Part of the severity of the NFL’s ruling against Tom Brady in the “deflategate” scandal was the record of cheating by Brady’s team, the New England Patriots. The Patriots were caught videotaping the play calls in a game against the New York Jets in 2007. NFL Commissioner Roger “The Sherriff” Goodell fined the team $250,000, took away a first round draft choice, and even fined Head Coach “Jedi Hoodie” Bill Belichick a cool half-a-million dollars.
So, with Brady and the NFLPA still appealing the four game suspension Goodell levied on Brady for illegally deflating footballs in the AFC Championship Game last winter, there have been lots of stories and opinions on both sides, but perhaps the most damming account comes from former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy.
In an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show this week, Dungy said that when he was coaching Peyton Manning, the future Hall of Fame QB became so concerned about the New England Patriots potentially bugging the opposing locker room at Gillette Stadium that he held meetings outside in the hallway. Dungy said that he didn’t know if the rumors were true, but Manning acted out of caution after talking with former Patriots players. “I know that that (fear of being bugged) is very true, and, you know, as Peyton talked to guys who played for the Patriots, some of the guys who came over—whether it’s true or not he treated it as true,” Dungy said. “We didn’t have a lot of strategy discussions inside the locker room there.”
Perhaps Manning has a reason for the paranoia – his teams have gone 6-13 record in 19 meetings during the regular season with Manning posting a 89.8 quarterback rating, well below his career mark of 97.5. The QBs have split in the playoffs, each with two victories in the four games.
So let Tom Brady feign innocence, even if the NFL didn’t exactly have the most sterling chain of evidence. Let the Patriots’ owner Bob Kraft hold press conferences to complain about how his team is being “shafted.” Let Belichick scowl and grimace at the media like a caged animal. Finally, let the Boston area fans continue to delude themselves that the rest of the league is just jealous of their success. The New England Patriots harbor an attitude that any advantage they can get, fair or not, whether it is within the rules or not, is appropriate. What these people need to understand is that while winning is everything, integrity is more important. If the fans believe that the fix is in, football becomes professional wrestling – profitable, but not the money-printing machine that is the NFL.

For a very long time, I have wondered why the Chicago Bears have a terrible string of quarterbacks? If you look at the All Time Bear passing records, many are still owned by the late Hall of Famer Sid Luckman, who played with the Bears from 1939 to 1950. Since that time, it has been a seemingly never ending streaks of has-bees and never-wases.
There were a few decent QBs under center in the 65 years since Luckman retired: Jim McMahon, of course, the only QB to win a Super Bowl for Chicago; Jim Miller was a serviceable player for a couple of years; Rex Grossman had one good year; and of course, the jury is still out on current starter Jay Cutler (although, in his sixth year, this season is definitely the year for Cutler to “fish or cut bait). The others who have played the position over the years included everyone from mediocrities like Jack Concannon, Bobby Douglas, Bob Avellini, and Steve Fuller, to embarrassments like Cade McNown, Kent Nix, Rick Mirer, and Rusty Lisch.
One of the decent QBs was Erik Kramer, who played in Chicago from 1994 through 1998 in a 12-year career which included three seasons in the CFL. Kramer also played for the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, and San Diego Chargers in his career and even led the Lions to the NFC Championship Game in 1991. His best individual season came in 1995 with the Bears, when he threw for 3,838 yards and 29 touchdowns. That’s not bad for a little guy from Encino, California who played at North Carolina State but was undrafted in the 1987 draft.
Unfortunately, Kramer reportedly “shot himself Tuesday in a suicide attempt, but survived,” according to law enforcement sources. The incident occurred in a Los Angeles area motel. Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were called to the motel for a welfare check and found Kramer with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
Kramer’s ex-wife Marshawn said “He is a very amazing man, a beautiful soul, but he has suffered depression since he was with the Bears. I can promise you he is not the same man I married.” She also noted that she believes Kramer has suffered years of depression due to his time in the NFL, much like McMahon who has been very outspoken on his mental problems from playing professional football.. Also difficult had to be the 2011 death of Kramer’s son Griffin, who was a high school quarterback at the time, from a drug overdose.
It seemed like Kramer was a decent guy as a player and in a short career as a broadcaster on local television. Like so many ex-players however, they seem to drift away unless they stay local, and I admit that I had lost track of Kramer over the years. Unfortunately, like Junior Seau, Dave Duerson and so many other former players, the injuries helped force depression and suicide attempts, many of which were successful.
So, Erik Kramer is in a hospital in critical condition, another casualty of the NFL. The NFL has been forced to admin to the problem, setting up nearly $1 billion to help former players (and that amount is not considered enough by many ex-players who continue to sue the league). It is getting to the place where football as to change or die. The minds of these men are more important than how many touchdowns or tackles they made.

