And on it goes. That being deflategate and all the ballyhoo it has generated. No need to recap what has already happened. The talking heads and scribes have hammered it home all along. Personally, yours truly has always considered this whole thing to be a lot like the old Seinfeld show. That too was about nothing but somehow rose to #1 in the ratings. Americans are gullible that way. And don't get me started on them believing campaign promises from politicians. Hoo boy.
But unable to negotiate a settlement both sides could live with, Brady and the NFL have headed to federal court. It was quite ingenious of the league to file suit in New York just minutes after Goodell upheld his original suspension of Brady. No doubt, Brady and the players' union wanted the case to be heard in a place historically more sympathetic to labor causes -- such as Minnesota. Not too many folks in New York are overly fond of the Patriots and it can be assumed the judges there feel much the same way. They may say they're impartial, but deep down they have their biases as well. After all, even the honorable folks in the black robes are human too. At least most of them. Sort of.
Some federal judge just ordered the two parties (Brady vs Roger) to sit back down and come to an agreement. Evidently, Hizzoner didn't want to be bothered with such a case. The judge hasn't been paying attention to the obvious. These folks have already wrangled for weeks and, if anything, appear to be farther apart than ever regarding an "equitable" settlement. Both sides have dug in even further. That's like a judge ordering the Reps and Dems to reach a final accord on Obamacare. It was never going to happen. The courts had to finally make the call.
In this respect the judge is shirking his duty. His job is to listen to both sides, sort through the evidence or lack thereof, and issue a binding ruling. And that right soon. It shouldn't take more than a couple days of relevant testimony from both sides.
NFL training camps are now in full swing. In a week or so the preseason games will begin. Like them or hate them, Tom Brady and the Patriots need to know -- quickly -- what his status is for the first few games of the regular season. Is he in or is he out? And if the latter, for how long?
For that matter, so do their opponents. Preparing to face Tom Brady is one thing, but game-planning for a back-up QB is quite another.
Again, the judge can delegate his authority from on high all he wants, but it's unlikely Tom and Roger will come to an agreement. Brady claims he's deserving of no punishment whatsoever (I didn't do it), while Goodell is standing by his 4 game suspension (oh yes you did, because Ted said so).
In the end, whether he likes it or not, the judge is going to have to finally step up, do his job, and make a call.
And you just know how it's going to turn out. The original 4 game suspension handed down, then later upheld by the Commish, will likely be reduced to 2 games. No way is an already wishy-washy judge going to give either side a total victory. The stakes are too high and if he did -- either way -- a precedent would be set. Either Roger Goodell would be free to run amok with arbitrary punishments, or the players and their union will have gained a major victory to overrule the powers that be in the future regarding any such incidents.
So after all this, the end result will likely be what should have been quickly compromised upon in the first place. Know who benefits the most? The lawyers, of course. Whether it's divorce cases, DUIs, medical malpractice, insurance claims, probating wills, etc., etc, or representing either side in a high profile NFL showdown -- they're always going to get their sizeable fees. The longer it goes on, the more money they make. And it's always a lot.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Dave Dombrowski axed as GM
The circumstances involved with Dave Dombrowski being "relieved of command" as Detroit Tigers Prez, GM, and all-around honcho might never be known for sure. But the decision could have only come from one place. Owner Mike Ilitch. Nobody else had the authority to do so.
Though it seemed to "come out of the blue" on Tuesday to the amazement of most Tiger fans, actually the decision had been made a few days earlier. This has been confirmed by one Alex Avila, formerly assistant GM, who just got promoted to Dombrowski's old job.
The AA man went public and said Ilitch had notified him on Saturday, three days before, as to his major front office shake-up. It can be presumed Dave Dombrowksi was made aware of it at roughly the same time as Avila. What's somewhat amazing is that it didn't leak for 3 days. The reporters, with all their "sources", were as clueless as everybody else. Why the secrecy over that short period of time is anybody's guess, and what point did it serve? On Saturday, when the word from the boss first went out to the affected parties, the Tigers were still in Baltimore playing a series against the Orioles. But they sat on it until the the Tigers came home to face the division leading KC Royals. Why? What difference did it make?
GMs and managers get fired all the time. This is hardly earth-shattering news. True, Dombrowski had 14 years of service with the Tigers and had made some brilliant moves over the years -- but also a few boneheads along the way. Nobody gets them all right. Like other pro sports, major league baseball is a crapshoot. A GM tries to get the best players possible while juggling the salary cap/luxury tax and hopes it results in a championship or two. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. The best teams "on paper" don't always wind up winning the title. Nor do those with the best regular season win/loss records. Once the playoffs start, anything can happen and often does.
Dombrowski has presented a mixed bag of tricks over the years. Shortly before he came on board with the Tigers, DD held the same position with the then Florida Marlins. Ownership allowed him to spend freely and Dombrowski basically assembled an All-Star team. The Marlins would win the World Series in 2003. Then the boss man changed his fiscal mind and ordered a fire sale. All those high-priced assets had to go. To no one's great surprise, the Marlins went into the dumpster the following year. This was hardly Dombrowski's fault. Superior talent doesn't ALWAYS win, but having it certainly improves the odds. Dombrowski himself would be out the door a short time later. On to the Tigers.
Over the last decade or so, the Detroit Tigers have been perennial contenders. They won several division championships, a few playoff series', and even made it to the World Series. Ironically enough, this was with a manager named Jim Leyland, the same guy that filled out the line-up card for the Marlins when Dombrowski was his boss down in Miami. But they could never quite get over the hump and bring a title to Detroit. Close but no cigar will generate a lot of hype (and revenue) at the time, but result in little more than a footnote when all is said and done. Nobody cares who came in second.
Idle thought: During Tiger Woods' heyday he said second was only the first loser. These days Tiger's lucky to make a cut. Bet a second place finish would look pretty good to him. Times change indeed.
Thing is, even with all of Dombrowski's maneuvering to assemble a terrific team, Mike Ilitch never got the title he so coveted. This despite the "best starting rotation in baseball", and a regular "murderer's row" of hitters. They could pitch. They could hit. But in the end they couldn't get it done.
And now the window of opportunity is quickly closing on the Tigers. Max Scherzer is gone. Same with Rick Porcello and Doug Fister. Justin Verlander has become just another journeyman pitcher. The bullpen is a farce. Slugger Miguel Cabrera has been hobbled. DH Victor Martinez is getting old and barely hits his weight anymore. Ace pitcher David Price just got dealt for a few "prospects". Same with outfielder Yoenis Cespides. Third baseman Nick Castellanos, never much with the glove, is struggling to hit his weight as well. On the positive side, second sacker Ian Kinsler remains steady and outfielder J. D. Martinez has been quite the pleasant surprise with his bat. The same could be said for shortstop Jose Iglesias. But the Tigers have career minor-leaguer Anthony Gose patrolling center field, and Rajai Davis has become a clown act, both at the plate and in left field. Who the heck is Jeffry Marte and where did he come from? Beats me, but he's starting at first base.
