My name is Murrell, and I'm going to try and make this my last post on Joe Paterno, unless new information comes out.  Don't feel sorry for Joe Paterno.  How much is really being punished by getting fired?  His coaching career was coming to a close anyway.  I saw one report say that Penn State may have to pay him the rest of his contact because he's not been accused of anything criminal, but it's not like I've read his contract to know that for sure.  So other than a tarnised legacy, how much has he really lost?

And how on Earth does McCreary still have his job?  He's the one who witnessed the shower incident and chose to leave and call his Dad.  Had he spoken up then, he'd be protected under whistle-blower laws had he gotten fired.  That's doesn't apply now.  If you fire the coach and school president for failure to act, you have to fire the one who saw it with his own eyes.

To do nothing more than tell Sandusky to not bring kids on campus is beyond words...and they didn't even enforce that.  He brought another kid to practice in 2007 and they were seemingly ok with it.  They didn't even take his office away.  Paterno didn't even question Sandusky about the incident.  Feel bad for the children, especially the ones that might have been spared this tragedy had Joe Pa and his crew done something

My name is Murrell, and most of you probably know I'm a Cubs fan.  I just read a thread on cubs.com suggesting the Cubs quit playing the "Go Cubs Go" song after a Cubs win.  Now someday in the future, I'll probably support not playing the song.  But now is not that time. 

First of all, they only play the song after the Cubs win, and the Cubs are terrible.  They are still the only team in baseball without a 3 game winning streak.  It's not like you've heard the song a bunch this year.  How sick of it can you be?  It's not exactly getting the airplay of "Hey Soul Sister" by Train (which is inescapable).

Secondly, they are are so many other traditions that need to be dumped.  I think the Rickets family should send out a memo to all Cubs players, broadcasters, front office staff, mail room clerks, hot dog vendors, and anyone else who can read that if anyone so much as mentions a 'curse' they'll fined 3 weeks pay.  The 'Curse of the Billy Goat" was a cute story, but after 60+ years, I'm tired of it.  No Curses.  No Excuses.

Also, take down that sign across the street that shows how many years it's been since the Cubs have won the division, NL pennant, and World Series.  Why do we need a huge reminder of our failures pointed out every day?

As for the future, the Cubs have over $50 million coming off the books this offseason, so they'll have some money to make some moves and get better.  And to be honest, the Cubs only have 4 real problems.  They can't hit.  Their starting pitching is bad.  The bullpen can't throw strikes.  And their defense is awful.  So once they fix those, everything will be just fine. =)

Thanks for reading.

No Wonder I'm Still Single

My name is Murrell, and I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to women.  When it comes to women, everything I do is wrong.  Women turn me down for a date and try to convince their doing me a favor.  I just always get it wrong.  For example, I was driving home from work today, and I stopped at a light, maybe 5 or 6 cars back.  I saw a pretty red-haired girl walking her dog.  I immediately begin to have an inner dialouge with myself, thinking how nice it would be to a completely different person that I might have the confidence to roll down my window and ask for her number, strike up a conversation, something along those lines.  She looks over at me, and gives me a weird look.  That's when I notice that the light had turned green and all of the cars in front of me were gone.  So basically it looked like I had stopped in the middle of the street to check her out...yeah, that's not creepy. 

No wonder I'm still single.  I can't even  stare at women properly.

Thanks for reading.

My name is Murrell, and I keep seeing billboards around town that annoy me.  Newstalk 960 has billboards that say, "It's a crazy world.  Stay informed." and show a picture of Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan.  I have 2 complaints. 

1) It's a sad sign when Sheen or Lohan are the faces that inspire people follow "the news".

2) Wouldn't it make more sense to put MY picture on these billboards?  Then when people see the billboards, they will think, "Who the hell is THAT guy?!  I'd better get informed!" 

Thanks for reading.

Baseball opinions

My name is Murrell and here's my take on baseball, steroids, and the Hall of Fame.  First off, I hate the agenda the baseball writer's have when voting on the Hall of Fame.  Basically since guys like Ruth and Gehrig didn't get in unanimously, they have taken it upon themselves to make sure that nobody every will.  That means that somebody will NOT vote for Derek Jeter or Albert Pujols when it's time to vote for them.  I'd like to hear someone justify that.  Both were the key players on multiple World Championship teams, have numerous awards and records, and neither have been linked to steroids. 

