sadurtimes

So here it is, the top twenty as voted by you. This is the final round to arrive at the top ten of all time. When this round ends I will re-seed the top ten and we will then find the TOP ATHLETE of ALL TIME. Thank you to every one who is voting and taking part. I have really enjoyed reading the reasons for the votes. This will last two weeks and then we will round the list out.

Babe Zaharias VS Lance Armstrong

Jim Thorpe VS Willie Mays

Bo Jackson VS Hershel Walker

Jim Brown VS Walter Payton

Jackie Robinson VS Hank Aaron

Wilt Chamberlain VS Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Jackie Joyner-Kersey VS Jesse Owens

Joe DiMaggio VS Babe Ruth

John Elway VS Deion Sanders

Dave Winfield VS Rocky Marciano

   So I sit here and worry about those that have been affected by the recent hurricanes. I listen to the analysts and the government officials as they talk about dollar amount to be assessed to the damage and how the insurance companies are going to take a pounding. People are talking about how claims will not be paid because the insurance companies simply will not have the resources.
   This made me begin to examine my own situation and what would happen if my homes were suddenly wiped out by mother nature. It made me wonder how much would it cost me to replace. Would I be able to lean on my insurance company or would I walk through the rubble only to find out they did not have the money to pay the claims. So I did some simple math to see how much I had paid out over the last 25 years, comparing that to how much I had put in to the insurance company in claims. So here is the breakdown and it can be used for almost all of the 50 million homes in the United States.
   My annual premiums between the two homes are $2650. So for the sake of argument I will break it down to about $1200 a year per home. So I thought that was pretty reasonable considering the value of my homes and they are both insured for a little more than there value should they need to be replaced. Now I tried to put a claim in for some minor water damage to my Florida home that occurred when Fay decided to rent space in the state for more than week. The total damage was about $10K. The claim is still pending. so in the 25 years I have been a homeowner I have paid out over $60K in premiums and have still not yet received any thing as far as a claim. Well that is not to bad I guess, so that leaves some reserve for the insurance companies RIGHT?
   So I then decided to see just how much reserve they had. There are about 50 million homes in the United States and the average premium is about $1100. Sound reasonable right? So lets do the math. That would be just under a $100 bucks a month times 50 million homes. So that is 4.8 BILLION dollars a month.Well that is just about the amount that south florida  had in damage for the last category 4 that blew through. Now I do not want to complicate things to much by adding the interest that the insurance companies make on that but lets just say they get a minimal amount, like what you or I would get in a SAVINGS account. Now when we add that to the annual premiums paid out by WE the home owners, we are talking about over $60 BILLION dollars. Now I realize that I have not been in school since the late 70's and there is a NEW MATH, but that dollar amount is more than the total amount of storm damage of all the storms in the past 10 years. Hurricane Katrina was responsible for about $30 Billion in damages.
   So to surmise, they have brought in $60 BILLION a year for the last 10 years and have paid out about $65 BILLION in the last ten years. So I am asking the public to help me with the math. How do they not have the reserve to pay for the claims people have. Hard working people who pay for insurance so they do not lose everything that they have worked their whole lives for. How can they claim they do not have the money? The insurance companies have made over $750 BILLION dollars including interest in the last 10 years and have paid out less than ten percent of that.
   Who ever believes that we as a country do not need reform is not thinking. Imagine if we added the dollar amounts for all the automobiles insured in this country. I have had car insurance for over 30 years and NEVER had a claim. Who is responsible for this and how does it get FIXED. Keep in mind that this has nothing to do with the CORPORATE insurance dollars spent to insure any buildings other than HOMES. Also keep in mind that the housing market was slightly smaller ten years ago but the numbers still hold true if you add in inflation.

  The day is upon this great country to once again look back. I should preface these thoughts with a few things so I may cut off some of the comments that may follow.

1) I am from New York City

2) I lost twelve friends that day, not just people I knew but friends I had grown up with and saw often.

3) I believe that Osama Bin Laden is the one responsible for the attacks.

4) I believe that our government has done little to find him or bring him to justice.

5) I miss my friends and feel the pain of their family EVERYDAY not just once a year

  Now with that being said here are some random thoughts I try and process everyday and even more so on the day. I feel a lot of anger. Yes most of it goes toward the cowards that ran the planes into the buildings and the "leader" of those that did and continue to persecute the innocent. The innocent are those that can not defend themselves and do not know why they are being attacked.

