Growing up there was always that one kid you hated playing a sports video game with. You would pop in NHL ’94 and that kid wanted to be the Eastern Conference. Correction, he had to be the Eastern Conference All Stars. You would usually choose the Pittsburgh Penguins because c’mon, they had Lemieux, Jagr, Francis and Stevens. Okay there was a desire to be the Blackhawks to use the overall power of Jeremy Roenick.
While playing as the Penguins versus the clones of Mario and Jaromir, the kid had the audacity to keep playing the most undisciplined hockey. Always checking your Penguins after each whistle, taking slap shots from the blue line, numerous offside penalties, in a nutshell just sucking the fun out of NHL ’94.
What’s the point of this? As we approach the Winter Games in Vancouver the NHL will form their Dream Teams and suck the fun out of international hockey.
Obviously the suits from the individual countries and the equipment makers love this as it allows the ability to market already highly market players, logos and games. Nike will want you to buy their Sidney Crosby jersey over your Penguins Reebok jersey. Better yet get some official Team Canada socks. All over Canada on ponds and public rinks kids will be guarding their legs with not just Jofa, Easton and CCM but also the flag of the leg, Team Canada socks.
I myself have no problem with this repackaging but the games itself suffer along with the spirit of the Olympic Games.
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Miracle on Ice. Twenty college kids were able to overthrow the mighty international dynasty of The USSR. The Penguins beat the Eastern Conference All-Stars. David slays Goliath.
The Nagano Games unveiled the Dream Team, the powerful countries (Canada, U.S.A., Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia) were able to arm themselves to the teeth with established NHL veterans and young superstars to annihilate second tier countries. Japan was fortunate enough to make a solid showing in those games. However, that has yet to be seen in future Olympics.
Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks voices his criticism of the Dream Teams at the end of Miracle, summing up that the wonder and mystery of an upset is unlikely. His opinion is true.
The 1994 Olympics showcased that. Canada was looking to win the gold against a Sweden team most Americans and Canadians had little knowledge of. Canada’s Corey Hirsch was looking to keep the shootout still tied until future NHL star Peter Forsberg deked and scored. His goal, viewed from an overhead shot became a stamp in Sweden and became an iconic image in Olympic hockey (second only to the celebration at Lake Placid). Then it was up to Canadian star Paul Kariya who would be stopped sealing it for Sweden. Those natural images are lost when Olympic veterans such as Nick Lidstrom and Marty Brodeur are featured.
As the NHL’s best square off it’s sad to think about how amazing and wide open the tournament would be if it showcased the best from the juniors and national teams comprised of teenagers looking to get that chance to show scouts all over the world what they have to offer. These aren’t throw away games in Prague or Stockholm against kids destined for second or third tier European leagues. No, these are the Olympic Games where the next fifty goal scorer or Vezina trophy winner will be found.
While jersey sales for little known left wingers playing junior hockey in Alberta won’t sell in America or team photos of the Slovakian national team void of any current All-Stars would be minimal, the spirit of the Olympics would be intact. The Russian dynasty was comprised of players who did not have the chance to defect and play NHL hockey, so they merely became mercenaries of the ice. They created the Summit Series and the Canada Cup to beat heavily publicized Canadian All-Star teams and brawled against NHL teams to prove that amateurs were just as skilled.
As the Olympics get underway next month and NBC airs Team USA’s match up against another set of NHL All-Stars think about the possibility of an unknown from St. Cloud taking the face-off or even a highly touted prospect from Rochester between the pipes. Both players or rather all players looking for that glowing scouting report and a chance to draw high on the NHL draft and achieve the true dream. A dream of playing in the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. It seems more meaningful than seeing the same team assembled to win a third or fourth gold medal.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Losing The Dream Team
Growing up there was always that one kid you hated playing a sports video game with. You would pop in NHL ’94 and that kid wanted to be the Eastern Conference. Correction, he had to be the Eastern Conference All Stars. You would usually choose the Pittsburgh Penguins because c’mon, they had Lemieux, Jagr, Francis and Stevens. Okay there was a desire to be the Blackhawks to use the overall power of Jeremy Roenick.
While playing as the Penguins versus the clones of Mario and Jaromir, the kid had the audacity to keep playing the most undisciplined hockey. Always checking your Penguins after each whistle, taking slap shots from the blue line, numerous offside penalties, in a nutshell just sucking the fun out of NHL ’94.
What’s the point of this? As we approach the Winter Games in Vancouver the NHL will form their Dream Teams and suck the fun out of international hockey.
Obviously the suits from the individual countries and the equipment makers love this as it allows the ability to market already highly market players, logos and games. Nike will want you to buy their Sidney Crosby jersey over your Penguins Reebok jersey. Better yet get some official Team Canada socks. All over Canada on ponds and public rinks kids will be guarding their legs with not just Jofa, Easton and CCM but also the flag of the leg, Team Canada socks.
I myself have no problem with this repackaging but the games itself suffer along with the spirit of the Olympic Games.
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Miracle on Ice. Twenty college kids were able to overthrow the mighty international dynasty of The USSR. The Penguins beat the Eastern Conference All-Stars. David slays Goliath.
The Nagano Games unveiled the Dream Team, the powerful countries (Canada, U.S.A., Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia) were able to arm themselves to the teeth with established NHL veterans and young superstars to annihilate second tier countries. Japan was fortunate enough to make a solid showing in those games. However, that has yet to be seen in future Olympics.
Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks voices his criticism of the Dream Teams at the end of Miracle, summing up that the wonder and mystery of an upset is unlikely. His opinion is true.
The 1994 Olympics showcased that. Canada was looking to win the gold against a Sweden team most Americans and Canadians had little knowledge of. Canada’s Corey Hirsch was looking to keep the shootout still tied until future NHL star Peter Forsberg deked and scored. His goal, viewed from an overhead shot became a stamp in Sweden and became an iconic image in Olympic hockey (second only to the celebration at Lake Placid). Then it was up to Canadian star Paul Kariya who would be stopped sealing it for Sweden. Those natural images are lost when Olympic veterans such as Nick Lidstrom and Marty Brodeur are featured.
As the NHL’s best square off it’s sad to think about how amazing and wide open the tournament would be if it showcased the best from the juniors and national teams comprised of teenagers looking to get that chance to show scouts all over the world what they have to offer. These aren’t throw away games in Prague or Stockholm against kids destined for second or third tier European leagues. No, these are the Olympic Games where the next fifty goal scorer or Vezina trophy winner will be found.
While jersey sales for little known left wingers playing junior hockey in Alberta won’t sell in America or team photos of the Slovakian national team void of any current All-Stars would be minimal, the spirit of the Olympics would be intact. The Russian dynasty was comprised of players who did not have the chance to defect and play NHL hockey, so they merely became mercenaries of the ice. They created the Summit Series and the Canada Cup to beat heavily publicized Canadian All-Star teams and brawled against NHL teams to prove that amateurs were just as skilled.
As the Olympics get underway next month and NBC airs Team USA’s match up against another set of NHL All-Stars think about the possibility of an unknown from St. Cloud taking the face-off or even a highly touted prospect from Rochester between the pipes. Both players or rather all players looking for that glowing scouting report and a chance to draw high on the NHL draft and achieve the true dream. A dream of playing in the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. It seems more meaningful than seeing the same team assembled to win a third or fourth gold medal.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
While playing as the Penguins versus the clones of Mario and Jaromir, the kid had the audacity to keep playing the most undisciplined hockey. Always checking your Penguins after each whistle, taking slap shots from the blue line, numerous offside penalties, in a nutshell just sucking the fun out of NHL ’94.
What’s the point of this? As we approach the Winter Games in Vancouver the NHL will form their Dream Teams and suck the fun out of international hockey.
Obviously the suits from the individual countries and the equipment makers love this as it allows the ability to market already highly market players, logos and games. Nike will want you to buy their Sidney Crosby jersey over your Penguins Reebok jersey. Better yet get some official Team Canada socks. All over Canada on ponds and public rinks kids will be guarding their legs with not just Jofa, Easton and CCM but also the flag of the leg, Team Canada socks.
I myself have no problem with this repackaging but the games itself suffer along with the spirit of the Olympic Games.
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Miracle on Ice. Twenty college kids were able to overthrow the mighty international dynasty of The USSR. The Penguins beat the Eastern Conference All-Stars. David slays Goliath.
The Nagano Games unveiled the Dream Team, the powerful countries (Canada, U.S.A., Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia) were able to arm themselves to the teeth with established NHL veterans and young superstars to annihilate second tier countries. Japan was fortunate enough to make a solid showing in those games. However, that has yet to be seen in future Olympics.
Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks voices his criticism of the Dream Teams at the end of Miracle, summing up that the wonder and mystery of an upset is unlikely. His opinion is true.
The 1994 Olympics showcased that. Canada was looking to win the gold against a Sweden team most Americans and Canadians had little knowledge of. Canada’s Corey Hirsch was looking to keep the shootout still tied until future NHL star Peter Forsberg deked and scored. His goal, viewed from an overhead shot became a stamp in Sweden and became an iconic image in Olympic hockey (second only to the celebration at Lake Placid). Then it was up to Canadian star Paul Kariya who would be stopped sealing it for Sweden. Those natural images are lost when Olympic veterans such as Nick Lidstrom and Marty Brodeur are featured.
As the NHL’s best square off it’s sad to think about how amazing and wide open the tournament would be if it showcased the best from the juniors and national teams comprised of teenagers looking to get that chance to show scouts all over the world what they have to offer. These aren’t throw away games in Prague or Stockholm against kids destined for second or third tier European leagues. No, these are the Olympic Games where the next fifty goal scorer or Vezina trophy winner will be found.
While jersey sales for little known left wingers playing junior hockey in Alberta won’t sell in America or team photos of the Slovakian national team void of any current All-Stars would be minimal, the spirit of the Olympics would be intact. The Russian dynasty was comprised of players who did not have the chance to defect and play NHL hockey, so they merely became mercenaries of the ice. They created the Summit Series and the Canada Cup to beat heavily publicized Canadian All-Star teams and brawled against NHL teams to prove that amateurs were just as skilled.
As the Olympics get underway next month and NBC airs Team USA’s match up against another set of NHL All-Stars think about the possibility of an unknown from St. Cloud taking the face-off or even a highly touted prospect from Rochester between the pipes. Both players or rather all players looking for that glowing scouting report and a chance to draw high on the NHL draft and achieve the true dream. A dream of playing in the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. It seems more meaningful than seeing the same team assembled to win a third or fourth gold medal.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Friday, January 1, 2010
Keeping the Winter Classic... well, Classic
As the Bruins skated to a dramatic overtime win against the Flyers the suits from the NHL must still be beaming with the satisfaction of the Winter Classic. In a holiday tradition that is the best P.R. piece for the league, well, apart from the large silver chalice handed out in June, the league cannot go wrong. Or can it.
You can have too much of a good thing and believe Gary Bettman will find a way to ruin the feel and high magnitude of the Winter Classic. In fact he is already finding a way to dilute the event. He has mentioned that there should be a game in Canada and one in America. Let's take a moment to break that down.
First let's look at how many teams are in each country. Canada has a limited pool of teams that could compete. Canada has six teams, a number drastically dwarfed by the 24 teams that reside in the Union. This obviously brings up the discussion of how many times can we make a Senators-Leafs match up seem so special. The answer is it doesn't.
Having two Winter Classics will siphon the magic and excitement of a glorious event. Only one game needs to be played. Let's not see the game become college football. That's right, it would become the bowl season of hockey. With more bowl games being added to the NCAA postseason schedule the less the games feel special, important, exclusive.
The NHL needs to keep it to one game. But more importantly the league needs to make it a Winter Classic in the surest sense. Southern teams cannot be involved, they just cannot live up to the idea. When I think of Winter Classic, a melting rink in Phoenix or Anaheim is not how I envisioned it.
To go along with the teams being allowed to play, natural rivalry or historically based match ups must be taken into account. Having a Leafs-Canadiens match up is what the Winter Classic is all about. It's a showcase of the best franchises in the NHL's history. This is particularly true since the NHL has the weakest network deal where NBC barely shows game prior to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. You need the best historical franchises to build up viewership in main markets or use it to promote new young stars (like Crosby in the Buffalo Winter Classic).
If the NHL really wanted to use it as a showcase of the game and heritage of hockey they need to use history to their advantage. When they league had the Heritage Classic in Edmonton CBC broadcast the Mega-Stars game. You cannot miss the appeal of a game pitting The Great One, Guy LaFluer and Mark Messier.
I would have loved watching a matinee of a Bruins-Flyers alumni game. Hextall in net against Moog. John LeClair rushing inside on Ray Bourque. Maybe dust off a brawl between some Bullies and some lunch pail gang players. Now imagine if that happened every year, seeing players of yesteryear dust off the axe and blades to spend one more afternoon acting as a child.
The Winter Classic needs to feel like a classic. Let's keep it one game. Let's keep it in the ice and cold and let's keep it a showcase of the heritage and history of hockey. Most importantly let us tap into the feeling of child like wonder and an outdoor game.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
You can have too much of a good thing and believe Gary Bettman will find a way to ruin the feel and high magnitude of the Winter Classic. In fact he is already finding a way to dilute the event. He has mentioned that there should be a game in Canada and one in America. Let's take a moment to break that down.
First let's look at how many teams are in each country. Canada has a limited pool of teams that could compete. Canada has six teams, a number drastically dwarfed by the 24 teams that reside in the Union. This obviously brings up the discussion of how many times can we make a Senators-Leafs match up seem so special. The answer is it doesn't.
