Bread and Circuses
The Best of Fox Sports
Archive for August, 2007
August 28, 2007 at 7:49 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
The biggest story in sports this week is one that isn’t. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brett Myers blew a baseball game by giving up two ninth inning home runs, then blew up at Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Sam Carchidi. In the altercation that followed Myers cursed at the reporter, threatened him, and called him a "retard".
Here is the incident, captured on tape by a local radio station (strong language):
http://podcast.kyw1060.com/kyw/628299.mp3
The Inquirer is in a tough position. Newspapers report the news and once they become the story they lose credibility. Factor in also that Carchidi’s response to Myers crude remark was to question whether Myers could spell "retard". If the Inquirer gives the story the coverage it warranted, (and it certainly was a newsworthy story), it faces the unhappy task of covering a baseball team made up of players who not be pleased with a paper that caused problems for one of their own.
The radio station tape recording of the incident is all over the internet and has become a story by virtue of the blogosphere. It received some national coverage, with Myers being quoted on MSNBC as regretting using term "retard". The Phillies have made no comment, and Bud Selig & Company have exercised their right to remain silent.
But Philadelphia needs to say something about, and to, Brett Myers. And Major League Baseball needs to deal with Myers while the results of his emotional problems can be measured in bruised egos and not something worse.
Last season Myers punched his wife on a public street in Boston after a game and it became a police matter. The front office not only let Myers take his normal turn in the rotation but also went out of their way to express concern about Myers. One coach praised him as a "competitor". The Phillies are either part of the problem with Myers or part of the solution. Right now they are enablers who are making bad matters worse.
Myers is an easy interview, say some reports after this latest incident, and cooperative with the media. He is quoted as saying he doesn’t have a problem with reporters, just the one fill in reporter he got into the altercation with. But that misses the point.
Listen to how quickly Myers lost control of himself in the audio clip. Remember that the police found his wife with a swollen face after the Boston incident and witness said he was pulling her hair. This is someone who can go from zero to violent as rapidly as his fastball reaches the plate. Something is not right with Brett Myers.
It may not be entirely pyschological.
Myers only plays the tough guy with women half his size and men twice his age. He doesn’t take on anyone who can affect his employment. The apology for the "retard" remark came quickly enough to make you think Myers understands PR. The attempt to separate the rest of the reporters covering the team from the one he has a problem with, is a nice piece of damage control.
Carchidi hasn’t gotten an apology. Wouldn’t mean much if he did. Myers doesn’t think he did anything wrong, and he knows the Phillies don’t have the nerve or character to part company with him. If you can rough up your wife and the team stands by you, what’s a "retard" remark and some threats against a reporter going to get you?
You can’t help but think about Michael Vick when you read about Myers. Who is the bigger threat to public safety? Who is being held to account for their actions? Who is being given a free ride? If there was room for only one person in the lifeboat, who would you pull out of the water?
It’s time for Bud Selig to do what Roger Goodale would do, what any commissioner should do under the circumstances. Myers has to be suspended for the rest of the season. He has had two incidents involving violence or threats of violence in a year.
Enough is enough. Suspend Brett Myers.
1 Comment
August 27, 2007 at 8:10 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
It’s college football season and boy howdy we’re all hankerin’ to hunker down on the couch this Saturday and watch em’ have at it.
Oops. That was Keith Jackson’s column. Let me start over. Hang on a second. Got to take a sip of Gatorade.
First of, I love college football. My favorite team is Navy and I STILL like college football. That’s not exactly fair. The Blue and Gold have been behaving like a real college team the last few seasons. Won some big games, went to a couple of bowls, even had some players charged with sexual assault.
But I’m a cynic. A Dashiel Hammett novel kind of guy who believes bad things about the world. For example, I imagine Andy Rooney knew exactly what he was saying when he made the remark about all the Rodriquez’ in baseball. The man is 88 years old. You don’t get to 88 without knowing what you’re saying and saying what you know. It’s just the way it is.
Which brings me to the University of Southern California Trojans and the law of averages. I’m not picking on them because their program is any worse than the next guy’s. That’s kind of the problem. They’re not. Nor, are they much better.
Now if you make a statement like that you need to offer some evidence in support of your position. Which brings me to the USC drinking game.
Next time you watch the Trojans and there’s a big hit on an opposing runner, take a drink if the announcers say, "and he’s majoring in sociology". Keep your official USC program near by just in case the guys calling the game forget. And make sure to chill several six packs of your beverage of choice. You’ll need them.
Sometime about midway through the first quarter you’ll feel a sort of pleasant buzz. By the end of the quarter the world will be your friend. Near halftime you can hear the roar of the ocean and you aren’t holding a shell to your ear. During the third quarter you’ll be hugging the porcelain wishing well and talking about that Wyatt Earp movie you saw. Forget the 4th quarter, you’ll be passed out by then. If you have a medic alert bracelet you may want to put it on ahead of time.
