Listen Up Dummy

This week I sat down for an interview with Rod Issac, a cornerback on our football team. The interview was for the NFL Draft Special TV show I do and it really wasn't anything special. It was on the heels of the combine and I wanted to ask him two main questions: "Does the combine matter?" and "Does your track background help you in drills?" (he's also a sprinter on the MT track team). Of course there were a few other questions thrown in here and there but that's neither here nor there. It was while he was answering these questions though that I found myself, literally jaw open with amazement at what was coming of Rod's mouth. It was nothing that hadn't been said before, but this was stuff you hear from coaches when they get excited and start talking technical babel. Football catch phrases such as "fluidity of the hips" and track terms such as "get out" were flowing out of this ripped young man with a gold grill and tattoos up and down his arms.

Now before you go oh crap he's going with the race card, no I'm not. Yes Rod is black but that's not the stereotype I'm attacking. The young black thug who doesn't care about anything but cars, money, and women is one of the most overused stereotypes in the world but this is a sports blog and I'm not preaching to a bunch of old white guys who can't stand rap and think its killing society, I'm preaching to sports fans. And thus, the stereotype I'd like to destroy is that of the athlete and in particular that of the "dumb football player"

First of all understand something: all stereotypes are there for a reason. Asians are stereotyped as really smart and this is because in most areas of Asia school is much harder than it is here and thus their parents who grew up over there are smarter and the genes and work ethic are passed down. Football players get the opposite rap. Many don't excel in school and simply aren't meant for academia. Fine, I'll give you that. I've met my fair share of dumb football players and other athletes that don't excel in school but to say they're dumb period would be a horrible mistake. Football players process more information on one snap than you'll see your whole day as you twiddle your thumbs in your cubicle. This was easily seen when we did our first demo with Rod and Jeremy Kellem for the draft show. We asked them how they'd defend a certain route. They responded with a very logical answer, depends on what coverage we're in. So being the football "experts" we are we told them go with a Cover 2 man look. Anyone who knows football knows what this is and would probably go OK that makes sense let's do this. Anyone who's plays football like Rod and Jeremy do still have a lot of questions. Instead of asking though they simply explained the 3 or 4 different options they could use, shading the receivers every which way, whether they were expecting run or pass, so on and so forth. This was all stuff I've heard of and seen before but for this to be the logical way some one's brain processed information truly amazed me.

It's no secret that everybody's mind doesn't work the same. Some of us are mathematical geniuses, others can recant history from now until forever, while others are gifted writers who have the power to move and motivate with words. Athletes might not necessarily be great at these things but they have an innate ability to process information quickly and get their bodies to react accordingly. Great athletes take this to the next level and are able to anticipate what is going to happen not only to them but to everyone around them. Most pitchers were more physically gifted than Greg Maddux. He was simply smarter than everyone else. He meticulously studied hitters and knew their every tendency and weakness and thus he was great. Kobe Bryant is not significantly more physically gifted than say, J.R. Smith, but the two players aren't even in the same league because Kobe knows what is going on with all 10 players on the floor at all times before even they do. So the next time you see LeBron James and go it's just not fair, he's not human, you're right. He's one of a kind: 6'9" 265 lbs and brilliant. His ability to read the floor is what makes him an elite player just like Kobe and thus he's next in line.

However, those are pros who have been playing for a long time. You wouldn't expect that from say, a college kid who plays for of all schools Middle Tennessee State in the "glorious" Sun Belt Conference, would you? You obviously haven't met Rod or Jeremy. None of this hit me during the interview, I was too amazed at the depth of what Rod was saying, I had to pay attention or I would've been lost, but the more I think about it the more amazed I am. So the next time that football player in your class doesn't get it remember, it's not cause he's dumb or stupid. It's cause its not something he understands. If you were able to explain biology in a way that related to football they would get it. I know, I once explained competitive inhibitors to a volleyball player in volleyball terms and she aced the test. All of a sudden the topic interested her and thus she got it. Just because someone doesn't think like you doesn't mean they're dumb. And just because someone is an athlete doesn't make them dumb. So big ups to Rod. Thanks for the insight. It was greatly appreciated and it opened my eyes into how much truly goes on on the field on every play.  I have enough insight and have watched and studied sports enough to truly realize that there are no idiots at any elite level of sports, and now I hope you do too.

Sports Are Weird

Sports are unique in oh so many different ways from any other form of business. Where else in the world do the workers (the players) make more than the managers (the coaches and GM's)? And in what other line of work do the managers get fired when the workers don't perform? But with the NBA trade deadline now behind us I would like to examine another quirk of sports: in no other line of business can you get transferred and not have a say in where you move and if you move at all?