Having two Winter Classics will siphon the magic and excitement of a glorious event. Only one game needs to be played. Let's not see the game become college football. That's right, it would become the bowl season of hockey. With more bowl games being added to the NCAA postseason schedule the less the games feel special, important, exclusive.
The NHL needs to keep it to one game. But more importantly the league needs to make it a Winter Classic in the surest sense. Southern teams cannot be involved, they just cannot live up to the idea. When I think of Winter Classic, a melting rink in Phoenix or Anaheim is not how I envisioned it.
To go along with the teams being allowed to play, natural rivalry or historically based match ups must be taken into account. Having a Leafs-Canadiens match up is what the Winter Classic is all about. It's a showcase of the best franchises in the NHL's history. This is particularly true since the NHL has the weakest network deal where NBC barely shows game prior to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. You need the best historical franchises to build up viewership in main markets or use it to promote new young stars (like Crosby in the Buffalo Winter Classic).
If the NHL really wanted to use it as a showcase of the game and heritage of hockey they need to use history to their advantage. When they league had the Heritage Classic in Edmonton CBC broadcast the Mega-Stars game. You cannot miss the appeal of a game pitting The Great One, Guy LaFluer and Mark Messier.
I would have loved watching a matinee of a Bruins-Flyers alumni game. Hextall in net against Moog. John LeClair rushing inside on Ray Bourque. Maybe dust off a brawl between some Bullies and some lunch pail gang players. Now imagine if that happened every year, seeing players of yesteryear dust off the axe and blades to spend one more afternoon acting as a child.
The Winter Classic needs to feel like a classic. Let's keep it one game. Let's keep it in the ice and cold and let's keep it a showcase of the heritage and history of hockey. Most importantly let us tap into the feeling of child like wonder and an outdoor game.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Chase Utley HAS TO BE MVP!!!
As we near the end of this ho-hum World Series, marred more by long, cold November nights, Joe Girardi mound visits and the absence of Ryan Howard, one thing needs to be done... the naming of Chase Utley as the 2009 World Series MVP.
Even if the Yankees win Game 6 and claim their 27th title, the MVP has to be Utley's. He has been the only player who has shown up in every game and made an impact. Yankee fans have suggested Alex Rodriguez, but his hitting has been so uneven it would be a travesty to the game to give him the new car and award.
Arod is definitely shedding his "can't perform in the postseason" image, but the numbers are just not there.
His numbers in the World Series:
4-18, .222 BA, 3 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 7 K
His hits have been power hits, doubles and a homer, but his high strikeout numbers and a pitiful average for a middle of the lineup hitter is just not justified. It's already bad enough Teixeira is looking like Willie Stargell in the 1971 Series against Baltimore but A-Rod is a one man crew.
The other Yankee candidate was A.J. Burnett but he decided to become Burnett of old and Joe Girardi learned that Burnett can't work on three days rest. It's not like it's Bob Gibson going against the 1967 Red Sox.
On the Phillies side is Chase Utley, the man who tied the record for most homeruns in the World Series and those homeruns have just been Yankee killers. The three run shot in Game 5 took a Yankees team looking to ride an early 1st lead to victory. It also signified the wheels coming off the Burnett bus. After hitting Shane Victorino on the bunt attempt, the home run (on the first pitch to Utley no less) just shut his game down for the night.
Utley, the only bat alive on the Fighting Phils has been a wrecking ball.
Utley's stats:
6-18, .333 BA, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, SB
The guy is picking up for Ryan Howard who is hitting .158 with 12 K's. Shane Victorino, last years stand out player in the postseason is hitting .167.
While Bobby Richardson won the MVP in 1960, a losing player winning the MVP would not be unheard of, not even in just a baseball setting. The Conn Smythe Trophy, though awarded to the best player during the Stanley Cup Playoffs (not just the Finals) has been given to a player on the losing team five times. Though even then the stand out player in the Stanley Cup is usually the best player in the Finals.
Granted if the Yankees lose tonight and the tomorrow resulting in a Philadelphia repeat every writer will have chosen Chase Utley by then because he probably hit another homerun again. Though if the Yanks pull it out, Mr. Utley deserves a little more consideration than some pinstriped players.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
NBA: Let The Better Market... er.... Team Win
Deadspin posted some excerpts of Tim Donaghy's book that was going to be published before the NBA threatened to sue. Luckily for the world wanting to know the truth on NBA basketball and all those angry Sacremento Kings fans, the truth is out.
Donaghy not only mentions his own gambling addiction but also talks about how it was prevalent around the league.
To have a little fun at the expense of the worst troublemakers, the referees working the game would sometimes make a modest friendly wager amongst themselves: first ref to give one of the bad boys a technical foul wouldn't have to tip the ball boy that night. In the NBA, ball boys set up the referees' locker room and keep it stocked with food and beer for the postgame meal. We usually ran the kid ragged with a variety of personal requests and then slipped him a $20 bill. Technically, the winner of the bet won twice — he didn't have to pay the kid and he got to call a T on Mr. Foul-Mouthed Big-Shot Du Jour.
Though the most damning offense mentioned in the book was not about Donaghy, but about the NBA and how it dictated "encouraged" outcomes to games.
The 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings presents a stunning example of game and series manipulation at its ugliest. As the teams prepared for Game 6 at the Staples Center, Sacramento had a 3–2 lead in the series. The referees assigned to work Game 6 were Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, and Ted Bernhardt. As soon as the referees for the game were chosen, the rest of us knew immediately that there would be a Game 7. A prolonged series was good for the league, good for the networks, and good for the game. Oh, and one more thing: it was great for the big-market, star-studded Los Angeles Lakers.
In the pregame meeting prior to Game 6, the league office sent down word that certain calls — calls that would have benefited the Lakers — were being missed by the referees. This was the type of not-so-subtle information that I and other referees were left to interpret. After receiving the dispatch, Bavetta openly talked about the fact that the league wanted a Game 7.
"If we give the benefit of the calls to the team that's down in the series, nobody's going to complain. The series will be even at three apiece, and then the better team can win Game 7," Bavetta stated.
It's easy to understand the context of when this occurred. The NBA's image was in the toilet, with the league trying to find the next Michael Jordan. The Lakers looked like they were the team of the future; Kobe Bryant, a hot young player with some many weapons and of course Shaq, the 21st Century's premier post player. Bigger and stronger than Wilt and Kareem.
Of course the tainted referee goes on to mention that this game was not the only one where the NBA wanted a different outcome. Also, it's not the only time the messenger, in an officials uniform, was Dick Bavetta.
Though in fairness to Bavetta, there were other officials painted as "company men" for the Association. Not to mention that certain refs had relationships with coaches and vendettas against certain players and teams.
Again it's understood that the game was in a transition from Jordan to the Holy Trinity of LeBron/Wade/Kobe focus it has now. The league was battling an image of a streetball mentality where players were brawling on the court, smoking grass off the court and creating a very rough urban appearance the league could not market to networks TV exects and key demographic households.
Though at the same time, if the NBA was so worried about it's image why force match ups? Would a Finals match up that featured the Kings really have damaged the ratings?
The Kings were the one seed with Divac, Bibby, Christie and Webber hitting their prime. Granted the endorsements were in favor of Kobe (Adidas) and Shaq (everything in the world). A Kings win could have bumped up their exposure value for not only more potential endorsements and publicity for a new NBA market but also create a long lasting rivalry with the Lakers, a true California rival.
For the NBA this revelation paints a picture that is comparable to the Black Sox Scandal on 1919. The fact that league officials and referees were in cooperation to manipulate and rig the outcome of games and series to promote larger and more profitable markets is not only damning to the fans who pay for these games but to the owners of the teams. Essentially the NBA hates every market except for L.A., New York, Boston, Chicago and Dallas. Those are some of your largest markets out there. Milwaukee, Orlando, Portland, Toronto can just go away. No one needs them.
The NBA threatened the lawsuit on the publishers saying that the aforementioned statements by Donaghy are untrue. Now the league has hired someone to look into the officiating problems, just as the refs are ending their holdout. If the NBA wants to avoid a Selig-Steroids debate that could easily linger with the league for seasons, they might as well admit it.
That brings up the point of whether everything he said is true. If the NBA had never had those problems then they could easily assassinate Donaghy's character, claiming that he was just a former employee with an beef. Though with all the incidents and all the names dropped, say what you will about Donaghy's character because it looks like he is speaking the truth.
I remember one of my classes in college, a sports management class. The question was, "What elements comprise of a game?" One of them is an undetermined outcome. If the NBA has a policy like they do for the 2002 Western Conference Finals, then is it really a game?
Deadspin Link
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Bud should ban post-season champaigne celebrations
I'm a big fan of tradition in sports. Whether it be growing beards for the playoffs, throwing back the opposition's home run ball or having the Lions and Cowboys play on Thanksgiving, i like it. But there are some traditions that become, say, outdated. So, when the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim poured champaigne over Nick Adenhart's jersey to celebrate a playoff birth, they weren't being ironic or mocking, they were covering their teammate in champagne just like they would if he was still there, as is the tradition. Instead of questioning the Angles players (as many have done), it's the champagne celebration we should take a harder look at.
Seems there has always been a relationship between alcohol and professional sports. Beer and a hot dog, right. But, as we take a closer look at the connection, it goes far beyond beer and a dog. The tradition of celebrating with champagne pushes the message that celebrations have to include alcohol. When you win, you drink. Sure, Adenhart's family was OK with the celebration. Sure, players gave money to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, but when it came down to it, they kept the path of the status quo. You know, Donte Stallworth was celebrating his new contract the night he hit and killed Mario Reyes.
We shouldn't only point the finger at the Angles. After clinching, after the first and second playoff rounds and after the World Series, whoever wins will celebrate with champaigne. If Bud Selig is paying attention to anything other than weather radar this post-season, he will ban alcohol during post-game celebrations. If not for any other reason, Bud should place the ban out of respect for Adenhart's family or for Cardinal Josh Hancock, who was killed in a drunk driving accident in 2007. Or, how about because the alcohol problem in professional sports has become (or probably always was, right Mickey?) epidemic.
The problem with alcohol and professional sports isn't just with players, it's with fans and advertisers too. I'm sure tailgating is a blast, but thousands getting sloshed before a game does little for fan safety, especially after the game. Meger attempts to limit drunkeness like stopping the sale of alcohol after the third quarter are pointless if fans have been drinking since 9 a.m. And, you are telling me the NFL couldn't restrict the content of alcohol commercials? Maybe show ads that don't feature Average Joe football fan getting lap dances from super models because he has a Coors Light in his hand?
Professional sports should, but realistically won't, reform it's policies when it comes to alcohol. Bud Selig could, but won't, set a precedent. As long as it's still $10 a beer and Coors pays $10 million to advertise, no one will.
Seems there has always been a relationship between alcohol and professional sports. Beer and a hot dog, right. But, as we take a closer look at the connection, it goes far beyond beer and a dog. The tradition of celebrating with champagne pushes the message that celebrations have to include alcohol. When you win, you drink. Sure, Adenhart's family was OK with the celebration. Sure, players gave money to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, but when it came down to it, they kept the path of the status quo. You know, Donte Stallworth was celebrating his new contract the night he hit and killed Mario Reyes.
We shouldn't only point the finger at the Angles. After clinching, after the first and second playoff rounds and after the World Series, whoever wins will celebrate with champaigne. If Bud Selig is paying attention to anything other than weather radar this post-season, he will ban alcohol during post-game celebrations. If not for any other reason, Bud should place the ban out of respect for Adenhart's family or for Cardinal Josh Hancock, who was killed in a drunk driving accident in 2007. Or, how about because the alcohol problem in professional sports has become (or probably always was, right Mickey?) epidemic.
The problem with alcohol and professional sports isn't just with players, it's with fans and advertisers too. I'm sure tailgating is a blast, but thousands getting sloshed before a game does little for fan safety, especially after the game. Meger attempts to limit drunkeness like stopping the sale of alcohol after the third quarter are pointless if fans have been drinking since 9 a.m. And, you are telling me the NFL couldn't restrict the content of alcohol commercials? Maybe show ads that don't feature Average Joe football fan getting lap dances from super models because he has a Coors Light in his hand?
Professional sports should, but realistically won't, reform it's policies when it comes to alcohol. Bud Selig could, but won't, set a precedent. As long as it's still $10 a beer and Coors pays $10 million to advertise, no one will.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Say it ain't so, Stan
A few weeks before the International League season began, I had the pleasure of meeting Rochester Red Wings manager Stan Cliburn. If you've met him, you know a few things: he's a baseball man. It's not just his religion, it's his ethnicity. Baseball isn't a second language, it's the only language. Stan might as well have been pulled straight from Bull Durham, minus the "one day at a time" speech, that's just not his style. Stan's style is honest, hard-working, old school.
Spending a few minutes with Stan, I couldn't help but think he could have been in the dugout in any era. Connie Mack, Sparky Anderson or Leo Durocher, you can easilly picture him managing in the 1890s or 1990s. What makes Stan a transcendent-type figure isn't just his baseball saavy, it's his ability to spin a great yarn (or in English, tell a story). Trust me, Stan tells the best.
Stan still has a tape of the radio broadcast of his first home run in the major leagues (one of only two he hit). But, as Stan told us, his motives for hanging onto the tape were more than just for the keepsake. Years later, the pitcher who gave up the bomb was working as a pitching coach for a club in the same league as Stan. When the two teams played, Stan played the tape over the stadium loud speaker. To which the pitching coach yelled, "Oh, shut that off."
