I will be the first to say I don't like the Plaxico Burress of the media. I just don't like the over-active arrogance that I see, and I don't like what he seems to stand for: athletes who are so 'good' that they are better than the rest of us.
They aren't. But that's another story for another day.
But Plaxico Burress is a man who has been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion before we really know the whole truth. We know he had a gunshot wound to the leg. We know that there was a gun involved. Everything beyond that is basically conjecture.
We apparently know that he had a permit to carry a gun in Florida that expired. In some places that I have read, apparently gun laws in New York are so strict that they don't recognize other states' laws (what, no multi-state compact?). So, we can probably say that this is ignorance of the law (if we are pre-trying and pre-convicting) is probably Mr. Burress' worst offense (outside of the discharge of the weapon).
What really gets me about all this is that Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg the same week ESPN the Magazine comes out with the story of the NFL after the home invasion killing of Sean Taylor. These guys are walking contradictions: they are the biggest, baddest athletes we have in this country and they're scared beyond belief. Many NFL athletes of the 'good old days' were playboys and I'm sure that there are some today.
They have the money to do anything but be anonymous. Any other young man would be expected to go out on a Friday or Saturday night. These guys, they have a job that makes them play on Sunday, so Friday should be their night. So, are they not supposed to be social? Are they not supposed to be 'out there' to meet people?
That's my question for the people ready to castigate Burress and his teammates for being out and about. The only thing is the ridiculous law that they are hammering him for, even if he was the only one who got hurt. I was listening to Mike and Mike the other morning and Jack Ford said something that was interesting, that Plaxico Burress is being, essentially punished for his fame.
And I have issue with that.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
My Thoughts on Barack Obama's Thoughts on the Playoff
(or the lack of a playoff, as it were).
As it turns out, even though I have friends and family who did not vote for Barack Obama, they heartily agree with what he said on "Mike and Mike in the Morning" a few weeks ago. "I would have my attorney general investigate possibly a college football playoff system via executive order". That's what he said.
It's a shame, an absolute shame, that the college football post season cannot get anything better than a bunch of computers and a few humans (who didn't play or coach any of the games) decide who the national champion should be.
It's broken. It needs to be fixed.
Since the bowls can't go back to the way they were (and fix the national championship problem) then there should be another option. The sweet sixteen plays the first week of January. This is the top 16 teams in the country playing in eight games, weighted so that the better team plays at home. Then, the following week, the 'elite eight' plays in the bowl games, with the final four playing (and rotating) through the four bowl sites and the national championship being played the third week in January.
I think this would make it much better and not depreciate the value of the bowls.
Of course, in an effort to fix it, it got broken in the first place. Who knows what's actually right?
As it turns out, even though I have friends and family who did not vote for Barack Obama, they heartily agree with what he said on "Mike and Mike in the Morning" a few weeks ago. "I would have my attorney general investigate possibly a college football playoff system via executive order". That's what he said.
It's a shame, an absolute shame, that the college football post season cannot get anything better than a bunch of computers and a few humans (who didn't play or coach any of the games) decide who the national champion should be.
It's broken. It needs to be fixed.
Since the bowls can't go back to the way they were (and fix the national championship problem) then there should be another option. The sweet sixteen plays the first week of January. This is the top 16 teams in the country playing in eight games, weighted so that the better team plays at home. Then, the following week, the 'elite eight' plays in the bowl games, with the final four playing (and rotating) through the four bowl sites and the national championship being played the third week in January.
I think this would make it much better and not depreciate the value of the bowls.
Of course, in an effort to fix it, it got broken in the first place. Who knows what's actually right?
Monday, August 18, 2008
Olympic Greatness and Other Olympic Thoughts
The Olympics are upon us. And for someone who loves sports, this is a time when I watch more television than I normally do. And that's saying a lot.
I watched all of Michael Phelps' races. I observed history in the making. I am happy to say this because I was not even two years old when Mark Spitz won in Munich, and while I believe we watched a good portion of his swimming back then (we were in the same time zone as Munich) I don't remember a bit of it.
I loved watching him, all of what he did and was very proud of the good sportsman he is.
I love the stories of the Olympics. I love the Olympics because countries that have no hope anywhere else have hope in the Olympics. They have joy because they finished. I have been the person who cheers for the German 33 year-old woman in the vault. I'm the one who cheers for the Namibian because, well, Namibia hasn't won many medals. And they didn't this time. But I still see them and root for them once in a while. I feel for the people from the countries where there is so much pressure that they don't feel the thrill of competition.
I love the good of the Olympics. I don't like the bad at all. And that's just something to think about.
And all ESPN can really chatter on about is football preseason. Just another cent or two of my thoughts...
I watched all of Michael Phelps' races. I observed history in the making. I am happy to say this because I was not even two years old when Mark Spitz won in Munich, and while I believe we watched a good portion of his swimming back then (we were in the same time zone as Munich) I don't remember a bit of it.
