EL HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS
El Hombre was going to send this installment via text message, the same way Mr. Integrity, former Pitt coach Todd Graham, informed his players he was bolting Steel City for the Arizona State job, but with the bowl season upon us, it’s gonna take way more than 160 characters to break down all the action. Graham spent less than a year directing the Panthers, the same amount of time he invested at Rice, where he was two stops before Pittsburgh. One would have to believe he’ll be renting in Tempe. While he’s at it, he should see if he can pick ups some character.
While the Panthers scramble to assemble a representative effort in the prestigious BBVA Compass Bowl in March (okay, Jan. 7), the rest of the post-season opens up Saturday and promises to be the most exciting and dramatic in college football history. That, of course, is a lie. With 35 “classics,” an avalanche of mind-numbing corporate sponsorships and some matchups that were concocted in chambers of commerce, instead of by people with a modicum of football sense, it’s easy to look at the three-plus weeks of action with a jaundiced eye. But embrace the majesty of the Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl. Enjoy the thrilling action of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. And try to figure out exactly what the hell the Belk Bowl is.
It all kicks off Saturday, with Temple and Wyoming squaring off in Albuquerque. (What, Roswell was busy?) And it doesn’t conclude until Brent Musburger makes an asinine reference to a sponsor in the BCS National Championship, or as it’s known in Stillwater, OK, Satan’s Playground. It would be great to break down all 35 spectacular contests, but there just aren’t enough superlatives in the world to describe the pageantry and tradition of the GoDaddy.com Bowl or the ramifications of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Instead, here’s a look at some of the most compelling storylines of the bowl season – and a pledge to watch at least some of every single one of them.
Replacement Parts: Nothing screams “BUY TICKETS NOW!!” like a matchup between two schools with a combined 12-13 record, a pair of interim coaches and a slow slide to mediocrity over the final weeks of the season. But that’s what the good folks in San Francisco get for sticking a bowl in a baseball stadium and hoping for the best. Illinois and UCLA skulk to the Fight Hunger Bowl New Year’s Eve with eyes squarely on the future, since looking at the past is too depressing. Gone are coaches Ron Zook and Rick Neuheisel, who began the season with high hopes and ended it with the locals chasing them out of town with pitchforks and torches. What better way to close out 2011 than with a bowl game featuring two programs in limbo? How about with residents of the Occupy Calcutta camp showing up at your house to use the bathroom?
Thanks For Nothing: As punishment for missing a chip-shot field goal against Texas Christian, Boise State went from a BCS bowl to the MAACO Bowl in Las Vegas. Instead of cranking up its prolific offense in front of a huge audience, the Broncos get to turn it on for a bunch of folks who got comped by some Glitter Gulch hotel and wonder why the concession stand doesn’t feature a $1.99 all-you-can-eat buffet. After this treatment, is it any wonder Boise State has decided to join the Big East? Of course, given the state of that conference, BSU could find itself playing the Mid-American Conference runner-up in the Caligula Bowl in five years. Blue turf can only take you so far, fellas. After that, you have to face facts: You’re from Idaho, for crying out loud! That doesn’t exactly engender TV network love. So, enjoy Vegas, fellas. Oh, and don’t split a pair of 10s.
Wipeout: The Big Ten will have to go a long way to match last year’s 0-for-5 performance on New Year’s Day that included losses to three SEC schools by a combined score of 138-45. But the potential for danger is there again, as the conference faces another trio of bullies from the south, not to mention a favored team from Conference USA. No wonder the Big Ten Network has so many subscribers. Thanks to commissioner Jim Delany’s ability to win friends and influence people, the Big Ten has a whopping 10 bowl invitations this year, a testament to Delany’s P.R. skill and conference members’ ability to beat up on MAC (10 of ‘em), I-AA (another 10) and Sun Belt (five) teams in the non-league portion of the program. That’s why an Illinois team that lost its last six games gets a bowl invitation, and a Purdue squad that gave up 62 points to Wisconsin and lost to Rice will be playing bowl football. Hats off to Delany. He had just better hope his teams’ heads don’t come off, too.
History Lesson: When the Tournament of Roses wanted to increase attendance back in 1901, it decided to stage a football game between teams from the east and west. Michigan came to Pasadena on New Year’s Day, 1902, and smacked Stanford around so hard, the Palo Alto crowd tapped out after three quarters. (Too bad the undefeated Wolverines didn’t have Hurry Up Yost coaching them when they tanked against Stanford 70 years later.) Since that time, bowl games of every size and level of importance have sprung up across the country with one aim in mind: increase tourism in the cities where the games are staged. That’s it. Period. The goal was never to pick the best teams. It was to pick the schools whose fans would travel in the largest numbers and spend the most money. That’s why BYU is such an unattractive candidate. The LDS crowd finds other church members in the community and stays with them. They don’t eat out. And they sure as heck don’t drink. Junk food and candy sales, however, soar when the Cougs come to town. So, all the fuss over the Sugar Bowl’s choosing Michigan and Virginia Tech over Kansas State and Boise is ridiculous. U-M and VT pledged to buy more tickets and probably promised a better hotel presence, too. That’s how it works, even though the Hokie faithful aren’t exactly, ahem, gobbling up the school’s ducat allotment. Coaches who don’t like it would be well served to camp out in their school presidents’ offices and demand they lobby for a playoff. Otherwise, enjoy the Cotton Bowl.
Best of the Best, Part I: Because enough Harris Poll voters awoke from their mid-afternoon naps and decided Alabama was more worthy of a spot in the “national title” game than Oklahoma State, the Cowboys will square off in the Fiesta Bowl Stanford in the best game of the season. Nobody can say for sure whether the Cowpokes and sugar daddy Boone Pickens would have beaten the Crimson Tide in a head-to-head, but wouldn’t it have been fun to find out in a way other than through an election staged by coaches (huge conflict of interest) and peripheral college football types (dinner at 4 p.m.!) and the cast of The Big Bang Theory. Heisman runner-up Andrew Luck tries to keep up with the OSU offense, which is capable of scoring 50 points in one possession. Enjoy the action and try to avert your eyes from the garish Oklahoma State uniforms.
Best of the Best, Part II: When the New England Patriots entered Super Bowl XLII with an 18-0 record, everyone figured the game would be a coronation. How could the New York Giants possibly hang with the Greatest Offense Ever? The Pats were 12-point favorites and invincible. Oops. The Giants hit Tom Brady like he was a piñata and whipped the Pats, spoiling their undefeated season. Well, it sure looks like Alabama and LSU are the two best teams in the land, but what appears to be true isn’t always right. Wouldn’t it have been nice to see the Tide play Oklahoma State, and LSU face off with Stanford, Oregon or Anybody? Then, we could have the top two teams play. Of course, an eight-team playoff would be better. A 12-teamer would be ideal. We don’t have that, because of greed, corruption, liars and espn. So, we’ll watch what everyone hopes will be a game with more than 15 points scored and try not to excuse bad offense as solely the product of great defense. It’s the national championship! Or at least what passes for it in college sports’ USSR.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: Tebow! Tebow! Tebow! Tebow! El Hombre doesn’t give a rat’s posterior whether Denver comeback specialist Tim Tebow is a future Hall of Famer, a championship passer or even in the league in three seasons. He just enjoys the ride. In the homogenized NFL, it’s great to see someone creating excitement and drama off script. Forget about the future and live in the moment. Of course, remember this come Sunday: Pats 34, Broncs 13…The scoreboard on Chicago Bears WR Sam Hurd, who was arrested Thursday for distributing drugs: 5-10 kilos of yayo, and 1,000 pounds (that’s right, kids, a half-ton) of weed – A WEEK!! Seems he was dishing some off to the rest of the NFL, too, not that you’ll hear espn talk about that. Can’t upset those corporate partners now. Guess that new labor agreement has necessitated Hurd’s finding a second job. Times are tough all over…A 10-year contract for Albert Pujols sounds pretty good for three or four seasons, but the guy turns 32 in January and has seen his batting average drop each of the past four seasons and his homers and RBI fall in the last three. Unless he’s going on the BALCO Bonds plan, don’t expect the Angels to be very happy about shelling out $25 mil when The Machine is 39 and in need of a new engine and a Metamucil drip…Great job by everybody involved in the Cincinnati-Xavier basketball embarrassment. The coaches refused to address the pre-game garbage spewed by the players. The refs couldn’t step up and stop the talking when it started. And the players didn’t know how to behave when tensions flared. Yancy Gates’ six-game suspension is a joke. He should miss 10-15 for throwing multiple punches. And X’s Tu Holloway needs to sit for a while after yapping at opposing coaches. The coaches shouldn’t be making these decisions. The schools’ presidents should have stepped in to rescue their institutions’ reputations.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? Even if the Eagles lose their final three games by a combined 120-0, and the fans and media scream for a month straight, Andy Reid isn’t going anywhere. His ties to owner Jeffrey “The Phantom” Lurie and Dynamite Joe Banner are way too tight. Further, the spin has already started. The Eagles went from Super Bowl contenders to “rebuilding.” Next year, however, is a different story. If Reid doesn’t fix his defense – and that means firing Juan Castillo and wide-nine maven Jim Washburn – and teach Michael Vick how to be a real NFL quarterback, instead of a video game hero, he should be sent packing the minute the 2012 season concludes. Frankly, he needs to be gone right now, but that isn’t happening. Trouble is, even if Reid goes, Howie Roseman stays, and given the Birds’ recent drafts, that’s hardly heart-warming. If Lurie and Banner had any football savvy, they would examine successful teams like the Packers, Steelers and Ravens and see the value of an established GM and a coach who works in concert with him, rather than bullying him, as Reid does Roseman. But all of that must wait. Reid is coming back for more, so save your voices. And lower your expectations.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: From the time David Stern took over as NBA commissioner in 1984, he has had a steady hand on the tiller and something of a magic touch. Sure, his arrival coincided with the entrances of Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley over the next couple years, but it was Stern who focused the league’s marketing efforts on the players, rather than the teams. The result has been expansion, revenue growth and strong TV ratings. But Stern is losing it, and the Chris Paul mess proved it. It’s understandable that the “owner” of a team (the league is in control of the New Orleans franchise) should have veto power on trades, but rarely is that say-so played out so publicly, as it was in the case of the Lakers’ and Clippers’ pursuit of the New Orleans guard. The first deal Stern turned down wasn’t great, but it was good enough and involved players who would impact the Hornets, Rockets and Lakers. He then went thumbs down on a trade that would have sent Paul to the Clippers, before acquiescing and allowing the Hornets and L.A. to connect. El Hombre understands the need to preserve the franchise’s value, but Stern’s public hand-wringing gave the impression of someone who couldn’t control the other NBA owners and who seemed unable to conduct business privately. That’s not how a powerful commissioner works. It’s time to begin assembling the succession plan for the top of the NBA food chain.
-EH-
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Those Were The Days
EL HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS
“Yes, it used to be beautiful, what with
the rackets, whoring, guns…”
-- Lou Pascal, “Atlantic City”
If you are a fan of college football, you have a little bit of Lou Pascal in you these days. Pascal, a small-time gangster played by Burt Lancaster in the sublime period piece, “Atlantic City,” remembers the city – and his life – through romanticized lenses. To him, AC was great when the gambling was illegal and corporations didn’t do the thieving. It was somehow more noble back then.
So it is with the world’s greatest sport. As ruthless businessmen and TV executives bulldoze tradition and history, those of us who remember the Old Days do so wistfully. Like Lou, we realize that the world we recall was hardly perfect, but it was certainly better and had far more character than what we see today. It was somehow more desirable for back-room deals cut by men in sherbet-colored blazers to determine our favorite schools’ futures than to have computers do it. Rivalries were born of hate and anger, not advertising. And a couple bucks slipped to a star player by a booster was a fine reward for a full day’s work.
This week’s latest conference shakeup is merely the latest bit of evidence that college football’s greatness is evaporating. If West Virginia/Louisville bolts for the Big 12, after Missouri departs for the SEC, we may witness the creation of an unholy conglomeration of up to 32 unwashed C-USA, Big East and Mountain West souls huddled together in the hope their group hug will confer BCS legitimacy. Those Leftovers had little cachet before they coagulated into a great pile of who-gives-a-damn, and they’ll remain largely undesirable after it – no matter how rich their espn contract may be.
Every time someone decries the behavior of these greedheads, he is dismissed as too old by people for whom history is what was presented on last week’s episode of Tosh.0. (Go ahead and invade Russia, folks. It just might work!) Well, here’s a news flash, kiddies: In 10-15 years college football won’t be much different than its NFL big brother, from the cynical in-game “experience” to the cheerleading media coverage designed to promote the product. Wait a second; we already have that.
Spend three hours in a big-time college football stadium, and you’ll witness a slickly-produced show that incorporates elements of the sport’s past – marching bands; cheerleaders who don’t look like, ahem, dancers and real student sections – along with plenty of professional trappings. The promotional/sponsorship presentation is growing at a scary rate. A lot of the band music has been replaced by standard-issue “motivational rock,” which attempts to create enthusiasm and remind fans that certain parts of the game are more important than others. The giant video boards attract thousands of eyes away from the field, so many spend three hours watching TV, instead of the game itself.
With each new season and hiring of yet another AD that has no experience at all in sports, the atmosphere gets closer to that of the NFL. Factor in the decaying traditions and an end to several historic rivalries – so long Texas-Texas A&M, Pitt-West Virginia and Kansas-Mizzou – and you have a more sanitized, though certainly profitable, college football product.
One problem: as the sport lurches closer to the NFL version, it loses its soul. That may be fine to the generation of kids for whom the word “classic” refers to last year’s Alabama-Auburn game, but it does nothing for those of us who remember when Autumn Saturdays featured gridiron encounters that were almost romantic. The upshot of the new conference alignments will be made-for-TV affiliations that represent nothing but the opportunity to maximize profits, or at least stay out of the deep red.
When Arkansas left the Southwest Conference, back in 1992, the Razorbacks were viewed as the worst of traitors for having upgraded their lot by joining the SEC. Decades of tradition were ruined, as the SWC splintered, and the Big 12 emerged from the pile. Today’s movement is happening so fast and furiously that it’s hard to put the black hat on any one school. So, we look at the real culprits: the TV networks. They sit behind the scenes and counsel conferences and institutions on which moves will make them most attractive to their checkbooks. The goal is a fat contract that guarantees the highest payout to league members. If that comes with the creation of a money-printing conference network, all the better.
The wheel has been set in motion, and it’s impossible to stop it. The next couple years will feature a reshuffling of schools’ home addresses and eventually produce a conglomerate of powerful players that rakes in the big bucks and attracts the top talent. Those who fail to find a properly prosperous home will exist on the margins, collecting scraps. It’s not hard to imagine members of the Mid-American or Sun Belt Conferences staging sit-ins at the site of a future BCS title game under the “Occupy the 50-yard line” banner. Fans will eventually adjust to and accept the new order and forget the Old Days.
But as the product and its presentation get closer in style to that of the NFL, college football will slowly lose its identity. Years from now, it will be practically impossible to differentiate between Saturday and Sunday, as contrived new “traditions” are seen for what they really are: marketing ploys. And mascots will be no more than corporate symbols, like the Michelin Man or Captain Morgan. Maybe then, people will pine for the 1990s, just as many fans look back wistfully at the ’60s and ‘70s.
With apologies to Lou Pascal: yes, it used to be beautiful, what with the wishbone, the hundred-dollar handshakes and January 1.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: Me-O held a Peter Brady workout earlier this week: Many were invited; no one (except for a couple TV cameras) came. Hard to believe there’s no market for 37-year olds coming off major knee surgeries with massive, locker-room-threatening egos. You would have thought the Packers or Patriots would have offered him a five-year deal…The NBA and its Players Association made some real progress toward a deal Thursday, and fans celebrated by turning on the hockey game. You do have to give the parties credit for understanding that if they had trashed another couple months of play, people would have found other things to do besides watching a game between the T-wolves and Raptors – like having a cavity filled without anesthesia…In other basketball news, Allen Iverson has told the world he’s healthy and ready to accept a reserve role on a team, so long as he can have Tuesdays and Thursdays off to go to the casino and the training table is at TGIFriday’s…Top-ranked women’s tennis player Caroline Wozniacki has complained that rival Victoria Azarenka’s grunting during matches is too loud and can be a competitive advantage. Azarenka, of course, disputed that claim and said the issue was not one of trying to gain an upper hand but due to a lack of sufficient levels of fiber in her diet.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? Eagles fans will no doubt be in full froth Sunday night when the Cowgirls come to town, and there may even be some snow in the stadium to fire at the Dallas players, coaches and owner False Face Jones. But no matter how loud the fans are or how much trash is talked between the players and Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the fact remains that the Birds must prove they are legitimate playoff threats or consign themselves to two more months of criticism. The good news is that Andy Reid is 12-0 after bye weeks during his tenure in Philadelphia. The bad news is that the win over Washington two weeks in a row did not contain enough deodorant to remove the stench of the previous four straight futile weeks. The Eagles must prove they can play turnover-free football, hold tight to a lead against a good team and play some respectable defense. Philadelphia is now reasonably healthy and at close to full strength. Beat the Cowgirls, and 2011 prosperity remains a possibility. Lose, and the cries for Reid’s head will increase, and for the first time in his tenure, be legitimate.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma can be a lot of things, including arrogant and hard to stomach. But he was completely correct earlier this week when he said Notre Dame’s sweetheart deal with the Big East hurt the conference badly. But don’t forget to blame the folks in Providence, who allowed ND to play football as an independent while housing the Irish’s “Olympic” sports in a safe harbor. The Big East should have gone to Notre Dame’s administration years ago and said, “Either join for everything or take a walk.” That may have pushed ND into the waiting arms of the Big Ten, but at least the Big East could have retained its dignity. As ND continues to play hoops, soccer and lacrosse in the conference, the Big East’s football profile takes a monthly hit, forcing the league to chase schools like Houston, Memphis and UCF. Golden Domers, who can hardly be considered the most reasonable people, must admit they have it pretty good. The Big East, on the other hand, looks foolish as one of its “members” benefits from scheduling security while getting a little something on the side. Hats off to Geno for pointing that out.
