Jed York’s next press conference ought to be a beauty . . . that is, if there is one. The much greater likelihood is that he’ll be farming out that duty to underlings until there’s a Lombardi Trophy in the room. After all, it’s hard to explain what your operation stands for when that changes from day to day and player to player. If you have to keep explaining yourself day after day, people stop wanting to hear from you on any subject. Even the ones you want to talk about.
[RATTO: Ray McDonald: The straw that broke Jed York's resolve]
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Jim Harbaugh apparently has a six-year, $49M offer from Michigan sitting in his agent’s pocket, but the NFL remains the NFL, and more pertinently, the Chicago Bears remain the Chicago Bears. First, quarterback Jay Cutler has been benched for Jimmy (1-15) Clausen, which in and of itself makes Harbaugh worth more to the Bears than anyone else. Then safety Chris Conte decided to advertise his gig as slow-motion suicide on WBBM Radio.
“I’d rather have the experience of playing in the NFL and die 10 to 15 years earlier than not play in the NFL and have a long life,” he said. “I don't really look toward my life after football. I'll figure things out when I get there, as long as I outlive my parents.”
I see a bad end to this story, like so many others. But it would be interesting to hear Harbaugh explain that sentiment a way as “just being a mighty man.”
[RELATED: Report: Michigan makes offer to 49ers coach Harbaugh]
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Bo Pelini’s out-the-door rant at Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst (think crude and abusive gynecological terms) not only makes him perfectly suited to be the next coach at Youngstown State, but at Michigan and the 49ers, who really need a new bellowing half-rational loon-bucket face of the franchise. And who’s more all of that than Bo Pelini?
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And by the way, is there an archive for his speeches anywhere since all of them seem to be immediately available within minutes of expiration from his face?
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Why Todd McLellan is the NHL Coach of The Year: Rallying after crummy start, sure, but better yet, the locker room doesn’t have a single mump. Now that’s good staph work.
[KURZ: Road schedule took early toll on Sharks]
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Thursday at Oracle, the hottest team in the NBA faces the freefalling Warriors. Tickets are available to see if Andre Iguodala has home and road dances.
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Michael Vick, whom many of you hate because you are much bigger on animals than on concepts of forgiveness, has paid off almost all his $18 million debt even though having filed for bankruptcy, he could have settled at 10 or 20 cents on the dollar by filing for Chapter 7 instead of Chapter 11.
“I didn't want to stiff people who never stiffed me,” Vick said.
Seems perfectly reasonable. Now you all go back to hating him because there really isn’t contrition in this modern world of ours.
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And finally, Wade Miley says he was traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks because he wouldn’t go to a gluten-free diet. General manager Dave Stewart said Miley’s diet was never an issue worthy of discussion. If it helps future players at all, Bruce Bochy is a huge gluten guy, in the easy 12-ounce carrier. Maybe that’s the market inefficiency – wheat belly.