Speaking of steroids and Hall of Fame voting, I think that unless someone has clearly tested positive AND served a suspension, I don't think we can hold steroid against them for a Hall of Fame vote.  There's a lot of revisionist history regarding PED's and baseball.  Remember how everyone defended Mark McGwire in '98?  People liked to point out anything he took A) Wasn't against the rules or B) Was available at GNC (at least back then it was) so it couldn't be that bad.  Bottom line for me is that McGwire didn't break any rules.  And as much as people hate him, for all we know, neither did Barry Bonds.  Manny Ramirez, Rafael Palmeiro, they tested positive and served a suspension beacuse they broke a rule. 

I think Bob Knight asks a great question on this issue.   "What if MLB decides tomorrow that Gatorade is a performance enhancer?"  Can we go back and criticize everyone who every took Gatorade?

Thanks for reading.

No Internet

Having to go to the library to get online has not been fun....

Sprint To The Finish?

My name is Murrell, and I've been with Sprint for my cell phone service for over 4 years.  They are the only company I've ever been with, and until a few months ago, there was never a problem.  Then at the start of 2011, they started updating their towers to 4G, and their network fell apart.  I was told in January it was a 2 year process that they are trying to get done in 6 months, and we are now in April, and I'm still being told it will be a few months. 

Basically what's been happening is that around 6:00 PM or so, my phone struggles to connect to the Sprint network.  If I try to send a text, it seems to take 7 or 8 tries.  If I try to use the internet, I'll either get a message that says the page is not working, or I have to reload the page several times to get the page to load completely.  And forget making a phone call.  That is the most difficult task for my phone at night.

So after a couple of trips to different Sprint stores, and a couple of calls to Customer Service, I've finally given up.  I can't keep paying for unlimited texts and data if my phone doesn't work.  Sprint told me the fee to cancel early (my contract ends in August) was $50 for each month remaining on my contract.  So I dropped to a cheaper plan.  The cheapest plan I could get was $40 a month, so that is how I will sprint to the finish of my contract.  Then I will look elsewhere. 

Thanks for reading.

Jason

The Office

My name is Murrell, and I'm sure you all know that I love 'The Office'.  If I had to choose the funniest show in my lifetime, I think it's in the top 3 with Seinfeld and The Cosby Show.  While I recognize that Seinfeld and Cosby had better ratings and more mainstream appeal, I think 'The Office' is more my style of humor. 

I'm sad to hear that Steve Carrell is leaving the show.  His last show is April 28th, and it's going to be emotional.  Will Ferrell is guest starring and they are at least talking about having him take the job permanently.  I'm a fan of Will, but at the same time, for every Talladega Nights (HILLARIOUS) he's made a Jackie Moon (I couldn't make it through the first 10 minutes).  He's like Reggie Jackson.  He's hit a bunch of home runs, but he's also the career leader in strike outs.  But if you're losing Steve Carrell, I think it makes a lot more sense to replace him with an outsider than to promote from within, i.e. give someone on the show Michael Scott's job.  Would you really be excited to hear that Jim, Dwight, Andy, or Darrell got promoted?  No.  Bring in the new guy.  I think he'll do great. 

Thanks for reading.

March Madness

My name is Murrell, and I run a bracket challenge group on the CBS Sports website every March for the NCAA Tourney.  Like most players, I have good years and bad.  I have a formula for picking the winner of the championship game that I use every year, and I'm going to share it with you now.

First off, I only pick a #1 or #2 seed to win the title.  That leaves me with 8 teams I can pick.  This year the #1 and #2 seeds are Ohio State, Kansas, Duke, Pittsburgh, San Diego State, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Florida. 

Teams that win their conference tourney rarely win the national title, so I eliminate any of the 8 remaining teams that won their conference tourney.  This year that eliminated Ohio State, Kansas, Duke, and San Diego State.  I'm left with 4 teams now. 

