The times, they are a changing

What has happened to all the loud mouth receivers in the NFL?
Randy Moss everyone’s favorite boisterous juice entrepreneur, has stopped running his mouth and instead has been running his touchdown total up to point where he might pass Jerry Rice’s single season record of 22 touchdowns in the strike shortened season of 1987.
Terrell Owens, a man who nobody in the NFL has been able to shut up, is apparently happy catching touchdowns from Tony Romo and no longer feels the need to belittle all of his quarterbacks, teammates, and coaches. Hey I don’t know how Tony Romo is keeping T.O.’s mouth shut but for the sake of all of us I hope he keeps at it.
Then there’s Ocho Cinco. Chad Johnson, Mr. Touchdown celebration himself has said that he is putting his touchdown celebrations on hold until his 3-7 Bengals start winning again. No racing against horses, no Hall of Fame jackets, no nothing until the team starts putting some W’s on the schedule.
The irony in all this is that while Rice (who’s widely considered the greatest receiver of all time) was not one to show-boat, his modern day successor; the Colts Marvin Harrison, has spent most of the year riding the bench due to a knee injury.
It seems as though there are plenty of people willing to take his place, and I’m not quite sure why. It could be that these receivers saw how mild mannered Calvin Johnson has been treated by the media even though he is only half way through his first professional season.
It also could be that they just got tired of being consistently attacked by the media, and just decided that it was time to let their playing do the talking.
My theory is that Moss and Owens are happy because they are getting the ball. They are scoring a lot and their team is winning (in part) because of it. Their childish egos have been fed for now, and they can let their game show the entire world how great they are.
As for Chad Johnson, I have always thought highly of him and respected him for never calling out his teammates, or coaching staff. I believe all of his motives were simply to have fun and make the fans laugh while he was at it. Sure, he has a big ego, but I am very impressed by his willingness to put all of that aside as a motivator to himself and his team to start winning again.
Personally, while I am sorry to see Chad Johnson’s touchdown celebrations end, I am very happy that T.O. and Moss have shut up for the time being. If anything this year has shown us that above all else winning is what makes the game fun for these guys. When they are having fun they are at their best both personally and professionally. For the league’s sake lets hope all three continue (or in Chad Johnson’s instance begin) to have fun for a long time to come.

Baseball's gone bananas

What has happened to major league baseball?
In a span of 48 hours, three of baseball’s biggest stars made headlines and not for petty things such as disputes with coaches, etc.
In the last week, Alex Rodriguez has come to the New York Yankees to renegotiate a contract. Barry Bonds was finally indicted on federal counts of perjury and obstruction of justice, and Derek Jeter has been accused of tax fraud.
Alex Rodriguez’ willingness to renegotiate with the Yankees is significant for a few reasons. First A-Rod walked away from his old contract with the Yankees and now the fact that he is negotiating a new one makes him look like your typical money hoarding, greedy sports player. Most of us already knew A-Rod was a greedy player. Otherwise he would have taken a pay cut all those years in Texas to give him a better chance to win. This is just proof.
Secondly, Rodriguez went back to the Yankees against the wishes of his super-agent Scott Boras. Boras told teams that they would need to make a $350 million bid, just to get a meeting with A-Rod. Now it looks as though Rodriguez is going to be “settling” for $275 million. For years teams have wondered about the validity of Boras’ “mystery suitor.” The irony is that it took one of his own players to call him on it.
Bonds’ indictment is strange to me for the simple reason that I cannot understand why it took the federal grand jury four years to indict him. The only explanation for this is that somebody must have rolled over on Bonds.
It has been said that in order to have any chance to prove a person perjured in the courtroom there must be either two people willing to testify against him or one person and a document to back him up. I have long been a Bonds supporter, because even if he did take steroids, (and I believe he did) many of his competitors were doping as well and baseball had no testing policy so they have to sleep in the bed that they made.
However, if Bonds’ is found guilty of perjuring to the court about his knowledge of his steroid use, it will be damning for his Hall of Fame chances and the way his career is remembered.
Bonds has wanted his day in court for a long time, and now he will get it. If he is acquitted of this, he will be a first ballot Hall of Famer and all his records will become much more legit.
The most shocking of all is the Jeter incident. Jeter has been accused of not paying his New York City or New York State taxes from 2001-2003. Jeter claims he is a resident of Tampa Florida, (which has no state income tax) not New York, which he claims explains why he filed for non-residency income tax returns to the state from 2001-2003. The State claims that Jeter is simply using his Florida home as his main address as a way to avoid income tax.
Look I don’t know who’s right here, but I know this. Jeter is beloved in New York and all of America. If this turns out to be nothing then people will forget it ever happened and Jeter can go back to being Mr. Yankee and one of the faces of Baseball.
However, if this sticks, it could be very damaging to Jeter’s carefully constructed reputation. Jeter would never be looked at the same by fans or media, and his honest hardworking reputation would be severely tarnished.
Personally I don’t think it will stick, but you know what? They way the last few day have gone in the baseball world, it wouldn’t surprise me if it stuck like glue.