I have been away for a few days, and now its time to catch up, but there’s nothing sadder than when you lose a friend while you’re away and can’t even make it to the funeral. So, a personal note this time…
That said, let’s just come out and say it right now: Cancer f%^&ing sucks!!!!
We are all alive and everything that lives will someday die. Everyone’s clock is ticking toward their eventual demise. “Who knows for whom the bell tolls? It tolls for thee.” “Carpe diem” (seize the day) and all of that. It is part of what makes us human is the fact that it will certainly end.
That said, death is always a sad thing. Even if someone is suffering and death is a release, it is still traumatic to those of us left here, who will miss our loved ones.. But cancer is so insidious, so seemingly random, so damn unfair. Yes, there are smokers who develop lung cancer, but still, it is not like we blame the addict for the addiction.
Unfortunately, this piece says goodbye to Paul Fitzgerald. He was diagnosed with cancer eight months ago, and despite a valiant fight, cancer won. I might never have met Paul if it weren’t for the fact that I work for his wife Mary Anne, but I am so glad to have had the chance to know Paul. I had to go to Pittsburgh for work meetings and there I would hang out with Paul, a gregarious man with a lot of humor and a laid back attitude toward life.
Paul ran a landscaping business and spent a lot of time outdoors. He loved his wife; he loved their dogs and his family. They traveled a lot, played golf and skied. Even though most of my calls with Mary Anne concerned work, if he was around, we’d always talk about sports: hockey, especially. He loved the Penguins and I love the Blackhawks and it’s probably a good thing that they met in the NHL Finals only in 1992, long before Mary Anne and I worked together.
Even though he was weak during the NHL Playoffs this season, we still talked about them, his rooting for his Pengiuns, me the Hawks. He was knowledgeable about all sports; we talked about the Pirates; we spoke about the Steelers. I hope that I was able to take his mind off the fight for a few minutes. I wish I could have done more.
Paul didn’t smoke, he drank occasionally; like I said, he spent a lot of time working outside. It doesn’t make sense that he developed lung cancer that spread to other parts of the body far and near. The doctors did everything possible; his family stood behind him; lots of friends sent as much positive energy as we could muster. It wasn’t enough. He was only 57 years old. It’s just so unfair.
Good bye Paul! There’s a TON of people who will miss you. Count me among them.

So, it’s been a busy year for your narrator, so I’m going to take a little time off. But before I go, one final couple of thoughts:

One of the major sports networks says that the Chicago Bears are going to be the worst team in the NFL, projecting out to 3-13, last in the NFC North. They may end up last in the division, but the worst team in the league? Worse than the Raiders? Jacksonville? Tampa Bay? I don’t think they’ll be that bad, but since I was one of the few who thought that hiring John Fox was a very bad idea, it would amuse me if they were that bad.

