Rex Ryan… Confident or Crazy?

Rex Ryan, the New York Jet’s coach is never lacking confidence. The rookie coach with a rookie quarterback went 9-7. It’s surprising, considering the data shows that there has not been a rookie quarterback and rookie coach to make the playoffs in over sixty years. Somehow, Rex has gotten the team to coalesce and become one team. This is the crux at why Eric Mangini, the former coach, was fired. Often disheveled and sloppy, Rex Ryan is in your face, loud, bellowing, and possibly even offensive. And Jets fans love him. He’s always promising crazy things, and they somehow happen to work out for him. He may be garrulous, but he never hectors anyone. Whenever he takes a friendly jab, he always takes one at himself as well.
The real question here is, is he really crazy for always being so confident? I mean, it is smart to always say how you’re going to pull the upset when no one is expecting it. If you don’t, it’s not a big deal because no one expected it. But if you do, you look like a genius. For example, right before the playoffs started, Rex Ryan said how the Jets are “The favorite to win the Super-bowl.” Talk about a bold statement. The Jets weren’t even projected to win the wildcard game, let alone the divisional playoff, championship or Super-bowl. But thus far, they knocked off the Cincinnati Bengals and now have to take on the Chargers who have won eleven straight games. We’ll have to see what Rex Ryan has up his sleeve now to back up his talk.

New Jersey Nets… Are They Trying to Lose?

The New Jersey Nets have already broken one record this year, and are on pace for another one. Sadly, though, it is for losing, not winning. The 3-35 Nets are on pace to usurp the 1973 ‘Sixers from their crown of 9-72. When the Nets first hired Lawrence Frank as their head coach, it almost seemed ethereal because he won his first 17 games. Ironically enough, he ended his coaching career on 19 straight losses. When you lose nineteen straight games to start a season, an exorcising is bound to transpire, no matter how esteemed one is, or how much cachet one has.
But it’s not just a bad team or a bad coach; the team actually looks like they are trying to lose. Well recently, anyways. In the beginning of the season, it looked as if the team was putting forth a good effort. But since being in last place, it looks as if the Nets no longer care, but would rather lose to get a higher draft pick for the next year’s draft. The problem with this is that the fans get a big slap of ennui in the face. No one wants to see his or her team just give up and just prepare for next year. It’s way too boring.

One Cold Day a Posse Captures Billy

In late December of 1880, a friend of Billy, Pat Garrett, turned on him. Garrett led a posse to round up Henry for a $500 bounty. Garrett knew Henry would be in an abandoned building as a hideout, and decided to surprise him. Garrett went in alone, attempting to make a ruse and trick Billy to come out with no violence. Billy the Kid realized what was happening and started cursing off Pat Garrett. Pat tried to allay Billy’s accusations, but Billy kept waiving the fact that Pat came out of friendliness. Pat kept trying to elicit a positive response from Billy, but he wouldn’t budge. Billy the Kid realized that he was trapped, there was no out; he was at his nadir. Billy finally agreed to come out peacefully, and was put into jail. He was scheduled to be hung, but escaped several weeks before, killing three guards. He beguiled many, even escaped jail, but he could not escape death. I guess the most salient thing about Billy the Kid is that he died at the ripe age of twenty-one.

The Balled of Billy the Kid

Born Henry McCarty, Billy the Kid was an outlaw from the ninetieth century. He was derided as a young boy, often turning to aggression. Not much is known about Henry’s father, except that he wasn’t around ever. His mother was a survivor of the Irish Potato Famine; she was a very strong woman. Henry had a saturnine education, which may have lead to his violence. Either way, the allure of violence and crime was too much for “Billy the Kid” to avoid. A man with no empathy for his victims, killed countless. The hierarchy that was the government was nonexistent in the West, giving Henry all the freedom he wanted. Eventually he was the most wanted man in the country, having a terrible reputation. The stigma was so bad that he had to have an alias, “William H. Bonney.”