I loved watching him, all of what he did and was very proud of the good sportsman he is.
I love the stories of the Olympics. I love the Olympics because countries that have no hope anywhere else have hope in the Olympics. They have joy because they finished. I have been the person who cheers for the German 33 year-old woman in the vault. I'm the one who cheers for the Namibian because, well, Namibia hasn't won many medals. And they didn't this time. But I still see them and root for them once in a while. I feel for the people from the countries where there is so much pressure that they don't feel the thrill of competition.
I love the good of the Olympics. I don't like the bad at all. And that's just something to think about.
And all ESPN can really chatter on about is football preseason. Just another cent or two of my thoughts...
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Going Back to School
This relates to my blog.
I'm going back to school for my Master's degree. We see what my undergrad (and my lack of tenaciousness) has gotten for me. I've finally decided I would grow up and become a college professor. But in the process, I have decided to combine my love of sports and my love of politics and make the world a better place in the process.
Okay, maybe not 'make the world a better place', but I will try to make the ideas, with which I agree, a little more prevelent in American and, possibly, international thought.
If you have ever heard of PeacePlayers International, then you might get where I am going with this. But you may not.
As I have said plenty of times in my life, I am extremely passionate about sports. I have favorite teams, but I almost always think about the betterment of the sport than about my own team. But I don't think this is about professional sports. I say that because I'm still formulating my own thoughts on the subject.
I am pretty sure I will stick with just using sport as a way to resolve conflicts (long term, of course). I believe that sometimes it's a relatively inexpensive way to work towards peace without even knowing it. And that's just something we should think about.
Of course, many people are not focused on international relations. A lot of people don't see that what happens there (outside the US) does affect us here.
That's simply what I am interested in: peace-making through sports.
I'm going back to school for my Master's degree. We see what my undergrad (and my lack of tenaciousness) has gotten for me. I've finally decided I would grow up and become a college professor. But in the process, I have decided to combine my love of sports and my love of politics and make the world a better place in the process.
Okay, maybe not 'make the world a better place', but I will try to make the ideas, with which I agree, a little more prevelent in American and, possibly, international thought.
If you have ever heard of PeacePlayers International, then you might get where I am going with this. But you may not.
As I have said plenty of times in my life, I am extremely passionate about sports. I have favorite teams, but I almost always think about the betterment of the sport than about my own team. But I don't think this is about professional sports. I say that because I'm still formulating my own thoughts on the subject.
I am pretty sure I will stick with just using sport as a way to resolve conflicts (long term, of course). I believe that sometimes it's a relatively inexpensive way to work towards peace without even knowing it. And that's just something we should think about.
Of course, many people are not focused on international relations. A lot of people don't see that what happens there (outside the US) does affect us here.
That's simply what I am interested in: peace-making through sports.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Thoughts
I keep thinking about horse racing and the horses who run.
I used to live in Lexington, KY and I used to drive out to the horse farms and I would see the colts run. They were beautiful in the early spring morning, fog rising, burning off the heat, colts running through the fog, playing. I had seen that scene too many times, so I truly believe that the horses are supposed to run.
I seriously think something needs to be done. I have been listening, only a casual fan, to the debate, reading and thinking about what could be done to improve something that is obviously broken.
Horses are meant to run. They run because they want to run. I've seen more than my fair share of horses. They aren't cows: acquiescent to standing in a field. That want to run, they want to feel the wind in their mane. I truly believe that.
But horses shouldn't be breaking like they do. Eight Belles, or Vinstar today, both euthanized because they were not able to be fixed. I don't fault the vets for making the decision (strangely enough, I know the vet who euthanized Eight Belles). I fault the system for breeding horses who are breakable.
It's a shame. I don't know what'll fix it. It just needs to be fixed.
I used to live in Lexington, KY and I used to drive out to the horse farms and I would see the colts run. They were beautiful in the early spring morning, fog rising, burning off the heat, colts running through the fog, playing. I had seen that scene too many times, so I truly believe that the horses are supposed to run.
I seriously think something needs to be done. I have been listening, only a casual fan, to the debate, reading and thinking about what could be done to improve something that is obviously broken.
Horses are meant to run. They run because they want to run. I've seen more than my fair share of horses. They aren't cows: acquiescent to standing in a field. That want to run, they want to feel the wind in their mane. I truly believe that.
But horses shouldn't be breaking like they do. Eight Belles, or Vinstar today, both euthanized because they were not able to be fixed. I don't fault the vets for making the decision (strangely enough, I know the vet who euthanized Eight Belles). I fault the system for breeding horses who are breakable.
