On Wednesday, Feb. 15, as we celebrate Jaromir Jagr’s 45th birthday, we are going to great lengths to honor the man, the myth and the mullet. When he broke into the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990-91, the kid from Kladno had tremendous talents, sick skills and luscious locks. And even as he toils all these years later for the Florida Panthers — his eighth NHL team — there’s no denying his influence on generations of hockey players around the world.
Which got us wondering: What would the sports world look like if his reach had extended beyond the frozen fields? What would key athletes look like after getting Jagr bombed — getting their very own mullet makeover?
PITTSBURGH — Free-agent running back Le’Veon Bell’s negotiation with the Pittsburgh Steelers could get complicated, but at the core it’s quite simple.
Just follow the snow tracks to Minneapolis, the birthplace of Adrian Peterson’s milestone $100-million contract in 2011.
No running back has touched Peterson’s average earnings of $14 million per year since that deal. The next-closest currently under contract is LeSean McCoy at around $8 million. When it comes to Bell’s future, the sound of McCoy’s number is much sweeter to the Steelers than Peterson’s.
But Peterson is still the market’s standard-bearer, at least for now. And Bell, arguably the best tailback to enter free agency since Peterson’s prime, will hope to spike that market with one swift open-field cut.
That means Bell, ever confident, will set his eyes north.
Can both sides find a sweet spot?
Including the postseason, Le’Veon Bell played in 15 games for the Steelers during the 2016 season, accounting for 2,244 yards rushing/receiving and 11 touchdowns. Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports
The franchise tag is a good first step in earnest. The Steelers can apply the tag starting today, slating Bell to make around $12.4 million for one year and serving as a placeholder in case both sides can’t agree on a longer deal.
Peterson can still deepen the intrigue. The Vikings’ looming decision on Peterson should be closely watched at Steelers headquarters. The Vikings are widely expected to pass on the 31-year-old Peterson’s $6 million roster bonus in the final year of his deal. That leaves Minnesota with two options: Cut him or ask him to take a reduced salary, a reality a prideful Peterson might not accept.
If Peterson is released, that $14-million-a-year clip is off the books, leaving McCoy the game’s highest-paid back. The Steelers easily could give Bell more than McCoy without jeopardizing the salary cap.
But consider that Bell — who’s coming off an explosive year in which he averaged 157 yards from scrimmage per game — has long admired Peterson’s career, and he basically admitted in a rap lyric last offseason that he’ll want Peterson money. Bell, also known as the rapper Juice, wrote this in his song “Focus”: “I’m at the top and if not I’m the closest, I’ma need 15 a year and they know this.”
Bell later backed off those comments, saying he’s not a greedy person. But the seed has been planted: He’s a confident player and plans to be paid as such. Despite two drug-related suspensions and two knee injuries, Bell’s been too good to accept a modest deal. After all, his own suspension aside, Peterson was slated to earn $85 million over the last six years, which dwarfs the recent deals signed by McCoy (five years, $40 million) and DeMarco Murray (five years, $42 million).
No one will understand that discrepancy more than Bell’s reps, even if Peterson’s numbers are ultimately far-fetched for any running back in 2017.
The Steelers stuck by Bell through the suspensions, then proceeded to pound the rock nearly 30 times per game with their team MVP late in the season. Bell capitalized on that opportunity and proved he’s the game’s most unique back.
Those factors suggest the two sides need each other. Things could get heated over the next six months before they realize this.
Mired in an erratic league campaign that has seen yet another title chase shift from a realistic goal to a pipe dream, the Gunners and embattled manager Arsene Wenger headed to Bavaria and got their asses kicked.
The eye test says Arsenal is a side lacking a spine and the courage to see out a result, while the numbers support just how one-sided Bayern Munich’s 5-1 bludgeoning of Wenger’s docile bunch was.
Here’s a look at a collection of statistics that describe how brilliant Bayern was, and how insipid Arsenal was as it heads back to north London embarrassed and with more questions than answers:
6: For the sixth consecutive season, Arsenal has lost the first leg of a Champions League last-16 tilt.
Arsenal have lost the first leg in the Champions League last-16 for the sixth consecutive season. pic.twitter.com/nleeHkhmhw
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 15, 2017
16: Bayern Munich becomes the first club in Champions League history to win 16 consecutive home matches.
200: Arsenal is the first English side to concede 200 Champions League goals. Congrats.
9: Nine of Bayern’s 11 players were involved in Robben’s opener.
(Courtesy: @OptaJoe)
3+:Arsenal has conceded three or more goals in four of its last six first-leg matches in the Champions League last-16.
21.2 percent: Arsenal’s possession in the opening half.
18-4: The Bundesliga behemoth created 18 chances to Arsenal’s four.
0: In 77 minutes played, Francis Coquelin failed to win a single tackle.
1: The number of Arsenal players (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain) to applaud the away fans for making the trip to Germany.
Oxlade-Chamberlain the only #afc player to go and acknowledge the away fans. Just given his shirt to someone in the crowd too. pic.twitter.com/clE9mqTsUQ
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) February 15, 2017
12: The number of passes completed by Alex Iwobi to go with zero shots on target, zero chances created, zero crosses, zero take-ons, zero tackles, and zero aerial duels.
24: Bayern took 24 shots, eight of which landed on target.
5-1: Bayern’s last two home fixtures against Arsenal ended in 5-1 victories for the Bavarians.
10: Minutes it took to send Arsenal packing from the group stage for a seventh season on the bounce after a Thiago Alcantara brace and Robert Lewandowski’s header made a mockery of Wenger’s side.
