Joe Pa and the Death of Morality

It's 11/10/11 and we are looking at the death of the Penn State morality. This is showing us the true nature of how the universities really think of their football and athletic programs.

The administrators, with their actions, are telling us that the programs are held in a higher regard than the life of a 10 year old child, 40 kids as of right now, for that matter. This is horrific. Put matter of factly, this is the moral decay of the entire NCAA football, and will in all reality put the Penn State Lions to sleep.

For those that don't know, the defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, was seen in 2002 having sex with a 10 year old boy. That's right a 10 year old boy. Much more is that he was seen by the wide receivers coach, whom reported it to Joe Paterno. Joe in turn informed the athletic director. And that's where it stopped. This is not where it should have stopped. This whole thing should have ended that day with a phone call to the police.

Oh but it gets more insane, that's right. The story takes a much more insane jump as they KNEW since 1999 when the athletic department forced Sandusky to retire, but keep his keys to the facilities. The story is changing as we speak, and is mutating into an even sicker form of moral trepidation and moral decay. There are stories reporting that the university helped cover it up, that Sandusky started his charity, "Second Mile" to help pimp out kids for wealthy donators to take and have their way with. This is disgusting, absolutely disgusting.

This is not simply Sandusky being sick. This is about the protection of innocent kids. In my opinion, if you knew, you are just as guilty. No questions asked, put plain and simple, you are guilty too.

My real qualm with how the story is being covered, is that Joe Pa is becoming the main story. Don't let the lack of action take away from Sandusky being the truly sick individual that he is, and don't shy your eyes away from the innocent kids that were subjugated to this behavior. Support the right people, the kids.

Catch a Tiger by his MCL

Today, Tuesday July 5, 2011 Tiger Woods withdrew from the British Open. It's not really a surprise considering that he announced that he had a grade 1 MCL strain and an Achilles tendon strain as well. That's not why I'm writing. I'm setting all this up to talk about the people following Tiger and what they're saying. Whether we like it or not Tiger is not wanted back on the PGA Tour. He's needed. This man single handedly just about saved the sport of golf. From chasing major wins to just playing like a mad man. Tiger IS golf.

Here's my problem with the man. His personal life. No matter what you say, an athlete's personal life affects his on field performance. Just ask Tiger. Elin kicks him to the curb, no more majors. And some will say its injuries. But when was the last time he has been injured this long? Never. There's more to this than meets the eye. I don't think that the issue is strictly mental but with all his problems, the man needs to get his head completely straight.

Now I can't tell you what his issue is, but what I can tell you that golf needs Tiger.

Five for Fighting

There has been a lot of talk about fighting in the great sport of hockey. It started here in North Texas, just today, due to a video from the YouTube between 2 private clubs at a high school level. A very amateur league. If you haven't seen the video it's pretty graphic and very violent. A senior captain blindsides a defenseless player. In this particular league there is no fighting. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. This video stirred up a long debate on fighting in sports and the effect it has on the youth and their heroes.

Now the uproar that I've been hearing is about fighting in the NHL and how it's condoned, and the joys of hockey fighting. I can't argue with that. Because I DO love the fighting, BUT here's the kicker. The fighting in the NHL is between 2 very willing and highly (they beg to differ I'm sure) paid men. Not between a couple of high school kids that decided that on their senior year they could break all the rules and go crazy on some other kids that are trying to follow the rules.

From my polling, most people believe that the fighting in the NHL is completely random, with no setup or anything to that effect. The truth of the matter is, the unwritten rule. That rule being that: no one unwilling will fight. So if you don't want to fight then you don't fight. They do this out of respect. End of story. My big thing with the debate is the lack of knowledge of the actual game that non-puckheads have. Then they take the act of fighting out of context and give the game a bad name (Not love). They think that fighting is the only thing that makes hockey a "gladiator" sport. The players wield sticks and start to wack each other and try to stab you with their skates!

I have more respect for professional hockey players than any other sport, and here's why: 1) Hockey players are almost the lowest paid pro athletes. 2) They are some of the nicest human beings that you have ever met. 3) The lack of exposure of the country is making it a dying sport. 3) I'd like to see a pro football player go out and get on the ice. 4) Have you ever stood there with a 190 lb. man barreling towards you at full speed on ice ? 5) Try to ice skate AND shoot a rubber disc about an inch thick at a net.