If you are a baseball guy, you are a Stan Cliburn guy. If you are a baseball city, you are a Cliburn city. And Rochester is a Cliburn city. Though he has a Southern drawl like Dr. Phil and can be a crude as Larry the Cable Guy, Stan's blue collar attitude, honesty and effort to make a connection to fans made him the guy to root for in Rochester.
Unfortunately, we now have to talk past-tense about Cliburn in Rochester. After a sub-.500 finish, the Rochester Red Wings decided to let Stan go after four seasons as manager. It wasn't the below average finish that got Stan canned, it was a season full of behind the scenes drama stemming from the decision to demote Stan's twin brother Stu from Red Wings pitching coach to the same position at double-A affiliate New Britain.
"I must have rubbed somebody the wrong way," Stan said. Likely so, but off-field issues or not, the city of Rochester and the Red Wings organization was lucky to have Stan Cliburn at the helm.
Spending a few minutes with Stan, I couldn't help but think he could have been in the dugout in any era. Connie Mack, Sparky Anderson or Leo Durocher, you can easilly picture him managing in the 1890s or 1990s. What makes Stan a transcendent-type figure isn't just his baseball saavy, it's his ability to spin a great yarn (or in English, tell a story). Trust me, Stan tells the best.
Stan still has a tape of the radio broadcast of his first home run in the major leagues (one of only two he hit). But, as Stan told us, his motives for hanging onto the tape were more than just for the keepsake. Years later, the pitcher who gave up the bomb was working as a pitching coach for a club in the same league as Stan. When the two teams played, Stan played the tape over the stadium loud speaker. To which the pitching coach yelled, "Oh, shut that off."
If you are a baseball guy, you are a Stan Cliburn guy. If you are a baseball city, you are a Cliburn city. And Rochester is a Cliburn city. Though he has a Southern drawl like Dr. Phil and can be a crude as Larry the Cable Guy, Stan's blue collar attitude, honesty and effort to make a connection to fans made him the guy to root for in Rochester.
Unfortunately, we now have to talk past-tense about Cliburn in Rochester. After a sub-.500 finish, the Rochester Red Wings decided to let Stan go after four seasons as manager. It wasn't the below average finish that got Stan canned, it was a season full of behind the scenes drama stemming from the decision to demote Stan's twin brother Stu from Red Wings pitching coach to the same position at double-A affiliate New Britain.
"I must have rubbed somebody the wrong way," Stan said. Likely so, but off-field issues or not, the city of Rochester and the Red Wings organization was lucky to have Stan Cliburn at the helm.
Monday, September 14, 2009
What could have been for Serena
After columnist Jason Whitlock bashed Serena Williams's booty earlier this year, he endured a downpour of flack. Feminists acted as if he'd spit on Susan B. Anthony and fellow columnists kicked it into attack mode like Whitlock was an extra and they were Steven Segal. Yes, they were harsh on Whitlock, but it wasn't his backside bashing of Serena that was bothersome, it was that Whitlock misdiagnosed Serena's problem.
In his column, Whitlock said Serena could be the Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan of her sport. This is true, but what's holding her back isn't her bottom, it's her top. Get your mind out of the gutter, I mean her brain. Her attitude. The unwavering cockyness and arrogance that cost her the U.S. Open.
During Saturday's match against Kim Clijsters, Serena threw a temper tantrum that made John McEnroe look tame. It made Dennis Green's famous "they are who we thought they were" speech look somber. After being hit with a foul, Serena looked at the line judge and said, "If I could, I would take this ball and stuff it down your throat." Of course, her quote is minus the explatives. After she went wacky, Serena was immediately penalized a point for her tirade. The point turned out to be match point and Serena was eliminated.
Serena's insincere, public-relations-company-written, day-later response said it was the competition, the heat of passion that caused her to go bizerk. OK, I could see it if this was the first example of Serena actling like she's the prodigal princess of the court, but it isn't. Before the Italian Open, Serena pronounced herself No. 1 in the world, though Dinara Safina held that title. "We all know who the real No. 1 is," Serena said. "Quite frankly, I'm the best in the world."
Before we delve into the shear arrogance of her statement, we have to ask: would Tiger Woods say that? Would Tiger threaten to bash an official's brains in with a four iron? Can you picture Tiger leaning back in his chair with a sly smile saying "screw Vijay, screw Phil, I'm No. 1."
Serena's actions Saturday and her comments about Safina prove she respects no one. She doesn't respect the game, her competitors, it's officials or her fans. She could care less about young female athletes. She scoffs at those who work their entire lives toward the pinnacle moment of facing her like they are trash she must kick aside in order to maintain her super stardom. And when she loses, she couldn't have been outplayed, no no, just ask her. When the press inquired about who she feared most, she said "probably myself. I always beat myself."
Well, I can't help but agree with her. But she doesn't beat herself with unforced errors, she beats herself by acting like an over-privlidged little leaguer whose dad coaches the team. She beats herself by trying to be Meghan Fox and not Serena Williams. During the same press conference that she announced she was better than everyone, she also said she wanted to get into more off-court activities, though she is already into fashion and acting. Maybe that's where she belongs.
The sad part is that women's sports need a Tiger Woods. They need a hero who rises above all competition with grace. Women's sports need Serena Williams to show strength and humility instead of pompusness and self-importance. Especially young black female athletes. If Serena wasn't so busy designing jean skirts, she'd realize that she could introduce a new generation of young black girls to tennis the way Tiger Woods introduced black youth to golf.
One can only hope a fine and possible suspension opens Serena's eyes to the bigger picture. If so, she could see her relevance as an athlete can go far beyond winning a bunch of tournamants. But, at age 27, she's past the point of maturation and growing nearer to the the point of being surpassed. And when that day comes, when we are given time to reflect, we will look back and say "if only." If only Serena Williams could have gotten over herself, she could have been great.
In his column, Whitlock said Serena could be the Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan of her sport. This is true, but what's holding her back isn't her bottom, it's her top. Get your mind out of the gutter, I mean her brain. Her attitude. The unwavering cockyness and arrogance that cost her the U.S. Open.
During Saturday's match against Kim Clijsters, Serena threw a temper tantrum that made John McEnroe look tame. It made Dennis Green's famous "they are who we thought they were" speech look somber. After being hit with a foul, Serena looked at the line judge and said, "If I could, I would take this ball and stuff it down your throat." Of course, her quote is minus the explatives. After she went wacky, Serena was immediately penalized a point for her tirade. The point turned out to be match point and Serena was eliminated.
Serena's insincere, public-relations-company-written, day-later response said it was the competition, the heat of passion that caused her to go bizerk. OK, I could see it if this was the first example of Serena actling like she's the prodigal princess of the court, but it isn't. Before the Italian Open, Serena pronounced herself No. 1 in the world, though Dinara Safina held that title. "We all know who the real No. 1 is," Serena said. "Quite frankly, I'm the best in the world."
Before we delve into the shear arrogance of her statement, we have to ask: would Tiger Woods say that? Would Tiger threaten to bash an official's brains in with a four iron? Can you picture Tiger leaning back in his chair with a sly smile saying "screw Vijay, screw Phil, I'm No. 1."
Serena's actions Saturday and her comments about Safina prove she respects no one. She doesn't respect the game, her competitors, it's officials or her fans. She could care less about young female athletes. She scoffs at those who work their entire lives toward the pinnacle moment of facing her like they are trash she must kick aside in order to maintain her super stardom. And when she loses, she couldn't have been outplayed, no no, just ask her. When the press inquired about who she feared most, she said "probably myself. I always beat myself."
Well, I can't help but agree with her. But she doesn't beat herself with unforced errors, she beats herself by acting like an over-privlidged little leaguer whose dad coaches the team. She beats herself by trying to be Meghan Fox and not Serena Williams. During the same press conference that she announced she was better than everyone, she also said she wanted to get into more off-court activities, though she is already into fashion and acting. Maybe that's where she belongs.
The sad part is that women's sports need a Tiger Woods. They need a hero who rises above all competition with grace. Women's sports need Serena Williams to show strength and humility instead of pompusness and self-importance. Especially young black female athletes. If Serena wasn't so busy designing jean skirts, she'd realize that she could introduce a new generation of young black girls to tennis the way Tiger Woods introduced black youth to golf.
One can only hope a fine and possible suspension opens Serena's eyes to the bigger picture. If so, she could see her relevance as an athlete can go far beyond winning a bunch of tournamants. But, at age 27, she's past the point of maturation and growing nearer to the the point of being surpassed. And when that day comes, when we are given time to reflect, we will look back and say "if only." If only Serena Williams could have gotten over herself, she could have been great.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Man not-so Genius QB move
If Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini's idea of living up to his nickname "Man-Genius" was trying to pull one over on the Vikings by playing Guess My Quarterback, then he might think Reggie Jackson was called "Mr. October" because Reg enjoyed the many changing colors of the leaves.
Trying to fool an NFL coaching staff by playing mind-warp with Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson is like trying to stump NASA with a sudoku puzzle. Sure, Childress may resemble George Castanza, but I can't exactly see him starting a fake charity, calling in a bomb threat, or pushing old ladies down in a panic over the QB switch-a-roo.
By the way Genius, Childress is so confidant in his game plan, he decided to share it with me: hand off to Adrain Peterson 30 times, blitz 20 and after the Vikings are up by 35 at half, rest the starters.
While in the process of playing David Copperfield with his starting QBs, Mangini must have fogotten that his team runs, catches and blocks like The Little Giants and is as tough on D as a soggy pizza box. If Adrian Peterson runs for 200-plus with 3 TDs, does it really matter who the opposing QB is?
Through trickery, Mangini must still be trying to impress his old boss Belichick. But Bill's moves make a little more sense: taping the other team, that was genius (and illegal, but you have to give him points for innovation.) Putting Brady on the injury list week after week, then taking him off when he was actually injured, OK I can see it. Even having Matt Cassel punt last season, very clever. You have to think Belichick is snickering under his hoodie at his former minion.
By the way, we aren't exactly talking about Young and Montana here, Genius. This pre-season, Anderson and Quinn made Couch and Holcomb look like Len Dawson and Bart Starr. The Browns aren't debating whether Koufax or Drysdale should start game one. Maybe, in the interest of getting Colt McCoy or Sam Bradford, Mangini should start third-stringer Brett Ratliff. Remember how Marlon Brando's character in On The Waterfront regretted taking dives? Well, taking dives might be the only way for the Browns to eventually become a contendaaa.
You have to feel for Brady Quinn. He gets drafted 10 spots lower than expected, has to sit and watch a nobody put together a Pro-Bowl season, then when finally he gets his shot, he's got Five-Hour-drops Edwards and a tight end as mentally stable as Britney Spears. Then he gets hurt. Now he's forced to battle for the prize of leading a team predicted to win two games led by a coach who seems to thinks he's a Jedi.... Maybe Quinn should have joined his Notre Dame pal Jeff Samardzija and played baseball.
Trying to fool an NFL coaching staff by playing mind-warp with Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson is like trying to stump NASA with a sudoku puzzle. Sure, Childress may resemble George Castanza, but I can't exactly see him starting a fake charity, calling in a bomb threat, or pushing old ladies down in a panic over the QB switch-a-roo.
By the way Genius, Childress is so confidant in his game plan, he decided to share it with me: hand off to Adrain Peterson 30 times, blitz 20 and after the Vikings are up by 35 at half, rest the starters.
While in the process of playing David Copperfield with his starting QBs, Mangini must have fogotten that his team runs, catches and blocks like The Little Giants and is as tough on D as a soggy pizza box. If Adrian Peterson runs for 200-plus with 3 TDs, does it really matter who the opposing QB is?
Through trickery, Mangini must still be trying to impress his old boss Belichick. But Bill's moves make a little more sense: taping the other team, that was genius (and illegal, but you have to give him points for innovation.) Putting Brady on the injury list week after week, then taking him off when he was actually injured, OK I can see it. Even having Matt Cassel punt last season, very clever. You have to think Belichick is snickering under his hoodie at his former minion.
By the way, we aren't exactly talking about Young and Montana here, Genius. This pre-season, Anderson and Quinn made Couch and Holcomb look like Len Dawson and Bart Starr. The Browns aren't debating whether Koufax or Drysdale should start game one. Maybe, in the interest of getting Colt McCoy or Sam Bradford, Mangini should start third-stringer Brett Ratliff. Remember how Marlon Brando's character in On The Waterfront regretted taking dives? Well, taking dives might be the only way for the Browns to eventually become a contendaaa.
You have to feel for Brady Quinn. He gets drafted 10 spots lower than expected, has to sit and watch a nobody put together a Pro-Bowl season, then when finally he gets his shot, he's got Five-Hour-drops Edwards and a tight end as mentally stable as Britney Spears. Then he gets hurt. Now he's forced to battle for the prize of leading a team predicted to win two games led by a coach who seems to thinks he's a Jedi.... Maybe Quinn should have joined his Notre Dame pal Jeff Samardzija and played baseball.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
'Roid Rumors Must Go
When we talk about major league candidates for performance enhanced cheating, we have pretty set criteria. We profile a cheater. We put on our George Mitchell hats, pull up stat sheets and start investigating, looking for a glitch, blip or bump in the numbers. Compare age to production. Compare rookie height and weight to current. And if we are really good, we eyeball hat size from our recliner. You can see, our investigations are thorough. And when finished, we work diligently to prove to everyone we know that so-and-so is “a user” or “on the list.”
