Ponce Circle Park, 2810 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables.
Jan. 29-31
South Florida FanFest: Sinbad Sports and Billboard present festival of sports memorabilia, player autograph signings, Orange Bowl stadium tribute area with pieces of the old stadium for sale, interactive games and music. Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Drive. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Jan. 29-30; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Jan. 31. $15 for adults, $10 for children under 12. Info: southfloridafanfest.com.
Jan. 30
Pro Bowl practice: Watch 86 of the NFL's biggest stars at a free practice for the 2010 Pro Bowl. 9 a.m., Lockhart Stadium, 5301 NW 12th Ave., Fort Lauderdale.
USA Football: Team USA vs. The World: USA Football's 2010 Junior National Team (45 of the country's top high school seniors) play 45 of the best players ages 19 and under from around the world. Noon, Lockhart Stadium, 5301 NW 12th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Free.
Super Saturday in the Street: Free "extreme tailgating" event hosted by the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee and local businesses. Noon-6 p.m., between 19th and 21st avenues, downtown Hollywood.
Pinball Palooza Family Day: Billed as "pinball meets football," meet NFL players, see pinball machines, play games. 2:30-5:30 p.m., Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Family admission is $5 (arcade games not included).
Jan. 31
Game Day Fan Plaza: The NFL's free pregame entertainment area on the grounds of Sun Life Stadium (Gates F, G and H) with interactive games, Vince Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl rings on display, player appearances (11 a.m.-2 p.m. for autographs), entertainment, food and merchandise. Free to the public. The NFL Flag National Tournament of Champions featuring 24 teams of kids ages 9-14 will take place on the clinic field. All participants will be recognized on the field prior to the Pro Bowl and receive tickets to the game. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Go to sbxliv.clickandpark.com for free parking coupon.
Feb. 3-7
Super Bowl XLIV Live Auction: Check out more than 280 football items ranging from a football signed by the 1972 undefeated Dolphins team to a New York Jets jersey worn by Joe Namath that will be auctioned off on Super Bowl Sunday. A free preview of the items — and a free appraisal for fans who want to have their own memorabilia assessed — takes place at Super Bowl Fan Zone in Lummus Park (Ocean Drive and 10th Street) on South Beach on Feb 3, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Feb. 4-5, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; and Feb. 6, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. The auction, which is also free to attend, will be held Feb. 7 at The Hard Rock Cafe, 401 Biscayne Blvd., R-200 at Bayside Marketplace, Miami, with public bidding beginning at 1 p.m. Bids can also be made Feb. 7 by phone or online through Feb. 6. Information: HuntAuctions.com
Feb. 4
Super Clematis by Night: West Palm Beach's free entertainment event gets a football theme with chances to meet players, interactive games, a drumline competition and performance by Starship with Mickey Thomas. 5-11 p.m., on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach.
Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam: First of two days of free concerts on South Beach features Rihanna and Justin Bieber, and hosts Entourage star Kevin Dillon and TV anchor Nancy O'Dell. Gates at Eighth Street and Ocean Drive open at 5 p.m.; concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are almost free — they must be reserved with a $1.25 service fee through Ticketmaster.com . Info: nfl.com/fanjam
Feb. 4-6
Sprint Phone-a-Friend: Sprint has arranged to have NFL players call a relative or friend on the company's wireless phones. Free. Feb. 4 and 5, 4-8 p.m.; Feb. 6, noon-6 p.m. Ocean Drive between Seventh and Eighth streets, South Beach.
