Back in the day.
I admit, it's probably my most used catchphrase. It's one of those sayings that define a person. I am pretty much the historian withing my circle of friends. "Hey Mike, who was that guy that..." or when I am at a class reunion (sometimes not even my own, Miss Roberts.) and I am the one people ask..."who was that?" Yep, that is me. So when a catchphrase defines one....one tends to use it...so, here 'tis.
Back in the day....remember when sportsmanship existed and was the rule and not the exception?
Growing up when I did, it was commonplace to play sports especially that of the sandlot variety. A few of us dabbled in organized sport but the majority of our highlights were made on the front yards, asphalt courts and playground fields of our neighborhoods. Names like Silver Creek, Stone Ridge and Misty Oaks were as hallowed to us as Hemisfair Arena, the Astrodome and Texas Stadium. It was pretty much football or basketball. We tended to lean toward hoops in the hotter months and when it got cooler, it was time for the pigskin. It was always fun and every so often, there were epic games. The kind of games that you talked about for days afterward and tried to recreate but couldn't. There were touchdowns, fumbles, three-pointers and blocked shots. Sometimes you won, sometimes you lost and usually once a game, you argued. One thing was always there though. A lack of punkage. Punkage is a Salmans-esque term for just what it says, being a punk. You didn't trash talk for the most part except in jest (no one's mom was mentioned...mainly because you knew everyone's mom and they would smack you just as fast as your own) you played hard but not dirty and if you lost, you took it like a man, said "good game" shook hands and that is it. You then went somewhere with your buddies and laughed about what happened..usually long into the night and over some, er..uh..root beer. On the court, you played 100% and knocked each other around, when it was done, it was done. No whining, no crying and no bitching. It was done this way because that is the way the pros did it. Which brings us to our story today...sportsmanship, with few pockets of exception, is gone.
Putting on my Ducky Mallard hat, my cyber autopsy has isolated the components which I believe has led to the demise of sportsmanship.
Cause 1: I saw you on da ESPN
I love me some ESPN. I am one of its original viewers. I have watched Sportscenter pretty much since 10 years old and still love watching the nightly highlights. The problem is, so does everyone else. We are a monkey see, monkey do species. As kids, we emulated our heroes. We wanted to be the Iceman, Roger Staubach or Nolan Ryan. We watched what the pros did and did what they did because we wanted to be like them. Starting in the late 80's, players figured out that this ESPN thing was here to stay and it was a good way to catch themselves on TV. This curiosity evolved into a fascination by pro and college athletes and further evolved into a philosophy that it was more important to get one's self into that night's highlight package than getting one's team into the win column. Also, if we saw a pro or college athlete pull a 4-star nutty or throw a cheap shot, hey, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. To this day in 40 and over leagues all over Michigan, you see guys pop someone in the mouth then act like they did nothing wrong a'la Bill Laimbeer.
Cause 2: Mama's little meal ticket
The difference between us and a lot of kids now is that our parents would catch us if we acted a fool and corrected it immediately and harshly. These days, too many parents are worried about damaging Johnny's fragile psyche or getting labeled a child abuser if they pop him on the butt. You also have the parents who's kid has talent or worse, has none but they think he does, and they are looking to make sure nothing gets in the way of him signing the big contract that lets them retire early. When the kids shows that he does have real talent, greedy parents will do anything to ensure that nothing gets in the way of the dollar signs in their eyes. Often times this involves telling junior how great he or she is and then telling the coach the same thing. It also leads parents or coaches to encourage selfish behavior in order to get the kid noticed. Occasionally young Johnny throws an elbow or after a score, gets in another kid's face letting them know how good he is. Mom and Dad or Coach say its OK because the kid is "just expressing himself". I yelled at a ref in youth soccer once because of a bad call (I know, me yelling?) ref gave me a yellow card and I said "bite me". My coach kinda said "don't do it again" but my mom? Oh damn. I got yelled at all the way home. I was more scared of her than of my coach. I got quite the lecture about how my behavior reflected on myself, my team and her and that I was not to do anything to embarrass any of those people especially her. She didn't pop me but I wish she had, it would have been less painful than the blistering talking-to I got.
Cause 3: Fan is short for Fanatic
Fans of teams come in varying degrees. You have the casual fan who roots for his team and can probably name the starters but not much else. There is the homer who loves his team more than anyone in the real world and will proclaim the greatness that is his team to anyone who will listen..even if said team is a cellar-dweller. The smallest group is the educated fan who is loyal but not blind to his teams lack of success. He knows the players and the game and is pretty much a stat-geek. (Or, basically me. :) ) Fans too, have changed with the times. As fans have done since the Ancient Greeks ran around all naked and dusty and as mentioned earlier, fans will emulate their sports heroes. There has always been hero worship of athletes but it also used to be easier. You rooted for one team and those players almost always played out their entire careers there. In this modern era of player and, hell even franchise movement, its harder to maintain one's loyalty. Harder, but not impossible. A wise man of the sea once said "the biggest circle of hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers". I personally believe that it's reserved for bandwagon and fairweather fans. Too many people have forgotten that a true fan NEVER deserts there team regardless of what happens. It's easy to root for a winner, it takes guts to stand there and proclaim your allegiance to a team that sucks out loud. It used to be that even the pros played for the name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back. Remember those big wind gusts in the 90's? Those were caused by the Orlando fan stashing their Magic jerseys when they all of a sudden were "diehard" Laker fans when Shaq headed west. Then there was the one around 1993 when MJ hung them up and all those black and red 23 jerseys were tossed in the back of the closets..for two years then they were brought back out when Jordan figured out he couldn't hit the curve ball. But really, those fans always supported the Bulls. Happened in South Texas about 1999 when the Spurs won their first title. "Go Spurs Go! Oh, and who is that 21 guy again?" Sadly enough, it happened to my Cowboys as well. In the infamous 1-15 year, I was pretty much alone (save for a few)...five years later I suddenly had lots of company.
Cause 4: Respect and Responsibility...no one wants to give one or take the other.
Something else that has gone away in today's sports world is taking responsibility. You ever see an NBA player who actually thinks a foul was committed? The sad thing is that the superstars, the ones who need the least help by calls going their way, are the worst offenders. Even the stoic Tim Duncan whines about calls..and he whines alot. Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade...all-stars and all-star bitchers. One play I will never forget was in the 2003 Western Conference Semis. Kobe had gone up for a shot and Bruce Bowen stripped him of the ball and while the other 9 guys on the court ran down to the other end, Kobe stood there and complained to the ref. Oh by the way Kobe-ster, they just scored on your team. Recently, after game 3 of this year's Spurs-Mavs series, Eric Dampier's post-game comments weren't about the fact that his team just lost a game to fall behind in the series but about the raw deal his team was getting. Wahhh. Maybe if you nutted up a little in the 4th quarter E, Manu Ginobili wouldn't have raced by you constantly as if you were standing still. Oh wait, you were..or as you call it, playing defense. Coaches are just as bad. Phil Jackson has been playing the ref card for years in an attempt to mess with opponents heads. Oh what power you have O wise zen master. Yeah, I would like to that Zen crap with a team that didn't include Jordan, Shaq or Kobe.
The aforementioned fan emulation also extends to officiating. No one's team ever loses, the refs took the game away. Check out your local teams fan message board and you will see this. It's like clockwork. Here's how it works...the losing teams fanbase will pull the ref card, then the winning teams fanbase will call them out for doing so. Then, when the previous losing team becomes the winning team, the roles reverse. The greatest example of this was in 2006. The Spurs and Mavs played an epic series which Dallas won in 7 games. There were Spurs fans who blamed the refs for all four losses and those fans were called out for doing so by Mavs fan. Two weeks later, those same Mavs fans who had been putting down the Spurs fans for blaming the refs did the exact same thing about the refs in the Finals against Miami.
