Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

The Mitchell Report, like anything covered by ESPN, was blown up into a complete media frenzy. If anyone has ever been paying attention during a national disaster, ESPN’s coverage would have reignited distinct memories.

Their bombastic and universal coverage of the story, which lasted for six hours on the network, and what I can only assume was much longer on ESPN News, created that surreal feeling that I’ve felt when ever I am engulfed in a tumultuous breaking news story on the major networks or CNN. The world stopped, there were constant updates, the scroll ran constantly with excerpts and summations of the text of Mitchell’s findings. Even this morning, I still felt that “breaking news” perspective, where I can actually sense that something of great gravity occurred.

All of the information was given, repeatedly, and for someone grossly enveloped in sports coverage, I thought was well-reported, and handled by ESPN’s best reporters. Bob Ley, Jeremy Schaap, Roger Cossack, and Karl Ravech were solid on TV. Mike Tirico, being an opinion-maker on a national radio show, allowed the listener to form opinions based on Mitchell’s press conference, along with his broad and general commentary. I appreciate ESPN Radio for this reason. Unlike local sports radio, it avoids the gratuitous and out-of-control commentary by big fat loud guys. On television, and later on the radio, it soon would not be avoided.

ESPN has all of the greatest sports resources in the world. It’s website alone probably has a greater economy than a number of third-world countries. Many of the best sports analysts and reporters want to work at the “Worldwide Leader” and rightfully so. So, why, with all of that power, and in what was built up and reported as the most weighty story of they year, did America have to listen to John Kruk?

Kruk gave me one great, stand-up quality line, with “I used to have a problem with drinking. I didn’t blame the people who make beer!” He was volatile towards Mitchell and the league. He said that it was “pretty good” to only have about 80 players and only 5-6 superstars. He, necessarily, questioned the validity of the report, but also was insistent that no names should have been named. Without examples, I feel that the report would be worthless, and it was necessary to demonstrate the depth of the paper trail behind the drugs, and the depth of use, stretching from the biggest superstar to the most meaningless cog of the league.

I think that the media, and the public, need to be educated on the report, and realize that some players are, clearly, more guilty than others, and that a mention in the report should not necessarily be a complete smear on one’s record. The wide-ranging scope of drug use in the sport means that a significant (not necessarily a majority) percentage of the players most likely experimented with some sort of performance-enhancing substance. While their actions were both illegal and against the sport’s policies, players listed with a few degrees of separation, and without reasonable understanding that they were consistent users should be given chances to prove themselves to the league and its fans. It is consistent use that the league and its fans should recognize as flagrant and egregious, and to which they should take a stronger offense.

One person who didn’t take this approach was J Hood on ESPN 1000. Last night, in a very brief listening, I heard him say that Andy MacPhail and Peter Angelos unloaded Miguel Tejada, and were trying to “rid themselves” of Brian Roberts to “clean house of all their dirty players.” Hood is the same broadcaster who said that he doesn’t care if players use steroids to hit home runs, because he just likes being entertained by it. The mention of Tejada in the report is with a large amount of here say, interpreted by me to be something like, “A guy might have seen something in his locker.” The mention of Roberts is slightly more corroborative, saying that he lived with drug users, and mentioned that he “tried it once or twice.” As you can see, it seems wrong to place all of these players on equal footing as “players named in the Mitchell Report.” When there are 82 named references to Roger Clemens, and stories of he and Pettitte getting poked in their bums with syringes, compared with the “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” game of many other players, it doesn’t seem fair to generalize.

While these analysts and radio personalities are employed in the business of opinion-making, this report is definitely a story that needed to be reported like news. Broad and informative reporting,with calm and focused commentary by well-educated and experienced analysts, was appreciated, and allowed baseball enthusiasts to make their own opinions. Listening to Peter Gammons, Tim Kurkjian, and Buster Olney, giving their opinions with a clear head and clear statements, permits those of us watching to understand their perspectives, and agree or disagree. Listening to Kruk and Hood blow off steam and pound on their desks forced their opinions down my throat and into my brain.

