Wow. Very strange things were happening in the world of men's gymnastics over in London. The American squad qualified #1 and might have thought they were a cinch to win a medal -- if not the gold, in the team competition. What they seemed to overlook was the Chinese male gymnasts have been clearly superior to the rest of the world in every competition over the last decade or so.
Sure enough, when it got down to the nitty-gritty, the Chinese performed almost flawlessly. In the meantime, the Americans were choking like a chihuahua on a chicken bone. They were stumbling, bumbling, falling off, falling down, and eventually fell out of competition for a medal. It didn't look like Team USA, but more like Team Spazz. I've seen freshly caught perch flopping around on the ice of a frozen lake perform more graceful routines.
On an unexpected high note, the host British team captured silver medals. Few expected them to fare nearly that well, but they turned in a grand performance and absolutely earned it. Ukraine would round out the podium with the bronzes.
But wait a minute. Japan, which had finished 4th, lodged a protest. They claimed one of their gymnasts had been scored wrong and demanded a review.
Now it's no big secret that Japan and China have been bitter rivals for centuries, not only in sports, but in everything else as well. It might fairly be said they hate each other, from the lowliest peasants to Emperors, Premiers, and Prime Ministers. Also, there's no love lost between Japan and the various entities of the former Soviet Union.
Surprisingly, officials huddled up and actually viewed replays of the Japanese gymnast's performance in question. Boos rained down from the audience in attendance, and likely from TV viewers around the world. Lo and behold, they not only changed it, but dramatically.
While the Chinese had an insurmountable lead for the gold, Japan suddenly leapfrogged from 4th to 2nd. The Brits saw their silver medals turn into bronze and Ukraine got bumped out entirely.
Yes, the British team was dignified about it, as one would expect of them, but after they've had time to reflect, it might just be that some resentment will creep in. Yet, at least they got medals, which was somewhat of an upset in the first place. On the other hand, the Ukrainians appeared stunned but, to their credit, showed the discipline to stoically march off the floor. However, yours truly has a hunch that it won't be long before they begin to stew over the whole turn of events, as well. First they have medals, and then they're stripped of them, all because of some judgment call that happened much earlier which the Japanese contingent managed to have reversed in their favor? Something is very wrong with this picture.
Then again, as we all know, the Japanese have always been known to be open, honest, fair, honorable, and most certainly trustworthy in all manners of things.
Here's what they don't seem to understand---
While they may have maneuvered themselves into silver medals, once again, they lost a lot of face in the process. The whole world was watching and stands in disapproval. In the end, they lose.
Monday, July 30, 2012
The X rated Olympics
While it might well provide for some very interesting viewing if porn stars were to stage their own version of the Olympics featuring various, ahem, disciplines, an XXX-rated Olympiad probably isn't going to happen any time soon.
We'll have to settle for the current version. Yet it's advertised as the XXX Olympics. Yeah, I know, that means it's the 30th modern version and has nothing to do with the other XXX rating mentioned above.
Still, it doesn't seem right. If it's the 30th, why not just call it that? Seems simple enough. The Daytona 500 recently celebrated their 50th year but they didn't call it the L race. After 100 years of making motorcycles, Harley-Davidson didn't refer to it as C day, although to be fair, if one wants to purchase a new Harley, normally somewhere between CC and CCC C-notes are required. What am I saying? C what-- sorry, see what I mean about getting caught up in this stuff?
When it comes to birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, and the like, nobody ever refers to them in Roman numerals. Ever heard of wishing a child a happy VIII birthday? A husband giving his wife something special to celebrate XXV years of being married? Being invited back to join your former classmates XX years after you graduated? Of course not.
Going back to the Olympics, this raises another question. Why are they referred to with Roman numerals? Most everyone acknowledges the ancient Greeks provided the genesis of the Olympic games. They were also fierce rivals with the Romans back then. So just where and when did it come to be that Roman numerals took over? They did nothing more to deserve that honor than they did to put those same numerals on the likes of grandfather clocks. What's up with that?
They've even taken over numbering the Super Bowls in the NFL. How did that happen? The Romans have never known squat about NFL football, much less ever fielded a team, and they probably couldn't care less. But somehow we've come to accept their ancient numbering system when it comes to the most important football game of the year. Huh?
Ah well, maybe it's just meant to be. But I still think the idea of a truly XXX rated Olympics is interesting. What would we get if they combined porn stars, the balance beam, the rings, the uneven bars, a pole-vaulting pole, a few hurdles, the floor exercise, and put it all to rap music? I don't know either -- but it would be way more interesting than skeet shooting or race-walking.
We'll have to settle for the current version. Yet it's advertised as the XXX Olympics. Yeah, I know, that means it's the 30th modern version and has nothing to do with the other XXX rating mentioned above.