Too much hype ruined Pats vs Colts

The higher the expectations, the tougher they are to meet.
We had been hearing about the game between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts since what seemed like the beginning of the season.
It was called Super Bowl XLI½, The greatest regular season game ever, and just about anything else the media types could think of.
There’s only problem with generating that much hype for a sporting event: it rarely IF EVER lives up to the hype. Personally when the game ended and Tom Brady had taken his final knee, I was disappointed.
Granted it was a terrific game. At times both offenses proved they could move the ball. There were moments where both defenses stepped up as well. And yes, there was the comeback that is necessary for all great games.
That’s what it was; a great game, but it was not the greatest game I’d ever seen. Not even close. As a result when the game was over I felt cheated.
That’s the problem with the 24 hour media coverage. ESPN and other outlets pumped this game up to a point where it was going to be impossible for the actual game to meet its expectations.
That is what happened, and it is unfortunate. It’s not fair to the Patriots or the Colts, but most importantly, it wasn’t fair to the fans.
Twenty years ago this game would have gotten coverage, but fans would have been able to breathe and make their own judgments about this game. Fans would have seen this game for what it was; an exceptional game between two teams, neither of which have any glaring weaknesses.
Instead fans were forced to hold this game to an unfair and unattainable standard. In the future I hope the media will avoid over analyzing the game and allow the teams and the players to determine how the game will measure up over time.
How a game is billed means nothing if it doesn’t live up to the hype. The media should make sure it doesn’t drive that hype to unattainable heights.

A little Michigan analysis

I don't usually cover the sports world of individual cities, but I’m a Michigan native and there is something going on in that state that I must bring to your attention.
Two of the most frustrating football teams in the country professional or collegiate resign in the state of Michigan. I’m talking about the Michigan State football Spartans and the Detroit Lions, two teams that have traditionally been very similar but this year could not be further apart.
Fans of both teams traditionally have high expectations, only to see their team sputter and collapse, making them wonder why they even wasted their time.
Every year both teams swear they are going to get it right next year and turn the corner, every year they are proved blasphemers. This year however it’s a bit different.
For the first time since 2000 the Detroit Lions are 5-2. It is the best record Matt Millen has had since he took over the team in 2001. Millen has (fairly) been routinely criticized for horrible personnel decisions, while he had built a franchise that had been amongst the worst in the league the past six years.
That has all changed this year. Last year Millen hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Line Coach Rod Marinelli as his Head Coach. After spending a year getting his system in place and his players to believe, Marinelli has the Lions looking like a legitimate football team and people in Detroit starting to (very quietly) whisper the “P” word.
And then there’s the Spartans. Every year MSU comes blazing out of the gate. From 2003 through 2006 the Spartans started the season 7-1, 4-3, 4-0 and 3-0 respectively. Michigan State finished those respective seasons 1-3, 1-4, 1-6, 1-8, and only made it to one bowl game losing to Nebraska 31-17 in the Alamo Bowl in 2003. This year Michigan State started the season 4-0 and is 1-4 since. The Spartans again have squandered a good start only to look like a team that doesn’t have the discipline or mental toughness to keep it together for a whole season.
Sound familiar? That is the same thing that was said for years (and is still being said by some) about the Lions. They now appear to be heading in the right direction. Unfortunately for Sparty fans everywhere, the same cannot be said about MSU. MSU has gone through three coaches, numerous NFL players and still has not had a successful season since Nick Saban left after leading the Spartans to a 10-2 record and a 37-34 win over Florida in the Citrus Bowl in 1999.
There has long been a culture of losing for many years on both of these football teams. The Lions appear to be fixing it with a coach who has instilled a winning mentality and a discipline that has long since been missing from the team. Michigan State as evidenced by their record and recent off field arrests apparently hasn’t solved either problem. If MSU wants to become a better team and a more solid program that avoids collapses at the end of the season, they need to stop getting in trouble off the field and stay focused on football for 12 weeks. Maybe then the Michigan versus Michigan State game will mean more than bragging rights.
Hey if the Lions can do it, anyone can, even old Sparty.

Sox in Six

Just a quick post.

As far as this World Series is concerned I have gone back and forth on my pick. My heart tells me to go with the Rockies. I would love to see them win for the city especially if it's a sweep. 11 in a row, what a story that would be.

I hate the Red Sox but my mind tells me to go with them. They have the top two pitchers in the Series both of whom dominate in October. They also have home field advantage which usually helps.
In conclusion I am picking Boston in six. Too much pitching and that's what wins in October. Sorry Colorado Rocktober's been fun but it had to end sometime.

Performance enhancers are over-rated.

