Jd’s Weekly Musings

Tom Brady retired from being retired, it was either the high price of jet fuel had him worried about his 401K tanking or he just wanted to spend more time with someone else’s kids (Evans, Godwin, etc.)…

Don’t think for a second that Aaron Rodgers re-upping with the Packers and not seeking a trade elsewhere had anything to do with his love and loyalty to Wisconsin. Rodgers took a good hard look at the talent of a couple of teams he would have considered a trade to (Denver or 49ers) but then took an equally hard look at the divisions he would have to play in and who he would have to compete with. Let’s face it, a significant part of the Rodgers legacy is tied to his eight division titles in last the 10 years and Aaron has always seemed to care about Aaron first. Can’t help but think Rodgers realized it’s a lot easier to win division titles and get into the playoffs by going against the Bears, Vikings, and Lions twice a year, compared to having to play against teams like the Rams, Seahawks, Cardinals, or Bills, Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers twice a year…

In a world where the NFL’s immense popularity is directly tied to gambling, some fans are suggesting the indefinite suspension of Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley for betting on an NFL game while on injured reserve was a bit harsh. While it is not unreasonable to suggest that, the NFL knew this was eventually going to happen and they were going to lower the hammer on the first offender no matter what. Is it fair that a $1500 bet (chump change to an NFL player) on a football game he was not involved in is going to cost him at least $11 million in salary next year? Probably not, but make no mistake about it, the Shield was sending a message to all the players…

Speaking of that, let me make sure we understand the NFL’s Scales of Justice correctly…beat girlfriend in elevator…two games (Ray Rice)… ask an equipment manager to leave a little air out of the ball four games (Tom Brady)…rip helmet off of opponent during game and stomp on head causing severe injuries…five games (Albert Haynesworth)…felonious child endangerment…six games (Adrian Peterson)…like to play Draft Kings…at least 17 games and $11 million fine (Ridley) and likes to smoke pot…6 years (Josh Gordon)…yeah seems logical…

How come my Labrador retriever will gobble up anything – including a 6-day road kill – but if you put a pill in his food he suddenly becomes Gordon Ramsey?…

Don’t know if you saw it or not but during the ACC’s tournament 2nd round game between Syracuse and Florida State, Orangeman player Buddy Boeheim basically punched Florida State player in the gut after the two were jostling for a rebound. After the game Boeheim’s dad –legendary head coach Jim Boeheim — basically blew the playoff, calling it a part of basketball, while son Buddy at least issued a statement saying he was sorry, apologized to Wyatt, and said what he did was wrong. Question, who sounds more like the responsible adult to you? The kid or crusty old coach who should have retired with Bobby Knight years ago? And — as expected — ESPN analyst Jay Bilas (basketball blue blood apologist) called the suspension wrong and undeserved. “Total overreaction by the ACC. Suspending Buddy is flat-out wrong. It is disproportionate to the offense,’’ Bilas said. What a crock of garbage. The kid threw a punch. Because it was one of Jay’s “protected brands” that was his take. If it had been Wyatt punching Boeheim, Bilas would be calling for a lifetime ban and possible jail time…

Speaking of NFL, the Russell Wilson to Denver trade makes the Broncos one of the co-favorites with Buffalo and Kansas City in the AFC. Although he steps into a tough division, he is also leaving one and –unlike Rodgers– his current team has been on a steady decline the last couple of years and probably has not bottomed out yet. He also goes from a Head Coach with a defensive mind to a head coach with an offensive background. Seattle has always shown a pretty good eye in the draft, so with them getting that many picks from Denver this trade looks like a win-win for both sides…

In ancient times, cats were revered as Gods. My cat has not forgotten this…

In the “Good work if you can find it” observation: When it comes to salaries — I have always sided with athletes in general – especially NFL players who basically risk their lives for our entertainment. Always believe anyone has a right to make what someone is willing to pay you. That said Kirk Cousins has made close to $200 million in his career and has won exactly one playoff game…

Y’all Have A Great Week.

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

J. Daniel Pearson, a long-time resident of Osceola County, has joined Positively Osceola as a freelance contributor. His JD’s Monday Morning Musings column is a regular feature and he will be covering events for us throughout the year. Dan is a former Public Relations Specialist for Florida State University, Boardwalk and Baseball, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Orlando Predators, and other professional sports teams and has been a freelance reporter to many newspapers in the state.

The post JDs Weekly Musings, talking Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, and more! appeared first on Positively Osceola.

