It is November 22, 2012, forty-nine years to the day since president John F. Kennedy was gunned down, allegedly, by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. I was in the eighth grade at Douglass Elementary/Junior High in Boulder at the time. It was a Friday, and we were all on our way into the cafeteria for lunch, when I noticed a couple of teachers looking very distraught and even crying. It became known very quickly to the rest of us what had happened. Televisions weren't as pervasively available at that time, especially in schools, but some of us were allowed to crowd around a 20" black-and-white TV in the library to keep tabs on the unfolding event. I'll never forget Walter Cronkite on CBS News reporting, and with visible sadness, removing his glasses and looking into the camera and saying, "From Dallas, Texas, a flash, apparently official, President Kennedy died at one PM, Central Standard Time, two-o'clock Eastern Standard Time, some 38 minutes ago." And you could tell that he, Walter Cronkite, the standard for all news announcers of his time, was having extreme difficulty holding his emotion in check.
That whole weekend was filled with nothing but sadness and curiosity. We had learned so much about this man and his family in a relatively short time, from his campaign in 1960 against Richard Nixon, through the famous televised debates before the election, and the emergence of "Camelot in Washington": his infectious charm and Bostonian accent, the elegance and allure of First Lady Jackie, daughter Caroline, son John-John and the tragic birth and death of baby Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, delivered by emergency C-section on August 7, 1963 and died just two days later of respiratory distress syndrome, the touch football games at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, the handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis (and the earlier Bay of Pigs invasion). Only 1,038 days in office, but so many memories, flooded our consciousness on TV, in the newspapers and on the radio as we, as a nation, processed the tragedy. Jack Kennedy was truly the first "media savvy" president, and so it became that his life and death had never before, and not since, been so covered and reported upon.
Then, on Sunday, I was watching TV at my grandmother's house in Brighton. We were all getting ready to eat and I was waiting for the NFL game of the week on CBS, but the broadcast was pre-empted by coverage of the Kennedy Assassination. No football on television, though commissioner Pete Rozelle ordered all games to go on as scheduled (probably so as not to let terrorist Lee Harvey Oswald "win"). Bachan (grandmother in Japanese) was tending to my jiichan (grandfather), who was bedridden and had been since his stroke a few years earlier. My sisters, mom and dad and maybe a few others were in my grandparents' house on First Avenue that day, waiting for some scrumptious food prepared by my bachan and assisted by my mom. When, there on CBS (channel 7 back then), I watched as those two police detectives were escorting a handcuffed and battered Oswald to an awaiting van to transport him from the Dallas police station to the County Jail, when a blur of activity, and a shot rang out, then lots of shouting and right there on Live TV, Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey right in the gut. That grimace as he was shot, forever framed in my memory. That look of shock and anger as the detective on the left in his cowboy hat as he realized that a dark-suited stranger had blatantly shot the guy he was escorting. I yelled out to everybody in the house that, "Somebody just shot the guy who shot Kennedy!" Amazing.
The State Funeral for President Kennedy on Monday was memorable, too. We were excused from school that day and we watched the whole ceremony. The veiled Jacqueline Kennedy and the Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy walking down Pennsylvania Avenue from the US Capitol to the White House then on to St. Matthew's Cathedral, the old-fashioned WW I vintage military caisson upon which rested Kennedy's coffin, the spirited black stallion with the boots strapped to the saddle backwards to symbolize a fallen leader, the steady muted drumbeats as the funeral cortege wound past the million+ people who lined the streets, the bagpipe regiment flown in from Scotland, the Irish Military Cadets that joined in the procession along with the President of Ireland, the salute from John-John on the steps of the cathedral, the lighting of the flame at the gravesite in Arlington National Cemetery. Indelible, unforgettable images in black and white.
But, hey, today it is Thanksgiving 2012. We live in a remarkably different world today from 1963. One thing, though, that is constant: we celebrate in the present, as we remember the past, and hope for a bright future. I am thankful for so many things, but foremost on my list are my fantastic children, my heart-warming grandsons, my wonderful family and my great friends. Then, golf, the Yankees and baseball in general. Okay, thank you for the Rockies, too, though some would argue that Major League Baseball and the Colorado Rockies have nothing in common.
Cheers to all and best wishes for a Healthy and Happy Holiday Season!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
FALL: A Season, Or A Direction?
(I wrote this last year in October, and neglected to hit "post", so it remained in draft status, until now. I am going to post it now, unedited. Comments?)
The best time of the year. I miss the days when you could go outside and smell leaves burning and the first hint of woodsmoke from neighborhood fireplaces. This is the season where the leaves and vines that nurtured ripening pumpkins have been blackened and beaten down by the first hard frost of the season, leaving the bright orange gourds standing proud in the autumn sun. A beautiful postcard of a scene looking back down the second fairway at Sunset Golf Course, toward Longs Peak, the trees lining the fairways turning orange and yellow and red, with a flawless carpet of carefully manicured green grass providing yet another snapshot of Heaven on Earth. The baseball Postseason. High School, College, NFL and Pee Wee football in full swing. Basketball training camps and Hockey around the corner (maybe).
The best time of the year. I miss the days when you could go outside and smell leaves burning and the first hint of woodsmoke from neighborhood fireplaces. This is the season where the leaves and vines that nurtured ripening pumpkins have been blackened and beaten down by the first hard frost of the season, leaving the bright orange gourds standing proud in the autumn sun. A beautiful postcard of a scene looking back down the second fairway at Sunset Golf Course, toward Longs Peak, the trees lining the fairways turning orange and yellow and red, with a flawless carpet of carefully manicured green grass providing yet another snapshot of Heaven on Earth. The baseball Postseason. High School, College, NFL and Pee Wee football in full swing. Basketball training camps and Hockey around the corner (maybe).
I know you know, that I am a baseball fan first, a Yankee fan primarily. I grew up with baseball as my true love. I learned to translate and break down boxscores in the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News sports sections before the third grade. My first transistor radio was always tuned to KOA for the Denver Bears broadcast will Bill Reed calling the games from Bears Stadium, before it was Mile High, way before Invesco or the Broncos. I even used to attempt, nightly, when the atmospheric conditions allowed, to tweak the tuning dial carefully to get KOMA out of Oklahoma for Cardinal games, or WGN out of Chicago for Cubs broadcasts. I would eagerly await the televised Saturday CBS MLB Game of the Week with Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese.
I remember Dizzy once saying to his partner Pee Wee, "There's a couple there in the right field bleachers that kiss each other after each and every pitch, Pee Wee. He kisses her on the strikes, and she kisses him on the balls." Or, signing off at the end of the broadcast, "Don't fail to miss tomorrow's game!" Dizzy Dean was elected into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1953, and the broadcasting HOF in 1976. His injury-shortened career included four consecutive All-Star selections, 1934-1937, a 1934 MVP (the Cy Young Award wasn't initiated until Young passed away in 1955) and a World Series ring in 1934 as the ace of famous "Gashouse Gang" St. Louis Cardinals. Dizzy and his brother Paul (Daffy) Dean combined for 49 victories that year for the Cards, with Ol' Diz accounting for 30, along with two wins in the Series. The Cardinals, not the Yankees, became the first designated "America's Team" by virtue of their location as the most southerly and westernmost team in the Major Leagues. Dizzy's #17 was retired by the Cardinals in 1974, two months after he passed away of a sudden heart attack. His #17 remains the only such digit retired in Major League Baseball, and will remain as such, until Todd Helton's number will be so honored by the Colorado Rockies in the near future.
Dean's broadcast partner, Pee Wee Reese has also had his number (#1) retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers and he, too, is a Hall Of Fame member, inducted in 1984. Reese was instrumental, as the Dodger captain in 1947, in helping Jackie Robinson assimilate into the Major Leagues in spite of the racial bias against Robinson as the first Black American to play in the Majors. Reese fiercely defended and shielded Robinson daily as America and the Major Leagues grew accustomed to the integration of Baseball.
There has been a lot of angry and frustrated discussion recently in the wake of Rockies (former) manager Jim Tracy's "resignation". There are those that innocently rejoice in the fact that Tracy is gone, blindly faithful to the opinion that the Rockies' worst season in franchise history, and their slide from playoff contention over the last three years can be laid at the feet of Jim Tracy. Though I do not profess to postulate that Tracy is a first-class baseball tactician and dugout leader deserving of Hall-of-Fame recognition, he was not the problem with the Colorado Rockies' slide into less-than-mediocrity.
The problem is with the decisions made by Dan O'Dowd and supported by the brothers Monfort. You can also lay blame at the turnstiles. As long as the Rockies continue to draw two to three-million fans into Coors Field each season, the franchise has little reason to field a competitive team. I do not doubt that their efforts were genuinely geared toward success on the field, but there is no real accountabiltiy with this franchise. There is not nearly enough BASEBALL INTELLIGENCE connected with the Rox organization. Owners' primary job is to supply passion and resources. Their duty is to surround themselves with smart baseball executives. Dan O'Dowd is obviously one of the best salesmen in the world. He has kept his position through a mostly terrible record in baseball since he was hired in September of 1999. Since the 2000 season, the Rockies are 989-1118 (.469 winning percentage). They have won ZERO NL Western Division titles, having finished second twice, third 3 times, 4th six times and last three times. Thirteen seasons, twice a Wild Card, once an improbable Rocktober run to the World Series. An average season to our loveable loser: ten games under .500, 4th in the West (just ahead of the Padres) and out of the playoff picture way before school starts.
The sad state now, is that this franchise will be very hard-pressed to find a candidate who will come to this city to manage this club. Jim Tracy was given a choice by the Rockies' 'brain trust': follow our orders concerning personnel, coaches, and pitching philosophy, or quit, go ahead, walk away from $1.4 million. Tracy, apparently, asked for the opportunity to try and manage a club without a fat, bean-counting, look-over-your-shoulder baseball moron (Bill Geivett), who answers to Dan O'Dowd, who sells the whole load of crap to the Monforts, and we are left to believe that this franchise has any chance at all to be relevant in this lifetime. Good for you Mr. Tracy, integrity and baseball pride costs more than $1.4 mill. Try to get any pitchers, even drafted ones to consider signing with the Rox-cubs. Tulo and CarGo must be just itching to get the hell out of Dodge. If the Rockies win more than 76 games next year, it'll be because the Monforts wake up, smell the popcorn, and gas O'Dowd, along with Bill "Kiss-Ass" Geivett. Pay Tony LaRussa $5 million to be your General Manager, let him hire his own people, and get the fuck out of his way.
