And so it goes on -- and on -- and on. The US Anti-Doping Agency continues to pursue Lance Armstrong over allegations he used illgegal substances, or techniques, or SOMETHING, when he was winning all those Tour de France titles so many years ago.
Lance has denied it all along, of course, and you know what? His loyalists will always stand by him, no matter what, others will assume he is guilty, no matter what, and chances are those of us that have no dog in this hunt will never know what actually happened or didn't happen -- no matter what.
It's been well documented, even by the USADA itself, that during the course of Armstrong's cycling career he was tested, by blood and/or urine samples, over 500 times, and each test came back clean as a whistle. That doesn't seem to matter to the witchhunters. It certainly appears obvious they're hell-bent on finding SOMETHING they can nail him with.
As is widely known, after years of trying to fight "the system", Armstrong ultimately decided not to exercise his "final option" and appear before the "arbitration" court. Yours truly isn't sure, but I suspect if one were to dig out Roget's thesaurus and look up the word "arbitration", one would find the word "kangaroo" as a synonym. I mean, what's the point in wasting one's time, not to mention a ton of money on legal expenses, if one knows a guilty verdict has already been rendered before one even walks into the courtroom? Thwarted at that turn, the USADA stripped Armstrong of his titles. That should have been the end of it, right? Oh no. The hunt continues. They want blood.
Here's an analogy to ponder, if you please. Lance Armstrong once dominated cycling much like Tiger Woods did golf, and as coincidence would have it, roughly during the same time frame. Like Tiger, he was the best. The MAN. Now what do you think would happen if rumors surfaced that Tiger had been using an illegal driver back then? The PGA never actually SAW that driver, mind you, despite inspecting his clubs at each tournament, but a lot of other players came forth and said Tiger had an ingenious way of disguising that club to make it appear legal? Like Armstrong, Woods vehemently denied it. Would it be a big story? No doubt. Would they strip Woods of all his major titles? Maybe. Would they ban him from the PGA for a year or two, or even life? Perhaps. But then it would be over. Tiger could still play golf, just not at the highest sanctioned levels. As the years rolled by, and Mother Nature gradually took her toll, in both instances, it would become academic anyway. But would they continue to persecute Woods to the four corners of the earth in a relentless pursuit to completely destroy him and his name? Somehow, I doubt that.
Yet that appears to be what's going on with Armstrong. The question that still remains unanswered, if it's ever been asked at all, would seem to be -- what's the end game? What is it the USADA ultimately hopes to accomplish before they put this whole matter to rest?
Have Armstrong break down in tears, say he was a bad boy, and beg for mercy? Will they throw him in a dungeon somewhere, waterboard him, burn him at the stake? What, exactly, will satisfy the "authorities" before they call off the hunt?
I, for one, don't know whether Lance Armstrong cheated or not. And you know what else? After all this time, money, legal wrangling, print and sound bytes, and other hype -- I weary of the hunt, even as a spectator. It just doesn't matter anymore and I don't care. I further dare say Armstrong reached much the same conclusion when he decided to stop being an active combatant in this whole sordid affair, and get on with his life elsewhere.
It would be nice if others would stop spending tax-payer dollars trying to get Clark Kent to finally admit he had a magic potion that turned him into Superman, and find something better to do with our money.
This whole thing is starting to get like the never-ending quest to find Jimmy Hoffa's remains, with one notable difference. Lance Armstrong is very much alive and currently doing a lot of good things for a lot of people, particularly children, through his foundation. THIS is who they want to paint as something evil? Those that would say that he cheated at bike races and the on-going charitable work are entirely two different things, apples and oranges if you will, might want to consider that without his cycling career, dirty or not, there likely wouldn't BE any such foundation. So in that respect, they are indeed related, and in the end, something very good became of it.
No one in their right mind would seriously consider Armstrong to be any sort of threat to society. Leave the man alone, and not only will he be just fine, but he'll help countless others to get better too.
Enough with the persecution of Armstrong already. Like the original Salem witch trials, the only people it seems to matter to are those that have nothing better to do with their lives than make someone else's life miserable.
In hindsight, who indeed turned out to be the evil ones when all that happened back in 1692?
This current madness needs to STOP.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
If I'm Ryan, I'm dying
There's been a lot of famous Ryans over the years, in various capacities, but you know what? With few exceptions, they're all pretty much overrated.
I think Ryan Seacrest started off as a deejay in LA, and now he's everywhere. Overrated.
Everybody knows who Ryan O'Neal is. He made the classic movie "Love Story" with Ali McGraw, another flick named "Paper Moon" with his kid Tatum, and married Farrah Fawcett. That's pretty much it. Big deal.
Now Nolan Ryan was one of the exceptions. During his long career in the major leagues, the Hall of Famer and all-time strike out king could intimidate just about any batter with the heat he could bring. But there was another Ryan that was always even more intimidating. I'll get back to that.