Now I realize that people get transferred in business all the time. This occurred recently to a family friend of mine when the business he worked for merged with a Canadian business and thus he and his family now live north of the border. The difference between this situation and sports though is there are no other options. If the Johnsons had wanted to stay in Greenville (where I'm from) they could have. Joe could have taken a job else where with another company doing a similar job. However he liked the company he was with so he stayed and in doing so left. In sports that's not an option. When Shawn Marion was traded to Toronto he couldn't say, "No thanks, I really like the weather here" and stay in Miami to play basketball elsewhere in south Florida. He simply had to pack his bags and head to Toronto.

I'm very torn on whether I'm ok with this or not. On one hand you have the other people involved in this, the players families. Its hard enough for the players to go out on the road and devote endless hours to be the top players in the world while still being a good dad (or mom) at home. In the NFL it's slightly easier because teams are home during the week and only have 8 road game per year. However in the NBA and MLB, players are on the road for 41 and 81 games a year respectively. Add in travel days and off days where the team is just on the road and that's a lot of days away from home. Then there's the aspect we're actually talking about here and that's the trade. If a team trades a player he typically doesn't have warning it's going to happen and if he does he still typically doesn't know where he'll wind up. He can't go and find a house in his new home city, he has to continue playing. Thus the family typically stays in the old city for the time being and the player is now constantly away from his family.

Although that doesn't sit well with me, I'm still OK with the entire trade process for one reason: money. Athletes say it all the time about sports: it's a business. Moves are made for on and off the court reasons and neither one takes in to the account how much nicer the weather is in Miami than Toronto. Professional athletes get paid insane amounts of money and they know when they sign up to make that money that they have to sacrifice a few things, including some family time and stability. And since they agree to that, the concept of a trade is ok with me.

Plain and simple: sports are weird. There is no other business that is operated more in the public eye or any other business that is more accountable to its customers. We as fans love our sports and in turn love our athletes. We just sometimes forget that they're people. People, myself included, say they hate athletes all the time, most of whom we've never met. So let's try to remember that these people are in fact people. And when they get traded they're not merely business objects, they are living, breathing human beings who now must adjust to a new work place, new co-workers, and a new way of doing things. So Shawn Marion, I gotcha. I realize you're human. Oh and if you decide to take a side trip to Montreal, tell the Johnsons I say "Hi."

Mid-Week Blurb: A-Rod

Everyone's been asking for it so here it is: my view on Alex Rodriguez. My "One Big Thing" this week will also be on this situation but from a different angle, check back Friday for that, but for now the baseball side of it. 

To all the cynics: shut up. Plain and simple. I'm listening to Doug Gotlieb right now ripping A-Rod up and down and my question is what more do you want? He admitted to being a moron and breaking the golden rule of not knowing what he put in his body. He could have very easily lied and saved face and said yes I took Testosterone and whatever the other steroid was once in 2003 and got busted. But no, he said I took PED's for a 3 year span from 2001-2003 when I was in Texas because I felt pressure to live up to the world's largest contract.

He's come clean, plain and simple so quit asking for more. You've gotten a satisfactory explanation so now deal with it. Let the man continue his life and his career and quit ripping him for something that happened nearly 6 years ago. He's been clean since then and has passed hundreds of drug tests. During the 2006 WBC he was tested every other day via a blood test and passed every single one. He went from a very very good All-Star player in Seattle to being the highest played and most scrutinized player in baseball and wasn't ready for the spotlight. Is that his fault? Mostly, but he's now realized his mistake and apologized. So now that everybody's gotten they're 2 cents in can we all just shut up and move on? Everyone wants baseball to be pure. It's past will never be and we can't change that so let's simply enjoy the present of baseball, which includes a clean Alex Rodriguez as still arguably its best player, and move on.

There is another angle on this and that is the media's role in this whole debacle and for my thoughts on that come back Friday for the weekly "One Big Thing" post or listen to the show on 88.3 WMTS Saturday from 10-12. The other guys might post their thoughts as well so make sure you check back often.

Craig

Do I Really Wanna Do This?

A lot of people re-acted a lot of different ways to the Sports Illustrated report that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids. Some people had the "here we go again" approach, some people couldn't wait to see what the next development was, while others were disgusted. I was one of the disgusted ones, but not for the same reason as everybody else. Yes, espescially as a Yankees fan I'm dissappointed in Alex Rodriguez because he is supposed to be one of the good guys. He, along with Ken Griffey Jr, Derek Jeter, and others were supposed to be the clean Golden Boys of the steroid era. But no, I wasn't disgusted with Alex Rodriguez. I'm disgusted with Selena Roberts and Sports Illustrated. The test Rodriguez failed, which was in 2003, he only agreed to take (along with the rest of the MLB players who were randomly tested) under the agreement that it was anonymous and the results would never be revealed. The purpose of the test was NOT to find out who was taking steroids but how many people were taking steroids. The survey testing revealed that about 5%, or 104 players, tested positive, including A-rod. But the last part, including A-rod, should have never been known to anybody, and the way the testing was constructed it was very possible that it could have. However with the perjury case against Barry Bonds the names of the players and the codes on the samples were matched up. To me this also should not have happened outside of Bonds test but I am not in place to challenge our governments pursuit of Bonds in its destruction of Balco.