AJD

Thanksgiving Weekend brought with it a gratuitous amount of football, which I spent most of the weekend watching, rather than subjecting myself to two more Bulls defeats (what a mess).

What could be better about a year in college football where Miami, Notre Dame, and Nebraska are all terrible, and Illinois has an outside shot at the BCS? If only the National Championship didn’t most likely include Missouri, I would be pretty satisfied.

Many have lamented the lack of a true power team this season. Hawaii is the only undefeated, and has played a statistically weak schedule in the WAC. Is it worse for college football to be short of the traditional powers of Miami, Nebraska, and Notre Dame?

The parity has come from many different directions. Every team, especially in BCS conferences, gets time on national television, with the advent of Tuesday and Thursday night games. Better coaches and better access to training facilities has brought on more good players, which means that every team has a chance to snag great athletes. But I think that it may only be bringing on a new wave of power teams in college football.

For years, schools like Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, USC, Michigan, and Ohio State have recruited well, but also relied on their status as big-time football powers with all of the exposure and hordes of NFL graduates to bring the players to them. With all schools getting at least some national exposure, teams with the great coaches and recruiters are starting to shine. USC remains strong because Pete Carroll recruits well, has good position coaches, and maintains good relationships with his players. Same with Ohio State. But teams in their main recruiting bases are really competing for players with the three teams that are falling off the map.

Miami, playing in the ACC, has to try to snag kids away from every single SEC school, most notably Florida, coming off a National Championship. Notre Dame, the national school, has to pretty much compete with everyone, but Illinois has recently been stealing away some kids who would have been Domers, and Indiana is improving quickly. Nebraska has seen Kansas and Missouri thrive, while they stumble.

Miami and Nebraska seem to have been outworked. There’s no excuse for Notre Dame. ND is the worst team to ever have every single game broadcasted nationally. They have every advantage in the world. The BCS has a specific rule regarding Notre Dame, NBC broadcasts every single game nationally, and they play against teams across the nation. They had big-time recruits at several different positions. Miami and Nebraska came off already disappointing seasons, Notre Dame went to a BCS bowl. They sent a kid to the pros (Quinn) who has his face plastered over about every single advertisement that isn’t already covered by Peyton Manning. They are constantly overrated, constantly welcomed to bowl games they don’t deserve, and handed every gift in the world, and still went 3-9.

Pat Forde wrote a column on ESPN.com about the “Arch Rivalry” between Illinois and Missouri. Two teams that have massively underachieved over the past few years, especially considering their facilities and recruiting bases. They did underachieve, but have seemingly made good with new directions. It is unacceptable for schools with the kind of facilities and resource that Illinois and Missouri to go through 3-9 seasons, especially consistently.

Just think how unacceptable it must be for Miami, Nebraska, and Notre Dame.

AJD

The Bulls’ slow starts have grown tiresome. With the team being so widely promoted as “the team to beat in the East” and being guaranteed as a 50-game winner by many analysts, an 0-3 start is not what anyone expected. But, it should have been.

In Skiles’s first season as head coach, the Bulls started 0-9, only to end up 47-35. Last season, after the addition of Ben Wallace, and with a rapidly maturing Luol Deng and Ben Gordon, the Bulls appeared to come sprinting out of the gate, with a 40-point win at defending champion Miami. However, the Bulls stumbled to a disappointing 3-9 after their usual “Circus Trip” to the West Coast.

Skiles is heralded for showing real improvement in his teams as the season goes on, and that really cannot be argued. Going 47-28 after an 0-9 start in 2004-05, and then storming back from a 28-37 record in 05-06 to end up at .500 and in the playoffs are real signs that: a) Skiles develops and matures his young players as the season goes on, and b) his players give A-game effort every single night.