Craig James, former NFL running back, now former television football analyst, and full time religious wacko doesn’t like being canned for being a bigot and zealot. James sued Fox Sports this week for religious discrimination, saying that the network fired him for expressing anti-gay marriage views. Guess what Craig? They didn’t fire you for your views, otherwise Fox “News” would be out of business – all they show is right wing religious hatred and bigotry. No, they fired you because you couldn’t keep your views to yourself. Sports is sports, you want to make a comment on your own time, go preach. But you’re a public figure, and, this just in, gay marriage is the law of the land, so that fight’s over. So, Craig, I think you took too many hits to the head and the “Jesus” that appeared to you was a player from the other team.

I admit it – the Cubs aren’t bad. They have some good young talent. But I have to continue to hate them because too many of their deluded fans see a World Series this year. Maybe in a few years; maybe next year; but not this year.

Meanwhile the White Sox turned it on before the trade deadline, building faith in the team, keeping players, especially Jeff Samardija. As soon as the trade deadline passed, the team sank like the Titanic again. This time however, it has been the pitching that has been the let down. Even Cy Young canidate who struck out the world last month, Chris Sale, suddenly is making opposing teams’ hitters look like the 1927 Yankees. Frustrating.

Anyway, I’ll be back in a few days. Have a good August.

Over the past several years, residents of major cities around the globe have discovered that spending millions and even billions of dollars on hosting Olympics or World Cup soccer tournaments are a huge scam. Even before the FIFA scandal was announced and officials began getting arrested, it was common assumption that the whole “bidding” involved kickbacks and other under the table dealing.
Worse, despite all of the “pie in the sky” talk, only one city hasn’t lost money on hosting an Olympiad – Peter Uberroth’s 1980 Los Angeles Olympics. All over the world, one can see pictures of decaying stadiums that were used once or twice then discarded when “the circus left town.” Since the International Olympic Committee and FIFA get almost all of the money from the Olympics or World Cup, the cities end up getting very little. And the jobs and economic development advertized to sell this to the populace, are all short lived, during the construction period and during the games. When it’s over – nothing left. Meanwhile schools, infrastructure, human services that could sorely have used those millions, never get it.
Earlier this month, the Boston removed its name from a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Cities are pulling out of the running, realizing the economic cost is greater than the return. (And, it should be noted, I am sure that the IOC is closely watching the FIFA allegations/indictments because kickbacks have long been considered the way in which Olympiads are “won.”)
So it was with a collective shrug this week when the IOC chose Beijing as the site for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Never mind that there’s little snow in Beijing that time of year, and mountains when the snow events will be held are many miles away; Beijing is celebrating like “it’s 1999” to quote Prince.
Beijing will have the distinction of being the first city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics. International Olympic President Thomas Bach confirmed Beijing, which hosted the Summer Games in 2008, had been chosen ahead of Almaty in Kazakshtan at the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Only Beijing and Almaty had been left in the running after Oslo, Munich and Stockholm bowed to public pressure and decided not to pursue plans to host the games.
The days of billion dollar investments in the current example of Rome’s “bread and circuses” is rapidly coming to an end. Brazil nearly bankrupted itself for the World Cup and upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics (at least they will be able to use the stadiums on two separate occasions). However, stories were published this week that the water in Rio De Janeiro is filled with sewage, making boating events and even athletes’ and spectators’ health at risk. What did not help in the Greek financial problems were the millions spent before the 2004 Summer Games.
Beijing is outwardly happy; the IOC will get its millions; they’re happy. The only people who aren’t happy are the politicians of Almaty in Kazakshtan, one of the rising economies of Eastern Europe. It would have been the first Olympics in that part of the world, and they wanted to attention, and perhaps they have the money to waste on an Olympic Games. This time however, China gets the honors.
As the old saying goes “be careful what you ask for, you may get it.”

