Category: Sports

The Cowboys Get Poked

 

Oklahoma State has 2 great reasons to be mad that they’re on the outside of the BCS Championship Game looking in. 1- The other teams have already played. Ok, that’s just obvious.

 

#2 is the biggie. The only game Oklahoma State lost this year was played right after the crash that killed 2 coaches of the women’s basketball team. Many folks were surprised the game was even played. Doesn’t that unpleasant reality make a difference to anyone? The Cowboys have been extremely impressive for the rest of the year and have only had one hiccup. It was a bad hiccup in the midst of a horrible time for their university. That loss holds less weight for me than most others.

 

Think of it this way, would anyone feel cheated if we got to see LSU-Oklahoma State next month?

 

 

FDO

 

NBA Fan Opt Out

 

No, I don’t want to encourage anyone to abandon the NBA, whenever it returns. We should welcome it with open arms. We should not be so kind to the owners who have deprived us of games. As a response to this ultra public manifestation of corporate greed, basketball fans should opt of using NBA owners’ businesses. Again, not their playthings, our beloved NBA teams, but the businesses that provide these guys enough money they can feel comfortable simply choosing not to have a season.

 

If you have to choose between Quicken Loans (Cav owner Dan Gilbert’s company) and Speedy Pay, choose Speedy Pay.  It may be surprising to discover how much of a game these negotiations are for some owners for whom the money involved is miniscule. See Paul Allen.

 

The owners have already gained immense concessions from the players’ union, not because the players have done anything wrong, but because the owners made bad business decisions. Those concessions have still not been enough for them. The players ARE the product yet they are being forced to accept far less of the revenue THEY produce. The owners’ stance is profoundly anti-worker, anti-union and greedy.

 

The best way to express our disapproval is to use the voice owners are sure to hear; our wallets. This is not a fight between Billionaires and Millionaires. It’s a fight working people, some of whom are millionaires, and their bosses, all of whom are worth more than anyone most of us will ever even meet. Roger Mason Jr. signs the back of his check while Jim Dolan’s name is pre-printed on the front of it.

 

Whose side are you on?

 

FDO

 

PS- To be sure, NBA players have jobs many of us dream about. But the guys we typically think about are the rare exceptions even in that world. For every Tim Duncan and Paul Pierce who have long careers at top dollar, there are dozens of guys who have short careers with league minimum salaries. It’s clearly those folks who need to preserve their incomes; Dwight Howard and Dywane Wade are gonna get theirs. 

 

 

P Manning Up, Colts Down

How important is Peyton Manning to the Colts? Witness Visual Exhibit A. http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/rankings/trended/_/name/ind/indianapolis-colts

 

Some folks are suggesting that Peyton Manning should receive MVP votes because the Colts are so woeful without him. I don’t genuinely believe that especially in a year of outsized achievement by players throughout the NFL. I do think the season cements his legacy in a way nothing besides a 2nd Super Bowl title could.

 

Manning's closest competitor for the title of 'best QB on Earth' has long been Tom Brady. Remember that in the season Brady missed, his Patriots were 11-5.  That group may well be the best ever team to miss the playoffs. While they certainly missed Tom Terrific, his absence was manageable. This season the Colts are healthier than they were last year when they went 10-6 and won the AFC South yet without Manning they are abysmal. 

 

This year is a clear indication of Peyton’s value. Speaking of which, if Carson Palmer can fetch first- and second-round draft picks, what’s Manning’s trade value? If you’re in charge of Dallas, Chicago, Minnesota, Houston, Baltimore or the Jets, aren’t you willing to trade your starting quarterback and your next two years of first- and second-round draft choices for a healthy Manning? Aren’t you?

 

FDO

 

 

Lead Us (to Ill Repute)

 

Today I saw a feature on ESPN’s College Football Live show called the Urban Meyer Leadership Series. I had just turned to ESPN so my initial response was to wait for the punchline… I mean, Urban Meyer? Really, Urban Meyer? This guy has clearly succeeded as a coach and just as clearly failed as a leader. His program has been riddled with arrests. How is it that this guy gets to be perceived as a credible source for leadership? This is part of the pattern of college coaching that saddens me.

 

Jim Tressel is finally forced to resign at Ohio State and Ohio high school coaches decide to honor him by planning to dress like Tressel in their first game.  What example does this set for the athletes and communities of Ohio? Since you won, it doesn’t matter that you lack basic integrity? What other message could there be?