Let me give you some advice. Can officials affect a game? Yes. They can disrupt the flow if they call the game too tight or they can get into a players head by calling some early fouls on him. However, do they decide the game? No. Refs don't cause you to miss shots, clank your free throws or throw the ball into the first row. If your team loses by 4 and they missed 10 free throws..do the math. Your player hits the popcorn vendor instead of the open man? Guess what? 22 turnovers and 12 assists? You lose. But you didn't lose because the zebras stole it from you. You lost because you got beat and it seems as if no one is willing to admit that. Hey, it happens. Your team will not win every game. Some nights, the other guys are just better. You play hard, you shake their hands and you work harder to get ready for the next game. We as fans have invested so much emotionally in our teams that we can't bear the thought of losing. Losing is for everyday, normal life..not for the world where our heroes reside. We can't lose!! And yes, its usually "we" or "us" even though none of us actually did anything. That is how pathetic some of us have become. The we'ers and us'ers are so wrapped up in the successes and failures of men and women we don't know and could never compete with that they can't always recognize reality when they see it. Well, they can't or won't.
The question of respect is raised all too often in the sports world. It seems athletes and fans, especially the younger ones, have developed a mindset where somehow respect equals fear. You always hear players blather on about "getting my respect" or "they have to respect me" or "we don't get no respect" You earn respect junior, its not handed to you with your first paycheck. You have a bunch of wannabe, hood-rat gangstas running around crying about "I gots ta get mine". Really? How about the family of 4 who had to take out a second mortgage to watch you "get yours"? Andrea Kremer, then of ESPN, did an interview in the late 90's with some players about the state of the NFL. One of those players was future Hall of Famer and mental midget Shannon Sharpe. When asked about respecting your opponents...Sharpe's answer was "Why?" Perfect example of what is wrong with sports. I'm not saying you have to go out to dinner with an opponent or exchange Christmas cards but you scream about not getting respect and then you are not willing to give it? Double standard much? Sports use to live by the saying of "Respect all, fear none" now its "Respect none and make sure you get on Sportscenter".
OK, I know this might come off a little as a cranky old man rant and I am not saying all athletes or fans are bad. However, we have too many who have lost the desire or just flat out refuse to embrace sportsmanship. Sports are in no way the pure form of distraction they once were and they don't have to be. We can evolve and change with the times while still keeping basic principles intact. The biggest problem I have is the lack of respect for the game. Without the game, no player would have the accolades or riches they have. Without the game, the fans wouldn't have something to cheer for and rally behind. There is nothing wrong with painting your face and screaming yourself hoarse yelling for your favorite team, just sprinkle in a little perspective and reality now and then. It won't hurt and will make the experience more enjoyable. Remember, the kids are watching.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Nanny Nanny Boo Boo........wait, that didn't count?
The NCAA, that bastion of bureaucratic buffoonery, is considering passing a rule for to take effect for the 2011 college football season. The new rule would penalize a player if he, for example, makes a taunting gesture to an opponent on the way to scoring a touchdown, the flag would nullify the score and penalize the offending team from the spot of the foul. Normally, I would be very quick to call out the NCAA for being finding yet another way to legislate fun out of the game while at the same time lining their pockets and having all the stability of a pig on stilts. This time however, I think they got it right....well kinda.
Look, its no secret that I am a purist. If I were in charge, all teams would have jerseys with block numbers and letters and no names on the back . Remind me to tell you all my "Uniform theory of success" one of these days. However, I am not so rigid or tradition bound to discount all forms of celebration. In fact, the current "excessive celebration" rule that is currently in place is, well, excessive. For example, in 2008 the University of Washington had just scored to get within 1 point of tying BYU. Husky QB Jake Locker (BTW, that is the team mascot, not a description of Jake..don't want Jake's mama calling me :) ) ran the ball in and in an example of youthful exuberance, tossed the ball in the air and hugged a teammate.
FLAG!!!!
According to the current rule for excessive celebration:
"After a score or any other play, the player in possession immediately
must return the ball to an official or leave it near the dead-ball spot.
This prohibits:
(a) Kicking, throwing, spinning or carrying (including off of the
field) the ball any distance that requires an official to retrieve it.
(b) Spiking the ball to the ground [Exception: A forward pass to
conserve time (Rule 7-3-2-d)].
(c) Throwing the ball high into the air.
(d) Any other unsportsmanlike act or actions that delay the game"
U-W was flagged and moved 15 yards back on the PAT...BYU blocked it...game over. Now, lets be fair. It was still a chip shot that should have been converted and props to the Cougars for blocking it. Besides, if the game comes down to something like that, then there was something else wrong. Like how the Huskies missed two field goals and lost three fumbles.
I can hear you now..."hey Mr. purist...it's a rule" and as my nephew Ben will attest to, I like to follow to rules and usually to the letter. (especially in Taboo) Yes, it is a rule and should be followed unless it is changed, and this rule should be. College Football is supposed to be about spirit. You have kids out there busting their asses in the name of their school. Kids that 90% of which will not even sniff football on Sundays. Why not let them cut loose? I have absolutely no problem with end zone celebrations. Scoring a touchdown in football is not always easy, especially at the college and pro levels. It's a big deal and should be celebrated as such. The only thing I have issue with is when a player who just scored goes to another player and taunts him. That has no place in the game and in that situation, the rule is good. The rule, however, needs to be less rigid. Amend it to allow celebrations with your teammates or by yourself. If you turn and face another player and begin douche-baggery...then throw the flag. It's that behavior that is still legal on your way to score that the proposed rule is aiming to stop. I'm ok with that but its too vague and leaves way too much to interpretation. The new rule would flag things like highstepping and pointing at an opponent while you are headed to the end zone. That is a taunt and should be flagged...highstepping is not. Highstepping, for those new to the Sports Blog, is when a player is headed to the endzone and is in the clear and starts running with a high leg kick, a'la the Rockettes. It's done when the player is pretty much by himself and is aimed at no one. That is not taunting...when you are headed to the endzone and you point to the opponent you just burned, that is. It's light, but still taunting by definition.
One popular fan response, usually those who are younger and think its more important to look good than win, is to say "well, if you don't like it, don't let the other team score"
Crap.
There is never, ever an excuse for unsportsmanlike behavior. You go to the end zone, celebrate your teammates and then line back up and play. That is how the game is played. You want to showboat...join the WWE. You show me one moron who says "don't let them score" and I will show you the same moron who will strain an ovary whining when it happens to their team. You don't dance on logos....Terrell...and you don't plant flags....Sparty. Sadly, things like that are what is wrong with sports...but that is another blog for another day.
When did taunting become so popular? Man, back in the day on the Misty Oaks courts, you ran your mouth, you got an elbow in it....and it was usually my elbow. We took it on the road too. One time in the Stone Ridge neighborhood, we were playing and there was this one kid who told his teammates "don't worry about him, he can't play anyway" and he was referring to yours truly. Was he right? Well, yeah...I was not terribly good at the game...I was the guy who made space for the others and cherry picked the occasional lay up..but don't embarrass me. I knew the ball was coming to him and he was coming at me. I looked to Salmans, Spohn and McCracken and smiled. That smile that each of them knew was trouble. Kid got the ball and came at me...as I was helping him up, he said that was weak (I am paraphrasing) so he tried again...second verse, same as the first. The third time was apparently the charm because his teammates let him know that maybe he should choose his words a little more carefully. I am pretty sure that wise-ass is still picking gravel out of his teeth. Trash talk, the most popular form of taunting, is now an art form. You see your favorite stars do it so the kids think its cool. People tell me, its a psychological thing. Hey, if your game is so weak that you need to talk instead of play, then maybe you should not play with the big boys. Gone are the days where players, save a precious few, let their game speak for itself. Trash talk isn't cool, its a tool of the cowardly.
So how would I fix this issue? What I would do is combine the two rules into one, no taunting rule. You want to highstep? Fine. You want to jump around in the end zone with your buddies? Go for it. You want to Riverdance with a Song Girl skirt on? Knock yourself out but if you do so much as turn toward an opponent....BAM! Flag...15 yards, then try your conversion. If you miss or get it blocked...well then, work on your special teams in time for homecoming. Same thing with the pros. Ochocinco wants to dance? Let him. I think Uncle Chad is funny as hell. Joe Horn's cell phone bit? Great! I liked the T.O sharpie...just stay off the Star, big boy....don't make me call George Teague.
