The Changing Of The Yards

Danny is a guest writer on the blog. He hails from Rotterdam Junction and he's a Syracuse Alum. Welcome Danny to the fold. Because he's right, even when he's wrong.

By
Danny DeOrazio

With everything that has changed throughout my life, there’s been only one thing that’s always been there, sports. They have always been a big part of my life, and will be forever. If you’re anything like me, then you have cheered, booed, yelled and cried over your favorite team or player. When you’re this into it there are superstitions, rituals and traditions involved. But somewhere along the path of my life filled with sports, the meaning of sports and sportsmanship has lost its swagger.

Think back to the days when you were a kid, growing up in the 80’s (maybe 90’s for some of my younger friends)… Think the idea of sportsmanship is the same to the athletes of today to those of the ‘glory days’ of sports??? To me it’s not even close. Athletes and (especially) big wigs have thought way too hard on how to make the game faster, fairer, and more profitable. I get it, sports is a business and without profit there’s no business but C’MON MAN, is enough ever enough?

Have you ever heard so many hubbubs about so many over privileged athletes ever in your life? Everything is news nowadays, too. Everyone wants to know everything about everyone, and then try to break it down. I’ll admit it, I’m part of the millions that want to know about what athletes beat their spouses, had infidelities, or used drugs, but where’s the line going to be drawn? So many people are so quick to judge Tiger Woods for his demise on Thanksgiving night, but I say “What is he the first person to ever cheat on his wife?” People should think about the people they’re surrounded by and the lives they live before judging someone else. Well, personally, I’m gonna root more than ever for Tiger when he comes back to golf, and I can guarantee I’m not alone.

The controversy on the use of steroids/PEDs/whatever in sports, especially baseball, will unfortunately be around forever. Thanks dicks! I used to absolutely love Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco when they were the Bash Brothers on the A’s! It kinda brought the excitement back into baseball, adding the long ball and taking away dominating pitchers like Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens (yea I added him!). Everyone loves some offense right? Mostly, with me as an exception. I am, and always have been, defensive-minded. Love pitching, loved linebackers like LT and Mike Singletary. To me, anyone can learn to score a bucket or throw a pigskin, but defending your territory is where it’s at. In baseball, the gloves, the bats, the cleats, etc… have all improved to grow with the times, but what about the pitchers? Last time I checked, the ball itself is the same it’s always been…. How about making the ball a little smaller and we’ll see how many homers precious A-Roid puts up this year? I will say that MLB has gone through humongous strides regarding PED use in the past few years. That being said, anyone wanna take my bet than NOBODY will ever hit more than 61 homeruns in one year in my lifetime?

Instant Replays…Booth Reviews…Stupid Penalties….OH MY!!! Remember back in time when there were no replays?!? Whatever the referee or umpire called, that was it; no ifs ands or buts. Well, now we have instant replays that go to reviews to make sure the call is right. Granted, the review usually confirms the call, but how much do you still hate it when 50,000+ fans, 2 or 3 idiot announcers and one drunken idiot watching it on a 31” TV can see the play clear as day, thru bloodshot eyes??? I’m not saying the Twins would’ve won that one infamous game against the Yankees in the 2009 AL playoffs when not 1, not 2, that’s right 3 calls that a deaf and dumb pig could’ve got right in real time. But nobody can say it would’ve had NO effect on the game, or you’re just another Yankee fan.

Ya’ll can rest easy though; I have a solution to this instant replay/booth review conundrum. There needs to be “Reality Reviewers” at each and every major sports game. What I mean is a group of ‘trained eyes’, tested with countless hours of replays that can bring an unbiased judgment of a play, in reasonable time. Too many times do I see a review that takes 5 minutes or more and it’s not even the correct call. I consider myself a good, fair judge even if it’s against my team, and could make these calls within 30 seconds. I just want a fair call that doesn’t interrupt the flow of the game. Too much to ask?? … And I don’t even want to start in on how quarterbacks can’t get touched anymore! … Or the ‘Tuck Rule’.

