My nephew is a health nut.  He’s 15 years old and a very gifted football player for his age.  He tries to eat healthy foods and is always working out so he can play well on the football field and earn a college scholarship.  He’s also been drinking certain kinds of VitaminWater for as long as I can remember.  He has his favorite flavors and can recite all the different things that they do for him.  I never took the time to actually read the label until recently and I’m a little stunned at what i found.

To make matters worse then I got online after hearing about a suit filed by a non profit organization claiming that VitaminWater is a hoax and that the drink really provides no real health benefits at all.  To make matters worse Coca Cola’s lawyers (VitaminWater is made by Coke) had this to say  “no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.” What is that?  The name of the drink is VitaminWater.  If I’m eating a ‘brownie’ I know exactly what to expect.  If I order a ‘brownie’ and someone brings me soup then I’m obviously going to be confused.  VitaminWater should be water with Vitamins in it.  If it isn’t that then change the name of the product because it is completely misleading.  My nephew has been spending good money on sugar water for years now. 

Coke has been shot down in their efforts to have the case thrown out and recently a judge stated that the product could easily be misconstrued by consumers into believing that the product contains Vitamins and Water.

Gatorade has never claimed to be a health drink, only to help you avoid dehydration and put electrolytes back in your body quicker.  People have grown to trust the product over the years and it contains plenty of sugar as well.  VitaminWater is soon going to be going away or completely revamping what they offer.  This is a complete bait and switch and something should be down to fix it.

It’s finally here.  It seems like college football season is so short but always so much fun.  It’s one of those sports that you can watch regardless of whether you like either team or not and that’s not something I can say about every sport.  Mets vs Nationals?  Hate both of them and hate watching both even more.
This Thursday the season kicks off with Pittsburgh playing at UTAH in what will be a very good game.  Pitt comes in highly ranked and looking for some form of revenge after Utah smoked them in a couple bowl games.  Utah is always well prepared and riding him knowing that they will be in the PAC 10 very soon for sports. 
On Saturday, Oregon St plays TCU and LSU plays North Carolina in a battle of ranked teams.  Carolina could be in some serious trouble with the NCAA as they are getting really looked into right now for several various reasons.
Monday though is the game that we all want to see.  Boise St goes on the road and takes on Virginia Tech.  Boise is notorious for their preparation and planning.  They know how important this game is to the overall chances of them getting into another BCS game.  They come into this game with the highest ranking the school has ever had at #3 and will have their hands full with the Hokies.  Virginia Tech will not be taking them lightly and will be at full strength.  This will be a great game.

Every year I write this and I’m getting really sick of it.  SHRINK or GET RID OF THE PRESEASON. 

In college football you just practice against your own team and then the games begin.  No practice games at all, just practice and then the games.  But for professional players making millions of dollars a year apparently they need 4 full weeks of practice games to get them ready for a 16 week season?  Makes no sense to me until you start to equate the money into the whole deal. 

Pro football players aren’t paid for the preseason games technically but get paid for each game that is actually played for which they are on the roster.  The preseason is a different story and it is no wonder that the best guys simply don’t play as much because their is just too much to lose by playing your best guys.  Now I hear that an 18 game schedule is pretty much a done deal and I get even more amazed.

Sure the 18 game schedule will take away a couple preseason games but now that makes football season nearly 6 months.  That’s a long time and while I love it I don’t love what it does to the history of the game.  Imagine being a baseball player who held records based on the 154 game season only to have them broken by someone because they got to play in 8 more games a year.  That would drive me crazy and now that is what football is about to do.  We are messing with the history of the game and not in a good way.  Rushing records will be broken, passing records, sack records…everything will be broken as a result.  Let’s even look at the flip side…more injuries, even shorter careers (only at 2.5 as it is) and teams that are out of the playoffs by mid season now have to get hammered for an additional 2 weeks. 

I wish they would just keep it as is but take away the preseason.  Let teams practice for an additional 2 weeks  to get ready but start the games and save some careers.

