tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10422303814618984162023-11-15T06:19:12.035-08:00El Hombre Knows SportsMichael Bradley, through his alter ego El Hombre, takes on the hypocrisy and harsh realities of the sporting world while dishing out his unfiltered opinions and making multiple historical and cultural references, both arcane and germane.El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-53771498512954764492021-01-07T16:21:00.001-08:002021-01-07T16:21:43.702-08:00IT'S EL HOMBRE'S NFL PLAYOFF EXTRAVAGANZA<p><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> Anybody who thought the NFL would allow something like a global pandemic interfere with its ability to stage 256 regular-season TV programs and a subsequent playoff ratings bonanza doesn’t know a thing about how the folks at 345 Park Avenue think. Back before the season started, El Hombre said that the league would gladly bulldoze the fallen bodies off the fields in order to keep the cameras rolling, and though it never quite came to that, the weekly count of infected players, coaches, mascots and other team personnel and the subsequent facility closings showed that getting to this point in the 2020 season required quite a combination of medical high-wire acrobatics and a willing suspension of disbelief.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> On the road to the expanded post-season, we learned that the Jets can’t tank properly and the Jags can. We learned that maybe Dreamy Tom was a little more important to New England than Captain Hoodie wanted to admit. We learned that dumpster fires laughed at the NFC East, and we found out that Mitch Trubisky might actually be a fully functioning NFL quarterback. Might be.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> Now that the Eagles have closed out the season with a coaching decision that came straight out of the Ringling Brothers playbook (more on that later), it’s time to go about the business of choosing a champion, provided the 14 remaining teams can stay clear enough of the virus to stage a four-week tournament. That said, here’s how the first weekend is going to play out.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>Indianapolis at Buffalo (-6.5)</b>: The whole mess kicks off with the first home playoff game for the Bills since Golden Wheels Dubenion was playing, or something like that. The good news is that no folding tables will be sacrificed in preparation for the big game. The better news, at least for the home team, is that Buffalo has matured from an upstart with a precocious but unreliable QB into a contender with an attitude as nasty as a northwestern New York winter and a budding MVP candidate under center. Coach Sean McDermott is a defensive guy by training, but he understands that Josh Allen needs room to fire his rocket launcher arm. The Bills can stuff you and bomb you. That’s a good combination, and while the rugged Indy defense and Philip Rivers’ odd delivery angle have brought the Colts to this point, the fun ends during Saturday’s early window. Buffalo 23, Indianapolis 14<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>Los Angeles Rams at Seattle (-4)</b>: Ah, January in Seattle. There’s nothing like it, particularly if you like 40 degree temperatures and rain that cuts through the skin like a stiletto. Usually, there are about 65,000 rabid cohoheads adding to the atmosphere, but thanks to the pandemic, the Rams will just have to deal with Russell Wilson and crew. Seattle has won 10 straight home post-season games, dating back to 2005, and it’s unlikely that streak will end Saturday, especially since LA quarterback Jared Goff’s thumb could well keep him from playing at a high level. Backup John Wolford wasn’t awful last week against the Cardinals, but the Ram offense didn’t score a TD with him at the helm, and it’s hard to imagine LA doing much of anything in this one, no matter how brilliant coach Sean McVay might be. Seattle 20, Los Angeles 12<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>Tampa Bay (-8) at Washington</b>: The D.C. crowd is no doubt still giddy over its thrilling division-clinching victory over the rotting corpse of the once-proud Eagles, and it gets as a reward a date with Dreamy Tom and the Bucs, who look a lot sharper than those hats Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians favors. To make things interesting, Washington rookie defensive end Chase Young has promised an ugly welcome for the legendary QB, which means he might slip <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;">some real sugar into his avocado “ice cream” at the pre-game meal. Wouldn’t it be great if the “best” team in the worst division in football history made the Buccaneers walk the plank? You bet. It would also be great if hot dogs fulfilled our daily vitamin needs. Tampa Bay 33, Washington 16<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>Baltimore (-3) at Tennessee</b>: Lamar Jackson has to win a game that matters eventually, right? Right? So far, the Ravens’ playoff success with Jackson hasn’t come close to matching its regular-season prosperity. Two years ago, the Chargers flummoxed him with a defense that included something like 11 defensive backs. Last year, the Titans picked him off two times in a 28-12 victory that made Jackson look overmatched. So, third time and all that. Nope. The Titans are a dynamic team that thrives on the no-prisoners running of Derrick Henry, who has led the league in rushing two straight years and runs with the subtlety of a cyclone. Expect Henry to soften up the Raven front seven and then the underrated Ryan Tannehill to make Baltimore pay up top. Maybe next year, Lamar. Tennessee 24, Baltimore 20<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>Chicago at New Orleans (-10)</b>: It’s amusing to watch Bears fans try to convince themselves that Mitchell Trubisky is a quarterback worthy of their love. Destined forever to be the NFL’s Sam Bowie (look it up), Trubisky has showed relative competence in helping his squad grab a wild-card spot, even if that status comes courtesy of the league’s desire to swell its post-season bottom line by giving an 8-8 team entrée into the playoffs. Last week, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers carved up the Chicago defense with four TDs, and now its Drew Brees’ turn. The Saints may not have stormed into the post-season (3-2 in their last five), but they are getting healthy. Sure, New Orleans has had some brutal playoff luck in recent years, but its fortunes have changed this year, because the Bears are the Saints’ first-round opponent. Just to make this matchup more crazy, consider that it will be aired on Nickelodeon. SpongeBob Footballpants? Whatever. New Orleans 27, Chicago 20<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>Cleveland at Pittsburgh (-6)</b>: This one looked as compelling and entertaining as could be – why else would NBC want it for SNF – until word came down that Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski would be out due to COVID-19 concerns. No word on if there will be player casualties, too. And Tuesday, a pair of Brownies was cited for drag racing – at 9:30 a.m. Wise. Now it looks like this battle between historic rivals will be a Steeler rout. Not so fast. Pittsburgh staggers into the playoffs on a 1-4 slide that includes last week’s rest-and-relax loss to the Browns. The Steeler offense isn’t nearly as potent as it once was, and the defense hasn’t been overpowering, either. The win over Indy two weeks ago was impressive. Was it a turning point? This week, yes. Next week? Not so much. Pittsburgh 24, Cleveland 14<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">* * *<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: Kudos to the National Hockey League for selling sponsorship rights to the names of its divisions. If pro sports are to realize their potential as cynical profiteering enterprises, this kind of creative thinking is necessary. The only problem is that the league should have made the sponsors more sport-appropriate. Instead of choosing a bank, automaker, credit card company and insurance giant, the NHL should have gone with a dentist, orthopedic surgeon, neurologist and beer company…In other hockey news, the U.S. dumped Canada, 2-0, to win the world junior title. Great. Now the Land of Labatt and Back Bacon will keep Americans out of the country for another year…The NBA world is waiting anxiously to find out which team wants to torpedo its culture and championship chances by acquiring serial ball hog James Harden. Here’s hoping Brooklyn is silly enough to team the Bearded Gunner with Kevin Durant and grouchy Kyrie Irving. That would be a lot of fun – for the other 29 teams…The college basketball season is continuing along in stops and starts, with some teams’ having played as many as 13 games and others’ hitting the court on two or three occasions. The single-site NCAA Tournament could have 48 teams or 80 participants. Nobody knows. Meanwhile, programs caught in the NC2A’s snare have tried to mitigate the penalties coming by announcing self-imposed one-year tourney bans. What’s next, no vegetables for a week? Let’s hope the NC2A has the courage to smack these big-time cheaters with some serious penalties. Meanwhile, 3-6 Kentucky seems intent on a more organic kind of tourney ban, one that involves playing some really shaky basketball.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in; text-align: center;">* * *<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> Spare us your outrage at Eagles coach Doug Pederson’s decision to play Nate Sudfeld during the fourth quarter of the Birds’ season-ending loss to the Washington NFL Franchise. That means you, Giants coach Joe Judge. Philadelphia owed you nothing. Your team won six games and didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs. Like all coaches, Judge no doubt preaches accountability and demands it from his players. Well, take some, coach, for your lousy 6-10 record. Those who decried the Eagles’ disrespecting all the hard work that led to the NFL’s completing the 256-game regular season should direct their ire at NBC and the league for putting such a weak game on in prime time. The Eagles had nothing to play for, so expecting them to care about whether Washington or the Giants won the NFC Least was naïve. Finally, Pederson’s tanking effort was ham-handed indeed, especially since he is coaching in a city where Sham Hinkie raised the concept to a level the Medicis would have appreciated. Pederson should have announced before the game that Sudfeld, the third-string QB who before the game had thrown 25 career passes, was going to play. It doesn’t matter. Keep in mind that the difference between a sixth and a ninth pick in the NFL Draft is pretty big, as judged by what teams had to do last year to move up a few spots. Rather than surrender a draft pick or two, the Eagles decided to use a different method: playing a lousy QB. Oh, and by the way, Jalen Hurts wasn’t exactly tearing it up when he was taken out. The NFL is a business, and the Eagles made a business decision. Tough darts for everybody else. <o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">* * *<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: The College Football Invitational is set to conclude Monday night, COVID-permitting, with Alabama and Ohio State’s squaring off in Miami. It’s the final chapter in a grueling, three-game process to determine the number one team, and it has clearly transfixed the nation, or at least espn, which is gearing up for a multi-day hyperventilation. In a year when the NFL added a playoff team, MLB went to eight participants per league, and college hoops could have as many as 80 tourney invitees, college football stood pat and thereby infuriated fans of several schools, proved that it is not interested in including any team that isn’t a big name brand and lost even more credibility. So, in an attempt to save America’s greatest sport, El Hombre is offering a collection of solutions designed to eliminate the rancor and focus people’s attention on the color, pageantry and majesty of the college game. FIRST: Appoint a commissioner. This will not be anyone with ties to a TV network. It will be a former coach or athletic director who cares about the game, not the money or the media deals. He will have power to rule on important issues like scheduling, rules and mascots. SECOND: Expand the CFP field to eight teams. Each conference winner gets an automatic bid. The best team among the Group of Five conferences gets a spot. And there are two at-large berths. THIRD: The number of scholarships drops by seven per school, the better to create more parity at the top, within conferences and among the non-Power Five schools. Yes, it will take away some free rides, but that was never a concern before. Plus, the new commissioner will divert a sizeable chunk of the extra money that comes from the expanded CFP television package to FCS conferences to be used to increase scholarship money there, so teams can add more grants. FOURTH: Since conference champions will be guaranteed playoff berths, it won’t matter if they suffer non-conference losses. So, there will be a mandate for all Power Five teams to play at least one game out of their league against another Power Five team. Every year. And the CFP selection committee will give substantial weight to strength of schedule, just as the NCAA hoops tournament group does. FIFTH: Players get one free transfer during their five-year eligibility window. They can go from one school to the other without worrying about sitting out. That happens once. Do it again, and the player must miss a season. Coaches can do whatever they want. The players should have that freedom, too. SIXTH: All mascots must be live. Ralphie is cool. Brutus Buckeye is not. Period. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">-EH-</span>El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-66777196568541689002020-10-09T04:39:00.000-07:002020-10-09T04:39:21.622-07:00TIME FOR THE NFL TO HAND OUT SOME REAL JUSTICE<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> If this were 2019 – or any other year in the 100-season history of the NATIONAL Football League – and we learned that a collection of Tennessee Titans, eager to keep their status atop the AFC South, had arranged to use the field at a local independent school in order to get in some extra work, we would have praised the players as hard-nosed throwbacks and lionized their commitment to the game. Their desire to keep improving would have been exulted as an example for youngsters, and their dedication to the craft would serve as a prime rebuttal to the popular argument that today’s athletes are spoiled, disinterested and overpaid.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> But this isn’t 2019. It’s the twisted, surreal 2020 NFL season, with its empty stadiums, daily coronavirus testing and your 1-3 Dallas Cowboys. Okay, so there might be a few bright spots amidst the tumult and tragedy. On September 30, when those zealous Titans gathered to practice a little football at Montgomery Bell Academy, they weren’t heroes. They were superspreading perps in a COVID-19 incubator who might just spoil the fun for all of us.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> When the NFL discovered that several members of the Titans organization had tested positive for the virus, it followed protocols and shut down the team’s headquarters until the outbreak could end, and no more positive tests would emerge. Instead of abiding by the rules that were laid out clearly before the season commenced, these Titans decided to sneak away and stage that little pickup practice. Now, it looks like that wasn’t the only one. In fact, there are reports of multiple gatherings that violated league policy and contributed to widespread infection – and big problems for the NFL.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> As of Thursday morning, 23 Titans players, staff, coaches and sundry other employees had tested positive for coronavirus. There was no doubt some irresponsible behavior that triggered the outbreak, and the clandestine workout no doubt accelerated the problem. Tennessee was unable to play its game against Pittsburgh on October 4, and it’s unlikely the Titans and Buffalo will be able to square off next Tuesday, the rescheduled game date on which the NFL hopes all the virus problems will have magically disappeared. Those guys don’t seem so heroic now, do they?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> The question moving forward is whether the NFL and its commissioner, The Invisible Man, have the guts to do what’s right and really hammer Tennessee for its blatant disregard for established protocols and its crashing selfish approach to being part of the 32-member socialist cartel, er, league. This is every bit as bad as the Patriots’ spying and far worse than deflating footballs, filming opposing sidelines or anything else that can be found in New England’s bag of dirty tricks. This has put the credibility of the whole season in jeopardy, because if Tennessee has to postpone any more games, it’s unlikely they can be made up. The NFL was able to reschedule the Titans-Steelers game, but if the Buffalo tilt is called off, it won’t be easy to come up with a new date. More than likely, the game will just be cancelled. At a time when the league schedule is as unpredictable as the next Kardashian “drama,” (Wednesday Night Football, anyone?) the Titans’ actions are highly damaging.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> If the league wanted to do the right thing and teach the Titans and everybody else that this is serious business and that lax, unprincipled behavior won’t be tolerated, it would force Tennessee to forfeit any games moving forward that it cannot play and dock it a first-round draft pick or two. That’s the only way to prove that this is serious business and that those who choose to be cavalier about the rules won’t escape punishment. And real punishment. This can’t end with a meaningless fine or no-dessert-for-a-week-style sentence. Tennessee needs to pay for this, because its inability to do what just about every other team is doing has forced the NFL into a difficult situation, one which could leave it with some serious issues come late December.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> What happens if the Titans’ winning percentage of 13 or 14 games is better than that of Indianapolis, its closest current rival in the AFC South and a squad likely to play 16 times? What happens if the Bills miss the playoffs by a half-game because their game with Tennessee is never played? And suppose injuries and the wear-and-tear of a 13-game stretch of games keeps Pittsburgh – which had to move its bye from October 25 to October 4, from the playoffs? This is all serious stuff, and it can impact negatively the league’s credibility, should it come to pass. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> The time is now for the other owners – who are famously wary of smacking down other franchises for fear of suffering similar treatment themselves one day – and The Invisible Man to step forward and make Tennessee pay for its poor behavior. From this point on, every game the Titans miss is a forfeit. No scheduling gymnastics. No rearranging everybody else’s seasons because of one team’s misdeeds. The NFL is renowned as an unforgiving confederation. Players who can’t perform get cut. Team weaknesses on the field are exploited mercilessly. Coaches who don’t win are canned. Tennessee decided it didn’t have to abide by the rules. It’s time to make the Titans pay. Dearly.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">* * *<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: Like it or not, the Trashcan Bangers from south Texas will be playing in their fourth straight ALCS, and it suddenly looks like they have snapped out of their regular-season torpor to play some pretty good baseball. No one knows for sure if the team is using satellite technology, Ouija boards or the Amazing Kreskin to figure out what rivals are doing, but the thought of MLB’s pariahs reaching – and potentially winning – the World Series is almost delicious enough for El Hombre to hope it happens. Almost…It’s sad and disturbing to see so many people delighting in the low ratings for the NBA Finals. Forget that the games are being played during football season and the MLB playoffs. Forget that basketball is the sport that suffers the most – in El Hombre’s humble (shaddup!) opinion – from a lack of fans. The numbers are low, and some people are loving it. Gee, wonder why that is? It couldn’t be that the league is more than 70 percent Black, and that its players’ social activism on behalf of people of color who have been abused over the centuries doesn’t sit well with some folks. That couldn’t be the reason. Must be something else. Any ideas?...You will have to excuse El Hombre’s delight at the travails of the Cowboys, whose 2020 play is enough to make False Face spontaneously combust. Given the team’s 1-3 record and its crummy play that was only saved by some historically boneheaded special teams behavior by Atlanta, perhaps we can find another country willing to adopt it, so that we as a nation don’t have to be embarrassed by its “America’s Team” moniker…When Oklahoma and Texas get together, you can throw out the records. Given the way the teams have played this year, it’s a good idea to throw out the game film, the uniforms, the mascots and just about anything else. El Hombre can’t wait to tune in to that Iowa State-Kansas State Big 12 Championship Game.<o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">* * *<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? </b>The Sixers’ decision to hire Doc Rivers was a sound one. He is an experienced coach with a winning pedigree and the gravitas to command the respect of the players and the rest of the organization. But in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons he has two players who have yet to demonstrate that winning is their primary goal. Each has refused to do the things necessary to move from talented players to championship teammates. If Rivers can get Embiid to get into top shape and convince Simmons that working to develop a jump shot is not an abandonment of his on-court essence, the Sixers might become truly dangerous. But until those two decide that winning is the most important thing, the Sixers can create an amalgam of Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson and Lenny Wilkens and put it on the bench, and it still won’t matter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: El Hombre apologizes (not really) for the second Philadelphia-centered entry, but the recent comments by Phillies managing partner John Middleton demanded a response. In his remarks regarding the decision to “reassign” former GM Matt Klentak – hopefully to a role that has nothing to do with building the team’s roster – Middleton said, “I think the problem the Phillies have had for 100 years is they don’t evaluate talent.” His only hire, Klentak, was proof of that. As Middleton and his “advisors” work to fill the empty GM position, they confront a franchise with a rotten farm system and perhaps the worst bullpen in baseball history. Middleton had better hire someone who knows more about baseball than mathematics, or that century-long evaluation deficit will continue – and he will be contributing to it once again.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">-EH-<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-74959816782813305022020-07-23T04:55:00.002-07:002020-07-23T05:17:49.579-07:00PLAY BALL -- SORT OF<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;">
The beautiful thing about baseball over the past 50 years is that no matter how many times the owners and players square off in labor disputes, fans always come back to the ballpark for more peanuts, popcorn and four-hour Yankees-Red Sox games. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We may not be sitting in box seats for this season’s 60-game sprint to the playoffs, but you can bet fans will be tuning in to watch their favorite teams – and the Marlins – practice America’s pastime amidst pandemic restrictions and the universal DH catastrophe. These are strange times, and the only way for baseball to match them is with a short campaign resulting from a hideous labor struggle that is merely a precursor to a showdown that will make Medusa look like Blake Lively. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Still, tonight, fans will be able to tune in to games that actually count in the standings and once again wonder why every hitter must step out of the box after every pitch to adjust his batting gloves, even if he didn’t swing the bat. Here’s El Hombre’s look at the really big storylines of the abbreviated 2020 season.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Greed is Good</b>: A big reason why it took so long for Majoke League Baseball to set a schedule for the season was a good, old-fashioned owner-sponsored attempt to break the Players Union’s collective spirit. El Hombre has said it a million times before, but it bears repeating: In disputes between millionaires and billionaires, root for the millionaires. The owners waged a months-long attempt to subdue the union, in a preliminary bout before next year’s battle royale that will almost certainly shut down the game for a long period of time. While a tenuous labor peace prevails at the moment, and fans shouldn’t worry about the nastiness ahead, remember that those who own the teams don’t care one bit about their customers, except as revenue streams. Why else would they charge $13 for a bottle of Bud?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Justice Delayed</b>: There are few things as wonderful as settling into a stadium seat on a balmy summer night and getting ready for nine innings of baseball. The country’s inability to get the coronavirus pandemic under control has robbed us of enjoying that pleasure this season, but the biggest baseball tragedy of 2020’s fever dream is the inability of fans around the country to rip into the Houston Astros for the brazen cheating that led to their 2017 World Series title. There will be no banging on trashcans, no “concealing” devices under shirts to look like Jose Altuve, and no ability to direct vitriol and clever insults at the team. It’s just not right. And it won’t have the same impact next year. Talk about a lucky break. Even if Houston goes 0-60 this season, it will still have picked up a huge victory. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What’s Next, Ghost Runners?</b> Fans of real baseball – i.e. National League baseball – knew the day would come when the forces of evil prevailed, and the designated hitter would become part of their world. Well, 2020 is the beginning of the end of the sport as we have known it for more than 100 years. Although the DH in National League ball isn’t permanent, yet, it will no doubt be part of the next labor agreement, bringing the gimmick into every ballpark and spoiling the fun of seeing managers actually have to do their jobs. Further, the 10<sup>th</sup> inning of tie ballgames will begin with a runner on second base, a bastardization of the game that defies description. Why not let the batters hit off tees during extra innings? Or let batting practice pitchers take the mound? Maybe they could use courtesy runners for catchers or mandate only three balls for walks in extra frames. And everybody gets a juice box and a bag of fruit snacks after the game. Ridiculous.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Making Due</b>: Over the next two-plus months, MLB players must pretend as if every game is being played in Miami, where the population is wise to the Marlins’ Rachel Phelps-style approach to ownership and doesn’t show up to games. Fans in the seats will be replaced by cutouts, and if teams want to be realistic, 90 percent of the stiffs should be looking at their phones during the games. Teams will pipe in fan noise – wonder if the Phillies will broadcast lusty booing when the players mess up – and use video and other technology to replicate a ballgame’s sounds. It’s kind of like what espn does when it tries to make its highlights more exciting. Now, if someone could figure out how to make baseball more exciting…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Wild and Crazy Guys</b>: In a 60-game season, nothing is certain. That’s right, Tigers fans, your heroes might just win it all. Think about how many teams have looked great in May and June during previous seasons, only to collapse spectacularly as the season reached its arduous, 162-game conclusion. The temptation is to look at the Yankees and Dodgers and pencil them in for a TV-friendly bi-coastal World Series, but with such a short season, just about all of the teams can qualify for the expanded post-season, and those who stay free of serious injury will be most likely to prevail. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Which leads El Hombre to…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Super-Size Me</b>: Sixteen playoff teams? What in the name of the NHL is going on here? This means Kansas City might get in. And the Giants, even with Gabe Kapler managing them. And even…Baltimore. Okay, okay. El Hombre is sorry for losing his mind (shaddup!) momentarily. This actually works – for one year. The shortened season will create a playoff race that will involve every MLB team, except Detroit. Not even a 28-team playoff scenario could help the Tigers. Let’s have a full-on tournament. That ought to keep people’s interest, although once the NFL gets started, it’s tough to imagine a first-round matchup between Colorado and the Reds is going to draw eyeballs in any other city. So, EH provides his imprimatur: Sixteen teams for one time only. The whole world is on its ear. Why not get crazy? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>And The Winner Is</b>: It’s pretty tempting to pencil in the Dodgers and Yankees into the World Series. After all, they paid for it. Were this a normal, 162-game season, that would be the call. But a 60-game, pandemic-threatened sprint requires drastic measures. Let’s give the NL to the Dodgers, who will bump off Atlanta in the NLCS. As for the Junior Circuit, El Hombre is going with Tampa Bay. Nobody does more with less than the Rays, and in this setting, they have enough to reach the Big Show. However, they will lose in five to L.A., which takes its first Series title since Tommy LaSorda was in charge and chasing the Phillie Phanatic around the stadium.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: The NBA announced Monday that none of the 300-plus people in its Orlando “Bubble” had tested positive for coronavirus, quite an accomplishment given the level of contact players have during practices and scrimmages. Guess the threat of that “Snitch Line” has scared some people into behaving themselves. It also means there isn’t any right swiping going on. Let’s see how everything plays out when some team members need a little “consoling” after a loss…Meanwhile, the NHL is set to resume play in a little over a week, with all games played in Canada. That’s a good thing, because given the state of the teams in that country, it’s the only way the Stanley Cup will be won in up in North Minnesota for a long time…Let’s hear it for Washington NFL franchise owner Little Danny Snyder, who is changing the name of his team after being reminded by sponsors that they can take away their millions just as easily they can give them. This has nothing to do with helping to rid the landscape of racist terms; it’s all about the chicken, as the kids say, and Snyder remains a contemptible individual, no matter how hard the NFL’s propaganda partners try to make him out to be upstanding…Let’s hear it for Bryson DeChambeau, who in between swallowing entire cannisters of protein powder and swatting 400-yard drives has managed to alienate a good chunk of the golfing community with his complaining about how the PGA’s TV apologizers are supposed to help him build his brand, rather than showing the tantrums he throws on the course. That’s why it was particularly gratifying to see him try to calculate how many shots he hit on the 15<sup>th</sup> at Muirfield last week. The final tally was 10 and could have been a message from the golfing gods to stop the moaning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> So, now Ben Simmons is a four man, eh? The Sixers have seemingly ended their experiment with Simmons at the point and have given him a numeric promotion (one to four in the roundball lexicon) to a spot where shooting the three-pointer isn’t so important in the job description. The only problem is that the modern power forward is supposed to shoot the ball, too. He doesn’t always have to crank it up from behind the arc, but he should be able to hit a 15-footer. Simmons still can’t do that, and everybody who is any good the Sixers will play knows that. Simmons may be able to get away with his one-dimensional offensive game against the NBA’s chumps – of which there are many – but once a good defensive team lines up against him, Simmons will be exposed. There are always reports that he is working on his shot, that he will be taking jumpers and that he will become the complete player the Sixers need him to be. Until then, he can play every position on the court, but he will never be a first-rate star. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: It was amusing to hear some of the NBA players in the league’s Mousetown “bubble” complaining about their accommodations. It turns out the food wasn’t to their gourmet standards, and the thread count on the sheets wasn’t high enough. Athletes are constantly reminding us how tough they are, but it seems more likely that the bravado-filled talk doesn’t refer to any interruption in their five-star lifestyles or criticism from the media. They will huff and puff on the court and then whine when someone has the temerity to mention that their on-field/court/ice performance isn’t quite commensurate with the Fort Knox-level paychecks they have been receiving. It was left to Oklahoma City center Steven Adams to provide a little perspective about the brutal conditions the players were enduring. “This is not Syria,” he said. “It’s not that hard.” Thank you, Steven. Let’s hope your peers took a little time away from their pedicures to pay attention. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">-EH-</span>El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-26787431730293327212020-06-18T04:57:00.002-07:002020-06-18T04:57:49.637-07:00LET THE BUYERS BEWARE<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Monday afternoon, all-Big 12 Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard tweeted his displeasure at a photograph of head coach Mullet “I’m a man, I’m 40!” Gundy wearing a t-shirt bearing the logo of One America News, a fledgling right-wing media enterprise which Gundy had praised earlier this year. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Since this is America, and freedom of speech is a right protected by the Constitution, The Mullet can get his “news” from any source he wants. But Hubbard is also allowed to speak out about how it feels to be a young black man playing for a coach who endorses an outlet that has, among other incendiary takes, referred to Black Lives Matter as “a farce.” It wasn’t long before other OSU players took to social media in support of Hubbard, and later that same day Gundy and Hubbard appeared in what looked like a hostage video, during which Hubbard actually apologized for tweeting out his feelings. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A day later, predictably, Gundy read a mea culpa designed to demonstrate his newfound appreciation for his players’ concerns. His delivery was as wooden as Roger Dorn’s during the Cleveland team’s American Express commercial in “Major League” and was received well by some. Others weren’t so convinced. Of course, believing that The Mullet had actually changed his feelings after one 24-hour period is simplistic at best and dangerous at worst. This was the guy who back in April said he would be bringing his players back soon to campus, despite the burgeoning pandemic, because he didn’t want to stop the flow of dollars from university or state. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The issue here isn’t whether Gundy should be fired for his political beliefs or news channel choices. He shouldn’t be. (NOTE: If the accusations made by former Colorado players that The Mullet used the N-word in a 1989 game between Oklahoma State and the Buffaloes are true, then it’s time for him to go.) The larger question is whether Hubbard’s and his teammates’ posts signal a new dawn in athletes’ activism. As college sports stumble back to life in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, protests continue across the country in response to police brutality and institutional racism, and the NC2A continues to do everything in its power to limit the rights of its athletes in the name of “amateurism”, athletes everywhere are becoming emboldened and could well create a long-needed shift in the power dynamic across the nation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ohio State students were welcomed back to campus this week with a form they had to sign that absolved the institution of any liability should any of them contract coronavirus during their “voluntary” workouts. Athletes at other schools will no doubt have to do the same thing when they arrive on campus. All this to make sure the institutions are protected, even if the kids aren’t. