Let the Madness Begin!

For anyone who is a fan of College Basketball, our favorite time of year is fastly approaching. When the Cinderella’s come to the big ball and try their hand and creating some heartbreak for all of the Prince Charming’s  throughout the NCAA Tournament. 

I for one can’t wait for the conference tournaments and all the madness to begin! For those of you that do not know me. I’m from a very small town in northeastern Kentucky, and a lifelong member of Big Blue Nation. So in true homer fashion, the Wildcats pursuit of perfection is an incredible thing to watch. Each possession is tremendously exciting, intense, and nerve racking for any blue blood  to sit through. While I love every second of it. I love watching teams like Coastal Carolina, Belmont, Iona, Texas Southern etc. Battle their ways into the NCAA Tournament and try to upset the big dogs and become this years “Cinderella” story as well. 

I just love college basketball. Many sports writers, radio host, and television personalities will say collegent basketball has been on a downside. They’ll say the NCAA Tournament diminishes the regular season because of the aggregate number of teams that are in the tournament. I’m not saying I disagree, but I’m not totally on board with that analogy either. It may be because I am such a loyal Kentucky Wildcats fan and can’t wait for the college basketball season to start each year. So others may not feel the same way but I’ve always been more partial my entire life to watching these young men playing the game to make it to the next level, as well as for the love of the game. You can’t tell me that most of you, if not all of you, like me can not wait til that Monday morning after Selection Sunday each year. Where we all go into work or any other place you frequent with the Internet and a printer. That way we can print out our 5 or sometimes more, NCAA Tournament brackets and try our best at picking each winner in each round until we crown our hopeful Champion.  Then watch each game or highlight and update your “prediction bracket” with your “actual bracket” and see how well you did. Or of course placing your luck in an office, family, or friend pool and trying to win some cash to start of the spring right.

While yes I am very much so looking forward to seeing how my boys from Lexington Kentucky fare against any competition that is thrown their way in the tourney. I’m simply, just like every year, excited for the madness to begin. 

C.W.

Colts will not Re-sign Future Hall of Fame WR Reggie Wayne

Did the Colts Give Reggie Wayne an Ultimatum?

Today the Indianapolis Colts front office came to the conclusion that not re-signing Pro Bowler and future Hall of Fame wide receiver Reggie Wayne was the best option for the team, and Reggie. We all saw the coming inevitablity that Wayne’s role within the wide receiving core for the Colts was going to diminish. With the emergence of the young explosive rookie Dante Moncrief last year, and the signing of Duron Carter this off season. Not to mention lots of talk around the Colts camp of wanting to sign another “number one” type caliber in Free Agency. Reggie was looking, at best, at being penciled in at the third spot in the rotation behind (insert Free Agent here), and up and coming superstar T.Y. Hilton.

Colts owner Jim Irsay said this today about the decision. “When he first took the field with us in 2001, we knew this day would eventually arrive. That reality is one of the things that makes pro football such a tough business. We feel this decision is in the best interests of the team and for Reggie as it will allow him to seek a better opportunity for playing time elsewhere if he so chooses,” 

I agree with every word in that quote, but Jim, who in Colts Nation wants to see that? We’ve already dealt with the parting ways of Peyton Manning. While that is a bit of a different situation, I understand they where gearing up for the arrival of Andrew Luck, and had enough confidence in Luck that he could come in and play right away. Yet what ever happened to long term players, GREAT players, of a team staying with that team their whole careers and one day retiring with them as well? Instead now we get this, player goes to another team, it looks weird seeing them in another uniform and we hate it for awhile. Then you somewhat forget that they even had a long career and relationship with the team before. After that, player decides, now I’m ready to retire, and first team signs them and holds a presser acknowledging the accolades, saying “he’s a colt forever, a horseshoe guy”. No he’s a horseshoe, dolphin, bronco, seahawk, guy because you couldn’t re-sign him to a short cheap cap friendly contract and keep him here where he always wanted to be. 

Everyone will be civil of course, saying we both wanted this, it was a mutual agreement, and that’s fine. I have a hard time believing though that Reggie is ready to retire. I imagine that he would have already came out and said so if he did, and with the lack luster, injury ridden season a year ago: 

Reggie Wayne 2014 Stats

64 Receptions 

779 Yards Receiving 

2 Touchdowns 

No one wants to go out like that. Especially not the Colts Cal Ripkin Jr. Holding their franchise record in regular season games played and wins. The guy who ranks second in receptions (1,070), receiving yards (14,345), receiving touchdowns (80), 100-yard games (43) and consecutive games with a reception (134). While being seventh all-time in NFL history on the career receptions list, and eighth in receiving yards. Reggie Wayne is a man amoung boys on the football field, and there’s no way in hell he wanted to go out with everyone calling him old, slow, and a diminishing talent as “they” where in 2014. 

Which brings me to wonder.. Did Jim Irsay and Ryan Grigson go to Reggie Wayne and give him the tough love speech? Telling him they where not going to re-sign him, and that it’s his choice to either retire, or get put out on the market and finish his career somewhere else. 

I understand the business side of it. I really do, I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around why they wouldn’t want to keep their “horseshoe guy” at least for another year. With again the crop of young emerging stars the Colts will have on the roster next year. If not even for reliable hands on the field, why not keep the veteran Wayne around to teach these kids the game, and mentor them on how to be a Pro for one more year. 

That’s not what we are going to get though, we are all going to have to deal with seeing another life long Colt and the number 87 in another teams, fans, uniform..

Maybe I’m being to soft in speaking about such a cut throat, cynical business. Which is what the National Football League is, and the move or non move, probably was the best decision for both parties. I guess I’m just a sucker for loyalty and taking care of your own. That’s probably why I’m writing in this blog instead of the one owning a pro football team…

C.W.