How to cure your offseason football ailments

It is the eve of the 2009 NBA finals. I hope it is a seven game thriller. To be honest, I'd rather see Melo and Bron Bron go at it. You know, start a true east-west rivalry like Bird and Magic in the '80s. Instead, Kobe and D.Howard had to wreck my hopes and dreams. Either way, basketball, my second favorite sport is being played. After the finals are over, what do I have to do? Of course, I have football to look forward too, but what do I do from mid-June until late August?

I don't own a PS3, Xbox 360, or Wii to play Madden or NCAA football on. I can't stand watching baseball. Track meets come on tv once in every blue moon. What can I do that will entertain me?

Buy a high priced gaming system and play video games that will quickly bore me? Get a girlfriend for the summer time and ditch her once football season starts? Na, that will have serious repercussions and I don't anyone interfering with my football time with the " you sorry piece of manure" line that most women like to tell men after they've been dealt a harsh reality that we don't want them anymore. I can cut one dreadlock off my head one day at a time until they are all gone by August. I can learn Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, etc. I can download the Wale and B.O.B. mixtapes and hear those young cats out. I can watch NFL network until I can't stand Rich Eisen's voice any longer. I can watch NFL live and College Football Live everyday on ESPN.

I honestly don't know what I am going to do. I am faced with this traumatic experience every single year and I make it through. How? I can't remember. Maybe that's how, I drink myself into a two and a half month coma. I could sell my tv and give up the internet so I am totally oblivious to all things until late August and force myself to play catch up on what little news I did miss.

I have no clue what hell I am going to do. So if you all have any suggestions on things I can do for the next two and a half months while I have no meaningful sports to watch please let me know.


Thanks,


Ricky Writer

What about the good things?

I got home late last night from being back home in the great state of Oklahoma. It was very nice to get out of Longhorn country and actually see the Longhorn sign turned the right way, upside down that is. The sight of crimson and cream everywhere was pleasant as well as opposed to the burnt orange I am forced to deal with in Austin. As I ate my P.Terry's burger you already know what channel I turned to, ESPN, my love for the channel is endless.

My football withdrawals will begin to increase once the NBA playoffs are over in about 7-10 days. The burger tasted so good, but what I saw on television disturbed me. Sportscenter ran an entire Outside The Lines story on Denver Broncos wideout, Brandon Marshall, and his domestic abuse history with his ex-girlfriend.

The story featured his ex-girlfriend, Rasheeda Watley's accounts of the domestic abuse from Marshall, and interviews with her parents. The story also featured 911 calls by Watley and her friend while being involved in incidents with Marshall. There's always two sides to a story and Marshall declined to share his side for the Outside The Lines piece, but talked with Bob Ley about the incidents after the piece. He denied that he ever physically abused his former girlfriend.

My opinion on whether or not he is lying doesn't matter. The truth will come out sooner or later and I hope for his sake he is telling the truth. If he is lying, I hope he gets counseling and is able to put this behind him.

My concern is the purpose of the story. Who approached who? Did ESPN contact Rasheeda Watley or did she contact them? What was the true purpose of this story? To make Brandon Marshall look bad? Highlight domestic abuse in the NFL? Show that according to the Watley's, the NFL condones domestic abuse?

I have a huge problem with ESPN especially with stories like this. It's a love hate thing. I love the channel, but to be honest do I have an alternative, Fox Sports? Nope, I'm right, I don't have an alternative. I love ESPN for all that they do, but why do I hear about the negative sports news 51 weeks out of the year and they only feature the "Make a Wish" foundation segment one week out of the year?

The only time they talk about the good things an athlete does is during their "Make A Wish" segment or when they are glorifying Tim Tebow.

I just want the station to even it out a little bit. For every bad story about Pac-Man, Plax, Mike Vick, and now B-Marshall, I want a story about an athlete who has done some exceptional for his/her community. I mean there are 1,696 NFL players in the league. One of them has to be doing something great for his community that is worth reporting.


ESPN do better please,


Riverboat Ricky

OMG....give your degrees back

Media! Please, do something with yourselves. I know you all have better things to do than to report or make news of Tony Romo not calling T.O. by his name.

This is the Associated Press' excerpt,

" Though Romo didn't say anything negative, the quarterback referred to Owens with nothing more personal than "he."

If I read the transcripts correctly, Romo was asked a question then proceeded to compliment Owens, by saying " he was a great player....etc". God forbid he not call him by name, when a direct question about T.O. was just asked. The media and everyone there knew who he was talking about.

Does the media not have anything better to do. I thought the media's job was to report news not make it. Of course, they knew once they brought it up to T.O. that he was going to make some obnoxious but heart felt statement.

I am disgusted and annoyed. I really am. There are players in the league doing great things. Players are going on missions, doing great things for the community, and all you have to report is Tony Romo not calling Terrell Owens by his name when clearly, Romo was asked about Owens, so it made no sense for Romo to say Terrell Owens was.....all he needed to say was "he".

Get a life or give me your jobs,


Ricky Writer

Why does Big-10 Football suck?

The Big-10 used to have so much prestige when it came to the gridiron. The last national championship came in 2003. I'm not much of a Miami Hurricanes fan, but that pass interference call against DB Glenn Sharpe that all Canes and Buckeyes fans remember was certainly not pass interference, not in my opinion at least. Nevertheless, the Buckeyes won.

