The Sports Rumors

Fascination With Disaster

I have a nine year old cousin who is in the fourth grade. A few months ago, before summer vacation began, she came to my office to visit and was telling me about her class project. They had to come up with three professions that they would want to be when they grew up. This made me think about when I was a kid and wanted to be a football player and a basketball player, at the same time. I also wanted to be a meteorologist but that was because the weather guy on the news was “cool” at the time and I wanted to be like him; we don’t need to talk about that. The point I’m getting at is as kids, we have such huge aspirations of what we want to be and what we’re going to do with our lives. Then you hit your twenties or your thirties and you realize that those dreams will never come true. You realize that you’re going to be an average, above average, or maybe even a little better than that, 9-5 Monday through Friday worker. You’re going to have two kids and a dog and that will be your life.

You flip on ESPN and you see stories of guys like Pacman Jones, who was throwing $81,000 in cash one night at a strip club. $81,000 is almost double the average salary in most states. You see guys like Vick, who have $130 million dollar contracts, now facing jail time and no football career all together. I’d say 98% of us will never seen $50 million in front of us, let alone $130 million. You turn on the entertainment channel and see stories about Britney Spears who had it all, but now is a 24/7 train wreck. You watch Lindsay Lohan throwing her life and her riches away at the age of 21. Then you think, ‘If I were in that person’s shoes, I’d have the greatest life ever. I would never mess up the way these idiots are throwing their life-lottery-ticket away.’ Soon, your thoughts turn to anger and frustration. You’re frustrated because these people, these stars, are living your dream and ruining it. That was supposed to be you scoring 81 points in a single game. That was supposed to be you diving over 250 pound men for a touchdown. That was supposed to be you, but it isn’t.

Our fascination, and almost addiction with troubled athletes and stars isn’t because the media bombards us with 24/7 coverage. We are provided that coverage because we want to see it. I just went on espn.com at 9:48AM Eastern Time and the number one topic commented on was Vick, with over 4,000 comments. Number ten is no other than Pacman Jones, even though it’s been over a month since he’s been suspended from the league. We want to see these stories, we want to read about these stories, and we want to talk about these stories. In a way, it appeases us by saying “Ha ha, you had it all but guess what buddy? Now you’re back in reality. Have fun in jail.”

I spoke in length with a close friend of mine, with a psychology degree from a prestigious university, about our attraction and appeal to watching and commenting on the “lives gone wrong” of celebrities and athletes. “Cliques” are formed by people associating with others who have similar traits or characteristics as themselves. You want to be around those who are like you because it helps reinforce whatever it is you’re doing. Stuck up cheerleaders stick together. Angry goth kids stick together. Math geeks stick together. Alcoholics make friends at the bars so that they feel like they aren’t alone; so that what they are doing is justified because Tom and Nancy are doing it also. Now parlay that into sports. Have you ever noticed that once a few people start bashing an athlete, the snowball effect takes its course? People who know nothing about Barry Bonds’ attitude or the game of baseball hate him. Why? Because they hear about it all the time and everyone else hates him. People who know nothing about Kobe’s trial hated him and presumed him guilty. Why? Because Bill O’Reilly and everyone with a voice on a TV or radio was presuming him guilty.

Why are we so interested in watching train wrecks and celebs throwing their lives away? Because without knowing it, it makes us feel better as individuals. It makes that 9-5 job not so bad anymore. Things could be worse and you could be going to jail, but you’re not. It makes us feel like, “Okay, he was living my dream but he screwed up and now its over for him. I still have my life. I win.” If some random John Smith from Alabama was the leader of a dog fighting ring and was facing two or three years in prison, we wouldn’t give a crap. Just like Vick, he’d still be facing jail time and animals were still harmed, but we wouldn’t care as much. The reason is because he wasn’t out there living our dream nor having the opportunities to succeed that we never had; the ones we wished we had. He didn’t fall from the top to the bottom. He just fell from average to gutter.