Feb. 5
Pepsi Musica Super Bowl Fan Jam: Day 2 of free South Beach concerts goes Latin with Nelly Furtado, Paulina Rubio and Pitbull, hosts Telemundo stars Leti Coo and Jessi Losada along with actor Karim Mendiburu. Gates at Eighth Street and Ocean Drive open at 5 p.m.; concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets cost a $1.25 service fee through Ticketmaster.com. Info: nfl.com/fanjam
Feb. 4-7
Eats Beats and Cleats: Festival celebration of sports takes over Lincoln Road on South Beach. The $350 VIP and $85 daily passes promise autograph signings, open bar and extras, but there's plenty to see for free, as well. You'll be able to glimpse players, buy Super Bowl merchandise and check out sports memorabilia on display, including the Heisman, Super Bowl, World Series and NBA championship trophies. Feb. 4, 6 p.m.-midnight; Feb. 5 and 6, noon-midnight; Feb. 7, noon-6 p.m. Lincoln Road between Alton Road and Washington Avenue. Info: ebcmiami.com
Feb. 6
2010 DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl: Fourth annual celebrity flag football game featuring former NFL players and celebrities includes a pregame show and postgame concert by the All-American Rejects. Gates open at noon, pregame show 1:30 p.m., game 2:30 p.m., postgame concert 3:30 p.m. South Beach at 21st and 22nd streets. Free.
Super Bowl Saturday Night: Free concert and fireworks display on Fort Lauderdale beach, featuring O.A.R., Barenaked Ladies and Robert Randolph & the Family Band. Event begins at 4 p.m., concerts start at 6 p.m. and fireworks are scheduled at 9:40 p.m. Fort Lauderdale Beach Park adjacent to the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel at State Road A1A just north of Holiday Drive.
Feb. 7
Pollo Tropical Super Bowl of Salsa: Help attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest bowl of salsa at a free tailgate party on Super Bowl Sunday across from the big game. A Pollo Tropical restaurant is planning a salsa of at least 600 pounds in a 9-foot-wide, 5-foot-deep stainless steel bowl. Food sampling, music, bounce house, kids' activities, freebies and contests. The restaurant will donate a meal to the Boys & Girls Club of Miami-Dade for each participant in the salsa-making. Noon-4 p.m., Pollo Tropical, 19500 NW 27th Ave., Miami Gardens. This article was written by Sarah Talalay and appeared in The Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.
lunes, 7 de septiembre de 2009
UFL offers an option for NFL castoffs - Ingles
Hundreds of players were cut from NFL teams Saturday. This article was written by Bill Bradley and appeared in the Sacramento Bee.
Yet, for the first time in decades, many of them will have a shot at playing fall football somewhere other than the NFL.
These castoffs will be eyed closely by the four teams in the United Football League, which opens play this fall. While many of us are unsure what to make of this new four-team, six-game league, it presents a new opportunity for these players.
Still, if a released 49ers linebacker is offered a deal by the new California Redwoods, the decision won't be easy.
Does he wait to see if he is offered a spot on an NFL team's practice squad, or does he sign with the UFL, which opens play in October?
Either way, the goal is to make it to an NFL 53-man roster. He has to decide which path gets him back there quicker.
At least for this season, the choices made by those players sitting on the waiver wire will be watched like a hawk by scouts, agents and other NFL officials. This article was written by Bill Bradley and appeared in the Sacramento Bee.
Yet, for the first time in decades, many of them will have a shot at playing fall football somewhere other than the NFL.
These castoffs will be eyed closely by the four teams in the United Football League, which opens play this fall. While many of us are unsure what to make of this new four-team, six-game league, it presents a new opportunity for these players.
Still, if a released 49ers linebacker is offered a deal by the new California Redwoods, the decision won't be easy.
Does he wait to see if he is offered a spot on an NFL team's practice squad, or does he sign with the UFL, which opens play in October?
Either way, the goal is to make it to an NFL 53-man roster. He has to decide which path gets him back there quicker.
At least for this season, the choices made by those players sitting on the waiver wire will be watched like a hawk by scouts, agents and other NFL officials. This article was written by Bill Bradley and appeared in the Sacramento Bee.
Redskins show some "heart and soul"
The Washington Redskins notified a Fairfax County woman Friday that the team plans to ask a court to vacate a $66,364 court judgment against her after she defaulted on a multiyear contract for season club tickets.