Some easy examples of how our Woodward-and-Bernstein-like digging illustrate: Barry Bonds goes from hitting 34 home runs at age 34 to hitting 73 at 36. Roger Clemens had an earned run average of 4.60 at age 36, at age 42 it was 1.87. Red flag! The user begins to slip on production, then has a wild resurgence defying nature. Gotcha cheater.
That being said, there is a current ballplayer who fits the profile and should be - but isn’t being - vehemently accused of being a cheater. That player is Derek Jeter. Derek Sanderson Cheater. The Syringe Captain. What? I can’t accuse Derek Jeter of being a steroid user? Why not? Look at the numbers: age 35, batting average .334 home runs 17 slugging percentage .482 stolen bases 23. In 2009, his average is at it’s highest point since ‘06, home runs highest since ‘05, slugging highest since ‘06 and steals highest since ‘06.
For the Yankee lead-off juicer, pop outs are now home runs, ground outs are worm-burners and each steal leaves a trail of smoke on the base paths. Could this explosion by an elder be because of health? No. Could it be hard work, perseverance? No. Steroids, that’s it.
OK, accusing Derek Jeter of using steroids sounds completely ridiculous -and it is, but his 2009 performance doesn’t match a normal statistical curve. Funny thing is Albert Pujols’s, thus far, does. Yet every time Fat Al hits a home run, somebody whispers or tweets or blogs that Pujols is juicing. The chant continued in the last week’s Sports Illustrated where Pujols’s name was dropped in comparison to what Usain Bolt should expect as far as ‘roid questioning. The “Pujols on steroids” mantra keeps coming up no matter how far Albert goes to make clear he’s clean. He even said he’d give back every dime to St. Louis if he ever tested positive.
Pujols is 29-years old. Isn’t 29 about the prime of every pro-athlete’s career? So far, things are going according to nature, he’s hit 42 home runs and is batting .320. Career highs are 49 and .359 in those categories. With less than a month to go, Pujols is 31 home runs behind Bonds’ record. He’s 80 percentage points from .400 and a good 70-plus RBI from Hack Wilson. His numbers are human, the only thing that is super-human is his consistency.
But, perhaps the most consistent player ever Hank Aaron put up similar numbers averaging 37 home runs and 113 RBI per 162 games over 20-plus years. Hammering Hank suffered through constant racism, Pujols will always be barraged with ‘roid rumors.
We’ve gotten to the point where we’re condemning anyone and everyone for the actions of a few. It’s the sports equivalent of putting the Japanese in internment camps or dubbing every Middle Eastern person a terrorist. Of course, he isn’t the only victim of accusation - Raul Ibanez was hit with rumors after a hot first half, but Pujols is on the wrong end of more digs than Osama Bin Laden.
At this point, Pujols is the victim of high school antics. He’s like the innocent cheerleader that all the other girls say sleeps around. Because there’s so much good to say about him (he even won the Roberto Clemente award) some seem to need that “yeah, but.” Yeah, I know she can do a triple back flip and stick the landing. I know she raises money for sick puppies, but, did you know she’s a slut?
I understand the hearts of baseball fans have been broken time and time again, Big Papi's news may have hurt the most (because regardless of those going "I knew it! I knew it! You didn't, shut up) and I get that it becomes a fool-me-once type of situation, but if anyone can heal the wounds, it's Albert Pujols. The man looks into the camera and says, "I respect the game too much to cheat." He doesn't smerk like A-rod. He doesn't scream like Bonds. He stares at us as if even the thought of cheating makes him physically ill. Hearing Pujols speak could make Joseph Stalin feel guilty for thinking anything negative.
The reality is that until any evidence surfaces, we must assume innocence because, well, what else can we do? Unfounded accusations get you as far in journalism as fantasy football does toward being a tailback. Thing is, even John Dowd can’t go into the clubhouse, trainers room or follow players home. We have the choice between marveling at Pujols the way people did at Aaron or being cynical. Call me naïve, but for now, I’m choosing a state of awe.
Some easy examples of how our Woodward-and-Bernstein-like digging illustrate: Barry Bonds goes from hitting 34 home runs at age 34 to hitting 73 at 36. Roger Clemens had an earned run average of 4.60 at age 36, at age 42 it was 1.87. Red flag! The user begins to slip on production, then has a wild resurgence defying nature. Gotcha cheater.
That being said, there is a current ballplayer who fits the profile and should be - but isn’t being - vehemently accused of being a cheater. That player is Derek Jeter. Derek Sanderson Cheater. The Syringe Captain. What? I can’t accuse Derek Jeter of being a steroid user? Why not? Look at the numbers: age 35, batting average .334 home runs 17 slugging percentage .482 stolen bases 23. In 2009, his average is at it’s highest point since ‘06, home runs highest since ‘05, slugging highest since ‘06 and steals highest since ‘06.
For the Yankee lead-off juicer, pop outs are now home runs, ground outs are worm-burners and each steal leaves a trail of smoke on the base paths. Could this explosion by an elder be because of health? No. Could it be hard work, perseverance? No. Steroids, that’s it.
OK, accusing Derek Jeter of using steroids sounds completely ridiculous -and it is, but his 2009 performance doesn’t match a normal statistical curve. Funny thing is Albert Pujols’s, thus far, does. Yet every time Fat Al hits a home run, somebody whispers or tweets or blogs that Pujols is juicing. The chant continued in the last week’s Sports Illustrated where Pujols’s name was dropped in comparison to what Usain Bolt should expect as far as ‘roid questioning. The “Pujols on steroids” mantra keeps coming up no matter how far Albert goes to make clear he’s clean. He even said he’d give back every dime to St. Louis if he ever tested positive.
Pujols is 29-years old. Isn’t 29 about the prime of every pro-athlete’s career? So far, things are going according to nature, he’s hit 42 home runs and is batting .320. Career highs are 49 and .359 in those categories. With less than a month to go, Pujols is 31 home runs behind Bonds’ record. He’s 80 percentage points from .400 and a good 70-plus RBI from Hack Wilson. His numbers are human, the only thing that is super-human is his consistency.
But, perhaps the most consistent player ever Hank Aaron put up similar numbers averaging 37 home runs and 113 RBI per 162 games over 20-plus years. Hammering Hank suffered through constant racism, Pujols will always be barraged with ‘roid rumors.
We’ve gotten to the point where we’re condemning anyone and everyone for the actions of a few. It’s the sports equivalent of putting the Japanese in internment camps or dubbing every Middle Eastern person a terrorist. Of course, he isn’t the only victim of accusation - Raul Ibanez was hit with rumors after a hot first half, but Pujols is on the wrong end of more digs than Osama Bin Laden.
At this point, Pujols is the victim of high school antics. He’s like the innocent cheerleader that all the other girls say sleeps around. Because there’s so much good to say about him (he even won the Roberto Clemente award) some seem to need that “yeah, but.” Yeah, I know she can do a triple back flip and stick the landing. I know she raises money for sick puppies, but, did you know she’s a slut?
I understand the hearts of baseball fans have been broken time and time again, Big Papi's news may have hurt the most (because regardless of those going "I knew it! I knew it! You didn't, shut up) and I get that it becomes a fool-me-once type of situation, but if anyone can heal the wounds, it's Albert Pujols. The man looks into the camera and says, "I respect the game too much to cheat." He doesn't smerk like A-rod. He doesn't scream like Bonds. He stares at us as if even the thought of cheating makes him physically ill. Hearing Pujols speak could make Joseph Stalin feel guilty for thinking anything negative.
The reality is that until any evidence surfaces, we must assume innocence because, well, what else can we do? Unfounded accusations get you as far in journalism as fantasy football does toward being a tailback. Thing is, even John Dowd can’t go into the clubhouse, trainers room or follow players home. We have the choice between marveling at Pujols the way people did at Aaron or being cynical. Call me naïve, but for now, I’m choosing a state of awe.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Nice guys finish last, huh Plax
Watching Plaxico Burress's ESPN interview was pretty tough, you know, I mean, you know what I'm sayin, you know? Sorry. He ended by saying (minus the you know's) "I'm human, I'm not an animal." True, and some are feeling the heart-string-tug, but when it comes to compassion Plax, I'm all out. Put it this way:
I'm not a bad person. I always put my cart back at the grocery store to make it easier on the workers. I don't park in handicap spots or fire lanes. If I find $20 on the ground, I look around for it's owner for a reasonable amount of time before pocketing it. And, if someone is coming toward my elevator, I hold it for them regardless of age, race, scent or gerth. You see, I'm not a bad person.
But, the other day I got a parking ticket. It was stupid of me, really. The meter clearly read "one hour parking" yet I tried to get away with two. Nailed! And because I broke the law, the fine was promptly paid and my debt to society erased. So, if I - a generally good guy - have to pay for breaking rules which maintain order, then why are so many people crying about Plaxico Burress getting two years in prison for carrying an illegal weapon?
My car blocked the parking space. Plax shot himself. Feeling bad about blocking the space isn't enough punishment and neither is Plex's flesh wound. I might have inconvienced someone, Plax might have killed someone. Sure the punishment seems harsh (that's why Tony Soprano lives in New Jersey) heck, I thought the $75 fine for the extra hour was like being hit with an anvil for tapping the glass at the pet store.
However, if there's a law that says I should get my brains bashed in for disturbing the fish, then maybe I won't bother them. Just like if New York City has notoriously tough gun laws, maybe I don't stuff one in my jeans before heading to da' club. Though I suppose that's touching on Burress stupidity, which stands out like a pair of zuba pants. How does anyone believe being a friendly-faced rock brain is a reason to receive a pardon?
Nobody pardoned Dante Stallworth and I'm sure he's swell. Stallworth's crime was without malice, too. All Dante wanted to do was get hammered, not hammer an innocent man with his vehicle. Drunk driving isn't that much different from bringing a loaded gun in public yet outcry for Stallworth's release is non-existant. Stallworth didn't get an exclusive ESPN interview.
If one of Vick's dogs bit him in the leg ending his season, would we say that was punishment enough? How about if Tonya Harding swung, missed and took out her own knee? Really, who else were Straw and Howe hurting other than themselves by blowing coke? I guess every pro-athlete should be pardoned as long as they are "good people" and only hurt themselves.
I'm per-Plaxed. Houston Chronicle columnist Jerome Solomon said he felt sorry for Plax. "I hear those of you that say, 'What if he had accidentally shot somebody else?' Well, we can't go on the what-ifs, only on what happened." Really? Aren't all laws based on what-ifs? If I drive 95 in a 30, there's a fair chance I don't kill anyone, but the law says driving that fast severely increases the chance I will. The law assumes the question: "what if someone is backing out or a child is chasing after a ball?" Just like carrying a loaded gun increases the chance of killing someone and presumably asks "what if it went off in the direction of a crowd?"
Solomon also said if Plax shot himself in Texas, we'd all be laughing not locking him up. No doubt, and if I hit golf balls on the moon, I'd outdrive Tiger Woods every time. Or better put, if I dropped my gum on the street in Japan, I'd be in the slammer for longer than Plax. Knowing this, I'd eat Mentos.
Plax is not an animal. He's a felon. You may think the law is stupid, you may think he's a good guy (though I've noticed no one has questioned Plax leaving his pregnant wife and son at home while he's clubbing) bottom line is he broke the law and there is no reason to demand his release or even feel sorry for anyone but his wife and son. Come see us again in two years, Plax.
I'm not a bad person. I always put my cart back at the grocery store to make it easier on the workers. I don't park in handicap spots or fire lanes. If I find $20 on the ground, I look around for it's owner for a reasonable amount of time before pocketing it. And, if someone is coming toward my elevator, I hold it for them regardless of age, race, scent or gerth. You see, I'm not a bad person.
But, the other day I got a parking ticket. It was stupid of me, really. The meter clearly read "one hour parking" yet I tried to get away with two. Nailed! And because I broke the law, the fine was promptly paid and my debt to society erased. So, if I - a generally good guy - have to pay for breaking rules which maintain order, then why are so many people crying about Plaxico Burress getting two years in prison for carrying an illegal weapon?
My car blocked the parking space. Plax shot himself. Feeling bad about blocking the space isn't enough punishment and neither is Plex's flesh wound. I might have inconvienced someone, Plax might have killed someone. Sure the punishment seems harsh (that's why Tony Soprano lives in New Jersey) heck, I thought the $75 fine for the extra hour was like being hit with an anvil for tapping the glass at the pet store.
However, if there's a law that says I should get my brains bashed in for disturbing the fish, then maybe I won't bother them. Just like if New York City has notoriously tough gun laws, maybe I don't stuff one in my jeans before heading to da' club. Though I suppose that's touching on Burress stupidity, which stands out like a pair of zuba pants. How does anyone believe being a friendly-faced rock brain is a reason to receive a pardon?
Nobody pardoned Dante Stallworth and I'm sure he's swell. Stallworth's crime was without malice, too. All Dante wanted to do was get hammered, not hammer an innocent man with his vehicle. Drunk driving isn't that much different from bringing a loaded gun in public yet outcry for Stallworth's release is non-existant. Stallworth didn't get an exclusive ESPN interview.
If one of Vick's dogs bit him in the leg ending his season, would we say that was punishment enough? How about if Tonya Harding swung, missed and took out her own knee? Really, who else were Straw and Howe hurting other than themselves by blowing coke? I guess every pro-athlete should be pardoned as long as they are "good people" and only hurt themselves.