-EH-
“Yes, it used to be beautiful, what with
the rackets, whoring, guns…”
-- Lou Pascal, “Atlantic City”
If you are a fan of college football, you have a little bit of Lou Pascal in you these days. Pascal, a small-time gangster played by Burt Lancaster in the sublime period piece, “Atlantic City,” remembers the city – and his life – through romanticized lenses. To him, AC was great when the gambling was illegal and corporations didn’t do the thieving. It was somehow more noble back then.
So it is with the world’s greatest sport. As ruthless businessmen and TV executives bulldoze tradition and history, those of us who remember the Old Days do so wistfully. Like Lou, we realize that the world we recall was hardly perfect, but it was certainly better and had far more character than what we see today. It was somehow more desirable for back-room deals cut by men in sherbet-colored blazers to determine our favorite schools’ futures than to have computers do it. Rivalries were born of hate and anger, not advertising. And a couple bucks slipped to a star player by a booster was a fine reward for a full day’s work.
This week’s latest conference shakeup is merely the latest bit of evidence that college football’s greatness is evaporating. If West Virginia/Louisville bolts for the Big 12, after Missouri departs for the SEC, we may witness the creation of an unholy conglomeration of up to 32 unwashed C-USA, Big East and Mountain West souls huddled together in the hope their group hug will confer BCS legitimacy. Those Leftovers had little cachet before they coagulated into a great pile of who-gives-a-damn, and they’ll remain largely undesirable after it – no matter how rich their espn contract may be.
Every time someone decries the behavior of these greedheads, he is dismissed as too old by people for whom history is what was presented on last week’s episode of Tosh.0. (Go ahead and invade Russia, folks. It just might work!) Well, here’s a news flash, kiddies: In 10-15 years college football won’t be much different than its NFL big brother, from the cynical in-game “experience” to the cheerleading media coverage designed to promote the product. Wait a second; we already have that.
Spend three hours in a big-time college football stadium, and you’ll witness a slickly-produced show that incorporates elements of the sport’s past – marching bands; cheerleaders who don’t look like, ahem, dancers and real student sections – along with plenty of professional trappings. The promotional/sponsorship presentation is growing at a scary rate. A lot of the band music has been replaced by standard-issue “motivational rock,” which attempts to create enthusiasm and remind fans that certain parts of the game are more important than others. The giant video boards attract thousands of eyes away from the field, so many spend three hours watching TV, instead of the game itself.
With each new season and hiring of yet another AD that has no experience at all in sports, the atmosphere gets closer to that of the NFL. Factor in the decaying traditions and an end to several historic rivalries – so long Texas-Texas A&M, Pitt-West Virginia and Kansas-Mizzou – and you have a more sanitized, though certainly profitable, college football product.
One problem: as the sport lurches closer to the NFL version, it loses its soul. That may be fine to the generation of kids for whom the word “classic” refers to last year’s Alabama-Auburn game, but it does nothing for those of us who remember when Autumn Saturdays featured gridiron encounters that were almost romantic. The upshot of the new conference alignments will be made-for-TV affiliations that represent nothing but the opportunity to maximize profits, or at least stay out of the deep red.
When Arkansas left the Southwest Conference, back in 1992, the Razorbacks were viewed as the worst of traitors for having upgraded their lot by joining the SEC. Decades of tradition were ruined, as the SWC splintered, and the Big 12 emerged from the pile. Today’s movement is happening so fast and furiously that it’s hard to put the black hat on any one school. So, we look at the real culprits: the TV networks. They sit behind the scenes and counsel conferences and institutions on which moves will make them most attractive to their checkbooks. The goal is a fat contract that guarantees the highest payout to league members. If that comes with the creation of a money-printing conference network, all the better.
The wheel has been set in motion, and it’s impossible to stop it. The next couple years will feature a reshuffling of schools’ home addresses and eventually produce a conglomerate of powerful players that rakes in the big bucks and attracts the top talent. Those who fail to find a properly prosperous home will exist on the margins, collecting scraps. It’s not hard to imagine members of the Mid-American or Sun Belt Conferences staging sit-ins at the site of a future BCS title game under the “Occupy the 50-yard line” banner. Fans will eventually adjust to and accept the new order and forget the Old Days.
But as the product and its presentation get closer in style to that of the NFL, college football will slowly lose its identity. Years from now, it will be practically impossible to differentiate between Saturday and Sunday, as contrived new “traditions” are seen for what they really are: marketing ploys. And mascots will be no more than corporate symbols, like the Michelin Man or Captain Morgan. Maybe then, people will pine for the 1990s, just as many fans look back wistfully at the ’60s and ‘70s.
With apologies to Lou Pascal: yes, it used to be beautiful, what with the wishbone, the hundred-dollar handshakes and January 1.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: Me-O held a Peter Brady workout earlier this week: Many were invited; no one (except for a couple TV cameras) came. Hard to believe there’s no market for 37-year olds coming off major knee surgeries with massive, locker-room-threatening egos. You would have thought the Packers or Patriots would have offered him a five-year deal…The NBA and its Players Association made some real progress toward a deal Thursday, and fans celebrated by turning on the hockey game. You do have to give the parties credit for understanding that if they had trashed another couple months of play, people would have found other things to do besides watching a game between the T-wolves and Raptors – like having a cavity filled without anesthesia…In other basketball news, Allen Iverson has told the world he’s healthy and ready to accept a reserve role on a team, so long as he can have Tuesdays and Thursdays off to go to the casino and the training table is at TGIFriday’s…Top-ranked women’s tennis player Caroline Wozniacki has complained that rival Victoria Azarenka’s grunting during matches is too loud and can be a competitive advantage. Azarenka, of course, disputed that claim and said the issue was not one of trying to gain an upper hand but due to a lack of sufficient levels of fiber in her diet.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? Eagles fans will no doubt be in full froth Sunday night when the Cowgirls come to town, and there may even be some snow in the stadium to fire at the Dallas players, coaches and owner False Face Jones. But no matter how loud the fans are or how much trash is talked between the players and Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the fact remains that the Birds must prove they are legitimate playoff threats or consign themselves to two more months of criticism. The good news is that Andy Reid is 12-0 after bye weeks during his tenure in Philadelphia. The bad news is that the win over Washington two weeks in a row did not contain enough deodorant to remove the stench of the previous four straight futile weeks. The Eagles must prove they can play turnover-free football, hold tight to a lead against a good team and play some respectable defense. Philadelphia is now reasonably healthy and at close to full strength. Beat the Cowgirls, and 2011 prosperity remains a possibility. Lose, and the cries for Reid’s head will increase, and for the first time in his tenure, be legitimate.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma can be a lot of things, including arrogant and hard to stomach. But he was completely correct earlier this week when he said Notre Dame’s sweetheart deal with the Big East hurt the conference badly. But don’t forget to blame the folks in Providence, who allowed ND to play football as an independent while housing the Irish’s “Olympic” sports in a safe harbor. The Big East should have gone to Notre Dame’s administration years ago and said, “Either join for everything or take a walk.” That may have pushed ND into the waiting arms of the Big Ten, but at least the Big East could have retained its dignity. As ND continues to play hoops, soccer and lacrosse in the conference, the Big East’s football profile takes a monthly hit, forcing the league to chase schools like Houston, Memphis and UCF. Golden Domers, who can hardly be considered the most reasonable people, must admit they have it pretty good. The Big East, on the other hand, looks foolish as one of its “members” benefits from scheduling security while getting a little something on the side. Hats off to Geno for pointing that out.
-EH-
Friday, September 16, 2011
The End of the Innocence
EL HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS
Before Michigan took advantage of yet another Mama Cass job by Notre Dame last Saturday night, 114,804 partisans (save a couple thousand poor bastards from South Bend) roared as the school honored 1991 Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard. U-M declared him a “Michigan Legend” and decreed that the number 21 jersey would forever feature a patch signifying Howard’s new designation. It was a touching moment, and Howard’s tears appeared real as he reflected upon his time in Ann Arbor. For a few moments, Wolverine fans were transported back to a time before luxury suites, gigantic video boards, ear-splitting music pumping through stadium speakers and Tressel’s Tattoo and Pawn T-shirts.
Now, El Hombre is not so naïve to think that college football 20 years ago was a clean sport, filled with players who majored in Metallurgy Studies and for whom the laboratory was as important as the gridiron. Nor is he such a rube to believe the unsavory people circling programs back then were merely colorful, Runyon-esque characters who were largely harmless and didn’t sully the game’s credibility. (Hello, Uncle Luke.) One need only read John Sayle Watterson’s exhaustive history of the game, “College Football: History, Spectacle, Controversy” to understand that there has not been one moment since the game’s inception in 1869 (or, for you Harvard fans, 1874) that was without stain.
But as Michigan attempted to reach back into its vivid history by honoring Howard before its first-ever night game, there was a palpable sense that the magic and wonder of the sport’s first 135 or so years was forever leaving us – even if much of that charm was perpetuated by a myth-making media that refused to tell us that George Gipp never went to class. A cynic might note that the tribute to Howard came primarily because he is part of espn’s self-aggrandizing pre-game synergy-fest, and that caravan just happened to roll into town for a day of broadcasts. As the school staged a sporting spectacle that was admittedly dazzling, it was hard not to see it merely as a slick expansion of the Michigan brand.
The events of the past several months – and certainly of those to come – have forever torn away any illusion that this is a full-fledged business enterprise, no different than what goes on at General Motors, without the bailout, of course. In fact, it’s even money NCAA schools will outsource their operations to India within the next 25 years, provided that exchange student from Bangalore can run a 4.25 40.
This is not a new refrain; the marvel of college sports has been dissipating rapidly over several years. But with each new conference realignment rumor, each new report of a scandal and each criminal attempt by the NC2A to consolidate its power at the expense of powerless athletes bring us ever closer to a complete surrender of any of the ideals on which the concept of college sports was built.
El Hombre isn’t just talking about Miami and the revelations that the owner of a sports agent concern was playing Bacchus to Hurricane players. It’s not just about Texas A&M, which in an effort to escape the shadow of its big brother is in effect signaling the end of the Big 12 and the history (Big 8, SWC) that came before it. It’s not just about how disingenuous TV networks are promising billions to leagues for broadcast rights and turning college football and basketball into programming that has the same feel as a Wednesday night sitcom.
It’s all of the above. And more.
There’s an article in the recent Atlantic Monthly that examines what it calls the “shame” of college athletics. It’s absolutely recommended reading, even if the sucker runs about 7,000 words and requires some serious endurance to complete. In it, Taylor Branch reveals the decades-long effort by the NC2A to build strength at the expense of the young men and women it’s supposed to represent. For instance, the term “student-athlete” was not coined to describe the hard-working men and women chasing the Homeric ideal of a sound mind and sound body. Instead, it was created to differentiate said folks from university employees, the better to prevent them from suing for workman’s comp benefits in the event of an injury. How’s that for a diabolical plan?
Branch carefully lays out the NC2A’s successful attempts to exploit the images and likenesses of its athletes for gigantic profit. He details the attempts by crippled former players to get compensation for their suffering and how the NC2A continues to avoid any significant payout. And finally, he describes the coming days, when the larger, more successful schools will break away from the organization to govern themselves and reap even more significant financial windfalls.
That last part is what should truly trouble college athletics fans. Within even a year, we may see a completely different big-time landscape, one that cares little for historical rivalries and tradition. Everything will revolve entirely around money, and once that becomes the aim, nothing else is the same. Again, not too much of this is new, but it appears we’re heading for the final reckoning, and that’s too bad.
Last Saturday night in Ann Arbor was a fine convergence of old and new. The band classics meshed well with “Welcome to the Jungle,” and pumped-up Michigan Stadium, with its big screens and luxury seating, looked great under the lights. But as the mingling took place, it was clear what was on the horizon, just as the events of the past several months have given us clues of the world that awaits. Those of us who remember the days when college sports had an element of romance – even “hundred-dollar handshakes” seemed quaint when compared to Nevin Shapiro’s Love Boat junkets – can be sustained by the memories. The next generation, however, will have none of that at its disposal, only a manufactured excitement created and funded by TV networks that creates the illusion of pageantry.
Oh, and the athletes will still be getting screwed over. At least that much won’t change.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: So, we’re supposed to consider the recent efforts by player agents to decertify the NBA Players Association as a positive step toward ending the labor strife that threatens to scrub the 2011-12 season? What’s next, letting players’ posse members sit in on the negotiations? NBA commissioner Uncle David Stern is ready to go to the mattresses on this one, even if that deprives us of Timberwolves games. Inviting the agents in can’t do anything but weaken the players’ position…All those years Sarah Palin was yelling “Go Blue!” in Alaska, we thought she was talking about the cold weather. Turns out she was a Michigan fan all along and that given her choice of side dishes, she’ll always choose Rice over potatoes…How about the way those Colts rallied together after learning Peyton Manning wouldn’t be playing much, if at all, this season? The last time a team showed that much fortitude, the Mets were gagging away the 2007 NL East pennant. Or was that the 2008 crown?...Nice “apology” by Serena Williams after her most recent petulant on-court outburst. Nicer “fine” by the USTA. Wow, a whole $2,000. Next time, she won’t be allowed to watch TV for a week.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? The Eagles are just 17 wins away from deserving the ludicrous “Dream Team” moniker awarded them by backup QB Vince Young, he of the career 42 touchdown passes and 42 interceptions. Last Sunday’s season-opening win over the Rams was impressive because of the Birds’ big-play potential, but the continued inability of the team’s $100 million quarterback to recognize blitzes and run the offense with precision is disheartening. Vick is indeed a marvel in broken-field situations, but he demonstrates limited skill in sniffing out complicated defensive schemes and getting rid of the ball quickly. He was hit 21 times last week, and even right tackle Todd Herremans said Vick needed to get better at understanding when blitzes were coming. The most damning evidence of Vick’s limitations came when he said earlier this week that the final part of his QB development was learning how to identify that part of the defensive approach. Final part? That’s something he should have been working on all along, and the admission that he can’t handle it demonstrates why Eagles fans should be wary about Vick’s ability to lead them to the Super Bowl. He still sees himself as a QB who “wants to make plays,” which is code for not wanting to fit into a specific scheme. The Eagles preyed on the Rams last week, but until Vick can catch up on a part of his job that he should have tried to master since college, they’re not real Super Bowl contenders.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: For some college seniors, the acceptance letter they receive from a college of choice is a starter’s pistol signaling the beginning of a slump. They figure that since they have achieved the ultimate goal of high school – college admission – they can coast home. After taking six of seven from the Braves and Brewers last week, the Phillies appear to have adopted a similar attitude. In the process, they have highlighted some of the possible obstacles to a world title. First off, their offense has gone to sleep. The Phils have scored 11 runs in their last six games. Granted, their lineups have looked at times like the belong playing in the Governor’s Cup series for the Iron Pigs, but the slump shows just how this team can struggle for prolonged periods – like, say, last year’s NLCS against San Francisco. Meanwhile, the bullpen, already short thanks to the presence of unreliables like David Herndon, Michael Schwimmer and Brad Lidge, has gone from a strength to a question mark. After walking a total of six batters in July and August combined, Antonio Bastardo has issued five free passes in six appearances in September, and has gotten a total of four men out in his past four appearances. He needs rest, and two weeks may not be enough. The Phils are cruising toward 105 wins or so, but that means nothing if the bats and bullpen don’t deliver in October.
-EH-
Before Michigan took advantage of yet another Mama Cass job by Notre Dame last Saturday night, 114,804 partisans (save a couple thousand poor bastards from South Bend) roared as the school honored 1991 Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard. U-M declared him a “Michigan Legend” and decreed that the number 21 jersey would forever feature a patch signifying Howard’s new designation. It was a touching moment, and Howard’s tears appeared real as he reflected upon his time in Ann Arbor. For a few moments, Wolverine fans were transported back to a time before luxury suites, gigantic video boards, ear-splitting music pumping through stadium speakers and Tressel’s Tattoo and Pawn T-shirts.
