NCAA Punishes Ohio State players. Yeah, 10 months from now.

I don’t even know where to begin, other than stating the obvious. The NCAA is a piece of work. There are a million examples, but let’s try and just stick with the mosrecent. Five Ohio State football players were found to have sold various items that they earned and/or were given. This is a clear violation of NCAA rules and the players were punished with a five game suspension. Quite a substantial penalty considering that a regular season consists of 12 games.

Ah, did you catch the fact that I mentioned the regular season? Yeah, that would be because the five Buckeyes will be able to play in the January 4th Sugar Bowl game against Arkansas next month. Yup, the suspension starts next season. As in September of 2011.

Why you ask?  As the famous saying goes, “follow the money”. Tickets are bought, flights are booked, hotels are reserved. How happy do you think those fans would be to find out that the star QB and four other important players would be sitting the game out? And how do you think the conversation would go with Allstate? Yeah, I’m sure the corporate sponsor would be thrilled.

Once again we’re slapped in the face with the cold reality of what major college sports is all about. Money. It’s also interesting to see who gets into this kind of trouble. The guy third on the depth chart at linebacker? I haven’t heard those allegations. I have heard about the Buckeye five. I have heard about Cam Newton. I have heard about Dez Bryant last year. I have heard about Reggie Bush. I have heard about OJ Mayo. It strikes me that there is a common theme here.

It seems to be better players. Why? They have a sense of entitlement. They’ve been pampered and treated as special since they began playing sports. Are they any worse off than anyone else on the team? Don’t have money to go out? Welcome to the world of 95% of college students. Why don’t we hear about backups selling the same items that the star sells? The star thinks he deserves more. He’s special.

I don’t want to get into a discussion of whether or not these kids should be paid. I do think they should but the reality is that they can’t right now. Just because the rule is bad doesn’t mean it can be ignored. If you don’t like it, work to get it changed. But it still needs to be followed. It’s just hard to take these things seriously when the organization that runs things is so hypocritical and messed up. How is it okay for the players to have done something so bad that they are suspended for almost half a season but it’s okay for that suspension to wait? Obviously it’s not.

UConn's Auriemma off base about his team's 89 straight wins.

Last night the UConn women’s basketball team crushed Florida State for their 89^th consecutive win. That’s one more than the previous best streak authored by the UCLA men’s team in the early 70’s. To start this discussion I want to go back to Sunday when it appears that the right side of the bed was blocked and UConn coach Geno Auriemma was forced to get out of bed on the other side. The wrong one.

 Geno was pretty cranky and played the gender card. Saying his team’s accomplishment wasn’t being taken nearly as seriously as it would have been if pulled off  by men.  Am I as interested as I would be if the UConn men won 89 in a row? No I am not. Do I think it would have been more impressive if the UConn men won 89 in a row? Yes, I would.

Do I have to apologize for being sexist? Ok, ok, enough with the questions. I am not going to apologize and in no way am I a sexist. There are two issues here. Interest from fans and perception of the magnitude of the feat. Comparing the women winning 89 in a row to men doing it.

It’s not sexist to realize that women’s sports just don’t have the same appeal as men’s. I’m not interested in Nascar either. It has nothing to do with gender. I like the athleticism and skill of the mens’ game. I just don’t see the same when watching women. That’s not to say that they aren’t great players. And yes, the UConn women could beat a lot of men’s teams. Many pick up teams at the Y. Just not any college teams. It’s foolish to ignore the difference in size, strength and speed between men and women.  There is no way that the UConn women could beat any good high school boys team. The starting frontcourt at my kids high school is 6-10, 6-8, and 6-6. Dajuan Coleman mans the middle at 290 pounds and is one of the top five players nationally in the junior class. How would UConn handle him?

Geno has done an unbelievable Hall of Fame job. Maybe too good. It’s hard to consider the UConn streak as impressive as UCLA’s because of the comparative lack of competition for UConn. Only two of the 89 wins were by single digits. 53 of the wins were by more than 30 points. 89 straight wins is certainly impressive, but it does lose something when there isn’t much of a chance of an upset.  Geno and UConn certainly deserve all the credit in the world for building a program that is so dominant, but there is no doubt in my mind that it lessens the magnitude of the streak.

Should Newton have been allowed to win Heisman? Should his dad have been there?

To no one’s surprise, Cam Newton is the 76^th winner of the Heisman Trophy. No reason to have a discussion about whether or not he deserved to win. Since I’m just a hack sitting in my living room, I don’t have access to inside information. I believe that part of the criteria for voting for the Heisman involves character and integrity. I’m not sure of that. Even so, if voters want to award the trophy to Newton that’s fine.

Let’s address the huge elephant in the room. Should Newton have been declared ineligible? This bizarre story took yet another twist about a week and a half ago when Auburn declared Newton ineligible and then appealed to the NCAA to get a ruling on his eligibility. While it appears that there is no debate about the fact that Cecil Newton did ask Mississippi State for money to sign his son, apparently the NCAA declared Cam Newton eligible since there was no evidence that he knew what his dad had done.

Wow. Let’s start with whether or not we think Cam knew that his dad was pimping him out. This isn’t  a court of law, so don’t worry about innocent until proven guilty. This is the court of public opinion. Ours. While it seems unlikely that a son wouldn’t know that his dad was asking schools for money, I do think it’s possible. However, I find it hard to believe that the NCAA says that the player’s eligibility relies on whether or not he knew what a family member or street agent was doing. They nail someone for giving a kid $20 for a hamburger but it’s okay for a dad to ask for $200K for his son’s signature?

How are we really to know if the kid knew? How is the NCAA really to know? It’s crazy. Not to mention that a Mississippi State assistant coach says that Newton called to apologize for backing out of his verbal commitment to MSU and said that his dad chose Auburn cause the money was too good.

Too much smoke for there not to be fire.  And a bad precedent for the NCAA to set. All that said, as a dad I found it sad that Cecil Newton was not at the Heisman Award ceremony. I hated missing any of my kids’ games, I can’t imagine missing that. Even with everything,  he should have been there to celebrate with Cam.

Never Mind Cam Newton Winning Tomorrow Night. The Heisman has already been awarded.

There’s so much to write about right now. The Albert Haynesworth suspension, the first time evidence that Peyton Manning is human, the Jets failing to walk after so much talk, and of course the Cam Newton controversy.

