Slash...we speak your name.
Friday, February 29, 2008
The Skins and Free Agency
Free agency opened last night and so begins one of the most annoying times of the year to be a Redskins fan. Every year we hear the same story: the Skins release or don’t sign a few quality players and then either sign washed-up veterans or players unwanted throughout the NFL. They do this, of course, for outrageous sums of money both groups of players do not deserve under any circumstance. Want examples?
Rock Cartwright (undervalued, quality player who was released); Bruce Smith (washed-up veteran who had no reason to be on the Skins); Brandon Lloyd (under-performer whom no one wanted, including the pathetic 49ers). What do Lloyd and Smith have in common? They were paid incredible amounts of money for mediocre contributions at best.
Maybe the start of free agency should be called the “NFL Sports Agent’s Bonus Cash Money Extravaganza from Redskins Park” or the “Drew Rosenhaus Gets Paid No Matter What by Dan Synder Day.”
Kidding aside, I hope the Redskins do something smart this year and stay away from the temptation of trying to sign someone famous or headline grabbing. Unfortunately I can promise you that DannyBoy has been on the phone with Randy Moss’s agent and I can also assure you that Drew Rosenhaus and Vinny Cerato text each other at least 50 times a day. They literally can’t help themselves -- last time I checked the Post, Lance Briggs was in the Skins' rumor mill. Great.
But maybe Coach Zorn will take a different approach this year and not make any stupid moves. The Post is reporting that the Skins may take a more “conservative” approach to free agency this year. A few things to note from this article:
1. The Skins will have around $7-10 million dollars of cap space, and this may be why the Skins are taking it easy. When other teams have $20-40 million to spend on players, why should the Skins try to compete with the bigger offers that may be out there? I won’t go into the atrocious management of the Skins’ salary cap, but suffice to say the cap may be preventing the Skins from making big deals this year. Good thing? Maybe.
2. This is a team which made the playoffs twice over the last few years. There may be a slight possibility common sense prevailed. For exampe, someone may have said, “Wow, this team gets along and plays pretty well together. Maybe we shouldn’t release everyone this year, overpay our underperformers, and sign some big name free agent for no good reason…” One can only hope Coach Zorn had a though similar to this one.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed during the next few weeks....
Rock Cartwright (undervalued, quality player who was released); Bruce Smith (washed-up veteran who had no reason to be on the Skins); Brandon Lloyd (under-performer whom no one wanted, including the pathetic 49ers). What do Lloyd and Smith have in common? They were paid incredible amounts of money for mediocre contributions at best.
Maybe the start of free agency should be called the “NFL Sports Agent’s Bonus Cash Money Extravaganza from Redskins Park” or the “Drew Rosenhaus Gets Paid No Matter What by Dan Synder Day.”
Kidding aside, I hope the Redskins do something smart this year and stay away from the temptation of trying to sign someone famous or headline grabbing. Unfortunately I can promise you that DannyBoy has been on the phone with Randy Moss’s agent and I can also assure you that Drew Rosenhaus and Vinny Cerato text each other at least 50 times a day. They literally can’t help themselves -- last time I checked the Post, Lance Briggs was in the Skins' rumor mill. Great.
But maybe Coach Zorn will take a different approach this year and not make any stupid moves. The Post is reporting that the Skins may take a more “conservative” approach to free agency this year. A few things to note from this article:
1. The Skins will have around $7-10 million dollars of cap space, and this may be why the Skins are taking it easy. When other teams have $20-40 million to spend on players, why should the Skins try to compete with the bigger offers that may be out there? I won’t go into the atrocious management of the Skins’ salary cap, but suffice to say the cap may be preventing the Skins from making big deals this year. Good thing? Maybe.
2. This is a team which made the playoffs twice over the last few years. There may be a slight possibility common sense prevailed. For exampe, someone may have said, “Wow, this team gets along and plays pretty well together. Maybe we shouldn’t release everyone this year, overpay our underperformers, and sign some big name free agent for no good reason…” One can only hope Coach Zorn had a though similar to this one.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed during the next few weeks....
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Its Thursday
Its been a while since I posted a music video...too long in fact. Last night Kevin Garnett grabbed his 11,000th career rebound in a big win over the Cavs. Things are looking up. This song kicks ass, as does the entire Siamese Dream album, which I purchased for the third or fourth time last week.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Drum Machines, PBR, and Good Times: Reflections of Genghis Tron's Album Release Tour
Very rarely does one have the opportunity to see a line-up that is as musically diverse but also as universally talented as is the line-up for Genghis Tron’s album release tour. On the road for this tour GT brought along label mate and electronic innovator Steve Moore, as well as the drummerless punk duo The Austerity Program, on Sunday, February 24th at Great Scott in Allston Massachusetts, local experimental metallers Disappearer rounded things out. This was one of those shows were you could tell that most of those in attendance hadn’t shown up merely for something to do, but that there was a real sense of excitement and anticipation for the sets which, from top to bottom, would feature new material and rare appearances. The presence of local standouts such as Kurt Ballou of Converge (also the producer of GT’s new record) helped fuel the buzz.
Disappearer Kicked the evening off. As the most conventional sounding band of the evening, (not to mention the only one with a live drummer) they still managed to draw the audience in with catchy riffs and a strong stage presence. The band’s slower and more repetitive stoner sound eventually gave way to some choppier riffs that that had a lot of heads bobbing in the audience. The variety and general heaviness of the band’s sound, combined with a solid stage presence made it a memorable performance.
After the first set the drum kit was packed away for good in favor of a small electronic box. My good friend and companion Nick Larocque had a good feeling about this band from the moment Neil Young came on over the speakers as the between-set music. As it turns out he wasn’t disappointed. Despite a slow start to their set and being noticeably uncomfortable with their live show, The Austerity Program still managed to kick a lot of ass. As the set progressed both members became more comfortable, and really put a lot of their energy into their performance. Their sound is original and decidedly minimalist, but the most refreshing thing about their show is how evident it is that they are playing music that they love and feel strongly about without any pretension or hidden agenda.
Steve Moore was up next. I’m not sure that the crowd was quite sure what to do with Steve, but in an “I like something about this, but I’m not sure what” way. Some people dances, others sat, but most stared trying to let the rich soundscapes sink in. watching Steve Moore’s live show is a different experience than listening to his record. When he performs there are no stops or pauses. He starts with simple electronic rhythms, to which he steadily adds texture and variation. It’s not until he finishes that the audience really realizes what a unique sonic experience they have just had.
Finally, Genghis Tron’s show was really something to be impressed by. Their light show, which is new to this tour, complimented their musical style perfectly. It was simple, chaotic, and extremely stimulating. Genghis Tron, who only a few months ago was an amateurish, opening band with an often shaky live show, has matured into a powerhouse of a live band (a feet particularly impressive when only one member plays a conventional instrument). Their set list was well constructed; they opened with “Board up the House” the title track and opener of their new album, and continued to deliver a solid mix between their more spacious tracks and their spastic grinders. They didn’t forget to include some of the choice cuts from their earlier records including “White Walls” and “Arms.”
The most exciting thing about this show was its emphasis on innovative and resourceful styles and the celebration of eclectic sounds. I’ve heard people joke about these electronic oriented bands being the future of music. While I doubt that drum machines and keyboards will ever replace the real things, I hope that tours like this are indicative of the future in that we will see greater acceptance in musical diversity and eclecticism and bands won’t have to worry about defying against genre conventions and expectations.
Disappearer Kicked the evening off. As the most conventional sounding band of the evening, (not to mention the only one with a live drummer) they still managed to draw the audience in with catchy riffs and a strong stage presence. The band’s slower and more repetitive stoner sound eventually gave way to some choppier riffs that that had a lot of heads bobbing in the audience. The variety and general heaviness of the band’s sound, combined with a solid stage presence made it a memorable performance.
After the first set the drum kit was packed away for good in favor of a small electronic box. My good friend and companion Nick Larocque had a good feeling about this band from the moment Neil Young came on over the speakers as the between-set music. As it turns out he wasn’t disappointed. Despite a slow start to their set and being noticeably uncomfortable with their live show, The Austerity Program still managed to kick a lot of ass. As the set progressed both members became more comfortable, and really put a lot of their energy into their performance. Their sound is original and decidedly minimalist, but the most refreshing thing about their show is how evident it is that they are playing music that they love and feel strongly about without any pretension or hidden agenda.
Steve Moore was up next. I’m not sure that the crowd was quite sure what to do with Steve, but in an “I like something about this, but I’m not sure what” way. Some people dances, others sat, but most stared trying to let the rich soundscapes sink in. watching Steve Moore’s live show is a different experience than listening to his record. When he performs there are no stops or pauses. He starts with simple electronic rhythms, to which he steadily adds texture and variation. It’s not until he finishes that the audience really realizes what a unique sonic experience they have just had.
Finally, Genghis Tron’s show was really something to be impressed by. Their light show, which is new to this tour, complimented their musical style perfectly. It was simple, chaotic, and extremely stimulating. Genghis Tron, who only a few months ago was an amateurish, opening band with an often shaky live show, has matured into a powerhouse of a live band (a feet particularly impressive when only one member plays a conventional instrument). Their set list was well constructed; they opened with “Board up the House” the title track and opener of their new album, and continued to deliver a solid mix between their more spacious tracks and their spastic grinders. They didn’t forget to include some of the choice cuts from their earlier records including “White Walls” and “Arms.”
The most exciting thing about this show was its emphasis on innovative and resourceful styles and the celebration of eclectic sounds. I’ve heard people joke about these electronic oriented bands being the future of music. While I doubt that drum machines and keyboards will ever replace the real things, I hope that tours like this are indicative of the future in that we will see greater acceptance in musical diversity and eclecticism and bands won’t have to worry about defying against genre conventions and expectations.
Has the Whole World Gone Crazy?
I have intentionally been avoiding any post about the recent release of Roosevelt Colvin from the Patriots because when I first heard the news my first instinct was to find a cat and drown it in a 55 gallon drum full of water. So, I waited. I have written countless times on this blog that I have total confidence in the Patriots front office but when I heard the news about Colvin, that confidence more than wavered; it got up and took a shit on the carpet.
Over the past 24 hours or so I have had time to give this some thought, and I have come up with two possible conclusions. They are as follows:
1) The Patriots are smarter than everyone else, even me. Or...
2) The Patriots are so angry from the Super Bowl loss that they are embarking on a self destructive path to inevitable death.
To help me illustrate these two possible scenarios I will be invoking imagery from two great films, in each instance Scott Pioli will be represented by the main characters for scenario (1) Pioli will be Verbal Kint (played by Kevin Spacey) in The Usual Suspects, and for scenario (2) Pioli will be Ben Sanderson (played by Nicholas Cage) in Leaving Las Vegas. Now, if you haven't seen these films, stop reading now and go rent them. I am ashamed of you.