Teams that lose their first conference game rarely reach the Final Four, so Pittsburgh was eliminated.  Now I'm left with 3.

Of the 3 teams remaining, Florida was over-rated as a #2 seed, and North Carolina was probably too high for a #2 as well.  Many people were saying the Notre Dame could have been a #1, so they might have been raked a bit low.  Therefore, I picked Notre Dame.

Some years it works.  Some years it bombs.  I'll let you know how I do this year.

Thank you for reading.

News You Should Know

My name is Murrell, and there's something you all should know.  I haven't talked about it much on facebook, but have talked to some of you about this individually.  It looks like my days at ESPN Radio may be coming to an end very soon.  We will not be doing the South Bend Silverhawks games this season, which means once the Purdue basketball season ends, there will be pretty much nothing for me to do there. 
My boss thanked me for everything I've done, gave me a contact at another station and said he'd put a good word in for me.  He said he knows broadcasting is in my blood and that he would do anything he could to keep me in it.  I'm grateful he feels that way, but right now the thought of starting over at a new station just doesn't sit well.  I've worked too hard, made too many sacrifices, and quite honestly, I'm happy with what I've done.  I had a good run (at least in the early days) and got to do a lot of things that most sports fans can't say they've done.  I've asked questions at press conferences, talked to players after practice, watched a game from the press box, not to mention was occasionally doing a morning sports report that aired on 3 of our stations when my first  boss was on the road.  At the same time, going to another station means I'd end up somewhere that actually sees some value in sports programming, since the people who run Artistic Media Partners have slowly gotten rid of anything and everything they could that was sports-related.  Why they even own an affiliate of ESPN Radio is beyond me.  I probably need to clear my head before I make a decision.

I am holding on to my faith that this door is closing because there is a better one opening right around the corner.  Maybe it's the MLB Dream Job...maybe it's a new station...maybe it's focusing on Big Lots right now.  Maybe all of those are better doors. 

So as it stands right now, I'll finish out the Purdue basketball season, and then I'll see which door I want to open.

Thank you for reading.

MLB Dream Job Essay #2

My name is Murrell, and here is the second essay I wrote for the MLB Dream Job.  This is one is who I think will win the AL and NL MVP Awards and why.

My pick for American League MVP is Adrian Gonzalez of the Boston Red Sox.  Most guys want to get off to a good start when they are with a new team, and there are reports his shoulder is healing on schedule, so he should ready and motivated for the season.  His numbers last year were incredible, hitting .298 with 31 homers and 101 RBI, and that was in Petco Park, one of the worst hitter’s parks in baseball.  Almost two-thirds of his home runs last year came on the road.  This year he’ll be in Fenway, and he hits the ball with authority to left field, so he can take advantage of the Green Monster.  Playing with guys like Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia means he’ll be surrounded by a better lineup that he was with the Padres.  He should have plenty of guys on base to drive in and plenty of power hitters behind him to force pitchers to throw him something to hit.  Adrian Gonzalez is poised for a career year.  With the question marks surrounding the Yankees pitching staff, and the Rays losing a key player like Carl Crawford, the Red Sox are in a position to win the American League East, and Adrian Gonzalez will be a key reason why. 

            My pick for the National League MVP is Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals.  It’s no secret he’s the best player in baseball, so you know his numbers will be huge.  He’s also in a contract year, so he’ll be motivated.  And he’s not just motivated for a new contract, he’s got his eyes on the richest contract ever.  If he has an average year, which for him is .331 with 40 homers and 123 RBI, he’ll have a great bargaining position for a record contract.  If he has a career year, which is not out of the question at 31, team owners will almost hand him a blank, signed contract and let him fill in whatever salary he wants, for however many years he wants.  Some people are concerned that last year was his career low in batting average, but hitting .312 for a career low just shows how good he is.  The rest of his numbers were right on par for him.  Even if his average drops to .290, it’s homers and RBI that win MVP awards.  While I’m not crazy about the Cardinals lineup, and they already have some injury concerns with their pitching staff, the NL Central is not that deep.  The Reds could easily take a step backwards, and none of the other teams in the division have made any moves to get significantly better.  The Cardinals should be in contention in the NL Central, and Albert Pujols will be the guy to lead them there.