A lot of fans from the cheap seats are commenting about the punishment delivered to Head Coach Juwan Howard and others involved in the post-game brouhaha after the Michigan – Wisconsin basketball game on Feb. 20. But if you don’t have a rooting interest in either team, the punishments handed out seemed both fair and reasonable to me.

Consider some of the shenanigans that Bobby Knight pulled in his career and remember former Temple Coach John Cheney once threatened to kill then Massachusetts Coach John Calipari after a game and neither faced repercussions. But in fairness, there is one thing you should always remember about college athletics – any punishment is always going to be a reflection of the coach’s record at the time of the crime. Anyone want to bet that if Juwan Howard was 27-56 at Michigan rather than 56-27, he would have been fired in a New York Minute for “cause”?…

For some reason, my Facebook page has been hammered this past week with ads for non-alcoholic cocktails. Yeah, don’t want that buzz, but I sure could use that beer gut…

One of the best lines of the week comes from long-time Miami Hurricanes public address announcer Jay Rokeach. The Canes hosted Harvard in baseball this past weekend and when someone pointed out that because of Covid, Harvard had not played a college baseball game in 722 days, which led to Rokeach to deadpan… “Well, I guess their pitching staff will be well rested”….

For the first time ever, female high school wrestlers in the state of Florida will be able to compete for an official FHSAA State Title in the sport. It is huge that the state is finally recognizing the growing sport of girls wrestling and is will now conduct both a boys and girls championship this week. Previously girls were required to compete against the guys if they wanted to pursue a sanctioned state championship. Kudos to the many leaders, like Osceola wrestling coach and athletic director Jim Bird, for making this possible…

Now you know the rest of the story. Back in the 1960s, a musical group called Peter and Gordon had several hit songs that were written by Paul McCartney. At the time, McCartney was dating Jane Asher, the brother of Peter Asher who was one-half of the Peter and Gordon duo. At the time, McCartney was wondering whether the songs were partially a hit because his name was attached to it. So he gave the group a song named “Women” but asked that the name be credited to not McCartney but to the fictional name Bernard Webb. Despite the deception, the duo’s single did become a major hit, reaching number 14 in the US and number 28 in the UK…

The NBA has a real problem right now that it has become a trend for players – under contract – trying to force their way out of town by sitting out with questionable injuries or just refusing to play (Zion Williamson, Ben Simmons come to mind). While I have always been in favor of professional athletes making every last dime they can, this recent power play trend is bad for the league and bad for the sport. News Flash to NBA Players: Not all 450 of you can play for the same five teams…

Sports can certainly play a part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine if it is has the fortitude to do so. How does this sound, No more Russian teams in the Olympics, World Cup, or any other international competition? If these sports federations are willing to do so, it may apply additional pressure on Russia to do the right thing. For those who say politics have no place in sports, I would simply reply Get Real — it already does….

Y’all have a great week…

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

J. Daniel Pearson, a long-time resident of Osceola County, has joined Positively Osceola as a freelance contributor. His JD’s Monday Morning Musings column is a regular feature and he will be covering events for us throughout the year. Dan is a former Public Relations Specialist for Florida State University, Boardwalk and Baseball, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Orlando Predators, and other professional sports teams and has been a freelance reporter to many newspapers in the state.

The post JDs Weekly Musings, talking Coach Juwan Howard, female high school wrestling, the NBA, and more! appeared first on Positively Osceola.

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

JD’S MORNING MUSINGS…

In recent years, baseball has enjoyed record attendance and revenues.  Franchises are now worth billions.   And now it appears baseball is going to come to a sudden, screeching halt because billionaire owners and multi-millionaire players can’t figure out a way to split that enormous revenue pie?  The last labor stoppage in 1994 canceled about half the season and the World Series and caused a ton of damage to the game. Now, these guys seem hell-bent on history repeating itself.  As someone who spent years in sports public relations, here’s some free advice – figure out how to solve this so the season starts on time because frankly, the American public doesn’t view your game as must-see TV anymore…

Say What?  Great sports quote from days gone by:   “My goal is to rush for 1000 or 1500 yards this year…whichever comes first.” Former Saints running back George Rogers…

