As most sports fans, and certainly those that follow pro baseball, know, reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers recently had his "doping" case "dismissed" by an arbitrator. Given the stringent new rules laid down in the (hopefully) post-performance enhancing drugs era -- after a "positive" test, this was a first in Major League Baseball. Until the Braun case, they way it worked was -- once you test up, you're going down. For 50 games on the first offense.
Major League Baseball, basically the prosecutor, was outraged at the decision. Braun, the defendant, felt vindicated for a crime he claimed he never committed. So who's right?
I don't know. Unlike so many others, from bar flies to highly respected journalists, I refuse to be caught up in what's going on these days. That being that once someone is accused of something, the common theme of the day seems to be to presume they're guilty. And that's not only wrong -- it goes against one of the fundamental precepts of our jurisprudence system. Presumed innocent until proven guilty. Somewhere along the way we've lost sight of that. To the contrary, nowadays, as soon as an allegation is made, everybody and their uncle becomes "witnesses for the prosecution", most times when they don't have a clue as to the facts in the case. And that's scary.
Let's look at what we know about Braun's case. His testosterone level tested out at over 3 times the limit to make it "positive". I found that strange. Braun's a very bright guy, and is certainly aware of the drug testing going on in his sport these days. Had that sample graded out at just a tad over the limit, that would have been one thing. But triple the threshold? Surely Braun would have known that amount of testosterone would not only have thrown up a red flag, but set off whistles, bells, alarms, and everything else. Something didn't smell right about that.
The person who collected his sample said he stored it for a couple of days in his home because no FedEx office was open within 50 miles of the ball park at that time. Braun and his people claim there were at least 5 such offices open at the time, all within 5 miles of the ball park, and further, one of them offered 24 hour service. Maybe I'm missing something here, but it would seem to be a simple matter for an impartial investigator to have checked all that out. I'm still amazed the arbitrator didn't insist on having that information before rendering a judgment. Or perhaps she did, but that information was never made public. But that wouldn't square with the collector's post-judgment stance of standing by his story. Surely, the MLB execs would eventually be privy to all the inside info, and if this guy was found to be lying, not only would he be out of a job, but likely facing prosecution himself. Why would he say such a thing that might ultimately expose him to such unpleasantries?
Conversely, while, in a sense, this was a first for Braun, the sample collector was a veteran, by his own admission having handled hundreds of other samples in the past. His job was to collect it, properly package it, and send it off to the drug lab in Montreal -- ASAP. That said, if Braun and his people were right about various FedEx locations nearby being open at the time -- as a veteran -- the collector should have known about it, and would have had no justification in taking that sample home. So who's right? We may never know, because like most other things that are media-worthy, this will quickly disappear from their radar. But somebody didn't do their homework.
That raises another question. Exactly where, in the chain of custody of such a sample, does an athlete cease to become a name, and become a number? Surely the collector knew it came from Ryan Braun, but the actual testers in the Montreal drug lab are supposed to deal only with numbers, so no possible bias, personal, professional, or otherwise can enter into the testing. Unless I'm missing something again, this responsibility would seem to fall on the collector. He can watch an athlete actually urinating in a cup or bottle, but once he packages it up and gives it over to FedEx to head to Montreal -- well -- who else could have put the "tamper-proof" seals on it after changing the name to a number? To take it a step further -- how does that number get changed back into a name when a red flag pops up? What kind of chain of custody goes on there? We don't know. Of course, there's the question of what may have happened to that sample for the missing 2 days before it was shipped. Who knows?
Finally, while I have little doubt I'm in the minority here, it continues to amaze me how so many can keep holding up people like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens as the epitome of bad examples, to compare someone like Ryan Braun to.
Here's what I know. Bonds and Clemens are innocent on any performance enhancing drug charges. Why? Because they haven't been proven guilty. Contrary to popular opinion, that pesky little thing called the "law" is still supposed to have some importance.
My hunch is that those very same people that are always in a rush to judgment when it involves others, would quickly change their tune if it was happening to them, their spouses, kids, family, or friends.
It's easy when it's somebody else. But that still doesn't make it right.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Daytona 500. Crazy
To borrow a line that one of the announcers borrowed from James Taylor -- I've seen fire, and I've seen rain. But this was off the charts.
First, the race got rained out on Sunday. It was the first time that happened in the 54 years of the Daytona 500, which is amazing. That probably put a lot of people in a bind, particularly those with flights to catch or many miles to drive, to get back to their jobs or other responsibilities on Monday. NASCAR may be a multi-billion dollar enterprise, but even they can't order Mother Nature around. She can be fickle, at times.
After being pushed back several hours on Monday for weather conditions again, the race finally started. Then the insanity began. I was in a sports bar checking it out on a big screen.
After the very first lap, Jimmy Johnson got wrecked, apparently by Elliott Sadler. Who would have ever thought JJ would go out that quick? I heard shouts of astonishment.