For fun I counted the declared majors on the USC football website. There were 33 juniors and seniors with majors listed and 22 of them were sociology majors. Which makes you wonder.
When Pete Carroll gets ready to recruit his 11th or 12th high school All-American tailback does he first sit down with the young man and his parents and ask if the student athlete thinks he can take down Comte and Weber in the open field? "Son, we’re just a little deep at the physical sciences this year, but if you’re willing to switch to sociology we might can work something out."
It may just be a remarkable coincidence. Peer pressure. All the cool kids are taking sociology, so it becomes a trend. California is where trends start and maybe sociology is the next big thing. Or maybe there is some sort of sociology cult on campus and the football team has been lured in.
Maaaaaaaybeeeee. Just maybe there is another reason. Maybe the deal is that you take sociology because the coach knows and the sociology department knows and the players soon know that if you want to stay eligible that’s your major.
You got another theory?
Mine is that most of the 22 sociology majors are at USC believing they will go to the NFL and not have to worry about majors or how they relate to future employment. The problem is that even at USC over half of them are wrong. Of the other 11, 4 had the right idea and 7 are someday going to wonder what you do with a sociology degree and not like the answers.
Does that make USC an outlaw school? Pete Carroll a West Coast version of Steve Spurrier? Not at all. It makes them an example of the system the NCAA has created. It’s not pretty, it’s not right, it doesn’t have much of anything to do with college or academics. And if you think your favorite school is any different, go to their website and in about 10 minutes you’ll figure out what the football major is there. It’s just the way it is in college sports.
And that’s a darn shame.
No Comments
August 26, 2007 at 5:22 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
US beat Canada 113-63 the other day. The count down until we give the rest of the world its comeuppance has officially begun. Our latest "Dream Team" has arrived with a lean and hungry look.
So who wins if this latest all-star collection eventually wins the Olympics? Sure, everyone walks away with shiny gold medals. But that is just a starting point.
Let’s break it down.
Does the United States of America, political and civil, win? Not exactly a love fest for America around the world these days. If anything an over powered American basketball engine being fired up looks like a lot like an over powered military machine to the rest of the world.
American basketball in general? Some reputation rehab perhaps? Not really. American players are still defined by what they don’t do. Move without the ball, hit open shots, and protect the ball. There is also the curse of great expectations. Win and you’ve done the expected, lose and the world laughs while American fans curse the jaded pros for blowing it again.
The NBA? No matter what happens at the Olympics the NBA will return with zone defenses, 24 second sucking isolation offenses, and sub 40% shooting percentage playoff games. The good news is despite Donaghy, NBA games aren’t fixed. The bad news is the NBA game can’t be fixed either.
USA Basketball allows LeBron James to live his dream of being an "international icon". He’ll probably win an NBA title about the same time ducks put on goggles and compete in Olympic down hill skiing, but in the mean time a win on the Olympic stage is awfully appealing, international icon wise. Mark him down a winner.
Kobe Bryant is probably thinking a Dream Team appearance will rebuild his image. Unfortunately for him the public has made up its mind already and someone needs to explain that to him. "Dude, they just aren’t into you that way, OK?"
Carmelo Anthony is coming up big with this one. He is emerging as the heart of this team and a win in the Olympics will wipe away memories of the Knicks brawl and other off court difficulties.
Jason Kidd should come away with a gold star by his name. The Olympics are a stage for great athletes and they will be a stage for Kidd to show the world what New Jersey Nets fans (all three of them) already know. Kidd has a great game.
Coach K could come out a winner, the pure of heart and soul college coach who tamed the wicked NBA stars and made them a team. Sure, he’s a foul mouthed ball of anger during the ACC season, but he sure cleans up nice for TV commercials. And painting him the caring genius fits the company line.
And what company you ask?
Nike, of course. There is something that fills you heart with pride in the good old US of A knowing that a humble company from Oregon is simultaneously sponsoring American basketball and the finest in low cost Southeast Asian shoe making. At the end of the day, the Dream Team is a merchandising dream.
We live in a jaded age. The first dream teams of Jordan and Bird were special because they were new. They were to be an antidote to the disputed Russian victory that ended a seemingly automatic US domination of the game.
Now?
Now the Dream Team is Carmelo, Kobe, LeBron, Kidd and a bag full of useful wrenches and hammers. Talented, yes, but a team yet to forge an identity with the public.
Will we be excited if they realize their Olympic dreams? Will we care? Will we watch like Romans waiting for the lions to devour their prey for our amusement or like a proud nation that has taken a team to heart?
