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Hello,
My name is NFL Lockout. I'm a teenage girl, and my story is oh-so-fabulous. I write in my diary every night - do you see all these grown men fighting over me? I feel soooooooo popular! <3 All of you other girls must be -so- jealous. I even have control over all their money, and I'm not even out of high school yet! If this keeps up, I'll be going shopping!! :D <3 <3 <3 I control man's favorite sport, and I'm a girl! All those creepy old men took some kind of vote and made the players mad. I thought they wanted me gone! Oh well, more shopping money for me! :)
That is, of course, what this lockout has degenerated to: high school drama. Both sides are squabbling, pulling stunts on each other, procrastinating until the last minute...high school drama.
They've had all summer to hammer this out, and only now - the very last minute - do they get anything done. It's flippin' comical. If I didn't love the sport of football so much, I'd abstain from giving an ounce of anything to either side this fall. Alas, it's never that easy. Anywho, let's see what I can drum up for you today.
DOL: DOL starts us off right this week with a Q&A from everyone's favorite receiver, Roddy White. Here's the link. I actually really like the interview here. Roddy did a fantastic job of explaining the players' reasoning on certain things, and it does make me feel like everything will be alright in time. (Also, 450 pages?! Good grief!) I also feel like I just can't blame the players on this one.
ESPN: ESPN reports that the players will work through the weekend on the CBA. Tick tock guys, the clock is ticking. In the AJC interview, Roddy said the deadline was more of a "let's get this done" rather than a "your time is running out" kind of thing. Here's to hoping they don't rush it. I know they've waited all summer to do this, but for the sake of all the players past, present, and future alike, please do this reasonably.
Yahoo! Sports: Doug Farrar of Yahoo Sports reveals that Mike Brown's Cincinatti Bengals have jumped the gun. He sent out a mass e-mail thanking the fans for their support and saying that a new CBA was finally done. Wait....what? Seriously, check this one out. It could've qualified for the random funny. I feel for you, Doc Scratch. Farrar also does a good job of explaining why the new CBA isn't like "flicking a light switch". He does a good job of explaining everything that needs to be done in order for a new CBA to happen.
Philadelphia Enquirer: Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Enquirer writes that even though the players might've been bamboozled, they are still looking a fair deal right in the face. He makes a valid point, saying that it would be absurd to pull a stunt like the one the players are accusing the owners of doing. My head is spinning just thinking about it.
Sports Illustrated: Don Banks is mad. And rightfully so. How is it that the players and the owners can debate for weeks at a time and then, when the owners hold up their end, the players start spinning on their heads screaming, "You lied!" ? I don't know. Banks makes some good points in there about why the next couple days are going to be a whirlwind and a half.
Random Funny: I saw a picture today that reminded me of a website. If you haven't heard of this before, you should check out peopleofwalmart.com. That link takes you to the top rated photos, where you see the most ridiculous things people have see in various Wal-Marts around the country. I approve of the old man with the hot dog on his head.