Sports and the change of seasons

Sports has become such a major factor in our lives, that for many of us, we judge the changing seasons not so much by the budding of new leaves or the changing color of the leaves in Fall, but instead use markers such as Spring training as a harbinger for the arrival of Spring, or the first regular season NFL games in September as the end of Summer and the beginning of the Fall season. In indicates just how much Sports have become a fixture in our culture, and there is now a sport for all seasons and for all fans.

Do NFL or NHL players make for the better interview?

A local Pittsburgh sportscaster was asked recently who made for a better locker room interview, NFL football or NHL hockey players? Without hesitation, he stated that hockey players by far made for the more intelligent and interesting interviews. Having listened to many football players after the game giving their analysis with a hundred or so "you know" in the course of a five minute interview, I would tend to agree that hockey players in general conduct themselves in a more dignified manner than many NFL players. While players such as Peyton Manning are a credit to the game they play and always seem to conduct themselves with respect and dignity, many other NFL players bring the ghetto culture and lingo to the sport, and I usually find myself turning the game off as soon as it is finished.

Baseball...Great for Insomniacs

Sports and Culture

It's that time of the year for America's "pastime" to once again take its place in the "Baseball, Apple Pie, and Chevrolet" part of American culture. Unfortunately, it looks as if only Apple Pie is going strong as Chevrolet is on the ropes and baseball seems to keep losing it's hold on Americans to NFL football, Nascar and other sports. While much of the fault lies in the marketing of Major League baseball, it also seems that the game is out of step these days with the fast paced American culture that seems to prefer the excitement of constant action and movement. Baseball they say is more of a thinking man's game, but I find that the game is so slow that it tends to put the thinking processes to sleep. It seems that all I have to do is sit down in my recliner, put the game on, and within a few minutes my head is nodding and I'm in la-la land. It's just that I prefer a sporting event that has more action and excitement as opposed to listening to an announcer speak as if he were describing a golf tournament. But on the flip side, for all those having trouble sleeping, throw away those sleeping aids and put on a major league baseball game, it will do wonders for your insomnia.

Hockey Talk
Washington Capitals Hockey

Rugby and Other Things Less Understood

Sports and Culture

I remember seeing a Rugby match for the first time down in Norfolk, Virginia. I was visiting my brother who happened to be in the Navy at the time, and as he was busy, I decided to take a walk in the park that was nearby. I happened to notice a bunch of burly guys playing a game that was unlike anything that I had seen before. Although it was a little like soccer, and somewhat like American football, it was something foreign to me. I stood there for about an hour watching and trying to figure out how the game was played. I never did quite get it. Later on I realized that part of the problem I had understanding it was that I was trying to relate it to games that I had played and understood like American football and soccer. Rugby has it own rules and culture. That's part of the reason people who didn't grow up playing a particular sport, don't understand it, and since it makes no sense, never really "get it". It's like one of my favorite sports; Ice Hockey. While the game and rules seem very simple to me, I've had people say to me, "why do they stop skating all of a sudden", or "why did the ref blow the whistle"? They have no understanding of "icing", or "offsides" and therefore the game makes no sense. While there is no one sport that is participated in by all cultures, it is nevertheless interesting how the various sports have developed, and makes one wonder what kind of new games that future generations will be playing? How about Rugby on skates?

Washington Capitals Hockey
Hockey Talk

Professional Athletes As Role Models

Sports and Culture

I've known for quite a while that there's no corollary between athletic ability, character and maturity. In fact, when watching some of the antics of professional athletes it often seems as if we're watching overgrown children instead of mature adults. There are many reasons for this but much of it has to with the culture from where the athletes come from. The truth is that many of the players that make up the rosters of NFL and NBA teams comes from inner city thug like environments where many would probably be in jail or dead if not for their exceptional athletic ability. In many ways, sports is just a reflection of a society that becomes more coarser all the time. Expecting professional athletes that in many cases come from harsh unforgiving segments of society to act like gentlemen is like "trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear". I remember growing up in a different era and following athletes like 'Brooks Robinson', a classy guy if there ever was one. But this is a different world we live in today and that includes the world of professional sports and the athletes that play the game.

Wide World of Sports

Before there was cable and ESPN, there was a program that used to come on every Saturday called ABC's Wide World of Sports that would feature sports and sport like activities from around the world. Some of the things I first remember seeing on Wide World of Sports programs were things like barrel jumping, demolition derby, rugby and many other unique activities that I couldn't begin to put a name on. Wide World of Sports was a precursor to all the Sports channels that you have on today, and featured more than just unique sports but revealed many things about the different cultures as well. One thing that anyone who has ever watched the show can recall is the opening part of the show where they would feature clips from past events and would always have the commentary, "the thrill of victory, and agony of defeat". The pictures they used to show both sides of competitive sports were dramatic enough that I can still recall every detail of the skier wiping out on the slopes. I just hope the skier in the clip got a dollar for every time that scene was shown. It would help ease the pain of knowing that it's what the world or least his skiing buddies will always remember him for.

