Much Ado About Monday: Jason Collins

It's been a very busy sports Monday from the get-go. While some people may think Tim Tebow's release from Jets is the big story of the day, it's not even close.

NBA veteran center Jason Collins came out of the closet Monday with a simple statement. "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay.", is what Collins told Sports Illustrated. Collins, who spent the first 6-1/2 seasons of his career with the New Jersey Nets and spent time with the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards this season, had been orchestrating the announcement for a while.

Collins felt it was time for someone to step up; someone who still had a desire to play to play professional sports. Now comes the real test- being accepted by an owner, front office, coaches, and players. Shortly after the announcement, support started pouring in from a variety of backgrounds, but none more important than active NBA players themselves.

Kobe Bryant ‏@kobebryant3hProud of @jasoncollins34. Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others #courage #support #mambaarmystandup #BYOU

Of course there was ignorance as expressed (and then retracted) as well by the NFL's Mike Wallace.

@Wallace17_daKid All these beautiful women in the world and guys wanna mess with other guys SMH.”

Mike Wallace ‏@Wallace17_daKid1hNever said anything was right or wrong I just said I don't understand!! Deeply sorry for anyone that I offended

I'm sure he would like to have come out sooner - no team could then use the excuse that they don't have room for a 34-year old on their team. Collins finally did come out because he felt it was time to live his life truly, to be who he was. Let's hope he's treated with the dignity he deserves and as an equal., not just on the court, but in life.

Andy Reid Leads List of NFL Firings

Updated 12/31 10:25 PM

The NFL regular season ended yesterday, Dec 30, which means that Monday morning will see a lot of coaches and GMs joining the unemployment line. 

The biggest name fired Monday morning, as expected, was Philadelphia's Andy Reid. The longest tenured coach in the NFL at 14 seasons, Reid was done after his team finished 4-12 finish this season. Philly came into the season with high expectations (QB Michael Vick anointed them a dynasty before they ever won anything), but after winning three of four to start the year, the Eagles won just once more the rest of the year. 

Many of the problems with the Eagles could be contributed to injuries, but the good teams overcome them. The Eagles weren't able to do so. Reid finished 130-93-1 overall and took the team to the Super Bowl in 2004. The dismissal ends a terrible year for Reid, who lost his son Garrett to a heroin overdose in August. 

The first announced firing on Monday was the New York Jets letting go of GM Mike Tannenbaum whose poor draft choices and free agent signings was part of the Jets' disappointing 6-10 season and a second straight season without reaching the playoffs. Coach Rex Ryan will be back, though he will need a new quarterback to replace Mark Sanchez. Owner Woody Johnson might want to fire himself too for the Tim Tebow debacle. 

Cleveland has already given the axe to head coach Pat Schurmer after two years and a combined 9-23 record. GM Tom Heckert was also shown the door. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars have canned GM Gene Smith after the team's worst season - 2-14 - on the heels of a 5-11 season in 2011. Head coach Mike Mularkey is safe for the moment, but that could all change when a new GM is hired. 

San Diego's Norv Turner saw the chopping block as well. Turner has been long recognized as a great offensive mind, but a poor head coach. Turner's teams, perennially underachievers, won 113 and lost 122 in his 14 years as a head coach with Washington, Oakland, and San Diego. General Manager A.J. Smith was llet go as well. He's held the position since 2003. 

Kansas City fired head coach Romeo Crennel after the Chiefs 2-14 season. Crennel was hired as interim coach for the final three games in 2011 after Todd Haley was fired as the top man. GM Scott Pioli survived the day. 

Dallas head coach Jason Garrett could be a victim of the Dallas Cowboys' inconsistency and two straight non-playoff 8-8 seasons. Dallas owner Jerry Jones is extremely unpredictable, so a decision could go either way. 