Here we go:
Pioli as Verbal Kint
And with the 7th Pick, New England selects...The Patriots seem to be making a lot of poor personnel decisions, letting key pieces of their great team fall one by one (Samuel, Stallworth, Colvin). BUT is there some ulterior motive? Are we getting the whole story? On the surface we see a dynasty beginning to crumble, a perfect plan gone horribly wrong, but if you look closer there is genius hidden in plain sight, we just can't see it yet. Lets take the three names I listed above: Samuel had a high profile holdout prior to last season with one year remaining on his contract. Rather than cave and resign him to a multi year, big number salary (he was, and is the top defensive back available in the NFL right now), the Patriots called his bluff and waited him out. Samuel had to come back and play last season because if he didn't, he wouldn't have gotten paid. Not only that, but he had to play well enough to guarantee that he got that big time contract that he wanted when he became a free agent this year. Any Pats fan who truly believed that Samuel would come back after last season is crazy. This plan gets more genius if and when we see Samuel's production drop off, which it may particularly if he signs with a team that won't be providing him with safety help over the top as the Patriots consistently did.
Stallworth was an excellent third option at wideout this year. He made enough plays, stayed relatively healthy and had no problem adjusting to the Pats system. The kicker is, that as good of a player as he is, the Patriots don't need to spend that much on their third option. Looking back on it now, Stallworth was a perfect insurance policy in case Moss didn't work out for some reason. By dropping his contract off the books the Pats should be able to afford to offer Moss enough money to keep him around for another couple of years, now that they have come to understand his greatness as we here at roomofzen have for many moons. The ultimate fallback for the Pats at wide receiver is that they have Tom Brady (I have argued against using this as a defense of the revolving door of receivers in New England, but the numbers certainly allow you to make this argument), and an offensive line that played great for 18 games last year.
Finally, to get to Colvin. The Pats signed Roosevelt (sick name) to a seven year de
al two years ago. All told the deal was worth around 30 million. I love Colvin's game, particularly as it fits into the Pats scheme. BUT, he has proven to be injury prone. The Pats release Colvin now and offer him a new deal, a one or two year job at less money, using his age and durability against him. Pioli gets his guy back, for less money, less time, and everyone has to stop, take a deep breath, and say "holy shit, it was him the whole time! There was no Keyser Soze!" (Sorry to ruin the end, but if you haven't seen it yet then its your fault). Somewhere a cop drops a coffee cup, and the Patriots are on their way to another Super Bowl.
al two years ago. All told the deal was worth around 30 million. I love Colvin's game, particularly as it fits into the Pats scheme. BUT, he has proven to be injury prone. The Pats release Colvin now and offer him a new deal, a one or two year job at less money, using his age and durability against him. Pioli gets his guy back, for less money, less time, and everyone has to stop, take a deep breath, and say "holy shit, it was him the whole time! There was no Keyser Soze!" (Sorry to ruin the end, but if you haven't seen it yet then its your fault). Somewhere a cop drops a coffee cup, and the Patriots are on their way to another Super Bowl.Scenario 2
Pioli as Ben Sanderson
The Patriots have lost everything. Once the pride of the NFL this past season has seen their reputation irrevocably tarnished, and all of their dreams smashed to tiny pieces beneath the cleats of Osi Umenora. They went from being on top of the world to down and out, with nothing to live for. Why should they even go on? Why even bother to care anymore? Depressed beyond belief, Pioli gives up and pulls no punches in destroying himself and everyone around him. He burns all of his ties to the past (Samuel, Colvin, Stallworth) and heads to Vegas to die. Instead of meeting up with a whore (played by Elizabeth Shue in the film) Pioli courts really old middle linebackers (Zach Thomas), alas, nothing can fill the void. In this scenario, the Patriots don't resign Moss, Harrison, Bruschi, and Seau are forced into retirement, we trade our number 7 pick for a backup quarterback like John Kitna and a 5th rounder in 2013, and the Pats get bounced by the Chargers in round one of the playoffs next year, after which Belichick retires and Brady quits to take up modeling full time. Everyone watching feels helpless and depressed as well, and wonders why they sat down to watch in the first place.
Which Scott Pioli are we seeing right now? That is still up in the air, lets just say, I'm hoping for a (happy) surprise ending.
Assorted Notes
1. Mao, excuse me Yao, is now out for the season and may not return for the Olympic Games. Wouldn't that suck if the host country's best player is out for the games? I know the Rockets have been playing well lately, but TMAC has come to rely on the big guy and Yao may send this team spiraling. That would rock because I hate the Rockets.
2. Clemens will be investigated as I predicted in this blog two weeks ago. This is a completely random observation and has nothing to do with Clemens, but have you ever wondered why news articles say things like, "Clemens' lead lawyer, Rusty Hardin, could not immediately be reached for comment after Waxman and Davis released their letter" (emphasis mine)?
It's as if the media has to be addressed the mili-second after news develops. Did someone from the press have Hardin's cell phone number on speed dial and call him the SPLIT SECOND after the news broke? Did they speed dial him with the hope that he wouldn't get their first call so they could then write that he "could not immediately be reached"? Why does the press do this?
3. Here is a cool link that lets you see the combine results from this weekend. I'd like to note that a 6'3 295 pound lineman ran a sub 5.0 40 and that D-linemen are running 4.5s. I know this happens every year, but I'm constantly amazed at the athletes in professional football. Also get this: the strongest player at the combine repped 225 37 times while a running back repped it 30 times. This is incredible.
4. Pats released Colvin. Babcock, thoughts?
2. Clemens will be investigated as I predicted in this blog two weeks ago. This is a completely random observation and has nothing to do with Clemens, but have you ever wondered why news articles say things like, "Clemens' lead lawyer, Rusty Hardin, could not immediately be reached for comment after Waxman and Davis released their letter" (emphasis mine)?
It's as if the media has to be addressed the mili-second after news develops. Did someone from the press have Hardin's cell phone number on speed dial and call him the SPLIT SECOND after the news broke? Did they speed dial him with the hope that he wouldn't get their first call so they could then write that he "could not immediately be reached"? Why does the press do this?
3. Here is a cool link that lets you see the combine results from this weekend. I'd like to note that a 6'3 295 pound lineman ran a sub 5.0 40 and that D-linemen are running 4.5s. I know this happens every year, but I'm constantly amazed at the athletes in professional football. Also get this: the strongest player at the combine repped 225 37 times while a running back repped it 30 times. This is incredible.
4. Pats released Colvin. Babcock, thoughts?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Just saw the Sports-Center highlight reel of the Wizards-Hornets game. All I can say is that game looked awesome and I’m mad I missed it. Some notes on this game:
* Two three pointers at the third and fourth quarter buzzers; what are the odds of that happening?
* DeShawn Stevenson pulling an Arenas “undertaker” and scoring a season high 33 points (for the non-Wizards fans out there: Arenas has a pretty good reputation of hitting game winning threes. I can remember him doing this at least three times over the past few seasons). From the USA Today article:
"(The shot) felt good coming out of my hands," Stevenson said. "I was shooting it pretty good all night. Some went in, some went out, but I was happy that one went in."
Even better: Deshawn has not shaved his beard and is having a career season with Gilbert out of the lineup. Although Deshawn takes a lot of dumb shots, his game is much improved under Eddy Jordan and when his three is on fire, he’s one of the best backup guards in the league (I think he made 9 threes in one game earlier this year). I know that’s not too impressive, but as you’ll see this weekend when I come out with my Wizards State of the Union post, his play has been pivotal for the team this year.
* The Wizards beat one of the best teams in the Western Conference without Butler or Arenas. They also won on the road which makes this victory even sweeter.
* The Wizards breaking through their recent 10 game slump. Hopefully this is a sign the team is on the mend. The good news is that their schedule gets easier in the next two months and they’ll be healthy and fully staffed by the playoffs. If the team maintains a .500 record until Butler and Arenas get back, we’ll make a final push for the 6th or 5th spot when they’re back. Assuming this happens, we’ll have some momentum and healthy players for the playoffs. I am very excited about this possibility. Stay tuned.
* Two three pointers at the third and fourth quarter buzzers; what are the odds of that happening?
* DeShawn Stevenson pulling an Arenas “undertaker” and scoring a season high 33 points (for the non-Wizards fans out there: Arenas has a pretty good reputation of hitting game winning threes. I can remember him doing this at least three times over the past few seasons). From the USA Today article:
"(The shot) felt good coming out of my hands," Stevenson said. "I was shooting it pretty good all night. Some went in, some went out, but I was happy that one went in."
Even better: Deshawn has not shaved his beard and is having a career season with Gilbert out of the lineup. Although Deshawn takes a lot of dumb shots, his game is much improved under Eddy Jordan and when his three is on fire, he’s one of the best backup guards in the league (I think he made 9 threes in one game earlier this year). I know that’s not too impressive, but as you’ll see this weekend when I come out with my Wizards State of the Union post, his play has been pivotal for the team this year.
* The Wizards beat one of the best teams in the Western Conference without Butler or Arenas. They also won on the road which makes this victory even sweeter.
* The Wizards breaking through their recent 10 game slump. Hopefully this is a sign the team is on the mend. The good news is that their schedule gets easier in the next two months and they’ll be healthy and fully staffed by the playoffs. If the team maintains a .500 record until Butler and Arenas get back, we’ll make a final push for the 6th or 5th spot when they’re back. Assuming this happens, we’ll have some momentum and healthy players for the playoffs. I am very excited about this possibility. Stay tuned.
Monday, February 25, 2008
The Walton Watch
While watching the Suns - Celtics game the other night I couldn't help but be amazed at the number of rediculous comments that Bill Walton made before, during, and after the game. I actually took the time to get up from the couch, grab a pen and pad of paper and jot things down as they came out of his mouth. I have been doing so ever since, and rather than have these little notes go to waste I decided that I would use them to create a regular post called "The Walton Watch" where I would post some of the ludicrous things that he says during the course of the analysis of NBA games. Now, I can't do this alone, so I am going to ask all of you who might happen across Walton commenting on the great calves on his son Luke, or the particular hairstyle sported by an NBA ref, you can send them to me and they will make it to The Walton Watch. Of course, I will take all of the credit. Just kidding.