Go Rocktober, just a memory, like burning leaves and Dizzy Dean.
(I sit here now, after the hated Red Sox won the Series, and the post season MLB awards are being handed out. The Rockies indeed finished last in the NL West. Walt Weiss just signed a two year extension, but O'Dowd and Geivett remain, and Charlie Monfort is finally forced to face up to his alcohol problem. Todd Helton is gone into the sunset. I'm formulating new ideas for the Rockies and Avalanche and the Broncos. I have no new thoughts on the Nuggets.)
(I sit here now, after the hated Red Sox won the Series, and the post season MLB awards are being handed out. The Rockies indeed finished last in the NL West. Walt Weiss just signed a two year extension, but O'Dowd and Geivett remain, and Charlie Monfort is finally forced to face up to his alcohol problem. Todd Helton is gone into the sunset. I'm formulating new ideas for the Rockies and Avalanche and the Broncos. I have no new thoughts on the Nuggets.)
Monday, September 17, 2012
September Sport
One of the best times of the year is now. Not quite autumn, that inevitable harbinger of winter. Just past the dog days of an historically hot, dry summer; evenings are cool and comfortable and daytime temperatures are not intolerably scorching. Baseball pennant races are heating up. Football is back on the front burner. For me, the 33-week long bowling season has begun and golf courses are in perfect condition. The fall season 9-ball and 8-ball pool seasons have resumed. It's normally a very upbeat time of the year. Except for the fucking campaign bullshit assaulting us at every turn, on every channel, on Facebook and countless unsolicited, unappreciated emails and text messages, tweets and cloud bombs.
I can't even watch a Yankee game on YES Network, or the Rockies on ROOT without at least two or three spots, "......and I approved this message." Now, this will not be an endorsement one way or the other concerning the upcoming presidential decision. I happen to believe that it really doesn't matter which candidate we elect. The decline of American "values and tradition" began long ago, about the time television was introduced and accelerated when Al Gore invented the internet. I honestly believe that consumer-driven Western Capitalism is at the root of our slide into a seemingly helpless swirl down the drain of Hope and Change.
Allow me to elaborate. My generation was labeled the Baby Boomers, defined as the demographic born post-World War II, between roughly 1946 and 1964. This generation of Americans has consistently been labeled as a 'special' group, in that it was a generation that benefited from post-war prosperity, entitlements and an outlook that consistently radiated an extreme optimism toward the future. The post-war prosperity was, in large part, due to the amazing nationalization of our country's workforce and industrial prowess that was the main source of victory over the Axis Powers in World War II. Once this country's industrial and laborial momentum was converted to satisfying consumer wants and needs, there was a huge conversion from "needs" to "wants" in American consumerism. In 1928, candidate Herbert Hoover trumpeted, "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage", on his way to his landslide election to the presidency over Democratic candidate Al Smith. Optimism pervaded American consciousness, until the Great Depression struck in the fall of 1929. The Great Depression was brought about by a cataclysmic crash on Wall Street that began in September 1929.
What is a "cataclysmic crash on Wall Street"? It's like when big-time gamblers bet big that one team will win, and against all odds, their team wins and the casino doesn't have enough money to cash the bet. In order to keep from going out of business, or getting their legs broken, the casino goes to Uncle Fong in China and borrows the money to pay off the winning gamblers. Now, Uncle Fong owns part of the casino and has a big say in how the casino does its business. Fong has a cousin who produces gaming equipment and trains dealers, so the casino has no way to prevent American manufacturers and home-grown casino dealers from being eliminated from the payrolls. Meanwhile, the big gambler takes his big bankroll and starts paying lawmakers to pass laws that help him protect his interests and ensure his winning ways. Why, even when he makes a bad bet and loses money, the government gives him enough money to pay his losses AND a bonus for his hardship. They label that a "bailout". Wall Street is the biggest casino in the history of gambling. Insurance companies and banks are the biggest gamblers in the history of finance. And they don't have to worry about "losing", since they are allowed to make up the rules as they proceed. Insurance actuary tables, and banking porfolios are so constructed as to guarantee profitability. Arnold Rothstein went to jail for fixing the 1919 World Series, but not one crook from the Great American Bailout of 2008, or excuse me, The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, has sniffed the interior of a jail cell or courtroom.
Back to my statement about consumer-driven Western Capitalism. As prosperity bloomed in the 1950's, 60's and 70's, Americans continued a headlong rush into buying and consuming like there was no tomorrow. Gordon Gecko became an American Financial Folk Hero. "Greed is Good" became the rallying motto for Big American Business. Make more goods, more cheaply and then market the shit out of them. American labor unions priced their services out of the global market, so, one by one, American industrial giants fell victim to cheaper world markets. Television went from three networks broadcasting 9 hours a day to over 500 channels blasting 24/7. You don't even have to get off your ass to buy anything, in any quantity and have it delivered right to your door. We have become a society that has an attention span of around thirty seconds. News has become corporate sponsored entertainment. Social consciousness has been replaced by personal entitlements. National pride now comes disguised as political partisanship. Family values are now debated from the pulpits of Gay/Straight, Abortion/Right-To-Life and Conservative/Liberal, there seems to be no compromise.
I'm getting real pissed sitting here, venting, trying to put into words my frustration and anger about where this world has gotten to. So, the Yankees are off today. The Rockies are in Frisco, not necessarily must-watch TV. But, the Broncos are on Monday Night Football in a couple hours, so I'll wind down and allow my blood pressure to stabilize. I would welcome any and all comments, agreed or disagreed. Are you pissed about our world and national standing? Are you glad that we have sports to distract us from the national debate? Can Peyton-fucking-Manning deliver another winning performance tonight?
Monday, July 30, 2012
XXX Olympics, Let's Not Go There....
The quadrennial gathering of athletes and participants known as the Modern Olympiad, has begun. In London, and no, I didn't mean 'Let's not go to England', I meant 'Let's not go to the triple x entendre'. XXX Olympics brings to mind, maybe, a collexxxion of pornographic industry giants (hah) getting together to set new records for sexual conquests and imaginative world records in semi-deviant positions and combinations. Or, maybe it was just me whose mind wandered in that general direction, even if just for an instant.
At any rate, over ten thousand 'athletes' from nearly 300 Olympic-Organization-recognized countries, along with 50,000 support staff, trainers and other assorted hangers-on, not to mention over 1,900 horses, tons and tons of various equipment and essential supplies, plus television broadcast crews, documentary teams and reporters, 5-million+ spectators............you get the idea; London is the place to be, or not to be.
By my count, over 300 gold medals will be awarded. Make that: medals will be handed out in 300+ categories (more than the People's Choice Awards and ESPYs together). There, obviously, will be multiple medallions in the team and partner events, so well over 3,500 medals will be distributed. And, in this country especially, the medal count will be touted and stressed on an hourly basis. Well, China has 7 golds so far, but WE have 13 total medals, the same as China and as many as any other country in the Whole Wide World Of Olympic Sports. So there. No other country has sent more contestants than the USA has dispatched to the UK to "bring home the Gold". England has 541 (they didn't send anyone, they're already there), the USA 530, Germany 392, China (not unrecognized Taiwan) 380, France 330 (no war veterans included), Japan 293, Italy 284, Canada 277 and (South) Korea 245. That rounds up the top ten, as far as number of contestants.
Ever heard of a place named Nauru? The Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is the world's smallest republic, covering just over 8 square miles (twice as big as Berthoud). Nauru is in the western Pacific just a few miles below the equator and northeast of Autralia. The Republic of Nauru has sent two participants to the XXX Olympiad, one in judo and the other for weightlifting. Bhutan, the British Virgin Islands, Gambia, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Timor-Leste are other countries that have sent two competitors to bring home the gold, or at least a suitcase full of cool souvenirs.
Bhutan is a small kingdom in the Himalayas between China and India. It is home to the highest unclimbed mountain in the world, Gangkhar Puensum, at 24,840 feet. The Kingdom of Bhutan sends two shooters to London, both women, one in archery and one in the 10m air rifle. The British Virgin Islands are a group of about 60 islands southeast of Florida in the Caribbean. They are sending one man and one woman to run the 100m at the Olympics. No surprise there. Gambia (officially Republic of The Gambia) is the smallest country on the African continent. It is completely surrounded by Senegal and the North Atlantic Ocean on the Gambia River, from whence its name derives. The Gambia also sends a male and female 100m dasher. Mauritania is in northwest Africa, bordered by the Atlantic and the Sahara Desert. They are also sending two runners, a man in the 200m and a woman in the 800m. São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe are two islands forming Africa's least populous country. The republic is located off the west coast of Africa almost smack dab on the equator in the Gulf of Guinea. Guess what: one male, one female runner, 100m and 100m hurdles, respectively. Sierra Leone is on the very western coast of Africa, a small speck, just above the equator. That country sends a man in the 200m and a woman in the long jump. We've heard of Somalia for some time as an uncivil and violent country, without order and the location of "Blackhawk Down", in its largest city of Mogadishu. Somalia is the easternmost tip of Africa, jutting out into the Indian Ocean. The Somalian Olympic Organizing Committee somehow organized long enough to send, you guessed it, a man and a woman to run the 1500m and the 400m. The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, more commonly known as East Timor, is the eastern tip of the Timor Island in the Southeast Asian Maritime Archipelago (Indonesia), halfway between Australia and Viet Nam. Timor-Leste sends two marathoners.
I've not watched much of the Olympics yet. A little badminton, water polo, girl's volleyball, 10-meter women's air rifle, women's beach volleyball, basketball, men's swimming, cross-country equestrian, soccer. Wait a minute, I've watched more than I thought. But still, if they want me to watch more, they should get baseball and golf in the damn Olympics. And bowling, too. Women's boxing? Bicycle motocross? Come on! Why not Beer Pong, Hide-and-Seek or Shuffleboard?
Baseball was an official Olympic sport in 1992 (Barcelona, Cuba-gold), 1996 (Atlanta, Japan-gold), 2000 (Sydney, USA-gold), 2004 (Athens, Cuba-gold) and 2008 (Beijing, South Korea-gold). In 2006, the International Olympic Committee voted baseball and softball out of the 2012 Olympics, the first recognized activities to be eliminated since polo (the horsey kind) in the 1936 Berlin Games (when Jesse Owens shoved the proverbial middle finger up Hitler's ass). For the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, golf and rugby are scheduled to replace baseball and softball. No indication that Beer Pong will even be a demonstration sport, officially. Maybe that's more of a winter sport. They have winter shuffleboard (curling) in the Winter Games. Hide-and-Seek could be held at both Summer and Winter Games.
