Saints owner: "Hey, Pope. My ring is cooler than your ring."

Here's New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson pimping his Super Bowl ring to the Pope.
.
Via PFT: “I said to him I’d like to show you my ring,” Benson told Bruce Nolan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, with his wife by his side during the interview. ”I told him what it was, you know? It’s a Super Bowl ring. And he understood that, right, darling?”

What NFL owners REALLY want to tell the Players...

The NFL just put out this statement. Here's the translation into what the Owners are really telling the Players:
.
NFL statement on letter to players’ attorneys:
“Our letter to the players’ attorneys today proposes negotiations with owner involvement under the supervision of Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Director George Cohen. A copy has been sent to Judge Nelson. The goal of the discussions would be to resolve all outstanding issues and achieve a global resolution. As part of our proposal, we offered to give the players assurances that they will not compromise any legal position as a result of the discussions.”
.
What the NFL REALLY means:
"We told you what we want and aren't going to move on our position. We want a new Federal Mediator because Judge Nelson is a left wing Pinko Communist who doesn't favor our position and we believe that Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Director George Cohen will be sympathetic to our cause. We are seeking a global resolution that suits our profit margins. We will fuck you in the ass the second you drop the soap in the shower."

NFL Owners set up $600mln credit facility 9 months ago today...

The NFL was WAY ahead of this labor situation and secured $4.631 billion of borrowed cash, on which to sit on, including a $596 million credit facility for 13 teams (40% of NFL teams) that was set up on June 11 2010.
.
The NFL also has "Football Trust $2.1 billion senior secured notes," rated 'A' and "NFL (G-3 Stadium Finance program) $1.1 billion senior unsecured notes," rated 'A+' and a "NFL's Participating Teams $835 million term notes" rated 'A', Outlook Stable' by NRSRO Fitch Ratings.
.
And Fitch states that NFL has five years to pay the balance of the credit facility: "Thirteen of the NFL's clubs will participate in the borrowing. The senior secured credit facility will be used by participating NFL clubs to repay existing indebtedness, including the remaining outstanding portion of the bank term loan, for general corporate purposes, and/or to provide working capital. The facility will mature in five years."
.
Single A is defined as being at the middle of the Investment-Grade credit spectrum, a relatively low default risk (although General Motors was 'A' a couple years ago).
.
Here is the entire release:
.
Fitch Rates NFL's Participating Teams $596MM Sr. Secured Credit Facility 'A'; Outlook Stable
11 Jun 2010 4:11 PM (EDT)

Fitch Ratings-New York-11 June 2010: Fitch Ratings has assigned an 'A' rating to the $596 million senior secured credit facility issued by various clubs of the National Football League (NFL) through Football Funding LLC. The facility was privately placed. In addition, Fitch has affirmed the following outstanding ratings:
Football Trust
--$2.1 billion senior secured notes at 'A'.

NFL (G-3 Stadium Finance program)
--$1.1 billion senior unsecured notes at 'A+'.

The Rating Outlook is Stable.

Thirteen of the NFL's clubs will participate in the borrowing. The senior secured credit facility will be used by participating NFL clubs to repay existing indebtedness, including the remaining outstanding portion of the bank term loan, for general corporate purposes, and/or to provide working capital. The facility will mature in five years.

The NFL is a not-for-profit unincorporated association of 32 member teams and was originally founded in 1920 with 18 franchises.

For additional information on the underlying credit, see Fitch's press release 'Fitch Rates NFL's Participating Teams $835 million term notes 'A', Outlook Stable' dated April 9, 2010 and 'Fitch Closely Monitoring National Football League Labor Negotiations' dated March 8, 2010.
.

Can Tiki unretire his way into the NFL Hall of Fame?

I was kinda late to the Tiki Barber un-retirement news today, so I figured I'd take a different angle.
.
I've loved Tiki on the Giants since his first game in 1997 against Philly. I loved him against the Cowboys in 2000. I loved him against the Redskins in 2006. I'm a fan. I knew when he retired that he was the best RB in Giants history. But he wasn't a Hall-of-Famer.
.
But with Tiki coming back - EVEN FOR TWO SEASONS - he could have better stats than Marshall Faulk, who was voted into the HOF last month.
.
.
I doubt it will ever happen, but consider these facts:
.................Faulk....Barber..Diff...Avg/gm..Avg/gm (2 seasons)
Rush.........12,279..10.449..1,830..101.6....50.8
Receiving.....6,875...5,183..1,692....94.0....47.0
Total yards.19,190..17,359..1,831..101.7...50.8
.
So, assuming the 18 game season (which we all know will happen), Tiki could eclipse Marshall Faulk's stats in every meaningfull category with two seasons as a somewhat productive backup RB, who can average 50.9 total yards per game.
.
All's I know it that it won't be with the NY Giants...

