Posts Tagged ‘Devin McMillan’
Friday, March 11th, 2011
I have a serious beef with the shenanigans of Tigers 1st basemen Miguel Cabrera…and I’ll be brief. I don’t know his problems, and I’m not here to judge. But what I do know, is that in this world of second chances, if he escapes this one unscathed, he’ll be working on chance #3. In October 2009, he went on a drinking binge that led to an early morning altercation where he hit his wife. He then credited counseling for helping to fix his life, said he was done drinking alcohol, and later expressed his desire to become a better husband and father.
As we all know, recently, he was at it again…after three months of rehab prior to last season no less…but the capper in this debacle is that while being pulled over while ALREADY DRUNK, he had the audacity to pull out some more booze and continue drinking while the damn cop was questioning him. Excuse my broken English, but…“WHERE THEY DO THAT AT???”
Mug Shot
I’m gonna need for Mr. Cabrera to start acting like he plays a game for a living that he’s had a ball playing all of his life for free. I’m also gonna need for him to realize that he’s earning $20 Million plus PER YEAR to play his beloved game. So Miguel…stop acting like a richard-head, put down the damn sauce, and get your doo-doo together. That’s all I gotta say.
Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:alcohol, Detroit Tigers, Devin McMillan, Miguel Cabrera, MLB, The War Room, War Room Sports
Posted in General, MLB | 2 Comments »
Thursday, January 27th, 2011
I’d just like to take a minute give kudos to the NHL for their “outside the box” thinking in regards to the format of this weekend’s NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina. This isn’t the first time that they have tweaked the format of their All-Star EXHIBITION game. The NBA, NFL, and ESPECIALLY MLB should all take note. Though it is my opinion that the NFL has the worst all-star game in professional sports, I singled out Major League Baseball because they TOTALLY dropped the ball when they made the results of an exhibition game the determinant for home field advantage in the most important set of games in the entire sport.
Over the years, the NHL has experimented with several different formats such as East vs West, USA vs the World, etc. This year’s format may be the most interesting one yet from a fan’s perspective, and most of the excitement will take place before the first puck is ever dropped.
The fans have voted in 6 “starters” (3 forwards, 2 defensemen, 1 goalie) from both conferences. The NHL then selected another 36 All-Stars, which will give each team 12 forwards, 6 defensemen, and 3 goalies when the teams are eventually set. That pool of 42 players then nominated 6 of their peers to serve as captains for the two teams (1 captain and 2 alternates for each team).
Tomorrow (Fri, Jan 28) at 6pm, a televised Fantasy Draft will be held on the NHL Network, where the captains of each team will select their perspective rosters, with the order determined by a coin toss. Then on Sunday (Jan 30), the selected teams will do battle. I personally think this is a great format for and All-Star EXHIBITION. Can you imagine if the NBA had a pick-up All Star Game? Can you imagine if the NFL Pro-Bowl……..nevermind…….I don’t know what it will take for me to ever be interested in the Pro-Bowl again. However, my advice to the other professional leagues is…TAKE NOTES…and remember, in the words of my Homie Duke from Rocky IV…”THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN EXHIBITION!”
"Throw the damn towel!!!"
Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:Carolina Hurricanes, Devin McMillan, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, NHL All-Star Game, North Carolina, Pro-Bowl, Raleigh, Rocky IV, The War Room, War Room Sports
Posted in General, NHL | No Comments »
Saturday, January 1st, 2011
Can They Live?
I’ll be brief. I would simply like to know why it is that Rex Ryan recording his wife twinkling her damn toes is national news. Have we sunken THIS far as a society that these kinds of things are amongst the most interesting things going on? What that man does in the privacy of his OWN home, hotel rooms, and apparently HIS automobiles, with the usage of his OWN damn camcorder, IS THAT MAN’S BUSINESS! We should all be ashamed of ourselves.
(*stepping down off my soapbox*) Now back to our regularly scheduled program. As you were folks.
Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:Devin McMillan, foot fetish, Michelle Ryan, New York Jets, Rex Ryan, The War Room, War Room Sports
Posted in General, NFL | No Comments »
Monday, December 20th, 2010
"Thank you Mr. Vick. Thank you Suh."
Tashard Choice…YOU my friend, are a noodle. As a matter of fact, you are a wet, limp, ramen-style noodle. Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past week, you have probably seen, or at least heard about Cowboys’ Running Back Tashard Choice asking Eagles Quarterback Mike Vick to sign his gloves, ON THE FIELD, directly after a Sunday Night Cowboys loss to the Eagles, on national television. Now judging from the opinions of many people on TV, radio, print, and even our own War Room Sports Facebook forum (www.Facebook.com/WarRoomSports), my disdain for this apparent act of extreme “richard-ridery” seems to fall somewhere in the midst of the minority….which is actually cool with me, because when my overall opinions begin to align with the masses, that is when I will know that I am slipping.