Before I get into Walton's comments I need to say a few more things...First, the more I think about it the more I can remember several instances in my life where I was listening to Walton talk and I let forth an audible "what the fuck is this guy talking about?", sometimes even in front of children. I cannot decide if ESPN uses Walton to bring in the crunchy, environmental, liberal demographic who might see NBA Basketball as too much of a capitalistic, anti-vegan, hip-hop enterprise. Or, perhaps they are just trying to make their other analysts seem more intellient. The pairing of Walton and Stephen A Smith is genius...Walton, even though he's one of the NBAs 50 greatest players sounds like Johnny Depp on acid when he's breaking down a game. It is safe to say that a lot of ex-players that get into broadcasting are obviously better at playing the game than they are at providing color commentary, but I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt when they have a strong opinion about whats going on. I'm not so sure that you can do that with Walton, when, for example, he calls "Grant Hill the luckiest man alive" simply becuase he is healthy and playing for a very good NBA basketball team. When I think luckiest man alive I think "guy who went over Niagra falls and survived", or "guy who fell two stories onto a metal spike but the spike missed all of his vital organs and spine" , not a small forward in the twilight of his career. 9 out of 10 times Smith takes the opposite stance as Walton does, AND when they do agree he always prefaces his statement by "I hate to agree with you...", and you can tell that he really does. This is a great duo, a lot of unintentional comedy, and I must say, bit by bit, I am warming to Smith.
Bill Walton and I have the same size biceps...SICK.So, in this weeks edition of The Walton Watch, Walton touched on a comment he made during the Suns Celtics game on NBA tonight about Shaq's huge new truck that appears to be a Tractor Trailer that has a regular pickup bed on the back of it, sick rims and probably a really badass stereo system in it. Walton first boasted that his home state, "The great state of California" probably wouldn't allow such a vehicle under their strict emissions testing laws. He then went so far as to suggest that developing nations such as India and China would specifically point to Shaq's truck when arguing with the US over responsibility for the production of greenhouse gases. In essence, the fact that Shaq drives a huge truck is a reasonable excuse for the third world to ignore our suggestions for lowered emissions in those nations, essentially branding all Americans hypocrites. Unfortuanately we all can't ride around in cars powered by happy thoughts, farts, and bong resin, Bill. How do you go from talking about the Phoenix Suns to the Kyoto treaty? Just watch Bill Walton. Almost as amusing is watching Smith shake his head in disbelief occasionally shrieking out an awkwardly loud "WHHHHAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!????", thats good television.
Here's a couple sites/links you should check out, the first is the Bill Walton official website, lots of good stuff like links to the Grateful Dead Hall of Honor, which Bill is a member of.
This one is an article about Walton commenting on his son Luke for basically an entire game.
The following is a youtube clip of Bill Walton...great line: "When I think of Boris Diaw, I think of Bethoven and the age of the Romantics."
awesome.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
live from the big apple
Cheating and Sports
One of the biggest problems I have with sportswriters is their lack of solutions to problems they identify. Yes, they’re very good at getting “dirt” but I always ask: to what end? Of course there are many exceptions to this rule, but the majority of the time sportswriters preach to us instead of offering solutions.
If you ask me, knowing about a problem is only useful to the extent that you use this knowledge to find or develop a positive solution. Knowing dirt for the sake of knowing dirt doesn’t get you anywhere. Taking these words to heart, I’m going to give baseball and football a solution to their cheating problem.
The Problem
Let’s face it: there’s a huge cheating problem in professional sports, and it doesn’t just affect baseball. In fact, you could argue football has the most obvious steroid problem and Bud Selig pointed this out last week. You can’t avoid the rash of cheating scandals in the press: Spy gate, BALCO, Alomar, Mcguire / Sosa, Clemens / McNammee, the Mitchell Report…unfortunately the list keeps expanding.
Cheating, broadly defined, means breaking the established rules in order to gain a competitive advantage. A lot of people in sports claim “I didn’t know video taping signals was illegal” or “I didn’t knowingly take steroids.” These claims are pure bullshit and probably the worse excuse for cheating. As an athlete you have the responsibility to understand the rules; people should not have to remind you of them. Cheating is cheating and I think most people know it when they see it.
The cheating problem exists because the stakes are so high and the penalties are so low for breaking the rules. For example, if you had to choose between making $20 million dollars per year or wasting away in the minors, why would a 50 game or season-long suspension deter you from taking steroids? (Note: I’m not saying its right, only that money makes people do a lot things they wouldn’t otherwise – think about the movie Wall Street).
We also know that because the stakes are so high, the competition in professional sports is fierce. And since the competition is stiff, human nature will dictate that some people break the rules to get ahead at the expense of others. I hope no one argues with me on this one since its human nature to find shortcuts and sometimes bend the rules.
The problem has cultural roots: American fans demand record setting and heroic performances. The Pats 19-1 season led to massive ratings and the Sosa / McGuire battle catalyzed baseball’s ratings. Fans also don’t care if rules are broken along the way; they reward record-setting behavior by paying large sums to the owners and leagues. The kicker is that you don’t get caught or proven to be a liar to Congress.
Enforcing league rules, let alone the drug laws of our country, is extremely difficult. Drugs are readily available to people who want them and local and federal law enforcement do not have the time, manpower, or resources to catch every athlete doing these drugs. Maybe the leagues can do a better job enforcing the rules, but alternative enforcement mechanism to prevent usage is very weak.
There is a massive gap between the technology to test for performance enhancing drugs and the advanced drugs available to athletes. In other words, the science of testing for drugs cannot catch the full suite of drugs available to an educated cheater. The topic of testing could easily be the subject of an entire blog post, but I’ll leave it with this: having the league be responsible for their testing creates a major conflict of interest. And not having a third party test for drugs compounds the technological barrier to testing which I think we can all agree exists.
How it can be fixed
Here is a solution, inspired by the LA-Times (note: this article does a great job of laying out a template of what sports could do to fix their cheating problem):
1. Admit there is a problem bigger and badder than anyone expected (AA
anyone?). And don’t just expect your fans to forget about the problem or pretend like it never existed. Come out and say there is a huge problem that needs fixing and ask for a mea culpa. This is what baseball and football officials could say to their fans:
Baseball: steroid use is rampant and virtually out of control. Unlike other sports, most players use steroids to either revive their career or inflate their stats, which then leads to higher contract numbers. Our current system of testing is inadequate, younger players use them extensively, and everyone knows stats have been inflated as a result.
Football: steroid use is widespread due to the physical strain put on our athlete’s bodies. These guys play incredibly long seasons and are expected to play 110% every down. Even worse, their bodies are ruined by a career in the NFL and injuries are always around the corner. Tack onto these problems the difficulty of making a roster and thengetting paid large amounts…steroid use is frequent in our league and we haven’t addressed it yet.
2. Apologize (publicly) for not doing enough to fix the problem so far. Hold a press conference and have all the high ranking officials by the commissioner’s side. Again, don’t assume your fans are not analyzing your actions, reading the news, or listening to what the league is doing; an apology would go a long way towards fixing this problem.
3. Prove beyond a doubt the intensity and sincerity of the apology. This is the hardest part because it really involves admitting your league or organization is (was) wrong did not take the appropriate action. Here is a flavor of what the leagues could implement if there was the proper support and leadership:
* Give players in every sport a one time chance to come clean for steroid use and not be penalized. If they’re found guilty of steroid use after this one-time amnesty, see below.
* Have the league and players union jointly pay for third party drug testing. Having the league test their players creates a conflict of interest because it’s clearly not in the team’s or league’s interest to have their players, especially the really good ones, test positive for steroids. Third party testing also has to be funded properly so as to avoid the technological gap I discussed earlier. The third party should have the highest level of integrity and separation from the leagues and teams. The league shouldn’t have to pay for this either – the players union should collect more money from their players in order to pay for this testing.
* Institute harsher penalties for drug use or rule violations. Right now the penalties are still not harsh enough to change behavior. Consider how much money Belichick makes and then look at the fine he got. Can he afford this fine? Of course. If the fine was half of his salary, do you think he cheat again? If your bonus was at risk or a lifetime ban from your sport was on the line (for first time offenders, not second time), I promise you players would take a harder look at breaking the rules. Yes, the leagues have made some progress here, but more needs to be done. The pain threshold has to move higher than it is now because millions of dollars are on the line for people who improve their performance with drugs.
* Have the leagues publicly file disclosure of their testing and results. Fans have a need to know and these results should not be kept secret. Public scrutiny, similar to corporations releasing their earnings or profit forecasts, has an interesting way of making businesses follow the rules on the books…
* Have the league send its players to schools to discuss the dangers and ethics of drug use. Better yet, have Mcguire or Sosa do this, and have Bonds act as the key-note speaker at these events. Do this type of outreach in Latin America, too. Find a way to have Spanish speaking players travel throughout the feeder leagues in Latin America and talk about how drug use won’t fly in the majors.
* Have Congress make a meaningful threat between better testing or the maintenance of baseball and football’s monopolies. If league officials were under the impression that their tax breaks and anti-competitive rules were on the line, I assure you teams would improve their testing programs. Right now these officials answer to pretty much no one.
* Do background checks on people hanging around the clubhouse or athletes. In other words, worry about whose hanging around the players. This would have the affect of keeping McNammees out of the clubhouse and hopefully out of the player’s lives. The weird thing about this Clemens mess is that all these players became friends with this random guy around the clubhouse. Even worse, they bought drugs from him, perpetually opening themselves to unlimited blackmail for the rest of their lives.
* Have teams cooperate with law enforcement. I’ve always wondered why teams or leagues don’t report their positive tests to federal or local authorities. Isn’t it weird that the leagues find out about illegal behavior but don’t report it and then act on their own? Think about it: if teams started getting positive tests from an athlete and then shared that info with the cops, both groups could work towards an arrest or prosecution much faster than if the police did it on their own. I know this will never happen because teams want to protect their athletes, but they definitely could cooperate if they had the will.
Analysis
I think it’s clear that the current state of testing is inadequate and teams don’t do enough to attack the root of the cheating problem. But let’s face it: making money is paramount to professional sports and to take these steps would involve cracking down on their most valuable assets: the players. Furthermore, if drugs were really eliminated from the leagues, fewer home runs would be hit and ratings would suffer. That means less money for the owners and smaller contracts for the players. No, I am not saying there is a conspiracy, only that owners do not have the best motivation to crack down on their players.
But what if the risk of doing nothing or offering weak solutions may be higherthan owners think? So far the fallout from these cheating scandals has been contained, but the longer term affects may eventually surface. How or when they’ll surface, I have no clue, but I can tell you people are fed up with cheating in professional sports and the leagues will suffer in some capacity.
Final Words
Professional sports are feeling the cumulative effects of a massive hangover stemming from ten-to-twenty years of nonstop success. It’s been the gilded age of massive contracts, record breaking ratings, and unprecedented popularity for sports. So maybe this cheating problem is halting the bull market in professional sports? I had a thought the other day: you can compare the rash of cheating scandals to the sub-prime housing crisis because they seem to have a lot of similarities; specifically in that they:
A. keep getting worse from the public’s point of view
B. affect more people than previously thought
C. may ruin the markets, teams, and organizations they come from
D. are losing people a lot of money, respect and jobs
E. results from a period of unbridled success that never seemed to end (boom and bust so to speak)
Let’s only hope the leagues follow my advice and fix this mess before its too late.