The Grand Poobahs of the College Football Playoffs have decided to leave the system of selecting four playoff teams in place through the expiration of the 2026 contract.  Although I was one of the people screaming for UCF to be included in the playoffs in 2017 (because I sincerely believed they were one of the four best teams in the country that year not because I wanted to see an eight-team playoff), I am 100% okay with leaving this tournament at four teams.  My reasoning is simple.  Since the system was adopted for the 2014 season, we have had 16 semifinal games – 12 of those games were total blowouts of 15 points or more.  In short, we can’t seem to find four teams to give us two good semifinal games so how is asking for eight, 12 or 16 teams making the game any more interesting or compelling?  Since Cincinnati was able to prove that a non-power five team can get into the tournament, I do not see the need of creating two more rounds of lopsided games.  I mean do we really need to see Alabama or Georgia kill the 16^th seed by 50 points?   As a side note, does anyone besides me find it interesting that officials from UCF, BYU, Houston and Cincinnati –who spent years screaming, pleading and begging for playoff expansion – have remained totally silent about the decision to keep the current system at four teams?  It seems to me that out of principal they should still be publicly fighting for expansion but I guess the attitude has changed since they now have a seat at the adult table…

Bucs fans who think their team is simply going to out and get another star quarterback to replace Tom Brady are being more than a little delusional.  First Brady was a free agent.  Current star quarterbacks that may be available would require the trading of multiple draft picks to obtain.  Secondly, the Bucs had about $80 million in cap space that allowed them to pay Brady and other great players to surround him – that cap space number this year is about $3 million. Finally – and this doesn’t have anything to do with signing a quarterback – but when they signed Brady a few years ago, many of their defensive players were in their prime.  Guys like Gholston, Suh and Pierre-Paul are now a few years older and are in the decline. So even if you were somehow find a star quarterback, your team is not going to be the same caliber as it was two years ago.  It may sound ridiculous, but if anyone other than Kyle Trask is the starting quarterback for Tampa next year, it is a lot more likely that it will be Jameis Winston instead of Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson…   

Speaking of baseball, I saw a stat the other day that sort of blew my mind.  The late, great Tony Gwynn came to bat a combined 323 times against John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez and Greg Maddux and struck out a grand total of three times against those guys (that’s less than one percent against four Hall of Fame pitchers who won 1092 games).  To further put it into prospective, those four pitchers averaged 61 strikeouts in their career per 323 hitters faced.    Gwynn had a career batting average of .328, never hit below .309, was 15-time all-star and is in the Hall of Fame – because he played in San Diego for mostly bad teams that did not get a lot of national TV attention –I always felt he never received the accolades he deserved as one of the top players in MLB history…

Y’all have a great week…

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

J. Daniel Pearson, a long-time resident of Osceola County, has joined Positively Osceola as a freelance contributor. His JD’s Monday Morning Musings column is a regular feature and he will be covering events for us throughout the year. Dan is a former Public Relations Specialist for Florida State University, Boardwalk and Baseball, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Orlando Predators, and other professional sports teams and has been a freelance reporter to many newspapers in the state.

The post JD’s Morning Musings, talking Pro Baseball, College Football Playoffs, and Replacing Tom Brady appeared first on Positively Osceola.

By J. Daniel Pearson

Given the Super Bowl officials were doing a great job of letting the teams play, I thought that one third-down defensive holding penalty near the goal line against the Bengals was a bit of a ticky-tack call, but the truth of the matter is the Rams converted two fourth-down plays on the drive and then came up with a huge defensive stop. The best team won but hats off to Burrow and the Bengals on a great game and effort…

Speaking of the Super Bowl, I can’t believe the number of comments – both positive and negative – about the halftime show. Seriously? It’s entertainment – nothing more, nothing less. To act like it is making some sort of political statement or changing society in some way, shape or form is going way overboard…

To be honest, I missed the first couple minutes of the Super Bowl because that PGA Playoff between Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler at the Phoenix Open was pretty compelling television in its own right…

So at dinner the other night, I noticed a bottle of A-1 Sauce had “Established 1862” above its name. Random thought. In the middle of the bloodiest conflict in American history where 620,000 of our own citizens killed each other, some guy was thinking…”Ya know what this country really needs right now more than anything else?….a delicious steak sauce…”

Not sure whether this was a one-time pandemic thing or a permanent move but the new USFL’s decision to play its inaugural season with every game in Birmingham is a bit odd to me. Not sure how they expect to build a following for the Tampa Bay Bandits when they will have absolutely zero presence in Tampa. Unlike many, I am a believer that spring professional football can work in this country if done properly and while the new USFL does have a lot going for it (it is partially owned by FOX), I do not see how any of its teams can gain a following when they do not have a presence in the cities they are named for…

First Neil Young and then Joni Mitchell said they were removing their music from Spotify in protest of Joe Rogan’s podcast. Rimshot: In a show of solidarity, Milli Vanilli announced they were going to remove someone else’s music from Spotify…

I have absolutely no problem with any college football player accepting money from any Name Image and Likeness deal they can obtain, but when obscure linemen are being paid large sums of money for signing with specific schools, let’s call this what it is – buying players. With the exception of a few quarterbacks and skill position players with national name recognition, no company is actually getting a return on investment on these NIL deals. The richest schools and their boosters are basically using NIL to buy the best players – legally…

Y’all Have a Good Week.