It is always very entertaining when we get to watch the dozens of human-interest stories involving individual quests for Olympic accolades. You know, like the struggles of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony battling through the obstacles of their multi-million-dollar careers to bring Gold-Medal-Glory back to the good ole US of A. Or Michael Phelps battling to prove that smoking dope is not a detriment to success at the Olympic level. How about the double-leg amputee guy who is competing in the 400-meter and 4x400 meter relay? That's Oscar Pistorius of South Africa. Or, the legally blind guy from South Korea, Im Dong-Hyun, representing his country in the 72-arrow archery event! WTF! Will there be a Bela Karolyi sighting at the women's gymnastic venue this year?
At the end my history and geography posting. I decided to lay off the Rockies and Yankees this time, mostly because they're losing. Even with Ichiro in the lineup, the Yankees lost two of three to the hated Red Sux, at Yankee Stadium, cutting the Yankees' lead over Boston to a mere 9-1/2 games with 61 games to go in the regular season. The Rockies? Fuggeddiboudit. The Rox have to win 26 of the remaining 62 games left to NOT lose 100 games this season. They have to go 44-18 just to finish at .500! Maybe the Rockies brass could be as gracious as the Seattle Mariners' organization and trade Todd Helton to the Texas Rangers, so he could have a shot at some post-season hardware. Go Yankees, Go Ichiro!!!!!!!!!!
At any rate, over ten thousand 'athletes' from nearly 300 Olympic-Organization-recognized countries, along with 50,000 support staff, trainers and other assorted hangers-on, not to mention over 1,900 horses, tons and tons of various equipment and essential supplies, plus television broadcast crews, documentary teams and reporters, 5-million+ spectators............you get the idea; London is the place to be, or not to be.
By my count, over 300 gold medals will be awarded. Make that: medals will be handed out in 300+ categories (more than the People's Choice Awards and ESPYs together). There, obviously, will be multiple medallions in the team and partner events, so well over 3,500 medals will be distributed. And, in this country especially, the medal count will be touted and stressed on an hourly basis. Well, China has 7 golds so far, but WE have 13 total medals, the same as China and as many as any other country in the Whole Wide World Of Olympic Sports. So there. No other country has sent more contestants than the USA has dispatched to the UK to "bring home the Gold". England has 541 (they didn't send anyone, they're already there), the USA 530, Germany 392, China (not unrecognized Taiwan) 380, France 330 (no war veterans included), Japan 293, Italy 284, Canada 277 and (South) Korea 245. That rounds up the top ten, as far as number of contestants.
Ever heard of a place named Nauru? The Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is the world's smallest republic, covering just over 8 square miles (twice as big as Berthoud). Nauru is in the western Pacific just a few miles below the equator and northeast of Autralia. The Republic of Nauru has sent two participants to the XXX Olympiad, one in judo and the other for weightlifting. Bhutan, the British Virgin Islands, Gambia, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Timor-Leste are other countries that have sent two competitors to bring home the gold, or at least a suitcase full of cool souvenirs.
Bhutan is a small kingdom in the Himalayas between China and India. It is home to the highest unclimbed mountain in the world, Gangkhar Puensum, at 24,840 feet. The Kingdom of Bhutan sends two shooters to London, both women, one in archery and one in the 10m air rifle. The British Virgin Islands are a group of about 60 islands southeast of Florida in the Caribbean. They are sending one man and one woman to run the 100m at the Olympics. No surprise there. Gambia (officially Republic of The Gambia) is the smallest country on the African continent. It is completely surrounded by Senegal and the North Atlantic Ocean on the Gambia River, from whence its name derives. The Gambia also sends a male and female 100m dasher. Mauritania is in northwest Africa, bordered by the Atlantic and the Sahara Desert. They are also sending two runners, a man in the 200m and a woman in the 800m. São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe are two islands forming Africa's least populous country. The republic is located off the west coast of Africa almost smack dab on the equator in the Gulf of Guinea. Guess what: one male, one female runner, 100m and 100m hurdles, respectively. Sierra Leone is on the very western coast of Africa, a small speck, just above the equator. That country sends a man in the 200m and a woman in the long jump. We've heard of Somalia for some time as an uncivil and violent country, without order and the location of "Blackhawk Down", in its largest city of Mogadishu. Somalia is the easternmost tip of Africa, jutting out into the Indian Ocean. The Somalian Olympic Organizing Committee somehow organized long enough to send, you guessed it, a man and a woman to run the 1500m and the 400m. The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, more commonly known as East Timor, is the eastern tip of the Timor Island in the Southeast Asian Maritime Archipelago (Indonesia), halfway between Australia and Viet Nam. Timor-Leste sends two marathoners.
I've not watched much of the Olympics yet. A little badminton, water polo, girl's volleyball, 10-meter women's air rifle, women's beach volleyball, basketball, men's swimming, cross-country equestrian, soccer. Wait a minute, I've watched more than I thought. But still, if they want me to watch more, they should get baseball and golf in the damn Olympics. And bowling, too. Women's boxing? Bicycle motocross? Come on! Why not Beer Pong, Hide-and-Seek or Shuffleboard?
Baseball was an official Olympic sport in 1992 (Barcelona, Cuba-gold), 1996 (Atlanta, Japan-gold), 2000 (Sydney, USA-gold), 2004 (Athens, Cuba-gold) and 2008 (Beijing, South Korea-gold). In 2006, the International Olympic Committee voted baseball and softball out of the 2012 Olympics, the first recognized activities to be eliminated since polo (the horsey kind) in the 1936 Berlin Games (when Jesse Owens shoved the proverbial middle finger up Hitler's ass). For the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, golf and rugby are scheduled to replace baseball and softball. No indication that Beer Pong will even be a demonstration sport, officially. Maybe that's more of a winter sport. They have winter shuffleboard (curling) in the Winter Games. Hide-and-Seek could be held at both Summer and Winter Games.
It is always very entertaining when we get to watch the dozens of human-interest stories involving individual quests for Olympic accolades. You know, like the struggles of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony battling through the obstacles of their multi-million-dollar careers to bring Gold-Medal-Glory back to the good ole US of A. Or Michael Phelps battling to prove that smoking dope is not a detriment to success at the Olympic level. How about the double-leg amputee guy who is competing in the 400-meter and 4x400 meter relay? That's Oscar Pistorius of South Africa. Or, the legally blind guy from South Korea, Im Dong-Hyun, representing his country in the 72-arrow archery event! WTF! Will there be a Bela Karolyi sighting at the women's gymnastic venue this year?
At the end my history and geography posting. I decided to lay off the Rockies and Yankees this time, mostly because they're losing. Even with Ichiro in the lineup, the Yankees lost two of three to the hated Red Sux, at Yankee Stadium, cutting the Yankees' lead over Boston to a mere 9-1/2 games with 61 games to go in the regular season. The Rockies? Fuggeddiboudit. The Rox have to win 26 of the remaining 62 games left to NOT lose 100 games this season. They have to go 44-18 just to finish at .500! Maybe the Rockies brass could be as gracious as the Seattle Mariners' organization and trade Todd Helton to the Texas Rangers, so he could have a shot at some post-season hardware. Go Yankees, Go Ichiro!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Halfway To Nowhere
As the Major League Baseball season prepares to enter the annual All-Star break, I am torn between two contrary rooting points. One, the New York Yankees sport the best record in all of MLB, 18 games over .500, with a 6-game lead in the AL East over the second-place Baltimore Orioles, and 8-1/2 games ahead of the Boston Red Sux. Two, the Colorado Rockies are tied with the Chicago Cubs for the worst record in the majors, twenty games under .500, 14 games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.. In order for the Rockies to NOT lose 100 games this year, they will have to win 31 of the remaining 78 games, including today's contest with the Washington Nationals, who are a surprising 16 games over .500 and in first place in the tough NL East. The other division leaders are: the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, the Texas Rangers in the AL West and Clint Hurdle's Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Central.
The Yankees suffered a huge loss when the best closer in Major League Baseball history went down with a knee injury on May 2 in Kansas City while shagging fly balls during batting practice. He underwent season-ending surgery, but vows to be back next season to add to his MLB career-best 608 saves. Michael Pineda has not pitched in a game yet for the Yanks, as he was a key off-season acquisition in a trade with the Seattle Mariners. The Yankees coveted Pineda enough to part with two prized prospects, RHP Hector Noesi and C Jesus Montero, two players that enjoyed bright futures in the Yankee organization. However, Noesi is 2-11 with the Mariners, having lost 8 consecutive decions and surrendering 20 home runs in 96+ innings, and is now serving time on Seattle's AAA affiliate Tacoma Rainiers' roster. Montero, was the number-one hitting prospect as a catcher in the Yankees' organization, but has been less-than-stellar with the last-place Mariners. It's obvious that this Jesus does not walk on water, with 67 strikeouts in just 274 plate appearances, while batting just .245 with 8 HRs and 28 RBIs. In limited late-season call-up duty with the Yankees last year, he showed brilliant promise, batting at a .328 clip with 4 HRs and 12 RBIs in only 61 at-bats, which enhanced his market value in the off-season. Further losses to the Yankee pitching staff (Andy Pettitte, broken ankle, Joba Chamberlain, dislocated ankle, CC Sabathia, groin strain) have only been minor obstacles in New York's rise to the top of MLB at the halfway point.
Personnel losses to injury such as the Rockies have experienced (Tulo out since May 31st, Jhoulys Chacin last appeared on May 1st, Juan Nicasio left a game against the Dodgers on June 2nd, Jorge De LaRosa hasn't pitched since May 24 of last season, just to name a few critical parts) have transformed the Rockies from hopeful, to just plain hopeless. Not to say that injuries are the only reason for the Rox sinking to the bottom. The biggest reason for the Pitiful Purple Pinstripers' decline is that the Dan O'Dowd regime here in Colorado has severely under-performed in the most important, critical aspects that define a front office: drafting, acquiring and developing major league talent. The job of a General Manager in baseball is like a Chief Operating Officer in a corporation. The biggest success in O'Dowd's tenure is that he has been insulated from removal because of the unmitigated support of the owners of the Colorado Rockies. Since Rockies' President of Baseball Operations, Keli McGregor's tragic and sudden death in April of 2010 (three days after Ubaldo Jimenez' historic no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves), O'Dowd has enjoyed free reign in shaping the Rockies' organization on the field and beyond. Coaches and scouts answer to him, and his assistant, Bill Geivett. Geivett has been the Director of Player Personnel since 2000 (O'Dowd's choice) and was elevated to Senior Vice President of Scouting and Player Development, Assistant GM in January 2011. This regime is responsible for drafting, trading and developing every player in the Rockies organization. Their first big splash came following the 2000 season when they spent $176 million to sign Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle to free agent contracts that would cripple the club's finances into the 2009 season. Also, remember Dan O'Dowd as the brains behind sending Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette, Larry Walker, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Hammel and Clint Hurdle away.