One of the biggest problems I have with sportswriters is their lack of solutions to problems they identify. Yes, they’re very good at getting “dirt” but I always ask: to what end? Of course there are many exceptions to this rule, but the majority of the time sportswriters preach to us instead of offering solutions.
If you ask me, knowing about a problem is only useful to the extent that you use this knowledge to find or develop a positive solution. Knowing dirt for the sake of knowing dirt doesn’t get you anywhere. Taking these words to heart, I’m going to give baseball and football a solution to their cheating problem.
The Problem
Let’s face it: there’s a huge cheating problem in professional sports, and it doesn’t just affect baseball. In fact, you could argue football has the most obvious steroid problem and Bud Selig pointed this out last week. You can’t avoid the rash of cheating scandals in the press: Spy gate, BALCO, Alomar, Mcguire / Sosa, Clemens / McNammee, the Mitchell Report…unfortunately the list keeps expanding.
Cheating, broadly defined, means breaking the established rules in order to gain a competitive advantage. A lot of people in sports claim “I didn’t know video taping signals was illegal” or “I didn’t knowingly take steroids.” These claims are pure bullshit and probably the worse excuse for cheating. As an athlete you have the responsibility to understand the rules; people should not have to remind you of them. Cheating is cheating and I think most people know it when they see it.
The cheating problem exists because the stakes are so high and the penalties are so low for breaking the rules. For example, if you had to choose between making $20 million dollars per year or wasting away in the minors, why would a 50 game or season-long suspension deter you from taking steroids? (Note: I’m not saying its right, only that money makes people do a lot things they wouldn’t otherwise – think about the movie Wall Street).
We also know that because the stakes are so high, the competition in professional sports is fierce. And since the competition is stiff, human nature will dictate that some people break the rules to get ahead at the expense of others. I hope no one argues with me on this one since its human nature to find shortcuts and sometimes bend the rules.
The problem has cultural roots: American fans demand record setting and heroic performances. The Pats 19-1 season led to massive ratings and the Sosa / McGuire battle catalyzed baseball’s ratings. Fans also don’t care if rules are broken along the way; they reward record-setting behavior by paying large sums to the owners and leagues. The kicker is that you don’t get caught or proven to be a liar to Congress.
Enforcing league rules, let alone the drug laws of our country, is extremely difficult. Drugs are readily available to people who want them and local and federal law enforcement do not have the time, manpower, or resources to catch every athlete doing these drugs. Maybe the leagues can do a better job enforcing the rules, but alternative enforcement mechanism to prevent usage is very weak.
There is a massive gap between the technology to test for performance enhancing drugs and the advanced drugs available to athletes. In other words, the science of testing for drugs cannot catch the full suite of drugs available to an educated cheater. The topic of testing could easily be the subject of an entire blog post, but I’ll leave it with this: having the league be responsible for their testing creates a major conflict of interest. And not having a third party test for drugs compounds the technological barrier to testing which I think we can all agree exists.
How it can be fixed
Here is a solution, inspired by the LA-Times (note: this article does a great job of laying out a template of what sports could do to fix their cheating problem):
1. Admit there is a problem bigger and badder than anyone expected (AA
anyone?). And don’t just expect your fans to forget about the problem or pretend like it never existed. Come out and say there is a huge problem that needs fixing and ask for a mea culpa. This is what baseball and football officials could say to their fans:
Baseball: steroid use is rampant and virtually out of control. Unlike other sports, most players use steroids to either revive their career or inflate their stats, which then leads to higher contract numbers. Our current system of testing is inadequate, younger players use them extensively, and everyone knows stats have been inflated as a result.
Football: steroid use is widespread due to the physical strain put on our athlete’s bodies. These guys play incredibly long seasons and are expected to play 110% every down. Even worse, their bodies are ruined by a career in the NFL and injuries are always around the corner. Tack onto these problems the difficulty of making a roster and thengetting paid large amounts…steroid use is frequent in our league and we haven’t addressed it yet.
2. Apologize (publicly) for not doing enough to fix the problem so far. Hold a press conference and have all the high ranking officials by the commissioner’s side. Again, don’t assume your fans are not analyzing your actions, reading the news, or listening to what the league is doing; an apology would go a long way towards fixing this problem.
3. Prove beyond a doubt the intensity and sincerity of the apology. This is the hardest part because it really involves admitting your league or organization is (was) wrong did not take the appropriate action. Here is a flavor of what the leagues could implement if there was the proper support and leadership:
* Give players in every sport a one time chance to come clean for steroid use and not be penalized. If they’re found guilty of steroid use after this one-time amnesty, see below.
* Have the league and players union jointly pay for third party drug testing. Having the league test their players creates a conflict of interest because it’s clearly not in the team’s or league’s interest to have their players, especially the really good ones, test positive for steroids. Third party testing also has to be funded properly so as to avoid the technological gap I discussed earlier. The third party should have the highest level of integrity and separation from the leagues and teams. The league shouldn’t have to pay for this either – the players union should collect more money from their players in order to pay for this testing.
* Institute harsher penalties for drug use or rule violations. Right now the penalties are still not harsh enough to change behavior. Consider how much money Belichick makes and then look at the fine he got. Can he afford this fine? Of course. If the fine was half of his salary, do you think he cheat again? If your bonus was at risk or a lifetime ban from your sport was on the line (for first time offenders, not second time), I promise you players would take a harder look at breaking the rules. Yes, the leagues have made some progress here, but more needs to be done. The pain threshold has to move higher than it is now because millions of dollars are on the line for people who improve their performance with drugs.
* Have the leagues publicly file disclosure of their testing and results. Fans have a need to know and these results should not be kept secret. Public scrutiny, similar to corporations releasing their earnings or profit forecasts, has an interesting way of making businesses follow the rules on the books…
* Have the league send its players to schools to discuss the dangers and ethics of drug use. Better yet, have Mcguire or Sosa do this, and have Bonds act as the key-note speaker at these events. Do this type of outreach in Latin America, too. Find a way to have Spanish speaking players travel throughout the feeder leagues in Latin America and talk about how drug use won’t fly in the majors.
* Have Congress make a meaningful threat between better testing or the maintenance of baseball and football’s monopolies. If league officials were under the impression that their tax breaks and anti-competitive rules were on the line, I assure you teams would improve their testing programs. Right now these officials answer to pretty much no one.
* Do background checks on people hanging around the clubhouse or athletes. In other words, worry about whose hanging around the players. This would have the affect of keeping McNammees out of the clubhouse and hopefully out of the player’s lives. The weird thing about this Clemens mess is that all these players became friends with this random guy around the clubhouse. Even worse, they bought drugs from him, perpetually opening themselves to unlimited blackmail for the rest of their lives.
* Have teams cooperate with law enforcement. I’ve always wondered why teams or leagues don’t report their positive tests to federal or local authorities. Isn’t it weird that the leagues find out about illegal behavior but don’t report it and then act on their own? Think about it: if teams started getting positive tests from an athlete and then shared that info with the cops, both groups could work towards an arrest or prosecution much faster than if the police did it on their own. I know this will never happen because teams want to protect their athletes, but they definitely could cooperate if they had the will.
Analysis
I think it’s clear that the current state of testing is inadequate and teams don’t do enough to attack the root of the cheating problem. But let’s face it: making money is paramount to professional sports and to take these steps would involve cracking down on their most valuable assets: the players. Furthermore, if drugs were really eliminated from the leagues, fewer home runs would be hit and ratings would suffer. That means less money for the owners and smaller contracts for the players. No, I am not saying there is a conspiracy, only that owners do not have the best motivation to crack down on their players.
But what if the risk of doing nothing or offering weak solutions may be higherthan owners think? So far the fallout from these cheating scandals has been contained, but the longer term affects may eventually surface. How or when they’ll surface, I have no clue, but I can tell you people are fed up with cheating in professional sports and the leagues will suffer in some capacity.
Final Words
Professional sports are feeling the cumulative effects of a massive hangover stemming from ten-to-twenty years of nonstop success. It’s been the gilded age of massive contracts, record breaking ratings, and unprecedented popularity for sports. So maybe this cheating problem is halting the bull market in professional sports? I had a thought the other day: you can compare the rash of cheating scandals to the sub-prime housing crisis because they seem to have a lot of similarities; specifically in that they:
A. keep getting worse from the public’s point of view
B. affect more people than previously thought
C. may ruin the markets, teams, and organizations they come from
D. are losing people a lot of money, respect and jobs
E. results from a period of unbridled success that never seemed to end (boom and bust so to speak)
Let’s only hope the leagues follow my advice and fix this mess before its too late.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
on the road (again)
It looks like the Cowboys will be signing Z-Thomas. Zach, if you're reading this, I hate to break it to you: the Pats were the best shot you had at winning a Super Bowl. Playing for Wade Phillips and Jerry Jones will hasten your retirement and Tony Romo will take you on a crappy vacation as a consolation prize when you lose in the first round of the playoffs. Didn't you call Junior Seau about your situation? Take his advice, not your agents.
I'll give you a disclaimer, too, since you have concussion problems: when you play the Redskins next season watch out for Portis and Betts; they play smash-mouth football and they run a lot harder than any back in the AFC East. Same thing goes for when you play the Giants. The Nigerian Nightmare will run you over and tower over you since you're only 4'10.
Lebron skunked the Wizards yet again, and I think this is the 5th time he's killed us in a close game. The Wizards are hanging tough, though. Butler is still out and Arenas has been absent. The team is still around 500 notwithstanding these injuries. I'm gonna put together a massive post on the Wizards sometime soon, but Arenas' injury basically allowed the team to develop their younger talent. His absence allowed guys like Antonio Daniels, Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, Andray Blatche, Roger Mason Jr, and Deshawn Stevensen to develop into very good players. Now if we only had a decent center...
Great piece on the Redskins this morning. A big part of me wants Zorn to build on Gibb's legacy as a class act and first-rate football coach. But when I hear things like this, "Zorn praised the wide receivers on the Redskins' roster" I have to be critical.
I'm on the road this weekend (Big Apple and LA), but stay tuned for a massive post on cheating and sports either today or tomorrow.
I'll give you a disclaimer, too, since you have concussion problems: when you play the Redskins next season watch out for Portis and Betts; they play smash-mouth football and they run a lot harder than any back in the AFC East. Same thing goes for when you play the Giants. The Nigerian Nightmare will run you over and tower over you since you're only 4'10.