Look, its no secret that I am a purist. If I were in charge, all teams would have jerseys with block numbers and letters and no names on the back . Remind me to tell you all my "Uniform theory of success" one of these days. However, I am not so rigid or tradition bound to discount all forms of celebration. In fact, the current "excessive celebration" rule that is currently in place is, well, excessive. For example, in 2008 the University of Washington had just scored to get within 1 point of tying BYU. Husky QB Jake Locker (BTW, that is the team mascot, not a description of Jake..don't want Jake's mama calling me :) ) ran the ball in and in an example of youthful exuberance, tossed the ball in the air and hugged a teammate.
FLAG!!!!
According to the current rule for excessive celebration:
"After a score or any other play, the player in possession immediately
must return the ball to an official or leave it near the dead-ball spot.
This prohibits:
(a) Kicking, throwing, spinning or carrying (including off of the
field) the ball any distance that requires an official to retrieve it.
(b) Spiking the ball to the ground [Exception: A forward pass to
conserve time (Rule 7-3-2-d)].
(c) Throwing the ball high into the air.
(d) Any other unsportsmanlike act or actions that delay the game"
U-W was flagged and moved 15 yards back on the PAT...BYU blocked it...game over. Now, lets be fair. It was still a chip shot that should have been converted and props to the Cougars for blocking it. Besides, if the game comes down to something like that, then there was something else wrong. Like how the Huskies missed two field goals and lost three fumbles.
I can hear you now..."hey Mr. purist...it's a rule" and as my nephew Ben will attest to, I like to follow to rules and usually to the letter. (especially in Taboo) Yes, it is a rule and should be followed unless it is changed, and this rule should be. College Football is supposed to be about spirit. You have kids out there busting their asses in the name of their school. Kids that 90% of which will not even sniff football on Sundays. Why not let them cut loose? I have absolutely no problem with end zone celebrations. Scoring a touchdown in football is not always easy, especially at the college and pro levels. It's a big deal and should be celebrated as such. The only thing I have issue with is when a player who just scored goes to another player and taunts him. That has no place in the game and in that situation, the rule is good. The rule, however, needs to be less rigid. Amend it to allow celebrations with your teammates or by yourself. If you turn and face another player and begin douche-baggery...then throw the flag. It's that behavior that is still legal on your way to score that the proposed rule is aiming to stop. I'm ok with that but its too vague and leaves way too much to interpretation. The new rule would flag things like highstepping and pointing at an opponent while you are headed to the end zone. That is a taunt and should be flagged...highstepping is not. Highstepping, for those new to the Sports Blog, is when a player is headed to the endzone and is in the clear and starts running with a high leg kick, a'la the Rockettes. It's done when the player is pretty much by himself and is aimed at no one. That is not taunting...when you are headed to the endzone and you point to the opponent you just burned, that is. It's light, but still taunting by definition.
One popular fan response, usually those who are younger and think its more important to look good than win, is to say "well, if you don't like it, don't let the other team score"
Crap.
There is never, ever an excuse for unsportsmanlike behavior. You go to the end zone, celebrate your teammates and then line back up and play. That is how the game is played. You want to showboat...join the WWE. You show me one moron who says "don't let them score" and I will show you the same moron who will strain an ovary whining when it happens to their team. You don't dance on logos....Terrell...and you don't plant flags....Sparty. Sadly, things like that are what is wrong with sports...but that is another blog for another day.
When did taunting become so popular? Man, back in the day on the Misty Oaks courts, you ran your mouth, you got an elbow in it....and it was usually my elbow. We took it on the road too. One time in the Stone Ridge neighborhood, we were playing and there was this one kid who told his teammates "don't worry about him, he can't play anyway" and he was referring to yours truly. Was he right? Well, yeah...I was not terribly good at the game...I was the guy who made space for the others and cherry picked the occasional lay up..but don't embarrass me. I knew the ball was coming to him and he was coming at me. I looked to Salmans, Spohn and McCracken and smiled. That smile that each of them knew was trouble. Kid got the ball and came at me...as I was helping him up, he said that was weak (I am paraphrasing) so he tried again...second verse, same as the first. The third time was apparently the charm because his teammates let him know that maybe he should choose his words a little more carefully. I am pretty sure that wise-ass is still picking gravel out of his teeth. Trash talk, the most popular form of taunting, is now an art form. You see your favorite stars do it so the kids think its cool. People tell me, its a psychological thing. Hey, if your game is so weak that you need to talk instead of play, then maybe you should not play with the big boys. Gone are the days where players, save a precious few, let their game speak for itself. Trash talk isn't cool, its a tool of the cowardly.
So how would I fix this issue? What I would do is combine the two rules into one, no taunting rule. You want to highstep? Fine. You want to jump around in the end zone with your buddies? Go for it. You want to Riverdance with a Song Girl skirt on? Knock yourself out but if you do so much as turn toward an opponent....BAM! Flag...15 yards, then try your conversion. If you miss or get it blocked...well then, work on your special teams in time for homecoming. Same thing with the pros. Ochocinco wants to dance? Let him. I think Uncle Chad is funny as hell. Joe Horn's cell phone bit? Great! I liked the T.O sharpie...just stay off the Star, big boy....don't make me call George Teague.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Million Dollar Arm and a Five Cent Head.
When you are a popular sports figure and you are out with your boys, the hot blonde comes up to you. Is it you she is looking at or is it dollar signs? It's something that pro athletes have had to deal with forever. I am pretty sure that even Acanthus of Sparta was trying to relax after a race when some Hellenic hottie zeroed in on him with the intent of figuring out his Grecian formula. Then again, Acanthus was the first athlete to run naked in the Olympics so maybe she thought he was a pole vaulter.
In modern sport, names like Kobe Bryant, Anthony Mason and Mark Chumura are just as well known for their off the field activities as those on the field. This of course, brings us to the latest and, now, two-time member of this group, Ben Roethlisberger.
On March 5, police in Milledgeville, Georgia announced that Big Ben was under investigation for an accusation of sexual assault. A 20 year old local college student told police that the Steelers QB followed her in the bathroom and assaulted her while members of Roethlisberger's entourage stood outside the door making sure they were not disturbed. On April 12, 2010, it was announced that Roethlisberger would not be charged. The local D.A said that there was not enough DNA evidence to warrant charges being filed. The accuser also wrote to the D.A. saying that she no longer wanted to pursue criminal charges because the level of media attention
would make a criminal trial too "intrusive" of a personal experience but that she was not taking back her accusation.
This was not the first time. Seems that Big Ben is collecting police matters along with Super Bowl rings.
You may remember that in June of 2008, Ben was in Lake Tahoe where Andrea McNulty accused Roethlisberger of assaulting her in his hotel room while he was in town for his celebrity golf tournament. No criminal charges were filed in that case either although a civil suit in July of 2009 was brought against Roethlisberger and the casino where he was staying. Then one month later, a co-worker of McNulty gave an affidavit testifying that McNulty was bragging about the incident, claimed it was consentual and even talked about "hoping for a little Roethlisberger".
Two incidents...all too similar. Once can be an anomaly, twice is a pattern and if he is not careful, three times and he will be out.
It also begs the question...who is to blame? The groupie, who sees a young, rich, handsome ATM or the athlete who knows better but either thinks it can't or won't happen to him. As Master Obi-Wan once said...."Who's the more foolish: The fool, or the fool who follows him?"
A lot of people tend to blame the accuser, especially those who proudly wear the team colors of he who stands accused. This is knee-jerk reaction to thing that have happened in the past and make no mistake about it, those things happen. More than once has someone famous, athlete or otherwise, have been approached by someone who claims to be legit but in reality, has ulterior motives. It has happened on more than one occasion and probably will as long as there are movie stars and pro athletes. It has become so big of a problem, that most of your major pro sports leagues, including the NBA and NFL, have included "groupie-avoidance" in their rookie seminars. While I am not so naive as to think that there are not people out there with bad intentions set on getting a quick payday, I tend to lay most of my blame on the athletes themselves.