A real-estate agent, Pat Hill, 72, had signed a $5,300-a-year, 10-year contract through 2017 for two seats at FedEx Field, but was unable to make payments in 2008 after the housing market crashed. The Redskins sued Hill in October for the duration of the contract and won a default judgment in March.
She was one of 125 people and firms who had been sued by the Redskins in the past five years after they defaulted on multiyear contracts to purchase premium seats.
Redskins General Counsel David Donovan wrote to Hill in an e-mail Friday afternoon: "I have directed our outside counsel to notify the courts that your obligation to the Redskins has been satisfied and to vacate the judgment against you. That means you no longer owe the Redskins anything, and you are released from all of your contractual obligations."
Donovan and other Redskins officials did not return phone calls or e-mails from The Washington Post on Friday.
Donovan's e-mail began: "I was sorry to read in the Post your account of your financial difficulties that prevented you from being able to pay for your Redskins Club Seats in 2008. I wish that you had returned our calls in 2008 or reached out to me in response to the letters I and others had sent you and explained your situation. If that had happened, we never would have proceeded with the claim against you."
Hill said she phoned Donovan when she got home Friday night from a day at a real-estate office where she is trying to jump-start her flagging sales practice. She said she told Donovan that she had called the Redskins repeatedly and once drove to the team's ticket office at FedEx Field.
Hill said she had attempted to get a waiver of a year or two in her contract. "I must have talked to them eight or nine times," she said. "I talked to a number of different people."
She said she couldn't afford a lawyer and never responded to the lawsuit.
Hill said Donovan told her that she should have called him directly. She said she told him: "I didn't even know you existed. I don't know you."
Hill said Donovan also told her she should have responded to the team's letters, but she told a reporter Friday, "I got no letters, and every call that was ever made to me was returned, and I physically went down to the Redskins office and explained my situation."
After her phone conversation with Donovan, Hill told The Post: "It is like he is blaming everything on me."
Donovan's e-mail said his decision was unrelated to a Post story this week featuring Hill's financial problems and describing the lawsuits filed against ticket holders.
"This is not the first time I have done something like this with respect to a Club Seat or Suiteholder who has fallen on hard times, and it has nothing to do with your decision to go to the Post with your story," Donovan wrote.
In the phone call, Hill said she told Donovan, "I didn't go to The Post. The Post came to me."
A reporter contacted her after finding the Redskins' lawsuit and judgment during a review of records in Prince George's County Circuit Court.
Hill has returned to her real estate practice to earn money. She said she was unaware of Donovan's e-mail for hours because she was taking a client to sign a lease, for which she will get a $200 commission. "I'm showing houses again today, and I'll show houses again tomorrow," Hill said. "I'm trying really hard."
A grandmother who has lived in the Washington area most of her life, Hill said she first started going to games in 1962 at the old D.C. Stadium, later RFK Stadium, where her daughter danced in half-time shows. That year, she tapped an official in the locker room, where the girls dressed before the shows, and asked for season tickets. He obliged. She has held them ever since, purchasing club seats when FedEx Field opened as Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in 1997.
Hill still hopes to get to some games this year. She said she had hoped that Donovan might offer her some tickets. She has received many phone calls since the story appeared, she said, and fans have offered to take her to games.
She's planning to go. (source Washington Post)
A real-estate agent, Pat Hill, 72, had signed a $5,300-a-year, 10-year contract through 2017 for two seats at FedEx Field, but was unable to make payments in 2008 after the housing market crashed. The Redskins sued Hill in October for the duration of the contract and won a default judgment in March.
She was one of 125 people and firms who had been sued by the Redskins in the past five years after they defaulted on multiyear contracts to purchase premium seats.
Redskins General Counsel David Donovan wrote to Hill in an e-mail Friday afternoon: "I have directed our outside counsel to notify the courts that your obligation to the Redskins has been satisfied and to vacate the judgment against you. That means you no longer owe the Redskins anything, and you are released from all of your contractual obligations."
Donovan and other Redskins officials did not return phone calls or e-mails from The Washington Post on Friday.