Still, it doesn't seem right. If it's the 30th, why not just call it that? Seems simple enough. The Daytona 500 recently celebrated their 50th year but they didn't call it the L race. After 100 years of making motorcycles, Harley-Davidson didn't refer to it as C day, although to be fair, if one wants to purchase a new Harley, normally somewhere between CC and CCC C-notes are required. What am I saying? C what-- sorry, see what I mean about getting caught up in this stuff?
When it comes to birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, and the like, nobody ever refers to them in Roman numerals. Ever heard of wishing a child a happy VIII birthday? A husband giving his wife something special to celebrate XXV years of being married? Being invited back to join your former classmates XX years after you graduated? Of course not.
Going back to the Olympics, this raises another question. Why are they referred to with Roman numerals? Most everyone acknowledges the ancient Greeks provided the genesis of the Olympic games. They were also fierce rivals with the Romans back then. So just where and when did it come to be that Roman numerals took over? They did nothing more to deserve that honor than they did to put those same numerals on the likes of grandfather clocks. What's up with that?
They've even taken over numbering the Super Bowls in the NFL. How did that happen? The Romans have never known squat about NFL football, much less ever fielded a team, and they probably couldn't care less. But somehow we've come to accept their ancient numbering system when it comes to the most important football game of the year. Huh?
Ah well, maybe it's just meant to be. But I still think the idea of a truly XXX rated Olympics is interesting. What would we get if they combined porn stars, the balance beam, the rings, the uneven bars, a pole-vaulting pole, a few hurdles, the floor exercise, and put it all to rap music? I don't know either -- but it would be way more interesting than skeet shooting or race-walking.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
The Detroit Lions. Lack of institutional control
Given the whole Penn State disaster, the phrase "lack of institutional control" has certainly been prominent in the news lately. It's hardly the first time, though. A few decades ago Southern Methodist University's football program got slapped with the "death penalty" after repeated infractions, which the NCAA deemed to be a total LOIC. USC got hammered in the wake of the Reggie Bush affair, the U of Mich got zapped for some shady dealings when the Fab 5 was there, and Miami ran amok not long ago. There's other examples in the past, and there will no doubt be more examples in the future. It's like whack-a mole. No many how many you clobber, another one's bound to pop up.
But LOIC has always been associated with college sports, not the pros. Perhaps it's time to apply the same standards to them as well.
Certainly there have been some teams in the past whose players weren't exactly model citizens. How about the Portland "Jail Blazers" a while back in the NBA? The Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL went through a period where nobody seemed to know what a player was going to get arrested for next, but it was going to be something. The late Al Davis even took pride in assembling a team of mavericks, renegades, and wildmen when he owned the Oakland Raiders. However, there was no LOIC in that situation. Davis WAS the institution and ran it with an iron fist -- so that technically doesn't count.
And now we have the Detroit Lions. They've featured a stomper in a nationally televised Thanksgiving game. The same man would go on to trash his automobile with a couple of mysterious ladies aboard that seem to have magically vanished, and subsequently have a not so good episode with the cops. Cheap shot personal fouls by his teammates had the refs running out of flags to throw.
They have others that can't seem to stop driving while drunk, and/or getting busted with weed. Recently, there were allegations of an assault that involved a player brandishing a weapon, as in pointing a gun at somebody. Good grief, even head coach Jim Schwartz himself went berserk on the field last year after the opposing coach had merely clapped him on the back following the game. So what if the Lions lost at home? It happens to the best of teams once in a while, but that's no excuse for the guy in charge of the players to wig-out and embarrass not only himself, but his team and his city -- again on national TV. Don't think the players didn't notice this. Of course they did. Head coaches are supposed to show leadership in the right way, so the team will hopefully follow their example. So what message was sent to the players with his outburst? If it's OK for him to throw any matter of professionalism out the window -- then it must be OK for us as well. It should be no great surprise that carried over into some of their personal lives.
The Detroit Lions are currently the poster children of the professional version of "lack of institutional control".
The NCAA recently slapped Penn State with an arbitrary fine of $60 million for LOIC. PSU lost scholarships, had wins vacated, are not eligible to play in the post-season for 4 years, and even the "death penalty" for a year or two was considered, but ultimately not imposed.
So why shouldn't the pros be held to the same standard? What if commissioners in pro leagues had the same power as the NCAA has over universities?
If Roger Goodell levied a $60 million fine against the Lions, that wouldn't be such a big deal in the world of the Ford family, the multi-billionaires that own them. But if that was, say, $600 million, it might prompt even old William Clay Ford himself to snap out of his reverie and pay attention.
Take away a few high draft picks and the front office would certainly sit up and take notice. Vacating wins wouldn't matter, because up until last year they didn't have very many to speak of anyway. Maybe while they're at it, they could expunge the entire Matt Millen era and that 0-16 season, but I digress.