Danica Patrick, further back in the pack, somehow got caught up in that, but appeared to get through it with minor damage. Yet, she left the track and headed to the garage area for repairs.
Shortly thereafter, a talking head said something about how her crew was working on her rear end. That statement gave me pause. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to see live coverage of that or not. Silly me, I thought it was supposed to be about racing. Then they said her crew had to put a gear in it. Whoa, that sounded like it might be painful. I understand it takes a huge commitment to participate in this sport, but that's getting a little over the top. The poor thing.
Then Jeff Gordon appeared to blow an engine and the sports bar erupted in joy. They jeered the former "Rainbow Warrior". Why do so many people root against Gordon? He's always seemed to be a personable guy, and for the most part races "clean". Yeah, he went through a divorce a while back, but it wasn't like he had pulled a "Tiger". I have a theory. It goes back to the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. The Intimidator used to wreck a lot of guys, but he was a fan favorite. Then up came this kid, that Earnhardt himself used to sneeringly call "wonder boy". Problem was, the "kid" was beating him fair and square and a lot of people didn't like it, especially Dale. I think that lingers to this day, hence Dale Jr.'s immense popularity, though he hasn't won much.
The strangest thing of all came next. While under the yellow caution flag, Juan Pablo Montoya came out of the pits and wanted to catch back up to the rear of the field. He needn't have been in any big hurry, because those trucks with the jet-powered blowers to clean debris off the track were crawling around at their usual snail's pace. But Montoya came whipping around the track, all the while radioing to his crew that he had a very strange vibration going on his car. Just before he got to the trucks, he lost it and crashed into one of them, at a high rate of speed. Montoya's car was destroyed, as well as the truck, and 200 gallons of jet fuel started spewing onto the track. The result was an inferno. Luckily, Montoya survived that, and even more luckily the driver of the truck who probably never knew what hit him. Whoever heard of a race car driver crashing into a "support" vehicle? It took over a couple hours to sort that mess out.
After the flames had finally been extinguished, the NASCAR folks decided to "wash" that area of the track by dumping huge quantities of "Tide" on the area. In this "Era" of "All" the detergents available, perhaps it was only a coincidence that brand was used. Perhaps not. Darrell Waltrip, one of the announcers, used to drive a car sponsored by Tide. A good-ole-boy conspiracy? Beats me. Boogety, boogety boogety on.
Other new ground was broken. Brad Keselowski, of Rochester Hills, became the first to tweet from a race car during the course of the action. Maybe we should stop worrying about teenagers texting while driving. If this guy can do it during the Daytona 500, it can't be that much of a distraction, right?
There was a down side, at least to me. The above mentioned Jimmy Johnson, who I had the ultimate respect for, was featured in a commercial advertising Honda riding lawn mowers. He's always driven a Chevy. He's a former 5-time NASCAR champion. He wants to be the All-American guy. This was the Great American race. He's got umpteen millions of dollars, and counting. And he's advertising a Honda product? Something is very wrong with that, and he just lost a fan. Me. Besides, JJ is in the business of running fast. You'd think he'd know -- nothing runs like a Deere.
In the end, Matt Kenseth won the race, and somebody else chimed in with how Danica spent her "period" in the garage.
I wouldn't touch that line with a 10 foot pole.
First, the race got rained out on Sunday. It was the first time that happened in the 54 years of the Daytona 500, which is amazing. That probably put a lot of people in a bind, particularly those with flights to catch or many miles to drive, to get back to their jobs or other responsibilities on Monday. NASCAR may be a multi-billion dollar enterprise, but even they can't order Mother Nature around. She can be fickle, at times.
After being pushed back several hours on Monday for weather conditions again, the race finally started. Then the insanity began. I was in a sports bar checking it out on a big screen.
After the very first lap, Jimmy Johnson got wrecked, apparently by Elliott Sadler. Who would have ever thought JJ would go out that quick? I heard shouts of astonishment.
Danica Patrick, further back in the pack, somehow got caught up in that, but appeared to get through it with minor damage. Yet, she left the track and headed to the garage area for repairs.
Shortly thereafter, a talking head said something about how her crew was working on her rear end. That statement gave me pause. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to see live coverage of that or not. Silly me, I thought it was supposed to be about racing. Then they said her crew had to put a gear in it. Whoa, that sounded like it might be painful. I understand it takes a huge commitment to participate in this sport, but that's getting a little over the top. The poor thing.
Then Jeff Gordon appeared to blow an engine and the sports bar erupted in joy. They jeered the former "Rainbow Warrior". Why do so many people root against Gordon? He's always seemed to be a personable guy, and for the most part races "clean". Yeah, he went through a divorce a while back, but it wasn't like he had pulled a "Tiger". I have a theory. It goes back to the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. The Intimidator used to wreck a lot of guys, but he was a fan favorite. Then up came this kid, that Earnhardt himself used to sneeringly call "wonder boy". Problem was, the "kid" was beating him fair and square and a lot of people didn't like it, especially Dale. I think that lingers to this day, hence Dale Jr.'s immense popularity, though he hasn't won much.