The countdown to the answers has begun.
No Comments
August 25, 2007 at 7:40 am · Filed under Uncategorized
In 1926 Gabe Paul went to work for the Rochester Red Wings. Forty-seven years later he became president and general manager of the New York Yankees. In his first four years in the Bronx the Yankees won two pennants and a World Series. And, a few months after the season ended, a young owner named George Steinbrenner pulled a power play that forced Paul out of the Bronx.
What’s so important about Paul? He’s the man who made the Yankees the Yankees again. Without him the Steinbrenner era may never have been. And one other thing. Paul brought in Billy Martin to manage and Reggie Jackson as a free agent right fielder. As those watching the ESPN series on the 1977 Yankees know, the Bronx was burning. Gabe Paul lit the match.
When Paul came to the Yankees from Cleveland in 1973 he inherited a tired collection of fossils and fizzles. Ralph Houk, the last link to the glory years, was the manager of a team with some reliable veteran pitchers and not much else. Paul gave Houk one more season before replacing him with Bill Virdon, and started to rebuild the team through trades. Here’s a look at how Paul put together the 77′ Yankees.
Holdovers-Thurman Munson, Sparky Lyle, Roy White, Fred "Chicken" Stanley, Graig Nettles and Lou Pinella (who came over in the last trades before the team was sold to the Steinbrenner group). Under the new regime Munson and Nettles went from solid regulars to stars. Lyle was already one of the game’s best closers. Stanley a smart utility infielder whose shining moments always seem to come with the game on the line. White was never a star but consistently contributed with his bat, glove, and on the bases. Pinella often platooned in left with White and could be penciled in for .315 over 300 at bats, mostly against left handers.
1974 Early in Paul’s second season he packaged veteran pitchers Fritz Peterson and Steve Kline to the Indians for Chris Chambliss, Dick Tidrow, and a minor league outfielder. Peterson was mainly known for swapping wives with another Yankee pitcher (Mike Kekich), but Chambliss was to become the Yankees first baseman and a valuable 17-90-.290 hitter. Tidrow was one of the best setup men in baseball.
1975 Paul made two critical moves in 75′. In the off season Steinbrenner and Paul angered the baseball establishment by giving a huge contract to free agent pitcher Catfish Hunter. Then Paul fired Virdon as manager and brought in Billy Martin for the last 56 games of the season. Dave Bergman, who would serve as Chambliss’ fill-in at first, came to the team as a rookie. There was also a rookie reliever named Ron Guidry who made a very wild debut while showing flashes of "Louisiana Lightning".
1976 During the off season, Paul remade the team in Martin’s image, getting better defensively and faster on the bases. It worked. The Yankees won the AL pennant, but lost the World Series.
The rebuilding started when Paul traded pitcher Doc Medich to the Pirates after the 75′ season ended. Medich got his nickname by studying medicine (he became a doctor later), and had thrown alot of innings over three seasons in New York. Medich never amounted to much with the Pirates, but Willie Randolph came over and became a second baseman even the ever critical Martin could appreciate. The Yankees also got the controversial Doc Ellis, and Ken Brett (a pitcher and George Brett’s brother).
Also in the Winter of 1975 the Yankees moved one of the most talented players in the game, Bobby Bonds, who had just put up a 30-30 season. Bonds (Barry’s dad) went to the Angels for the Yankees new center fielder Mickey Rivers and dependable right handed starter, Ed Figueroa.
In June of 76′, the Yankees pulled the sort of huge multi-player trade you no longer see in baseball. Ken Holtzman, a star left handed pitcher, came from the Orioles with reliever Grant Jackson, catcher Elrod Hendricks, relievers Doyle Alexander, and minor leaguer pitcher Jimmy Freeman. The Yankees gave up mostly young talent in Scott McGregor, Tippy Martinez, Rick Dempsey, Rudy May, and Dave Pagan. Holtzman would become an ace with the Yankees, while some of the players sent to the Orioles were part of later Baltimore championship teams. Doyle Alexander is famous for being the player traded to the Tigers for a young prospect named John Smoltz.
During the 1976 season New York also came up with a backup catcher for Munson, Fran Healy. Healy was brought over in a trade for left hander Larry Gura, who had made a mostly bad impression on Billy Martin in 1975. Gura went on to become a reliable 15 game winner for the Royals. Mickey Kluttz, the backup third baseman and pinch hitter, also came up in 76′ as a rookie. Late in the year pinch hitting specialist Gene Locklear was acquired for a minor league pitcher.
1977 During the off season everyone knew Steinbrenner and Paul would spend big to get over the hump and win the World Championship. What they didn’t know was that he would bring in not just the best hitter on the market (Reggie Jackson), but also the best free agent pitcher, Don Gullett. It was a deadly combination. Also during the winter, New York got ace defensive outfielder Paul Blair from Baltimore for Elliot Maddox and Rick Bladt.