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

J. Daniel Pearson, a long-time resident of Osceola County, has joined Positively Osceola as a freelance contributor. His JD’s Monday Morning Musings column is a regular feature and he will be covering events for us throughout the year. Dan is a former Public Relations Specialist for Florida State University, Boardwalk and Baseball, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Orlando Predators, and other professional sports teams and has been a freelance reporter to many newspapers in the state.

The post JDs Weekly Musings, talking Super Bowl, A-1 Steak Sauce, Neil Young & Joni Mitchell, and more appeared first on Positively Osceola.

While most members of the media continue to hyperventilate about NFL Overtime Rules, here’s a different take…the system is just fine as it is. Kansas City won the toss two weeks ago and scored a touchdown and beat Buffalo, but last week they won the toss and lost to Cincinnati. Of course, the naysayers will point out how 10 of 12 sudden death overtime games in the NFL post-season were won by the team that won the toss, but here are some other things to consider.

In four of those 10 playoff wins where the winning team won the toss, it was the New England Patriots doing so. Hmmmm… let’s see, the best team with the best coach and the greatest QB of all time ended up accounting for 33% of those playoff overtime wins? Shocking. Secondly, I would not be surprised to see the team that carried the momentum in the second half also won the majority of those playoff games. The coin toss is a 50-50 proposition, so what is fairer? Secondly, college football overtime is a hokey way to decide a game, taking special teams out of the equation. If you want to tweak it, go to a 10-minute overtime and then continue with sudden death if necessary, but if they keep the system the same, it doesn’t bother me in the least…

Speaking of the post-season, is there a better story this year than Joe Burrow and Cincinnati? Picked to finish fourth in their division by practically every expert, the Bengals lost this year to the Jets, Bears, and Browns. This is a team whose quarterback was sacked nine times in the divisional round and who has modest numbers of four touchdowns and two picks in three post-season games. Added to the fact they fell behind 21-3 on the road to Kansas City on Sunday, it begs the question – how the heck is this team in the Super Bowl? Frankly, I give most of the credit to Burrow. The swag and confidence this kid is playing with is off the charts and while everything in the world tells me the Rams are going to win the Super Bowl, I am just waiting for Joe to make the same outlandish guarantee another Joe did more than 50 years ago and predict a Super Bowl win. And if he does, I am not counting the Bengals out…

That said we may not be even talking about Cincinnati if Andy Reid had settled for a field goal with five seconds left in the first half. With that much time left you have enough time for two plays if you go quick, but to throw a screen pass made no sense. A three-touchdown lead may have been enough to hold off Cincinnati…

Cooper Kupp’s receiving stats this year are absolutely off the charts. Counting post-season, he now has 165 receptions for 2273 yards and 19 touchdowns. This is sort of the equivalent of a 250-hit season in baseball…

Hard to believe we went through 54 Super Bowls without a true home-field advantage until we had the Tampa Bay Bucs hosted Kansas City in Super Bowl LV last year and now we have a “home” team hosting for a second consecutive year, with the Rams playing in their home stadium against Cincinnati. But even with this year being a second straight “home field advantage” situation, it could be argued that it still truly has not been a home game for any Super Bowl participant. Because of Covid last year, Raymond James Stadium was less than half-filled creating an absolutely strange atmosphere for a championship game. The Rams have had trouble all season with more fans showing up to root for the visitors than for the home team. Remember, Rams quarterback Mathew Stafford had to go to a silent count numerous times yesterday to counteract the noise from 49ers fans last night….

Although the Super Bowl is still almost two weeks away, it’s always fun to consider what is going to happen with trades, coaching changes, and free agency in the off-season. First, there’s no question that Aaron Rodgers should stay in Green Bay. Does he really want to go to an AFC team like Pittsburgh, where he would have to get by Burrows and Lamar Jackson in his division and then have to worry about possible playoff matchups with guys like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Derrick Carr, and Justin Herbert in the playoffs or would it make more sense to stay in Green Bay where Kirk Cousins is the biggest obstacle to the division title and the aging Matt Stafford and Dak Prescott are about the only challenges left in the NFC now that Brady is retiring? Where you play does make a difference, keep in mind that Tom Brady’s path to greatness was paved in the AFC East, where the Patriots went unchallenged for more than a decade. What does make sense for both teams is if the Steelers should make an effort to obtain Jimmy Garappolo in a trade. The 49ers have all but committed to moving Trey Lance into the starters role and the Steelers are looking for Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement. Due to Jimmy G’s injury history, the asking price would not be too high and with the Steelers returning talent it would be a good fit for all concerned…

Y’all have a great week.