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As we move forward while confronting the dueling crises of a pandemic (better get your fill of college sports early in the fall, folks) and substantial civil unrest, athletes and their families should be paying close attention to what schools do to assure students’ safety, how they respond for calls to repair racist activities of the past and present and whether they respond enthusiastically to the opportunity to help athletes profit from their names, images and likenesses. Those who do will be able to make informed decisions about remaining on campus and where they should be committing when recruited. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the past, athletes have chosen their schools based on playing time, facilities, academic programs, coaches’ sales pitches, location, historic success and a host of other criteria, some of which are quite banal. “Golly, Mom and Dad, Clemson’s football building has a sliding board in it. I want to go there!” While some of the reasons will always remain crucial to the final decisions, the behaviors of people and schools during these extraordinary times should offer significant evidence of where players – particularly African-Americans – want to spend four years (or at least one or two before they transfer). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Players and their families should start paying closer attention to what coaches believe, what institutions celebrate and whether those behaviors align with their beliefs and what is important to them. If Gundy still wants to watch OAN, that’s his right. But that might be a problem if he wants to convince a four-star African-American quarterback to play for him. If a school wants to become a magnet for players who want some of rights and privileges enjoyed by their coaches – bonuses for success, ability to profit in the community from their exploits and relative freedom of movement between job opportunities – then its president had better not be chairing a committee of fellow big shots who are trying to squelch athletes’ freedoms. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If athletes want to affect change at schools and within athletic departments, they can do so by choosing colleges whose officials and coaches care about social justice, rather than just issuing mea culpas when they get caught doing things that upset people. Further, parents, community leaders and others who have influence over young people should be monitoring the those competing for high school athletes’ services. That way, they can provide information and guidance about who is recruiting the youngsters. Nothing forces change in college sports more than poor performances by teams, diminishing revenues and bad public relations. Yes, Clemson may have a beach volleyball court at its football complex. But it also has a building on campus named for Benjamin Tillman, an ardent racist. It’s time to make one of those facts more important than the other when it comes to athletic recruiting. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: It took espn 1:45 of “Long Gone Summer” to mention that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa might have used some funny vitamins to jack all those homers during the magical steroid summer of ’98. Who makes the decisions to gloss over things like this? Is there a big meeting in which someone says, “Look, these guys looked like Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade floats, but if we talk about their go-go juice usage, folks won’t watch,” and everybody just goes along? It’s ridiculous and yet another reason espn can’t be counted on consistently for truthful programming…Speaking of baseball, it looks like we might have an agreement between players and owners that will allow for a truncated 2020 season. Might. It’s still extremely possible that both sides will screw this up, and that the only ball we’ll see is the Korean League, or the 96<sup>th</sup> airing of “Bull Durham.” (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)…Among the amenities promised NBA players when they bivouac at the “bubble” in Mousetown for the remainder of the ’19-20 season is a manicure/pedicure service. El Hombre is trying to imagine what Bill Russell, Wes Unseld, Maurice Lucas or Bill Laimbeer would have had to say about that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> News of Eagles guard Barrett Brooks’ torn Achilles tendon has rattled the franchise and its fan base. Now, the team must decide whether to promote a reserve from within to take Brooks’ place, pursue the unwise path of re-signing Jason Peters to play inside, after his glittering career as a left tackle, pick up a cheap free agent or get aggressive and find a front-line replacement. El Hombre votes for the aggressive approach. Although the team is way over the cap for the 2021 season, thanks to a spate of long-term deals, and inking (or trading for) a legitimate starter would stress an already difficult money situation, the team has a great chance to win the NFC East this year and merely patching a major hole in the middle of the line will have significant consequences. Oft-injured QB Carson Wentz needs as much protection as possible, and leaving him vulnerable to A-gap blitzes isn’t the best way to do that. Further, since the Eagles’ receiving corps isn’t made up of 7-Eleven types (always open), Wentz will need more time to find someone who has – perhaps – shaken free of a defender. Putting a turnstile in front of him on the line won’t aid his efforts any. It makes sense to overpay for Brooks’ replacement for this year and perhaps next, since this is his second torn Achilles, and though he showed superhuman courage in coming back so quickly from the first, the body can only withstand so much abuse. NFL teams have no guarantee that contention windows will stay open for more than a year, much less three or four, and sacrificing 2020 for the future is a bad decision.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: As the nation opens up gradually – or, in some places, too quickly – people are beginning to look a bit forward to the idea that college football will defy the pandemic and provide us three months of Saturday entertainment. That’s a nice thought, but it would be wise for fans to temper their expectations. As colleges across the country try to figure out how to return to campus, they are also making plans for a return to the remote educational models that prevailed earlier this year, as states shut down activities, and toilet paper hoarding became the new national pastime. With experts predicting sustained life for the coronavirus, and states experiencing spikes in cases thanks to premature loosening of restrictions, the chances of another widespread national crisis are quite real. Although some states may ignore a growing number of cases and power forward, others won’t. That means campus closures and cessations of college sports. It’s not guaranteed, and it’s not necessarily universal, but everyone should understand that there could well be interruptions as the fall moves forward.<o:p></o:p></div>
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-EH-<o:p></o:p></div>
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-77549336923649842402020-06-11T05:58:00.004-07:002020-06-11T05:58:31.554-07:00PLAY BALL, YOU IDIOTS!<br />
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Rob Manfred, Majoke League Baseball’s tough-guy commissioner who took away the Astros’ dessert for <i>two</i> weeks after Houston cheated its way to the 2017 World Series title, has guaranteed us there will be baseball this year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I can tell you unequivocally we are gonna play Major League Baseball this year,” Manfred said.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s a pretty definitive statement for someone who is presiding over yet another round of clown college-quality negotiations between owners and players. If it takes an imposition from the top of a 50-game (or 10-game, or whatever) schedule that half the players boycott, Manfred is going to do it. And as the millionaires and billionaire squabble over control of the game and their shares of a smaller – but still substantial – pile of money, the biggest loser in all of this is a sport that is facing an uncertain future, as its fan base ages toward irrelevance with advertisers, and the feast of entertainment options around it lures more and more young people away from it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Manfred’s proclamation may have cheered some baseball fans, but the idea of a 50-game sprint to a bloated playoff tournament is as appetizing as a hot dog that has endured eight innings in the brackish waters of a vendor’s tank. Some people may watch. Many won’t, and when baseball tries to reopen fully next spring, it will do so in front of fewer fans and after having taken one more step toward an irrelevance that could have been avoided, or at least prolonged.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A 2017 study by <i>Sports Business Journal</i> found that the average baseball fan was 57 years old, seven years older than the average NFL fan and 15 ahead of the typical NBA partisan. That was three years ago, and you can bet MLB’s fan base hasn’t skewed younger since then. And since baseball isn’t too keen on filling up commercial breaks with advertisements for Consumer Cellular, Colonial Penn Life Insurance and prostate-care supplements, the graying fan base isn’t too encouraging. Those old-folks promotions don’t generate the same revenue as do ads for cars, fast-food joints and reality shows. <o:p></o:p></div>
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According to the study, only 24 percent of baseball fans at the time were under 35. And since Little League participation has dropped consistently since the 1990s, it’s unlikely American youngsters are going to develop into rabid MLB fans in the coming years, thereby increasing that statistic. Baseball can institute robot umpires, seven-inning games, ghost runners on second at the beginning of extra innings and dress its players up like characters from “Stranger Things”, and it still won’t matter. The game’s fan base is aging. Its languid pace doesn’t appeal to our shorter-attention-span culture. So, what’s the absolute worst thing to do in that situation? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Piss off the base.<o:p></o:p></div>
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El Hombre has been quite clear about his preferred side in the ongoing struggle between the owners and players, so he isn’t going to revisit that subject. However, as baseball refuses to find a way back onto the field in a way that will satisfy fans, it risks obsolescence. Had it found a way to return by July 4, the sport could have had an entire month’s head start before the NBA and NHL resumed play and even beaten NFL training camps off the starting line. Further, it would have been played during its conventional window, something the basketball and hockey folks couldn’t have done. It’s still hard to imagine folks getting excited about the Stanley Cup finals in August. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Earlier this week, the MLB Players Association presented a counteroffer to the owners that should serve as a basis for responsible negotiations that produce a season that can be considered legitimate, not some 50-game lark. Should the two sides come to an agreement, they will each suffer some short-term pain, in return for a bit of long-term security. Baseball’s aging base may be loyal, but it has a breaking point. If baseball messes up this year, even the old timers won’t be back in the same numbers. Do the math: as the current target audience ages and falls away, and the younger demographic loses interest, the long-term prognosis for baseball isn’t too attractive. That doesn’t mean the sport is doomed tomorrow or even in 10 years, especially since 60 is the new 40 – or at least that’s what El Hombre hopes. But any business that insists on alienating its best customers will eventually wither. If MLB teams don’t get onto the field pretty damn quickly, they will lose the one group of fans on which they have been counting. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And remember, there’s a “Rockford Files” marathon on TV next week. That’s a heckuva lot better than a Rockies-Marlins game.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: The eight rotten NBA teams that have been left out of the playoff hunt – for darn good reason – are upset that playing no games this summer will create a huge layoff that will hurt them next season. Here’s a news flash: the lack of competition won’t be the major culprit; their awful rosters will be. But since El Hombre is a generous soul, he proposes the NBA stage The Crap Tournament, which pits the eight roundball disasters against each other. Only there should be one catch: the losing teams advance in the best-of-three series. That way, fans will know who the true worst squad is. Put everything you have on the Knicks…In other NBA news, the league has floated the concept of a condensed 2020-21 season that would start Dec. 1 and squeeze all 82 games into a time period that would allow for an ending close to the traditional conclusion of the season, and one that would allow for players to compete for the U.S. in the Tokyo Olympics, now scheduled to begin July 23 of next year. That would lead to more back-to-backs. There might even be some back-to-back-to-back gauntlets for teams, or as the Knicks fans will refer to them, “stink-stank-stunk.”…Now that NASCAR has banned Confederate battle flags from its racetracks, the big question is how stridently the racing organization will police its new edict. Should it apply the same zero-tolerance policy that it does to those who try to sell bootleg apparel, it will do just fine. One more thing about the flags: They represent a rebellion against the United States that failed. When you lose a war, you don’t get to keep your symbols…Michael Jordan and his team landed a massive, 442.3-pound marlin during a $3 million fishing tournament off the coast of North Carolina. Alas, the creature wasn’t heavy enough to win Jordan any money, and rumor has it the Bulls legend immediately christened it “The Scott Burrell of fish” and lambasted it for not doing enough to help him win…Duke AD Kevin White is concerned that new legislation allowing college athletes to pursue compensation for their names, images and likenesses will force schools to “abandon a model” that has been successful. Let’s hope so. That “model” has allowed colleges – along with coaches and ADs like White – to reap tremendous financial rewards from their athletes’ exploits, while sharing none of the largesse with the athletes. Sure, there is a chance certain schools will establish protocols to ensure some recruits will be able to have more endorsement opportunities than others, but since Duke has hired an outside firm to help it manage the new path, it’s unlikely the Blue Devils will be at a disadvantage. Here’s an idea: When White and his AD friends receive bonuses for teams’ successes at their schools, perhaps they could funnel the money to the players, instead of profiting personally. Think that will happen? Naaahhhh!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> Once the NBA season re-starts, the Sixers will be counting heavily on Ben Simmons for any playoff success. That’s not good news. Even if Simmons is completely healthy – and a back injury forced him out of action before the league ceased operation due to the coronavirus – he remains an extremely unreliable leader, thanks to his skill set and attitude. The first and most obvious trouble is Simmons’ refusal to develop a reliable outside shot, which makes him more guardable, particularly in playoff settings, when open-court fun evaporates and teams must negotiate the halfcourt. Without a jumper from outside 15 feet, Simmons makes it easier for top teams to contain him in tight confines. Worse is the fact that by not developing the shot, Simmons appears to think his development is complete and that he doesn’t need to improve. That’s no way for a leader to behave, and it raises significant questions about whether he can become the type of player capable of lifting a franchise to the top of the NBA. Simmons has remarkable skill and talent, but it’s imperative that he becomes more complete, or the Sixers will never win a title with him on the roster. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: It will be extremely interesting to see whether the NFL’s Invisible Man, who last week released a video expressing contrition for not listening more closely to players’ complaints about racism and for not respecting their protests – which included taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem – will stick by his new stance once the games start this season and team members kneel, raise fists or do something else in protest. Roger Goodell sounds as if he has developed a greater understanding of the issues about which players are angry. But there will be considerable pushback from plenty of populations, including Mr. Twitter himself, who has already weighed in, and some of the NFL owners, who approve Goodell’s salary and who have shown themselves to be no fans of protest, particularly if it upsets fans, political figures or media outlets. Forget that the protests are about police brutality and are not against the flag or armed forces, as those who dislike the activists insist. Goodell will have to make a big decision come exhibition game time, and it’s a good bet he will bow to external forces and outlaw kneeling. It may make his bosses happy, but it will infuriate the players, 70 percent of whom are black and who are fed up with brutality. The Invisible Man looks good now, but he’s like a rookie who shines during mini-camp. Once the real action starts, things get a lot tougher, and the spring star wilts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">-EH-</span>El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-90396853620036940982020-06-04T04:40:00.001-07:002020-06-04T04:41:45.888-07:00NOW DO YOU SEE WHY HE TOOK A KNEE?<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
If anyone in the U.S. doesn’t understand now why Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem four years ago, he or she just isn’t interested in comprehending the quarterback's intent. </div>
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It wasn’t to disgrace the flag.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He wasn’t being anti-American.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He was protesting the brutal police treatment of black Americans. Period. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Oh, and the flag that all his critics wrapped themselves in was the shield that protected his protest. Kaepernick was protesting exactly what happened in Minneapolis last week. And in countless other U.S. cities over the past decades and centuries. You can spew jingoistic outrage about how you support our troops, but you cannot deny – if you are at all interested in being an honest and thoughtful person – that Kaepernick’s anger was justified. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As sports tries to stir from its coronavirus-inspired hibernation, its players, coaches, executives and fans are grappling with the fact that the racism problem in this country is real and widespread. Some are speaking out. Others are supporting those who have to fight the fight every second. Many are listening. And learning. Talking. Those are good things. They are necessary things. But they aren’t enough. If they are not backed up by action, we won’t ever progress from where we are today.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Nothing is more about tribalism than the world of sports. My team can beat your team, which by the way, stinks. My school is better than your school. My quarterback is better than yours. We arrange ourselves in tribes based on allegiances to our favorites. It’s natural for humans to seek out people with like interests and backgrounds. In sports, that means Eagles fans will back each other in any confrontation, sometimes to the detriment of civilized society. There is nothing wrong with supporting a team or school and bonding with others allied with the same squad. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But our connection with tribes of all kinds must not be based on hatred and intolerance. It’s one thing to root against the Cowboys. It’s another to foment distrust and animus against another race. Or gender. Or sexual orientation. (Those are topics for another time.) Colin Kaepernick didn’t take a knee to disrespect our armed forces. He wasn’t agitating for the overthrow of the government. He wanted to make everyone aware that some members of the law enforcement community were and had been treating black people violently and without care. <o:p></o:p></div>
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He chose to do it during the national anthem because it generated awareness. And he did it because he was protected by a Constitution that guarantees free speech. As the anger mounted against him, his message became distorted by those trying to use him for political, social and just plain hateful purposes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The amusing thing about all of this is that spending the couple minutes it takes for the anthem to reach its first-verse conclusion out on the concourse of a stadium or arena reveals hundreds of people showing no respect at all for the anthem. They are talking, buying food and drink, searching for their sections, going to the bathroom and doing just about anything other than standing at attention, with their hats removed, and singing along. But because those folks are law-abiding Americans, they get passes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer has triggered fury that has been simmering – and often reaching a boil – for centuries. It has spawned protests, but what it must do now is catalyze honest discussion throughout the country about what it really means to be a black person in America. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A few years ago, El Hombre spent a couple hours interviewing a black minister in Wilmington, DE, about race and that city’s efforts to emerge from poverty and violence. El Hombre asked the minister what would happen first if the two of them had the opportunity to solve the nation’s problem with racism.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“That would require a conversation in which you would have to hear some very uncomfortable things,” the minister said.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“But what if you hear some things you don’t like?” El Hombre asked.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The minister laughed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’ve already heard them,” he said. <o:p></o:p></div>
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He’s right. He had heard it all, and El Hombre hadn’t heard enough. Kaepernick tried to open our ears, but his silent power was no match for the cacophony of those unwilling to look past their own biases. As sports return – we hope – those involved will be speaking out again. Before fans dismiss them, they should find somebody who looks different than they are and have that uncomfortable conversation. Listen. Learn. They may not change their minds completely, but they will gain some knowledge. That’s a great start. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: When El Hombre gets his three wishes from Jeannie, one of them will be for the Almighty’s imagination, just so he can dream up something like what happened in a New York courtroom Monday. A judge dismissed Lenny Dykstra’s defamation suit against Ron Darling on the grounds that Dykstra had already defamed himself so thoroughly with his actions that no one could do any more damage to his reputation. Darling had written in his autobiography that Dykstra had hurled a string of vile epithets at Boston pitcher Oil Can Boyd during the 1986 World Series, and Dykstra claimed the book had harmed his rep. We’re at the point where if someone referred to Dykstra as Joe Stalin, the Soviet Man of Steel’s estate might sue…Uh-oh, Dookies: A Florida State Court judge ruled Monday that Zion Williamson has to answer questions about whether he accepted cash and prizes from Durham Community College to play ball for Saint, er, Coach Mike Krzyzewski. The imbroglio stems from a lawsuit brought against Williamson by his former marketing manager, who claims she was wrongly replaced. Williamson’s attorneys – and one would imagine Duke fans everywhere – will appeal. But this puts us one step closer to finding out that the Blue Devils weren’t attracting all those five-star recruits just because Krzyzewski is such a great guy. Wouldn’t that be a sin?...The NBA is hoping to start its season again by July 31, with the Finals’ concluding by Oct. 12, a time period that will bring a satisfactory conclusion to the season but will also put the league up against the NFL and (El Hombre hopes) the MLB’s pennant chase and post-season. Anyone expecting fans to spend August and September watching roundball is wishing and hoping and dreaming. But such is life in a pandemic. And if the 2019-20 season ends in mid-October, when does the ’20-21 campaign commence? Strange times, indeed…At this point, the math seems pretty simple: MLB players want to play 114 games, and the owners want 50. The players want 50% of their salaries guaranteed, and the owners want to pay 40%. So, how about 82 games and 45%? Makes sense, doesn’t it? Get on it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: With minor leaguers facing highly-uncertain futures, and the entire farm system model at risk, thanks to the cratered economy and Majoke League Baseball’s attempt to gain control (read: cut costs) of the bushes, huge credit should go to David Price and Sean Doolittle for stepping up and promising to pay salaries of players in their teams’ systems. Price is paying the 200-plus players in the Dodgers’ system $1,000 each this month, while Doolittle convinced the Nationals’ big-league players to pick up the balance of the weekly $400 stipends the minor-leaguers were scheduled to receive, before the franchise cut them. Doolittle’s advocacy – and his teammates’ generosity – shamed the Nats’ owners into coughing up the full amount. Price is due to make about $31 million this year, so it’s not like he’s going to be eating beans for dinner or anything, but $200,000-plus is no joke, so he is to be commended. So are the Nationals. As for the owners, El Hombre hopes they won’t have to serve cut-rate caviar on their yachts this summer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT</b>? Fans often wonder what NFL players say to each other on the field, when the pressure mounts, and the action is at its peak. This week, Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson suggested TV networks make up for the lack of fan noise on broadcasts by putting microphones on players and airing their banter, comments, insults and trash talk. It’s a great idea. In theory. But do the players – and especially the NFL – want to expose the public to what is <i>really</i> said? El Hombre doesn’t think so. Forget about the bad words and how creatively the players use them. Think about the wildly politically incorrect things that are said on the field. The NFL sure doesn’t want that in the public record. And how about momentary flare-ups between coaches and players that get settled almost immediately after they start? That’s not good for business, either. Fans would love an inside look like that, but the league can’t afford to provide it. About the only person in the league capable of wearing a microphone is Colts’ QB Phillip “Goshdarnit” Rivers. Or, maybe someone could arrange for full access to a BYU scrimmage. But an NFL game? [Expletive] no!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">-EH-</span>El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-72969446419921563772020-05-28T11:54:00.003-07:002020-05-28T12:11:48.010-07:00COME ON, AMERICA. TAKE WHAT YOU CAN GET<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
We Americans have a strange way of rationalizing our habit of wanting more. It’s why our credit card balances are often equal to the GDPs of some small European countries and our collective ability to think in terms of the future often doesn’t extend beyond the doughnut. </div>
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“I’ll take care of it later.” </div>
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And later.</div>
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Until…</div>
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Well, you know.</div>
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We want more leisure time. More money. More things. More comfort. More ease. That’s why, when an American says something along the lines of, “When this is over, I will never fail to appreciate (family/good health/what I have/cold beer) again,” the rest of the world shakes its head. Yes, U.S. citizen, you are going to fail in that humble pursuit, because you want more.</div>
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Back in March, when the world of sports closed its doors like an angry homeowner driving away a solicitor, we mourned the lack of programming. We craved competition. We wanted to talk sports. Watch sports. Gamble on sports. And we let everyone know that it didn’t matter what format sports took when they returned, we were going to be delighted and even satisfied. Fans or no fans. Shortened seasons. Odd playoff formats. The espn NBA pre-game show. The Mets. We didn’t care. Just give us the goods.</div>
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Well, here we are, on the precipice of sports’ – and golf’s – return, and we are already bemoaning some of the compromises we will have to make in order to enjoy professional (we’ll get to the colleges at a later date) athletics. Turns out those involved in the fun and games are a bit confused about the whole thing, too. </div>
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The strange part of it is that we should be welcoming back sports in any format we can get them. If you have been forced to go without beer for a few months, and someone offers you a Natty Light, are you going to turn it down and wait for a delicious Toadstool IPA, with hints of toe jam, cauliflower and mulch? Let’s hope not. Grab the Natty and be happy about it. </div>
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But that’s not how we roll in the old USA. We want what we want, when we want it. Right now, that’s no way to be. So, if the NBA proposes a playoff format that combines the group stage of the World Cup, the NCAA Tournament and Family Feud, don’t complain. Enjoy the basketball and try to figure out how the league and its propaganda partners are going to help Zion Williamson get as far as possible in the competition. If the NHL is going to exclude seven teams – especially the execrable Dead Things – from its revival, so be it. Was anybody really hankering to watch an Ottawa-San Jose showdown in an empty arena, in July? Come to think of it, would anybody want to see that in February in front of a packed house? </div>
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These are the strangest times for sports anybody has ever encountered. Baseball players won’t be allowed to spit. NBA stars may have to make their trash-talk G-rated, the better to prevent profane slurs about opponents’ families from being caught by microphones in silent arenas. And if two hockey players drop the gloves without a bloodthirsty crowd cheering them on, will they still throw down, or will they merely consent to mediation to settle their differences? </div>
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It’s going to be a long time before everything looks normal again. Packed houses are way off in the future. But there will be some real competition involving the best players in the world soon, and there had better not be any whining about formats or social distancing in dugouts or quarantining those who test positive for coronavirus. It’s time to take what we can get. El Hombre knows that’s not easy for us, because we are supposed to get whatever we want, and for those with Amazon Prime, get it in two days or less. All of that will return. It just isn’t coming back this summer. Or this fall, for that matter. It may not even occur in the winter. But just as life returned to normal after the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which preceded the Roaring Twenties and sports’ first Golden Age, we will once again have the opportunity to pay too much for tickets, spend $14 bucks on a 12-ounce beer, high-five the people seated around us and go to the bathroom at games whenever we want. </div>
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Those watching at home will get the same made-for-TV spectacles they are used to seeing. Eventually. For now, we are going to have to adopt a word that has disappeared from our vernacular and certainly from our behavior: compromise. We must take what is given to us and like it. And the first one who complains will be forced to watch an unending stream of Marlins games, in the type of setup the Minister of Interior used to disabuse Alex DeLarge of his ultraviolence predilection. Sports are coming back, probably in a format that isn’t perfect or that you do not like. Enjoy them as they are, even if that feels positively un-American.</div>
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: Anybody who thought the sanitized version of Michael Jordan’s response to the idea of Isiah Thomas’ playing on the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” was true should contact El Hombre about purchasing the large tract of land he owns on Mercury. Jordan didn’t want Thomas on the team, and the recent airing of Jack McCallum’s 2011 recording of Jordan’s comments saying he wouldn’t play if Thomas was chosen proves it. It’s just another reason why people should consider “The Last Dance” a fine piece of entertainment but hardly a reliable bit of historical matter…As dozens of players continue to flood the transfer portal, the NC2A is allowing players to make money off their names, images and likenesses, and prep players are heading to the G League for a season of exhibition games before moving on to the NBA, a prominent D-I coach warns of “unintended consequences” from the increased opportunities for players. Such as? How about locker room discontent over which players get the nicest cars or biggest appearance fees from local merchants? Or a lack of development for those G-Leaguers, who won’t play in a game that really matters all year? It’s great that players have more rights, but it’s going to take some time to make sure this all works well…There is talk that 53-year old Mike Tyson, whose recent social media posts show him looking fit and powerful, could fight Evander Holyfield, 57, with proceeds going to charity. It would be the boxers’ third meeting in the ring and is definitely something Tyson considers, ahem, appetizing…Next month, UConn will cut multiple sports from its athletic department, due to significant financial losses, and it will blame the coronavirus for the move. The real culprit is a rotten football program that has gone 6-30 the past three seasons and has been hemorrhaging money for most of the decade. The Huskies have a diminutive fan base, little-to-no tradition and a recruiting base that hardly produces a collection of five-star recruits. (Or four-stars. Or…) Still, the school has kept up the charade of a running an FBS program, and now it must cut other sports to support a huge budget chasm for a program that will never be any good. What a joke.</div>
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> The releases of Todd Zolecki’s new book and John Barr’s documentary about late Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay devote considerable attention to his addiction, depression and physical pain, painting compelling portraits of the star’s struggles. It isn’t difficult to see how all of those circumstances contributed to his tragic death, and it’s highly unlikely Philadelphia fans will look on his life with anything other than compassion. Let’s hope these glimpses of Halladay’s experiences help others understand that monsters like addiction and depression afflict many other people and that their impacts manifest themselves in many different ways, some of which are disruptive and potentially harmful to others. Halladay will be viewed sentimentally because of his significant contributions to the Philly sports scene, but it’s important that fans provide the same concern and understanding for other athletes (and everybody else fighting with these powerful foes) when they encounter setbacks due to their vulnerabilities in these situations. Halladay’s time with the Phillies was outstanding, and he was the consummate ace, whose work ethic and tenacity endeared him to local fans. The revelations about his battles with addiction and depression should help us develop empathy for others in the same situations.</div>