I'm per-Plaxed. Houston Chronicle columnist Jerome Solomon said he felt sorry for Plax. "I hear those of you that say, 'What if he had accidentally shot somebody else?' Well, we can't go on the what-ifs, only on what happened." Really? Aren't all laws based on what-ifs? If I drive 95 in a 30, there's a fair chance I don't kill anyone, but the law says driving that fast severely increases the chance I will. The law assumes the question: "what if someone is backing out or a child is chasing after a ball?" Just like carrying a loaded gun increases the chance of killing someone and presumably asks "what if it went off in the direction of a crowd?"
Solomon also said if Plax shot himself in Texas, we'd all be laughing not locking him up. No doubt, and if I hit golf balls on the moon, I'd outdrive Tiger Woods every time. Or better put, if I dropped my gum on the street in Japan, I'd be in the slammer for longer than Plax. Knowing this, I'd eat Mentos.
Plax is not an animal. He's a felon. You may think the law is stupid, you may think he's a good guy (though I've noticed no one has questioned Plax leaving his pregnant wife and son at home while he's clubbing) bottom line is he broke the law and there is no reason to demand his release or even feel sorry for anyone but his wife and son. Come see us again in two years, Plax.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Say It Ain't So Papi
The endless obsession with roids is back. A list of players testing positive for PED dropped David Ortiz’s name along with Manny Ramirez’s. Ramirez is coming back from a 50 game suspension so this call didn’t prompt the same outcry as Ortiz.
Looking at twitter feeds and facebook status updates, a lot of people, particularly in the Rochester area are in a joyous cheer for the announcement. The calls were filled with Pro-Yankee attitude:
“Manny and Papi, looks like someone has two tainted rings!!!”
“Ha, I knew it, how could Ortiz go from a nobody in Minn and then become a power hitter in Boston”
Home bias aside, this is just a sad sight for baseball. This game is at its peak as each season this century we have been treated to a wide open game, free of dynasties and boring games. Many young big names are entering The Show and new heroes are developing. The mere mention of Mark Buehrle’s perfect game showcases that. Two teams (Boston and Chicago) breaking painful championship droughts have reenergized the greatest game. But we see this world where people are excited to see new big names be dropped as “dopers”.
It’s sad because children watch baseball games, collect baseball cards and ask parents for jerseys of their heroes. Then to have these heroes torn down, ironically as many youngsters grew up admiring players such as Pete Rose and Mickey Mantle, two men who were far from perfect humans.
One of the greatest things about covering a college summer baseball team is the ability to get inside the game and ask current players, some with the possibility to be drafted their thoughts.
Yesterday as the Geneva Red Wings were looking for win to clinch a playoff spot, I asked players about the steroid issue and Ortiz’s dilemma.
One player, an infielder, said that the need to drop big names in the game is horrible. “It’s so hard to understand the situation a player is in,” said the infielder. “Some of these guys come from Puerto Rico with nothing and the ability to make a million dollars here and send it home. A million in these countries is double its worth here.”
Even the use of steroids is not out of the question if you think of it hypothetically. If you were a minor leaguer and you just needed a little push and one of it was steroids, would you take it? The responses are amazing.
A relief pitcher said, “If I was losing something on my fastball or I needed something for my change, I would take it if I didn’t get caught.”
“You can take the stuff but you still have to hit the ball!” Barked one outfielder, who has hit some homers this season.
That’s one thing overlooked by most people. Baseball is an extremely hard game to be great at. The game has not seen a .400 hitter in over sixty years. The best hitters hover around a .300 average lifetime. It’s great to have a 20 game hitting streak, it’s amazing at 30 games and anything beyond that is unreal. Home run hitters have only hit the dinger in 8 straight games and that’s a very lucky few.
A first baseman for the Red Wings takes cuts off a tee, and then takes batting practice after games and every day at 10:00 in the morning. He’s only had thirty at bats and no home runs. Not to sell this player short but even if he took steroids, would he still be able to hit bombs without the extra cuts he takes everyday?
When you talk to some journalists, especially sports writers, one thing to ask them is, “did you play baseball growing up?” After they answer that question yes or no, and if they say yes, ask them, “how far did you get?” Chances are most of them never played past little league.
See some sports writers become amazing at writing and with words because they were awful athletes growing up. They either had no skill, no ambition to practice for hours on end or were not well liked. As soon as they were done with the game, they develop this, “if I can’t play then I’ll write and write MY WAY! If you have a problem with that tough!” I knew guys like this in college. These guys are always biting and short on players’ reasons for failure in their articles and columns.
That’s when there is a new confession from Jose Canseco or the Mitchell Report (the biggest waste of time and tax payer money) comes out these writers are dying to get their two cents. These guys take their failure as a child and poor relations with someone and make it personal like sharks in the water. They smell blood so they know its dinnertime.
As a fan of baseball, that’s the only bias I will give, it pains me to see this desire to find out who is on steroids. The public wants to know so badly. They feel they “need” to know, like it’s a fourth estate issue. Professional baseball players are in the business of the game. The more home runs they hit or the more wins they tally the more money they are paid. It’s simple as that.
I wanted to be a sports journalist for one reason, I love the game. I love them all, no matter what the sport. One of man’s greatest achievements was the four minute mile. The human body is an amazing thing and its ability to throw 100 MPH or leap up a ten foot wall or steal 100 bases is a thing of beauty. We need to move past the steroids. It’s something the league has dealt with. These players were using it before it was banned. Let bygones be bygones and let Ortiz, Manny, Barry, Roger and A-Rod go.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Looking at twitter feeds and facebook status updates, a lot of people, particularly in the Rochester area are in a joyous cheer for the announcement. The calls were filled with Pro-Yankee attitude:
“Manny and Papi, looks like someone has two tainted rings!!!”
“Ha, I knew it, how could Ortiz go from a nobody in Minn and then become a power hitter in Boston”
Home bias aside, this is just a sad sight for baseball. This game is at its peak as each season this century we have been treated to a wide open game, free of dynasties and boring games. Many young big names are entering The Show and new heroes are developing. The mere mention of Mark Buehrle’s perfect game showcases that. Two teams (Boston and Chicago) breaking painful championship droughts have reenergized the greatest game. But we see this world where people are excited to see new big names be dropped as “dopers”.
It’s sad because children watch baseball games, collect baseball cards and ask parents for jerseys of their heroes. Then to have these heroes torn down, ironically as many youngsters grew up admiring players such as Pete Rose and Mickey Mantle, two men who were far from perfect humans.
One of the greatest things about covering a college summer baseball team is the ability to get inside the game and ask current players, some with the possibility to be drafted their thoughts.
Yesterday as the Geneva Red Wings were looking for win to clinch a playoff spot, I asked players about the steroid issue and Ortiz’s dilemma.
One player, an infielder, said that the need to drop big names in the game is horrible. “It’s so hard to understand the situation a player is in,” said the infielder. “Some of these guys come from Puerto Rico with nothing and the ability to make a million dollars here and send it home. A million in these countries is double its worth here.”
Even the use of steroids is not out of the question if you think of it hypothetically. If you were a minor leaguer and you just needed a little push and one of it was steroids, would you take it? The responses are amazing.
A relief pitcher said, “If I was losing something on my fastball or I needed something for my change, I would take it if I didn’t get caught.”
“You can take the stuff but you still have to hit the ball!” Barked one outfielder, who has hit some homers this season.
That’s one thing overlooked by most people. Baseball is an extremely hard game to be great at. The game has not seen a .400 hitter in over sixty years. The best hitters hover around a .300 average lifetime. It’s great to have a 20 game hitting streak, it’s amazing at 30 games and anything beyond that is unreal. Home run hitters have only hit the dinger in 8 straight games and that’s a very lucky few.
A first baseman for the Red Wings takes cuts off a tee, and then takes batting practice after games and every day at 10:00 in the morning. He’s only had thirty at bats and no home runs. Not to sell this player short but even if he took steroids, would he still be able to hit bombs without the extra cuts he takes everyday?
When you talk to some journalists, especially sports writers, one thing to ask them is, “did you play baseball growing up?” After they answer that question yes or no, and if they say yes, ask them, “how far did you get?” Chances are most of them never played past little league.
See some sports writers become amazing at writing and with words because they were awful athletes growing up. They either had no skill, no ambition to practice for hours on end or were not well liked. As soon as they were done with the game, they develop this, “if I can’t play then I’ll write and write MY WAY! If you have a problem with that tough!” I knew guys like this in college. These guys are always biting and short on players’ reasons for failure in their articles and columns.
That’s when there is a new confession from Jose Canseco or the Mitchell Report (the biggest waste of time and tax payer money) comes out these writers are dying to get their two cents. These guys take their failure as a child and poor relations with someone and make it personal like sharks in the water. They smell blood so they know its dinnertime.
As a fan of baseball, that’s the only bias I will give, it pains me to see this desire to find out who is on steroids. The public wants to know so badly. They feel they “need” to know, like it’s a fourth estate issue. Professional baseball players are in the business of the game. The more home runs they hit or the more wins they tally the more money they are paid. It’s simple as that.
I wanted to be a sports journalist for one reason, I love the game. I love them all, no matter what the sport. One of man’s greatest achievements was the four minute mile. The human body is an amazing thing and its ability to throw 100 MPH or leap up a ten foot wall or steal 100 bases is a thing of beauty. We need to move past the steroids. It’s something the league has dealt with. These players were using it before it was banned. Let bygones be bygones and let Ortiz, Manny, Barry, Roger and A-Rod go.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
A Tale of Two Quarterbacks
It was the worst of times. That’s just sugar coating this. The NFL is asking two big questions:
Will Brett Favre sign with Minnesota Vikings?
- OR -
Will any NFL Team sign Michael Vick?
While that sounds like a Choose Your Own Adventure page jump, it’s just one never ending discussion piece before the 2009 season. Let’s break it down.
Brett Favre has an issue with letting go of being a professional football player. Retirement is not in his DNA, I guess. So after calling the bluff of Green Bay and them saying, yeah we’re good with Aaron Rodgers, he takes the circus to New York. There he gets a coach fired and a team divided, not too mention getting his team eliminated from the post season. Now he wants to take the Rolling Stones… er…. I mean the Brett Favre Farewell Tour with Jethro Tull to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
After serving his time in Federal Prison, Michael Vick has to serve his remorse requirement, which is an issue I have already taken up here, to get back into a league where some teams have strictly said no to a rehabbed QB. His passing ability was weak but his dynamic playmaking put asses in the seats and sold a ton of NFL jerseys. Though should a team give him a chance in camp?
For Favre it’s this non-stop will he or won’t he. For those new to football they did this for several seasons on Cheers with first Shelly Long then Kirstie Alley. The final count was no, Sam never married them.
Back in 2003, I remember Steve Yzerman talking about retirement as The Hockey News talked about his dropping point totals. Yzerman, a very strong, leadership based player said, that he didn’t want to stop playing hockey until he released it all from his system. He hung around past the lockout for another season until finally hanging up the ax.
Favre suffered from a strong start to a let down season. He posted a great final season with Green Bay where I would not be surprised if he didn’t want to leave on the note that an interception he threw in the Playoffs ended his career. At this rate though his career will end like many ballplayers, with a traveling road show of un-important games that people will have overshadowed by his inability to let go. Of course Elway did it best by retiring after his second Super Bowl win.
Now he is looking to sign with Minnesota to keep up this sideshow. People will show up, but how many to actually see football rather than a 40 yr old man trying to play with guys old enough to be his kids?
I am starting to feel for Michael Vick. He has paid his time and got the stiffest sentence for any high profile athlete. Post Jack Johnson of course, but there’s no Jim Crow racist in this case. All the animal rights activists, who I doubt watch the sport that refers to its ball as a pigskin, are calling for Vick’s banishment from the league. Being banned from football for an off the field offense of dog fighting is ludicrous. Others have been brought up on murder charges and received not even a suspension. Not to take away from dogs, but humans being killed is not a minor misdemeanor here.
Take into account that Michael Vick, the man and the property is ruined. He has lost everything from his house to his ability to sell jerseys and autographs. This man is in bankruptcy court and all he wants is a chance. Is this not America? We applauded when Doc Gooden, a long time drug user who had a problem, threw a no-hitter. People still claim that Pete Rose is a saint even though he was a known gambler and horrible to his own family (consult Hustle by Michael Sokolove). But yet we can’t let Michael Vick back in the league?
If I were a team, why not sign Michael Vick? Have you seen the starting quarterbacks in the NFL these days? They are awful. Kerry Collins and Kurt Warner had “good” seasons!
It’s a double edge sword here. When do you start shutting down the one guy trying to keep father time from pushing him off the field? At the same time, why are we trying to deny a man, paid all debts to society, a second chance? We let a President cheat on his wife and call him a great man but a guy who start a dog fighting league a horrible man? Let’s remember that to err is to human and to keep Vick out of the NFL is to be someone holding a grudge.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Will Brett Favre sign with Minnesota Vikings?
- OR -
Will any NFL Team sign Michael Vick?
While that sounds like a Choose Your Own Adventure page jump, it’s just one never ending discussion piece before the 2009 season. Let’s break it down.
Brett Favre has an issue with letting go of being a professional football player. Retirement is not in his DNA, I guess. So after calling the bluff of Green Bay and them saying, yeah we’re good with Aaron Rodgers, he takes the circus to New York. There he gets a coach fired and a team divided, not too mention getting his team eliminated from the post season. Now he wants to take the Rolling Stones… er…. I mean the Brett Favre Farewell Tour with Jethro Tull to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
After serving his time in Federal Prison, Michael Vick has to serve his remorse requirement, which is an issue I have already taken up here, to get back into a league where some teams have strictly said no to a rehabbed QB. His passing ability was weak but his dynamic playmaking put asses in the seats and sold a ton of NFL jerseys. Though should a team give him a chance in camp?
