The Sports Guru

Bud Selig, Commissioner of Major League Baseball, America’s Pastime, is clueless. He has proven it time and time again, but this just might take the cake. Selig was asked yesterday about Barry Bonds’ assault on the All-Time Home Run record, and what baseball would do about it should the record get broken. Selig’s response was less than intelligent, saying he would handle the record the way baseball handles all records that have been broken –

“I wasn’t there when Roger Clemens won his 300th game. That’s a matter I’ll determine at some point in the future,” Selig said at a baseball luncheon hosted by Fox Sports Bay Area. “Let me say it, and I’m not going to say anymore. That’s it.”

No Bud, that’s not it. Roger Clemens 300th win??? You are comparing the Home Run Record to a pitcher winning 300 games?? I am not a stats guy, but how many guys have won 300 games? 10, 15? How many guys have hit 755 Home Runs? Exactly ONE. As Jules Winfield says in Pulp Fiction - “It ain’t the same ballpark, it ain’t the same league, it ain’t even the same sport!” Exactly right. To compare what many say is the most hallowed record in all of sports to a milestone several players have reached is an insult to the intelligence of every sports fan out there.

“If I close my eyes, Barry will go away”

This is Selig’s way. he hopes beyond hope that if he ignores something it just won’t happen. Baseball, under his watch, turned a blind eye to steroid abuse in baseball for 15 years. Selig had no problem riding on the backs of suspected juicers Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire during the magical Summer of ‘98 when baseball replanted itself in the American conscience. Selig cultivated a culture that glorified Sosa and McGuire and forced players, Bonds among them, to go to whatever means necessary to not just be great players, but to hit home runs by the dozen. Barry Bonds was the best player in baseball before his head doubled in size. On “the clear” he might be the best ever.

Now Selig has to cash the check his regime wrote. Bonds breaking Aaron’s record is the culmination of the darkest age in baseball history. When players were cheating and everyone knew it, but chose to ignore it. Jose Canseco, Ken Caminiti, and several others felt obligated to do what ever it took to become elite, and who could blame them. The difference between a 20-80 guy and a 35-120 guy is about 5 million dollars a year, what would you do?

Selig’s biggest misstep in his comments yesterday was admitting that his friendship with Hank Aaron was playing a role in all of this -

“It is a fact Hank Aaron and I have been friends for 50 years, close friends,” Selig said. “When you’re the commissioner, you just don’t think about that. I have said before if and when Barry Bonds breaks that record it will be handled the same way that every other record in baseball that’s been broken was handled.”

Sure, he tries to deny it, but the fact that he even mentions his relationship with Aaron proves otherwise. If Selig could find a way to sabotage Bonds and his trek to 756 he would, and don’t think Bonds won’t be tested multiple times during the chase. It’s a sad state of affairs, no doubt about it. Do I want Bonds to break the record? No. he just isn’t a good guy, and Hammerin’ Hank had to go through alot more than Bonds ever did to accomplish what he did.

What I think doesn’t matter. I am not the most powerful man in baseball, with an obligation to the game, and it’s past, to honor this record, no matter who breaks it, the way it deserves to be honored, not because of who breaks it, but because of who has held it in the past. If Bud Selig cares about baseball, he’ll do the right thing, but don’t hold your breath.

Technorati Tags: Barry Bonds, Bud Selig, Major League Baseball, Home Run record, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth

