As every baseball historian, and most current fans know, Jackie Robinson was the first to break the "color barrier" in major league baseball. That happened way back in 1947 when a guy named Harry Truman was occupying the White House. At that time, saying it was a very controversial decision by the then Brooklyn Dodgers to do such a thing would be a gross understatement.
It raised a firestorm in many circles. Segregation was rampant in America. The KKK still held much sway, particularly in the south. "Jim Crow" laws were the norm, and it would be another 17 years until the historic Civil Rights Act, first pioneered by President Kennedy, would finally be signed into law by his successor, Lyndon Johnson, in 1964.
In baseball itself, few would doubt that Robinson endured a lot of taunts and jeering when he was first allowed to play in the major leagues. Not only from the fans, at home and especially on the road, but the players themselves. Opponents are one thing, but it's likely some of his own teammates gave him a hard time. Such is the way it was back then.
Yet his breakthrough eventually morphed into much more. Look around at the major leagues. From front offices, to managers, coaches, players, trainers and scouts -- people of "color" are making new inroads every day. Latino players abound on seemingly every major league team's roster -- probably because they're really good. Several Japanese players have been welcomed into the major leagues, complete with a translator on their team's payroll, because they can't speak any English. It would appear MLB has done it's fair share in not only allowing, but promoting diversity in the last few decades.
Jackie Robinson played for 10 years in the major leagues, the last being 1956. Over the course of that decade, he was certainly a terrific player. With a career batting average over .300, he could field, throw, and had great speed on the base paths. About the only thing he didn't do was hit a lot of home runs.
In 1972, 16 years later, the LA Dodgers decided to retire his number 42. On the very same day, they also retired the numbers of Sandy Koufax and Roy Campanella, who had both come and gone long after Robinson's heyday. Jackie was never afforded his "own" day, but had to "share". It should also be noted that in June of 1972, when this happened, Robinson was gravely ill with heart disease complicated by diabetes. He would die a scant few months later at the age of 53.
Regardless, the LA Dodgers did it the way they saw fit at that time, and we all know Jackie Robinson will forever be enshrined in baseball's Hall of Fame. Whether his career statistics were Cooperstown worthy is debatable, but it's pretty much universally accepted that he belongs there, if only for being the pioneer that would eventually radically change the make-up of the game.
But something very strange happened. In 1997, 41 years after Robinson had played his last game, and 25 years since his number had been retired by the Dodgers, and died shortly thereafter -- it was decided that every major league team would retire Robinson's # 42. No other player -- ever -- will be allowed to wear that number.
And that's just wrong for a few reasons.
First, consider when Robinson played. Jackie spent his whole career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. They didn't move to LA until after he had retired. During his era, the other 7 teams of the National League consisted of the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Boston/Milwaukee Braves, and the NY/San Fran Giants. Like all sports leagues, every team wanted to beat the others. Despite the racial tensions that Robinson's presence created, he was just one player. During that time -- and to this day -- certain intense team rivalries exist. Back then, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the NY Giants had a regular family feud going on. With or without Robinson's presence, from owners down to batboys, they would have still hated each other. Think Michigan-Ohio State, Yankees-Red Sox, Hatfields and McCoys, Oprah and Dave, Charles Barkley and golf swing coaches. Some things just aren't meant to work out.
So why, pray tell, when their job was to beat the Dodgers every time they played -- should the above mentioned teams have to retire Jackie Robinson's number?
And how about the American League teams? Back in Jackie's day, television was in it's infancy. No dishes, no internet, not even ESPN. While fans of AL teams had no doubt heard of Robinson, it's likely most of them never even saw him play. So why should all the American League teams have to retire his number as well, when he never even played in that league?
What's more ridiculous is certain teams that came into existence, through "expansion", even though it was many years after Robinson died, have to keep his number 42 off-limits as well for their current and future players. Their fans couldn't care less about what Robinson did back in the 40's and 50's. They're rooting for their home teams, and hoping some of their own might go on to terrific careers, maybe even Hall of Famers someday, so they can retire THEIR numbers.
Regardless of what Jackie Robinson endured and accomplished during his major league career, his number 42 should NOT have been force-fed down every other team's throat as to "retiring" it forever after.
It's just wrong.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
More dumb idle thoughts
Kurt Busch won a Nationwide Series race at Daytona. On the one hand, he's a terrific race car driver, but on the other sometimes I think he blew a head gasket in real life a long time ago.
Serena Williams will likely win another Wimbledon championship. She seems to be the only female American player that's competitive at the world-class level these days. In the meantime, the Russians are churning out young guns like they do bottles of Stoly. On the men's side, the Americans don't seem to have anybody remotely competitive at that level.