Now back to this rather odd CHOICE by Tashard (pun intended). I’ve heard all of the defenses… “Players do this all the time”, “it was a sign of respect”, yadda yadda woopty damn doo. Well, obviously players don’t grovel for the opposing teams’ autographs ON THE FIELD, ON CAMERA, AFTER A LOSS, AT HOME too much. If that were the case, this “all the time” occurrence would not have been national sports news in the days following the game. So if this happens ALL THE TIME, make it happen ANOTHER TIME…not directly after a tough loss to a division opponent. If this is a “sign of respect”, then respect that man somewhere else…not in the middle of your home field in front of 100,000 angry home fans…not to mention the millions of viewers watching on television. Even his head coach remarked that “there is a time and place for that”.
The funny thing about this whole thing to me is that most of the people that I’ve had personal conversations with about this topic are Eagles fans. None of them seem to have a problem with it. To that, I say…FOH Eagles fans. WE…and yes I say WE…were the same group of fans who took Donovan McNabb to the proverbial verbal woodshed EVERY time he made a boneheaded play and then left the field with a smile on his face. Imagine if McNabb or any other Eagles player had solicited an opposing players’ autograph after a tough loss on national TV. You Eagles fans would have lost your mother-loving minds. So again, I say FOH Eagles fans. It was a punk move…BOTTOM LINE!
It goes back to my co-host Jimmy’s “Pass The Rock” rant and subsequent blog about how sports are getting soft in general. It is yet another occurrence that leads paying fans to believe that these spoiled millionaires just don’t care. I’m pretty sure Cowboys fans would have rather seen him walk off the field appearing as if he was upset about losing yet another game, rather than chasing the opponent’s quarterback halfway across the field for his John Hancock and a fatherly pat on the head. But if you all think this display of noodlery is okay in a “so-called” competitive environment, than more power to you and your cotton swab-loving tendencies. By the way…I’ll be signing autographs for all my fans throughout the holidays. Just send your valuables to the address listed on our website and I’ll get them back to you all signed up as soon as possible. Fatherly head pats not included.
Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:Cowboys Fans, Dallas Cowboys, Devin McMillan, Donovan McNabb, Eagles Fans, Facebook, James "The Blueprint" Williams, John Hancock, Michael Vick, Pass The Rock, Philadelphia Eagles, Tashard Choice, The War Room, War Room Sports
Posted in General, NFL | No Comments »
Friday, December 17th, 2010
Biggest Draft Bust of All Time?
As a negotiating stipulation for the next collective bargaining agreement, the NBA Players Association is seeking to end the current age restriction. For those of you who don’t know, the last NBA collective bargaining agreement placed an age restriction of 19 years old and one year removed from high school on players entering the NBA draft. This rule has been under heavy scrutiny and has been a major topic for debate since the moment it was instated. Now that a new collective bargaining agreement is being negotiated, this hot button issue is once again under the microscope. Taking all facts into consideration, I believe that retracting this rule would be a huge mistake. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing the restriction being raised to 20 years old and two years removed from high school…but I digress. I know that my view on this subject is probably not the popular one, but that’s why it is MY view and not yours.
James Lang
- Darius Miles
I could look at this quandary one of two ways. As a businessman, a man, and most importantly a human being, I fully empathize with the players and their right to try to make a living as young adults after high school. On the other hand, I can also look at this situation as a fan and basketball purist, and as a fan and basketball purist, I think that the skill level of the NBA took an ENORMOUS dip in the years between 2001 and 2005, the years when the “straight from high school” to the NBA trend was at its peak. Looking at the league overall, that was the worst period of basketball I had ever witnessed in my life. The draft was more of a crap shoot than ever because teams were drafting 18 year old, “wet behind the ears”, neophytes that they KNEW wouldn’t contribute for AT LEAST three years, IF they ever ended up contributing at all. The word “POTENTIAL” ran rampant through NBA circles. But how much of that potential has ever come to fruition? For every Kevin Garnett, you had a C.J. Miles, a Ricky Sanchez, and a James Lang. For every Kobe Bryant, you had a Korleone Young, an Ndudi Ebi, and a Kwame Brown. For every Amare Stoudemire, you had a Darius Miles, a Sebastian Telfair, and a Jonathan Bender. For every Lebron James, you had a Leon Smith, an Eddy Curry, and a Shaun Livingston. For every…..well…..you get my point.