If the Lions, as an NFL franchise, can't get their players under control, both on and off the field, perhaps more drastic measures are called for. Consider the post-season ban on Penn State. What if the same penalty was handed down to the Lions? It doesn't matter what their regular-season record is -- even if it's 16-0 -- no playoff games for the next 4 years. Imagine.
If THAT happened, I flat-out guarantee, one way or the other, all this amoral behavior both on and off the field would STOP. They would find a way. And isn't that the point?
As for the death penalty? No need. The Green Bay Packers will likely see to that in the foreseeable future.
But LOIC has always been associated with college sports, not the pros. Perhaps it's time to apply the same standards to them as well.
Certainly there have been some teams in the past whose players weren't exactly model citizens. How about the Portland "Jail Blazers" a while back in the NBA? The Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL went through a period where nobody seemed to know what a player was going to get arrested for next, but it was going to be something. The late Al Davis even took pride in assembling a team of mavericks, renegades, and wildmen when he owned the Oakland Raiders. However, there was no LOIC in that situation. Davis WAS the institution and ran it with an iron fist -- so that technically doesn't count.
And now we have the Detroit Lions. They've featured a stomper in a nationally televised Thanksgiving game. The same man would go on to trash his automobile with a couple of mysterious ladies aboard that seem to have magically vanished, and subsequently have a not so good episode with the cops. Cheap shot personal fouls by his teammates had the refs running out of flags to throw.
They have others that can't seem to stop driving while drunk, and/or getting busted with weed. Recently, there were allegations of an assault that involved a player brandishing a weapon, as in pointing a gun at somebody. Good grief, even head coach Jim Schwartz himself went berserk on the field last year after the opposing coach had merely clapped him on the back following the game. So what if the Lions lost at home? It happens to the best of teams once in a while, but that's no excuse for the guy in charge of the players to wig-out and embarrass not only himself, but his team and his city -- again on national TV. Don't think the players didn't notice this. Of course they did. Head coaches are supposed to show leadership in the right way, so the team will hopefully follow their example. So what message was sent to the players with his outburst? If it's OK for him to throw any matter of professionalism out the window -- then it must be OK for us as well. It should be no great surprise that carried over into some of their personal lives.
The Detroit Lions are currently the poster children of the professional version of "lack of institutional control".
The NCAA recently slapped Penn State with an arbitrary fine of $60 million for LOIC. PSU lost scholarships, had wins vacated, are not eligible to play in the post-season for 4 years, and even the "death penalty" for a year or two was considered, but ultimately not imposed.
So why shouldn't the pros be held to the same standard? What if commissioners in pro leagues had the same power as the NCAA has over universities?
If Roger Goodell levied a $60 million fine against the Lions, that wouldn't be such a big deal in the world of the Ford family, the multi-billionaires that own them. But if that was, say, $600 million, it might prompt even old William Clay Ford himself to snap out of his reverie and pay attention.
Take away a few high draft picks and the front office would certainly sit up and take notice. Vacating wins wouldn't matter, because up until last year they didn't have very many to speak of anyway. Maybe while they're at it, they could expunge the entire Matt Millen era and that 0-16 season, but I digress.
If the Lions, as an NFL franchise, can't get their players under control, both on and off the field, perhaps more drastic measures are called for. Consider the post-season ban on Penn State. What if the same penalty was handed down to the Lions? It doesn't matter what their regular-season record is -- even if it's 16-0 -- no playoff games for the next 4 years. Imagine.
If THAT happened, I flat-out guarantee, one way or the other, all this amoral behavior both on and off the field would STOP. They would find a way. And isn't that the point?
As for the death penalty? No need. The Green Bay Packers will likely see to that in the foreseeable future.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Opening ceremonies of the Olympics
I love the Olympics -- not only the actual competition in the events themselves, but the passion, patriotism, and pageantry from all over the world that go along with the whole package. I could hardly wait until the flame was lit in London.
Yet the opening ceremonies of this particular Olympiad seemed to be straight out of the Twilight Zone. Some very strange things were on display.
Women suffragists marching with picket signs advocating their right to vote?
Galley slaves toiling away at their oars?
Blacksmiths standing over flaming forges?
A crew of guys pounding railroad spikes?
Red coats and tea-partiers from the Revolutionary War? Pilgrims?
And what were all those guys in dark suits, long sideburns, and Abraham Lincoln top hats about anyway?
A couple of James Bond type dudes parachuting out of a helicopter?
Queen Lizzie the Deuce waddling front and center, while the Union Jack was hoisted and a throng of adoring little kids sang a song of praise to her?
Florence Nightingale style beds, complete with fake children patients and IV drips being wheeled around helter-skelter by nurses and orderlies? Did they even have IV drips back in FloNight's day?
JK Rowling quoting from one of her Harry Potter books? Wait, now her characters are coming to life. They're everywhere.
Peter Pan and Mary Poppins showed up.