Not quite as important, but vital nonetheless, Paul found a shortstop to team with Randolph. Bucky Dent came from the WhiteSox at a high price (outfielder Oscar Gamble, pitcher LaMarr Hoyt, and minor leaguer Bob Polinsky). In late April, still not satisfied with the rotation, Paul traded Dock Ellis, Mary Perez, and Larry Murray for Mike Torrez. DH Carlos May also came over from the WhiteSox in May in exchange for Ken Brett and Rich Coggins and powerful DH/Catcher Cliff Johnson was acquired in June from the Astros for Mike Fischlin, Randy Neimann, and Bergman.
Five rookies came up in 77′ to make valuable contributions. Gil Patterson, Ken Clay, and Larry McCall filled in the blanks in middle relief, but were seldom needed because the great Yankee rotation pitched 52 complete games. George Zeber filled in around the infield, and Dell Alston the outfield.
There were a number of veteran cameo appearances, most notably by Dave Kingman (4 home runs in 8 September games) and Jim Wynn. Stan Thomas came over from Seattle in a minor trade and pitched in three games.
What a team! It is hard to imagine anyone putting this team together in 2007. If you look at what Paul gave up, it was seldom anything that couldn’t be replaced. Signing Hunter, Jackson, and Gullett as free agents made it easier, as did the emergence of Munson and Guidry as stars. But acquistions like Randolph, Dent, Chambliss, Rivers, Torrez, Holtzman, Figueroa, Tidrow, and May can’t be overlooked.
The brains of Billy Martin, the money and hubris of Steinbrenner, and the trades of Gabe Paul set the Bronx on fire in 77′. After the season Steinbrenner and Paul parted ways when Al Rosen, the former great Indians third baseman, was brought in to work closely with The Boss. When Paul left the team to go back to Cleveland, the renaissance was over and the Steinbrenner Yankees were in full bloom. And baseball was never the same again.
No Comments
August 23, 2007 at 8:38 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
The answers are a)beat up your wife on a public street or b)finance a dog fighting organization. For 10 points give me the question. For an additional fifteen points the answer.
Sorry, time’s up. The question we are looking for is what can a pro athlete get away with? The answer is a)beat up your wife on a public street. Brett Myers, a 6′4" 240 pound pitcher with the Phillies, knocked his wife around in Boston last season, got charged with hitting her in the face, and had no action taken against him by his team. The Phillies publicly supported Myers, with one coach saying Myers would get through the difficult time because he was a real competitor. At least when matched against a woman.
Round two. The answers are a)honor your contract, b)play hard at your new position, or c)whine like a six year old who didn’t get his frozen pudding pop for desert. The question-What do you do if you are Pete Kendall of the Jets and want out of your contract after being asked to switch positions? The answer is c) whine like a six year old. Kendall has now been traded to the Washington Redskins, a team playing in the only town in America where a $3 million athlete can be considered a victim.
Round three. The answers-a) assault by pointing a gun,
b) carrying a concealed weapon, c) driving while impaired, d) failing to
stop after an accident e)simple assault or f)none of the above. The question is-Which of these charges is enough to keep Duke from suspending their best football player? The answer-f) none of the above. Michael Tauiliili has been reinstated to the team after two weeks away from the team.
The one after round three. Three answers to pick from. a)sell more beer, b)advertise more beer, c)display righteous indignation when your employees are caught driving drunk, of d)feel some sense of shame. Your question is this. What is the correct response of the NFL to a player’s drunk driving arrest? We will accept a, b, or c. If you answered d your name is most likely Mary Poppins and you should be flying around under your umbrella instead of playing this quiz.
Round two times two plus one. A) a special on world hunger, b)reruns of ‘Petticoat Junction’, c)the infomercial with that really creepy looking guy with the slicked back hair, or d)a soccer game. The question-What will get the lowest TV ratings? This one is almost too easy-d)the soccer game.
Six. Round Six. Answers-a)The Rolling Stones, b)Duran Duran, c)the Monkees, or d)Roger Clemens. The question-What is the lamest comeback tour of all time. The answer is b)Duran Duran. You thought we were looking for Clemens. However, it should have been obvious. Clemens never sang "Hungry Like the Wolf" and the Stones are still the greatest Rock N’ Roll Band after all these years.
The final round. Your answers are a)a snake’s belly, b)an SEC football coach, c) the Marianas Trench, or d)Tiger Woods 18 hole average. The question we are looking for is-what is lower? What is lower? Close one here. Woods’ scorecard is very low, but nothing is lower than the ethics of an SEC football coach.
