Archive for May, 2009

May 23 2009

Does Michael Vick Deserve Another Chance???

Published by kali under Football

 
That has been the question seemingly talked about 24 hours a day on ESPN since Michael Vick left prison (well they did interrupt briefly to talk about Lebron’s game winning shot).  The main question that keeps being asked is does he deserve the right to play?  Does a man who has repaid his debt to society really need to beg for a chance to get a job doing what he does best?
 
A number of commentators and fans have said playing in the NFL is a privilege not a right.  And I ask them is their job at ESPN a privilege.  Did someone just hand them their job at ESPN or did the everyday person working at an office just get handed their job.  No, most people had to work and hone their skills to get to the job they have now.  Of course there are some industries where nepotism and who you know may play a role in you getting a job, I’m thinking specifically of coaching.  But no top athlete is just given their position in the pros.  I know people don’t like to think of playing sports as a job, but it is.  They spend a couple hours a day working out, a couple hours a day practicing,  a couple of hours watching film.  Yes, it is something we all did when we were young and we constantly say we would do for free.  But the reality is people don’t play professional sports for free.  They play for millions of dollars, and we all support that by going to games, watching on TV, by buying tickets, by buying jerseys and hats.  So no playing sports isn’t a privilege in itself.  Anybody who has a great job or life or family can say they’re privileged.  But in reality in order to get to that point work had to be put in to get to that point.
 
And I’ve heard some fans say they don’t want Michael Vick on their teams.  That’s cool and you can feel that way if you want.  But I tell you I’d better not hear that from anyone that’s a fan of the Baltimore Ravens.  Because you sure have no problem cheering for Ray Lewis who was at the scene of a crime when someone got murdered.  And I hope that no St Louis Rams fans are on TV talking about they don’t think Vick deserves a second chance.  Because Rams fans didn’t seem to have any problem cheering for Leonard Little who killed a women in a Drunk driving incident.  And if any LA Lakers fans act like they can’t believe any team would sign Michael Vick I’m going to ask them how they feel about cheering and chanting MVP for Kobe Bryant who paid his way out of rape charge.  Yes, we are all hypocritical as fans, things that we forgive for OUR TEAM and OUR PLAYERS that we can’t in our minds forgive of the opponent.
 
And we all know if he is reinstated by the NFL there will be teams that will stay away from him.  They will point to his low completion percentage when he was a starting QB.  But with the increasing use of the “Wildcat” offense, I can’t think of a better player to run that.  If Pat White from West Virginia is worth a 2nd round pick then you can’t tell me Michael Vick can’t be on someone’s roster.  Even if you list him as the 3rd quarterback you know he will be able to make a couple of plays a game.  A couple of years ago there was no more dynamic player in the league.  He could score or create a score from anywhere on the field.  When the Patriots sign him and he is someone else you have to worry about along with Moss, Brady, and Welker you will realize why they’re the best run franchise.

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May 07 2009

L.A. L.A. Big City of Dreams…

Published by Antonio under Baseball

…but everything in LA ain’t always what it seems, you might get fooled if you come from outta town…

MLB: San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angelos is the city of sports news today.  The Lakers are showing some testosterone and Manny Ramirez is being banned for it.  What gives?

The Lakers apparently took to heart all the talk about their toughness and took it to the Houston Rockets in game two.  Clearly, they played on edge and with more spirit in the game.  I’m not surprised that Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant were at the center of it.  They are championship winning players, they know how to win in the playoffs, the mental and physical toughness that is necessary.  Fisher absolutely did something the Lakers needed.  If this was hockey, he’d have been dropping the gloves and squaring off with an opposing team’s enforcer.  He sent a message that the Rockets weren’t going to be able to push them around all series.  Bryant sent another message of sorts, one that I think will play out differently.  He basically told Ron Artest, “Go ahead and mess with me, you’ll get kicked out of games, and if you hit me, you’re out”.  Kobe reminded Artest, and more imporantly the refs and the NBA that he’s been a repeat thug.

Game two will be pivotal in deciding this series.  The blood has been drawn.  The Lakers need to make sure this wasn’t a one-time thing.  They don’t need any more suspensions or technicals, they just need to make sure the Rockets know they won’t get win by force.  For the Rockets, they need to keep up the physical play, but avoid the antics.  They need Artest, he’s been quiet and effective all year long.  He’s a very good defender who’s going to make the Lakers work on offense.  They can’t have him melt down.

So, Ramirez is the latest MLB player caught.  I’m not totally surprised.  I’m a Manny fan, I think he’s a unique player and one of the all time greats.  But nonetheless, he also played in the era of performance enhancing.  Regardless of what all the self-righteous players and writers say, the fact is the era was littered with far more players who used these enhancers than those who have been exposed thus far.  Barry Bonds, Raphael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemons, the list goes on and on.  Continue Reading »

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May 05 2009

Toughness in the NBA

Published by Antonio under Basketball

The NBA is the most physical “non-contact” sport in the world.  Technically speaking, much of the contact is illegal and should draw fouls.  Yet, especially as the playoffs roll on much of this contact is just part of the game.

NBA: APR 27 Western Conference Quarterfinals - Nuggets at Hornets - Game 4

Last season, the Boston Celtics won the championship because they were physically and mentally tougher than the Lakers.   To be more specific, outside of Kobe Bryant, the Lakers are a team of punks.  I’m tired of hearing about Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum.  Take Kobe and Phil Jackson away from this team, and these three would make the core of one of the worst teams in the league.  They have no toughness, little heart and the minute an opponent jabs them, they back down.

Conversely, I think Dirk Nowitski is the punk on Dallas. Don’t get me wrong, Nowitski is a great player, he’s everything that GMs look for in the European player. He’s tall, is a lights out shooter, skilled passer and ball handler, but he’s also a punk.  In game one of the Denver series, as long as he was 15 feet away from the basket he was effective ( and as I write this, he failed to capitalize on a size mismatch against Dahntay Jones in the post).  Nowitski doesn’t have a great team around him, so I doubt he could win a title with this team.  Still, until he’s able to man up to the inevitable elbows to the chest by his defenders, he’ll always fade as the playoffs go deeper.  Yao Ming has adjusted to the physical nature of the NBA, and he gets beat on much more.

I love the effect Chauncey Billups has had on Denver.  Allen Iverson has always been my boy, and I still believe that if he’d one other “star” type player next to him during the Larry Brown years in Philly he might have stole a championship.  That being said, Billups turned this soft, non defensive team into a physical contender.  At some point though, Carmelo Anthony needs to make the transition into the definitive superstar.  I still look at him and see Glenn Robinson.  Supremely skilled, but lacking that “it” factor which makes Kobe, Lebron, Dwayne Wade champions.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team win a championship, but in the end it’s going to have to be Melo carrying them there.

Lebron James…enough said.  New York Knicks fans, get that thought of him coming to NYC out of your heads.  The more I watch him play with his team of castoffs, the more I have the feeling the King will finally deliver.  His cast is very underrated.  They were making a point in the broadcast of game one against Atlanta about how many former NBA starters were on their bench.  And this isn’t unproductive, old veterans playing for the minimal.  Some of these guys were key figures in their Finals run just two years ago.  Perhaps most imporantly, these guys are tough enough to know their roles, accept them, and yet take the shots rather than watching Lebron.

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