I know, I know, Where is it written that just because someone is famous, he can't have fun like normal people? Isn't that also one of the big complaints from Mr. and Mrs. America? "They are people just like us and should be treated as such!" Well, yes they should and when it comes to abiding by the law, absolutely. However, athletes, especially the higher profile ones, unfortunately just can't walk into Wal-Mart or get their McFlurry on. Why not? If you look for the enemy, you will find that it is, indeed, us. We love our famous people. We live vicariously through them, want to be like them, and want to enjoy the spoils that they enjoy. We want every detail of their lives and don't want them to have a problem with it.
There in lies the rub. They know this. They get training, and seminars and advice from veterans from day 1 and yet some players still tempt fate. They know that there are guys out there who will try to bait them into a fight or girls out there who will try to bait them into bed. They fall for it and the next thing they know, they are on the phone with the law firm of Getmyass, Outtathis, and Now. You have players who can afford limos and chauffeurs, but get tagged for DUI.
However, I don't completely blame the stars in question. From a very early age, they are fawned over, waited on, and covered for. In high school a grade is changed, in college a class is fudged or in some cases, legal indiscretions are ignored and a pattern is born. Does this excuse behavior? No but it explains why these people seem to disconnect their brain before they act. They have it ingrained into their thought process that talented people don't get in trouble.
Ben Roethlisberger is lucky. The Pittsburgh Steelers have prided themselves on being the gold (or in this case black and gold) standard in class and deportment. The Rooney family takes character very seriously and rumor has it that they are furious over this. Big Ben's teammate and Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes was just shipped to the Jets for just a 5th round draft pick. Holmes was suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for violation of the NFL's drug policy and has had other run-ins with the law for such activities as assault, drug possession and disorderly conduct. Personally, I think if Ben wasn't a quarterback and Pittsburgh didn't have a buttload of money invested in him, he might have already been gone. However with these two incidents, along with his infamous motorcycle accident in the Summer of 2006 (wear a helmet, dumbass!) his margin of error in the Steel City is pretty much gone. If he screws up again, don't be surprised to see the Steelers send him packing.
You're 28 years old. You have the honor and privilege to play at the highest level of the sport you love. You have more money than you will ever need. Use your head. Realize what you can do safely and what will invite trouble. You can pick apart defenses on the run and fire the ball 50 yards downfield for a score. You can carry a team and city on your shoulders and lead them to the promised land. Surely you can understand that hanging out in a bar getting college girls drunk will not end well.
It's third down, Ben...if you are forced to punt, you might not get back on the Heinz Field turf.
In modern sport, names like Kobe Bryant, Anthony Mason and Mark Chumura are just as well known for their off the field activities as those on the field. This of course, brings us to the latest and, now, two-time member of this group, Ben Roethlisberger.
On March 5, police in Milledgeville, Georgia announced that Big Ben was under investigation for an accusation of sexual assault. A 20 year old local college student told police that the Steelers QB followed her in the bathroom and assaulted her while members of Roethlisberger's entourage stood outside the door making sure they were not disturbed. On April 12, 2010, it was announced that Roethlisberger would not be charged. The local D.A said that there was not enough DNA evidence to warrant charges being filed. The accuser also wrote to the D.A. saying that she no longer wanted to pursue criminal charges because the level of media attention
would make a criminal trial too "intrusive" of a personal experience but that she was not taking back her accusation.
This was not the first time. Seems that Big Ben is collecting police matters along with Super Bowl rings.
You may remember that in June of 2008, Ben was in Lake Tahoe where Andrea McNulty accused Roethlisberger of assaulting her in his hotel room while he was in town for his celebrity golf tournament. No criminal charges were filed in that case either although a civil suit in July of 2009 was brought against Roethlisberger and the casino where he was staying. Then one month later, a co-worker of McNulty gave an affidavit testifying that McNulty was bragging about the incident, claimed it was consentual and even talked about "hoping for a little Roethlisberger".
Two incidents...all too similar. Once can be an anomaly, twice is a pattern and if he is not careful, three times and he will be out.
It also begs the question...who is to blame? The groupie, who sees a young, rich, handsome ATM or the athlete who knows better but either thinks it can't or won't happen to him. As Master Obi-Wan once said...."Who's the more foolish: The fool, or the fool who follows him?"
A lot of people tend to blame the accuser, especially those who proudly wear the team colors of he who stands accused. This is knee-jerk reaction to thing that have happened in the past and make no mistake about it, those things happen. More than once has someone famous, athlete or otherwise, have been approached by someone who claims to be legit but in reality, has ulterior motives. It has happened on more than one occasion and probably will as long as there are movie stars and pro athletes. It has become so big of a problem, that most of your major pro sports leagues, including the NBA and NFL, have included "groupie-avoidance" in their rookie seminars. While I am not so naive as to think that there are not people out there with bad intentions set on getting a quick payday, I tend to lay most of my blame on the athletes themselves.
I know, I know, Where is it written that just because someone is famous, he can't have fun like normal people? Isn't that also one of the big complaints from Mr. and Mrs. America? "They are people just like us and should be treated as such!" Well, yes they should and when it comes to abiding by the law, absolutely. However, athletes, especially the higher profile ones, unfortunately just can't walk into Wal-Mart or get their McFlurry on. Why not? If you look for the enemy, you will find that it is, indeed, us. We love our famous people. We live vicariously through them, want to be like them, and want to enjoy the spoils that they enjoy. We want every detail of their lives and don't want them to have a problem with it.
There in lies the rub. They know this. They get training, and seminars and advice from veterans from day 1 and yet some players still tempt fate. They know that there are guys out there who will try to bait them into a fight or girls out there who will try to bait them into bed. They fall for it and the next thing they know, they are on the phone with the law firm of Getmyass, Outtathis, and Now. You have players who can afford limos and chauffeurs, but get tagged for DUI.
However, I don't completely blame the stars in question. From a very early age, they are fawned over, waited on, and covered for. In high school a grade is changed, in college a class is fudged or in some cases, legal indiscretions are ignored and a pattern is born. Does this excuse behavior? No but it explains why these people seem to disconnect their brain before they act. They have it ingrained into their thought process that talented people don't get in trouble.
Ben Roethlisberger is lucky. The Pittsburgh Steelers have prided themselves on being the gold (or in this case black and gold) standard in class and deportment. The Rooney family takes character very seriously and rumor has it that they are furious over this. Big Ben's teammate and Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes was just shipped to the Jets for just a 5th round draft pick. Holmes was suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for violation of the NFL's drug policy and has had other run-ins with the law for such activities as assault, drug possession and disorderly conduct. Personally, I think if Ben wasn't a quarterback and Pittsburgh didn't have a buttload of money invested in him, he might have already been gone. However with these two incidents, along with his infamous motorcycle accident in the Summer of 2006 (wear a helmet, dumbass!) his margin of error in the Steel City is pretty much gone. If he screws up again, don't be surprised to see the Steelers send him packing.
You're 28 years old. You have the honor and privilege to play at the highest level of the sport you love. You have more money than you will ever need. Use your head. Realize what you can do safely and what will invite trouble. You can pick apart defenses on the run and fire the ball 50 yards downfield for a score. You can carry a team and city on your shoulders and lead them to the promised land. Surely you can understand that hanging out in a bar getting college girls drunk will not end well.
It's third down, Ben...if you are forced to punt, you might not get back on the Heinz Field turf.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The no-longer Fighting Sioux, Grand Kicker and listen to your Mama!
The wisdom of mama.
Bobby Bouchet had it, Forrest Gump had it, hell even Norman Bates had it...ok, bad example.
Maybe though, Patrick Patterson should have it.