Roger Federer and Andy Murray will meet in the men's finals. Who to root for? The Swiss native already has a boatload of titles, but he's a nice guy. Conversely, wouldn't it be great to finally see a Brit win such a coveted championship in his own country? They'd go crazy. I think Federer will win handily, by here's rooting for Murray. Do it for the queen, the princes and princesses, the dukes and duchesses, the lords, dames, earls, viscounts, and whatever other titles are still in effect across the pond. If he can pull it off, old Lizzie the Deuce would no doubt confer knighthood upon him. Perhaps she could dub him Sir Racketman, while Sir Rocketman, Elton John, provided the background music. That would be such a jolly good time.
Ray Allen, formerly of the Boston Celtics, just jumped to the Miami Heat. Allen's the most prolific 3-point shooter in the history of the NBA. If you thought they were good before, consider -- besides having freakish talents like Lebron James and Dwyane Wade that can not only shoot the lights out themselves, but drive the ball to the basket, often resulting in easy layups, dunks or fouls -- now they can kick it out to a 3 point sniper. If their team chemistry comes together with Allen -- the Heat, recently crowned NBA champs, just went from the "best" to "scary"
To my knowledge, no Detroit Lion players have been arrested in the last couple weeks. Damn. Just when things were getting interesting, they go back into their old boring mode.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson both failed to make the cut at the current PGA tournament. According to the stat monsters, it's the first time that's happened since Phil was 23, and Eldrick was still an amateur. To all of which I say -- who cares? They weren't good enough this week. So why do we have to watch replays of them? Shouldn't we be shown replays of the other guys that obviously played better and are still in contention? Sometimes I think ESPN stands for Eldrick's Sports Network.
Steve Nash, formerly of the Phoenix Suns, just signed on with the Los Angeles Lakers. Nash is known for a lot of things. He's been the NBA MVP, is a terrific ball handler, and can shoot with the best of them when the opportunity presents itself. But mostly he's known for distributing the ball to his teammates. Kobe Bryant is happy to have Nash on board, and that makes sense. Nash will likely get Kobe the ball even more. Some call Kobe the Black Mamba. I think of him as the Black Hole once he gets the basketball. It goes in, but never comes back out.
The Tour de France is in full swing, and the persecutors are STILL after Lance Armstrong for supposedly doping many years ago, even though he passed each and every drug test over his entire career?
Please.
Serena Williams will likely win another Wimbledon championship. She seems to be the only female American player that's competitive at the world-class level these days. In the meantime, the Russians are churning out young guns like they do bottles of Stoly. On the men's side, the Americans don't seem to have anybody remotely competitive at that level.
Roger Federer and Andy Murray will meet in the men's finals. Who to root for? The Swiss native already has a boatload of titles, but he's a nice guy. Conversely, wouldn't it be great to finally see a Brit win such a coveted championship in his own country? They'd go crazy. I think Federer will win handily, by here's rooting for Murray. Do it for the queen, the princes and princesses, the dukes and duchesses, the lords, dames, earls, viscounts, and whatever other titles are still in effect across the pond. If he can pull it off, old Lizzie the Deuce would no doubt confer knighthood upon him. Perhaps she could dub him Sir Racketman, while Sir Rocketman, Elton John, provided the background music. That would be such a jolly good time.
Ray Allen, formerly of the Boston Celtics, just jumped to the Miami Heat. Allen's the most prolific 3-point shooter in the history of the NBA. If you thought they were good before, consider -- besides having freakish talents like Lebron James and Dwyane Wade that can not only shoot the lights out themselves, but drive the ball to the basket, often resulting in easy layups, dunks or fouls -- now they can kick it out to a 3 point sniper. If their team chemistry comes together with Allen -- the Heat, recently crowned NBA champs, just went from the "best" to "scary"
To my knowledge, no Detroit Lion players have been arrested in the last couple weeks. Damn. Just when things were getting interesting, they go back into their old boring mode.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson both failed to make the cut at the current PGA tournament. According to the stat monsters, it's the first time that's happened since Phil was 23, and Eldrick was still an amateur. To all of which I say -- who cares? They weren't good enough this week. So why do we have to watch replays of them? Shouldn't we be shown replays of the other guys that obviously played better and are still in contention? Sometimes I think ESPN stands for Eldrick's Sports Network.
Steve Nash, formerly of the Phoenix Suns, just signed on with the Los Angeles Lakers. Nash is known for a lot of things. He's been the NBA MVP, is a terrific ball handler, and can shoot with the best of them when the opportunity presents itself. But mostly he's known for distributing the ball to his teammates. Kobe Bryant is happy to have Nash on board, and that makes sense. Nash will likely get Kobe the ball even more. Some call Kobe the Black Mamba. I think of him as the Black Hole once he gets the basketball. It goes in, but never comes back out.