I don’t want to write about any of that. Nothing negative right now. I need to talk about something positive. Yesterday the William V. Campbell Trophy was awarded. Never heard of it? Me either. And that’s a shame. It’s the academic Heisman.

The winner? DE Sam Acho from Texas. Never mind his on field accomplishments. Sam is a Community Health major with a 3.55 GPA. He has made numerous medical mission trips to Nigeria.

I’m tired of hearing all the negatives in sports all the time. No more Heisman candidates being pimped out. No more Heisman winners thinking his parents living rent free in a great house is ok. No more running backs driving a new car that he claims belongs to his girlfriend. I’m tired of it all. Here’s where you assume I will tell you that while those players I just mentioned will end up in the NFL, the Campbell Trophy finalists will end up benefitting society. While for the most part that is true, guess what? It is possible to do both. Yup, Just ask the 1997 winner. Tennessee’s Peyton Manning. Or the 1999 recipient. Marshall’s Chad Pennington. Or last year’s winner. Florida’s Tim Tebow.

It’s clearly possible for great athletes to be great students and humanitarians at the same time. Shouldn’t we set that as a standard? Let’s let athletes know they are so much more.

It’s important the rest of the field get notice too. I feel like such a slacker:

*OT Anthony Castonza-Boston College: Biochemistry with a 3.45 GPA. Visits children at the Franciscan Hospital for Children and Camp Harbor View in Boston.

*QB Ben Chappell-Indiana: Accounting with a 3.70 GPA. 2010 AFCA Good Works Team. Organized team visits to Riley’s Children’s Hospital and the Boys and Girls Club.

*LB Alex Gross-Columbia: Sociology with a 3.58 GPA. Volunteered at the St. Francis Youth Center, collects for Toys for Tots, and delivers meals to the Padre Pio Homeless Shelter.

*FB-LB Owen Marecic-Stanford: Human Biology with a 3.47 GPA. Donates hair to Locks of Love to benefit cancer patients. Did a cardiothoracic surgery laboratory internship.

*QB Greg McElroy-Alabama: Business Marketing with a 3.83 GPA. Volunteers with Read Across America, Habitat for Humanity, the West Alabama Food Bank, and Hospice of West Alabama.

*LB Mike Mohamed-California: Business with a 3.43 GPA. A Sage Mentor for children in Berkeley and Oakland. Serves meals at a drug rehab center.

*LB Travis Nissley-Bucknell: Mechanical Engineering with a 3.96 GPA. Toys for Tots volunteer and youth football coach.

*RB Isaac Odim-Minnesota-Duluth: Mechanical Engineering with a 3.85 GPA. Vice President of the Tau Delta chapter of the Mortar Board National Honor Society. Corresponding secretary of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society.

*QB Christian Ponder-Florida State: Finance with a 3.73 GPA. One of the ACC’s Top Six for Service Award winners. Volunteers with the United Way, American Cancer Society, Relay for Life, and the Children’s Miracle Network.

*OT Derek Sherrod-Mississippi State: Business with a 3.54 GPA. 4 year member of the student-athlete community service organization. Participated in the Sudduth Elementary School’s Kid’s Fair.

*OT Nate Solder-Colorado: Biology with a 3.51 GPA. Participated in the Read with the Buffs elementary school program. Helped rebuild homes in Italy. Spent time with children in a Guatemalan orphanage.

*OG Chris Stewart-Notre Dame: History with a 3.54 GPA. Currently in Law School. Helped with relief efforts in Haiti. Volunteers at the South Bend Youth Center. Visits local children’s hospitals.

*QB Scott Tolzien-Wisconsin: Consumer Affairs with a 3.50 GPA. 2010 AFCA Good Works Team. Visits elementary schools and has befriended a young cancer patient.

*RB Ben Wartman-St. Thomas(Minn): Finance with a 3.89 GPA. Coordinated the UST Football for Haiti initiative that raised $1500 in four days.

*OG Stefan Wisniewski-Penn State: Secondary Education with a 3.91 GPA. 2010 AFCA Good Works Team. Made two mission trips to the Dominican Republic.

Titan's coach Jeff Fisher vs QB Vince Young: Who will win?

We will get to Vince Young. I promise, I’ve talked about how facing adversity makes us stronger. About my daughter Emily’s 18 month battle to overcome the symptoms of her fourth concussion.  How does the saying go? Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it? Something like that.

That fourth concussion ended Emily’s softball career. I certainly didn’t realize it at the time, but all during that season Emily showed the character that allowed her to beat that last concussion.

Her coach that year was tough. Hanging that season with the parents was interesting as some found him passionate and some found him mean. I heavily leaned on the passionate side.  And it’s not because he didn’t get tough with Emily. There was the throwing of his hat on the ground when she popped an attempted bunt up. And he could be heard yelling “that’s embarrassing” when Emily and the pitcher, Avery, looked at each other and let a pop up drop between home plate and the pitcher’s mound. And the benching when he thought she didn’t get after a wild pitch fast enough.

Ok, we’re getting to Vince Young. Emily’s reaction to Coach Ormond’s passion? She played harder. She played better. She told me after one practice that he complimented her on showing character by playing better and not sulking. “Oh great, now he’ll yell at me all the time”, was her concern. He didn’t.

I am in no way advocating yelling and abuse by youth coaches. But I am advocating holding kids responsible and teaching them to go hard and overcome adversity. Let’s talk about Young now. Young’s unbelievable physical talent has most likely allowed him to skip the whole adversity thing. He has always been the best player and probably by a large margin. And I am willing to bet that his coaches weren’t too quick to criticize uber talented Vince.

Now Vince gets to the NFL and guess what? While very talented, he’s not head and shoulders above everyone anymore. At the first sign of tough times, Vince sulks and shows unbelievable immaturity and lack of accountability. Sunday he acted like a total child. Throwing his equipment in the stands and storming out of the locker room yelling at Coach Jeff Fisher.

Fisher has been the Titan’s coach for 17 years and is one of the best coaches in the NFL.  He is also regarded as a coach who has always gotten along with his players. In other words, if you have issues with Fisher, it’s probably on you. Young was thrown out of the Titan’s practice facility this morning and it certainly looks like Fisher will tell owner Bud Adams that it’s Young or him. Adams apparently loves Young and all Texas players. He holds a grudge against the state because he thinks Houston shafted him, forcing the move to Nashville. Yeah that seems like a good reason to gives baby Vince millions and choose him over a great coach.

