Big Ben

NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell suspended Big Ben for six games today. For what, I'm not sure. Maybe because he COULD be a rapist. Maybe because he brought bad publicity to his team. I like that Roger Goodell has cracked down on off-the-field behavior, but I think he went too far with this suspension. Big Ben MIGHT be guilty of something, but the District Attorney didn't have enough evidence to bring charges. What did Commissioner Goodell have on Big Ben that the DA didn't have? I think even a one game suspension would be too much considering that he was not charged with anything. Writer Clay Travis (author of the great book Dixieland Delight) summed it up really well:

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/04/21/roger-goodell-nfls-solomon-attempts-to-split-the-baby/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ClayTravisFanHouse+%28Clay+Travis+FanHouse+Columns%29

Ramblings

• I can't imagine a better home for Conan than TBS. FOX seemed like a logical destination for Conan, but FOX has to deal with hundreds of affiliates that get decent ratings from Seinfeld and Friends reruns at 11 P.M. Also, going to cable will give Conan a little more creative control and leeway with risque sketches. Comedy Central was mentioned as a possibility for Conan, but I figured they didn't want to switch their popular Colbert/Daily Show schedule. The biggest winner in Conan's new deal is George Lopez. At first, I thought Lopez might be pissed that Conan was coming in and pushing his show back to midnight (as NBC wanted to do with Leno and Conan). Lopez came out immediately to deny that -- he said he called Conan to convince him to come to TBS. And why wouldn't he? He will have Conan as a lead-in and his show will get renewed, which was not a guarantee before the Conan deal. Lopez is funnier than Jimmy Fallon and Craig Ferguson so his show has a chance to be successful. I suspect a lot of people will watch Conan at 11 and then turn to ABC for Jimmy Kimmel at 12, but Lopez may surprise some people. Conan going to cable will probably hurt Letterman more than Leno -- if you think Leno is funny, you probably don't get Conan. However, I expect Conan to be way behind Leno and Letterman in the ratings. I don't give a shit about ratings -- Conan is the funniest guy in late night and I am just glad he will be back in November.

• Didn't get enough hoops talk in March? Me neither. Wake Forest fired basketball coach Dino Gaudio after three seasons, in which his record was 61-31 with two NCAA tourney bids. He also signed four top-100 recruits for next year. Wake fell apart near the end of the year this past season, but they were dealing with the loss of two underclassman (Jeff Teague and James Johnson) who turned pro and they still won an NCAA tournament game. I should also note that Gaudio was named the head coach after his long-time friend and mentor Skip Prosser died suddenly in the summer of 2007. I think under the circumstances, Gaudio has been a successful coach at Wake. Even assuming that Wake was ready to move in a different direction, I don't understand their new hire. They hired Jeff Bzdelik, who was 36-58 at three seasons at Colorado. Bzdelik is good friends with the Wake Forest athletic director. I understand that the AD wants to bring in someone he feels comfortable with, but I cannot fathom firing a coach that went 61-31 in three seasons and bringing in a coach that went 36-58 over three years in a comparable league.

• KFC has a new sandwich called the Double Down -- it is two fried chicken patties, two slices of bacon, two pieces of cheese, and Colonel's sauce (don't want to know what's in that). Oh, and did I mention there is no bun? Don't get me wrong -- this sandwich sounds delicious, but the very concept of this product flies in the face of KFC's healthy grilled chicken ad campaign that they have spent millions on over the past year or two. I look forward to further enlightening discussion on the Double Down after I try it.

• It's time I give props to the best new show on TV -- Modern Family. I am comfortable putting Modern Family in my top 5 favorite sitcoms of my lifetime already -- behind Seinfeld, Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Curb Your Enthusiasm for now. Modern Family is 20 episodes into its first season, and it has still yet to have a bad episode. Everyone on the show is funny in his or her own way -- the kids' roles (especially Manny Delgado) are as well-acted as in any sitcom I have seen. There are no weak links. I highly recommend this show -- Wednesdays at 9:00 on ABC.

• ESPN's 30 for 30 is a series of documentaries chronicling 30 intriguing stories of the ESPN era. I watched the one on Allen Iverson last week -- it focuses mainly on Iverson's 1993 trial for hitting a woman with a chair at a bowling alley. It was interesting to see highlights of his high school days in Hampton and relive the story behind the trial -- I remember hearing about his trial when I was in middle school, but shockingly his conviction has been rarely discussed on a national level since then. I thought the racism angle of the documentary was complete bullshit. I am sure there was some racial tension in the area at that time (the fight allegedly started when some white rednecks called Iverson and his friends the n-word), but there is no doubt that Iverson threw a chair at that lady. The director of the documentary (Steve James -- also directed "Hoop Dreams") tried to be an impartial filmmaker, but he definitely pushed the racism angle. Iverson's attorney was made out to be a washed-up litigator who would rather negotiate pleas than try a case. The judge was made out to be a racist who wouldn't consider giving a black man a break. Just because a judge is a harsh sentencer doesn't make him racist. People in the film kept pushing the argument that no white star athlete would have received jail time (Iverson was sentenced to 15 years suspended to 10) for an offense like this. Maybe that's true but who knows? I doubt any white star athlete would have been granted clemency after just 4 months from Virginia's first black governor. The governor also waited two more weeks before he granted clemency for Iverson's two co-defendants -- so maybe it was about sports more than race. Iverson is one of my favorite NBA players of all-time. I am glad he was successful. I am glad he overcame adversity. But when it comes down to it, he threw the chair and he deserved to serve some jail time. He even admitted as much in a 2005 interview with Stephen A. Smith.

• I know I pick on Jim Nantz quite frequently, but is there a bigger douche in sportscasting? Although he was born to announce the Masters, I hate that he thinks of cheesy lines to yell when the winner makes his final putt on Sunday. Whether it's Tiger's "win for the ages" or "is it his time? Yes!" on Phil Mickelson's first green jacket. This year, Nantz milked the Amy Mickelson breast cancer story during the entire back nine just so he could break out "a win for the family!" on Mickelson's final putt. Come on, Jim. You're better than that. No, actually you're not.

• Catch up with the "Hey Dude" cast: http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/entertainment/2010/04/19/thennow-cast-hey-dude/?slide=1

First of all, I never knew there was an internet rumor that Danny (the Hopi Indian) was dead. I need some confirmation on that. Secondly, Mr. Ernst was not nicknamed "Buddy." He had a tool of a son named Buddy. Finally, how did Ted McGriff not become a huge star? He was senior staff. Christine Taylor is the most famous of the cast, although that is mainly by virtue of marrying Ben Stiller. What a good f'ing show.

• Creepiest. Game show host. Ever.

• I don't listen to much new rap, but I heard the latest single from new artist Peep Dis and I had to post it. One founding member of Peep Dis -- formerly known as LBDeez -- hails from the 757. Rep your city.