One foot, Bad Thumb, No Problem for Ben!

Wherever and however you are reading this today, thank you for making the Gray Matters part of your busy day.  Ben Roethlisberger may just be the toughest NFL player in the game. In the second quarter, Ben was knocked out of the game when a defensive lineman landed on his ankle.  The high ankle sprain injury keeps most professional athletes sidelined for three to four weeks, but not “Big Ben.” Already playing with a fractured thumb, Ben once again led the Steelers to victory.

This guy is old school.  Ben is a throwback player to the early days of football when the only way you got out of the game is if a broken bone was through the skin. Looking at his injuries over his career would lead most to believe he was a motocross rider or a daredevil.  With all the Tebow talk lately about his desire to win, people should be directing their attention to Roethlisberger. No one knows just how long he can keep this up, but I would imagine he won’t quit until he is forced to or physically cannot. Not many quarterbacks connect with their city more than Ben. Pittsburgh is known for being tough town and the Steelers embody the blue collar mentality of their city. Brad Kiesel said it best: “When Ben is hurt it just seems to work out well for us.”  It’s because he is always fighting some injury late in the season when the playoff race is in a full sprint.

Coaches and analysts say “attitude reflects leadership.” No one can deny that tough attitude reverberates through Steelers entire team. One thing is for certain. Every time an opponent lines up against Ben, he will do whatever it takes to win. The Steelers’ next challenge is against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. With a few extra days to recover, you can bet #7 will be ready come game time.

Thank you for making this blog part of your day. If you want hear more from me you can follow me on twitter @chrisgrayarea. Don't forget to like our Facebook page The Chris Gray Area as well as check out chrisgrayarea.com.

In Tebow Denver Trusts.

Wherever and however you are viewing this today, thank you for making this blog part of your day. Tebowing is a term that has been brought up in the media and twitter trends the last few weeks. What is Tebowing? By definition it is to get down on one knee and pray, even if everyone else around you is doing something else.  Tebowmania has swept across the nation since starting quarterback Kyle Orton was replaced by Tim Tebow just a few weeks ago in San Diego.  Tebow just might be the most polarizing quarterback in the NFL next to Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles.  The main difference is that Vick is hated for dog fighting while Tebow is disliked for his strong faith in Christianity. Or is he hated for being an unconventional quarterback? Maybe he is just too good of a person? Whatever the reason, there is a clear division of those who support Tebow and those who want to see him fail.

Tebow strong in faith and character

In college, he was one the greatest players ever to play the game capturing two national championships, a Heisman trophy, and dominating the best conference in college football. Tim is now in the NFL trying to continue his success with more pressure than he ever faced at Florida. He has a coaching staff who did not draft him. No legitimate play makers to aid him in winning games.  Yet, Tebow is now 4-1 as a starting quarterback this season.  He has the support of his teammates, most notably star corner back Champ Bailey. Bailey has spoken out several times to the media expressing how special Tebow is to the team. The big question is can Tebow win a Super Bowl?

2008 National Championship

Yes, he can. With the commitment from the Broncos organization, Tebow can win. In order to win, they have to build a team that fits his style of play.   A good example is the Eagles with Michael Vick, who is surrounded by extremely fast and versatile players.  The Eagles use Vick’s ability to run and pass to the full advantage of the team. Philly will use their screen passing game to set up for the running attack. Vick can attack the line of scrimmage like he is going to run only to flip the ball to running back LeSean McCoy. Coach Andy Reid makes it simple: get the ball to your best players. Denver needs to draft fast receivers who can stretch the field vertically and a versatile back to run inside to wear the defense out. By drafting those types of players, it will give Tebow the best opportunity to be successful.

Fox must commit to Tebow's play style

With Tebow, the coaching staff knows they are going to get the hardest working player in the NFL. He wants to get better at passing the ball. He is willing to do whatever it takes to win games. Tebow is exactly what everyone wants in a quarterback as a leader and as a role model.  He just needs time to develop into a better passer. He may never be a John Elway throwing the football, but Tebow could win like him.  Most people want to see Tim succeed in the NFL and prove all the naysayers wrong.  Only time will truly tell if he will be given the opportunity to bring a championship back to Denver. Whatever side you are on, it is most definitely Tebow Time!

Thank you for making the Gray Matters part of your day. Please like our page on Facebook at the Chris Gray Area! You can always email me at chrisgrayarea.com and follow me on twitter for the latest sports updates @chrisgrayarea.  Have a wonderful rest of your day! 

A Deeper Scandal in State College!