Now back to the reason I wrote this. This stupid, and it is stupid, move by these kids shouldn't go unpunished. They have made a mockery of a game that already has bad stereotypes against it. From what I have been hearing, some are looking at suspensions that could hurt their possible scholarships. In my opinion this isn't enough. I want these morons set down and charged, drop the charges later and scare these idiots straight. If you go through life thinking that you can do something as dumb as this without repercussions than you need to be beaten.

It comes down to being able to follow the rules.  And from the mouth of one of my favorite broadcasters, "Is it that hard to follow the rules!?"

24 hour addition

The 3-3-11, 11:59 P.M. deadline came and past. The result? A 24 hour extension for the players union and the NFL to come to an agreement. 

I'm not really sure that they know what is really at stake here. The fate of the most popular American sport could really be in jeopardy. Anyone remember the hockey strike? Even what happened during the baseball strike?

The baseball strike for the 1994 and 1995 baseball seasons, just about killed the sport. That one season, the 182 baseball games that never were played. If you ask any fan right now about how they perceived the players afterwards, they'll tell you that they lost such a big part of their respect for the athletes, that it quite literally almost killed the Great American Pasttime. If the oldest sport in these United States could go away in the professional sense, what do you think the American people would do to an entity like the NFL? The American people have a VERY short memory. Meaning we will not remember how good the big game is or how big the next big players contract is. We're a last season society. We will only remember how disappointed we are with the owners and the players.

The fact of the matter is that the American people are looking at a work stoppage where more than 9 billion dollars is at stake. Let's see 9 billion dollars, in an economy where people were and still are losing their houses at the highest rate in the entire history of history! We look to these men for entertainment, to keep our minds off the way life is really going. And these guys can't figure out how to spend 9 billion dollars. Are you kidding me? 9 billion dollars! 

Alright I'm done ranting right now... Here's the way they want the money to breakdown. The owners are getting $1 billion right off the top for the construction of new stadjums. Then they incur the costs of running the building and the rest of the business. They want to double the stadjum money to 2 billion. They essentially want to go from being the 49% share to having the 51%. 

The players want extended healthcare. BUT they also get the crazy contracts. 

As of right now at midnight tonight Eastern Standard time, there will be a full on work stoppage. Or they just might vote to have an even longer extension.

What do you think? Are you going to change your view on football? Are you going to look to different sports for your entertainment?

The Rangers Pitching... Or lack of.

After the amazing Cinderella story that the Rangers were living though last season, getting all the way to the World Series. After about a decade dealing with sub par teams, sub par pitching and an owner that had a tighter wallet than Ebenezer Scrooge. We Ranger fans have something to look forward to. Or do we?

The pitching this season is going to look quite a bit different. The main change is not having Cliff Lee. He decided that the Rangers weren't going to be good enough, although they only missed the Phillies' offer by about 200K. His heart belongs to the City of Brotherly Shove and couldn't help but leave it there. But he's not what I'm talking about.

Today looking at the rotation is like looking at trimmed up rottweiler that used to look really angry but now looks like an overgrown poodle. We still have some of our best pitchers in C.J. Wilson, Neftali Feliz, Derrick Holland and some of the other familiars. The addition of Brandon Webb and Tateyama could mean something good, however, Webb has been out for quite a while and the Rangers gave him a deal that would allow us to keep him as long as he proves himself. He's an 11 year veteran that missed the last two years due to shoulder injury that required surgery. Then we have Tateyama, who has never pitched in the bigs. The only experience he has is from the Japanese League.

The main stays of our bullpen are there, and you have to admit that the just about saved our season several times this year. We did lose Francisco when we traded him for Napoli, coincidently started the Young fiasco... Yeah coincidence.

With our no name bullpen and the lack of overpowering awesomeness, stay for a very very few, we have an aging catching crew and a pitching staff. Health and longevity will be the real issues this season. I really hope that the season will help us out.

Until Monday, enjoy the Diversion!