***I’m sorry, I have to admit, watching Duke lose three in a row for the first time in nearly 2 decades brings a smile to my face. For most of that time I was indifferent towards Duke and Coach K. I respect his success, that he has done it the right way. I accept the fact that his system is great for college and that his players, for the most part, are disappointments in the NBA(Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer and Grant Hill aside). Then came March Madness a few years ago and all those annoying Chevy and American Express commercials featuring Mike. Talk about a recruiting advantage. Think for a moment you are the parent of a 17-year old basketball phenom. Which coach do you want responsible for your son? A guy entrusted with the marketing campaign of a large car company and huge credit card company, or a guy like Bruce Pearl who wears a bright orange jacket? That’s what I thought. From that moment on I have been doing to Anti-Duke dance at night. So far, it’s worked. Now Duke has decayed all the way down to a 5-5 team in the ACC, losing at home, no less, to Virgina Tech. Not very American Express-like of the Kster. Last night it was arch-rival North Carolina with Roy Williams, who might be the guy pitching all the gear this March, stomping the Blue Devils into submission on their home floor. Duke is in trouble, and though they’ll get into the tourney on reputation alone, it will be at the price of a better, more deserving team, mark my words.

***National Signing Day came and went, and depending on which web-site you check the winner is either USC or Florida. Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer are two of the best recruiter in the business, and it doesn’t hurt that they can sell some of the best weather in the world. For us Buckeye fans it might seem like a disappointing class, given it’s ranking between 15-20 accross the board. Not to fear, Buckeye fans, Tressel and company didn’t have alot of scholarships to work with and though they lost out on a couple of blue-chippers they have a solid class based on need rather than star power. Take this into account, the Buckeyes have yet to break the Top 10 in recruiting according to Rivals.com that past 4 years. Needless to say, the Buckeyes have enjoyed a bit of success during that time. No fear Buckeye fans, Ohio St. will be oko as long as the Great Sweater Vest is running the show.

***The Cincinnati Reds are single-handedly assuring the Cleveland Indians will have no shot to re-sign Jake Westbrook this season or C.C. Sabathia after next. After watching the Kansas City Royals throw 55 million big ones at Gil Meche, a journeyman with mediocre talent at best, the Reds did the same thing, on back to back days, no less. First it was Aaron Harang getting 36 million. Harang is a nice pitcher, but definitely no Sabathia. Then today the Reds gave Bronson Arroyo 25 million over the next two seasons. Come on, is Arroyo any better than Westbrook? The Indians, who were hoping to get Westbrook signed to an extension before the start of Spring Training have to be sweating what the price tag for a .500 pitcher has ballooned to. Not good news for Tribe fans.

$25 Million for this guy???

***Jerry Jones hired Wade Phillips to coach the Cowboys. Wade frickin’ Phillips. Let’s see….I am not a big fan of Bill Parcells, going so far as to call him the most overrated head coach in league history. That was probably a bit overstated and teams can do alot worse than the Tuna. He has the personality to take the spotlight and shine it directly on himself, allowing his players to play without the pressure. He even managed to co-exist with T.O. Now comes Phillips, not known for his personality in stints in Denver and Buffalo. What makes Jerry Jones think T.O. is going to give this guy any respect when he refused to give a guy with two rings and three Super Bowl appearances on his resume any due. Add that to the fact that Jason Garrett, with exactly 5 minutes of experience running an NFL offense will now have total control of Tony Romo and company since Phillips’ strength is defense. This just can’t end well, can it? The Cowboys have way too much talent, and the NFC is way too weak, for this team not to make a serious run next year, that is, unless the inmates run the asylum and the whole thing goes up in flames.

Technorati Tags: Cincinnati Reds, Bronson Arroyo, Jerry Jones, Wade Phillips, Dallas Cowboys, Aaron Harang, Duke, North Carolina, Coach K, Roy Williams, USC

***I have looked, and I just don’t see it.  In the “Post-Equipment Malfunction” era we live in, Dan Patrick, among others, used his radio show to prove even further he is the worst radio host in America.  Patrick made the point of saying Prince was sexually explicit during his Super Bowl perfomance.  Take a look and decide for yourselves –

After contacting CBS, and the NFL, about the issue, Patrick was told that it is “a real stretch to come to the conclusion that the figure is anything else than a guitar”.  What Patrick should know is anything, if looked at hard enough, or discussed long enough, could be considered explicit. Football in general is filled with it, if that is your sort of thing, which for Dan Patrick it must be.  No wonder Patrick, and former SportsCenter host Keith Olberman giggled everytime they talked about “Tight Ends” and “Wide Receivers”.