Donovan's e-mail began: "I was sorry to read in the Post your account of your financial difficulties that prevented you from being able to pay for your Redskins Club Seats in 2008. I wish that you had returned our calls in 2008 or reached out to me in response to the letters I and others had sent you and explained your situation. If that had happened, we never would have proceeded with the claim against you."
Hill said she phoned Donovan when she got home Friday night from a day at a real-estate office where she is trying to jump-start her flagging sales practice. She said she told Donovan that she had called the Redskins repeatedly and once drove to the team's ticket office at FedEx Field.
Hill said she had attempted to get a waiver of a year or two in her contract. "I must have talked to them eight or nine times," she said. "I talked to a number of different people."
She said she couldn't afford a lawyer and never responded to the lawsuit.
Hill said Donovan told her that she should have called him directly. She said she told him: "I didn't even know you existed. I don't know you."
Hill said Donovan also told her she should have responded to the team's letters, but she told a reporter Friday, "I got no letters, and every call that was ever made to me was returned, and I physically went down to the Redskins office and explained my situation."
After her phone conversation with Donovan, Hill told The Post: "It is like he is blaming everything on me."
Donovan's e-mail said his decision was unrelated to a Post story this week featuring Hill's financial problems and describing the lawsuits filed against ticket holders.
"This is not the first time I have done something like this with respect to a Club Seat or Suiteholder who has fallen on hard times, and it has nothing to do with your decision to go to the Post with your story," Donovan wrote.
In the phone call, Hill said she told Donovan, "I didn't go to The Post. The Post came to me."
A reporter contacted her after finding the Redskins' lawsuit and judgment during a review of records in Prince George's County Circuit Court.
Hill has returned to her real estate practice to earn money. She said she was unaware of Donovan's e-mail for hours because she was taking a client to sign a lease, for which she will get a $200 commission. "I'm showing houses again today, and I'll show houses again tomorrow," Hill said. "I'm trying really hard."
A grandmother who has lived in the Washington area most of her life, Hill said she first started going to games in 1962 at the old D.C. Stadium, later RFK Stadium, where her daughter danced in half-time shows. That year, she tapped an official in the locker room, where the girls dressed before the shows, and asked for season tickets. He obliged. She has held them ever since, purchasing club seats when FedEx Field opened as Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in 1997.
Hill still hopes to get to some games this year. She said she had hoped that Donovan might offer her some tickets. She has received many phone calls since the story appeared, she said, and fans have offered to take her to games.
She's planning to go. (source Washington Post)
Making fantasy football faster - Ingles
Before the Internet and cell phones and TV packages that let you watch every pro football game, playing fantasy football took a lot of work. It sounded geeky – football fans who were so hard-core that they selected individual NFL players to be on their “team,” then figured out if they won by scouring USA Today box scores for player statistics on Monday mornings.
Today, though, as football season kicks into high gear, fantasy football has become mainstream. From its small roots in the 1980s, it has now played by an estimated 20 million people in North America, making it easily the most popular fantasy sport.
An industry has grown up around it, too, with legions of companies touting products to give players an edge. There are companies that can text message you updates on players, sell you software with complex algorithms to tell you what players to pick and iPhone applications that allow you to manage your team on the go.
There's no doubt that technology has changed fantasy football. The Internet, with gobs of instant information, has made the hobby more accessible to a greater number of people, especially as mobile devices and Web access from home become more popular.
At the same time, though, to compete with friends who are managing their teams using smart phones or round-the-clock Internet access, some players feel pressure to devote more time to the hobby than they would like. The average time spent managing a fantasy football team increased 56 percent between 2002 and 2006, to 4 hours and 18 minutes a week, according to a 2007 study.
“It's an arms race,” says J.C. Bradbury, an economist at Kennesaw State University in Georgia who studies the economics of sports. “If you can get better technology, you can win your league. … Part of the fun of being in the arms race is trying to be one of the leaders.”
Now, though, with player information more widely available, managers can see if a player is active for a game or not and make changes just minutes before a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sunday. Or when out to dinner during the week, managers can look on their smart phone and see that, say, Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis is predicted not to play that week and immediately pick up his backup, Ladell Betts.
