Memo to the NHL: Don’t Screw This Up

I’ll be the first to tell you that I wasn’t always the biggest Hockey fan. I will also tell you that one reason for that is because I grew up in Southern California. Not really a place to grow up on Hockey, when you have the Lakers, Dodgers, Angels and at one time two NFL teams.

Another reason is the fact that my father had grown out of it. He grew up on all four major sports in so cal. He is my biggest example of what a lockout/strike whatever you may call can do to a sports fan. 1992 and 1994 is when it started for him in the NHL. In both of those seasons the NHL had labor issues, but they didn’t compare to the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season. By then, my father had already said sayonora to the sport.

Now he was never a die hard fan. He grew up in the neighborhood of the Great Western Forum. The former home of the Lakers and Kings. He’s seen all those great players of the 60s & 70s. It just struck a cord with him seeing the way billionaire owners would argue with millionaire players. You lose interest very quickly. It becomes a business and not just a game.

Just a week earlier before the Gold Medal game, the United States had beaten Canada 4-2. In what many considered a tremendous upset, but in no way a 1980 Lake Placid type upset. It was the first time the USA had beaten Canada in the Olympics since 1960. Fifty years is a long time folks. Now with Canada losing to the US, it didn’t mean the end of the road for them. They just had to win the next three games to play for the gold. They did and what do you know, they had to face the US in a rematch.

The NHL had first allowed its players to participate in the Olympics in 1998 at Nagano, Japan. The US placed 6th and Canada placed 4th. No medals for them. Since then NHL players have been participating in the Winter Olympics without a lot of fanfare. The 2002 games at Salt Lake City, Utah matched the two countries for the gold medal which resulted in a 5-2 victory for the Canadians. Not a lot of excitement, except for Canada.

However this years Olympics were held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Canada was the host country and felt the Gold was there’s by right. Very wrong to believe that. In 2002, the US was already recovering from the terrorist attacks of 9-11 and I don’t remember thinking that we should be given anything. All the athletes representing the US that year earned their medals and never once believed they had a right to them. The Hockey team that year didn’t have the best players, but knew if they played their best, the fans would reward them with their support.

That helped the anti-Canada sentiment this year. Everyone touting them as the winners when the games didn’t even start. The US by most weren’t given a chance to even medal. They proved to everyone that they can play with the best team ever assembled and beat them. It became clear that there are some pretty damn good players born in the US and that it could only help the NHL that they participate in the Olympics from here on out.

I understand the point of seeing youngsters get the opportunity to play because most won’t make it in the NHL. To that point, that’s why they have the World Junior Championships. So that problem is solved. I also get that owners have trouble shutting down their season for two weeks. It’s a burden on traveling, scheduling plus your players possibly getting hurt. I get that. To the point, that’s why the Olympics are only two weeks and come around every four years. If your player gets hurt in the first game back from the Olympics are you gonna blame the games? Injuries are inevitable. To answer traveling and scheduling. Get over it. You’re rich. Don’t cry to me.

These games are proof to me that they need to keep it going the way it is. It only helps the NHL more than it hurts it. The NHL is doing a great thing with the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. This will make your sport grow exponentially. Seeing most of these players on the world stage no less will bring more attention to the last month and a half of the regular season and without a doubt the Stanley Cup Playoffs. How could you look at that in a negative light?

I watched the Gold Medal game with my father in its entirety. From the first drop of the puck to the last shot. He was truly happy to see Hockey again, I just knew it. And on the biggest stage no less. Other than a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, this was the biggest game you could see in the sport. USA and Canada, both rivals, playing for the Gold Medal. My quote to him during the game was this:

“I got you watching the Lakers again, and after this game I’ll get you back watching Hockey again.”

He still says he’ll never watch. But if this does get him back to watching Hockey again, who’s to say it won’t get the novice to tune in for a taste.

So, What’s Next?