This guy is amazing.  I actually enjoyed watching his speech but I’d handle things a different way if I were Favre.  Instead of handling it one year at a time i’d handle it the complete opposite. I would announce that I am going to keep playing for 3-4 more years but instead he went with “i’m for sure done after this year”.  We’ve all heard that so many times that we look at him now like our alcoholic or drug addicted friends who just can’t quit.  Favre is a football playeraholic and can’t get away from the game and when he actually walks away I’ll be shocked.  I can’t believe that since 2002 we have had this going on.  Maybe Lebron and Favre could get together for a show each year because it would save ESPN some time and money. 

I believe 3 years ago I blogged about Favre and how over reported his life is in the off season and it still is amazing to watch.  Through it all I’m actually glad he is back.  It’s great for the NFL and the Vikings and he is all that is good about professional football.

Favre is apparently going to retire again.  I don’t know what to believe with this guy.  With training camp just underway it seemed like any day we would be hearing about Brett Favre and how he is almost ready to decide.  After all, he typically doesn’t decide until camp is over so he can miss all the fun those guys seem to have.  Instead the word on the street is that he is officially retiring for good this time.

It seems strange that he would retire now given the fact that the Vikings are going to be really good and he has some solid weapons behind him.  This team would’ve given him another good chance to get back to a super bowl for his last hurrah.  He has the best running back in the game with one of the best wide receivers in Sydney Rice playing for a city that wants a winner. 

What’s strange is that I’ve been wrong every single time I’ve predicted the man’s behavior.  In situations where it looks like he should retire he doesn’t and vice versa.  He showed in New York that he should be done but he clearly showed last year that he can still play.  Maybe that’s why he’s walking away, he got done proving idiot doubters like myself wrong.

Dez Bryant has been in the news the last couple days after refusing to carry the pads of some veteran players.  It has caused a bit of an issue in the Dallas locker room and will only get more play as it goes on.  Is Bryant right or wrong on this?

As a former teammate I have a strong feeling on this in regards to ‘respect’.  When a younger, unproven teammate comes in and refuses to show any humility or gratitude to the players who came before them then I have a serious problem with that.  Dez Bryant signed for millions because of the other players who came before him and paved the way.  Based on that alone you take your lumps that first year and carry pads when it is asked of you. 

On the flip side, there is no code here saying that he has to carry the pads.  Bryant simply wants to play football and not be tied down to the locker room games or traditions that are taking place.  After listening to him I believe it even more.  Why should he carry someone’s pads when he is technically an equal to that person as a member of the Cowboys? 

What it boils down to in my eyes is respect.  Does he gain more respect from his teammates by acting out or by carrying the pads?  I believe you gain more respect as a teammate by carrying the pads and not putting yourself above the other pad carrying rookies or your draft status.  Other guys have earned that number and name on the back of their jersey with years of play and service and the least you can do is carry the pads for a while.  Respect will be earned much quicker that way because now it’s going to be about the vets trying to get respect from the rookie and we haven’t heard the end of this one.

They Heisman trophy IS and always has been the elite trophy in collegiate sports today.  I’m talking all sports.  It gets more hype and has more prestige than any other award in amateur athletics.  In fact, it has as much prestige as just about any other sports award for that matter.  Having said that, Reggie Bush may be giving his back very soon and I don’t know if that is the right choice.  Let’s look at the two sides.

Reggie Bush allegedly received improper benefits while at USC and as a result USC was put on probation and forced to give up some scholaships.  The team has a new unproven coach who has some big shoes to fill but it seems funny to me that we punish today’s kids for yesterday’s actions.  Nothing hits a school harder than a monetary fine but they didn’t go that route.  Instead, USC lost a bunch of scholarships and was forced to vacate a number of wins during the Bush era. Reggie still denies these events took place.

Recently the new AD at USC also took down any reference to Bush winning the heisman and even took down the replica trophy that was in the display case.  This shows how USC views the actions that took place with one of their own all time greats so what is the Heisman committee going to do?

I think the trophy is as good as gone.  I think they are going to take it back to send a strong message.  The Heisman trophy is about all that is supposed to be good about college football and not anything else.  It is the best of the best and Reggie Bush’s ‘alleged’ behavior and choices clearly show something else.  In my opinion, it is only a matter of time before they come calling for the trophy that Bush earned with his play.

That’s the flip side to this…Is the Heisman trophy about the player or the combination of the player/person?  If it is just the player then Bush deserves to keep the award.  He was the single most exciting college football player I have seen since Michael Vick and he was a leader on one of the most talented teams in the history of collegiate sports.  They won a national title during his time there and if the Heisman is about the player then he should keep it. 