The strangest thing of all came next. While under the yellow caution flag, Juan Pablo Montoya came out of the pits and wanted to catch back up to the rear of the field. He needn't have been in any big hurry, because those trucks with the jet-powered blowers to clean debris off the track were crawling around at their usual snail's pace. But Montoya came whipping around the track, all the while radioing to his crew that he had a very strange vibration going on his car. Just before he got to the trucks, he lost it and crashed into one of them, at a high rate of speed. Montoya's car was destroyed, as well as the truck, and 200 gallons of jet fuel started spewing onto the track. The result was an inferno. Luckily, Montoya survived that, and even more luckily the driver of the truck who probably never knew what hit him. Whoever heard of a race car driver crashing into a "support" vehicle? It took over a couple hours to sort that mess out.
After the flames had finally been extinguished, the NASCAR folks decided to "wash" that area of the track by dumping huge quantities of "Tide" on the area. In this "Era" of "All" the detergents available, perhaps it was only a coincidence that brand was used. Perhaps not. Darrell Waltrip, one of the announcers, used to drive a car sponsored by Tide. A good-ole-boy conspiracy? Beats me. Boogety, boogety boogety on.
Other new ground was broken. Brad Keselowski, of Rochester Hills, became the first to tweet from a race car during the course of the action. Maybe we should stop worrying about teenagers texting while driving. If this guy can do it during the Daytona 500, it can't be that much of a distraction, right?
There was a down side, at least to me. The above mentioned Jimmy Johnson, who I had the ultimate respect for, was featured in a commercial advertising Honda riding lawn mowers. He's always driven a Chevy. He's a former 5-time NASCAR champion. He wants to be the All-American guy. This was the Great American race. He's got umpteen millions of dollars, and counting. And he's advertising a Honda product? Something is very wrong with that, and he just lost a fan. Me. Besides, JJ is in the business of running fast. You'd think he'd know -- nothing runs like a Deere.
In the end, Matt Kenseth won the race, and somebody else chimed in with how Danica spent her "period" in the garage.
I wouldn't touch that line with a 10 foot pole.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
The ghost of Rasheed Wallace
Is he back? Maybe. It seems Wallace wants to come out of retirement and play again, most likely with the LA Lakers. At 37, can he do it? Who knows?
Over his 15 year career in the NBA, Sheed played for Washington, Portland, Atlanta, Detroit, and finally Boston, before retiring after game 7 of the 2010 NBA finals with the Celtics.
There's no question that for a "big man", he possessed multiple talents. Besides being a tenacious defender all over the court, he could play in "the paint" with the other big guys, or step out and make long range jump shots. Also, unlike many other "big men", his free throw shooting was pretty good. And lord, could he trash talk.
Sometimes that got him in trouble, not so much with the opposing players, as with the refs. Wallace is the all-time leader, by a wide margin, for racking up technical fouls -- 324 in his career. That averages out to over 20 a season, and that's ALOT. Thing was, he was so good on the court that teams (and fans) overlooked that because he was worth it.
Many Pistons' fans in Detroit thought GM Joe Dumars was asking for big trouble when he traded for Wallace in February of 2004. Due in no small part to Wallace's presence on that team, a few months later the Pistons would win the world championship, defeating the heavily-favored LA Lakers 4 games to 1. Wallace may have been a lot of things, not all good, but it's probably a fair statement to say he is still thought of fondly amongst Detroit basketball fans to this day.
And now he wants to give it one more go-round. Reports say he's worked out like a maniac and is in better shape right now than he was when he initially retired. 37 might be getting up there in NBA years, but look at the Boston Celtics. Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, their Big 3, tally over a century between them. Are they still championship caliber? Maybe not, given what's going on in a few other cities, but they can sure as hell walk into another team's building on any given night and win the game. So one never knows.
Of course, if Sheed were to hook up with the LA Lakers, there's always the Kobe factor. It's no big secret that the Lakers have been shopping center Pao Gasol. The good Mr. Bryant has recently decreed that the Lakers must do something quickly. Either trade Gasol, or make a commitment to keeping him. Funny thing is -- the last time I looked Kobe was a player, not the head coach, and certainly not the GM. Bryant can generate all the sound bytes and photo-ops he wants, and though an outstanding one, he's still just a player. Sometimes he acts like he owns the team, and I dare say a man named Jerry Buss might not quite see it the same way.
Personally, I hope Rasheed Wallace is indeed successful in his comeback attempt for a few reasons.
Despite all the former supposed "character" issues, he's proven himself to be a pretty good dude. That's worth something.