Holy cow, it's a miracle. All those sick kids have jumped out of their beds and are dancing. Wow. Forget Obamacare, whatever they're doing over there in England seems to have amazing results.
Here comes an orchestra featuring a piano player that can only play one note -- over and over. The crowd goes wild. I knew the Brits liked their music, but this is ridiculous.
Speaking of which, we were treated to a brief guitar riff from Eric Clapton, snippets of The Who, The Beatles, and The Stones. They say Sir Paul McCartney is waiting in the wings. I can barely contain my excitement over what he might do.
This is quite an extravaganza. There's only one thing I don't understand.
I always thought the Olympics were supposed to be about sports. Silly me.
Still, the McCartney thing is a tough call. As certainly one of the most prolific song writers of the last half century, the man should be treated with the respect he is due. How then, to do the right thing when he takes the stage at the opening ceremonies? Hmm. I think I have it. What could be fairer than holding the man to the same words he penned himself long ago in a classic song?
Dear Paul. This is the Olympics -- not the Ed Sullivan show, the Hollywood Bowl, or even Abbey Road. Yesterday came suddenly indeed.
Click.
Yet the opening ceremonies of this particular Olympiad seemed to be straight out of the Twilight Zone. Some very strange things were on display.
Women suffragists marching with picket signs advocating their right to vote?
Galley slaves toiling away at their oars?
Blacksmiths standing over flaming forges?
A crew of guys pounding railroad spikes?
Red coats and tea-partiers from the Revolutionary War? Pilgrims?
And what were all those guys in dark suits, long sideburns, and Abraham Lincoln top hats about anyway?
A couple of James Bond type dudes parachuting out of a helicopter?
Queen Lizzie the Deuce waddling front and center, while the Union Jack was hoisted and a throng of adoring little kids sang a song of praise to her?
Florence Nightingale style beds, complete with fake children patients and IV drips being wheeled around helter-skelter by nurses and orderlies? Did they even have IV drips back in FloNight's day?
JK Rowling quoting from one of her Harry Potter books? Wait, now her characters are coming to life. They're everywhere.
Peter Pan and Mary Poppins showed up.
Holy cow, it's a miracle. All those sick kids have jumped out of their beds and are dancing. Wow. Forget Obamacare, whatever they're doing over there in England seems to have amazing results.
Here comes an orchestra featuring a piano player that can only play one note -- over and over. The crowd goes wild. I knew the Brits liked their music, but this is ridiculous.
Speaking of which, we were treated to a brief guitar riff from Eric Clapton, snippets of The Who, The Beatles, and The Stones. They say Sir Paul McCartney is waiting in the wings. I can barely contain my excitement over what he might do.
This is quite an extravaganza. There's only one thing I don't understand.
I always thought the Olympics were supposed to be about sports. Silly me.
Still, the McCartney thing is a tough call. As certainly one of the most prolific song writers of the last half century, the man should be treated with the respect he is due. How then, to do the right thing when he takes the stage at the opening ceremonies? Hmm. I think I have it. What could be fairer than holding the man to the same words he penned himself long ago in a classic song?
Dear Paul. This is the Olympics -- not the Ed Sullivan show, the Hollywood Bowl, or even Abbey Road. Yesterday came suddenly indeed.
Click.
Comparing Justin Verlander to a meatloaf
No doubt about it, Justin Verlander's a terrific pitcher. Most would likely rank him in the top 3, if not better, in all of major league baseball. As the reigning American League Cy Young award winner and MVP, when JV's got his good "stuff" he can be virtually unhittable.
Who's the best pitcher ever? Roger Clemens? Nolan Ryan? Bob Gibson? Warren Spahn? Cy Young himself? Nobody can say for sure. It's like debating who was the most beautiful woman of all time. Everybody can throw out their choice, but there's really no definitive answer.
Yet even the best of the best are going to have their bad days. Depending on a few variables, even the people we have put on a pedestal will occasionally come across in such a manner that prompts us to say, "Damn, that was ugly".
Same with the pitchers. Verlander's cruising along this year with a record of 11-6. Over his career, he's 118-62. Basically that means he wins about 2 out of 3. That percentage might not be so hot in big time tennis, or team USA Olympic basketball, but in major league baseball it's pretty darn good.
But there's going to be days. To much fanfare, Verlander was the American League's starting pitcher in this year's All Star game. He got hammered for 5 runs and didn't make it out of the first inning. JV would later say, "That wasn't me". Hogwash. It was exactly him. Perhaps JV just thought he could take the mound, start throwing 100 MPH fastballs, and expect the opposing batters to fall like dominoes. What he seemed to have overlooked was those "other" guys swinging the bats weren't National League All-Stars because of their looks. They can hit or they wouldn't be there. Some say good pitching beats good hitting, but that's not always true. A lot of it is luck. If the batters are hitting the ball right at defenders the pitcher looks good. If they're hitting it "where they ain't", that same pitcher probably isn't going to last very long in the game.