I’m tired of watching bad basketball, so PLEASE make these kids go SOMEWHERE to hone their skills before entering the “big leagues”. Isn’t that what the NBA Developmental League is SUPPOSED to be for anyway??? Just like in baseball, make your 18 year old “phenoms” play for your minor league aka D-League affiliate for a couple years, instead of abusing the purpose of the league and sending players down there as punishment and allowing 12-13 year old broke veterans to occupy slots just to get a steady paycheck. I talk with my Homie and co-host Jimmy about this subject quite often, and we both pretty much agree that forcing kids to go to college who neither have the desire nor the intention of becoming students is a bad idea and a waste of time for these athletes and for the universities. So NBA…PLEASE do not cave on this rule. PLEASE restructure your “D-League” plan and utilize it correctly. I am tired of seeing clean-faced, ultra skinny, uber athletes who do not know how to shoot, pass, dribble, THINK, or play defense. Save your product. Keep the rule!
- Korleone Young
Tags:Amare Stoudemire, C.J. Miles, Darius Miles, Devin McMillan, Eddy Curry, James Lang, James Williams, Jonathan Bender, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Korleone Young, Kwame Brown, Lebron James, Leon Smith, NBA, NBDL, Ndudi Ebi, Ricky Sanchez, Sebastian Telfair, Shaun Livingston, The War Room, War Room Sports
Posted in General, NBA | 3 Comments »
Friday, November 26th, 2010
In honor of the holiday, I want to talk about a question that has been posed to me several times this past week, but also a question that has been discussed in many sports circles in recent years. Why is it, that on EVERY Thanksgiving Day, we football fans must be subjected to the NFL stylings of the lowly Detroit Lions? Now don’t get me wrong…My Mother-In-Law is a Detroit native and a Lions fan, so for that reason alone, I lightly pull for the Kitty Kats when they are of no threat to my Eagles. And let’s face it, the Lions are NEVER really a threat to ANYONE, so I may as well just make them my second team. HOWEVER, anyone who knows me knows that I don’t believe in second teams. So we can go ahead and scrap that idea.
If their own fans don't want to watch, why should we be forced to watch?
With that disclaimer out of the way, which should cover me and keep me from being banned from my mother-in-law’s sweet potato pie this Thanksgiving weekend, I would like to know HOW IN THE WORLD the perennial NFL version of the L.A. Clippers became a part of holiday tradition. Who started this tradition?… Well, actually, I found that out during this year’s installment of Detroit’s annual Turkey Day debacle. The culprit behind our yearly punishment was the Lions’ original owner George Richards, who started the tradition way back in 1934. So I guess a better question would be…who’s idea was it to MAINTAIN this tradition?…and has he been fired yet?
Though I’m not a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, their Thanksgiving tradition is a bit more understandable. Besides, they are “America’s Team”, aren’t’ they? (LOL) The fact that their bandwagon stretches from sea to shining sea, gives their annual game some rooting interest, especially since their detractors reach just as big a range as their bandwagon. So Cowboy lovers and Cowboy haters alike have a genuine reason to watch them on Thanksgiving, whether it be to root for them or to hate on them. But who outside of Detroit roots for the Lions?…and for that matter, who in America cares enough to root AGAINST the Lions? They’re just the Lions!
I think it’s time for some new “traditions”. I think the NFL should “traditionally” change who hosts the Thanksgiving Day games every year. They change who plays in that terrible London game every year, so why not give us some holiday variety?
And the MOST ironic aspect of this WHOLE thing?……………the Los Angeles Clippers hosted a Thanksgiving Day NBA game this year on TNT………………….W……T…….F! Now THAT’S funny!
Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:Basketball, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Devin McMillan, Football, George Richards, London, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Thanksgiving, The War Room, TNT, War Room Sports
Posted in General, NBA, NFL | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
This is more of a word association/“did you ever notice” type issue rather than one of my customary rants. I was recently watching an episode of the hit comedy “The League” on FX, and they were having a rather interesting “did you ever notice” conversation that we’ve all probably had before. They presented it as more of a racial issue, but since I will expand on some of the words and phrases, I’ll say that the issue is part racial, part political correctness (two phenomenons that I absolutely hate). Oh……so maybe this is a bit of a rant after all.