  I think of the twelve friends I lost that morning and that in the years since there has been no change for the good of mankind. I think of the FACT that while tomorrow is a day to remember those who died , innocent and not knowing what they were dying for, and to remember those who died trying to save those they never knew and yet still not knowing why. I think that the day should embrace those who survived and the loved ones of those who died. I think that through this that statement is more true than many could even imagine. A symbol that was used against the people of this great country by some very evil people, as well as a symbol that is and will be used against the American people by some very bad people dressed in the clothing of the people only to disrobe behind the doors of the Buildings and show less compassion than the evil that started the whole day of remembrance to begin with.

  I wonder, most times out loud, why nothing has been done. Why the people that are put into the position to protect the country and those who VOTED them into office continue to use the day as a spring board for their own agendas and have not extracted the revenge owed to those people who deserve to have it. Why do i say revenge and not justice. Well that is an easy one. Justice is for those who have a chance of rehabilitation. These monsters have no chance. Finding the true wrong doer , the one that really should pay for the crimes, should be the foremost assault. The ones that showed the way to those who have wronged the innocent should also feel the pain and suffering of the vengeful. The only way to truly get revenge is to see the eyes of the "wrong doer" as the pain is unleashed and the revenge carried out. That is only the way I see it as it pertains to where I come from.

  Lastly i would like to commend those who have stood up for the innocent, the soldiers. The men and women of the United States armed forces that have given their lives and limbs to defend what they believe in. With out question, they stand their ground and shoulder the burden of entire country. Receiving very little in compensation or thanks. The politicians will use the day to try and spin their own agenda and try to divert the realizations of the day to push for election. Meanwhile the soldiers will push on. They will fight and some will die, yet they will not quit. All they will ask for is the ability to do their job and continue the hunt. I for one hope they get the chance to actually hunt down those responsible and in a very public manner, eliminate them from the living.

I would like to hear what you have to say. I only ask that you keep the language clean and your thoughts focused.

Monday Night Football, an American institution, has always had debatably the cream of the broadcasting crop. Football fans have been watching monday night games since 1970. That is going on 38 years. I have been around for all 38 of those years and have always found time to watch the games. Whether my Dallas Cowboys where on or not. I have enjoyed the many different broadcasters, some where all show IE Dennis Miller and his "rantings" to Howard Cossell and his off colored remarks. We have seen the likes of Rush Limbaugh, short lived albeit but he did a game. The best of Monday Night would be John Madden and Al Michaels in recent years. With all the greats and not so greats that have called the games can some one please explain to me how, with the vast array of "guest hosts" available to a broadcast giant likes of Disney/ABC/ESPN conglomerate, the best they could do was Mike and Mike. Without the use of all the studio gadgets they would normally use, this tandem was horrific. Stuttering their way through the game as if they were a rookie quarterback facing the Steel Curtain or Doomsday Defense of old. The pair had no clue. I enjoy their radio/TV simulcast a great deal. There though they have a set schedule. Commercials and breaks are preset. Guest are determined days in advance and the script is pre-written. Live, unedited and off the cuff is not their forte. For the rest of my televised football life i can only hope I will never have to endure this team again. So Mike and Mike I have this for you. Stay in the Studio where you belong.

The year was 1964, the Dallas Cowboys had been in the league for only fours years, They had not had a winning year yet. The owner of the Cowboys had hired a defensive coach to be the first head coach in Cowboys history. After yet another losing year in 1963 Clint Murchison made a decision that to this day can be traced back to the defining moment in Dallas Cowboys history. He gave the head coach of the team a ten year contract extension. In the next ten years the Cowboys went on to win a Super Bowl and the NFC championship twice. He was named coach of the year three times in those ten years. This however is not the most notable of his achievements. Tom Landry, Cowboys head coach, invented the Flex Defense, a hybrid of the 4-3 defense he had also invented. This changed the game of football forever, not only cementing Ton Landry's legacy in Cowboys history but in the history of the NFL. He was the First football guru or genius or whatever todays hot new word would be for coaching greatness and still is one of the winningest coaches in professional football history. That is why 1964 was the day that changed history for the Dallas Cowboys and the National Football league. Everything todays great coaches know about defense starts and ends with the great Tom Landry.