I’m not saying it’s everyone’s dream to be a star athlete. A lot of you wanted to be doctors and lawyers and all the other prestigious professions; and that’s fine. My point is, the reason we are often so fascinated by watching the tragedies unfold in lives of famous people is because whatever it was we envied about them at some point, is no longer there. We have no more reasons to look up at them and be like “Man, I wish I was Mike Vick. He has it all,” because now, Vick, Lohan, Spears and many others don’t have it all. They have nothing. They are in trouble and we no longer aspire to be them. Now our lives seem to be a lot better. We feel superior. We win. Until another superstar with everything handed to him on a golden plate comes along that is.

Future Bleak for Michael Vick

When this whole saga began, I was a believer of the “Rich people don’t serve time” theory. Well, apparently, I couldn’t have been more wrong about that. Michael Vick is in not just fighting a battle with Goodell to play in the league anymore; he’s fighting to stay out of prison.

News broke late last night that the other two co-defendants are also entering into a plea agreement. This is the worst possible scenario for Vick and his defense, although they had to expect it. Now it’s seemingly going to be three defendants blaming one defendant in a tell-all situation. We still don’t know what the specific evidence is and there is always a chance that something bizarre happens and Vick walks; but that’s a far, far stretch.

Here’s what I know and will share with you. These are federal charges, this is a federal case. So if Vick is sentenced to prison, there is no parole. You have to serve a minimum of 85% of your sentence. It doesn’t matter if you help the feds or not, 85% is the minimum you serve. If Vick had ratted out the other three back in April or May, he would be looking at about 6 months (not taking the 85% into consideration). Now he has two options:

a) Enter a plea bargain and admit to wrongdoing.

b) Take the case to trial with three co-defendants willing to testify against him.

Under option “a”, Vick would be looking at anywhere from a year to two years in prison. If he took the case to trial and went with option “b”, Vick would be looking at serving a minimum of two years. Most likely, it’d be in the ball park of 2 and a half to three years. Now you can do the math and calculate what is 85% of each to get the minimum he’d serve under each scenario but the fact of the matter is, he’s going to jail for a long time if he goes to trial and loses.

There is always the chance that it can go to trial and you have one or two jurors who won’t budge and feel Vick is innocent. But again, the chances of that are extremely slim. Throw in the fact that the judge of this case is a no nonsense kind of guy and you have the makings of a potential disaster for the defense.

I thought that someway, somehow, Vick would escape this dilemma of immense proportions the way he so many times escaped the grasp of 325 pound linemen. But now, the longer this thing goes on, the more it looks like Vick isn’t just fighting to play another snap; he’s fighting for his freedom.

Golf: Remove Any and All Doubt

As I’m sure you’ve read or heard, Tiger Woods won his 13^th career major at Southern Hills yesterday, putting him only 5 away from the mark set by Jack Nicklaus of 18. It is without a doubt, an amazing feat by Tiger to be going at the pace that even he said was unforeseen. I’m not going to go into details about the weekend because you can turn to any other sports website for that information. Instead, I want to throw in my two cents about a topic I heard discussed on Mike and Mike this morning on my way to work.

Josh Elliot and Michael Smith were substituting for Greenberg and Golic this morning and Elliot brought up a very interesting topic; should golfers be subject to steroids testing? ESPN’s Michael Smith, one I agree with the vast majority of the time, said that golfer’s should not be subject to testing because golf isn’t a game about strength, it’s a game about finesse and mental strength. He also said that any testing put into place would be aimed at Tiger Woods because he is the buff, top golfer in the world.

I have to disagree with Smith on this one and here’s why. Though it is true that golf is not a game of pure strength as maybe football is, it still requires physical ability. The golf courses have gotten longer and you have to be able to get the ball to travel the distance for you to have a chance at being competitive. Also, the misconception about steroids is that it only gets you jacked like Barry Bonds or Shawn Merriman. That is false. Steroids also help you heal quicker and keep your body more fine tuned, artificially of course. Golf is a year around sport and anyone who has played the game before knows the toll it can take on your back and your knees. Healing quicker would be an obvious advantage, one in which steroids can provide the aid. Smith also pointed out that the steroids testing would be aimed to make sure Woods is clean. This is true but that’s because whenever you have a star athlete who is so gifted and above anyone else in competition, naturally, doubters will come along. Throw in the fact that Woods is in excellent shape and you have a recipe for intense scrutiny and questioning.