For Favre it’s this non-stop will he or won’t he. For those new to football they did this for several seasons on Cheers with first Shelly Long then Kirstie Alley. The final count was no, Sam never married them.
Back in 2003, I remember Steve Yzerman talking about retirement as The Hockey News talked about his dropping point totals. Yzerman, a very strong, leadership based player said, that he didn’t want to stop playing hockey until he released it all from his system. He hung around past the lockout for another season until finally hanging up the ax.
Favre suffered from a strong start to a let down season. He posted a great final season with Green Bay where I would not be surprised if he didn’t want to leave on the note that an interception he threw in the Playoffs ended his career. At this rate though his career will end like many ballplayers, with a traveling road show of un-important games that people will have overshadowed by his inability to let go. Of course Elway did it best by retiring after his second Super Bowl win.
Now he is looking to sign with Minnesota to keep up this sideshow. People will show up, but how many to actually see football rather than a 40 yr old man trying to play with guys old enough to be his kids?
I am starting to feel for Michael Vick. He has paid his time and got the stiffest sentence for any high profile athlete. Post Jack Johnson of course, but there’s no Jim Crow racist in this case. All the animal rights activists, who I doubt watch the sport that refers to its ball as a pigskin, are calling for Vick’s banishment from the league. Being banned from football for an off the field offense of dog fighting is ludicrous. Others have been brought up on murder charges and received not even a suspension. Not to take away from dogs, but humans being killed is not a minor misdemeanor here.
Take into account that Michael Vick, the man and the property is ruined. He has lost everything from his house to his ability to sell jerseys and autographs. This man is in bankruptcy court and all he wants is a chance. Is this not America? We applauded when Doc Gooden, a long time drug user who had a problem, threw a no-hitter. People still claim that Pete Rose is a saint even though he was a known gambler and horrible to his own family (consult Hustle by Michael Sokolove). But yet we can’t let Michael Vick back in the league?
If I were a team, why not sign Michael Vick? Have you seen the starting quarterbacks in the NFL these days? They are awful. Kerry Collins and Kurt Warner had “good” seasons!
It’s a double edge sword here. When do you start shutting down the one guy trying to keep father time from pushing him off the field? At the same time, why are we trying to deny a man, paid all debts to society, a second chance? We let a President cheat on his wife and call him a great man but a guy who start a dog fighting league a horrible man? Let’s remember that to err is to human and to keep Vick out of the NFL is to be someone holding a grudge.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
America's Real Team
For the past thirty years the Dallas Cowboys have been tagged America’s team. At one point in the 90’s the Atlanta Braves picked up that moniker. The Yankees have always been a symbol of American sports.
I’m here to tell you that none of these teams can be called America’s Team. They just can’t. There has to be someone though, right? There is, but just not the Cowboys, the Braves or Yankees.
The Dallas Cowboys were great in the 1970’s, were awful in the 1980’s and had glimpses of power in the 1990’s. Now, they are merely a team more notable for their playoff departures, criminal record free agents and pop star romances. On field, they lack the consistent victories and championships to show for it.
The Braves cannot keep the title after failing to make the playoffs for a few years. The pitching staffs of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz have given away due to free agency and retirement.
Even the “greatest franchise in the history of sports”, the New York Yankees, have no business in being classified America’s Team. For as many fans who don the interlocking NY hat, there are about ten others who despise the team. A nation of fans always harp on their greed and desire to be know as the best, despite not winning a championship since 2000. The Steroids Era has unearthed many of their top talents and combined with an ownership group that reeks of all that foreigners detest about America, tops it off.
The United States of America is changing. Changing in a more subtle way than what our parents did in the 1960’s. There are no draft card burnings or wearing paisley suits to weddings on a beach in California. We’re an expressive nation now. We wear what we feel and promote individualism.
The Yankees return to a 1950’s, play it by the book and by the company letterhead style. Players from the A’s shave off their beards and cut their hair into a buzz cut. When the Yanks take the field, they wear corporate pin stripes which seem more like a suit rather than the summer flannels. Before you know it, Derek Jeter will hand out business cards with an extension to be reach and they will have corporate outings which is Nantucket dress and if Nick Swisher is not wearing light blue flat front khakis from Vineyard Vines, then he will be traded to Boston or “some other” team that would tolerate that non sense.
Simply put the team is not fun. Watching a game on YES is like watching C-SPAN for three hours. All these mission statements and focus on the past traditions of a team that is losing its strength in the league, despite following the real American Team in the AL East.
I said it, Boston is America’s Team. Blue and White is too corporate. Throw some red in their and you have life. Sew a Captain’s C on the catcher and you have an identity. Derek “The Captain” Jeter reads off personal statements from management. When Varitek speaks it’s coming from his mouth. Youkilis can go bald and no one asks him to grow out a hair style or chop off the goatee. There is a reason this team has won two World Series this decade… THEY ARE LOOSE! This is what America is. The Red Sox express themselves and that includes the manager, Terry Francona. Francona in interviews is free flowing and does things his way. Girardi went from being that guy who was leading a Marlins team his way to running a 25 man daycare in New York. The Bronx Zoo just got themselves a new janitor.
When the Red Sox upset the Yankees in 2004, it was because the team filled with Manny’s, Pedro’s and Papi’s took it one day at a time. They had nothing to lose but the next game. The Yankees had to play in the name of tradition and honor of the “beloved pinstripes”.
The main components were there in 2007, trailing the Indians. The Red Sox were loose, letting their hair flow and their reliever doing Riverdance. They took a young, anxious Cleveland team to seven games and then just dissected them.
America loves the underdog. We beat the British, made a constitution and gave Rocky the Oscar! The Red Sox are the underdog. They were drowned by a Curse, by a city of over analytical sportswriters and not too mention so many bad pitching staffs in the 1990’s. They rose up and beat it, and they will keep beating it.
The verdict is out and the decision is this; the Boston Red Sox are America’s Team. You try winning the World Series after having to comeback from a 3-0 or 3-1 deficit.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
I’m here to tell you that none of these teams can be called America’s Team. They just can’t. There has to be someone though, right? There is, but just not the Cowboys, the Braves or Yankees.
The Dallas Cowboys were great in the 1970’s, were awful in the 1980’s and had glimpses of power in the 1990’s. Now, they are merely a team more notable for their playoff departures, criminal record free agents and pop star romances. On field, they lack the consistent victories and championships to show for it.
The Braves cannot keep the title after failing to make the playoffs for a few years. The pitching staffs of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz have given away due to free agency and retirement.
Even the “greatest franchise in the history of sports”, the New York Yankees, have no business in being classified America’s Team. For as many fans who don the interlocking NY hat, there are about ten others who despise the team. A nation of fans always harp on their greed and desire to be know as the best, despite not winning a championship since 2000. The Steroids Era has unearthed many of their top talents and combined with an ownership group that reeks of all that foreigners detest about America, tops it off.
The United States of America is changing. Changing in a more subtle way than what our parents did in the 1960’s. There are no draft card burnings or wearing paisley suits to weddings on a beach in California. We’re an expressive nation now. We wear what we feel and promote individualism.
The Yankees return to a 1950’s, play it by the book and by the company letterhead style. Players from the A’s shave off their beards and cut their hair into a buzz cut. When the Yanks take the field, they wear corporate pin stripes which seem more like a suit rather than the summer flannels. Before you know it, Derek Jeter will hand out business cards with an extension to be reach and they will have corporate outings which is Nantucket dress and if Nick Swisher is not wearing light blue flat front khakis from Vineyard Vines, then he will be traded to Boston or “some other” team that would tolerate that non sense.
Simply put the team is not fun. Watching a game on YES is like watching C-SPAN for three hours. All these mission statements and focus on the past traditions of a team that is losing its strength in the league, despite following the real American Team in the AL East.
I said it, Boston is America’s Team. Blue and White is too corporate. Throw some red in their and you have life. Sew a Captain’s C on the catcher and you have an identity. Derek “The Captain” Jeter reads off personal statements from management. When Varitek speaks it’s coming from his mouth. Youkilis can go bald and no one asks him to grow out a hair style or chop off the goatee. There is a reason this team has won two World Series this decade… THEY ARE LOOSE! This is what America is. The Red Sox express themselves and that includes the manager, Terry Francona. Francona in interviews is free flowing and does things his way. Girardi went from being that guy who was leading a Marlins team his way to running a 25 man daycare in New York. The Bronx Zoo just got themselves a new janitor.
When the Red Sox upset the Yankees in 2004, it was because the team filled with Manny’s, Pedro’s and Papi’s took it one day at a time. They had nothing to lose but the next game. The Yankees had to play in the name of tradition and honor of the “beloved pinstripes”.
The main components were there in 2007, trailing the Indians. The Red Sox were loose, letting their hair flow and their reliever doing Riverdance. They took a young, anxious Cleveland team to seven games and then just dissected them.
America loves the underdog. We beat the British, made a constitution and gave Rocky the Oscar! The Red Sox are the underdog. They were drowned by a Curse, by a city of over analytical sportswriters and not too mention so many bad pitching staffs in the 1990’s. They rose up and beat it, and they will keep beating it.
The verdict is out and the decision is this; the Boston Red Sox are America’s Team. You try winning the World Series after having to comeback from a 3-0 or 3-1 deficit.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Steve McNair shot and killed
While the NFL contemplates the future for players such as Donte Stallworth and Plaxico Burress, both of whom have drawn criticism from many sports writers as the problem with the modern athlete, it's troubling to see a story about Steve McNair. The former Titans quarterback was gunned down in Nashville today, leaving behind a strong work ethic that teammates cherished and an attitude towards winning.
It seems as this sad incident might escalate in it's dourness as he was killed with a woman who was not his wife. While I'm not trying to say it would have been better if he was killed with his wife, I hope it doesn't bring up a more sketchy situation. At the time of this posting the police have not found any solid evidence explaining the whole situation.
This incident brings up the point of how in sports, athletes live two lives. The first life is the glory and the story of their play on the field. It is the winning drives, the highlight reel plays and the appearance of the championship athlete they are. The second life is sometimes filled with a dark secret and intrigue and things most fans never want to see.
Plaxico Burress was one of the Giants most important play makers on their Super Bowl winning team. Off the field, we saw a man who shows up to night clubs with a loaded gun hanging from his sweatpants.
Pete Rose, as one of the most famous cases, was known as the greatest competitor and one of baseballs greatest players. Rose played nearly every position, played like it was his last game and played to win. Rose however, is a very dark and noted by people in the book, Hustle, as a very slimy and untrustworthy man. He insulted his daughter for not being beautiful, he hung out with gamblers and people who sold steroids and worst thing was he bet on sports, including baseball. As many hoped the "rumors" weren't true, they were and people finally got to see the true Peter Edward Rose. Granted while people still think he is worthy of induction into Cooperstown, the baseball fans can feel betrayed by his years of denying what was the truth.
It brings us back to the main point of the story and what police are going to look into on the case of Steve McNair. Why was he killed?
The man was idolized by an entire community and by teammates.
"If you were going to draw a football player, the physical part, the mental part, everything about being a professional, he is your guy," former Ravens and Titans teammate Samari Rolle said. "I can't even wrap my arms around it. It is a sad, sad day. The world lost a great man today."
For a man who still owns the record for most passing yards and total offense for a I-AA school, the man named Air McNair had gained everything since then. He was a four time Pro Bowl player, not to mention coming within a yard of sending the Super Bowl to overtime. He did all of this while playing through tremendous pain from injuries scattered throughout his career.
"On the field, there isn't player that was as tough as him, especially at the quarterback position," the Ravens' Derrick Mason said. "What I have seen him play through on the field, and what he dealt with during the week to get ready for a game, I have never known a better teammate."
You hate to see that happen to anyone, especially for people my age, since we grew up watching guys like McNair play. I remember watching that Super Bowl, just willing Dyson had the extra yard. Then I remember the Titans lost to the eventual champions, the Ravens the next season.
Hopefully, time will tell a stronger ending, one of a man who was killed in a more elegant light, though that seems like a tall order given that no person ever wants to be murdered as their dream death. Baseball tells us of legendary myths such as a child questioning Joe Jackson after the 1919 World Series, "say it ain't so Joe?" In this situation, I hope that the murder with this woman is taken and proven in a better context, but as of now all I can say is... "say it ain't so Steve?"
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
It seems as this sad incident might escalate in it's dourness as he was killed with a woman who was not his wife. While I'm not trying to say it would have been better if he was killed with his wife, I hope it doesn't bring up a more sketchy situation. At the time of this posting the police have not found any solid evidence explaining the whole situation.
This incident brings up the point of how in sports, athletes live two lives. The first life is the glory and the story of their play on the field. It is the winning drives, the highlight reel plays and the appearance of the championship athlete they are. The second life is sometimes filled with a dark secret and intrigue and things most fans never want to see.
Plaxico Burress was one of the Giants most important play makers on their Super Bowl winning team. Off the field, we saw a man who shows up to night clubs with a loaded gun hanging from his sweatpants.
