The Sports Guru

More on the story that just won’t go away. I talked at length about Michael Vick on MHR Radio last night, about his supposed involvement in a dog-fighting ring that was run at a property he owns in Virginia. I made the point that behind capital crimes, cruelty to animals is one of the most despicable acts a person can do. Finding enjoyment watching two under-fed, tortured dogs, mame and kill each other on a Friday night makes me ill, and that’s if you are some scum-ball living in a trailer. If you are a Professional football player, one that makes $100 million, it makes me throw up in my mouth.

The story is back in the forefront of the news because NFL players continue to stick their foot right into the leagues proverbial mouth. First, it was Clinton Portis who came out and said that it would be no big deal if it wasn’t Michael Vick. Chris Samuels, Redksins offensive lineman agreed. Hey Clinton, it’s a felony, period. Has nothing to do with Michael Vick, it is a felony and there is no place for it.

Then came another player, Donte Wesley, a defensive back for the Chicago Bears, who defended Vick as well. Wesley, taking the approach that there are worse things to worry about than dog fighting, just the type of mentality that continues to drive this country into the crapper.
Yesterday, Pro Football Talk posted within its Rumor Mill that the NFL might have some inside information regarding the investigation, that plans are already being made by the Falcons in case Vick is not with the team to start the 2007 season. They go so far as to say that the Falcons might be trying to get in on the Trent Green sweepstakes, fearful that Vick could be suspended.

In a word, Vick is a DISGRACE to the NFL, period.

No matter what the actual outcome, I think we can all feel pretty confident that Michael Vick is a scumbag. He just isn’t a good human being, and DEFINITELY doesn’t deserve to be a starting QB in the NFL. Vick, much like Pac-Man Jones, continues to bring bad press and publicity to the Falcons and the NFL as a whole, and as a fan of the league, it pisses me off that someone would think so little of his position that he would involve himself in something as despicable and horrendous as the maiming and killing of helpless animals, for sport no less. That his peers in the League would defend him, and imply that Vick being involved in a FELONY CRIME is really no big deal concerns me deeply and makes me wonder just how widespread this is in the NFL.

I know there are some reading right now that probably feel I am making too big of a deal about this. If that’s the case, you just don’ get it, and probably never will. I’m not a PETA follower, or anything like that, but I don’t find the excitement in watching, and even less understand the need these other players feel at coming to dog fighting’s defense.

This site is all about community, and all about differing opinions. Please add you two-cents here, whether you agree with me or not, and let me know if I am in the ballpark, or completely off the mark…

Technorati Tags: Michael Vick, Dog Fighting, Atlanta Falcons

There has been a lot of talk about the new, tougher, player conduct policy in the NFL. At first look you’d think it would make a player think twice before getting involved in shady activity, with their livelihood on the line. On second thought….

Just during the weekend, there have been three, count them, THREE incidents involving NFL players and the long arm of the law. If the NFL is trying to send a tougher message, mission failed. Even the Broncos got touched by an incident, and I’ll be honest, every morning I look at the stories revolving around the league I am half-hoping not to see anything about the Broncos.

First, A.J. Nicholson, a linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals, was arrested in a domestic violence case, with Nicholson being arrested for allegedly striking a woman in the eye at his apartment. This isn’t the first time Nicholson has been involved with the law, however, like most Bengals players.

Nicholson recently has been in contact with police because he is suspected of driving without a valid license, Easterling said.

Nicholson is one of nine Bengals arrested since Jan. 1, 2006. He avoided jail time in Tallahassee, Fla., but had to serve 60 days in a sheriff’s work program and go on probation for two years for breaking into the apartment of a former Florida State teammate last May. Easterling said Kenton County has contacted Florida officials.

The Bengals drafted Nicholson in the fifth round of the 2006 draft. He had a history of off-field problems at Florida State. He was suspended for the 2006 Orange Bowl after violating team policy by taking a woman to the team’s Miami hotel. She accused him of sexual assault, but he was not charged.

Up next is New York Jets Cornerback/Return Specialist Justin Miller, a Pro Bowler last season as a returner, who was arrested early Sunday and charged with third-degree misdemeanor assault after he allegedly punched a woman in a New York City nightclub.

Miller was apprehended after a police chase at 4:20 a.m. It appears Miller was trying to hit a guy, but doesn’t have very good aim, at least at 4:00 a.m.

Miller also has had some past run-ins with law enforcement, falling in the 2006 draft to the second round due to questionable behavior.

Miller issued an all-too familiar apology after the incident, “I want to apologize to everyone for this situation, including my family, my teammates, the Jets organization, our fans and the entire NFL,” Miller said in a statement released on Sunday. “I understand that serving in the NFL is an honor and that I have an obligation to behave in a manner that reflects the privilege I have been given.”