MLB Dream Job Essay #1

My name is Murrell, and here is one of the essays I wrote for the MLB Dream Job.  This one is on why I love baseball.

Baseball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  Even though my Dad was a fan of the Reds, I grew up a Cubs fan and would rush home from school to catch the last few innings of their day games on TV.  My Dad and I spent years of my youth collecting baseball cards, with my prize cards being two Mickey Mantle cards from the 60’s.  We still exchange phone calls whenever the Reds and Cubs play so the winner can give the loser a hard time.  That loser is usually me,

Growing up I played Little League baseball for a coach who was one of the most influential people in my life.  He taught me about the rules of the game, sportsmanship, and life in general.  I still watch the Little League World Series because it reminds me of those days.  He took the team to a Chicago Cubs game, my first major league game, and it’s a memory I’ll cherish forever.  The highlight was getting an autograph from catcher Jody Davis. 

When I was in high school I was the official scorer for that same Little League, and my former coach was the league president.  I would sit in the booth and pretend to do play-by-play for the games.  Often he would take me home at night, and we’d sit in his truck and talk until midnight.  Sometimes we’d talk about baseball, sometimes about life.  He knew a lot about both, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him.

Eventually I got a job at the ESPN Radio affiliate in South Bend, IN.  When I started there we broadcast games for Notre Dame, including their baseball team.  This was first time I really followed college baseball.  Eventually we started airing games for the South Bend Silverhawks, the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  This allowed me to learn about baseball at another level, and really see the impact of how trading a star player for prospects forces changes at every level of an organization.  Notre Dame plays an exhibition game against the Silverhawks, billed as “Silver Versus Gold”.  I aired the first game between the teams for Notre Dame, and aired the next 2 for the Silverhawks. 

I’ve always been a “stat nerd”.  I was in the baseball card club in Junior High, and the other kids were consistently frustrated that I would usually get 9 or 10 questions correct out of 10 on our trivia games.  I’ve owned two different baseball encyclopedias in my life, and have studied them well enough to know that there was a real player named Bud Weiser, and that the Moonlight Graham mentioned in ‘Field of Dreams’ was also a real player. 

So I guess the short answer is that the reason I love baseball is because it’s played a major part in making me who I am today.

My name is Murrell, and I have a new goal in life...to appear on the Onion Sports Dome.  Who do you know that would be better at creating fake sports news stories that are also hilarious?  I've seen 2 episodes and I know that 1) I love the show and 2) I could add so much to it. 

Remember the letter I wrote to the Texas Rangers?  Here's that story in case you haven't heard it. 

After the Rangers traded Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees, they still had to pay him over $60 million remaining on his contract, even though he was playing for another team.  I wrote a letter to the Texas Rangers that basically said they were paying someone to NOT play baseball for them, and I wanted equal pay for equal work.  I wasn't going to NOT play baseball for the Texas Rangers for free anymore.  I even said that if it's worth $60 million to keep the best player in baseball off your team, how much more would be worth to keep a terrible player like me off your team.  I even game my career Little League stats to back me up.

Sadly, my reply was a generic form letter with a photo copy of the team catalog.  I wasn't even worth an original catalog.

The letter was smart and witty and funny and one of my greatest creative achievements.  It was both the best example of why I desperately need a girlfriend, and also the greatest example of why I don't have one.

I've realized that the best way for me to use these powers for good is to entertain the masses on a late night basic cable sports show with made up stories.

While I didn't care for their story about the teenager breaking the record for pleasuring himself, I did chuckle when they showed the top 5 performances in that area, and #3 was VP Joe Biden.  They had a "Girlfriends" segment where a game was broken down by the girlfriends of guys who were watching the game on TV.  One girl, discussing missed free throws by Derron Williams, said, "Why didn't he just move closer to basket?"  And when I was watching the story of Bill Belichek throwing acid in the face of Tom Brady, I nearly fell out of my chair from laughing so hard.

So there is my new goal in life...to be a regular on the Onion Sports Dome.  Feel free to start your Internet campaigns on my behalf.

Thank you for reading.  My name is Murrell.

PS
Sorry it's been so long since my last blog.