Wherever and however you are viewing this thank you, for making the Gray Matters part of your life today.  This Penn State scandal is absolutely horrendous. I have a connection to the University having family members who graduated from there.  The first college I ever rooted for was the Penn State Nittany Lions.  Now folks, I am not a reporter. I am a blogger who wants to work as a sports caster doing radio and television.  I think I offer a different viewpoint on things while relating it to some who may not particularly care about a sport or understand.  Being that I have limited sources, this story is for ESPN or some power that can look into this much more.

Paterno with Meyer after Outback Bowl

I have a source who tells me two things that stink to high heaven. The first part is that the big time donors of PSU were required to have the donations in by November 1^st.  In previous years, the donors would send money in around tax time.  The Grand Jury Report was released on November 5^th conveniently after the University received its big money donations.

The second part has to do with Joe Paterno’s firing being planned.  According to an Alumni member, Urban Meyer has or is going to purchase I house outside State College, Pa. This was rumored a long time ago because Meyer’s daughter considered playing volleyball at PSU. The question to ask is, "Does this clear the way for Urban Meyer to become the new football coach."  This appears to be a setup by University Alumni for the past few years to get JoePa out and Urban in.

This story is not to create a rumor mill. Instead it is so that news sources that have more power than the Gray Matters can sniff out what is true. I have no doubt that the truth will come out sooner than later. My heart goes out to every one of the victims and to the students of Penn State.  I fully support Penn State University not the leadership responsible for cover up of Sandusky.  Nor is there any support if the release of this information was just to use JoePa as a scapegoat while forcing him out of Penn State. Yes, Paterno should have done more. He is the face of Penn State, which means he should have carried this through to the punishment of Sandusky. I am deeply upset about this entire situation. We all want the truth behind why this was covered up.  

Thank you for making the Gray Matters part of your day. You can follow me on twitter @chrisgrayarea or email me at chrisgrayarea@gmail.com. Your comments are always welcome on any story. Let us all pray to whomever we pray too for the well-being of the victims of this terrible tragedy. To those who feel the way I feel, I leave you with one last line. WE ARE PENN STATE!

Chris Gray has died.

A memorial service will be held aboard the Millennium Falcon, from 9 to 12 a.m., on November 10^th for Christopher Gray, age 87. Gray died this week from light saber decapitation. A member of the Jedi Council for 20 years, Gray was in negotiations with the Empire for Galactic peace. He is survived by his wife Hope Solo-Gray and three children. He was originally from east Tennessee and recently moved back to the Nashville Area from Los Angles.  Following the service his casket will be jettisoned into the Sun.

Another reason to love America. Hope Solo

Of course this is a joke! Welcome to the newest blog the Gray Matters. This will be for my class on digital media writing at Middle Tennessee State University. Please look around and read what has been posted.  Thank you!

Predators News! New Deal for Rinne, what about Weber!?

Pekka Rinne Nashville Predators

Wherever and however you are viewing this today, thank you for making the Gray Matters part of your busy day.  There is big news in  “Music City” on the hockey front. The Nashville Predators have signed star goaltender Pekka Rinne to a seven year, $49 million contract.  This signing comes as no surprise given Rinne’s performance the past few seasons. The impact of this contract now raises the question of whether or not defenseman ,Shea Weber ,will be re-signed.  

Shea Weber Nashville Predators

Mentioned on a past article “Predators Hang Fire”, the possibility of Weber being on the team past this year was pretty low. The Predators organization made it clear, through arbitration, that Shea was not going to be paid  $7.5 million per year long term . Will Rinne's contract offend Weber? Is there really a difference between $7 and $7.5 million?  This probably means Shea Weber will be traded or become a free agent at the end of the season.

Ryan Suter

Now organization should concentrate on signing defensive star Ryan Suter. His contract should be under $7million a year. Then trade Shea Weber as soon as possible to receive maximum value for the star defenseman. Weber should warrant an equally talented offensive forward.  

In the long run the team will benefit more from trading a higher valued Weber while keeping undervalued Ryan Suter in a long-term deal. The best example of a similar trade was last year between Dallas and Pittsburgh. The trade sent forward JamesNeal to Pittsburgh for defenseman Alex Golligoski. Neal now has nine goals and two assists for a team in need of a star winger.  Anytime you can trade a top defenseman for a top forward take it if you’re deep on defensive players like Nashville.

Who will be on Rinne's team next season?

Only time will tell what direction the team will go. The right trade could finally give opposing teams a reason to fear the Predators offensively.

As always, thanks for reading. You can follow me on twitter @chrisgrayarea. Don’t forget to like this page on Facebook, The Chris Gray Area, where you can also find the original blog site chrisgrayarea.com.