Here's a list for you: Rockies' first round draft picks since 2000,
P Matthew Harrington (#7 overall)
INF Jayson Nix #44
P Jeff Francis #9
INF Ian Stewart #10
INF Chris Nelson #9
INF Troy Tulowitzki #7
P Greg Reynolds #2
P Casey Weathers #8
P Christian Friedrich #25
P Tyler Matzek #11
OF Kyle Parker #26
P Tyler Anderson #20 and
OF David Dahl #10.
How many impact players do you recognize? Harrington never signed, re-entered the draft in 2001, still didn't sign and never pitched in the Major Leagues. A totally wasted pick, at #7 overall, picked by O'Dowd even though all other teams recognized that Harrington and his advisors made it known that he would require a $4.95 million signing bonus, 20% higher than the previous #1 pick, Josh Hamilton, had received. O'Dowd and his team egotiscally figured that they would get him to sign. Nope.
Nix has had a journeyman's career, presently playing for the Yankees in a utility role. He toiled for over 6 seasons in the Rockies organization before getting a 22-game tryout during the 2008 campaign, batting .125 in 56 ABs, striking out 17 times. He has played for the White Sox, the Indians and the Blue Jays in addition to the Yankees, with a .208 career batting average.
Jeff Francis, quality pitcher, is in his second stint with the Rockies. He has a 57-52 career record with the Rockies, good for third in career victories (behind Aaron Cook's 72 wins and Jason Jennings with 58, ahead of Ubaldo's 57). Cook, by the way, discarded by the Rockies and O'Dowd after the 2011 season, is 2-2 with the Boston Red Sux, tossing a nifty 2-hit complete game shutout last week against the Mariners.
Ian Stewart? Along with 2007 1st round pick Casey Weathers, was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Tyler Colvin and DJ LeMahieu. Colvin's power surge as of late has scored some points in favor of this O'Dowd move. In his last 10 games, Colvin has 13 hits in 37 ABs (.351), and of his thirteen hits, only 3 have been singles, 6 HRs, 2 triples and 2 doubles. Those are Larry Walker type numbers. By the way, look for Stewart to appear later this year on the hit television series, "Survivor: Philippines". As long as he doesn't have to hit his way off the island to survive.
Chris Nelson may yet provide an answer for the Rockies at second base. 3B minor league prospect, Nolan Arenado, is developing at AA Tulsa, batting .282 with 7 HRs, 38 RBIs and an OPS of only .739. He, along with Jordan Pacheco, represent the future at 3B for the Rockies, supposedly. Colorado has not had a long-term solution at the hot corner since Vinny Castilla.
Tulo is Tulo, great when healthy, but not healthy enough for long enough to be the go-to guy for this team. That mantle belongs to Carlos Gonzalez, who is more productive, more consistently. I just hope his appearance in tomorrow's Home Run Derby doesn't affect his swing and consistency over the post-All Star stretch of the regular season. There's talk that maybe Tulowitzki should consider moving over to third base to prolong his career and increase his offensive impact by not getting hurt all the time. I do not see that happening. Deep down, I'd bet that Troy Tulowitzki secretly wishes that he could take Derek Jeter's place as the Yankee shortstop when Jeter hangs up his spikes. That won't happen either, for no other reason than the pinstriped #2 jersey will be retired as soon as Jeter is done with his storied career.
Greg Reynolds was traded to the Texas Rangers after last season for manager Jim Tracy's son Chad Tracy. Neither will factor in the Majors.
Christian Friedrich shows promise so far. But, let's face it; pitchers at Coors Field will always struggle, humidor or not. Pitching at altitude has proven to be a very difficult proposition, and it will forever be so. This "paired pitching rotation" may yet prove to be the last attempt at salvaging a Dan O'Dowd tenure with the Colorado Rockies.
At least I still have the Yankees. And golf.
The Yankees suffered a huge loss when the best closer in Major League Baseball history went down with a knee injury on May 2 in Kansas City while shagging fly balls during batting practice. He underwent season-ending surgery, but vows to be back next season to add to his MLB career-best 608 saves. Michael Pineda has not pitched in a game yet for the Yanks, as he was a key off-season acquisition in a trade with the Seattle Mariners. The Yankees coveted Pineda enough to part with two prized prospects, RHP Hector Noesi and C Jesus Montero, two players that enjoyed bright futures in the Yankee organization. However, Noesi is 2-11 with the Mariners, having lost 8 consecutive decions and surrendering 20 home runs in 96+ innings, and is now serving time on Seattle's AAA affiliate Tacoma Rainiers' roster. Montero, was the number-one hitting prospect as a catcher in the Yankees' organization, but has been less-than-stellar with the last-place Mariners. It's obvious that this Jesus does not walk on water, with 67 strikeouts in just 274 plate appearances, while batting just .245 with 8 HRs and 28 RBIs. In limited late-season call-up duty with the Yankees last year, he showed brilliant promise, batting at a .328 clip with 4 HRs and 12 RBIs in only 61 at-bats, which enhanced his market value in the off-season. Further losses to the Yankee pitching staff (Andy Pettitte, broken ankle, Joba Chamberlain, dislocated ankle, CC Sabathia, groin strain) have only been minor obstacles in New York's rise to the top of MLB at the halfway point.
Personnel losses to injury such as the Rockies have experienced (Tulo out since May 31st, Jhoulys Chacin last appeared on May 1st, Juan Nicasio left a game against the Dodgers on June 2nd, Jorge De LaRosa hasn't pitched since May 24 of last season, just to name a few critical parts) have transformed the Rockies from hopeful, to just plain hopeless. Not to say that injuries are the only reason for the Rox sinking to the bottom. The biggest reason for the Pitiful Purple Pinstripers' decline is that the Dan O'Dowd regime here in Colorado has severely under-performed in the most important, critical aspects that define a front office: drafting, acquiring and developing major league talent. The job of a General Manager in baseball is like a Chief Operating Officer in a corporation. The biggest success in O'Dowd's tenure is that he has been insulated from removal because of the unmitigated support of the owners of the Colorado Rockies. Since Rockies' President of Baseball Operations, Keli McGregor's tragic and sudden death in April of 2010 (three days after Ubaldo Jimenez' historic no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves), O'Dowd has enjoyed free reign in shaping the Rockies' organization on the field and beyond. Coaches and scouts answer to him, and his assistant, Bill Geivett. Geivett has been the Director of Player Personnel since 2000 (O'Dowd's choice) and was elevated to Senior Vice President of Scouting and Player Development, Assistant GM in January 2011. This regime is responsible for drafting, trading and developing every player in the Rockies organization. Their first big splash came following the 2000 season when they spent $176 million to sign Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle to free agent contracts that would cripple the club's finances into the 2009 season. Also, remember Dan O'Dowd as the brains behind sending Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette, Larry Walker, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Hammel and Clint Hurdle away.
Here's a list for you: Rockies' first round draft picks since 2000,
P Matthew Harrington (#7 overall)
INF Jayson Nix #44
P Jeff Francis #9
INF Ian Stewart #10
INF Chris Nelson #9
INF Troy Tulowitzki #7
P Greg Reynolds #2
P Casey Weathers #8
P Christian Friedrich #25
P Tyler Matzek #11
OF Kyle Parker #26
P Tyler Anderson #20 and
OF David Dahl #10.
How many impact players do you recognize? Harrington never signed, re-entered the draft in 2001, still didn't sign and never pitched in the Major Leagues. A totally wasted pick, at #7 overall, picked by O'Dowd even though all other teams recognized that Harrington and his advisors made it known that he would require a $4.95 million signing bonus, 20% higher than the previous #1 pick, Josh Hamilton, had received. O'Dowd and his team egotiscally figured that they would get him to sign. Nope.
Nix has had a journeyman's career, presently playing for the Yankees in a utility role. He toiled for over 6 seasons in the Rockies organization before getting a 22-game tryout during the 2008 campaign, batting .125 in 56 ABs, striking out 17 times. He has played for the White Sox, the Indians and the Blue Jays in addition to the Yankees, with a .208 career batting average.
Jeff Francis, quality pitcher, is in his second stint with the Rockies. He has a 57-52 career record with the Rockies, good for third in career victories (behind Aaron Cook's 72 wins and Jason Jennings with 58, ahead of Ubaldo's 57). Cook, by the way, discarded by the Rockies and O'Dowd after the 2011 season, is 2-2 with the Boston Red Sux, tossing a nifty 2-hit complete game shutout last week against the Mariners.
Ian Stewart? Along with 2007 1st round pick Casey Weathers, was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Tyler Colvin and DJ LeMahieu. Colvin's power surge as of late has scored some points in favor of this O'Dowd move. In his last 10 games, Colvin has 13 hits in 37 ABs (.351), and of his thirteen hits, only 3 have been singles, 6 HRs, 2 triples and 2 doubles. Those are Larry Walker type numbers. By the way, look for Stewart to appear later this year on the hit television series, "Survivor: Philippines". As long as he doesn't have to hit his way off the island to survive.
Chris Nelson may yet provide an answer for the Rockies at second base. 3B minor league prospect, Nolan Arenado, is developing at AA Tulsa, batting .282 with 7 HRs, 38 RBIs and an OPS of only .739. He, along with Jordan Pacheco, represent the future at 3B for the Rockies, supposedly. Colorado has not had a long-term solution at the hot corner since Vinny Castilla.
Tulo is Tulo, great when healthy, but not healthy enough for long enough to be the go-to guy for this team. That mantle belongs to Carlos Gonzalez, who is more productive, more consistently. I just hope his appearance in tomorrow's Home Run Derby doesn't affect his swing and consistency over the post-All Star stretch of the regular season. There's talk that maybe Tulowitzki should consider moving over to third base to prolong his career and increase his offensive impact by not getting hurt all the time. I do not see that happening. Deep down, I'd bet that Troy Tulowitzki secretly wishes that he could take Derek Jeter's place as the Yankee shortstop when Jeter hangs up his spikes. That won't happen either, for no other reason than the pinstriped #2 jersey will be retired as soon as Jeter is done with his storied career.