The League on FX
Anyway, they were discussing the usage of certain words/phrases in sports, and how those words are inexplicably synonymous with a certain group of people. When you hear a sports commentator us the term “class-act”, they are usually referring to some well-behaved Black guy, as if they MUST use this distinguishing term because well-behaved Black guys (ESPECIALLY in sports) are hard to come by. We constantly hear this term used when someone is speaking of Tony Dungy, Lovey Smith, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair (until the revelations that ultimately led to his death), Tim Duncan, etc.
Tony Dungy - "Class Act"
When we hear the word “scrappy”, it is usually referring to non-athletic White guys, such as Scott Skiles, Tyler Hansbrough, Daryl “Moose” Johnston, Dan Majerle, Aaron Rowand, and even the great Larry Bird. It’s as if White guys can’t just be good players, they have to be “scrappy” to stand out.
The ever so-"scrappy" Scott Skiles
Here’s another…
When is it that we hear commentators harp on someone’s youth, the fact that they are very young, their inexperience, etc? Well, 9 times out of 10 when I hear that, they are referring to someone who just made a boneheaded mistake, or someone who is KNOWN for making boneheaded mistakes. So, common sense tells me that in sports, the overuse of the word “young” is just the politically correct way to call a dude…“dumb”. Come on announcers! How many more years can J.R. Smith POSSIBLY be…….”young”? He has to age someday, right?
Talking smack to Kobe Bryant is EXTREMELY........."Young".
Now that you get my drift, let’s play the sports word association game. I’ve started you off with a few. Can you think of any? If you can, post them in the comments section below. Take notes bloggers! Reader participation is the way to go when you are too……………”YOUNG”……………..to finish your own blog post.
HELP ME OUT EVERYBODY!
Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:Aaron Rowand, class-act, Dan Majerle, Daryl "Moose" Johnston, Devin McMillan, Donovan McNabb, FX, J.R. Smith, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Lovey Smith, Nathan Whitaker, Quiet Strength, Scott Skiles, scrappy, Steve McNair, The League, The War Room, Tim Duncan, Tony Dungy, Tyler Hansbrough, War Room Sports, Word Association, young
Posted in General, MLB, NBA, NFL | 5 Comments »
Monday, November 1st, 2010
Do these comments from Mike Shanahan sound familiar Philly fans??? Does this bring back memories of 2-minute drills past?
“(McNabb’s) still our starter.”
“At the end of the game, with Rex knowing how to run the two-minute offense, I felt with the time (left) and no timeouts, he gave us the best chance to win. The terminology, it puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback.
“Everything is sped up when you don’t have timeouts. It’s gotta come automatic. You gotta call a couple plays at the line. You can’t think, you gotta react. Donovan understands. I don’t think any quarterback likes it, but you gotta make those tough decisions.”
This “McNabb in the clutch” thing is nothing new to those who have actually watched his career with an analytical eye. Do you all remember the Eagles’ so-called hurry-up offense in the Superbowl vs the Patriots? That happened often in Philly but you probably didn’t hear about it until it was on the national stage under the big lights. Here’s a stat that might interest you:
Since 2005, with 5 minutes or less to go in the game (when the Eagles were either losing by a score or less, or tied), McCan’tGetItDone’s record is 2-12-1. And this doesn’t even include his brief stint as the Redskins quarterback!!! For all of the positive stats put out there, this is one of those lines that you NEVER hear about.
***SHAKING OUR HEADS***
Aquil “Quil” Bayyan, Paul “PJ” Johnson, and Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:Devin McMillan, Donovan McNabb, Eagles, Mike Shanahan, Patriots, Paul Johnson, Philly fans, Redskins, Rex Grossman, Superbowl, The War Room, War Room Sports
Posted in NFL | No Comments »
Sunday, October 24th, 2010
Since we spoke about the business side of sports on the October 14th episode of The War Room (the best Marshall Faulkin sports show on the web PERIOD), I figured I’d address something that I believe will be very bad for NBA business in the coming years. We all know about the drama and eventual backlash from Lebron’s “decision” this summer. But “punk move” aside, I think this move will start a trend that will ultimately prove cancerous for NBA business. Here’s how most people I’ve talked to look at this…”This is great for the NBA because people are talking about the league during the offseason and eagerly anticipating the season”, blah, blah, blah. That is such a shortsighted view. Here’s how I see it…Many teams in the NBA, and players for that matter, are already unwatchable. The league needs to be contracted and not continually expanded, as it has been for the past two decades. In a 24 hour span, Chris Bosh and Lebron James effectively and instantly made two more NBA teams completely unwatchable. Cleveland WILL…not might, but WILL end a streak of Quicken Loans Arena sell-outs maintained during the Lebron James era. Toronto on the other hand, wasn’t the most watchable team in the league to begin with, but the only reason we may have had to ever tune in to a Raptors game is now gone.