Bottom line? This is not a good baseball team right now. And that fell at the feet of Dave Dombrowski. Owner Mike Ilitch expected a winner somewhere along the line and didn't get it, despite having one of the highest payrolls in the major leagues. Now 86 years old, and with the Tigers definitely trending downwards, chances are Ilitch will never see that elusive World Series title come to Detroit.
But that begs the question -- why axe Dombrowski now? His contract was up at the end of this year anyway. The Tigers are what they are and swapping GMs with a couple months left in the season isn't going to change that. And Ilitch has to pay Dombrowski's salary through the end of the year anyway. Why not just let him ride out the string and quietly not renew his contract in the off-season instead of making such a big splash right now?
Only the Tigers' upper echelon inner circle knows that for sure. The public likely never will.
They might not be such a good team anymore, but you have to give them credit for one thing. By God, they can keep a secret for 3 days.
In today's world with prying reporters swarming like locusts, hidden cameras, "anonymous sources" and typically more leaks than the Titanic, that's fairly impressive itself.
I think, but I still don't understand what their point was.
Though it seemed to "come out of the blue" on Tuesday to the amazement of most Tiger fans, actually the decision had been made a few days earlier. This has been confirmed by one Alex Avila, formerly assistant GM, who just got promoted to Dombrowski's old job.
The AA man went public and said Ilitch had notified him on Saturday, three days before, as to his major front office shake-up. It can be presumed Dave Dombrowksi was made aware of it at roughly the same time as Avila. What's somewhat amazing is that it didn't leak for 3 days. The reporters, with all their "sources", were as clueless as everybody else. Why the secrecy over that short period of time is anybody's guess, and what point did it serve? On Saturday, when the word from the boss first went out to the affected parties, the Tigers were still in Baltimore playing a series against the Orioles. But they sat on it until the the Tigers came home to face the division leading KC Royals. Why? What difference did it make?
GMs and managers get fired all the time. This is hardly earth-shattering news. True, Dombrowski had 14 years of service with the Tigers and had made some brilliant moves over the years -- but also a few boneheads along the way. Nobody gets them all right. Like other pro sports, major league baseball is a crapshoot. A GM tries to get the best players possible while juggling the salary cap/luxury tax and hopes it results in a championship or two. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. The best teams "on paper" don't always wind up winning the title. Nor do those with the best regular season win/loss records. Once the playoffs start, anything can happen and often does.
Dombrowski has presented a mixed bag of tricks over the years. Shortly before he came on board with the Tigers, DD held the same position with the then Florida Marlins. Ownership allowed him to spend freely and Dombrowski basically assembled an All-Star team. The Marlins would win the World Series in 2003. Then the boss man changed his fiscal mind and ordered a fire sale. All those high-priced assets had to go. To no one's great surprise, the Marlins went into the dumpster the following year. This was hardly Dombrowski's fault. Superior talent doesn't ALWAYS win, but having it certainly improves the odds. Dombrowski himself would be out the door a short time later. On to the Tigers.
Over the last decade or so, the Detroit Tigers have been perennial contenders. They won several division championships, a few playoff series', and even made it to the World Series. Ironically enough, this was with a manager named Jim Leyland, the same guy that filled out the line-up card for the Marlins when Dombrowski was his boss down in Miami. But they could never quite get over the hump and bring a title to Detroit. Close but no cigar will generate a lot of hype (and revenue) at the time, but result in little more than a footnote when all is said and done. Nobody cares who came in second.
Idle thought: During Tiger Woods' heyday he said second was only the first loser. These days Tiger's lucky to make a cut. Bet a second place finish would look pretty good to him. Times change indeed.
Thing is, even with all of Dombrowski's maneuvering to assemble a terrific team, Mike Ilitch never got the title he so coveted. This despite the "best starting rotation in baseball", and a regular "murderer's row" of hitters. They could pitch. They could hit. But in the end they couldn't get it done.
And now the window of opportunity is quickly closing on the Tigers. Max Scherzer is gone. Same with Rick Porcello and Doug Fister. Justin Verlander has become just another journeyman pitcher. The bullpen is a farce. Slugger Miguel Cabrera has been hobbled. DH Victor Martinez is getting old and barely hits his weight anymore. Ace pitcher David Price just got dealt for a few "prospects". Same with outfielder Yoenis Cespides. Third baseman Nick Castellanos, never much with the glove, is struggling to hit his weight as well. On the positive side, second sacker Ian Kinsler remains steady and outfielder J. D. Martinez has been quite the pleasant surprise with his bat. The same could be said for shortstop Jose Iglesias. But the Tigers have career minor-leaguer Anthony Gose patrolling center field, and Rajai Davis has become a clown act, both at the plate and in left field. Who the heck is Jeffry Marte and where did he come from? Beats me, but he's starting at first base.
Bottom line? This is not a good baseball team right now. And that fell at the feet of Dave Dombrowski. Owner Mike Ilitch expected a winner somewhere along the line and didn't get it, despite having one of the highest payrolls in the major leagues. Now 86 years old, and with the Tigers definitely trending downwards, chances are Ilitch will never see that elusive World Series title come to Detroit.
But that begs the question -- why axe Dombrowski now? His contract was up at the end of this year anyway. The Tigers are what they are and swapping GMs with a couple months left in the season isn't going to change that. And Ilitch has to pay Dombrowski's salary through the end of the year anyway. Why not just let him ride out the string and quietly not renew his contract in the off-season instead of making such a big splash right now?
Only the Tigers' upper echelon inner circle knows that for sure. The public likely never will.
They might not be such a good team anymore, but you have to give them credit for one thing. By God, they can keep a secret for 3 days.
In today's world with prying reporters swarming like locusts, hidden cameras, "anonymous sources" and typically more leaks than the Titanic, that's fairly impressive itself.
I think, but I still don't understand what their point was.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Sheldon Richardson. Sifting for truth......
The NY Jets defensive lineman is in a heap of trouble. Already suspended for the first four games of this season on an NFL drug policy violation, Richardson made a big splash in the sports news in an auto-related incident.