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

J. Daniel Pearson, a long-time resident of Osceola County, has joined Positively Osceola as a freelance contributor. His JD’s Monday Morning Musings column is a regular feature and he will be covering events for us throughout the year. Dan is a former Public Relations Specialist for Florida State University, Boardwalk and Baseball, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Orlando Predators, and other professional sports teams and has been a freelance reporter to many newspapers in the state.

The post It’s JD’s Weekly Musings, talking NFL Overtime, Bengals vs. Rams, and more NFL appeared first on Positively Osceola.

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By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores last week and owner Steven Ross and General Manager Chris Grier both say it had nothing to do with his coaching abilities and everything to do with Flores’ surliness, communication skills, and the lack of his ability to get along. A few years ago, Flores begged his GM and ownership to draft Justin Herbert at quarterback and to upgrade the offensive line, instead, Grier got him Tua Tagovailoa and did nothing to fix the putrid offensive line. To tell you the truth, I think the wrong guy got dismissed and if I was Flores I think I would be a little surly too…

Any Cowboys fan who feels the referees cost them the game needs a serious reality check. First, the final call for Dak to run the ball down the middle of the field with no timeouts left was risky at best. Dak gets more than his share of the blame for not sliding sooner and not getting up and giving the ball to the official immediately—something every QB in that situation knows to do. Add to the fact there was no guarantee he would have thrown a 25-yard touchdown pass on the final play if he had a second left and the Cowboys committed ridiculous penalties all game long. Add to that strange “WTH Were They Thinking” moment when the Cowboys picked up a first down on a fake punt and then proceeded to stay in punt formation –eventually picking up a delay of game penalty – and the Dallas got exactly what they deserved, a big fat “L” and early tee-times at the country club…

Simple thoughts or ideas can make you wealthy. Did you know veteran big-event announcer Michael Buffer of “Let’s get ready to rumble” fame has a net worth of $400 million and can command up to $1 million in a single appearance to utter that phrase? His half-brother of lesser fame Bruce Buffer has a net worth of $14 million and gets paid up to $100,000 to scream “It’s Time” before a UCF event. Think about that…those two men have made $414 million uttering a total of seven words…

In case you missed it, Russell Henley took a two-shot lead into the final round of the PGA stop in Hawaii yesterday and then proceeded to extend it to a four-shot lead at the turn with a fabulous 29 – and then went on to lose the tournament. It was not really a choke job, as Henley was just one-over 37 on the back but Hideki Matsuyama made up the stagger with a back-nine, four-under 31 to force a playoff and then won on the first playoff hole with an eagle. In a lot of ways, Henley’s loss felt like a football team coming back from a three-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter or a baseball team overcoming a 9-0 deficit – it just doesn’t happen that often that a PGA pro leading a tournament would give up that big of a lead…

Totally bizarre thought for you to ponder: If a hot dog is nothing but pureed stuffed inside an animal casing does mean you become a hot dog when you eat one, because you become the animal casing for pureed meat?

Feel a little sorry that Novak Djokovic is going to have to wait at least one more major tournament to break the record held by Pete Sampras and Roger Federer for most Grand Slam tournament career wins, and I do think it is his right to decide whether he wanted to be vaccinated or not. I do not have any sympathy for his “team,” however, who did not research the matter more thoroughly. If I am going to go to a foreign country for a major sporting event in today’s Covid era, I am not solely going to rely on tournament officials to okay my participation without checking with immigration officials too. He may still have decided not to participate but he could have saved himself a lot of drama…

Funniest meme from yesterday was a photo of the Cowboy’s star that said it is not a logo, it’s a rating…

Things I learned while looking up other things: In 1990 Los Angeles Dodger first baseman Eddie Murray led all of Major League Baseball with a .330 batting average but surprisingly did not win a batting title. Back story: In late 1990, St. Louis Cardinal outfielder Willie McGee was leading the National League in hitting with a .335 average when he was traded to the American League’s Oakland Athletics. He would struggle a little down the stretch and finish the season with a .274 batting average with the A’s and an overall major league average of .324. However, batting titles are handed out in both leagues and since McGee had enough plate appearance to qualify, he won the National League batting title. Since George Brett led the American League that year with a .329 average, it worked out that Murray – whose season average was the best in baseball at .330 – became the first and only player in Major League history to lead the Majors in hitting without winning a league batting title …

As Always Y’all Have a Great Week!