  Dallas Cowboy fans have to be excited. I realize it was the Cleveland Browns but the Cowboys looked great on the offensive side of the ball. Tony Romo had yet another 300 yard game. Terrel Owens had almost 90 yeards and a beautiful 35 yard touchdown catch. Jason Witten and Partick Crayton held up there end as well, Witten almost 100 yards and Crayton topped 80. The offensive line bent a little as the game wore on but did not allow a sack and this gave Romo time to pick apart last years 30th ranked defense.

  There was a down side to the victory though, Marion Barber was taken in for x-rays and will have an MRI on his ribs. Barber was running wild before the injury, 80 yards and 2 touchdowns. I will update his status tomorrow night. Though the injury was not a good start for the Cowboys we did get a look at the number one draft choice in Felix Jones. All I have to say is WOW. This kid is quick and with a 6.8 yards er carry average, he finds the holes and gets through them. Jones ended up with 62 yards and a touchdown. He seems to be the perfect compliment to Barber and the change of pace is exactly what all the Cowboys fans have been talking about since the draft.

  On the defensive side of the ball, before the game Cowboys fans were concerned that the injuries would allow the Browns to get some deep plays. Well the cornerbacks bent but never broke. They held Derek Anderson to a meager 144 yards on 11 of 24 passes. No interception though. The defensive line showed they could stop the run as they held Cleveland's Jamal Lewis to just over 60 yards. They also gave up no rushing touchdowns.

  The special team play. Well the kicking side was outstanding with Matt McBriar putting two out there with a 48.5 average and the punt return coverage allowed only 11 on the returns. Nick Folk did not have a field goal attempt, but the Cowboys did not need one. He did kick four PAT's on four attempts though. The kickoff and punt return teams were a big disappointment today though fans. Adam Jones had two chances and went nowhere. A total of eight yards, that is ludicrous and a fumble, he wants to be the next number 21 for the Dallas Cowboys he is going to have to show us something on special teams. I will say over all kickoff and punt coverage was good. There were no missed tackles and that is an improvement over the preseason.

  I was impressed with the play of two young players today other than Felix Jones. Tashard Choice showed flashes on the running and receiving side of the offense. i also thought that Bobby Carpenter finally showed some promise, he was all over the field and had a couple of good stops. DeMarcus Ware and his draft mate Marcus Spears had a great game as well. I think that Spears is finally coming around and has learned his position well. I expect to see great things from him from here on out.

  Over all I would say this was a great win fro the Cowboys and with the Eagles coming to town, the real test will come on Monday. Stay tuned. Let me hear your thoughts on the game Cowboys fans. The rode to the Super Bowl has begun.

  As I wonder the CBS Sportsline boards, i am always seeing the diverse and well campaigned for thoughts on who the people think is a great athlete. With this in mind i began to put together my newest blog. Who really is the greatest athlete of all time. So here we go. This will be simple. List your ten greatest athletes of all time. Any sport, any decade and for any reason YOU see the reason they should make the list. After two weeks i will tally the names and come up with the usual 64. The brackets will begin and with any luck we will have a definitive top ten list. At the end I will throw those ten under the bus and we will find out who is number ONE.

  As always thank you for all your input. This should be one for the ages.

As an example here is my top ten in no particular order.

1) Babe Zacharias

2) Jim Thorpe

3) Bo Jackson

4) Jim Brown

5) Jackie Robinson

6) Wilt Chamberlain

7) Jackie Joyner-Kersee

8) Gordie Howe

9) Michael Jordan

10) Dave Winfield ( the man was drafted by the NFL, MLB and the NBA and he never even played college football)

  Well it came down to the Dreamer and the Champ. Boxer versus the Farmer.

When we began this quest three months ago, I never thought it would have such a great response. YOU have shocked me. The voting was great and so where the comments to back up your picks. So without further delay, I offer you the CBS Sportsline Members Greatest Sports Movie of All Time. Well almost at least. The voting is a tie. I have not cast my vote as of yet.

Field of Dreams - 24

Rocky - 24

  To be fair with this I should explain why I am voting the way I am. All of you follow my blogs as I have followed your. With this in mind all you need to do is read my SAD Blog and you will see why my vote to decide the winner goes to, FIELD of DREAMS.

So the Greatest Sports Movie of All Time as voted by the CBS Sportline Members is.................FIELD of DREAMS.

  Thank you all very much. It has been a pleasure.

Make sure you watch for the next Not just Sports but Life Blog......Greatest Athlete of All Time.