Lebron skunked the Wizards yet again, and I think this is the 5th time he's killed us in a close game. The Wizards are hanging tough, though. Butler is still out and Arenas has been absent. The team is still around 500 notwithstanding these injuries. I'm gonna put together a massive post on the Wizards sometime soon, but Arenas' injury basically allowed the team to develop their younger talent. His absence allowed guys like Antonio Daniels, Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, Andray Blatche, Roger Mason Jr, and Deshawn Stevensen to develop into very good players. Now if we only had a decent center...
Great piece on the Redskins this morning. A big part of me wants Zorn to build on Gibb's legacy as a class act and first-rate football coach. But when I hear things like this, "Zorn praised the wide receivers on the Redskins' roster" I have to be critical.
I'm on the road this weekend (Big Apple and LA), but stay tuned for a massive post on cheating and sports either today or tomorrow.
The Babcock Report: See You Later
First, a few Patriots notes...Big Surprise, the Patriots are not going to renegotiate with Asante Samuel, his aganet has come out and said that he "sees no reason why the two sides should talk". SPeaking for myself, and I think most other Pats fans, this isn't a shock at all. After Samuel's holdout got him nowhere this fall everyone knew that this was a one and done proposition. Asante has been great for the Patriots and should get a great contract out of the deal and this definitely leaves a hole in the secondary that I don't see Ellis Hobbs or Brendan Merriweather filling. Perhaps we can pick up Hank Poteat from the Trenton New Jersey Athletic Club's Flag Football League. Alas, this was inevitable so I really can't be too hurt by this.In a similar vein, the Patriots also chose not to pick up the option on Donte Stallworth's contract which leads me to believe that either:
a) The Patriots are definitely going to resign Moss and are freeing up some money to do so, or
b) Feel that that they don't need star receivers to win and will begin cutting last years players (including Moss) left and right opting for cheap, serviceable guys like Gaffney, Washington, and as of yet unknown prototypes of David Givens and David Patten circa 2001.
Obviously, option A is more favorable. You all know how I feel about resigning Randy: I want it bad. But something doesn't feel right about all of this. In an age of free agency and big money contracts it is inevitable that at some point in time guys who came up with your team (I'm talking about Samuel here) will eventually end up leaving to make more money and to make room for the next wave of players, such is life in the NFL. Maybe I have been filled with an overwhelming sense of dread since that night in February and it is forcing me to be skeptical, but I am just worried that we are going to let too much go. Stallworth was a dangerous player, overpaid:probably, but, there's not a ton of guys out there who could fill his shoes and at his age and skill level you're not going to get anyone much cheaper. I am worried that the idea that you can throw anyone out there with Tom Brady and they will be a star is too prevalent in New England; its a two way street. Sure, guys like Givens and Branch left and didn't live up to their post-Patriots hype (albeit Branch has suffered through injuries), but that doesn't mean that Kelly Washington is the answer at wideout just because Tom Brady is throwing him the ball. PS, I love Kelly Washington.
I think that as a Patriots fan I was probably just extremely spoiled last offseason when the Patriots signed Adalius Thomas, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth, Sammy Morris and the steal of the century in Randy Moss (probably will never see a deal like that in the NFL again in our lifetimes). So everything after that is naturally going to seem like a letdown. I don't know though, there just seems to be a black cloud hanging over us right now, and the fact that big-name guys are dropping like flies here doesn't bode well. I usually have total faith in the Patriots front office in terms of personel decisions, and we still haven't seen how they handle the draft which will be THE standard by which their philosphy personel-wise should be judged this offseason, so maybe I should relax. I was glad that Zach Thomas didn't accept our offer to him (which was probably 1/3 of what the Saints offered) as this will force us to get younger inside. I think that this is the way to go, especially while we still have a great defensive line...this will make the adjustment period for younger linebackers much easier.
This Dunk Was SICK
-I know I wrote something disparaging about Stephen A. Smith's TV show. I stand by that statement, and also by the statement of Ballgame who expressed discontent with the fact the Smith yells all the time. He is that guy telling stories way too loud at the bar. I hate being around that guy. BUT, when you put him next to Bill Walton, the guy seems to be the smartest NBA analyst in the History of the Universe. I am convinced that ESPN keeps Walton around simply for the fact that he makes everything that anyone else says seem intelligent. He still makes a good point everynow and then but it is only a matter of time before he says something like "Ben Wallace is not a leader, in the clubhouse or on the court." Smith responded, making it clear that Walton probably has never even spoken to Wallace and exposing, as the crux of his argument, that it was Wallace's lack of offensive production that merited him being deemed a poor leader. Any GM who brings in Ben Wallace as an offensive threat...THAT is "poor leadership". That has never been his game...and guess what, he is still one of the NBAs best Big Men. Second best quote from Walton, upon seeing a shot of Shaq pulling into the stadium in an ENORMOUS truck, "Man what is the Carbon Imprint of that thing!?" Nothing like bringing in environmentalism to an NBA game. Also, I believe the term is "Carbon Footprint".
-Speaking of Walton...my favorite line of the night came in the second half when he exclaimed wholeheartedly that "Grant Hill is the luckiest man alive!!". I have always been a Grant Hill fan, some of you may remember him as "The guy who almost made Fila shoes cool". I am actually hapy for the guy, Grant Hill and Shaq would have been a great combo back in the late 90s, who wouldve thought we'd ever see that pairing almost ten years later?
-The first thing I noticed during this game is that Shaq makes Perk look small, and slow. Not good. All year long I have been imaginng Perk as bigger and more physically gifted. I still love the guy, but I guess that is what you get when you put him up against one of the most dominant and physically gifted players in NBA history.
-The Celtics started the game off cold, very cold. They didn't shoot like themselves all night particularly Pierce and Allen who were like 1 for 20 combined well into the 3rd quarter...you're not going to beat many good teams on a night like that. The C's played the Suns almost even every quarter after the first, but the slow start was too much to overcome. All around the offense was shaky, a lot of offensive fouls and turnovers on the break when we had the advantage.
-The Garnett vs Stoudemire matchup was unbelieveable...two great players battling it out. I would love to watch these guys battle for an entire series, the way they played last night was the most intense back and forth I have seen in the NBA for a while. Last night, I have to give the edge to Amare, as much as it pains me to do so. Now that they have Shaq and he doesnt have to play out of position at center his game is going to go to another level.
-As a good indicator of what kind of night it was for Pierce, during the first half he mistimed a jump and got totally denied by the rim on a dunk attempt. The Suns got the ball back and nailed a deep three pointer.
-Overall, Celtics played the Suns tough, holding them to a low scoring night. If Allen and Pierce are hitting their shots and they can keep from falling behind early they will be alright agaisnt a team as good as phoenix. I dont see why we couldn't beat them in a 7 game series.
-Last note on the game: Rondo was physically impressive and has the speed and athletiscism to run with any guard in the league...but everytime he made a nice play Steve Nash would answer. Then, everytime Rondo made a bad play, Nash would answer. Rondo could take Nash off the dribble at will, but he still doesn't have the complete game of Steve Nash. All things considered though, Celtics fans should be real happy with their point guard situation.
I liked this commercial, a lot:
Friday, February 22, 2008
Roomofzen Merchandise?
First of all, please make sure that you keep reading after you check out this post. Babcock has given us all a breath of fresh air with our first 2008 Red Sox article, and there is a special Friday edition of Foil in the Oven recapping a crazy NBA week.
But first, we are always trying to improve ourselves here at roomofzen. You will notice that we've just added an NBA scoreboard and daily highlight reel for your convenience. With just one visit here, you can check scores, catch any sick action you might have missed, and check on who is playing tonight. We will also soon be moving to the address www.roomofzen.com . However, you can still find us at our normal address for a little longer.
Finally, some of our readers have expressed interest in the possibility of roomofzen merchandise. We obviously appreciate this sentiment, and have put together several designs. Please check them out, and then e-mail roomofzen@gmail.com and let the oracle know 1) if you would be willing to buy any of these, 2) which one, and 3) whether or not you would be interested in getting a robe with any of these designs. If this is ever to become a reality, we need to hear from you, our readers.
Please indicate if you like one of the three sweatshirts (or robes) by indicating color (green, red, or brown) or if you like the t-shirt, you can just call it "the t-shirt".
Now, you may be busy at work on this snowy Friday. But, if you are, you probably don't read this site very often. So, why don't you just take some time to e-mail the oracle about how you feel about the above stuff. And, more importantly, keep reading because we've got some great stuff for you and we will continue to provide you with great material all weekend.
But first, we are always trying to improve ourselves here at roomofzen. You will notice that we've just added an NBA scoreboard and daily highlight reel for your convenience. With just one visit here, you can check scores, catch any sick action you might have missed, and check on who is playing tonight. We will also soon be moving to the address www.roomofzen.com . However, you can still find us at our normal address for a little longer.
Finally, some of our readers have expressed interest in the possibility of roomofzen merchandise. We obviously appreciate this sentiment, and have put together several designs. Please check them out, and then e-mail roomofzen@gmail.com and let the oracle know 1) if you would be willing to buy any of these, 2) which one, and 3) whether or not you would be interested in getting a robe with any of these designs. If this is ever to become a reality, we need to hear from you, our readers.
Please indicate if you like one of the three sweatshirts (or robes) by indicating color (green, red, or brown) or if you like the t-shirt, you can just call it "the t-shirt".
Now, you may be busy at work on this snowy Friday. But, if you are, you probably don't read this site very often. So, why don't you just take some time to e-mail the oracle about how you feel about the above stuff. And, more importantly, keep reading because we've got some great stuff for you and we will continue to provide you with great material all weekend.
Everybody Chill
Its hard to believe that Baseball season is right around the corner...as we speak guys are taking BP, hitting soft toss and doing that drill from Tom Emanski's Baseball Video where everyone stands around in a circle and tries to hit the ball between somone elses legs with their bare hands. Personally, I really, really love a good game of pepper, but thats just me. In New England, its really hard to think about baseball until late April at the earliest...its snowing like a bastard out right now and I am sitting in my hotel room enduring my second snow-day in as many weeks. Nothing says "its baseball season" like road salt, slush, and snow caked to the bottom of your sweatpants.
But I guess its never too early to start thinking about the Red Sox..you know...the Defending World Series Champions? Seems like a lifetime since JD Drew led the Sox to their second championship in four years...see, you probably had to ask yourself who JD Drew was and how he figured into this whole thing. He's the guy for whom Boston fans and media devoted about 60% of the airtime and press to bashing for roughly 5 straight months. So much has happened since we destroyed the Rockies (The Rockies?)...the Garnett Trade, An NFL season that shall remain nameless, a new Justin Timberlake album...you get the point.
