Throwing Tomatoes returns with a special delivery for a number of recent stories in sports, including the likes of Dak Prescott, Antonio Brown and Chris Davis, among others. 

If you’re new to the Throwing Tomatoes world here at The Wife Hates Sports, the basic idea ties with the old days when a performer on stage would get pelted with tomatoes after an abysmal performance.

Find a story in sports or entertainment that irks you… and throw a tomato.

It’s that simple.  You know what else is that simple?  Throwing Tomatoes at these headlines in the world of sports and entertainment:

Throwing Tomatoes: The Dak Wants Greenbacks Edition

Dak Prescott

…for wearing his greedy pants

Guys, Dak Prescott wants 40 million a year. 

No, really.

No wait, it gets better.  Reports say he turned down 30 million a year. 

Yes, really.

It was confirmed by multiple sources, too. 

Insert laugh track here.

Dak Prescott is a talented and multi-faceted player, but he’s not even a top ten quarterback in the National Football League today (don’t @ me, as the kids say).  Sorry, he’s just not.  Brady, Rodgers, Luck, Brees, Watson, Mahomes, Wilson, Newton, Rivers, Roethlisberger and Ryan are ahead of him (not in that order).  There are easy arguments to place Carson Wentz and even Jared Goff above him, too.  Let’s not forget Baker Mayfield, who is entering his sophomore season and has showed plenty of promise.  Plenty of critics would rather have Baker.  A number of the above QB’s are seasoned veterans and closing in on retirement.  Each has earned that hefty paycheck.

It’s Russell Wilson ($35 million/year) that is currently the highest paid and Dak Prescott wants an additional FIVE MILLION per season.  Yet, Prescott isn’t even the most impactful player on his team.  That’s Ezekiel Elliott, who is also not happy with his contract situation.

This is one of those moments when I’ll compliment Tom Brady and not feel ill doing so.  Brady is always willing to negotiate semi-fair deals to ensure that his team builds a solid roster of talent in all facets of the game.

When Dak and Zeke demand this kind of money, we all know what this leaves when it comes to the salary cap.  Does anyone else really feel that the Cowboys are going to be able to put together a solid enough roster to compete for championships on a regular basis?  The answer is no.

Good luck with that contract, Dak.  The majority of us don’t think you’ll get it.  Jerry Jones – with a twisted analogy – seems to indicate that you might.

Either way, I hope that when Dak does sign on the dotted line, he won’t blow it all like AP did.

Antonio Brown

…for staring death – or at least severe injury – right in the face

There is almost always a balance between talent and drama, especially at the wide receiver position.  We have seen it over the years with the likes of Chad Johnson (Ochocinco), Terrell Owens and Dez Bryant, just to name a few.  Odell Beckham has also made headlines with the current WR talent pool.  Antonio Brown is currently at the forefront.

When a superstar leaves and does things like this, it’s easier to see him go.  Right, Pittsburgh?  First, there was the “cryo-feet” injury and now the drama with the revamped helmets.  To his credit, Brown isn’t the only player to speak out regarding the new helmets, which he believes will hurt his productivity.  I appreciate the fact that he’s willing to fight for something that he feels will hinder his performance.

What’s tomato-worthy is the fact that Brown threatened to retire over this.  That is leaving millions of dollars on the table when your employer is actually trying to improve the headgear and protect the player more.  No, this isn’t a debate on the NFL and injuries.  We all know the rabbit hole that will go down.  It is just an overbearing soap box rant by a player that loves to be heard.  In the end, we all know what would happen if the NFL allowed players like Brown to wear the older helmets.  Someone – or a number of people – would sue and chaos would ensue.

For now, Brown has found a newer version of his preferred helmet, thanks to a loophole.  He has also reported to Raiders camp and hopes to get healthy enough to play.  If anything, this crazy combination of stories generated some real creativity on Twitter.  For example:

Chris Davis

…for saying the right things at the wrong time

If you missed it, Baltimore Orioles 1B Chris Davis had a recent dugout blowup, charging manager Brandon Hyde following a verbal disagreement.   If you also missed it – and you likely didn’t – Chris Davis has one of the worst contracts in the history of major sports.

It is sad, because Davis seems like a great guy.  He has done a lot for the city of Baltimore.  Countless charities and events, his presence is really felt. 

It’s just not felt at the plate.  Not anymore.

No one knows the specifics of what was said, as both player and manager smartly made sure the disagreement was kept in house.  But if I were Hyde and delivering a zing, I would’ve mentioned his recent defensive miscues were starting to look like his performance at the plate.

What is most puzzling (and tomato-worthy) are a few nuggets from Davis’s speech regarding the incident.  He essentially stated he finally reached his boiling point.  He wants the fans to know that he really does care and it hurts when fans say he doesn’t.

There are certain expectations for a player with a $161 million dollar contract, especially in a hard-working, baseball-loving city like Baltimore.

Davis should have reached his boiling point a LONG time ago – and making that kind of statement has to set a number of fans off.  Davis is not producing and the Orioles are rebuilding.  At what point do you cut bait?  After all, Throwing Tomatoes needs to save some fruit from others.

Bryson DeChambeau

…for unfairly becoming the latest poster child for slow play

Bryson DeChambeau is the latest PGA Tour pro to be at the forefront of the slow play drama.  Only, while warranted to a degree, there are a number of players at fault for slow play.

Patrick Reed and Abraham Ancer were issued warnings during the Northern Trust tournament for slow play, yet no one called them out.  Bryson maybe did because of his different views and scientific approach.  Who knows if that is true, but it happened.

How fast would you play?

This is a tough one for me, because if you had a chance to win ten million bucks, wouldn’t you read a putt for an extra fifteen seconds if you felt the need to?  The more talented players likely spend more time because they can.  It’s kind of like those Red Sox-Yankees games that last six hours, because of all the pitching delays and new signs.  Baseball has tried to regulate slow play.  This isn’t just an issue in the world of golf.  Fans want to attend, but they also have lives.  People get bored.

The PGA minds at the top simply need to focus on – and are focusing on – addressing this problem.  It gets a tomato because the storyline is getting stale.  Bryson is the latest in a regular stream of complaints about slow play.  Fortunately, in the end, DeChambeau took the high road, with a few very positive and proactive responses via his Instagram account, including this one:

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Slow play affects the quality of the game for both players and our fans and I’ve always had the utmost respect for my playing partners, including JT and Tommy. I’m constantly trying to improve and I will do my very best to improve my pace. Golf is my passion and livelihood. It’s my responsibility to help improve the game to be more enjoyable for all. Pace of play has been an issue for golf at all levels for a long time, and I’m committed to being a part of the solution, not the problem. I want to be a good representative of the game and the @PGATour and I looking forward to working with the TOUR and fellow players to find a solution to slow play.

A post shared by Bryson DeChambeau (@brysondechambeau) on

Ohio State

…for trying to force me to say “THE”

Guys, let’s not get into this.  The most used word in the English language is “the” and if you haven’t seen the headline, Ohio State wants to trademark “THE”.  You know, so they can go on with the whole “THE Ohio State University” thing.  Anyone not donning Ohio State colors thinks its silly. 

In-state school Ohio University had a subtle little zing on Twitter, too.

This has been Throwing Tomatoes, where there are no slow throws in this red fruit show.