I personally have no suspicions of Tiger Woods being on any type of performance enhancer that would be deemed illegal. I view him as a very competitive person who does whatever he can to stay ahead of the competition and takes care of his body as any superstar athlete should. However, just the fact that in recent months, the topics of steroids has been raised in golf is reason enough to implement the testing. Why leave any doubt in the public’s mind, even if it’s the minority. Tiger Woods will go down as the greatest golfer to ever live. I’m sure he has nothing to hide. Putting a steroids policy in place will do nothing but prove to everyone, once and for all, that Tiger is the best at what he does; without artificial support.

(Needs no caption)

If This Doesn’t Annoy You…

I was reading about Beckham’s game against D.C. United today and I came across this paragraph, which pretty much sums up why I’m so completely, indescribably annoyed with Beckham and the hoopla that surrounds him. This is, word for word, a paragraph describing the game from Si.com:

“The sellout crowd of 46,686 cheered when Beckham stripped off his warmup jacket and T-shirt, displaying his bare chest in a steady rain as he prepared to enter the game in the second half. The three-time World Cup veteran, his hair closely cropped and stubble on his face, then put on his No. 23 jersey and replaced Quavas Kirk in the 72nd minute.”

That sounds more like a description of a Beckham sextape than it does a Beckham soccer game. I’m so irritated right now that I am not going to write anymore, and I’m going to watch preseason football. Here’s the link if you want to read more about his dripping wet body instead of soccer.

The Steroids Era: 1998-August 7th, 2007

The steroids era has officially come to an end. Last night, as Barry Bonds’ 756^th homerun sailed into right centerfield shattering Hank Aaron’s record, it brought along the conclusion of the most damaging time in MLB history. We don’t know the exact figure of how many MLB players were juiced up from the end of the 90’s through 2004. We know how many were caught, but not how many were really using. The fact of the matter is, we never will. Pitchers and hitters both used steroids to better themselves and for the most part, the MLB turned a blind eye and allowed it.

However, it is clear that the poster boy of the entire steroids era was Barry Bonds. He was tagged with the villain figure. The MLB and Bud Selig have done everything, and continue to do everything to isolate Barry Bonds from the game of baseball and make him the scapegoat. Fans and media have also taken a liking to putting the tag on Bonds. Whether it was fair or not, he was given that role because he was the one chasing down the greatest, most hallowed record in sports. The goal of the entire steroid investigation wasn’t to catch every player who had used during the given time period. Stiffer testing policies were put in place to prevent players from using in the future. The goal wasn’t to go after those who used in the past because the MLB knew that if they tried to do that, and even if they were successful in doing so, they would have to suspend over half the league.

Most of players who were juiced up during the past decade simply stopped when the testing got tough, they went back down to their average numbers, and essentially got a free pass. Players like Luis Gonzalez, who out of no where blasted 57 homeruns in 2001 at age 33 (when his previous career high was 31) are back down to their 20 homerun average and free and clear of any trouble. The media doesn’t go after these players though. They go after the big fish. The big fish were Sosa, McGwire, and most importantly, Barry Bonds.

The whole reason MLB went after Bonds so hard was because they knew that if he broke 755, there would be nothing they could do about it. They knew that once that record fell, they could suspend him for life if they wanted, but he would still be the king of homeruns forever. They knew that the all time leader of homeruns would have come from the steroids era. That’s not good for baseball. Having a villain and an accused cheater as the king of all records important is not something baseball could stomach. Well karma is a hell of a craze isn’t it?

Bud Selig and baseball rode Barry Bonds’ curtails to the high ratings, the increased sales, the sold out stadiums, the television contracts. They turned a cheek to all that was going on, all that was wrong with baseball. Well they got what they deserved. Baseball got exactly what it deserved. The record is forever broken and until Arod breaks it down the road, Barry Bonds is king.