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

J. Daniel Pearson, a long-time resident of Osceola County, has joined Positively Osceola as a freelance contributor. His JD’s Monday Morning Musings column are a regular feature and he will be covering events for us throughout the year. Dan is a former Public Relations Specialist for Florida State University, Boardwalk and Baseball, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Orlando Predators, and other professional sports teams and has been a freelance reporter to many newspapers in the state.

The post It’s JD’s Weekly Musings, talking Cowboys Loss, Dolphins Former Head Coach Brian Flores, and more! appeared first on Positively Osceola.

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

A couple of takeaways from last Friday’s playoff games. First, as predicted, the internet was full of comments from college football power five fans railing about how Cincinnati proved they never belonged after Alabama stifled them 27-6. Not quite sure how they could have watched the second game when Georgia (who lost to Alabama) absolutely hammered Michigan by an even bigger margin of 34-11 and still came to that conclusion (you’re fine with Michigan getting pounded but somehow Cincinnati’s loss proved they didn’t belong?) The fact remains we are now in the eighth year of this new system of selecting four teams and of those 16 semifinal games – 12 have been decided by three or more scores. Cincinnati certainly did not embarrass themselves against Alabama; in fact they were one of only five teams in the last four years and 54 games to hold the Crimson Tide to under 30 points in a game. My other comment is sort of related to how uncompetitive these semifinal games have become. Do we really need to add four or eight more teams to this tournament and create two more layers of games? The fact remains we have yet to have two close games in the semifinals in a single year so somehow we’re going to make it more interesting by adding a bunch of more lopsided games to the mix? If Alabama and Georgia are winning the semifinals games against Cincinnati and Michigan by 21 and 23, are you really all that excited to watch them do the same or worse to Ole Miss or Utah in the quarterfinals? Because of money, that eight or 12 team playoff is coming – I’m just not so sure it is going to add any excitement to the mix….

Antonio Brown stripping down to just his football pants and storming off the field was more than just a little bizarre and there has been the tons of speculation, theories, and excuses on why he did so. Claims of mental illness and brain injuries have been put forward, as has an explanation/excuse that Brown was closing in on contract incentives and he became incensed when the Bucs had sat him down in the third quarter to keep him from reaching those incentives. And then there is the Antonio is simply “a loose cannon” or the old “Manny being Manny Theory.” Not sure what to believe, the contract theory makes no sense. The Bucs were trailing in a “must-win game” to keep any hopes of a number one seed alive and no NFL coach is going to sit a player to save a few thousand bucks over a chance for a win…

Speaking on the Bucs, Tom Brady’s closing drive was vintage “G.O.A.T.” material but I still have a hard time trying to understand what in the world head football coach Jets Robert Saleh was thinking when he called a quarterback sneak on a fourth and two play. With the Jets leading by four, a field goal gives them a 7-point lead in the final two minutes and most likely guarantees at least overtime. Instead, Salah elects to run a quarterback sneak. It was a long two yards and the Bucs have Vita Vea, a totally immovable mountain of a man at 6-4, 350-lbs., in the middle of the defensive line. Just a weird decision….
The best sport clip from the week had to be in Washington, where Philadelphia fans were leaning over a railing trying to bump fists with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who had led a second-half comeback win. The railing broke – sending half a dozen fans tumbling on top and around Hurts. The second-year quarterback simply started helping fans to their feet and after realizing no one was injured, he stood there for a few seconds and posed for photos with the fans. Absolute class act…

I would like to say Brown’s departure was the strangest thing I have ever witnessed in athletics, but I can’t. True story. Back in 1977, I was in my first year as a student assistant in the West Virginia University Sports Information office and I had to cover a men’s gymnastics meet at the WVU Coliseum over Christmas break. Don’t remember the name of the WVU athlete, but he was a senior who was going to be ruled academically ineligible for the second semester. It was also known to his teammates that he harbored a lot of hidden “resentment” towards the coaching staff. Knowing his career was essentially finished, he came up with a devious plot. He went to the coach with a story about how his parents were coming to the meet and he wanted an opportunity to “compete for them” one more time. Although the coach knew he would not be eligible for the rest of the season, he agreed to let him participate. When WVU got to its last rotation on the rings, the athlete acknowledged the judges but then stripped down to only his athletic supporter before starting his routine. Total chaos ensured. The few people present broke out and laughter as the WVU coach and his assistants came running on to the floor trying to pull him off the rings as tried to continue. When they finally pulled him down, he gave a double finger salute to the coaching staff and walked off the floor – never to be seen again. There were way less than 50 fans in the stands so when I called my boss to tell him what had transpired, he simply said “do not put that in the report you send to the paper and never mention it again.” The story never got out to the public, but will be burned in my mind forever…