I am in a position however to question the ethics of the sports writers who wrote the report. Here is yet another case where I believe the media has outstepped its bounds. Considering I'm now on two TV shows and a radio show, I now would be kidding myself if I didn't consider myself part of the media, however a small of a part, and I can truly say that when I see something like this happen, a persons trust and more importantly rights greatly violated by reporters who obtain information from sealed court documents, I am ashamed of that. It also makes me think twice about wanting to become a bigger part of it. Now I know my parents read this and no, mom and dad, I'm not changing my major (again) and my career goals haven't changed but it makes me think about some of the bad press the press gets.

The media can do great things like re-unite families, but they can also divide them. The media can also give a person, deserved or not, they're 15 minutes of fame which can also be good or bad. However if you're already famous the media isn't typically going to be your friend. Ask A-Rod even before this when pictures of him with a woman who wasn't his wife (which may or may not have at all been significant) surfaced on the back pages of New York papers. Ok so maybe they don't like A-Rod. If say, you're an Olympic hero or something like that you'd be safe. Oh wait. No you're not. Michael Phelps was having a good time with friends at a college party, friends who are his age mind you, and someone took a picture while he had a bong in his face. This picture would have never surfaced if it wasn't for the immense amount of money the photographer was offered by a British tabloid. Something he thought was private became public.

I understand that athletes are public figures and thus must live their lives to a higher standard while in the public eye. And don't get me wrong, I'm dissappointed in Phelps and I'm dissapointed in A-Rod and since A-Rod is guilty he did the right thing as Phelps did and apologized, explained himself (and in A-Rod's case even elaborated) and begin the process of moving on with his life. However what is private should stay private and that used to be the case. What was said off the record stayed off the record. What was supposed to be anonymous stayed anonymous and what happened in a player's personal life we never found out about unless it somehow effected his play on the field. But this seems to have gone by the way-side. What SI should have said to whoever the mole is in this situation is no thanks, we have a respect for the players involved and we're turning you in because you've violated federal court orders. Now, instead we'll eventually find out all 104 names and Alex Rodriguez's career will be forever tainted. To me he's still a Hall of Famer but that's now at risk because of a snitch and reporters that gave him credibility. In a year where Ed Werder was just as responsible as TO, Jerry Jones, and Tony Romo for the circus in Dallas, America's favorite olympian got turned in for having fun in a private setting, and ESPN has played FBI on more than one occasion (Pacman even admitted they're good detectives) this is just another time that the media has outstepped its bounds.

I'm all for shows such as Dateline that catch criminals in conjunction with law enforcement but when the media decides to play law enforcement, or report on something that has been stolen from law enforcement such as sealed court documents they cross the ethical line. It's a cheap thrill. It's an easy commercial tease. Here: look what we found. Instead I have a suggestion: do some real reporting. Go document a basketball player going to a school for the NBA's Read to Achieve program. Show Michael Phelps when he visits kids around the country and helps them out in the pool. Show the NFL doing work with the United Way. Give me more Roberto Clemente and less Roger Clemens. I'm not saying don't tell us this stuff. If it comes out report on it. That's your job. You're supposed to report, not investigate. And thus I conclude with the wise words of the one and only Dr. Gregory House directed towards the national sports media: "Do your damn job."

Man that guys smart.

It's Official...

Professional officials are supposed to be just as any other professional, the best of the best.  And to be completely honest, for the most part they are.  Yet it seems lately, in some of the largest moments and the biggest ways they've come up short. 

Now before the zebra hunting begins, let me say this.  In order to evaluate officiating you have to be unbiased so here's what I want you to do.  Watch a game where you have absolutely no rooting interest.  The first Big East or Big Ten game on a typical college basketball Saturday will work or for most of you (sadly) any NBA game.  See how much you notice the officiating.  Chances are you won't.  As I said, for the most part they're pretty good.

Yet on the biggest stage in American sports, the men in stripes didn't quite see things that we're black and white.  This year's Super Bowl was poorly officiated throughout and they missed a few calls to me at the end of both halves that could have changed the outcome of the game. 