Greg Reynolds was traded to the Texas Rangers after last season for manager Jim Tracy's son Chad Tracy. Neither will factor in the Majors.
Christian Friedrich shows promise so far. But, let's face it; pitchers at Coors Field will always struggle, humidor or not. Pitching at altitude has proven to be a very difficult proposition, and it will forever be so. This "paired pitching rotation" may yet prove to be the last attempt at salvaging a Dan O'Dowd tenure with the Colorado Rockies.
At least I still have the Yankees. And golf.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Colorado Rocky Mountain Low
With apologies to the late John Denver, Colorado baseball fans are experiencing an all-time depression with respect to the local Major League ballclub. Last night, against the Miami Marlins, the Rockies started off like a real baseball team, scoring 3 runs in the top of the first inning, but starter, Juan Nicasio, went on to surrender 6 runs in 5 innings to remain winless in his last 4 starts. To his credit, on May 12, in Dodger Stadium, he held the Bums to one run in 7 innings, striking out 9 and walking none, but alas, our Punchless Pebbles could muster only one run in support, as the bullpen blew the game, giving up a run in the 8th. In the ninth, Carlos Gonzalez struck out, Troy Tulowitzki flied out (to the shortstop) and Todd Helton popped out, as the Rockies meekly wasted a strong pitching effort from Nicasio. That game, and last night's game in Miami, encapsulates the Rockies' formula for frustration in the 2012 season thus far. Poor starting pitching, inconsistent situational hitting, critical defensive miscues, questionable managerial decisions. Add it up, a 15-27 record, the second worst record in the Major Leagues (thanks Cubbies, you are one loss worse). The second worst record after 42 games in the Rockies' history. Three more losses this month will set a new franchise record for losses in May.
Fans and media are clamoring for changes in management, with General Manager Dan O'Dowd, field manager Jim Tracy, pitching coach Bob Apodaca and hitting coach Carney Lansford at the top of most lists. The brothers Monfort are also catching a lot of blame for their seemingly blind loyalty to O'Dowd and Tracy in the face of mounting evidence that this franchise is destined for eternal mediocrity. It is an age-old tradition in professional sports that you cannot fire a whole team, so the manager and coaches are the ones on the hot seat when a team under-performs. When manager Clint Hurdle's Rockie team began the 2009 season 19-28, he was fired. Enter Jim Tracy on May 29. The Rox then went on to record a franchise record 21 wins in June, as they entered July with a 42-35 record, battling LA and San Fran for the West Division. Tracy's Rockies finished the season with 92 wins, the most the club has won in a season, and won the Wild Card. They went on to lose to the Phillies in the NLDS 3 games to 1. Today, the Rockies are last in the West, 14-1/2 games behind the LA Dodgers, pretty much out of the playoff picture before Memorial Day!!!!! They are a dismal 9-14 at home, in the not-so-friendly confines of Coors Field. They have lost 6 in a row going into tonight's series finale against the Marlins and Carlos Zambrano, who sports a 1.96 ERA, allowing only 3 earned runs in his last 4 starts. Alex White (0-3, 5.09) starts for the Rockies, who were shutout at home by the Seattle Mariners in White's last start, wasting a strong performance by the young righthander (7 innings, 3 earned runs, 7 strikeouts, no walks). White, of course is one of the four players attained in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade last year. By the way, Jimenez is 5-3 with the Central Division-leading Cleveland Indians. White and Drew Pomeranz, the other starter acquired in the Jimenez trade, are a combined 4-10 since joining the Rockies. The other two players, Matt McBride (utility position player and catcher, batting .356 at AAA Colorado Springs) and Joe Gardner (right-handed starter for AA Tulsa, 1-2, 5.68 ERA) are not busts so far, but there's time. Pomeranz is currently at Colorado Springs while the Rockies kept Esmil Rogers here with the big club, because Rogers's next demotion will expose him to a waiver claim by any other Major League club.
Last night's game was a microcosm of this Rockies team: get an early lead, starter scuffles, can't hold the lead, get way behind, rally late, fall just short, with either Troy Tulowitzki or Todd Helton at the plate with winning or tying runners on base. In last night's game, Scutaro hit a liner to the gap in left-center that the normal left-fielder Austin Kearns would never have gotten to. But he tweaked a leg muscle earlier in the game, and his replacement, Chris Coughlan, speared the ball, leaving the tying run dead rounding third, rally over. Bad luck.
There seems to be little in the way of hope, or promise, for this year's Colorado Rockies team. A bunch of us went to the game at sunny Coors Field Sunday. The Rockies and MLB honored my Mom as the 2012 representative for cancer survivors and the Honorary Batgirl Award. She looked great out on the field before the game with her pink uniform jersey alongside my niece Melissa, who nominated her. Picture and name on the giant scoreboard, cheers from the 25 who accompanied the family to the ballpark, followed by a stinker of a game, swept by the lowly Seattle Mariners, to finish off a terrible 1-5 homestand.
Terrible starting pitching, should Bob Apodaca be fired? Awful plate presence by Troy Tulowitzki, Dexter Fowler, Todd Helton, Wilin Rosario, Marco Scutaro and EY Young, Jr, especially with runners in scoring position. Should Carney Lansford get a pink slip? The Rockies seem to be batting .400 in the first inning and .150 after. Pitchers walk too many batters trying to nibble at corners, or as Tracy puts it, "Our pitchers need to command the strike zone better." Brilliant! Let's try and pencil in a starting lineup and leave it the fuck alone for a few games, to, you know, build a little continuity. God knows, the results couldn't be any worse! Quit tinkering, let them settle in. Dexter, Tulo, Cuddyer, CarGo, Pacheco, Helton, Rosario, Scutaro. Bring Pomeranz back, throw him out there, let him learn at the big league level, not in the Springs. Pass/fail, NOW! This season is down the drain anyway. And last, but not least, quit propping up Dan O'Dowd, Dick Monfort! You and Charlie have been tranquilized by the fact that people keep coming to fill up Coors Field and buying the load of crap that masquerades as a Major League Baseball Club. The natives are restless. A so-called boycott of Coors Field won't work until next year. The Rockies already have advance ticket sales and season tickets to surpass two million paid attendance this year. And they have nerve to plead with us to fill out an All-Star ballot. Okay, on this team, Cuddyer and maybe CarGo might have a shot. After all, one player from each team must go, it certainly won't be a pitcher.
I keep looking for a spark, any sign that this team has the capability to go on a run, like back in 2007 or 2009. I see no hope. I do not often say that, in May, of a long baseball season. After all, I've been a Yankee fan longer than I've been a Rockie fan. And without Mariano Rivera, the Yankees are barely above .500, in 4th place in the AL East. So, it's about time maybe to start focusing on the Broncos' practices leading up to training camp in July. What, Peyton Fricking Manning is a Bronco !!!!!?? Holy sheepshit! Let me go get some of that orange kool aid, and get rid of this purple shit.
Fans and media are clamoring for changes in management, with General Manager Dan O'Dowd, field manager Jim Tracy, pitching coach Bob Apodaca and hitting coach Carney Lansford at the top of most lists. The brothers Monfort are also catching a lot of blame for their seemingly blind loyalty to O'Dowd and Tracy in the face of mounting evidence that this franchise is destined for eternal mediocrity. It is an age-old tradition in professional sports that you cannot fire a whole team, so the manager and coaches are the ones on the hot seat when a team under-performs. When manager Clint Hurdle's Rockie team began the 2009 season 19-28, he was fired. Enter Jim Tracy on May 29. The Rox then went on to record a franchise record 21 wins in June, as they entered July with a 42-35 record, battling LA and San Fran for the West Division. Tracy's Rockies finished the season with 92 wins, the most the club has won in a season, and won the Wild Card. They went on to lose to the Phillies in the NLDS 3 games to 1. Today, the Rockies are last in the West, 14-1/2 games behind the LA Dodgers, pretty much out of the playoff picture before Memorial Day!!!!! They are a dismal 9-14 at home, in the not-so-friendly confines of Coors Field. They have lost 6 in a row going into tonight's series finale against the Marlins and Carlos Zambrano, who sports a 1.96 ERA, allowing only 3 earned runs in his last 4 starts. Alex White (0-3, 5.09) starts for the Rockies, who were shutout at home by the Seattle Mariners in White's last start, wasting a strong performance by the young righthander (7 innings, 3 earned runs, 7 strikeouts, no walks). White, of course is one of the four players attained in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade last year. By the way, Jimenez is 5-3 with the Central Division-leading Cleveland Indians. White and Drew Pomeranz, the other starter acquired in the Jimenez trade, are a combined 4-10 since joining the Rockies. The other two players, Matt McBride (utility position player and catcher, batting .356 at AAA Colorado Springs) and Joe Gardner (right-handed starter for AA Tulsa, 1-2, 5.68 ERA) are not busts so far, but there's time. Pomeranz is currently at Colorado Springs while the Rockies kept Esmil Rogers here with the big club, because Rogers's next demotion will expose him to a waiver claim by any other Major League club.
Last night's game was a microcosm of this Rockies team: get an early lead, starter scuffles, can't hold the lead, get way behind, rally late, fall just short, with either Troy Tulowitzki or Todd Helton at the plate with winning or tying runners on base. In last night's game, Scutaro hit a liner to the gap in left-center that the normal left-fielder Austin Kearns would never have gotten to. But he tweaked a leg muscle earlier in the game, and his replacement, Chris Coughlan, speared the ball, leaving the tying run dead rounding third, rally over. Bad luck.
There seems to be little in the way of hope, or promise, for this year's Colorado Rockies team. A bunch of us went to the game at sunny Coors Field Sunday. The Rockies and MLB honored my Mom as the 2012 representative for cancer survivors and the Honorary Batgirl Award. She looked great out on the field before the game with her pink uniform jersey alongside my niece Melissa, who nominated her. Picture and name on the giant scoreboard, cheers from the 25 who accompanied the family to the ballpark, followed by a stinker of a game, swept by the lowly Seattle Mariners, to finish off a terrible 1-5 homestand.