Pete Rose, as one of the most famous cases, was known as the greatest competitor and one of baseballs greatest players. Rose played nearly every position, played like it was his last game and played to win. Rose however, is a very dark and noted by people in the book, Hustle, as a very slimy and untrustworthy man. He insulted his daughter for not being beautiful, he hung out with gamblers and people who sold steroids and worst thing was he bet on sports, including baseball. As many hoped the "rumors" weren't true, they were and people finally got to see the true Peter Edward Rose. Granted while people still think he is worthy of induction into Cooperstown, the baseball fans can feel betrayed by his years of denying what was the truth.
It brings us back to the main point of the story and what police are going to look into on the case of Steve McNair. Why was he killed?
The man was idolized by an entire community and by teammates.
"If you were going to draw a football player, the physical part, the mental part, everything about being a professional, he is your guy," former Ravens and Titans teammate Samari Rolle said. "I can't even wrap my arms around it. It is a sad, sad day. The world lost a great man today."
For a man who still owns the record for most passing yards and total offense for a I-AA school, the man named Air McNair had gained everything since then. He was a four time Pro Bowl player, not to mention coming within a yard of sending the Super Bowl to overtime. He did all of this while playing through tremendous pain from injuries scattered throughout his career.
"On the field, there isn't player that was as tough as him, especially at the quarterback position," the Ravens' Derrick Mason said. "What I have seen him play through on the field, and what he dealt with during the week to get ready for a game, I have never known a better teammate."
You hate to see that happen to anyone, especially for people my age, since we grew up watching guys like McNair play. I remember watching that Super Bowl, just willing Dyson had the extra yard. Then I remember the Titans lost to the eventual champions, the Ravens the next season.
Hopefully, time will tell a stronger ending, one of a man who was killed in a more elegant light, though that seems like a tall order given that no person ever wants to be murdered as their dream death. Baseball tells us of legendary myths such as a child questioning Joe Jackson after the 1919 World Series, "say it ain't so Joe?" In this situation, I hope that the murder with this woman is taken and proven in a better context, but as of now all I can say is... "say it ain't so Steve?"
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
"What are you a Commie?"
I am quite American and I have the background to prove it. As the saying goes, I was born in the Midwest, where the real Americans live. I traveled through the ranks of Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and earned my Eagle rank. I drive American cars, always under the belief that not only are they the best but to also support our economy. I hate it when Americans burn our flag in protest. When the national anthem is played I always put my hand over my heart, even if I'm wearing a cap (which I set on my seat). Though I hate the playing of God Bless America during baseball games. My co-poster, Matt was ripped for that on the John DiTullio Show last week for saying that and you can't blame him for that position.
We live in a post-9/11 world. If you don't wear your patriotism on your sleeve, your an ungrateful America. Forget about Nixon/McCarthy and the blacklist, it's all about overflowing your pride for America. That song is just another problem with professional sports these days.
Televised games are killing the fan base for the national game.
"The game is too slow."
"It's boring!"
Baseball games would not be as boring if they didn't have about a million commercials jammed in along with rein statements of citizenship during the latter stages of the contest.
It's one thing to have the playing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh, that's a quick song that the pitcher can warm up to. A pitcher throwing during "God Bless" would be hung by the stadium rafters. Overly patriotic fans holding bats posing as torches and rakes would charge the mound.
Getting in the zone is key in any sport. A lack of focus or a sojourn from that especially during the 8th inning could lead to a win or a loss. That statement is true on all levels be it high school, college and the pros. I even asked players on the summer college team I announce and getting into the mindset is crucial to success.
We sing our national anthem at the beginning of the game. That's how it works in the Olympics, you only hear your anthem when you win, no other song is played. Every stadium has an American flag. Baseball is our country's national pastime. As Americans we need to understand that not all of us need to keep reminding of the public for the world we live in after a terrorist attack. We jumped on our future President for not wearing a silly lapel pin.
People argue that the song should be sung because of our boys in the Middle East. That's all fine and dandy, but you go to any baseball game and the jumbo-tron always shows photos of local soldiers doing their part. We hand out ribbons to "support our troops" to be placed on car doors. At churches, at least in Catholic churches they mention prayers for soldiers who belong to the Parrish.
If we remove this one song, will that truly diminish our patriotism. I can certainly believe we can do without it and here's why.
Baseball is not only a national pastime, but also a billion dollar business. Players' careers are the basis of the game and they need to perform at top levels to not only try to beat records and win titles but also to help keep the game at the highest level possible. Are we willing to damage that just so that every single fan and player stand at forced attention to a song, being sung on the basis that if you don't play it, you're un-American?
Don't past judgement on the stance against the song and just remember that we still play our national anthem at the start of a game.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
We live in a post-9/11 world. If you don't wear your patriotism on your sleeve, your an ungrateful America. Forget about Nixon/McCarthy and the blacklist, it's all about overflowing your pride for America. That song is just another problem with professional sports these days.
Televised games are killing the fan base for the national game.
"The game is too slow."
"It's boring!"
Baseball games would not be as boring if they didn't have about a million commercials jammed in along with rein statements of citizenship during the latter stages of the contest.
It's one thing to have the playing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh, that's a quick song that the pitcher can warm up to. A pitcher throwing during "God Bless" would be hung by the stadium rafters. Overly patriotic fans holding bats posing as torches and rakes would charge the mound.
Getting in the zone is key in any sport. A lack of focus or a sojourn from that especially during the 8th inning could lead to a win or a loss. That statement is true on all levels be it high school, college and the pros. I even asked players on the summer college team I announce and getting into the mindset is crucial to success.
We sing our national anthem at the beginning of the game. That's how it works in the Olympics, you only hear your anthem when you win, no other song is played. Every stadium has an American flag. Baseball is our country's national pastime. As Americans we need to understand that not all of us need to keep reminding of the public for the world we live in after a terrorist attack. We jumped on our future President for not wearing a silly lapel pin.
People argue that the song should be sung because of our boys in the Middle East. That's all fine and dandy, but you go to any baseball game and the jumbo-tron always shows photos of local soldiers doing their part. We hand out ribbons to "support our troops" to be placed on car doors. At churches, at least in Catholic churches they mention prayers for soldiers who belong to the Parrish.
If we remove this one song, will that truly diminish our patriotism. I can certainly believe we can do without it and here's why.
Baseball is not only a national pastime, but also a billion dollar business. Players' careers are the basis of the game and they need to perform at top levels to not only try to beat records and win titles but also to help keep the game at the highest level possible. Are we willing to damage that just so that every single fan and player stand at forced attention to a song, being sung on the basis that if you don't play it, you're un-American?
Don't past judgement on the stance against the song and just remember that we still play our national anthem at the start of a game.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Penguins Win The Cup: Aftermath
I am not surprised that last Friday's Stanley Cup Final Game 7 was the most watched hockey game. It's viewership surpassed Game 6 of the 1973 Final between Montreal and Chicago. At the same time, I am thinking to myself, "The 1973 Finals! Are you kidding me!?!" I don't want to rob the Canadiens of their win, with such a strong team (Mahvolich brothers, La Fleur, Dryden, Henri Richard), but hockey has changed and so has the American population since then.
To look at hockey viewership in general, it is safe to say that the colder the climate the greater the support for the Canadian game is. Phoenix cannot survive in that market because many people (many of whom are probably displaced Northerners) don't care, rather, never cared for the game. It was nice, they thought, that there was a new form of entertainment. They bought a few tickets and did not come back. Who is a Coyote fan? Why would you be one? You go to Detroit, people grow up on Red Wings hockey. In Buffalo it's almost criminal to not support the local team, especially since they have come the closest to a title in the last decade. People don't support hockey in many places in America because they don't know the game or didn't actually see it.
The NHL knows this. The creation of western teams based off Disney movies (which are so lacking in proper rules or realism to the game), third jerseys and yes, even that glowing puck tried to create buzz and establish new fans. At the same time, the left wing lock, dumping the puck to create offense and settling for a tie were drawing fans away... the game was boring!
Then there was two work stoppages (one which left the Cup blank for a year) and the rules were changing, but not before a new star would rise.
Ever since Wayne Douglas Gretzky donned a Oilers jersey and stepped onto the merged NHL and destroyed all of the scoring records set by man, the NHL needed the "next one". The NBA is still suffering from the same complex. The NHL tried to pump up Eric Lindros, Alexandre Daigle and Vincent Lecavalier as the new Gretz and failed.
This would be bestowed upon Sydney Crosby. It can be argued that it was forced. While Crosby has the entire NHL backing him and praying, hoping, wishing he would win the Cup and break records, he has to carry the greatest weight. Syd is not a kid, but a young man being compared to legends that carry so much weight in the game I never think he could surpass.
By winning his first Stanley Cup on Friday (Malkin was a huge reason for that win), he merely passed on small milestone on the marathon of his expected potential. He played a strong game but with a much stronger and surprisingly defeated Detroit squad, Crosby had to rely on his friends for the wins. The next question will be, "Can he win one all by himself?"
You know that's the next question, because he cannot win one and leave the game, he needs five, six, no seven, he needs to beat Wayne. Which is unfair because those Oiler teams from the 1980's were loaded and that just from the goalie position.
Detroit was boasting about how it was the franchise to be, well Crosby is the player every franchise wants. But with it comes the hate, people hate Pittsburgh. Crosby gets all the calls his way. He doesn't score more goals than Ovechkin. He hasn't (correction, has won only one Cup. It's an endless list of complaints.
The truth is none of this will bother Sydney. The kid is 21 and has his name on the greatest trophy in sports, it's there forever. I know someday I'll take my kids to see the Cup and say, "There is Crosby, one of the best players on the team." He gets the attention when he criticizes players (like Ovechkin) but that's because the NHL wants so much focus on him. Alexander Ovechkin is on easy street because he is a Russian and the league needs a North American to be the face of the league. Why? Because it sells more tickets and bigger TV contracts.
When the Penguins shocked the world and beat Detroit, they were not the only winners, the NHL won too.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
To look at hockey viewership in general, it is safe to say that the colder the climate the greater the support for the Canadian game is. Phoenix cannot survive in that market because many people (many of whom are probably displaced Northerners) don't care, rather, never cared for the game. It was nice, they thought, that there was a new form of entertainment. They bought a few tickets and did not come back. Who is a Coyote fan? Why would you be one? You go to Detroit, people grow up on Red Wings hockey. In Buffalo it's almost criminal to not support the local team, especially since they have come the closest to a title in the last decade. People don't support hockey in many places in America because they don't know the game or didn't actually see it.
The NHL knows this. The creation of western teams based off Disney movies (which are so lacking in proper rules or realism to the game), third jerseys and yes, even that glowing puck tried to create buzz and establish new fans. At the same time, the left wing lock, dumping the puck to create offense and settling for a tie were drawing fans away... the game was boring!
Then there was two work stoppages (one which left the Cup blank for a year) and the rules were changing, but not before a new star would rise.
Ever since Wayne Douglas Gretzky donned a Oilers jersey and stepped onto the merged NHL and destroyed all of the scoring records set by man, the NHL needed the "next one". The NBA is still suffering from the same complex. The NHL tried to pump up Eric Lindros, Alexandre Daigle and Vincent Lecavalier as the new Gretz and failed.
This would be bestowed upon Sydney Crosby. It can be argued that it was forced. While Crosby has the entire NHL backing him and praying, hoping, wishing he would win the Cup and break records, he has to carry the greatest weight. Syd is not a kid, but a young man being compared to legends that carry so much weight in the game I never think he could surpass.
By winning his first Stanley Cup on Friday (Malkin was a huge reason for that win), he merely passed on small milestone on the marathon of his expected potential. He played a strong game but with a much stronger and surprisingly defeated Detroit squad, Crosby had to rely on his friends for the wins. The next question will be, "Can he win one all by himself?"
You know that's the next question, because he cannot win one and leave the game, he needs five, six, no seven, he needs to beat Wayne. Which is unfair because those Oiler teams from the 1980's were loaded and that just from the goalie position.
Detroit was boasting about how it was the franchise to be, well Crosby is the player every franchise wants. But with it comes the hate, people hate Pittsburgh. Crosby gets all the calls his way. He doesn't score more goals than Ovechkin. He hasn't (correction, has won only one Cup. It's an endless list of complaints.
The truth is none of this will bother Sydney. The kid is 21 and has his name on the greatest trophy in sports, it's there forever. I know someday I'll take my kids to see the Cup and say, "There is Crosby, one of the best players on the team." He gets the attention when he criticizes players (like Ovechkin) but that's because the NHL wants so much focus on him. Alexander Ovechkin is on easy street because he is a Russian and the league needs a North American to be the face of the league. Why? Because it sells more tickets and bigger TV contracts.
When the Penguins shocked the world and beat Detroit, they were not the only winners, the NHL won too.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
An Undying Love
Spring is an amazing season. It creates growth and life, not just in our natural surroundings but also in ourselves. Everyone feels better when the sun is shining, the weather is warmer and when the days are longer. There is always that sweet spring smell you feel passing through your nose into your lungs in spring. I always loved that spring smell.
That smell reminds me of countless hours at the ballparks around Western New York. Usually these little tiny parks where the grass is worse than the infield dirt. But even though the fields were below par, you were still out there to play. Playing in the polyester flannels of white or grey. Wearing that same cap day in and day out, collecting sweat stains from overuse. The breaking of a new pair of cleats until they feel oh so right. That was what baseball was to me, the sights, sounds and the feel of the game.
It's been years since I've played competitive baseball. It's apparent I can never let the game go. Despite the love for the national game, it caused anxiety, the worry, the boredom of outfield duty. But as soon as I left it, the game kept calling me back. I can never say no to it. That's why I have to be around it.
