Who Are These Guys?

I just finished watching my TiVo Guy Movie of the Week: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The most prevalent line is my title for the evening. This title refers to the long arm of the law that followed Robert Redford and Paul Newman for most of the 123 minute running time of the film. It also refers to the insane asylum running KLSX, the LA-based radio station that just fired Adam Carolla.

I first heard Mr. Carolla's voice on Loveline. It played late at night in my early 20s and sometimes I would listen. He was the hamburger you wrap around the pill so your dog will take it. Dr. Drew, his sidekick, was the pill. Carolla moved on to better gigs, like Crank Yankers on Comedy Central and writing for the Jimmy Kimmel Show when his own talk show failed to register an audience. He found his niche on radio with his ranting, raving, and making inappropriate jokes for four hours a morning. Minus commercials it might have been more like three.

He took over for Howard Stern. I enjoyed Private Parts, but I never laughed while listening to the show, which was prominent in my now cancelled Sirius radio. I guess the ratings wouldn't make it.

Some will say that Carolla is crass and goes for the easy juvenile humor. I concur. He's still funny, and genuine, and when he says that he's going to continue his podcast, unpaid, starting next week, I believe him. He truly believes that if you love doing something, you would do it even if you're not getting paid. Don't forget that he's still getting paid for the rest of the year, per his contract, so he can afford to work for nothing for a while. Podcasting is huge and maybe he'll make something of it. I know I will be listening.

OK, back to sports.

And here I thought the NFL pre-free agency period was going to be boring. The Chargers made a statement by franchising Darren Sproles. And Sproles may have been the first player in history (non kicker) to call being franchised “an honor”. It might have been that 600% salary bump.

The Titans smartly extended Rob Bironas. Three million a year is a lot for a kicker, unless you’re a Titan fan with memories of Al Del Greco. Heck, Bironas missed a long but makeable kick in the playoff game that would have at least sent the game into overtime.

Albert Haynesworth is going to test the free agent market. I think it’s 50/50 that he gives the Titans the right to match or exceed any offer he gets. The Titans have offered something in the range of 4 years, $36 million. Think two more years and double the money. Do the Bucs or Falcons have the money to pull this off? Haynesworth says that he wants to play for a winning franchise. We'll see if he's all about the bucks.

Will the Titans franchise Bo Scaife? It's likely at this point. Unless Craig Stevens makes major strides in the offseason, they need Scaife’s ability to make plays downfield and not fumble when the ball is inside the ten yard line. If the Titans decide to let Scaife go and draft Missouri’s Chase Coffman in the second round, I would be cool with that. Coffman will be this year’s Dustin Keller.

There are three Titans older than me. One is Tyrone Poole, who most certainly will not be with the team next year. Heck, Kerry Collins might be the only one left come opening day 2009.