The Tour de France is in full swing, and the persecutors are STILL after Lance Armstrong for supposedly doping many years ago, even though he passed each and every drug test over his entire career?
Please.
Friday, July 6, 2012
The hot dog eating contest
Once again, Nathan's Coney Island, in Brooklyn, NY, held their annual 4th of July hot dog eating contest. Certainly valid arguments could be made regarding gluttony, world hunger, and obesity in America. It's also unlikely many health professionals, much less vegetarians, would approve of such a spectacle. I'm going to skip past all that PC stuff and look at it from a fun point of view.
The rules seem to be simple enough. Whoever eats the most hot dogs and accompanying buns in the 10 minute time limit -- wins. Also, any contestant that suffers a "reversal of fortune" during the contest is disqualified.
To no one's great surprise, Joey Chestnut, the 5-time reigning champion, won yet again. He downed 68 dogs and buns in 10 minutes to equal his record. Just for a second, try to imagine what a pile of 68 hot dogs in their buns would look like. No human should be able to eat that amount of food in a week, let alone 10 minutes. It's not like Chestnut is some Godzilla -sized man. He stands a little over 6 feet, weighs about 210 (before the contest) and is somewhat muscular. Just an average looking guy.
When the contest began, his first 10 hot dogs and buns were gone in about one minute. Though he consumes them 2 at a time, that still averages out to one dog and bun every 6 seconds. Do not try this at home, unless you're very close to the porcelain receptacle. Chances are -- you'll be getting an up close look at it in a few minutes.
Perhaps the best way to describe how Joey Chestnut eats hot dogs and buns is to think of a wood-chipper. You know, that big machine that tree trimmers have that they feed branches and foliage into as fast as they can, and the little bitty chips come shooting out the other end. It's like that. I don't want to know what comes shooting out of Joey Chestnut's other end a few hours after the contest, but I dare say it's going to be somewhat painful and involve several flushes.
I'm not sure if this is covered somewhere in the fine print of Title IX, but ladies were allowed to compete as well. They have their own contest within the overall event. The winner? One Sonya Thomas, a 45 year old lady that stands 5' 5", and weighs about 100 pounds. She's downright skinny. But she pounded down 45 dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Incredible.
People like Chestnut and Thomas aren't exactly household names, and other than their home towns, San Jose, and Alexandria, VA, respectively, it's unlikely most folks around the country would recognize them if they "bumped into them on the street".
They could have some fun if they wanted to, and so could we if the TV cameras were rolling. How about if they pretended to be a couple, and walked into a coney joint somewhere else in America that featured an all-you-can-eat for $10 special?
After plopping down their 20 bucks, they would appear to be harmless enough to the waitress or proprietor. Just an average guy with a skinny wife.
Perhaps Joey might say to the server, "We're very hungry, but prefer our hot dogs plain. No chili, no mustard, no onions, just the dogs and buns. And two tall glasses of water. Could we have 6 to start with please?" That would seem like a reasonable order.
But when the dogs came, the wood-chippers fired up, all 6 were gone before the server could even turn around, and they requested 10 more -- things might get interesting. Remember, Joey ate 68 and Sonya ate 45, in 10 minutes. 113 dogs and buns. At the coney joint, they could easily pound down 10 more, and 10 more, and 10 more. When they got up to a combined 70 or 80, and still wanted more, having only paid 20 bucks in the first place -- it would be hilarious to see the reactions on the faces of other patrons, the server, and the cook. The owner would have been contacted informing them of a state of emergency in their restaurant. Imagine what he/she would hear from their panicked staff. No, it's not a bomb threat, and not a robbery. Everybody's just fine. It's not even the health department here again inspecting us. But you won't believe how much the couple at table 4 are eating. You need to get here and see for yourself, ASAP.
Yep, that could be a fun scenario. I hope they do it someday and the cameras are rolling.
In the meantime, here's a tip. If you ever meet Joey or Sonya, and ask them to lunch so you can get further acquainted?
Go Dutch. Trust me.
The rules seem to be simple enough. Whoever eats the most hot dogs and accompanying buns in the 10 minute time limit -- wins. Also, any contestant that suffers a "reversal of fortune" during the contest is disqualified.
To no one's great surprise, Joey Chestnut, the 5-time reigning champion, won yet again. He downed 68 dogs and buns in 10 minutes to equal his record. Just for a second, try to imagine what a pile of 68 hot dogs in their buns would look like. No human should be able to eat that amount of food in a week, let alone 10 minutes. It's not like Chestnut is some Godzilla -sized man. He stands a little over 6 feet, weighs about 210 (before the contest) and is somewhat muscular. Just an average looking guy.