Thanks for playing. Stay tuned for the professional athlete version of "Jeopardy!".
No Comments
August 22, 2007 at 7:49 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Tomorrow everyone will have a good laugh. 30-3 Texas beats Baltimore. ‘It would have been worse if they hadn’t missed the extra point after the last touchdown.’ Laugh, laugh.
Well, it isn’t that funny.
The Orioles didn’t just embarrass themselves tonight. They put a punctuation point at the end of the joke that has become the quality of pitching in major league baseball. The worst of it is the first 30 run game in 110 years should have been expected.
The Orioles starter, Daniel Cabrera, has potential. He has a big arm and strikes out a lot of batters. Baltimore has waited 4 years for potential to translate to performance. It hasn’t happened yet. Meanwhile, a pitcher who needed 96 pitches to stagger through 5 innings and give up 6 runs, is making $1,825,000 for making opponents look like the 1927 New York Yankees.
A 4.79 ERA and 366 walks in 621 innings says Cabrera hasn’t learned to pitch yet. It’s no wonder. He only had 61 innings above Class A when he came up. The big right hander can go one of two ways now, neither of them good for Baltimore. He could get it together, in which case the Yankees or RedSox sign him as a free agent in a few years. Or maybe we’ve seen the best that Cabrera has already.
Tonight three relievers followed Cabrera put up 4 innings of 20 hit, 24 run, 7 walk relief. If you can call that a relief. Here is the perp walk:
Brian Burress is a 26 year old who went into tonight’s game with 49 walks in 87 innings. He’s not without talent, but major league pitchers don’t walk a batter every other inning. Tonight he got two batters out and gave up 8 hits and a walk.
Rob Bell has a career 5.62 ERA. Going into tonight’s game he had walked 13 and struck out 17. That doesn’t get the job done. It didn’t get it done in Cincinnati, it didn’t get it done in Texas, it didn’t get it done in Tampa Bay, and it won’t get it done in Baltimore. Somehow I’d still bet a considerable sum Rob Bell is on an opening day roster next season. Tonight Bell retired 4 batters out and gave up 7 runs on 8 baseruners.
Paul Shuey has 11 major league seasons under his belt. He went into tonight’s game with a 6.75 ERA, 17 walks and 16 strikeouts and had walked 8 in his last 4 1/3 innings. Shuey had been out of the majors for 4 seasons because of various injuries. The final tally for tonight, 2 innings, 10 baserunners, 9 scored.
Aging veterans who are struggling to regain their talents used to do it AAA. Now they fly first class on chartered jets. Shuey is probably not ever going to be an effective pitcher again, but if the Orioles let him go would his replacement be better?
Major league owners have built their dream world. Too many teams, pulled in fences, and a DH rule that turns American League baseball into a video game. Put in a big scoreboard and launch some fireworks when the home runs come. If you get someone else to build it, the fans will come and you can sell all the $6 hot dogs and $5 beer you want.
Fans who care about baseball know teams like the Orioles are ripping off their fans and tearing apart the game. But it won’t change. The owners aren’t baseball people for the most part and the Player’s Association isn’t giving to give up on $5 million DH’s or dead weight franchises like the Florida Marlins that dilute the talent pool. Baseball is what it is and what it will be.
Before the game the Orioles announced they have signed Dave Trembley to a contract to return next season as manager. In Bud Selig’s world that sounds just about right.
1 Comment
August 20, 2007 at 12:04 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
From across my driveway and around the globe it’s….
Some stuff about sports.
Michael Tauiliili, who lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in vowels last season, has been reinstated to the Duke football team. He was arrested earlier this month and charged with assault by pointing a
gun, carrying a concealed weapon, driving while impaired, failing to
stop after an accident and simple assault.
No word from Duke faculty representatives on their progress toward a statement denouncing Tauiliili. Also silent so far, the Durham D.A. and community activists. However, it should be noted that while Durham County has been plagued by lacrosse street gangs, nobody realized until Tauiliili was arrested that Duke still played football. Therefore, the perception of a threat to the campus and surrounding community was much lower.
In a related story, there is still time to join the annual Dudski collegiate bad conduct roto league. The league will use a traditional roto format with 4 NCAA violation and 4 arrest categories. I should point out however, that SEC teams are not eligible after last season’s point shaving scandal. As you may recall, numerous players plead down to lesser possession charges when they clearly could gone for the higher value intent to distribute conviction, thus compromising the purity of the game.
Michael Vick may face additional charges this week from federal prosecutors. Sealed indictments are rumored to contain information linking Vick to the Lindberg kidnapping, the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, and providing steroids to Barry Bonds. Said one proscecutor, speaking on promise of anonymity, "Now that we have him on the dog fighting charges, he’ll plead to anything to get a shorter sentence and return to football. His lawyers played hard ball with us on the Zodiac murders, but we believe they will provide us a confession that he passed atomic bomb secrets to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg."