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: Sunday’s golf match between the Eldrick Woods and Phil Mickelson-led teams was pretty darn entertaining, especially when Dreamy Tom split his pants holing a wedge shot on the seventh. The competition was fun, and so was the banter between the players and commentators, particularly – of course – Charles Barkley. In regard to Brady, it has been amusing to see how tightly the media holds onto aging stars. As the new Tampa Bay QB cavorts around the Gulf Coast, entering houses by mistake and holding unsanctioned workouts, the praise for him is unrelenting. It’s nearly impossible to find a voice questioning the Buccaneers’ decision to sign him, and people are throwing down some Real Money on the Bucs to win the Super Bowl. That’s borderline insane. Not only does the team still have issues along the offensive line, its secondary remains shaky. And then there is Brady, who completed a pedestrian 60.8 percent of his throws last year, which was ahead of only five other full-time starters, and posted a QB rating of 88.0. That tied him with Indy’s Jacoby Brissett, who lost his job during the off-season to Philip Rivers, whose 88.5 rating in ’19 wasn’t spectacular, either. Brady will turn 43 in August and is clearly not the QB he was even two years ago. Tampa Bay fans should be happy the team has upgraded from Jameis Winsterception, but it would be nice if the media showed a bit of objectivity in assessing Brady’s 2020 prospects. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> -EH-</span>El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-91733657243874397072020-05-21T06:02:00.002-07:002020-05-21T06:02:36.093-07:00THE OLD COLLEGE TRY<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
When it comes to the top inventions of all time – beer, rock-n-roll music, yoga pants – there is nothing that beats college football. Okay, so El Hombre understands the world’s greatest sport wasn’t technically invented in some lab and that it evolved over time from a bunch of guys in silly caps turning soccer into something worth watching and eventually into a true phenomenon. But when it comes to the perfect amalgamation of sport, color, pageantry and pure wonder, nothing touches college football. Not even bacon. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So, the idea of a fall without a full slate of college games is almost horrifying. As we approach the point in the year when true fans begin counting the days until the season opener and are watching rebroadcasts of games from the previous season – even those involving MAC teams – there is the real possibility that the 2020 campaign will be far different than any in history – if it happens at all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As states move to “re-open” during the coronavirus pandemic, some gradually and others less carefully, there is considerable discussion and debate about what will be happening on college campuses beginning in August. The recent evacuation of schools and the ensuing “remote learning” model produced varied results. Many kids spent more time on their phones than actually paying attention to the professor, and some classes were victims of pranks that included the screen sharing of porn. That got extra credit in a course at Arizona State. But the one thing that was universal was the end of most, if not all, non-academic activities, including athletics, and most notably the NCAA Tournament. There was just too much danger to all involved to keep playing basketball – along with spring sports like baseball, lacrosse, softball and tennis. So, the seasons ended. Make no mistake: This was extremely difficult for the athletes, who watched months of preparation evaporate in a COVID-19 cloud. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The cancellation of March Madness meant significant financial hardship for a lot of athletic departments and the NC2A, but the elimination of an entire college football season could have a crippling financial impact that leads to program cuts and the elimination of sports at some schools all together. Most schools do not have rainy-day funds for their athletic departments. Instead, they chose to make sure their Xanadu-like football buildings had barbershops and beach volleyball courts. As a result, schools are already chopping programs, blaming the lack of activity for the actions, instead of using the usual excuse that women’s sports precipitated the decision. It’s always amusing to see a school like Central Michigan, which had $25.2 million of its $33.6 million athletic budget provided by the institution – an indication that it was losing big money on just about everything, especially football – axe indoor and outdoor track and field in order to keep alive a football team that attracts paltry crowds, which are aided by huge outlays of free tickets. So, there are some serious things to consider when making the decision to hold a season.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A series of protocols is already being instituted on some campuses. Locker rooms could be coated in germ-fighting particles from a fogging machine. Players will be required to follow strict behavioral procedures from the moment they enter the football building until the time they leave – and then will be strongly encouraged to engage in exemplary social distancing practices the rest of the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And that doesn’t even begin to cover what needs to happen on the field in order to keep players (and coaches, student managers, trainers and staff) safe while still preparing a team to play games.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s begin with the most difficult part of all this: getting 18-to-22-year olds to follow the rules all the time. El Hombre may be getting older (shaddup!) but he remembers his days back at Oxford, and he didn’t always do what he was supposed to. And as he spends time educating and advising today’s college students, he is learning that not much has changed. No matter how socially conscious they may be, they aren’t about to become strict adherents to the regulations. If they can get away with something, they will. So, imagining that a group of college kids is going to stay away from weekend ragers at the notorious apartment complex or frat house and not engage in a little up-close, hand-to-gland combat with a fellow student at the end of the night is naïve. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Because of that, it is vital that colleges put the health of their students foremost when it comes to athletics, as well as the decision to open campuses in the first place. Students are simply not going to do what they are told all the time when no one is looking. It’s one thing for a young person to contract the coronavirus and another for one to die from it. That would be a tragedy – as well as a liability nightmare. (An aside: University general counsels are already working on complicated waivers to limit their exposure.) Since we know from the medical experts that an infected person can spread the virus to many others, including older, more vulnerable folks who are more susceptible to developing more serious symptoms, there are even greater concerns than the student body. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The upshot? No matter how well the plans go – on and off the fields – an outbreak on campus or around it could send the whole thing into the hopper and force the entire community back into their homes and onto the computers again. Perhaps it’s good that pro sports are trying to get rolling again. They can provide the laboratories necessary to find out what works and what doesn’t. It’s not quite as unseemly when someone getting paid millions gets sick, versus a 19-year old backup offensive tackle – although it’s not good in any circumstance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Whatever happens, this is a risky experiment. Schools will take precautions. Coaches and medical staff will preach proper behavior. There will be screening and tracking and testing. And Saturday night at the Manor Hall Apartments, a tray full of Jell-O shots could undo it all. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: There has been a decided lack of action at NFL team complexes, thanks to the suspension of OTAs and mini-camps, but plenty is going on off the field, as the recent spate of player arrests proves. First, Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland was arrested in late April for drug possession and other alleged crimes. Then, DeAndre Baker and Quinton Dunbar were nabbed for allegedly robbing fellow partygoers at gunpoint. A couple days later, Cody Latimer was charged with assault and illegal discharge of a firearm. Saturday night Ed Oliver was picked up on suspicion of DUI and unlawfully carrying a weapon. With nothing to do, players are finding new “outlets” for their energies, not the best news for the NFL, which might have to bring everybody back to team facilities, just to make sure it can fill out its rosters this season…Rubenesque pitcher Bartolo Colon has said he wants to spend one more season in the big leagues. If the 47-year old Colon, who last pitched with Texas in 2018, can’t find a spot on an MLB roster, he will return to his current job as a barbecue inspector…There is big news from the world of cutthroat college cheerleading. Powerhouse Kentucky, which has won 24 of the last 35 national titles, has fired its coaching staff and advisors after reports of hazing and drunken parties with public nudity surfaced. In a quickly released statement, new Iona coach and one-time Kentucky boss Rick Pitino denied any responsibility in the matter…Vegas oddsmakers are likely to give the Tampa Bay Rays plenty of love, if baseball returns in early July without fans. The Rays have been playing in that environment at home for several years and should have a huge advantage against teams who play at home in front of more enthusiastic crowds…The left-turn contingent returned to Darlington Sunday and posted some big ratings – a 38 percent increase from NASCAR’s last race, on March 8. The action was scintillating, and Kevin Harvickzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…El Hombre has to admit it was strange watching the golfing matchup Sunday and hearing no one cheering when the players made good shots. It will be even odder if there is no cheering at baseball or basketball games. Some may not like the idea of piped-in crowd noise, but it will definitely add to the experience of watching on TV. And for those of you who blanch at the idea, just watch espn when it shows highlights of a game in which someone on the visiting team does something well, and the crowd “roars.” You’ll find you are quite used to piped-in sound during sporting events…Former Chicago Bulls forward Horace Grant is a little miffed about his portrayal in the Michael Jordan mockumentary “The Last Dance.” How miffed? During a recent radio interview, Grant called Jordan a “snitch.” In a different radio appearance, Grant said he would have “beat [Jordan’s] ass” if he had tried to take food away from Grant on a flight after a game in which Grant hadn’t played particularly well. Looks like MJ is still making pals almost two decades after his retirement from the NBA…A lawsuit filed by an unnamed NFL player accuses United Airlines of not adequately protecting him from unwanted sexual advances and touching by a woman seated in his row during a flight. The player alleges he complained about the woman’s behavior toward him and a friend three times before he was compelled to jump into the aisle and let the entire plane know the woman had grabbed his genitals. The woman was finally moved from his row, and United has already held meetings to determine whether it should change its slogan from “Fly the Friendly Skies” to “You can look, but you better not touch.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: Let’s all take a moment to applaud the NFL’s new initiative to spur the hiring of more African-American head coaches and GMs. One of the proposed components of the plan would have rewarded teams that bring aboard black coaches or general managers with a jump of 10 draft spots – in the third round. Wow! Now that’s some serious impetus. Rumor has it the league also considered giving teams one extra timeout – a season – if they diversify. None of that made the final version. The end result of it all was a strengthening of the Rooney Rule, which has been well-intentioned but largely ceremonial since its 2003 creation. Teams that don’t interview two external candidates for the top coaching job and one for the lead personnel position will have the penalty increased from “a stern talking to” to “no dessert for a week.” That will show them. There are some positive initiatives, such as intern programs and training opportunities. But in a league in which 70% of the players are African-American, that isn’t enough, especially when there are only two people of color among the majority owners of NFL teams – one Asian-American, one Pakistani-American – and only three African-American coaches on NFL sidelines. (A fourth minority, Ron Rivera, leads the Washington NFL franchise.) The only way for these numbers to increase is for the league to put into place a concrete rule that has real penalties. For instance, each franchise has 15 years to hire either an African-American head coach or GM. Those who don’t will lose their first-round draft picks for five years. That ought to solve the problem pretty quickly. By hiring more African-American coordinators, assistant GMs and heads of scouting, teams can develop pipelines that produce highly-qualified, experienced candidates who are ready to step in. It will take a real concerted effort and not the lightweight “commitment” the league has shown to this point. Get to work, people. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> It’s amusing to hear fans and media speculating that the time off due to the coronavirus epidemic will actually help the Sixers, if the NBA begins playing again. Topping the list of hypotheticals is the assumption that center Joel Embiid will be in excellent physical condition once everybody heads back out onto the hardwood. That has been the most elusive part of his game. Expecting Embiid to have worked out diligently on his own during the league shutdown is a bit foolish. And while the time off no doubt helped guard Ben Simmons’ injured back heal, the fact remains that the Sixers are an imperfect squad with a weak bench and an inability to win on the road. A few months off won’t change that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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-EH-<o:p></o:p></div>
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-88830344554161592372020-05-14T05:17:00.000-07:002020-05-14T07:26:55.648-07:00DON'T TRUST THE BILLIONAIRES<br />
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When Satan slithered into the Garden of Eden and told Eve the edict against eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge was fake news, he used a satiny sales pitch designed to create mayhem and consign mankind to thousands of years of sin and abominations like the designated hitter. Old Lucifer was pretty smooth, and he closed the deal by promising Eve that she and Adam would be equals of God if they partook of that outlawed item. When Eve arrived back at the cave, she probably said, “What a nice serpent.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Since then, we humans have been particularly susceptible to the slick come-ons of salespeople, whose job it is to make us buy something that we don’t need, don’t want or can’t afford. Even after we have parted with our hard-earned cash, we still don’t recognize that the person pushing the product upon us is not our friend or confidant. And we recognize less that the company providing the unnecessary item has absolutely no interest in anything other than its P&L statement. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Hey, this is America. And capitalism reigns. You want something different? Try Portugal, where the Socialist Party has ruled for several years, and which finished 66<sup>th</sup> in the 2019 World Happiness Report (really!), behind Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, among other garden spots. So, don’t misread this as a call for revolution. El Hombre likes money. Likes new things. And he loves college football, which you sure as heck can’t find where the descendants of Karl Marx hang out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But let’s be careful not to fall for the polished public personae of the uber rich, whose fortunes – if they made them on their own – have come from the ability to convince people to fork it over. Again: Yay, capitalism! They are entitled to their billions, but we as consumers, and in the case of Major League Baseball, as fans, should not take up their causes for them. Someone with one dollar wants two. Someone with $1 billion wants another billion. And someone with a baseball team wants to charge you 20 bucks for a domestic beer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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All of which brings us to the ongoing negotiations between players and owners regarding the potential re-starting of the MLB season. Public opinion has already started to move against the Union, which has the nerve to call the proposal to split revenues 50-50 unacceptable and to accuse the Rockefellers of trying to back-door a salary cap at a time when revenues are uncertain and it’s unlikely fans will be back in stadiums this year. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s not forget that any return to action will require a heretofore unseen level of testing, tracking and proper behavior to make sure everyone involved is safe. Remember that the amount of testing materials needed is well beyond the available quantities. Couple that with a climate throughout the country in which uncertainty is the only certainty, and you have a gigantic problem to solve before even thinking about how to split up whatever money comes out of this.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Suppose everyone involved is satisfied that a cry of “Play Ball!” will not be accompanied by a rash of positive tests – hardly a guarantee. Then, it’s time to talk about money. And, as usual, the owners are trying to make fans sympathize with them by painting the players as greedy and out to harm the country by depriving it of a much-needed diversion during this difficult time. What really is happening is that by trying to push the 50-50 split in revenues, the owners are hoping to establish a new rubric for future negotiations, which they hope will result in a salary cap. Should the players agree to this, owners will absolutely try to push for something similar next year, when gate receipts will no doubt be down, thanks to fans’ trepidations about returning to ballparks. It’s not like they will return to the days of the Reserve Clause, when teams controlled the players for the durations of their careers, but don’t think for a second that they won’t take any opportunity they can to control labor costs. And, boy, would they love to have that Reserve Clause back again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, it’s not easy for fans to feel sympathy for big-league players, especially those making gigantic salaries. Trust El Hombre: Bryce Harper isn’t worrying about how he’s going to pay the mortgage. The median 2019 MLB salary (the point where an equal number of players earn above and below it) was $1.4 million, hardly a subsistence wage. But while the players are making a lot, the owners are making more, no matter how skillfully they manipulate their books to make it seem like they are headed for skid row. The hidden money here is in the franchise values, which continue to climb. Only two teams – Pittsburgh and Miami – lost value in 2019, according to Forbes. All 30 teams are worth at least $1 billion, while 10 years ago, only two were. Forbes has been charting the teams’ worth for 22 years, and the average team has seen an 11% increase each year. Come 2022, when the new, $5.1 billion deal with Fox kicks in, that number should swell even more. Still feel bad for the big-wallet group? <o:p></o:p></div>
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In these situations, it helps to remember El Hombre’s Law:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>In battles between millionaires and billionaires, always root for the millionaires</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We all want sports back. We all want to make our lives as normal as possible. How great would it be to care about managers’ decisions – although with the universal DH, there will be far fewer of those, but that’s a topic for another time – playoff races (let everybody in!) and the vagaries of the shift? But there is some work to do for us to reach the point where someone can throw out a first pitch via Zoom. And as that work is completed, please resist the urge to demonize the players and remember that every smiling owner is hoping you’ll buy his smooth pitch – and a seven-dollar hot dog. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: El Hombre is starved for sports, but even he can’t watch NASCAR, Korean professional baseball or UFC bloodlettings. And isn’t it time for networks to stop marketing 2017 games between mediocre opponents as “classics”? Now on NFL Network: Detroit vs. Arizona in a 2018 showdown for the fifth pick in the Draft! Please. Would it be so hard to replay some games from the ‘70s? Now, those are classics. Everything else is just marketing…The Aquavit-and-double-anchovy-pizza-fueled nightmare of the last two years of Monday Night Football is finally over. espn decided to remove Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland from the booth and release the hostages, er, viewers from captivity. Tessitore specialized in making a two-yard, first-quarter run off left tackle on second-and-eight sound like V-E Day, and McFarland was the master of banal “analysis.” Any replacement team will be an upgrade…If you haven’t been tuning in to “The Last Dance” on espn, you are missing some quality TV. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is a true documentary. It’s a docudrama produced in conjunction with Michael Jordan designed to paint him as the most competitive person in history and burnish his claim to being the Best Ever. (By the way, anybody who uses “G.O.A.T.” or “The GOAT” ought to lose his or her fan or media card. It’s over. Played out. Stop it.) Enjoy the production, the old footage, Jordan’s majesty, the rare glimpses of how a team works and the bold-print quotations, but remember that it’s a carefully-crafted production and not an unvarnished look at Jordan and the Bulls. (By the way, he was the best ever.)…The Rams finally unveiled their new uniforms, and they are not very good. LA will look like some nondescript college team and will play in off-white road unis the color of a college kid’s undershirts after his first semester. They are way worse than those of their future co-tenants, the Chargers, who absolutely killed it with their ginned-up retro designs…If the NBA re-starts, try to imagine the excitement that will come when league bottom-feeders like the Knicks and Cavs square off. In that case, it will be good that no fans have to cough up any ticket money. If the league does come back, its biggest question won’t be what to do about the playoffs but how to make sure fans don’t hear the curses spewed by angry coaches or the trash talk from players in an empty arena. Maybe the league can offer a “premium” package that allows fans full access to the profanity. If that happens, El Hombre is in!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: Wait. You mean sainted Durham CC head coach Mike Krzyzewski might have fractured a couple rules when he was accumulating class after class of mercenary players over the past several seasons? You mean those five-star recruits weren’t merely attracted to the outstanding educational opportunities and classic Gothic and Georgian architecture on campus? The Dookie apologists have fed us fairy tales that even though just about everybody else in college basketball was offering cash and prizes to get the best of the best, that could never happen in the Blue Devil program, which we have been told is cleaner than a vat of hand sanitizer. But someone might just be tossing some bacteria onto that pristine reputation. Zion Williamson is being sued by his former marketing manager. You remember him, right? He spent about nine months on campus, soaking up all Duke had to offer. And if you believe the former manager, it offered a lot. A bag of cash. A nice house for the parents. The NBA’s New Hope might have to answer some questions – under oath – about whether he was a “professional” when he played for the Blue Devils. Krzyzewski might be deposed, too. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Of course, it’s most likely just a dream. Someone will broker a settlement before anybody sits in front of an inquisitive lawyer. And then Duke can go back to getting the players nobody else can by not doing what everybody else is. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> On the surface, the Eagles’ draft made sense. The team needed more speed, so it drafted a bunch of fast guys. Last year’s Super Bowl teams were the two fastest in the NFL, so the philosophy is sound. But there is track fast and football fast. Those are two different things. Bob Hayes had both. So did Willie Gault. But it’s unlikely the 2016 400-meter relay Olympic gold medal team was packed with guys who could get away from press coverage. This year’s draft produced maybe one player – first-round receiver Jalen Reagor – who could end up starting this year, and that’s just because the Birds’ receiving corps is a disaster. Would that make the draft a success? Not quite. As for Jalen Hurts, the question isn’t whether his joining the team will offend oft-injured Carson Wentz. It’s whether Hurts can play quarterback in the NFL. He wasn’t ever considered a first-round talent, so it makes sense that he is best suited as a good backup on a good team. Since GM Howie Roseman was so determined to draft a bunch of developmental players, he probably wouldn’t have chosen a starter in the second round anyway. That makes the Hurts choice relatively reasonable. It’s obvious Roseman thinks the current roster is good enough to contend. That’s extremely questionable and should be the basis for assessing his job performance in 2020.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>ONE FOR THE ROAD</b>: Rick Pitino has moved into his office in New Rochelle, NY, to take over the program at Iona, which must be run by people who can’t read. Pitino has been twisting NCAA recruiting rules into disfigured heaps since he was helping players get used cars back in ’77 at Hawaii. He left Louisville a couple years back after his “assistants” were staging stripper parties for recruits and shoe company “representatives” were promising six-figure payments to prospects. All without Ricky P’s knowledge. Right. El Hombre sat across from Pitino once and heard him negotiate the price of a used car for a family member. He took 25 minutes. Wanted to make sure every detail was handled. All for a $10,000 automobile. Yet, he didn’t pay enough attention to his program to know about the malfeasance. Please. Iona has sold its institutional virtue in return for some basketball wins. Meanwhile, Louisville is sweating out an NC2A letter of allegations regarding the violations committed while Pitino is in charge. On the surface, it appears unfair that those left behind get hammered for the misdeeds of those already gone, but remember that the Louisville president and board approved Pitino’s hiring. They knew what he was about. And they approved it anyway. (Side note: Pitino should be banned from coaching for two lifetimes, just in case he converts to Hinduism and gets another go-round.) Sure, the school fired Pitino, his assistants, the AD and anybody else it could, in an attempt to ward off any NC2A penalties. But it also hired Pitino in the first place. And that wasn’t too smart. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> -EH-</span>El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-61269788951310706642018-11-02T07:47:00.004-07:002018-11-02T07:47:59.298-07:00TIME TO SHUT DOWN THE SAUSAGE FACTORY<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By
this point, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that colleges and universities
across the country will do just about anything to preserve their athletic
departments and the sports that provide financial support for them. Penn State
lined up behind Joe Paterno after he enabled Jerry Sandusky to abuse and molest
countless young boys. Michigan State let Larry Nassar terrorize scores of
girls. And most recently, Ohio State kept Pope Urban VI on the payroll even
after it was evident that he bore false witness, obfuscated and destroyed
evidence in attempts to cover up the fact that he knowingly kept a spouse
abuser on his staff.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
that can all go on, then nobody should be surprised that the Board of Regents
at Maryland didn’t fire D.J. Durkin despite a report that painted him as unable
to exercise the necessary leadership and oversight for the Terrapin football
program, a deficit that led to the death of Jordan McNair over the summer.
After a ridiculously long period of “investigation”, the best the school could
do was issue a mea culpa for not providing enough support for Durkin, as if he
were some rube brought in to take over the program against his will and with no
prior experience on a college coaching staff.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Board’s decision to keep Durkin as coach was preposterous and clearly
demonstrated the university’s unwillingness to sacrifice some football
prosperity – Maryland enters Saturday’s game against Michigan State 5-3, with
its only impressive win coming over Texas back on Sept. 1 – to do the right
thing for McNair’s family and its students. It took school president Wallace
Loh, after meeting with campus leaders and absorbing the scathing criticism
from political leaders and media outlets, to do the right thing and send Durkin
away. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
was a classic lack of leadership by the regents, who now have no credibility
whatsoever and can’t possibly govern the school with any legitimate authority
moving forward. Their mistake was a dagger to the heart of the McNair family
and a tone-deaf attempt to preserve the football program at the expense of a young
man who had been maltreated during conditioning and whose care post-collapse
was amateurish at best and horribly negligent at worst. Compounding the
disrespect was the Board’s decision not to fire members of the training staff
who were responsible for the shoddy medical work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thursday
night, Board chair James Brady announced his resignation, bringing a sliver of
honor to a body that had none. He cited his presence’s being a detriment to the
forward progress of the university. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
a perceptive guy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
bigger issue here is not whether Maryland will continue to attract
applications, fill its basketball arena and keep challenging for mediocre bowl
berths. Like the Sandusky tragedy, during which the victims were often
overlooked in PSU’s desire to preserve its institution and football reputation,
the victim here is Jordan McNair, his family, friends and teammates. It’s not
Durkin. It’s not the institution. McNair is gone, and as Maryland tries to
figure out its next steps, people must remember what happened and hold the
school and every other institution of higher learning to a far higher standard
than we have in the past.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
fashionable to refer to college sports as “a sausage factory”, in an attempt to
excuse behind-the-scenes dealings while we enjoy the finished product. That can
happen no more, and the four instances described here are the primary exhibits
why.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>(We
can also include the death of the Notre Dame student manager who was sent 60
feet into the air to videotape football practice during a storm. ND fought to
avoid any release of documents relevant to the irresponsible decision and
received little criticism in the wake of the tragedy.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Every
school in the country, and particularly those who are using big-time athletics
to burnish their reputations, promote their institutions and boost fundraising
efforts, must establish protocols to insure there is never another episode like
McNair’s death. They must hire administrators and coaches who truly care about
players, rather than bottom lines or wins and losses – and do the same things
themselves. It’s great fun to be associated with a successful program, but it’s
even better for the college if those participating in the games have good
experiences. There can be no other way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Durkin
and his staff failed McNair and his family. They cared little for the young
man’s condition and that led to his death. That cannot be disputed. Their
actions showed their true feelings. That the Board decided Durkin should stay
on shows how completely skewed the approach to college athletics has become –
at Maryland and on a greater scale. Which set of administrators has the courage
to change things? Who will declare an end to the insanity? Let’s hope those
people step forward quickly, before another “hard-charging” coach produces the
next catastrophe.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: Coach Squints’
oakLLLLLLLand raiders team sure looks like a nuclear waste facility. Yet, old
Squints is talking about building championships and how many players want to
come play for him. The franchise’s pending move to Vegas could be one of the
worst bets ever made in the city…As much fun as it is to watch the Rams’
offense, New Orleans’ new commitment to defense and Kansas City’s wide-open
attack, El Hombre is beginning to get that New England will win Super Bowl LIII.
Captain Hoodie and his minions have figured things out and will continue their
roll Sunday night against the Packers…Despite the best efforts of the NBA’s
propaganda partners to convince us the Lakers are a team worth watching, the
early returns on LeBron’s redshirt season aren’t pretty. L.A. is 3-5 and looks
ordinary. Worse, the team isn’t that entertaining. If you are looking for
something different, check out Denver, the Bucks and Toronto, who won’t get
much love from the promotional folks but who play fun ball…R.I.P. Stretch
McCovey…R.I.P. Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman…R.I.P. Frank Litsky.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> The Birds
followed up their epic choke job against the Panthers with a must-win over
Jacksonville, raising their record to 4-4 and showing the good citizens of
London what they might expect should Jags owner Shahid Khan consent to let the
NFL move his team there. Tuesday, the Eagles rented wideout Golden Tate for the
remainder of the season in return for a third-round draft pick, a solid move
for an “all-in” franchise. The only problem is that thanks to the loss to Carolina
and a previous Heimlich-necessary performance against the Titans, it’s unlikely
the Eagles will be getting a first-round bye or homefield advantage beyond the opening
weekend of the playoffs – provided they can win the NFC East. Tate might help
the offense, which isn’t scoring like it did last year, but the real progress
this team needs is on D, where the front four still isn’t getting enough
pressure without blitz help, and the secondary continues to flounder at times.
Injuries have been a factor, for sure, but this team just doesn’t have the same
spark it did last season.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
* <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">AND ANOTHER THING</b>: If that wasn’t the
most boring post-season in MLB history, it is certainly close to the top of the
list. The World Series was drab, and even the seventh game of the NLCS seemed
like a mid-June matchup. El Hombre had a chance to speak with former pitcher
Rick Sutcliffe last week, and even he says the game is getting boring for a lot
of people. Strikeouts outpace hits. The shifts are robbing hitters of chances
to get on base. And fire-breathing bullpens make comebacks almost impossible.