Now, El Hombre is not so naïve to think that college football 20 years ago was a clean sport, filled with players who majored in Metallurgy Studies and for whom the laboratory was as important as the gridiron. Nor is he such a rube to believe the unsavory people circling programs back then were merely colorful, Runyon-esque characters who were largely harmless and didn’t sully the game’s credibility. (Hello, Uncle Luke.) One need only read John Sayle Watterson’s exhaustive history of the game, “College Football: History, Spectacle, Controversy” to understand that there has not been one moment since the game’s inception in 1869 (or, for you Harvard fans, 1874) that was without stain.
But as Michigan attempted to reach back into its vivid history by honoring Howard before its first-ever night game, there was a palpable sense that the magic and wonder of the sport’s first 135 or so years was forever leaving us – even if much of that charm was perpetuated by a myth-making media that refused to tell us that George Gipp never went to class. A cynic might note that the tribute to Howard came primarily because he is part of espn’s self-aggrandizing pre-game synergy-fest, and that caravan just happened to roll into town for a day of broadcasts. As the school staged a sporting spectacle that was admittedly dazzling, it was hard not to see it merely as a slick expansion of the Michigan brand.
The events of the past several months – and certainly of those to come – have forever torn away any illusion that this is a full-fledged business enterprise, no different than what goes on at General Motors, without the bailout, of course. In fact, it’s even money NCAA schools will outsource their operations to India within the next 25 years, provided that exchange student from Bangalore can run a 4.25 40.
This is not a new refrain; the marvel of college sports has been dissipating rapidly over several years. But with each new conference realignment rumor, each new report of a scandal and each criminal attempt by the NC2A to consolidate its power at the expense of powerless athletes bring us ever closer to a complete surrender of any of the ideals on which the concept of college sports was built.
El Hombre isn’t just talking about Miami and the revelations that the owner of a sports agent concern was playing Bacchus to Hurricane players. It’s not just about Texas A&M, which in an effort to escape the shadow of its big brother is in effect signaling the end of the Big 12 and the history (Big 8, SWC) that came before it. It’s not just about how disingenuous TV networks are promising billions to leagues for broadcast rights and turning college football and basketball into programming that has the same feel as a Wednesday night sitcom.
It’s all of the above. And more.
There’s an article in the recent Atlantic Monthly that examines what it calls the “shame” of college athletics. It’s absolutely recommended reading, even if the sucker runs about 7,000 words and requires some serious endurance to complete. In it, Taylor Branch reveals the decades-long effort by the NC2A to build strength at the expense of the young men and women it’s supposed to represent. For instance, the term “student-athlete” was not coined to describe the hard-working men and women chasing the Homeric ideal of a sound mind and sound body. Instead, it was created to differentiate said folks from university employees, the better to prevent them from suing for workman’s comp benefits in the event of an injury. How’s that for a diabolical plan?
Branch carefully lays out the NC2A’s successful attempts to exploit the images and likenesses of its athletes for gigantic profit. He details the attempts by crippled former players to get compensation for their suffering and how the NC2A continues to avoid any significant payout. And finally, he describes the coming days, when the larger, more successful schools will break away from the organization to govern themselves and reap even more significant financial windfalls.
That last part is what should truly trouble college athletics fans. Within even a year, we may see a completely different big-time landscape, one that cares little for historical rivalries and tradition. Everything will revolve entirely around money, and once that becomes the aim, nothing else is the same. Again, not too much of this is new, but it appears we’re heading for the final reckoning, and that’s too bad.
Last Saturday night in Ann Arbor was a fine convergence of old and new. The band classics meshed well with “Welcome to the Jungle,” and pumped-up Michigan Stadium, with its big screens and luxury seating, looked great under the lights. But as the mingling took place, it was clear what was on the horizon, just as the events of the past several months have given us clues of the world that awaits. Those of us who remember the days when college sports had an element of romance – even “hundred-dollar handshakes” seemed quaint when compared to Nevin Shapiro’s Love Boat junkets – can be sustained by the memories. The next generation, however, will have none of that at its disposal, only a manufactured excitement created and funded by TV networks that creates the illusion of pageantry.
Oh, and the athletes will still be getting screwed over. At least that much won’t change.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: So, we’re supposed to consider the recent efforts by player agents to decertify the NBA Players Association as a positive step toward ending the labor strife that threatens to scrub the 2011-12 season? What’s next, letting players’ posse members sit in on the negotiations? NBA commissioner Uncle David Stern is ready to go to the mattresses on this one, even if that deprives us of Timberwolves games. Inviting the agents in can’t do anything but weaken the players’ position…All those years Sarah Palin was yelling “Go Blue!” in Alaska, we thought she was talking about the cold weather. Turns out she was a Michigan fan all along and that given her choice of side dishes, she’ll always choose Rice over potatoes…How about the way those Colts rallied together after learning Peyton Manning wouldn’t be playing much, if at all, this season? The last time a team showed that much fortitude, the Mets were gagging away the 2007 NL East pennant. Or was that the 2008 crown?...Nice “apology” by Serena Williams after her most recent petulant on-court outburst. Nicer “fine” by the USTA. Wow, a whole $2,000. Next time, she won’t be allowed to watch TV for a week.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? The Eagles are just 17 wins away from deserving the ludicrous “Dream Team” moniker awarded them by backup QB Vince Young, he of the career 42 touchdown passes and 42 interceptions. Last Sunday’s season-opening win over the Rams was impressive because of the Birds’ big-play potential, but the continued inability of the team’s $100 million quarterback to recognize blitzes and run the offense with precision is disheartening. Vick is indeed a marvel in broken-field situations, but he demonstrates limited skill in sniffing out complicated defensive schemes and getting rid of the ball quickly. He was hit 21 times last week, and even right tackle Todd Herremans said Vick needed to get better at understanding when blitzes were coming. The most damning evidence of Vick’s limitations came when he said earlier this week that the final part of his QB development was learning how to identify that part of the defensive approach. Final part? That’s something he should have been working on all along, and the admission that he can’t handle it demonstrates why Eagles fans should be wary about Vick’s ability to lead them to the Super Bowl. He still sees himself as a QB who “wants to make plays,” which is code for not wanting to fit into a specific scheme. The Eagles preyed on the Rams last week, but until Vick can catch up on a part of his job that he should have tried to master since college, they’re not real Super Bowl contenders.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: For some college seniors, the acceptance letter they receive from a college of choice is a starter’s pistol signaling the beginning of a slump. They figure that since they have achieved the ultimate goal of high school – college admission – they can coast home. After taking six of seven from the Braves and Brewers last week, the Phillies appear to have adopted a similar attitude. In the process, they have highlighted some of the possible obstacles to a world title. First off, their offense has gone to sleep. The Phils have scored 11 runs in their last six games. Granted, their lineups have looked at times like the belong playing in the Governor’s Cup series for the Iron Pigs, but the slump shows just how this team can struggle for prolonged periods – like, say, last year’s NLCS against San Francisco. Meanwhile, the bullpen, already short thanks to the presence of unreliables like David Herndon, Michael Schwimmer and Brad Lidge, has gone from a strength to a question mark. After walking a total of six batters in July and August combined, Antonio Bastardo has issued five free passes in six appearances in September, and has gotten a total of four men out in his past four appearances. He needs rest, and two weeks may not be enough. The Phils are cruising toward 105 wins or so, but that means nothing if the bats and bullpen don’t deliver in October.
-EH-
Friday, July 8, 2011
Honor the Memory of John Mackey
EL HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS
El Hombre doesn’t know what is so sacrosanct about the Hall of Fame Game, but it has enough weight to force Roger Goodell, DeMaurice Smith and a group of really rich guys stay in a conference room for 12 hours discussing their labor differences. After more than 100 days of hand-wringing, legal challenges and endless Sal-Pal reports, a completely meaningless football game has spurred the two sides in the NFL labor dispute to negotiate like grown-ups and end the silly stalemate.
It’s hard to believe the real engine in the drive to bring football to the starving masses has been an exhibition game noted more for the relative anonymity of those competing in it – after the first series or two – and the inane interviews conducted with HOF inductees while the game is going on. (Who was it that decided yellow blazers were proper for the football Hall of Fame?)
For some reason, the game Matters, so Smith, Goodell and their minions are at the bargaining table, trying to hammer out the details of a CBA that assures everybody a fair share of the gigantic revenues that will be rolling into the NFL vaults over the next several years. The league grossed $9 billion last season, and with TV right expected to double over the next few seasons (ESPN will pay $1.8-1.9 billion for Monday Night Football alone beginning next year) everybody is going to be fat and happy. Or, in the case of disgruntled Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, just fat.
As the final touches are put on the agreement, let’s hope the two sides are mindful of the obligation they have to retired players. Thursday’s death of former Colts and Chargers tight end John Mackey amplifies the need to make sure those who have finished playing the game – and with whom the game is finished – have health benefits. Mackey was one of the pioneering players at his position, displaying a rare (at the time) blend of size and speed that made him more than just an adjunct offensive tackle. Mackey could block like a lineman and then split the seam for big gains in the passing game. He came along at a time when the position wasn’t counted on for big plays but showed its value through his performance.
His career earned him enshrinement in Canton, but it is his life off the field and after football that makes him pertinent to the negotiations occurring right now. A former NFL Players Union president, Mackey was a tireless advocate for those who brought the game to life. In his later years, Mackey suffered from frontotemporal dementia, brought on by the many collisions he endured while an NFL player. He spent the last four years of his life in an assisted living facility, after the task of providing daily care for him became too grueling for his devoted wife, Sylvia.
The last CBA between owners and players, forged in 2006, included the “88 Plan,” named for Mackey’s uniform number. It provided up to $88,000 a year for nursing care for former players with dementia or Alzheimer’s and up to 50 grand for home care. That was a positive step, and it no doubt helped Mackey. But it wasn’t enough, and Smith and the current players need to make sure this new agreement contains more. Much more.
Every player who spends at least three seasons in the league should get lifetime health benefits. Good ones, too. They’re going to need new knees, hips and ankles down the line, and they should have access to the best care possible, at minimal expense to them. We’re talking $10 co-pays and $100 hospital fees. Let’s not hear anything about “skyrocketing healthcare costs” or “pre-existing conditions.” Create and fund a plan that provides for universal acceptance. If that means the NFL has to shell out a half-billion a year, so be it. And if that means Smith has to pull the grown-up card on a bunch of selfish here-and-now types, so be it.
The astounding thing about this is that the players haven’t fought for this kind of coverage from the beginning of time. Every player, no matter how rich or successful he may be today, will some day be an ex-player. And, unlike average American citizens, they will have health problems that go well beyond the normal afflictions. Not only must they deal with threats of serious conditions and diseases, but they must also confront the specter of joint replacement, dementia and whatever comes of the supplements and P.E.D.s they took to stick around the game longer.
Some might say that a player who accumulates millions in salary over the course of his career can certainly afford to augment his Medicare coverage with a gap policy. That is true. But gaining access to such insurance isn’t so easy, since the effects of NFL play render former players extremely high risks for insurance companies, who exist not to provide care but to make money. Having a no-questions-asked entry into a plan available would provide tremendous peace of mind and long-term security for players who face increasing risk of serious injury and long-term health problems playing the sport America loves.
As the final details of the forthcoming CBA are negotiated, players and owners alike should allow John Mackey’s life – and recent death – to serve as impetus to make sure former players have the care they need. Do it for John.
And for Andre Waters. And Dave Duerson. And Mike Webster.
Do the right thing.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: Nets guard Deron Williams has announced he has signed to play ball in Turkey during the NBA work stoppage. Now, Kobe Bryant says he might consider a stint in the Euroleagues. What a great idea. Less money, much more practice and the chance to suffer a serious injury that puts future 10-figure earnings at risk. And we thought Ron Artest, er, Metta World Peace was nuts. Enjoy life on the Bosphorus, Deron, but don’t expect too many of your NBA compatriots to follow. Istanbul isn’t too posse friendly…So, let’s get this straight. Oregon’s defense in the investigation into whether it paid 25 large to a street agent who helped deliver recruits is stupidity? That the Ducks really paid the money for shoddy “recruiting information?” If the NC2A buys this one, then deposed Ohio State coach Senator Sweatervest should say the e-mails he received weren’t about his players swapping memorabilia for tattoos but that they were just trying to meet Mr. Roarke’s assistant Tattoo on Fantasy Island. Absurd…Nebraska’s in trouble with the NC2A for distributing nearly $28,000 in non-required textbooks and course materials to athlete-students from 2007-10. Schools are allowed to provide mandatory books and materials, but not those items merely “recommended” by professors. In a way, the Cornhuskers should be lauded for giving athlete-students access to extra books. That laughing you hear is coming from the SEC…The Cleveland Cavaliers have announced that they will own and operate and NBA D-League franchise in Canton. Don’t they already have one of those playing in Quicken Loans Arena?...The Roger Clemens perjury trial is underway, with jury selection taking up the first several days of action. Among the potential prosecution witnesses is Majoke League Baseball commissioner Bud Sellout, who will be playing the part of Captain Renault on the stand. Sellout has been undergoing round-the-clock coaching, in case he has to testify. Among his expected answers is “I’m shocked, shocked, to find out steroids were being used.” Apparently he is having trouble saying that with a straight face.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? The Phillies play the Braves this weekend in their second crucial series in two weeks. Although the pitching matchups aren’t perfect for Atlanta, and the Phils will be without some key performers, it’s a measuring stick for the team with the best record in baseball and another chance for GM Ruben Amaro to see that his team needs help in the bullpen (even once Ryan Madson returns) and in the lineup. Should the Phillies sweep the three-game set and head into the All-Star break up 5 ½ games, Amaro shouldn’t stay put. The goal here is a World Series title; nothing less will do. And this team as currently constructed has holes that will make winning three playoff series difficult. There is precious little power in the lineup. The corner outfield situation is a mess. The Phillies have the best record in baseball, but 71 games remain after the break, and this is an old team that has already proven it is susceptible to injury. Here’s hoping Amaro understands the need for upgrading the roster, no matter what happens against the Braves. It’s about October and nothing else.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: People will judge this as an overreaction, but the practice of players’ throwing baseballs into the stands during games has to end. No exceptions. The tragedy Thursday night in Texas may have been a horrible accident, but it could have been averted with a zero-tolerance policy for players who toss balls into the stands. This is not the fault of Josh Hamilton – the Texas outfielder who threw the ball to the fan who fell over the railing and died later in the evening. He was just doing what MLB players do every night, several times a night. And, believe El Hombre, he is paying a heavy price for his role in the tragedy. But it’s time for an end to it. One person has died, and that’s one too many. So, no more happy tosses by first basemen to begging fans after the third out of an inning. No more over-the-head throws by outfielders after they catch fly balls. Ball girls don’t give out balls after catching them in foul territory. If a batted ball leaves the field of play, it’s fair game, but that’s it. (And don’t even try to say that the next step is the installation of a net around the entire field; that’s ridiculous.) This isn’t about tradition or fun. This is about a fan who brought his six-year old son to a baseball game and ended up in the morgue. No more tragic accidents. No more baseballs thrown into the stands. Period.
-EH-
El Hombre doesn’t know what is so sacrosanct about the Hall of Fame Game, but it has enough weight to force Roger Goodell, DeMaurice Smith and a group of really rich guys stay in a conference room for 12 hours discussing their labor differences. After more than 100 days of hand-wringing, legal challenges and endless Sal-Pal reports, a completely meaningless football game has spurred the two sides in the NFL labor dispute to negotiate like grown-ups and end the silly stalemate.
It’s hard to believe the real engine in the drive to bring football to the starving masses has been an exhibition game noted more for the relative anonymity of those competing in it – after the first series or two – and the inane interviews conducted with HOF inductees while the game is going on. (Who was it that decided yellow blazers were proper for the football Hall of Fame?)
For some reason, the game Matters, so Smith, Goodell and their minions are at the bargaining table, trying to hammer out the details of a CBA that assures everybody a fair share of the gigantic revenues that will be rolling into the NFL vaults over the next several years. The league grossed $9 billion last season, and with TV right expected to double over the next few seasons (ESPN will pay $1.8-1.9 billion for Monday Night Football alone beginning next year) everybody is going to be fat and happy. Or, in the case of disgruntled Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, just fat.
As the final touches are put on the agreement, let’s hope the two sides are mindful of the obligation they have to retired players. Thursday’s death of former Colts and Chargers tight end John Mackey amplifies the need to make sure those who have finished playing the game – and with whom the game is finished – have health benefits. Mackey was one of the pioneering players at his position, displaying a rare (at the time) blend of size and speed that made him more than just an adjunct offensive tackle. Mackey could block like a lineman and then split the seam for big gains in the passing game. He came along at a time when the position wasn’t counted on for big plays but showed its value through his performance.
His career earned him enshrinement in Canton, but it is his life off the field and after football that makes him pertinent to the negotiations occurring right now. A former NFL Players Union president, Mackey was a tireless advocate for those who brought the game to life. In his later years, Mackey suffered from frontotemporal dementia, brought on by the many collisions he endured while an NFL player. He spent the last four years of his life in an assisted living facility, after the task of providing daily care for him became too grueling for his devoted wife, Sylvia.