Second, whether he needs the money or not, knowing he worked so hard for another chance that, if successful, could turn out to be an inspirational type story that may pay dividends down the road not only to himself, but to others as well.
Though not a Laker fan myself, if he joins that team and still possesses some of his former talent, a power shift may occur in the western conference of the NBA. Even if he's not a starter, which is doubtful, his mere presence coming off the bench would create a lot of problems for other teams. That would be well worth the price of admission just to see how it played out.
But mostly, the things we won't see would be the best. Remember how Kobe and Shaq had their little feud a few years ago? All the little barbs here and there?
Imagine Kobe trying to do the same dis and smack talk routine with Sheed. He might be 37, but I'm pretty sure he can still bring THAT.
Priceless.
Over his 15 year career in the NBA, Sheed played for Washington, Portland, Atlanta, Detroit, and finally Boston, before retiring after game 7 of the 2010 NBA finals with the Celtics.
There's no question that for a "big man", he possessed multiple talents. Besides being a tenacious defender all over the court, he could play in "the paint" with the other big guys, or step out and make long range jump shots. Also, unlike many other "big men", his free throw shooting was pretty good. And lord, could he trash talk.
Sometimes that got him in trouble, not so much with the opposing players, as with the refs. Wallace is the all-time leader, by a wide margin, for racking up technical fouls -- 324 in his career. That averages out to over 20 a season, and that's ALOT. Thing was, he was so good on the court that teams (and fans) overlooked that because he was worth it.
Many Pistons' fans in Detroit thought GM Joe Dumars was asking for big trouble when he traded for Wallace in February of 2004. Due in no small part to Wallace's presence on that team, a few months later the Pistons would win the world championship, defeating the heavily-favored LA Lakers 4 games to 1. Wallace may have been a lot of things, not all good, but it's probably a fair statement to say he is still thought of fondly amongst Detroit basketball fans to this day.
And now he wants to give it one more go-round. Reports say he's worked out like a maniac and is in better shape right now than he was when he initially retired. 37 might be getting up there in NBA years, but look at the Boston Celtics. Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, their Big 3, tally over a century between them. Are they still championship caliber? Maybe not, given what's going on in a few other cities, but they can sure as hell walk into another team's building on any given night and win the game. So one never knows.
Of course, if Sheed were to hook up with the LA Lakers, there's always the Kobe factor. It's no big secret that the Lakers have been shopping center Pao Gasol. The good Mr. Bryant has recently decreed that the Lakers must do something quickly. Either trade Gasol, or make a commitment to keeping him. Funny thing is -- the last time I looked Kobe was a player, not the head coach, and certainly not the GM. Bryant can generate all the sound bytes and photo-ops he wants, and though an outstanding one, he's still just a player. Sometimes he acts like he owns the team, and I dare say a man named Jerry Buss might not quite see it the same way.
Personally, I hope Rasheed Wallace is indeed successful in his comeback attempt for a few reasons.
Despite all the former supposed "character" issues, he's proven himself to be a pretty good dude. That's worth something.
Second, whether he needs the money or not, knowing he worked so hard for another chance that, if successful, could turn out to be an inspirational type story that may pay dividends down the road not only to himself, but to others as well.
Though not a Laker fan myself, if he joins that team and still possesses some of his former talent, a power shift may occur in the western conference of the NBA. Even if he's not a starter, which is doubtful, his mere presence coming off the bench would create a lot of problems for other teams. That would be well worth the price of admission just to see how it played out.
But mostly, the things we won't see would be the best. Remember how Kobe and Shaq had their little feud a few years ago? All the little barbs here and there?
Imagine Kobe trying to do the same dis and smack talk routine with Sheed. He might be 37, but I'm pretty sure he can still bring THAT.
Priceless.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Danica Patrick and the Daytona 500
After a brief stint in the "minors" of NASCAR racing, Danica Patrick is going to run in this year's Daytona 500. Why the folks that oversee NASCAR put their "Super Bowl" first on the schedule has always been a mystery to me, but then again, they call it "stock car" racing, and I doubt if a single part on any of those cars is a stock item at your local auto parts store or dealership. Go figure.
At any rate, Danica's going to be piloting the #10 car, as they say, and it will be green. How will she do? Hard to tell.
Patrick has an Indy car racing background, so the NASCAR speeds are certainly no big deal to her. Her car will have to have the "rookie stripe" across it's back bumper, so the others will know, but that's really unnecessary. Every other racer will know full well who's driving the green car.
At Indianapolis, legend had it that the color green was taboo, though I don't know why. It was probably a silly myth, but Danica never really came close to winning there either, even though she had top-notch equipment. Sure, she would always lead a lap or two here and there, her uninformed fans in the stands would roar, and the talking heads on TV hype it to the max -- but that was usually when her crew left her out on the track while the superior cars and drivers had came into the pits. Once things all got sorted out, she never really came close to taking the checkered flag. In all her years of Indy car racing, to my knowledge, Danica only won one obscure race over in Japan somewhere. Yet the endorsements poured in.