The NBA and the "Super Teams"

The "Super Team". This is a term that is tossed around in any sport from high school football to every professional team that we have ever seen. But right now it's become a very real situation, and one filled with such douchbaggery that an unnamed star from Cleveland decided to pull an hour long stunt on ESPN to announce that he's "taking his talents to South Beach". 

Let's take a look at these super teams. We have of course the Miami Heat, the Knicks are being considered a super team since the Carmelo Anthony trade, and the Boston Celtics. These are just the three that I can think of right now. (Keep in mind I'm NOT an NBA guy.)

I have a few questions for you: 1) What are the benefits to having a super team? 2) What do you do with your superstars? 3) Ego.

I'll start right off with the number one. The benefits. Do I really need to go into this one? Aren't they obvious? Money. Money. Oh, did I mention money? The amount of money generated when you bring in just ONE superstar is insane. But when you put together 2 to 4 superstars the money that is just dropped into your lap is blatantly obscene. The counter and follow up question and comments go something like this: If you have all these superstars together don't they cost more? Yes. Yes of course they do. However, don't you think that when LeBron McDouche (Name changed to protect identity) went to the Miami Heat they didn't up the ticket prices? It's stuff like that the cancels out all the crap about spending too much money.

Question 2. The superstars question gets kind of complicated when trying to put together a super team. The reason being is the plural tense of the word superstar. Usually when you think about it there's only one. One person that is clutch. That one player that you go to at the buzzer. The one person that no matter what, you want the ball in their hands. But once you start putting together your super team you have not only one of these players, you have anywhere from 2 to 4. How do you put into an equation that can even itself out and still keep the "team" mentality. The truth is you can't. Once you start a super team, just about everyone else gets forgotten. For example, name 2 of the other Chicago Bulls starters that AREN'T Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen. Point proven.

Now perhaps the biggest question of all. Ego. With all this super team talk, you start to count chickens before they're hatched and that turns into what I like to call the "Dallas Cowboy Entitlement". This means that they start reading the headlines, start believing their own hype, and start thinking that they should win by simply showing up. How do you manage egos the size of the state said players live in? By beating them mercilessly? No. By getting an ex Marine Corps Drill Sergeant? Not bad, but also not right. By making sure that they can't read! I wish. The truth is that you can't. The hope is that you have coached and mentored the player and team to understand that even though they are a bad mamajamma and they HELP you win. You can still win games with less talented players.

To me the real key to any team is really good "lunch pail" players. The players that come off the bench, work hard for their minutes and are happy just to be in the NBA playing with players that are the talent caliber of the Kobes, the Dwight Howards, the Carmelo Anthonys, and the Dirks. 

The biggest question I have is: Are the super teams the new evolution in the NBA? 

Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow with some nerd talk about other things!

Dallas Stars: What is up!?

Today I'm looking at the last few weeks of the Stars. Since the All Star Break really.

The Dallas Stars have hit a skid. Not just a little one, I'm talking, they've won 1 game in the last 10. Which puts them in a place that no team wants to be in. This streak has put them DEAD last tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the not so coveted spot.

Last night against the Devils kind of showed all that seems to be happening to the Stars. With a powerplay goal putting the icing on the cake for the Devils. The special teams needs a heavy kicking in the crotch to get em back in gear. They haven't been producing and in hockey, defense and special teams, are what keep your team in the race.

During the beginning of the season when all of the puck bounces seemed to go the Stars way, just have not. There is a saying that the harder you work, the harder luck works for you. This season hasn't really been what the fans have thought it was going to be. Awesome, up until right now. The only people that knew what was happening were the players. No one could have foreseen that the end of the Tom Hicks Crapfest was going to energize each of his teams to the level of pretty damn close to Elite. The Stars are the Rangers of the NHL. And right now they're showing that the Hicks Curse is still around. Both of his teams couldn't ever lead. And proved that several times each year.

Back to something not depressing.... PUPPIES!

Now, back to the task at hand. The blue line has been a constant issue for this team. We just traded a very offensive minded left winger in James Neal, who I already miss, to bring in an offensive minded defense man, Alex Goligoski. Looking at the stat sheet from last night, he only lit up the penalty minutes. BUT, the first night with a new team doesn't mean he's crap. In fact just coming to the Stars he slots in at #7 on the points stat with 31 points. With that said, the Stars really need to focus on defense and make sure there aren't any crazy hijinks that going on... i.e. The Turco Gate Joke.