Last, but certainly no least to Broncos fans was news this morning that the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office has identified Broncos receiver David Kircus as a “person of interest” in an alleged assault against a man early Sunday morning. Police plan on having Kircus coming in for a police line-up early Monday morning.

The victim suffered multiple broken facial bones in the alleged assault and was taken to Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree for surgery.

According to Robinson, the incident took place about 3:20 a.m. Sunday at a party in Centennial.

“An individual who identified himself (at the party) as Kircus was involved in an allegation that resulted in an assault,” Robinson said. “We are currently involved in the investigation, and where we’re at right now is a photo lineup to ensure proper identification. I would guess once that’s accomplished, we will have some conclusion or resolution to it.”

A warrant has not been issued for Kircus, 27, although he was informed by Bronco officials the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department is seeking his cooperation in the case.

We’ll wait for the process to take it’s course to see if it was actually Kircus, or if someone was just saying he was the Broncos receiver, but it always makes me nervous when someone who might have been wrongly accused doesn’t come out and say it.

When I look at each of the incidents, all three possibly involving football players who can’t maintain control of their emotions, one thing becomes painfully clear. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING good can come from being in public at 3 or 4 in the morning. A.J. Nicholson is just a bad person, who has been involved in several incidents at all hours day and night. Miller and Kircus, if he is indeed found to have been involved, were both out late, later than need be, and while we live in a free country, and these guys can do what they want, they have to be aware of what can happen at that time of night, and usually, unfortunately, it isn’t good.

It is, of course, too early to tell if Roger Goodell’s tough-guy approach is going to work. Bad people, like A.J. Nicholson, are still bad people and will find ways to get in trouble regardless. Guys like Justin Miller and David Kircus, however have to find a way to avoid those situations. Such is the added responsibility of an NFL Player, and while there is alot of perks to the job the rest of us don’t get to enjoy, that is a downside.

With the Broncos set to take the field for Day 4 of their QB Camp it is unfortunate that the focus will once again be off the field, and back to the questions regarding off-the-field behavior.

Let me say, as a football blogger, and more importantly, huge fan of the NFL, I am embarrassed by the repeated actions of it’s players. Think of the image people have of the NBA, compared to the “image” of the NFL. One is a league of thugs, drug users, etc. The other is clean cut, role models. Oh Really? How many NBA players have been arrested that past 18 months. How about the NFL? It’s embarrassing, and we, the fans, keep giving the NFL a pass. Simply embarrassing.

Let’s hope this is the LAST TIME the Broncos are involved.

UPDATE — The burn-in on my 13″ CRT monitor hadn’t even faded before another transgression by a “pro” football player was reported. If you are a Cincinnati Bengals fan you may want to look away. Chris Henry has reportedly failed a court mandated drug test, testing positive for opiates. That gives Henry the grand slam of arrests, getting nailed for marijuana, DUI, weapons possession, and now, opiates. Oh, and let’s not forget the underage girls Henry was drinking with in a motel room.

Henry has already been suspended for the first 8 games of the 2007 season, and with jail time and parole violations in at least two states pending, I wouldn’t hold my breath to see Henry on the field next season, if ever.

UPDATE #2 — Now there are reports saying Henry’s test came up NEGATIVE. Further test results are forthcoming.

Also, the woman who repoprted that A.J. Nicholson hit her over the weekend has renegged on that statement, saying instead that she did the damage herself with a cell phone….

As far back as the Super Bowl, when Commissioner Roger Goodell gave his State of the League address, rumors have been flying that the NFL could <a href=”http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2866680″>add a 17th regular season game</a>.  The idea behind it, to have each team play a game in some international city, without losing a home game, while making sense at a functional level, makes no sense in a logical one.  Globalization might seem like the next step for the NFL, easily the king of all the American sports, but it is a risky proposition to say the least.

Let’s start with the addition of a 17th game.  I am actually in favor of it.  I’ll go one step further.  I wouldn’t mind 2 additional regular-season games.  Four pre-season games are probably 2-too many.  A tool for owners to essentially make more money, the pre-season has become an evil game of russian roulette, with at least one big name player every year going down.  Adding another game that means something would be good for the game, though I am sure traditionalists will scoff.

On paper, if you add one game, you’d have to add two so that each team plays the same amount of games at home and on the road.  That is, unless, you are taking that extra game overseas, or to Canada, or Mexico.    Goodell even went so far as to say during the draft the it is entirely possible that a Super Bowl could be played outside the U.S. in the foreseeable future.  Are you kidding me?