It probably should have been no great surprise. After all, Indy car racing had gone through a years long feud amongst those that wished to rule the sport and, in the end, they had basically destroyed it. Fans were no longer interested. The Indy car people needed a face to put the sport back on the map. And no doubt, Danica was well-spoken and had a pretty face. Yes, she could be moody and throw hissy fits, but ask yourself this -- if Dario Franchitti, or Scott Dixon, both former winners of the Indy 500 sat down next to you -- would you recognize them?
In Indy's glory years of old, no doubt they would have scoffed at Danica advertising beauty products and the like, but those were desperate times, from which they've never completely recovered, and likely never will. I suppose a cynic might say Danica could have endorsed a plywood company from the neck down, but that would be counter-productive.
Now she's jumping in with the "big boys". Whether they respect that or not remains to be seen. They can accept that and let her race fair and square, or they can make it impossible for her. I hope it's the former.
Danica was OK as an Indy car driver, but that was polite racing. Even though the speeds were vastly superior to anything she'll ever see in NASCAR, no contact was allowed. You bump another car, you both wreck, and probably take others with you. Despite all the safety features, at well over 200 MPH this is not a laughing matter. People can get airborne, and even die. RIP Dan Wheldon, a world-class racer and multiple Indy 500 champion, that got caught up in such an incident, in Las Vegas, a scant few months ago.
Chances are, Patrick is going to get bumped a lot in the Daytona 500. Yes, she's raced that type of car a few times before and experienced some of that already, but this is the big race in the big leagues. As a comparison, just because she got a hit here and there against a really good Triple A minor league pitcher doesn't mean she'll fare so well against someone like Justin Verlander staring her down on the mound.
And make no mistake. If she makes it that far, there's no mercy on the final laps on the Daytona 500, even between teammates, let alone a rookie driver, woman or not.
That rookie stripe will probably have been erased a long time before that. Hopefully, the bumper is still there.
There may be a time for chivalry, but I'm pretty sure the Great American Race isn't it.
At any rate, Danica's going to be piloting the #10 car, as they say, and it will be green. How will she do? Hard to tell.
Patrick has an Indy car racing background, so the NASCAR speeds are certainly no big deal to her. Her car will have to have the "rookie stripe" across it's back bumper, so the others will know, but that's really unnecessary. Every other racer will know full well who's driving the green car.
At Indianapolis, legend had it that the color green was taboo, though I don't know why. It was probably a silly myth, but Danica never really came close to winning there either, even though she had top-notch equipment. Sure, she would always lead a lap or two here and there, her uninformed fans in the stands would roar, and the talking heads on TV hype it to the max -- but that was usually when her crew left her out on the track while the superior cars and drivers had came into the pits. Once things all got sorted out, she never really came close to taking the checkered flag. In all her years of Indy car racing, to my knowledge, Danica only won one obscure race over in Japan somewhere. Yet the endorsements poured in.
It probably should have been no great surprise. After all, Indy car racing had gone through a years long feud amongst those that wished to rule the sport and, in the end, they had basically destroyed it. Fans were no longer interested. The Indy car people needed a face to put the sport back on the map. And no doubt, Danica was well-spoken and had a pretty face. Yes, she could be moody and throw hissy fits, but ask yourself this -- if Dario Franchitti, or Scott Dixon, both former winners of the Indy 500 sat down next to you -- would you recognize them?
In Indy's glory years of old, no doubt they would have scoffed at Danica advertising beauty products and the like, but those were desperate times, from which they've never completely recovered, and likely never will. I suppose a cynic might say Danica could have endorsed a plywood company from the neck down, but that would be counter-productive.
Now she's jumping in with the "big boys". Whether they respect that or not remains to be seen. They can accept that and let her race fair and square, or they can make it impossible for her. I hope it's the former.
Danica was OK as an Indy car driver, but that was polite racing. Even though the speeds were vastly superior to anything she'll ever see in NASCAR, no contact was allowed. You bump another car, you both wreck, and probably take others with you. Despite all the safety features, at well over 200 MPH this is not a laughing matter. People can get airborne, and even die. RIP Dan Wheldon, a world-class racer and multiple Indy 500 champion, that got caught up in such an incident, in Las Vegas, a scant few months ago.
Chances are, Patrick is going to get bumped a lot in the Daytona 500. Yes, she's raced that type of car a few times before and experienced some of that already, but this is the big race in the big leagues. As a comparison, just because she got a hit here and there against a really good Triple A minor league pitcher doesn't mean she'll fare so well against someone like Justin Verlander staring her down on the mound.
And make no mistake. If she makes it that far, there's no mercy on the final laps on the Daytona 500, even between teammates, let alone a rookie driver, woman or not.