We will see how this story plays out. Last year Adams told Fisher to play Young. I think if he does that next season, Fisher will refuse. Adams will then either allow Fisher to have his way, or fire him. At which point Fisher will be unemployed no longer than 30 seconds.

No question where I stand. Goodbye Vince, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Cam Newton: Should he win the Heisman?

Cam Newton. That name is so polarizing right now, with so many angles to the story. “Remember Duke lacrosse!” That comes mostly from the Auburn faithful. From the other side? “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire!”

Innocent until proven guilty? That’s in a court of law, not the court of public opinion. Should we try to get all of the facts and be patient before forming an opinion? Yes, of course.  But people do have every right to form an opinion. Like most situations, only the few people involved really know the indisputable facts. The rest of us have to base an opinion on what we can find out.

Did Cam Newton’s dad, Cecil, tell schools that it would take more than a scholarship to sign his son? I don’t know. Did he specifically ask Mississippi State for between $100-180,000 for Cam to sign to play in Starkville? I don’t know. Did Auburn meet Cecil’s asking price? I don’t know.

All of those are alleged by people supposedly involved in the recruiting of Newton by Mississippi State. Why did this come out now? Because this is when it came out, perhaps planted by a rival SEC school to ruin Auburn’s magical season. If so, well welcome to big boy college football in the conference that looks like old time Chicago politics. And instead of focusing on why now, Auburn nation should be focusing on whether or not it’s true.

Auburn coach Gene Chizik has done a laudable job of trying to deflect from the story. Praising Newton as a model student/athlete. Hmmmm. During two years at Florida, Newton was accused of cheating three different times. He bought a computer at such a great price that the police paid him a visit to ask about it. While they were at the door, Newton threw it out the window. That one is fact. Hearing now that Newton’s decision to leave Florida for a junior college may have been strongly suggested by the administration at Florida.

We don’t know if these things are true. However, when the list of allegations is this long, certainly it’s more than reasonable to have doubts. Clearly things have happened in Cam Newton’s past. Does that mean he has not been a model citizen at Auburn? No, it doesn’t. And if he has been as Chizik has said, that’s great. I admire him turning things around.

But that doesn’t mean that things in the past should be ignored. When we hear now that Vernon Davis of the 49ers violated NCAA rules by giving a player at Maryland $20 and that Hakeem Nicks violated them by treating some North Carolina players to dinner, we laugh at the NCAA for dealing with these which seem so insignificant. But where is the line? If Nicks spending $3300 is okay, then is $5000 ok? $10,000? If buying a kid a burger is ok, how about a steak? Lobster? Suit? House?   Where do we draw the line?

It’s one thing to say the rules stink and to work to change them. Another to say they stink and disregard them. And I don’t think anyone thinks that a father demanding $100-180,000 for his son’s commitment is insignificant. So what should be done? Auburn has clearly decided that they are going to take this magical season as far as it can go and worry about consequences later. They insist Newton is eligible. I can’t blame them. If it comes out later that he wasn’t, well we all know they won those games and maybe a championship, no matter what the NCAA says.

What about the Heisman Trophy? The voters will have to make their decision before any resolution to this. Do they vote for Newton? The NFL Hall of Fame is very clear, only on field performance is to be considered by voters. The Heisman Trophy is not so clear. I believe it talks about integrity. Should a kid be punished solely by allegations? No. However, it’s more than reasonable to look at the body of allegations here and believe that something doesn’t smell right. I wouldn’t vote for Cam Newton.

Sports: Dont be naive

I would worry about dating myself, but that ship has long ago sailed. You know what Virginia, when it comes to sports there just may not be a Santa Claus. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain? ESPN, Twitter, Facebook and the like have made that impossible.

I love sports, I really do. When I was a kid there was one major league baseball game on each week. Saturday at 2pm on NBC. That was it. No nightly highlights and yapping by a panel of a dozen former players, coaches and front office execs. Music and news were the only things on the radio. No sports talk. Al Gore had not yet invented the internet. Old timers will tell you that players played for the love of the game. Unlike the selfish players of today.

Well things change. There was a time that neither women or blacks could vote. Thankfully things do change. Some change is great and some not so much. Generally that’s a matter of opinion.

 There are a multitude of games on every night now. Entire television and radio networks devoted to sports. All of that information has pulled the curtain down and completely exposed the man behind it. We now know everything that goes on in sports. On and off the field of play.

All of that has also greatly increased the interest in sports. That interest has also generated billions of dollars for the sports industry. Yes, I see my beautiful girlfriend Tina rolling her eyes and hating the day that I ruined sports for her by exposing too much.

Sports are not fun and games anymore. Old players played for the love of the game? Well yeah, there was not much else to play for. There was no free agency or arbitration. Once you signed with a team, you were property of that team forever. Even after your contract ran out. It was up to that team to then offer you another or trade you. Ralph Kiner won the NL home run championship and was offered a pay cut. The Pirates’ owner’s explanation? We finished last with you, I’m pretty sure we can do that without you. He either accepted that contract or left baseball.

All of the money filters down and effects every level of sports. Please don’t be naïve and think that college athletes are there to play for the honor of State U. It’s about getting to the next level. That’s starting at about age 10 with jockeying to get on the right travel team.  Then fielding offers from private high schools to convince you to go there instead of the public school whose district you live in.

Then it really gets crazy if you are in the hunt for a Division I scholarship. Did someone really offer Cam Newton’s considerable football skills to Mississippi State for $180,000? I don’t know. Does that happen? Supposedly then Southern Cal basketball coach Tim Floyd’s recruitment of OJ Mayo consisted of Floyd cutting a check to the “street agent” who offered Mayo to USC.

I’m sorry to break it to you, but sports is a huge multi billion dollar industry. It is that because we the sports fans have chosen to make it such. And that’s ok if that’s what you want. But you have to be realistic about it and understand what it is. It is not a bunch of kids playing on a sandlot. It’s an industry and to the people involved it’s their profession, which they take very seriously. Don’t for one second think that the old players would have been any different than today’s if they had the same financial opportunities available to them. It’s a completely different world. Accept it.

   

Yankees Mickey Mantle: superstar. Joe Pepitone: not. Randy Moss:?

Mickey Mantle. Joe Pepitone. Two players on the NY Yankees in the early to mid 60’s. They roomed together one spring training and were not known for early bed times. One very late night led to the two waking up very late, with a spring training game scheduled that morning. Mantle, with a lot of experience in these matters, arranged for a limo and the two arrived in style at the field. Well, until the door opened and the two stumbled out, falling on the ground as they tried to dress.