 

Sadly, the situation is probably worse in men’s college basketball. Kelvin Sampson and Jim Calipari left town just ahead of the NCAA posse in multiple locations. Both these guys had programs with major violation stacked on major violation. Distressingly, they continue to fall up, instead of down. Calipari has one of the very best jobs in his profession and Sampson is now the lead assistant for the NBA’s Houston Rockets and is perceived as a likely NBA head coach starting next summer. No penance has to be paid if you get to bowl games or the Sweet Sixteen. Conference championships and rivalry dominance absolve a multitude of sins.

 

Fans of college athletics are so accustomed to this sad situation that today there’s very little outrage about the ways college coaches abuse the system, their universities and their players. Or even the taxpayers who fund their million dollar salaries. It seems that Al Davis bespoke the future of college sports decades ago. Davis’ magic phrase? “Just win, baby.”

 

 

FDO

 

World B. Free

 

Twenty-five years ago

I went with my dad

To an old stadium

Gone and dearly departed

If not regretfully

To see my Indiana Pacers who

I loved stridently

At home

In the new Curtis Mathes set that

How were we to know

Lasted far too long

 

 

But there in person

For the first time

Was a different kind of feeling

Since they were bad

And most of my focus

Started and stopped on a man named

World B. Free

Although I’m not sure how much of

This poem

Is true

I have no doubt

About World B. Free

 

 

It started with his hair

Though it was not exceptional

Except in its lack of exception

Stuck in a time

I may never understand

But all the rest fit too

How much he loved the game

Even when it was an awful game

And tried without ever looking

As if he were trying

 

 

Mostly though

The shooting

Like little orange only rainbows

Up and down

With no gold at the end

Only more orange

And then at its beginning

The look that might have been a smile

If he’d known no one was watching

 

 

At the end of the game

It seems that no one else noticed him

Because watching him play

Might have kept someone from skipping school

As it did me from stealing gum

Off the too short racks

Meant to taunt me

At the store

But lots of kids did that

And their parents drank too much

Cheated with a waitress

Then left home

(Not because of the children)

Even though they’d seen World B. Free

On the court downtown

 

When I asked later on

My dad said he used to be called Lloyd

That may well be

But he was always World B. to me

  

© Gayle Force Press 2002

 

2012 Timberwolves Draft Thoughts

 

The last three years have been a very hard time to be a fan of the Minnesota Timberwolves. They have a comically unsettled coaching situation, a mismatched roster of players, a laughingstock owner and the General Manager so incompetent that he inspired a Facebook group of people hoping to replace him with a sportswriter.

Still, today’s draft could become a great turning point for the Wolves.

 

Multiple rumors have suggested that the Phoenix Suns are incredibly eager to draft Derrick Williams, the standout collegian from the University of Arizona. Even if there were no formal offer to trade Steve Nash for the #2 pick (and Chad Ford believes that offer did happen) the deal on the table that would trade that pick for center Marcin Gortat and #13 seems a must-do for the Wolves.

 

The Wolves are still uncertain as to whether or not they want Derrick Williams to be their selection and the only conceivable reason for them to choose Enes Kanter or Jan Vesely instead of Williams is the desire to upgrade the center position. If that’s the goal, why not go for the proven commodity in Gortat? In the last 30 games or so of the season, Gortat was one of the top 10 centers in the league despite playing short minutes. His ability to score, rebound and defend would immediately improve the Wolves substantially.

 

The Wolves could also use their first round draft choices to make their roster more complete. As it stands, the Wolves only have 8 or 9 guys who are clearly NBA players. They desperately need more talent, more athleticism and more potential. Using these two picks to find the combination of a high scoring shooting guard and a talented young center prospect seem the way to go.

 

When you’re as low as the Wolves are, it’s imperative to take risks and force yourself into opportunities. This draft appears to be an example of opportunity knocking loudly. Come on, Wolves. Open the door.

 

FDO

 

Update: The Wolves chose Derrick Williams and were ultra-aggressive in trading their picks. They got a lot done but appear to still be moving along the margins instead of making moves toward immediate success. Perhaps they anticipate next year's draft being so strong that they can make a quantum leap after the draft/free agency periods of next summer. Perhaps.

Prisoners of the Moment

 

I am very happy for Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler and the Dallas Mavericks as a whole. All those players have improved their historical standing to some degree or another but the series MVP, Nowitzki, has been the subject of most conversation about an enhanced legacy. It began in the Western Conference playoffs when Mavs’ coach Rick Carlisle called Dirk one of the 10 best players in NBA history.