When the contest began, his first 10 hot dogs and buns were gone in about one minute. Though he consumes them 2 at a time, that still averages out to one dog and bun every 6 seconds. Do not try this at home, unless you're very close to the porcelain receptacle. Chances are -- you'll be getting an up close look at it in a few minutes.
Perhaps the best way to describe how Joey Chestnut eats hot dogs and buns is to think of a wood-chipper. You know, that big machine that tree trimmers have that they feed branches and foliage into as fast as they can, and the little bitty chips come shooting out the other end. It's like that. I don't want to know what comes shooting out of Joey Chestnut's other end a few hours after the contest, but I dare say it's going to be somewhat painful and involve several flushes.
I'm not sure if this is covered somewhere in the fine print of Title IX, but ladies were allowed to compete as well. They have their own contest within the overall event. The winner? One Sonya Thomas, a 45 year old lady that stands 5' 5", and weighs about 100 pounds. She's downright skinny. But she pounded down 45 dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Incredible.
People like Chestnut and Thomas aren't exactly household names, and other than their home towns, San Jose, and Alexandria, VA, respectively, it's unlikely most folks around the country would recognize them if they "bumped into them on the street".
They could have some fun if they wanted to, and so could we if the TV cameras were rolling. How about if they pretended to be a couple, and walked into a coney joint somewhere else in America that featured an all-you-can-eat for $10 special?
After plopping down their 20 bucks, they would appear to be harmless enough to the waitress or proprietor. Just an average guy with a skinny wife.
Perhaps Joey might say to the server, "We're very hungry, but prefer our hot dogs plain. No chili, no mustard, no onions, just the dogs and buns. And two tall glasses of water. Could we have 6 to start with please?" That would seem like a reasonable order.
But when the dogs came, the wood-chippers fired up, all 6 were gone before the server could even turn around, and they requested 10 more -- things might get interesting. Remember, Joey ate 68 and Sonya ate 45, in 10 minutes. 113 dogs and buns. At the coney joint, they could easily pound down 10 more, and 10 more, and 10 more. When they got up to a combined 70 or 80, and still wanted more, having only paid 20 bucks in the first place -- it would be hilarious to see the reactions on the faces of other patrons, the server, and the cook. The owner would have been contacted informing them of a state of emergency in their restaurant. Imagine what he/she would hear from their panicked staff. No, it's not a bomb threat, and not a robbery. Everybody's just fine. It's not even the health department here again inspecting us. But you won't believe how much the couple at table 4 are eating. You need to get here and see for yourself, ASAP.
Yep, that could be a fun scenario. I hope they do it someday and the cameras are rolling.
In the meantime, here's a tip. If you ever meet Joey or Sonya, and ask them to lunch so you can get further acquainted?
Go Dutch. Trust me.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Parise and Suter shun Detroit
Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the two most coveted free agents in this year's NHL merry-go-round, are both heading to play for the Minnesota Wild. Close friends for several years, it had been rumored that they had made an agreement between them to eventually sign with the same team.
Detroit Red Wings' management and their hockey fans are no doubt disappointed, and maybe even surprised they got passed over. After all, Detroit calls itself "Hockeytown", is a mecca of the sport steeped in tradition, and everybody that gets a chance will jump at the opportunity to wear the "winged wheel", right? Maybe not. Here's a few reasons and why they don't hold up under scrutiny.
Detroiters can boast of being an "original 6" franchise. Actually, that doesn't matter at all. Does anybody really think a modern day NHL player gives a rat's behind about what happened over a half century ago? I think not.
The Red Wings have an owner who's not afraid to spend a bunch of money for good players in his commitment to winning. Maybe so, but the Wings have the same salary cap as every other team. The Wings went out and spent a few million to sign a few prospects and yet another back-up goalie, of all things. Don't think this was lost on Parise and Suter, much less their agents.
The Wings have a winning tradition. Guess what? Tradition doesn't matter either. That was then, and this is now. There's a difference. Besides, Detroit hockey fans might want to consider something else. Despite such talents as Datsyuk and Zetterberg, their team hasn't been remotely close to being Stanley Cup worthy since Stevie Y retired. All the rest is just hype. They're not that good.
The Wings have a rabid fan base. Indeed they do, but that's relative as well. There are many other venues around the league where fans are every bit as supportive of their team -- if not moreso.
Speaking of venues, even many of the Detroit faithful have begrudgingly admitted the Red Wings' Joe Louis Arena is quickly reaching the point of becoming more of a liability than an asset. Like many other venues in professional sports over the last few decades -- what was once regarded as a jewel -- is now considered to be obsolete and in need of replacement. With the exception of such hallowed places such as the Cubs' Wrigley Field, the Bosox' Fenway Park, and of course Madison Square Garden, time and expectations from players march on. For anyone who would doubt that -- I would offer that even the old Yankee Stadium, which probably had more history and tradition than any other venue in the world -- was recently demolished for a new updated version.