I am starting to get really sick and tired of hearing about performance enhancing drugs and their effects on sports.
Granted if a person takes performance enhancing drugs it is going aid their performance, but to what extent?
Barry Bonds, the poster man for performance enhancing drugs was ALREADY a Hall of Famer before he allegedly began using steroids. If you look at Bonds’ statistics he was on pace to have over 500 hundred home runs possibly 600 WITHOUT any help from performance enhancers.
The newest guilty party appears to be that of Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd. Byrd allegedly took Human Growth Hormone from 2002-2005. Byrd claims he was recovering from a tumor on his pituitary gland, and that he took the Hormone under medical supervision and that he made it aware to both the Indians and Major League Baseball. Both the Indians and MLB denied that Byrd ever told them he was taking HGH, but regardless it shouldn’t even matter and here’s why.
First of all, every baseball player who used performance enhancing drugs prior to the 2005 season should not be punished. Prior to 2005 baseball did not have a drug testing policy and therefore it was not illegal to take steroids, HGH, or anything else so long as it was prescribed by a “doctor”.
Granted many of these doctors have since had their licenses revoked or have been federally indicted but that is their problem, NOT the players they prescribed to. Baseball made their bed and they need to sleep in it too.
Not to mention the fact that for as long as there have been professional sports there have been performance enhancers in sports. For years professional baseball players took amphetamines a stimulant to help them maintain their energy between games.
People talk about “tainting” baseballs records. The players who set these records were using performance enhancers to get an edge as well. Granted amphetamines are not on the same level as steroids or HGH, but with the list of the accused getting longer by the day it is possible that some of these players were just taking the drugs to keep up with where they should be, not to gain an edge. It is equally as tough to compare someone from the 1960’s who may have used amphetamines against someone from the dead ball era as it is to compare steroid era players to the amphetamine users.
Finally who decides which drugs are considered performance enhancers and which ones aren’t? The NFL has a laundry list of banned supplements, that supposedly when taken make a player perform at a higher level. I was watching a game last weekend when I saw a quarterback leave the game with a shoulder injury only to come back after taking cortisone shots. The announcer said this as if it was no big deal, but to me it only highlights the hypocrisy of professional sports. How is taking a shot to make you play through an injury any different than taking HGH? A performance enhancing drug does just that: enhances your performance beyond what you could do without it. If these players play better with the shot then they would without it, I would call that a performance enhancing drug, but hey that’s just me.
Professional sports need to spend less time discussing steroids and more time trying to resist the corporate world, which is trying to ruin sports as we know it. Forget performance enhancing drugs and focus on more important problems.

Dear Baseball: Please don't make me hate you too

I love baseball. It is my favorite sport for many reasons. I love the fact that there is no time clock. Watching a baseball game helps me to understand what it might have been like to live in the Victorian era, when the world moved slowly and people could take a break and go watch a ball game for entertainment.
I love how none of the 30 MLB parks are the same. To my knowledge, it is the only sport where there is no standard playing surface for the league. Each park has its own quirks, which gives the home team a unique advantage not found in other sports. It also makes for an interesting road trip, trying to see as many as you can in as short a time as possible.
I love that each league is slightly different. In the American League there is a DH, while in the National League there's not. In the American League the team with the best record can pick which Divisional series they want. No dice in the National League. Each league even hands out its own awards.
The biggest reason I like baseball, however, is because of its refusal to change its traditions for the modern sports world and all the money hoarding associated with it. This leads me to the one thing I absolutely despise about this postseason. Baseball is changing its traditions for the modern sports world.
There is no reason that there should have been an off day on Wednesday for the ALCS. Baseball has it right with the 2-3-2 format, and now they are essentially butchering the entire idea by giving an off day in the middle of Cleveland’s three home games. The entire point of the 2-3-2 is to keep the series as similar to the everyday schedule endured during the regular season as possible. If baseball was going to have an off day they might as well moved the series back to Boston for game 5 and had a 2-2-1-1-1 series like many of the other sports do.
No sport depends as much on a consistent schedule as baseball. When there’s an extra day off it gives the starting rotation an extra days rest, meaning that a team that can only go three deep in its rotation would not have to use its fourth pitcher. Also it gives the bullpen an extra day rest, so that a dominant closer can get a heavy workload one game, take a day off, and then do it again the very next game. Part of the strategy of the game involves wearing a bullpen out by getting into it day after day after day. Major League Baseball is allowing Fox to screw with the strategy of the game all for the sake of a better television schedule and a few extra bucks.
Baseball is a great sport that unfortunately has been hijacked the last few years by a need to make money. (Remember the blind eye turned to steroids earlier this decade?) What makes baseball great is that it sticks to tradition. That’s what makes its records so important, and that what makes each team part of the city’s social fabric. Gone are the days when children will sit up in bed and listen to their favorite players each night. Gone are the days when men come home from work to see how their boys did at the park that day. Gone are the days when everyone knew that the only reason the players played was because they loved the game.
These are the things I miss about baseball. They’re gone and that’s fine, at least they don’t affect the game, or the strategy involved in it.
For the love of Joe Dimaggio: Major League Baseball please don’t take away anything that messes up the game ever again.