***Nothing annoys me more than watching NFL Network coverage of the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.  Ok, so annoying is the wrong term.  I’m jealous as hell.  Watching Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, and all the NFL stars in flowered shirts, basking in sunshine, while I am sitting in single digits does just slightly ruin my day.  Speaking of the Pro Bowl, does anyone else find it amazing that there hasn’t been a recent serious injury to a superstar in the game?  Sure, Robert Edwards of the Patriots destroyed his knee playing a rediculous touch football game on the beach, but it’s been a long while since someone was severely hurt during the actual game.  To me, I breath a small sigh of relief everytime one of the Broncos bows out.

Tough life, Rich…

***Shanny held his annual State of the Broncos pow-wow with the media yesterday, and as you might have guessed the status of Jake Plummer was a major topic of interest.  Shanahan is in the inenviable position of trying to raise the stock of a player that just 2 months ago was declared not good enough of starting behind a rookie.  ”He’s 40-18 as a starter (here) and there should be a number teams that want to look at a starter and to give him the opportunity to show what he’s capable of doing.”  In the same breath, Shanahan explained the timing of the move to Jay Cutler, “I definitely thought it was the right time when you’re averaging 17 points a game and you’re 7-4 and you’re not going anywhere in the playoffs, not with 17 points a game. We put Jay in there and we averaged 25 points a game.”  Tough spot to be in.  There will, no doubt be interest in Plummer, with a number of teams at the breaking point with their current QB situation.  A perfect spot seems to be Houston, where good buddy Gary Kubiak could utilize a player like Plummer to stablize the quarterback position, as well as be a good bridge to who-ever the Texans groom for the future.  Plummer needs to be in a situation where the expectation is the Super Bowl, like Denver.  Houston would just love to go .500.  Seems like a match made in heavon to me.

***Finally, it was reported that the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is a bit unhappy with a Snickers commercial that aired during the Super Bowl.  If you missed it, the commercial shows two mechanics eating opposite ends of a Snickers bar, Lady and the Tramp style, until their lips touch at the end.  Disgusted, the two decide they have to do “something manly” to make up for their transgression.  In the ad, the two men pull their chest hair out to feel better about themselves.  It seems the group is even more unhappy about a website that has alternate endings that the public can vote on for broadcast during the Daytona 500.  Even further, there is video of NFL players watching the video, reacting to each scenario.  What I am trying to figure out is whether GLAAD is upset becuase of the ad, or becuase it was two dirty mechanics instead of Jake Gyllenhaal from Brokeback Mountain.  They don’t seem to have an issue with that.  Anyone else offended by the ads?

Technorati Tags: Prince, Super Bowl, Mike Shanahan, Denver Broncos, Snickers Ad, GLAAD

**Peyton Manning is not of this earth.  He has to be a cyborg, or at least an alien from another planet.  Has any player, in any sport, ever, been less happy about winning a championship?  I just rememeber the sheer joy and elation on John Elway’s face when he won his first title.  Yea, it did take John alot longer, but still, a subtle fist pump and a smile.  That was it.  Then yesterday during the ‘party’ in the RCA dome Manning barely raised his voice in conjoling the crowd.  What happened to a Mark Madsen-esque dance, or the horrible rap last season by some no name Steeler?  He just cannot be human to have that little of a reaction towards winning that elusive title.  Rumor has it Peyton was studying film in preperation for next year after the game….

Calm down, Peyton, it’s just the Super Bowl

**With apologies to Ravens and Steelers fans everywhere, Bob Sanders is the best safety in football, period.  Just look at the way the Colts’ defense playes with and without Sanders in the lineup.  The Colts D doesn’t have to play at an elite level for Indy to have success and with Sanders they are good enough to get it done.