Sutcliffe’s solution? Lower the mound. They did it after the historically
futile 1968 season, and it may be time to do it again. In fact, he says he’ll
be surprised if it isn’t mandated before the 2019 season. And, remember, this
is a pitcher talking. While the NBA cashes in on drama, and the NFL continues
to dominate the sporting landscape, baseball’s fan base is graying, and the
sport is offering precious little for young viewers. The 2018 TV ratings were
the third lowest ever, and the only reason they weren’t the worst was that
Boston and L.A. have big brand names. Something better be done before the MLB
starts really bleeding.<o:p></o:p></div>
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El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-92030924076064966962018-10-18T11:47:00.000-07:002018-10-18T11:47:02.374-07:00NBA ACTION IS FANTASTIC -- AND MORE LIKE A REALITY SHOW THAN EVER
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With
his cleanly-shorn bullet head and professorial – though certainly genial –
countenance, Adam Silver hardly looks like a man capable of presiding over a
professional sports league that has more in common with the “Real Housewives”
franchise than it does with, say, the NFL. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But
during his tenure as NBA commissioner, Silver – along with behaving far less
smugly than former boss Uncle David Stern – has accomplished the admirable feat
of building on the sport’s roots of celebrating its players’ personalities and
creating a year-long chaos built on its biggest stars’ free-agent dalliances,
intra-squad and inter-league beefs, an orgy of highlights and superteam
constructs that have transformed the NBA from a winter/spring pastime into a
phenomenon that has captivated a highly-desirable advertising demographic.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As
it enters the 2018-19 season, the Association, as the hip hoophead cognoscenti
call it, has created a business model that has other leagues quite envious.
Instead of focusing on the competition, which gets less compelling each season,
thanks to the astounding disparity between the league’s one-percenters and its
great unwashed, the NBA concentrates almost entirely on personality and
spectacle. It has advanced to the point where game reports by propaganda
partners center exclusively on the individual achievement, rather than final
score. If The Unibrow happens to go for 36, 15 and nine, nobody cares whether
his team lost by 20. It’s all about him, and therefore the NBA is all about the
highlight.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s
genius, really. At a time when the 25-to-42 crowd cares less about who won the
game than who won the social media post, the NBA is serving up 365 days of on
and off-court fodder suitable for liking, retweeting and sharing. Nobody cares
about the standings, particularly if they have the misfortune of rooting for
the Magic or Kings. Instead, they want to know who got posterized, which star
will team with LeBron in L.A. next season and whether Jimmy Butler actually
beat up on the T-wolves’ starters with three custodians and the team chaplain.
It’s the perfect approach to the sporting world at a time when people sneer at
substance, and the entire country has been Kardashianized.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With
that in mind, El Hombre presents his gala NBA preview.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>We Try Harder</b>: The sharpies in Vegas
(and everywhere else) are so convinced Golden State will win it all again that
they don’t want to lay any money at all on the NBA champion’s identity. Go
ahead and throw 100 bucks on the Sixers at 14:1. You might as well invest in
that seltzer company that has cockroach insecticide in it. With so many people convinced
the Warriors will take the trophy, espn will have to work like crazy to make
the regular season seem exciting by overpromoting rookies, saturating the
airwaves with ordinary dunks and generally manufacture enough drama to make
folks forget that the season’s outcome has already been determined.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Boogie Man</b>: We may not see DeMarcus
Cousins suit up in a game for the Warriors until the playoffs, although it
would behoove Golden State to spend some time blending the talented – but
troubled – center into the rotation during the regular season. One can only
imagine Dubs coach Steve Kerr’s sounding a loud horn every time Cousins acts up
during practice and reminding him that the franchise could ship his backside to
Brooklyn or some other NBA outpost if he doesn’t behave. If he does…look out!
Golden State could well go undefeated during the post-season. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Redshirt Season</b>: LeBron James is going
to play this season – and play a lot of minutes. But since the Lakers have zero
chance of winning the 2019 NBA title, James will no doubt throttle back the
engines a bit and wait until next year, when Random Superstar Sidekick decides
to take $38 million per to join James in a quest to knock off Golden State.
Meanwhile, we can all enjoy the crazy show that will unfold in L.A. as wild
cards Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Michael Beasley join LBJ
and the Kids in one of the most unusual roster aggregations in recent NBA
history.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>(L)Eastern Conference</b>: The NBA’s junior
circuit should be fun, so long as “fun” is defined as watching six of the
league’s nine worst teams bumbling across the court every night. It’s too bad
Boston, Toronto and Philadelphia can’t just play a season-long round robin so
that we can avoid anything involving the Hawks, Knicks, Nets or Magic. Chicago
and Cleveland don’t look too good, either. And the only reason Detroit,
Charlotte and Miami are likely to reach the playoffs is that the league
mandates that eight teams from each conference qualify. Sure, Giannis
Antetokounmpo will be fun to watch, and Victor Oladipo is pretty darn good,
too. But at least two Western teams that could be five seeds in the East won’t
make the post-season.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Whither the Spurs?</b> Everybody’s favorite
curmudgeon and Soviet history buff, Gregg Popovich, is back in San Antonio –
and is also the new leader of the USA Basketball on-court effort – but he
doesn’t have Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili. Oh, and projected
starting point guard Dejounte Murray tore his ACL during the pre-season. Pau
Gasol isn’t close to what he was. LaMarcus Aldridge is a third option on a good
team, and DeMar DeRozan has to be wondering where it all went wrong. Looks like
the most interesting thing about the Spurs this season will be whether Popovich
gets even crankier during in-game interviews.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>Summer Love</b>: It will all lead up to
this: Who goes where in free agency or blockbuster trades next summer. That is
what the NBA has become – a great bit of reality-show theater during the
off-season that is infinitely more interesting than 95% of the games during the
regular and post-seasons. NBA fans will be heard asking throughout the coming
months, “Is it July 1 yet?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>And Do Not Forget</b>: TNT analyst Jeff Van
Gundy said it well during the New Orleans-Houston game Wednesday night. While
discussing point man Elfrid Payton, who joined the Pelicans during the
off-season, Van Gundy said, “We have to see if he can win.” The reference was
to Payton’s previous four season, which were spent with (mostly) Orlando and
Phoenix, two of the league’s worst teams. The NBA is packed with guys who can
put up numbers, but only a small percentage of them can play winning
basketball. Avoid the hype of those who want to make the league look exciting
and focus on people who do things to make teams successful, rather than
boosting their statistics. There is a huge difference. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>The Picks</b>: Your division winners: Boston,
Milwaukee, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Golden State, Houston. The conference
finals: Boston over Tronno; Golden State over OK City. Finals: Golden State
over Boston…in six.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: A moment of silence,
please, for Paul Allen, who died Oct. 15. Allen changed our world forever when
he co-founded Microsoft with childhood pal Bill Gates and was a model pro
franchise owner. It is a tribute to his low-key approach to his roles with the
NFL Seahawks and NBA Trailblazers that few people knew he held the paper on the
teams. Allen stayed out of the way and let the professionals do their jobs, a
philosophy other owners should embrace…While the NFL is pushing video-game
offense, and the NBA is promoting its stars, Majoke League Baseball is
torturing fans with 4-hour, 33-minute post-season games that end after 1 a.m.
Eastern. This is no way to promote your sport, people. While commissioner Rob
Manfred contemplates the idea of ruining the National League by instituting the
DH there, the sport gets less and less watchable. Clueless…Anybody who criticizes
Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa for surrendering the rest of his college
season to prepare for the NFL Draft is an idiot. Bosa sustained a severe core
muscle tear earlier this season, and though it has been repaired, he would be
threatening his number-one-pick status if he plays. Bosa has made a business
decision, and just about anybody else in his position would have done the same
thing. If he were to get hurt, he could cost himself millions. And lest you are
tempted to bust out the “he owes Ohio State” argument, shut your trap. He
doesn’t owe the Buckeyes anything. He helped them win – and profit. It’s time
for him to do the same thing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> The Eagles
earned a much-needed win over the fetid Giants and Eli Waning last week, and
that stopped the fan base from sinking into the kind of depression reserved
recently for Phillies GM Matt Klentanalytics’ personnel decisions. (Hey, why
not add a couple years to Carlos Santana’s contract, Matt?) But anybody who
thinks the Super Bowl Express is loading up on Platform B is delusional.
Injuries in the secondary make the Birds particularly vulnerable at a time when
the league is pushing points the way Nino Brown and the CMB slung crack in NYC
during the ‘90s. Even if Jason Peters can play through his torn biceps, he is
still struggling, along with other members of the O-line. (El Hombre is talking
to you, Isaac Seumalo.) The Eagles lack playmakers and are having trouble
getting pressure on the QB with their front four, something that contributed
mightily to last year’s Super win. With games against Carolina and Jacksonville
– neither of which looked great last week – looming, it’s time to build
momentum and improve a number of areas.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: You have to love the
recent comments of Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of Durham CC, about the ongoing
trial that is revealing some of the seedier facts about college basketball’s
already-slimy recruiting business. Krzyzewski said that the revelations were just
“a blip” and didn’t really matter. Perhaps he’s right. Maybe what we are
learning is just a refresher course, because the college sports world is such a
cesspool that we shouldn’t be surprised if a school gave the Taj Mahal to a
five-star recruit. Then again, this could be just the latest example in a long
line that the man who once excoriated John Calipari for recruiting players who
wouldn’t be on campus more than nine or 10 months and then gathered as many of
them as he could himself is the most sanctimonious and arrogant person in the
sport. The way to fix it all: Eliminate “live” recruiting periods during spring
and summer months. College coaches may only connect with their high school
counterparts – during the season. That might rid the game of some of the shoe
bandits, AAU hustlers, crazy uncles, agent runners and other unsavory characters
that populate the recruiting universe.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">-EH-</span><!--EndFragment--> El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-28333253683561573102018-10-05T04:16:00.002-07:002018-10-05T04:16:08.145-07:00EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE MONTH<br />
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Ah,
October. The Christmas-industrial complex would like you to think December is
the most wonderful time of the year. And the office supply companies make a
good point – for parents of young children, at least – that late August/early
September holds that distinction. But sports fans know the real story. It’s
October. Forget Halloween. How about all four major sports – and soccer –
playing at the same time? Throw in college football, and you have a cornucopia
that would make a Thanksgiving table blush.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
But
as great as it is to have basketball and hockey starting, and everybody knows
fall Sundays (and Mondays and Thursdays, for that matter) are nothing without
the NFL, the real magic of the 10<sup>th</sup> month of the calendar comes on
the diamond, when after 162 games (163 this year), we finally get to watch
baseball that really means something. We spend six months complaining about
shifts and four-hour games and pitch counts and A-Rod, and then we get the Real
Thing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Anybody
who has spent one inning watching a favorite team engaged in playoff baseball,
or better yet World Series action, knows just how compelling it can be. The
drama of practically every pitch and the growing excitement of each ensuing
inning are as delicious as sports can get. It no longer matters whether the
game takes two hours or five, so long as your heart can handle the excitement. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
When
those Philadelphia Phillies were on their five year run earlier this century,
El Hombre basked in the anticipation of every game, thrilled to the contests
themselves and then relished the opportunity to recount the result, no matter
if it was a thrilling victory or a crushing defeat. Watching games that matter
in the cold, the rain or whatever – rather than those bone-stabbing April meteorological
catastrophes – with everything on the line, is as delicious as sports get.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Sure,
baseball has its problems. There are way too many strikeouts. A parade of
relief pitchers means the late innings of games have become arduous exercises
for fans. The ever-growing analytics craze has turned baseball from a pastime
into a math bee. And the Orioles were allowed to play 162 games this year.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
All
is forgiven once the post-season rolls around. Even the crankiest fans
(shaddup!) don’t moan about long games, particularly if they are taut contests.
Seeing red-white-and-blue bunting throughout stadiums conjures images of days
of yore, when baseball players had nicknames like The Splendid Splinter and The
Iron Horse. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Lest
El Hombre be accused of rank sentimentality, allow him to celebrate the fact
that the Yankees and Red Sawx will square off in an ALDS series beginning
Friday, and that means one of them will be eliminated before the LCS round.
This is a very good thing, simply because it removes one of the most obnoxious
fan bases in all of sports from the post-season reasonably early. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Meanwhile:
Here is how the post-season will break down, now that we have dispensed with
the one-game elimination nonsense:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
NLDS:
Dodgers over Braves; Brewers over Rockies. This is L.A.’s sixth straight
division title, so there is no shortage of post-season experience on the
roster. And while Atlanta has had a remarkable season and laid a terrific
foundation for the future, the youngsters just won’t be able to get it done. Milwaukee
gets the nod because of its outstanding bullpen and improved defense. Oh, yeah.
That Christian Yelich character is pretty good, too. (P.S. This was written on
Thursday, early afternoon. Really.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
ALDS:
Red Sox over Yankees; Astros over Indians. Talk about two good series. The
Boston-New York set-to could be a classic, as both teams try to score 10 a
game. The edge for Boston comes in the starting pitching, although it’s
entirely possible either David Price or Rick Porcello (or both) could implode.
Cleveland has spent the past 150 games trying to get its rotation set for the
playoffs, thanks to the other members of the AL Central’s overall fetid play.
But even though the Tribe hasn’t been tested, it will be a formidable foe for
the defending champs. But Houston has too much, especially in a five-game
series, to be bumped off.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
NLCS:
Brewers over Dodgers. That’s right, folks. Bernie the Brewer will be hitting
the Splash Zone frequently in what should be a fascinating series. The Dodgers
have plenty of power, but Milwaukee has a lot of everything, including hirsute
lights-out closer Josh Hader, he of the microscopic WHIP and obscene 15.8
strikeouts/nine innings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
ALCS:
Red Sox over Astros. Last year, Houston earned the win over Boston, but that
changes this year, thanks to those potent Carmine Hose bats. It’s tough to
knock off the titleholders, but the BoSox have had a remarkable season, and the
fun continues, even if Justin Verlander pitches three times for the south
Texans.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
World
Series: Red Sox over Brewers. The Milwaukee franchise – which started in
Seattle as the Pilots, by the way – has never won a world title in its 49
previous seasons, and it won’t at the half-century mark, either. This is the
year for the Red Sox, and despite Yelich, Hader and the rest of the Crew, they
won’t have enough to derail the close to an historic season. Get ready for more
chowdery celebrations. Ugh.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: That was quite a strong
showing by the U.S. in the Ryder Cup last weekend. Let’s recount the fun: Patrick
Reed was steamed at captain Jim Furyk for not pairing him with his pal Jordan
Spieth. Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson decided to go all big-time wrestling
on each other at a party. And Phil Mickelson and Eldrick Woods weren’t exactly <i>sur le feu</i> during the proceedings in
Paris. Way to represent, fellas…The NHL is underway, and the biggest early-season
storyline will be whether the ice will melt in arenas around the country as
temps outdoors in a lot of places hit 80 degrees and above. Oh, yeah, there will
be some skating, hitting and lost teeth. It will all add up to the NHL’s dream:
a Stanley Cup finals series between Winnipeg and Tampa Bay. Predicted TV
ratings outside of the two cities? Think John Blutarsky’s grade-point
average…New York J-E-T-S running back Isaiah Crowell feigned wiping his bottom
with the football after scoring a TD against Cleveland in a Thursday night
game. Instead of his filthy display’s drawing outrage, it has brought an
endorsement deal from something called Dude Wipes, a “toilet paper substitute
for men”. In the old days, that was either leaves or newspaper. This could
start quite a trend in the NFL. For instance, Seahawks’ safety Earl Thomas’
one-fingered salute after his injury last Sunday could land him a commercial
opportunities with a company making foam fingers. And the Cardinals could get
some extra dough promoting toxic waste, which resembles their play this year.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>THE WORLD-WIDE DECEIVER</b>: It’s too early
to pass definitive judgment on espn’s new Monday Night Football crew, but a few
things stand out about “Tess”, “Boog” and “Witt”, like say the fact that they
all call each other stupid nicknames. Then there is play-by-play man Joe
Tessitore’s breathless description of every single play. By shouting each time
the ball is snapped, “Tess” has inured us to his enthusiasm, so that if
something really exciting happens, we won’t be able to discern it from a
routine, first-quarter, two-yard gain on second-and-nine. We get that espn must
promote the league, but there is no reason to create a bombastic soundtrack. He
should just stick to the basics, like following the network’s edict to convince
everyone Patrick Mahomes is better than Tom Brady.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> It’s way
too early for Eagles fans to start worrying about whether their beloved team
will be able to make a serious run at another Super Bowl – or even make the
playoffs – but Sunday’s belly-flop against Tennessee wasn’t confidence-inspiring.
The defensive backfield was fricasseed by a pass offense that hadn’t exactly
been tearing up, and the offensive line protected QB Carson Wentz as if he were
made of granite, instead of coming off a serious knee injury. The buzzword this
week about the team is “urgency”, especially with the Vikings coming to town after
a shootout loss in L.A. A 2-2 record is hardly reason for panic, but the
narrative surrounding the team’s pass defense is not good, especially since it
has made Ryan Fitzpatrick and Marcus Mariota look like Joe Montana and Johnny
Unitas this season. And let’s not forget that the win over Indy wasn’t exactly
overwhelming. The Eagles must get better in a couple important areas, or they
will be sitting home in January, and last year’s championship glow will have
faded considerably. Nothing is guaranteed. Just ask Seattle. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: El Hombre is shocked
– shocked! – to learn that college basketball recruits were being paid to
attend specific schools and that said institutions of higher learning may have
actually known about the stipends. What’s next, someone is going to say that
jai alai is fixed? The hand-wringing over the evidence that is certain to
emerge during the trial of Jim Gatto will be great theater, but let’s face it,
folks, big-time NC2A basketball is a filthy cesspool that features more
unsavory characters than an Elmore Leonard novel. (At least those folks are
somewhat charming.) Street agents, greedy AAU coaches, crazy uncles, shoe
company representatives and everybody short of the Hell’s Angels is trying to
get some of the action. Anybody who is surprised by what is revealed in the
coming months ought to stick to watching “Andy Griffith Show” reruns or at
least turn to something else that is more wholesome, like politics.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">-EH-</span><!--EndFragment-->El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-58356593846448154672018-09-28T04:27:00.000-07:002018-09-28T11:09:36.162-07:00PLAYS OF WINE AND ROSES<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
EL
HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Over
the past couple years, the NFL – with significant help from its propaganda
partners – has tried to create new stars that fans will clamor to see live and
on their gigantic flat screens. Every new draft class brings a collection of
guaranteed future stars, who are subsequently promoted and hype until they
reveal themselves as ordinary football players. After that, the machine takes a
rest and recalibrates to glorify another crop of newcomers, each of whom is
destined for the same fate.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>El
Hombre even has a term for it: The Peyton Manning Effect. Ever since old Number
18 headed off into a life of retirement and insurance commercials, the NFL has
lacked a lead dog capable of attracting eyes every time he yells “Omaha!” Sure,
Dreamy Tom is an A-lister, but so many people despise him and Captain Hoodie
that it’s hard to make him the league’s face. Aaron Rodgers has done a pretty
good job with the star thing, and he even has his own TV commercial. But he’s
no Peyton. So, who’s left? Cam Newton? Too unpredictable. Big Ben? Too boring.
Eli? Come on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
league has a decided lack of star power these days. Even the wideouts, who were
once divas worthy of constant attention, have lost their glitter. Quick, who
led the NFL in receptions last year? Jarvis Landry (112). Yawn. Who had the
most receiving TDs? DeAndre Hopkins (13). Snooz. Sure, OBJ is still out there
doing wild stuff, but compared to Me-O. and Chad OchoCrazy, he’s tame. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So,
when three of the league’s top QBs – Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and Carson Wentz –
went down last year with serious injuries, the NFL became concerned. Having low
star wattage is bad enough. Losing some twinkle to injury is worse. Rodgers’
broken collarbone was most disconcerting, because it came when Vikings
linebacker Anthony Barr slammed him to the turf with as much force as he could
summon. It was a clean football play, but it sure woke them up on Park Avenue. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>During
the off-season, the folks in power decided it was imperative to protect the
only players in the league with a chance to light up the marquee: the
quarterbacks. So, they drafted new guidelines regarding hitting the fellas
under center and hoped everything would be all right. Three weeks into the
season, they sure aren’t. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
spate of roughing-the-passer penalties has upset fans and media alike. Memes
have sprouted showing the “proper” way to sack a quarterback and usually
include things like moonlight, roses and champagne. Meanwhile, the league has
stood firmly in the face of the criticism, and commissioner-in-exile Roger
Goodfornothing has remained in the witless protection program. It’s not hard to
understand the NFL’s reasoning. It didn’t want to lose any more QBs, not with
criticism coming from all sides and 2017 TV ratings for Sunday, Monday and
Thursday Night Football on the slide. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although
team revenues are up, and franchise values continue to grow, the sport is
losing some of its status as the undisputed heavyweight sporting champion. Fans
are fickle, and despite their deep love of football and desire to remain
isolated from their families every Sunday, their attention can indeed be
diverted, especially when Peyton isn’t around to throw a few TD passes at 4
p.m. Eastern each week. The new sack rule isn’t about the quarterback’s
well-being as much as it is the NFL’s attempt to preserve its popularity by keeping
upright those who play the most important position in all of sports. Let the
running backs and offensive linemen tear their bodies to shreds, but by all
means protect the guy who passes the ball.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
not a foolproof plan, because sometimes QBs do foolish things. San Francisco’s
Jimmy Garoppolo could have avoided an ACL tear by running out of bounds. And
Buffalo’s Josh Allen didn’t have to hurdle a Vikings player last week.
(Fortunately for the Bills, he escaped injury.) But the NFL is trying to control
what it can control.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
amusing thing is that after years of people’s complaining that the violence in
the league is causing players to suffer from CTE and other crippling conditions
down the road, many of the same folks are clamoring for big collisions again. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Meanwhile,
don’t expect the NFL to change things this year. It is happy to protect its
most valued assets, no matter how vociferous the criticism becomes. There might
be some tweaks to the rule during the off-season, but for now, expect to see
more flags. And when one flies during a key playoff moment, there could be
rioting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
might be so loud that Goodfornothing will hear it on the 13<sup>th</sup> green
at Pine Valley.</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: Because the Tigers
finish their season with a series in Milwaukee, Detroit fans won’t have another
opportunity this year to sidle up to the Comerica Park concession stand of
their choice and order a pizza with pepperoni and extra loogie. What a
heartwarming story of a kitchen worker found to have been spitting on the
people’s food…People are making fun of Kawhi Leonard’s odd laugh during his
media day press availability, but they should definitely give the newest Raptor
star a break. He’s in Canada, for crying out loud. It’s already ice-fishing
season up there…Minnesota guard Jimmy Butler, apparently tired of playing 49
minutes a night for Tom Thibodeau, wants a trade, and most of the NBA is lining
up to get him. Caveat emptor, folks. Butler has health problems (knee) and is a
free agent who will want to put up big numbers this year. Let’s hope the league
GMs realize that the goal is to win games, not just pile up fantasy points…The
Ryder Cup is in Paris this weekend for Europe’s biennial chance to prove that
it is better than the United States in something besides history. It’s a great
atmosphere, and the French fans have promised not to surrender unless the U.S.
gets a four-point lead.</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> Loyal El
Hombre readers (both of you) remember that a little more than a month ago EH
informed you that the Phillies season was over. Kaput. El Hombre loves it when
El Hombre is correct. Anyway, as the off-season beckons, it is instructive to
remember that the Philadelphia area had four-plus months of competitive
baseball to enjoy but also plenty of questions ahead. As GM Matt Klentanalytics
and owner John “All In” Middleton try to decide how much cash to throw at Manny
Machado and/or Bryce Hairdo, Skipper Gabe will spend the off-season gushing about
how well his guys “presented” throughout the year and figuring out new,
inventive ways to flabbergast baseball fans. If you thought pinch-hitting for
Scott Kingery in the second inning was wild, just wait until Skipper Gabe
institutes Opposite Day, when every member of the lineup has to throw with his
off hand. That ought keep the other guys guessing. Skipper Gabe’s biggest
problem is that he never demonstrated any overt frustration with his team, even
when players like Planet Odubel Herrera piled up the bonehead errors. Sure,
Philadelphia fans have softened over the past several years, as much due to the
Processheads who didn’t mind watching minor league basketball for four years as
anything else, but they still demand some reality when their team plays poorly.
Skipper Gabe just wouldn’t do that, so he was unable to connect with the fan
base. He’ll continue to do the same thing next year, but unless he has better
players at his disposal – and a lot of them – he will be back to his maddening
ways. Of course, if Hairdo and Machado are slugging 40 homers each, it won’t
matter how he or anybody else presents, because the Phils will be a playoff
team.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">P.S.</b> The best description of the
Flyers’ new shaggy mascot “Gritty” that El Hombre saw is that he is Phillie
Phanatic’s Delco cousin. Priceless.</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">AND ANOTHER THING</b>: Now that Kelly
Bryant has learned that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney prefers freshman Trevor
Lawrence at quarterback instead of him, he has decided to head elsewhere to
finish his career. Some have said Bryant doesn’t want to compete with Lawrence,
which is preposterous, since he has been doing just that since the 2018 version
of Ronnie “Sunshine” Bass arrived on campus in January. Swinney isn’t going to
play two QBs, and Lawrence is clearly a big talent, so Bryant wants to go
somewhere where he can start. Thanks to the NC2A’s new redshirt rule, since
Bryant has only played four games, he won’t have to sit out next year before
taking the field. Of course, Alabama coach Nick Saban wasn’t too happy about
this, saying that it could become a “slippery slope”. Sure, Nick, it’s a bad
scene all right. College athletes don’t get shares of the millions that come in
to schools thanks to their efforts and aren’t allowed to leave for another
opportunity without sitting out a season. Meanwhile, coaches can jump from
job-to-job (and higher-payday-to-higher-payday) without any penalty. Bryant has
every right to find a better situation for himself, and if life becomes a
little slippery for Saban and his chums because of that, it’s – in the words of
El Padre – too damn bad. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">-EH-</span><!--EndFragment-->
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-44973062799428917052018-09-13T10:43:00.002-07:002018-09-13T10:43:28.704-07:00HARDLY A SMASHING DEBUT<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
EL
HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
Warden Rudolph Hazen asked Paul “Wrecking” Crewe how his football team of
guards could prepare for its upcoming season, Crewe has a simple solution:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
tune-up game. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You
know, find a young, hungry team to square off against and get ready for the
tilts that matter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“How do you think we’d do against the pros?”
Hazen asks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“That
team against the pros?” Crewe responds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yeah.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well,
you’d have a real problem.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well,
how do you think we’d do against the cons?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
game is scheduled, hijinks ensue, and Ray Nitschke’s character has some
problems with his, um, equipment. If you haven’t seen “The Longest Yard” (the
1974 version, not the lesser, ’05 remake), do so at your earliest convenience.