Terrible starting pitching, should Bob Apodaca be fired? Awful plate presence by Troy Tulowitzki, Dexter Fowler, Todd Helton, Wilin Rosario, Marco Scutaro and EY Young, Jr, especially with runners in scoring position. Should Carney Lansford get a pink slip? The Rockies seem to be batting .400 in the first inning and .150 after. Pitchers walk too many batters trying to nibble at corners, or as Tracy puts it, "Our pitchers need to command the strike zone better." Brilliant! Let's try and pencil in a starting lineup and leave it the fuck alone for a few games, to, you know, build a little continuity. God knows, the results couldn't be any worse! Quit tinkering, let them settle in. Dexter, Tulo, Cuddyer, CarGo, Pacheco, Helton, Rosario, Scutaro. Bring Pomeranz back, throw him out there, let him learn at the big league level, not in the Springs. Pass/fail, NOW! This season is down the drain anyway. And last, but not least, quit propping up Dan O'Dowd, Dick Monfort! You and Charlie have been tranquilized by the fact that people keep coming to fill up Coors Field and buying the load of crap that masquerades as a Major League Baseball Club. The natives are restless. A so-called boycott of Coors Field won't work until next year. The Rockies already have advance ticket sales and season tickets to surpass two million paid attendance this year. And they have nerve to plead with us to fill out an All-Star ballot. Okay, on this team, Cuddyer and maybe CarGo might have a shot. After all, one player from each team must go, it certainly won't be a pitcher.
I keep looking for a spark, any sign that this team has the capability to go on a run, like back in 2007 or 2009. I see no hope. I do not often say that, in May, of a long baseball season. After all, I've been a Yankee fan longer than I've been a Rockie fan. And without Mariano Rivera, the Yankees are barely above .500, in 4th place in the AL East. So, it's about time maybe to start focusing on the Broncos' practices leading up to training camp in July. What, Peyton Fricking Manning is a Bronco !!!!!?? Holy sheepshit! Let me go get some of that orange kool aid, and get rid of this purple shit.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
History, Tradition and Baseball
The 2012 baseball season is barely two weeks old and the Colorado Rockies are giving out signs that they are becoming the Cubbies of the Rocky Mountain Region. This is the twentieth season of Major League Baseball in Colorado, and the Rockies franchise has just two playoff appearances, both via the Wild Card, which means that they have never won a division title. The club does have a Division Series win and a National League pennant to its credit, which resulted in a World Series appearance, in 2007, after a remarkable run of 21 wins in 22 games, including the famous "play-in" game #163 against the San Diego Padres. The Rockies swept the Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series, then the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series to earn the right to face the Boston Red Sux in the 2007 World Series. The World Series experience was marred by a disgusting ticket distribution fiasco, rain delays and, finally, a sweep in four games, losing to the Red Sux, in four largely non-competitive games.
As with every Major League franchise, the Rockies have many, many historical mileposts, occasions and stretches that have created indelible memories in building a fan base that is ardent, and largely forgiving. Two fellow expansion franchises, the Marlins and Diamondbacks, have combined for three World Series titles.
The Florida Marlins (now known, as of this season, as the Miami Marlins) were added to the Major Leagues the same year as the Colorado Rockies, for the 1993 campaign. The Arizona Diamondbacks came in as an expansion franchise along with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998. The Marlins won the World Series in 1997 in a seven game series against the Cleveland Indians. Their second championship was earned in 2003 against the Yankees, in six games. Both playoff appearances for the Marlins came via the National League Wild Card. In 1997, the Marlins swept the San Francisco Giants in the Division Series, then beat the Atlanta Braves four games to two for the NL pennant. In 2003, the Florida club beat the Giants again in the Division Series, three to one. In the NLCS, the Chicago Cubs got off to a three games to one lead in the series, only to fall victim in game 6 to the infamous Steve Bartman interference of Cubs' left-fielder Moises Alou's attempt to field a Luis Castillo pop foul in the left field stands, that led to an eight-run rally which obliterated the Cubbies' three-run lead in the eighth inning. The Marlins then capped off their World Series by winning game 6 in the old Yankee Stadium.
The Diamonbacks rode the pitching tandem of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling to win the 2001 NL West Division, the NLDS (over the Cardinals 3-2) and the NLCS (Braves 4-1) to earn the right to face the Yankees in the World Series. That was the year when the horrible 9-11 terrorist attacks shook the world. The 97th World Series between the D-Backs and Yankees began seven weeks after 9-11 and featured many memorable moments. The torn and tattered World Trade Center American flag flew over Yankee Stadium as the bald eagle soared and President Bush threw out the first pitch. The home team won all seven games, the Yankees winning two memorable walk-off wins against Arizona closer Byung-Hyun Kim in games 4 and 5. Derek Jeter became the first ever Major League player to hit a November homer, as he ended game 4 with a tenth-inning opposite-field bomb on a three-two pitch just after the clock struck midnight on Halloween Night. Mr. November. Poor Kim had surrendered a two-run bomb in the bottom of the ninth to Tino Martinez that tied the score at 3. Then, the very next night in game 5, the D-Backs led 2-0, Kim gave up a tying homer to Scott Supercalifragelisticexpiali-Brosius in the bottom of the ninth to allow the Yankees to tie the score at 2, who then went on to win in twelve innings. The Series moved to Arizona for games 6 and 7, and the Diamondbacks prevailed, beating other-wordly Yankee closer Mariano Rivera with two runs in the ninth of game 7 to claim the Series.
The D-Backs have won NL West Division titles in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2011. They have advanced past the NLDS only twice: in their 2001 World Series Championship year and in 2007. The Diamondbacks have never advanced to post-season via the Wild Card. In their Division pennant years they have won 100, 92, 98, 90 and 94 games during the regular season. Our Colorado Rockies have won as many as 92 games once (2009) and 90 games once (2007, going 13-1 in their last 14 games to get there).
The point to all that reminiscing is that the Rockies enjoy great fan support. In 2011, the Rockies drew 2,909,777 for an average of 35,923 per game at Coors Field. That was good enough for 12th in the Majors, 7th in the NL, behind the Phillies, Giants, Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs and Dodgers. Since the opening of Coors Field in 1995, the Rockies drew over 3 million fans each season from 1995 through the 2001 season. The low-point was 2005, when only 1,914,389 fans attended. Comparing their season records and yearly payroll, interesting facts emerge. At the low-point of attendance in 2005, the payroll was $47.8 million, they won 67 games, so their cost per win was $714,015 per win. In their Rocktober season in 2007, not counting the playoffs and World Series, the cost per win was $600,456. In the 2009 season, when the Rockies last reached the playoffs, the cost per win was $817,402. Last year, dismally, the Rockies only won 38 games at home, 73 for the season, and their cost per win skyrocketed to $1,207,506 per victory. Now, I'm not postulating that payroll dictates winning, otherwise my Yankees would win everything every year. But, winning does correlate to increased attendance, and in mid-market cities, such as Denver, TV and anciliary income for this franchise does not begin to compete with the income for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia teams. WINNING is crucial to most franchises, but profitability is more important to some franchise owners, apparently.
After 11 games (8 at home) the Rockies have won 5 and lost 6, going 4-4 so far at Coors Field. Tonight's game, a victory by the Rockies over the San Diego Padres that gave Jamie Moyer his historic 268th career victory, tying Hall Of Famer Jim Palmer for 34th all-time, set a record for the oldest starting pitcher EVER to win a game in the Major Leagues. EVER. It can be successfully argued that the 49-year-old Moyer has been the Rockies' best starter. In three starts, he is the only Rockie starter with an ERA under 5.63. He allowed zero earned runs tonight in 7 innings, lowering his season ERA to 2.55. The rest of the Rockies battered starters show up like this: Jeremy Gutherie, 7.79 ERA, Jhoulys Chacin, 5.63, Juan Nicasio, 6.52 and Drew Pomeranz, 10.38. Moyer 2.55, rest of the starters 7.37. The bullpen collectively has pitched well, with an accummulative ERA of 2.70.
A telling stat: the Rockies have allowed 11 un-earned runs in 11 games. the Colorado Rockies have committed 15 errors, and at least 7 other miscues that were not tallied as official errors; poor throws on double-play relays that cost the team an extra out. Troy Tulowitzki, formerly known as a Gold Glover, has committed a team- and league-leading six errors, four on poor throws. Six errors, six ribbies.........not a very good plus-minus statistic for our resident super-star. Todd Helton's recent heroics notwithstanding, overshadow his .222 batting average and .282 on-base-percentage. Carlos Gonzalez is off to a slow start and he is not being very disciplined at the plate. On the bright side, Michael Cuddyer has been as good as advertised. He is poised to put up incredible numbers with his ability to produce excellent at-bats and his line-drive power that translates well in all parks, especially at spacious Coors Field.
With the starting pitching shaky as it is beyond 49-year-old Jamie Moyer, and shoddy defense displayed so far, this could be a very long and frustrating season for Colorado fans, all two-and-a-half million of them this year.
As with every Major League franchise, the Rockies have many, many historical mileposts, occasions and stretches that have created indelible memories in building a fan base that is ardent, and largely forgiving. Two fellow expansion franchises, the Marlins and Diamondbacks, have combined for three World Series titles.
The Florida Marlins (now known, as of this season, as the Miami Marlins) were added to the Major Leagues the same year as the Colorado Rockies, for the 1993 campaign. The Arizona Diamondbacks came in as an expansion franchise along with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998. The Marlins won the World Series in 1997 in a seven game series against the Cleveland Indians. Their second championship was earned in 2003 against the Yankees, in six games. Both playoff appearances for the Marlins came via the National League Wild Card. In 1997, the Marlins swept the San Francisco Giants in the Division Series, then beat the Atlanta Braves four games to two for the NL pennant. In 2003, the Florida club beat the Giants again in the Division Series, three to one. In the NLCS, the Chicago Cubs got off to a three games to one lead in the series, only to fall victim in game 6 to the infamous Steve Bartman interference of Cubs' left-fielder Moises Alou's attempt to field a Luis Castillo pop foul in the left field stands, that led to an eight-run rally which obliterated the Cubbies' three-run lead in the eighth inning. The Marlins then capped off their World Series by winning game 6 in the old Yankee Stadium.