How has globalization in other leagues helped them?  Baseball has become very global, and lost popularity in the states, partly, as a result.  Basketball has globalized, and lost popularity as a result.  Open-wheel racing, hockey, the list goes on and on.  All of these sports were very popular in the States at one time or another but have lost some of their luster when the governing bodies focused more on international fans, and less on the ones here.

Let’s take a look at the NBA.  David Stern is hell-bent on making the NBA a global powerhouse.  In the last 10 years we have seen an influx of international players.  Next season, several NBA teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic will spend much of their training camp and pre-season in China.  The League has spent more and more time pimping guys like Yao Ming and Dirk Nowitzki.  Problem is, the NBA has neglected its fan base here, causing a significant deterioration in fan interest in the US.

The result is less and less American kids are interested in, or playing basketball, or baseball than ever.  When parents aren’t interested in something it usually means the kids will not either.  Similar things are happening in baseball and hockey, where there has been a huge effort to increase popularity globally at the expense of the fans here.

That brings us back to the NFL.  It can easily be said that the National Football League is the new America’s Pastime.  It is the richest sport in the richest country in the world.  The NFL has done a better job of nurturing it’s fan base than any other sport.  It is ideally American, right down to the name, football, which has a different meaning everywhere else in the World.  Why globalize when the rest of the world has futbol?

If you purely judge just the time I spend on this blog it is easy to see that I am a huge fan of the NFL.  I’ll be honest.  The NFL would lose a lot of the luster to me if the Broncos ever made the Super Bowl and to see it I would have to fly to London, or Berlin, or Beijing.  How would that make you feel?  The NFL is our game, and it is our fans here in the US that has made it what it is.  For the League to turn its back on that, in the name of greed, would be a sad day for us all.

Technorati Tags: NFL, Roger Goddell, Adding Regular Season Games, Denver Broncos

I read a great article by Peter Gammons on ESPN.com this week. Yes, that Peter Gammons, the baseball guy. He wrote a great piece about Roger Clemens, and the Rocket’s insatiable desire to be great right off the bat. While I was reading it I kept thinking about LeBron James. LeBron has the ability to be great, perhaps one of the best ever. There are nights it is plainly evident, others, well not so much. The moral of the article, while about a baseball player, can transcend baseball and apply to all sports.

To get at the level these guys reach you have to be good. Great, even. There is a wide gap between high school and college, then another gap between college and the pros. Once at the professional level everything evens out and the difference between good and great is razor thin and usually has to do with one thing - desire. If you’re going to be more than just good, you have to want to be great, no doubt,” says Bobby Cox. That’s a profound statement. How many pros in any sport have you read about no fulfilling their potential? How many guys over-achieved, seemingly overcoming the lack of physical ability to become great? God-given talent can take you only so far.

That brings me back to LeBron. The landscape in basketball is different than the other team sports. LeBron signed a $90 million contract with Nike before his High School graduation. The quest for financial reward was never part of the equation. All that there is to drive LeBron to be great is LeBron, and if he doesn’t feed off that drive it will never happen. I worry that the latter might be the case. When I watch a jovial LeBron hug and smile with Shaq after another bad Cavalier loss I wonder. I talk about that on the Cavs.com message boards and people say that LeBron isn’t the problem, 29 points, he did his job. Their right, and perhaps that is why LeBron is so happy. He is satisfied with putting up the numbers. He quest isn’t for team success, but for individual accollades.

I am not accusing LeBron of this, just using arguments that defend him against those using them. But what i see from LeBron at times makes me wonder if he has the killer instinct that a Michael Jordan, or Tiger Woods have. Tiger is good comarison, to a point. Tiger also got big bucks form endorsements before ever really making a dime on the PGA Tour. Tiger has IT though. A killer instinct, a desire to be great, to be the greatest, that drives him when the game itself becomes monotonous. Toger feeds off of those who criticize or try to bring him down. Every time Woods seems to falter, bringing out the vulchers that want to bury him, he comes back stronger than ever, reestablishing himself as the most dominant golfer ever.

Does LeBron Want It Bad Enough?

Golf is an individual sport, however, and maybe most importantly Tiger went to Stanford before turning pro. LeBron is still learning, only 2 months into his 22nd year. He is still learning the game, and learning to lead at the same time. To be a leader, however, means tough decisions have to be made, because your team is following your lead. If you laugh off losses, and excuse them every time, justifying weaknesses, your teammates are going to do the same. LeBron needs to learn that. More importantly, he needs to WANT to learn that.

“You have to think about wanting to beat the other guy,” says Clemens. “To be better than the next guy. When I knew in Boston (after his first Cy Young/MVP season) that I had to pay a price with my legs, I wasn’t thinking about my place in history, or greatness, but I had the drive to be different.