The S"Cam"del Newton Story

Where ever and whatever way you are reading this today, thanks for making The Gray Area part of your busy day.  I promised to write about Cam Newton and I wanted to wait. I waited to see what ESPN would have to say four days after the draft. I got to hear Cam attempt to defend himself on Mike and Mike in the morning. And well I got what I thought would happen, they retracted most of criticism. Please note this was much to my disappointment. Not everyone just one big name in particular, which was Todd McShay. I am all for being unbiased but once you have chosen a stance defend it honorably. McShay did for the most part, but he seemed to back off  about Cam Newton being a big risk. Folks he is a huge risk for the Carolina Panthers, we are talking JaMarcus Russell sized.

Cam and  his father Cecil Newton

Someone please tell what is the difference between him and Tim Tebow? I really don’t see one. I will bet that had Tim Tebow came out after his Heisman year he would have went number one overall. So why did Cam go higher than Tebow? The answer is hype. He was horrible with Jon Gruden when he was on QB camp. And frankly how do you honestly say Herm Edwards “don’t concern yourself with off the field issues”?  He is the quarterback of a team. The leader, the one everyone is looking to for leadership. If you cannot count on him to stay out of trouble what does that say for the rest of the team?  As Colin Cowherd once said of Vince Young “your quarterback is essentially the face of a billion dollar company”. I was extremely disappointed with Carolina Panthers for selecting him number one overall.  At Florida he was caught with a stolen laptop which they knew about. The NFL and NCAA know his father tried to sell him to Mississippi State for $180,000. In three to five years his Heisman and Auburn's national title will be revoked by the NCAA with no consequences to Cam Newton.

NFL Commissioner Roger Godell with Cam Newton

Right now Newton is the worst QB in his division and I will go as far to say he will be 5 years from now. He will never be better than Drew Brees or Matt Ryan and Josh Freeman is a rising star. Congratulations to the Carolina Panthers organization you just set yourself back 5 years much like the Titans did when they selected Vince Young.   Mark my words he will not make it in the NFL and if he does I will admit I was wrong. Most people forgave Michael Vick because he served his time and fought his way back into the light. Cam Newton was smiling on draft day not because it was his dream like Von Miller, who was actually crying. It was simply because he slipped through the cracks of punishment and will now be paid as the number one draft pick.  

Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks

This article indirectly supports the NHL who punishes there players on and off the ice. When Patrick Kane got in trouble two years ago he was fined and heavily scrutinized for his offense. He kept his mouth shut and won a Stanley Cup taking his punishment like a man. The NBA and NFL baby their players for whatever reason, which frankly makes me sick. The NHL band a player for life because of repeated vicious hits on other players.  He was a highly scouted player but the league got rid of him anyway. Why? Because there are always more stars. So why can’t the two most popular sports punish the ones who violate the rules. I want to see changes, but they will probably be minimal. Money talks, the NFL will do whatever it takes to keep making that money even if that means sacrificing some of the integrity of the game.

As always you can follow me on twitter @chrisgrayarea.com, you can email chrisgrayarea@gmail.com and you can like us on facebook by searching The Chris Gray Area. Thank you for making the Gray Matters part of your day. 

-Gray Out.

Draft Hits

Where ever and how ever you are reading this today, thank you for making the Gray Area part of your busy day.  It is official the NFL Draft is over. It has came and went leaving us hoping for games in the Fall. This was by far the least interesting draft leading up to round one in recent memory. We knew going into this draft it was mostly defensive deep with little depth at the scoring positions in the top rounds. I am not going to bore you with my thoughts on all the picks, but I am going to key in on a few. The first pick being Cam Newton selected at number 1 which is the main part of another story.

The second one that came to my attention is the selection of Julio Jones WR from Alabama. This was without a doubt the worst pick and trade of the first round, in my opinion. The Falcons traded 4 potential starters in draft picks for one receiver who can’t catch a simple flat route 5 yards from the quarterback. I have no idea how the general manger sold this to Falcons owner Arthur Blank. The Falcons swapped 2011 first round picks with the Cleveland Browns who then also receive 2011 2^nd and 4^th round picks. That is 3 potential starters for one already and we aren’t done yet. They also get 2012 1st round and a 4th round picks as well, add another two starters to that list as well. Bottom line no player is worth that many players and for those still in the dark on how I came up with the number of starters I will explain. Any good franchise will get starters nine times out of ten in the first four rounds of the draft. After that your chances of making the team diminish due to free agents and roster space. I hope it works for Atlanta because I like this team, but I just don’t see how you can give up so much for such a high risk player.