The thing with Verlander is, it appears he's become so accustomed to being successful that he looks befuddled when everything doesn't go according to plan. On the rare occasion he gets lit up by the opposing batters hitting rockets all over the park, Verlander gets this look in his eyes like the Klingons just landed in right field and, oh my, what do I do now?
It happened to him earlier tonight against the Cleveland Indians. JV was cruising along with a lead and threw a high fastball that was deposited into the right-centerfield bleachers for a home run. It happens. On the very next pitch to the very next batter, he threw the same pitch in the same place with the same result. Gone. Verlander had that look about him like -- this isn't supposed to be happening. Maybe not, but if a major league hitter is looking for a particular pitch in a particular area of the strike zone, and he gets it, sometimes those balls have a way of becoming souvenirs for the fans while the hitter trots around the bases.
Can't remember for sure who said it, but a big time hitter once remarked, "It really doesn't matter if a guy's throwing 90, 95, 100, or whatever. If he thinks he can just blow a fastball by us all game long, he won't be around very long. We'll adjust our timing, speed it up, and be all over it. The good pitchers are the ones that keep you guessing with different pitches and different speeds in different locations".
Verlander has all that, of course, but sometimes Tiger fans seem to think whenever he takes the mound it's an automatic win. It's not. He's really good, but certainly not unbeatable. Let's not forget, the other guys swinging the bats know a thing or two about hitting or they wouldn't be major leaguers. What's the difference between a pop-up and a home run? Maybe half an inch, depending on how the bat strikes the ball.
Verlander could very well go on to become a Hall-of Famer, or he could crash and burn in the next few years, even assuming he stays healthy, never a given. Nobody knows.
But in the meantime, perhaps Meatloaf sang it best back in the day ---
Two out of three ain't bad.
Who's the best pitcher ever? Roger Clemens? Nolan Ryan? Bob Gibson? Warren Spahn? Cy Young himself? Nobody can say for sure. It's like debating who was the most beautiful woman of all time. Everybody can throw out their choice, but there's really no definitive answer.
Yet even the best of the best are going to have their bad days. Depending on a few variables, even the people we have put on a pedestal will occasionally come across in such a manner that prompts us to say, "Damn, that was ugly".
Same with the pitchers. Verlander's cruising along this year with a record of 11-6. Over his career, he's 118-62. Basically that means he wins about 2 out of 3. That percentage might not be so hot in big time tennis, or team USA Olympic basketball, but in major league baseball it's pretty darn good.
But there's going to be days. To much fanfare, Verlander was the American League's starting pitcher in this year's All Star game. He got hammered for 5 runs and didn't make it out of the first inning. JV would later say, "That wasn't me". Hogwash. It was exactly him. Perhaps JV just thought he could take the mound, start throwing 100 MPH fastballs, and expect the opposing batters to fall like dominoes. What he seemed to have overlooked was those "other" guys swinging the bats weren't National League All-Stars because of their looks. They can hit or they wouldn't be there. Some say good pitching beats good hitting, but that's not always true. A lot of it is luck. If the batters are hitting the ball right at defenders the pitcher looks good. If they're hitting it "where they ain't", that same pitcher probably isn't going to last very long in the game.
The thing with Verlander is, it appears he's become so accustomed to being successful that he looks befuddled when everything doesn't go according to plan. On the rare occasion he gets lit up by the opposing batters hitting rockets all over the park, Verlander gets this look in his eyes like the Klingons just landed in right field and, oh my, what do I do now?
It happened to him earlier tonight against the Cleveland Indians. JV was cruising along with a lead and threw a high fastball that was deposited into the right-centerfield bleachers for a home run. It happens. On the very next pitch to the very next batter, he threw the same pitch in the same place with the same result. Gone. Verlander had that look about him like -- this isn't supposed to be happening. Maybe not, but if a major league hitter is looking for a particular pitch in a particular area of the strike zone, and he gets it, sometimes those balls have a way of becoming souvenirs for the fans while the hitter trots around the bases.
Can't remember for sure who said it, but a big time hitter once remarked, "It really doesn't matter if a guy's throwing 90, 95, 100, or whatever. If he thinks he can just blow a fastball by us all game long, he won't be around very long. We'll adjust our timing, speed it up, and be all over it. The good pitchers are the ones that keep you guessing with different pitches and different speeds in different locations".
Verlander has all that, of course, but sometimes Tiger fans seem to think whenever he takes the mound it's an automatic win. It's not. He's really good, but certainly not unbeatable. Let's not forget, the other guys swinging the bats know a thing or two about hitting or they wouldn't be major leaguers. What's the difference between a pop-up and a home run? Maybe half an inch, depending on how the bat strikes the ball.
Verlander could very well go on to become a Hall-of Famer, or he could crash and burn in the next few years, even assuming he stays healthy, never a given. Nobody knows.