The Diamonbacks rode the pitching tandem of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling to win the 2001 NL West Division, the NLDS (over the Cardinals 3-2) and the NLCS (Braves 4-1) to earn the right to face the Yankees in the World Series. That was the year when the horrible 9-11 terrorist attacks shook the world. The 97th World Series between the D-Backs and Yankees began seven weeks after 9-11 and featured many memorable moments. The torn and tattered World Trade Center American flag flew over Yankee Stadium as the bald eagle soared and President Bush threw out the first pitch. The home team won all seven games, the Yankees winning two memorable walk-off wins against Arizona closer Byung-Hyun Kim in games 4 and 5. Derek Jeter became the first ever Major League player to hit a November homer, as he ended game 4 with a tenth-inning opposite-field bomb on a three-two pitch just after the clock struck midnight on Halloween Night. Mr. November. Poor Kim had surrendered a two-run bomb in the bottom of the ninth to Tino Martinez that tied the score at 3. Then, the very next night in game 5, the D-Backs led 2-0, Kim gave up a tying homer to Scott Supercalifragelisticexpiali-Brosius in the bottom of the ninth to allow the Yankees to tie the score at 2, who then went on to win in twelve innings. The Series moved to Arizona for games 6 and 7, and the Diamondbacks prevailed, beating other-wordly Yankee closer Mariano Rivera with two runs in the ninth of game 7 to claim the Series.
The D-Backs have won NL West Division titles in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2011. They have advanced past the NLDS only twice: in their 2001 World Series Championship year and in 2007. The Diamondbacks have never advanced to post-season via the Wild Card. In their Division pennant years they have won 100, 92, 98, 90 and 94 games during the regular season. Our Colorado Rockies have won as many as 92 games once (2009) and 90 games once (2007, going 13-1 in their last 14 games to get there).
The point to all that reminiscing is that the Rockies enjoy great fan support. In 2011, the Rockies drew 2,909,777 for an average of 35,923 per game at Coors Field. That was good enough for 12th in the Majors, 7th in the NL, behind the Phillies, Giants, Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs and Dodgers. Since the opening of Coors Field in 1995, the Rockies drew over 3 million fans each season from 1995 through the 2001 season. The low-point was 2005, when only 1,914,389 fans attended. Comparing their season records and yearly payroll, interesting facts emerge. At the low-point of attendance in 2005, the payroll was $47.8 million, they won 67 games, so their cost per win was $714,015 per win. In their Rocktober season in 2007, not counting the playoffs and World Series, the cost per win was $600,456. In the 2009 season, when the Rockies last reached the playoffs, the cost per win was $817,402. Last year, dismally, the Rockies only won 38 games at home, 73 for the season, and their cost per win skyrocketed to $1,207,506 per victory. Now, I'm not postulating that payroll dictates winning, otherwise my Yankees would win everything every year. But, winning does correlate to increased attendance, and in mid-market cities, such as Denver, TV and anciliary income for this franchise does not begin to compete with the income for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia teams. WINNING is crucial to most franchises, but profitability is more important to some franchise owners, apparently.
After 11 games (8 at home) the Rockies have won 5 and lost 6, going 4-4 so far at Coors Field. Tonight's game, a victory by the Rockies over the San Diego Padres that gave Jamie Moyer his historic 268th career victory, tying Hall Of Famer Jim Palmer for 34th all-time, set a record for the oldest starting pitcher EVER to win a game in the Major Leagues. EVER. It can be successfully argued that the 49-year-old Moyer has been the Rockies' best starter. In three starts, he is the only Rockie starter with an ERA under 5.63. He allowed zero earned runs tonight in 7 innings, lowering his season ERA to 2.55. The rest of the Rockies battered starters show up like this: Jeremy Gutherie, 7.79 ERA, Jhoulys Chacin, 5.63, Juan Nicasio, 6.52 and Drew Pomeranz, 10.38. Moyer 2.55, rest of the starters 7.37. The bullpen collectively has pitched well, with an accummulative ERA of 2.70.
A telling stat: the Rockies have allowed 11 un-earned runs in 11 games. the Colorado Rockies have committed 15 errors, and at least 7 other miscues that were not tallied as official errors; poor throws on double-play relays that cost the team an extra out. Troy Tulowitzki, formerly known as a Gold Glover, has committed a team- and league-leading six errors, four on poor throws. Six errors, six ribbies.........not a very good plus-minus statistic for our resident super-star. Todd Helton's recent heroics notwithstanding, overshadow his .222 batting average and .282 on-base-percentage. Carlos Gonzalez is off to a slow start and he is not being very disciplined at the plate. On the bright side, Michael Cuddyer has been as good as advertised. He is poised to put up incredible numbers with his ability to produce excellent at-bats and his line-drive power that translates well in all parks, especially at spacious Coors Field.
With the starting pitching shaky as it is beyond 49-year-old Jamie Moyer, and shoddy defense displayed so far, this could be a very long and frustrating season for Colorado fans, all two-and-a-half million of them this year.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
BroncoMania Overcomes TebowMania
The aftermath from the most important free agent sensation in pro sports history is winding down, but the debates still rage on over a variety of topics. Where will Tim Tebow end up, if not in Denver? What other player acquisitions will John Elway and the Bronco brain trust orchestrate? Are the Denver Broncos realistically now a Super Bowl contender? Will Peyton Manning's surgically fused cervical vertebrae hold up under the rigors of real NFL competition?
According to Dr. Eric McCarty, chief of sports medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, the real danger isn't whether the fused vertebrae can hold up, but whether the nerves that the displaced spinal column protects can regenerate sufficiently to allow full feeling, range of motion and strength of the muscles that the nerves control. (Remember McCarty, fullback for the CU Buffs for two years, then an All-Big Eight linebacker in his 1988 senior season? Teammate of Jon Embree, Eric Bieniemy, the late Sal Aunese, Alfred Williams, Darian Hagan, head coach Bill McCartney.) Here's a link that goes into more detail about the neck thing: http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_20210278/questions-swirl-peyton-mannings-post-surgery-power
The bottom line is this: all of the medical advisors, football executives and contemporaries of Peyton Manning have indicated, and seem convinced, that Manning is prepared to continue his football career at the same level as before his surgeries. IF Peyton Manning is indeed on track to resume his Hall-of-Fame-bound journey and succeed to become, as John Elway stated, "....the best quarterback, ever", we here in BroncoNation have good reason to be giddy, again. Take that feeling that we all had as Demaryius Thomas gathered in that first-play-of-overtime pass from Tim Tebow last January 8th against the Steelers, take that 11 seconds and extend it into a season of highlights with Manning and the Peytonettes. In a perfect Manning World, February 3, 2013 will feature a mind-boggling matchup in Super Bowl XLVII with the Brothers Manning competing for a world championship in their hometown, New Orleans. Egad, I can hardly stand it!
But, hold on. There's a lot of work to be done. I hope it all comes together. Perhaps Elway and his staff have "targeted" specific free agents that will be more eager to jump on the predominantly orange bandwagon now that Peyton Manning is a Bronco quarterback. Perhaps the players that Denver drafts this April 26, 27 and 28 can produce some contributors as significant as Elvis Dumervil and Vonn Miller have been. Perhaps head coach John Fox and Jack del Rio can duplicate the success that they shared in the 2002 season with the Carolina Panthers. That was John Fox's first year as the head coach of the Panthers and his defensive coordinator was Jack Del Rio. They had inherited a team that had finished 1-15 the previous year with a defense that was ranked 32nd (dead last) in the NFL. The 2002 Carolina team finished with the #2 defense in the league, allowing less than 19 points per game (5th), and did not allow a single 300-yard passer, and only one 100-yard rusher, in the season finale (Deuce McAllister, 117 yds). Though the Panthers finished with a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs, the seeds were sown for rapid improvement. Fox's Panthers finished the 2003 season 11-5, winning the NFC South, beating the Cowboys, Rams and Eagles to earn a spot in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the New England Patriots. The Pats won the game 32-29 in what ranks as one of the most exciting Super Bowls of all time. The setting was Reliant Stadium in Houston and was the first time that the Super Bowl was played in the now customary first Sunday in February date slot.
Del Rio was tabbed by Fox to be Carolina's defensive coordinator for the '02 season after tutoring Pro-Bowlers Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware as the Baltimore Raven linebacker coach in 1999-2001. Ray (alleged murder accomplice) Lewis was the Super Bowl XXXV MVP as the Ravens beat the NY Giants 34-7 with, what is regarded as, one of the pre-eminent defenses in NFL history. In his 9 years as head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Del Rio's teams allowed the sixth-fewest yards per game during his tenure (317.3 yds/gm) and the fifth-fewest 1st downs per game (17.8/gm) in that span.
Bronco linebacker coach, Richard Smith, has also been a defensive coordinator (Miami 2005, Houston 2006-2008). Smith, a highly regarded defensive coach, is now in his 24th year in the NFL. He is especially touted as an astute judge of talent and an exceptional nuts-and-bolts teacher of defensive tactics and skills.
So, it will be highly interesting to monitor what personnel that the Broncos attract, draft and discard. The very reason that helped inject Tim Tebow into a role that ultimately exploded into the national and worldwide phenomenon known as TebowMania, is largely responsible for his status at this time. He is on the outside, looking in, at the future of the Denver Broncos. As John Elway, maybe not-so-jokingly stated, "There is no Plan B, we're going with plan A." Plan B is not-so-subtle, keeping Tebow as a backup to Peyton Manning.
Plan A is what Elway has been hoping for since that historical come-from-behind victory by Timmy at Miami's Sun Life Stadium on October 23rd, when the Broncos trailed 15-0 with 2:44 left in regulation. Tebow was a miserable 4 for 14 with a paltry 40 yards passing as the Dolphins were poised to earn their first victory after a 0-5 start to the 2011 season, on Tim Tebow Day in Miami (go figure). Then, Magical Tim and the Broncos went 9 for 13 for 121 yards and two touchdowns and a two-point conversion by Tebow to tie the game with 17 seconds left in regulation. It was the first time in modern NFL history that a team was behind by that many points with less than 3 minutes and won, thanks to a 52-yard Matt Prater field goal in overtime. Tebow had won the 2005 Florida State High School Championship and the 2008 NCAA National Championship in that same stadium. And the legend was born, the latest version. Let the tebowing begin!