“Now it's more enjoyable, but it's also more stressful,” says Hansen, who lives in New Jersey and publishes Fantasyguru.com magazine and runs a Web site that provides tips. “There are ways for people to have an advantage that can be annoying.”
Still, he says the ability to play with a widespread group of people and use different scoring formats make playing more fun than in the past.
Go into any bookstore, and there are likely to be several fantasy football magazines. On the Web, dozens of companies – typically small, one- or two-person operations – offer services to fantasy football managers.
Experts say that with the recession, sites are moving toward a model that's free to users and that makes money by selling advertising. Fantasy players are a desirable demographic, says Kim Beason, a professor who studies leisure behavior and consumer behavior at the University of Mississippi.
According to Beason's yearly survey of more than 500 fantasy players, the average player is between 36 and 41, white-collar, with at least a bachelor's degree and an annual income of more than $80,000 a year. More than 80 percent are men.
And it's a dedicated audience, too. Beason says the average male fantasy owner thinks about his fantasy team 31 minutes a day during the season.
“The only thing going through a man's mind that permeates it more is sex,” he says. “It's not work, it's not home life. During the season, (fantasy football) is pretty powerful.”
Ryan Stewart, 35, says he spends about 10 hours a week online researching football and managing his four fantasy football teams – about triple what he spent a decade ago. Technology, he says, has improved fantasy football, because “you can do more of the smack talk” on e-mail because everyone easily and quickly sees results.
But some competitors who lack Internet access at home have complained that they cannot make the same roster moves as those who are constantly plugged in. “They are the bottom-dwellers in the leagues,” Stewart says. “We say, you just need to get a laptop and Internet access.”
Though technology helps, it's no guarantee of success. Stewart, who manages a call center in Charlotte, raced to his computer last November after he heard starting New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh in a New York nightclub. Stewart added backup Domenik Hixon, but Hixon came nowhere close to replacing Burress' numbers.
“It was an Internet projection that went wrong,” Stewart says.
There are also high-powered draft tools that try to predict which players will perform best during the season. One such program promises to “take the guesswork out of your fantasy football draft” using an algorithm developed by computer scientists. There are also more than a dozen fantasy football applications for the iPhone, most of which offer help in drafting a team.
Fantasy football is the most popular fantasy sport. Its growth has flattened in the last couple of years, industry experts say, perhaps in part because of the down economy. The No. 1 reason people quit playing is they say it takes too much time, which could be a challenge to growth in the future as technology advances.
One of the next big developments in fantasy sports technology could be the widespread introduction of Internet-ready television, which could eventually, for instance, allow players to get up-to-date player news scrolled across the bottom of the screen as they and their spouse snuggle up on the couch to watch “Lost.”
“If your spouse doesn't like the level of fantasy sports in your life now, it's only going to get worse,” says Paul Charchian, president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.
Charchian says technology has created a distinction between casual and hard-core players. He says typically, there are three managers in a league who are “really really hard-core” and monitor player news minute-by-minute. That doesn't always sit well with other players.
“If you're a casual player and you want to win, you should really take the temperature of the other owners in your league and ask yourself, ‘Am I swimming with sharks?'” he says. “If you're not going to be following it every day, you'll probably lose. If you're OK with that, that's great.” (source Charlotte Observer)
Today, though, as football season kicks into high gear, fantasy football has become mainstream. From its small roots in the 1980s, it has now played by an estimated 20 million people in North America, making it easily the most popular fantasy sport.
An industry has grown up around it, too, with legions of companies touting products to give players an edge. There are companies that can text message you updates on players, sell you software with complex algorithms to tell you what players to pick and iPhone applications that allow you to manage your team on the go.
There's no doubt that technology has changed fantasy football. The Internet, with gobs of instant information, has made the hobby more accessible to a greater number of people, especially as mobile devices and Web access from home become more popular.