Spring and Baseball

It's that time of the year again in this part of the world where the cycle of life begins anew as plants start to grow, birds build nests, and baseball returns. Opening Day is one of those rituals that a large part of the American population participates in, in various ways. For some, it means taking the day off from work(for those lucky enough to still be employed), and for others it's listening to the game on the radio, or watching it on T.V. Baseball is a reflection of life in that "hope springs eternal" and in theory every team has the same chance on Opening Day as the next team as they are all starting off on an equal footing, or so it seems. But just as there are no two children in life that have the same opportunities when they are thrust into the world, it's the same in the world of professional baseball as the big money teams like the Yankee's and the Red Sox have usually acquired the best free agents available in the offseason for another run at the World Series. Although baseball isn't followed with the same fervor as in previous generations, it still has its place, and Opening Day is one of those special moments that like the return of Robins in the Spring we can count upon, and look forward to. Game on!

Collecting Baseball Cards

When I was a child, most of us were into collecting baseball cards. We would spend much of our allowance trying to get all of the cards and since each pack that you bought had different cards, you would wind up with numerous duplicates before getting the 'star' players. Sadly for most of us, our baseball card collection went by the wayside when we became teenagers and discovered other things... like girls. However, I do have a friend who's mother was wise enough to put his cards in a green garbage bag and there they sat in the closet for many years until my friend rediscovered them years later as an adult. Several of those cards are now worth a good bit of money, like the two Pete Rose cards that he possesses.

While there will always be a market for Sports Memorabalia, mass production will most likely keep a lid on the appreciation value of most of the cards printed today. The one's that will become valuable will be the 'limited editions'(if there is such a thing)and the cards that are put out in small circulation due to errors or some other variable like the one with Billy Ripken and his baseball bat with the writing on the end referring to 'Richard Head'. The Orioles once had a player named Dick Hall but he was from the sixties so I don't believe he had that Dick in mind.

Just What Constitutes An Athlete?

I heard two friends talking the other day at the local watering
hole and one was passionately arguing that Nascar drivers aren't 'real' athletes. Now I'm not a Nascar person but I've got to say that anyone that can endure the grueling schedule of nine months of racing every weekend at speeds of 200 miles an hour for several hours at a time, has my respect and admiration and to me certainly qualifies as an athlete.

It seems that many of us have the sterotypical idea of an athlete; someone who plays a game involving a lot of physical contact and/or requires individuals to have an 'athlete's' physique. I tend to take a different approach toward what constitutes an athlete. How about jockeys, who may only weigh about 100 pounds and who race animals several times their size as fast as possible. Are NBA or NFL players really any more of an athlete than these guys and girls?

Is it simply a matter of some sports being more 'athletic' than others?

I believe that some of us need to take a broader perspective when considering what makes a sport a sport, and just who is and isn't an athlete.

The Real National Pastime?

I talked to a friend at work yesterday, and he excitedly told me that he had purchased a couple of 'PSL's' at the 'M and T Bank' Stadium, the home of the Baltimore Ravens for the tidy sum of $5,000 dollars. Then he told me that is also has to shell out another thousand or so for the privilege of being able to sit in the seats that he just purchased for 5 Grand to be able to watch the eight regular season games plus a couple of exhibition games that the team has scheduled this year.

What's amazing to me is that Jim is not some high flying businesssman, attorney or some professional who makes boatloads of money, but just a regular working class guy that probably makes about $15 bucks an hour at most. With his wife having just recently given birth to their first child, I was contemplating as to how he justify spending that kind of money on something that wasn't a necessity, and from all appearances something that he probably couldn't afford.

The thing is, there is such a demand for NFL football tickets at this time that teams like the Ravens can get away with charging these huge fees and people are standing in line waiting for someone else to sell their PSL's so that they can then see their favorite team do their thing on Sundays.

While baseball may lay claim to being the 'national pastime', with fans willing to shell out hundreds and thousands of dollars to be a part of these 'sporting' events, it's apparant that NFL football along with possibly Nascar have become the real chosen pastimes of the majority of sports fans in America today, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

Young Guns

It seems as if we're seeing 'Superstars' at younger ages in professional sports these days. In hockey, you have Sidney Crosby coming into the league and having a huge impact at the age of 18. Alexander Ovechkin was only 19 when he started with the Washington Capitals and he too had an immediate impact in the league. In fact, there are a couple of players in the NHL who are only 17! With Major League baseball, you have the same thing going on with the young Latin players coming into the league as teenagers. With professional football and basketball, you don't see many players starting at such a young age mainly I believe because of the highly profitable NCAA programs in these sports which provides a huge incentive to keep talented athletes in these schools for four years. Is it any wonder that you have athletes being bribed with all sorts of cash inducements?