As mentioned here on Wednesday. Patrick and four of his Kentucky Wildcat teammates announced that they have decided to leave Lexington and enter the 2010 NBA Draft. An announcement that caught Patrick's mom a little off guard. Tywanna Patterson said she had discussed early entry with Patrick but no decision had been made. Then the announcement on Wednesday came and mama was not pleased:
"We were confused people by then," she said. "I have a problem with it going out and not being official. It is his decision. He has not declared for the draft and once he does he can't back out because he declared for the draft last year. But I am very upset with all this because the statement Patrick gave to DeWayne, he didn't know it was being released tonight" DeWayne refers to DeWayne Peevy (great name) who was the UK spokesperson who released the statement. Tywanna was not done. She then turned her focus to Wildcat coach John Calipari:
"Me personally, I think it is Cal's way to get recruits to commit and wants to make sure they know John (Wall), DeMarcus (Cousins), Daniel (Orton) and Eric (Bledsoe) are gone along with Patrick, Pat didn't know they were sending that statement out tonight."
Nice. Piece of advice folks...keep mama informed. People who don't are the Debil, Bobby Bouchet!!
After a 4 year legal battle and continuous skirmished that go back decades, the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux will be retiring their nickname and logo. The North Dakota Board of Higher Education had voted to retire the nickname in May of 2009 but a motion was filed with the North Dakota state Supreme Court to delay any action. The Board elected to suspend the nickname in October of 2009 with full retirement to be complete by August 2010. The one condition that could save it was the approval of the nickname and logo by the Sioux tribes of North Dakota, the Standing Rock and Spirit Lake. Spirit Lake gave consent, Standing Rock did not. The Spirit Lake tribe filed the aforementioned motion with the Supreme Court which was turned down.
Personally, I am a little torn on the whole "you can't use Native American names as logos" thing. On one hand, I understand a group of people not wanting to be insulted, lampooned and stereotyped. The Indians Chief Wahoo logo is cartoonish and a little silly, and I get that having a guy in a costume and war paint looking like Wahoo McDaniels and threatening to scalp the opposition can be unsettling. However, I don't see how just using the name of a tribe is harming. I would think having that name as something the school can unite behind is a good thing. Also, just being called "Warriors" doesn't mean you are demeaning Native Americans. In fact, automatically assuming it could only be in reference to Native American in prejudicial in itself. Florida State and Central Michigan have found ways to work with their native tribes in a way that is beneficial for both. Too bad UND couldn't, and by the way...the logo that has been deemed "hostile and offensive" by the NCAA was designed by Bennett Brien, a UND grad and decendant of the Ojibwa tribe.
The University of North Dakota is probably best known for their outstanding hockey team. The Fighting Sioux (while I can still call them that) has a total 14 Conference Championships, 24 NCAA tournament apperances, 18 trips to the Frozen Four and 7 Frozen Four NCAA championships which is tied for 2nd most all time. They play their home games at Ralph Engelstad Arena. This arena seats just under 12K and is probably the finest college hockey building in the country. Hell, it is one of the nicest hockey arenas in the US or Canada period! (Even The Great One said so) Ralph Englestad was a UND alum and contributed $100 million of the $104M cost and knowing that the logo was a center of contreversey, placed it within the building 2200 times! Ouch. Good luck with that. Somewhere, Ralph is laughing his nazi-loving ass off!!
To wrap up...the NFL Draft is less than two weeks away (woot!) but one player not worried about being drafted is Todd Carter. Carter played at D2 powerhouse Grand Valley State here in Michigan. For you Notre Dame fans, new coach Brian Kelly started his career by winning titles there. Carter was signed this week by the Carolina Panthers. Between workouts for the Panthers and the Chiefs and others, Carter had been working at a smoothie shop. Someone else will have to get their bananaberry orange whippy thingy because Todd's going to Carolina and not just in his mind.
Bobby Bouchet had it, Forrest Gump had it, hell even Norman Bates had it...ok, bad example.
Maybe though, Patrick Patterson should have it.
As mentioned here on Wednesday. Patrick and four of his Kentucky Wildcat teammates announced that they have decided to leave Lexington and enter the 2010 NBA Draft. An announcement that caught Patrick's mom a little off guard. Tywanna Patterson said she had discussed early entry with Patrick but no decision had been made. Then the announcement on Wednesday came and mama was not pleased:
"We were confused people by then," she said. "I have a problem with it going out and not being official. It is his decision. He has not declared for the draft and once he does he can't back out because he declared for the draft last year. But I am very upset with all this because the statement Patrick gave to DeWayne, he didn't know it was being released tonight" DeWayne refers to DeWayne Peevy (great name) who was the UK spokesperson who released the statement. Tywanna was not done. She then turned her focus to Wildcat coach John Calipari:
"Me personally, I think it is Cal's way to get recruits to commit and wants to make sure they know John (Wall), DeMarcus (Cousins), Daniel (Orton) and Eric (Bledsoe) are gone along with Patrick, Pat didn't know they were sending that statement out tonight."
Nice. Piece of advice folks...keep mama informed. People who don't are the Debil, Bobby Bouchet!!
After a 4 year legal battle and continuous skirmished that go back decades, the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux will be retiring their nickname and logo. The North Dakota Board of Higher Education had voted to retire the nickname in May of 2009 but a motion was filed with the North Dakota state Supreme Court to delay any action. The Board elected to suspend the nickname in October of 2009 with full retirement to be complete by August 2010. The one condition that could save it was the approval of the nickname and logo by the Sioux tribes of North Dakota, the Standing Rock and Spirit Lake. Spirit Lake gave consent, Standing Rock did not. The Spirit Lake tribe filed the aforementioned motion with the Supreme Court which was turned down.
Personally, I am a little torn on the whole "you can't use Native American names as logos" thing. On one hand, I understand a group of people not wanting to be insulted, lampooned and stereotyped. The Indians Chief Wahoo logo is cartoonish and a little silly, and I get that having a guy in a costume and war paint looking like Wahoo McDaniels and threatening to scalp the opposition can be unsettling. However, I don't see how just using the name of a tribe is harming. I would think having that name as something the school can unite behind is a good thing. Also, just being called "Warriors" doesn't mean you are demeaning Native Americans. In fact, automatically assuming it could only be in reference to Native American in prejudicial in itself. Florida State and Central Michigan have found ways to work with their native tribes in a way that is beneficial for both. Too bad UND couldn't, and by the way...the logo that has been deemed "hostile and offensive" by the NCAA was designed by Bennett Brien, a UND grad and decendant of the Ojibwa tribe.
The University of North Dakota is probably best known for their outstanding hockey team. The Fighting Sioux (while I can still call them that) has a total 14 Conference Championships, 24 NCAA tournament apperances, 18 trips to the Frozen Four and 7 Frozen Four NCAA championships which is tied for 2nd most all time. They play their home games at Ralph Engelstad Arena. This arena seats just under 12K and is probably the finest college hockey building in the country. Hell, it is one of the nicest hockey arenas in the US or Canada period! (Even The Great One said so) Ralph Englestad was a UND alum and contributed $100 million of the $104M cost and knowing that the logo was a center of contreversey, placed it within the building 2200 times! Ouch. Good luck with that. Somewhere, Ralph is laughing his nazi-loving ass off!!
To wrap up...the NFL Draft is less than two weeks away (woot!) but one player not worried about being drafted is Todd Carter. Carter played at D2 powerhouse Grand Valley State here in Michigan. For you Notre Dame fans, new coach Brian Kelly started his career by winning titles there. Carter was signed this week by the Carolina Panthers. Between workouts for the Panthers and the Chiefs and others, Carter had been working at a smoothie shop. Someone else will have to get their bananaberry orange whippy thingy because Todd's going to Carolina and not just in his mind.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
A muggy night in Delta Township.