Last, but certainly not least, is the city of Detroit itself. To my knowledge, not a single pro athlete playing for any Detroit team actually lives within the city limits. And why would they want to? There's a reason so many businesses have closed up shop and moved elsewhere, along with the thousands of citizens that could afford to escape to the suburbs.
Get outside the Fox district and a small stretch along the Detroit river, and what do you really have? A vast crime-ridden wasteland. Abandoned buildings. Once nice houses now in shambles, being inhabited by homeless people, crack heads, or worse. Political corruption and a school system that might well be the worst in the nation. Throw in daily murders, rapes, robberies, muggings, assaults, home invasions, and carjackings. Add a liberal portion of ignorance, poverty, guns, gangs, drugs, stir well, bring to a boil, and let simmer for a few decades. This is what Detroit has become.
So somebody please tell me -- unless the money was just obscene -- why would any highly prized free agent want to come to Detroit?
I have no idea how much the Red Wings offered Parise and Suter, or what their contracts with the Minnesota Wild will be worth. But I do know one thing.
While the city of St. Paul might not rank up there with Detroit as far as name recognition in the NHL goes -- it's a helluva lot better city to be in.
Detroit Red Wings' management and their hockey fans are no doubt disappointed, and maybe even surprised they got passed over. After all, Detroit calls itself "Hockeytown", is a mecca of the sport steeped in tradition, and everybody that gets a chance will jump at the opportunity to wear the "winged wheel", right? Maybe not. Here's a few reasons and why they don't hold up under scrutiny.
Detroiters can boast of being an "original 6" franchise. Actually, that doesn't matter at all. Does anybody really think a modern day NHL player gives a rat's behind about what happened over a half century ago? I think not.
The Red Wings have an owner who's not afraid to spend a bunch of money for good players in his commitment to winning. Maybe so, but the Wings have the same salary cap as every other team. The Wings went out and spent a few million to sign a few prospects and yet another back-up goalie, of all things. Don't think this was lost on Parise and Suter, much less their agents.
The Wings have a winning tradition. Guess what? Tradition doesn't matter either. That was then, and this is now. There's a difference. Besides, Detroit hockey fans might want to consider something else. Despite such talents as Datsyuk and Zetterberg, their team hasn't been remotely close to being Stanley Cup worthy since Stevie Y retired. All the rest is just hype. They're not that good.
The Wings have a rabid fan base. Indeed they do, but that's relative as well. There are many other venues around the league where fans are every bit as supportive of their team -- if not moreso.
Speaking of venues, even many of the Detroit faithful have begrudgingly admitted the Red Wings' Joe Louis Arena is quickly reaching the point of becoming more of a liability than an asset. Like many other venues in professional sports over the last few decades -- what was once regarded as a jewel -- is now considered to be obsolete and in need of replacement. With the exception of such hallowed places such as the Cubs' Wrigley Field, the Bosox' Fenway Park, and of course Madison Square Garden, time and expectations from players march on. For anyone who would doubt that -- I would offer that even the old Yankee Stadium, which probably had more history and tradition than any other venue in the world -- was recently demolished for a new updated version.
Last, but certainly not least, is the city of Detroit itself. To my knowledge, not a single pro athlete playing for any Detroit team actually lives within the city limits. And why would they want to? There's a reason so many businesses have closed up shop and moved elsewhere, along with the thousands of citizens that could afford to escape to the suburbs.
Get outside the Fox district and a small stretch along the Detroit river, and what do you really have? A vast crime-ridden wasteland. Abandoned buildings. Once nice houses now in shambles, being inhabited by homeless people, crack heads, or worse. Political corruption and a school system that might well be the worst in the nation. Throw in daily murders, rapes, robberies, muggings, assaults, home invasions, and carjackings. Add a liberal portion of ignorance, poverty, guns, gangs, drugs, stir well, bring to a boil, and let simmer for a few decades. This is what Detroit has become.
So somebody please tell me -- unless the money was just obscene -- why would any highly prized free agent want to come to Detroit?
I have no idea how much the Red Wings offered Parise and Suter, or what their contracts with the Minnesota Wild will be worth. But I do know one thing.