The other reason that you see such young superstars playing professionally these days is because of the vast network of scouting agents that cover the entire globe and discover budding superstars when they're practically just out of diapers. They get these youngsters signed as early as they can so they can start playing and provide huge returns for the team that they represent.

Fishheads

Sports apparel is a multi-billion dollar business. From shoes, jerseys, jackets, banners, etc.; people are willing to spend 'mucho dinaro' to show their support for the team. Nike for instance sells shoes that start at $90 and ranges up close to $300? For tennis shoes? Back in my day, the 'cool' thing was wearing a pair of 'Jack Purcell' tenna shoes. White was ok, but if you had purple, you were really cool. I usually wore 'fishheads' which was a cheap version of J.P.'s. I usually tried to customize them to make them look like Jack Purcell's but it didn't take long for a kid to holler, "Bill's wearing fishheads". This ignominy was perhaps the origin of my childhood inferiority complex. By the way, J.P.'s sold for $9.95.

Tennis Babes

I see where Sports commentator Roger Rasheed got himself in trouble for making some flattering comments about Venus William's butt. What is it today with people getting offended over anything and everything? It's not like he said she had a fat nasty butt, he was complimenting her. There's just too many people waiting to excoriate someone else for every comment that they think is 'out of line'. The fact is, Venus is put together very well. In fact, most of the women on the Professional Tennis circuit are hot. It's not like they try to hide it. In fact, some like Anna Kournikova have cashed in on her physical attributes. I say admire beauty in all its shapes and forms, and if that happens to be the recognition of a beautiful posterior, what's the problem?



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Letting the Captains Off the Hook

I watched some clips of testimony of Selig and Fehr at the ongoing Mitchell Steroid investigation and it's insightful how the individuals who are ultimately responsible for the conduct of its employee's; that being Selig, Fehr and the owners, are let off the hook relatively unscathed while the players are being held to the fire. While I don't have a lot of sympathy for the players who have been using the Performance Enhancing drugs and lying about it, shouldn't the Commissioner of Baseball and the Executive Director of the Players Association be held to account as well? At the least, one would think that the owners would demand the resignation of Selig to give the appearance of caring about the business that they are involved with.

Perhaps it's just the reflection of society at large that the individuals who are at the top of the food chain seldom get punished for their laspes but pass the responsiblity on to the people who are further down on the totem pole. As the saying goes, 'it rolls downhill'. It reminds me of a company I once worked for that was fined a couple of hundred million dollars for Medicare reimbursement violations. As part of the settlement with the government, the company agreed to have ALL of it's employees sit through numerous meetings and discussions about ethics and proper conduct of it's employees; never mind the fact that the drivers, janitors and other lowly employees had no access or means to bring about violations of the law, it was the 'We're Guilty, So We Are Going to Make YOU Pay' mentality.

Peyton Manning...Sports Advertising Icon?

I saw Peyton and his brother's new commercial on T.V. during the playoffs Sunday. Peyton has been all over the T.V. this football season. To the victors go the spoils, and lots of advertising money. It seems that winning the big game is just the beginning of the payoff for some athletes. Usually, the athlete's popularity lasts about as long as it takes to crown a new champion. However, there are a few athletes who are able to maintain their advertising viability long past their career. In Baltimore, Cal Ripken Jr. is seen and heard everywhere. During baseball season, you'll find him pitching everything from Comcast High Speed Internet to Esskay Hot Dogs. Cal is a Sports legend, and has the rare ingredients that give him long term viability and appeal for advertisers. I believe Peyton has the same qualities as well. What these rare individuals bring to the world of Sports is a sense of wholesomeness and integrity. In short, advertisers aren't likely to regret spending millions of dollars branding an athlete to their product; unlike a couple of Michael's we're all aware of.


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The Thug Mentality

One of the biggest changes that I've observed in Sports is the thug mentality that permeates much of the Sports world today. The N.F.L., commonly referred to by many as the National Felony League, usually contributes a couple of its finest to the American Penal System each year. The N.B.A. is another sport that counts several offenders among its roster. However, it's not just the Pro's; you see the same types of behavior occuring in College Sports and at other levels as well. Some of what you see going on can possibly be attributed to the fact that the behavior of athletes is just a reflection of the degrading of the American culture. However, I would contend that another aspect that contributes to the crimimal element in Sports is that many of the rosters of teams today consist of individuals that come from a background of thuggery. It's likely that if not for their exceptional athletic ability, many of the athletes playing sports would be in jail or worse.