Being a kid that grew up 5 foot nothing, 100 nothing pounds, I didn’t have all the athletic advantages as a lot of others I knew. I played golf. I think I was pretty good, but my family didn’t have the $$$ to give me what I needed to make it, because I wasn’t THAT good. All I can say, without any doubt in the world that if I somehow made it into the NFL, MLB, or PGA or wherever, you probably wouldn’t see me in the news a lot. Whenever I see someone cheating in the game, on their wife, bringing guns to the locker room or just running their mouth off I just laugh to myself and change my perspective on their lives. There’s no use making a martyr out of anyone, because someone will just do something even dumber pretty soon, it’s a given. For me just about anything can be forgiven and everyone deserves a second chance. I understand wanting to get a leg up on the competition, I understand coaches and players that shoot off their mouths, I get it. Except for Michael Vick, I love animals too much. Being the ‘Eye for an Eye’ believer I am, think his punishment should’ve been to have fought to the death with some other felon when he was locked up. Who’s with me???

Luckily, there is one sporting event that has not really changed during my lifetime: (minus adding 1 more irrelevant team) THE NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT. To me, college sports mean a whole lot more than the pros, because they’re not doing it for money. Only a small percentage will go on to the pros, the rest are playing for the glory of not only themselves, but for their coaches and their college buddies that they see walking down the quad. I happened to have seen my alma mater Syracuse University in their remarkable run in the 2003 NCAA tournament. I saw them in Albany, out in Boston, but didn’t make it to New Orleans. I happened to be in Syracuse for work. I went to the Carrier Dome and watched the championship game between the Orange and the Kansas Jayhawks. Who cares? Me, because I was the kid who in 1987 cried for days when my Orangemen lost on a last second shot by Keith Smart, giving the championship to Indiana. I may have been past my time as a student at Syracuse, but being amongst the other 8000+ current students in the Dome, I dropped to my knees and started crying again. Tears of joy this time! Thank you NCAA for keeping it real!

The Syracuse/NCAA reference was put in to show proof that sports can remain traditional, ethical and consistent enough to take a 8-year old crying-ass kid, and turn him into a gleaming 24-year old alumnus, and now into a 31-year old bracketologist. I just wish now that someone slaps some sense into the BCS committee……. What a mess!?!

The Mistake Threshold (MT)

By Joe Jenkins

If the Jets have taught us anything throughout this year’s playoffs it is this: Take everything you know about what makes teams successful in the regular season and cram it up your cram hole, La Fleur. We were all too busy with our sanctimonious proclamations of the NFL being a pass first, high octane league, that we forgot an all important rule of playoff football: The team with that stays within their mistake threshold wins.

What is a mistake threshold? So glad you asked because I just made it up!

Everyone and everything in life has a mistake threshold—that point at which a person, team, or relationship goes from being good enough to get away with a mistake to the juice just not being worth the squeeze. You’ll find it in love, life, jobs, and even sports. Think about it: A guy with a great personality and amazing looks is going to get away with a lot more with a woman than a guy like…well…me. I’m the guy in the leather jacket on the top of this page that clearly looks like he needs to toss a no-hitter just to get a date. If witty meathead and I go head to head, he's going to be able to screw up a lot more than me and still get the girl. It’s not the amount of mistakes you make; it’s the ability to stay within your mistake threshold.

Nobody will ever play a perfect game. Linemen are going to get nailed for holding or jumping early; quarterbacks are going to throw to the wrong team; running backs and wide receivers are going to put the ball on the ground; you get the idea. The key is to have the ability to overcome the mistakes you make. A dominant defense helps. An explosive offense helps even more since it can put a game out of reach, or keep a game from getting out put out of reach. A strong running game, can be from a situational standpoint, but doesn’t help expand a team’s mistake threshold unless they already hold the lead. It doesn’t help when playing from behind.

This is why the Jets are still playing right now. Not because they have more athletic talent than the teams they played, but because they have managed to not exceed the number of mistakes their style of play will allow. Their opponents, meanwhile, did the exact opposite with missed field goals, turnovers, and stupid penalties. The result? A 9-7 Jets team playing for the right to go to the Super Bowl.

Now, with me trekking all the way out on this limb to say that there is one definitive number that will conclude the winner of playoff football, perhaps we should break down the final four teams set to play tomorrow.