But, even as I sit here in New England's southermost reaches (albeit visibly Yankees and Giants country) it is nice to think back to a better time for Boston sports. Only a month ago we were sitting on the very real possiblity of 3 Championships in the same year...we still have a shot at two with the Celtics, which is still an amazing year for the sports fans of a region. Is there really anything to complain about? So the Patriots lost the superbowl...that I live with everyday...but at the same time they had one of the best seasons ever. They will have a chance to win another one next year, we watched Moss set a record that may never be broken (Brady's is more touchable I think), and a team go through a regular season undefeated at 16-0. That record will be the legacy of the 2008 Patriots and a feat that is probably never going to be matched. We even got to beat the Chargers twice.
Maybe I'm just bored and dissappointed that Bob Barker handed over the reigns to The Price is Right to Drew Carey. It used to be that when you had a snow day or stayed home from school sick you could always count on Bob Barker and his gaggle of arm waving skanks to entertain you through the boredom of mid-morning television. No such luck. As I remember, ESPN always used to show Sumo Wrestling during the day as well, but it seems that they have given up the rights to that too...everything is changing all around us and if we don't pay attention we might not even notice that Stephen A Smith has his own TV show. Jesus Christ.
But since it is almost Baseball season, it is time for Boston fans and the National media to begin freaking out about Manny Ramirez. Will he stay? Will he go? Does he want a trade? Where does he get his weed? Every year you hear the same questions asked, but this morning as I read over Manny's statement that he "will not ask for an extension or engage in contract talks with the Sox during the season" it really hit me how much I like this guy.
I would buy a grill from Manny Ramirez.
His production numbers aside (Hall of Fame caliber, still one of the elite hitters in the game hands down) is there a better guy to have on your team? Has there ever been one instance of teamates and/or coaches not liking Manny Ramirez? His approach to the game is so laid back that it turns certain people off...not me. I find it refreshing. The fact is, Manny does not need to "ask" for a contract extension because he is going to get an offer from Boston no matter what. Maybe it will be a good one, maybe not. If you can remember back to the playoffs last year people construed Manny's comments about being down to the Indians as a heartless surrender. All he was saying is that, hey, you win some and you lose some...IT IS JUST A GAME. And then, rememeber we went on to win the series? I honestly believe, at the risk of sounding naive, that Manny really just loves to play Baseball. Sure the guy is going to get paid, that is obvious, but the money and the contracts don't seem to bother him at this point in his career the way that they do for so many other athletes. Why shouldn't he just worry about hitting and catching a baseball for the next 7 months instead of negotiating a contract...if he puts all those things aside and focuses on playing baseball everyone wins.
Look at it this way...by waiting until next offseason Manny doesn't have the added pressure of living up to a (presumably) sizeable contract extension...so if he goes 0-5 against the Yankees, he doesn't feel like an x million dollar bust and it gives Boston fans one less thing to complain about (we paid all that money for this guy?! we have 5 more years of this?! etc...etc...you've heard them all). From an organizational standpoint the Red Sox are protected from overpaying, if, for instance Manny has a bad season and/or gets seriously injured. They can wait and see what his value is at the end of the season and decide whether or not he is worth that amount to them. I mentioned JD Drew earlier...remember how often the length of his deal came up when his numbers were down (the whole year actually)? I was so sick of hearing about that shit by the end of September, Im sure I wasnt the only one.
JD Drew's Grandslam in game 7 of the ALCS...Remember?
Furthermore, I hate to think that some people feel that Manny is arrogant for refusing to ask for an extension. First of all, this does not mean that he doesn't want to play with the Red Sox...all of his statements have been to the contrary. Secondly, he has earned the right to hear what other offers are available for him. A lot of people seem to think that there is some amazing nobility in an athlete deciding to stay with one team instead of jumping ship to the highest bidder...and yeah that is all well and good when they are deciding to stay with your team. But, at the same time, these guys are human beings too. I don't think many people would turn down a job (in fact the same one they allready had) with a different company that paid them 3 times as much. Should you feel that you should stay and make less just because Carl in the next cube over really enjoys your conversations about Grey's Anatomy? I don't even like Grey's anatomy...the only chick on their that I really thought was hot left the show for some spin off...but you see what Im saying.
I think that leaving the negotiating for the offseason couldn't be a better idea. Let Manny play, and enjoy watching one of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball play baseball. Enjoy his occasional muffed fly ball, his towering homeruns, his strange hair, and his certain "I don't know what". We all know that any team would be lucky to have him...at the plate, in the clubhouse, and in the dugout arbitrarily stroking the head of a relief pitcher.
Foil in the Oven: Snowed in Friday Edition
Mercury Morris averaged 5.1 yards per carry, so I don't mind throwing him a bone here....
Because I feel like I'm getting dangerously close to alienating our readers, I will do my best not to mention the Giants again during this post. We've got a lot of stuff to hit on so I'll just move right along.
First, I just want to state that I'm not worried about the Celtics at all. Obviously, I'm bummed out about losing two straight.
But, I certainly haven't seen anything over the past two nights that changes the hopes that I have for this team. First, the improvement that KG made from his first game back on Tuesday night to his second on Wednesday night was significant. He's still not at full-strength, but he's coming back quickly. Second, it's important for all of us to transition our minds away from football season and into basketball/baseball season. Two losses are virtually meaningless in the course of an NBA season. What's more important than the actual results of these games is how well the team plays over a long period of time. The Celtics did not finish as well as we would have liked on Tuesday night (they missed an unusally high number of layups), but they played with a high level of intensity on both Tuesday and Wednesday night. I haven't seen any decline in the actual quality of their play. Some nights the shots fall, some nights they don't. Some nights more shots fall for the other team than they do for your team. Some nights the referees screw you all game long, twice in particular in the last four minutes. These are things that happen. Third, I really have no doubt after watching those games that the Celtics would beat Denver and Golden State in a seven game series. I am really one hundred per cent confident in that. Two weeks from now, this team will have won many more games than they have lost since the All-Star Break. KG will be back to his dominant self, and these two games will seem like distant memories. All great teams are tested at some point during the season. I think we all knew that this road trip was going to be a big test. I expect the Celtics to be a better and closer team as they return home after this 5-game stretch.
Now, that being said, let's talk about my hopes for this team. Obviously, we all hope for a championship. I want a championship for this team in the worst way. And, this is not an unfounded hope. I want a championship for this team the same way I wanted one for the Red Sox and the Giants. They have the talent, they have the chemistry, and they have the experience. They just need to put it together. Given the quality of the NBA this year, I can't in good conscious say that anything less than a championship would be a failure. What we've been given is a gift. Fans of horrible teams everywhere dream about the type of turnaround that Danny Ainge has put together for the Celtics this year. Our reward for suffering through last year was a guarantee that we will be title contenders for 3-5 seasons.
In order for me to be satisfied, the Celtics need to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. They are one of the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, so they will not have been a dissapointment if they make it this far. Once they get there, anything can happen. Are they better than Detroit? I don't know. I'd like to think so. Are they better than whatever Western Conference team they would potentially meet in the finals? Who knows. Once you get to the Conference Finals, there's no way to predict the outcome. Records go out the window, and all the focus turns to the action on the court. This is why I can't say that anything less than a championship would be a failure. If the Green can't get to the conference finals, I will be left with a very bitter taste in my mouth. If they do, I'm going to do my best to be happy, sit back, relish the moment, and let things play out. That doesn't mean I won't be confident. I have full confidence that the Celtics are capable of beating anyone in a seven game series. The Pistons don't scare me. Neither do the Spurs. In fact, there's only one team that scares me.....
It makes me feel nauseous to say this, and I don't want to just hop on the bandwagon with Legler and Hollinger and all of the ESPN guys, but the Lakers are fucking nasty. If Andrew Bynum comes back healthy and playing as he did before his injury, they are going to be very tough to stop. Kobe Bryant should have been the MVP over the last two years. The fact that he brought that team into the Western Conference playoffs speaks volumes about what type of player he is. Wednesday night's matchup against Phoenix felt like a crucial playoff game, and Kobe showed everyone that the Lakers are for real. Down the stretch, he was unstoppable. The guy is a killer during crunch time, and the fact that he has four other legitimate threats around him now (Fischer, Odom, Bynum, and Gasol) makes him even more dangerous. This guy knows how to win championships, he's the best player in the league, and he's now playing for a contender. The Lakers may not have enough depth to withstand any injuries, but for the time being I have to pick them to come out of the West.
I spent many late nights over the past two seasons watching Western Conference basketball. Generally, after watching the Celtics lose again, I felt a thirst to watch some of the league's elite teams. I never felt that need during the first half of this season. Any Western Conference matchups that I watched during the first half of the season just happened to be on. I didn't plan on it. That has changed since the All-Star break. Suns/Lakers on Wednesday night was definately the kind of game that you get excited about ahead of time. Obviously, Celtics/Suns tonight is the same type of appointment TV. Spurs/Hornets will be another great game this weekend. I just can't wait to see how the West plays out.
Speaking of the Hornets, Chris Paul completely outplayed Jason Kidd on Wednesday. There are two main points here. First, I don't think there's any doubt that Chris Paul is the NBA's best point guard. The guy has been absolutely sensational this year. Along with averaging 21 points and 11 assists per game, Paul has elevated his level of play in every statement game this team has had (Wednesday night included) and the position he has led this Hornets team to is unbelievable. Do I expect them to come out of the West? No. But, the future is bright in New Orleans, and Chris Paul appears to be sitting comfortably as the face of the NBA's next generation.
Second, I hate this trade for Dallas. I really think that Dallas gave up too much here. Dallas gave up a very good point guard with a bright future in Devin Harris, one of their few big men that can bang inside in DeSagana Diop, AND two first-round draft picks. AND TWO FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS. I hate this trade. This team has nothing inside besides Erick Dampier, which in the West means they have nothing inside. I understand that Jason Kidd brings a new level of leadership and experience to the team, but at what cost? There are no guarantees in the West this year. Can we say that this trade makes them undeniably better than the Spurs, Lakers, Jazz, Suns, or Rockets? No. If this trade doesn't bring them a championship (and I really don't think it will), how are they going to re-group? Of all the trades that went down before the deadline, I hate this one the most.
I won't say I hate the Cleveland/Chicago/Seattle trade last night, but I will say that I don't know what to make of it. I know that I don't feel any more threatened by Cleveland than I did before. Ben Wallace and Joe Smith have been playing in the East all season long, and their team has sucked. I love Delonte, but he wasn't starting in Seattle. Wally is expensive, injury-prone, and he doesn't play defense. On top of this, Cleveland somehow managed to move Larry Hughes' contract while still making their financial situation worse than it was before the trade (Ben Wallace's contract is 60 million over four years and Wally is making over 12 million this season). But, Big Ben can rebound, Joe Smith can score and rebound, Wally can shoot, and Delonte is scrappy. Add all of those guys with LeBron, and you never know what you'll get.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Shit.