For one glorious afternoon in January 1982, I had an opportunity to sit next to John Madden and watch a football game. At that time, Madden was a broadcaster, but his network did not have Super Bowl between Cincinnati and San Francisco. Some company was having a huge meeting in Orlando for its executives and planned a Super Bowl watch party in the hotel ballroom. They hired John Madden to come to attend the party, with the idea that Madden would get up give analysis and offer opinions on strategy when the game went to commercials. I don’t remember how I was hired for the gig, but I was sitting next to Madden during the entire game and keeping stats for him (way before the internet so I was compiling the stats by hand just telling him the information he wanted before the commercial started). It was almost 40 years ago, but I do remember how Madden treated those guys in the room. He was charming, cordial, and bigger than life. When it was over he came over to me and personally thanked me for keeping the stats for him. At the time, I was just excited to make $150, but now I’ll remember it as the day I watched a Super Bowl with a Legend…

Have a Great Week….

J. Daniel Pearson, a long-time resident of Osceola County, has joined Positively Osceola as a freelance contributor. His JD’s Morning Musings column will be a regular feature and he will be covering events for us throughout the year. Dan is a former Public Relations Specialist for Florida State University, Boardwalk and Baseball, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Orlando Predators, and other professional sports teams and has been a freelance reporter to many newspapers in the state.

The post It’s JD’s Weekly Musings, talking John Madden, College Football, Antonio Brown, Tom Brady, and more appeared first on Positively Osceola.

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

The venom being directed at Travis Hunter Jr. and Deion Sanders by SOME FSU football fans on the internet is among some of the most misguided, idiotic, and ridiculous stuff I have ever read.

For those unfamiliar, Hunter is a 5-star high school prospect from Georgia, who pledged to attend FSU a while back but changed his mind and signed with Jackson State last Wednesday.  Jackson State is an HBC (Historically Black College) coached by Sanders, a former FSU player.   This signing has resulted in a few irrational, crazy FSU fans going ballistic, burning Sanders memorabilia, calling him a traitor, and just being plain being nasty to one of the greatest players in Seminole history.  These people need a reality check.  First, Sanders is the head coach at Jackson State.  His number #1 priority in life (besides making cool AFLAC commercials with Nick Saban) is to be the best football coach he can be and that includes signing the best players he can sign.  As a former long-time FSU athletic department employee who worked with the Seminoles when Deion was a student-athlete, I am actually quite proud of Deion.  In the previous four seasons, Jackson State has been 22-43 and in his just his second year, Deion has guided them to an 11-2 record.  Since the star rankings have started. Hunter is the first 5-star recruit to sign with an HBC.  Deion deserves no criticism for successfully recruiting Hunter, and Hunter certainly deserves no darts or arrows for changing his mind on where he wants to play college football as hundreds of kids a year change their minds from non-binding oral commitments (Funny how you hear moans and groans when a kid decides not to attend your school, but you never hear fans complain when their coaches flip a kid to your school)….

Favorite Christmas Quote:  “Adults can take a simple holiday for Children and screw it up. What began as a presentation of simple gifts to delight and surprise children around the Christmas tree has culminated in a woman unwrapping six shrimp forks from her dog, who drew her name”…

Hunter Schinabeck is a long-time member of the Bills Mafia – which is a group of diehard Buffalo Bills fans.  Upset at a perceived no-call pass interference on Stephon Diggs during the waning moments, Buffalo’s loss to Tampa Bay last Monday, Schinabeck decided to donate $17 to Visually Impaired Advancement (VIA), a Buffalo non-profit that works with the visually impaired in the community.  In a note with his donation, Schniabeck noted the donation was in honor of the NFL officials who obviously had vision issues.  Word got out of the donation other members of the Bills Mafia ended up donating more than $40,000 to the non-profit.  It’s not the first time Bills Mafia has been involved in charitable work.  Last year, in a show of good sportsmanship, Bills Mafia donated more than $360,000 to Lamar Jackson’s favorite charity after he was knocked out of the Ravens-Bills playoff game with a concussion.  When former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s mother passed away last year, Bills Mafia raised and donated $1 million for the Oshei Childrens Hospital in her name.  Well played Buffalo, well played….