That rookie stripe will probably have been erased a long time before that. Hopefully, the bumper is still there.
There may be a time for chivalry, but I'm pretty sure the Great American Race isn't it.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Having Justin Verlander for breakfast
It seems the ace pitcher of the Detroit Tigers has just come out with a new breakfast cereal. It features Verlander's picture on the box and the product is called "Fastball Flakes".
Ya know.....if you kick back and think about that for a second -- it could be perceived in a couple different ways.........
Here's hoping it works out well for JV but, either way, I'm pretty sure Tony the (other) Tiger, with his Frosted Flakes, won't be getting too worked up about the competition anytime soon.
Ya know.....if you kick back and think about that for a second -- it could be perceived in a couple different ways.........
Here's hoping it works out well for JV but, either way, I'm pretty sure Tony the (other) Tiger, with his Frosted Flakes, won't be getting too worked up about the competition anytime soon.
Brandon Inge. An objective look
Much has been said recently about Brandon Inge's hope of playing 2nd base for the Detroit Tigers this coming year. Some defended Inge's right to at least give it a "shot", while others would just as soon see him leave town -- permanently. Now that all the hoopla's died down, at least until the Tigers start playing their spring training games and sorting out who's who, let's take an objective look at Inge.
Here's what I know I know. I neither like nor dislike Inge. He is, and has been, a highly paid pro athlete and, as such, should be rightfully judged on his performance. No other sport cooks up more statistics than major league baseball to keep track of such things. Here's a few: Inge has played for the Detroit Tigers for 11 years. 139 home runs, 587 RBIS, 1183 strike outs, and a career batting average of .235.
Here's what I think I know. Inge being a shortstop in college is totally irrelevant over a decade later. It doesn't matter whether he was a middle linebacker, a point guard, or a goalie. When the Tigers got him, they tried to make him a catcher. He was OK behind the plate, but he couldn't hit a lick.
After a few years he got a shot at third base. Besides doing spot duty here and there in the outfield, as the occasion arose, Inge performed reasonably well there defensively. Over the long haul, he wasn't spectacular, but probably above average. Yet he still couldn't hit much.
No doubt his best season was 2009. Inge hit 27 home runs, had 84 RBIs, and was selected to the All-Star team, likely because he was very popular in Detroit at that time. He even entered the Home Run Derby contest, where he proceeded to embarrass himself by not hitting any. Ouch.
Inge struck out 170 times that year. And his batting average? .230. Then he got a contract extension somewhere in the neighborhood of $5,500,000 a year -- guaranteed money.
Last year his batting average was so bad (around the .150 mark) the Tigers sent him down to the minors. But he still got his money. At that point, Inge basically had two choices. He could go to Toledo and hope for another shot in the "bigs", or go home and STILL collect the millions. Yet, had he chosen the latter, it likely would have spelled the end of his career in the big leagues. Not that he should ever need the money because, after all, Inge has made upwards of $35 million dollars playing pro baseball, and if that isn't enough to get by on for a lifetime, then he's been whiffing on his finances even worse than he did standing in the batter's box. I dare say in today's economy, most of us would gladly take just one measly little million and be happy as clams foreverafter.
But with Inge, there always seems to be a "kicker". Sure enough, last year, when the rosters expanded in September, he got called back up from Toledo. Many looking for something -- anything -- to bolster Inge have recently said he batted .324 in September, and .318 in the post-season. They throw out stats like Inge having an OPS of around .900 for that time. I for one, had no idea what OPS was, so I looked it up. It follows.....
The basic formula is
where OBP is on-base percentage and SLG is slugging average. These averages are defined
and
where:
Me being one that always tries to cut through the "bull", I see Inge's proponents saying he hit really well for about a month and a half at the end of last year. Further, they say he's always been accessible to the media, as if that should matter. (If I'm a fan, give me a guy hitting .300, that shuns the press, over a .230 guy flapping his gums any day). Good for them, and they can cheer him on if they wish, but given the bigger picture, along with his history -- if that's all they have to bring to the table -- their argument is very weak. It might be interesting to look back and see if those same people thought Matt Millen was a "great hire" for the Detroit Lions when it first happened.
My take? If I was Inge, I'd try to hang on too. Even for the same money, private charter flights and 5-star motels beat the hell out of buses and sleazy easies.
But nice guy or not, .235 over 11 years is what it is. Maybe a really slick fielding shortstop could get away with Inge's offensive stats, but somebody playing catcher and/or 3rd base in the major leagues is expected to put up bigger numbers. How Inge has hung on for this long is a total mystery to me.
Here's what I know I know. I neither like nor dislike Inge. He is, and has been, a highly paid pro athlete and, as such, should be rightfully judged on his performance. No other sport cooks up more statistics than major league baseball to keep track of such things. Here's a few: Inge has played for the Detroit Tigers for 11 years. 139 home runs, 587 RBIS, 1183 strike outs, and a career batting average of .235.