It's a shame. I don't know what'll fix it. It just needs to be fixed.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Olympics = Peace
What I am about to express is an opinion that may or may not be shared with others. I rarely put my strong opinions out here, but I feel as if I should share for discussion's sake alone.
The Olympics are a time every two years (winter, then summer) where we as a world need to forget our differences and find joy in the simple act of sport for the sake of sport.
I must state clearly and unequivocally that I was not for the Olympics being granted to China. I thought it was a travesty and one of the biggest mistakes the IOC has made in a long time. I did think, however, that the IOC did grant the Olympics to China much like they granted them to Moscow in 1980. There is always the hope that something like a peaceful movement will push a country towards peace.
I was not for free trade with China either. I know it helped my parents but that only tempered my anger. Please bear in mind: I'm all for international cooperation and international understanding. I don't think that democracy is always the right thing for a country at a certain time. I think that reality dictates that we must make the mistakes before we can correct them. I just, simply put, think that China is the closest to an enemy we have had since we were in the Revolutionary War.
With all this thought process about how much I dislike and do not trust China, I think that the Olympics are there now, therefore we must have an understanding that we should respect the Olympics in a peaceful manner.
I don't believe that our President should sit in the Opening Ceremonies. I think he should send a letter to each of the American Olympians expressing his support. I just think that if he's there, he should do something extreme (like wearing a Tibetan flag on his lapel). Since that's not going to happen, he should not be there.
I believe our athletes should go there with a fervor to win more than ever before. We cannot let the Chinese machine (similar to the Soviet machine) be dominant.
I believe that the protesters have every right to protest. They should, however, never ever endanger the torch bearer in any way. They did that in Paris and that was highly disappointing for me.
The torch bearer is generally an athlete or someone who is important to the country that the torch is in. I just find that this whole set of protests going on outside of China are doing a good job of making those of us who have shouted Free Tibet before get a little disillusioned with the whole process.
The Olympics are a time every two years (winter, then summer) where we as a world need to forget our differences and find joy in the simple act of sport for the sake of sport.
I must state clearly and unequivocally that I was not for the Olympics being granted to China. I thought it was a travesty and one of the biggest mistakes the IOC has made in a long time. I did think, however, that the IOC did grant the Olympics to China much like they granted them to Moscow in 1980. There is always the hope that something like a peaceful movement will push a country towards peace.
I was not for free trade with China either. I know it helped my parents but that only tempered my anger. Please bear in mind: I'm all for international cooperation and international understanding. I don't think that democracy is always the right thing for a country at a certain time. I think that reality dictates that we must make the mistakes before we can correct them. I just, simply put, think that China is the closest to an enemy we have had since we were in the Revolutionary War.
With all this thought process about how much I dislike and do not trust China, I think that the Olympics are there now, therefore we must have an understanding that we should respect the Olympics in a peaceful manner.
I don't believe that our President should sit in the Opening Ceremonies. I think he should send a letter to each of the American Olympians expressing his support. I just think that if he's there, he should do something extreme (like wearing a Tibetan flag on his lapel). Since that's not going to happen, he should not be there.
I believe our athletes should go there with a fervor to win more than ever before. We cannot let the Chinese machine (similar to the Soviet machine) be dominant.
I believe that the protesters have every right to protest. They should, however, never ever endanger the torch bearer in any way. They did that in Paris and that was highly disappointing for me.
The torch bearer is generally an athlete or someone who is important to the country that the torch is in. I just find that this whole set of protests going on outside of China are doing a good job of making those of us who have shouted Free Tibet before get a little disillusioned with the whole process.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Davidson's Quality Board of Trustees
I guess I am echoing so many different folks who have written about and talked about Davidson College and how well it treats its students. But I am writing it from a slightly different perspective.
In the many times I have attended a University, at least once while I was at the University of Kentucky and another time while I was at the University of Southern Indiana, they were competing for a National Championship.
They are public schools, therefore they would never be able to get the budget or even the "Board of Trustees" who is wealthy enough to enable what the Davidson College Board of Trustees had done for its students.
But I just think that this was an extremely classy move by the Board. And I think, from everything I have read, this is a classy school all the way around.
In the many times I have attended a University, at least once while I was at the University of Kentucky and another time while I was at the University of Southern Indiana, they were competing for a National Championship.
They are public schools, therefore they would never be able to get the budget or even the "Board of Trustees" who is wealthy enough to enable what the Davidson College Board of Trustees had done for its students.
But I just think that this was an extremely classy move by the Board. And I think, from everything I have read, this is a classy school all the way around.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Pat Forde - Wah!
If you want to read the column I am talking about, go here....
I'm the type of person who enjoys good sports writing. I am not one to harp and criticize when I don't see it, typically.
Pat Forde, I've been reading your columns for years. I've been pretty excited and even exasperated by some of the things you have said. But this takes the cake. I read and spend time on ESPN.com to find good stories, heart-warming or heart-rending stories.
