Hey man, I love the 5@10 and was wondering this for the mailbag: In your opinion, what's the percentage owners in the NFL who are really motivated to win
Thanks.
- Scott
This Oct. 11, 2015 photo shows Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, right, talking with quarterback Tony Romo before an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Arlington, Texas. Oct. 11, 2015. Jones honored DeMarcus Ware with the announcement that the franchise sacks leader would retire as a Cowboy, then engaged in a draft discussion centered largely on finding the team’s next dominant pass rusher. It’s exactly the opposite with Tony Romo, since the Cowboys have yet to pay homage to their 10-year starting quarterback as he heads to the broadcast booth while Dallas prepares for the start of the NFL draft feeling secure in the future under center. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade) Thanks for playing along.
We'll say all of the owners think they are motivated to win.
Winning is cool. Winning is fun. Winning leads to having millionaires spraying champagne on billionaires.
And that's pretty righteous.
It also is pretty rare if you are talking about really wanting to win. The NFL is an ATM, and the hard cap gives NFL owners an easy out on how much they spend. (Side note: The TV revenue is greater than the salary cap, so put that equation in motion.)
We think the Rooney family is committed to winning.
We think Jerry Jones is committed to winning almost as much as he is committed to making money.
We think Paul Allen is committed to winning because he has more money than God but not more than Bill Gates.
We'd say more than half are truly committed to trying to win a Super Bowl
From that point, it's impossible to know about the rest because in the NFL you can be committed to winning - allegedly - and still make eight-to-nine figures in profit.
---
FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2015 file photo, NBA basketball legend Michael Jordan waves during the match of Charlotte Hornets against the Los Angeles Clippers at the 2015 NBA Global Games in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province. China's highest court ruled Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, in favor of Jordan at the conclusion of a years-long trademark case. The former NBA star has been in dispute with a sportswear company based in southern China called Qiaodan Sports since 2012. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File) Man you are absolutely crazy if you think LeBron James is the GOAT over Michael Jordan.
What are you smoking?
- Mike
Don't smoke. Tried it back in the day. It never took, thankfully.
And to be clear: We have never said that LeBron was the GOAT, and in the daily barrage that is the 5@10, if you see that claim, please point it out to all of us.
Yes, we are a fan of LeBron, and we think the greatest of all-time discussion has never been closer.
In fact, we think LeBron is the best basketball player we've ever seen. He checks more boxes than MJ does and has done this with lesser teams.
Now, we still think MJ is the greatest player of all-time (at least for now), and we hope that distinction is pretty clear.
But no player passes the eye test like James.
Again, we're not trying to mix signals here, but Jordan is the most accomplished player of our lifetime. James is the best player I've ever seen.
---
FILE - In this Aug. 18, 2015, file photo, Danica Patrick poses by her new race car during a news conference to announce a new sponsorship for her NASCAR auto racing team at Stewart-Haas Racing's headquarters in Kannapolis, N.C. One of Danica Patrick's sponsors has stepped up to fill a sudden funding void created when Stewart-Haas Racing sued her primary backer for $31 million in a breach of contract suit. Aspen Dental said Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, it will be the lead sponsor for Patrick and debut on her car in the Feb. 26 season-opening Daytona 500. Patrick and SHR were left with 20-some races to fill less than two weeks before teams report to Daytona International Speedway because of a nasty split between the team and primary sponsor Nature's Bakery.(AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File) From Paul
I heard something on one of the ESPN channels the other day and want your opinion on it. What do you think would happen if a NASCAR driver ever tried to fight Danica Patrick?
- Paul
This is a pretty interesting question, at least philosophically.
We all know that if any NASCAR driver took a swing at Danica, it would be a national outrage.
Men simply can't hit women, Period, end of discussion, and that's how it should be.
But if Danica picked the fight and then the fight landed in her lap, well, it's hard to know where that discourse would lead us.
To make a short answer long, we'd say that if a NASCAR driver punched Danica unprovoked, he'd be out a year, and maybe longer.
If he punched Danica after being provoked, he'd be out at least a month, but it could be a year,
(And this takes into account that the punch would be caught on every camera across the track and be the lead of 60 Minutes on that Sunday night.)
In fact, the France family needs to read the 5-at-10 and be out front of this
---
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) I have read your A2 column for a couple years and listen to you on Press Row. I started reading the 5@10 and see you take questions on Friday.
Okay, here's my question: Will you ever shut your fat, racists, Trump-loving face? Man, you opinion make me sick.
- Henry
Nope. And I hope you feel better soon.
Good talk.
---
This week's Rushmores and today in history...
On this day in 1925 Malcolm X was born.
On this day in 1946, Andre the Giant was born.
On this day in 1976, Kevin Garnett was born. (Yes, I know it is a mailbag, but if we were going to do a Rushmore today, would Garnett make the Rushmore of straight-from-high-school NBA stars?)
Speaking of Rushmores:
Rushmore of post 1980 country music artists - George Strait, Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson, because Willie Nelson is a bad dude.
Rushmore of cool - Kool and the Gang, Kool-Aid, Cooler than the other side of the pillow, and Cool Hand Luke.
Rushmore of best sibling singers - Michael and Janet Jackson, Wilson brothers, the Isley Brothers and the Allman Brothers.
Rushmore of best known/most famous sports stats tat seem impossible in today's game - Wilt's 100, Cy Young's 511 wins, DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak and Tom Brady's 5 Super Bowls (and counting).
Enjoy the day friends.