But in the meantime, perhaps Meatloaf sang it best back in the day ---
Two out of three ain't bad.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
The Detroit Tigers. Russian roulette anyone?
Major league baseball is a funny game. On any given day, the team with the worst record can beat the team with the best record and nobody thinks of it as a huge upset. It happens all the time. Over the course of a very long season, normally the teams with the most talent eventually rise to the top. It averages out, no pun intended.
The Tigers are a hard team to get a handle on. When they're playing well, as they have of late, they're certainly capable of beating anybody. Yet, if a couple hitters go into mysterious slumps, and/or the pitching staff starts throwing too many balls where the opposing hitters' happen to be swinging, they could just as easily go on a losing streak. Beat the best one day, lose to the worst the next. You never know. Maybe that's part of the fascination of baseball.
As this is written, the Tigers have 65 games remaining in the 2012 regular season, and they're currently tied with the Chicago White Sox atop the AL Central Division. In other words, over the course of 97 games, Detroit and Chicago have battled to a draw. A lot can happen in 65 games. The Tigers could run away with the division like they did last year, or they could get cold while other teams get hot and -- who knows?
Once the post-season starts, it's a crap shoot. Every team is pretty good or they wouldn't be there. Weird things can happen in short playoff series'. The Tigers were certainly underdogs against the Yankees last year and they not only defeated the Bronx Bombers, but came within a whisker of knocking off the Texas Rangers who, on paper, were also a clearly superior club. In turn, the Rangers should have rolled over the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, who had barely made the playoffs to start with. We know what happened. A team gets hot at the right time, or catches a lucky break here and there, and you never know. It's a funny game.
Could the Tigers win the World Series this year? Sure, they have a shot, just like a lot of other teams. Thing is, they have to make the playoffs first, and this no lock.
Winning their division would certainly qualify them for post-season play, but if they don't, and fall back into the wild-card race, things might get a little dicey. Presently, the LA Angels are one game ahead of the Tigers, and the Oakland A's a half game ahead. The Baltimore Orioles trail them by one game and the Tampa Bay Rays by two. Let's not forget about the Cleveland Indians, who have had the Tigers number so far this year, winning 6 out of 7. They're only 3 back, hardly out of it.
Like the old children's party game, when the music stops in October, there's not going to be enough chairs for everybody. Some of them are going to be on the outside looking in and wondering what happened.
If the Tigers win their division, they'll basically make the quarter-finals of the World Series tournament. They would have a ticket to the show. Anything can happen. However, if they fall back into the wild-card race, it's no guarantee they will even qualify. Would any Tiger fan like to see their team in a one game "win or go home" playoff if Justin Verlander isn't available to pitch it? Even if Verlander was on the mound -- it's like Russian roulette. The odds are heavily in your favor, but do you really want to put that gun to your head and pull the trigger? I don't think so.
65 more to go. We'll see. It's a funny game.
The Tigers are a hard team to get a handle on. When they're playing well, as they have of late, they're certainly capable of beating anybody. Yet, if a couple hitters go into mysterious slumps, and/or the pitching staff starts throwing too many balls where the opposing hitters' happen to be swinging, they could just as easily go on a losing streak. Beat the best one day, lose to the worst the next. You never know. Maybe that's part of the fascination of baseball.
As this is written, the Tigers have 65 games remaining in the 2012 regular season, and they're currently tied with the Chicago White Sox atop the AL Central Division. In other words, over the course of 97 games, Detroit and Chicago have battled to a draw. A lot can happen in 65 games. The Tigers could run away with the division like they did last year, or they could get cold while other teams get hot and -- who knows?
Once the post-season starts, it's a crap shoot. Every team is pretty good or they wouldn't be there. Weird things can happen in short playoff series'. The Tigers were certainly underdogs against the Yankees last year and they not only defeated the Bronx Bombers, but came within a whisker of knocking off the Texas Rangers who, on paper, were also a clearly superior club. In turn, the Rangers should have rolled over the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, who had barely made the playoffs to start with. We know what happened. A team gets hot at the right time, or catches a lucky break here and there, and you never know. It's a funny game.
Could the Tigers win the World Series this year? Sure, they have a shot, just like a lot of other teams. Thing is, they have to make the playoffs first, and this no lock.
Winning their division would certainly qualify them for post-season play, but if they don't, and fall back into the wild-card race, things might get a little dicey. Presently, the LA Angels are one game ahead of the Tigers, and the Oakland A's a half game ahead. The Baltimore Orioles trail them by one game and the Tampa Bay Rays by two. Let's not forget about the Cleveland Indians, who have had the Tigers number so far this year, winning 6 out of 7. They're only 3 back, hardly out of it.
Like the old children's party game, when the music stops in October, there's not going to be enough chairs for everybody. Some of them are going to be on the outside looking in and wondering what happened.