 

There was an immediate outcry about this as it seemed an absurd suggestion on its face. Now, after winning the NBA championship, lots of others are describing Dirk as a top 20 all-time player. ESPN/ABC broadcasters kept repeating that notion. So, being me, I decided to create my list of the top NBA players. This is just tiered, not 1-10 ordered.

 

Top 10

Russell

Chamberlain

Abdul-Jabbar

Johnson

Bird

Jordan

Olajuwon

Duncan

Robertson

Bryant

 

Top 20

West

Moses Malone

Mikan

O’Neal

Garnett

Baylor

Erving

Petitt

Thomas

Karl Malone

 

Okay, there’s my top 20. Who could be pulled out of this top 20 to make room for Nowitzki?

 

I’ve left off folks like Charles Barkley, Rick Barry, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson and John Stockton. I’d be hard pressed to say Dirk’s better than any of those folks which puts him out of the top 25. All this top 20, much less top 10, talk about Dirk seems to be little more than a response to his recent, fantastic play. That’s not how players should be evaluated but it’s the easiest way to do it. Easy isn’t always better though.

 

FDO

  

 

 

Shaq’s influences on the NBA

 

Since Shaquille O'Neal announced his retirement, many people have already mentioned the Wilt Chamberlain-inspired quote from the Big Dipper's favorite coach, Alex Hannum, “Nobody loves Goliath.” Shaq was the first Goliath to be not only loved but eventually the most popular player in league. The notion that normal sized fans could never relate to physical titans was disabused by Shaq. His charisma, energy, humor and kindness is legendary. Even folks who didn’t like the NBA knew and liked something about Shaq.

  

Shaq also became the first ultra modern NBA player. It’s not surprising that he used social networking to break the news of his retirement. That’s who he is. In the 90s, Shaq was the guy who made multiple albums, had starring roles in multiple movies (including Kazaam which is not about basketball) and made commercials for everything under the sun.

 

Famously, Shaq also left the team that drafted him, the Orlando Magic, for the bright lights of LA. It’s Shaq who used free agency to re-set the balance of team vs. player control. His exhibition of his own power to choose his playing destiny was the start of the current trend of big time free agent movement being determined mostly by the players themselves. So yes, it’s Shaq we should thank or blame for leading indirectly to the Heat trio of stars hoping to win their own championship this season. More broadly, he helped change the landscape of the NBA by picking location over other considerations. Now, some cities are clearly more equal than others.

 

Shaq’s most important on court achievement is one that I have never seen noted before. Shaq was so physically dominant that he changed the positions of his most worthy adversaries. The tallest guys in basketball have avoided being labeled centers in response to Shaq. The level of Shaq avoidance is amazing.

       

Consider that the most prominent NBA centers when Shaq arrived in the league were Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson. These guys were all centers by both size and choice. Because of their size, it is perfectly natural to think of them as centers. They also chose that position when they had an option to be power forwards. All 3 were in Twin Tower situations but wanted to be centers.* Center is the position of greatest historical legacy in basketball.

 

Since Shaq’s arrival in the NBA, the generation of guys who should have been the next great centers chose not to be centers. Chris Webber, Tim Duncan, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Jermaine O’Neal, Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge would have been centers at any other time but have simply decided not to be centers. Now it’s common that those 6’ 10” plus men aren’t thought of as centers at all now. Duncan is so adamant about being listed as a forward instead of a center that it’s often caused trouble for voters for All-Star and All-NBA teams. These guys went out of their way to avoid guarding Shaq and now many starting centers in the league have jobs simply because of their ability to provide a strong defensive presence. Now, that’s impact.

 

 

FDO

 

*-Olajuwon had Ralph Sampson, Ewing had Bill Cartwright and Robinson had Duncan. While Robinson was taller, Duncan’s strength, relative lack of speed and post game all meant he was a more natural center than Robinson. For instance, ESPN’s John Hollinger refuses to acknowledge Duncan as a forward.

 

First Thoughts on Heat-Mavs Part Deux

 

Yes, part 2 is how this series is being presented because it’s only been 5 years since the teams met in the Finals. There is a core of institutional memory of that series in both organizations that’s interesting. There has been consistent ownership and management and the two players remaining on each side fill important roles. Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki are the home grown superstar/best player in franchise history and Udonis Haslem and Jason Terry compose the emotional core of their teams. Otherwise, though, for both squads, there have been such substantial changes that neither team seems very connected to 2006. 