There's the Ryans currently in the NFL. Rex is the head coach of the NY Jets. He's been known to dress up like a clown, amongst other antics, and certainly gives very entertaining press conferences, but what's he ever won? Nuttin. His twin brother Rob is the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Anybody watching a Cowboys game on TV would think he's the head coach, with the way he prowls the sidelines, rants and raves at the officials, and basically finds a way to get the TV cameras focused on him during the course of a game. Actually, Dallas' head coach is Jason Garrett, but one would never know it, because he stands there like a cardboard cut-out. Kind of like that guy holding the pitchfork in Grant Woods' classic painting "American Gothic". Garrett would seem to be a perfect fit to do Bartles and James commercials on TV, but I digress. By the way, when's the last time Rob won anything?
At any rate, the NFL's Ryan boys always seem to grab the most attention, even though their ultimate work product isn't so hot -- as in wins and losses -- the only thing that really matters in the NFL. Entertaining guys? Sure. But guess what? Yep. Overrated. Chances are, if it wasn't for their daddy Buddy, they wouldn't even BE in the NFL. And even HE got all the media attention back in his day, when he was merely a lieutenant in the Chicago Bears organization. Long time NFL fans will remember the 1985-86 Bears squad that won the Super Bowl. What's the first thing that comes to mind? Buddy Ryan's vaunted 46 defense, featuring Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, William "the refrigerator" Perry, etc. Sure they were good, but Buddy was only the defensive coordinator. A very fiery guy himself named Mike Ditka was actually the head coach, but like Buddy's boy in Dallas right now, it was all about Ryan.
Anyplace a Ryan goes, they seem to have a way of taking over, regardless of whether they're any good or not. Sometimes I wonder if they're not all inter-connected like the "Borg" of Star Trek fame. A massive conspiracy to take over everything they come in contact with. If we're not careful, we could all be "absorbed". Holy death star, my fellow worthy Jedi Knights and Knightesses, our very continued existence as a civilization might well rest on our remaining united, vigilant and fighting back against this nemesis.
Good grief, there's even a Ryan that might be elected Vice President of the United States next month. I have little doubt he'd find a way to take over too. They're everywhere, I tell ya. (Lest anyone think yours truly is showing partisanship in any way, I can assure you that is not the case. It is noted that Obama has enough problems lugging along his own running mate, one Jethro Bodine, ahem, Joe Biden). Which brings me to....
In my humble opinion, other than Nolan, there was only one other Ryan that knew how to take charge and, one way or the other, get things done to the benefit of all, while still knowing their place. That would be the late Irene Ryan. As "Granny" of the "Beverly Hillbillies", her character Daisy Moses just wouldn't tolerate failure. She got things done, while always deferring to "Uncle Jed".
This is the kind of Ryan we need these days. Granny knew how to get her kinfolk, and just about everybody else, in line. While playing good old fashioned country hardball like Nolan once did, she would have scoffed at the likes of Seacrest and O'Neal. Rex and Rob would have been sent out to do chores somewhere, and Buddy would likely be stoned on rheumatiz medicine, while tending the cee-ment pond. And that long wild-man looking hair the boys have been known to sport? Fuhgetaboutit. Never would have happened.
And what could be better than having a Granny Ryan as the Vice President? People say Romney is out of touch? No problem. Granny would have him chopping firewood on the White House lawn the day after they were inaugurated. If Mitt got uppity about it, a "switch" would come into play, and wouldn't it be fun to see THAT on CNN? From Bain to pain, while scampering through the rose garden on the way to the woodshed. Not sure what she'd do with Barack, but all the other nonsense about being an international playboy one day, a double nought spy the next, a brain surgeon the following day, and maybe a fry cook the day after that, would have been dispensed with. So much for Joe Biden.
Maybe there's an upside to this Ryan thing after all.
We just need the right one.
I think Ryan Seacrest started off as a deejay in LA, and now he's everywhere. Overrated.
Everybody knows who Ryan O'Neal is. He made the classic movie "Love Story" with Ali McGraw, another flick named "Paper Moon" with his kid Tatum, and married Farrah Fawcett. That's pretty much it. Big deal.
Now Nolan Ryan was one of the exceptions. During his long career in the major leagues, the Hall of Famer and all-time strike out king could intimidate just about any batter with the heat he could bring. But there was another Ryan that was always even more intimidating. I'll get back to that.
There's the Ryans currently in the NFL. Rex is the head coach of the NY Jets. He's been known to dress up like a clown, amongst other antics, and certainly gives very entertaining press conferences, but what's he ever won? Nuttin. His twin brother Rob is the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Anybody watching a Cowboys game on TV would think he's the head coach, with the way he prowls the sidelines, rants and raves at the officials, and basically finds a way to get the TV cameras focused on him during the course of a game. Actually, Dallas' head coach is Jason Garrett, but one would never know it, because he stands there like a cardboard cut-out. Kind of like that guy holding the pitchfork in Grant Woods' classic painting "American Gothic". Garrett would seem to be a perfect fit to do Bartles and James commercials on TV, but I digress. By the way, when's the last time Rob won anything?