An arguement for the NFL Players...

Most NFL players have trained to play in the NFL since they were at least 14 years old. That is eight years of training, practice and risk of injury before they even get a job.
.
Football players put themselves at very signigicant risk to major injury for very little in return. Even if they make $300,000 a year on the practice squad for two years, one blown out knee ENDS THEIR CAREER.
.
Most of us, including NFL team Owners, can still work through the most debilitating injury. Dan Snyder has been running the Washington Redskins with obvious severe brain damage for 11 years.
.
These guys have, on average, 3 years to make their money. Then they hope to open a car dealership or a bar. Contracts are NOT guaranteed.
.
Bulging disk in your neck: Fuck you!
.
NFL Owners don't have a product to sell without the players. Say what you'd like about worker's rights, but without the Players, Owners don't have a product to sell.
.
Without a product to sell - and more importantly cash to collect - NFL Owners can't pay their mortgages. Stadium debt service. Some Owners can wait out a small storm, but not a year-long hurricane, especially not in Jacksonville, Buffalo and Minnesota.

An argument for the NFL Owners...

So it seems like The Court of Public Opinion is swinging towards the NFLPA in this labor dispute. The owners are Billionaires. The players have short careers with significant risk of injury.
.
Well, I say, the Boss is the Boss for a reason. The Boss owns something called The Means of Production. My Economics degree taught me that means that without the owners, the players don't have a job.
.
History has proven that professional football leagues not named NFL don't last very long. The USFL had all the money in the world to draft and pay college stars, but it folded.
.
The bottom line is: The NFL Players need the NFL Owners more than the Owners need the Players. Every year, there is a fresh crop of players coming out of college just dying to play for an NFL Owner.
.
Yes, NFL Owners are rich assholes who charge me $7 for a beer that should cost $0.75, and $20,000 for the right to buy $150 a seat tickets. But they sell the crack to which I am addicted. Without the stadiums and TV deals, I'm watching baseball in September. And nobody likes baseball because baseball doesn't have a point spread.
.
The bottom line is that the NFLPA will cave in because Antonio Cromartie has child support payments to make and Woody Johnson gets $0.50 every time you buy baby powder and/or a Band Aid. NFL players are mostly college dropouts who never went to class in the first place.
.
Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees can't sway the other 1,997 NFLPA members to think about the "Future of the Game."

And here's Big Ben's wedding registry...

Ben Roethlisberger has announced the July 23 date of his wedding to Ashley Harlan, and of course, a guy with a $100 million dollar contract would like his friends to help him start out his new life on the right foot by buying the things that young couples need.
.
Ben Roethlisberger, the 11th overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft, signed a $22 million rookie contract. On March 4, 2008, Roethlisberger agreed to an eight-year, $102 million contract.
.
While not as crazy as Carmelo Anthony's wedding registry, Ben can't seem to afford a $200 Nambé Dharma Chip and Dip bowl. In fact, the young couple has registered with both Macy's and Crate & Barrel.
.
At the low end of the price spectrum, the immensely wealthy couple would like someone to buy them a Lenox "Laurel Leaf" Napkin for $7.50 from Macy's. At the high end of the spectrum, they are hoping somebody would buy them a Scarlet Chaise from Crate & Barrel for $1,199.
.

Important Information Regarding Your Ticket Buying Rights

I actually got this email:
.
Important Information Regarding Your Ticket Buying Rights
.
Dear KBilly,
As you read this, companies like Ticketmaster are working to implement a restrictive paperless ticketing system that could deprive you of your essential rights as a fan.
.
With restrictive paperless ticketing, you pay for your ticket – but you don't own it. The transfer of your ticket is controlled by the company you bought it from.
.
This means you may not be able to give your extra tickets to a friend, sell them to another fan, or even donate them to a charity. This could also mean the end of competition in the ticketing market, making it so companies like Ticketmaster could charge whatever fees they wanted and you'd have no alternative but to pay.
.
Fortunately, we can fight this. The Fan Freedom Project was created to give fans like you a platform to voice your outrage toward restrictive paperless ticketing, and to learn what measures you can take to protect your rights.
.
We've signed on to support the cause. And we hope you'll lend your voice to the fight today by registering at www.fanfreedom.org.
.
Sincerely,
The StubHub Team