At the same time, though, to compete with friends who are managing their teams using smart phones or round-the-clock Internet access, some players feel pressure to devote more time to the hobby than they would like. The average time spent managing a fantasy football team increased 56 percent between 2002 and 2006, to 4 hours and 18 minutes a week, according to a 2007 study.
“It's an arms race,” says J.C. Bradbury, an economist at Kennesaw State University in Georgia who studies the economics of sports. “If you can get better technology, you can win your league. … Part of the fun of being in the arms race is trying to be one of the leaders.”
Now, though, with player information more widely available, managers can see if a player is active for a game or not and make changes just minutes before a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sunday. Or when out to dinner during the week, managers can look on their smart phone and see that, say, Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis is predicted not to play that week and immediately pick up his backup, Ladell Betts.
“Now it's more enjoyable, but it's also more stressful,” says Hansen, who lives in New Jersey and publishes Fantasyguru.com magazine and runs a Web site that provides tips. “There are ways for people to have an advantage that can be annoying.”
Still, he says the ability to play with a widespread group of people and use different scoring formats make playing more fun than in the past.
Go into any bookstore, and there are likely to be several fantasy football magazines. On the Web, dozens of companies – typically small, one- or two-person operations – offer services to fantasy football managers.
Experts say that with the recession, sites are moving toward a model that's free to users and that makes money by selling advertising. Fantasy players are a desirable demographic, says Kim Beason, a professor who studies leisure behavior and consumer behavior at the University of Mississippi.
According to Beason's yearly survey of more than 500 fantasy players, the average player is between 36 and 41, white-collar, with at least a bachelor's degree and an annual income of more than $80,000 a year. More than 80 percent are men.
And it's a dedicated audience, too. Beason says the average male fantasy owner thinks about his fantasy team 31 minutes a day during the season.
“The only thing going through a man's mind that permeates it more is sex,” he says. “It's not work, it's not home life. During the season, (fantasy football) is pretty powerful.”
Ryan Stewart, 35, says he spends about 10 hours a week online researching football and managing his four fantasy football teams – about triple what he spent a decade ago. Technology, he says, has improved fantasy football, because “you can do more of the smack talk” on e-mail because everyone easily and quickly sees results.
But some competitors who lack Internet access at home have complained that they cannot make the same roster moves as those who are constantly plugged in. “They are the bottom-dwellers in the leagues,” Stewart says. “We say, you just need to get a laptop and Internet access.”
Though technology helps, it's no guarantee of success. Stewart, who manages a call center in Charlotte, raced to his computer last November after he heard starting New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh in a New York nightclub. Stewart added backup Domenik Hixon, but Hixon came nowhere close to replacing Burress' numbers.
“It was an Internet projection that went wrong,” Stewart says.
There are also high-powered draft tools that try to predict which players will perform best during the season. One such program promises to “take the guesswork out of your fantasy football draft” using an algorithm developed by computer scientists. There are also more than a dozen fantasy football applications for the iPhone, most of which offer help in drafting a team.
Fantasy football is the most popular fantasy sport. Its growth has flattened in the last couple of years, industry experts say, perhaps in part because of the down economy. The No. 1 reason people quit playing is they say it takes too much time, which could be a challenge to growth in the future as technology advances.
One of the next big developments in fantasy sports technology could be the widespread introduction of Internet-ready television, which could eventually, for instance, allow players to get up-to-date player news scrolled across the bottom of the screen as they and their spouse snuggle up on the couch to watch “Lost.”
“If your spouse doesn't like the level of fantasy sports in your life now, it's only going to get worse,” says Paul Charchian, president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.
Charchian says technology has created a distinction between casual and hard-core players. He says typically, there are three managers in a league who are “really really hard-core” and monitor player news minute-by-minute. That doesn't always sit well with other players.
“If you're a casual player and you want to win, you should really take the temperature of the other owners in your league and ask yourself, ‘Am I swimming with sharks?'” he says. “If you're not going to be following it every day, you'll probably lose. If you're OK with that, that's great.” (source Charlotte Observer)
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