New York Jets MT#: 1.5-2.0
Make no mistake: The Jets do deserve to be where they are. Yes they pranced into the playoffs by beating teams that were mailing it in, but they did go on the road to beat two division champs—one of which was riding an 11 game winning streak.

The Jets do have a shutdown defense that helps take the pressure off Mark “don’t call me dirty” Sanchez. They’re good enough to afford him, or anyone else for that matter one to two purely bone headed plays per game that they can realistically overcome.

Even still, a run all day and play stiff defense with a rookie quarterback business model doesn’t translate well for shootouts or playing from behind. It took a lot of missed field goals and idiotic personal foul penalties to get the Jets to Indianapolis. Chances are the Jets won’t have that luxury against a precision team like the Colts. They’re going to have to toss a gem in all phases to stay in this one.

Then again, the Jets have been getting written off since week 16, so what the hell do I know?

Minnesota Vikings MT#: 2.5-3.5
The NFC teams are so much closer and this one took a lot of soul searching for me. 1) Because Brett Favre has seemingly made a career out of making an ass out of me—and more directly my Bears. 2) I am absolutely and inexplicably man-smitten with Jared Allen and all of his quirky antics. I love the mullet. I love the fact that he has openly admitted that he still giggles at the fact that he wears number 69. I love the outdoorsy, possibly psychotic, “Seat at the table” Steve Lattimer-esque attitude. Plus he’s just sick coming off the corner.

Add Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin to the mix and the Vikings can afford a few pooch screwing moments.

Outside of the front 7, though, the Vikings defense is suspect at best. Their defensive backs should feel complimented by being called a liability.

Here’s what’s scary: Adrian Peterson can and will fumble. He didn’t last week. It’s coming. We also know that when Favre has a blow up game, it tends to draw comparisons to Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

How does the mistake prone tendencies of Minnesota’s offense actually factor into the mistake threshold?

Since New Orleans runs a passing offense as efficient as any other in the league, it plays right in to the weakness of the Minnesota defense. When strengths play into weaknesses, it will actually shrink one team’s threshold while expanding the other. The Vikings really can’t afford to have Favre go Chernobyl or for Peterson to get the drops if they want to keep it close.

New Orleans Saints MT#: 3.5-4.0
The two NFC teams are so close that really what this game boils down to a few key things because all of the things just mentioned about the Vikings defense also goes for the Saints. New Orleans is at home and playing in front of a crowd that will help pick them off the mat if they should soil the bed sheets; and—as stated above—they excel at exploiting a defense where Minnesota is weakest. On top of this, we haven’t seen Drew Brees throw up an absolute stinker in a while. Unlike the king sized Baby Ruth’s that Favre tends to leave in the swimming pool at Bushwood, Brees’ seem to be a bit more of the fun sized variety.

One other guy to factor in here is Reggie Bush. Granted he’s only shown flashes of any redeeming value, but think of him as the Jay Buhner of football: He’s not going to get the ball in play every time, but he’s good for a big home run every now and again.

Indianapolis Colts – MT#: Possibly infinity
Peyton Manning is a surgeon that doesn’t need a mistake threshold because he almost never makes them; and he does awesome commercials with Justin Timberlake. Has there ever been a more lethal combination? I submit that there has not! The Colts also haven’t lost when he’s played the entire game since last year. They can run the ball effectively, and they can play adequate defense, they have play making receivers which includes their tight end.

To put Indianapolis in real life terms, he’s the guy you work with that could get caught sleeping with your bosses wife, sexually harass the secretary and punch the intern in the face all while getting voted employee of the month.

Ahhh, to be the Colts…

Haiti Relief

By Chris Wright

This is one of those situations that make me scratch my head. I mean, I don't know if you support relief efforts in Haiti or not, it doesn't matter. I'm just going to lay it out there. Here goes.