What happened next you ask? Mantle got the day off, dozing his hang over off on the bench. Pepitone? Yeah, not so much. A full nine innings in the hot sun at first base.  The difference? Mantle hit 536 homeruns in a Hall of Fame career. Pepitone hit 219.

Superstars have always gotten preferential treatment. And this isn’t just in sports. The top sales rep in the company gets away with the same things that get the guy in the mail room fired.

Fast forward to October 29, 2010. A bonding team dinner for the Minnesota Vikings.  Gus Tunicci was probably thrilled to be chosen to cater the weekly dinner for the Vikes. Until Moss sauntered up to the buffet. “What the ****! Who ordered this ****? I wouldn’t feed this ****ing **** to my dog”.

Life is looking at upsides and deciding if they are worth the downsides. In sales being over quota and over budget was accepted. Under quota and over budget? Didn’t go over nearly as well. Successful people get some chips to use, favors to call in.

Did Moss get waived by the Vikings because of his rant showed him to be a complete jerk? No. Moss got waived because his feeble performance on the field didn’t give him enough chips in his pocket to be a complete jerk. Once upon a time his pocket was filled with chips that convinced his employers to look the other way. No chips, no job. Moss found out what it’s like t

SF Giants are band of misfits

A million years ago I played softball. We played once a week and sometimes played in tournaments. The tournament team wasn’t always the same one that played at Cobbs Hill every Monday. We would recruit other players and try to put together more of an all star team.

The Florida Marlins that won the 1997 World Series reminded me of a tournament team. They went out and got established players from other teams. Al Leiter, Bobby Bonilla, Darren Daulton, Gary Sheffield, Kevin Brown, Alex Fernanadez, Moises Alou, and Devon White were some of those that came together for a ring.

Fast forward to 2010. The San Francisco Giants are also a team put together of a lot of parts from other teams. But those parts don’t quite look the same as the ones scooped up by the Marlins.

Pat Burrell and Cody Ross were flat out released before being picked up by the Giants. Ross was the NLCS MVP. And the Marlins didn’t want him. Aubrey Huff wasn’t exactly seen as an All Star and leader while toiling for my pathetic Orioles. Freddy Sanchez was discarded by the Pirates. Juan Uribe, who has done nothing but smack big hits this postseason, let go by the White Sox.

What a motley crew. Certainly the Giants have some pedigree players on their roster with catcher Buster Posey and pitchers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. But look at the significant contributions made by the misfits mentioned above.  It’s crazy. It’s also one of the things I love about the World Series.

You never know who the heroes will be. Will the Giants win the Series? I’m not sure. Texas took Game 3 tonight and certainly could come back and win the ring. Regardless though, the Giants are a fascina

Vikings Coach Childress Rips QB Favre

“It is what it is”. One of my favorite sayings.  I’m also a big believer in the serenity prayer. Paraphrasing: change what you can, accept what you can’t change and have the wisdom to know the difference. Is this easier said than done? Yes it is. All right enough with the sayings already.

After the Packers beat the Vikings last night, Vikes coach Brad Childress forgot his note cards that reminded him of these sayings. He proceeded to go out to the parking lot and not only pull the bus into the press conference to run over Brett Favre, but he backed it up and ran him over again.

Childress talked about Favre’s bad decisions leading to three interceptions, leading to points for the Packers in a game that the Vikings lost 28-24. In other words he criticized Favre for, well quite frankly, for being Favre.  

Gee, Favre made risky decisions that led to interceptions. Really? Brad, have you not been watching the last 20 years? This is and always has been who Favre is. The same Favre that you begged to come and quarterback your team each of the last two years. The same Favre that you allowed to come late to camp each of the last two years.  The one you personally picked up at the airport to bring to camp last year, leaving a team meeting to do so.

You didn’t get stuck with Favre, Brad you asked for him. You got exactly what you asked for. I’m not a Favre fan. I think he is a diva and has held teams hostage. But Childress and the Vikings knew this and decided to accept it. And that’s fine. Just don’t complain when he delivers what you asked for.  

SF Giants' Panda: Sandoval lacking in Fundamentals

If she was watching the NLCS, I know that Allison Herholtz rolled her eyes and heard my voice as she watched the Kung Fu Panda fail to get back and cover third for the Giants in Game 5. So did Avery Share, Claire Simizon, and many other girls who played softball on teams I coached. They remember the freeze drill.

The defense would be set and I would hit the ball out of my hand from the plate. Right before hitting it, I would call out the situation. Where runners were and how many outs. The second the fielder touched the ball I yelled freeze. I then proceeded to go player by player and make sure they were in the right place. Then we did it again. And again. And again.  Rule #1? Every base is always covered.

 If the ball isn’t hit to you, then you get to where you should be. As soon as Halladay’s bunt stayed at home plate, Pablo Sandoval should have sprinted back to third base, Freddy Sanchez to second and Aubrey Huff to first. The second they realized the ball wasn’t coming to them. I preached it over and over and over again. Even the catcher. My daughter Emily knew to get out of her crouch and stand ready at the plate, even if the bases were empty and the ball was hit on the ground to first.

If I know that. If Allison, Avery, Claire, Emily and all the other girls know that, then how do major league baseball players not? A few years ago I was watching a game and saw the Royals’ Willie Wilson, one of the fastest men to ever play the game, go half way on a fly ball to the outfield. Why do I bring this up? Because Wilson was on THIRD! Trust me, Allison, Avery, Claire, and Emily would all have had their foot planted on the bag waiting for the ball to touch the glove and then would have scored. Wilson? He jogged back to third when it was caught and then stayed put as the throw came in. He could have walked home had he tagged properly.

Why are fundamentals so bad at the major league level? Good question. The obvious answer is that players are rushed and in the majors too soon. I don’t buy that. 12 year old girls know the fundamentals. I think great players are allowed to get away with relying on their overwhelming talent. As the Panda learned, that can cost you.

Ravens' McClain a shining example

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. We learn more in defeat than in victory.  There is no question that being able to deal with adversity makes us all better people.  I’m in Syracuse and an Orange fan. Yet, I was surprised to find out that former Orange, Jameel McClain was the subject of an ESPN Radio interview that dealt with his going from being homeless to going undrafted to now being a starting linebacker on the best defense in the NFL, the 4-1 Baltimore Ravens.