The last CBA between owners and players, forged in 2006, included the “88 Plan,” named for Mackey’s uniform number. It provided up to $88,000 a year for nursing care for former players with dementia or Alzheimer’s and up to 50 grand for home care. That was a positive step, and it no doubt helped Mackey. But it wasn’t enough, and Smith and the current players need to make sure this new agreement contains more. Much more.
Every player who spends at least three seasons in the league should get lifetime health benefits. Good ones, too. They’re going to need new knees, hips and ankles down the line, and they should have access to the best care possible, at minimal expense to them. We’re talking $10 co-pays and $100 hospital fees. Let’s not hear anything about “skyrocketing healthcare costs” or “pre-existing conditions.” Create and fund a plan that provides for universal acceptance. If that means the NFL has to shell out a half-billion a year, so be it. And if that means Smith has to pull the grown-up card on a bunch of selfish here-and-now types, so be it.
The astounding thing about this is that the players haven’t fought for this kind of coverage from the beginning of time. Every player, no matter how rich or successful he may be today, will some day be an ex-player. And, unlike average American citizens, they will have health problems that go well beyond the normal afflictions. Not only must they deal with threats of serious conditions and diseases, but they must also confront the specter of joint replacement, dementia and whatever comes of the supplements and P.E.D.s they took to stick around the game longer.
Some might say that a player who accumulates millions in salary over the course of his career can certainly afford to augment his Medicare coverage with a gap policy. That is true. But gaining access to such insurance isn’t so easy, since the effects of NFL play render former players extremely high risks for insurance companies, who exist not to provide care but to make money. Having a no-questions-asked entry into a plan available would provide tremendous peace of mind and long-term security for players who face increasing risk of serious injury and long-term health problems playing the sport America loves.
As the final details of the forthcoming CBA are negotiated, players and owners alike should allow John Mackey’s life – and recent death – to serve as impetus to make sure former players have the care they need. Do it for John.
And for Andre Waters. And Dave Duerson. And Mike Webster.
Do the right thing.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: Nets guard Deron Williams has announced he has signed to play ball in Turkey during the NBA work stoppage. Now, Kobe Bryant says he might consider a stint in the Euroleagues. What a great idea. Less money, much more practice and the chance to suffer a serious injury that puts future 10-figure earnings at risk. And we thought Ron Artest, er, Metta World Peace was nuts. Enjoy life on the Bosphorus, Deron, but don’t expect too many of your NBA compatriots to follow. Istanbul isn’t too posse friendly…So, let’s get this straight. Oregon’s defense in the investigation into whether it paid 25 large to a street agent who helped deliver recruits is stupidity? That the Ducks really paid the money for shoddy “recruiting information?” If the NC2A buys this one, then deposed Ohio State coach Senator Sweatervest should say the e-mails he received weren’t about his players swapping memorabilia for tattoos but that they were just trying to meet Mr. Roarke’s assistant Tattoo on Fantasy Island. Absurd…Nebraska’s in trouble with the NC2A for distributing nearly $28,000 in non-required textbooks and course materials to athlete-students from 2007-10. Schools are allowed to provide mandatory books and materials, but not those items merely “recommended” by professors. In a way, the Cornhuskers should be lauded for giving athlete-students access to extra books. That laughing you hear is coming from the SEC…The Cleveland Cavaliers have announced that they will own and operate and NBA D-League franchise in Canton. Don’t they already have one of those playing in Quicken Loans Arena?...The Roger Clemens perjury trial is underway, with jury selection taking up the first several days of action. Among the potential prosecution witnesses is Majoke League Baseball commissioner Bud Sellout, who will be playing the part of Captain Renault on the stand. Sellout has been undergoing round-the-clock coaching, in case he has to testify. Among his expected answers is “I’m shocked, shocked, to find out steroids were being used.” Apparently he is having trouble saying that with a straight face.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? The Phillies play the Braves this weekend in their second crucial series in two weeks. Although the pitching matchups aren’t perfect for Atlanta, and the Phils will be without some key performers, it’s a measuring stick for the team with the best record in baseball and another chance for GM Ruben Amaro to see that his team needs help in the bullpen (even once Ryan Madson returns) and in the lineup. Should the Phillies sweep the three-game set and head into the All-Star break up 5 ½ games, Amaro shouldn’t stay put. The goal here is a World Series title; nothing less will do. And this team as currently constructed has holes that will make winning three playoff series difficult. There is precious little power in the lineup. The corner outfield situation is a mess. The Phillies have the best record in baseball, but 71 games remain after the break, and this is an old team that has already proven it is susceptible to injury. Here’s hoping Amaro understands the need for upgrading the roster, no matter what happens against the Braves. It’s about October and nothing else.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: People will judge this as an overreaction, but the practice of players’ throwing baseballs into the stands during games has to end. No exceptions. The tragedy Thursday night in Texas may have been a horrible accident, but it could have been averted with a zero-tolerance policy for players who toss balls into the stands. This is not the fault of Josh Hamilton – the Texas outfielder who threw the ball to the fan who fell over the railing and died later in the evening. He was just doing what MLB players do every night, several times a night. And, believe El Hombre, he is paying a heavy price for his role in the tragedy. But it’s time for an end to it. One person has died, and that’s one too many. So, no more happy tosses by first basemen to begging fans after the third out of an inning. No more over-the-head throws by outfielders after they catch fly balls. Ball girls don’t give out balls after catching them in foul territory. If a batted ball leaves the field of play, it’s fair game, but that’s it. (And don’t even try to say that the next step is the installation of a net around the entire field; that’s ridiculous.) This isn’t about tradition or fun. This is about a fan who brought his six-year old son to a baseball game and ended up in the morgue. No more tragic accidents. No more baseballs thrown into the stands. Period.
-EH-
Friday, June 10, 2011
Prince James
EL HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS
To the young and largely uninitiated, or the people who believe that objectivity is “hate,” this El Hombre masterpiece is an anti-LeBron James screed. Those who think cheerleading is journalism and encouragement is analysis can’t stand reading the truth about their heroes. That’s why teams are devoting so many resources to their web sites – the better to provide positive propaganda to the willing masses – and content providers like SBNation are taking off. They feed the demand for fans’ “voices” to be heard.
So, after a big swig of “Haterade,” it’s time to get rolling on James and his Heat, who are on the precipice of a second-place NBA finish that won’t lead to another celebration like the ridiculous spectacle we endured (and espn gleefully broadcast) last summer. It’s entirely possible Miami could win games six and seven and capture the championship. Until the Mavericks took game two, the Heat was 8-0 in front of its front-running fans and should be favored in both remaining games. All is not lost, by any stretch.
The bigger issue is whether James can lay claim to the best player on the planet any longer. (Since the NBA is all about its personalities, team glory is secondary.) His performance in the Finals has proven that he absolutely cannot. On the biggest stage of his career, far bigger than his championship round appearance with Cleveland back in ’07, James has been anything but the best. His play has been so far from the top strata that it is left to his network cheerleaders to dredge the boxscore for positives, the better to avoid having to confront the truth: James isn’t made for the Alpha role.
James has managed a mere 11 points during the five fourth quarters of the series, and Thursday night’s two points came on a meaningless layup with less than a minute left. Compounding his weak offensive efforts in the final 12 minutes of Finals’ games has been shoddy defensive work, as evidenced by the eight points his man – 6-foot, 2-inch (maybe) Jason Terry – has scored in the fourth quarters of each of the last two games. James finished Game Five with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, a very Scottie Pippen-like performance, which is fitting, since the former Michael Jordan lieutenant has said James is better than Pippen’s meal ticket. (It could be time to check whether that Central Arkansas degree he received is worth anything.) Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said afterward James “impacted the game.” That’s nice.
But it isn’t what the best player does. He doesn’t “impact” the game with a strong stat line in a loss. The best dominates. He wills a team to victory. He takes over. He doesn’t defer, clank jumpers or get toasted by a man six inches shorter than him during money time. He doesn’t tweet “Now or never” before the game and then choose “never” during it. James has done that throughout the Finals, and though espn and other NBA propagandists are hoping he rises to greatness in the last two games, it won’t matter. He isn’t the best. And he never will be.
You can’t deny his physical tools. He’s 6-8, 270, for crying out loud. He’d be big for a tight end. Or a defensive end. James can move like someone a foot smaller, is strong enough to overpower just about anybody in the league and has the ability to translate those generic physical tools into basketball production. When people talk about him as the best player in the game, they do so in terms of his skills.
The problem is that being the best requires more than just physical excellence. You must have the ability to dominate and the mentality to do so at the most crucial moments. From the moment James decided to join Dwyane Wade and the Heat, it has been obvious he is not made to handle the toughest assignments. There is nothing wrong with that – unless you want to lay claim to topping the list. Then it becomes a problem.
Everybody knows the story of how Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He responded by working harder and improving his game but also by conjuring a string of perceived slights and grudges that served him throughout his career. He fueled his competitive fire with anything he could find or manufacture. It didn’t matter how real it was; to Jordan, it was enough to make him want to rip out opponents’ organs and stomp them. The bigger the game, the bigger the challenge. And Jordan responded.
James, on the other hand, was anointed king practically from the moment he picked up a ball. It wasn’t necessary for him to create hurdles to clear, because he had no real competition. He was “King James” before he entered the NBA, despite winning nothing but a high school state championship. Even with the Cavaliers, he had little to overcome, because his hometown fans and media were so enthralled with his presence that they couldn’t bring themselves to criticize. His decision to play in Miami allowed him to join Wade, a proven winner, and avoid the hard work of lifting a team on his own. Since there cannot be two leaders on a team, James has slid comfortably into the number-two chair. His play during the finals, particularly during the fourth quarter, proves he belongs there.
James will get a ring. Maybe he’ll win two or three. But right now, he’s not the best player on his team, much less in the NBA. Until he proves he can consistently shine in big situations, James will be known for his substantial physical abilities alone. That’s not bad at all.
But it’s not best.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops says his school won’t be “claiming any championships,” now that USC’s 2004-05 national title has been stripped by the BCS, and that’s a good thing. Usually, teams have to show up at least to get championship consideration. A look at the record book reveals the Trojans administered a 55-19 beatdown to the Sooners, a decision that would render any claim hysterical…Now that he has left THE Reprobate University, Terrell Pryor can get on with his life’s goal of becoming a third-string NFL quarterback. Nice job by Sen. Coverup and his staff teaching Pryor the position. At least he learned how to sign an autograph…Now that NASCAR has decided to merge auto racing with roller derby and pro wrestling, it’s time to do the right thing and name Jerry Springer as the commissioner. That way, throwdowns in the pits will get the treatment they deserve…After winning the first two games by the narrowest of margins, the Canucks have been outscored 12-1 in the last two. Worse, still, thanks to Alex Burrows mastication of Patrice Bergeron’s hand in Game One, the NHL has mandated that chicken fingers be removed from Vancouver’s post-game food spread…Sepp Blatter was reelected head of FIFA, ensuring another term of honest, high-integrity dealings in the soccer world. Congratulations, FIFA, you have just passed cycling as the planet’s grimiest sport. Some reports had Blatter celebrating by bathing in a tub filled with money left over from the Qatar World Cup bid…Hats off to the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros for selecting outfielder Johnathan Taylor and reliever Buddy Lamothe in the recent MLB Draft. Both were paralyzed in accidents during the past few months but had demonstrated talent before their injuries. Guess things really are bigger in Texas – including the hearts.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? Sixers fans had better hold off on their celebrations if the franchise is sold to a group headed by Wharton grads Joshua Harris and David Blitzer. Yes, it will be a relief to have the franchise released from the clutches of Ed Snider, whose love of hockey and relative disdain for the NBA created the illusion that the Sixers were a second priority in relation to the Flyers. But Harris and Blitzer aren’t necessarily riding to the team’s rescue. At their core, these guys specialize in acquiring distressed assets, stripping them down and flipping them for a quick profit. They will likely pay close to $40 million below market value (as established by Forbes Magazine) for the club and might be more interested in propping it up for sale than in building a champion. We’ll learn pretty quickly whether the new owners are interested in investing for a winning future or just cutting costs. The Sixers have good basketball people in place and made progress this season. Now, they have to make the moves necessary to become contenders, not just first-round playoff losers. That requires commitment from the top. It’s encouraging the Sixers will be freed from Snider’s influence, but prosperity is hardly guaranteed in the hands of Harris and Blitzer. Let’s see if they know what to do with the ball, or if they just care about the bottom line.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: Bryce Harper should have a giant welt on his right biceps right now. It should include the imprint of a baseball’s seams and remind him of his arrogance every time he lifts the arm to reach for a bag of money from his closet or wrap his arm around a young lovely on the road. He should have one on his right thigh, too, one that affects him when he tries to climb into his expensive car. Harper, the high-priced rookie outfielder in the Nationals’ system, decided to admire a homer he hit Monday off of Greensboro pitcher Zachary Neal, rather than circle the bases in a timely manner. When Neal expressed his displeasure at Harper’s behavior, Harper blew a kiss at Neal. The next time up, Harper was brushed back. He should have been drilled. Harper has plenty of talent. He could well be a big leaguer by next season. (Washington GM Mike Rizzo has said he won’t bring Harper to the big club in 2011.) But his attitude on that play was decidedly little league. If you don’t know about Harper, he was the kid who left high school a year early, in order to get to professional baseball ahead of schedule. It’s his prerogative to speed up the process, but you can see his maturity doesn’t quite match his skills. Harper has time to grow up, but if he continues to act like a buffoon after a class A homer in June, he could have a rough road in the majors, where behavior like he displayed earlier this week isn’t received too well and could lead to some hurt feelings – and body parts.
-EH-
To the young and largely uninitiated, or the people who believe that objectivity is “hate,” this El Hombre masterpiece is an anti-LeBron James screed. Those who think cheerleading is journalism and encouragement is analysis can’t stand reading the truth about their heroes. That’s why teams are devoting so many resources to their web sites – the better to provide positive propaganda to the willing masses – and content providers like SBNation are taking off. They feed the demand for fans’ “voices” to be heard.
So, after a big swig of “Haterade,” it’s time to get rolling on James and his Heat, who are on the precipice of a second-place NBA finish that won’t lead to another celebration like the ridiculous spectacle we endured (and espn gleefully broadcast) last summer. It’s entirely possible Miami could win games six and seven and capture the championship. Until the Mavericks took game two, the Heat was 8-0 in front of its front-running fans and should be favored in both remaining games. All is not lost, by any stretch.
The bigger issue is whether James can lay claim to the best player on the planet any longer. (Since the NBA is all about its personalities, team glory is secondary.) His performance in the Finals has proven that he absolutely cannot. On the biggest stage of his career, far bigger than his championship round appearance with Cleveland back in ’07, James has been anything but the best. His play has been so far from the top strata that it is left to his network cheerleaders to dredge the boxscore for positives, the better to avoid having to confront the truth: James isn’t made for the Alpha role.
James has managed a mere 11 points during the five fourth quarters of the series, and Thursday night’s two points came on a meaningless layup with less than a minute left. Compounding his weak offensive efforts in the final 12 minutes of Finals’ games has been shoddy defensive work, as evidenced by the eight points his man – 6-foot, 2-inch (maybe) Jason Terry – has scored in the fourth quarters of each of the last two games. James finished Game Five with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, a very Scottie Pippen-like performance, which is fitting, since the former Michael Jordan lieutenant has said James is better than Pippen’s meal ticket. (It could be time to check whether that Central Arkansas degree he received is worth anything.) Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said afterward James “impacted the game.” That’s nice.
But it isn’t what the best player does. He doesn’t “impact” the game with a strong stat line in a loss. The best dominates. He wills a team to victory. He takes over. He doesn’t defer, clank jumpers or get toasted by a man six inches shorter than him during money time. He doesn’t tweet “Now or never” before the game and then choose “never” during it. James has done that throughout the Finals, and though espn and other NBA propagandists are hoping he rises to greatness in the last two games, it won’t matter. He isn’t the best. And he never will be.
You can’t deny his physical tools. He’s 6-8, 270, for crying out loud. He’d be big for a tight end. Or a defensive end. James can move like someone a foot smaller, is strong enough to overpower just about anybody in the league and has the ability to translate those generic physical tools into basketball production. When people talk about him as the best player in the game, they do so in terms of his skills.
The problem is that being the best requires more than just physical excellence. You must have the ability to dominate and the mentality to do so at the most crucial moments. From the moment James decided to join Dwyane Wade and the Heat, it has been obvious he is not made to handle the toughest assignments. There is nothing wrong with that – unless you want to lay claim to topping the list. Then it becomes a problem.
Everybody knows the story of how Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He responded by working harder and improving his game but also by conjuring a string of perceived slights and grudges that served him throughout his career. He fueled his competitive fire with anything he could find or manufacture. It didn’t matter how real it was; to Jordan, it was enough to make him want to rip out opponents’ organs and stomp them. The bigger the game, the bigger the challenge. And Jordan responded.