The NBA referee’s union today laid 5-1 odds that Tim Donaghy is the only official involved in the recent gambling scandal. They also offered a two foul spread that Shaq would be disqualified from the first regular season game, and announced trifecta bets will be accepted this year on technical fouls on three different members of the same team.
A committee of NFL writers and broadcasters has announced the San Francisco 49ers are no longer the laughing stock of the league. No new laughing stock was immediately announced, although the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, and Jerry Jones toupee are all thought to be in the running.
Johan Santana set a franchise record yesterday striking out 17 Texas Rangers. Ever gracious, Santana thanked Brad WIlkerson, Michael Young, Marlon Byrd, and Gerald Laird who contributed 13 of the K’s. Santana acknowledged this was not something he could ever hope to accomplish against a major league lineup. No clarification of those comments was forthcoming.
Sam Pollack, who built a dynasty in the 60’s and 70’s with the Montreal Canadiens passed away at the age of 81. Ironically, this came just hours after doctors announced that the NHL is no longer breathing on it’s own and is in grave condition in an Ottawa hospital. The league was hospitalized last week after complications set in during what had been thought to be a routine procedure to remove the Nashville Predators.
The Washington Wizards today announced they have Blatche. Physicians will treat it with a topical oinment and the Wizards should be ready to be kicked around by the rest of the league as early as September.
And finally, this from the world of NASCAR. DEI Racing has announced that not only will it not permit Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to take the number 8 with him to Hendrick Motorsports, but it will force him to leave the letters N and D behind as well. A settlement was reached allowing him to take one of the 3 "R’s". Earnhardt will race in 2008 under the name J. Ear Hat Ale and is negotiating a deal with Molson, the Canadian beer giant to distribute himself.
1 Comment
August 19, 2007 at 7:06 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Due to massive popular demand (well, there was that one request) here is the rest of the FOX writers lineup. So far FOX seems to be taking it well, although two guys who look like Howie Long and Daryl Johnston have been cruising through my neighborhood in an SUV with the CD player blasting out "Highway to Hell". Probably just a coincidence.
This is Ken Rosenthal. One of the finest baseball writers around and a field reporter on FOX baseball coverage. The photo was taken just after Jeanne Zelasko had asked Rosenthal if there really was a character named after him in the Grand Theft Auto video game, and why people were still angry with her over the interview she did with that Arnie Hairwell guy in Detroit.
Alex Marvez is the new football guy at FOX. Here he is shown after watching fellow football writer John Czarnecki inhale the all you can eat salad bar at the Sizzler.
Nick Webster covers soccer for FOX. That’s why you’ve never heard of him. But once David Beckham captivates American sports fans and space aliens abduct every single MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL player on the planet…oh, forget it.
Steve Byrnes-NASCAR. Warren Zevon said it best in "Werewolves of London". "His hair was perfect." Byrnes shouldn’t feel bad about the photo. Nobody looks quite right the first time they smile.
This is the first photo ever released of a Dime Magazine writer. Don’t let appearances fool you. Just after this picture was taken he began talking smack. Shortly after that he got jiggy with it. He’s now under a physician’s care and resting comfortably.
Mike Kahn is a frequent NBA contributor. And not bitter. Not….bitter…at…..all.
Darrell Waltrip was once a famous stock car driver, back in the days when crash helmets were not mandatory and restraining devices were optional. Now he roams the halls at FOX, smiling at everyone he meets and saying "Boogity, boogity, boogity" over and over again. The good news is he’s stopped sitting on top of the Xerox machine and going "vroom, vroom".
"So, Mr. Bond you seem to have fallen into our trap. Most excellent." Jay Glazer is wasting his time writing about football. This is the face of a 007 villain, not a sportswriter.
Why is this man smiling? There’s no smiling in sports writing. Something tells me Adam Schein has just placed an order for 16 large pizzas and sent them to Mike Khan’s cubicle. And just when Kahn was making progress with that anger thing…
2 Comments
August 19, 2007 at 8:47 am · Filed under Uncategorized
To say the Vick case has sparked debate among sports fans is an understatement. On one side are those who would ban Vick from the NFL permanently, on the other those who believe he was made a target for prosecution because of his celebrity status.
Like many people I didn’t pay close attention to the charges when they came out. An NFL player in trouble with law enforcement isn’t that unusual, and I thought a six game suspension was the likely outcome. My knowledge of dog fighting was limited, my understanding of the legal ramifications less. I didn’t suspect the case would cause this much outrage, either from Vick’s detractors or supporters.