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. What was the purpose of that 15 minute confession…er ugh…press conference this past Friday? Was it really a press conference? There were no journalists in sight. Questions weren’t being taken by Tiger. Afterwards his mother was the only one who seemed to truly forgive him. His friends (if they are still) looked uncomfortable to be there. Personally I don’t care about his personal life. I’m not here to dwell on his misfortunes. We all have skeletons in our closets, but we only indulge on his because of who he is. It’s fascinating that a person that was deemed untouchable by the tabloids could partake in so much adultery and keep it quiet for so long. Those knuckle heads critiquing Tiger’s speech gave you biased info. Personal opinions of course, but totally one sided. I neither know Tiger or care about him. Whose a better person to critique him than me?

The Bad

I wrote back on December 3rd of last year about the Thanksgiving incident with his wife Elin and gave my version of the events. By no way were they true, but I felt that you needed to hear a different side to it since he wasn’t telling it himself. That’s where this ultimately began to spiral out of control. Others were telling the story for him. Big mistake. You never want anyone to tell a story for you. They will always miss some of the most important details.

“Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever.”

That’s fine, but what happened? It became a public matter when the police got involved and you destroyed a fire hydrant. Yes it is nothing, but there needs to be an explanation. The police wanted one and you said screw you to them. On top of that, you were barefoot and asleep when they arrived. Answer that one question and most of the sane folks will let this go, move on and forget about it.

“Whatever my wrongdoings, for the sake of my family, please leave my wife and kids alone.”

That went right out the door as soon as you stopped talking. They’ve had a strangle hold on this story right from the jump and won’t let go of it anytime soon. I’m in total agreement that you and anyone else has the right to protect your family from the gutter snipes who patrol the media now a days, but if you don’t grab it first and control it, you will lose 99.9 percent of the time.

The Good

He gets points for finally speaking, but it was 3 months too late. Way too many spoke for him and it has been a train wreck to say the least. However, he seems to have come to grips with his problems and is looking to try and change his ways. He spoke of being selfish, irresponsible, entitled and wrong.

“I recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know above all I am the one who needs to change. I owe it to my family to become a better person.”

It is very hard doing public speaking especially when you are admitting you were wrong. Tiger did the right thing here. Put the focus on you and say that you will change. Whether or not you do is up to you. He will always have those that support him no matter what and those that will never forgive him no matter what. This was a good first step.

“When I do return (to golf), I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game.”

Absolutely he should. My father, who golfs every weekend, respects Tiger’s game, but not the way he conducts himself while playing the game. He’s seen young golfers with talent that slice a ball, hit one in the bunker or hit a bad drive, begin to curse up a storm, swing their club or throw their tee. It doesn’t add anything to the game. Tiger should know that. Yet he had let it get out of hand, but at least he now acknowledges it. Hopefully it will stop because it was getting old. So bad that it was becoming stupid when TV commentators were covering for him.

He seems to have gotten the hint and finally spoke from the heart, but it was clearly written for him. He ultimately signed off it, but most of it was written for him. Whatever happens from here on out will be entirely on him. The things he says he will do to change he’d better do. The things he wants others to change for him will never happen. What’s done is done. You should have grabbed the story before it grabbed you.

NBA Trade Deadline Recap

Very rarely does the trade deadline involve a big name going to a great team. Pau Gasol (2008), Rasheed Wallace (2005) and Dikembe Mutombo (2001) all helped get their new teams to the Finals that very year they were acquired. So much talk goes into the big names that usually they don’t get dealt, but rather the lesser known players with huge expiring contracts get dealt. This year was no different as we’ll focus on three deadline deals. Two of them involving one team (Knicks) and the other that might greatly improve the best team in the East (Cavaliers).

New York Knicks: G Nate Robinson, F Marcus Landry traded to
Boston Celtics: G Eddie House, G J.R. Giddens, F Bill Walker

Rundown: Now Nate Robinson is not a deal breaker by any means, but he does provide scoring off the bench that the Celtics have been lacking this year. They didn’t have to give up anything of value to acquire him other than the expiring contracts of House and Giddens. Landry is a thrown in and won’t amount to anything. Robinson does have some trouble with the team concept, but Doc Rivers will keep that in check plus with Garnett, Pierce and Allen around, they will bring down the hammer if he gets out of line.