While the city of St. Paul might not rank up there with Detroit as far as name recognition in the NHL goes -- it's a helluva lot better city to be in.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Penn State. Stop the madness
How much is enough? Where and when will it stop? Since the sordid revelations began coming out of Penn State, consider what has happened. Legendary and beloved head coach Joe Paterno got fired, and died a couple months later. The university President was ousted, and the culprit, one Jerry Sandusky, has been tried, convicted, and will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
Though it may sound cold, the young men that were victimized will either get past the trauma they experienced, and go on to live fruitful lives -- or they won't. Other than counseling, there's little to be done about that now. Some people are mentally and psychologically stronger than others. That's just human nature.
Now, Penn State's athletic director, Tim Curley, currently on "leave", and retired vice president Gary Schultz await trial on charges of not properly reporting child abuse, and lying to a grand jury. It's all about who knew what and when, and how they passed that information on, either legally or morally. It's also over a decade old. Is putting them on trial the best thing to do? Depends how you look at it.
In the name of justice -- if they broke laws -- they should be held accountable. Yet, possibly a much more important point, which has gone largely unnoticed, should be considered. What exactly will those trials accomplish? Sure, if convicted, Curley and Schultz might head off to jail, but likely not for very long.
It will also be splashed all over the media as it unfolds. Contrary to what many may think, Jerry Sandusky wasn't the most important person in this mess. He's history. It was, and is, the kids that were victimized. Those young men are in their 20's now, and I dare say being reminded over and over again, through various proceedings, about what happened to them -- isn't exactly helpful as they strive to get on with their lives. As the media and authorities continue their witch-hunt in the name of stories or justice -- it seems they've totally ignored what effects their actions might have on the people that should matter most. Or they don't care.
Lastly, there's the matter of probing through Joe Paterno's emails over a decade ago. What did he know? Who did he tell? The man's dead. Does it really matter now, or do they plan to dig him up and put him on trial too? All this nonsense is accomplishing is smearing the name and legacy of a very good man, and a sports icon, who obviously can't defend himself.
Rooting out every last detail in the name of "closure" is one thing. Making several young men constantly relive their worst nightmare while doing so is quite another.
If anybody deserves closure -- it's THEM.
This whole thing has gone on long enough.
For the kids' sake -- can we please stop this madness?
Though it may sound cold, the young men that were victimized will either get past the trauma they experienced, and go on to live fruitful lives -- or they won't. Other than counseling, there's little to be done about that now. Some people are mentally and psychologically stronger than others. That's just human nature.
Now, Penn State's athletic director, Tim Curley, currently on "leave", and retired vice president Gary Schultz await trial on charges of not properly reporting child abuse, and lying to a grand jury. It's all about who knew what and when, and how they passed that information on, either legally or morally. It's also over a decade old. Is putting them on trial the best thing to do? Depends how you look at it.
In the name of justice -- if they broke laws -- they should be held accountable. Yet, possibly a much more important point, which has gone largely unnoticed, should be considered. What exactly will those trials accomplish? Sure, if convicted, Curley and Schultz might head off to jail, but likely not for very long.
It will also be splashed all over the media as it unfolds. Contrary to what many may think, Jerry Sandusky wasn't the most important person in this mess. He's history. It was, and is, the kids that were victimized. Those young men are in their 20's now, and I dare say being reminded over and over again, through various proceedings, about what happened to them -- isn't exactly helpful as they strive to get on with their lives. As the media and authorities continue their witch-hunt in the name of stories or justice -- it seems they've totally ignored what effects their actions might have on the people that should matter most. Or they don't care.
Lastly, there's the matter of probing through Joe Paterno's emails over a decade ago. What did he know? Who did he tell? The man's dead. Does it really matter now, or do they plan to dig him up and put him on trial too? All this nonsense is accomplishing is smearing the name and legacy of a very good man, and a sports icon, who obviously can't defend himself.
Rooting out every last detail in the name of "closure" is one thing. Making several young men constantly relive their worst nightmare while doing so is quite another.
If anybody deserves closure -- it's THEM.
This whole thing has gone on long enough.
For the kids' sake -- can we please stop this madness?
Monday, July 2, 2012
Spicing up Olympic gymnastics
No doubt about it. The things Olympic gymnasts can do are incredible. But it could be better. Here's a few ideas on how to make it way more interesting.
The lady's "balance beam" would seem to require the utmost in concentration. It's only 4 inhes wide and those girls are doing all manner of twists, jumps and cartwheels on it. The crowd in attendance and TV cameras don't seem to faze them. It's like they're immune to pressure. After all, what's the worst that can happen? They fall off the beam and land on a foot of padding. Big deal. Want to spice it up? Get rid of the padding and put a foot deep pond swarming with hungry snapping crocodiles underneath the beam. THAT would be pressure. And can you imagine the TV ratings?