Americans and nations across the world are mailing money, texting money, wiring money, and exporting money at an alarming rate. I'm not even talking about time given and personal sacrifice. Athletes and celebrities are flying to Haiti to lend a hand. Food and water are being dropped so quickly, you would think it was New Orleans during Katrina... Oh wait... that took a week. Scratch that thought. Anyway. Large corporations are exporting supplies, beds, clothing, and other necessities. Ministers, priest, and Rabbis are taking whole congregations for spiritual relief and to feed the hungry. In just one week, over $200 million have been collected in relief efforts. Ladies and gentlemen, that is crazy good. And they have not even collected the money from foreign governments.

President Obama pledged that the US will donate $100 million. $616 million from the European Union, and $5 million from China. (They can afford much more).

Where am I going with this? You're wondering. Does Chris support these efforts or is he against them? I'm for them, BUT...As I stated on my Facebook status early this morning, why did it take devastation to notice Haiti? Before you think that i'm bitching about assistance, let me make it known that the United States leads the world in Haiti financial aid. Between 1990 and 2003, we as a nation gave approximately 1.5 Billion dollars in aid. But to put that into context, Jerry Jones and many investors and the state of Texas spent about a Billion dollars on the new Cowboy Stadium. But that's private enterprise, so they can do what they want. So it's not an argument. I was just making a point. That's what's great about America. You can do what you want with your money and I can write what I want.

The Republic of Haiti is the first independent nation in Latin America. It is the first post-colonial Black-led nation. And last but not least, Haiti's independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion. Which says quite a bit about the heart of the proud people of Haiti. I wonder had there been a slave rebellion in America, would Blacks be better off or worse off in present day? I dare not answer that. Food for thought.

Haiti is THEE poorest country in the Americas. Let me repeat that. THEE poorest country in the Americas. They have a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of seven billion dollars. We have more than seven billion dollars in Hollywood!! Here's more context. Their GDP per capita (per head, per person) is $790 dollars! Reality check: $2 per person per day!!

So remember the next time you drop $4.50 on your Caramel Macchioto, that your cup of coffee cost more than the daily pay of two Haitians for one day.

We are talking about an impoverished country. One of the world's poorest and least developed countries, ranked 149 of 182 on the United Nations Human Development Index. 80% of the country live in poverty. 50% of the citizens are illiterate. 80% of Haitian college graduates migrate, mostly to the United States. (Which tells me that there are quite a few Haitian-Americans that will be flying back to Port-au-Prince this week).

This place is so poor, that in 2010... yes... in 2010, over 225,000 youth are forced into voluntary slavery working as servants for food and shelter! Can you IMAGINE?

Now like I said earlier, Haiti does get aid. Foreign aid make up 30 to 40% of the national government budget with the United States being the largest donor. So again, I want to reiterate, I'm not bitching about that. Although I do have an issue with our relief efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, but that's for another day, another time.

While I totally get that a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, with death tolls reaching over 200,000, is extremely dramatic and tragic. But is the poverty, hunger, slavery, illiteracy and living conditions unfit for rats, not as bad? We react to large sweeping tragedy i.e. 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Oklahoma City bombing. The death toll of Hurricane Katrina was about 1,900 give or take a life or two. The 3rd highest death toll for a hurricane disaster in the US. But there are an AVERAGE of 150 murders in New Orleans per year, with tolls hitting over 160 and 163 in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Where's is the relief efforts? Where is the aid?

I said that over 225,000 youth were in poverty motivated slavery in Haiti and you probably didn't flinch. You probably did not give pause to the hundreds of thousands of death caused by poverty. Death from hunger. Inadequate medical treatment. Under qualified physicians (since they've all migrated to the United States). Murder and violence are always a product of poverty. So how many deaths are a result of that?

So as you're texting 45678 and 90999 on your cell phones to donate $5 and $10 at a time. Think about it next year too. And the year after. Figure out how you can help Haiti. Get children out of slavery. Keep college graduates in their country. Food, clothing, shelter, medicine, schools and so much more. When this is all said and done and the world rebuilds Haiti with new buildings, homes, schools, and hospitals. It might be a better country after all.

Grandma used to always say, "the lord works in mysterious ways". While we would all hate to believe that death and destruction is a means to an end.

It just might be an end to the way we presently think of Haiti. Or not.