Hank Aaron appeared on the video screen with a congratulatory message for Bonds after he broke the record last night. It was unexpected and very surprising to me. I was disappointed at first that Aaron wasn’t going to be a part of the celebration because it’s awkward to break someone’s record, without having them there to pass the crown onto you so to speak. However, Aaron came through with immense class and showed a lot by delivering the congratulations to Bonds. The approval of Aaron meant a ton to Bonds despite what he had said before and I’m sure it changes the views of the public, at least some of them. Hank Aaron’s endorsement means a lot in this equation. It was indeed a great moment.

Bug Selig delivered a message saying that what Bonds accomplished was great, but hinted quite bluntly that there was still an investigation going on. Well guess what? It’s too late. The fans have recognized Bonds as the homerun champion, the media for the most part has, and now it’s time for baseball to drop it and let history be what history is. No matter what happens from here on forward, whether they find something on him and suspend him, whatever happens, Barry Bonds hit 756. No one can take that from him or from history.

As number 756 dropped into the stands of AT&T Park last night shortly before midnight, I came to a realization. I realized that I just saw a huge part of sports history. I also just saw the last big homerun that Barry Bonds, the best player of this generation and one of the best of all time, will ever hit. His final homerun won’t have the excitement and anticipation as 756 did. I’m never going to stay up like a little kid, glued to the TV to see if Barry breaks the next record in line because he is now at the top. He climbed the mountain that a lot of us didn’t think he could conquer at various times during the past five years. Despite everything, all the hate, the negativity, the investigations, the 24/7 media coverage, Bonds overcame it all and now stands alone at the peak. I respect that.

I turned off the TV, got into bed and went to sleep last night knowing that the steroids era was finally over. I went to sleep knowing that I got to witness history; that’s a good feeling.

(It’s all over now. 756 is in the books.)

Retirement Drama

Remember the days when athletes would announce their retirement at the right time? Remember when an athlete said, “This is my last season” and actually meant it? The farewell tours were so much better and more meaningful then. Now, a player retiring doesn’t mean much because people feel he’ll be back in a season, sometimes even less. When a star player used to retire, it was news. Now when a star player talks about retiring, it’s a soap opera.

Take Michael Strahan for example. He couldn’t make up his mind about whether he had enough “passion” to come back for another season at the conclusion of last season. The Giants organization respected him enough to give him the entire summer to think about it. Now we’re into training camp and he still hasn’t decided whether he wants to play or not. The Giants went out and got Simeon Rice to replace him, in the event Strahan retires. What were they supposed to do? Leave a gap at defensive end? I don’t think so. Consequently, Strahan goes on this baby act, whining about how he feels betrayed by the Giants. Meanwhile, reports came out that his agent was guaging teams around the league to see what kind of interest they showed. Apparently, no one was really interested because of his salary. But my point is, he’s checking out other teams while keeping the Giants on hold, and then complains about being betrayed? Give me a break.

I realize that Strahan has been a great defensive end for the Giants and I’m sure he gave them his all when he played. But I can’t stand when old, over the hill athletes feel its their right to take as long as they want to decide what they want to do or whether they have enough “passion” or “love for the game” to come back another season. Brett Favre has tarnished his legacy in my eyes by holding the Packers hostage with his soap opera the past two seasons. Brett has hurt the Packers and stunted their growth and development the past two years more than anything. 20 touchdowns and 29 interceptions followed by 18 touchdowns and 18 interceptions the past two years. That’s not helping your team. You have to learn to let the game go when the game has let you go. I got so sick of turning on the tv or radio and hearing about whether Favre is coming back or retiring. Who the hell really cares at this point? He’s washed up. He’s an average quarterback. That’s it. It’s pretty much the same for Strahan, although he still has a bit more left to give than Favre does.

When an organization gives you an entire summer or offseason to decide what you want to do, be respectful and make a decision in a timely manner. The fact that they gave you that period of time to decide is them showing you the respect you deserve for loyalty. However, when you drag a team into training camp without making a decision, you’ve gone overboard. Doesn’t matter who you are.