**Speaking of safeties, congrats to John Lynch for winning the Bart Starr Award.  The award goes to a player who best exemplifies great character and leadership off the field.  A deserving honor for Lynch, who has found new life in Denver after being dumped by Jon Gruden in Tampa.  On a down note, if the Broncos are committed to Lynch again next season an upgrade is needed on the other side, where Nick Ferguson just isn’t getting it done.  Lynch is still effective at the line of scrimmage, but is a liabilty in coverage.  Ferguson plays a similar style, which puts alot of pressure on the corners.  The Broncos need to draft, or pick up in free agency, a safety with great cover skills to sure up the defensive back-field.

Congrats to Lynch, though the Broncos need to upgrade

**The ratings are out, and Super Bowl XLI was the third most watched television show ever, falling behind the finale of M.A.S.H. and Super Bowl XXX between Dallas and Pittsburgh.  It’s not surprising, since Chicago is one of the largest T.V. markets, and the Bears have one of the largest fan bases in sports.  Ironically, the most ‘TIVO’d’ moment of the game was a Bud commercial.  Priorities, people, priorities.

**A Guru Hat Tip to the NFL for getting it right.  Rumor has it the league is going to institue a new rule making players that are suspended for steriods ineligible for the Pro Bowl.  The ‘Merriman Rule’, as I will call it, should be annouonced sometime in March.  All parties seem to be in agreement that celebrating the season of a player caught cheating is the wrong message to send.  I applaude the NFL for once again being ahead of the curve when it comes to doing what is right.

Next year, cheater’s like Merriman won’t be in Hawaii

**The best 7 hours in radio have to be Mike and Mike in the Morning followed by Colin Cowherd on ESPNRadio.  Golic and Greenberg have developed a chemistry and raport seldom seen anymore on radio becuase it take time to obtain.  The two have been together since 1999 and are still going strong.  Cowherd, who replaced Tony Kornheiser two years ago is brash and opinionated, but his take is fresh becuase it goes against the East Coast bias that is so prevalent in national sports talk.  If you are getting a bit tired of the Jim Rome gig, take a listen to Cowherd, you won’t be disappointed.

Technorati Tags: Peyton Manning, Super Bowl XLI, Shawne Merriman, John Lynch, Mike and Mike in the Morning, Colin Cowherd

photos courtesy of NFL.com and DenverBroncos.com

If you are already going through NFL withdrawl(sure, the Pro Bowl is still to come, but come on…)fear not, because the odds-makers have published their favorites to win Super Bowl XLII in Arizona next year.The Chargers and Colts lead the way at 6-1, while our beloved Broncos check in at 15-1.  The Bears are the favorite NFC team, at 8-1.

Looking for a long shot??  An amazing 8 teams, including the Browns, Raiders and Texans sit at 100-1 in early wagering.  Here is the entire list –

San Diego Chargers  6-1  
Indianapolis Colts 6-1  
Chicago Bears  8-1  
New England Patriots 8-1  
Baltimore Ravens  12-1  
Cincinnati Bengals  15-1  
Dallas Cowboys 15-1  
Denver Broncos 15-1  
Philadelphia Eagles  15-1  
Pittsburgh Steelers 15-1  
Carolina Panthers  18-1  
New Orleans Saints 20-1  
Seattle Seahawks 20-1  
New York Giants  25-1  
New York Jets  30-1  
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1  
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1  
Miami Dolphins  40-1  
Tennessee Titans  40-1  
Washington Redskins  50-1  
Arizona Cardinals 50-1  
Atlanta Falcons  50-1  
Buffalo Bills  50-1  
St. Louis Rams  50-1  
Cleveland Browns  100-1  
Detroit Lions 100-1  
Green Bay Packers 100-1  
Houston Texans 100-1  
Minnesota Vikings  100-1  
Oakland Raiders  100-1  
San Francisco 49ers 100-1  
Tampa Bay Buccanneers  100-1

Technorati Tags: Super Bowl odds