Rooting for the Underdog

Watching the NFL playoffs today, I saw my favorite team; the Indianapolis Colts get upset by the San Diego Chargers. Later on, the Cowboys were also upset by the underdog N.Y. Giants. In sports, I believe there's a natural tendency to root for the 'underdog', except perhaps when it's your team playing the underdog. Even though I was rooting for the Colts, I wasn't terribly upset about the Chargers winning. They were expected to lose, and after they lost both their star running back and starting quarterback during the game, it was a foregone conclusion that their chances of winning went from slim to none. Amazingly, the backup quarterback for the Chargers engineered a drive and they hung on to win the game.

Many of us can relate to the underdog. Whether it's the U.S. Hockey Team at Lake Placid, the New York Jets upsetting the Baltimore Colts or Rocky Balboa beating Apollo Creed, it's hard not to cheer for the underdog.

NCAA Football..Why the Same Teams Win Every Year

Ultimate Fighting

Flipping through the channels yesterday, I came upon a station that had a show on called 'Ultimate Fighting'. Billed as an exhibition of mixed martial arts, it consists of people who willingly get into a ring and proceed to beat the living crap out of each other. Unlike some other 'sports' such as Professional Wrestling, this stuff is for real. While most fighters display a level of expertise with the various martial arts, some of the matches amount to a regulated street fight where anything goes except for a few things like biting, eye gouging,and head butting. The fight only ends when one person gets knocked out, submits, or the two fighters manage to go the distance. While this type of sport isn't for everyone, it has amassed a rather large following, with numerous Pay Per View events, and seems like it will continue to grow.


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Playing Football With Crazy Albert

Thinking of football today reminds me of a guy in the neighborhood named Albert Eye. Albert was, as they say, a 'mentally challenged' fellow that lived with his grandparents. There were all sorts of rumors as to why he was a bit slow, with the prevailing one being that when he was a child his mother had overdosed him on some kind of medication. Whatever the case, Albert had his strange ways including settting up plastic soldiers in his yard and having battles with the two armies by throwing dirtballs and things at the plastic figures. This wouldn't have been unusual for those times but Albert was about 20 or so when he was doing this.



Every so often we would get together and play tackle football up at Holy Cross Church yard. Every once in a while Albert would tag along with his next door neighborhood Stu and would get drafted by one of the sides whenever we were a man short. Albert was a strong young man, and had one arm that was useless and would hang by his side in a twisted position. His other arm however was like the arm of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime.

The thing about Albert was he didn't really understand the rules. Whenever they would hand him the ball, he would run and several of us would pile on him and tackle him, but he would get up and start running again. We had to keep telling him to stop, that the play was over.

There was a particular pattern to games involving Albert. While we would start off playing a normal game of tackle football, before long we would be shoving Albert into the Holly bushes, and tackling him even when he didn't have the ball. Before long, Albert would sort of figure out what was going on, and get angry and would challenge someone to a different kind of game. Fortunately, his neighbor Stu was there to calm him down and take him home with him.

The thing I remember about Albert is that he didn't hold a grudge. This was probably because like a goldfish he had a memory span of about 3 seconds. Whatever the case, we were glad that Albert didn't remember the football games when we would run into him alone.

Sports...Losing the Big One

Watching Ohio State lose for the second year in a row in a NCAA Championship Football game brings to mind the sad legacy that teams that lose the big one leave behind. The accomplishment of having made it to the championship game two years in a row is soon forgotton, and what's remembered instead is the fact that they couldn't get it done, that they 'choked' and were losers. The truth is that teams such as Ohio State had to win many 'big' games to put themselves in a postion to win it all. Unfortunately, what is often remembered is not the victories leading to the big game, but the sting of the loss instead.

The Buffalo Bills were in the Super Bowl 4 years in a row in the early 90's; an amazing accomplishment. However, because they lost all 4 Super Bowls, they are hardly mentioned when people talk about the greatest teams of all time. If they had instead won a couple of those games they would have no doubt been considered one of the greatest NFL football teams of all time. The Minnesota Vikings are another team that made it to the Super Bowl 4 times, and lost all 4. In baseball, you have the Atlanta Braves, a team that won the division ten years in a row! Sadly for their legacy, they only managed to win the World Series one time, and their accomplishment is overshadowed by their failures.

It's ironic how a 'winner' quickly becomes a 'loser' if they don't win the big one. These teams deserve a better fate, but to the winners go the spoils, and to the other team ignominy.