Gilbert Arenas, Guns & Race

By Chris Wright

Every year. Without fail. A gun debate surfaces. The right to bear arms. Really? For who? When? Have our irresponsibililty with guns and the misinterpretation of gun laws which vary from state to state, alter the very meaning of the second amendment?

Well before I get into my foray on gun behavior, let us take a closer look into The Second Amendment: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Then after that, someone said, "Well what does that mean?" And some lawyer or politician or something, something, something advocate said, "That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and their own state, or the United States, or for the purpose of killing game; and no law shall be passed for disarming the people or any of them, unless for crimes committed, or real danger of public injury from individuals; and as standing armies in the time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up: and that the military shall be kept under strict subordination to and be governed by the civil powers."

And somehow, from December 15th, 1751, all the way through today and beyond, it's been interpreted as "I have a right to have a muthafuckin' gun!" How did we get here? It doesn't matter. We're here.

Yesterday, NBA player Gilbert Arenas was suspended indefinitely by NBA without pay. He's paid $150,000 per game (and we wonder why sports tickets are so expensive. Another day). If he does not play another game this season, he will lose $10 million dollars. Quite a price to pay for stupidity. Why was he suspended? Because he felt that since he had "the right to bear arms", it would be ok to keep his firearms in his locker at the Verizon Center. Whoa! That's not all. He got into a pissing match with a rookie teammate and wanted to show who's boss. The argument got heated and this multi-million dollar superstar brandished his gat! But wait! It doesn't end there! The rookie baller was like, "What muthafucka! Gats don't mean shit to me, I got gats too! Rook proceeds to go into HIS locker and pull out his Johnny Blaze. And yes. In an NBA locker room, they faceoff. Huh??? Is anything sacred? A sports locker room?

We all should be aware of the Plaxico Burress story by now. NY Giants star wide-receiver who almost blew his dick off in a nightclub last year. Yep. Doing 2 years and might never play football again. His income was $4 million a year plus incentives. I'm sure one of those incentives was not "blow your dick off". Now, he's currently in prison for, not brandishing his gun, but concealing his gun. And it just happened to go off in a public venue. He said that he felt it sliding down his leg and he went to grab it and because his ring finger is probably about a size 19, he pulled the trigger. Ouch!! Mayor Bloomberg decided to make an example out of him because he has a huge name and Plaxico Burress is good billboard fodder for the gun problem in NYC.

So now all over talk radio, The Great American Debate begins. Do we have the right to bear arms and how do we bear arms according to the state that we live in. A caviat in the Plaxico Burress case was that he thought that his gun was legal. Yes. His gun was legal in Florida, so he thought that it was legal no matter what state he was in. Not so fast my friend. But he had to know that it was not legal in a nightclub, so that argument is moot.

Then it becomes a racial issue. Al Sharpton got involved in the Gilbert Arenas case and sportswriter, Screamin' Stephen A. Smith wrote a piece on Foxsports.com called "The Black Community Suffers from Arenas Stupidity". Your can read it here after you finish reading this. In a nutshell, he points out how black star athletes' behavior promotes and condones similar activities with black youth. Debatable. But I don't want to talk about that. I want to get back to Al Sharpton. He proclaimed that "Gilbert Arenas must be punished!!". No shit Reverend Al! But what's your point? Do you really think that you're that important that when you say it shall be, it actually shall be?? Because you were ready to castrate Mayor Bloomberg for going after Plaxico with such fervor. And I believe... correct me if I'm wrong... but I think threatning a person with a gun when you're own life is not endangered... is a called ... ummm.. a crime??? So Al, you did not have to make the proclamation, "Arenas must be punished". But I give you a slight pass, because you understand that many people will justify Gilbert Arenas stupid actions.

I heard former NBA All-Star, Jerry Stackhouse say on his radio show, 'aww shucks man, that's just Gilbert. He's a fun guy. Nothing should happen to him. The NBA needs to understand..., blah blah." Shut up Stack! Then, Stack went on to lament on how these million dollar athletes come from dangerous neighborhoods and how guns are the way of the land. And he went on to point how the late Washington Redskin Defensive back, Sean Taylor was gunned down in his own home. Whatever. Sean Taylor wasn't gunned down in his dangerous neighborhood. It's idiotic commentary like that exacerbates the problem. Stackhouse is black if you didn't know.