If the Tigers win their division, they'll basically make the quarter-finals of the World Series tournament. They would have a ticket to the show. Anything can happen. However, if they fall back into the wild-card race, it's no guarantee they will even qualify. Would any Tiger fan like to see their team in a one game "win or go home" playoff if Justin Verlander isn't available to pitch it? Even if Verlander was on the mound -- it's like Russian roulette. The odds are heavily in your favor, but do you really want to put that gun to your head and pull the trigger? I don't think so.
65 more to go. We'll see. It's a funny game.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Penn State. The NCAA gets it all wrong
There are those that would say certain individuals, politicians, cultures, some countries, and even entire religions are woefully behind the times. Yet all of them would appear to be millions of years ahead of the NCAA, which seems stuck in the Jurassic Period. Only a dinosaur would have a thick enough skull, and be brazen, or perhaps obtuse enough to have ignored the public clamor for a Division 1 college football playoff over the last couple decades.
These are the same people that just levied heavy penalties against Penn State for the whole sordid Jerry Sandusky child abuse calamity. Let's look at what they did.
The NCAA zapped Penn State with a $60 million fine. 4 years at $15 million a year, such monies to be given to some sort of child abuse fund in the future. Some have argued that because Penn State is endowed with roughly $2 billion, a measly $60 million isn't enough. While those people lash out in their short-sighted, indignant fury of vengeance, they miss the point. In T-Rex fashion, the NCAA just gobbled up the authority of civil courts. There can be little doubt many civil suits will be filed on behalf of Sandusky's "victims" over the years in the near future. Determining damages and picking a suitable monetary award for compensation is the purview of such courts -- not the NCAA. They had no business here. It was wrong.
The NCAA vacated all Penn State's football victories from 1998, supposedly when Sandusky committed his first offense, through 2011, just last year when the story exploded. Nothing was said about Penn State's losses over that same time frame. Do they stay on the record? Regardless, no argument has been raised that the football team somehow had an unfair advantage over those years while they were compiling their record. It's not like they had a few pros on the teams or they were all on steroids. They won (and lost) those games fair and square, and it had nothing to do with the current scandal. So why take away their record? What's next? Will the NCAA loot the trophy case at Penn State, sell all the goodies off to Pawn Stars, and go buy themselves new suits? I wouldn't put it past them. This is wrong.
Another sanction handed down by the NCAA is a 4 year post-season ban. No potential conference championship games, no bowls, etc. This not only unfairly penalizes the current innocent football players on the team, but reaches all the way down to the high school level. What about the prep stars that have dreamed and worked their whole life to play at Penn State, only to now discover they will never get the opportunity to play in a bowl game, much aspire to a national championship? How fair is that to THEM? It's not, and it's wrong.
The NCAA has further decreed that Penn State will lose 10 football scholarships a year over this period. On the surface, that would seem to be a minor matter. Then again, that's 10 innocent kids a year that would otherwise have had a "full-ride" scholarship being denied, certainly through no fault of their own. Why should they get caught up in collateral damage? It's wrong.
Joe Paterno's record over those same years is going to be expunged as well. This is not only wrong -- it's stupid. Regardless of the current allegations against him, unproven as yet, I dare say, can any sane person question that he was the head coach of the teams that compiled that record? The NCAA can erase it on paper, but everybody will always know JoPa won more games than any other major college football coach. What should that have to do with Sandusky anyway? Nothing.
And here's the ultimate T-Rex arrogance and ignorance from the NCAA-----
They announced that after all criminal proceedings against anybody involved in the Penn State scandal were exhausted -- the NCAA reserved the right to punish them further. That goes beyond wrong, stupid, and enters the world of delusional. Let's look at some facts.
Joe Paterno's dead. Jerry Sandusky is never getting out of prison, at least alive. Graham Spanier, the ousted former president of Penn State, has claimed he had no knowledge of what was going on. So far, no one has disputed this. Ex-athletic director Tim Curley and ex-VP Gary Schultz of financial affairs in the Penn State football program currently find themselves under indictment and awaiting trial on charges of perjury in front of a grand jury, and being complicit with the whole sorry mess over the years.
Maybe they cut a plea bargain and maybe they go to trial. But what happens if they're acquitted? Nobody seems to have considered this possibility. The 5 main players will have all been accounted for. One dead, one in prison, one untouchable, and the other two found innocent in a court of law. What then?
Even if Curley and Schultz are found guilty, what can the NCAA possibly think it can do if and when they complete their "debt to society"? They certainly can't imprison them. Likewise, as private citizens, the NCAA would have no power to reach out and get into their wallets or other assets. Perhaps they could give them a lifetime ban from ever getting another job at any school under the NCAA umbrella. Yours truly isn't entirely sure even that would hold up under legal scrutiny if Curley, Schultz, and their legal representatives opted to pursue it.