James, on the other hand, was anointed king practically from the moment he picked up a ball. It wasn’t necessary for him to create hurdles to clear, because he had no real competition. He was “King James” before he entered the NBA, despite winning nothing but a high school state championship. Even with the Cavaliers, he had little to overcome, because his hometown fans and media were so enthralled with his presence that they couldn’t bring themselves to criticize. His decision to play in Miami allowed him to join Wade, a proven winner, and avoid the hard work of lifting a team on his own. Since there cannot be two leaders on a team, James has slid comfortably into the number-two chair. His play during the finals, particularly during the fourth quarter, proves he belongs there.
James will get a ring. Maybe he’ll win two or three. But right now, he’s not the best player on his team, much less in the NBA. Until he proves he can consistently shine in big situations, James will be known for his substantial physical abilities alone. That’s not bad at all.
But it’s not best.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops says his school won’t be “claiming any championships,” now that USC’s 2004-05 national title has been stripped by the BCS, and that’s a good thing. Usually, teams have to show up at least to get championship consideration. A look at the record book reveals the Trojans administered a 55-19 beatdown to the Sooners, a decision that would render any claim hysterical…Now that he has left THE Reprobate University, Terrell Pryor can get on with his life’s goal of becoming a third-string NFL quarterback. Nice job by Sen. Coverup and his staff teaching Pryor the position. At least he learned how to sign an autograph…Now that NASCAR has decided to merge auto racing with roller derby and pro wrestling, it’s time to do the right thing and name Jerry Springer as the commissioner. That way, throwdowns in the pits will get the treatment they deserve…After winning the first two games by the narrowest of margins, the Canucks have been outscored 12-1 in the last two. Worse, still, thanks to Alex Burrows mastication of Patrice Bergeron’s hand in Game One, the NHL has mandated that chicken fingers be removed from Vancouver’s post-game food spread…Sepp Blatter was reelected head of FIFA, ensuring another term of honest, high-integrity dealings in the soccer world. Congratulations, FIFA, you have just passed cycling as the planet’s grimiest sport. Some reports had Blatter celebrating by bathing in a tub filled with money left over from the Qatar World Cup bid…Hats off to the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros for selecting outfielder Johnathan Taylor and reliever Buddy Lamothe in the recent MLB Draft. Both were paralyzed in accidents during the past few months but had demonstrated talent before their injuries. Guess things really are bigger in Texas – including the hearts.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? Sixers fans had better hold off on their celebrations if the franchise is sold to a group headed by Wharton grads Joshua Harris and David Blitzer. Yes, it will be a relief to have the franchise released from the clutches of Ed Snider, whose love of hockey and relative disdain for the NBA created the illusion that the Sixers were a second priority in relation to the Flyers. But Harris and Blitzer aren’t necessarily riding to the team’s rescue. At their core, these guys specialize in acquiring distressed assets, stripping them down and flipping them for a quick profit. They will likely pay close to $40 million below market value (as established by Forbes Magazine) for the club and might be more interested in propping it up for sale than in building a champion. We’ll learn pretty quickly whether the new owners are interested in investing for a winning future or just cutting costs. The Sixers have good basketball people in place and made progress this season. Now, they have to make the moves necessary to become contenders, not just first-round playoff losers. That requires commitment from the top. It’s encouraging the Sixers will be freed from Snider’s influence, but prosperity is hardly guaranteed in the hands of Harris and Blitzer. Let’s see if they know what to do with the ball, or if they just care about the bottom line.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: Bryce Harper should have a giant welt on his right biceps right now. It should include the imprint of a baseball’s seams and remind him of his arrogance every time he lifts the arm to reach for a bag of money from his closet or wrap his arm around a young lovely on the road. He should have one on his right thigh, too, one that affects him when he tries to climb into his expensive car. Harper, the high-priced rookie outfielder in the Nationals’ system, decided to admire a homer he hit Monday off of Greensboro pitcher Zachary Neal, rather than circle the bases in a timely manner. When Neal expressed his displeasure at Harper’s behavior, Harper blew a kiss at Neal. The next time up, Harper was brushed back. He should have been drilled. Harper has plenty of talent. He could well be a big leaguer by next season. (Washington GM Mike Rizzo has said he won’t bring Harper to the big club in 2011.) But his attitude on that play was decidedly little league. If you don’t know about Harper, he was the kid who left high school a year early, in order to get to professional baseball ahead of schedule. It’s his prerogative to speed up the process, but you can see his maturity doesn’t quite match his skills. Harper has time to grow up, but if he continues to act like a buffoon after a class A homer in June, he could have a rough road in the majors, where behavior like he displayed earlier this week isn’t received too well and could lead to some hurt feelings – and body parts.
-EH-
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Great Depression
EL HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS
One afternoon, a woman walked into the kitchen in the big, old home in which she grew up and found her mother standing by the stove, holding an old pot, crying.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
It seemed that during the most desperate days of the Great Depression, when the woman’s father had been without a job for years, he was walking down the street and saw in the window of the local discount store the very pot her mother was holding. It cost ten cents, and when the man reached into his pocket, he found a dime – and nothing else.
“I just knew you could use a pot like that, so I went in and bought it for you,” the father told his wife.
Having come across the pot, the woman was overcome by the memory of her deceased husband’s generosity and no doubt remembered the sacrifices the family made during a horrible era in American history, so the woman wept. For millions of Americans, The Great Depression remains a stark symbol of despair and misery. Of hopelessness. And, yes, of tragedy.
So, when Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith had the nerve to offer hard times as the reason why five Buckeye football players sold memorabilia and exchanged items for getting some free ink done, El Hombre had the same sense of fury he did after suffering through “Caddyshack II.” Smith actually said that the players’ misdeeds were grounded in the good intentions of helping their families, as if they were Depression-era kids trudging off to work in the factories in order to put food on the table for their starving parents and siblings.
Smith’s attempt to make the Buckeyes’ shenanigans seem noble was rendered even more ridiculous when former OSU players began weighing in on the matter. For instance, Antonio Pittman tweeted the following: “This osu tattoo stuff is silly. Cats been getting hookups on tatts since back in ’01.” Guess times were tough then, too.
The swag-for-ink scandal, coach Jim Tressel’s subsequent cover-up, half-assed apology and wrist-slap, two-game penalty (whatever will the Bucks do against Akron and Toledo?) and the administration’s rather cavalier attitude toward the entire situation provide a perfect microcosm into the rudderless, leaderless state of collegiate athletics. Watching Smith try to justify the players’ rule breaking with his “helping their families” rationalization was disgusting, but OSU president Gordon Gee, whose bowtie should be festooned with scarlet and gray pom-poms, was worse. His response to a question regarding whether he considered firing Tressel was one for the books. “No, are you kidding?” he said. “Let me be very clear. I’m just hoping the coach doesn’t dismiss me.”
And there it is, ladies and gentlemen, the best evidence yet that college sports has spun so far out of control that no one can possibly save it. While Gee was cracking wise with his remarks – at a time when there was no room for sarcasm – he gave a little insight into who has the power at Ohio State. When you win as many games as Tressel does, fill the stadium to bursting and make the Buckeye brand a national commodity, you do not lose your job for lying to your “superiors” or the NC2A.
Firing Tressel would be the worst thing OSU could do, because this is not a case of integrity, rather a bottom-line issue. No Buckeye fan wants to go back to the days when the only way a John Cooper-led team could beat Michigan is if the Wolverines were poisoned before kickoff. Ohio State owns the Big Ten football world, and that brings with it giant piles of cash. The payoff OSU would have received for having the guts to fire Tressel for his transgressions wouldn’t have come close to the benefit he and his high-rolling program provide to the athletic department coffers. Let’s be honest here: This is no longer about institutional credibility. It’s all about a corporate approach to sports that is utterly beholden to the almighty buck(eye).
Ohio State isn’t alone. As much of a cartoon character Gee may be and as ham-handed as the school’s handling of Tressel’s cover-up and subsequent lying might be, they aren’t much different than the ways many other big-time schools operate. As coaches bloviate about wanting to “make a difference” in the lives of players and “provide second chances” to those who run afoul of the law or NC2A regulations, this is all about winning. And presidents like Gee have sacrificed the schools’ reputations and principles in return for wins and money. Worse, they are abdicating their authority to bottom-liners like Tressel, whose futures are shaped by on-field success, rather than graduation rates and other measurements of a university’s – rather than an athletic department’s – relative health.
Anybody who read last week’s Sports Illustrated article about its survey (in conjunction with CBS News) of the criminal pasts of players on last season’s pre-season top-25 football teams learned a valuable lesson about what matters on campus these days. When asked about whether it might make sense to run background checks on prospects, coaches responded that if they did it, rivals would use that against them on the recruiting trail. At no time did a president stomp his feet and declare that there must be an end to a culture that is running amok. As long as presidents are rubber-stamping the creation of phony-baloney majors in which to stash players ill-equipped for real academic work, giving coaches free rein over the players they court and allowing a wild-west atmosphere to prevail with cash and prizes available to the best of the best, college athletics will continue to drown in its own filth.
Ohio State’s handling of the Tressel incident has been comical and outrageous, but it can’t be considered surprising. Until a courageous group of presidents stands tall and refuses to allow its institutions to be sullied any further, this kind of behavior will continue – and even intensify. It sure is fun to experience the spectacle of college athletics, but it’s becoming more and more a guilty pleasure. If people like Tressel, Gee and Smith had a quarter of the character found in the man who spent his last dime on a pot for his wife, college sports would be a better place.
Sadly, that isn’t the case.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: The NC2A men’s basketball tournament welfare program continues through Sunday, as large conferences hold their post-season affairs in attempts to help members get extra wins to gain admittance to the round of 68. Sorry, mid-majors, but there’s no room for the inn for you, now that Colorado picked up a quarterfinal victory, Washington beat Washington State…Now that the Heat have beaten the Lakers, all is right in Miami, and plans can continue apace for the championship parade. The smartest thing Erik Spoelstra did was let Dwyane Wade take the big shots down the stretch vs. L.A. As much as LeBron James is heralded as the league’s best player, he isn’t the game’s best clutch player – not even close. There’s a reason why he chose to team with Wade and Chris Bosh, and it’s because James isn’t the kind of player capable of carrying a team to a title. He’s a good – very good – second banana to Wade, and the Heat will be better off if Wade handles the heavy lifting at the end of games from here on out…Eldrick Woods may become a championship golfer again, but he isn’t close to that level right now. No longer in a cocoon protected by PGA sycophants, fawning sponsors and fearful rivals, Woods must rely on what he has inside. As he has proven over the past 18 months, that isn’t a lot…Shame on the NHL for not suspending Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara for his hit on Montreal’s Max Pacioretty earlier this week. Pacioretty had already played the puck, and Chara used his elbow to slam Pacioretty into the bench divider along the boards. It was a cheap shot, and by not penalizing Chara, the league showed that it has a long way to go before people will think it cares about cleaning up its goon-like play. While other pro sports leagues are at least trying to cut down on hits that lead to concussions, the NHL continues to foster an anything-goes culture.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? It is now official: the Phillies need a second baseman. Whether Chase Utley has patellar tendinitis or degenerative cartilage under the kneecap, he can’t play baseball. And he probably won’t be able to play for the rest of the season. In fact, given the severity of the injury and the possible treatments beyond replacement of the kneecap, his career could be in jeopardy. If the Phillies are serious about winning the World Series, they have to make a dramatic move, because Wilson Valdez won’t cut it for 162 games. It would hurt to take on Michael Young’s salary, but it may be the only reasonable solution. Though 34 and expensive, Young is versatile, durable and productive. He’ll hit about 20 homers and knock in 80 runs. That’s not too shabby, especially for a team with questions about what it will get from the corner outfield positions. Joe Blanton has pitched well this spring, but he is a luxury on a staff with four “aces.” Trading him for Young would boost the payroll, but it may be the only way to make sure the Phils can achieve their goals. Put it this way: Do you think the team would be happier paying $8 million more than it wants to reach the Series or spending $160 million on a first-round playoff exit? Thought so.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: Today could be the day it all comes crashing down, or perhaps the NFL and its players will agree to another extension and week of posturing. Remember that even though the players are making millions, they remain a labor force going up against an ownership group unwilling to provide a truthful accounting of its expenses. It’s tough to feel the same sympathy for Ray Lewis as it is for a factory worker trying to support his family, but as long as the owners continue to hold back on the facts of their business, it’s impossible to believe they’re not trying to cheat the players. The owners are furious they conceded too much in the last CBA, and they don’t want to lose this time. Fair enough, but at least be truthful about it, rather than trying to convince fans that you – the same people who force season ticket holders to buy exhibition games at full freight – have their best interests in mind. It’s a 50-50 bet that an agreement will be reached in the next couple weeks, but don’t lose sight of the parties’ goals. Yes, the players want as much money as possible, but they also want good healthcare after they retire and deal with dilapidated bodies and softening minds. The owners want money, too, and they try to convince us they’re struggling, even as their franchise values soar to nine figures and TV networks stampede to their offices with gigantic checks. Both sides are trying to win the P.R. fight for fans’ hearts and minds in this negotiation. Be careful to whom you pledge your troth.
-EH-
One afternoon, a woman walked into the kitchen in the big, old home in which she grew up and found her mother standing by the stove, holding an old pot, crying.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
It seemed that during the most desperate days of the Great Depression, when the woman’s father had been without a job for years, he was walking down the street and saw in the window of the local discount store the very pot her mother was holding. It cost ten cents, and when the man reached into his pocket, he found a dime – and nothing else.
“I just knew you could use a pot like that, so I went in and bought it for you,” the father told his wife.
Having come across the pot, the woman was overcome by the memory of her deceased husband’s generosity and no doubt remembered the sacrifices the family made during a horrible era in American history, so the woman wept. For millions of Americans, The Great Depression remains a stark symbol of despair and misery. Of hopelessness. And, yes, of tragedy.
So, when Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith had the nerve to offer hard times as the reason why five Buckeye football players sold memorabilia and exchanged items for getting some free ink done, El Hombre had the same sense of fury he did after suffering through “Caddyshack II.” Smith actually said that the players’ misdeeds were grounded in the good intentions of helping their families, as if they were Depression-era kids trudging off to work in the factories in order to put food on the table for their starving parents and siblings.
Smith’s attempt to make the Buckeyes’ shenanigans seem noble was rendered even more ridiculous when former OSU players began weighing in on the matter. For instance, Antonio Pittman tweeted the following: “This osu tattoo stuff is silly. Cats been getting hookups on tatts since back in ’01.” Guess times were tough then, too.
The swag-for-ink scandal, coach Jim Tressel’s subsequent cover-up, half-assed apology and wrist-slap, two-game penalty (whatever will the Bucks do against Akron and Toledo?) and the administration’s rather cavalier attitude toward the entire situation provide a perfect microcosm into the rudderless, leaderless state of collegiate athletics. Watching Smith try to justify the players’ rule breaking with his “helping their families” rationalization was disgusting, but OSU president Gordon Gee, whose bowtie should be festooned with scarlet and gray pom-poms, was worse. His response to a question regarding whether he considered firing Tressel was one for the books. “No, are you kidding?” he said. “Let me be very clear. I’m just hoping the coach doesn’t dismiss me.”
And there it is, ladies and gentlemen, the best evidence yet that college sports has spun so far out of control that no one can possibly save it. While Gee was cracking wise with his remarks – at a time when there was no room for sarcasm – he gave a little insight into who has the power at Ohio State. When you win as many games as Tressel does, fill the stadium to bursting and make the Buckeye brand a national commodity, you do not lose your job for lying to your “superiors” or the NC2A.
Firing Tressel would be the worst thing OSU could do, because this is not a case of integrity, rather a bottom-line issue. No Buckeye fan wants to go back to the days when the only way a John Cooper-led team could beat Michigan is if the Wolverines were poisoned before kickoff. Ohio State owns the Big Ten football world, and that brings with it giant piles of cash. The payoff OSU would have received for having the guts to fire Tressel for his transgressions wouldn’t have come close to the benefit he and his high-rolling program provide to the athletic department coffers. Let’s be honest here: This is no longer about institutional credibility. It’s all about a corporate approach to sports that is utterly beholden to the almighty buck(eye).
Ohio State isn’t alone. As much of a cartoon character Gee may be and as ham-handed as the school’s handling of Tressel’s cover-up and subsequent lying might be, they aren’t much different than the ways many other big-time schools operate. As coaches bloviate about wanting to “make a difference” in the lives of players and “provide second chances” to those who run afoul of the law or NC2A regulations, this is all about winning. And presidents like Gee have sacrificed the schools’ reputations and principles in return for wins and money. Worse, they are abdicating their authority to bottom-liners like Tressel, whose futures are shaped by on-field success, rather than graduation rates and other measurements of a university’s – rather than an athletic department’s – relative health.