(You have to know when to say when)

The Eye of the Storm

Future hall of famer Kevin Garnett finally got traded to the Celtics. The years of discussion about where Garnett should go or how he should demand to be traded are forever in the past. It’s done and over with. No longer can we imagine Kobe lobbing oops to Garnett or Nash and K.G. winning a title together. Two of the most popular superstars in the NBA have been subject of trade rumors all summer. One was quiet about his discontent; the other was loud and forceful about his. The quiet one got moved, the loud one didn’t.

Kobe Bryant has been silent now for the past month. He’s not answering questions about his anger with the Lakers. He’s not posting it on his website. He’s not doing exclusive interviews with Ric Bucher or Stephen A. Right now, Kobe is focused only on USA Basketball, or so it appears.

Obviously, the noise that he made earlier didn’t have the effect that he had hoped. He didn’t get moved and the Lakers didn’t bring anyone else in via a trade. It’s clear now that Garnett was still available to be moved, and the Lakers didn’t go out and get him. Ron Artest was on the block and the Lakers turned that one away. Jermaine O’neal was within reach, the Lakers didn’t want to pull the trigger on that trade either. Instead, they signed Coby Karl and Derrick Fisher. Oh, and of course, most importantly, the Lakers kept Andrew Bynum.

So the Lakers have done nothing of consequence and Kobe Bryant has not made another comment about his situation in the past month, month and a half. Now what? Are we going to go into the start of the season like nothing happened? Is Kobe going to suit up the same way he has for over a decade? Will bygones be bygones and Kobe busts his hump to get a 7^th or 8^th seed in the west, followed by a first round exit due to lack of help? Not a chance.

I don’t think, even for a minute, that Kobe is going to just let this go. You can hate him all you want but you have to give credit where credit is due and when it comes to competitiveness, there is no one more so than Kobe. Jordan and Tiger are on the same level as him, but not higher. This dilemma he is in with the Lakers organization right now isn’t something that he’s going to lose. He’s not going to put up with them not bringing in significant improvements. He’s just not. Kobe is waiting for the summer to conclude. He got a lot of bad press early on and now a lot of that has simmered down. As Ric Bucher pointed out in his column, the Lakers and their lack of action are making Kobe’s case for him without him having to say a word.

Okay they didn’t go out and get K.G. because maybe that would have crippled their future completely. Well, it’s not like they’ve gone out and gotten solid players to help improve the team though. They drafted a point guard last year, drafted one this year, and then signed one as a free agent. I don’t understand what the management in LA is doing but I can understand the frustration that Kobe feels when he sees players like Artest, O’neal, Kidd, Baron Davis, and Gerald Wallace come and go without the Lakers making a move. The Staples Center is going to fill up no matter what as long as #24 is there. He gives them a chance to win any game just like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning due with their respective teams. But in order to advance in the playoffs, Kobe is going to need a lot more than what he’s got. What are the Lakers waiting for?

I still can’t see this feud ending quietly. I don’t see it that way. I am giving this until the second week of September, a little over a month, before we hear from Kobe again, louder than ever. And don’t be surprised if this time, a lot of the same media members who bashed him in May have come around and see his viewpoint. He will have a lot more support this time around and remember, what Kobe wants, Kobe gets.

I wanted to name this article “The Quiet Before the Storm” but then I thought about it and realized that this isn’t the quiet before the storm. The storm started a few weeks after the Finals when Kobe initially came out about all this. Now, we’re in the eye of the storm. The beginning of the summer brought the initial impact, put us all on edge. Now everything is quiet and calm, but it has that feel that there is more to come. It feels like this is just a brief pause in the action, a time for us to gather our thoughts, take a breath, and prepare for part two. It is said that the tail end of a hurricane is often the one that lashes out the most fury, brings about the most destruction. Enjoy the few weeks left in the eye but make no mistake about it: This storm is packed with rage, rage that we will see soon enough.

(”After biting their prey, black mambas leave it to die. “)

Unidentified Shot, Wounded

An unidentified person, first thought to be an NBA player, was shot and wounded at a party thrown at Washington Wizards’ Deshawn Stevenson’s house. The player has not been identified. Several NBA players were said to be at the party.