I heard most of the interview and found McClain to be very well spoken and inspirational. He grew up in a rough area of Philadelphia and became the first person from his family to go to college. He was homeless for a year, but never gave up on his dream of going to college and taking football as far as it would take him. He claims that he knew he was headed to the NFL since the day he came out of his mother’s womb.

I feel like such a slacker and whiner. I’ll readily admit that I haven’t faced near the adversity that McClain has or many other people. And as someone in their mid forties, well late forties, OK OK 52 year old, I do struggle with difficult times, feeling sorry for myself. That I have it so rough.  I don’t.  I know that I am blessed.

As a parent, I know that I want my kids to have great lives. Smooth sailing. No problems. Not only is that not reality, I now realize that the difficulties that I want them to avoid, will end up benefitting them if handled properly. My daughter, Emily, is a senior in high school and preparing her college applications. She wrote her essay on how a bad event in her life ended up turning into a positive.

That event was her fourth concussion towards the end of the JV softball season when she was in 9^th grade. She was scheduled to be called up to varsity for the playoffs and then take over as catcher for the next three years.  That concussion ended her career 2 ½ years ago.

Her essay was terrific as she talked about learning to overcome the symptoms of the concussion that lasted a year and a half. How her junior year saw her get back on honor roll and earn induction into the National  Honor Society. That she realizes she can meet any challenge thrown her way in the future.  An amazing lesson that I learned as a parent. While I certainly am not hoping for tough times for my kids. I do realize that the bigger issue is how they are handled. And once they are, they can end up being a positive.

Patriot's Tom Brady: The 199th pick in the draft?

Nature vs nurture. No, this isn’t going to be about raising children, although any tips for dealing with teens would be greatly appreciated.  I’m wondering about the impact of draft position on the success of a player. Last night the Patriots’  Tom Brady became the fastest quarterback to 100 wins by leading New England over Miami in his 131^st career start.

It seems hard to fathom right now, but at Michigan Brady battled Drew Henson for playing time and was generally not considered as good as Henson. The Patriots drafted Brady in the 6^th round. The rest is history and he may very well be the best draft choice of all time. What impact did his draft position have on his professional career?

Last night Brady played pretty late into the game, considering the Patriot’s throttling of the Dolphins. ESPN’s Ron Jaworski commented that Brady told him he virtually gave back up Brian Hoyer no practice reps. He is the Patriot’s quarterback, it’s his team. Not in a bad way.

3 Super Bowl rings, 3 year contract at $18 million per year, gorgeous wife. Sure sounds like a recipe for letting up. Many would. Not Brady. He still has that fire in his belly to succeed.  Can’t coach that. Is it fueled in part by where he was drafted?

It’s an interesting question. Did Lloyd Carr and the Michigan staff not see it? Please explain to me how the NFL experts picked 198 players before Brady in the 2000 draft. It’s amazing to me that Ryan Leaf, Rick Mirer, Akili Smith, Jamarcus Russell and Matt Leinart just to name a few were all drafted in the top ten.  I know that talent comes into play here, but I do wonder if along with a high draft position comes a sense of entitlement. What role does that and a fat contract play in the amount of fire in the belly of a player?

Griese, Singleton, McRae, Perez et al..... What does it mean?

Americans love lists. Rankings. Polls. Well you know what, I came up with a list and I don’t think I’m too fond of it.

It started with Brian Griese. Yeah that got me thinking. Damn, I hate when that happens. Chris Singleton. Brian McRae. Eduardo Perez. TV sports analysts? Oh no, that would be too simple. Brett Boone. Aaron Boone. For all I know, Daniel freaking Boone!

Ok, ok take Daniel Boone off the list. David Bell. Ken Griffey Jr. Jalen Rose. There, I’m done. Well actually I’m not sure, I’ve just given up thinking about anyone else who might make this list.

You know these are all former professional athletes. I guess all baseball players except for Griese and Rose. Not sure what that means.  

Fine, I’ll tell you what it is. I’m really old, that’s what it’s about!! I told you these are former professional athletes. All have retired from their sport. What they have in common is that I remember their fathers playing!

Players that I remember have had their sons play and RETIRE! I know that players “retire” from their sport in their late 30’s and even in their 40’s, but it’s still a shocking realization to come to. It just doesn’t seem possible to me.

How is it possible that my “baby” is 14 and in high school? It’s shocking to see those around you aging, when you don’t think  you are. Fine, I am. I hate lists.

Lakers' Artest now on list of good guys.

I’ve done some things that I could have never predicted I would do. Being on the radio. Getting into sales. Getting into pharmaceutical sales, which I’m quite sure shocked my science teachers. This post has to be added to the list.

Ron Artest has had a tumultuous basketball career. For all of his talents as a player, he has been far more known for his erratic and uncontrollable behavior. Artest has not been high on the list of people you would want your kids to look up to. Until now.

Minutes after the Lakers won the 2010 NBA championship, Artest thanked his therapist. He has since gone public with the fact that he saw a therapist when in middle school to deal with his parents’ divorce. He stopped when funding dried up for the program. Artest embodies two things becoming more and more common among kids. Dealing with divorce and mental illness.

On September 9^th Artest paid a visit to the Eastmont Intermediate School in Montebello, CA.  He spoke to the kids about dealing with issues and making sure that they find someone to talk to. A relative, a friend, a teacher, a counselor. He went with Rep. Grace Napolitano of California who has introduced the Mental Health in Schools Act in the House of Representatives. The Act would provide funding for preventive mental health services in schools.

While it may be getting better, it’s still uncomfortable to talk about and deal with mental illness. While mental illness is a disease like diabetes and high blood pressure, there are no quantifiable tests like taking blood pressure or pulse rates or blood sugar levels. No reading that says this person is depressed or has obsessive compulsive disorder or anxiety. To many that person looks fine but just acts “weird”. After all we all have issues, just suck it up and deal with it.

It’s not that easy, especially for kids. And unlike high blood pressure or diabetes, medicine alone is not the answer. Therapy is critical in the treatment of mental illness. In this age of taking a pill and making everything better, that’s very hard to convince the patient of.

No matter what Artest has done in the past, his stepping up and raising awareness of this issue impresses me. Rumor has it that he is going to auction off his championship ring to raise money to help fund programs in schools for kids to have someone to talk to. Nice job Ron.

Let the other team score? Packers should have.

Herman Edwards said it all. “You play to win the game!” Sometimes that involves going against the norm. Yes, time for my kids to roll their eyes since a story is coming.

