A Keepnet Full of Dreams

In 2009 Avon days and Stour Ways was launched, a book that was essentially a romp through four decades of coarse fishing by Kevin Grozier and a few of his friends on those world famous rivers of Southern England, the Hampshire Avon and Dorset Stour, for the magnificent Barbel, Carp, Chub, Dace, Perch, Pike and Roach that are found in them. In the five years since publication, his book has attracted a great deal of praise across the angling world with many readers writing, phoning or e-mailing Kevin to let him know how much they enjoyed it.

In A Keepnet Full of Dreams, Kevin has continued the same style in bringing his fishing experiences up to date. The book follows the same amusing, and sometimes irreverent anecdotal style which, judging by the many letters he received proved to be so popular with Avon Days. The new book, like the previous one, is not an unrelenting catalogue of big fish captures. Once again it is essentially a story book, including an account of his first experiences carp fishing abroad.

Dave Steuart, having read Avon Days in 2009 told Kevin it was one of the best angling books he had ever read and warned him he would never write a better book, or even come near it. Yet in his foreword to Kevin’s new book A Keepnet Full of Dreams Dave tells us he was wrong!

Another friend, Rae Borras who wrote the earlier foreword to Avon Days tells us in his foreword to the new book that “there is a passion which seeps through every sentence of his writing.”

Brian Gaine, Bill O’Brien laud Texans synergy after Gaine’s first draft in Houston

When Brian Gaine was hired as the new General Manager of the Houston Texans in January, Gaine spoke glowingly about how he and Texans head coach Bill O’Brien were “philosophically aligned” in terms of their vision for how to construct and a run a football operation.

The NFL Draft provided one of the early opportunities for that joint philosophy to be put on display as the franchise moves forward without Rick Smith running the show. Smith took a leave of absence in January to help tend to his cancer-stricken wife.

“We have a lot of the same philosophy as to how to build a football culture, a football team. We believe in the same things,” O’Brien said. “There’s a lot of common language that we use and we talk all the time. We communicate really well.”

If things really were as poor between Smith and O’Brien as it appears, the change appears to have significantly lessened tensions within the team at the very least. Now it’s up to Gaine and O’Brien to turn their shared vision into a success on the field. They’re quite happy with how things have gone so far.

That still may not save the play. Via Batista, Packers CEO Mark Murphy believes that the kickoff rules will be looked at from season to season, with a “short leash” applied to the question of whether the reconfigured play reduces injuries. If not, the kickoff will eventually be gone.

These are the first substantive changes to the play that the NFL candidly calls the most dangerous in the game. Past adjustments had more to do with fewer instances of the play, via the promotion of more touchbacks. Now, the play actually will change.

The overriding goal is simple and clear: Reduce the high-impact collisions that occur when two players run directly at each other, at full speed. It’s a cocktail of Newtonian physics that results in major forces being applied to the human spine (specifically the C4-C5 area) when players instinctively dip their helmets at impact. If successful, these changes will reduce some of the factors that go into an equation that currently combines for a potentially explosive outcome.broncos_046_2d0928ff97f80230-180x180

Chiefs won’t pick up option on Cameron Erving

Chiefs offensive lineman Cameron Erving may not be guaranteed a roster spot this year.

So it’s probably no surprise they’re not looking to attach a large number to his contract.

According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the Chiefs aren’t going to use the fifth-year option for 2019 on Erving.

He was originally a first-round pick of the Browns, but was traded to the Chiefs last year for a fifth-rounder.

He started four games last year and is a solid contributor because he can play all five positions, but it didn’t make sense to guarantee his 2019 salary (for injury).

The Chiefs placed him on waivers last May, just hours after NJ Advance Media reported his indictment.

McMahon sought dismissal of the case in June, citing government misconduct and a lack of probable cause, also noting that the Chief’s had cut Greene due solely to the fraudulently obtained indictment.

The Texans under new General Manager Brian Gaine are making changes to the scouting department after the draft, with college scouting director Jon Carr joining assistant G.M. Jimmy Raye III and assistant director of college scouting Mike Martin on the way out.

But after an automatic review, the call was inexplicably overturned. The Bears settled for a field goal. They would eventually lose the game by eight points, with that overturned touchdown looming large. Immediately after the game, Payton called it a 50-50 decision. It felt like there were three or four today that could’ve gone either way, he said.

Honestly, I felt like we had good angles and I felt like it was 50-50. I thought Ingram’s last fumble was 50-50. I really didn’t know. I was like everyone else, just waiting to see. You’re hoping you’ll get the breaks you need. We got a few and we didn’t get a few. It was probably the way the game should have gone. The outcome of the game or the play seems insignificant in comparison to what Miller went through.

Then-coach John Fox told reporters after the game that Miller dislocated his knee and was taken to the hospital. As Payton said, he remained in New Orleans while the Bears headed back to Chicago. Later, the Bears announced that Miller underwent emergency vascular surgery to repair a torn popliteal artery. Miller opened up about the harrowing experience in December, revealing that he nearly lost his leg.