Houston Rockets acquire: G Kevin Martin & F Hilton Armstrong from Kings, F Jordan Hill & Jared Jeffries from Knicks
New York Knicks acquire: F Tracy McGrady from Rockets & G Sergio Rodriguez from Kings
Sacramento Kings acquire: F Carl Landry & F Joey Dorsey from Rockets, G Larry Hughes from Knicks

Rundown: A very complex trade by looking at it. All three teams are winners in my opinion. The Kings shed some payroll by letting Martin go and they can now build around G Tyreke Evans. The Knicks get even more cap relief by having McGrady’s contract go off their books after the season, plus they get a motivated McGrady to finish the season. Don’t be surprised if the Knicks finish the year as the eighth seed. The East is that bad. Houston gets a 20 point a night shooting guard in Martin plus a power forward with huge upside in Jordan Hill. Jared Jeffries provides defense which is a given in Houston now. All in all no one loses, but it doesn’t change much in way of seeding for each team.

LA Clippers acquire: F Drew Gooden from Wizards
Washington Wizards acquire: C Zydrunas Ilgauskas from Cavaliers & F Al Thornton from Clippers
Cleveland Cavaliers acquire: F Antawn Jamison from Wizards & G Sebastian Telfair from Clippers

Rundown: The Clippers were a throw in and got one in Gooden. His contract will be bought out and he can sign with a contender. Most likely Dallas who dealt him in the trade for Caron Butler. Washington would like a redo on the season so they have now broken up their big three with this trade. Ilgauskas will be bought out as well and return to Cleveland so all the Cavs had to give up was a first round pick. Al Thornton is a nice pickup for the Wizards, but not a game changer. Cleveland now has a running mate for LeBron and it won’t be a rental. Jamison is locked up for two more years and if LeBron does come back to Cleveland, Jamison is a reliable scorer and matches up well with defending conference champion Orlando.

Super Bowl XLIV Preview

New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts

Breakdown: Saints – We finally got a Super Bowl that puts arguably two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today against each other for the ultimate prize. They also possess two of most potent offenses around. Drew Brees is probably the best free agent acquisition of all time. No one has made this kind of an impact in such short a time for his new team. He has truly found a home where his talents are appreciated and there won’t be any rush to push him out the door. Reggie Bush who came gifted wrapped in the draft has been a disappointment, but has emerged at the right time. Jeremy Shockey, although a loud mouth, is a productive cog in the middle for Brees. Marques Colston is a legitimate number one receiving threat and along with Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson as the deep threats, Brees has many weapons to choose from in the passing game. Pierre Thomas compliments the running game and is a good option to throw to out of the backfield. The Saints defense showed that they can smack you in the mouth the entire game with the performance against Brett Favre. Will Smith leads the defensive line in its attack. They’re not great pass rushers, but are great at stopping the run which can lead to a turnover. Jonathan Vilma leads the linebacking corp that are great in coverage and rarely miss an open field tackle. Darren Sharper is no stranger to the Super Bowl. A rookie in Green Bay’s last appearance on the big stage, he will look to continue to make more big plays against a formidable opponent.

Colts – Peyton Manning is going for his second title and continue to solidify his place in football history. His array of weapons include two receivers with 100 catches on the season in Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. Two of the most reliable pass catchers in the game, they will be counted on to continue with making big plays at key moments. Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie were two relative unknowns until the postseason began. They’ve skyrocketed up the depth chart and are part of the aerial attack that will make almost any receiver a household name. Joseph Addai and Donald Brown will counted on to get at least 5 yards a carry when called upon. The running game has been absent for most of the season, but in the past the Colts have been know to surprise their opponents with a big gain on the ground. Dwight Freeney is going to play. The last game of the year there is no way he is not going to play. Robert Mathis is just as big a problem for the Saints as Freeney. They can both sack the quarterback and the running game for New Orleans. The linebackers and secondary are both small, but fast and can get to the ball with lightning speed. Again like with New Orleans, hardly any missed tackles for this defense.

Prediction: Colts 38 Saints 31

Matchup to watch for: New Orleans offense vs. Indianapolis offense

It will be interesting to see the back and forth between these two explosive offenses.

Is the Super Bowl Overrated?