I have to admit that I was wrong – I didn’t think NFL Commissioner Roger “The Sherriff” Goodell had the balls to uphold the 4-game suspension levied to Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady in the “Deflate-gate” incident. There were stories that Brady’s people and/or the NFL Players’ Association were negotiating a deal. Brady wanted to just pay a fine; the NFL reportedly was willing to cut the punishment from four games to two or even one game. But Brady wanted to be completely exonerated, and the NFL let the original suspension stand.
As I wrote here a week or so ago, I think that Brady should just be a man, own up to what happened and move along, but there is a threat of litigation, so instead of moving on, this is going to hang over the Patriots and the league for the foreseeable future. Patriots owner Robert Kraft says that he should never have trusted the league. Brady released a statement that he had “done nothing wrong.” (Still, it is very easy to release a statement than to have a press conference where people might ask difficult questions.)
In many ways, this punishment was issued when Goodell gave Ray Rice that preposterous two-game suspension for knocking his then fiancée unconscious. Once the videos were released showing how gruesome the violence was, Goodell looked like the paper tiger that he really is. After that, Adrian Peterson and others were toast; there would be no leniency for anyone for “Hanging Judge” Goodell.
There’s another point here, which was reportedly not known until June 25th – Brady, or, more likely one of Brady’s minions destroyed his cell phone, eliminating tons of texts, some of which (many of which?) may have supported the fact that Brady was in contact with the equipment staff to deflate the balls/cover up the wrong doing. If true, it proves that Brady is a lying cheater, just like his coach, Bill Belichick. But if the league knew all the time, why did they even consider reducing Brady’s suspension? Still, it’s a bit convenient that this information became public at the same time that the ruling was made; in effect helping to justify the ruling, at least in the court of public opinion.
I’m sure the league doesn’t want litigation, but Brady was going to be suspended for at least one game. It is the same penalty as drug offenders and at the beginning of last season, for domestic violence incidents. Brady’s indiscretions aren’t nearly in the same class as domestic violence, but like the steroid takers, they were harming the integrity of the game. They were cheating. And, as Rick Telander wrote in today’s Chicago Sun-Times, Pete Rose cheated, but most people don’t like Rose because of the decades of lying about it. Brady is about to join Rose on the liars Hall of Fame.
Tom Brady will be in the Hall of Fame; no one suggests that the Patriots should forfeit their four Super Bowl titles. But Tom Brady, Mr. Clean, All-American Boy will never be seen as innocent except for areas of the Northeast; and he probably wont be a unanimous Hall of Fame inductee – some people wont vote for him on the first ballot because he has the reputation for cheating.
For the last time Tom, take your medicine like a man. It’s not like the Patriots playoff chances will die in just four games.