It seems he was cruising along at 143 MPH in his Bentley. Yours truly has never been inside a Bentley before, much less driven one. Who knew a luxury car was capable of such speeds? In fact, I've never gone that fast except in an airplane, or perhaps running out of divorce court with my hair (and bank accounts) on fire a few years back. That was a sprint worthy of making Usain Bolt look like a tortoise, but I digress. Nonetheless, 143 can rightly be considered an excessive speed on most any road or highway. That's clipping right along.
Of course the media was all over this, but that's where the usual hype becomes disconnected from the facts. It is true one of Richardson's passengers in the car was a 12 year old. Whether the kid was enjoying the thrill of a high-speed ride or scared out of his wits is unknown. But it's generally not acceptable to put a child in such a situation.
Initial police "reports" say that upon being confronted by the officer(s), Richardson leaned forward, as if to reach for something. That sounds daunting, but who trusts anything the cops say lately? Besides, how does one fetch their registration and proof of insurance out of the glove box without reaching forward?
Ah, but after the car was searched, a "fully loaded semi-automatic weapon" was discovered. That sounds scary, but translated it equates to your average pistol. No word yet on whether he had a permit to legally have it in his possession. If so, this is a non-issue. For that matter, it has yet to be established who the gun belonged to in the first place. Other passengers were in the car.
And then there's the marijuana thing. The vehicle strongly smelled of weed, according to the same dubious "reports". Was somebody toking? Maybe. Was it Richardson himself? Nobody has said so. But anybody smoking dope in the same car with a 12 year old should know that's a very bad idea. Unless it was the kid himself. In which case, a serious time-out and counselling would seem appropriate.
So many questions and so few facts. But the media will typically run wild with speculation and the hordes of arm-chair prosecutors they goad on are already screaming for swift and harsh "justice" to be done. String Sheldon up by his thumbs, or at bare minimum suspend him for at least a year. And in the background, the ever-present kangaroo-court presided over by the Honorable Roger Goodell lies in wait with another "personal conduct policy" hammer that will likely hit Richardson on the head soon.
Yep, Sheldon Richardson appears to be in a heap of trouble. But when one looks objectively at it -- just what exactly did he do? Speeding? No doubt. A kid in the car when somebody was smoking dope? Bad idea, but hardly worthy of outrage. The gun thing could be a big deal or no deal at all. Lots of people carry guns in their cars, because they can -- legally.
How all this will turn out when the full truth becomes known is anybody's guess. It might just be Richardson deserves to be hammered. But it might also be this whole thing turns out to be just another case of the media and their hang-em-high lemmings jumping to wrong conclusions prematurely. It continues to happen all the time.
Case in point: Sports Illustrated contributor Michael McCann recently noted that of the 10 criminal prosecutions brought in baseball's steroid scandal against various players, they have ZERO convictions to show for it. The only one they got in the first place was a minor obstruction of justice charge against Barry Bonds and an appellate court just overturned it. How many millions did THAT futile witch hunt/wild goose chase cost the taxpayers?
One is free to believe what they wish on such matters, but it has become quite obvious that after due legal scrutiny the knee-jerkers are often proven wrong.
So let's just see where this whole Sheldon Richardson scenario goes before we heat up the tar, break out the feathers, and send him off into purgatory somewhere.
Is that too much to ask?
It seems he was cruising along at 143 MPH in his Bentley. Yours truly has never been inside a Bentley before, much less driven one. Who knew a luxury car was capable of such speeds? In fact, I've never gone that fast except in an airplane, or perhaps running out of divorce court with my hair (and bank accounts) on fire a few years back. That was a sprint worthy of making Usain Bolt look like a tortoise, but I digress. Nonetheless, 143 can rightly be considered an excessive speed on most any road or highway. That's clipping right along.
Of course the media was all over this, but that's where the usual hype becomes disconnected from the facts. It is true one of Richardson's passengers in the car was a 12 year old. Whether the kid was enjoying the thrill of a high-speed ride or scared out of his wits is unknown. But it's generally not acceptable to put a child in such a situation.
Initial police "reports" say that upon being confronted by the officer(s), Richardson leaned forward, as if to reach for something. That sounds daunting, but who trusts anything the cops say lately? Besides, how does one fetch their registration and proof of insurance out of the glove box without reaching forward?
Ah, but after the car was searched, a "fully loaded semi-automatic weapon" was discovered. That sounds scary, but translated it equates to your average pistol. No word yet on whether he had a permit to legally have it in his possession. If so, this is a non-issue. For that matter, it has yet to be established who the gun belonged to in the first place. Other passengers were in the car.
And then there's the marijuana thing. The vehicle strongly smelled of weed, according to the same dubious "reports". Was somebody toking? Maybe. Was it Richardson himself? Nobody has said so. But anybody smoking dope in the same car with a 12 year old should know that's a very bad idea. Unless it was the kid himself. In which case, a serious time-out and counselling would seem appropriate.
So many questions and so few facts. But the media will typically run wild with speculation and the hordes of arm-chair prosecutors they goad on are already screaming for swift and harsh "justice" to be done. String Sheldon up by his thumbs, or at bare minimum suspend him for at least a year. And in the background, the ever-present kangaroo-court presided over by the Honorable Roger Goodell lies in wait with another "personal conduct policy" hammer that will likely hit Richardson on the head soon.
Yep, Sheldon Richardson appears to be in a heap of trouble. But when one looks objectively at it -- just what exactly did he do? Speeding? No doubt. A kid in the car when somebody was smoking dope? Bad idea, but hardly worthy of outrage. The gun thing could be a big deal or no deal at all. Lots of people carry guns in their cars, because they can -- legally.
How all this will turn out when the full truth becomes known is anybody's guess. It might just be Richardson deserves to be hammered. But it might also be this whole thing turns out to be just another case of the media and their hang-em-high lemmings jumping to wrong conclusions prematurely. It continues to happen all the time.
Case in point: Sports Illustrated contributor Michael McCann recently noted that of the 10 criminal prosecutions brought in baseball's steroid scandal against various players, they have ZERO convictions to show for it. The only one they got in the first place was a minor obstruction of justice charge against Barry Bonds and an appellate court just overturned it. How many millions did THAT futile witch hunt/wild goose chase cost the taxpayers?
One is free to believe what they wish on such matters, but it has become quite obvious that after due legal scrutiny the knee-jerkers are often proven wrong.
So let's just see where this whole Sheldon Richardson scenario goes before we heat up the tar, break out the feathers, and send him off into purgatory somewhere.
Is that too much to ask?
The amazing Ronda Rousey
Like the old commercials featuring Mother Nature, apparently it's not nice to fool with Ronda Rousey either. Especially if one is planning on getting into the Octagon to fight her. In fact, it's a downright bad, repeat, BAD idea that can wind up having very painful consequences.
