SCOTT JACOBS

So Plaxico Burress apparently shot himself last Friday at some nightclub, when his gun accidentally went off.  I know it’s not funny, but doesn’t a small part of you find it a little humorous how sad and pathetic of a story this guy has become?

In unrelated news, the Giants are on fire, 11-1, and on the verge of clinching the NFC East.  They’ve already exceeded their win total from 2007, the year they uh, won the Super Bowl.  Last year they shocked the world.  This year, well, a lot of people will be shocked if they don’t win it all.

Texas is griping about the BCS.  What’s new?  Nothing.  Interestingly enough there are reports and rumors that even if the Longhorns don’t make it to Miami they can still finish number one in the AP Poll.  Apparently there’s a gigantic gap in the USA Today poll, and the AP Poll.  In the USA Today all voters must put the BCS Championship game winner number one on their final ballot.  Not so for the AP Poll, which has 65 voters who can do whatever the heck they want. In other words, if Oklahoma runs the table and wins it all, and Texas wins their matchup in the Fiesta Bowl, against either Utah or Ohio State, the Horns could feasibly be voted ahead of the Boomer Sooners in the AP Poll.  Round and round we go.

And while we’re at it, does every game really mean something in college football?  That’s the tired line we’ve been fed for a few months now.  That every game is a playoff because of the BCS.  I somewhat disagree.  Tell that to USC (who barely lost to what turns out to be a decent Oregon State team) or Texas (which lost by a hair to Texas Tech on the road).  Every game is big, yes.  But every game is not created equal.  It’s about who you lost to, how they beat you, and when they beat you.  It’s the reason USC isn’t higher in the polls right now.  They were a heavy favorite to beat Oregon State and they lost.  And even though it was super early in the year, and they’ve gone onto destroying everything thrown in their way since, it doesn’t matter.  In fact, I’d argue, that USC may be in the top three right now of the BCS had they lost to the Buckeyes by a field goal at home.  Instead, they whalloped the Bucks and the BCS computers whalloped them a few weeks later after losing in Corvalis.

Other thoughts and bickerings…

My respect for Stephon Marbury dies a little more every day.  In fact, I think I have more respect for Mike Tyson now.  At least he put a giant intimidating tattoo on his head.  Marbury had the gall to tattoo his stupid brand logo on his scalp.  Classless.

I’m sorry but the NFL Network’s coverage of Arizona-Philly last week was beyond overkill.  They relentlessly hit on the same three topics the entire show, which lasted like 2.5 hours!   Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner, and the Cards chance of clinching the West.  It was really disappointing from a channel that is supposed to be 24/7 football, not 24 hours of reruns.  And the analysis was awful pregame.  When the game did start Bob Papa put me to sleep.  It was the first NFL Network telecast I’ve seen this year on TV, and besides Chris Collinsworth I wasn’t impressed.  Papa has a crazy schedule, but he bores me to tears.  And so did that game, which was well out of hand after Warner and the Cards forgot to show up.

This isn’t super helpful to the good people of Seattle, but the team you lost to Oklahoma City absolutley stinks this year.  By far the worst team in the league, the Thunder recently ended a 14 game losing streak by beating the lowly Grizz.  The Thunder, or Sonic Stealers if it helps you Seattle, improved to a mind blowingly unimpressive 2-16.  But hey, there play matches their look and their owner’s class: very minor league.

But my favorite one has to be this gem:

“I’m really happy to be back in Calgary; I love Canada,” Dallas Stars player Sean Avery said  recently. “I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my (former girlfriends). I don’t know what that’s about, but enjoy the game tonight.”

For that he has been suspended indefinetley.

Really?

Furthermore, the Stars are with the decision to suspend Avery indefinitely. Stars owner Tom Hicks said the following:

“I completely support the league’s decision to suspend Sean Avery,” Hicks said in a statement. “Had the league not have suspended him, the Dallas Stars would have. This organization will not tolerate such behavior, especially from a member of our hockey team. We hold our team to a higher standard and will continue to do so.”

In case you’re wondering, I think Avery just became my unofficial personal hero.  Listen to the “ex’s” he’s talking about:

Elisha Cuthbert

Rachel Hunter

And I’m sure there’s more.  And though hockey may not be big anymore, apparently hot famous chicks still dig it.  So hockey’s at least got that going for them.

During Stephon Marbury’s rookie season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Garnet marveled, “The best thing is that this team didn’t just get a great player when they drafted Stephon. They got a great person, too.” (NY Daily News, 1996)

In 1994, Marbury received a plaque for reportedly being a role model. “It was nice that the older people thought I meant something to the little kids,” he said.

It would be nice if older people still did think he was a role model.

Being the youngest and best of the five Marbury brothers who dominated New York prep school basketball, Marbury obviously got a lot of attention, and that attention seems to have inflated his ego and hurt his NBA career.

Marbury has been kept out of some early games and was suspended for a game when he refused to play during the Knicks’ loss to the Pistons last Wednesday.

Marbury responded by lashing out at his own teammates. He said regarding Quentin Richardson:

“He didn’t care I was his teammate when I was banished. They left me out for dead.”

Richardson said, “The main thing we want to do is we want to play basketball and win games.”

Marbury, however, is more concerned with other things, like his salary. Already being paid $21 million a year just to score 13.9 point per game, Marbury said:

“D’Antoni knew I was in my contract year and did everything they asked me to do. He’s not trying to help me. He’s trying to hurt me.”

-ESPN

Right, it’s not like Marbury isn’t trying to hurt the team by refusing to play.

Marbury could get out of his latest controversy just by taking a small buyout. Is the economy really so bad that he doesn’t have enough money?

No. Marbury craves the spotlight too much. In 2007, he went AWOL for a few games because Isiah Thomas removed Marbury from the starting lineup. In 2006, Marbury expressed his grievances about Thomas benching him for significant portions of some games.

Look, if anyone has the right to express grievances, it’s the Knicks. When you’re being paid $21 million a year and post mediocre numbers like he did (19.8, 21.7, 16.3, 16.4, 13.9 PPG respectively) then complain about playing time what do you have to complain about?

In 1999, with the Nets, one Nets player said this about Marbury:

“He gets on Kerry Kittles and Keith. He doesn’t respect them as players, and I think that hurts us. I hate to see expressions on guys’ faces now. When they walk into the locker room, their heads are down and nobody talks to anybody.

“He’s a great player. You can’t take nothing away from him. But we see right through him. Maybe it’s not even his fault. They put him in the driver’s seat, handed over the keys and said, ‘Make us go.’ At 22 years old, that’s a lot to ask.”

-New York Times, 1999

Throughout his life and his career, Marbury has been given the keys. He has yet to have gotten any team to go.