Not to take anything away from the Nuggets, but I haven't seen officiating this bad in a long time. Two key plays that stick out to me came in the last four minutes. The first was a BS goaltending call on KG (automatic 2 instead of a turnover) and the second was an obvious charge that was called a blocking foul against Pierce. The referee was telling Pierce that he was inside the circle, but replays clearly showed that he wasn't. Those two plays were huge in a game this close. I find this especially interesting because I just recently listened to a podcast on ESPN in which Oscar Robertson told Stephen A. Smith that he hates the charge circle. His point, which seems very valid, was that under the rules now a player could take it totally out of control all the way from half court and slam you three rows back and if you're inside the circle it would be a foul on you. In this case, the referee used the circle (even though he was wrong) to justify making a call that was obviously wrong. Pierce had his feet set, he was in good position, he was OUTSIDE OF THE CIRCLE and that should have been a charge.
Regardless, I loved what I saw tonight from the Celtics. Rondo had an outstanding game (including a sick dunk on a Posey miss that made him look like Dominique Wilkins or something). I also love the fact that the Celtics made Denver work until the very end. The Nuggets just had the momentum all night. Marcus Camby hit a three in the closing minutes. You know you're probably screwed when that happens. If KG plays his normal minutes, the Celtics win. The Celtics would beat the Nuggets eight out of ten anyways because Denver does not play defense at all.
It's only the tenth loss. The first loss to the West. Bad officiating was a huge factor. The Nuggets played outstanding and the Celtics did not. The Pistons lost tonight as well, so we still have the same lead on them. We're all going to be ok.........
The Clemens Affair (Part Two)
“What is the possibility of Bush pardoning Clemens, considering the player’s close relationship to the former president?”
For those of you who don’t know, Brian McNamee’s lawyer is now saying that President Bush could give Roger Clemens a "prospective pardon." Apparently his lawyer hates Bush, and wants to somehow make a link between Clemen’s relationship to Bush Senior and the possibility that W will repeat what Gerald Ford did to Nixon:
“It would be the easiest thing in the world for George W. Bush, given the corrupt proclivities of his administration, to say Roger Clemens is an American hero, Roger Clemens helped children…It’s my belief they have some reason to believe they can get a pardon.”
"It would be a prospective pardon…They're perfectly legal and it would be typical of the George Bush White House. We'd expect Bush to call Clemens a 'historic figure' who has done so much for this country and then let him off."
Before we discuss whether or not this may happen, let’s review the facts:
1. Clemens has not been investigated for doing anything illegal, let alone charged of breaking the law. Media pundits, however, have suggested that if evidence were to surface that proves Clemens was doing HGH, there is a strong possibility he could be investigated for lying to Congress.
2. As the US Today points out, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform could ask the Justice Department to investigate whether or not Clemens lied to Congress. The Justice Department could also launch a probe on their own. None of these things have happened yet.
3. For a traditional pardon or commutation (more on this later) to occur: Clemens has to be investigated, charged, and then proved guilty before a federal grand jury. A prospective pardon, however, could occur without any of these things happening.
I could launch into an angry diatribe right now, arguing how ridiculous Emery’s statements are, but I think Clemen’s lawyer had a good response to them:
“First of all, Roger is never going to be convicted of anything, and second, he (the president) is never going to do that…It is the most irresponsible and unbelievable statement in a long line of irresponsible and unbelievable statements from those guys.
"He's just crazy.'"
"He's got to stop smoking his own dope." (My favorite response)
Pardons
So now let’s talk about the possibility of a traditional pardon, assuming evidence comes out of left field which proves Clemens is undoubtedly lying. Pardons are one of the most controversial things a president can do. Remember HW pardoning the Iran-Contra perps or Clinton pardoning Marc Rich? All of these pardons share one thing in common: they pissed off a lot of people.
The Constitution, however, is very clear about the President’s power to pardon citizens: he has the right to do it no matter what the person did and his decision is not reversible by anyone (courts, congress). The president can commute someone’s prison term, too; this means they don’t have to serve jail time, but their crime is still on the books. And while a person can refuse a presidential pardon, they usually don’t and the types of people who get pardons are always pretty interesting (Rich, a former commodity trader, Nixon the former president, and a member of the Deliverance movie cast under George W)
A "prospective pardon" is even more controversial: the President has the power to nullify all crimes that could be proved, but haven't yet. This is what happened between Ford and Nixon -- Ford said Nixon would be absolved of all crimes before they were even proven. Yes, this is ridiculous amount of power. Imagine Bush making a blanket prospective pardon on himself and his entire staff. That would piss of a lot of people!
So far, President Bush has ordered about 113 pardons and four sentence commutations. What’s important to note about these numbers and other presidential pardons is that:
1. Bush has only granted pardons to people who have fully served their sentences. Clinton, on the other hand, pardoned people such as Rich, who were currently serving jail time.
2. W’s dad only pardoned 77 people, putting him near the bottom of the list. He also had to deal with the fallout from Iran-Contra. Also note that FDR pardoned over 3000 people, which is badass.
3. According to the very knowledgeable people at University of Pittsburgh law school, Bush has been burned by a bad pardoning (he pardoned a guy for drug dealing and two months later he was arrested again).
4. Bush does not have a reputation for granting a lot of pardons (from the link above):
“during his prior term as Governor of Texas, George W. issued fewer pardons than any Texas Governor since the 1940s (16 up to January 2000, as opposed to 70 for his immediate predecessor Ann Richards, 822 for 2-term governor Bill Clements, and 1048 for John Connally, Texas governor from 1963-69)”
5. Hillary Clinton is running for president, and her husband (politics aside) made a number of extremely controversial pardons towards the end of his term:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB120277819085260827.html
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/feb2001/rich-f21.shtml
6. None of his pardons have been "prospective pardons."
The Verdict on a Pardon
If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on Clemens getting investigated, but not being charged with a crime. Right now the public scrutiny is too intense for the government “not to do anything.” But considering how obvious it is that Clemens is lying, my sense is that his lawyers do not believe there is damning evidence out there. Call me cynical, but I think Clemen’s lawyers know there’s no way the government could prove he did HGH other than statements from McNammee. And McNammee is a flawed witness no matter what you say: the guy is a drug dealer. So no evidence, no conviction; Clemens is safe.
The probability of any Bush pardon (traditional or prospective) is also very small. Why, you ask?
- Bush has still not pardoned one of his close friends and inner-circle employees (Scooter Libby)
- Bush has never pardoned someone who has not served out their full sentence (see above)
- Bush is generally against pardons (see above) and has been burned by a bad pardon
- Pardons make the party and the president look bad, and if McCain is running a tight race for the White House, I doubt Bush would do something this incendiary
- Just because his dad is friends with Clemens, does not mean Bush will treat Clemens any differently.
- Bush has deep respect for the game of baseball since he used to be an owner. He’s also come out and said very publicly that he’s disappointed in all the drug use and tarnishing of the game. Why, then, would Bush provide amnesty for someone so obviously guilty of drug use? It wouldn’t look very good considering his background in baseball.
I suppose it is possible to see Bush pardoning a rash of people before we leaves, but as I mentioned above, if the presidential race is tight, he may not. And if Clemens does get investigates and then charged for perjury, I doubt Bush will still be in office.
Verdict: McNammee’s lawyer is full of crap for even suggesting that Bush would pull a Ford and pardon crimes that haven't been investigated, let alone prosecuted in the future. The Nixon pardon was incredibly controversial and let's remember this guy was behind Watergate, not guilty of doing HGH....
“What is the possibility of Bush pardoning Clemens, considering the player’s close relationship to the former president?”
For those of you who don’t know, Brian McNamee’s lawyer is now saying that President Bush could give Roger Clemens a "prospective pardon." Apparently his lawyer hates Bush, and wants to somehow make a link between Clemen’s relationship to Bush Senior and the possibility that W will repeat what Gerald Ford did to Nixon:
“It would be the easiest thing in the world for George W. Bush, given the corrupt proclivities of his administration, to say Roger Clemens is an American hero, Roger Clemens helped children…It’s my belief they have some reason to believe they can get a pardon.”
"It would be a prospective pardon…They're perfectly legal and it would be typical of the George Bush White House. We'd expect Bush to call Clemens a 'historic figure' who has done so much for this country and then let him off."
Before we discuss whether or not this may happen, let’s review the facts:
1. Clemens has not been investigated for doing anything illegal, let alone charged of breaking the law. Media pundits, however, have suggested that if evidence were to surface that proves Clemens was doing HGH, there is a strong possibility he could be investigated for lying to Congress.
2. As the US Today points out, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform could ask the Justice Department to investigate whether or not Clemens lied to Congress. The Justice Department could also launch a probe on their own. None of these things have happened yet.
3. For a traditional pardon or commutation (more on this later) to occur: Clemens has to be investigated, charged, and then proved guilty before a federal grand jury. A prospective pardon, however, could occur without any of these things happening.
I could launch into an angry diatribe right now, arguing how ridiculous Emery’s statements are, but I think Clemen’s lawyer had a good response to them:
“First of all, Roger is never going to be convicted of anything, and second, he (the president) is never going to do that…It is the most irresponsible and unbelievable statement in a long line of irresponsible and unbelievable statements from those guys.
"He's just crazy.'"
"He's got to stop smoking his own dope." (My favorite response)
Pardons
So now let’s talk about the possibility of a traditional pardon, assuming evidence comes out of left field which proves Clemens is undoubtedly lying. Pardons are one of the most controversial things a president can do. Remember HW pardoning the Iran-Contra perps or Clinton pardoning Marc Rich? All of these pardons share one thing in common: they pissed off a lot of people.
The Constitution, however, is very clear about the President’s power to pardon citizens: he has the right to do it no matter what the person did and his decision is not reversible by anyone (courts, congress). The president can commute someone’s prison term, too; this means they don’t have to serve jail time, but their crime is still on the books. And while a person can refuse a presidential pardon, they usually don’t and the types of people who get pardons are always pretty interesting (Rich, a former commodity trader, Nixon the former president, and a member of the Deliverance movie cast under George W)
A "prospective pardon" is even more controversial: the President has the power to nullify all crimes that could be proved, but haven't yet. This is what happened between Ford and Nixon -- Ford said Nixon would be absolved of all crimes before they were even proven. Yes, this is ridiculous amount of power. Imagine Bush making a blanket prospective pardon on himself and his entire staff. That would piss of a lot of people!