But now Skiles coaches a team without the influx of a couple new major contributors, and while t here is still young talent, it is young, veteran talent with NBA experience. The young core is growing up. Gordon and Deng are in their fourth seasons, Hinrich is in his fifth. Tyrus Thomas enters his second season in Skiles’s system, probably splitting starting time with free agent addition Joe Smith. Ben Wallace is a 11-year NBA vet, an all-star, and also entering his 2^nd season under Skiles. The Bulls add one young player, and hopefully a night-to-night contributor in Joakim Noah, and one seasoned vet in Smith. The bench appears deep, with Chris Duhon in his fourth year, either Smith or Thomas night-to-night, Noah, Thabo Sefolosha entering his second season, and rookies Aaron Gray and JamesOn Curry hoping to contribute. On paper, sure, it’s a 50-win team.

Chemistry is always an important factor with Skiles, but the heart of this team has played together for a season. Only one major addition of a player with much experience learning new systems (Smith) and only one rookie who figures to contribute every night (Noah) would not figure to agitate the team’s chemistry that much. It shouldn’t take another 3-9 start to get the Bulls on track.

On paper, the Bulls get 50 wins, the Cubs win the pennant, the Bears are in the playoffs, Rashard Mendenhall wins the Heisman, Patrick Kane is only 18, and everyone should buy stock in Boston Market and K-Mart.

The only paper that matters is the one with the standings printed on it. Today it says “Chicago 0-3.”

AJD

I’ve never really known much about professional hockey. I would watch the highlights on SportsCenter. I usually at least knew a couple of names of the star players, and the quality players for the Blackhawks. I would know who was playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, and I was usually at least aware, whether that be willingly or subconsciously, of who won. I remember I wasn’t too heartbroken about the lockout, especially with the improving Bulls and the sorry state of the Hawks.

A couple of my friends are pretty big hockey fans, and since I started this blog, I felt like maybe this was an opportunity to give it a shot. I think I picked a pretty good time to start watching the Blackhawks.

The Hawks pretty much lost my generation of fans as Ben Finfer said on ESPN 1000 a few days ago. When I was about five they went to the Stanley Cup Finals and were swept by Pittsburgh. Those were the years of Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios, Eddie Belfour….some other guys (???). The Hawks had the longest streak of playoff appearances until about 1997, I think, until they really took a dive.

They don’t play their home games on TV, they have been extremely bad right in this time where my generation of fans started to develop their own allegiances, and become really aware of their teams, instead of just watching when their parents sat them down in front of the TV. Right in that time when I was 12-18, becoming a stat-monger, playing Madden and NBA Live, learning the names of Cubs farmhands, the Hawks were terrible, and only on TV half the time. With such a deep tradition in the city, one that stretches way past that of the Bulls, as well as a fantastic venue and a major market, they’ve been largely insignificant in the past ten years.

While Bill Wirtz was a quality person, a great philanthropist, and a smart businessman, he was a terrible owner. Reluctant to spend, archaic beliefs on team ownership, and poor relationships with media outlets made him seem completely aloof, and turned the Blackhawks into what ESPN called “The Worst Franchise in Pro Sports.”

With ten years of pretty high draft picks, its seemed that either they haven’t put together many good drafts, or they’ve traded those picks and players away, or lost them to free agency. I remember Eric Daze never turning out the way he was supposed to. But “Here Come the Hawks” with Patrick Kane, age 18, and Johnathan Toews, age 19.

Wirtz’s son has gotten ten home games on Comcast, Bill Pulford has been promoted right out of the team operations. The Wirtz family has put the hockey operations right into the hands of what appear to be two very smart hockey people: Dale Tallon and Denis Savard. They have a quality goaltender in Nikolai Khabibulin, who is backed up by a talented Patrick Lalime. They have some real scoring threats with Kane, Toews, Tuomo Ruutu, and a rehabbing Martin Havlat. They still have some weaknesses on defense, but it appears that Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith are improving almost every night. If the defense can give Khabibulin some help, this Hawks team could finally be returning to the playoffs. (I’m a 50 WPM typist, and I can only go about 10 WPM when I’m typing the names of Hawks players).

Waddle and Silvy on ESPN 1000 were playing a game on Tuesdays with Mark Giancreco, the ABC 7 sportscaster. They would send an intern to HawkQuarters, the Blackhawks apparel store on Michigan Avenue around 11 AM to count how many customers were inside the store. The answer was usually the same: zero. There is new hope for the future of that store.

AJD