Is it really happening? A sports fanatic questioning whether or not the Super Bowl matters. I’m not going off or on medication folks. Not quite there, but I am a bit saddened at how this event has played out. The powers that be back in the old AFL and NFL days that started this one game didn’t imagine that it would become the biggest game and event of the world. In those days the NFL had the far superior teams until the third and fourth installments in which the AFL teams won. They both came to an understanding, merged and the rest is history. Now though, you have much more involved than just the game and that bothers me.

Television is one of the greatest inventions of all time. I love it. I also hate it. The love-hate relationship is very obvious in the Super Bowl. You don’t need to be there to appreciate the game. You can relax on the couch with your party trays and enjoy the moments where you are comfortable. Not next to a guy who’s had at least six beers before the game and has another six with his tray of hot dogs, nachos and fixens with all the other yahoos who spent way too much just to be there. To avoid that, I love television.

Why do I hate it? For one, the endless breaks or what they call commercials. I get that it gives you the chance for a bathroom break. That’s what the halftime show is for. The Super Bowl commercials have also lost their sex appeal the last six years or so. I get that you need to see the newest car or have the ones to remind you to fill up your glass with a cold one, but they have lost their creativity in relaying the message. You do rarely get the “Tide Stain” or “Bud Light Lobster” or even a fan made one inspired by Doritos. Something about a giant mouse beating the crap out of a guy for Doritos just says a lot for me. But no, we have to have movie previews, stupid show promos for the network, and the new craze will be 3-D. To quote that creepy Mens Warehouse guy, “I guarantee” 3-D will be the next big thing. I mean if your going to shell out over 2.5 million dollars for the spot, go back to your roots. Funny sells more than shock and awe. They will remember it longer too.

You would think that having two weeks of coverage for a football game would be a dream of mine that has finally come true. Hell no and my kind of dream involves me either playing in the game or calling the game. Who the hell wants to talk about it for two weeks? Well the geniuses in the NFL apparently. Radio row is where all the major sports talk shows descend upon the site city to talk and talk endlessly about the game that will take about three and a half hours of their lives. ESPN and NFL Network have made it their mission to make you not want to watch the game as they talk day after day about Dwight Freeney’s freaking ankle. There hasn’t been this much attention on an ankle since Curt Schilling’s bloody sock (which I still think was ketchup). Analysts are over-analyzing, which they do all the time, but I mean if two weeks isn’t enough. You have to talk about the same stuff for up to six hours the day of the game before kickoff. Thank goodness the Pro Bowl was in between because I would’ve thrown in the towel a lot sooner.

I’m not an expert on the entertainment aspect of the halftime show, but I always thought the spectacle that it is was not supposed to have some 60 years or over talent. Rolling Stones, Springsteen, Tom Petty and The Who? Yeah, 20 years ago, but this is supposed to get people to not leave for the restrooms and stick around for the show. I’m not saying bring back the stupid rapping with their pants on the ground act. Some R&B acts would work. Usher to name one. Mix in some country artists like Carrie Underwood. Green Day wouldn’t be bad or some new age rock group. I’m not gonna endorse any Disney created bands. No way. We can all blame Janet Jackson for this debacle. The NFL wants nothing to do with it anymore and the networks don’t want a threat of fines coming their way. Point being we all suffer and I can’t believe it still matters who performs in between halves. Do you? Am I the only one?

It becomes clear that we will endure the constant coverage, endless breaks, and stupid music shows for the foreseeable future. All in all you will spend just as much on party supplies, food and that big screen rental for your Super Bowl party as the sponsors do for a 30 second spot. You will be sitting watching those certain 3-D commercials without any stupid 3-D glasses. You might get to see that occasional good commercial, but you will only get to see it once.

Just when it looks to get worse, the halftime show is a perfect time to recharge your batteries and get another cold one. You begin to realize that the analysts won’t spend two weeks talking about the game itself when it’s over. Someone in the crowd is doused with beer and hot dogs from the drunken idiot who tailgated too hard. Your wallet is still full and your bank account is just the way you left it. When all you care about is the game itself, thank the genius who came up with that great gadget called the DVR. Parts of the event are overrated, but when you want to see a good game there is no better event than the Super Bowl. It only comes once a year.