I love baseball. I'm not like those stereotypical guys who has to live with sports and uses it as an affirmation of life. Sports, particularly baseball, lured me into the strategy and competition of the game. It grew the greatest relationship with my father. The game developed my dream to be an announcer. To me, life couldn't get any better than announcing baseball games for the rest of my life.
While the journalism world is hard to break into, tomorrow, I will be in the booth for my second season of play-by-play for the Geneva Red Wings. Last year I was 22 years old and achieved one of my top ambitions in life - to call a baseball game. At 23 I am hoping it will lead to an opportunity to a career. A paid gig, financial security. Now, I'm not asking to become a millionaire with a catch phrase (not my style). I'm just looking for an opportunity to follow ballplayers and tell their stories and their games. As I get the rest of my notes prepped tonight, I hope people tune in and think about how much work and how much love the people at the ballpark have for baseball... and that's not including the players.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
That smell reminds me of countless hours at the ballparks around Western New York. Usually these little tiny parks where the grass is worse than the infield dirt. But even though the fields were below par, you were still out there to play. Playing in the polyester flannels of white or grey. Wearing that same cap day in and day out, collecting sweat stains from overuse. The breaking of a new pair of cleats until they feel oh so right. That was what baseball was to me, the sights, sounds and the feel of the game.
It's been years since I've played competitive baseball. It's apparent I can never let the game go. Despite the love for the national game, it caused anxiety, the worry, the boredom of outfield duty. But as soon as I left it, the game kept calling me back. I can never say no to it. That's why I have to be around it.
I love baseball. I'm not like those stereotypical guys who has to live with sports and uses it as an affirmation of life. Sports, particularly baseball, lured me into the strategy and competition of the game. It grew the greatest relationship with my father. The game developed my dream to be an announcer. To me, life couldn't get any better than announcing baseball games for the rest of my life.
While the journalism world is hard to break into, tomorrow, I will be in the booth for my second season of play-by-play for the Geneva Red Wings. Last year I was 22 years old and achieved one of my top ambitions in life - to call a baseball game. At 23 I am hoping it will lead to an opportunity to a career. A paid gig, financial security. Now, I'm not asking to become a millionaire with a catch phrase (not my style). I'm just looking for an opportunity to follow ballplayers and tell their stories and their games. As I get the rest of my notes prepped tonight, I hope people tune in and think about how much work and how much love the people at the ballpark have for baseball... and that's not including the players.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Don't Jump Ship Yet, Pirates
Telling Pittsburgh Pirates players and fans to be patient is like telling West Germany to wait another year before knocking down the Berlin Wall. Put it this way: The Pirates never had a winning season during Jay Leno's entire stretch on the Tonight Show. And after the Pirates traded star outfielder Nate McClouth this week, players and fans have reached their breaking point.
First baseman Adam LaRoche compared losing McClouth to losing a soldier in battle. Second baseman Freddy Sanchez just kept saying "wow." As for the few remaining fans, well, I'm sure there were a lot of expletives. Who can blame them? Especially since ex-Pirate Jason Bay leads Major League Baseball in runs batted in and McClouth homered for the Braves in his first appearance against his former team.
McClouth and Bay aren't the only stars Pittsburgh let slip away recently. Aramis Ramirez, Brian Giles, Jason Kendall, Joe Beimal and Jeff Suppan have all parted ways with the Bucs since 2003.
Even more disturbing to a Pirate follower might be the players they have brought in. Worn out sluggers such as Matt Stairs, Sean Casey and Jeromy Burnitz have done little to move the needle from freezing cold to luke warm. The 2007 trade-deadline deal for pitcher Matt Morris was the most puzzling. Morris made $10 Million to go 3-4 with a 6.10 era.
Credit should be given to LaRoche and Sanchez for keeping quiet this long, but they may have picked the wrong time to talk mutiny.
Chairman of the Board Bob Nutting took power in January of 2007 and hired General Manager Neil Huntington eight months later. Cleaning up former GM Dave Littlefield's mess is the equivalent of trying to sweep up the sand off the bottom of the Allegheny River. Trading McClouth was step one in getting out the squeegees.
McClouth was an all-star and gold glove winner last season. He hit 26 home runs, stole 23 bases and led the NL in doubles with 46. But, McClouth's career on-base percentage is only .339 and he strikes out almost twice as much as he walks.
Losing an all-star is always tough, but the other side of the coin, the players the Pirates received for McClouth, should ease the pain in time. Pitcher Charlie Morton will be Neosporin. The 26-year old right-hander is 7-2 with a 2.26 ERA in 11 starts in Triple-A. Morton has allowed just 56 hits in 71 innings, only giving up three home runs in that span. In his first start for the Indianapolis Indians, the Pirates minor league affiliate, he threw seven shutout innings.
Even more exciting is McClouth's replacement in centerfield Andrew McCutchen. I was able to watch McCutchen play in the minors a few games before his call up. He is similar to B.J. Upton without the baggage or swinging strikes.
LaRoche and Sanchez may have changed their tune after seeing McCutchen play. Since he got the call, he has 10 hits in five games including two triples and five runs batted in.
He was rated number 12 on the top 50 prospects list. In 49 games in Triple-A, McCutchen hit .303 with eight triples and 10 stolen bases.
McCutchen's attitude impressed the Pirates as well. In an interview after the 2008 season, he said of the year, "I'm not satisfied with it, but I'm pleased with it. I know I can improve, and I know I can do better. I just need to crisp it up a little more and be ready."
First baseman Adam LaRoche compared losing McClouth to losing a soldier in battle. Second baseman Freddy Sanchez just kept saying "wow." As for the few remaining fans, well, I'm sure there were a lot of expletives. Who can blame them? Especially since ex-Pirate Jason Bay leads Major League Baseball in runs batted in and McClouth homered for the Braves in his first appearance against his former team.
McClouth and Bay aren't the only stars Pittsburgh let slip away recently. Aramis Ramirez, Brian Giles, Jason Kendall, Joe Beimal and Jeff Suppan have all parted ways with the Bucs since 2003.
Even more disturbing to a Pirate follower might be the players they have brought in. Worn out sluggers such as Matt Stairs, Sean Casey and Jeromy Burnitz have done little to move the needle from freezing cold to luke warm. The 2007 trade-deadline deal for pitcher Matt Morris was the most puzzling. Morris made $10 Million to go 3-4 with a 6.10 era.
Credit should be given to LaRoche and Sanchez for keeping quiet this long, but they may have picked the wrong time to talk mutiny.
Chairman of the Board Bob Nutting took power in January of 2007 and hired General Manager Neil Huntington eight months later. Cleaning up former GM Dave Littlefield's mess is the equivalent of trying to sweep up the sand off the bottom of the Allegheny River. Trading McClouth was step one in getting out the squeegees.
McClouth was an all-star and gold glove winner last season. He hit 26 home runs, stole 23 bases and led the NL in doubles with 46. But, McClouth's career on-base percentage is only .339 and he strikes out almost twice as much as he walks.
Losing an all-star is always tough, but the other side of the coin, the players the Pirates received for McClouth, should ease the pain in time. Pitcher Charlie Morton will be Neosporin. The 26-year old right-hander is 7-2 with a 2.26 ERA in 11 starts in Triple-A. Morton has allowed just 56 hits in 71 innings, only giving up three home runs in that span. In his first start for the Indianapolis Indians, the Pirates minor league affiliate, he threw seven shutout innings.
Even more exciting is McClouth's replacement in centerfield Andrew McCutchen. I was able to watch McCutchen play in the minors a few games before his call up. He is similar to B.J. Upton without the baggage or swinging strikes.
LaRoche and Sanchez may have changed their tune after seeing McCutchen play. Since he got the call, he has 10 hits in five games including two triples and five runs batted in.
He was rated number 12 on the top 50 prospects list. In 49 games in Triple-A, McCutchen hit .303 with eight triples and 10 stolen bases.
McCutchen's attitude impressed the Pirates as well. In an interview after the 2008 season, he said of the year, "I'm not satisfied with it, but I'm pleased with it. I know I can improve, and I know I can do better. I just need to crisp it up a little more and be ready."
When making their comments, Bucs vets also may not have considered the young talented bullpen Huntington has put together. Three right handed relievers, Sean Burnett, Evan Meek and Jesse Chavez, are all under 30-years old and have ERA's under four this season.
When phenom Morton is placed in the Pirates rotation - which should be soon - he will join a pair of lefty projects, Zach Duke and Paul Malholm that are finally showing signs of fulfilling their potential. They are 10-6 combined this season, both with ERA's under four and have only allowed 11 home runs in 24 starts.
Young pitching, young hitting, this is Huntington plan, the Nate McCloth trade was his first step in executing that plan. Build from within and a few key additions will bring them closer to being a serious contender from in the NL Central.In 2009, the Pirates will still finish last. And though players and fans are saying, "Huntington, tear down that wall," the new Buc management is committed to building from the bottom up just as teams like Minnesota, Oakland and Cleveland do. If LaRoche and Sanchez don't jump ship, they will, in the Conan O'Brian era, see the playoffs.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Geneva Red Wings - 6-6-09
The first team meeting of the new baseball season. So many fresh faces and a few familiar ones fill a quiet room. That's the thing about first impressions, they have gotten such a horrible reputation that people feel more at ease letting silence fill the air rather than simple introductions.
That ends when manager and owner Dave Herbst walks in and opens up the meeting. The Rangers scout draws such a strong connection between his style of baseball and boxing. It's interesting to hear similarities of the national pastime to the sweet science. Herbst talks about using intelligence and quick strikes to eliminate opponents out on the diamond. It reminds me of the works of a young Mike Tyson. Though I'm pretty sure Herbst doesn't want batters pummelling infielders or catchers with jabs and hay makers.
Throughout the discussion of Herbst's talk about his expectations of the summer (hard work and focus on baseball), the room lets out it's nervousness. While on first impression of meeting Herbst he is not the kind of guy who overpowers you with his words. He talks when needed, much like the boxer he was, reminds me of the Paulie character from Goodfellas. Even the words he says are powerful but at the same time speak to your level. Herbst is the type of guy who wants to help you, a strong reminder of why he manages a collegiate summer league team.
After the introductions of the coaching staff, the players shared their basic information around the clubhouse and the one thing that stood out that was different from last season was the goal. Not to say that last season's Wings team was focused on trying to advance in the game of baseball but the players this year seem focused on winning.
While the some of the players got fitted, Dave Riggs, my broadcasting partner and I took a look at the new pitching staff for the 2009 season. Let me tell you this, there are some pretty strong arms on this young group. This team has a collection of arms looking for the quick strike, fastballs that are whizzing through the warm June air in Geneva. The 2008 staff featured a diverse group of pitchers. Half finesse with an equal amount of power just turned away hitters last season. It was a critical factor in the teams title run that ended in the Divisional Series against eventual champion Brockport.
After the short practice, I was able to chat with Will Horford, returning infielder from Notre Dame. I was glad to see Will, because this is a kid who shows a lot of hustle and love for baseball and as a journalist, a laid back guy you can easily talk to.
The same can be said for most of the guys on this squad, so open at dinner, where I was talking to Dan Gliot about playing high school baseball in harsh Northeast and Midwest conditions or chatting about the dearth of large towns in Iowa with Jack Wortley. This team looks ready to play as a team and hopefully this squad will take home the championship. Let's see if they can start today's exhibition with a "W".
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
That ends when manager and owner Dave Herbst walks in and opens up the meeting. The Rangers scout draws such a strong connection between his style of baseball and boxing. It's interesting to hear similarities of the national pastime to the sweet science. Herbst talks about using intelligence and quick strikes to eliminate opponents out on the diamond. It reminds me of the works of a young Mike Tyson. Though I'm pretty sure Herbst doesn't want batters pummelling infielders or catchers with jabs and hay makers.
Throughout the discussion of Herbst's talk about his expectations of the summer (hard work and focus on baseball), the room lets out it's nervousness. While on first impression of meeting Herbst he is not the kind of guy who overpowers you with his words. He talks when needed, much like the boxer he was, reminds me of the Paulie character from Goodfellas. Even the words he says are powerful but at the same time speak to your level. Herbst is the type of guy who wants to help you, a strong reminder of why he manages a collegiate summer league team.
After the introductions of the coaching staff, the players shared their basic information around the clubhouse and the one thing that stood out that was different from last season was the goal. Not to say that last season's Wings team was focused on trying to advance in the game of baseball but the players this year seem focused on winning.
While the some of the players got fitted, Dave Riggs, my broadcasting partner and I took a look at the new pitching staff for the 2009 season. Let me tell you this, there are some pretty strong arms on this young group. This team has a collection of arms looking for the quick strike, fastballs that are whizzing through the warm June air in Geneva. The 2008 staff featured a diverse group of pitchers. Half finesse with an equal amount of power just turned away hitters last season. It was a critical factor in the teams title run that ended in the Divisional Series against eventual champion Brockport.
After the short practice, I was able to chat with Will Horford, returning infielder from Notre Dame. I was glad to see Will, because this is a kid who shows a lot of hustle and love for baseball and as a journalist, a laid back guy you can easily talk to.
The same can be said for most of the guys on this squad, so open at dinner, where I was talking to Dan Gliot about playing high school baseball in harsh Northeast and Midwest conditions or chatting about the dearth of large towns in Iowa with Jack Wortley. This team looks ready to play as a team and hopefully this squad will take home the championship. Let's see if they can start today's exhibition with a "W".
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
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