At any rate, the NFL's Ryan boys always seem to grab the most attention, even though their ultimate work product isn't so hot -- as in wins and losses -- the only thing that really matters in the NFL. Entertaining guys? Sure. But guess what? Yep. Overrated. Chances are, if it wasn't for their daddy Buddy, they wouldn't even BE in the NFL. And even HE got all the media attention back in his day, when he was merely a lieutenant in the Chicago Bears organization. Long time NFL fans will remember the 1985-86 Bears squad that won the Super Bowl. What's the first thing that comes to mind? Buddy Ryan's vaunted 46 defense, featuring Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, William "the refrigerator" Perry, etc. Sure they were good, but Buddy was only the defensive coordinator. A very fiery guy himself named Mike Ditka was actually the head coach, but like Buddy's boy in Dallas right now, it was all about Ryan.
Anyplace a Ryan goes, they seem to have a way of taking over, regardless of whether they're any good or not. Sometimes I wonder if they're not all inter-connected like the "Borg" of Star Trek fame. A massive conspiracy to take over everything they come in contact with. If we're not careful, we could all be "absorbed". Holy death star, my fellow worthy Jedi Knights and Knightesses, our very continued existence as a civilization might well rest on our remaining united, vigilant and fighting back against this nemesis.
Good grief, there's even a Ryan that might be elected Vice President of the United States next month. I have little doubt he'd find a way to take over too. They're everywhere, I tell ya. (Lest anyone think yours truly is showing partisanship in any way, I can assure you that is not the case. It is noted that Obama has enough problems lugging along his own running mate, one Jethro Bodine, ahem, Joe Biden). Which brings me to....
In my humble opinion, other than Nolan, there was only one other Ryan that knew how to take charge and, one way or the other, get things done to the benefit of all, while still knowing their place. That would be the late Irene Ryan. As "Granny" of the "Beverly Hillbillies", her character Daisy Moses just wouldn't tolerate failure. She got things done, while always deferring to "Uncle Jed".
This is the kind of Ryan we need these days. Granny knew how to get her kinfolk, and just about everybody else, in line. While playing good old fashioned country hardball like Nolan once did, she would have scoffed at the likes of Seacrest and O'Neal. Rex and Rob would have been sent out to do chores somewhere, and Buddy would likely be stoned on rheumatiz medicine, while tending the cee-ment pond. And that long wild-man looking hair the boys have been known to sport? Fuhgetaboutit. Never would have happened.
And what could be better than having a Granny Ryan as the Vice President? People say Romney is out of touch? No problem. Granny would have him chopping firewood on the White House lawn the day after they were inaugurated. If Mitt got uppity about it, a "switch" would come into play, and wouldn't it be fun to see THAT on CNN? From Bain to pain, while scampering through the rose garden on the way to the woodshed. Not sure what she'd do with Barack, but all the other nonsense about being an international playboy one day, a double nought spy the next, a brain surgeon the following day, and maybe a fry cook the day after that, would have been dispensed with. So much for Joe Biden.
Maybe there's an upside to this Ryan thing after all.
We just need the right one.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Jim Leyland
Way back on June 11th, yours truly wrote an article suggesting the Detroit Tigers fire Jim Leyland. I caught a lot of flak over that. Much has happened in the 4 months since then. The Tigers have been up and down, but eventually prevailed to win the American League central division, and currently hold a 2-0 lead over the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the playoffs. How far the Tigers go in the postseason is anybody's guess, and ultimately winning the World Series certainly isn't out of the question.
Common sense would seem to dictate that I eat crow over that article, but there's just one problem with that. If you've read some my other rants, you already know I don't have any common sense. Ever wonder why the price of the Oakland Press keeps going up? It might be because the paper is paying me Prince Fielder type money to rant like a lunatic. Or maybe I exaggerated that just a little bit. Only Caputo gets that kind of dough. Whatever.
Nevertheless, I'll stick by that June rant and here's why ---
Jim Leyland doesn't know anything hitting or pitching. Like most other major league managers, he has specialized coaches that tutor the players in such things. Though he has sometimes said so, from the dugout he can't tell whether a pitch was an inch outside or not. If one of his pitchers serves up a monster home run to an opposing batter, Leyland will say he made a bad pitch. Yet, if on the same pitch, the opposing batter had struck out -- he'll say it was a good pitch. This is all baloney. Sometimes they hit them, and sometimes they don't.
Leyland's job as a manager is to put the right players in the right positions to give the Tigers the best chance of winning any particular game. He makes out the "line-up" card before the game, decides on a starting pitcher, brings in pinch-hitters and relievers from the bullpen as he sees fit, and can signal in such plays as a hit-and run or sacrifice bunt, given any particular situation.
And in that regard, many knowledgeable baseball people, that are impartial to the Tigers, have found Leyland to be sorely lacking in his judgment. Many times, he's had players playing positions they're not familiar with, and bungled his pitchers.
Leyland, and I dare say many Tiger fans, have become fond of him spouting his post-game pseudo-platitudes to the press, which seems to be intimidated by him for some unknown reason.
Yet, I would still maintain the Tigers continue to win DESPITE Leyland, foibles, gruff attitude, and all.