Anybody who read last week’s Sports Illustrated article about its survey (in conjunction with CBS News) of the criminal pasts of players on last season’s pre-season top-25 football teams learned a valuable lesson about what matters on campus these days. When asked about whether it might make sense to run background checks on prospects, coaches responded that if they did it, rivals would use that against them on the recruiting trail. At no time did a president stomp his feet and declare that there must be an end to a culture that is running amok. As long as presidents are rubber-stamping the creation of phony-baloney majors in which to stash players ill-equipped for real academic work, giving coaches free rein over the players they court and allowing a wild-west atmosphere to prevail with cash and prizes available to the best of the best, college athletics will continue to drown in its own filth.
Ohio State’s handling of the Tressel incident has been comical and outrageous, but it can’t be considered surprising. Until a courageous group of presidents stands tall and refuses to allow its institutions to be sullied any further, this kind of behavior will continue – and even intensify. It sure is fun to experience the spectacle of college athletics, but it’s becoming more and more a guilty pleasure. If people like Tressel, Gee and Smith had a quarter of the character found in the man who spent his last dime on a pot for his wife, college sports would be a better place.
Sadly, that isn’t the case.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: The NC2A men’s basketball tournament welfare program continues through Sunday, as large conferences hold their post-season affairs in attempts to help members get extra wins to gain admittance to the round of 68. Sorry, mid-majors, but there’s no room for the inn for you, now that Colorado picked up a quarterfinal victory, Washington beat Washington State…Now that the Heat have beaten the Lakers, all is right in Miami, and plans can continue apace for the championship parade. The smartest thing Erik Spoelstra did was let Dwyane Wade take the big shots down the stretch vs. L.A. As much as LeBron James is heralded as the league’s best player, he isn’t the game’s best clutch player – not even close. There’s a reason why he chose to team with Wade and Chris Bosh, and it’s because James isn’t the kind of player capable of carrying a team to a title. He’s a good – very good – second banana to Wade, and the Heat will be better off if Wade handles the heavy lifting at the end of games from here on out…Eldrick Woods may become a championship golfer again, but he isn’t close to that level right now. No longer in a cocoon protected by PGA sycophants, fawning sponsors and fearful rivals, Woods must rely on what he has inside. As he has proven over the past 18 months, that isn’t a lot…Shame on the NHL for not suspending Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara for his hit on Montreal’s Max Pacioretty earlier this week. Pacioretty had already played the puck, and Chara used his elbow to slam Pacioretty into the bench divider along the boards. It was a cheap shot, and by not penalizing Chara, the league showed that it has a long way to go before people will think it cares about cleaning up its goon-like play. While other pro sports leagues are at least trying to cut down on hits that lead to concussions, the NHL continues to foster an anything-goes culture.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? It is now official: the Phillies need a second baseman. Whether Chase Utley has patellar tendinitis or degenerative cartilage under the kneecap, he can’t play baseball. And he probably won’t be able to play for the rest of the season. In fact, given the severity of the injury and the possible treatments beyond replacement of the kneecap, his career could be in jeopardy. If the Phillies are serious about winning the World Series, they have to make a dramatic move, because Wilson Valdez won’t cut it for 162 games. It would hurt to take on Michael Young’s salary, but it may be the only reasonable solution. Though 34 and expensive, Young is versatile, durable and productive. He’ll hit about 20 homers and knock in 80 runs. That’s not too shabby, especially for a team with questions about what it will get from the corner outfield positions. Joe Blanton has pitched well this spring, but he is a luxury on a staff with four “aces.” Trading him for Young would boost the payroll, but it may be the only way to make sure the Phils can achieve their goals. Put it this way: Do you think the team would be happier paying $8 million more than it wants to reach the Series or spending $160 million on a first-round playoff exit? Thought so.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: Today could be the day it all comes crashing down, or perhaps the NFL and its players will agree to another extension and week of posturing. Remember that even though the players are making millions, they remain a labor force going up against an ownership group unwilling to provide a truthful accounting of its expenses. It’s tough to feel the same sympathy for Ray Lewis as it is for a factory worker trying to support his family, but as long as the owners continue to hold back on the facts of their business, it’s impossible to believe they’re not trying to cheat the players. The owners are furious they conceded too much in the last CBA, and they don’t want to lose this time. Fair enough, but at least be truthful about it, rather than trying to convince fans that you – the same people who force season ticket holders to buy exhibition games at full freight – have their best interests in mind. It’s a 50-50 bet that an agreement will be reached in the next couple weeks, but don’t lose sight of the parties’ goals. Yes, the players want as much money as possible, but they also want good healthcare after they retire and deal with dilapidated bodies and softening minds. The owners want money, too, and they try to convince us they’re struggling, even as their franchise values soar to nine figures and TV networks stampede to their offices with gigantic checks. Both sides are trying to win the P.R. fight for fans’ hearts and minds in this negotiation. Be careful to whom you pledge your troth.
-EH-
Friday, February 4, 2011
Something's Missing
EL HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS
As the NFL promotional machine cranks itself up to new and more ridiculous levels than ever, the actual game looms mercifully Sunday as an antidote to the silliness and self-indulgence that have characterized the country’s most popular sport’s signature event. Soon, we won’t have to worry about wigs and fur coats and endless analysis about key players and difference-makers. It won’t matter whether Ben Roethlisberger sang “Piano Man” Tuesday night – and off key, at that. It will be football time, and all will be right for fans who grow ever weary of the league’s attempts to turn a competition into a spectacle and a spectacle into a parody.
We get a gift this time, as two old-time franchises trudge to the middle of False Face’s pleasure dome. No nouveau squads in garish uniforms (see Cardinals, Arizona; Seahawks, Seattle and Titans, Tennessee). No mascots. No cheerleaders, although not even El Hombre is a big enough purist to wish away that part of the show. We have two top-10 QBs, a pair of violent defenses and a notable absence of trash-spewing players and coaches. The league’s bad guys are home, licking their wounds and preparing to launch envious Twitter assaults. Amidst the 21st century nonsense that has become so much a part of the NFL experience, this game is welcome respite.
Not everything is perfect. The teams will meet indoors. And Fox will no doubt be at its self-aggrandizing best. But the worst blotch on the game is the absence of the one man capable of giving it the necessary gravitas and historical perspective. The man for whose baritone a game like this was made.
John Facenda.
The Voice of God headed to the heavenly press box in 1984, leaving NFL Films with a deficit at the microphone. His successors – the great Harry Kalas among them – though game and certainly capable, never duplicated Facenda’s legendary delivery. Hearing him say, “Otis Taylor turned a routine hitch pass into a devastating touchdown,” was almost like listening to John F. Kennedy ask us what we could do for our country. That was Facenda. That was the magic of the 1970s NFL, and that’s what El Hombre wishes he could have for this one. Pittsburgh-Green Bay does not deserve anything but the best. This matches the teams with the most Super Bowl titles (Pittsburgh: 6) and NFL championships (Green Bay: 11). It conjures memories of Vince Lombardi and the Packer Sweep, and Chuck Noll and the Steel Curtain. If any game cried out for Facenda, it was this one.
Facenda’s narration of NFL Films’ half-hour Super Bowl presentations imbued even the blandest game – like the tedious ’73 Miami-Washington ordeal – with a sense of drama. Routine plays became heroic. Big performances were rendered legendary. As the Steelers, Packers and their compelling histories prepare to clash, nothing short of Facenda’s authoritative presence could provide the necessary context. No matter how great the game is (or isn’t), there will definitely be something missing, especially as the league and its propaganda partners contort their minds in pursuit of enough “news” to fill the long hours leading up to the game.
On the field, we might not be disappointed, even if a small percentage of previous Super Bowls has been worthy of the game’s appellation. There can be little argument that the two teams represent the best of their respective conferences. Neither “shocked the world” by reaching the Super Bowl, even though Green Bay did emerge from the wild-card position to play for all the cheese. Many thought Captain Hoodie’s troops would represent the AFC, but the Steelers used their balance to beat Baltimore and the Jets – who had made the Pats look ordinary a week before.
Perhaps the best thing about both teams is that each is committed to running the football. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers may have thrown for 3,922 yards during the regular season, but the Packers showed a strong devotion to the run during the playoffs, averaging 31.7 carries per game, which is actually more than the passes they attempted (by a shade). The Steelers, meanwhile, ran it 23 more times than they have passed it in wins over Baltimore and New York. This is yet another reason to love the two teams. In a league that has done everything it can to propagate the passing game, they realize that truly successful
teams can mash.
And play D. That has been the Steelers’ hallmark since Chuck Noll took over back in ’69 and continues under coordinator Dick LeBeau. Under Mike McCarthy, the Packers have become better and better on that side of the ball. After spending three seasons (2006-08) out of the top 10 in total defense, the Pack has been second and fifth the past two. A big reason for that is the 2009 decision to hire Dom Capers to run the defense. Since his arrival, not to mention the ’09 decision to draft human drain plug B.J. Raji and all-everything LB Clay Matthews with the team’s two first-round picks, the Packers have been much better.
Were this game not surrounded by a full hour of commercial and promotional folderol it might be a quick one, as two teams devoted to working the clock slug it out. Instead, when Fox’s lead-in to a “very special episode” of Glee concludes, it will likely have dragged on for four hours. When it’s finally over, and the Lombardi Trophy (please, NFL, don’t redesign it like you did the conference hardware) is awarded, Pittsburgh will have grabbed its seventh Super Bowl title. The Steelers are a little better on D, will run the ball with more success, and Roethlisberger will – as usual – make a couple big plays down the stretch. Pittsburgh 24, Green Bay 20. (Post-season record against the spread: 7-3.)
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: Say what you want about hockey’s goon factor, but you can’t deny the entertainment value of Thursday’s Stars-Bruins game, which featured three fights in the first four seconds (that’s right) of play…Shame on CBS College Sports for making deposed Michigan football coach Rich Ro-riguez (no D) interview his successor, Brady Hoke, on signing day. Ro-riguez deserved to get the gate in Ann Arbor, but he didn’t have to endure the session with Hoke. What’s next, video of his most recent colonoscopy?...There are reports of match fixing, gambling and gangsters in the world of sumo wrestling as the scandal ballooned this week. The scope of the investigation continues to widen, and the perps could face fat fines and hefty suspensions. Japanese TV networks are considering dropping live coverage of the March tournament and replacing it with competitive eating…Amidst huge statewide education budget cuts and continued concerns about whether some schools can even stay open, Allen HS is building a $60 million, 18,000-seat stadium on campus. At least the taxpayers’ money isn’t being wasted on something frivolous, like a new chem lab, or the people would be pretty steamed.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? When El Hombre received an e-mail Wednesday morning from an Airtight Source telling him the Eagles were about to hire a defensive coordinator who had never coached D in the NFL before, he couldn’t believe it. Neither could the two league execs he asked whether that made any sense. But, sure enough, later that day, the Birds announced they were promoting offensive line coach Juan Castillo to DC. It’s a move that defies description and explanation. No matter how the Eagles want to rationalize this, it doesn’t smell right. If moving someone from a position coaching spot one side of the ball to a coordinator’s position on the other side made so much sense, how come it isn’t done more often? Or at all? The true story of this one won’t be out for a while, and El Hombre believes it has more to do with Castillo’s replacement, formerly-retired Howard Mudd, than it does with the team’s feeling that Castillo is the next Jim Johnson. Head coach Andy Reid has put his sizeable posterior on the line before, but this could be his biggest exposure yet. Should Castillo fail to do the job, it won’t be viewed as his fault, rather the responsibility of the man who put him in the wrong position. Reid may feel he’s bulletproof within the organization, but this move might tear away some of the Kevlar that surrounds him. We’ll wait and see, out of respect to Castillo, but a failure could topple Reid’s regime.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: This is El Hombre’s 300th effort, and the past six-plus years have been a fun ride – to where, nobody really knows. What began as a means of clearing the opinions out of a cluttered mind has turned into something with (limited) national appeal and a community of readers/responders that is edifying. EH promises the next 300 missives will be filled with the same passion, strident beliefs, whimsy and, yes, anger – not to mention plenty of Animal House references – that the previous collection was. If you like what you’re seeing, you can find more by checking out @DailyHombre on Twitter. Thanks for reading.
-EH-
As the NFL promotional machine cranks itself up to new and more ridiculous levels than ever, the actual game looms mercifully Sunday as an antidote to the silliness and self-indulgence that have characterized the country’s most popular sport’s signature event. Soon, we won’t have to worry about wigs and fur coats and endless analysis about key players and difference-makers. It won’t matter whether Ben Roethlisberger sang “Piano Man” Tuesday night – and off key, at that. It will be football time, and all will be right for fans who grow ever weary of the league’s attempts to turn a competition into a spectacle and a spectacle into a parody.
We get a gift this time, as two old-time franchises trudge to the middle of False Face’s pleasure dome. No nouveau squads in garish uniforms (see Cardinals, Arizona; Seahawks, Seattle and Titans, Tennessee). No mascots. No cheerleaders, although not even El Hombre is a big enough purist to wish away that part of the show. We have two top-10 QBs, a pair of violent defenses and a notable absence of trash-spewing players and coaches. The league’s bad guys are home, licking their wounds and preparing to launch envious Twitter assaults. Amidst the 21st century nonsense that has become so much a part of the NFL experience, this game is welcome respite.
Not everything is perfect. The teams will meet indoors. And Fox will no doubt be at its self-aggrandizing best. But the worst blotch on the game is the absence of the one man capable of giving it the necessary gravitas and historical perspective. The man for whose baritone a game like this was made.
John Facenda.
The Voice of God headed to the heavenly press box in 1984, leaving NFL Films with a deficit at the microphone. His successors – the great Harry Kalas among them – though game and certainly capable, never duplicated Facenda’s legendary delivery. Hearing him say, “Otis Taylor turned a routine hitch pass into a devastating touchdown,” was almost like listening to John F. Kennedy ask us what we could do for our country. That was Facenda. That was the magic of the 1970s NFL, and that’s what El Hombre wishes he could have for this one. Pittsburgh-Green Bay does not deserve anything but the best. This matches the teams with the most Super Bowl titles (Pittsburgh: 6) and NFL championships (Green Bay: 11). It conjures memories of Vince Lombardi and the Packer Sweep, and Chuck Noll and the Steel Curtain. If any game cried out for Facenda, it was this one.
Facenda’s narration of NFL Films’ half-hour Super Bowl presentations imbued even the blandest game – like the tedious ’73 Miami-Washington ordeal – with a sense of drama. Routine plays became heroic. Big performances were rendered legendary. As the Steelers, Packers and their compelling histories prepare to clash, nothing short of Facenda’s authoritative presence could provide the necessary context. No matter how great the game is (or isn’t), there will definitely be something missing, especially as the league and its propaganda partners contort their minds in pursuit of enough “news” to fill the long hours leading up to the game.
On the field, we might not be disappointed, even if a small percentage of previous Super Bowls has been worthy of the game’s appellation. There can be little argument that the two teams represent the best of their respective conferences. Neither “shocked the world” by reaching the Super Bowl, even though Green Bay did emerge from the wild-card position to play for all the cheese. Many thought Captain Hoodie’s troops would represent the AFC, but the Steelers used their balance to beat Baltimore and the Jets – who had made the Pats look ordinary a week before.
Perhaps the best thing about both teams is that each is committed to running the football. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers may have thrown for 3,922 yards during the regular season, but the Packers showed a strong devotion to the run during the playoffs, averaging 31.7 carries per game, which is actually more than the passes they attempted (by a shade). The Steelers, meanwhile, ran it 23 more times than they have passed it in wins over Baltimore and New York. This is yet another reason to love the two teams. In a league that has done everything it can to propagate the passing game, they realize that truly successful
teams can mash.
And play D. That has been the Steelers’ hallmark since Chuck Noll took over back in ’69 and continues under coordinator Dick LeBeau. Under Mike McCarthy, the Packers have become better and better on that side of the ball. After spending three seasons (2006-08) out of the top 10 in total defense, the Pack has been second and fifth the past two. A big reason for that is the 2009 decision to hire Dom Capers to run the defense. Since his arrival, not to mention the ’09 decision to draft human drain plug B.J. Raji and all-everything LB Clay Matthews with the team’s two first-round picks, the Packers have been much better.
Were this game not surrounded by a full hour of commercial and promotional folderol it might be a quick one, as two teams devoted to working the clock slug it out. Instead, when Fox’s lead-in to a “very special episode” of Glee concludes, it will likely have dragged on for four hours. When it’s finally over, and the Lombardi Trophy (please, NFL, don’t redesign it like you did the conference hardware) is awarded, Pittsburgh will have grabbed its seventh Super Bowl title. The Steelers are a little better on D, will run the ball with more success, and Roethlisberger will – as usual – make a couple big plays down the stretch. Pittsburgh 24, Green Bay 20. (Post-season record against the spread: 7-3.)