When I coached softball we made quite a comeback, taking the lead in the top of the 6^th and final inning. But we were up against a clock and had to be off the field soon. I realized that if the home team didn’t get to bat, the entire inning would be wiped out and we would lose. So I had Avery strike out on purpose to end the inning and let the home team bat. Strike three literally rolled across the plate as Avery sheepishly swung half heartedly. We did end up losing, but it was the right thing to do.

Fast forward to last night and Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy was faced with the same kind of situation that I was years ago. Maybe not exactly, but I just like lumping myself into the same category at McCarthy. With the game tied at 17, the Bears had the ball inside the Packers’ 10 with a little over a minute left. With no clock stoppages, the Bears could run the clock down to 8 seconds left and take the lead with a field goal.

So the question becomes, should the Packers just let the Bears score a touchdown? The Bears would be up by a touchdown but the Packers would have over a minute left to score the tying touchdown and try to win in overtime.  The alternative is to try and stop the Bears and hope that either you can block the field goal or they just miss it. This was a day after the Saint’s Garrett Huntley missed a 29 yard field goal in overtime.

While it seems against everything coaches preach, the decision should have been to let the Bears score. That presented the Packers’ with their best chance to win, which is what Edwards reminded us is the reason you play. What’s interesting is that the Bears continued to run the ball instead of taking a knee. If the Packers’ best chance was for the Bears to score, then it makes sense that the Bears’ best chance was to  not score and let the clock run down before kicking the field goal. Once again Edwards plays a role. It was Edwards who picked up a fumbled hand off and returned it for the winning touchdown when the Giants chose to hand off instead of taking a knee with a lead against the Eagles years ago. The Bears could have fumbled while continuing to run plays.

Jets handling of Braylon Edwards: Interesting discussion

  I’m watching Sunday night’s game between the Jets and the Dolphins. Just watched Braylon Edwards score a long touchdown and do a little dance. Okay, let’s talk about this.

Just in case you don’t know, let’s get all the facts out before we discuss. Edwards was arrested and charged with DUI last Tuesday at 5am. His blood alcohol level was measured at 0.16, twice the legal limit in New York.  Teammates D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Vernon Gholston were with Edwards. The collective bargaining agreement between the players union and the league prohibits the Jets from suspending him or even deactivating him. The Jets decided to not start him and let him play though later in the game.   Jets GM, Mike Tannenbaum, said that the reason Edwards wasn’t starting was because he was out at 5am.

Wow. I want to start with the action of the Jets. Again, they didn’t have the option of not dressing him. That said, no one can force the Jets to play him. What do they do? My first reaction is that he should sit, be taught a lesson. And if he doesn’t learn, maybe others will notice and be deterred. But this is an interesting issue. I know that we can’t totally compare professional sports with other professions. But what if this happened to someone where you work. They got a DUI after hours and didn’t impact any other employees or customers. Would they be punished by your company?  I have to admit that I am not sure of that answer. Those of us who think Edwards should have sat, are we being too harsh just because he is a professional athlete? Should they be held to higher standards? If so, why?

Mike Tannenbaum’s comments are interesting. I don’t think Tannenbaum was minimizing the effect of the alcohol by saying Edwards was benched for being out at 5am. I think he was saying that alcohol or not, Edwards would be benched for being out that late. That doesn’t mean he didn’t care about the alcohol. But I wonder why Ferguson and Gholston weren’t benched then. They were out at 5am also.

Vikings' Favre can't keep it up

I don’t want to ever be accused of being a front runner. Or of piling on. That means that sometimes I will say something early and be proved wrong later. I can live with that. While I may be a Packer fan, I am not a fan that gets attached. I don’t develop relationships with players. So, understand that I don’t care about Brett Favre playing for the Jets or the Vikings or anything like that. It makes no difference to me.

So my thoughts about Favre have nothing to do with my liking the Packers. The discussion about Favre always involves people saying that he should do what he wants and play wherever he wants. I couldn’t  agree any more. Players should play as long as they want to. It’s their decision and they don’t owe anything to fans except their best effort.

What bugs me about Favre is his diva routine.  His comment after the 0-2 start? We haven’t jelled. Really? Perhaps having their quarterback in camp on time would have sped that up a bit. I watched him walking into the stadium this Sunday. He walked like me. Which means he looked old. Slow. Broken down.  Damn, that’s depressing.

I’m getting out in front now to say that I think Favre has run his course. He is a grandfather and I don’t think he can do it again. It’s time for the normal breaking down of the body to begin. He can’t keep skipping camp and showing up like the cavalry. I think it’s going to be a long season for the Vikings and Grandpa.

Yanks' Jeter a cheater?

I’m very black and white. Yes, my girlfriend Tina just rolled her eyes and suggested about a dozen more very’s. Rules are rules and that’s just the way it is. Well, has been. I am realizing that there is a lot of gray in all facets of life. Even sports.

While there certainly are rules in sports, they are generally open to interpretation. A foul is what the ref calls a foul. A strike is what the ump calls a strike.  The beginning of a game is often spent with the players figuring out what the ref/ump is going to call. Then the rest of the game settles in.

So selling the call is part of it. Making sure you jump back at a little contact helps the ref see the foul. Is that cheating? Of course not. Last night the Yankees’ Derek Jeter sold the home plate ump on the fact that he got hit on the wrist by the pitch, when clearly the pitch hit the bat. Cheating? No, no, no.

The decision is the officials’ to make. The official has to take everything into account, even the sales abilities of the players involved. Then they make their call. It always has been and always will be part of sports. Part of life really, These things go on in business all the time. Product managers spinning and manipulating whatever they have to when making their pitch to get more funding from the VP.

Is all of this a bad influence on kids? No.  My daughter was taught to frame pitches as a catcher when she was 10. She picked it up right away. Five years later she was the catcher for a travel team but multiple concussions kept her from ever playing in any tournaments. We went to watch a game and it was painful for her. Her replacement didn’t have a great game. Passed balls, bad throws. At the end of the game my daughter said she couldn’t come watch again. It wasn’t watching the passed balls and bad throws that upset her. She said there were so many pitches that she could have gotten called strikes.   

Saints' Bush gives back his Heisman

One of the cool things about sports is seeing things that I have never seen before. While I’m more excited about seeing spectacular plays on the field, there are also many off the field surprises and firsts. Another one happened today when Reggie Bush announced that he is forfeiting his Heisman Trophy.

