Weekend Forecast Calls for Drafty Conditions
The human race is on the clock, today and every day, making mistakes that will haunt for years, getting lied to, getting told no, getting analyzed and criticized and disappointed and embarrassed regularly in public.
And this morning we’re supposed to feel sorry for the San Diego Chargers?
Eli Manning is a young American citizen with no apparent interest in the Chargers. This makes him unique? This makes him top-of-the-sports page news?
The Chargers aren’t even interested in the Chargers. If they were, don’t you suppose they’d have someone besides Marty Schottenheimer coaching them?
Manning doesn’t want to play for the Chargers. He doesn’t want to be drafted by the Chargers. If that happens today, Manning hints he might sit out the 2004 season.
Meanwhile, Maurice Clarett wants to be drafted. He’s desperate to be drafted. He took his case to the Supreme Court, arguing for the right to be drafted by someone, anyone, up to and presumably including the Chargers.
Isn’t that how it always goes? The grass is always greener somewhere else.
While we’re on the subject of watching grass grow, ESPN and ESPN2 will devote 17 hours of programming this weekend to the NFL draft. That’s 17 hours none of us will ever get back. I always thought Steve Spurrier had the best attitude about the draft. During his first year as coach of the Washington Redskins, Spurrier left during the middle of the first round -- just got up and walked out of the war room and climbed into a waiting helicopter to be whisked away to party with a few hundred Redskin boosters.
In the middle of the first round.
Hey, life’s short.
Of course, Spurrier’s out of the league now. ESPN and the NFL would say that Spurrier had it coming, because the NFL draft is to be taken very seriously at all times, even when Chris Berman is calling every coach by his nickname and congratulating him on his latest pick, which is most of the time.
But Spurrier established an important precedent. Television viewers, you do have other options. Get away from Mel Kiper’s next-best board for a while, take the car out for a drive. The sun will be shining. The roads will be open, because everybody else is at home watching the draft. Roll down a window, turn on the radio ... and there’s Lee Hamilton analyzing the draft on XTRA ... and John Clayton analyzing the draft for ESPN Radio ... and Phil Simms analyzing the draft for Sirius Satellite Radio ... and Brian Baldinger analyzing the draft for Sporting News Radio.
Better stop the car. Get out, take a walk. What’s that on the mobile phone? NFL draft updates every 20 minutes for Sprint PCS Vision and AT&T; mMode mobile subscribers.
The NFL draft is on the air, over the air, everywhere. The reasons why are much more apparent than in 1980, when ESPN risked laughingstock status with its first live NFL draft telecast.
The NFL likes the draft because it’s two days of free advertising -- actually, more than that for those following the is-Eli-coming-or-not saga.
Television and radio like the draft because it’s two days of cheap, popular programming -- sort of like reality TV, although anyone thinking that one player is going to turn around the Chargers needs to be reintroduced to the concept of reality.
Football fans like the draft because it offers false hope to everyone, even the Lions.
Fantasy league players like the draft because they can relate, they can study how the pros do it, and they can even win lucrative prizes by entering the “First Round Forecast” NFL draft contest on espn.com. Participants try to predict the order of the first 15 players selected. Winner receives a new 20-inch flat-screen LCD television, to be used for watching the 2005 NFL draft.
Worth remembering in the days ahead: NBA and Stanley Cup playoff games and the world heavyweight boxing championship will be decided this weekend. Just a reminder.
TODAY
* Miami Heat at New Orleans Hornets
(TNT, 10 a.m.)
How big is the NFL draft? So big, TNT, not ESPN, will be carrying the first two NBA playoff games of the weekend -- Heat at Hornets, followed by Pistons at Bucks at 12:30 p.m.
* Sacramento Kings at Dallas Mavericks (ESPN, 4 p.m.)
At 4 p.m., ESPN laterals the draft to ESPN2 to make room for the Kings and the Mavericks, who could both use some defensive upgrades themselves. Can either of these teams win the NBA title this year? That’s a real reach, to borrow the parlance of the day.
* Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks (Channel 7, noon)
Colorado and Detroit both opened their second-round series with defeats -- the Avalanche lost to the Sharks and the Red Wings to the Calgary Flames. ESPN analyst Barry Melrose said he expected both Colorado and Detroit to bounce back:
“They’re both veteran teams. They’ve both won Stanley Cups. They know how to win.... I think every hockey fan in the world is hoping that Colorado and Detroit will meet in the third round.”
Give or take those hockey fans in San Jose and Calgary.
* Vitali Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders
(HBO, 6:30 p.m.)
Heavyweight fighting at Staples Center. What’s the big deal? We get that every week with the Lakers.
SUNDAY
* Lakers at Houston Rockets
(Channel 7, 12:30 p.m.)
Before the playoffs began, ESPN’s Dan Patrick asked David Stern to name the matchup he thought the public wanted to see in the NBA Finals. Stern’s response: “The Lakers versus the Lakers.” Isn’t that the working title for the Lakers’ 2003-2004 season highlight video?