After taking in the many media reports and reading countless blogs here at FOX Sports, here are some questions that seem to be emerging.
Is the Vick case about race?
From a legal standpoint, no. Prosecutions for dog fighting cut across racial and ethnic lines. But the reaction to the Vick case definitely is influenced by race. In an era of political correctness, real discussion of racial issues is limited. The off field behavior of athletes, often African-American, becomes a forum for expressing cultural concerns and sometimes prejudices.
The word "thug" seems to have become a code word in these discussions with racial implications. It is worth noting that this term frequently was used by bloggers about Vick prior to his current legal situation, when less serious charges were brought against him.
Taken simply as a legal case there would still, and should, be a degree of outrage over the allegations against Vick. But the sheer volume of the reports and blogs about Vick make the arguement that this is about more than Michael Vick. In terms of race, this is becoming the O.J. Simpson trial of the 21st Century.
As Paul Simon once wrote "A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." That is the take away from this conversation in terms of race, and what is heard depends on which side of the divide you are standing.
Is dog fighting a serious crime and is Vick being targeted?
What is misunderstood is how big the problem of dog fighting has become, and how seriously the law takes it. There are thousands of prosecutions annually and the vast majority of states have made dog fighting a felony offense separate and apart from the laws on animal cruelty. The law regards the violence of dog fighting as representing a culture of barbarity which will surely impact not just animals but society at large.
But dog fighting prosecutions are seldom about just animal cruelty.
There are huge sums of money involved in dog fighting, with seizures of as much as $500,000 reported in individual cases. Gambling revenue from dog fights fund drug trafficking and gang activity.
In this context dog fighting prosecutions are a significant tool in efforts to limit drugs, gambling, and gang violence. Raids on dog fights are also a low cost means of apprehending large numbers of known felons in one location.
The bottom line is that the government would have been pursuing the Bad Newz Kennel organization whether Vick was involved or not.
Are there other factors involved?
Celebrity and
backlash against celebrity. As dissimilar as Paris Hilton and Michael
Vick are, they share a high recognition rating from the public. It
would be hard to find someone who doesn’t know of them. They also are
unique because their celebrity isn’t matched by their achievements.
Paris Hilton, stripped of celebrity, is just an heiress who goes to
alot of parties. Vick, minus the Nike ads and hype, is a very good
quarterback who hasn’t reached his potential or won the Super Bowl.
When celebrities fall they provide as much, or more,
entertainment value as when they at their peak. People who can’t
understand why Hilton is even famous, or why Vick gets as much
publicity as quarterbacks who have taken their team to the Super Bowl,
take great pleasure in seeing "unearned" fame taken from them. Read
the blogs. There is not just disgust with Vick, but almost a joy at
seeing his fall. It hasn’t always been pretty.
Is Vick’s career in jeopardy?
Count on it. He has, at best, a 50% chance of ever playing again. Vick could go to trial and could be acquitted, but that does not seem likely. The other defendants have agreed to testify against Vick and, by all accounts, the prosecution has a compelling case. As the last defendant to plead, Vick has little to offer prosecutors who can seek the maximum five year sentence. If Vick serves even two years he will have lost a major part of his career and would return at age 30 having lost some of his skills.
What is being overlooked at this point is the likelihood that the State of Virginia, which has sat on the sidelines until now, will join in with state charges. The bill that is about to come due for Vick is probably going to be more than just the 2-5 years on federal charges. It is not likely, but possible, that Vick might leave prison at 35 instead of 30 in which case his playing days are over.
What will the NFL do?
The dog fighting charges are not even the worst of it to the NFL. The defendants in the Vick case allege he financed the gambling end of the operation. The league warns players that some gambling activities (those that bring discredit to the game) may result in a permanent ban.
You have to view how the NFL will react to Vick in the context not only of the dog fighting, but also of the associations Vick has made. The people gambling on these fights are not persons the league is comfortable having around the edges of the game. Was Vick ever at risk of being approached by persons associated with dog fighting to shave points? You just don’t know and it’s a risk the NFL can’t afford to take.
Finally, there are the PR issues. Animal rights groups are not going to forget Michael Vick. Not today, not tomorrow, not five years from now. The baggage he will carry for the rest of his career is going to be alot for a team to take on.
What about Michael Vick, the human being?
Nobody seems to care much about this question. Vick is, like most people, a mixture of good and bad. On the one hand you have the Bad Newz Kennels. On the other, charitable activity in Newport News and Atlanta and positive comments from teammates who know him well. As anyone who saw Michael Irvin’s induction speech at the Hall of Fame can attest, redemption is possible even after poor decisions and worse results.
The biggest question isn’t whether Vick can come back at the same skill level as a quarterback, but what kind of life he can build after all this controversy fades. That is the one question nobody, maybe even Michael Vick, can answer.