Brazilian Bethe Correia just found that out the hard way. Correia had taunted Rousey prior to their fight -- basically talking a lot of trash. After all, Correia was undefeated going in and the fight would be held in Rio De Janeiro, the big-time party town in her home country. The crowd would be solidly behind her as she dispatched the Californian and claimed the women's bantamweight title. Or so she thought.
But once the fight actually started, things went horribly wrong for Correia -- in a hurry. After an initial engagement, the Brazilian was flipped over backwards, and upon rising to her feet again was pummeled with punches to the head. A mere 34 seconds after the opening bell, Correia had been knocked out.
It likely wouldn't have made a difference, because Ronda Rousey can fairly be regarded as one BAB. The first two words are Bad Ass. Fill in the third with a word of your own choosing. Belle, beauty, boxer, bombshell? Perhaps something else?
Pound for pound, Rousey is a weapon of mass destruction in a smallish package. Yes, at 135 pounds, she would be considered obese by stick-girl fashion model standards, but when's the last time you saw one of them get into the Octagon?
Idle thought: Perhaps UFC honcho Dana White should consider a fashion model cage match tournament. How interesting would THAT be? Never happen, you say? Pshaw. Put up enough bucks and those bimbos will do anything. Who's kidding who?
Nonetheless, Correia fanning the flames prior to the match with Rousey was foolish. That's like throwing bloody meat into shark-infested waters before one hops overboard to scuba dive. It was already a dangerous venture to start with. Getting the wild critters worked up before jumping in with them is not a good plan of action.
Days earlier, upon hearing of Correia's confidence/arrogance/boasts/prediction, Rousey was not happy. Though she's from California via North Dakota, Rousey reminded yours truly of a good old fashioned By God West Virginny girl in her response. Ronda said she was going to go down to Correia's home country, and Bethe could have all the fans, friends, family she wanted in attendance at the arena. But it wouldn't make any difference. She was going to teach this girl a little discipline -- woodshed style, in front of them all.
And so she did. Quickly. As in knocking her into next week in 34 seconds. Know who lost out even more? The suckers that were dumb enough to pay 60 bucks to watch it on pay-per-view, or roughly 2 bucks per second. Why bother shelling out three Jacksons when one can watch the video the following day online for free? Know who's even dumber yet? The PPV folks plan to air a replay of the match in the future even though everybody knows how it turned out. And there will be morons that actually pay to see it.
As mentioned above, Ronda Rousey is quite the BAB. But there will be those that dare to step forward and challenge her. It's the nature of the game. Everybody wants a shot at glory, no matter the risk and unlikelihood of it happening. Getting into the ring with Mike Tyson during his hungry days back in the 80s was not a good idea. But they came, because they always do. Like Rousey's opponents, most of them didn't last long either.
In fact, Rousey has had 12 fights and only one opponent has made it out of the first round. Before Correia in 34 seconds, she won against the previous opponent in only 14 seconds. A record. The one before that lasted a mere 16 seconds. Once the bell goes ding, Ronda Rousey doesn't fool around. Things get serious, and painful, in a hurry for whoever else is in the Octagon with her.
So that leaves the question --- who will step up next to challenge RR and how much money can Dana White and the UFC manage to make off it?
Want the fight of the century? In the blue corner we have the undefeated CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, rocking Ronda Rousey. In the red corner, we have the team of Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Oprah Winfrey, and Judge Judy. They sport a formidable, if somewhat dubious, collective record as well. As challengers they will be allowed to participate simultaneously against the champion. Five on one.
Pay per view? Are you kidding? Such a match would dwarf whatever Mayweather/Pacquiao raked in. Millions would gladly pony up big bucks to see such a spectacle.
Five on one hardly seems fair, though. Too easy for Ronda. Maybe throwing a Kardashian or two in the red corner to help out the challengers would even things up a bit more.
And what great fun it would be seeing that collective group of holier-than-thou personified in the Octagon tangling with Ronda Rousey.
I dare say they all could use a healthy dose of discipline themselves.
Bring on the rapid-fire slugfest and/or armbars and witness the tap-outs. Let the Octagon be littered with the few, the proud, the arrogant, the uppety schmucks that think they're smarter than everybody else.
Tell me America wouldn't rise up and cheer en masse to finally see them on their collective backsides writhing in pain, and I'll tell you we both spent the same amount of money to see it on PPV. Because you know you'd buy into that, regardless of the price.
But for now, all hail Ronda Rousey. Did I mention she's a BAB?
Brazilian Bethe Correia just found that out the hard way. Correia had taunted Rousey prior to their fight -- basically talking a lot of trash. After all, Correia was undefeated going in and the fight would be held in Rio De Janeiro, the big-time party town in her home country. The crowd would be solidly behind her as she dispatched the Californian and claimed the women's bantamweight title. Or so she thought.
But once the fight actually started, things went horribly wrong for Correia -- in a hurry. After an initial engagement, the Brazilian was flipped over backwards, and upon rising to her feet again was pummeled with punches to the head. A mere 34 seconds after the opening bell, Correia had been knocked out.
It likely wouldn't have made a difference, because Ronda Rousey can fairly be regarded as one BAB. The first two words are Bad Ass. Fill in the third with a word of your own choosing. Belle, beauty, boxer, bombshell? Perhaps something else?
Pound for pound, Rousey is a weapon of mass destruction in a smallish package. Yes, at 135 pounds, she would be considered obese by stick-girl fashion model standards, but when's the last time you saw one of them get into the Octagon?
Idle thought: Perhaps UFC honcho Dana White should consider a fashion model cage match tournament. How interesting would THAT be? Never happen, you say? Pshaw. Put up enough bucks and those bimbos will do anything. Who's kidding who?
Nonetheless, Correia fanning the flames prior to the match with Rousey was foolish. That's like throwing bloody meat into shark-infested waters before one hops overboard to scuba dive. It was already a dangerous venture to start with. Getting the wild critters worked up before jumping in with them is not a good plan of action.
Days earlier, upon hearing of Correia's confidence/arrogance/boasts/prediction, Rousey was not happy. Though she's from California via North Dakota, Rousey reminded yours truly of a good old fashioned By God West Virginny girl in her response. Ronda said she was going to go down to Correia's home country, and Bethe could have all the fans, friends, family she wanted in attendance at the arena. But it wouldn't make any difference. She was going to teach this girl a little discipline -- woodshed style, in front of them all.
And so she did. Quickly. As in knocking her into next week in 34 seconds. Know who lost out even more? The suckers that were dumb enough to pay 60 bucks to watch it on pay-per-view, or roughly 2 bucks per second. Why bother shelling out three Jacksons when one can watch the video the following day online for free? Know who's even dumber yet? The PPV folks plan to air a replay of the match in the future even though everybody knows how it turned out. And there will be morons that actually pay to see it.