Deion Sanders feeling the heat of the Dallas housing market

Former Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys, Redskins and Ravens conerback (and who can forget his stint with the Yankees) Deion Sanders just can't seem to find a buyer for his $5.5 million, 29,122-square-foot estate. I'd say it is probably because his asking price is $21 million, and he hasn't lowered his price in two years. He'll never pay back that home equity loan...
.
See, Deion bought this house after signing that disasterous $56 million contract with the Redskins in 2000 (well disasterous for the Redskins anyway), and if nobody has informed Deion, the housing market - particularly in the Dallas Fort Worth area - has hit some rough times in the past few years. And after you buy a place, the value doesn't always increase, especially not for the high-end properties.
.
Here's the apprasial:

Don't get me wrong, its a dope crib. "The house sits on 109 acres, features a football field, an indoor basketball court, a bowling alley, 13 bathrooms, a 12-acre lake, nine covered parking spaces, five fireplaces, three dining rooms, two indoor pools and a partridge in a pear tree," according to Yahoo! Sports.
.

.
I'm no fan of any former Cowboys, 49ers or Reedskins, but Deion seems okay on the NFL Network. And I'm no real estate agent, but Deion, either cut bait and get what you can for it...Or take it off the market. But, of course, if you ever need a house sitter, KBilly is available!
.

Can I get a Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl Champion T-shirt before they all get sent to Guatamala?

The game ended at 10:06 p.m.
.
I got this email from CBSsports.comshop at 10:21 p.m.
.
I'm a Giants fan. Why the hell do I want to buy Packers gear? The Super Bowl wasn't even on CBS!
.
Can I get a Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl Champion T-shirt before they all get sent to Guatamala?

Aaron Rodgers is about 30 minutes from a free trip to Disney World

At halftime, Aaron Rodgers is 11 for 16, 137 yards 2 TDs, and a 21-10 lead.
.
If the game ended now, Aaron Rodgers would be Super Bowl MVP.
.
If Ben Roethlesberger pulls off a comeback, even with 2 picks, he'd win it.
.
Jordy Nelson is having a good game too.
.
Holy shit, who are these idiots on the halftime show?
.
UPDATE: The Sweet Child O' Mine was cool for a few seconds. But then it went back into stupidity.

National Anthem time: 1: 52.5 (OVER)

The Over/Under for the National Anthem for Super Bowl 45 was 1 minute 50 seconds. I usually bet the over, but National Anthems have been trending in the 1:30 to 1:35 range throughout the bowl and playoff season.
.
She went 1 minute 52.5 seconds.
.
I knew immediately that she was going OVER. She was stretching it out from the "Oh say can you see" opening line.
.
I should have figured that a recently divorced washed up former pop star would milk her moment for all it was worth.
.
She didn't even look all that hot. She just hit the market. I'd think she'd want to look attractive enough for Antonio Cromarte to put a baby in her.

NFL HOF thoughts

These are your 2011 NFL Hall of Fame inductees. And my thoughts.
.
Richard Dent (no), Marshall Faulk (borderline), Chris Hanburger (Who?), Les Richter (Who?), Ed Sabol (Yes and LONG overdue), Deion Sanders (No brainer), and Shannon Sharpe (I'm torn on this guy. He has three rings but he wasn't the best player on any of those teams. As a Giants fan I couldn't vote for Shannon Sharpe).
.
Curtis Martin is the fourth leading rusher in NFL history. AND he played at the same time as Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders (Numbers 1 and 3 on the list and ahead of sure fire HOFer Jerome Bettis). But Curtis Martin gets rejected.
.
And still no Phil Simms, who has comparable - if not better - stats than Troy Aikman. If not for an injury in December 1990, Phil Simms is a HOFer.
.
Phil Simms:
Att Comp Yards Pct TD Int Rate
TOTAL 4,647 2,576 33,462 55.4 199 157 78.5
.
Troy Aikman:
Att Comp Yards Pct TD Int Rate
TOTAL 4,715 2,898 32,942 61.5 165 141 81.6

Pittsburgh Steelers' owner has two hot grandaughters

With the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl, I thought I'd point out that the Pittsburgh Steelers' owner, Arthur Rooney Jr., has two real hot grandaughters.
.
His Dad is the one that founded the Steelers in 1933. He's somehow related to Mickey Rooney, but not related to Andy Rooney.
.
However, one of his daughters got knocked up by one of former New York Giants owner Wellington Mara's sons and produced two hot-ass movie stars.
.
Kate Mara was in a tank top showing full nipple in Shooter. She was also in We are Marshall.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Rooney Mara was in the pointless remake of Nightmare on Elm Street. She will be in the not-so-pointless remake of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
.