2 Comments
August 18, 2007 at 8:01 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Saturday morning. Out of ideas and reading the FOX Sports website headlines. So Michael VIck posed for a photo with a pit bull? Call me back when they have night vision pictures of Joey Harrington and Rosie O’Donnell. Now, that’s a scandal. Tiger Woods pulls out of a tournament and panic spreads across the greens. Not so much story material as a sad commentary on the state of golf. The Cubs overpaid for pitcher. Wonder what the fresh angle is there?
Then it hits me. Bloggers write about each other a lot. Between flame wars and shameless cross promotion in the quest for the Holy Grail (BOTD), we’ve just about exhausted the possibilities. But the FOX Sports website contributors? A target rich environment we haven’t yet begun to mine. Oh, there’s the occasional attack on Dayn Perry, but who hasn’t done that? It’s almost a rite of passage, and a good sign Perry is the most read FOX contributor.
Look at the roster:
This is Mark Kriegel. The first time I saw his photo I wondered why FOX Sports would give Danny Bonaduce his own column. Kriegel writes the hip, edgy material on FOX. Nothing says hip and edgy like a black and white photo of Keith’s little brother. I’m hoping they can work something out with Susan Dey.
You can just look at this guy and tell he is a football writer. John Czarnecki. The name even fits. "A crushing block on the cornerback by Czarnecki paves the way to another Pitt touchdown!" I think all sports writers should have names that fit their sport. Duncan Ball on hoops, M. T. Seats covers soccer, Hi N. Thite on the baseball beat.
The legend, the man, the myth. Dayn Perry. This photo was taken after his return from the most recent X-Files convention. I suspect Perry is a good southern boy. Down here we pronounce d-a-m-n as "dayum", so I think Dayn is just country for Dan (Day-un).
I picture him writing his column from an apartment above an old store on Main Street in Mobile. It is a Tennessee Williams type scene. "Day-un, ahm burnin’ up in hyah. Stop typing, the winda fayn has quit workin’ agin. Get in hyah and fix it. The world can wait anuthah ten minutes for your latest brilliant essay on Michael Vick. My daddy sayd you weren’t no Faulkner. We’re nevah leavin’ Mobile are we?"
They should have postponed taking Lee Spencer’s photo. This was made right after she tried to race Pablo Montaya to the last parking space before a NASCAR event. Sure, she’s smiling, but you can still see the fear in her eyes. We see a lot of women like Spencer in North Carolina. Nice, demure, but get them behind the wheel and it’s 0 to 85 mph on I-40 quicker than you can say Earnhardt. Probably has trouble getting insurance.
I like to read Charley Rosen’s articles. As they say up north. "What’s not to like?" The guy looks like he should be playing cards with Oscar Madison and his buddies after work. Remember the line in the Steely Dan song? "I rise when the sun goes down, cover every game in town…" That’s Charley Rosen.
Why would FOX hire the referee the NBA booted to write about basketball? Actually, it isn’t him, it just looks like him. That’s the thing with Randy Hill. This is the whitest white guy in America. Try this test. Walk through Home Depot today and see if you don’t see this guy at least five times. He’ll be there with his wife and 2.3 kids.
Al Strachan writes about hockey. Makes sense, he looks Canadian. Friendly smile, turtle neck sweater. The kind of guy who comes across from Windsor into Detroit and gets his wallet stolen in the first five minutes.
This is Spector. He also covers the NHL for FOX. He’s the guy who met Strachan in a bar in Detroit, stole his wallet, and then bought him a drink with his own money. Probably American, probably wanted by the police under a different name. The Spector alias likely hides a really weak name. Face, it, FOX would never hire Milton Tweed to write about hockey.
Jason Whitlock is a really good writer and deserves a better picture than this. It looks like a cropped image from a security camera in an IHOP at around 3 a.m. Anbody who has called Mike Lupica an "Insecure, mean-spirited busy body." is OK in my book. And deserves a better photo.
And finally, Jay Mohr. The hardest working man in show business.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001542/
If there is an actor’s version of a sweat shop this guy is working in it. You picture his agent getting a call from some Hungarian producer who wants him to do a training film for a widget factory in Klopnick. "Yeah, let me check with Jay (holds phone to one side for three count). He says great. Yeah, we’ll take payment in strudel."
I figure that is the explanation for his blog. "Jay, baby, you want to end up back in Verona at the Ace Hardware. Try the blog thing with FOX. If it doesn’t take off we’ve got an offer from the Pork Institute for you to do the state fair circuit. Something will turn up. Trust me." (Mohr) "OK (heavy sigh) show me the money."
It could be worse. It could be ESPN.
No Comments
Next entries »