Here is the link

Vick’s Legal and Football News

Legal News

Michael Vick did not agree to a plea on Friday, despite having a reported deadline of 9:00AM set by the prosecution. This lead to a lot of speculation as the hours past over the weekend that Vick is still considering going to trial, despite the heavy odds against him. However, it is becoming fairly clear now that there are intense negotiations going on between Vick’s defense and the prosecution over the time Vick would have to spend in Federal Prison. Vick had said that he would be willing to do less than a year in prison but that’s as far of a shot as any.

The three co-defendants who pleaded guilty Friday, and a few weeks prior, will all be looking at serving between 12 and 18 months. In most situations, the defendant who is charged with running an entire operation is the one sentenced the longest. That is where the negotiating and deliberating between the two parties seems to come in. Vick could be looking at serving closer to two years, while his defense is trying to get that down closer to the 12 to 18 month sentence that the other three co-defendants are expected to receive. The timetable of an announcement is unclear, however those close to the situation feel like news will break this morning about an a plea agreement.

Implications With the NFL

The days of debating whether Vick should be suspended for an entire season or not are long gone. Now it is a matter of whether he will ever step on the football field again. Many are pushing for Commissioner Roger Goodell to ban Vick from the league for life. Goodell has stayed quiet about the situation and has insisted he is going to wait for some legal news to break before he makes a decision. That decision is expected within the next week.

Suppose Goodell were to allow Vick reentry into the league after his sentence was complete; what then? It still doesn’t look good. Though a few are of the belief that “Somebody will give Vick a chance”, it doesn’t look like that is definite. Any franchise who chooses to acquire Vick when he is cleared to play would have to deal with a public relations disaster. PETA will protest wherever Vick signs and there would be, without a doubt, a lot of disgruntled fans. However those days seem far from now and the league and Vick will cross that bridge when they get there.

To Make Matters Worse

As if things weren’t already bad enough for the Atlanta Falcons and their quarterback situation, D.J. Shockley, the backup quarterback out of the University of Georgia, tore his ACL and is out for the season.

(The walls have caved in on Atlanta Falcons QB, Michael Vick)

Credit Deserved

If you’ve been reading my posts for the past few months, or if you know me in person, it is clear that I am no David Beckham fan. You’ve read or heard me go on about how I think he’s more into his image than he is into playing the game at the MLS level. You’ve heard me ridicule him for not rehabbing fast enough, while choosing to spend time getting his pictures taken with Arod and Jeter instead. You’ve read my posts in which I all but call him a phony and a fraud. I’m not going to quickly jump on the bandwagon and change my opinion of him so fast, but I will give him his due.

This past weekend, he was phenomenal. He scored his first goal against D.C. United in thrilling fashion. It made even me, a Beckham-basher if you want to call me that, say, “Wow, that was a hell of a kick.” He followed up that performance with a three assist game which is an example of his playmaking ability. Three assists in one game is like the equivalent of Jason Kidd’s 20 assist performances. Now before you say, “You ARE jumping on the bandwagon”, let me stop you. I never questioned Beckham’s skill or ability. I questioned his motives, which I still do until proven otherwise. But at least I can bring myself to say that he had a hell of a performance this weekend.

That doesn’t change the fact that I think it’s a little too late. The dog days of summer are all but finished. We are now approaching the two most thrilling months in baseball; September and October. We are halfway through the NFL preseason which can only mean one thing; we’re two games closer to Opening Day 2007. If Beckham had these performances earlier on, say in the end of July early August area, I think he would have had a great chance of drawing in more of the casual sports fans. I think that time has passed. Despite his thrilling “Bend it like Beckham” type goal followed by Steve Nash like assists, the news was thirty five minutes into the Sportscenter broadcast. A rundown of what preceded it? Lots of baseball, lots of NFL preseason, and golf (even though it wasn’t a major weekend). What followed Beckham’s highlights, which lasted all but a minute? WNBA highlights and analysis of their playoff chase. I kid you not. So my point remains that the casual fan won’t be as exposed to the MLS as they could have been. Most people only watch the first 15 minutes of Sportscenter to begin with.

However, on this day, I will put all that aside and give Beckham his props. He did good and good deserves recognition.

(Beckham celebrates after scoring his first goal in the MLS)