Pardon the Interruption (7/28)

[General]

Pardon the Interruption but I'm Tony Kornheiser. Wilbon is not here today, he's at an Ashlee Simpson concert. Joining me today is Tim Cowlishaw. Tim, why don't we spice things up today and...you take off your top?

[Fishercat]

Hello, this is Tim Cowlishaw. I don't think anyone wants to see me take off my top, maybe Jeremy Roenick's top, but you are the studly one on this show Kornheiser. Tonya's waiting.

[General]

Welcome to PTI, oompa-oompas. In today's show, Tim and I yap about more Manny drama, Larry Brown, and Fake Women (right up Wilbon's alley).

But we start off today with the usual suspect: Larry Brown, who is officially the Knicks' head coach. Tim, by hiring Brown, do the Knicks suddenly matter again?

[Fishercat]

The Knicks matter? They were well under .500 last year, and now Larry Brown has three Allen Iversons, except none of them have the talent of AI. Brown is certainly a talented coach and I am assuming a superb camp counselor, but really, this just doesn't seem to be a fit. I don't care if you have Jesus coaching the Knicks, they weren't even competitors in the weakest division in the NBA in a long time. They lost out to the Celtics who are paying Raef LaFrentz big money, and he was a loser in Dallas as he is in Boston. Larry Brown gives them some media attention, but they have no shot at the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs.

[General]

Making the playoffs alone will make them matter. Everyone will talk about the Knicks' and Brown's success and his magic, etc. If the Knicks lose, the Isiah Thomas bashing will never end. Either way, the Knicks are back on the national scene.

Next up is Manny Ramirez. Yesterday, the s0x won without Manny, who refused to play because he was promised a day off. Is Manny becoming a problem for the Red s0x?

[Fishercat]

Manny is not a problem for the Saux. He is certainly a distraction, and with Trot Nixon's oblique injury, they are short on corner outfielders, playing Adam Hyzdu and that Adam Stern kid from London, Canada, a pure hockey town, tough guy. However, whenever you can get a guy who can hit 40 homeruns a year and drive in 130 as a perennial MVP candidate, you can ignore painting the wall with some yellow watercolors and an annual hissy fit. Pedro was worse of a distraction and they won with him.

[General]

I completely agree. Manny has his hissyfits every now and then, and the s0x have wisened to ignore his demands and complaints. In a week, we'll be talking about how Manny sprayed people with a watergun, or some other silly action Manny might do.

Shifting gears to football now, where Javon Walker, under intense pressure from Favre, has reported to Packers camp. Should and will the Pack give Walker more money now that he decided not to hold out?

[Fishercat]

Brett Favre has made stars out of many receivers in his career. Antonio Freeman, Donald Driver, and the lastest beneficiary is Javon Walker. This isn't quite the Bronco running attack where Olandis Gary becomes a star, but many wide receivers have shone and fallen. The Pack should hold tough on Javon for at least part of the season unless they feel he is different and will shine without Favre. Why commit to a guy for more money for more years when you don't know if he is Clinton Portis or Mike Anderson. A player shouldn't be rewarded for honoring his contract until the deal expires or an extension comes about.

[General]

Javon should get NO money. Neither should any other idiot who holds out. You signed the contract. You play it out. Don't whine about it. Remember the players of the golden age of sports. Players without egos. Players not asking for $252 mil.


Keeping our minds on NFL holdouts, Edgerrin Hames, another client of the Shark who has threatened to hold out (but hasn't) has said he will not go to Japan for a preseason game with the Colts. Cowlishaw, should he go?

[Fishercat]

He shouldn't. Sure, the game in Japan is great publicity for the NFL in Japan, but who is Edgerrin James? He isn't the best quarterback in football. He isn't one of the best wide receivers. He isn't the elite DE. He's a good runningback who is just coming back and really, is the 12 hour plane flight back and forth worth 5 carries in 8 minutes of a pre-season game in Japan? If it was a regular season game then there is no problem. He will be better off here and there's no reason to rock the boat anymore. Leave him as a possible sign when his contract runs out, no grudges, no problems.

[General]

The thing is, now that he's refused to go, he should be fined for not going. Veterans are excused from Preseason games most of the time anyway, but since he thinks he's all high and mighty, he should be brought back down to earth.

The show takes a turn for the sentimental now, when we again discuss crying. Everyone has seen the Manuel Wright crying episode in Miami, which begs the question: Is Wright a better person after his crying?

[Fishercat]

I don't think he's a better person. At the very least, hopefully the embarassment will toughen him up a bit. I am sympathetic towards the stress of coming into a training camp as a supplemental draft pick and trying to make the team, then getting into the doghouse with a new coach is harsh. Ideally, he can take this experience and run with it, but does it make him a better person? Don't think so.

[General]

I think he's a stronger person, not necessarily better. I do feel bad for him, being exposed on TV like that.


We're taking a break, when we return Cowlishaw and I play Good Cop/Bad Cop.

[General]

Welcome back to the precinct, I'm officer Kornheiser, here with officer Cowlishaw. First off, the Patriots.

Will they return to the playoffs? Good Cop Cowlishaw?

[Fishercat]

There's very little reason they won't. It'll take some massive catastrophe before they don't make it. They still have Tom Brady who is the late 1990's Jeff Gordon of the NFL. They still have Bill Belichick who has been the best coach of the 20th century. Last year they started an UDFA named Randall Gay, played Earthwind Moreland, and used Troy Brown at nickelback and STILL won it all. Even without Tedy Bruschi, Romeo Crennell, Charlie Weis, and Ted Johnson from last year's squad, they should at least make the playoffs as a Wild Card, if not the division winner. Brady/Dillon/Branch with the TEs should make a potent offense.