His contract expires after this year, so the Tigers don't even need to fire him. Just don't renew his contract and let him go back home to Pennsylvania and live happily ever after with his millions in the bank. It's time to move on.
Of course, in the unlikely event the Tigers indeed go on to win the World Series, Leyland will be a hero in the eyes of many, and they'll clamor for a long-term extension to his contract. In my opinion, they would be mistaken, and I hope Tigers' owner Mike Ilitch has the wisdom to see through all that.
Just because Leyland has been around the major leagues for a long time, enjoying the "good ole boy" rotation system that seems to be prevalent amongst head coaches and managers in various pro sports, doesn't necessarily mean he's any good.
And who knows? If the Tigers become world champs, maybe Leyland will take a cue from another manager that was always light years ahead of him in baseball strategy. Tony LaRussa of the St. Louis Cardinals, also a long-shot to win the World Series last year, did so and promptly announced his retirement. He went out on top.
That would be a win-win. Perfect.
Common sense would seem to dictate that I eat crow over that article, but there's just one problem with that. If you've read some my other rants, you already know I don't have any common sense. Ever wonder why the price of the Oakland Press keeps going up? It might be because the paper is paying me Prince Fielder type money to rant like a lunatic. Or maybe I exaggerated that just a little bit. Only Caputo gets that kind of dough. Whatever.
Nevertheless, I'll stick by that June rant and here's why ---
Jim Leyland doesn't know anything hitting or pitching. Like most other major league managers, he has specialized coaches that tutor the players in such things. Though he has sometimes said so, from the dugout he can't tell whether a pitch was an inch outside or not. If one of his pitchers serves up a monster home run to an opposing batter, Leyland will say he made a bad pitch. Yet, if on the same pitch, the opposing batter had struck out -- he'll say it was a good pitch. This is all baloney. Sometimes they hit them, and sometimes they don't.
Leyland's job as a manager is to put the right players in the right positions to give the Tigers the best chance of winning any particular game. He makes out the "line-up" card before the game, decides on a starting pitcher, brings in pinch-hitters and relievers from the bullpen as he sees fit, and can signal in such plays as a hit-and run or sacrifice bunt, given any particular situation.
And in that regard, many knowledgeable baseball people, that are impartial to the Tigers, have found Leyland to be sorely lacking in his judgment. Many times, he's had players playing positions they're not familiar with, and bungled his pitchers.
Leyland, and I dare say many Tiger fans, have become fond of him spouting his post-game pseudo-platitudes to the press, which seems to be intimidated by him for some unknown reason.
Yet, I would still maintain the Tigers continue to win DESPITE Leyland, foibles, gruff attitude, and all.
His contract expires after this year, so the Tigers don't even need to fire him. Just don't renew his contract and let him go back home to Pennsylvania and live happily ever after with his millions in the bank. It's time to move on.
Of course, in the unlikely event the Tigers indeed go on to win the World Series, Leyland will be a hero in the eyes of many, and they'll clamor for a long-term extension to his contract. In my opinion, they would be mistaken, and I hope Tigers' owner Mike Ilitch has the wisdom to see through all that.
Just because Leyland has been around the major leagues for a long time, enjoying the "good ole boy" rotation system that seems to be prevalent amongst head coaches and managers in various pro sports, doesn't necessarily mean he's any good.
And who knows? If the Tigers become world champs, maybe Leyland will take a cue from another manager that was always light years ahead of him in baseball strategy. Tony LaRussa of the St. Louis Cardinals, also a long-shot to win the World Series last year, did so and promptly announced his retirement. He went out on top.
That would be a win-win. Perfect.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Who's who in college football
Down goes LSU at the hands of Florida. Down goes Texas in their own back yard courtesy of West Virginia. Down goes Georgia at the hands of South Carolina. Down goes Florida St. having succumbed to the Wolfpack of NC State. Geez, some of the top teams were falling like yours truly once did for Angelena Jolie, before that dastardly Brad Pitt swooped in and stole her away. Rats, foiled again.
So who's left? South Carolina's pretty good, but they have a built in Peter Principle problem. That would be their head coach, Steve Spurrier. While the self-described "old ball coach" can make more faces than Marcel Marceau, and ham it up on the sidelines to the point that would make even William Shatner (Captain Kirk) blush, they are not, repeat NOT, going to win a national title. When crunch time comes, the Gamecocks have a way of being batted around like shuttlecocks.
USC, the preseason #1 in some polls, complete with Heisman hopeful, big man on campus, and all-around super-stud QB Matt Barkley, had already been knocked off by that pesky Stanford, who in turn lost to Washington, then barely survived Arizona. So much for the wild west.
Except maybe for Oregon. They're currently #2 and undefeated. The Ducks always seem to feature a whole bunch of really speedy guys. Could they win it?
Maybe, if it weren't for one thing. Alabama. The defending champion Crimson Tide seems to be picking up where they left off last year. Oregon has speedy little guys. Bama has speedy big and tough guys. As they say -- the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong -- but that's the way to bet.
