Sharkey’s quickhit thoughts on this past weekend…

Seeing the Dallas Cowboys take the Beer Line lead hurts me, and makes me wonder why I torture myself in such a way?

• Dez Bryant refused to carry Roy Williams’ shoulder pads into the locker room after practice yesterday.  Apparently this has ruffled a few feathers.  I don’t see what the big deal is.  It’s rookie hazing, which is a part of the NFL, and has been for the last 50+ years.  Bryant doesn’t want to do that?  OK.  They’ll get him some other way.  I guarantee you he’s not the first rookie to ever refuse to do something, and I guarantee you he won’t be the last, either.  The veterans always get the last laugh, I’m sure of this.  The media wouldn’t even mention this story if it weren’t a) the Dallas Cowboys, b) a first round rookie with a troubled past, and c) a rookie WR refusing to do something for the veteran WR whose job he is trying to take.




• The NHLPA has until 5PM ET today to file a grievance in the Ilya Kovalchuk contract situation.  They’ll file it, and then the league and the PA must agree on an arbitrator.  This is actually a simpler process than it sounds, as both parties will likely submit a list with five or so arbitrators on it, and they’ll agree to any overlapping candidates.  After that is done, the arbitrator has 48 hours to make his ruling.  I still expect he’ll rule that the NHL has no right to reject the contract, at which point the NHL will have to automatically accept it.  If the arbitrator rules with the NHL, then the contract is officially void, and Kovalchuk is a UFA again.  This would surprise me. 
  
  
  The bigger issue in this entire thing is how many 15+ year contracts we’ll see handed out after the arbitrator’s ruling (assuming it sides with Kovalchuk & the Devils) before the new CBA is negotiated two years from now.  5?  10?  20?  I’m guessing it’ll definitely come close to double digits.




• I was going to comment on the National Baseball Hall of Fame here, but I don’t really have anything nice to say.  I’m over the Hall of Fame as a whole.  It irks me.  My only comment is this: Roberto Alomar better get in next season, because he should have gotten in this time.




• Maybe it’s because I live in Yankee country, so this has been a topic for a week now, but I’m sick of the A-Rod 600th home run discussion.  It’s on sportscenter all the time.  Talk radio won’t stop covering it.  People I work with won’t stop talking about it.  Yes, I get it, it’s a huge accomplishment.  But can’t we celebrate the accomplishment after it happens, and not speculate on when that will be for an entire week?  I’ll admit I want to see A-Rod break Bonds’ home run record just so Bonds doesn’t hold it any longer, but I’m already afraid of what the hype for that event will be like.  It may rival the summer of ’98.  I fear for my sanity.




• I’ve said it on here before, but its worth repeating, the Phillies are still the class of the National League East, and will still win that division this year.  And once they get healthy, and make the playoffs, nobody in the NL will want to face them.  You don’t have three straight ‘easy’ seasons ending in League Pennants; it just doesn’t happen.  So if the Phillies are to win the pennant again this year, which I still believe can happen, it only makes sense that the journey there will be rougher than any previous trip for this club.  When all is said and done, though, I’m sticking with my preseason prediction: a 2009 World Series rematch.
  
  
  
  

  Sharkey's favorite moment in Dallas Cowboy history...




• I have mixed reactions on T.O. potentially joining the St. Louis Rams.  I do believe his work ethic is something for younger players to learn from, and since St. Louis is so young, he may not be bad to have around.  I also think Steve Spagnuolo, the head coach, is one of the few coaches in the league that can handle someone like T.O., and keep him in line.  But I worry about the old prima donna still coming out on the field, and what that will do for someone like Sam Bradford.




• Expect a lot of football coverage on ERP in the next month.  I’ll be doing a team-by-team, division-by-division preview of the season, I’ll rank the top x amount of players at each position, offensively and defensively, I’ll have fantasy previews, and will probably conduct a full mock draft.  If you have anything you want to contribute, I’d love the help.  Particularly if you want to help me on a mock draft.  It’s almost labor day, which means it’s almost the most wonderful sports time of the year.  I’m getting excited.