Then white folks calling up saying how "these people" think that they can do whatever they want because they make millions. The talk show host asked the caller to define "these people" and without fear of retribution, the caller simply said, "these young black athletes". Well, I guess that cleared that up! So does that mean that the right to bear arms has race clauses too? Ooh. I hope not. Then I would have to worry about only whites having guns. That's scary. (Visual of the 1700's. Very scary).

Where is the NRA in all of this? I've not heard a peep. This is bad publicity for them; athletes and guns. While they want to ensure that the second amendment is secure and intact. These high profile gun incidents are making it very hard. Well, I did hear one peep. I found it on a podcast. A gentleman from the NRA said that he did not want to comment on it because the percentages of gun crimes compared to the amount of guns sold is very small. Of course, he's talking about sold legally. So the NRA marches on.

What we all need to do is examine how we really feel about guns and their usefulness in society. Do you own one? Are you concerned if laws are tightened to make it harder to acquire guns? Would you like to see harsher punishment in regards to guns and gun crimes? If you had a gun, would you use it? Do you believe that politicians and our justice system are consistent in the punishment of gun crimes? Or, do you see a problem at all?

Since i've lived in Central NY, I haven't seen so many stabbings in my life!! A cop recently stabbed his wife to death then stabbed himself 14 times. So next, we'll tackle Knife Laws. Not.

The Hawk and The Hall

By Joe Jenkins

People change. Sometimes for the better; sometimes for the worse, but people change.

When I was 6 I wanted to be a Transformer. By the time I was 18 I wanted to be a journalist. Now I’m 28 and all I want to be is incredibly wealthy and retired.

On a very quick and sentimental note, I’d like to think most people are always trying to change for the better. I’d really like to think that most of the people around me have. If I might quote from the book of Balboa, chapter 4 verse 33: “If I can change; and you can change, everybody can change!”

Funny thing though. Stats don’t change. Not even a little. They’re locked in. Walter Payton still ended his career with 16,726 yards in 1987. Hack Wilson still drove in 191 RBI and hit 56 home runs in 1930.

It’s for this reason that I can’t just sit back and be happy that Andre Dawson finally got inducted into Cooperstown today. Is it nice? You bet…

…but just because it’s nice doesn’t make it right. Take a quick peek at this:
In 21 seasons, all The Hawk did was bat .279 jack 438 home runs (for you younger readers, this was a very high number before players starting eating Winstrol brownies.); steal 314 bases; total over 2,700 hits; 8 Gold Gloves and All-Star selections; winner of Rookie of the Year in 1977 and NL MVP in 1987 (runner up in 1981 and 1983).

Okay, on the surface a lot of these numbers look like they need to be filed under “pretty good” and not quite “Cooperstown worthy.” On paper I agree, but consider this:
Dawson spent the better part of the ‘80’s and going into the early ‘90’s as one of the most feared hitters in the National League. Remember: Dawson was hitting between 20-30 home runs a season when that was a lot. For those that remember seeing him play, Dawson threw absolute peas from any of the three outfield positions. Now, prepare yourself while I blow your mind:
Those 400 home runs and those 300 stolen bases? There’s a list of other people that have done that: Barry Bonds... and Willie Mays… I am now done with the list… …and spooling up my indignant tirade.

Can somebody please tell me why voters waited 8 whole years to vote in a guy that has compiled career numbers that have only been eclipsed by two of the greatest baseball players of all time?!! (Don’t start on the whole Barry Bonds thing…not the venue.) Three guys!! EVER!! One of them widely considered to be one of the top two players…EVER!! How is this even possible?! The Hawk didn’t get any better over the last 8 years did he??!! Why now??!! Why do I keep using multiple punctuations??

I’ll tell ya why!! 1) Because I wrote it to be grammatically correct, and the proper levels of rage were simply not conveyed. 2) Dawson didn’t get in until now because the whole idiotic system is just plain screwed up, that’s why!!