Never in the history of the most prestigious award in sports has this happened. This has a lot of different angles. Before discussing Bush’s decision I will go on record as saying that what he did was clearly wrong. What he did clearly made him ineligible to play college football. So I have no problem with the trophy being taken away. Don’t. I know where you’re going. Stop right there. It is not at all the same as OJ and Billy Cannon being allowed to keep their awards. Yes, they broke the law but they won their awards on the field where they were eligible. Awards are for on field performance and not character. Bush shouldn’t have been on the field.   

Let’s deal with Bush giving it back and saying that he wants to work with the Heisman Trust committee on educating student-athletes to help them avoid making the mistakes that he did. Bush made the announcement hours before the committee was to meet and discuss this issue.  Reports are that the committee was going to take the Heisman back from Bush. So the reality is that this was most likely a move by Bush to get ahead of that. To somehow take the high road and look like the good guy.

He wants to work with kids to help them avoid making the same mistakes? They don’t need educating, they just need morals. Knowing right from wrong. This is not a case of a misunderstanding over a nebulous or unfair rule. This is not Ricky Foggie. The former University of Minnesota QB was suspended for taking money from an assistant coach.  Foggie’s grandmother died suddenly and the coach gave him money to fly home for the funeral. Foggie paid the money back a few days later when he returned. Didn’t matter, he was suspended.  That rule has been changed.

Big time athletes today, like Bush, are not naïve. There is no way that Bush was confused and didn’t realize that taking lodging and money from an agent was against the rules. Of course he knew. He and his family just had a sense of entitlement that is so prevalent today. That the rules don’t apply to them. I’m a black and white, right or wrong guy. These kids don’t need any more education, just the impetus to do what’s right.

Eagles trade of McNabb to Redskins: Mistake

I’ll tell you that I am writing this at 8:12pm Sunday, so before the Redskins and Donovan McNabb have played. I know that Andy Reid is an offensive coach and has a great track record, but I am questioning his decision to trade McNabb and go with Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick. By trading McNabb within his division, Reid is clearly saying that he thinks Donovan is washed up.


Yes, I know that it’s only one game and that Vick looked good , but I am going on the record as saying that the Eagles will miss McNabb. Am I biased because of McNabb’s Orange roots? Perhaps. But I do think that McNabb has been a terrific quarterback and still has plenty left in the tank. Will he be influenced by the trade and come out with something to prove? Sure. He’s proud and competitive and will want to show Reid how wrong he was.

Reid’s decision was obviously made because he thought Kolb and Vick would be better than McNabb. It’s easy for me to say that Kolb isn’t ready. That seems obvious after the preseason and certainly after today’s loss to Green Bay.

I’m telling you ahead of time that Michael Vick is not the answer at quarterback . I know he is a sick athlete, no denying that. His spectacular plays are certainly amazing. Let’s see how he does over the course of the season. It’s one thing to make people miss and it’s another to make good decisions and make good throws. Come on Donovan, make me proud.

Boise State beats Virginia Tech: Put them in BCS Championship now?

Ok, so the uniforms on both sides were hideous, but what a start to the college football season. There’s a good chance that Boise State beating Virginia Tech will be the game that shapes the landscape of this whole year. Since Oregon State is really the only challenge to Boise State going undefeated, there’s a strong chance that the Broncos will be in the BCS Championship game.


Is this ok? I don’t think so. I’m a playoff guy. I don’t understand how we determine champions in every sport at every level, except for Division I college football. If Boise State does make it to the BCS Championship game, don’t get upset at them. Be upset with the system that not only allows them to make it, but really gives them an advantage.

This Dungeons and Dragons fantasy way of determining a champ gives Boise State a distinct advantage over teams from the BCS conferences. There is no question that the Broncos are a great program and can compete with anyone in the country. Beating Virginia Tech proves that. I know that if they go 12-0 they will have beaten every team on their schedule and they can only play those that are in front of them. Playing Virginia Tech and Oregon State shows that they are trying to schedule tough games outside of their conference.

But there is no getting around the fact that their conference schedule just doesn’t match the tough schedules played in the BCS conferences. It’s one thing to play Virginia Tech and then a few weeks later Oregon State and yet quite another to play Georgia and then Florida and then Tennessee and then Auburn consecutively. That kind of schedule takes its toll over the course of the season. We see in college basketball that playing such a tough schedule can benefit you come tournament time. But in college football it can end up keeping you out of the “tournament”.

It’s past time to have a playoff to determine the true college football champion. One of the wonderful things about sports is that there is a competition and a winner. Not a vote on a winner, but one determined on the field of play. Otherwise you have gymnastics and figure skating and we’ve all seen how that can work out.

Arizona Cardinals let Matt Leinart go

I have seen a lot. Translated by my kids, I am old. And yet, even though I have seen  certain things over and over again, some still surprise me. Yeah, yeah the Kinel kids would say that just means their dad is incredibly thick.

I’m still fascinated by the concept that some all time great professional athletes were unknowns in college and some college All-Americans can’t make it in the professional ranks. Which brings us to Matt Leinart. Who’d have thunk it? This guy had it all. An amazing college career that included BCS Championships and a Heisman Trophy. He was projected to be the first pick in the draft had he come out after his junior year. Hard to imagine that it’s all gone down hill since.

The Cardinals just released him, letting him go and getting nothing in return. Wow. How could this have happened?  It’s clear now that Leinart greatly benefited from all the talent around him at USC. It wasn’t bad quarterbacking on Saturday with so many players soon to play on Sundays. Once he got to the NFL he was on a team that didn’t blow the other team away in talent.

It’s one thing for me to be surprised by Leinart’s struggles but how did the Cardinals not know?  It just amazes me that so many highly successful college players get drafted early and fail. The list is extensive. Part of the issue with quarterbacks may have to do with them never having to deal with adversity in college. It comes easy to them because of all the talent around them. Once they get to the NFL the talent evens out and they have to gut it out and it’s not easy.

Then again, maybe it’s just because these guys aren’t really that good. Rumor is that the Houston Texans have already contacted Leinart and are the leading candidate to sign him. His old college coach, Pete Carroll, is sitting in Seattle with only Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst on the roster after they just cut JP Losman. If the Seahawks show no interest, what does that tell you?

Dungy,Hershiser,Ripken,Gretzky, and Lafontaine. Some of the good guys we should talk about more.