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: Say what you want about hockey’s goon factor, but you can’t deny the entertainment value of Thursday’s Stars-Bruins game, which featured three fights in the first four seconds (that’s right) of play…Shame on CBS College Sports for making deposed Michigan football coach Rich Ro-riguez (no D) interview his successor, Brady Hoke, on signing day. Ro-riguez deserved to get the gate in Ann Arbor, but he didn’t have to endure the session with Hoke. What’s next, video of his most recent colonoscopy?...There are reports of match fixing, gambling and gangsters in the world of sumo wrestling as the scandal ballooned this week. The scope of the investigation continues to widen, and the perps could face fat fines and hefty suspensions. Japanese TV networks are considering dropping live coverage of the March tournament and replacing it with competitive eating…Amidst huge statewide education budget cuts and continued concerns about whether some schools can even stay open, Allen HS is building a $60 million, 18,000-seat stadium on campus. At least the taxpayers’ money isn’t being wasted on something frivolous, like a new chem lab, or the people would be pretty steamed.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? When El Hombre received an e-mail Wednesday morning from an Airtight Source telling him the Eagles were about to hire a defensive coordinator who had never coached D in the NFL before, he couldn’t believe it. Neither could the two league execs he asked whether that made any sense. But, sure enough, later that day, the Birds announced they were promoting offensive line coach Juan Castillo to DC. It’s a move that defies description and explanation. No matter how the Eagles want to rationalize this, it doesn’t smell right. If moving someone from a position coaching spot one side of the ball to a coordinator’s position on the other side made so much sense, how come it isn’t done more often? Or at all? The true story of this one won’t be out for a while, and El Hombre believes it has more to do with Castillo’s replacement, formerly-retired Howard Mudd, than it does with the team’s feeling that Castillo is the next Jim Johnson. Head coach Andy Reid has put his sizeable posterior on the line before, but this could be his biggest exposure yet. Should Castillo fail to do the job, it won’t be viewed as his fault, rather the responsibility of the man who put him in the wrong position. Reid may feel he’s bulletproof within the organization, but this move might tear away some of the Kevlar that surrounds him. We’ll wait and see, out of respect to Castillo, but a failure could topple Reid’s regime.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: This is El Hombre’s 300th effort, and the past six-plus years have been a fun ride – to where, nobody really knows. What began as a means of clearing the opinions out of a cluttered mind has turned into something with (limited) national appeal and a community of readers/responders that is edifying. EH promises the next 300 missives will be filled with the same passion, strident beliefs, whimsy and, yes, anger – not to mention plenty of Animal House references – that the previous collection was. If you like what you’re seeing, you can find more by checking out @DailyHombre on Twitter. Thanks for reading.
-EH-
Friday, January 21, 2011
School Daze
EL HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS
Last week, El Hombre had the opportunity to interview the only Iranian playing Division I basketball. Arsalan Kazemi is a spring-loaded forward who’s averaging about 17 and 11 for Rice, and he doesn’t mention “jihad” or “Great Satan” whenever he talks about America. Of course, that doesn’t stop him from being detained every time he comes to the country by security officials who think he’s in the country to collect some yellowcake uranium or detonate an IED at the Rose Parade. At least his wait time has dropped, from six-and-a-half hours the first time he arrived here, to three hours. Pretty soon, he’ll get sent on his way with only a body-cavity scavenger hunt by Sausage Fingers McGee.
After discussing Kazemi’s journey from the crowded Iranian city of Esfahan to Houston, El Hombre asked the Owl sophomore if he was still studying economics, as an earlier article had revealed. The answer was depressing.
“I changed my major to sports management, with a minor in business, because it was too hard to study economics and play basketball,” he said.
Here’s a kid from Iran, who is clearly pretty sharp – why else would he think to tackle economics in the first place? – and the rigors of his sport have forced him to find an easier way to navigate Rice’s academic waters. Nothing against sports management majors; they may some day be running athletic departments and NBA franchises, but it’s sad that Kazemi has surrendered his original major for something that makes it easier for him to bounce the round ball. At least he’s still in a course of study that has the potential to serve him down the road. Most players who are shunted away from serious paths in the pursuit of great athletic glory are directed toward concentrations like astrology or history of grunge rock.
It’s time for college athletics to drop the sham and admit that they have taken over many of this nation’s fine academic institutions. The idea of sports as an extracurricular activity is quaint. The thought that it is a way for universities to promote themselves is antiquated. Today’s big-time (and big-time hopeful) programs are corporations that rival the professional teams from which they once worked so hard to separate themselves. Wednesday’s announcement that espn was paying the University of Texas $300 million for the rights to produce 20 years of the Longhorn Network just about sealed the deal. Even though Texas threw the pointy-heads a bone by endowing a pair of professor’s chairs with some of the booty, the windfall is the latest and most damning argument against college sports.
Most astonishing, at least from espn’s point of view is what the channel will run. Since Texas has deals with Fox and espn to televise the vast majority of its football and men’s basketball games, the LN will get one grid contest, most likely against Amarillo College of Animal Husbandry, and eight hoop games, with the centerpiece likely to be the annual clash with Iowa State. Other than that, we’re looking at 24 hours a day of “Olympic” sports and the ever-popular “shoulder programming,” of coaches’ shows, hard-hitting newsmagazines, feature shows (“Bevo’s Blind Date”) and other pap. Texas gets $15 mil a year, on top of the 10 large it takes in from IMG for radio and on-line rights and $10-15 million from the Big 12 for TV, bowls and NC2A tournament appearances. Last year, the school’s athletic budget was a nation’s-highest $137 million. Expect that to grow considerably as athletic administrators find ways to use espn cash to buy their wives burnt-orange mink coats. And El Hombre won’t even get into the conflict of interest between espn, which still purports itself to be a news-gathering organization, and one of the schools it covers.
As the coffers fill to capacity, the Athlete-Students continue to take the brunt of it, whether it’s through phony-baloney courses of “study,” onerous NC2A rules designed to favor institutions or a continued refusal to share the revenue streams that are generated through their hard work and sacrifice. Guys like Kazemi are the lucky ones. He’ll likely get a degree from a fine university like Rice. That should help him back home or here, once his basketball playing days are over. Others will leave school with no marketable skill and an “education” that prepares them little for the professional world. Meanwhile, the cash registers at factories like Texas continue to ring at record rates, and the professionalization of college sports continues at a breakneck pace. The Longhorn Network is the next step in a natural progression, but it’s one that causes more concern than the usual money grabs executed by big-time programs. While it’s unlikely East Carolina will get its own network any time soon, the barrier has been broken, and soon all the other big boys will want a TV channel of their own.
If they don’t get that, they’ll find some other way to rake in extra cash. Meanwhile, tuitions soar, academic programs are cut, and most professors’ salaries don’t come near those of coaches. Enjoy it all now, because in 10-15 years, the whole thing will be undistinguishable from the professional ranks – with one exception.
The players will be getting screwed.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: Mr. Metallurgy dropped a resounding “Nyet!” on the Carmelo Anthony-to-New-Jersey trade, no doubt upsetting Nets fans in the short run but helping the team in the long haul. Anthony is a selfish scorer who will never win a ring, unless he plays a supporting role on an all-star team. You don’t want him as a leader, and his petulance and lack of professionalism this season prove that…Here’s some more big NBA news: Brandon Jennings will be replaced in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest lineup by DeMar DeRozan. DeWho DeCares? If the league were smart, it would lower the rims to 9 feet and have a Legends Dunk Contest featuring Dr. J, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Darnell Hillman’s mighty, mighty Afro…TV analyst Todd Woodbridge’s series of gaffes surrounding the shape of tennis star Kim Clijsters is priceless. First, he texted a friend that Clijsters seemed “grumpy” and that her “boobs are bigger,” indications to him that she was pregnant. Then, in a televised interview, he asked outright whether Clijsters was indeed in the family way. What’s next, telling Serena Williams that her outfit makes “her butt look big?” Wise up, Todd…Off of Oahu, surfing officials are gearing up for the possibility of a rare “Eddie,” the contest that only takes place when wave heights reach 20 feet. Boarders from all over will head to the islands for next Thursday’s contest. The only rule: First one to California wins…There was some big news in college basketball earlier this week when John Calipari cursed out one of his players. The horror! There were also rumors Tom Izzo yelled at a ref, Coach K made a sarcastic comment and Jim Boeheim whined. Please.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? The only thing moderately surprising about Andy Reid’s decision to fire defensive coordinator Sean McDermott was that the Eagles’ coach told assembled media five days earlier that McDermott was coming back for the ’11 season. Reid usually equivocates in such situations, preferring instead to consider situations, look at film and read Tarot cards, rather than give a direct answer. Offering up McDermott makes perfect sense for a coach who is unwilling to take responsibility for his team’s defensive shortcomings. No amount of “that’s on me” comments can mask his rear-covering decision to axe McDermott, rather than acknowledge that not even Buddy Ryan could have crafted a bloodthirsty defense out of the shaky personnel Reid provided. The Eagles lack playmakers at all positions, have a crashing dearth of talent at cornerback behind Asante Samuel and don’t care about signing or drafting impact linebackers. Jim Johnson was a master, but he had far more talent at his disposal than did McDermott. It’s no surprise the coach was picked up immediately by the Panthers, because everybody around the league realized Reid was merely trying to protect himself at the expense of someone else. In the future, he’ll have to do a better job with that.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: As NFL commissioner Roger Goodell prepares for the lockout and the 18-game season designed to line owners’ wallets and cripple the workforce, he’s probably popping open bottles of champagne every hour to celebrate the league’s conference title game matchups. It’s almost perfect. No stupid uniforms like the Cardinals’ all-red jobs or any Titans combination. Both games will be played on grass. Outdoors. There is tradition. There are great QBs. Expect a ratings bonanza – and two pretty good football games. The Jets and linebacker Bart Scott “CAN’T WAIT!” for their trip to Pittsburgh, but that thinking may be a little short-sighted. Sure, the Jets beat the Steelers in December, but Troy Polamalu did not play that day for Pittsburgh. New York has been impressive in defeating Indy and the Bradys, but taking down three straight heavyweights on the road is too tall a task. Pittsburgh 23, New York 14. The 183rd renewal of the Bears-Packers rivalry is the biggest one yet and only the second post-season meeting between the historic foes. Expect a steady dose of old-school footage before the game – thankfully – and a pair of rough-and-tumble defenses once kickoff comes. Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers gets the edge over Chicago’s Jay Cutler, even though Cutler has played well of late, but the difference in this one will be the Packers’ underrated D. Green Bay 24, Chicago 17.
-EH-
Last week, El Hombre had the opportunity to interview the only Iranian playing Division I basketball. Arsalan Kazemi is a spring-loaded forward who’s averaging about 17 and 11 for Rice, and he doesn’t mention “jihad” or “Great Satan” whenever he talks about America. Of course, that doesn’t stop him from being detained every time he comes to the country by security officials who think he’s in the country to collect some yellowcake uranium or detonate an IED at the Rose Parade. At least his wait time has dropped, from six-and-a-half hours the first time he arrived here, to three hours. Pretty soon, he’ll get sent on his way with only a body-cavity scavenger hunt by Sausage Fingers McGee.
After discussing Kazemi’s journey from the crowded Iranian city of Esfahan to Houston, El Hombre asked the Owl sophomore if he was still studying economics, as an earlier article had revealed. The answer was depressing.
“I changed my major to sports management, with a minor in business, because it was too hard to study economics and play basketball,” he said.
Here’s a kid from Iran, who is clearly pretty sharp – why else would he think to tackle economics in the first place? – and the rigors of his sport have forced him to find an easier way to navigate Rice’s academic waters. Nothing against sports management majors; they may some day be running athletic departments and NBA franchises, but it’s sad that Kazemi has surrendered his original major for something that makes it easier for him to bounce the round ball. At least he’s still in a course of study that has the potential to serve him down the road. Most players who are shunted away from serious paths in the pursuit of great athletic glory are directed toward concentrations like astrology or history of grunge rock.
It’s time for college athletics to drop the sham and admit that they have taken over many of this nation’s fine academic institutions. The idea of sports as an extracurricular activity is quaint. The thought that it is a way for universities to promote themselves is antiquated. Today’s big-time (and big-time hopeful) programs are corporations that rival the professional teams from which they once worked so hard to separate themselves. Wednesday’s announcement that espn was paying the University of Texas $300 million for the rights to produce 20 years of the Longhorn Network just about sealed the deal. Even though Texas threw the pointy-heads a bone by endowing a pair of professor’s chairs with some of the booty, the windfall is the latest and most damning argument against college sports.
Most astonishing, at least from espn’s point of view is what the channel will run. Since Texas has deals with Fox and espn to televise the vast majority of its football and men’s basketball games, the LN will get one grid contest, most likely against Amarillo College of Animal Husbandry, and eight hoop games, with the centerpiece likely to be the annual clash with Iowa State. Other than that, we’re looking at 24 hours a day of “Olympic” sports and the ever-popular “shoulder programming,” of coaches’ shows, hard-hitting newsmagazines, feature shows (“Bevo’s Blind Date”) and other pap. Texas gets $15 mil a year, on top of the 10 large it takes in from IMG for radio and on-line rights and $10-15 million from the Big 12 for TV, bowls and NC2A tournament appearances. Last year, the school’s athletic budget was a nation’s-highest $137 million. Expect that to grow considerably as athletic administrators find ways to use espn cash to buy their wives burnt-orange mink coats. And El Hombre won’t even get into the conflict of interest between espn, which still purports itself to be a news-gathering organization, and one of the schools it covers.
As the coffers fill to capacity, the Athlete-Students continue to take the brunt of it, whether it’s through phony-baloney courses of “study,” onerous NC2A rules designed to favor institutions or a continued refusal to share the revenue streams that are generated through their hard work and sacrifice. Guys like Kazemi are the lucky ones. He’ll likely get a degree from a fine university like Rice. That should help him back home or here, once his basketball playing days are over. Others will leave school with no marketable skill and an “education” that prepares them little for the professional world. Meanwhile, the cash registers at factories like Texas continue to ring at record rates, and the professionalization of college sports continues at a breakneck pace. The Longhorn Network is the next step in a natural progression, but it’s one that causes more concern than the usual money grabs executed by big-time programs. While it’s unlikely East Carolina will get its own network any time soon, the barrier has been broken, and soon all the other big boys will want a TV channel of their own.
If they don’t get that, they’ll find some other way to rake in extra cash. Meanwhile, tuitions soar, academic programs are cut, and most professors’ salaries don’t come near those of coaches. Enjoy it all now, because in 10-15 years, the whole thing will be undistinguishable from the professional ranks – with one exception.
The players will be getting screwed.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: Mr. Metallurgy dropped a resounding “Nyet!” on the Carmelo Anthony-to-New-Jersey trade, no doubt upsetting Nets fans in the short run but helping the team in the long haul. Anthony is a selfish scorer who will never win a ring, unless he plays a supporting role on an all-star team. You don’t want him as a leader, and his petulance and lack of professionalism this season prove that…Here’s some more big NBA news: Brandon Jennings will be replaced in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest lineup by DeMar DeRozan. DeWho DeCares? If the league were smart, it would lower the rims to 9 feet and have a Legends Dunk Contest featuring Dr. J, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Darnell Hillman’s mighty, mighty Afro…TV analyst Todd Woodbridge’s series of gaffes surrounding the shape of tennis star Kim Clijsters is priceless. First, he texted a friend that Clijsters seemed “grumpy” and that her “boobs are bigger,” indications to him that she was pregnant. Then, in a televised interview, he asked outright whether Clijsters was indeed in the family way. What’s next, telling Serena Williams that her outfit makes “her butt look big?” Wise up, Todd…Off of Oahu, surfing officials are gearing up for the possibility of a rare “Eddie,” the contest that only takes place when wave heights reach 20 feet. Boarders from all over will head to the islands for next Thursday’s contest. The only rule: First one to California wins…There was some big news in college basketball earlier this week when John Calipari cursed out one of his players. The horror! There were also rumors Tom Izzo yelled at a ref, Coach K made a sarcastic comment and Jim Boeheim whined. Please.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? The only thing moderately surprising about Andy Reid’s decision to fire defensive coordinator Sean McDermott was that the Eagles’ coach told assembled media five days earlier that McDermott was coming back for the ’11 season. Reid usually equivocates in such situations, preferring instead to consider situations, look at film and read Tarot cards, rather than give a direct answer. Offering up McDermott makes perfect sense for a coach who is unwilling to take responsibility for his team’s defensive shortcomings. No amount of “that’s on me” comments can mask his rear-covering decision to axe McDermott, rather than acknowledge that not even Buddy Ryan could have crafted a bloodthirsty defense out of the shaky personnel Reid provided. The Eagles lack playmakers at all positions, have a crashing dearth of talent at cornerback behind Asante Samuel and don’t care about signing or drafting impact linebackers. Jim Johnson was a master, but he had far more talent at his disposal than did McDermott. It’s no surprise the coach was picked up immediately by the Panthers, because everybody around the league realized Reid was merely trying to protect himself at the expense of someone else. In the future, he’ll have to do a better job with that.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: As NFL commissioner Roger Goodell prepares for the lockout and the 18-game season designed to line owners’ wallets and cripple the workforce, he’s probably popping open bottles of champagne every hour to celebrate the league’s conference title game matchups. It’s almost perfect. No stupid uniforms like the Cardinals’ all-red jobs or any Titans combination. Both games will be played on grass. Outdoors. There is tradition. There are great QBs. Expect a ratings bonanza – and two pretty good football games. The Jets and linebacker Bart Scott “CAN’T WAIT!” for their trip to Pittsburgh, but that thinking may be a little short-sighted. Sure, the Jets beat the Steelers in December, but Troy Polamalu did not play that day for Pittsburgh. New York has been impressive in defeating Indy and the Bradys, but taking down three straight heavyweights on the road is too tall a task. Pittsburgh 23, New York 14. The 183rd renewal of the Bears-Packers rivalry is the biggest one yet and only the second post-season meeting between the historic foes. Expect a steady dose of old-school footage before the game – thankfully – and a pair of rough-and-tumble defenses once kickoff comes. Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers gets the edge over Chicago’s Jay Cutler, even though Cutler has played well of late, but the difference in this one will be the Packers’ underrated D. Green Bay 24, Chicago 17.