But El Hombre isn’t going to spoil the outcome here. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
guards may not have had their team honed to “a fine edge” in the contest, but
they did get a tune-up, just like NFL teams do when they saunter through their
four-game exhibition season. The problem is that as time goes on, and regular
players get fewer and fewer serious reps in those “competitions”, that month
run-up to the Real Thing proves to be less fruitful each season.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Take
the first week of the ’18 NFL campaign, which keeping with El Hombre’s movie
theme could well have been entitled “The Big Sleep”. If the 16 curtain-raising
contests presented by the country’s official Church of Sport were meant to be fully
formed football offerings, then the league fell far short of its goal. Not even
the blindest fan could have slogged through week one and had a good feeling
about the caliber of ball he just witnessed. Between the penalties, turnovers
and other assorted gaffes, the NFL’s membership looked less prepared than did
Maximum Leader’s UCLA squad in its debut face-plant against Cincinnati in the
Rose Bowl. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
simple survey of the “action” revealed a league in need of a serious pre-season
reboot. Maybe the number of exhibition games should be reduced to two, with
productive inter-squad scrimmages’ replacing the other half of the tune-up
schedule. Perhaps the league must mandate a certain amount of time played by
healthy regulars during the four contests, which of course could lead to some
quite creative injury list entries. It won’t be easy, and it will require some
heavy-duty bargaining with the players, but if the NFL wants to stem the TV
ratings slide and prevent the Real Point Guards of the NBA reality series from
supplanting it in the sacred 25-to-42 demographic, a solution must be found to
prevent another premiere week like the one we just endured.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How
bad was it? Well, the NFL started it all off last Thursday with the Super Bowl
champion Eagles’ hosting those Atlanta Falcons, whose offensive woes inside
opponents’ 20-yard lines could just force the team to get rid of red as one of
its primary colors. After the city’s 99<sup>th</sup> celebration of the win
over Captain Hoodie and Dreamy Tom, the teams went about the business of
committing so many penalties that the U.S. Congress is thinking of changing
Flag Day from June 14 to Sept. 6 to commemorate the blizzard of markers. The
whole thing was uglier than a Phyllis Diller look-alike contest. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Two
days later, Pittsburgh and Cleveland presented their Ode to Medusa with a
surreal tie that featured the Le’Veon Bell-less Stillers’ blowing a
two-touchdown lead with a pair of crippling turnovers. The teams spent the last
portion of the game and the 10-minute overtime blowing field goals, committing
mindless penalties (El Hombre is talking to you, Myles Garrett) and throwing
ill-advised deep balls (ditto: Tyrod Taylor). The resulting tie was the Clowns’
best season-opening performance since 2004, a condition that should lead
management to consider exhuming franchise founder Paul Brown and seeing if he
can be reanimated and dispatched to the sidelines.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tampa
Bay, which was thought to be as barren as the Bonneville Salt Flats, suddenly
channeled Sarah against the vaunted Saints and proved to be fecund indeed. The
Bucs posted a 48-40 win over N’Awlins, a team some “experts” (shaddup!) believe
has Super Bowl aspirations. Hirsute QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, he of the Harvard
pedigree and losing NFL record, blasted through the generous Saints D, giving
new meaning to the term “Big Easy”. It may have been fun to watch the teams’
tribute to the old Western Athletic Conference, but as an example of solid
football, it was quite lacking.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
were other lowlights. Dallas’ offense looked like it had the same weapons as
the Lichtenstein armed forces. Tennessee and Miami played a 42-hour game in
which the biggest highlights were lightning strikes near the stadium. And how
about the first game of the Monday Night doubletorture? The Lions showed how
happy they were with new coach Matt Patricia – whom the Pats let walk, unlike
other coordinator Josh McDaniels – by unfurling a fetid performance in all four
stages of the game: offense, defense, special teams and uniforms. If Detroit
isn’t careful, it could be relegated to the SEC. In the Monday nightcap,
Chuckie’s new club lived up to the franchise’s revamped catchphrase,
“Commitment to Excrement”, in a desultory loss to the Rams, who still haven’t
realized that their helmets and uniforms don’t match.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yep,
it was a dynamite start to the 2018 season. Only 16 more weeks of madness to
come. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: Forbes rated the “most
valuable” college football programs and found that Texas A&M was number
one, based on profits and revenue. It sure wasn’t for championships, which have
been scarce in College Station for the past 20 years. Nothing like profiting on
fans’ passions without providing a reasonable return on the investment. Gig
‘em? More like Stick it to ‘em!...What were the Angels thinking when they
allowed Shohei Ohtani to pitch earlier this month? Last week, news broke that
Ohtani needed Tommy John surgery, which many reported was necessary much
earlier this summer. LA was way out of the playoff hunt when it sent Ohtani to
the mound Sept. 2. Instead of taking care of the issue months ago, now Ohtani
won’t be operated on until October at the earliest. With an 18-month recovery
time, that puts him back on the mound in early 2020, at best. Had he undergone
the procedure in June or July, he would have been ready for the full ’20
season. Poor judgment, for sure…Reports out of Houston have Chris Paul, James
Harden and CarMElo Anthony playing pickup ball together, in order to build
chemistry necessary to play together this year without killing each other. No
homicides have been reported, but anybody who expects this trio of ball-hungry
players to coexist successfully probably thinks J.R. Smith made the right move
in Game One of the Finals. Houston, we don’t have a problem. We have a
potential catastrophe…While celebrating his team’s sole touchdown in its 41-7
loss to NC State by high-fiving and fist-bumping players, head coach Shawn
Elliott tore his right biceps and has to have surgery. How long until the NC2A
comes up with a rule outlawing sideline celebrations? Don’t laugh. It’s just
the type of thing that ridiculous athletic cabal would try to do. Meanwhile,
Pope Urban VI returns to the sidelines next Saturday. In related news, the Ohio
State Board of Trustees okayed yellowcake uranium as an appropriate dessert
option in dormitory cafeterias.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
* <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">AND ANOTHER THING</b>: There is no doubt
sexism exists in the tennis world. The differences between men’s and women’s
prize money are profound, and last year we learned that Martina Navratilova was
being paid a tenth of what John McEnroe was by the BBC for commentary at
Wimbledon. When women get angry on the court, they are “shrill”. When men act
out, they are “fierce competitors”. El Hombre gets it. But absolving Serena
Williams of any guilt for her behavior during the U.S. Open final against Naomi
Osaka is wrong. She did break the rules, and the ITF defended the official who
disciplined her. Further, her coach admitted that he was coaching Williams,
even though she berated the official to the contrary. And during the broadcast,
Chris Evert said the coach’s hand signals were directing Williams to go to the
net. Worse, Williams’ behavior detracted from the huge moment Osaka enjoyed by
winning the tournament. And let’s not forget that Osaka had won the first set
resoundingly, 6-2, and was only losing, 1-0, in the second. She clearly had
more energy and snap in the early stages of the match. Williams is a remarkable
tennis force and an all-time great athlete – regardless of sport – but she was
not a complete victim at the Open, and people have to realize that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WORLDWIDE DECEIVER</b>: Anybody who
believes espn is in the business first and foremost of presenting the sports
world in an objective format should review the brouhaha between the company and
the University of Washington/Pac-12 Conference. It began last year, when the
network’s broadcast team mocked the Huskies’ non-conference schedule on-air by
arraying cupcakes on the field. It continued this season when play-by-play man
Mark Jones tweeted “Washington Huskies took one on the chin. Where’s Montana?”
after U-Dub’s season-opening loss to Auburn, a reference to last year’s light
season-opening fare. Neither action was received well by the school or the
league, which are hoping for full support from their propaganda partner. The
worst part of the imbroglio came when the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seattle
Times</i> published comments from espn VP Nick Dawson that expressed how
disappointing Jones’ comment was and how discussions between the company and
the Pac-12 during the summer had been “a great example of how a partnership
can/should work on both sides”. Further, Dawson said Jones will not be assigned
to any more Washington games. God forbid somebody hurts the school’s feelings.
Worse, the Times reported that members of the Pac-12 had convened at the Death
Star in Bristol during the summer to discuss ways espn could promote the
conference more effectively. Sounds like a real journalistic outfit to El
Hombre. Let’s hope nobody else from espn says anything that is mean and hurtful
regarding Pac-12 teams, like bringing up the league’s 1-7 bowl record last
season or the fact that it will likely be left out of the college football
playoff again this year. We don’t want anybody to be upset. <o:p></o:p></div>
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* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> A couple
weeks ago, El Hombre told you the Phillies’ season was over and that GM Matt
Klentanalytics and manager King Pollyanna had better take a hard look at a
lineup that can’t hit and a pitching staff short on reliable arms over the long
haul. The team’s recent 4-13 swoon and collapse in the standings shows this
team cannot be allowed to move forward without significant upgrades. Phillies fans
better not be fooled by an off-season of happy highlights from June and July.
The last month-plus of the season revealed this team’s true character, and it
must be changed for 2019. So, beware of the good times nonsense that will
emanate from the executive suite and broadcast booth in the coming months.
Should the organization stand pat, it can count on huge indifference in 2019, as
fans wait for what they consider an inevitable collapse. There should be two
untouchable players on the team: Rhys Hoskins and Aaron Nola. Everybody else is
in play.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD</b>: Due to Important
Stuff and the need to clear his tormented – but brilliant – mind, El Hombre is
taking a brief, one-week hiatus from creating sports magic but will return the
week of Sept. 24. It’s going to be dynamite. Huge. You’ll see.<o:p></o:p></div>
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El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-33888075783927370242018-09-06T11:06:00.002-07:002018-09-06T11:06:58.985-07:00IT'S TIME FOR THE NFL, EVERYBODY!<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
EL
HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
was a time – not too long ago – in this nation’s sporting history when the NFL
was the king of its castle, and the other sports were mere peasants, hoping to
find prosperity underneath their master’s tyrannical shadow. NFL TV ratings
were amazing. At one point, 19 of the top 20 rated shows for the entire year
were pro football games. Networks didn’t dare put up a program they hoped would
hit big against NBC’s Sunday Night Football, for fear it would be trampled and
end up in the Saturday evening graveyard, drawing lower numbers than “Finder of
Lost Loves” did in the mid-‘80s.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ah,
those were the days. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fact
is, NFL fans don’t have to remember that time as if it were a sepia-toned
photograph. Fifth-graders can recall the league’s golden age, when stars trod
the gridiron like sporting gods – and had endorsement profiles befitting their
lofty status. Then came 2016, and the trouble began.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some
of it wasn’t the NFL’s fault. Not even Colonel Steve Austin’s doctors could
have kept Peyton Manning playing beyond the 2015 season. No one could have
predicted the overwhelming drama of the ’16 presidential election, which
directed eyes away from the NFL storylines. Those were forces beyond the
league’s influence. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
a lot of it the trouble was self-inflicted. The league could have been smarter
and more humane about the long-term effects of concussions and other blows to
the head, instead of trying to “protect the shield” by demonizing former
players and denigrating respected doctors. It could have worked with players
and propaganda partners from the beginning of Colin Kaepernick’s (and others’)
protests to craft a solution that would have satisfied all parties – and
benefitted the league – instead of bowing to hard-liners within and without the
NFL and creating a situation that is divisive at best and crippling at worst.
And it could have focused a little less on spectacle and a little more on the
game itself, which is becoming a morass of arcane rules, time-chewing
challenges and flat-out poor play.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Further,
it could have understood the NBA’s move toward a reality-show model. It
entrances young fans with its season-long player drama, followed by a riveting
off-season that plays out as much on social media as it does in team
headquarters and is more attractive than a corporate sporting model. Yep, the
NFL is still number one, but it can no longer stomp across the landscape with
impunity. Heck, even soccer (especially the international version) is growing
in popularity in the U.S., after only 40 or so years of predictions that it
would one day take over.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Against
that cheery backdrop, the 2018 season commences with its attendant storylines.
It may not be the stuff of golden ages, or even the magical ‘60s, when muddy
fields were the stages for the mighty gladiators of yore. But El Hombre will
still be paying attention, and here are some of things the rest of you should watch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Spider 2 Y Did They Do It?</b> Those wacky
Raiders have had themselves a pretty crazy off-season. First, they hired
Chuckie to handle the coaching duties for a mere $100 mil. Then, they got rid
of Khalil Mack, because they didn’t want to pay him Aaron Donald money. (Or
more.) Wednesday, the city of Oakland sued the franchise because it will bolt
for Vegas after the 2019 season. Given the raging fraternity house couch fire
the Raiders have become, one would imagine the city would sue them for wanting
to stick around the Bay Area for two more seasons.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kid
Stuff</b>: When Sam Darnold takes his first snap in the Jets’ opener against
the Lions on Monday night (espn gets all the good games!), he will be the
youngest QB to start a season since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The 21-year old
will no doubt have some butterflies, but what he’ll need more than a shot of Big
Pink is a football with handles. While at USC, Darnold fumbled often, something
the Jets can’t have if they want to crawl out of the AFC East cellar. Darnold
has potential, but folks in Queens and on Long Island would be wise to lower
their expectations as the youngster learns his way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Quarterback Roulette</b>: Let’s see if El
Hombre can get this straight: Alex Smith is in D.C. and former Washington NFL
Franchise QB Kirk Cousins has moved to Minnesota, where he takes the place of
Case Keenum, who is now quarterbacking the Broncos. KC is going with Patrick
Mahomes, even if he did look shaky in exhibition games. Ryan Fitzpatrick will
start in Tampa during Jameis Winston’s suspension for groping an Uber driver,
and Tyrod Taylor is the designated placeholder for the Browns until top overall
pick Baker Mayfield is deemed ready – or until Cleveland loses 10 of its first
12. The Bills will start Nathan “Pick Five” Peterman, and former
Viking/Eagle/Ram Sam Bradford and his fat bank balance are in ‘Zona hoping the
Cards don’t turn to Josh Rosen too quickly. Got all that? Didn’t think so. One
thing is certain: teams have spent a whole lot of money and high draft picks on
guys who aren’t exactly top-tier quarterbacks. Hope springs eternal…until the
first interception.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ram Tough (Or Stupid)</b>: In an attempt to
beef up their defense, which isn’t wunderkind coach Sean McVay’s specialty, the
Rams added Ndamukong Suh, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters in the hopes that the
trio will behave itself. That might happen. Then again, Suh could end up
practicing Irish dancing on an opponent, Talib could decide he wants to take
another shot at the title – or another shot at himself – and Peters could play
referee by throwing another penalty flag, or just throwing a tantrum. El Hombre
didn’t study statistics (or much else) at the Sorbonne, but he knows the
probability of all three of these Boy Scouts staying out of trouble isn’t too
high. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tommy Boy</b>: Tom Brady turned 41 last
month, and despite his stated desire to play until he is 45 (who does he think
he is, George Blanda?) and his 2017 MVP performance, the Pats’ QB is heading
toward the end of his career. It’s inevitable, and all the avocado ice cream in
the world can’t change that. The question is whether Brady will author a couple
more glorious seasons or lose his edge quickly, becoming the NFL version of
pitcher Warren Spahn, who went from 23-7 as a 42-year old in 1963 to 6-13 the
next season. When we last saw Mr. Bundchen, he was dropping a pass on a trick
play in the Super Bowl and sparring with Captain Hoodie over the role of his
personal fitness Svengali Alex Guerrero. It could be another big year for Brady
and the Pats or the beginning of an ugly end.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Welcome Back</b>: Last year featured the
premature conclusions to a trio of quarterbacks’ seasons, and all are poised to
make big returns. Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and Carson Wentz suffered
serious injuries that ruined their teams’ playoff hopes. Well, Green Bay’s and
Houston’s at least. Wentz’s torn knee ligaments didn’t prevent the Eagles from
Philly Specialing their way to the Super Bowl title. All are expected to be in
top form – Wentz a little later than the others – and ready to join the NFL’s
elite signal-callers. Meanwhile, Indy’s Andrew Luck, whose best work over the
last year came from the clever Twitter feed @CaptAndrewLuck, hopes his
two-season hiatus from the game hasn’t hurt his skills and that his shoulder
can handle greetings from angry defensive linemen. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Picks</b>: NFC Division Winners:
Eagles, Packers, Saints, Rams; NFC Wild Card: Vikings, Falcons; Sleeper:
Giants. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>AFC
Division Winners: Patriots, Steelers, Jaguars, Chargers; AFC Wild Card: Texans,
Titans; Sleeper: Dolphins.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>NFC
Playoffs: Falcons over Packers; Rams over Vikings. Saints over Falcons; Eagles
over Rams. Saints over Eagles.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>AFC
Playoffs: Steelers over Texans; Titans over Chargers; Patriots over Titans;
Steelers over Jaguars. Steelers over Patriots.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Super
Bowl: Saints over Steelers. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: It wasn’t the best
weekend for some of college football’s bigger brand names. Texas dropped a
decision to Maryland, Florida State got whipped by Virginia Tech, Miami was
bombed by LSU, and Michigan went back to the ugly end of ‘17 in a desultory
loss to the Domers. But the biggest mess might be in Westwood, where Maximum
Leader’s Bruins lost at home to Cincinnati. Looks like that genius card might
not be good for much anymore…Rick Pitino announced in his new book that his
coaching career is “possibly finished”. You think? What’s stopping another top
program from bestowing a fat contract on Ricky P? It couldn’t be the late-night
restaurant gymnastics with another woman, could it? Or maybe it was the hooker
party for the recruits? Was it the stench of an FBI investigation? Nahhhhh.
It’s a conspiracy. Yeah, that must be it…The Mariners players had a Pier Six
brawl before their game Tuesday, which worried some Seattle fans. Those folks
should be delighted, because it’s the most fight the M’s have shown in weeks.
Once wild-card contenders who were actually dreaming of the divisional title,
the Mariners are nine back of the first-place Astros and 5.5 behind Oakland for
the second wild-card spot…Pope Urban VI returned to Ohio State this week to
conduct practice and to prepare for his return to the sidelines for week four
of the season. In other Buckeye news, the Board of Trustees, save the one
member who resigned in disgust over the week penalty handed out to Urban VI,
remains gutless and completely in the pocket of the football program.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">AND ANOTHER THING</b>: If any of Nick
Saban’s or Doug Pederson’s players reacted to mildly stressful situations
during a game with the similar lack of composure the coaches did when asked
over the past week who their starting quarterbacks would be, they would no
doubt be excoriated and probably demoted. It’s amazing that coaches today get
so upset over questions that couldn’t possibly be surprising to them. Here’s a
bit of inside information from the media, fellas: Fans want to know who will be
playing quarterback. Instead of crafting a benign answer designed to satisfy
(somewhat) the questioner and avoid controversy, these coaches became angry and
petulant. Part of the job descriptions for these heavily compensated men is
dealing with the media. So, why wouldn’t they do it in ways that doesn’t make
them look unprofessional? Saban’s response to espn reporter Maria Taylor’s
innocuous question about the Tide’s top signal-caller was uncalled for and
exposed him further as someone for whom common decency is often elusive.
Pederson’s tantrum was even sillier, since the person who “put words in [his]
mouth” worked for NFL.com, the propaganda arm of the league for which he works.
Getting angry at the local reporters who have helped promote his book and his
team made no sense in that case. Pederson and the “offending writer” who said
Nick Foles would be starting the season at quarterback work for the same
company – the NFL. Come on, guys, show a little more poise.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
* *
*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> The Eagles
head into the 2018 season enjoying a completely unfamiliar status: defending
Super Bowl champs. The fan base has been placated, and that means everything
should be sunshine and lollipops, no matter what happens on the field, right?
Maybe. The expectations for the team have grown, and even though people are
merging onto local highways without risking serious injury these days, a poor
performance by the team will not be received well. Like most towns that
experience ultimate success, Philadelphia now believes the Eagles will win
multiple Lombardi Trophies over the next five seasons, and even a return trip
to the Super Bowl that doesn’t end in triumph will be received poorly in some
circles. So, what’s going to happen? Expect Nick Foles to play QB for three
games, before Carson Wentz returns. Expect the offense to take some time to
develop into a real force. Worry about the middle of the defensive front
without Haloti Ngata and pray hard for Jordan Hicks to remain healthy. The
Eagles should win the NFC East and a playoff game. After that, things could get
pretty tough on the Schuylkill Expressway. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
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El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-46334903570584805132018-08-22T04:45:00.001-07:002018-08-22T04:46:11.820-07:00IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN!<br />
<br />
Back in 1983, when I-formation tailbacks and option QBs still dominated the college football landscape, the folks at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority decided it was time to get back into the college football business. Their first foray wasn’t all that impressive: a half-filled Giants Stadium hosted four eminently forgettable Garden State Bowls from 1978-81 that aired on the dearly-departed Mizlou Television Network.<br />
<br />
But in August 1983, the Meadowlands crowd wised up, and instead of trying to attract fans with a Navy-Houston matchup, pitted Nebraska and Penn State against each other before a teeming throng of 71,000-plus fans (including a young El Hombre) on a sultry Monday night. The game itself was a bust: the Cornhuskers blasted JoePa’s crowd, 44-6, but a great tradition was born. Over the next 19 years, Giants Stadium hosted the first (or one of the two or three first, as the Pigskin Classic and other iterations emerged) football game of the year. And these weren’t Garden State Bowl-variety matchups. How about Alabama-Ohio State? Or Florida State-Texas A&M? <br />
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The 2018 college football season kicks off this weekend, and instead of a marquee matchup to get us excited about the year, we have Prairie View at Rice and Hawaii at Colorado State, among others, not exactly the kinds of games that could get tens of thousands of Jersey natives to leave “da shore” a couple days early. <br />
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But you know what? Who cares? College football is back, finally, after a six-plus month hiatus, during which the NCAA tournament, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup playoffs and Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest combined couldn’t match the utter wonder of the world’s greatest sport. You can bet El Hombre will be carving out some quality time Saturday to watch the Wyoming-New Mexico State showdown, with an icy Dr. Pepper nearby and a canyon-wide grin splitting open his melon. It’s back. It’s finally back!<br />
<br />
Like just about every other sporting pursuit these days, the off-season hasn’t been without its drama, and in the case of University of Maryland redshirt freshman Jordan McNair, tragedy. In College Park, McNair died after succumbing to heat exhaustion during a workout, and it was later revealed by a news report that he wasn’t given proper care. As soon as the news broke, the university issued a maxima mea culpa, leading one to wonder whether president Wallace Loh would have ever stood in front of reporters in his ridiculous state-flag bow tie and accepted responsibility for his athletic department’s crashing failure, had the media not presented the football staff’s alleged poor behavior.<br />
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During his donning of the hair shirt, Loh forgot to mention that he and the Maryland Board of Trustees abdicated their power and opened the university to great risk by allowing the football program to operate as a standalone entity with no real checks from those charged with operating the school. The first mistake was hiring D.J. Durkin as head coach. Reports surfaced after McNair’s death that Durkin and his staff were particularly abusive, even by college football coaching standards, where the term “coaching them hard” often means, “demeaning and screaming”. <br />
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The bigger sin was not establishing an institutional culture in which the people who run the sausage factory have an idea how the links are made. The chances that Loh or a trustee attended practice even once, much less on a regular basis, are slim. So, if Durkin was berating players and denying them the opportunity to get proper care for injury or other conditions, the only people watching were athletic department personnel – if even they were permitted to attend. <br />
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It’s not like the media could have done anything about it, since institutions allow their coaches to close practices, as if national defense strategies are being concocted on the fields, rather than new hybrid pass coverages and play-action passes. It’s as if the people in charge want to remain blissfully ignorant. Worse, since student fees and other unearned revenues (i.e. school contributions) for athletic departments accounted for $10.3 billion at public schools over the last five years, it’s almost criminal that people who help fund the program don’t know what’s going on until the team runs out onto the field Saturday. <br />
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This isn’t just a Maryland problem. It’s an epidemic throughout the big-time football ranks. According to a recent Washington Post article by Sally Jenkins, it has been 17 years since an NFL player died during practice. During that time 27 collegians have paid the ultimate price during conditioning drills. Sure, there are more college programs than there are NFL teams. There are more players. But the score here is 27-0, and what matters is that no matter how competitive and tough the NFL is, its coaches aren’t interested in pushing their players to the absolute brink. When Minnesota Vikings tackle Korey Stringer died in 2001, things changed. Part of that was due to the NFLPA desire to preserve its members by limiting practice and workout opportunities. But the pro coaches lived by the rules. They may not have been happy, but nobody has expired since. There is no college union, so NCAA coaches do what they want. <br />
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<br />
College athletic departments operate according to their own rules. That makes information almost impossible to get for fans and media. But as the Maryland situation proved, the potential for trouble when programs and departments operate in clandestine ways goes way beyond just a lack of information. When Loh and his fellow presidents gain the, ahem, fortitude to take back their universities, tragedies like the one that befell Jordan McNair will be much more avoidable.<br />
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Now to the field. Here’s how the season will shake out:<br />
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Urban Renewal: Anybody who thinks Ohio State is going to fire Pope Urban VI needs to spend some time in the real world. He might miss the big tilt against Oregon State, but he will be back in all of his hypocritical, arrogant, condescending glory before long.<br />
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Something Bruin: Chip Kelly’s reign of catastrophe in Philadelphia ended with his firing, but now he’s back in the college ranks, where he can unleash his despotic ways without consequence and run the go-go offense that NFL defensive coordinators stuffed. Expect big fun, unless he commits more recruiting violations. Then, he’ll leave town but fast, like he did while at Oregon. Trouble is, the NFL doesn’t want him anymore. Hello, Saskatchewan?<br />
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Mr. Moneybags: There may not be another school in America that has spent as much on its football program as Texas A&M, and yet the Aggies haven’t won a conference title in 20 years and a national crown in 80. Enter Jimbonanza Fisher, who has a guaranteed, 10-year, $75 million contract in his pocket. He had better win, or the 12th Man crowd may turn him into dog chow for Reveille IX. After Tuesday’s revelations by former player Santino “Corleone” Marchiol’s allegations of recruiting violations, the NCAA may do it first.<br />
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Frost Warning: Nebraska may not be all that great this year, mostly because of its defense, but Nebraska alumnus Scott Frost, who led UCF to a 13-0 record last year and a “national title” that came complete with rings, a parade and magical unicorns, is back at his alma mater and is going to scare a bunch of Big Ten teams with his offense and recruiting ability. Looks like football will be fun again for Cornhuskers fans, who can stop praying to Bob Devaney any time now.<br />
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Reloading Process: You didn’t think El Hombre was going to leave Nick Saban out of this, did you? The Crimson Tide has its usual collection of five-star stud hosses, and a grand mal quarterback controversy. One of these years, ‘Bama is not going to be able to reload. This is not one of those years. Expect another playoff berth in Tuscaloosa – and almost a smile from Mr. Wonderful.<br />
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The Final Four: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Washington<br />
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The Final Two: Clemson and Washington<br />
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The Winner: Clemson <br />
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EL HOMBRE SEZ: Majoke League Baseball alums are decrying the unbelievably boring season through which we are all suffering. It will be interesting to see if commissioner Rob Manfred tries to fix things. While everyone writes about OPS, launch angle, exit velo and defensive shifts, the sport is losing its soul. It is now the National Naptime and won’t become interesting again until passion replaces numbers…After spending the last several seasons confusing us about what a catch is, the NFL is now infuriating fans with ambiguity over tackling. The goal of the new rules is admirable (or at least something the insurance carriers like): an end to head-to-head collisions that lead to CTE. But as the league tries work out the particulars, routine plays are turning into 15-yard controversies. Here’s an idea: talk to the players about what should constitute a penalty. They may swing too far in the other direction, but at least they will provide an on-field perspective…Eldrick Woods has looked good this year on the PGA Tour, but it’s important to remember that he isn’t going to win any more majors. He’s well north of 40, playing with a fused spine – which he never hesitates to remind golf reporters and adoring TV interviewers – and can’t put together four great rounds. He’ll probably win an event some time in the next 12 months, but you can rule out the Big Ones…The MLS season is heating up, and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.<br />
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THE WORLDWIDE DECEIVER: You have to love that espn jetted the Phillies and Mutts up to Williamsport to play a game in front of 2,500 fans, just so it could pimp its Little League World Series coverage. Even more amazing is that Majoke League Baseball was complicit in the promotional stunt. What’s next, an NBA playoff game held during the National Spelling Bee, with players’ names spelled phonetically on the backs of their uniforms? Don’t put it past the folks in Bristol. <br />