Nothing in college sports is about the player, it is all about the team and the education that one should be receiving.  If it is found that the behavior was against the rules then take the trophy back and send a strong message to the youth of today.

I just don’t get it.  I write on this each and every year and I just don’t get it at all. Last season the Lions signed Matthew Stafford to a record contract and gave an unproven rookie 41.7 million in guaranteed money.  Without ever having to perform well this guy will never have to work again.  Now word is coming out that the Rams are going to shell out between 45 and 50 million in guaranteed money to a guy who is coming off a serious injury to his throwing shoulder after being tackled by a marginal college player.  No wonder teams dont’ want top picks and who would.  You’d be better off taking on a free agent and committing that amount of money on 3-5 players as compared to one guy.  Is Bradford enough to turn the franchise around?  NOT EVEN CLOSE.  Now instead of him helping the team he actually handcuffs the team by hurting them financially. 

The best part is that it isn’t even his fault.  If Bradford comes in and says “I just want to play” and pulls a Ricky Williams from a decade ago then the rest of the players are all hurt financially.  Whatever Bradford gets directly effects all the other players taken in the same round but especially the top part of the draft.  The players are trying to get as big of a piece of the pie as they can so they actually want someone to get the money, just not Bradford.  Any vet would tell you that this practice doesn’t make them happy.  You see players who are stars who weren’t even drafted and earned everything they received and worked their way up while this guy get 50 million just for getting drafted and is completely unproven. 

It’s the part of the process that is bound to change when the next collective bargaining agreement is created and I, for one, am very excited about it.  Shift the money to the players who have earned it and not to some rookies.

I’ve read speculation all over the internet about Michael Vick and if he should get the final boot from the NFL after being at a nightclub where a co defendant was shot.  I’ve got my own opinion on this one that I want to share.

Innocent until Proven Guilty…Michael Vick was there but was seen leaving minutes before the shots were fired.  He wasn’t there.  He had a birthday party and left the party.  Someone was shot and now people want Vick kicked out of the league.  No matter what or who we are in life we can’t control another person’s ability to choose for themselves.  Vick left the party yet people want to blame him for the incident or for being there.  If we find out later that Vick orchestrated the shooting or whatever then that’s a different story but if he didn’t then let’s just leave the guy alone.  He was there and he left and those are the facts of the case right now.  He has a right to live his life and was punished for his previous crimes.  He’s lost out on more money than most of us will make in our lifetimes combined and I hope he learned his lesson from it. 

By all accounts Vick was upfront with the commissioner and informed him right away of what happened and his ‘involvement’ in it.  He has met with the police and is not a suspect at all in the shooting because he wasn’t there.  I hope to see Michael Vick in uniform very soon living up to that enormous potential that he has.

In light of the World Cup that is taking place I want to put it in perspective for the typical american.  The World Cup has been viewed by over 1 billion people thus far and is the largest sporting event by far in the world.   It is much bigger than the olympics and anything else in the world.  So why do I compare this to the Super Bowl?  Because it doesn’t compare to the SuperBowl. 

As I write this i just watched 2 hours of soccer that resulted in no goals and only a handful of decent shots.  Players were falling all over the ground with fake injuries only to get back up shortly after being taken off the field on a stretcher.  I watched the crowd groan on misses that missed by 20 feet.  In comparison it is like watching an airball in basketball and the crowd groan because it was close to going in.  The anticipation of the goal is what is exciting but World Cup Soccer isn’t near the Super Bowl in terms of action and excitement.

The Super Bowl is now a world wide event but football (real football) is something that is not a world wide sport yet and not something anyone can play.  I stick to my original thoughts on this that soccer is the worlds most popular sport because it is the easiest one to play.  Outside of the US the best athletes are soccer players but here they aren’t.  It’s the way it is right now.  Soccer players outside the US are the best paid athletes but here the motivation is to play other sports where the real money is.  You can’t blame them.  That’s why the Super Bowl is better.  It takes the collection of the best athletes in our country and showcases them to the world.  Imagine a day when the World Cup isn’t just for soccer, but for football.  It will probably never happen but I can hope for it.