 

Almost the entire rosters have turned over for these teams. The Mavs are a collection of cast offs, former All-Stars and just past their prime guys who have all coalesced around the goal of winning a title. The Heat are, of course, the model for contemporary team building. Grab as many stars as possible and fill in the blanks around them.

 

It is that collection of star players, Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, that seems to be the key to this series to me. While Dallas’ players largely get the ball in scoring areas based on ball movement and double teams of Nowitzki, Miami has a more consistent offensive attack. Wade and James are almost always in scoring areas because with a move or two, each guy can get to a comfortable spot with an advantage. There were times in the Mavericks’ victory over the Thunder that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook seemed to be able to score at will. That scoring was predicated on speed and athleticism.  Wade and James have speed, athleticism, experience, confidence and great options when they need to pass the ball.

 

Some of Dallas’ offensive limitations have been masked by their incredibly accurate three point shooting during the playoffs. Miami expects to give up 3 pt attempts as long as they are contested. Miami will be able to slow down Dallas’ offense and force Nowitzki to win games by scoring 50 points a night. Dallas has very little chance of corralling James and Wade; that will be the difference.

 

Official Prediction: Heat in 6

Gut Feeling: Heat in 5 games. Yes, that means clinching the title in Big D. What a perfect scenario that would be for the most popular villains in NBA history.

 

FDO

 

 

RIP Macho Man

 

It's been a week since Randy 'Macho Man' Savage died. It took me a little while to gather some thoughts about him. These are them.

 

I’ve been a fan of professional wrestling since the late 1980s. Unlike most kids at that time who were able to choose between the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF), I never preferred the WWF. My granddad was a big fan of boxing and my dad liked it pretty well so it feels natural to me that when I began exploring wrestling with some real passion, I gravitated to the more realistic of the Big Two.  That was clearly the NWA.  

 

For me, one of the important differences between the wrestling organizations was the World champion. In the WWF that was usually Hulk Hogan and in the NWA it was usually Ric Flair. While most kids were awed by the larger than life Hogan, I was awed by the pretty normal looking Flair. Hogan was billed at being 6’ 8” and 300+ lbs. To me that seemed absurd as did his in ring antics. He’d get beaten up by some monstrous looking guy then shake his head a lot and become invulnerable. Uh, yeah. He’d run through a couple moves, pin the guy and the parade started. (There was not really a parade but that’s what it felt like.)

 

On the other hand, Flair was incredibly vulnerable! In order to stay the champion, he sometimes needed to cheat, sometimes he needed help from someone else and sometimes he needed to get lucky. That seemed perfectly realistic since Flair was listed as 6’ 2” and around 240 lbs. Even though he was a big guy, Flair was never physically overwhelming and was often overmatched by bigger, stronger, faster guys. He used his brain as much as his body and that appealed to me greatly. Hogan’s successes seemed overly scripted and painfully predictable while Flair’s seemed uncertain and complicated. That Flair was just as successful as Hogan awed me.

 

Then in the late 80s, Randy Savage moved from being an up and comer to being one of the biggest stars in the wrestling universe. He was one of the smaller guys in the WWF but wrestled with the same kind of attitude, intensity and spirit as Hogan did. His ascendance was marked by a change in his wrestling style to fit into the Hogan mold and that’s ultimately why I never became a fan of his. The paint by numbers approach sold lots of tickets but left me cold. I thought I was kind of missing out on Savage but I wasn’t sure why.

 

The difference between his Wrestlemania matches in 1987 and 1989 is amazing. In 1987, wrestling against Ricky Steamboat, Savage utilized an amazing array of holds, flips, dives, counters and counters to counters. In 1989, wrestling against Hogan, Savage used lots of punches, power moves and presentation elements. The first is a revolutionary technical, artistic exhibition while the second is a triumph of style over substance. It is, of course, to Savage’s credit that he excelled at both styles. It’s interesting for me to recognize that I was never a fan of Savage’s particularly though I always recognized his ability. What I've realized in the past couple years is that he always seemed to have excellent matches with all the guys I really was a great fan of.

 

Savage had tremendous wrestling based feuds with guys like Tito Santana, Steamboat, Ted DiBiase, Flair and even Jake “The Snake” Roberts. In all these feuds, Savage made his opponents look great and kept up with them, move for move. I suppose the bottom line is that Randy Savage could always do everything he needed to in a wrestling ring. That strikes me as a pretty good definition of greatness.

 

 

FDO