The other pick I will touch on is Jake Locker at number 8 to the Tennessee Titans. I love this pick! The question that comes to mind, does anyone remember where he was projected last year? The answer is number 1 overall. That being said yes he regressed a little on a subpar team in Washington. However this is a perfect fit for Tennessee with the way there offense has struggled. He brings great mobility and throws accurately on the run, which he will be doing a lot of.  He also brings things to the table that no other Quarterback has had since Steve McNair. Those qualities are toughness, leadership, and a strong work ethic. I will even argue he has the potential to be better then McNair due to the fact he came from a bigger conference and played against more NFL caliber talent. I only slightly dislike this pick because it was a reach. But when you draft you have to take the best player for your system and Locker was by far the better selection between him and Blaine Gabbert.

My last pick to point out is Nick Fairley to the Detroit Lions at number 13. I was greatly relieved when the Titans passed on him at number 8. I think Fairley is a little too much like Albert Haynesworth, which the team needs high character, high motor players which they got throughout the draft. Why is this good for the Lions? Two names Jim Schwartz and Nadmukong Suh. Schwartz does a great job getting the most out of all his players and he at one time couched the troubled Haynesworth at Tennessee.  Suh will be playing side by side with Fairley, which I expect will spark some competition between the two both on and off the field. Suh is a strong character player with a great work ethic, the Lions are banking it will rub on Fairley. Anytime you can select a top 8 player at 13 you are usually happy to take a chance. Great pick for the Lions! Watch out for great things from this D-Line for the next several years.

I still stay with my position that this draft was pretty boring outside of the teams going QB crazy after Locker was selected. Christian Ponder went much earlier at 12^th overall then his mock draft experts had him going. This draft was hamstringed by the lockout that is going on. No trades for current players were allowed that could have landed teams with new veteran players or more draft picks. All in all, the League and the players let the fans down. No one not even a guy who wants to make this a living cares to hear why they are fighting. We all just want the powers that be to lock themselves in a room somewhere and not some out until a deal is done. More to come on my Cam Newton story shortly, and as always Thanks for making this part of your day!

Hello and Welcome to The Gray Area! Where ever in the world you maybe thanks for making this part of your day.

As some of you may or may not know, I drafted my first fantasy baseball team yesterday afternoon. As promised, I will reveal those picks now to you.  Then I will discuss my expectations and strategy going in to the draft.  I will say this upfront: I am very happy with my team and with any luck will finish with a little trophy on myESPN fantasy login at year’s end. So with no further waiting, here we go! I was drafting 12^th out of twelve teams so I had a lot of waiting time. 

1.)    Joey Votto- 1B

2.)    Tim Lincecum- Starting Pitcher

3.)    Dan Uggla-2B

4.)    Shin-Soo Choo-OF

5.)    Michael Young-3B

6.)    Mat Latos-SP

7.)    Shane Victorino-OF

8.)    Matt Cain-SP

9.)    Brett Gardner-OF

10.) Shaun Marcum-SP

11.)  John Danks-SP

12.)  Brandon Morrow-SP

13.)   Ian Desmond-SS

14.)  Johnny Cueto-SP

15.)  Miguel Montero-C

16.)  Domonic Brown-OF

17.)  Jamie Garcia-SP

18.)  Danny Espinosa-2B/SS

19.)  Ryan Raburn-OF

20.)  Garret Jones-1B/3B

21.)   Coco Crisp-Utility

22.)   Daniel Bard-Relief Pitcher (Bench)

23.)   Pat Burrell-Utility

24.)   Brian Fuentes-RP(Bench)

 As I mentioned before, I am so happy with this team. Near the end, I began using ESPN insider recommendations which lead me to fill some holes it analyzed. For instance, I was a little low on steals so it recommended Coco Crisp late in the draft for a Utility player, so I grabbed him. A Utility player is mainly a veteran who hits on the Designated Hitter spot. To me, it’s like you get to play an extra player if your other starting spots are full. 

So, what was my strategy? The one thing I will always remember from my first ever fantasy draft I will share with you now. I was in the Navy on board the USS Kitty Hawk with a bunch of guys. I assumed I knew more about football than them. I struggled through the entire draft because I did zero research or any planning. I then panicked when it was my turn just sticking to the positional order I thought I should draft, such as RD1- QB , RD2-RB, etc. What happened was that I picked a lot of players to high and did not get the best value for my pick. Long  story short, at the end of it I talked to a friend ,who I considered the only one who was smarter than me, Sebourn, and told him I how poorly I drafted. That’s when he told me the following: “You have to take the best player available.” Planning is the key. You obviously don’t want to draft two players of the same position back to back, but in my baseball draft, you will see what I mean. You make a plan and you follow it closely, it’s like a guideline in case you have a panic moment. You also must mock draft several times before the real thing because it gives you a sense of what most people are thinking. For example, in all the mock drafts I did, Shane Victorino was going much earlier than projected in my research was showing, so I made sure to move him up on draft day behind some pitchers I wanted that would still be there.