Like them or not, yours truly just doesn't see anybody derailing the freight train head coach Nick Saban has under a full head of steam rolling down the tracks in Tuscaloosa.
So who's left? South Carolina's pretty good, but they have a built in Peter Principle problem. That would be their head coach, Steve Spurrier. While the self-described "old ball coach" can make more faces than Marcel Marceau, and ham it up on the sidelines to the point that would make even William Shatner (Captain Kirk) blush, they are not, repeat NOT, going to win a national title. When crunch time comes, the Gamecocks have a way of being batted around like shuttlecocks.
USC, the preseason #1 in some polls, complete with Heisman hopeful, big man on campus, and all-around super-stud QB Matt Barkley, had already been knocked off by that pesky Stanford, who in turn lost to Washington, then barely survived Arizona. So much for the wild west.
Except maybe for Oregon. They're currently #2 and undefeated. The Ducks always seem to feature a whole bunch of really speedy guys. Could they win it?
Maybe, if it weren't for one thing. Alabama. The defending champion Crimson Tide seems to be picking up where they left off last year. Oregon has speedy little guys. Bama has speedy big and tough guys. As they say -- the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong -- but that's the way to bet.
Like them or not, yours truly just doesn't see anybody derailing the freight train head coach Nick Saban has under a full head of steam rolling down the tracks in Tuscaloosa.
Friday, October 5, 2012
The baseball playoffs. Fair or foul??
The major league playoffs start tonight with "wild card" games.. Texas and Baltimore square off as do Atlanta and St. Louis. Whoever loses those games goes home. The survivors move on to meet a division winner in basically a quarterfinal on the way to the championship (World Series). Is that fair?
Depends how one looks at it. For many decades there were no such playoffs. The team with the best regular season record in the National League met their counterparts from the American League in the World Series to decide the championship. Best 4 out of 7 wins. Period. End of story.
But then came "expansion" with the creation of many more teams. Then somebody figured out there was a ton of money to be made by classifying the glut of teams from both leagues into "divisions", and expanding the playoffs as well. Also, these divisions were supposed to have teams within them in relatively close geographical proximity, and the schedule was weighted so they would play each other more than other teams, hopefully to create rivalries. To boot, it would cut down on travel miles, jet lag for the players, and those sort of things. Like the designated hitter rule and inter-league play, whether or not it's enhanced the overall game is certainly debatable.
But given the right circumstances, the current playoff format could be considered quite unfair. As an example, let's say the NY Yankees won the American League East Division with the best record in the AL. The Baltimore Orioles finished one game back of them, with the second best record in the league. Let's further assume that particular division featured the toughest competition that, with the weighted schedule, they would have to fight through over the course of the year. In the meanwhile, it could be that a team such as the Chisox in the AL Central won their division not only playing many more games against much weaker teams, but also finished the season under .500. There could be a 20 game difference in win-loss records between Baltimore and Chicago. It's entirely possible.
If that were to happen, despite having the second best overall record against superior competition, the Orioles would find themselves facing the equivalent of the NCAA tournament's basketball "play-in" game between the two bottom seeds while, in effect, being a #2 seed when the tournament started. While they're slugging it out with another team in a "one and done" that might also very well have compiled a vastly superior record to Chicago, the White Sox get a bye. Something is wrong with this picture.
Sure, teams can get hot at the right time and carry it through to an unlikely championship. The St. Louis Cardinals, who barely squeaked into the playoffs last year, are proof positive of that.
The division alignments are all well and good, and let the champs of those divisions get a trophy and a pennant, even if they're under .500. But when it comes to the playoffs, things should be set up differently.
Division champs or not, let the teams with the two worst records amongst the qualifiers in the entire league play a one game knockout for the right to advance further in the playoffs. What could be fairer than that?
Depends how one looks at it. For many decades there were no such playoffs. The team with the best regular season record in the National League met their counterparts from the American League in the World Series to decide the championship. Best 4 out of 7 wins. Period. End of story.
But then came "expansion" with the creation of many more teams. Then somebody figured out there was a ton of money to be made by classifying the glut of teams from both leagues into "divisions", and expanding the playoffs as well. Also, these divisions were supposed to have teams within them in relatively close geographical proximity, and the schedule was weighted so they would play each other more than other teams, hopefully to create rivalries. To boot, it would cut down on travel miles, jet lag for the players, and those sort of things. Like the designated hitter rule and inter-league play, whether or not it's enhanced the overall game is certainly debatable.
But given the right circumstances, the current playoff format could be considered quite unfair. As an example, let's say the NY Yankees won the American League East Division with the best record in the AL. The Baltimore Orioles finished one game back of them, with the second best record in the league. Let's further assume that particular division featured the toughest competition that, with the weighted schedule, they would have to fight through over the course of the year. In the meanwhile, it could be that a team such as the Chisox in the AL Central won their division not only playing many more games against much weaker teams, but also finished the season under .500. There could be a 20 game difference in win-loss records between Baltimore and Chicago. It's entirely possible.
