Usually we do this feature on Monday or Tuesday,but so much has happened in the world of sports and our 500th entry is approaching on Monday, so I thought we’d do Odds & Ends today. We may do another one on Tuesday.

Are the Browns serious about having Johnny Manziel be the back-up quarterback?

If you haven’t heard, the Cleveland Browns have told Manziel, who they selected with their second first-round draft pick that he will,for now, be the back-up to Brian Hoyer, who showed flashes of excellence in his short time as starter last season before going out with a season-ending knee injury.

Are the Browns doing themselves a disservice by labeling him a back-up before seeing what he can do for the team? I kinda think they are. Now, I am not the biggest Manziel fan, mainly because of how cocky he was in college, but I do know that he is an incredibly talented quarterback. I also know that since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999, they’ve been through 20 starting quarterbacks. They’ve also been to the playoffs only once and have had only two winning seasons. Something has to give with this organization. I’m not saying they should give Manziel the starting job, but at least give him a shot. Otherwise, why did you even draft him in the first round?

If I was coaching the Browns or in the front office I would say that the competition for the job is open and that whoever performs the best will get the nod.

The decision for a Michael Sam documentary to be scrapped by the Oprah Winfrey Network was the best one for everyone involved if you ask me.
Sam, who was drafted in the seventh round of last weekend’s NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams, is the first openly gay player to be drafted in the NFL. Honestly it would’ve been a huge distraction for the team and I think it would have jeopardized his chances of making the team as a seventh-round draft pick.

I understand why they wanted to make the documentary, this kid has made history just by being drafted, but at the same time it would’ve been counterproductive for him because he needs to do whatever he can to make the team. I have no objections to OWN revisiting this in the future if he does in fact make the final cut with the Rams, but when he’s only been there a week and things like this materialize is too soon.

It’s rare that I ever talk soccer on this blog,but this story caught my eye. I’m talking of course about the 2022 World Cup,which at the moment is scheduled to be played in Qatar, a country in the Middle East. Typically the World Cup is played in June and temperatures can reach up to 120° Fahrenheit (50° Celsius).

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has now come out and has said that awarding the tournament to Qatar was “a mistake”.

“You know, one makes a lot of mistakes in life. The technical report indicated clearly that it was too hot in summer, but despite that the executive committee decided with quite a big majority that the tournament would be in Qatar,” said Blatter.

I can’t see any good reason for this tournament to be played there unless it was moved to the winter in the hopes of having cooler weather. It’s not that anyone thinks Qatar would be a bad host country for the event, I just think that with the extreme heat that the country has every year that a different country with cooler weather could host it. Ultimately I think that’s what will happen.

So, is anyone else sick of Donald Sterling? I know I am!

First we hear about the awful comments he made, then came the ban, then came his wife saying she wants to keep the team, then came his poor excuse for an apology which included a lot of ill grace towards Magic Johnson and how awful he apparently is as a person. Now he has refused to pay the $2.5 million fine and is not accepting the lifetime ban the league levied upon him in late April.

Now I’m not surprised that he is fighting this, I had a hunch he would try and take some sort of legal action sooner or later. What I am surprised about is that the league seems to be taking its sweet time in trying to oust him as owner of the Clippers. It’s clear to everyone that the players in this league do not want him there and I am sure to some extent the owners in the league don’t,either. I only hope the owners and the league are only carefully examining their options before making a vote. However, if Sterling is taking legal action, it may take longer than expected. I guess we’ll all stay tuned.

I don’t know why anyone would vote for their favorite player to be on the cover of Madden 15. I am a firm believer in the Madden curse, it has ruined a lot of players’ seasons, if not their careers and I know that with all the guys who get injured on my team that I would not want them on the cover of that game.

Perhaps another theory is in play, are people voting for who they want on the game, or who they want to be cursed next? As of press time, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and Panthers quarterback Cam Newton are the leading votegetters. Both guys had terrific seasons last year and Sherman has been known to rub fans and the opposition the wrong way,it could very well be a reason for him being in the lead to be on the cover.

I don’t wish for any player any ill will by being on the cover, but learning from history, it almost never looks good for these guys when they do appear on it. The curse,as of right now,still lives.