As mentioned above, Ronda Rousey is quite the BAB. But there will be those that dare to step forward and challenge her. It's the nature of the game. Everybody wants a shot at glory, no matter the risk and unlikelihood of it happening. Getting into the ring with Mike Tyson during his hungry days back in the 80s was not a good idea. But they came, because they always do. Like Rousey's opponents, most of them didn't last long either.
In fact, Rousey has had 12 fights and only one opponent has made it out of the first round. Before Correia in 34 seconds, she won against the previous opponent in only 14 seconds. A record. The one before that lasted a mere 16 seconds. Once the bell goes ding, Ronda Rousey doesn't fool around. Things get serious, and painful, in a hurry for whoever else is in the Octagon with her.
So that leaves the question --- who will step up next to challenge RR and how much money can Dana White and the UFC manage to make off it?
Want the fight of the century? In the blue corner we have the undefeated CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, rocking Ronda Rousey. In the red corner, we have the team of Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Oprah Winfrey, and Judge Judy. They sport a formidable, if somewhat dubious, collective record as well. As challengers they will be allowed to participate simultaneously against the champion. Five on one.
Pay per view? Are you kidding? Such a match would dwarf whatever Mayweather/Pacquiao raked in. Millions would gladly pony up big bucks to see such a spectacle.
Five on one hardly seems fair, though. Too easy for Ronda. Maybe throwing a Kardashian or two in the red corner to help out the challengers would even things up a bit more.
And what great fun it would be seeing that collective group of holier-than-thou personified in the Octagon tangling with Ronda Rousey.
I dare say they all could use a healthy dose of discipline themselves.
Bring on the rapid-fire slugfest and/or armbars and witness the tap-outs. Let the Octagon be littered with the few, the proud, the arrogant, the uppety schmucks that think they're smarter than everybody else.
Tell me America wouldn't rise up and cheer en masse to finally see them on their collective backsides writhing in pain, and I'll tell you we both spent the same amount of money to see it on PPV. Because you know you'd buy into that, regardless of the price.
But for now, all hail Ronda Rousey. Did I mention she's a BAB?
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Tigers and the absurd
A Detroit area columnist recently penned an interesting remark regarding the Tigers. He said they had "pulled the chute" on this season with their pre-trade deadline purge of two star players. I would respectfully disagree. Pulling the cord on a parachute is done to slow one's descent from higher altitudes. Wise long-term moves or not, getting rid of David Price and Yoenes Cespides for "prospects" was more akin to shucking the parachute entirely and going into free fall. If the Tigers ever had a shot at making the post-season this year -- it's gone now. Like sky divers without a parachute, it's only a matter of time before a thud happens. This could be the once pseudo-promising Tigers landing in the basement of their own division. Ouch.
Not long ago, local pundits crowed the Tigers had the "best starting rotation in baseball". A debatable claim at the time. Then they traded off starter Doug Fister for a ham sandwich. Rick Porcello was shipped to the Bosox. A whopping $140 million contract offer wasn't enough to keep ace Max Scherzer from leaving Motown for Washington.
And look at what they have now. It's August and Justin Verlander, he of the $28 million salary, has won a grand total of one game. Anabel Sanchez is currently 10-9. The rest of their patchwork starters more likely belong in triple A ball at best. Their bullpen has long been a joke. No lead, regardless of how large, is safe when these guys take the mound and start serving up batting practice.
On another front a different Tiger has found his way back into the news. For the first time in a long time, Eldrick Woods actually put back to back competitive rounds together in a PGA tournament. As they have long been prone to do when it comes to anything Tiger, the media went wild. Could he be back? Let's see the usual few hundred replays and breathless commentary. Alas, it was not to be. Eldrick crashed and burned on Saturday at the Quickens open in Ohio. Once within a shot of the lead, he's now back in familiar territory. A double digit deficit and hopelessly out of contention. Saturday has been called "moving day" by pro golfers. Some moved on up. The lever was pulled on Tiger's "throne", with him in it, and he swirled on down -- again. Funny thing about those thrones. When one is sitting on top, it's a place of comfort and relief. But if one is viewing it from the bottom up -- it is not a pretty picture whatsoever. (There is a derivative of Murphy's Law that says it best. Where you stand on an issue depends on where you sit. Close enough.)
Yet he still managed to make the highlight reels. On a par 3 hole, Woods nailed his tee shot within a few inches of the pin. While the announcers were hyper-ventilating and his groupies flogging themselves in pure ecstasy, what went unnoticed was his playing partner, one Charles Howell, stuck his tee shot within a foot and a half as well. Very impressive stuff but, in the end, just a pair of deuces on a par 3. Throughout the day, Tiger was in the woods, in the drink, on a road, in the sand, over hill and over dale, and occasionally hit a good shot. He would wind up carding a 3 over 74. On a day when the course presented perfect playing conditions -- only five golfers in the entire field would shoot a worse round. Like his Detroit baseball namesakes, chalk up another thud.
Which once again raises the question: What will it take for the fascination to wear off when it comes to Tiger Woods? Forget being amongst the elite. Eldrick doesn't even rank in the top 200 golfers anymore. Given the PGA's new format, Tiger needed a win at the Quicken Open to qualify for the "playoffs". That's not going to happen. For all intents and purposes, Eldrick's season is done.
Sure, he'll be allowed to participate in the final major of the year, the PGA tourney, because as a past champion from long ago, he enjoys such an exemption. But the chances of him being remotely competitive there are slim to none. Unlike the Quicken, a second tier tournament ignored by many, all the big boys from the world over will be on hand at the PGA.
Tiger had perhaps the most dominant decade professional golf has ever seen. He won everything in sight. But now it's over. And all the groupies and media cheerleaders can't change that. At the tender age of 39, Woods has become little more than a ceremonial golfer, ala Tom Watson, though more than two decades separate them in age. Big on name, and can perhaps shoot a very good round here and there -- but no longer good enough to slog through four rounds of competition to win a tournament against the current generation of incredibly talented younger guns. His wheels are going to come off somewhere during the course of 72 holes.
It just is what it is. The difference between the Detroit Tigers and the Eldrick Tiger? The ball club has and will be around forever. Though experiencing a low period, they can rebuild and hopefully once again become a contender somewhere in the future. The same cannot be said for Eldrick Tont Woods.
Yours truly has espoused it repeatedly in recent years and will do so again. Stick a fork in him. He's done, at least in the upper echelons of golf. The other players know that privately, but won't dare say it publicly. Tiger can still clean up on endorsements, write a book, make speeches, or maybe even get a movie role here and there, but he won't be hoisting any more trophies for winning golf tournaments, much less majors.