Football coaches had always been thought of as tough, mean, and uncaring.  Grizzled old men like Woody Hayes.  Young workaholics like John Gruden.  They yelled and cursed a lot and inspired large grown men to act like children.  Like Bob Skoronski, an offensive tackle for the old Green Bay Packers.  One summer night Skoronski took his kids for ice cream. When his coach,  Vince Lombardi,  walked up to the ice cream stand, Skoronski hid his cone behind his back.   Tough, intimidating.  Then along came Tony Dungy.

A kind,  softspoken,  non-cursing man who demonstrated that you don’t have to yell and scream and intimidate to succeed as a coach in the NFL.  I have never seen anyone so universally respected.   Tony epitomizes the concept of someone being a better person than they are a player or coach.  His retirement prompted me to think about Leo Durocher’s adage that nice men finish last. No, they don’t.   His retirement also made me realize how rare such nice people are in professional sports.  And that shouldn’t be.  So I thought and thought and lo and behold guess what I remembered?  That there are nice guys in sports.

I sat in the bleachers at Wrigley Field before a Cubs-Dodgers game and watched Dodgers pitchers Orel Hershisher and Roger McDowell playing catch with the Chicago fans.  As Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda walked by, McDowell grabbed his hat and gave it to a kid in the stands.  Then Hershiser pulled a barrel of balls over and challenged fans in the bleachers to throw a ball into it from their seat.  The first person who could throw a ball into the barrel would get Hershiser’s hat, a bat and Hershiser’s jersey with a $100 bill in the pocket.  And sure enough someone won.

In 1996, the year after Cal Ripken broke the Ironman streak, I was at Fenway before a Sox-Orioles game and watched Ripken spend 45 minutes signing autographs in three different areas of the stadium.  He was like a rock star and did his best to accommodate everyone.  I also watched Eddie Murray and Bobby Bonilla walk by those same fans and refuse to even turn their heads and look at the fans asking for autographs. 

If you aren’t a hockey fan then you may not appreciate just how big Wayne Gretzky was.  He is on the Mt Rushmore of sports icons with Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, and Muhammed Ali.  I watched the press conference after his final game and  watched a Rangers front office person tell the media this would be the last question. Gretzky said no, that was okay, he had time. He did that five times. 

After Pat Lafontaine retired from the NHL, the head of Buffalo’s Children’s Hospital finally told the story of his good deeds. Lafontaine had his own key to the hospital so he could come and go as he pleased away from the media and the cameras.  The hospital would call in the middle of the night asking Lafontaine to come visit a sick child. He always did.

Just a few. We have to realize that not every professional athlete is Pacman Jones or Chad “whatever he wants to be called today”. There are plenty of great stories. We need to talk about them more.

       

NY Jets under Coach Rex Ryan: Boom or Bust?

Under promise and over deliver. That’s a saying that is used quite a bit in sales. Keep the bar low and you’ll easily be able to exceed expectations, thus looking like a hero. I don’t know about you, but I can’t tell you how many movies I have been disappointed in because I expected more than they delivered.




Coaches have learned to take that to a whole different level. No matter who his team is about to play, the coach would warn all who would listen that his team was up against it this week. I can still hear legendary Lou Holtz fretting about “Bill and Mary”. I’m sure that whatever school Lou was coaching at the time was favored by at least three touchdowns over that annual powerhouse, William and Mary College.



Now let’s check in on how NY Jets coach, Rex Ryan, has chosen to handle this part of his job as an NFL coach. Not exactly with the same “better watch out for Bill and Mary” attitude that Lou had. Rex makes no bones about his desire to be front and center with high expectations for his team. He has put the bulls eye smack dab in the middle of the back of everyone in the Jets’ organization. He has said he is there to win championships and wants the Jets to be the team that everyone hates.



It’s an interesting approach. On the one hand, it riles up every team that the Jets play. It produces tons of bulletin board material for the other team and certainly intensifies their focus on beating the team across from them that week, the Jets. On the other hand, it fires his team up. It gives the Jets swagger to know their coach believes in them so strongly.



I’m fascinated to see how this turns out. Do the Jets take that bravado on the field and conquer? Or do they end up like so many of the movies I have been disappointed in? Over promised and under delivered.

Manny Ramirez from Dodgers to White Sox. Really? Shocking.

History repeating itself. Can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Déjà vu all over again. Take a peek behind any of these clichés and you’ll see the dreadlocked head of Manny Ramirez. Well maybe not for much longer since the White Sox have apparently talked to him about cutting his locks. We’ll see how that goes.




Manny being Manny, huh? Not being the sharpest tool in the shed, I am freely admitting that I don’t understand that saying. Bad behavior is excused because that’s who the person is? What he did in leaving Boston was ridiculous. He quit on his team while they were still in the race for the playoffs. There are a lot of things that talent can excuse, I don’t think quitting on your team is one of them.



So, Manny being Manny, here we go again. With the Dodgers still in the playoff race, Manny quit on them. He was sent up to pinch hit with the bases loaded and produced the worst acting performance since Rosanna Arquette in Desperately Seeking Susan. Stop shaking your heads, of course I didn’t really come up with that. But I’m not stupid. Tina is sitting next to me and it’s smart to keep her involved.



One pitch and he got himself thrown out of the game. One stinking pitch. It was so obvious. How could you want him in your clubhouse? Because he won’t pull that for a while. He goes to a new team and initially he isn’t really Manny. He just plays, and no one can deny how great that can be for his new team.



Manny and Ozzie Guillen. Oh that should be quite a show. It will be all lovey dovey for a while, but watch out for that moment that Manny decides he wants out. I’m not sure that Ozzie will be so understanding then.



Ok, I guess if this whole blog relationship with you guys is going to work, I have to fess up. I am totally honest in my writings here, but damn winning is winning. I put a claim in on Manny in my fantasy league. I know, I know.

Let's get this thing started

Talk about an old dog learning new tricks. And a stubborn, old dog. This idea started when my wonderful girlfriend Tina and I paid a visit to Howie Cohen, an old friend. As we reminisced, well as much as we could remember for old guys, Howie pointed out that I should still be involved in sports. If that’s my passion, I should make that a part of my life. Well, since I hadn’t spoken into a microphone since 1984, I had a pretty good idea that the sportscasting idea was dead. Thankfully this old dog has Tina, who suggested that this newfangled internet might offer something that would allow me to satisfy my sports need.




I blogged a little bit at the Sporting News and then Syracuse.com and now have started my very own site. My passion really seems to be the issues in sports, more so than the x’s and o’s. My hope is that you will join in and offer opinions and feedback so we can all have some fun with this.