It was a rainy night in mid-michigan. Then the rain stopped and it was damned muggy!! Ok not too muggy...Michigan muggy, not in-your-face, knock-you-on-your-ass Texas muggy...but muggy none the less. The muggy-ness means Spring is here and
that means baseball season. Looking forward to hitting a Lugnuts game this season. Minor league baseball is the best value there is in sports. The ticket prices are pretty good, concessions aren't horribly priced, and there is always some
crazy-ass promotion going on. Plus they have something that personally, I love and I think is underrated...fireworks. Maybe its just the big kid in me (yeah...like none of you knew that!) but I really love fireworks. Sitting back on a summer
night, the smell of grass in the air and looking up and watching the show overhead. It brings to mind a lyric from Boston.."like the shadows linger at the close of day"...nice. Coming soon will be a MLB preview from good friend Melissa Martinez who
is a fellow blogger and you can see her work at http://strangerthings.mlblogs.com
The onset of Spring also signals one of my all time favorite things, the NFL Draft. This year's NFL Draft has been changed up a bit. The NFL has decided to stretch out its annual Selection Meeting over 3 nights with round 1 being Thursday night,
rounds 2-3 Friday night and rounds 4-7 Saturday. I am guessing the move is to get some of the draft into primetime...not sure yet if I like it or not. Something about having a whole weekend of drafty goodness is appealing...this is a wait and see thing. But its 15 days away...woot! Or to quote Blog Queen, Carrie Damon...squee! I will be publishing a first round Mock Draft shortly before the NFL's 75th version of theirs.
Reading the USA Today earlier this week, I came across a story about the Iranian girls soccer team that was sent home from the Youth Olympic Games because they refused to remove their hijab scarves. The hijab is a traditional head covering worn
by Muslim women. Ok...now I have made my share of comments about Iran and their little Napoleon wannabe president...(I still say we can fix the whole US-Iran rift by challenging Ahmadinejad to a little 1-on-1 with Obama. Say what you will about our President, but the dude can hoop. Even Republicans would cheer for him if he was taking Mahmoud off the dribble.)..growing up during the Iran Hostage crisis will do that...but I have to side with the kids on this one. Agree with Islam or not, denying kids a chance to play at the highest level of their sport is criminal. Apparently its a safety issue...no, sounds more like a "Muslims freak me out" issue. There are style of hijab that are flowing and, I guess, get wrapped up with an opponent but there are also styles that are worn close to the body have don't flow and would cause no problem. To punish 11 year old girls like that is wrong on many levels. It takes away the fun and simple pleasure of sport. Its also things like that which can cause mistrust and distaste of the West. Mistrust that can lead to hate and as we all learned from Master Yoda..hate leads to suffering. It also gives petty tyrants reason to say "I told you they hate us". Leave it to FIFA (which I am pretty sure is French for "corrupt" to do something like this. Shouldn't the guys at FIFA be bribing someone or something?
Billy Payne, 2004 Olympic Games chief and current chairman of Augusta National decided to scold Tiger for his recent pecadilloes in his yearly "State of Augusta" or "Watering of the Magnolias" or whatever he does before the Masters every year. Ol' Billy Boy was quoted as saying ""It's not simply the degree of his conduct that is so egregious here. It is the fact he disappointed all of us and more imporantly our kids and grandkids." Payne continued...""Our hero did not live up to the
expectations as a role model that we sought for our children." Really. Ok Billy (said in my best Sidney Deane voice) this from the guy who's the Chairman of a club that, while being Holy Ground for American golf, still doesn't allow women to join
and just 20 years ago finally admitted a black member. I can see the conversation now "Grandpa...how come there are no girls here?" "Don't be silly, darlin'..there's girls everywhere...see? There's one now, bringin Grandpa his pimento cheese sammitch." Hero, huh. Let me tell you something Billy, Heroes don't leave their wife and kids at home to go bang porn stars. By the way, there is no truth to the rumor that when he heard that Tiger was going to "return to Buddhism, the Dalai
Lama was quoted as saying "oy vey".
It was announced today that tennis legend Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with a noninvasive form of breast cancer. Her prognosis is considered excellent and should be able to beat this. Here is to a speedy and full recovery to one of Tennis'
all time greats, male or female. Cancer better have a good backhand otherwise Martina will destroy you. My money is on her.
Let me wrap up with some odds and ends...
Watching my Spurs play Phoenix....there is no fan base who is more anticipating Tim Duncan's retirement then the denziens in the Valley of the Sun. Its halftime and Fleanix is currently leading 61-52...SA is currently 7-18 from the free throw line.
Hmm....11 missed FT's and a 9 point deficit....do the math, kids. This is why you practice the fundamentals, campers. It is usually the difference between winning and losing...oh and yes, Steve Nash does look like Kelly Leak.
Don Nelson just passed Lenny Wilkins on the all time NBA Coaching Wins list tonight. Nellie scored win # 1,333 with his Warriors win over the T-Wolves. His record is 1,333-1,061 in 31 years of coaching. Break out the fish ties and throw
a party...Mark Cuban will probably pass.
5 University of Kentucky players have announced that they will all enter the NBA draft. In the worst kept secret outside of Ricky Martin's sexuality, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins are one and done in Lexington. Joining these two are fellow Wildcat
freshmen Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton as well as junior forward Patrick Patterson. Looks like Cal will have to fudge some more test scores...allegedly..and rebuild. Word has is that Ashley Judd is inconsolable. Its ok baby...Mikey's here for you.
Peace.
that means baseball season. Looking forward to hitting a Lugnuts game this season. Minor league baseball is the best value there is in sports. The ticket prices are pretty good, concessions aren't horribly priced, and there is always some
crazy-ass promotion going on. Plus they have something that personally, I love and I think is underrated...fireworks. Maybe its just the big kid in me (yeah...like none of you knew that!) but I really love fireworks. Sitting back on a summer
night, the smell of grass in the air and looking up and watching the show overhead. It brings to mind a lyric from Boston.."like the shadows linger at the close of day"...nice. Coming soon will be a MLB preview from good friend Melissa Martinez who
is a fellow blogger and you can see her work at http://strangerthings.mlblogs.com
The onset of Spring also signals one of my all time favorite things, the NFL Draft. This year's NFL Draft has been changed up a bit. The NFL has decided to stretch out its annual Selection Meeting over 3 nights with round 1 being Thursday night,
rounds 2-3 Friday night and rounds 4-7 Saturday. I am guessing the move is to get some of the draft into primetime...not sure yet if I like it or not. Something about having a whole weekend of drafty goodness is appealing...this is a wait and see thing. But its 15 days away...woot! Or to quote Blog Queen, Carrie Damon...squee! I will be publishing a first round Mock Draft shortly before the NFL's 75th version of theirs.
Reading the USA Today earlier this week, I came across a story about the Iranian girls soccer team that was sent home from the Youth Olympic Games because they refused to remove their hijab scarves. The hijab is a traditional head covering worn
by Muslim women. Ok...now I have made my share of comments about Iran and their little Napoleon wannabe president...(I still say we can fix the whole US-Iran rift by challenging Ahmadinejad to a little 1-on-1 with Obama. Say what you will about our President, but the dude can hoop. Even Republicans would cheer for him if he was taking Mahmoud off the dribble.)..growing up during the Iran Hostage crisis will do that...but I have to side with the kids on this one. Agree with Islam or not, denying kids a chance to play at the highest level of their sport is criminal. Apparently its a safety issue...no, sounds more like a "Muslims freak me out" issue. There are style of hijab that are flowing and, I guess, get wrapped up with an opponent but there are also styles that are worn close to the body have don't flow and would cause no problem. To punish 11 year old girls like that is wrong on many levels. It takes away the fun and simple pleasure of sport. Its also things like that which can cause mistrust and distaste of the West. Mistrust that can lead to hate and as we all learned from Master Yoda..hate leads to suffering. It also gives petty tyrants reason to say "I told you they hate us". Leave it to FIFA (which I am pretty sure is French for "corrupt" to do something like this. Shouldn't the guys at FIFA be bribing someone or something?