Not a chance. Over is over. The thud comes sooner for some than others.
Not long ago, local pundits crowed the Tigers had the "best starting rotation in baseball". A debatable claim at the time. Then they traded off starter Doug Fister for a ham sandwich. Rick Porcello was shipped to the Bosox. A whopping $140 million contract offer wasn't enough to keep ace Max Scherzer from leaving Motown for Washington.
And look at what they have now. It's August and Justin Verlander, he of the $28 million salary, has won a grand total of one game. Anabel Sanchez is currently 10-9. The rest of their patchwork starters more likely belong in triple A ball at best. Their bullpen has long been a joke. No lead, regardless of how large, is safe when these guys take the mound and start serving up batting practice.
On another front a different Tiger has found his way back into the news. For the first time in a long time, Eldrick Woods actually put back to back competitive rounds together in a PGA tournament. As they have long been prone to do when it comes to anything Tiger, the media went wild. Could he be back? Let's see the usual few hundred replays and breathless commentary. Alas, it was not to be. Eldrick crashed and burned on Saturday at the Quickens open in Ohio. Once within a shot of the lead, he's now back in familiar territory. A double digit deficit and hopelessly out of contention. Saturday has been called "moving day" by pro golfers. Some moved on up. The lever was pulled on Tiger's "throne", with him in it, and he swirled on down -- again. Funny thing about those thrones. When one is sitting on top, it's a place of comfort and relief. But if one is viewing it from the bottom up -- it is not a pretty picture whatsoever. (There is a derivative of Murphy's Law that says it best. Where you stand on an issue depends on where you sit. Close enough.)
Yet he still managed to make the highlight reels. On a par 3 hole, Woods nailed his tee shot within a few inches of the pin. While the announcers were hyper-ventilating and his groupies flogging themselves in pure ecstasy, what went unnoticed was his playing partner, one Charles Howell, stuck his tee shot within a foot and a half as well. Very impressive stuff but, in the end, just a pair of deuces on a par 3. Throughout the day, Tiger was in the woods, in the drink, on a road, in the sand, over hill and over dale, and occasionally hit a good shot. He would wind up carding a 3 over 74. On a day when the course presented perfect playing conditions -- only five golfers in the entire field would shoot a worse round. Like his Detroit baseball namesakes, chalk up another thud.
Which once again raises the question: What will it take for the fascination to wear off when it comes to Tiger Woods? Forget being amongst the elite. Eldrick doesn't even rank in the top 200 golfers anymore. Given the PGA's new format, Tiger needed a win at the Quicken Open to qualify for the "playoffs". That's not going to happen. For all intents and purposes, Eldrick's season is done.
Sure, he'll be allowed to participate in the final major of the year, the PGA tourney, because as a past champion from long ago, he enjoys such an exemption. But the chances of him being remotely competitive there are slim to none. Unlike the Quicken, a second tier tournament ignored by many, all the big boys from the world over will be on hand at the PGA.
Tiger had perhaps the most dominant decade professional golf has ever seen. He won everything in sight. But now it's over. And all the groupies and media cheerleaders can't change that. At the tender age of 39, Woods has become little more than a ceremonial golfer, ala Tom Watson, though more than two decades separate them in age. Big on name, and can perhaps shoot a very good round here and there -- but no longer good enough to slog through four rounds of competition to win a tournament against the current generation of incredibly talented younger guns. His wheels are going to come off somewhere during the course of 72 holes.
It just is what it is. The difference between the Detroit Tigers and the Eldrick Tiger? The ball club has and will be around forever. Though experiencing a low period, they can rebuild and hopefully once again become a contender somewhere in the future. The same cannot be said for Eldrick Tont Woods.
Yours truly has espoused it repeatedly in recent years and will do so again. Stick a fork in him. He's done, at least in the upper echelons of golf. The other players know that privately, but won't dare say it publicly. Tiger can still clean up on endorsements, write a book, make speeches, or maybe even get a movie role here and there, but he won't be hoisting any more trophies for winning golf tournaments, much less majors.
Not a chance. Over is over. The thud comes sooner for some than others.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Detroit Lions/Chicago Cubs
What's the difference? One team plays football and the other baseball. One has a fairly new stadium and the other continues to play at a facility well over 100 years old. But there are many more similarities.
Both cities were once thriving metropolises. Business boomed, tourists flocked to their attractions, and being downtown at night was where it was at. The money poured in and everybody was happy. But over time it all went poof. Businesses couldn't get out of town fast enough (along with thousands of law-abiding fearful citizens), no tourist in their right mind would visit either place, and wandering around after dark outside of the few "protected" areas could be life threatening. This is what happens when political corruption and incompetence is allowed to run rampant for years. Gangs, murders, drugs, robberies, muggings, carjackings, blight, you name it. Add it all up and it's not a pretty sight. Detroit even went officially bankrupt. Who would have thought that could ever happen just a couple decades ago? Besides having the Big Three American auto companies in their back yard, Detroit even controlled the water supply for a large portion of southeastern Michigan coming off the Detroit river. Millions of gallons were pumped out, and millions of dollars came back from consumers. How can you screw all that up? But they did.
The Detroit Lions are one of only 4 NFL teams to have never even made it to the Super Bowl, let alone win it. Though the Lions have been around since the infancy of the NFL, the other 3 are expansion teams. The "new" Cleveland Browns (the former Browns moved to Baltimore and have since won the Super Bowl), the Houston Texans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Lions last won something of note way back in 1957, fittingly enough the very same year Ford's ill-fated Edsel made its debut -- and a decade before the first Super Bowl was played. They've been a lemon ever since. Going on sixty -- count em -- 60 years of futility.
But that pales in comparison to the Chicago Cubs. They haven't won a World Series since 1908. Four years before the Titanic went down. It seems like such a long time ago and my memories are vague. I was only a little boy not far removed from the bottle. But you could check with my editor. I think he was a cub reporter at the time.
In the interim both cities have won other championships. The Detroit Tigers won a couple World Series', though their last one was in 1984 -- thirty years ago. The Red Wings have won several Stanley Cups. The Pistons won three NBA titles over the years.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls were killing everybody during the Michael Jordan era. Six titles, I believe. The Black Hawks are no stranger to Lord Stanley's Cup. Besides being the reigning champs, they've won 3 out of the last 6.