If that were to happen, despite having the second best overall record against superior competition, the Orioles would find themselves facing the equivalent of the NCAA tournament's basketball "play-in" game between the two bottom seeds while, in effect, being a #2 seed when the tournament started. While they're slugging it out with another team in a "one and done" that might also very well have compiled a vastly superior record to Chicago, the White Sox get a bye. Something is wrong with this picture.
Sure, teams can get hot at the right time and carry it through to an unlikely championship. The St. Louis Cardinals, who barely squeaked into the playoffs last year, are proof positive of that.
The division alignments are all well and good, and let the champs of those divisions get a trophy and a pennant, even if they're under .500. But when it comes to the playoffs, things should be set up differently.
Division champs or not, let the teams with the two worst records amongst the qualifiers in the entire league play a one game knockout for the right to advance further in the playoffs. What could be fairer than that?
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Planet Sims of the Detroit Lions
Rob Sims, a starting offensive guard for the Detroit Lions, is a very good football player. He must be, because not just any Tom, Dick, or Robbie makes it to the NFL. It takes exceptional talent, toughness, and desire, though being 6-3 and about 315 pounds doesn't hurt either.
There are those that think pro football players are just big, dumb, overpaid jocks. No doubt some of them are, but it's probably fair to say they're just like everybody else in the sense that given any snapshot of society, some people are smarter than others. That's just the way it is.
However, a very recent interview Sims gave the press leaves one to wonder just what's going on "upstairs" with him.
When asked about the Lions' slide the last few weeks, Sims was quoted as saying, "We've got to go play with that chip on our shoulders like the Lions had for years and years and years".
Now yours truly isn't quite sure what Lions the good Mr. Sims is talking about, but if it's the ones that play in Ford Field, and the Silverdome before that, then something is terribly wrong with that statement. THOSE Lions didn't play with a chip on their shoulders. It was more like a boulder on their backs. This is what he wants to go back to? Huh?
"We maybe lost some of our recklessness and playing with reckless abandon -- and we need to get that back", said Sims. Timeout. It seems to me that playing reckless, ala stupid penalties, missed blocks and tackles, dropped passes, blown assignments, etc., is what got them into this mess in the first place. Pro football is hardly about mass mayhem, but rather precise execution. There's blocking and coverage schemes, crucial timing, and basically every player has a job to do on every play. If a team flows with discipline and execution, chances are they'll be successful. If they throw caution to the wind and run around like a bunch of lunatics, chances are they won't.
Sims said, "I think we were just out there trying to be perfect". Whoa. Perfect? Since Sims came over from the Seattle Seahawks in 2010, the Lions record is 17-19. In his first 4 seasons with the Seahawks, that team went 28-36, making Sims' career record as a pro 45-55. Just a thought, but maybe he and his teams should aspire to be merely average in the NFL before talking about perfection. Let's get real. The Lions had a halfway decent season last year, only to get blown out in their first playoff game. Currently, they sit at 1-3 in 2012. This is hardly the stuff of which legends are made, so what is the man thinking? Or is he?
"Tee it high and let it fly", he said. It would appear that's what the Lions have done for a very long time. After being weekend duffer golfers for so many years, the Lions finally made a birdie last year, and all of a sudden they think they're ready to jump in with Tiger and Rory. Problem is, the ensuing drives have been landing deep in the woods. Every time they experience just a little taste of success, they let it go to their heads, get cocky, and inevitably crash and burn.
As an example, harkon back to the Wayne Fontes days. Back in 1991, after an opening game 45-0 beatdown at the hands of the Washington Redskins, the Lions rattled off 5 wins in a row, with a superstar named Barry Sanders, and look what happened. The Queen classic "Another One Bites the Dust" blared from the Silverdome speakers, Fontes was riding around in a golf cart smoking big fat cigars, and the Lions had a safety that seemed to be on a mission to impregnate every woman he came in contact with. He was nicknamed "Spider". I mean, there's having 8 appendages, but that was ridiculous. After a bye week, they were thumped 35-3 out in San Francisco. Yes, they recovered and went on to post a 12-4 record and trash the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 in a playoff game. The Lions were talking smack galore, and reverted back to peacock mode. Enter the Redskins for a rematch. Exit the Lions, 41-10. In other words, they got cocky and the downward spiral began again. They would eventually fall like Humpty Dumpty and all William Clay Ford's horses, men and millions couldn't put them back together again for many years.
Fast forward to 2011 when they started off 5-0, with a superstar named Calvin Johnson. In a strange twist of fate, after being unceremoniously dumped at home by the very same San Fran 49ers mentioned above, head coach Jim Schwartz went berserk over a simple post-game handshake and clap on the back from the opposing coach. He was cocky. Since then, they're 6-10. Deja vu?
Now we have Rob Sims saying, "We need to hold true to ourselves, and that's just playing the way we play. We can't play like anybody else. I think we just have to be ourselves".
Perhaps it never occurred to him that THAT seems to be the very problem which has haunted the Lions for decades. A grand total of one playoff victory in 45 years worth of chances is more than a rut. It's the Grand Canyon.