The coaching decision by Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley to bypass three-chip shot field goals against the Chiefs was baffling to say the least.  If Kansas City was scoring touchdowns on every drive, I would get it, but Patrick Mahomes and his offense looked pretty pedestrian all game.  Had they kicked those field goals they probably would have won the game…

Without his talented weapons around him, Tom Brady looked a little lost on Sunday night against the Saints, who won despite scoring a whopping nine points.   About the only lesson here is when you take Evans, Godwin, and Fournette out of Tampa Bay’s offense, the GOAT looks like any other 44-year-old QB…

Y’all Have A Great Holiday Season

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

J. Daniel Pearson, a long-time resident of Osceola County, has joined Positively Osceola as a freelance contributor. His JD’s Monday Morning Musings column is a regular feature and he will be covering events for us throughout the year. Dan is a former Public Relations Specialist for Florida State University, Boardwalk and Baseball, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Orlando Predators, and other professional sports teams and has been a freelance reporter to many newspapers in the state.

The post It’s JD’s Weekly Musings, talking Bills Mafia, Travis Hunter Jr., Deion Sanders, and more! appeared first on Positively Osceola.

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

The college football transfer portal is a two-edged sword. On one hand, boosters and fans scream and cry about no loyalty when a kid leaves their program and then the same group turns around and gushes nothing but love when a kid transfers into their program. How is there any consistency in that message? At least coaches are smart enough to realize it is a new reality. UCF Head Coach Gus Malzahn takes it a step further by openly embracing the portal and calling UCF “an unbelievable place for transfers”….

Speaking of loyalty, the coaching carousel is still spinning around at warp speed and it has been fascinating to watch. A lot of people – including my friend and Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi – bashed Brian Kelly for leaving Notre Dame the way he did, as the Irish were still theoretically in contention for a playoff spot. Mike noted that when Scott Frost left UCF “he did it the right way” and coached the team through its bowl game. But the truth of the matter is there is no good way to leave and a lot has changed since Frosts’ departure. In defense of Kelly, he was offered a 300% raise and LSU wanted an answer. Furthermore, when Frost left UCF it was only the first year of the critical early signing period, where no one really knew the implications that would bring. Fast forward to today when 90% of the four and five-star recruits sign early, and it is a lot easier to understand why schools want to get their new coach on board as soon as possible…

Quote of the Day — “I’ve become sick of chasing my dreams. From now on, I am just going to ask them where they are going and will try to hook up with them later”…

If NFL taught us one thing this past weekend, it’s EVERY TEAM that has good players and that when a team gets embarrassed one weekend, it’s a pretty good bet they will play lights out in its next game. Cases in point: Lowly Detroit got their first win yesterday, but were you aware of the fact that four of their losses caF the college football playoff with a win over Georgia and Cincinnati secured its spot with a convincing win over Houston in the AAC Championship game; while Oklahoma State ruined any chance for sneaking past Cincinnati for the final spot by losing to Baylor. As we move forward to the playoffs, I have a question and an observation. First, why in the world are they moving the semifinal games back to New Year’s Eve? I can’t believe that is going to help their television ratings. Second, if Alabama manhandles Cincinnati as expected, football Power 5 Elitists will be screaming from the top of their lungs “See, I told you the Bearcats didn’t belong” to which I will simply reply “Hogwash.” This will be the eighth season of the current format and it needs to be pointed out that nine of the 14 previous semifinal games have been decided by 20 or more points. Where is the outrage of Michigan State (38-0 loss to Alabama) in 2016, Ohio State (31-0 loser to Clemson) in 2017, Notre Dame (30-3 losers to Clemson) 2019, and Oklahoma (63-28 losers to LSU) in 2020 not belonging? The National Championship in college football will remain a mythical national championship until a clear format is installed and all Division-1 teams can compete for the championship….

Y’all Have a Good Week…

By:  J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola

J. Daniel Pearson, a long-time resident of Osceola County, has joined Positively Osceola as a freelance contributor. His JD’s Monday Morning Musings column is a regular feature and he will be covering events for us throughout the year. Dan is a former Public Relations Specialist for Florida State University, Boardwalk and Baseball, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Orlando Predators, and other professional sports teams and has been a freelance reporter to many newspapers in the state.

The post It’s JD’s Weekly Musings, talking College Football, Alabama, Georgia, UCF appeared first on Positively Osceola.