But the biggest difference between the Detroit Lions and Chicago Cubs comes with expectations. In Detroit, the gullible fans always think next year will be the one. It never is. This madness is fueled by their hyper-koolaided media peddling the snake oil to the legions of suckers that buy into it year, after year, after year, after year. You'd think they'd learn eventually. They never do. At the dawn of training camp the usual Pollyannas are telling their readers and listeners how great the Lions will be this year -- again. They look for their beloved puddy-tats to improve on their 11-5 record of last year. It ain't gonna happen. Their offensive line is brand new, the secondary unsettled at best, they lost their two best pass rushers, have one rookie running back and another coming off an injury (who wasn't that good in the first place), and a much tougher schedule. Yes, Matthew Stafford will get his passing yards and Calvin Johnson will continue to take a beating catching a lot of them in double and triple coverage. An amazing guy, that Megatron. Here's hoping he can still walk, talk, and think straight when he's 40. Better than 11-5? They'll be lucky to go 8-8.
On the other hand, Chicago Cubs fans have long since known better. Sure, they continue to love their team and root, root, root for them to win every game. But unlike the Lions lemmings a few hours east on I-94, they have come to grips with the reality that their team is destined to be a perennial also-ran. And that's OK with them. The Cubbie faithful are content just going out to Ye Olde Wrigley Field and watching their loveable losers. No high expectations, because they understand their team doesn't have a prayer of winning a title. They get it. Lions fans don't. They remain in their delusional world of grandeur.
Maybe that's why nobody really mocks the Cubs. They're just the long-time loveable losers. But over the years the Lions have been cannon fodder for many comedians. That's because they and their media keep trying to portray them as contenders every year when everybody else knows full well they are not. The sarcastic backlash when they inevitably crash and burn is to be expected. Throw in a parade of clown coaches, 8 years of the incredibly inept Matt Millen running the franchise, and a boy named Suh that became a serial stomper, and punch lines should come as no surprise.
Even this year the Cubs are very much in the wild-card hunt for a National League playoff berth. But in their own division they're nowhere near as good as the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Lions may or may not be in the hunt for a wild-card berth come January. But they're nowhere near as good as the Green Bay Packers in their own division as well.
Neither team is championship caliber, and hasn't been since forever.
But the north-siders in Chitown get it. They don't expect to go to a World Series.
Yet the ever-sappy Lions fans will remain convinced -- again -- that this is their year. Right up until the last play of their last game proves it's not -- again. And then they'll either say they got robbed or reflect back on a bunch of coulda, woulda, shoulda moments over the season.
A quote generally attributed to showman P. T. Barnum (though not technically accurate) hit it right on the head way back in the 1880s. There's a sucker born every minute.
More so in some towns than others.........
Both cities were once thriving metropolises. Business boomed, tourists flocked to their attractions, and being downtown at night was where it was at. The money poured in and everybody was happy. But over time it all went poof. Businesses couldn't get out of town fast enough (along with thousands of law-abiding fearful citizens), no tourist in their right mind would visit either place, and wandering around after dark outside of the few "protected" areas could be life threatening. This is what happens when political corruption and incompetence is allowed to run rampant for years. Gangs, murders, drugs, robberies, muggings, carjackings, blight, you name it. Add it all up and it's not a pretty sight. Detroit even went officially bankrupt. Who would have thought that could ever happen just a couple decades ago? Besides having the Big Three American auto companies in their back yard, Detroit even controlled the water supply for a large portion of southeastern Michigan coming off the Detroit river. Millions of gallons were pumped out, and millions of dollars came back from consumers. How can you screw all that up? But they did.
The Detroit Lions are one of only 4 NFL teams to have never even made it to the Super Bowl, let alone win it. Though the Lions have been around since the infancy of the NFL, the other 3 are expansion teams. The "new" Cleveland Browns (the former Browns moved to Baltimore and have since won the Super Bowl), the Houston Texans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Lions last won something of note way back in 1957, fittingly enough the very same year Ford's ill-fated Edsel made its debut -- and a decade before the first Super Bowl was played. They've been a lemon ever since. Going on sixty -- count em -- 60 years of futility.
But that pales in comparison to the Chicago Cubs. They haven't won a World Series since 1908. Four years before the Titanic went down. It seems like such a long time ago and my memories are vague. I was only a little boy not far removed from the bottle. But you could check with my editor. I think he was a cub reporter at the time.
In the interim both cities have won other championships. The Detroit Tigers won a couple World Series', though their last one was in 1984 -- thirty years ago. The Red Wings have won several Stanley Cups. The Pistons won three NBA titles over the years.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls were killing everybody during the Michael Jordan era. Six titles, I believe. The Black Hawks are no stranger to Lord Stanley's Cup. Besides being the reigning champs, they've won 3 out of the last 6.
But the biggest difference between the Detroit Lions and Chicago Cubs comes with expectations. In Detroit, the gullible fans always think next year will be the one. It never is. This madness is fueled by their hyper-koolaided media peddling the snake oil to the legions of suckers that buy into it year, after year, after year, after year. You'd think they'd learn eventually. They never do. At the dawn of training camp the usual Pollyannas are telling their readers and listeners how great the Lions will be this year -- again. They look for their beloved puddy-tats to improve on their 11-5 record of last year. It ain't gonna happen. Their offensive line is brand new, the secondary unsettled at best, they lost their two best pass rushers, have one rookie running back and another coming off an injury (who wasn't that good in the first place), and a much tougher schedule. Yes, Matthew Stafford will get his passing yards and Calvin Johnson will continue to take a beating catching a lot of them in double and triple coverage. An amazing guy, that Megatron. Here's hoping he can still walk, talk, and think straight when he's 40. Better than 11-5? They'll be lucky to go 8-8.
On the other hand, Chicago Cubs fans have long since known better. Sure, they continue to love their team and root, root, root for them to win every game. But unlike the Lions lemmings a few hours east on I-94, they have come to grips with the reality that their team is destined to be a perennial also-ran. And that's OK with them. The Cubbie faithful are content just going out to Ye Olde Wrigley Field and watching their loveable losers. No high expectations, because they understand their team doesn't have a prayer of winning a title. They get it. Lions fans don't. They remain in their delusional world of grandeur.
Maybe that's why nobody really mocks the Cubs. They're just the long-time loveable losers. But over the years the Lions have been cannon fodder for many comedians. That's because they and their media keep trying to portray them as contenders every year when everybody else knows full well they are not. The sarcastic backlash when they inevitably crash and burn is to be expected. Throw in a parade of clown coaches, 8 years of the incredibly inept Matt Millen running the franchise, and a boy named Suh that became a serial stomper, and punch lines should come as no surprise.
Even this year the Cubs are very much in the wild-card hunt for a National League playoff berth. But in their own division they're nowhere near as good as the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Lions may or may not be in the hunt for a wild-card berth come January. But they're nowhere near as good as the Green Bay Packers in their own division as well.