But who gave a bunch of writers (including Mr. Forde) the right to whine? Is it the same company who, for years, has given us good quality analysis and great information? I admit, now it's caged, quite often, in the 'insider' information. The whole company seems to be having issues... Is it the Disney influence or something else?
American society in general seems to have issues with entitlement. In a day and age when reporters can hop on a plane and get to point B, I'm surprised Mr. Forde didn't get to leave Little Rock and head to Tampa.
Of course, he's writing this column for a bunch of people who didn't get to see the basketball games of gloriously tumultuous Tampa except on television. I might add that since I don't have DirectTV, I was caught up in the choices of CBS.
That, and watching on the 15" laptop screen.
Sorry, but this is one of those times I have to say, "Boo Hoo Wah!"
I'm the type of person who enjoys good sports writing. I am not one to harp and criticize when I don't see it, typically.
Pat Forde, I've been reading your columns for years. I've been pretty excited and even exasperated by some of the things you have said. But this takes the cake. I read and spend time on ESPN.com to find good stories, heart-warming or heart-rending stories.
But who gave a bunch of writers (including Mr. Forde) the right to whine? Is it the same company who, for years, has given us good quality analysis and great information? I admit, now it's caged, quite often, in the 'insider' information. The whole company seems to be having issues... Is it the Disney influence or something else?
American society in general seems to have issues with entitlement. In a day and age when reporters can hop on a plane and get to point B, I'm surprised Mr. Forde didn't get to leave Little Rock and head to Tampa.
Of course, he's writing this column for a bunch of people who didn't get to see the basketball games of gloriously tumultuous Tampa except on television. I might add that since I don't have DirectTV, I was caught up in the choices of CBS.
That, and watching on the 15" laptop screen.
Sorry, but this is one of those times I have to say, "Boo Hoo Wah!"
Friday, March 21, 2008
What... March? Where Did The Last Three Months Go?
I must apologize. I've thought of writing a lot. I have written in my other (mostly anonymous) blog and yet, there I don't write about my passion for sports. I have so much that I could write about.
Like me rooting against the Patriots and for the Celtics. Like me rooting for the Football Giants and forever against the Yankees. And as I read the pages of the paper and the internet, I shake my head at the entire Knicks organization.
And now, it's March. March? The month of madness that is okay for all of us. The month were non-sports fans turn on the television and flip to CBS and root for teams like Belmont. My beloved Kentucky Wildcats lost yesterday. I haven't expressed much of an opinion on my favorite team for a while because of my own thoughts on what happened in the last year.
I was not one of the Kentucky fans who thought that Tubby Smith should go. I wasn't one of those folks who thought that he was so awful that he didn't deserve to be coaching in Division I. I only thought Tubby Smith should leave Kentucky because of one reason: the pressure was getting to him. He needs to be some place (like Minnesota) where he'll be loved for doing a good job.
And I'm glad he's there. I don't know how Billy Gillispie is going to do at UK, but I do know that many of us UK fans out here really like the way he handled this season. And he had a comparably awful season. I am sure the Tubby-bashers don't want to hear that he won less than 22 games at any point during his ten-year tenure.
I'm proud of Kentucky the same way I was when Rick Pitino took over during the NCAA's punishment of the program. The team played under adversity and did not succumb.
And I now look forward to more basketball. I don't know if any of my readers (I believe there might be two, once in a while) know that I am just that big a sports fan.
Thank you for reading
Like me rooting against the Patriots and for the Celtics. Like me rooting for the Football Giants and forever against the Yankees. And as I read the pages of the paper and the internet, I shake my head at the entire Knicks organization.
And now, it's March. March? The month of madness that is okay for all of us. The month were non-sports fans turn on the television and flip to CBS and root for teams like Belmont. My beloved Kentucky Wildcats lost yesterday. I haven't expressed much of an opinion on my favorite team for a while because of my own thoughts on what happened in the last year.
I was not one of the Kentucky fans who thought that Tubby Smith should go. I wasn't one of those folks who thought that he was so awful that he didn't deserve to be coaching in Division I. I only thought Tubby Smith should leave Kentucky because of one reason: the pressure was getting to him. He needs to be some place (like Minnesota) where he'll be loved for doing a good job.
And I'm glad he's there. I don't know how Billy Gillispie is going to do at UK, but I do know that many of us UK fans out here really like the way he handled this season. And he had a comparably awful season. I am sure the Tubby-bashers don't want to hear that he won less than 22 games at any point during his ten-year tenure.
I'm proud of Kentucky the same way I was when Rick Pitino took over during the NCAA's punishment of the program. The team played under adversity and did not succumb.
And I now look forward to more basketball. I don't know if any of my readers (I believe there might be two, once in a while) know that I am just that big a sports fan.
Thank you for reading
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