-EH-
Friday, January 7, 2011
Ready For Some (Playoff) Football
EL HOMBRE KNOWS SPORTS
Earlier this week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent out an intimate e-mail to about 5 million of the league’s customers declaring that labor peace will be achieved, and America’s number one sporting religion will not miss a minute of revenue gathering. On the confidence scale, it was akin to Justin Bieber’s saying he was ready to whip up on Randy Couture. Unless Goodell and his robber baron bosses can get players to accept a longer season, less money and a continued capricious approach to discipline – “The NFL: We care! (About offensive players.) – we’re looking at a work stoppage that could threaten the scintillating mini-camp, OTA and exhibition game portions of the program.
The biggest sham in the whole labor mess is the league’s insistence on an 18-game season. Or at least the P.R. run-up to it. After trying to convince us throughout the last several months that the players’ welfares were truly at the heart of league policy, Goodell and the billionaires want to add two games to the schedule, thereby expediting the future need for joint replacements and adding dozens more opportunities for players to endure the kind of dementia-inducing hits that already have 45-year old former warriors stumbling around like Lindsay Lohan on a bender.
Give Goodell and his propaganda ministers credit for concocting a scheme that has softened up fans in advance of the 18-game season. By fining (defensive) players for helmet-on-helmet hits and inventing terms like “defenseless receiver,” they have made it appear as if safety is the league’s top priority. This from a group of people who denied for years that blows to the head had dangerous short and long-term effects.
It is against that backdrop of hypocrisy that the NFL playoffs begin. Enjoy them, folks, because it could be many months before the big fellas start destroying their bodies for our enjoyment again. Of course, unless you live in New England, it’s going to be hard to derive too much pleasure from the proceedings, since the Patriots are so much better than everybody else that the tournament seems as pertinent as a public service announcement from the cast of “Jerseylicious.”
El Hombre isn’t so addled (yet) that he doesn’t remember the early February day in 2008, when the undefeated Pats lost to New York in the Super Bowl, delighting Mercury Morris and proving that nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. But this New England outfit seems different – and better equipped to go the distance – than did its predecessor. Tom Brady’s rock-star look notwithstanding, this is about the biggest blue-collar collection of successful players in recent memory. When your offensive skill package includes a Gronkowski, a Chadron State product, a double-hyphenated running back and a “star” receiver whose career average per catch is 10.7 yards, and you still lead the league in points scored, you have something special. And you want to talk about a “no-name” defense? Try these on for size: Banta-Cain, Ninkovich, Chung and Mayo. That sounds like one of those law firms you see advertised on local cable stations.
It all begins with Captain Hoodie, who espouses the philosophy that you don’t get the best 53 players; you get the right 53 players. For him, winning football is not the province of superstars but of players who want to sacrifice their egos for the system. That’s why he had no problem jettisoning overcooked wideout Randy Moss, once he went into full tantrum mode. It’s about production, not endorsements, and these Pats have a roster full of bottom-line players who appear invincible right now.
Of course, it’s rather easy to extol the proletarian virtues of a team when its QB is the best around. Brady is enjoying his second-best season (the remarkable ’07 campaign is out of reach), completing 65.9% of his passes and tossing 36 TD strikes against a mere four picks. He has maximized his production despite a stable of receivers that includes no big-play threat and precious little proven depth. That Brady is playing at such a high level is a testament to his powers, as well as the Patriots’ ability to outscheme and outexecute opponents. You may have more star power, but their team is superior to your big names.
That’s not to say the Pats are bulletproof. Baltimore smacked them around in Foxboro last year. The Steelers have shown plenty so far. And even Rex Ryan’s bunch is dangerous, provided it doesn’t fold up again in New England when the Pats start firing live ammunition, or if the coach gets distracted by a pair of sexy cheerleader feet.
Over in the NFC, the Falcons would like you to believe they are Super Bowl timber. They’re not. Roddy White is having a great year, but teams with just one receiver have problems against good post-season defenses. The scariest teams in that conference appear to be the two wild cards entries, New Orleans and Green Bay. The Saints beat Atlanta on the road a couple weeks ago and still have Drew Brees under center, last time El Hombre checked. The Packers, meanwhile, get plenty of attention for their great passing game, but it’s the Green Bay defense – ranked fifth in the NFL – that is the team’s biggest asset, particularly on the road. Don’t be surprised if one (or even both) of them is in the NFC title game.
That’s a few weeks off. Right now, fans need to get ready for the Wild Card round and perhaps the last time early January football will be of the playoff variety. If commissioner Goodwill and his owners get their wishes, this time of year will still be regular season, contusions and concussions be damned. Stay tuned for the next e-mail.
Here are this week’s playoff picks. Get ready to cash in, baby! New Orleans minus-10.5 over Seattle; Indianapolis minus-2.5 over the Jets; Baltimore minus-3 over Kansas City; Green Bay plus-2.5 against the Eagles.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: So, LeBron James has dubbed Miami the “Heatles,” has he? Clever, but James forgets one thing: People actually cheered when the Beatles came to town. He and his made-for-championship cronies don’t engender similar affection…Don’t know about you, but El Hombre has been riveted to the post-Jan. 1 bowl action. You just can’t beat a Middle Tennessee-Miami (OH) matchup. And that Kentucky-Pittsburgh clash promises to be a real humdinger. Looking for a culprit? Consider espn, which continues to manipulate everything it can about sports to suit its programming needs…Kudos to caring Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who denied quarterback Robert Bolden’s request for transfer. It isn’t enough that schools can terminate players’ scholarships after each season or run them off when their performance doesn’t match expectation. Now, Paterno wants to restrain an unhappy player from finding a better situation. Let your people go, Joe…Rafael Palmeiro is upset that he received only 11% of the vote in the recent Hall of Fame balloting and still blames someone else for his positive steroid test. Tough darts. Let’s hope voters continue to punish the juicers by denying them entrance to the Hall. If that means fewer members, so be it…Stay tuned to this space for periodic updates on the shocking scandal that has rocked the cricket world. Three Pakistani players have been accused of bowling “no-balls” at prearranged times during a test match with England and face lifetime bans. Speaking of no balls, how about that “performance” by Miami in the Sun Bowl. The Hurricane players dressed like they were ready for a forced march to Murmansk and played like they couldn’t wait to get back to Coral Gables. New coach Al Golden has plenty of work to do.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? Many media members and plenty of fans are devoting substantial energy to the Packers’ passing attack when assessing Sunday’s Green Bay-Philadelphia wild-card playoff game. While Aaron Rodgers and his crew of sticky-handed receivers are extremely dangerous, the real challenge for the Eagles comes from the Packer defense, which ranks fifth in the NFL and is no doubt frothing at the opportunity to see whether Michael Vick will continue his regression to the run-around QB he was in Atlanta. In a way, you can’t blame Vick’s move backward. He’s learning a brand new way to play the position, so it’s natural that he uses his instincts as a default reaction to new and more dangerous schemes from rival defenses. Plus, since he’s behind such a shaky offensive line, it’s hard to hang in and progress to the third read when marauding blitzers are charging toward him. If the Eagles want to have a chance Sunday, they had better keep Vick clean. Otherwise, he’ll be running around and likely commit backbreaking turnovers that will contribute to an early post-season exit.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: By waiting until Jan. 5 to make Rich Rodriguez’s dismissal official, Michigan head coach David Brandon added extra pressure to his search for a new head football coach. Worse, if he truly believed Rodriguez could have saved his job with a strong bowl showing against the SEC West’s fifth-place team, Wolverine fans shouldn’t have too much faith in his ability to choose the right man to replace Rodriguez. It was obvious to everybody that Rodriguez had to leave, and U-M’s ugly losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State proved that. If Brandon needed to see the Wolverines stumble around in the second half against Mississippi State(!) in order to decide Rodriguez’s fate, he wasn’t paying much attention the rest of the season. Let’s hope he was merely trying to save the $1.5 mil that came off Rodriguez’s buyout after Jan. 1 and that he has been compiling candidates all along and working back channels to make the right hire. And don’t think it has to be someone who is necessarily a “Michigan Man.” For instance, even though Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald has denied interest, he is definitely considering the spot but keeping it very quiet, due to his current post as a Big Ten head coach.
-EH-
Earlier this week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent out an intimate e-mail to about 5 million of the league’s customers declaring that labor peace will be achieved, and America’s number one sporting religion will not miss a minute of revenue gathering. On the confidence scale, it was akin to Justin Bieber’s saying he was ready to whip up on Randy Couture. Unless Goodell and his robber baron bosses can get players to accept a longer season, less money and a continued capricious approach to discipline – “The NFL: We care! (About offensive players.) – we’re looking at a work stoppage that could threaten the scintillating mini-camp, OTA and exhibition game portions of the program.
The biggest sham in the whole labor mess is the league’s insistence on an 18-game season. Or at least the P.R. run-up to it. After trying to convince us throughout the last several months that the players’ welfares were truly at the heart of league policy, Goodell and the billionaires want to add two games to the schedule, thereby expediting the future need for joint replacements and adding dozens more opportunities for players to endure the kind of dementia-inducing hits that already have 45-year old former warriors stumbling around like Lindsay Lohan on a bender.
Give Goodell and his propaganda ministers credit for concocting a scheme that has softened up fans in advance of the 18-game season. By fining (defensive) players for helmet-on-helmet hits and inventing terms like “defenseless receiver,” they have made it appear as if safety is the league’s top priority. This from a group of people who denied for years that blows to the head had dangerous short and long-term effects.
It is against that backdrop of hypocrisy that the NFL playoffs begin. Enjoy them, folks, because it could be many months before the big fellas start destroying their bodies for our enjoyment again. Of course, unless you live in New England, it’s going to be hard to derive too much pleasure from the proceedings, since the Patriots are so much better than everybody else that the tournament seems as pertinent as a public service announcement from the cast of “Jerseylicious.”
El Hombre isn’t so addled (yet) that he doesn’t remember the early February day in 2008, when the undefeated Pats lost to New York in the Super Bowl, delighting Mercury Morris and proving that nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. But this New England outfit seems different – and better equipped to go the distance – than did its predecessor. Tom Brady’s rock-star look notwithstanding, this is about the biggest blue-collar collection of successful players in recent memory. When your offensive skill package includes a Gronkowski, a Chadron State product, a double-hyphenated running back and a “star” receiver whose career average per catch is 10.7 yards, and you still lead the league in points scored, you have something special. And you want to talk about a “no-name” defense? Try these on for size: Banta-Cain, Ninkovich, Chung and Mayo. That sounds like one of those law firms you see advertised on local cable stations.
It all begins with Captain Hoodie, who espouses the philosophy that you don’t get the best 53 players; you get the right 53 players. For him, winning football is not the province of superstars but of players who want to sacrifice their egos for the system. That’s why he had no problem jettisoning overcooked wideout Randy Moss, once he went into full tantrum mode. It’s about production, not endorsements, and these Pats have a roster full of bottom-line players who appear invincible right now.
Of course, it’s rather easy to extol the proletarian virtues of a team when its QB is the best around. Brady is enjoying his second-best season (the remarkable ’07 campaign is out of reach), completing 65.9% of his passes and tossing 36 TD strikes against a mere four picks. He has maximized his production despite a stable of receivers that includes no big-play threat and precious little proven depth. That Brady is playing at such a high level is a testament to his powers, as well as the Patriots’ ability to outscheme and outexecute opponents. You may have more star power, but their team is superior to your big names.
That’s not to say the Pats are bulletproof. Baltimore smacked them around in Foxboro last year. The Steelers have shown plenty so far. And even Rex Ryan’s bunch is dangerous, provided it doesn’t fold up again in New England when the Pats start firing live ammunition, or if the coach gets distracted by a pair of sexy cheerleader feet.
Over in the NFC, the Falcons would like you to believe they are Super Bowl timber. They’re not. Roddy White is having a great year, but teams with just one receiver have problems against good post-season defenses. The scariest teams in that conference appear to be the two wild cards entries, New Orleans and Green Bay. The Saints beat Atlanta on the road a couple weeks ago and still have Drew Brees under center, last time El Hombre checked. The Packers, meanwhile, get plenty of attention for their great passing game, but it’s the Green Bay defense – ranked fifth in the NFL – that is the team’s biggest asset, particularly on the road. Don’t be surprised if one (or even both) of them is in the NFC title game.
That’s a few weeks off. Right now, fans need to get ready for the Wild Card round and perhaps the last time early January football will be of the playoff variety. If commissioner Goodwill and his owners get their wishes, this time of year will still be regular season, contusions and concussions be damned. Stay tuned for the next e-mail.
Here are this week’s playoff picks. Get ready to cash in, baby! New Orleans minus-10.5 over Seattle; Indianapolis minus-2.5 over the Jets; Baltimore minus-3 over Kansas City; Green Bay plus-2.5 against the Eagles.
* * *
EL HOMBRE SEZ: So, LeBron James has dubbed Miami the “Heatles,” has he? Clever, but James forgets one thing: People actually cheered when the Beatles came to town. He and his made-for-championship cronies don’t engender similar affection…Don’t know about you, but El Hombre has been riveted to the post-Jan. 1 bowl action. You just can’t beat a Middle Tennessee-Miami (OH) matchup. And that Kentucky-Pittsburgh clash promises to be a real humdinger. Looking for a culprit? Consider espn, which continues to manipulate everything it can about sports to suit its programming needs…Kudos to caring Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who denied quarterback Robert Bolden’s request for transfer. It isn’t enough that schools can terminate players’ scholarships after each season or run them off when their performance doesn’t match expectation. Now, Paterno wants to restrain an unhappy player from finding a better situation. Let your people go, Joe…Rafael Palmeiro is upset that he received only 11% of the vote in the recent Hall of Fame balloting and still blames someone else for his positive steroid test. Tough darts. Let’s hope voters continue to punish the juicers by denying them entrance to the Hall. If that means fewer members, so be it…Stay tuned to this space for periodic updates on the shocking scandal that has rocked the cricket world. Three Pakistani players have been accused of bowling “no-balls” at prearranged times during a test match with England and face lifetime bans. Speaking of no balls, how about that “performance” by Miami in the Sun Bowl. The Hurricane players dressed like they were ready for a forced march to Murmansk and played like they couldn’t wait to get back to Coral Gables. New coach Al Golden has plenty of work to do.
* * *
YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? Many media members and plenty of fans are devoting substantial energy to the Packers’ passing attack when assessing Sunday’s Green Bay-Philadelphia wild-card playoff game. While Aaron Rodgers and his crew of sticky-handed receivers are extremely dangerous, the real challenge for the Eagles comes from the Packer defense, which ranks fifth in the NFL and is no doubt frothing at the opportunity to see whether Michael Vick will continue his regression to the run-around QB he was in Atlanta. In a way, you can’t blame Vick’s move backward. He’s learning a brand new way to play the position, so it’s natural that he uses his instincts as a default reaction to new and more dangerous schemes from rival defenses. Plus, since he’s behind such a shaky offensive line, it’s hard to hang in and progress to the third read when marauding blitzers are charging toward him. If the Eagles want to have a chance Sunday, they had better keep Vick clean. Otherwise, he’ll be running around and likely commit backbreaking turnovers that will contribute to an early post-season exit.
* * *
AND ANOTHER THING: By waiting until Jan. 5 to make Rich Rodriguez’s dismissal official, Michigan head coach David Brandon added extra pressure to his search for a new head football coach. Worse, if he truly believed Rodriguez could have saved his job with a strong bowl showing against the SEC West’s fifth-place team, Wolverine fans shouldn’t have too much faith in his ability to choose the right man to replace Rodriguez. It was obvious to everybody that Rodriguez had to leave, and U-M’s ugly losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State proved that. If Brandon needed to see the Wolverines stumble around in the second half against Mississippi State(!) in order to decide Rodriguez’s fate, he wasn’t paying much attention the rest of the season. Let’s hope he was merely trying to save the $1.5 mil that came off Rodriguez’s buyout after Jan. 1 and that he has been compiling candidates all along and working back channels to make the right hire. And don’t think it has to be someone who is necessarily a “Michigan Man.” For instance, even though Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald has denied interest, he is definitely considering the spot but keeping it very quiet, due to his current post as a Big Ten head coach.
-EH-
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