Billy Payne, 2004 Olympic Games chief and current chairman of Augusta National decided to scold Tiger for his recent pecadilloes in his yearly "State of Augusta" or "Watering of the Magnolias" or whatever he does before the Masters every year. Ol' Billy Boy was quoted as saying ""It's not simply the degree of his conduct that is so egregious here. It is the fact he disappointed all of us and more imporantly our kids and grandkids." Payne continued...""Our hero did not live up to the
expectations as a role model that we sought for our children." Really. Ok Billy (said in my best Sidney Deane voice) this from the guy who's the Chairman of a club that, while being Holy Ground for American golf, still doesn't allow women to join
and just 20 years ago finally admitted a black member. I can see the conversation now "Grandpa...how come there are no girls here?" "Don't be silly, darlin'..there's girls everywhere...see? There's one now, bringin Grandpa his pimento cheese sammitch." Hero, huh. Let me tell you something Billy, Heroes don't leave their wife and kids at home to go bang porn stars. By the way, there is no truth to the rumor that when he heard that Tiger was going to "return to Buddhism, the Dalai
Lama was quoted as saying "oy vey".
It was announced today that tennis legend Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with a noninvasive form of breast cancer. Her prognosis is considered excellent and should be able to beat this. Here is to a speedy and full recovery to one of Tennis'
all time greats, male or female. Cancer better have a good backhand otherwise Martina will destroy you. My money is on her.
Let me wrap up with some odds and ends...
Watching my Spurs play Phoenix....there is no fan base who is more anticipating Tim Duncan's retirement then the denziens in the Valley of the Sun. Its halftime and Fleanix is currently leading 61-52...SA is currently 7-18 from the free throw line.
Hmm....11 missed FT's and a 9 point deficit....do the math, kids. This is why you practice the fundamentals, campers. It is usually the difference between winning and losing...oh and yes, Steve Nash does look like Kelly Leak.
Don Nelson just passed Lenny Wilkins on the all time NBA Coaching Wins list tonight. Nellie scored win # 1,333 with his Warriors win over the T-Wolves. His record is 1,333-1,061 in 31 years of coaching. Break out the fish ties and throw
a party...Mark Cuban will probably pass.
5 University of Kentucky players have announced that they will all enter the NBA draft. In the worst kept secret outside of Ricky Martin's sexuality, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins are one and done in Lexington. Joining these two are fellow Wildcat
freshmen Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton as well as junior forward Patrick Patterson. Looks like Cal will have to fudge some more test scores...allegedly..and rebuild. Word has is that Ashley Judd is inconsolable. Its ok baby...Mikey's here for you.
Peace.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Farewell to the Madness.
The last blog of March Madness...and what a long, strange trip its been. As we speak is currently tied at 36 with 17:25 to go in the game. If this ends up being the last tournament in the 64-team era...it will certainly rank as one of the best. Several great stories....Michigan State grinding its way to Indy despite injuries, Duke returning to glory quietly while this seasons louder, younger seeds fell by the wayside...one of those being Kansas who was the one team most of us agreed on would do well. Kentucky realizing that Karma is also spelled with a K or in this case...a C as in Calipari...and of course the Hoosiers-esque story of the Butler doing it.
Admit it....you were pissed as your brackets fell apart like Tiger Woods' credibility (what...too soon?) a part of you was loving all the drama that gave birth to the phrase “March Madness” I knew it was going to be crazy when on day 1, my boy Billy Newton lost a Final Four team. Then again brother...what were you thinking picking Notre Dame? Yeah, I thought I was being clever when I picked Villanova to come out of their region. I was vindicated though, by those Baylor Bears. What a great story there also.
Just a few seasons ago, 2003, Baylor's program was on the brink of extinction. Allegations of drug use and recruiting violations combined with the murder of a player by a teammate and a coach trying to cover it all up brought out two words that, in Texas, have two meanings. The lesser known one refers to the 1988-89 SMU football team that was effectively shut down for two years and have really just recently recovered. The possibility was brought up in reference to Baylor which, given the history of their old SWC buddies, seemed shocking. Baylor was the good school. They were the school that the nice, smart kids go to that are just there for the good of the game and don't see a future at the next level. In football, they are still pretty much a doormat though they are making strides. Their women's team has been good, when the 6'9 freshman center isn't slugging her foes, however, the mens basketball team has made a name for themselves. Actually three names, Epke, Tweety and LaceDarius. Not exactly the ones you used to hear echoing around Waco...then again, the city is known for a kid named LaDanian so who knows.
10:46 to go....49-47 Duke.
Speaking of the Blue Devils....never a big fan. I respect their success and their coach but Coach K got a little sensitive this week when he went Cameron Crazy and whined about a picture in the Indianapolis Star that had a picture of him that looked like it was the object of a 7th graders graffiti attempt. They gave him a curly Rollie Fingers/Snidely Whiplash mustache, a little goatee, horns, glasses and a target on his forehead.
Really coach? Come on K....you play in the ACC where they offer courses on insulting your foes. Your beloved student section has done things like throw panties at players, told a referee “you suck dick” and thrown pizza boxes on the court. All of which are funny but don't get all pissy over someone doodling on one of your head shots when you have a bunch of lunatics at home.
6:50 to go.....56-51 Duke.
Major props to Bob Huggins. I have always liked Hug. He is a cross of Johnny Cash and Bobby Knight. To him its like “here's my team...I like them......you don't? Like you matter.” I love that! That was the way I was with my guys at Pike. We were good. We didn't try to be mean to anyone but if you attacked one of us, you attacked all of us and may God have mercy on you for doing so. I give props to Hug for that touching scene with his fallen player DeSean Butler. Butler had gone up for a shot and came down awkwardly. He was called for a charge (bad call but then again, they were playing Duke) and he blew out his knee. The poor kid was in tears because he felt he let his team and coach down. He cared more about them and that is what its all about. Huggins leaned down, told him he loved him and that he was going to be ok. Nicely done coach.
OK...Clark Kellogg is a tool. When you grab a guys arm and pull him down..that's not going for the ball. To paraphrase Sam Wyche..the kid from Butler's gonna live, but its still a flagrant (unless you're playing Duke) 58-55 Duke 3:16 left.
One last story...the story of Nolan Smith of Duke....yes Duke....even though I can't stand them, Smith's story is a nice one. His dad was NBA player Derek Smith who played in the NBA from 82-91 with 5 teams but was probably best known as a member of the 1980 Louisville team that won the NCAA title. After his playing days, he was an assistant coach with the Washington Bullets (that's Wizards to you kids, they used to be the Bullets) until his untimely death in 1996 of a heart attack while on a cruise with his family. It would be very special if the son could do what his father did 30 years later. If Duke has to win, then for Nolan Smith, I am happy.
Uh oh....49 seconds....60-59 Duke.
I wanted to give a big THANKS to Jonathan Huth for the “Mike Paceleo for Sports Radio” facebook page. Also a big THANKS to all the love and support I have received on that page. It means a great deal to me. Its nice to know that maybe I have made a positive effect on people. Thank you all. I'm chasing the dream and taking you all with me.
61-59 Duke...ball game. Glass slipper nowhere to be found.
Admit it....you were pissed as your brackets fell apart like Tiger Woods' credibility (what...too soon?) a part of you was loving all the drama that gave birth to the phrase “March Madness” I knew it was going to be crazy when on day 1, my boy Billy Newton lost a Final Four team. Then again brother...what were you thinking picking Notre Dame? Yeah, I thought I was being clever when I picked Villanova to come out of their region. I was vindicated though, by those Baylor Bears. What a great story there also.
Just a few seasons ago, 2003, Baylor's program was on the brink of extinction. Allegations of drug use and recruiting violations combined with the murder of a player by a teammate and a coach trying to cover it all up brought out two words that, in Texas, have two meanings. The lesser known one refers to the 1988-89 SMU football team that was effectively shut down for two years and have really just recently recovered. The possibility was brought up in reference to Baylor which, given the history of their old SWC buddies, seemed shocking. Baylor was the good school. They were the school that the nice, smart kids go to that are just there for the good of the game and don't see a future at the next level. In football, they are still pretty much a doormat though they are making strides. Their women's team has been good, when the 6'9 freshman center isn't slugging her foes, however, the mens basketball team has made a name for themselves. Actually three names, Epke, Tweety and LaceDarius. Not exactly the ones you used to hear echoing around Waco...then again, the city is known for a kid named LaDanian so who knows.