In this day and age of supposed equality, why do the opposite sexes still have different routines to compete in anyway? Boys do this, but girls don't. Girls do that, but boys don't. Why not swap a few things around and have a little fun with it? It would be interesting to see what the men could do on the balance beam. Walking a 4 inch straight line doesn't sound so tough. Unless, of course, the man is a member of the Detroit Lions that got pulled over by the cops and was given a field sobriety test.
Consider the "rings". Only the men participate. It used to be quite a feat for one of them to hold the "iron cross" position for a few seconds. Now they all make it look routine. Why not put the ladies up there and see what they can do? Show me a girl that can hold the "iron cross" while smiling and not flinching, and I'll show you not only a gold medal winner, but a future attorney that will make millions representing women in divorce cases. See "hungry snapping crocodiles" mentioned above.
The Olympics has the "pommel horse" backwards too. The equivalent ladies' event has them getting a running head start, jumping on a mini-trampoline, then bouncing off the horse, and doing spins and flips trying to "stick" a perfect landing. Meanwhile, the men mount a different sort of "horse", with a couple of handles. They proceed to go back and forth across the horse twirling around and flipping their legs every which way. Why not switch the two events? Sure, it might be boring to watch the men do what the women do now, but putting the women on the pommel horse to "walk" back and forth with their hands, while constantly gyrating their legs, might accomplish something far more significant than any athletic contest. It could cause a sexual revolution as millions of young couples experimented with such moves in the privacy of their own bedrooms. Studies have shown Americans are getting more obese every day, and what better way to get in shape?
Why do men compete on a single high bar, while women compete on two "uneven" bars? That seems dumb. Why not combine the two? Make it one higher bar and two lower bars, one to each side, for both sexes. Or two high bars with a low one in the middle. Either way, the routines would get more interesting.
The "floor exercise"? Every Olympics the padding seems to get thicker. Nowadays that mat has more bounce then an unpopular President starting a war in an election year. These Olympian boys and girls are supposed to be the best, so why not hold them to that standard? Forget all that padding. One word. Concrete. Street dancers do the same thing all the time -- so the Olympians should have no problem.
While entertaining as is, this could all be so much more interesting if the people in charge used their imagination.
On a personal note -- heal up quickly from your surgery Randy -- but while you're recuperating remember what I said about the "horse". LOL
The lady's "balance beam" would seem to require the utmost in concentration. It's only 4 inhes wide and those girls are doing all manner of twists, jumps and cartwheels on it. The crowd in attendance and TV cameras don't seem to faze them. It's like they're immune to pressure. After all, what's the worst that can happen? They fall off the beam and land on a foot of padding. Big deal. Want to spice it up? Get rid of the padding and put a foot deep pond swarming with hungry snapping crocodiles underneath the beam. THAT would be pressure. And can you imagine the TV ratings?
In this day and age of supposed equality, why do the opposite sexes still have different routines to compete in anyway? Boys do this, but girls don't. Girls do that, but boys don't. Why not swap a few things around and have a little fun with it? It would be interesting to see what the men could do on the balance beam. Walking a 4 inch straight line doesn't sound so tough. Unless, of course, the man is a member of the Detroit Lions that got pulled over by the cops and was given a field sobriety test.
Consider the "rings". Only the men participate. It used to be quite a feat for one of them to hold the "iron cross" position for a few seconds. Now they all make it look routine. Why not put the ladies up there and see what they can do? Show me a girl that can hold the "iron cross" while smiling and not flinching, and I'll show you not only a gold medal winner, but a future attorney that will make millions representing women in divorce cases. See "hungry snapping crocodiles" mentioned above.
The Olympics has the "pommel horse" backwards too. The equivalent ladies' event has them getting a running head start, jumping on a mini-trampoline, then bouncing off the horse, and doing spins and flips trying to "stick" a perfect landing. Meanwhile, the men mount a different sort of "horse", with a couple of handles. They proceed to go back and forth across the horse twirling around and flipping their legs every which way. Why not switch the two events? Sure, it might be boring to watch the men do what the women do now, but putting the women on the pommel horse to "walk" back and forth with their hands, while constantly gyrating their legs, might accomplish something far more significant than any athletic contest. It could cause a sexual revolution as millions of young couples experimented with such moves in the privacy of their own bedrooms. Studies have shown Americans are getting more obese every day, and what better way to get in shape?
Why do men compete on a single high bar, while women compete on two "uneven" bars? That seems dumb. Why not combine the two? Make it one higher bar and two lower bars, one to each side, for both sexes. Or two high bars with a low one in the middle. Either way, the routines would get more interesting.
The "floor exercise"? Every Olympics the padding seems to get thicker. Nowadays that mat has more bounce then an unpopular President starting a war in an election year. These Olympian boys and girls are supposed to be the best, so why not hold them to that standard? Forget all that padding. One word. Concrete. Street dancers do the same thing all the time -- so the Olympians should have no problem.