Five years has passed and the only the Buckeyes have been back to defend for national titles in 2006 and 2007. They were embarrassed both years. Michigan has looked bad every time they have been to the Rose Bowl. Illinois and Penn State looked equally as bad in their past Rose Bowl trips as well.

Last year, the Big 10 went 1-6 in bowl games, losing both of their BCS games. Yes, Ohio State and Michigan were in rebuilding years last year, but what is to be said about the entire conference? Where was Wisconsin, MSU, and Penn State?

Big surprise here, the entire conference recruiting efforts suck. I delegate Florida, Texas and California as the speed states to recruit from in you want to win in college football. The Big-10 team with the most players from these states in 2008 was Northwestern with 19 players. Yes, they lost their bowl game. Much of their recruiting is because of their high academic standards so they are not going to get the cream of the crop from those states.

The Big-10 has only 20 ESPN top 150 recruits attending their schools compared to 52 kids going to SEC schools. It's not hard to see why the SEC all ways takes care of business and is the best conference in football. They also take care of all their Big-10 opponents in bowl games also.

If the Big-10 wants to get back to their roots and tradition of being winning and respectable football, they need to ambush Texas, Cali, and Florida high school football players as soon as possible. If they don't want to do that then they could get used to losing consistently and slowly watch the MAC or the WAC conference surpass them as one of the top conferences and watch their automatic BCS bid fall into another conference's lap.

That's all I got,

Riverboat Ricky

"If"

Since Michael Vick's release from federal prison, I've heard the word "if" a lot. "If" Mike Vick can still play at a high level. "If" he can still run and change direction. "If" he still has the 4.3 speed.

Now, I understand why the reporters and commentators are asking "if". I mean two years away from doing something that you've done all your life is a very long time.

I am not sure if I'm being optimistic or outrageous, but why the "if"? Seriously, Michael Vick was not the most fundamentally sound quarterback. He thrived off of his natural God-given abilities. You know those things that God gives you that so many play-by-play announcers and commentators often describe as "things you can't teach".

Do you mean to tell me of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL that all of them are better than Michael Vick? Give me a break. Now you can say, what few fundamentals Vick had may now be eroded, which may not be a bad thing because he can re-learn how to play quarterback. But please believe, those physical skills that wowed fans and increased the popularity of sleep aids among NFL defensive coordinators are still there. Muscle memory is a hell of a thing, and as cliche' as it may sound, running around and making athletic plays is as easy for him as riding a bike.

If anything a two year absence from the NFL means Vick will have the freshest body in all the league. Think of all the pounding that he would have taken had he played the past two years. We all know trying to get Vick to stay in the pocket was about as successful as getting kids with attention deficit disorder to pay attention in class without their medicine.

As the season nears, Vick's home confinement ends, he is reinstated, and eventually signed the "if's" will grow even louder. Don't be the drone that listens to everything you hear from sportswriters who probably never played the game. Be wise and think about it, a two year layoff, is not all that bad, in fact it could be a good thing.


I'll see you in two years and be as potent as ever,


Riverboat Ricky

Welcome home Mike

Michael Vick was released from federal prison today. Duh, you already know that with ESPN and everyone else and their mother covering it.

6magainze just wants to say welcome home Mr. Vick. You have paid your debt to society, and anyone else that doesn't think so can stand on their soap box complain for as long as they want, but it doesn't matter because you are free homie.

Home confinement for two months will probably suck, but compared to washing dishes for 12 cents an hour, it's probably Heaven.

As a fan of football and yours especially, I'd like to offer a few words of advice. Stay out of strip clubs please. Make nice with PETA, as we all know they are more powerful than the government. Work hard and remember the famous Paul Arden quote, "It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be." Challenges in life come to us all, and you can surely overcome this. God allows everything to happen for a reason. So keep your head up and work hard, because you will definitely reap what you sow.

Stay away from certain teams: The Oakland Raiders, although they are my favorite team, Al Davis is psycho. The Bengals, birds of a feather flock together, but you my friend are a reformed man. Also, you see how they do Mr. Johnson. The Browns, management does not run the team, the fans "boo decibel" meter does, and when they boo you enough you'll get yanked from the game. And yes, that's right, fans know everything about football and always make the right decisions. If the Detroit Lions come calling just run. There is no explanation I can give you, but to just listen to me and run away as fast as possible.

Every other team is fair game. In fact, I suggest these teams: The Denver Broncos, I have a strange feeling that Kyle Orton or Chris Simms will not cut it. Houston Texans, Matt Schaub has under-performed since signing a big money free agent deal two seasons ago. You beat him out in Atlanta, why can't you do it again? Jaguars, David Garrad is looking like a one year wonder so far. Titans, you are a lot better and right now cheaper than Vince Young and Kerry Collins. Pathers, Jake is not going to play forever. Vikings, please go the Vikings they need you bad. 49ers, Shaun Hill, Damon Huard, Alex Smith, if you can't beat either of these guys out you don't deserve to be in the league. Lastly, the Seahawks, Jim Mora was your head coach in your glory days in Atlanta, Hassleback is not going to play forever and his performance has slipped.

All in all. We are glad to have you back Mike. Hope to see you on a football field soon. Give 6magazine your first interview. We deserve it!


I love some Mike Vick,


Ricky Writer




He's back.......

Jammal Brown interview

Jammal Brown, starting Pro Bowl LT, for the New Orleans Saints sat down over the Mac Ichat to chop it up with 6Magazine ,Editor-in-Chief, Richard Boadu. We are happy to say Jammal and Richard are Mac's. Not PC's. Thank you Apple for IChat!