Some maintain these are not "the same old Lions". I would disagree and cite their history as evidence. Give that team a bottle of Mad Dog and wham, they'll chug it and start strutting around like they own a French vineyard. They never seem to learn that worhipping the "porcelain receptacle" will be "coming up" shortly. From my perspective, these are EXACTLY the same old Lions.
There are those that think pro football players are just big, dumb, overpaid jocks. No doubt some of them are, but it's probably fair to say they're just like everybody else in the sense that given any snapshot of society, some people are smarter than others. That's just the way it is.
However, a very recent interview Sims gave the press leaves one to wonder just what's going on "upstairs" with him.
When asked about the Lions' slide the last few weeks, Sims was quoted as saying, "We've got to go play with that chip on our shoulders like the Lions had for years and years and years".
Now yours truly isn't quite sure what Lions the good Mr. Sims is talking about, but if it's the ones that play in Ford Field, and the Silverdome before that, then something is terribly wrong with that statement. THOSE Lions didn't play with a chip on their shoulders. It was more like a boulder on their backs. This is what he wants to go back to? Huh?
"We maybe lost some of our recklessness and playing with reckless abandon -- and we need to get that back", said Sims. Timeout. It seems to me that playing reckless, ala stupid penalties, missed blocks and tackles, dropped passes, blown assignments, etc., is what got them into this mess in the first place. Pro football is hardly about mass mayhem, but rather precise execution. There's blocking and coverage schemes, crucial timing, and basically every player has a job to do on every play. If a team flows with discipline and execution, chances are they'll be successful. If they throw caution to the wind and run around like a bunch of lunatics, chances are they won't.
Sims said, "I think we were just out there trying to be perfect". Whoa. Perfect? Since Sims came over from the Seattle Seahawks in 2010, the Lions record is 17-19. In his first 4 seasons with the Seahawks, that team went 28-36, making Sims' career record as a pro 45-55. Just a thought, but maybe he and his teams should aspire to be merely average in the NFL before talking about perfection. Let's get real. The Lions had a halfway decent season last year, only to get blown out in their first playoff game. Currently, they sit at 1-3 in 2012. This is hardly the stuff of which legends are made, so what is the man thinking? Or is he?
"Tee it high and let it fly", he said. It would appear that's what the Lions have done for a very long time. After being weekend duffer golfers for so many years, the Lions finally made a birdie last year, and all of a sudden they think they're ready to jump in with Tiger and Rory. Problem is, the ensuing drives have been landing deep in the woods. Every time they experience just a little taste of success, they let it go to their heads, get cocky, and inevitably crash and burn.
As an example, harkon back to the Wayne Fontes days. Back in 1991, after an opening game 45-0 beatdown at the hands of the Washington Redskins, the Lions rattled off 5 wins in a row, with a superstar named Barry Sanders, and look what happened. The Queen classic "Another One Bites the Dust" blared from the Silverdome speakers, Fontes was riding around in a golf cart smoking big fat cigars, and the Lions had a safety that seemed to be on a mission to impregnate every woman he came in contact with. He was nicknamed "Spider". I mean, there's having 8 appendages, but that was ridiculous. After a bye week, they were thumped 35-3 out in San Francisco. Yes, they recovered and went on to post a 12-4 record and trash the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 in a playoff game. The Lions were talking smack galore, and reverted back to peacock mode. Enter the Redskins for a rematch. Exit the Lions, 41-10. In other words, they got cocky and the downward spiral began again. They would eventually fall like Humpty Dumpty and all William Clay Ford's horses, men and millions couldn't put them back together again for many years.
Fast forward to 2011 when they started off 5-0, with a superstar named Calvin Johnson. In a strange twist of fate, after being unceremoniously dumped at home by the very same San Fran 49ers mentioned above, head coach Jim Schwartz went berserk over a simple post-game handshake and clap on the back from the opposing coach. He was cocky. Since then, they're 6-10. Deja vu?
Now we have Rob Sims saying, "We need to hold true to ourselves, and that's just playing the way we play. We can't play like anybody else. I think we just have to be ourselves".
Perhaps it never occurred to him that THAT seems to be the very problem which has haunted the Lions for decades. A grand total of one playoff victory in 45 years worth of chances is more than a rut. It's the Grand Canyon.
Some maintain these are not "the same old Lions". I would disagree and cite their history as evidence. Give that team a bottle of Mad Dog and wham, they'll chug it and start strutting around like they own a French vineyard. They never seem to learn that worhipping the "porcelain receptacle" will be "coming up" shortly. From my perspective, these are EXACTLY the same old Lions.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
USA vs Europe
As everybody knows, the Europeans retained the Ryder Cup -- again. This after having once been down 10-4 in scoring, only to roar back and win 14 1/2 - 13 1/2. That might be akin to an NFL team leading by three touchdowns at halftime, at home, then having the visiting team dominate them in the second half, and ultimately win the game on a last second field goal. Ouch.
Did the Americans choke or are the Europeans just that good? An argument could be made either way. Of course, the American apologists are trying to play it down by saying it was more important to the Europeans than to the Americans. Hogwash. The last time the US won the Ryder Cup, the players were celebrating like a team that had just won the World Series. The "Yanks" wanted it -- bad. Who's kidding who here?