In another example of how espn will try to mine every possible promotional vein, consider its all-platforms-on-deck coverage of the ridiculous Duke romp through Canada. Here’s what we learned: 1. J.T. Barrett and Zion Williamson can dunk. 2. Basketball in Canada is largely populated by short, white guys who play NBA All-Star Game level defense and are much more accomplished on frozen ponds than the hardwood. 3. espn has absolutely no shame. This had no news value whatsoever, and its only reason for existence was to kiss up to Coach K and his Durham Community College roster. It’s a wonder Jay Bilious wasn’t on hand to help pump up what is certain to be another underachieving season for the latest crop of one-and-dones, the type of team K used to ridicule with characteristic condescension. Next up: An all-access look as Nick Saban takes his ‘Bama team to Estonia for a scrimmage. Marty Smith reporting. <br />
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YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? Anybody who says he thought the Phillies would be in contention to win the NL East at this point in the season is either lying or has spent way too much time in Colorado. So, we should all be happy that the team is playing meaningful baseball this late in August, although some of those games against the Mutts last weekend were a disgrace. But even if the Phils make the playoffs, they aren’t winning the World Series, and it’s up to GM Matt Klentanalytics to fortify the lineup with some real, MLB hitters. His decision to bring Carlos Santana aboard for $60 mil over three years, just because the beefy first baseman walks a lot, was ridiculous. It’s fitting espn made a big deal over Scott Kingery’s Little League career last Sunday, because sometimes he looks like he should be riding his bike to the game with his mitt over the handlebars. Looks like jumping the gun to give him a long-term deal wasn’t a real good idea. Then there are the dispatches from Planet Odubel, where the Phils’ centerfielder can no longer hit and seems to use the Magic 8 Ball to make his decisions during games. The lineup – which as of Monday was the next-to-worst in the league in terms of batting average – needs a substantial jolt if the team wants to compete for real, and since the Phils have the majors’ lowest payroll, they had better get ready to spend during the off-season.<br />
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<br />
AND ANOTHER THING: It would be nice if those people who were so aggravated that some NFL players are kneeling or raising fists or staying in the locker room during the national anthem would at least learn what the players are protesting. Those knuckleheads who think it’s the anthem itself (or our troops) need to do a little reading. Don’t worry; it won’t be that much. The players are protesting injustice and violence toward minorities and are using the anthem as a forum. A reasonable debate can be held over whether the anthem is the right time to do it – although given the attention they have received, it would be tough to argue that their tactics are not gaining desired attention – but it’s not right for people to say they are against the anthem. And that means you, False Face. He, by the way, didn’t take his hat off during the anthem at a Dallas practice in late July, but he’s the biggest owner mouth in the fight against the players’ protest. There’s patriotism, and there’s jingoism. One is a powerful tool for a nation. The other is a contrived weapon that divides. Meanwhile, NFL commissioner Roger Goodfornothing has abdicated his leadership position and refuses to broker a solution that doesn’t create controversy. What a surprise.<br />
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-EH-El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-52491224577438836262015-06-26T08:19:00.000-07:002015-06-26T08:19:46.995-07:00HALL, NO! ROSE ABSOLUTELY DOESN'T BELONG This is for all the apologists. For everybody who wants “the best” to get their due. It’s for those who have spent the past two-plus decades ignoring the lies, hubris and belligerence. For those who can’t discern self-absorbed defiance from true contrition. And it’s for those who think that second chances don’t have to be earned, rather just given away like participation trophies to Little Leaguers. <br />
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Most of all, it’s for those who just can’t see that no matter how many times Pete Rose says he’s sorry, he really isn’t. That he will do anything to get into the Hall of Fame. <br />
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Except tell the whole story. <br />
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El Hombre is astounded that despite this week’s revelations by espn’s “Outside the Lines” program that Rose bet on baseball while he was a player, a large number of people still believes he should be granted a full return to the sport he played so well. That includes admission to the Hall of Fame. <br />
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Before the report, which links Rose further to organized crime, there was a growing sentiment among fans and media to reinstate Rose. He was given a role in this summer’s All-Star Game in Cincinnati. And many believed that the retirement of Bud Sellout from the commissioner’s post would lead to a thaw in relations between Majoke League Baseball and Rose. Thanks to the new information, the Midsummer Classic will be tainted by Rose’s presence – even more so than it might by having eight Kansas City players in the starting lineup. Instead of talking about the game, we will be wondering whether Rose has a couple bucks on whether the National Anthem will take longer than two minutes to sing and if Moose and Rocco will have to help him find his checkbook should he fail to cash.<br />
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This isn’t just about the fact that Rose threw down money on games in which he played – always to win, of course. It’s about the cascade of lies he has told over the past 26 years in an attempt to convince people he hadn’t done that. It was bad enough that Rose asserted for years that he didn’t wager while managing the Reds. Once it became obvious to everybody but the most blindly ardent Charlie Hustleheads that he wasn’t telling the truth, Rose crafted a narrative of a man who so believed in his abilities that he couldn’t help but back himself. He put down bets on Cincinnati every night, expecting that he could lead the team to victory. What’s wrong with that, anyway?<br />
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Many people believed that wasn’t so bad. Forget that he wasn’t exactly going to the OTB to make his plays. No, Rose was dealing with the Big Boys, the kneebreakers. But he wasn’t trying to throw games or hurt baseball’s competitive balance. Or at least that’s what he thought. His consorting with gamblers and bookies and other sundry descendants of Bruno Tattaglia exposed the sport to the thing it feared the most: tainted outcomes. Once he was caught and proven to have gambled while managing, Rose fought back. He denied. And denied again. When he was finally out of ammunition, he tried another tack. Suddenly, he was a contrite man who was sorry for his sins against baseball.<br />
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Except he wasn’t.<br />
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With each passing year, the avalanche of lies grew. And the saps who believed that Rose hadn’t bet on baseball as a player became louder in their calls for reinstatement. Each time Rose asserted that he was clean while on the field, he pushed himself further from any chance that he should be welcomed back. He made baseball look bad, because its ruling class began to soften about his case. First would be the All-Star Game participation. Then there might be a World Series how-do-you-do. Finally, Rose would get the invitation he coveted since his career ended, when he promised to hunt down anyone who didn’t include him on their Hall of Fame ballot.<br />
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Had Rose admitted everything from the start, he would have most certainly been banned. But had he sought treatment for his gambling addiction, spent time speaking to MLB players about the dangers of placing even one bet and adopted a conciliatory tone toward those who proved he was guilty, he would be in the Hall by now. America loves giving second chances, and though Rose’s play caused many to dislike him, a showing of real remorse would have made him a sympathetic figure and would have allowed him to get everything he wanted.<br />
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Instead, Rose was bellicose from the start. He refused to give ground, and even when he did concede, he did so only partially. He refused to admit what he had done, so it was impossible to forgive him. Now that we know he bet while he was a player, Rose moves further into baseball’s jailhouse. His original sin was bad enough. His repeated lying after it re-started the clock after every new denial. The debate here is not whether players who scuffed balls, stole signs, corked bats, or took greenies belong in the Hall. It’s that 26 years after his ban, Rose is still trying to get back into the game on his terms. He has given ground grudgingly, refusing to tell his whole story. Until he sits down with a media member who has true gravitas, not some sympathetic simp, and tells the truth, the idea of reinstatement is preposterous.<br />
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For some, Rose is a tragic figure, a top-flight athlete whose inner fire led him in directions that were not good for him or the game. That may be true, but Rose’s time to prove that has passed. Now laid bare, he has no choice but to ask for mercy and hope that people will believe he is truly remorseful and therefore worthy of forgiveness. That won’t be easy for Rose. Humility hasn’t been one of his strong suits over the past 50-plus years, so it will be hard to believe if he is telling the truth or merely working another con.<br />
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Whatever good will Rose may have accrued before the OTL report should vanish, and the standard for his reinstatement must grow tougher to meet. It’s not just a question of how much time he served. It’s a case of whether Rose has the character to admit his wrongdoings. Unfortunately, that will be much harder for him than hitting a 95-mph fastball ever was.<br />
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And the smart money won’t be on him to succeed.<br />
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: So, the Big 12 is talking about expanding to 12 teams, in the hopes of staging a football championship game and of living up to its name. Thanks to the realignment binge that took place earlier this decade, the conference doesn’t exactly have a great list of candidates from which to choose. Try to imagine the excitement generated for that annual Oklahoma-Central Florida clash. Or how much member schools will love competing against BYU’s 25-year olds. Perhaps the Big 12 can force Houston, Cincinnati, South Florida and Memphis to combine to form Amalgamated State U. Or it could convince Connecticut that mid-February basketball road trips to Lubbock aren’t such a bad thing – if you’re used to competing in the Iditarod. Face it, Big 12: You blew it. Either dip into the minors (Hello, Boise State!) or stay with 10 schools and make the most of it. Expansion isn’t a good idea right now…What’s this? The NCAA is going to do something that actually benefits the athletes? Wow! Wednesday, the organization announced legislation that, if approved, would allow players who declared for the NBA Draft to return to school after being evaluated at the Combine, provided they hadn’t hired agents. Sounds like a great idea, and it’s amazing the college folks want it to happen. Not that member schools won’t benefit from having a few more top players on rosters for another year or two. But this is progress – and quite unexpected from a money-grubbing association that sticks it to athletes whenever possible…After watching the young Indians fan catch a foul ball with his hat earlier this week, the Phillies inquired about his availability. The kid considered the offer for a while before announcing that he would rather stick with his Little League squad because it played better ball…After hearing that the winner’s share at next month’s British Open has been boosted to $1.8 million, Greece began scouring the archipelago for anyone capable of hitting a golf ball straight. The hope his that the man chosen will get lucky enough to win the tournament and rescue the country’s flagging economy with the winnings –or at least hold off the accumulating debt for five minutes…Speaking of golf, last week’s U.S. Open was one for the everyman. The course’s generally unkempt (and often brown) conditions looked like so many U.S. families’ lawns, and Dustin Johnson’s three-putt on 18 with big money on the line no doubt cheered all of those country club hacks who have missed a six-footer with a two-dollar Nassau on the line…This just in: espn college basketball promoter Jay Bilious has released his “Best Duke players available” list for next year’s draft. At a network filled with people who have agendas, he stands out – and that’s saying something.<br />
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> The clock has officially started on Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, who somehow convinced the nation’s toughest fans that two years of stinking – although not enough to get the top pick in the draft either time – was the way to build a contender. There is to be no more tanking, no more rosters packed with D-league rejects and other bargain-basement bumblers. Hinkie is to stop accumulating meaningless “assets” (this year’s second-round “haul” was filled with Eurosuspects) and begin to build a winner. That, of course, will be hard to do, since he has alienated agents with his salary-cap shenanigans and his desire to sign minor leaguers over actual NBA players. No free agent worth a damn will want to come to this town to play for a franchise that has zero credibility when it comes to displaying any intent to win. That’s too bad for Hinkie, who can play secret agent all he wants, so long as the Sixers start to win games and prove they are a viable NBA franchise. The good news, at least for buy-and-flip owner Josh Harris, is that the franchise’s value has ballooned 150% since he purchased it. Sounds like it’s time to sell – or maybe Harris and Hinkie can pretend like they want to win some games.<br />
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<br />
<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: Reports out of New York indicate that Patriots QB Tom Innocent put on quite a show during the 10-hour appeal hearing about his four-game suspension for ordering the deflating of game balls. He was charming. He was prepared. He flashed that winning smile. He even produced a letter of endorsement from New England owner Robert Kraft, sent from Israel and notarized by Moses. Behind the show was an assurance that if NFL commissioner Roger Goodfornothing doesn’t erase the sentence completely, the trouble will really start. There will be lawsuits and grievances filed. Innocent might even hold his breath until he turns blue, something that could inflate his cheeks to more pounds/square inch than those footballs he used against the Colts. Despite a significant amount of evidence against him, Innocent is denying everything. It will be interesting to see if Goodfornothing stands tall or relents in the face of Innocent’s P.R. blitz and Kraft’s displeasure, or if he shows some spine. Given Goodfornothing’s track record, bet on the latter. Innocent will have his sentence reduced by at least two games, if not eliminated all together. Usually, the Commissioner’s job is to protect the shield. In this instance, Goodfornothing could be just protecting his job.<br />
<br />
-EH-<br />
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-60246907401199638712015-06-19T06:29:00.000-07:002015-06-19T06:29:08.727-07:00NBA COPYCATS MAY GO SMALL NEXT WEEK AT DRAFT The NBA is such a copycat league that if a team were ever to win a championship using a starting five comprised entirely of boy-band members, every other franchise would be out there, trying to acquire the rights to any Backstreet Boy or One Direction member available. And Menudo? Time to cash in again, fellas.<br />
<br />
That characteristic makes Golden State’s 2015 title interesting for more than just its ending of the team’s 40 years of futility. Watching the Warriors dictate terms with a lineup that rarely included someone taller than 6-8 demonstrated the growing feeling throughout the league that traditional personnel ideas are no longer relevant. Center Andrew Bogut played in only four of the six Finals games and was on the court for a mere 74 minutes, or just 24 more than Festus Ezeli. Yes, that Festus Ezeli. <br />
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It’s entirely possible that if Cleveland had been at full strength for the Finals and had employed 6-10 Kevin Love at the four spot, the Warriors wouldn’t have been able to imitate an NCAA mid-major outfit and win without a conventional deployment. Then again, since Love prefers life on the outskirts, the Warriors could have stayed small and simply hung with the forward outside the arc. <br />
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The point is that before the Warriors vanquished Cleveland and continued northeast Ohio’s championship drought, many in the league thought Golden State’s style was more suited for fun than winning big. It was kind of like eating ice cream for dinner. It’s cool once in a while, but when real nutrition and energy are necessary, there had better be something more balanced on the menu. <br />
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That’s all changed now, even if LeBron James was playing with a group of players that couldn’t have beaten the Sixers without him. It seemed like every time the ball landed in Tristan Thompson’s hands, he treated it as if it were yellowcake uranium. As the series wore on, Iman Shumpert’s hair got higher, and his shooting percentage went lower. And by about the fourth game, pugnacious Aussie Matthew Dellavedova was back to playing like the undrafted scrapper he was. Ten years from now, no one will bring up the Cavs’ downtrodden state when assaying the Warriors’ title. They will celebrate it as a triumph of free-flowing, saturation-bombing ball and perhaps as the moment when the NBA abandoned its generations-old addiction to the classic big man. <br />
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Which brings El Hombre to next Thursday’s NBA Draft. For the first time in a long while (how’s that for research?!) the crop of newbies is loaded with tall people – and not just tall people who wish they were point guards. El Hombre is talking about real, live centers. Sure, some of them can “step out” and shoot from the outside, but they are primarily designed for interior use. Normally, that would be great news for the league, but thanks to Golden State’s mid-sized championship run, some teams may re-think their desire to have Gulliver in the post. <br />
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That means 7-0 Kristaps Porzingis, the pride of Latvia, could be in play for one of the top three picks, instead of falling to the five or six spot, as was originally suspected. Porzingis has a syrupy-sweet shooting stroke and range that extends to Moldova. There’s only one problem: when calling the roll of Latvian expats who have starred in the NBA, there is no entry beyond, “Nobody, Ever”. Porzingis would be the first, and though some make the argument that the preponderance of Lithuanian standouts would confer some sort of Baltic basketball brotherhood on Porzingis, saying that Porzingis will be fine since Latvia neighbors Lithuania is like saying Norman Fell could sing, just because he spent some time next to Frank Sinatra in Ocean’s Eleven. It’s a risk. <br />
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Guards D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay, however, do not seem to be potential busts, and given Russell’s expected proficiency in the pick-and-roll, and Mudiay’s ability to drive and kick, they would seem perfect for the NBA’s post-Warrior world. <br />
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Still, trying to predict what everybody will do won’t be easy. It looks like the Timberwolves are going big, which means Karl Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor. Towns is versatile and has that wonderful (gasp!) upside, but Okafor was described by one NBA exec to El Hombre as having the potential to swell up “like Kevin Duckworth”. Ouch. The Lakers sit in the number two spot, and it will be interesting to see if Kobe Bryant storms into the war room with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and demands that he make the pick. Retire, already, Mamba. It’s over. <br />
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The Sixers have tanked in earnest to reach the number three spot, although how competent can an organization be when it actively tries to have the worst record in the league but only finishes third from the bottom? Whoever the Sixers take had better be worried, because if GM Sam Hinkie decides to trade wins for draft picks again, the pick could be Gilloolyed, in order to maximize the stink. At the rate this rebuild is going, Philadelphia would be wise to plan a parade route – for 2023. <br />
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And then there are the Knicks, who have reached such an advanced state of Zen under GM Phil Jackson that they no longer care about the outcome of games. It’s all about the journey. As long as that trip guarantees 25 shots a game for CarMElo Anthony, everything is fine. It doesn’t matter whether New York selects a player who combines the greatness of Wilt, the Big O, MJ and Lebron, so long as Anthony is on the roster, a championship is out of the question. And, while El Hombre is at it, all of that talk about players’ wanting to come to play for GM Jackson was nonsense. He managed outstanding players well while he was a coach. As a GM, he hasn’t a clue. If there is anyone who will scoff at the Warriors’ title’s being the harbinger of a New Way, it will likely be Jackson. <br />
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And then he can consult the Dalai Lama about what talisman he should have in his pocket during next May’s Draft Lottery.<br />
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: Big news, NASCAR fans! Dale Earnhardt has proposed to long-time girlfriend Amy Reimann. Immediately after the announcement, Waffle House announced a nationwide contest in which folks can determine which of one of the chain’s restaurants will host the reception…The fallout from the recent FIFA scandal continues to grow. An investigation has found evidence of P.E.D.s in the post-game juice boxes of youth players in five countries. Outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter responded to the report by designating the offending nations finalists to host the 2026 World Cup…If anyone is the least bit upset that Russell Wilson is aggravated with Seattle regarding his contract situation, remember that he has spent the past three years providing high level performance for peanuts. He’ll make just $1.5 million this year. By contrast, the Bears’ Jay Cutler is due a minimum of $54 mil over the course of his seven-year deal to keep Chicago out of the playoffs. Get mad, Russell, get mad…That was quite a strong showing by Eldrick Woods in the first round of the U.S. Open at the Chambers Bay funhouse on Puget Sound. (Side note: where was the windmill hole?) Isn’t it time the golf world realized that there isn’t going to be any miracle major charge by Woods and let golf move on without him? Nobody on the tour fears him anymore, and PGA officials no longer make sure his every whim will be satisfied. He had his time, but it’s over. Deal with it, golf…It’s one thing to populate a front office with executives who never played baseball and quite another to let Sheldon, Raj and the boys think they can use their nerd powers to mess with another team. Then again, if players are going to juice, cork bats, apply KY Jelly to baseballs and steal signs, it makes sense that the Pocket Protector Set will cheat, too. Just as long as they’re not working on a death ray that can shoot out of the scoreboard, everything will be okay…It seems odd that El Hombre has to go over this again, but until the sports media learns what a real dynasty is, he will continue his vigilance. The Zhou folks ruled in China for nearly 800 years (1046-256 B.C.) The Bulgar tribes were brought together by the House of Dulo, which reigned for 2,890 years (2137 B.C.-753 A.D.). And the Celtics won 11 titles in 13 years (1957-69). Winning three Stanley Cup titles in six seasons is NOT a dynasty. It’s a great run, but please don’t succumb to the hype. El Hombre thanks you.<br />
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> Things are pretty bleak in the world of Philadelphia sports these days, but it doesn’t get any worse than the Phillies, who reached their most recent nadir in Tuesday’s 19-3 humiliation in Baltimore, their 18th loss in 21 games. After that fiasco, which included two innings of relief work by outfielder Jeff Francoeur, the entire front office, manager Ryne Sandberg and his coaching staff should have resigned en masse, or, better yet, subjected themselves to a hot dog cannon firing squad. This crippling hangover from the fat, 2007-11 period shows no signs of abating. Other than Cole Hamels, the starting pitching staff is barely AA quality. The team is last in the majors in runs scored, homers, OPS and RBI. It is still three wins short of 10 on the road. A franchise that was one of the best two or three in baseball during the aforementioned five-year stretch has become a joke. There can be only one viable solution: fire GM Ruin Tomorrow and Sandberg. Ship off all the bumbling veterans, no matter what it costs, so that fans don’t have to be reminded every day of their grotesque contracts. Start over, with proven baseball people, a big-league analytics department and scouts who don’t suggest spending the 10th overall pick in the draft on a high school player who has no National League position. The disaster continues, and there is no sign of its relenting.<br />
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: Reports are surfacing that LeBron James has spent the past several months doing everything he can to make David Blatt look like Soviet-era puppet Janos Kadar by calling timeouts, making substitutions, vetoing play calls and making Blatt fetch sports drinks for him. This can’t be at all pleasant for Blatt, and it recalls the LBJ state of affairs before his first title in Miami, when he surrounded himself with yes-men and other sycophants who let him do what he wanted. It’s impossible for one person to be GM, coach and star player – not even Bill Russell tried for the triple – and James is proving that. Even if Blatt is replaced by a James crony (hello, Tyronn Lue), it still won’t help matters, because James will remain in control. Even stars need people who can hold them accountable and rein them in. Without that, they have little chance. This is a key off-season in Cleveland, both in terms of holding on to players (so long, Kevin Love) and creating a ruling class capable of saying no at times to James. If everything doesn’t go correctly, expect another year without a world championship on the banks of Lake Erie.<br />
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-EH-<br />
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-7514473592628462002015-03-19T05:04:00.002-07:002015-03-19T05:04:48.719-07:00RINGING CASH REGISTER IS OFFICIAL NCAA TOURNAMENT SOUNDTRACK There has yet to be an official study done to determine whether CBS stock comes out of Jim Nantz’s veins when he is cut, but there is no better front man for the three-week commercial disguised as the NC2A tournament than the ultimate Corporate Champion. Yes, there will be a winner crowned on April 6, but before the treacly “One Shining Moment” montage oozes forth, CBS, Turner and the folks in Indianapolis will subject us to enough promotional content to make even Ron Popeil blush. You better have an airsickness bag ready while watching the NC2A’s propaganda about how much it cares for the very athletes it abuses. <br />
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The bloated, 68-team tourney began Tuesday with the scintillating “first-round” games, which must have been designed in some masochist’s mind to create excitement among four teams that will never really participate in the tournament. Congratulations, Manhattan!! You’re in the NC2A Tournament. Well, sort of. By the time the real action kicks off, the “First Four” losers will be back on campus, trying to convince friends that they were indeed part of the Madness. Talk about a cruel joke.<br />
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Maybe next year, the NC2A can prank call bubble teams to tell them they’re in the tournament when they really aren’t, tape the responses and then show them on a hilarious blooper show hosted by Barles Charkley. <br />
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Random Punk’d AD: You mean we’re not in the tournament?<br />
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Charkley: Ha! Ha! No, you’re not.<br />
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RPAD: Coach, you’re fired.<br />
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The ratings would be huge. <br />
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While CBS contemplates future programming options, this year’s tournament will roll on, with copious commercial interruption. Those two Capital One ads were pretty funny on the Selection Sunday show, but the credit card company better have made about 50 of them, because the originals could be pretty stale come early April. Meanwhile, the basketball world will wonder if anybody can beat Coach Cal and his selfless Kentucky team, which has stormed through the rotten SEC without any semblance of an offense. <br />
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The excitement is building. The commercials are set. Nantz is ready to shill. Let the Madness begin.<br />
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<b>Undefeated, Underwhelming:</b> We are always told to consider teams and athletes according to the eras in which they competed. According to that metric, UK is amazing. But these Wildcats would be 10-point dogs to the ’76 Indiana perfectos and would get six points from the back-to-back Duke champions in ’91 and ’92. And don’t even get El Hombre started on what the Walton Gang would have done to this group. The underlying story here is that college basketball isn’t very good right now. Control-freak coaches preach defensive strategies designed to make the game appear as if it is being played in the La Brea Tar Pits. The AAU culture creates prospects concerned only with themselves, and constant transferring by high school students prohibits them from learning needed skills, because coaches are petrified of exercising discipline, for fear that their players will blow town overnight. Going 40-0 is a worthy accomplishment, but it comes at a time when the sport is sagging.<br />
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<b>Happenstance. Yeah, Right:</b> As usual, the tournament offers some compelling pairings that just happen to be there by a stroke of tremendous good fortune. Kansas coach Bill Self absolutely won’t play Wichita State, even if the Shockers promised to visit Allen Fieldhouse 40 straight times. But somehow, through a remarkable serendipitous turn, WSU and the Jayhawks will collide in the third round (El Hombre still isn’t used to that), should each take care of business in their first game. Shocking! And how about the idea of pitting SMU and Larry Brown against UCLA – the school he took to the national title game in 1980 – in a second-round matchup. How did that happen?! If Butler and Notre Dame prevail in their openers, we’ll have a Hoosier state throwdown in round three. Coincidence, all of it. CBS would never try to influence the field, even though it has 10.8 billion reasons to do so. Next up, writers for The Big Bang Theory introduce a new character, Joe the Creationist, and none of the suits in New York cares.<br />
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<b>Grab the Pepto</b>: El Hombre has always said that the first weekend of the tournament is for the Madness, and everything after that is about choosing a champion. Since whichever team wins it all is universally regarded as the champ, it doesn’t matter who gets dumped early on. So, bring on the upsets. Of course, the increased parity throughout the sport lessens the shock value, but triumphs by double-digit seeds over their perceived superiors is always a lot of fun. We’re still waiting for the biggie – a 16 over a 1 – and fret not, because it is coming in the next five years. This time, here are a few shockers (as opposed to Shockers) that will spawn some serious indigestion: Davidson over Iowa; Texas over Butler; Wofford over Arkansas; Stephen F. Austin over Utah and – if you want to get really nuts – UC-Irvine over Louisville. <br />
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<b>The Verdict:</b> It has been a long while since the tournament had such a prohibitive favorite, and if Kentucky loses before the Final Four, it will be an upset on par with any in tournament history. So, put the Wildcats into the final weekend. They will be joined by Arizona, a real threat to UK primacy, Gonzaga (finally!) and Oklahoma, which could lose in the third round or prevail in an imperfect region. (If you want a real Final Four sleeper, choose Michigan State, simply because nobody handles March better than Tom Izzo.) Kentucky dumps ‘Zona in a whale of a semifinal, while the Zags take care of OU in the other. Kentucky fulfills its perfect destiny with an 80-69 triumph over Gonzaga.<br />
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<b>A Final Word About Cal:</b> There is no way of knowing for sure how Kentucky coach John Calipari gets his players, and his numerous tournament stumbles bring his game management skills into question. But there is no one in the game today, or perhaps ever, capable of taking nine potential NBA first-round draft choices and convincing them to sublimate their personal agendas for the good of a run at history. That’s a remarkable achievement, and El Hombre doesn’t use the word remarkable lightly. Calipari may not be an Xs and Os wizard, but he has a Ph.D. in basketball psychology. <br />