“Do I think about greatness? Not really. I want Debby and my kids to think about it. But the price, the pain, the exhaustion … it’ll all be worth it when the team I’m pitching for wins. There is no pain or workload too great to overcome the feeling of winning.”

Whether you like him or hate him, Clemons is a winner and has been his entire life. He understands what it is to be great, and more importantly doesn’t fear it. The jury on LeBron is still out, and you have to wonder, does LeBron James want to be great??

Technorati Tags: Roger Clemens, LeBron James, NBA, Cavs, baseball, basketball

NASCAR has hit middle age. If sports, like people, can have a mid-life crisis then NASCAR is right in the middle of it. After years of being a grass roots sport, mostly popular in the south, stock car racing blew up in the 90’s becoming the 2nd most popular sport in the country behind the NFL. The death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001 only did more to bolster that popularity, and NASCAR continues to break attendance and viewership records every season.

That doesn’t mean the sports hasn’t gone through it’s share of growing pains, however. Eanrhardt’s pre-mature passing had a dual-edge effect on the sport, drawing popularity while at the same time spiraling NASCAR into a leadership abyss. Earnhardt was a leader on and off the track, and younger drivers respected him enough to follow his word and suggestion. If someone stepped out of line he was there to smack them back into line. He was the protector of the NASCAR “code” and people didn’t dare cross “The Intimidator”. Earnhardt and NASCAR were synonomous with each other.

Since his death, NASCAR has struggled to find a replacement. Drivers have become more and more reckless, with altercations seemingly happening every week. Issues that would have been resolved after a wekk or so have dragged on for months and many NASCAR races have taken a pro-wrestling tone with drivers throwing objects at other drivers and wrecking them on purpose. NASCAR diehards are becoming fed up.

The sport has also suffered a bit from all the popularity. Fans that were fiercely loyal to the sport in it’s infantcy are now becoming disinterested. Many of the old racetracks that were fan-friendly have been squeezed out of the schedule, replaced by mega-tracks with mega sponsers and mega-price tags for tickets. Instead of smaller towns in the south, NASCAR frequents Chicago, LA and Vegas. The fans that were the foundation that built NASCAR have seemingly been left behind, and the experience that was more burning rubber and motor oli has been replaced by pre-race concerts and clebrity appearances.

Major sponsership for it’s series changed from Winston to Nextel, further distancing itself from it ‘good ole boy’ roots. The ‘Chase’ format used to decide it’s champion has been a downer for traditionalists, though it has significantly increased interest in the sport, especially during the final 10 races of the season.

Now, on the cusp if it’s biggest race of the season, NASCAR has decided to drp the hammer on teams trying to gain a competitive advantage. Let’s face it, talk to any NASCAR fan and they’ll say cheating has been part of the the sport forever. Like baseball, an unofficial motto has always been “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t tryin”. It’s always been a part of the sport that NASCAR publically spoke of removing, but whose actions said otherwise. Until this year.

Cheating has always been a part of NASCAR

Already before the race serveral drivers have been spanked for various rulles violations, including Michael Waltrip, whose three car-team is part of the initial entry for Toyota into the sport. Officials found an illegal substance in the intake manifold and levied the biggest fine ever, $100,000, plus indefinte suspensions of Waltrip’s Crew Chief and Competition Manager. Four other Crew Chiefs from other teams, including Ryan Newman, have also been suspended for various violations. Even Jeff Gordon got busted, for having quarter-panels that were too low after his qualifying race win yesterday, forcing the 4-time winner to start 42nd in the 43 car field.

I am all for enforcing the rules and keeping everyone on a level playing field, but NASCAR needs to be careful that the post-race inspection doesn’t become more of the story than the race itself. Think about it, the Daytona 500 is the Super Bowl of NASCAR, it’s biggest event. What if the NFL started calling holding penalties on every play during the Super Bowl. Or if umpires in baseball started enforcing pine tar rules during the World Series. Sure, they are the rules, but the Super Bowl, or World Series, are not the time to start becoming sticklers about the rules, especially when it has been overlooked for so long. What, you think these guys just started doing some of these things this year?

If NASCAR wants to clean up it’s sport, I am all for it. I have said many times that if NASCAR really wanted to send a message, and stop all the hijinks on and off the track, they would suspend the drivers. TOny Stewart wants to have road rage at 200 miles per hour? Fine, pull Stewart out of the #20 car for a few races and see what the fans, and more importantly Home Depot has to say about that.

NASCAR just needs to be careful. Growth is great, but like anything, too much too fast can make you forget how you got there and who helped ya do it. Let’s hope NASCAR remembers it’s roots, and stops trying to cater to the “next great thing” crowd, becuase when they find that next great thing NASCAR will need the core group they seem to be racing away from.

Technorati Tags: NASCAR, Michael Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Daytona 500