At that, it leaves one to wonder -- just what are we Americans better at in sports than the Europeans these days?
Certainly men's basketball. The US Olympic team routinely cruises to the gold medal. The ladies have more of a dogfight (or is that catfight?) on their hands.
Definitely pro baseball, but that's not a fair comparison. Europeans basically don't even compete in the sport.
Hockey? The Americans are actually a minority in the NHL. Besides Canadians, most NHL squads have a liberal sprinkling of European players on them. Put the top US born players together as a team, and many European national teams would likely beat them. Even the "Miracle on Ice" over 30 years ago was truly that -- a miracle. Regardless, nowadays it could fairly be said the Americans are far from dominant.
In ladies' tennis, Serena Williams is still as good or better than anybody else. Yet on the mens' side the US doesn't even seem to have a serious contender. The last few years, guys named Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic have won just about everything. They're from Spain, Switzerland, and Czechoslovakia, respectively, all European countries.
Football is a trick question. Certainly the NFL is the pinnacle of American-style football, but again, the Europeans don't have much interest in that particular game. Even the mighty NFL's efforts to start a European league fizzled out. They're just not into it. On the other hand, the Europeans have their own variety, futbol, aka soccer, which they are equally passionate about. For whatever reasons, when it comes to soccer, the US doesn't measure up to the Europeans at the highest level.
But for now it's about golf. On the ladies' side, the Asians have become dominant, leaving both Europe and the US in the dust -- so that's a push for this topic. Looking at the top 5 in the world rankings for men reveals 3 Brits, Tiger Woods checking in at #2, and that pesky Irish kid McIlroy standing on top of the heap. Advantage definitely Europe.
On a related note, Tiger himself seems to be quite the paradox when it comes to golf. On the American tour he was once all but unbeatable. Yet even then he became quite mortal in Ryder Cup competition. In other words, in Ryder Cup matches, he actually lost more than he won. During this year's Cup competition, Woods went a miserable 0-3-1, to bring his all time Ryder Cup record to 13-16-3. Being the #2 golfer in the world is still very impressive, but Tiger seems to function much better as a lone wolf against the pack. When he's on a team, much less being stared down in a one on one competition, the wheels seem to come off his game. Weird.
Ah well, there's always hope for us Yanks. How long until the next Summer Olympics anyway?
Did the Americans choke or are the Europeans just that good? An argument could be made either way. Of course, the American apologists are trying to play it down by saying it was more important to the Europeans than to the Americans. Hogwash. The last time the US won the Ryder Cup, the players were celebrating like a team that had just won the World Series. The "Yanks" wanted it -- bad. Who's kidding who here?
At that, it leaves one to wonder -- just what are we Americans better at in sports than the Europeans these days?
Certainly men's basketball. The US Olympic team routinely cruises to the gold medal. The ladies have more of a dogfight (or is that catfight?) on their hands.
Definitely pro baseball, but that's not a fair comparison. Europeans basically don't even compete in the sport.
Hockey? The Americans are actually a minority in the NHL. Besides Canadians, most NHL squads have a liberal sprinkling of European players on them. Put the top US born players together as a team, and many European national teams would likely beat them. Even the "Miracle on Ice" over 30 years ago was truly that -- a miracle. Regardless, nowadays it could fairly be said the Americans are far from dominant.
In ladies' tennis, Serena Williams is still as good or better than anybody else. Yet on the mens' side the US doesn't even seem to have a serious contender. The last few years, guys named Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic have won just about everything. They're from Spain, Switzerland, and Czechoslovakia, respectively, all European countries.
Football is a trick question. Certainly the NFL is the pinnacle of American-style football, but again, the Europeans don't have much interest in that particular game. Even the mighty NFL's efforts to start a European league fizzled out. They're just not into it. On the other hand, the Europeans have their own variety, futbol, aka soccer, which they are equally passionate about. For whatever reasons, when it comes to soccer, the US doesn't measure up to the Europeans at the highest level.
But for now it's about golf. On the ladies' side, the Asians have become dominant, leaving both Europe and the US in the dust -- so that's a push for this topic. Looking at the top 5 in the world rankings for men reveals 3 Brits, Tiger Woods checking in at #2, and that pesky Irish kid McIlroy standing on top of the heap. Advantage definitely Europe.
On a related note, Tiger himself seems to be quite the paradox when it comes to golf. On the American tour he was once all but unbeatable. Yet even then he became quite mortal in Ryder Cup competition. In other words, in Ryder Cup matches, he actually lost more than he won. During this year's Cup competition, Woods went a miserable 0-3-1, to bring his all time Ryder Cup record to 13-16-3. Being the #2 golfer in the world is still very impressive, but Tiger seems to function much better as a lone wolf against the pack. When he's on a team, much less being stared down in a one on one competition, the wheels seem to come off his game. Weird.
Ah well, there's always hope for us Yanks. How long until the next Summer Olympics anyway?
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