Here's what I think I know. Inge being a shortstop in college is totally irrelevant over a decade later. It doesn't matter whether he was a middle linebacker, a point guard, or a goalie. When the Tigers got him, they tried to make him a catcher. He was OK behind the plate, but he couldn't hit a lick.
After a few years he got a shot at third base. Besides doing spot duty here and there in the outfield, as the occasion arose, Inge performed reasonably well there defensively. Over the long haul, he wasn't spectacular, but probably above average. Yet he still couldn't hit much.
No doubt his best season was 2009. Inge hit 27 home runs, had 84 RBIs, and was selected to the All-Star team, likely because he was very popular in Detroit at that time. He even entered the Home Run Derby contest, where he proceeded to embarrass himself by not hitting any. Ouch.
Inge struck out 170 times that year. And his batting average? .230. Then he got a contract extension somewhere in the neighborhood of $5,500,000 a year -- guaranteed money.
Last year his batting average was so bad (around the .150 mark) the Tigers sent him down to the minors. But he still got his money. At that point, Inge basically had two choices. He could go to Toledo and hope for another shot in the "bigs", or go home and STILL collect the millions. Yet, had he chosen the latter, it likely would have spelled the end of his career in the big leagues. Not that he should ever need the money because, after all, Inge has made upwards of $35 million dollars playing pro baseball, and if that isn't enough to get by on for a lifetime, then he's been whiffing on his finances even worse than he did standing in the batter's box. I dare say in today's economy, most of us would gladly take just one measly little million and be happy as clams foreverafter.
But with Inge, there always seems to be a "kicker". Sure enough, last year, when the rosters expanded in September, he got called back up from Toledo. Many looking for something -- anything -- to bolster Inge have recently said he batted .324 in September, and .318 in the post-season. They throw out stats like Inge having an OPS of around .900 for that time. I for one, had no idea what OPS was, so I looked it up. It follows.....
The basic formula is
where OBP is on-base percentage and SLG is slugging average. These averages are defined
and
where:
- H = Hits
- BB = Base on balls
- HBP = Times hit by pitch
- AB = At bats
- SF = Sacrifice flies
- TB = Total bases
Me being one that always tries to cut through the "bull", I see Inge's proponents saying he hit really well for about a month and a half at the end of last year. Further, they say he's always been accessible to the media, as if that should matter. (If I'm a fan, give me a guy hitting .300, that shuns the press, over a .230 guy flapping his gums any day). Good for them, and they can cheer him on if they wish, but given the bigger picture, along with his history -- if that's all they have to bring to the table -- their argument is very weak. It might be interesting to look back and see if those same people thought Matt Millen was a "great hire" for the Detroit Lions when it first happened.
My take? If I was Inge, I'd try to hang on too. Even for the same money, private charter flights and 5-star motels beat the hell out of buses and sleazy easies.
But nice guy or not, .235 over 11 years is what it is. Maybe a really slick fielding shortstop could get away with Inge's offensive stats, but somebody playing catcher and/or 3rd base in the major leagues is expected to put up bigger numbers. How Inge has hung on for this long is a total mystery to me.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Jeremy Lin and the "chink" thing
Most sports fans know Jeremy Lin has recently become a sensation as a guard for the NBA's New York Knicks. Then he had a bad game. Some on-line affiliate of ESPN slapped the headline "a chink in the armor?" on an article, and because Lin is of Asian ancestrry, many went berserk over the supposed racial slur.
Gimme a break. Are we really that touchy-feely, sensitive, and yes, that stupid?
No wonder we haven't won a war since WWII. We've become too wimpy.
ESPN quickly took the post down and subsequently issued an apology. It seems everybody's afraid of everything these days, particularly when it comes to the spoken or written word, lest they, gasp, possibly offend somebody. To all of which I say -- grow up and get a life because it happens. Always has and always will. Don't sweat the small stuff.
My name's John Leach. A leech is a blood sucking parasite. Back in junior high school, I was taunted mercilessly about that. A "john leach" must mean I go around sucking on toilets. It was tough for a while, but that was just kids being kids. Fast forward a few decades and occasionally someone else will still make such a reference. I just smile -- because it doesn't matter.
Same thing with Lin. That headline didn't matter, other than wimpy losers looking to pounce upon something, anything, to create a sensation. Besides, for anybody that actually, heaven forbid, wants to look up definitions, a "chink" is a small weakness. Obviously, this is what ESPN intended with their headline, not the derogatory other meaning of the word.
So where does it end? If I were to say Michael Jordan has been acting "niggardly" in his majority ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats, would people be outraged? Probably. Would I be taken to task by my editor and possibly sued by yet others? No. Editors and astute attorneys know better. A "niggard" is a cheapskate. Look it up.