Here were the big ones:

1. The way I saw it James Harrison's "greatest play in Super Bowl history" was a fantastic 99-yard return.  No his knee didn't hit, Larry Fitzgerald was under him the whole time. But if that's you're argument you aren't very well schooled on the NFL rule book.  The elbow counts just as a knee does and the way I saw it Harrison's elbow hit BEFORE the ball crossed and thus it was no TD.  They also missed an obvious clip on the play that sprung Harrison for a good portion of the run which would've off set the Cardinals penalty on the play and thus I believe either ended the half if there was no time left or given the ball back to the Cards with a repeat of down.
2. On Santonio Holmes amazing game winning touchdown grab he celebrated by doing a reenactment of the Lebron powder throw using the ball as a prop which is automatically a 15 yard penalty.  
3. This leaves chronologically only the final drive.  The kickoff should have been from the 15 because of the Holmes penalty that wasn't called.  Fast forward to the last play where I firmly believe the wrong call was made.  I thought it was the tuck rule meaning it should've been an incomplete that.  So if you add the 15 yards from the Holmes penalty that wasn't with the Farrior penalty on the last play that was and the Cardinals have first and Super Bowl at the 15 yard line with the best jump ball receiver in football in Larry Fitzgerald on the field. 

I'm not saying that the officials cost the Cardinals the game.  If they had figured out a way to cover #10 in black and gold they would have been just fine but they didn't and thus he went to Disney World.  That being said this article isn't about the Black and Gold, it's about the black and white so I digress back to that.

Pro sports are played at an incredible speed and thus officiating them is near impossible.  Yet for the most part referees, umpires, and anyone else who wears an officials uniform do it very well very often.  We want two things from our referees: to be fair and to be consistent.  If we get those two things, win or lose, I think fans will be happy, with the referees anyway.  Fans often blame the refs when its not their fault and to those fans, suck it up and shut up and look to your coaches and more importantly to your players to get it done.  Referees are supposed to call games not decide them and they do.  

It's the old cliche players play and coaches coach with a new twist, refs ref.  So to the players, do your job and play.  To the coaches, do your job and coach.  And to the refs, do your job, ignore the players and coaches and referee fairly and consistently.  I think that's a call we can all agree on.

One Big Thing-1/31/09

Economy+Rays+Cowboys=Manny?

As of now the above equation makes no sense. However you're only through the first two sentences so chill out, relax, and I will explain.

Manny Ramirez, in my mind, is on the short list of the greatest hitters of my time. To me he's top 3 with only Albert Pujols and Barry Bonds (steroids or not) being in his league. I'm not talking top players because none of the above are great 5-tool players (although Bonds was in his prime) but top hitters. They have the combination of amazing power along with the ability to hit for a very high average. Manny showed that he has this power at an ultra elite level this year when he cut the crap, cut his hair, and played baseball hitting .396 with 17 HR in 53 games for the Dodgers this year. Yet despite this incredible ability he doesn't have a job. To me there are 2 reasons for this...and here they are.

1) The Economy

Baseball is not immune to the economic situation. Even the Yankees aren't, cause if they were Manny would be in pinstripes right now. The teams with money have either spent it (Yankees), don't want him (Red Sox, Angels), or are the Dodgers who as the last team left have all the power. If I'm the Dodgers I offer him a 1 year deal with club options for years 2, 3, and 4. This way Manny has to play for his money every year. The Dodgers can afford the $25 million a year price tag that Manny and Scott Boras, his agent, want and they're willing to give it to him, just not for 3 or 4 years. And if you don't have to, then why would you?

2) The Cowboys/Rays factor

The what????? The Cowboys/Rays factor...aka chemistry. Manny was an exceptional teammate in LA, taking young hitters under his wing and raising the level of the entire team. However we all saw what he did in Boston. So how do the Cowboys and Rays fit into it? Easy: The Cowboys were a supremely talented team with supremely poor chemistry; on the other hand the Rays were a fairly talented team with amazing chemistry. The results: The 'Boys miss the playoffs and are re-thinking everything from coach to star WR while the Rays make a World Series run and are poised for a consistent stay in the AL East for years to come. Chemistry is important and thus the Dodgers don't want Manny to turn to bad Boston Manny and ruin the chemistry of their club.

All that being said I think Manny is worth the risk. Joe Torre can control the Man-Ram and thus I think if he won't agree to my "one-year at a time deal" they should offer him a 3-year deal and get him. Manny loves LA and LA loves Manny. It's a match made in heaven. Well it would be if they'd just sign the damn contract...

So for now, we wait. Boras says there are other teams involved. I don't believe him. Either way, Manny will be on someone's roster soon and that team will be very very happy. But the more I think about it, I should've expected all this. After all it's just Boras being Boras, and Manny being Manny.

Craig

Welcome!

Welcome to the Sports Report-Blog edition.  Here you can find the print edition (well, digital print) of Craig's One Big Thing every week as well as any other blurbs the guys want to share. Remember you can always contact the show at mtsportsreport@gmail.com or call in to the show from 10-12 CST on Saturday mornings at 615.898.5051.