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ:</b> Can you imagine the meetings that are being held on Park Avenue about the possibility of an Atlanta-Golden State NBA Finals pairing? The panic level is pretty low right now, but commissioner Adam Silver no doubt has the Sardinian Swordsmen on speed dial and is consulting Winston Wolf about ways to handle any unsavory playoff scenarios…Speaking of the NBA, posse members throughout the league’s universe are making plans for a possible 2017 work stoppage. They’re banking large portions of their allowances, cutting back on frivolous purchases and eschewing bottle service at the club. Yeah, right. If the Players Union has a weak spot in its future negotiations with league owners, it’s the Posse Factor, which could threaten the rank-and-file to cave if a new iPhone comes out during a strike…The NFL’s frenzy of personnel moves has slowed considerably after a wild first week of teams’ trading one set of problems for another, an avalanche of guaranteed money and fans’ lifting their hopes unreasonably in a sport for which free agency often brings more headaches than it solves. It’s hard to find a definitive winner in the melee, but the clear losers are Darrelle Revis and Brandon Marshall, who have to play next year for the J-E-T-S, Jets-Jets-Jets. Ugh…Hats off to Chris Borland, the talented Niners linebacker who retired after just one year in the NFL in order to prevent further head trauma that could lead to long-term health concerns and – perhaps – early-onset dementia. Future research will undoubtedly buttress and advance previous assertions that repeated concussions are triggers for trouble down the road. Some fans may be angry at Borland for leaving San Francisco, but they should applaud his courage and good sense. And the NFL had better get ready for several more like him in coming years…The NHL regular season is rocketing toward a thrilling conclusion, as all four division winners are within two points of each other andZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…Baseball’s spring training is underway, and that’s good news for orthopedic surgeons, who already have plenty of work ahead of them, thanks to elbow injuries to the likes of Yu Darvish, Zach Wheeler and Josh Edgin. (Expect Cliff Lee to join the parade at some point.) It makes one wonder just how many pitchers in the ’50s, ‘60s and ‘70s were gutting it out with serious injuries that went undiagnosed and unrepaired.<br />
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> How about that swashbuckling, devil-may-care, push-it-all-to-the-middle Chip Kelly? What a daring fellow. While it’s too early to pass complete judgment on his off-season binge, a couple things are completely clear about the Eagles’ Maximum Leader. First, he is absolutely in charge. He tried to tell us that it was Jeffrey Lurie’s idea to depose his good pal Howie Roseman and place him in charge of jockstraps and the team’s Accounts Payable Department, but anybody who believes that should call El Hombre and ask about the attractive financing rates he is offering on the sale of Independence Hall. This is Kelly’s show, and Lurie hasn’t taken a chance this big of a chance since he helped bankroll V.I. Warshawski, which starred Brian Bosworth. Wait. That was Kathleen Turner? Oh, my. Second, Kelly is taking some big chances with his personnel acquisitions. QB Sam Bradford, linebacker Kiko Alonso, running back Ryan Mathews and cornerback Walter Thurmond are all coming off of serious injuries. If the Sixers added this collection of hobbled performers, they would be accused of putting the Tank into hyperdrive. In just over two years, Kelly has completely recast the culture, roster and systems of the Eagles. If he doesn’t succeed, it will take years for this franchise to rebound.<br />
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING:</b> Now that Bud Sellout has ridden out of town on a pile of cash and good wishes from the owners for helping save baseball by embracing steroid-addled, long-ball bashing carnival freaks, Pete Rose thinks it’s time to make his move. Sensing weakness atop the MLB hierarchy – as if Sellout was Antaeus – Rose has reached out to new commissioner Rob Manfred in an attempt to Get Back In. Manfred has said he will listen, but he had better not cave in. Rose has yet to make a sincere apology for his betting on baseball, something that has been clearly outlined as a serious violation for decades. As bad as the steroid abusers were for the game, there was no policy in place that forbade the use of performance enhancing drugs until just a few years ago. Rose knew what he was doing was wrong, and he continued to do it. Further, he has remained combative in the years after his banishment and has demonstrated little true remorse. It’s sad that such a great ballplayer and competitor has become a tragic story, but Rose’s inability to understand that damage he did to baseball through his actions makes it impossible for the game to welcome him back. He’s running out of time, and unless he makes a substantial change in his approach to his previous actions, any possible reinstatement could well come posthumously.<br />
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-EH-<br />
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-85796315955538005512014-06-12T04:34:00.001-07:002014-06-12T04:34:39.991-07:00HEY, EVERYBODY, IT'S CRAZY SOCCER TIME! Despite the fact that FIFA, the world soccer governing body, is run like an old-fashioned Soviet-era kleptocracy, whose leaders gorge themselves on seven-figure bribes and somehow still radiate indignation when their collective shred of integrity is questioned, the greedy bastards still know how to throw one hell of a tournament. The World Cup begins today, and for a month, anyone with a love of soccer or international sporting mayhem will be adhered to his TV set, hoping that the total goals scored comes close to the number of flops by various high-strung drama kings. <br />
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The World Cup is the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet. Nothing else attracts the kind of attention that it does, and nothing else brings out more national pride. You can have the Olympics, largely because the average sports fan doesn’t care about 75% -- or more – of the events at any time other than when the Games are contested. Curling? Kayaking? Biathlon? Not a chance. No way. You must be high. Hmmm. Maybe those sports should relocate to Colorado and repackage themselves to the newly baked populace. “Dude, did you catch that stone’s hog-to-hog speed? Awesome!”<br />
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This year’s competition is in Brazil, which has a thrilling blend of stifling Amazonian jungle heat, angry subway workers (and practically everybody else) on strike, way over budget costs, crushing poverty and Pele. If it weren’t for Carnivale, thongs and that giant statue of Jesus, there might be no reason to go there. But hundreds of thousands of soccer pilgrims will flock to South America’s largest country during June and July to watch the action. Here are some of the storylines they will be following.<br />
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England Win – Not! The last (and only) time St. George’s crew won this thing – 1966 – the Beatles were hot, and Sean Connery was still making Bond movies. Ah, those were the days. No wonder Austin Powers was so happy. Sir Bobby Charlton and the boys dumped West Germany in the finals before a delighted home crowd at Wembley. Alas, that was it for British supremacy in the sport that gained steam on the island during the Middle Ages. (The Chinese were said to have kicked a ball around in the second or third centuries, but Mao later said that they were actually booting about the heads of dissidents, and everyone agreed.) This year, the Brits have a fine side, led by Wayne Rooney and some other pale folks. And they have little or no chance of winning it all. In fact, they may not even get out of group play, since they have been cast in with mighty Uruguay and perennial power Italy. Perhaps the most interesting thing will be whether the English soccer hooligans will be able to overcome the swelter and copious amounts of Brahma Beer to riot properly.<br />
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Group(s) of Death: The England/Uruguay/Italy collection is nasty indeed, but things are even worse for the U.S., which has to deal with the Squareheads and Portugal, not to mention the scary Black Stars of Ghana, who reached the quarterfinals four years ago in South Africa’s vuvuzela-thon. (A side note: Brazil’s answer to the cacophonous ‘zela, the serpentine-sounding caxirola, has already been banned from the ’14 proceedings. El Hombre is sure the Brazilian faithful will obey the orders.) Anyway, there’s no chance whatsoever the FIFA crooks conspired to create some of these death traps. Right. Meanwhile, Argentina gets to hang out with the non-threatening trio of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nigeria and Iran, which had considerable trouble arranging “friendly” exhibitions, since nobody wanted to come to the archaic theocracy, despite promises of yellowcake uranium parting gifts. <br />
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<b>Mr. Personality</b>: That would be Uruguay’s Luis Suarez, who during the last few years has bitten an opponent, called another a racist name and threatened to make the French look positively heroic by flopping more than Ben Afleck’s movie career did from “Chasing Amy” until “Argo”. (“Dogma” not included.) The man can score goals, as evidenced by the pile he accumulated for Liverpool this past season, but it will be interesting to see whether he can keep his cool as the cauldron heats during the Cup, or if he goes nuts. Here’s a vote for nuts. It’s always more fun.<br />
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<b>Lionel Messy</b>: Yes, soccerheads, El Hombre is aware that the Argentine striker’s last name is spelled “Messi”. But when he hurled during La Albiceleste’s final tune-up game, Messi reminded everyone of the pressure he is under to revive his country’s World Cup glory. Puking on the pitch has been Messi’s calling card of late, and it’s hard to tell whether he is merely channeling Willie Beamen or is succumbing to the stress of being this generation’s Diego Maradona. (Maradona, by the way, has made himself look like a complete ass of late by criticizing Pele’s talents and accomplishments. Hand of God. Mouth of moron.) For all of his magical work with F.C. Barcelona in La Liga, Messi has scored just once in World Cup play. His countrymen are already mad at him for playing professionally abroad. If he doesn’t deliver in Brazil, Messi’s nerves may be the least of his problems.<br />
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<b>Booooring</b>: There are plenty of drab teams in the Cup field. Greece plays as if its players will be denied ouzo rations if they score too many goals. The Squareheads’ maddening efficiency doesn’t exactly inspire great excitement, either, and is sort of scary, given their martial history. Then there is Spain, the defending champs. The lineup is packed with talent, and the side’s success has been impressive. But let’s hope the Spaniards don’t make it too far in the tournament, because they just aren’t that much fun to watch. Fans ought to hope for semifinals that include as many South American countries as possible, the better to guarantee some lively soccer – and crazy fan antics.<br />
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<b>The Pick</b>: It’s tempting to go with the home side here. The frenzy that would accompany a Brazilian championship would make Mardi Gras look like a monks’ convention. But the Selecao doesn’t have the all-around excellence necessary to survive. Spain is dangerous, but its time has come and gone. Messi could morph into a Maradona-style hero for the Argentines, provided he takes enough Pepto-Bismol. But the pick here is Germany. Yes, Euroteams rarely thrive off continent, but it’s not like there isn’t a solid Vaterland presence in South America, if you know what El Hombre means. <br />
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: San Antonio interrupted espn’s LeBron-a-thon Tuesday night with a remarkable display of team basketball, or to put it in modern NBA terms, “what the hell was that?” A Spurs win would be dangerous for the league, because it might interrupt its individual-based marketing system and prove that good teams can actually be successful, rather than just stars, or those we are told are stars. James, of course, fits into the real category. But the Heat didn’t have enough surrounding him Tuesday to offset San Antonio’s devastating all-for-one attack…Joe Namath checked in with some support for Johnny Overrated this week, asking us to let the Browns rookie “live his life”. It would be great if the media would back off until we learned whether the QB’s back-foot throws will be successful in the NFL. In an attempt to fill the pipeline with new personalities to hype, Overrated has been already elevated to hero status. Come training camp, his every move and utterance will be celebrated. If you thought the Tebow circus was bad, wait until Overrated grabs the starting spot in Cleveland…California Chrome’s owner apologized earlier in the week for his classless outburst after his horse didn’t close the Triple Crown deal. Here’s hoping his whining doesn’t add any momentum to the idea that the three Crown races should be spread out more, or that all horses wishing to run at Belmont must also compete in Kentucky and Maryland, too. There’s a reason why only horse racing’s greatest have accomplished the feat: it’s hard, and only the best of the best prevail three times, no matter the conditions or the fields’ compositions. Let’s not devalue a classic sporting tradition because it’s a tough thing to accomplish…Speaking of sports classics, the U.S. Open kicks off today at Pinehurst, and without Eldrick Woods in the field, media types starved for stories beyond Bubba Watson’s Waffle House predilection (duh!) will be chasing Payne Stewart’s ghost. That’s what happens when a game builds its entire popularity around one player. Golfers will tune in to admire the pros’ swings. Everybody else will focus on buying last-minute ties for Fathers Day.<br />
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> The Phillies are so bad and lifeless that it’s not even fun to scream for Ruben Amaro’s ouster anymore. That may be his greatest sin as GM: he turned a team that captivated the area into a non-factor, something so banal that it can’t engender outrage, much less enthusiasm, from fans. Amaro’s mistakes – big and small – are on full display each night before ever-shrinking audiences. Worse, with a farm system bereft of Major League talent at its top levels, the franchise is facing several years of malaise. At least when the team stunk from 1994-00, it generated some interest from fans hoping for better times. These days, the Phillies are like that business you pass on the way to work every day. It’s there, but you don’t really notice it. That is Amaro’s legacy. Nobody cares.<br />
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: The unseemly Donald Sterling saga had better teach professional sports owners something about the people with whom they associate. Perhaps the upper reaches of the NBA’s community had no idea what a jerk Sterling was when he bought the Clippers, but it soon became apparent that his business practices were shady, at best, and downright unethical, at worst – to say nothing of his personal beliefs and behaviors. The recent efforts to remove him have created a surreal set of circumstances that could continue to haunt the league for months, if not years, should Sterling persist, and the courts refuse to sweep him aside. From this point on, leagues had better vet those eager to buy in for more than just financial stability. They must know as much as possible about them, the better to avoid future fiascos like the Sterling debacle. If his actions weren’t so contemptible, this would be pretty amusing. It isn’t, and the NBA could still pay a sizeable price for consorting with such a buffoon.<br />
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-EH-<br />
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-63660778335072857042014-03-20T05:44:00.002-07:002014-03-20T05:44:50.024-07:00ONCE AGAIN, GREED IS THE TOP SEED These days, whenever an athletic director, school president or conference commissioner begins talking about the state of college athletics, he should finish his comments by saying, “I’ll be here all week. Don’t forget to tip your bartenders and waitresses. And try the veal.”<br />
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It’s a comedy routine these days for the people in charge of big-time football and basketball, as they try to convince the audience that any strides made by athletes will ruin the integrity of their “amateur” pursuits, all the while accepting colossal bags of money from TV networks, sponsors and boosters that help finance successful (they hope) programs designed to promote the schools. Any time a player dares to suggest that the situation is not equitable, fat-cat administrators fall back on the myth that college sports are somehow pure. <br />
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Take Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, whose conference will bestow as much as $40 million on each of its members by 2017, thanks to gargantuan TV contracts. Earlier this week, he was quoted by espn.com’s Ivan Maisel in an article that heralded how prepared Delany is for the upcoming changes in college athletics, i.e. even more bags of dough arriving, courtesy of the new football “playoff”. Delany was responding to the outlandish idea that athletes should have a say in what happens to them and the recent news that some are attempting to form a union to guarantee full scholarship benefits and the right to negotiate with ADs and presidents regarding working conditions. Threatened with the loss of some of that TV and playoff lucre, Delany invoked the time-honored image of Biff’s sitting in the malt shop, wearing his letter sweater, a stack of books next to his milkshake, and an adoring Suzie sitting across from him, wondering how life could get any better.<br />
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“What I’m confident about is that the more collegiate we are, the more sustainable we are,” he said. “The less collegiate we are, the more I think the environment we are in is going to be challenged.”<br />
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Go Team!<br />
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There must be some kind of handbook distributed among college administrators containing that shameless treacle. Unfortunately, many fans hear Delany and nod their heads, thinking he is championing the old-fashioned ways of college sports. Were Delany’s words to be accompanied by a close-captioned translation, they might read a little differently.<br />
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“What I’m confident about is that the more we continue to rake in the big bucks through the same channels that professional sports leagues do, we’ll be all right. As soon as we let the athletes have any of the dough or some sort of say in how we do business, we’re screwed.”<br />
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Delany’s comments are particularly trenchant as the NC2A basketball tourney cranks to life. (Yeah, El Hombre knows it started Tuesday night, but the pigtail games don’t count.) Fans of the three-week festival of hoops had better spend every minute possible with it over the next few years, because there can be no doubt it’s going to change at some point. Once the big schools decide that they are done sharing any of their collegiate sustainability with smaller institutions, they are going to secede from the NC2A and form their own money-printing enterprise. Once that happens, the tournament will no longer be the wild and crazy ride it has been.<br />
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Ask yourself this question: Would you rather see a first-round (El Hombre refuses to call the Thursday/Friday games “second round” contests) matchup between North Dakota State and Oklahoma or one between Mississippi State and Clemson? You want the big underdog from a state where high school ball is still played on dirt courts, and citizens still point excitedly at airplanes when they fly overhead, not the boring meeting of name brands. Once the fat cats break away, those fun days will be over. Good-bye to Valpo, Dunk City and Lehigh. Say hello to drab contests between mediocre big boys. The East, Midwest, South and West regions will be renamed Greed, Avarice, Lust and Plunder. And a wonderful event will be ruined forever. <br />
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Enjoy it while you can, folks. Because collegiate sustainability will certainly prevail in the long run. The difference between now and then will be that athletes <i>and</i> fans will be abused once the separation occurs.<br />
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With all of that in mind, and the pigtail games out of the way, here is a primer on the 2014 tournament:<br />
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<b>The Whining Whiner Whines</b>: When he isn’t looking like he just bit into Charles Barkley’s shoe or ripping into refs whenever the camera isn’t trained on him, Duke coach Mike Disingenuous likes to crusade for truth and justice in college basketball – or at least pursue his evil agenda. His latest shots were directed at the Atlantic 10, which somehow cast a wicked spell over the Selection Committee and secured six spots in the tournament. Coach D was upset that those schools didn’t go through the “meat grinder” that ACC teams did. He has a point, since nothing is tougher than two games a season against Virginia Tech and Boston College. Wouldn’t it be nice if Coach D spent a season simply directing his team, rather than burdening us with his pursuit of publicity and self-aggrandizement?<br />
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<b>Mr. Dangerfield</b>: You have to love Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall, who has somehow made his team into a maligned underdog, despite its 34-0 record and number one seed. Had the Shockers zipped through the season unbeaten and been seeded fifth, Marshall would have a case. Just because some people wonder whether you would have stayed pristine if you played in the Big Ten or Pac-12 doesn’t mean you have to jump on the same disrespect train that every team and athlete rides. Play the games. Win the games. And stop looking for artificial means of motivation. If your players aren’t ready to play by now, they don’t have a shot.<br />
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<b>Wild West</b>: If you’re looking for the bracket most likely to be blown up like someone voting against Crimean secession, check out the West. Arizona is fun to watch, but the Wildcats don’t shoot it that well from behind the arc and don’t hit their free throws at the highest rate. Wisconsin is fun to watch offensively, but the Badgers don’t D up like they usually do. Creighton was made to look quite ordinary by Providence in the Big East final, and the last time we saw San Diego State, it was part of a poster series for Dunk City. Don’t be surprised if Baylor or Oregon comes out of this region.<br />
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<b>Paging Big Pink</b>: Nothing is more fun in the first couple rounds than big upsets – unless you’re on the losing side. The Big Names had better keep some Pepto on hand, in case disaster strikes. Here are some Thursday/Friday surprises: Stephen F. Austin over Virginia Commonwealth; North Dakota State over Oklahoma; Providence over North Carolina; Louisiana over Creighton; Tennessee over UMass.<br />
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<b>Finally</b>: And your Final Four: Florida, Michigan State, Arizona, Duke. Championship game: Florida 74, Duke 71.<br />
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: Reports are that Houston and Chicago are the frontrunners for the services of CarMElo Anthony, once the machine-gunning forward opts out of his Knicks contract – or new president Zenmaster Zenny tosses him to the curb. You know what that means? One of those teams isn’t going to win a title for a looooong time…Even though he issued a statement saying he is withdrawing from this weekend’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, expect Eldrick Woods to show up anyway and take some hacks, if only to show everybody how much his back hurts. Fred Couples had serious back troubles for years, but he never once gave even the slightest indication he was in pain. If Woods so much as twists the wrong way, he drops his club and grabs his back as if someone has just hit him with a nine iron. What’s that? Oh, sorry…Serial bully and equal-opportunity abuser Richie Incognito has left therapy and announced he is “ready for his next victim”, er, “anxious to get back on the football field and help a team win without berating or harassing any teammates”. Yeah, that’s it…Organizers of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar are denying reports that they paid as much as a million pounds to a former FIFA vice president to secure the games in their God-forsaken pile of sand. Qatar World Cup head Louis Renault said, “I’m shocked, shocked, to learn that bribes have been paid.” Just another day in the land of FIFA, which makes the Medicis look pristine…espn announced that Chris Fowler would be replacing Brent Musburger as its lead announcer on college football broadcasts. Musburger needn’t worry. He’ll handle games on the new SEC Network and serve as a chaperone at the National Cheerleading Championships. Oh, my…A swarm of bees descended on Wednesday’s exhibition game between the Red Sox and Yankees, delaying action and leading espn to issue a press release that announced even the “insect world is fired up for baseball’s greatest rivalry”. The network then added 19 more New York-Boston games to its primetime schedule, bringing this season’s total to 112. <br />
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> Since the Phillies’ cast of Old Timers isn’t likely to mount a serious charge at the NL East title, local fans will have find their drama in other places besides the standings, like by participating in a pool to see which one of the nine 35-plus players on the team gets the first endorsement deal from Celebrex. Better still, they can watch the season-long standoff between manager Ryne Sandberg and shortstop Jimmy Rollins. A 10-and-five man who has the ability to veto any trade the Phillies try to make, Rollins won’t leave town under any circumstances, and may just hunker down in the clubhouse bathroom – George Costanza-style – rather than change addresses. Rollins needs 434 plate appearances this year to vest his $11 million salary for 2015, and it will be interesting to see whether Sandberg tries to limit Rollins’ activity. With contention unlikely, that subplot will certainly be more interesting than watching Ryan Howard flail at lefthanded pitching or listening to Chase Utley’s knees decay further.<br />
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: The Philadelphia 76ers have lost 22 in a row and probably wouldn’t warrant a five seed in the CBI tournament, but they aren’t the only NBA team committed to securing the best possible Lottery position in the June Draft. All over the league, teams have gutted their rosters in the hopes of putting the worst possible menagerie of basketball “talent” on the court every night. The result is a league bottom-heavy with pathetic franchises and a precious few clubs capable of contending seriously for a title. What’s worse is that a Draft once thought to be 10-15 deep with NBA-caliber talent doesn’t look so overwhelming anymore. Because of that, the teams that have tanked (and there’s no other word to describe what’s going on) have consigned themselves to misery for several seasons, if they emerge at all. It’s time for the NBA to enlist its best minds to find a way that ensures this kind of stuff never happens again. Get to work, folks. This must be stopped.<br />
<br />
-EH-<br />
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-54241629118455676162014-02-21T05:44:00.001-08:002014-02-21T06:13:17.746-08:00Time For An (Overdue) Change<i>“They got a building down New York City; it's called Whitehall Street, <br />
where you walk in, you get injected, inspected, detected, infected,<br />
neglected and selected.”</i><br />
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Those of you are fans of Arlo Guthrie’s classic “Alice’s Restaurant” know that the above snippet describes his take on what draftees went through during the Vietnam War. If we are to believe the song, Guthrie went through the induction process’ poking and prodding but didn’t make it to ‘Nam, thanks to an earlier arrest for littering and creating a public nuisance. <br />
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Arlo won’t be in Indianapolis this weekend for the NFL Combine, but plenty of young football hopefuls will subject themselves to a litany of physical, intellectual and emotional tests in the name of improving their draft statuses (stati?) and finding places on pro football rosters. It’s an annual rite that has grown from a low-key way for teams to get accurate information about players to a phenomenon that attracts paying attendees of questionable sanity and non-stop coverage by NFL Network. If you like to watch 320-pound men maneuvering their substantial frames around tiny orange cones, the Combine is your event. <br />
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Much of what happens in Indy is very public. We’ll learn how fast Cornerback X can run a 40 or how high Tight End Y can jump. Perhaps the most important work, however, occurs away from the cameras’ and fans’ eyes. That’s when execs interview prospects to see if they fit their teams’ cultures or have some personality traits that might prevent them from becoming productive investments. Those discussions, together with results of the Wonderlic Test and deep background checks by NFL gumshoes, create personality profiles that can raise or lower a player’s status. (Of course, sometimes fiery red flags are ignored, as in the case of Aaron “living on edge of acceptable behavior” Hernandez.) <br />
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This year, teams had better pay closer attention to what interviews and testing reveal about prospects, because the NFL world is going to be changing. Fallout from the recently concluded investigation into the Miami Dolphins locker room climate and the expected entry into the league by openly gay defensive end Michael Sam will mandate a seismic shift in player culture. For the first time, the NFL will look force teams to create workplace environments for everybody in the organization, from the most mild-mannered accounting assistant to the most ferocious linebacker. The last bastion of politically incorrect behavior and culturally approved bullying will be updated, and workplace standards that prevail everywhere else in the country will be implemented – and, El Hombre hopes – enforced.<br />
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That means racist and homophobic remarks are out – for coaches and players. It’s possible to challenge a man to be tougher without calling him names. It’s one thing to have a rookie bring donuts for his position group or sing his school’s fight song and another to gang up on him and fill his first year in the NFL with psychological trauma. This will have to be a top down process that comes from management, is enforced by the entire coaching staff and combines strict penalties with education about what is considered inappropriate behavior.<br />
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There will be inevitable pushback, just as there is when any cultural changes are implemented. We will hear about how behavior is being legislated and freedoms are being trampled. Since no other workplace environment tolerates abusive treatment of its workers, it’s hard to buy any of that. Players must learn that the 1950s (or 2000s) ways aren’t the right ways anymore – anywhere – and that includes the locker room. That shouldn’t be such a hard thing to understand for a large portion of NFL players, which is no doubt thrilled the prevailing mores from several decades ago no longer prevail.<br />
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It’s going to take a while for this change to be implemented, but we are already seeing signs that things will be different. Earlier this week, the Dolphins fired offensive line coach Jim Turner and head athletic trainer Kevin O’Neill for their roles in the actions described in Ted Wells’ report on the scandal. <br />
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During a press conference Thursday at the Combine, Miami head coach Joe Philbin said, “We are going to do things about it. We are going to make it better. We are going to look at every avenue. We are going to uncover every stone, and we are going to have a better workplace. I’m going to make sure that happens.” <br />
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As Philbin (who should have had a better handle on this in the first place) and the Dolphins attempt to change the culture, we are already seeing some results of the league’s greater attention to players’ behaviors. In a Thursday article on SI.com, Chris Burke said that NFL teams are quite interested in Michigan tackle Taylor Lewan’s role in a 2009 reported sexual assault involving teammate Brendan Gibbons. Lewan allegedly directed angry comments toward the alleged victim and now must answer some tough questions. His teammate, Michael Schofield, who is also at the Combine, has been grilled about Lewan, too. It will be interesting to see if the NFL will be as willing this year to trade bad character issues for good play as it has been in the past.<br />
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There are going to be some “distractions” as the league moves forward, and some teams will be more willing to accept the necessary changes than others will. Eventually, though, the NFL will adapt, simply because the new players who enter the league will be more prepared to behave properly than were their immediate ancestors – and certainly more able than those men who played 30-40 years ago. The NFL is late on this, as it was on concussion safety and the hiring of African-American head coaches. Making the necessary transformation will require a league-wide commitment with commissioner Roger Moneybags out in front. It can be done. <br />
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It must be done. <br />
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: How about that Russian hockey team? Way to flame out in the quarters, comrades. And to do it against Finland, which has now won three straight against the Bear and hates its former oppressor with as much fervor as a Scandinavian country can muster, is particularly delicious. Alex Ovechkin and his teammates had better be on guard for cut brake lines and would be advised to hire food tasters. Maximum Leader Putin doesn’t like losing, and that figure skating gold doesn’t exactly sate his appetite for world domination…Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig has vowed to slow down on the field this season and not play with such abandon. That’s good news for those who were sick last year of his over-the-top home run celebrations and other showboating in the field. Depressed espn executives have made repeated phone calls begging him to continue acting like a nitwit, the better to help SportsCenter ratings…Speaking of baseball, the Mariners have to be happy that they have invested $240 mil over the next 10 years for Robinson Cano, especially after Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long has said that Cano had a tendency to dog it by not running out routine grounders. The Seattle Mariners: they’re on the move!! Slowly…How about that NBA All-Star Game. Hard to tell what was more ridiculous, the pre-game rap-a-thon and serial crotch-grab or the game itself, which featured even more points than the Sixers surrender on a given night. The East won, when an unexpected rash of defense broke out in the final minutes, holding the final score under 170 and infuriating those who love the NBA for everything but winning basketball…Meanwhile, the NHL Olympic hiatus continuezzzzzzzz…All of the American southeast is excited for this weekend’s Daytona 500, which will be preceded by Richard Petty’s receiving a special award from NOW and a pre-race musical performance by a bunch of guys in stupid hats…CBS has announced that it is dumping Dan Marino and Mr. Ed from its NFL pre-game disaster and replacing them with Tony Gonzalez in a desperate bid to make the show not suck. Unless Gonzalez is John Madden and Mike Ditka combined, that isn’t happening…How about those new Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ helmets?! A more “menacing” skull head. A bigger flag. All the team needs now are some good players to wear them.<br />