John Dorsey doesn’t see anything good about being on Hard Knocks

Because they have not been on the show in the last 10 years, haven’t changed coaches and didn’t make the playoffs the last two seasons, the Browns are one of six NFL teams that can be compelled to appear on Hard Knocks this summer.

General Manager John Dorsey said he’ll be OK with any decision that the league might make, but it sounds like he’d prefer if they chose someone else for a starring role on the HBO series chronicling training camp.

“I don’t believe we’re on Hard Knocks,” Dorsey said on ESPN Cleveland 850, via Cleveland.com. “I don’t think there’s anything good that comes out of Hard Knocks, but we’ll see.”

Sometimes the good moments make it worth putting up with the bad to do what you love, Davis says.

The unfortunate reality of NFL cheerleading is that there are a lot more bad moments than there are good.

I asked Ware and Davis for their wish list of changes to fix NFL cheerleading, a list similar to what they’d discuss with the league—if the league chooses to listen.

The signing comes a few days after the Giants added a pair of defensive linemen in the draft. They took B.J. Hill in the third round and RJ McIntosh in the fifth round to reshape the makeup of the line in defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s first year with the team.

Despite starting only five games and being on the field for only 50.1 percent of the Carolina Panthers’ defensive snaps, defensive end Julius Peppers was one of just 17 players to record more than 10 sacks in 2017.

In fact, the consistent and seemingly ageless future Hall of Famer has picked up at least seven sacks in each of his last 10 seasons. He has plenty of gas left in his tank at age 38, especially since he’s used only in a situational role at this point.

That was right after I said that I thought the pick was probably going to be Bradley Chubb, by the way.broncos_127_6e9afbd98ca7b8f6-180x180

So what does this new trend toward franchise quarterback hypersensitivity tell us?

For one, how far removed these individuals have become from not just from fans, but from their own teammates.

Putting personal feelings or goals before the good of the team is the NFL’s cardinal sin, and superstar quarterbacks are supposed to be without sin. But something has recently changed. Now, top-tier quarterbacks feel free to snub rookies and question team decisions. And the better the quarterback, the more un-leaderlike behavior he can get away with.

Perhaps a little free speech and free thought by the quarterback 1-percenters isn’t such a bad thing. Maybe we’re the problem for expecting veteran quarterbacks to claim that they are thrilled to groom their eventual replacements, even though we know it’s a heap of hooey. We might all be a little saner if we allowed our quarterbacks to act a little more human.

It goes without saying that any of these quarterbacks could take a stand for something more meaningful than their own job satisfaction. Barring something so radical, we’d settle for hearing them just get real about the fact that they don’t like getting old, suddenly competing for their jobs, watching old friends move on or taking orders from the same guy for 17 years.

Their real frankness would be refreshing. Real leaders, after all, know when to be a little bit vulnerable. But quarterbacks today would rather try to maintain their fearless-leader facades while sounding like kids about to throw a tantrum because there wasn’t enough icing on their slices of birthday cake.

Let’s hope this new phenomenon doesn’t last long. Because no one wants their leaders to be rich, powerful, tough-talking guys who cannot admit that to themselves that they are really, deeply sensitive.sharks-027

Is Austin over Sox bad blood?

RHP Domingo German will make his first career start (and 13th career appearance) in Sunday’s series nale vs. Cleveland…will pitch on four days’ rest after throwing 4.0IP (4H, 1BB, 4K) in Tuesday’s combined shutout at Houston…is the sixth pitcher to start a game for the Yankees this season…since being recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on 4/7, has pitched in relief ve times while compiling an 0-1 record and 3.77 ERA (14.1IP, 6ER)…has gone at least 2.0IP in 9-of-12 career MLB games…made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 2017, going 0-1 with a 3.14 ERA (14.1IP, 5ER) in seven relief appearances… was re-signed by the Yankees as minor league free agent on 12/11/15…was acquired by the Yankees, along with RHP Nathan Eovaldi and INF Garrett Jones, from the Miami Marlins in exchange for RHP David Phelps, INF/OF Martin Prado and cash considerations on 12/19/14…was originally signed by the Marlins as a non-drafted free agent on 8/8/09.

Short, the White House legislative affairs director, told Haspel she could still be confirmed despite the information that had recently come to attention of the White House — and the administration expected some Democrats to support her, officials said.

German had thrown 84 pitches. He hadn’t thrown more than 61 in a game in the majors this year.

The rookie 25-year-old was making his first career start. He’s made 12 big-league appearances, debuting last year.

Haspel’s chances of winning Senate confirmation are considered uncertain, in part because of the 51-to-49 party split and the prolonged absence of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is undergoing treatment for a rare form of brain cancer. Members of Congress, particularly Democrats, have been resistant to Haspel’s nomination without more information about her role in the program. The nomination has sparked trepidation inside the White House, with some Trump advisers telling the president in recent weeks she was unlikely to be confirmed.tigers_049-115x115