So far, President Bush has ordered about 113 pardons and four sentence commutations. What’s important to note about these numbers and other presidential pardons is that:
1. Bush has only granted pardons to people who have fully served their sentences. Clinton, on the other hand, pardoned people such as Rich, who were currently serving jail time.
2. W’s dad only pardoned 77 people, putting him near the bottom of the list. He also had to deal with the fallout from Iran-Contra. Also note that FDR pardoned over 3000 people, which is badass.
3. According to the very knowledgeable people at University of Pittsburgh law school, Bush has been burned by a bad pardoning (he pardoned a guy for drug dealing and two months later he was arrested again).
4. Bush does not have a reputation for granting a lot of pardons (from the link above):
“during his prior term as Governor of Texas, George W. issued fewer pardons than any Texas Governor since the 1940s (16 up to January 2000, as opposed to 70 for his immediate predecessor Ann Richards, 822 for 2-term governor Bill Clements, and 1048 for John Connally, Texas governor from 1963-69)”
5. Hillary Clinton is running for president, and her husband (politics aside) made a number of extremely controversial pardons towards the end of his term:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB120277819085260827.html
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/feb2001/rich-f21.shtml
6. None of his pardons have been "prospective pardons."
The Verdict on a Pardon
If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on Clemens getting investigated, but not being charged with a crime. Right now the public scrutiny is too intense for the government “not to do anything.” But considering how obvious it is that Clemens is lying, my sense is that his lawyers do not believe there is damning evidence out there. Call me cynical, but I think Clemen’s lawyers know there’s no way the government could prove he did HGH other than statements from McNammee. And McNammee is a flawed witness no matter what you say: the guy is a drug dealer. So no evidence, no conviction; Clemens is safe.
The probability of any Bush pardon (traditional or prospective) is also very small. Why, you ask?
- Bush has still not pardoned one of his close friends and inner-circle employees (Scooter Libby)
- Bush has never pardoned someone who has not served out their full sentence (see above)
- Bush is generally against pardons (see above) and has been burned by a bad pardon
- Pardons make the party and the president look bad, and if McCain is running a tight race for the White House, I doubt Bush would do something this incendiary
- Just because his dad is friends with Clemens, does not mean Bush will treat Clemens any differently.
- Bush has deep respect for the game of baseball since he used to be an owner. He’s also come out and said very publicly that he’s disappointed in all the drug use and tarnishing of the game. Why, then, would Bush provide amnesty for someone so obviously guilty of drug use? It wouldn’t look very good considering his background in baseball.
I suppose it is possible to see Bush pardoning a rash of people before we leaves, but as I mentioned above, if the presidential race is tight, he may not. And if Clemens does get investigates and then charged for perjury, I doubt Bush will still be in office.
Verdict: McNammee’s lawyer is full of crap for even suggesting that Bush would pull a Ford and pardon crimes that haven't been investigated, let alone prosecuted in the future. The Nixon pardon was incredibly controversial and let's remember this guy was behind Watergate, not guilty of doing HGH....
Owning Up
What Andy Pettitte did yesterday did not look easy. I'm sure that writing and reading that apology and answering those questions was much more difficult and emotionally taxing than anything that he has done on a baseball diamond in a long time. All of these pro athletes live incredibly lavish lives that we could never imagine, and this makes it difficult for us to relate to them. However, Pettitte's press conference afforded us the oppurtunity to see him in a more human light. He was vulnerable, he was embarrased, and he was lobbying for our acceptance. Pettitte has long been regarded as one of the league's classiest players. Even as a life-long Red Sox fan, I always had a hard time disliking Andy Pettitte. I'm sure that none of us ever expected that we'd one day see him in this position. And yet, it seems like yesterday he took a big step towards returning to normalcy and continuing to add to his legacy as one of the game's most well-respected players. This is not to say that this HGH episode will go away. He will always be remembered as one of the confirmed users of this era, and this may well have an affect on any honors that he might otherwise have been given after he retires. But, his willingness to tell the truth has served him well in the court of public opinion. Perhaps this biggest lesson of this whole ordeal is that we are not an unforgiving society. We just don't appreciate being lied to.
It's unfortunate that Roger Clemens did not choose the same path as his close friend. Certainly, with a legacy as one of the greatest pitchers of all time, Roger had more to lose from being honest than Pettitte. Certainly, the magnitude of this legacy would make Clemens coming clean more difficult than it was for Pettitte. But, is his situation now really any better? First of all, let's just look at the legal side of things. Roger may be facing jail time. So, you have to ask yourself, is it really worth it for a man with a loving family at home, a large network of friends who seem like they would be empathetic towards him, and more money than he could ever spend to deny his wrongdoing until he ends up in prison rather than simply owning up to his mistakes and being free? Now, there have been rumors that Clemens would be pardoned by President Bush if he is sentenced to any time in prison. Although I don't really know very much about Presidential Pardons, I would be outraged if this happens. Should it happen, Ted the Redskins Fan will have more information on the topic for us.
Legal issues aside, can we really argue that the path Clemens has chosen has done less damage to his legacy than coming clean? Every day that he spends before Congress bumbling like an idiot trying to explain away evidence makes him look more guilty and turns his legacy into more of a joke. Every day, he turns into more of a caricature of his former self, something that can't be taken seriously. The more you try to cover up, the more we have to assume you're hiding.
Yesterday was a hard day for Andy Pettitte. But, I'm sure that once he had removed himself from the media for a few hours, and he spent some time re-connecting with his teammates and friends, he began to feel much happier and more relaxed than he has in months. He probably felt like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Now, with each day that passes, the weight on Roger Clemens shoulders grows heavier.
Monday, February 18, 2008
The Babcock Report: Flood Warning Edition
I have to echo LaRocque's statements about the dunk contest, this is by far the best that I remember seeing in a long time. The only comparable contest in terms of excitement from the not-so-distant past would have to be Vince Carter's first appearance. I was happy to see Howard in the contest given the fact that most big-name NBA stars steer clear of this competition in order to protect their "reputations"...the logic beeing that anything but a victory would be too embarrassing for a well-known player. Reading that the ratings for the NBA were up this year reassured my instincts...this season just feels different. I have to say that all things considered that this is a good thing, despite the fact that I still find most NBA games to be extremely tedious to watch and that on a whole, the quality of basketball being played seems to have declined proportionally to the amount of athletic talent that comes into the league every year. On a selfish note the fact that the Celtics are having such a great season has been instrumental in keeping my mind off of a certain football game that occurred in the beginning of February.
The AFC East: Bush League
Speaking of the NFL, I just wanted to let you all know that my first contribution to the Team Sampler (TS) will be a breakdown of the worst division in football: The AFC East. Why is this the worst division in football? Because the Jets, Dolphins, Bills, and Patriots play in that division. You have three of the most terrible teams in the league and the greatest team who never won a championship. Also, as a sidenote...I feel that the Giants upset in the superbowl might have been the biggest win in professional sports history, so, doesn't that make the 2008 Super Bowl the BIGGEST LOSS IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS HISTORY? Jarvis...Green...please...god...tackle...him...ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Fuck.
Am I the only one who thinks that there is a good chance that Zach Thomas is going to wind up in a Patriots uniform ala Junior Seau? It seems to make sense to me...what better way to shore up an aging middle linebacking core than to bring in another aged superstar who wants a chance to win every game except the one that really counts? (If you've guessed that I have entered my "really bitter" phase, you are correct. I don't want to hear anyone tell me to "stay positive") I think Zach Thomas would be a great fit for the Patriots...in 1999. I know what you're thinking "Hey..he's got a really HUGE neck." And I'm not one to scoff at neck size but I just don't want to see the Patriots defense get any older right now. Although...maybe he could tackle Eli Manning...hmmm..
Geddy Lee of Rush...Looks like a Bird.
Switching gears, The other day I was cruising around Shelton, CT checking out severe flooding (yeah..seriously, there is nothing to do here) when I had one of those really amazing driving-around-listening-to-the-radio-moments where a string of unexpected songs comes on, and bang bang bang, one after another proceeds to rock your world, each more unexpected and surprisingly awesome than the one before. It all began, like many pointless stories do, with a Rush song..."Working Man". Now, I am not a fan of Rush. I have two memories of my life that involve Rush. The first is that lead singer Geddy Lee sang the Canadian National Anthem at the 1993 Allstar game, the year after the Blue Jays won their first world series. I remember this because I was a huge Blue Jays fan at the time and Geddy was often seated behind homeplate at the games. Second, I can vividly remember a day when my buddy Ladd and I went to the mall to check out girls and get free samples of "chicken" from Umi of Japan, one thing led to another and he ended up purchasing a Rush album: Retrospective Vol. II. We went back to my house and after listening to a few songs decided that the album sucked and that we really didn't like Rush at all. The next day I found the CD buried in my sock drawer...Ladd, in disgust, had attempted to hide his poor purchase from the rest of the world by burdening me with its possession. I still have the CD, although I have not listened to it since that day we went to the mall. For some reason, I started rocking out to it. In all honesty its got a pretty sick guitar riff, and having just worked a full day in the rain I could relate to its theme.
Having found myself rocking out to a Rush song (granted I was in the privacy of my own vehicle, and thus safe from the judgement of others) I really wasn't ready for what happened next...All you have to do is watch this video...note the cowbell:
Seriously watch that. Just a couple of things..yes this is the Gary Wright of "Dreamweaver" fame..Stratton, you know what I'm talking about. The overunder for grams of cocaine consumed prior to this performance has to be somewhere around 6 per person. You should also notice that Gary was obviously a man ahead of his time as he appears to be pioneering the "Keytar" by playing a keyboard slung around his neck. What a showman. This is probably the best example there is of a song that you can only like at a very random point in time...like driving around in Shelton, CT in the rain. I can't get this song out of my head...and its awesome.
At this point I am starting to think that I am on some kind of a roll here...that there is some strange god of rock hand picking selections for me to rock out to on this pointless drive around town...and he kept it coming. Next song he threw to me was a Joe Walsh tune "Turn to Stone", which is a jam I had not heard in years.
This is the only video I could find of the song...its a pretty good performance but not the radio cut obviously (I did not have to sit through a lengthy flute solo in my truck). Joe Walsh really fucking rocks though, and he shows excellent taste in headwear. His stuff with James Gang is also excellent. At this point I am just waiting for the streak to end...but it didn't:
Steve Earle I feel Alright
And Finally...The Rolling Stones Waiting on a Friend:
At this point I had to return to reality and fix myself a hearty meal of Chef Boyardee and Ramen Noodles, but needless to say my hunger for kick ass music had been satisfied. Sometimes these things just come together and they deserve to be recognized and appreciated. On another completely unrelated note...there is one particular stairway in this hotel that allways smells like chinese food...always. Keep on rockin.
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