In the end, it's like Murphy's Law. Everything the NCAA could have done wrong -- they did wrong.
They should have stayed out of it. It was never their business to start with.
No one knows, to a degree of absolute certainly, why the dinosaurs became extinct. Perhaps a meteor strike. Maybe it's time for the NCAA to suffer the same fate and pass into obsolescense. Surely, another wiser and more up-to-date system can be arranged to oversee college athletics.
Regardless of who it is and what form it takes, it can't possibly be any worse than the current clowns in charge.
These are the same people that just levied heavy penalties against Penn State for the whole sordid Jerry Sandusky child abuse calamity. Let's look at what they did.
The NCAA zapped Penn State with a $60 million fine. 4 years at $15 million a year, such monies to be given to some sort of child abuse fund in the future. Some have argued that because Penn State is endowed with roughly $2 billion, a measly $60 million isn't enough. While those people lash out in their short-sighted, indignant fury of vengeance, they miss the point. In T-Rex fashion, the NCAA just gobbled up the authority of civil courts. There can be little doubt many civil suits will be filed on behalf of Sandusky's "victims" over the years in the near future. Determining damages and picking a suitable monetary award for compensation is the purview of such courts -- not the NCAA. They had no business here. It was wrong.
The NCAA vacated all Penn State's football victories from 1998, supposedly when Sandusky committed his first offense, through 2011, just last year when the story exploded. Nothing was said about Penn State's losses over that same time frame. Do they stay on the record? Regardless, no argument has been raised that the football team somehow had an unfair advantage over those years while they were compiling their record. It's not like they had a few pros on the teams or they were all on steroids. They won (and lost) those games fair and square, and it had nothing to do with the current scandal. So why take away their record? What's next? Will the NCAA loot the trophy case at Penn State, sell all the goodies off to Pawn Stars, and go buy themselves new suits? I wouldn't put it past them. This is wrong.
Another sanction handed down by the NCAA is a 4 year post-season ban. No potential conference championship games, no bowls, etc. This not only unfairly penalizes the current innocent football players on the team, but reaches all the way down to the high school level. What about the prep stars that have dreamed and worked their whole life to play at Penn State, only to now discover they will never get the opportunity to play in a bowl game, much aspire to a national championship? How fair is that to THEM? It's not, and it's wrong.
The NCAA has further decreed that Penn State will lose 10 football scholarships a year over this period. On the surface, that would seem to be a minor matter. Then again, that's 10 innocent kids a year that would otherwise have had a "full-ride" scholarship being denied, certainly through no fault of their own. Why should they get caught up in collateral damage? It's wrong.
Joe Paterno's record over those same years is going to be expunged as well. This is not only wrong -- it's stupid. Regardless of the current allegations against him, unproven as yet, I dare say, can any sane person question that he was the head coach of the teams that compiled that record? The NCAA can erase it on paper, but everybody will always know JoPa won more games than any other major college football coach. What should that have to do with Sandusky anyway? Nothing.
And here's the ultimate T-Rex arrogance and ignorance from the NCAA-----
They announced that after all criminal proceedings against anybody involved in the Penn State scandal were exhausted -- the NCAA reserved the right to punish them further. That goes beyond wrong, stupid, and enters the world of delusional. Let's look at some facts.
Joe Paterno's dead. Jerry Sandusky is never getting out of prison, at least alive. Graham Spanier, the ousted former president of Penn State, has claimed he had no knowledge of what was going on. So far, no one has disputed this. Ex-athletic director Tim Curley and ex-VP Gary Schultz of financial affairs in the Penn State football program currently find themselves under indictment and awaiting trial on charges of perjury in front of a grand jury, and being complicit with the whole sorry mess over the years.
Maybe they cut a plea bargain and maybe they go to trial. But what happens if they're acquitted? Nobody seems to have considered this possibility. The 5 main players will have all been accounted for. One dead, one in prison, one untouchable, and the other two found innocent in a court of law. What then?
Even if Curley and Schultz are found guilty, what can the NCAA possibly think it can do if and when they complete their "debt to society"? They certainly can't imprison them. Likewise, as private citizens, the NCAA would have no power to reach out and get into their wallets or other assets. Perhaps they could give them a lifetime ban from ever getting another job at any school under the NCAA umbrella. Yours truly isn't entirely sure even that would hold up under legal scrutiny if Curley, Schultz, and their legal representatives opted to pursue it.
In the end, it's like Murphy's Law. Everything the NCAA could have done wrong -- they did wrong.
They should have stayed out of it. It was never their business to start with.
No one knows, to a degree of absolute certainly, why the dinosaurs became extinct. Perhaps a meteor strike. Maybe it's time for the NCAA to suffer the same fate and pass into obsolescense. Surely, another wiser and more up-to-date system can be arranged to oversee college athletics.
Regardless of who it is and what form it takes, it can't possibly be any worse than the current clowns in charge.
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