Luckily for you folks, along with all of this very wordy babbling, I have come up with a solution. I’m a fixer. It’s what I do. Solving life’s little problems with reasonable and rational remedies makes me feel smexy (that’s smart and sexy, gang). I figure these things will come in handy when I’m named the sports czar of North America. And on the day after instituting my system of promotion and relegation to the BCS, this is the process that will clean up the steaming pile of poo that is the Baseball Hall of Fame induction process: Take (some) of the power away from the problem.

A quick lesson for those of you that never worked in the sports industry:

Think back to your high school days. Remember the geek that obsessed over baseball and knew every stat? You know the guy that would jump into a conversation to remind you how many times Frank Viola threw more than six innings on weekdays after the passing of the Summer Solstice? No, no, no, not the skinny, hairy, yet strangely handsome fellow that just won’t let his sideburns go, that’s me. The other guy. Yeah…him… he became a sports writer, too.

Here’s what’s scary: This guy has a couple hundred friends that call themselves the Baseball Writers Association of America. These guys stalk locker rooms and clubhouses clinging to an antiquated notion that they alone are responsible for protecting the sanctity of baseball like they belong in a Dan Brown novel. They do this by holding the keys to Cooperstown. If they hold a grudge, you’re out. If they think you were kind of ornery in the locker room after a loss? You might not get voted for. If an older beat writer from Boston hasn’t ever heard of a player from San Diego, he won’t get the vote. I’m not kidding about any of this.

So instead of just putting the players through a screening process, I say we put the writer’s through a test to see if they still have their heads about them. Those that carry sufficient knowledge and the clarity of mind to judge players based on their ability and not if they stole a writer’s lollipop in elementary school will keep their vote. That vote will count for 1/3 of the voting process.

So where does the other 2/3 of the vote come from? So glad you asked! (You didn’t ask? Well, I’m going to keep writing…so…don’t make this awkward.)

Players know Players

The good news is, there’s a bit of a failsafe in place if a player gets screwed by the writers. Living Hall of Famers, a.k.a “The Veteran’s Committee.” The bad news is “The Veteran’s Committee” treats the Hall of Fame more like a fraternity and a popularity contest than the writers do.
Same deal here. Pass a screening…keep your vote... but it only counts as 1/3 of the total process.
The Honor is for the player. Cooperstown is for the fans.

Look, we’re the ones that elevate them to rock star status. We’re the ones that enable them to make millions, and we’re the ones that get outraged when they aren’t voted in, and we’re the ones that visit the museum in the first place. Remind me why we don’t have a say as to who gets in? The fan vote portion would be simple. Every year mlb.com offers a 24 hour window for fans to sign on and register for Hall of Fame voting. Each year, 500 registrants are randomly selected to select from the ballot. They vote and it counts for the final 1/3. A player still needs 75% total to get in, but can’t have any one category dip below 55%. This should prevent any fan uprisings from trying to get a truly undeserving player in.

For the Pete Rose’s and the “Shoeless” Joe’s of the world, the solution is simple. Under the new system, banned players get one shot. If you’re voted in, good for you; if not, there’s the door. Next time don’t break the rules.

Finally, no more 15 years. After the 5 year waiting period, everybody gets 10 years as long as they maintain 25% of the vote. At the end of the day, sometimes we need a little time to sit back and realize just how good somebody really was, but it sure as hell doesn’t take 20 years for that to happen.

And there you have it:
More democracy. More change.
Change is a good thing…
…but I still kind of want to be a Transformer…

Parents, do you lock your kids in dark places?

by Chris Wright

Texas Tech University football program recently fired their head football coach for (in my opinion), unacceptable and inappropriate behavior. He locked a player diagnosed with a concussion inside of a dark closet as discipline. Ok, it was not a closet. That's the way that it was originally reported, but it actually was a dark room about the size of a single car garage. I believe it is called an "equipment locker".