Because of the recent “Heat wave” in Miami, we already have other superstars such as Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and maybe Amare Stoudemire contemplating “superteaming” up to form their own version of Voltron in New York. This will certainly put the pressure on other superstars to follow suit in order to compete. Where would this leave a league already in need of contraction?…already filled with sub-NBA-quality talent?…already full of teams and players that NOBODY wants to watch? With all of the league’s FEW superstars eventually ending up on 3 or 4 teams, what does that do to even the POSSIBILITY of parity in the NBA? With Lebron and Bosh bolting now, and CP3 and Melo’s escape from self-perceived “purgatory” most likely on the horizon for next year (if they don’t force trades THIS YEAR), how will Cleveland, Toronto, Denver, and New Orleans even come close to filling their buildings? The only chance that a VERY high percentage of NBA teams have of selling out their arenas this year and in years moving forward, is when the Lakers, Heat, Celtics, and MAYBE Magic and Thunder come to town. What MANY fans and even some NBA officials fail to understand is that a huge buzz for this NBA season isn’t a great buzz if people are only buzzing about two teams.
In conclusion, with players having the absolute right to “superteam” up if they so choose, there is really nothing that can be done about this budding trend. All we can hope…those of us who care of course…is that the REST OF the cream of the NBA crop would develop a higher level of pride than that shown from the “best player on the planet”.
Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:Amare Stoudemire, Boston Celtics, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Cleveland Cavaliers, contraction, Denver Nuggets, Devin McMillan, Lebron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Marshall Faulk, Miami Heat, NBA, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, parity, punk move, Quicken Loans Arena, Superteamin, The War Room, Toronto Raptors, War Room Sports
Posted in NBA | 2 Comments »
Friday, October 22nd, 2010
On Thursday, September 23rd, at the referees’ annual meeting in Jersey City, N.J., the NBA announced the new, EXPANDED guidelines for technical fouls, which will now include “overt” player reactions to officials’ calls.
In addition to the already bogus reasons that referees call “techs”, they will now be calling technical fouls for the following:
- “Players making aggressive gestures, such as air punches, etc, anywhere on the court.”
- “Demonstrative disagreement, such as when a player incredulously raises his hands, or smacks his own arm to demonstrate how he was fouled.”
- “Running directly at an official to complain about a call.”
- “Excessive inquiries about a call, even in a civilized tone.”
- “Using body language to question or demonstrate displeasure.”
- “Taking the long path to the official.” In other words, walking across the court to make their case.
Now, I’m the first person who would tell you that I could do without seeing all the constant whining, bitchin, and moaning to the officials, but I would be a hypocrite if I did so. In my time as an athlete, I have surely reacted to some terrible officiating. HOWEVER, these new set of rules infringe on the human element of the game. Humans (referees) make mistakes (MANY MISTAKES)… and emotional reactions to perceived wrongs are primary traits of human behavior. Of course there is a line that needs to be drawn when it comes to how much one should “demonstrate” after a call, but reading between the lines of these new rules lead me to believe that the NBA much rather prefers super-athletic emotionless drones over naturally emotional human beings. Trust me, the enforcement of these rules will eventually go WAY OVERBOARD!…or have they already started down that path?
On October 6th, in a preseason contest between the Phoenix Suns and the Toronto Raptors, Grant Hill and Reggie Evens were given second “technicals” and ejected from the game for…………….(wait for it)……..…….slapping each other on the butts.
W……T……F???
After a previous, HARMLESS altercation between the two teams on a prior play, Reggie Evans fouled Grant Hill on an attempted drive to the basket, accidentally tripping him to the floor. Grant Hill got up (as Reggie Evans motioned for a travelling violation) and slapped Reggie on the butt. As Grant walked away, Reggie returned the butt slap, which in turn prompted Grant to come back one last time to get the final butt slap. At this point, referee Bill Kennedy was motioning for both players to leave the floor. They were both ejected. This referee is already in (if I may borrow a phrase I read earlier) “mid-season overreaction form”. I can’t tell if this was a result of the new tightening of the technical foul rules or if this official is just a major homophobe. Maybe he was Tim Hardaway in disguise. Who knows?
Devin “Dev” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:Bill Kennedy, butt, Devin McMillan, ejected, Grant Hill, NBA, Phoenix Suns, referees, Reggie Evans, slap, technical fouls, The War Room, Tim Hardaway, Toronto Raptors, War Room Sports
Posted in NBA | No Comments »