But just coming even close to a so-called no-no word gets people in trouble these days.
Let's get real. Anyone who thinks derogatory words have been extinguished by the language police is a fool. Some people will always use them.
Something rather unique happened to me earlier today. I went to a local watering hole, sat down on a bar stool, and ordered a beer. The female bartender said, "yes sir". Next to me was a young gentleman I'd never seen before. When the beer came I said "thank you dear" back to the bartender. Evidently, the young man needed someone to talk to, so I listened and responded politely. It had become quickly apparent that his mental faculties appeared to be what many would not consider "normal". Then he looked me right in the eyes and said something that totally caught me off guard.
"The bartender called you 'sir', and you called her 'dear'. People call me 'retarded'".
I told him, "The only people that are retarded are the ones that think YOU are. You've always been better than them, but you just haven't figured it out yet. Someday you will". We chatted some more.
Then what I asssumed were his parents walked in. After a brief talk with them, the young man rushed back up to me and said, "John, I'm going to the movies. Wish I could take you with me"
In today's world, some people would get all homophobic about that. Maybe even consider it stalking. That might partially explain why there's 107 pages of attorneys in my Yellow Pages. Check that out at your leisure. A lot of supposed "normal" people would have moved away from that young man in the first place, or worse, poked fun at him.
Not me. That kid taught me more in a half hour than other "smarter" people have taught me in a lifetime.
And others want to go ballistic over some obscure on-line blurb concerning Jeremy Lin?
Perhaps they should remember Lin is a Harvard grad. From what little I know, the fine folks in Cambridge aren't in the habit of handing out degrees to just anybody. Translation? Lin gets it.
Too bad other people still don't.
Maybe they should have been sitting on my bar stool next to that kid. They just might have learned something too.......
Gimme a break. Are we really that touchy-feely, sensitive, and yes, that stupid?
No wonder we haven't won a war since WWII. We've become too wimpy.
ESPN quickly took the post down and subsequently issued an apology. It seems everybody's afraid of everything these days, particularly when it comes to the spoken or written word, lest they, gasp, possibly offend somebody. To all of which I say -- grow up and get a life because it happens. Always has and always will. Don't sweat the small stuff.
My name's John Leach. A leech is a blood sucking parasite. Back in junior high school, I was taunted mercilessly about that. A "john leach" must mean I go around sucking on toilets. It was tough for a while, but that was just kids being kids. Fast forward a few decades and occasionally someone else will still make such a reference. I just smile -- because it doesn't matter.
Same thing with Lin. That headline didn't matter, other than wimpy losers looking to pounce upon something, anything, to create a sensation. Besides, for anybody that actually, heaven forbid, wants to look up definitions, a "chink" is a small weakness. Obviously, this is what ESPN intended with their headline, not the derogatory other meaning of the word.
So where does it end? If I were to say Michael Jordan has been acting "niggardly" in his majority ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats, would people be outraged? Probably. Would I be taken to task by my editor and possibly sued by yet others? No. Editors and astute attorneys know better. A "niggard" is a cheapskate. Look it up.
But just coming even close to a so-called no-no word gets people in trouble these days.
Let's get real. Anyone who thinks derogatory words have been extinguished by the language police is a fool. Some people will always use them.
Something rather unique happened to me earlier today. I went to a local watering hole, sat down on a bar stool, and ordered a beer. The female bartender said, "yes sir". Next to me was a young gentleman I'd never seen before. When the beer came I said "thank you dear" back to the bartender. Evidently, the young man needed someone to talk to, so I listened and responded politely. It had become quickly apparent that his mental faculties appeared to be what many would not consider "normal". Then he looked me right in the eyes and said something that totally caught me off guard.
"The bartender called you 'sir', and you called her 'dear'. People call me 'retarded'".
I told him, "The only people that are retarded are the ones that think YOU are. You've always been better than them, but you just haven't figured it out yet. Someday you will". We chatted some more.
Then what I asssumed were his parents walked in. After a brief talk with them, the young man rushed back up to me and said, "John, I'm going to the movies. Wish I could take you with me"
In today's world, some people would get all homophobic about that. Maybe even consider it stalking. That might partially explain why there's 107 pages of attorneys in my Yellow Pages. Check that out at your leisure. A lot of supposed "normal" people would have moved away from that young man in the first place, or worse, poked fun at him.
Not me. That kid taught me more in a half hour than other "smarter" people have taught me in a lifetime.
And others want to go ballistic over some obscure on-line blurb concerning Jeremy Lin?
Perhaps they should remember Lin is a Harvard grad. From what little I know, the fine folks in Cambridge aren't in the habit of handing out degrees to just anybody. Translation? Lin gets it.
Too bad other people still don't.
Maybe they should have been sitting on my bar stool next to that kid. They just might have learned something too.......
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