While entertaining as is, this could all be so much more interesting if the people in charge used their imagination.
On a personal note -- heal up quickly from your surgery Randy -- but while you're recuperating remember what I said about the "horse". LOL
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The U.S. Olympic men's swimming trials
American swimmers Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte are putting on quite a show. They've dominated the field in every event they've entered. It should come as no surprise, considering Phelps has already won 14 Olympic gold medals, and Lochte holds a world record or two himself. The announcers often refer to them as the best two swimmers in the world.
Maybe they are. Then again, nobody knows that for sure until the actual Olympic events take place. It seems to me there's a lot of countries around the world that will be sending the best of their own swimmers, and maybe some of THEIR announcers are referring to THEM as the best in the world. We'll all know when they get it on in London in a few weeks.
Americans shouldn't forget that just because Phelps, Lochte, and Co. dominated the last Olympics -- that was 4 years ago. A lot can happen in that time. Detroit Lion fans would know about that. 4 years ago, their team racked up the only 0-16 season in NFL history. They were a laughingstock. Now, those same fans dare to mention the Lions making it to the Super Bowl. Teams go up and teams go down, sometimes drastically. Previously unheard of athletes can suddenly emerge and become super-stars.
There might be some 14 year old kid somewhere hacking away on public golf courses, that will eventually surpass everything Tiger Woods has accomplished. You never know. And so it could be in men's Olympic swimming this year. Maybe there's a few guys from other countries that Americans never heard of before, that will show up to trounce Phelps and Lochte in the pool. Again, you never know. I dare say those guys, whoever they are, have been training like maniacs too.
Remember the "Miracle on Ice" back in 1980, when a bunch of American college kids defeated the mighty Soviet Red Army squad? Looking at it from the other side, that would have been akin to the original Dream Team of NBA stars (Bird, Magic, Jordan, etc., whose smallest margin of victory was a whopping 32 points) getting knocked off in the Olympics by, say, Lithuania. Neither had a snowflake's chance in hell of happening. But one did.
Just a thought -- Phelps is entered in 8 Olympic events. Just for fun, let's assume he wins gold medals in 4 of them, a very real possibility, running his record total to 18. That would be the exact same number the above mentioned Tiger Woods is fixated on, regarding winning golf "majors".
I hope he tweets Eldrick and says, "I'll consider having lunch with you when you match my number. Perhaps we could get in a quick 9 holes, then go for a dip in an Olympic sized swimming pool. Seems fair. BTW, I'm not a very good golfer, but I hope your swimming capabilities at least go beyond hot tubs".
Priceless.
Maybe they are. Then again, nobody knows that for sure until the actual Olympic events take place. It seems to me there's a lot of countries around the world that will be sending the best of their own swimmers, and maybe some of THEIR announcers are referring to THEM as the best in the world. We'll all know when they get it on in London in a few weeks.
Americans shouldn't forget that just because Phelps, Lochte, and Co. dominated the last Olympics -- that was 4 years ago. A lot can happen in that time. Detroit Lion fans would know about that. 4 years ago, their team racked up the only 0-16 season in NFL history. They were a laughingstock. Now, those same fans dare to mention the Lions making it to the Super Bowl. Teams go up and teams go down, sometimes drastically. Previously unheard of athletes can suddenly emerge and become super-stars.
There might be some 14 year old kid somewhere hacking away on public golf courses, that will eventually surpass everything Tiger Woods has accomplished. You never know. And so it could be in men's Olympic swimming this year. Maybe there's a few guys from other countries that Americans never heard of before, that will show up to trounce Phelps and Lochte in the pool. Again, you never know. I dare say those guys, whoever they are, have been training like maniacs too.
Remember the "Miracle on Ice" back in 1980, when a bunch of American college kids defeated the mighty Soviet Red Army squad? Looking at it from the other side, that would have been akin to the original Dream Team of NBA stars (Bird, Magic, Jordan, etc., whose smallest margin of victory was a whopping 32 points) getting knocked off in the Olympics by, say, Lithuania. Neither had a snowflake's chance in hell of happening. But one did.
Just a thought -- Phelps is entered in 8 Olympic events. Just for fun, let's assume he wins gold medals in 4 of them, a very real possibility, running his record total to 18. That would be the exact same number the above mentioned Tiger Woods is fixated on, regarding winning golf "majors".
I hope he tweets Eldrick and says, "I'll consider having lunch with you when you match my number. Perhaps we could get in a quick 9 holes, then go for a dip in an Olympic sized swimming pool. Seems fair. BTW, I'm not a very good golfer, but I hope your swimming capabilities at least go beyond hot tubs".
Priceless.
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