Believe it or not, this is a controversial issue in sports this week! To be fair to the controversy, let me give you a little more background on the story. The player in question is named Adam James. His father is Craig James; a former NFL football player and currently an ESPN college football commentator. He is reported to be very much involved in the development of his son's athletic education and mentoring. He has been accused by Mike Leach, the former Texas Tech football coach, of being a meddler. Coach Leach said the father Craig James complained about his son's playing time and other directions of the coaching staff. Basically, it sounds like Craig James is not much different than many parents who has children that are athletes. I used to coach AAU girls basketball and I witnessed it first hand. Parents meddle. Also, being that Craig James works for the "world wide leader in sports" in a position of intimidation; college football commentator, I am assuming that Mike Leach felt that this put daddy in a position of power also. Or at least a perceived position of power.

On Coach Leach, he also has a reputation of being a tough minded coach and for some athletes, difficult to play for. He also had some contract disputes with the university and was very outspoken with his discontent with the contract offered. There you have it. The brief synopsis on the background of both parties. Does that change your opinion on his behavior?

As parents, we entrust the mentoring, coaching, and well-being of our children to the hands of coaches and teachers everyday. From the moment they leave your hands when you drop them off at daycare and beyond. This trust continues in elementary school and up through college. And I do not believe that most of you would condone your child, who has been diagnosed with a concussion or any injury, to be stuck in a "dark room" or disciplined at all for being advised to resist the urge to practice or play by a doctor; not a coach, not a trainer, but a doctor. That is what this Coach told his trainer to do. And like a dummy, the trainer followed 'orders' and locked the kid in the 'dark room' and then lied to the media and the university saying that he never did. Then the trainer recanted his story and told the truth saying he did! What the hell is that all about? Then the coach says, "the punishment did not cause any further medical damage to the player". What is that? In summary, you don't like the kid, you don't like his dad, you're a bully, and you bully not only your players, but your assistant coaches and trainers too. So you lock the kid in a 'dark room' because the doctor advised that he should not practice or play. Nice move coach.

Parents, wouldn't you prefer that a coach cut or release your child from the team, bench your child, verbally reprimand your child IF indeed he's not playing or participating up to his or her potential? Wouldn't you prefer that the coach was able to show by detailed developmental reports and statistics that your son is just not standing up to the task? I would. You would NOT lock my kid in a dark room with a concussion because your next step may be the grave!

Many pundits and people who approve of Coach Leach's behavior fall back on the "tough" coach argument. They reference Bobby Knight, the former Indiana basketball coach who was known as a tough as nails coach who would berate players and throw chairs and intimidate the media. They reference former Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes, who was caught on video punching a player. They reference NY Giants coach Tom Coughlin who former Giants running back Tiki Barber said was the catalyst for his retirement. They reference Coach Bear Bryant, the former Alabama football coach who had very unorthodoxed ways of coaching and disciplining his players. Ok, so these men that I mentioned have storied careers and are very successful. But their methods would not be tolerated with today's athletes or parents. There was a time that a parent said "i don't care what you need to do to make my boy successful'. There was a time that strict physical discipline was the rule in homes. Kids were used to it. I know that the beatings that I received as a child would surely have me in a foster home today! Child Protection would have removed me and my siblings from the homes immediately. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are in the days of "time-outs" and "talking". Therapy and family counseling. You don't beat the crap out of your children anymore and you certainly don't stick them in dark rooms. So, if the kid doesn't get it at home, you really expect him to accept it from a coach? And if you didn't administer this type of discipline, would you accept it from a coach?

There are good coaches in sports also. Coaches that do not impose this kind of will on their athletes and coaches. Men and women who do not coach by fear. I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and I admire the way their coach Mike Tomlin coaches and disciplines his players. He motivates them with playing time, roster assignments, and details. I like Patriots coach Bill Belichek who tells his players 'my way or the highway'. You try him, you won't be a Patriot long. I like Lakers coach and former Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson, who has coached some of the most polarizing personalities in sports; Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant, and Shaq. He managed personalities. He did not have tirades. I like coach Calipari and Coach Rick Pitino and Nick Saban and Mack Brown. Look at these guys careers. They're known as mentors and leaders. Not bullies and feared. Players love these men as much as they love their own fathers.

I'm not sure if Coach Mike Leach is a father but if he is, I hope that he when his child says, "Mommy, i'm sick, can i stay home from school today?", Mike doesn't shove him in a closet until he learns not to ever ask again.