For the last word on the Stars, I have words for the fans.

As Stars fans, we need to put together a much better fan uprising. I understand that there are 82 games in the season, and history has shown that our Stars team has actually been consistently good. Apparently Cuban put together a very good arena for good teams. So, on those nights that you can't seem to get something put together, head out to the AAC and cheer on your Dallas Stars. They need it, and i we don't they won't get sold to someone that actual likes hockey. DO IT!

Tomorrow, we'll talk about NBA and super teams. BOO HEAT!

11 Days Till Lockout?

Ladies and gentleman, the NFL lockout is now within 11 days, and still no agreement despite mediation.

Now a lot of you don't know that the lockout is almost upon us, and even more don't understand that if a lockout is put into affect than there will be no professional football for the 2011 and 2012 season. That right there in my opinion would be a travesty, though my wife would think otherwise. But, that's not the point, the point is that there is a 9 billion dollar, yes that's BILLION with a "B", business that is about to lose a lot of their support simply for the fact that they can't quite decide where to put the money. Today I'll be going through and giving you a general idea of the details of the what the players and the owners want.

Now the one of the biggest keys to this lockout is that if it does happen it's going to be an owner's lockout, not a players one. Not that it makes it any better, but it's a start. The big concern for the owners, is the revenue sharing that was implemented in the last Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA. The owners are currently getting just under half. While the other half is going to the players, and the owners want to go to an 18 game season.

The players are trying to keep the upper hand on the revenue and are wanting an extended health care plan up to around 5 years after they retire. The players also want to cut out games in the season, mainly two to three preseason games.

The big picture and the main points for all of these guys is this: You are making 9 BILLION dollars in this business! Suck it up, and understand that players need a little more healthcare. Owners want to be able to charge more money for games in order to make more money, which in turns lets them pay for the healthcare! It's a two way street. Sheesh, if I didn't know any better you'd think none of the owners OR players were married!

That's all for now. Tomorrow Stars talk!

Sports News 2-21-11

Alright people, this is a spot that I've created in order to help out my writing and put together something that my fellow sports fans can (I hope) relate to.

I live in North Texas so I'll be primarily focusing on the pro sports teams up here: i.e. Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, Dallas Mavericks, and the Dallas Cowboys. However, with the access of the interwebs I'll also be looking at some of the larger pictures, for example the CBA, or Collective Bargaining Agreement set up by the NFL, and the impending OWNER lockout.

With that off my chest we're ready to rock and roll!

Let's get started with Michael Young, the super utility/DH for the Texas Rangers. So far the story has been unfolding in the air of Young requests trade from the Rangers due to him "feeling like I've been mislead and lied to". Now I don't know any of the details from the front office. But here are the sit down facts. Young is slated to make 48 million dollars in the next three years. He's 34 and he has always been the best team player that I have seen in my time in the sports arena. With this being said, I'm a big Michael Young fan. He's a heck of a player, a heck of a leader, and extraordinarily consistent. Here comes the kicker, he has a trade clause in his contract that only lets him get traded to a list of 8 teams. I'm not even going to name the teams for the simple fact that the Rangers are most likely not going to be able to trade him. The reason being that almost all 8 teams want the Rangers to pay just around half, more specifically pretty close to 20 million dollars, and quite frankly even with the new ownership the Rangers can't afford to pay this and trade Young. So shut up and deal with it fans.

Remember that I'm a Young fan, a Ranger fan, BUT I understand that this is a business! The sole purpose of a business is to make money. I'm sorry, if you've been offended, but deal with it. We start to love these players and start to idolize them, but you have to look at the other side of traffic. If the organization can't make money or better themselves with said trade or any move, it isn't worth it. Young is a complete professional, though I don't agree with him airing dirty laundry like this, I respect that he was most likely desperate and is looking at diminishing numbers and a career, and want to make all the money he can.

In closing, I leave you with this: Young, you're a great guy and deserve better than feeling like you've been lied to. BUT, remember, you're aging and this is a pretty young team. Keep up the hard work, but pass the torch.