  What I did was I used an “experts” mock draft from my position as a guide line. It gave me all of my starters in the order that I preset on ESPN’s draft board. This showed me position and who to draft for my team per round.  Then I simply looked at who was best available and considered drafting my pre-selection or passing for someone more highly projected. Another thing I did was to write down on a piece of paper the positional pre-draft order, which I then updated for real time to know what I needed next. I will show you an example of what I mean, and keep in mind that since I am selecting 12^th, they are selected in pairs. I have the last pick in all odd rounds and the first pick in all even rounds (for example, in round 1, I had twelfth pick, and in round 2, I had first pick).

Pre-Draft                                Actual

In/Out fielder                    IF-Joey Votto

Pitcher                                SP-Lincecum

In Field                               IF-Uggla

**Note I am jumping down to show you where I adjusted**

IF/OF                                 IF-Michael Young

IF/OF                                 Pitcher- Mat Latos

SP (Cain)                          OF- Victorino

SP   (Marcum)                   SP-Matt Cain

*Note again that I did get Marcum*

The end result was I think a very solid team. I was ecstatic when Joey Votto dropped to me at 12^th when all my mock drafts had me selecting David Wright of the Mets, which we all know, if you anchor your team with a New York Mets player, you are doomed from the start.  Just kidding Mets fans! Also, I had decided that because of my draft position, I would draft a top pitcher with my first two picks. Big Time Timmy Jim (Tim Lincecum) was the result. Don’t worry people, I will not bore you with a round by round mention of my selection, but I am going to hit on some nice players I got at the right time. Most of these are late picks which some owners get a little lazy with. I drafted John Danks on my team (ESPN insider pick) who is a solid #3 starter according to research, and I am asking him to be #5.

I want to mention another three good ones. First was hopeful Rookie of the Year Danny Espinosa (2B/SS). On my “experts” mock, he was drafted about round 14. I got him later at 18. The next I was really happy to snag was Ryan Raburn late in the draft as my last outfielder. He has a lot of potential, and I have already received trade talks for him.  I want to last mention Ian Desmond (SS). My pre-select had me drafting Danny Espinosa to that spot luckily for me he fell to a later round 13^th/14^th .Where  I would have drafted Espinosa, but I took a higher player plus I got my guy.

Last thing before I go: I really tried to stay away from injury risk players, which I am happy to report I only drafted at the tail end. Injuries to your top players can kill your team so why draft injury prone players high? I never do it. Playing sports is hard enough on the body for those players who manage to avoid injury; therefore, I stick with them. I will mention a common mistake new fantasy players make. That leads me to my final point for everyone wanting to get into fantasy sports. Never ever draft emotionally. It will kill your team. The long time Cleveland Indians fan who drafts all Indians will finish at the bottom of the league I guarantee it. I really wanted to draft Johnny Damon. I love that guy however I went with ESPN by drafting Coco Crisp because he provided better value. 

As always, if you want to hear more from me, you can follow me on twitter @chrisgrayarea or on youtube at chrisgrayarea. I always appreciate your comments on any media front. Be on the lookout for updates on my team as well as NHL playoff previews.

I want to make a plug in here for a friend’s blog, it’s fantastic. “What’s Stocky Eating” is a great blog mainly because I am a huge food guy. Please check it out! The food reminds me of when I was overseas and his descriptions are terrific. The website is whatstockyeating.blogspot.com that’s it for me.

- Gray out!

What about the Gray Matters?

Hello and Welcome! Where ever you are in the world today, thanks for making this part of your busy day!  The Gray Matters is a project for my, Chris Gray, media writing class at Middle Tennessee State University. My blog will be mostly about Tennessee area sports teams. However as a sports enthusiast and avid ESPN radio listener national stories will also be written. My writing style is very unique and honest about all sports teams. I was born a fan of all things Pittsburgh , but I have adopted the Tennessee teams as they have come into existence. The Pittsburgh ties make me a harsh critique at times, fans expect their teams to win a championships. I represent the fans who want to hear the honest chances of that happening. Please feel free to comment on my posts and I'll be sure to respond. You can also follow me on twitter @chrisgrayarea. Once again thank you and Welcome to The Gray Matters!