Blogcritics Author: Gary D. Benz

Sarah Palin - Did I Mention She's a Maverick?

Gary D. Benz — Sun, 5 Oct 2008 19:28:54 EDT

The Republicans may be claiming victory in Thursday night's debate, but what did Sarah Palin really accomplish anyway?
When a bar is set so low that even a tapeworm couldn't limbo under it, stepping over it doesn't necessarily constitute a victory. But such is the sorry state of political discourse in this country that Republicans feel the need to claim victory in Thursday night's vice presidential debate essentially because their lightweight candidate, Alaskan...

Let Obama be Obama

Gary D. Benz — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:05:03 EDT

The Democrats are nervous and want Obama to channel their rage. Relax. Obama just needs to be Obama.
As expected, Charlie Gibson’s interview of vice president candidate Sarah Palin has the cable news world tied up in knots. As expected, they’ve missed the overall point.It matters little to the vast majority of voters what answers Palin gave the the pop-quiz style questions Gibson asked. She could have said that Barry Manilow was the...

Phil Savage's Blind Spot

Gary D. Benz — Tue, 9 Sep 2008 22:34:06 EDT

The Cleveland Browns' undoing may be the result of Phil Savage's biggest blind spot -- head coach Romeo Crennel
If there is one positive Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner can take away from his team’s yearly opening loss embarrassment it’s that the fans still care enough to get mad. Anger isn’t the enemy, indifference is. The problem is the Browns seem hell-bent on giving their fans ever more reason to be indifferent.General manager Phil...

Well, There He Goes Again

Gary D. Benz — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:10:23 EDT

The selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate may be historic, but that doesn't mean it's not bizarre
A presidential election campaign that is shaping up as one for the ages is bound to have a fair amount of hyperbole that goes along with it. But every once in awhile, it goes so over the top that you feel like you’ve entered a parallel universe. Fellow Blogcritics.org commentator, Dave Nalle, in a piece published earlier on Friday, said that...

The Stench from Cincinnati Bengals' Camp

Gary D. Benz — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:39:11 EDT

Bengals owner Mike Brown sells what little is left of his soul in re-signing Chris Henry
The Cincinnati Bengals will never be successful under current ownership and leadership. Why? They lack any content to their character. Owner Mike Brown, after publicly parting ways with one of the NFL’s true miscreants, disgraced receiver Chris Henry, welcomed him right back on Tuesday with a new two-year contract. Head coach Marvin Lewis -...

The Cleveland Browns Enter the Rarified Air of Expectations

Gary D. Benz — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:03:56 EDT

With expectations coming from everywhere, the only thing the Cleveland Browns can do is disappoint
It’s one thing for the local fans to have high hopes for a Cleveland sports team. They always do, even as they are expecting the worst. But when the expectations extend beyond state borders, the team is entering truly rarified air.On the strength, I suppose, of a 10-win season that could have either been better or worse, depending on the...

Beyond Just Manny Being Manny

Gary D. Benz — Mon, 4 Aug 2008 15:46:23 EDT

Manny Ramirez can talk. And this time he talked himself right out of Boston.
It’s worth asking, even if the answer seems obvious: at what point will Manny Ramirez realize he finally stepped over the line? Undoubtedly there is considerable sentiment that Ramirez, like most other pampered and spoiled professional athletes, doesn’t even possess the gene necessary to express regret. And that may be true. But you...

Guiliani's Son Channels Kramer, Sues Duke University

Gary D. Benz — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:02:32 EDT

Andrew Giuliani's dream of the PGA Tour probably has less chance than Kramer's dream of playing the Senior Tour.
If you heard about Andrew Giuliani's lawsuit against Duke University after he was kicked off the golf team and immediately thought about Cosmo Kramer, you're hardly alone. If you take the time to actually read the lawsuit, you'll be even more convinced that, if anything, Kramer's lawsuit had more merit.As you may recall, in one episode of...

John Daly: He Used to be Someone

Gary D. Benz — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:48:33 EDT

John Daly's circus act at the Open Championship shows just how far he's veered off course
The Bridgestone Invitational arrives for its yearly visit to Firestone Country Club next week absent two notable players, Tiger Woods and John Daly. The contrast couldn't be greater. While the absence of Woods, who has turned Firestone into his own personal playground the last several years, will certainly be noticed, the absence of John Daly is...

Does Brett Favre Know When to Say When?

Gary D. Benz — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:59:24 EDT

Packers management is afraid that Brett Favre will thrive elsewhere. They shouldn't be.
The melancholy drama playing out in Green Bay between Brett Favre and Packers management is a painful reminder that, at its core, professional sports is far more about the business than the game. One doesn't survive without the other but never forget, as Favre certainly won't now, that when business imperatives crash head on with personal issues,...