10:46 to go....49-47 Duke.
Speaking of the Blue Devils....never a big fan. I respect their success and their coach but Coach K got a little sensitive this week when he went Cameron Crazy and whined about a picture in the Indianapolis Star that had a picture of him that looked like it was the object of a 7th graders graffiti attempt. They gave him a curly Rollie Fingers/Snidely Whiplash mustache, a little goatee, horns, glasses and a target on his forehead.
Really coach? Come on K....you play in the ACC where they offer courses on insulting your foes. Your beloved student section has done things like throw panties at players, told a referee “you suck dick” and thrown pizza boxes on the court. All of which are funny but don't get all pissy over someone doodling on one of your head shots when you have a bunch of lunatics at home.
6:50 to go.....56-51 Duke.
Major props to Bob Huggins. I have always liked Hug. He is a cross of Johnny Cash and Bobby Knight. To him its like “here's my team...I like them......you don't? Like you matter.” I love that! That was the way I was with my guys at Pike. We were good. We didn't try to be mean to anyone but if you attacked one of us, you attacked all of us and may God have mercy on you for doing so. I give props to Hug for that touching scene with his fallen player DeSean Butler. Butler had gone up for a shot and came down awkwardly. He was called for a charge (bad call but then again, they were playing Duke) and he blew out his knee. The poor kid was in tears because he felt he let his team and coach down. He cared more about them and that is what its all about. Huggins leaned down, told him he loved him and that he was going to be ok. Nicely done coach.
OK...Clark Kellogg is a tool. When you grab a guys arm and pull him down..that's not going for the ball. To paraphrase Sam Wyche..the kid from Butler's gonna live, but its still a flagrant (unless you're playing Duke) 58-55 Duke 3:16 left.
One last story...the story of Nolan Smith of Duke....yes Duke....even though I can't stand them, Smith's story is a nice one. His dad was NBA player Derek Smith who played in the NBA from 82-91 with 5 teams but was probably best known as a member of the 1980 Louisville team that won the NCAA title. After his playing days, he was an assistant coach with the Washington Bullets (that's Wizards to you kids, they used to be the Bullets) until his untimely death in 1996 of a heart attack while on a cruise with his family. It would be very special if the son could do what his father did 30 years later. If Duke has to win, then for Nolan Smith, I am happy.
Uh oh....49 seconds....60-59 Duke.
I wanted to give a big THANKS to Jonathan Huth for the “Mike Paceleo for Sports Radio” facebook page. Also a big THANKS to all the love and support I have received on that page. It means a great deal to me. Its nice to know that maybe I have made a positive effect on people. Thank you all. I'm chasing the dream and taking you all with me.
61-59 Duke...ball game. Glass slipper nowhere to be found.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Finally.
I finally did it. I have returned to the blogging world. If you are reading this then either I told you about it or you stumbled onto it and you were really, really bored. Hopefully, I can get you to stay. This blog is an idea my wife had to keep me writing. She feels I have a gift and wants me to keep it fresh. That and this way I will keep my hands on the keyboard and off of her butt. :) My wife is my biggest fan and like most celebrities do, I sometimes take her for granted. I don't mean to but I am not always the sharpest knife in the drawer and can trip over pretty much anything. I dedicate this to her. I want to succeed because she deserves a partner who is an enhancement and not a burden.
The purpose of this blog is two-fold. First, a daily (hopefully) account of my take on the sports world. Second, my attempt to break into the world of sports. I would like to work on air in sports radio. I have done some and think I am pretty good at it. Ok, "some" is a bit strong. I read the sports news on KSYM (the radio station at SAC) back in the day and I have done 2 webcast roundtables. I did win a contest to be "Peter for a day" on the Ticket 760 in San Antonio. I won the opportunity to be a cohost on their morning show. It was a blast and I was good.
I had tons of support for that contest and I owe my friends another big thank you for their help. I was hoping to make that a springboard to bigger and better things but alas, nothing. Residing in Michigan, one knows that our economy blows goats and when I approached the program director of The Game 730 (our sports station) I was told that "we don't have the budget for it but I will listen and let you know" well, I didn't hear back for a while so I emailed again to follow up. When I did, the email addy bounced and have not been able to get the new one. I also didn't try as hard as maybe I should have, so some of the blame falls on my shoulders.
Here is my plan...I will be contacting Tim Nestor somehow...either email, snail mail, phone, carrier pigeon whatever. I might even do a sit in on his front door at his station. :) I will keep you posted here.
For today's sports take...March Madness culminates in tomorrow night's championship game. I really hope Butler wins. They are a great story and I can't stand Duke. Smug bastards. (Hey...never said this was a family show!) There is talk about expanding the current 65 team tournament up to 96. That would really...REALLY...suck! Adding that focaccta "play in game" (the NCAA calls it the Opening Round....I call it crap) was bad enough but 96 teams? The NCAA tournament is one of the special things in sports so why mess with it? Its as bad as having 36 bowl games. You will water down the field and that madness of having David slay Goliath will decrease because of the addition of first round sacrificial lambs who got hot at the right time and won their conference tourney despite having a 17-15 record. Hell, why stop at 96? Let all 344 D-I schools in and give everyone a participation trophy like the 6 year olds get in youth soccer? You know, those leagues where we are so worried about little Johnny's feelings that we don't keep score? (another rant for another time) I am all for progress and while I like tradition, I don't think we need to keep things solely because of it but sometimes its ok to leave things as they are because they work.
Ok, off the soap box for now...hope you enjoyed it and hope to see you again.
Peace.
The purpose of this blog is two-fold. First, a daily (hopefully) account of my take on the sports world. Second, my attempt to break into the world of sports. I would like to work on air in sports radio. I have done some and think I am pretty good at it. Ok, "some" is a bit strong. I read the sports news on KSYM (the radio station at SAC) back in the day and I have done 2 webcast roundtables. I did win a contest to be "Peter for a day" on the Ticket 760 in San Antonio. I won the opportunity to be a cohost on their morning show. It was a blast and I was good.
I had tons of support for that contest and I owe my friends another big thank you for their help. I was hoping to make that a springboard to bigger and better things but alas, nothing. Residing in Michigan, one knows that our economy blows goats and when I approached the program director of The Game 730 (our sports station) I was told that "we don't have the budget for it but I will listen and let you know" well, I didn't hear back for a while so I emailed again to follow up. When I did, the email addy bounced and have not been able to get the new one. I also didn't try as hard as maybe I should have, so some of the blame falls on my shoulders.
Here is my plan...I will be contacting Tim Nestor somehow...either email, snail mail, phone, carrier pigeon whatever. I might even do a sit in on his front door at his station. :) I will keep you posted here.
For today's sports take...March Madness culminates in tomorrow night's championship game. I really hope Butler wins. They are a great story and I can't stand Duke. Smug bastards. (Hey...never said this was a family show!) There is talk about expanding the current 65 team tournament up to 96. That would really...REALLY...suck! Adding that focaccta "play in game" (the NCAA calls it the Opening Round....I call it crap) was bad enough but 96 teams? The NCAA tournament is one of the special things in sports so why mess with it? Its as bad as having 36 bowl games. You will water down the field and that madness of having David slay Goliath will decrease because of the addition of first round sacrificial lambs who got hot at the right time and won their conference tourney despite having a 17-15 record. Hell, why stop at 96? Let all 344 D-I schools in and give everyone a participation trophy like the 6 year olds get in youth soccer? You know, those leagues where we are so worried about little Johnny's feelings that we don't keep score? (another rant for another time) I am all for progress and while I like tradition, I don't think we need to keep things solely because of it but sometimes its ok to leave things as they are because they work.
Ok, off the soap box for now...hope you enjoyed it and hope to see you again.
Peace.
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