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT</b>? Any Sixers fan who came away upset after Sixers GM Sam Hinkie’s Marrakesh-style trading frenzy on Thursday should be made to hand back his Julius Erving souvenir Afro wig. Hinkie may not have gained a first-round draft pick, but he did haul in a couple expiring contracts and several second-round picks while getting rid of some players who can actually help the team win some more games this year. It’s a full-on tank for the rest of the season, and it will be exciting to see what Hinkie has planned for Draft day, when he can use Thaddeus Young and his passel of picks to be the Big Player. Hats off to Hinkie. He’s doing it right so far.<br />
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: After North Carolina defeated Duke Thursday night, Tar Heels students poured onto the court to celebrate the win over Coach Disingenuous and Blue Devils. It was indeed a big win for UNC, but it’s time to establish some rules for when it’s appropriate to storm the court. First off, any time a home team knocks off Number One, the student section should empty. Second, when a huge underdog pulls a stunning upset, storm away. Finally, buzzer-beating victories over big-time rival schools can trigger an emotional response that leads to a spontaneous outpouring. That’s perhaps the best case, since it’s organic. (Or, if you will, orgasmic.) But that’s it. No more storming for beating the number 18 team. And if you have won eight straight, boast a resume with a long and deep basketball tradition and knock off the fifth-rated team in the country that happens to be your ancestral rival, stay in the stands, folks. As much fun as it is to jump around on the hardwood, you’re almost giving the rival the satisfaction of knowing you hold it in high esteem. Show some restraint and act like your team – and its predecessors – have won before.<br />
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<b>ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD</b>: Welcome to the big time, U.S. women’s hockey team: You choked. It was kind of the media to handle the team’s giving away a 2-0 lead in the last 3:26 of the gold-medal game gently, but the fact remains that if the men’s team were to do the same thing, it would be hammered. Sure, everybody is sad after a crushing defeat, and the emotions are raw. But this was a blown opportunity, and while Canada deserves credit for its perseverance and opportunistic play, the U.S. botched its chance. To their credit, the players made no excuses. They left that to the fawning media, which didn’t focus on the team’s inability to protect a lead in a huge game but chose instead to let us know that “sometimes it’s not meant to be”. <br />
<br />
-EH-<br />
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-71864757002038867212014-02-13T06:37:00.002-08:002014-02-13T06:37:50.653-08:00Behave Yourselves, People On occasion, El Hombre has the chance to throw off his burden of defending truth and justice in the world of sports to become a fan. He loves cheering on the Oxford eight during The Boat Race on the Thames, and delights when the Blues dump those barbarians from Cambridge. He cherishes the opportunity to take in a few chukkas during The Season in Palm Beach. In the past few years, he has become enamored of curling and hopes that some day a team of custodians is assembled to take advantage of their inherent ability to train while working.<br />
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Ah, yes, the sporting life. <br />
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There are even times when El Hombre gets a little consumed in the proceedings, like the time he was nearly removed from the cricket grounds during the England-West Indies test match a few years back. That, however, was due to a bartender’s heavy hand with the Pimm’s. And the “Wimbledon Incident” had more to do with curdled cream on his order of strawberries than anything else. <br />
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The point is, that even the best of us can get carried away at times. Of course, that doesn’t mean bad behavior is acceptable. After last Saturday’s incident in Lubbock, it’s time to revisit the standards by which fans are allowed to behave and what steps must be taken to make sure air traffic controllers from Waco aren’t free to blather whatever they want at opposing players. The official line that has come out of the Jeff Orr/Marcus Smart dustup is that “superfan” Orr called Smart a “piece of crap.” According to a tweet from CBS Sports.com’s Doug Gottlieb, Orr texted a friend of Gottlieb’s and said that what he said “wasn’t vulgar or the N word”. If calling a college player “a piece of crap” isn’t vulgar, then our standards have changed considerably in the last several years. <br />
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(By the way, it’s not guaranteed that he didn’t use the N-word. Smart maintains Orr did say it.)<br />
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What has also changed is that fans now believe that they can say or do just about anything at games without fear of retribution. Fans aren’t tossed for screaming obscenities during games. (El Hombre remembers hearing the Penn student section chanting “F--- Princeton!” during a game at the Palestra. No effort was made to stop the profanity.) They don’t get in any trouble for getting into the faces of players and howling. Were some of this behavior repeated on the streets, the offending party might have his face flattened. Particularly unruly fans maintain that purchasing tickets entitles them to do and say pretty much whatever they want. Some boundaries remain. For instance, throwing things onto the field or court still brings an ejection. And cheering for the Milwaukee Yucks is cause for institutionalization. <br />
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Granted, the slide to increased vulgarity has been a societal issue for years. El Hombre can remember the threat of a soapy snack as punishment for using the word “suck” as a substitute for “stink” or other malodorous circumstance. Now, it’s part of the vernacular and can be heard emanating from student sections throughout games. Times have changed indeed. But that doesn’t mean there still isn’t room for decorum, particularly at college games, and it’s up to the NC2A to take a stand for civility. Asking that organization to have principles about anything other than sticking it to athletes and engorging the bottom line for its member schools is risky, but in this case we must have hope. <br />
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What the NC2A must do is mandate that schools post strict guidelines regarding fan content throughout arenas and stadiums. They belong on the backs of tickets and on any material sent to season ticketholders. They should be part of the orientation process for students. And it’s a zero tolerance policy. You make an obscene gesture, and you’re gone. Take a menacing stance toward an opposing player or fan, and it’s the gate. Those ejected are placed on a list. Misbehave twice, and it’s a season ban. Three times, and you’re gone for life. <br />
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Fans should make as much noise as possible. They should jump up and down and wear silly costumes. Spend thousands at Kinko’s on those gigantic head printouts. Boo the refs when they mess up. Blow the roof off the place when an opponent is shooting a free throw. Be creative. Be persistent. But it’s time to end the practice of directing profanity and verbal abuse at the players. If schools have to hire extra personnel to enforce the code, so be it. Players shouldn’t have to worry about some bloated “super fan’s” freedom to say whatever he wants, just because he holds a ticket. <br />
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Going to a college game should be fun. And the homecourt/field advantage is important to protect. There is a difference between supporting a team and acting maliciously. Somewhere, the idea of being a good fan took an ugly turn and no longer was based on support and enthusiasm. It developed a darker side and a nasty edge. Fans who believe it is appropriate to call a college athlete a “piece of crap” (at best) to his face have lost perspective. If the NC2A has any guts, it will work to restore it.<br />
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: Fantex, a San Francisco-based company, is offering fans the chance to invest in athletes’ future earnings, with a chance to profit when they surpass a certain level of income. The first equity position available is 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, who has been paid $4 million up front, in exchange for 10% of his money down the road. Shares are $10 each. Next up, the entire Jacksonville Jaguars roster, which is available in the penny stock sector…Great news for all of those pesky human-rights proponents who are upset that a reported 185 Nepalese migrant workers died last year while preparing Qatar for the 2022 World Cup/Bribe-a-thon. Qatar has released a workers’ rights charter designed to make sure that only 100 workers die in 2014. Included are provisions for a 95-hour workweek, one serving of gruel (with a chunk of meat-like product included) per day and a bathroom break every 17-hour shift…Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has announced that he is retiring after the ’14 season, or however much of it his creaking body allows him to complete. New York management has already started planning his gala retirement ceremony, which will include gift bags for all female fans and a commemorative poster for men that includes photos of all the members of Maxim’s Hot 100 he has dated. Oh, yeah, there will be some baseball stuff, too…In other Yankees’ news, Alex Rodriguez has decided to drop all of his protests, lawsuits and petitions to the United Nations regarding his 162-game suspension for P.E.D. use. He does, however, plan on being the same clutch performer as always in 2015 and is seeking to negotiate a contract extension that will pay him $500 million through the end of time…Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett had some interesting things to say about his upcoming contract negotiations with the team. When asked whether he might offer the team a hometown discount, he told NFL Network, “There is no such thing as a discount. This isn’t Costco. This isn’t Walmart. This is real life.” In a related story, the Browns will now be sponsored by The Dollar Store. <br />
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT</b>? The Phillies made big news Wednesday, on the eve of pitchers and catchers’ reporting officially to Clearwater. Ace lefty Cole Hamels revealed that biceps tendinitis discovered last November caused him to abbreviate his off-season throwing schedule. As a result, he won’t be able to start Opening Day. Hamels downplayed the injury and insisted he will be able to pitch in April. Given the Phillies’ history of low-balling their players’ ailments, it isn’t unrealistic to think he meant April, 2015. For now, we’ll choose to believe Hamels and hope that his troubles aren’t the beginning of a 162-game ride to the infirmary for the residents of Citizens Bank Manor. Meanwhile, the arrival of A.J. Burnett gives the Phils a proven innings eater who has started at least 30 games in each of the last five seasons. Burnett is expected to fit right in with the team, thanks to his recent success in Pittsburgh and the fact that he is 37, which will come in handy when the players head out to watch Nirvana tribute bands and argue which of the “Police Academy” sequels was the best.<br />
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: Putinfest is rolling along nicely in Sochi, where dissidents have been quiet (or shackled in Krasnoyarsk), and any mistakes have been edited out or simply denied. The main casualty of the Olympic Games has been Bob Costas’ left eye, which has somehow escaped the protection accorded the ageless studio host by the decaying portrait he keeps in his attic. Due to Costas’ infection, viewers have been subjected to extra doses of Matt Lauer’s brand of milquetoast, which frankly fits in well with NBC’s homogenized prime-time coverage of the Games. That features drama first and competition second – unless, of course, there is figure skating to be shown. (Has anybody else spent considerable time looking for the bolts in Russian pairs skater Maxim Trankov’s neck?) The other stars of the Games so far have been the Norwegian curlers’ pants and the beautiful Caucasus Mountains, which look positively verdant in the high-40s temperatures that have characterized these “Winter” Games. Upcoming: the Closing Ceremonies, during which Putin will personally execute 10 protesters and strip to the waist to wrestle a bear.<br />
<br />
-EH-<br />
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-65002263328386684852014-01-31T06:48:00.002-08:002014-01-31T06:48:36.771-08:00Workers of the NC2A Unite!! When El Hombre was enjoying his university days at The Sorbonne, he and Senor Penguin would delight in imagining various scenarios in which collegiate football and basketball players could be organized into unions and exercise some influence over the NC2A. Our dream was that just before kickoff in a given year’s most important bowl game (these were the halcyon days before the BCS and the kid’s-meal-sized playoff), a representative of the two participating teams would stride to midfield and inform the referee that no one was doing anything until the players received 50% of the gate. <br />
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Next to Senor Penguin’s “One bullet” rule for basketball – more on that another time – this was our grandest college conception.<br />
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Back then, we were just dreamers. <br />
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Today, we are visionaries.<br />
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Those of you caught up in Shermania or espn’s continuing quest to make every game LeBron James plays into grand theater might have missed Tuesday’s announcement that members of Northwestern’s football team, led by former QB Kain Colter, have decided to join the United Steelworkers union. The Wildcats are seeking a spot at the Big Table and a chance to have influence over those who make the rules that impact and often define them. It was a huge step forward in the history of college athletics, and it has the potential to rock the NC2A to its core.<br />
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Despite protestations to the contrary, college athletes – particularly those who play big-time football and men’s basketball – are indeed employees of the university. They are charged with the vital job of marketing the school to the general population and with spending long hours making sure their final product is as good as it can be. All of them work hard, make significant sacrifices and are undercompensated, not to mention ruled at times with impunity and treated poorly by glory-hungry coaches. Northwestern’s move is to be applauded, and it must be more than just a symbolic gesture. Other athletes must join the cause. <br />
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Why?<br />
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As Bill Plaschke pointed out in his column Wednesday in the <i>Los Angeles Times</i>, this is a winnable fight. Graduate students around the country have unionized successfully and are now paid for their work as teaching assistants. They, too, are students, but they are also employees. The NC2A’s insistence that athletes’ getting paid for their efforts “undermines the purpose of college: an education” is insulting legalspeak and yet another effort by the organization to exploit the athletes’ work for its institutions’ gain. This goes back to the ‘50s, when the term “student-athlete” was coined as a way to protect schools against workers’ compensation claims made by injured players. The sham that is the NC2A’s glorification of the college experience for top-tier athletes has only grown since then. It is now a successful marketing campaign designed to fool fans and alumni into believing players are no different than the frat boy who enjoys a little touch football or IM hoops after completing his lab assignments.<br />
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The grad students’ arguments centered on the fact that they were working for the colleges and therefore had the right to negotiate salary, terms of employment, amount of time they would serve, etc. The athletes are no different. They are performing extremely important tasks for the schools they represent, and the NC2A’s attempt to classify them as “student-athletes” is disingenuous, and frankly, unethical. Members’ quests to promote themselves and increase their bottom lines – across the board, not just in the athletic department – by using teams’ performances reduces players to showmen. In return for an education that often doesn’t lead to a degree, schools reap millions. <br />
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And there are millions out there, particularly for the big boys. Hundreds of millions. Not only is the TV money getting obscene (by 2018, Big Ten schools should be getting $42 million a year from networks), but the sponsorship money is also growing. That doesn’t begin to measure the impact on the whole university, in terms of fundraising and increases in prospective students’ applications. Last year from March 21-25, views on the Florida Gulf Coast University admissions page jumped from 2,200 to 47,000, after the Eagles won a pair of NCAA tournament games. Freshman applications to the school this year have jumped 35.4%. <br />
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If the money isn’t enough to make the athletes unionize, then their lack of control over the situations in which they perform should be. Scholarships that they receive are for one year, not four, as many believe. They have little or no say on injury protocols set up by the university. (Treatment of those who sustain concussions was part of the motivation for the Northwestern move.) Athletes are often asked to dumb down their academic courses of study, the better to make them more available to their coaches. (El Hombre spoke with a prominent basketball player who changed his major from Economics to Communications, because he was having trouble doing the work and playing ball. And this was no dummy.) And, finally, the myth of athletes’ commitment to their sports stopping at 20 hours every week is folly. A survey Thursday of volleyball, softball and baseball athletes at a Division I university revealed universal agreement that they spend more than 20 hours every seven days training, practicing, meeting, studying film and playing. Just imagine what happens to a football player at an FBS school in season.<br />
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The bottom line is that athletes need an organization to protect their interests and give them a strong voice in an athletic climate that is becoming more and more professionalized every year. Here’s hoping Colter and his mates begin a trend that prevents schools from exploiting their athletes further. <br />
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And makes a couple of young students’ dreams come true.<br />
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: You have to love the huge conflict of interest that occurred this week when Jonathan Martin sat down with NBC’s Tony Dungy for an “in depth” interview about the hazing business in Miami. Martin revealed some things, but there is no way Dungy should have done the interview, since he serves on a committee for the Dolphins that is charged with looking into the incident. So much for journalism, folks. Let’s just let friends talk on camera and pass it off as illuminating. Next up, Eli Manning’s hard-hitting conversation with his brother, Peyton..Big changes are coming to NASCAR. A premium will now be placed on wins, rather than just racing sort of well. That should add lots of excitement. And officials have promised extra points in The Chase to those drivers who can somehow work endorsements from all five food groups onto their cars – while still maintaining a presence for Dr. Pepper, Goody’s Headache Powders and Piggly Wiggly…The Winter Olympics start next week, and the U.S. should win a whole bunch of medals, especially in some of the events that are debuting, such as the beerathlon, which combines ice fishing and drinking. The entire state of Minnesota is favored to medal. And watch out for Lolo Jones, who earned a spot on the women’s bobsled team, despite not being very good. She will, however, appear for two hours every day on NBC, so that the network can show America at least one athlete it may recognize – and think is hot…Cavaliers fans are upset that guard Kyrie Irving is reported to have been telling friends that he will leave Cleveland when his contract is up in a couple years. That’s no surprise, since recent play by his teammates indicates that they left town a few weeks ago. As for the fans, it’s understandable that the 6,500 that didn’t show up Tuesday to the desultory loss to New Orleans would be upset. Bye-bye, Kyrie. Enjoy Los Angeles/Brooklyn/Miami.<br />
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> It looks as if the New York/New Jersey metroplex will be spared any gruesome weather conditions Sunday during Super Bowl 420, er, XLVIII. But that’s no reason why Philadelphia should think it has a legitimate shot at hosting a future Super day. New York was awarded this game as a reward for building the new Hoffa Mausoleum and because Roger Goodell’s office sits about 10 miles away from midfield on Park Avenue. New York is the media and advertising capital of the country, so throwing a big bash to make sponsors happy and then stuffing them into luxury boxes is good business. If it snows in New York/Jersey, that’s on the NFL. If the game is compromised by weather in Philly, it’s another black eye for the city. The Eagles can put brand new scoreboards up and talk about making a bid, but it will be a long time before the league decides to host a Super Bowl outside in a cold-weather locale again. For good reason. <br />
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: So, there’s football game on Sunday, and it’s incumbent upon El Hombre to tell you how things are going to go. In the previous 47 Super Bowls, there have been four matchups that have pitted the top offense against the top D. In three of those games, the top defense prevailed. That’s going to happen again. The Seahawks will pressure Peyton Manning and lock up his receivers long enough at the line to make the Denver passing game stall at times. On the other side, the Broncos don’t have enough to stop Marshawn Lynch on the ground, and that should make things easier for Seattle QB Russell Wilson. Still, this could come down to Manning’s getting the ball back with 1:37 on the clock and 74 yards to travel for the winning TD. If that happens, it will be legacy time. But it says here the Seahawks win. Seattle 24, Denver 20.<br />
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-EH-<br />
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1042230381461898416.post-61572183408522131602014-01-24T04:55:00.000-08:002014-01-24T04:56:23.606-08:00SUPER BOWL GETS EXACTLY WHAT IT NEEDS Entering last weekend, the NFL was excited to have its four best teams playing off for the spots in Hoffa Bowl I at Ice Station Zero in Da Swamps. It was hard to argue with the primacy of Denver, New England, Seattle and San Francisco, and the robust TV ratings (the AFC title game tied a 17-year high) proved that the nation was excited by the doubleheader. <br />
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But once the Super matchup was set, the league, not to mention its many propaganda partners, might have experienced a letdown, because Denver and Seattle aren’t exactly the kinds of name brands capable of generating enough heat to sustain a two-week build-up to the Big Game. Thank goodness for Richard Sherman and his carefully-packaged brand of in-your-face misbehavior. If not for the Seattle cornerback, we might have had to endure a fortnight of Peyton Manning legacy hand-wringing. Now, we get to howl about Sherman’s antics, a careful recipe of buffoonery, WWE showmanship, hip-hop danger and marketing savvy, with a dash of Clubber Lang thrown in for good measure. <br />
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<i>INTERVIEWER: Do you hate Rocky/Michael Crabtree/Colin Kaepernick/Erin Andrews?<br />
CLUB-SHER: No, I don’t hate [insert target here]. I pity the fool, and I will destroy any man [or female sideline reporter] who tries to take what I got!</i><br />
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Be prepared for a healthy dose of psychoanalysis, both of Sherman and his cartoonish outbursts, as well as those who have the temerity to criticize him. Sherman fired the first salvo, courtesy of his MMQB column on Sports Illustrated’s web site, when he explained that his shots at Crabtree after the game stemmed from an altercation last summer. Fair enough, those two men just don’t like each other. But what about the choke sign he flashed at Kaepernick? What is the justification for that? And did he need to froth when Andrews placed a microphone in his face right after the game? At a time when Sherman had a chance to make his best – and in many cases, first – impression on the American sporting public, he chose to board the crazy train.<br />
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If that’s how he wanted to behave, then that’s his right. But it is also the right of the public and the media to react negatively. There is no rule that says every bit of behavior must be embraced universally, no matter how many trophies are given out on Little League fields or how much self-esteem is built when kids don’t try their best. Sherman and his apologists hid behind the “he’s a competitor” defense, as if everybody who competes in sports, business or any other arena should be allowed to act in any way he or she wants. <br />
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<i>Interviewer: Doctor, can you explain how you were able to remove that tricky tumor without damaging the patient’s brain?<br />
Doctor: Listen up, fool! I am the best brain surgeon that ever lived. Don’t be brining me any sorry-ass tumors. They have no chance against me. Bow down!!!</i><br />
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There are hundreds of football players who must engage in controlled violence every Saturday yet have the self-control to turn down the aggression meter when the final gun sounds. The same goes for those who play other sports. Even boxers, who emerge from 12 rounds of pounding, can dial back the anger to address the media and fans. Sometimes.<br />
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Sherman chose to cultivate a personality that is mercurial. Watch his “First Take” performance with Skip Bayless for more evidence. If he expected America to wrap him in its collective arms and throw hosannas and endorsement money at him, he isn’t as smart as he – or his Stanford diploma – says he is. There is emerging in this country an expectation among those who decide to live on the margins of accepted behavior that their departures from the norm must be celebrated. Sherman wasn’t jailed or fined or harmed after his outbursts. But he was criticized. That’s how it is when you court attention. Some people aren’t going to like it. Those who are mature and experienced understand that their calculated risk has some potential downsides and are willing to pay the price to “be who they are”. Others whine and complain when their actions trigger outrage in some corners. Pay the band, Mr. Sherman. That’s how life goes. You want to be outsized, then understand that there will be detractors.<br />
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As for those who say that anyone who criticizes him is racist, consider that if we are going to have real equality in this country, then people of all colors, races, religions, genders and any other categories that I might forget must be willing to understand that they aren’t always going to be welcomed, if they act in a way that isn’t pleasing. <br />
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That doesn’t, however, spread into racism. Hate speech is the province of the small-minded. Sherman isn’t a thug. He is an aggressive player in a violent game. Anyone who tries to mask their racism with code words like “thug,” should be excoriated.<br />
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This is about how Sherman has decided to portray himself, and it will be interesting to see how Sherman proceeds, and how the Fates treat him. He could end up like Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, who mouthed off before Super Bowl I (which was actually the AFL-NFL World Championship Game) and ended up being carted off the field when a Packer laid the hammer down on him. Or, as one advertising executive put it, Sherman could be in line for “$1-3 million” annually in marketing income, should the Seahawks win the Super Bowl. Sherman’s persona, which he has put forth during his time in the league, will be analyzed every way possible during the run-up to the game. What he has to understand is that living large has its downside: everybody sees you. And not everybody has to like you.<br />
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<b>EL HOMBRE SEZ</b>: Fox Sports producer Richie Zyontz says the network cut short Sherman’s post-game rant because “it started getting a little dangerous for us.” How so, Richie? Was it dangerous because an NFL player was about to show even more of his backside to America, something the folks at the NFL HQ on Park Avenue definitely didn’t want to see? Was interviewer Erin Andrews in danger? Was Sherman going to commandeer the microphone and launch into a WWE-style monologue? Here’s a vote for A. Fox was trying to protect its partner and chose to end a great bit of TV in order to spare the NFL a P.R. nightmare. Great journalism, guys…In other hard-hitting TV news, espn led off its overnight SportsCenter Friday with some compelling X Games footage. Granted, the story of the snowmobile rider’s victory after his brother’s tragic death was touching, but there was no other media outlet in the world that saw fit to make that its lead item. It couldn’t have been because ESPN televises, owns and is frankly populated by the only people over 35 on the planet who cares about the X Games, could it? Nahhhh…NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the league will look into whether it is prudent to allow players to use marijuana medicinally in order to recover and gain some relief from the injuries they sustain while playing the game. Smart move, Rog. In a related story, the Jacksonville Jaguars are thinking of allowing their fans to use hallucinogens while watching games, the better to trick themselves into thinking that their team might actually have won something…Things are really heating up in the NBA Eastern Conference, where five teams are now over .500. Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, the Yucks are nearing mathematical elimination from the playoffs – in 2018…The NHL handed down a 15-day suspension to Vancouver coach John Tortorella after his meltdown between periods of the old-fashioned pier-six between his Canucks and Calgary. Fifteen days without regular-season hockey? Reports from British Columbia have Tortorella skipping in the streets and smiling broadly 24 hours a day…Former North Carolina football player Michael McAdoo reports that academic counselors at the school steered him toward no-show classes while he was there, countering the NC2A claim that athletes shouldn’t be paid because they are receiving a priceless education while battering their bodies for the greater (promotional) glory of old State U. Courses included Waste Management, (Daily) Numbers Theory and Statistics, Probability and The Vig. Neither Provost Corleone nor Dean Soprano could be reached for comment.<br />
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<b>YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?</b> Anybody else get the feeling Phillies GM Ruben Amaro is simply messing with the fans? His latest off-season move, a back-to-the-future special with Captain Cool himself, 40-year old Bobby Abreu, is particularly cynical. Sure, it’s just a minor-league deal, but Abreu didn’t play last year, and just because he tore it up in Venezuelan winter ball, there is no reason to have him around. In Abreu’s last three seasons (2010-12) in the majors, he hit .255, 253 and .242 with a total of 31 homers, 11 of which came in the final two years. It’s as if Amaro is trying to complete some kind of aging player motif and can’t stop himself from signing old timers. His other move this week, the Chad Gaudin signing, was equally mystifying. Forget whether he can be the “swing” pitcher Amaro covets. This is a guy who pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge after allegedly groping a woman while in a Las Vegas hospital. That’s a smart move for a team in need of fans. The 2014 season is shaping up as one of the most twisted in franchise history, and things down at the Retirement Home could get truly strange before too long.<br />
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<b>AND ANOTHER THING</b>: As Uncle David Stern prepares to leave his perch as NBA commissioner for a quiet life of making sarcastic comments to friends, rather than reporters, his legacy is unquestioned. Stern built the NBA into a global juggernaut, boosted revenues considerably and presided over tremendous growth in franchise values. He brought us the Dream Team and put the league on the cusp of international expansion. But it’s funny that he is grousing about the rampant tanking going on throughout the NBA by its lesser teams, not mention the nightly gutless displays by CarMElo and the Knicks. Since Stern created the superstar-heavy promotional strategy that thrived during the past three decades, why would he be surprised that teams are fleeing from the idea of building a unit capable of winning and losing in order to draft big names they can market? CarMElo is a perfect example of this. A talented player with porcine tendencies, he has never won anything. Yet, the NBA celebrates him as a superstar, despite his petulant behavior and lack of winning pedigree. The Knicks, who are still celebrating their 1973 world championship, are the most valuable franchise in the league. So, why would other teams try to accumulate winners at the expense of big names? The league and its propaganda partners don’t glorify teams like Indiana and Portland, because they don’t have big names. Stern should be praised for his work as commissioner, and he is on the medal stand – at least – for tops in the commissioner field in all sports over the past 50 years. However, the tanking trend is his own creation, and he needs to take ownership of it.<br />
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-EH-<br />
El Hombre Knows Sportshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11996756420433714037noreply@blogger.com0