Lovie Smith won 10 games this year in Chicago, but rumors proved to be correct when the Bears fired Smith. The biggest reason being the Bears started 7-1, but then lost five of their last eight games to miss the playoffs. The Bears were 8-8 last season, but 11-5 in 2010, which is the last time they made the playoffs. Smith also led the Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006, where they lost to the Indianapolis Colts. His removal would be an injustice and a mistake. 

No surprise that the Buffalo Bills handed a pink slip to coach Chan Gailey, who compiled a 34-46 mark in three seasons in Buffalo. GM Buddy Nix could be in trouble too since expectations were high for Buffalo this season, especially after signing free agent defensive end Mario Williams. Whether Gailey and/or Nix stay put, the Bills need to rid themselves of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Ever since Fitzpatrick got a six-year, $59MM extension in October, 2011 he has not been the same quarterback and the Bills have not won football games. 

The Arizona Cardinals' Ken Whisenhunt will be looking for work after the Cardinals 5-11 season led to his dismissal. Arizona somehow won their first four games before losing 10 straight. Whisenhunt was hired by the Cards before the 2007 season and took Arizona to their only Super Bowl appearance a year later. The Cardinals followed that up with a 10-6 record and another playoff appearance in 2009, but they've gone just 18-30 the last three years. 

Other coaches and GMs could also be let go whether there have been rumors or not. Plenty of assistant coaches will be looking for new jobs as well.

The Daily Roundup For 11/18/11

Starting out this Friday morning with some sad news from the college basketball world.

Condolences and prayers go out to the Oklahoma St. community after women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna were killed in a single engine plane crash last night. The crash occurred 45 miles west of Little Rock, AK. It's the second such tragedy for the school in the last decade. 10 people associated with the men's basketball team died in a plane crash in 2001.

Now on to some less important stuff.

How the hell do you only score 13 points against the Denver Broncos? That's what you Jet fans must be wondering this morning. That and how you made Tim Tebow's 95 yard game winning drive look like John Elway's "The Drive". One of the first things you notice about Tebow is just how bad his mechanics are throwing the ball. But the next thing you notice is how elusive a runner he is. He completely baffled the Jets on the the Bronco's final possession and especially on the game winning run.

Tebow will NEVER lead an NFL to a Super Bowl let alone a Super Bowl victory. QB is not the position he should be at if he wants a long term career in the NFL. The Broncos could use him as the Jets had done with Brad Smith, but Tebow needs to be utiliized elsewhere. You can say what you want about him, but the guy is tough. Make him a wideout, a tailback, use him in wildcat formations, or have him return kicks. He can definitely be on an NFL squad, just not as the starting or 2nd string QB.

Getting back to the Jets offense though...13 points? Seriously? Mark Sanchez's 60% completion pct and 252 yards are misleading. They're definitely better looking numbers than the game Sanchez had or has been having lately. He threw another killer interception that turned into a game tying pick-six in the 3rd quarter. When the defense gives up 10 points, you HAVE to win the football game.

Perhaps it's time for Rex Ryan to duct tape his mouth for the rest of the season and do some coaching instead. No matter how popular he is, he could very well talk his way out of the head coaching position if the team continues to slide. There's only so long you can make promises and not keep them. Ask any politician.

The Red Sox are talking with Bobby Valentine about their managerial opening. I have not heard the word "interview" used as of yet, but this would definitely be a douchebag match made in Heaven. That being said, how many Yankees fan will automically panic that the "Red Sox have Valentine as their manager..we're in trouble". Valentine is one of the most overrated managers in baseball history. He's a good manager, not a great manager, and I don't give a crap about his success in Japan. The game is not the same overseas.

Valentine, however, is a better manager than he is a baseball color commentator/analyst and I would welcome his exit from the booth. His haughty, Kermit the Frog/Fozzy Bear delivery is unwelcome on my TV set. What Valentine is best at is self promotion and making wild predictions (Hideki Matsui will be a perennial 50-HR hitter in the US).

Finally, if you haven't seen The Daily Show's Samantha Bee's report on the NY Occupy Wall St. movement, you need to NOW.