Neither team is championship caliber, and hasn't been since forever.
But the north-siders in Chitown get it. They don't expect to go to a World Series.
Yet the ever-sappy Lions fans will remain convinced -- again -- that this is their year. Right up until the last play of their last game proves it's not -- again. And then they'll either say they got robbed or reflect back on a bunch of coulda, woulda, shoulda moments over the season.
A quote generally attributed to showman P. T. Barnum (though not technically accurate) hit it right on the head way back in the 1880s. There's a sucker born every minute.
More so in some towns than others.........
Thursday, July 30, 2015
The David Price trade
No doubt there are many Detroit Tiger fans screaming in outrage. Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowki just offed their star pitcher for three "prospects" in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. The double D man has gone off his cups. (Jolly good pun fun -- as the Brits would say). They have a point -- albeit a short-sighted one.
But part of Dombrowski's job is to look at the bigger picture and plan for the future. He, and owner Mike Ilitch can hardly be regarded as cheapskates over the years. They have spent a lot, and often, trying to bring enough talent to the Tigers in their quest for a World Series championship. But it hasn't happened and their window of opportunity is rapidly closing given their roster and how other teams have improved dramatically.
After over 100 games, the Tigers aren't even a .500 ball club. There will be ebbs and flows in the long season, winning and losing streaks, etc., but a team's record after 100 games paints a pretty good picture of reality. It is hard to dispute the Tigers are an average major league baseball team.
Even with Price, their chances of reaching the post-season this year appeared slim. Yes, the optimists will say they're only a few games out of a wild card spot, but let's get real. So are most other teams in both leagues. Such is parity. Yet the Tigers find themselves only the same few games out of the cellar in their own division. Bottom line is the Tigers are on a slow side downward. For every rising asset, and they are few, the Tigers have more growing liabilities as time goes on.
Here's what most Tiger fans don't get. At the end of this season, David Price was going to be an unrestricted free agent. Given his resume, age, and the fact Price is now one of the most dominant starting pitchers in baseball (besides being a southpaw -- that matters), the bidding war for him next year will be off the charts. Chances are the Tigers wouldn't have been able to retain him anyway. Price was born, raised, and went to college in Tennessee, and did his major league internship for the Tampa Bay organization. In other words, while Price may have said all the right things to teammates, fans, and the media -- he had no roots in Detroit. He'd only been there for one year.
And who knows? Maybe those pitching prospects the Tigers got from Toronto could turn out in the long run. Stranger things have happened. Wasn't Tom Brady once almost an afterthought as a sixth round draft pick? We know how that worked out. Then again, when he recruited me, my editor thought I showed promise as a writer. We know how that worked out too. Great boss to work for, but evidently a lousy judge of potential talent. Ahem.
So the Tigers parted ways with Price. Will they be even a lesser club without him? Of course. It likely spells the end of any playoff possibilities this year. But to his credit, Dombrowski is looking towards the future. Given his contract expires at the end of this season as well, whether or not he'll get re-upped with the Tigers remains to be seen. Pizza barons can move in mysterious ways.
As for the Blue Jays? Getting Price for a last ditch run at a playoff spot seems to be their plan. They better hope it pays off because at the end of the season, Price is still going to be a free agent commanding Trumpish bucks, and taxes are higher in Canada than in the USA. Chances are, they won't be able to keep him either.
So before Tiger fans start burning effigies of Dave Dombrowski while clamoring for him to be run out of town, they might want to consider the man was just trying to do his job when faced with a tough situation. True, he's made a few brilliant moves over the years, but a couple boneheads as well.
Either way, Price was likely gone. Let's see how it works out. It's been over 30 years since the Tigers won a World Series. A few more isn't the end of the world. Ask Chicago Cub fans........
But part of Dombrowski's job is to look at the bigger picture and plan for the future. He, and owner Mike Ilitch can hardly be regarded as cheapskates over the years. They have spent a lot, and often, trying to bring enough talent to the Tigers in their quest for a World Series championship. But it hasn't happened and their window of opportunity is rapidly closing given their roster and how other teams have improved dramatically.
After over 100 games, the Tigers aren't even a .500 ball club. There will be ebbs and flows in the long season, winning and losing streaks, etc., but a team's record after 100 games paints a pretty good picture of reality. It is hard to dispute the Tigers are an average major league baseball team.
Even with Price, their chances of reaching the post-season this year appeared slim. Yes, the optimists will say they're only a few games out of a wild card spot, but let's get real. So are most other teams in both leagues. Such is parity. Yet the Tigers find themselves only the same few games out of the cellar in their own division. Bottom line is the Tigers are on a slow side downward. For every rising asset, and they are few, the Tigers have more growing liabilities as time goes on.
Here's what most Tiger fans don't get. At the end of this season, David Price was going to be an unrestricted free agent. Given his resume, age, and the fact Price is now one of the most dominant starting pitchers in baseball (besides being a southpaw -- that matters), the bidding war for him next year will be off the charts. Chances are the Tigers wouldn't have been able to retain him anyway. Price was born, raised, and went to college in Tennessee, and did his major league internship for the Tampa Bay organization. In other words, while Price may have said all the right things to teammates, fans, and the media -- he had no roots in Detroit. He'd only been there for one year.
And who knows? Maybe those pitching prospects the Tigers got from Toronto could turn out in the long run. Stranger things have happened. Wasn't Tom Brady once almost an afterthought as a sixth round draft pick? We know how that worked out. Then again, when he recruited me, my editor thought I showed promise as a writer. We know how that worked out too. Great boss to work for, but evidently a lousy judge of potential talent. Ahem.
So the Tigers parted ways with Price. Will they be even a lesser club without him? Of course. It likely spells the end of any playoff possibilities this year. But to his credit, Dombrowski is looking towards the future. Given his contract expires at the end of this season as well, whether or not he'll get re-upped with the Tigers remains to be seen. Pizza barons can move in mysterious ways.
As for the Blue Jays? Getting Price for a last ditch run at a playoff spot seems to be their plan. They better hope it pays off because at the end of the season, Price is still going to be a free agent commanding Trumpish bucks, and taxes are higher in Canada than in the USA. Chances are, they won't be able to keep him either.
So before Tiger fans start burning effigies of Dave Dombrowski while clamoring for him to be run out of town, they might want to consider the man was just trying to do his job when faced with a tough situation. True, he's made a few brilliant moves over the years, but a couple boneheads as well.
Either way, Price was likely gone. Let's see how it works out. It's been over 30 years since the Tigers won a World Series. A few more isn't the end of the world. Ask Chicago Cub fans........
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