I spend too much time on Facebook; I like to see what people are saying. I shame memes and stories that I like; I comment on a few. Sometimes I want to respond to a story but then I decide that a fuller discussion is warranted. This is one of those times.
There was an article on the best movies based on comics books of the past 25-30 years. Of course, I am a comic guy and I’m a movie fan, so I have seen most of the comic movies that have come out over the years. My attitude about them remains the same: “just don’t suck.” I know that this is a low bar to jump, but it’s mine. As long as films don’t hurt the character/hobby, as long as its ok, that’s fine. No more “Batman & Robins;” no bad “Fantastic Fours” (I reserve judgment on the new FF film. Now, if the film is good – terrific; if it’s actually great – even better. Unfortunately, comic readership is not rising with the popularity and big box office performance of the blockbusters that have emanated from the multiplexes over the past few years, but the popularity has probably kept the comics printing at least for the rest of my life.
As dubious as “Best of” and “worst of” lists are; they’re fun (at least to me). So I am giving you all a couple. First, I’d like to highlight the comic book adaptations that will never be on a list like this, but are much better than people give them credit for – The Unsung Top 10.
10. “The Phantom” (1996) dir. by Simon Wincer – Billy Zane, best known as the bad guy in “Titanic” was better in this adaptation of the pulp hero. It had nice pre-CGI action and a good cast around Zane. Treat Williams chewed up more scenery than any actor this side of Al Pacino as the villain, and it had the iconic Patrick McGoohan (“The Prisoner,” “Secret Agent,” “Braveheart”) as the ghost of the last Phantom.
9. “The Shadow” (1994) dir. Russell Mulcahy – this was the second pulp hero to have his movie tank in the mid 1990s, but like The Phantom, The Shadow is much better than people remember. Alec Baldwin was still in leading man mode playing the hero who could cloud men’s minds. Again, a top flight cast including Sir Ian McKellen, John Lone, Tim Curry and Jonathan Winters starred in the film. I think that the film relied too much on Howard Chaykin’s updating of the character (I loved it) which most people didn’t know of, so all of the Asian mysticism confused people. Anyway, it’s not bad.
8. “300” (2006) dir. Zach Snyder – Snyder has made an entire career making comic books into movies (more to come on this list, as well as next summer’s “Batman v. Superman”). I know that Frank Miller had become a has-been in comics by the time he produced the graphic novel on which the film is based, and some people can’t get beyond their dislike of Miller, but this was an interesting film with an unusual look – transmorphing Miller’s book onto screen.
7. “Sin City: A Dame To Kill For” (2014) dir. by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez – speaking of Miller, this film was only hurt by the fact that the look pioneered in the first Sin City film had become passé in the days of men in tights flying around and the fact that there were nine years between the first film and the second. Taking it on its own, the second Sin City was quite good.
6. “The Rocketeer” (1991) dir. Joe Johnson – Mr. Johnson will reappear on the other list later, this adaptation of the late Dave Stevens’ World War II era hero translated to the screen well. Like The Phantom, the time frame suited the material, and Billy Campbell made a compelling hero, trying to save Jennifer Connolly, helped by the always good Alan Arkin with former 007 Timothy Dalton chewing up scenery as the villain (not as much as Treat Williams did, but close).
5. “The Crow” (1994) dir. Alex Proyas – of course, this film is more infamous for the tragic accident that killed star Brandon Lee during the production, casting a pall over the film, but the film was very good and shows Proyas as a true stylist (his Dark City is a great science fiction film). It’s hard to see the film without thinking about Lee, but it is very good.
4. “Darkman” (1990) dir. Sam Raimi – before taking on the first “Spider-Man” trilogy (one of which will be featured in the next list) but after the “Evil Dead” films, this was a comic book project from a book that was not published by any of the big publishers. It was one of our first looks at Liam Neeson, had the excellent Frances McDormand as his girlfriend and Larry Drake, best known for playing a mentally challenged man on TV’s L.A. Law, as the villain. Raimi showed his usually visual flair and style.
3. “Kingsman: The Secret Service” (2014) dir. Matthew Vaughn – the most recent of any film on the two lists, I was unable to see this in a theater , but I knew the book so I had to see the film on video. Vaughn is making a name for himself in comic book adaptations, having directed “Kick-Ass” and “X-Men: First Class.” This is a James Bond spoof with Colin Firth recruiting the son of another agent to be in the elite international spy force. Samuel L. Jackson is weird as the villain, at some points menacing, at other points effeminate. This is a violent film, but with twists and turns. Worth seeing
2. “Blade” (1990) dir. Stephen Norrington – the first in the Blade series, like Spider-Man, was surpassed by its sequel, but unlike the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man film, this was much more satisfying. Wesley Snipes, at the end of his star turn but before jail for tax evasion, was very good as the half-vampire half-human hero and Stephen Dorff was appealing as his nemesis.
1. “Watchmen” (2009) dir. Zach Snyder – the film of the unfilmable; the attempt to turn the “Citizen Kane” of graphic novels into a film. Snyder turns up again, and he did an admirable job in making this into a good film. For those who didn’t know the comics, it was too dense, not linear, almost incomprehensible to a non-comic audience. However, to those of us who love the novel, it was as good as could be made. Some dubious casting choices (Malin Akerman particularly) hurt some, but most of the complaints about this film are from people who don’t understand it.
Now, on to part 2…