The fanatical (largely non-football-purist) Tebow following had pressured the Bronco organization to give Timmy a chance, with billboards and blogs (not mine) and sermons, to supplant ineffective Denver interim quarterback Kyle Orton. After a 1-4 start and a bye week, head coach John Fox and his staff unveiled the Tebow Era in Miami with a largely audible thud, painful and embarassing to watch for 3-1/2 quarters. Even a pasting by the Detroit Lions 45-10 at home the following week couldn't douse the growing fervor. Then, consecutive, often miraculous victories in succession:
Tebow-Bronco euphoria was quashed by an efficient and precise New England Patriot team when the Broncos were exposed and dismantled in the Divisional Playoff game on January 14th. Tom Brady had 6 touchdown passes, Tebow had 9 completions. The game plan was certain to be a blueprint for every Bronco opponent next year if Tim Tebow was going to be the starting quarterback.
Now, he is officially a New York Jet. The circus is moving to the Big Apple and Jersey Swamp. I wish Tim Tebow well, I still believe that his character will overcome the obstacles that will be placed in front of him in this next phase of his professional football career. I hope the fans back east embrace him and his sterling traits and ethos. Meanwhile, the Rocky Mountain Region is basking in the glow of Peyton Manning Ecstasy. Master of the fourth quarter comeback, John Elway, pulled another one out of the fire.
Let 'em have Linsteria and TebowMania. We're happy with Mile High Manning.
According to Dr. Eric McCarty, chief of sports medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, the real danger isn't whether the fused vertebrae can hold up, but whether the nerves that the displaced spinal column protects can regenerate sufficiently to allow full feeling, range of motion and strength of the muscles that the nerves control. (Remember McCarty, fullback for the CU Buffs for two years, then an All-Big Eight linebacker in his 1988 senior season? Teammate of Jon Embree, Eric Bieniemy, the late Sal Aunese, Alfred Williams, Darian Hagan, head coach Bill McCartney.) Here's a link that goes into more detail about the neck thing: http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_20210278/questions-swirl-peyton-mannings-post-surgery-power
The bottom line is this: all of the medical advisors, football executives and contemporaries of Peyton Manning have indicated, and seem convinced, that Manning is prepared to continue his football career at the same level as before his surgeries. IF Peyton Manning is indeed on track to resume his Hall-of-Fame-bound journey and succeed to become, as John Elway stated, "....the best quarterback, ever", we here in BroncoNation have good reason to be giddy, again. Take that feeling that we all had as Demaryius Thomas gathered in that first-play-of-overtime pass from Tim Tebow last January 8th against the Steelers, take that 11 seconds and extend it into a season of highlights with Manning and the Peytonettes. In a perfect Manning World, February 3, 2013 will feature a mind-boggling matchup in Super Bowl XLVII with the Brothers Manning competing for a world championship in their hometown, New Orleans. Egad, I can hardly stand it!
But, hold on. There's a lot of work to be done. I hope it all comes together. Perhaps Elway and his staff have "targeted" specific free agents that will be more eager to jump on the predominantly orange bandwagon now that Peyton Manning is a Bronco quarterback. Perhaps the players that Denver drafts this April 26, 27 and 28 can produce some contributors as significant as Elvis Dumervil and Vonn Miller have been. Perhaps head coach John Fox and Jack del Rio can duplicate the success that they shared in the 2002 season with the Carolina Panthers. That was John Fox's first year as the head coach of the Panthers and his defensive coordinator was Jack Del Rio. They had inherited a team that had finished 1-15 the previous year with a defense that was ranked 32nd (dead last) in the NFL. The 2002 Carolina team finished with the #2 defense in the league, allowing less than 19 points per game (5th), and did not allow a single 300-yard passer, and only one 100-yard rusher, in the season finale (Deuce McAllister, 117 yds). Though the Panthers finished with a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs, the seeds were sown for rapid improvement. Fox's Panthers finished the 2003 season 11-5, winning the NFC South, beating the Cowboys, Rams and Eagles to earn a spot in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the New England Patriots. The Pats won the game 32-29 in what ranks as one of the most exciting Super Bowls of all time. The setting was Reliant Stadium in Houston and was the first time that the Super Bowl was played in the now customary first Sunday in February date slot.
Del Rio was tabbed by Fox to be Carolina's defensive coordinator for the '02 season after tutoring Pro-Bowlers Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware as the Baltimore Raven linebacker coach in 1999-2001. Ray (alleged murder accomplice) Lewis was the Super Bowl XXXV MVP as the Ravens beat the NY Giants 34-7 with, what is regarded as, one of the pre-eminent defenses in NFL history. In his 9 years as head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Del Rio's teams allowed the sixth-fewest yards per game during his tenure (317.3 yds/gm) and the fifth-fewest 1st downs per game (17.8/gm) in that span.
Bronco linebacker coach, Richard Smith, has also been a defensive coordinator (Miami 2005, Houston 2006-2008). Smith, a highly regarded defensive coach, is now in his 24th year in the NFL. He is especially touted as an astute judge of talent and an exceptional nuts-and-bolts teacher of defensive tactics and skills.
So, it will be highly interesting to monitor what personnel that the Broncos attract, draft and discard. The very reason that helped inject Tim Tebow into a role that ultimately exploded into the national and worldwide phenomenon known as TebowMania, is largely responsible for his status at this time. He is on the outside, looking in, at the future of the Denver Broncos. As John Elway, maybe not-so-jokingly stated, "There is no Plan B, we're going with plan A." Plan B is not-so-subtle, keeping Tebow as a backup to Peyton Manning.
Plan A is what Elway has been hoping for since that historical come-from-behind victory by Timmy at Miami's Sun Life Stadium on October 23rd, when the Broncos trailed 15-0 with 2:44 left in regulation. Tebow was a miserable 4 for 14 with a paltry 40 yards passing as the Dolphins were poised to earn their first victory after a 0-5 start to the 2011 season, on Tim Tebow Day in Miami (go figure). Then, Magical Tim and the Broncos went 9 for 13 for 121 yards and two touchdowns and a two-point conversion by Tebow to tie the game with 17 seconds left in regulation. It was the first time in modern NFL history that a team was behind by that many points with less than 3 minutes and won, thanks to a 52-yard Matt Prater field goal in overtime. Tebow had won the 2005 Florida State High School Championship and the 2008 NCAA National Championship in that same stadium. And the legend was born, the latest version. Let the tebowing begin!
The fanatical (largely non-football-purist) Tebow following had pressured the Bronco organization to give Timmy a chance, with billboards and blogs (not mine) and sermons, to supplant ineffective Denver interim quarterback Kyle Orton. After a 1-4 start and a bye week, head coach John Fox and his staff unveiled the Tebow Era in Miami with a largely audible thud, painful and embarassing to watch for 3-1/2 quarters. Even a pasting by the Detroit Lions 45-10 at home the following week couldn't douse the growing fervor. Then, consecutive, often miraculous victories in succession:
- At Oakland (38-24, out-dueling Carson Palmer in his first game with the Raiders)
- In Kansas City (17-10, two completions by Tebow for the entire game!)
- Over the NY Jets (17-13 on a 95-yard 4th quarter drive capped by Tebow's end run with 58 seconds left)
- In San Diego (16-13, another overtime thriller, Prater field goal with 29 seconds left in sudden death)
- At Minnesota (35-32, two field goals in the last minute-and-a-half to win)
- Beat Chicago and Jay Cutler (13-10 in overtime again, remember Marion Barber going out of bounds to stop the clock in regulation, then fumbling in overtime?)
Tebow-Bronco euphoria was quashed by an efficient and precise New England Patriot team when the Broncos were exposed and dismantled in the Divisional Playoff game on January 14th. Tom Brady had 6 touchdown passes, Tebow had 9 completions. The game plan was certain to be a blueprint for every Bronco opponent next year if Tim Tebow was going to be the starting quarterback.
Now, he is officially a New York Jet. The circus is moving to the Big Apple and Jersey Swamp. I wish Tim Tebow well, I still believe that his character will overcome the obstacles that will be placed in front of him in this next phase of his professional football career. I hope the fans back east embrace him and his sterling traits and ethos. Meanwhile, the Rocky Mountain Region is basking in the glow of Peyton Manning Ecstasy. Master of the fourth quarter comeback, John Elway, pulled another one out of the fire.
Let 'em have Linsteria and TebowMania. We're happy with Mile High Manning.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Denver Wins the Peyton Manning Lotto
Wow. Two weeks after watching the emotional separation between the Indianapolis Colts and iconic QB Peyton Manning, we here in the Rocky Mountain area are treated to the news that Manning has agreed to become a Denver Bronco. We have watched breathlessly as the drama unfolded over the last ten days. Many secret and very public meetings and workouts, conjecture from every sports writer and network, the pursuit of the most important free agent in NFL history dominated the sports scene even as MLB Spring Training and NCAA March Madness proceeded with their customary annual rituals. It is almost a relief for the Colorado Rockies that so much attention has been focused on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, so that Jim Tracy and his squad have performed almost under the radar this spring. Proof again, that this is, has always been, and shall forever be, a Bronco town. Any bets as to who just might be a special guest at the Colorado Rockies home opener?
Feelings of Bronco fans, and Tebow fans, and football and sports fans in general, are split. Though Peyton Manning's credentials are hall-of-fame worthy, there is nagging concern over his surgically repaired neck. Tim Tebow was the focal point of one of the most incredible sports stories ever last season, as he led the Broncos from the doorstep of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, to a frenzied and unlikely march to a division title and a playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers with a jaw-dropping one-play, 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime. So, in a way, Tim Tebow's heroics in lifting the Broncos from a possible #1 draft pick, to the 25th overall pick, ensured the seriousness of the Bronco brain trust to aggressively court Peyton Manning. Until it became official that the Indianapolis Colts would not excercise the $28 million option due to Manning before the NFL free agency was set to begin on March 13, it was clear that he would be a very popular target as a free agent. Great insight, foresight, by Peyton Manning's representatives to add that contract deadline when they negotiated the restructured deal last year. It gave the Colts an escape clause if Manning's physical condition precluded a performance worthy of a $17 million salary cap hit, and it gave Peyton leverage to pick whatever team and circumstance would best fit his requirements. That he chose Denver over San Francisco and Tennessee was a mild shock. There had to be assurances from John Elway and the Bronco brass that the Tebow situation and other personnel issues would be addressed as the franchise moves forward.
In my mind, Tim Tebow would benefit greatly and progress as a backup to Peyton Manning here with the Broncos. But, it's becoming fairly clear that Denver wants to see what, if any, marketability that Tebow has in the eyes of the rest of the NFL. I do not sell Tebow's character, grit and determination short, that if given the situation as the #2 QB behind Manning, he would grab the opportunity with dignity and class, and really improve. I think that in this scenario, he'd have the best chance to satisfy the question of his ability to become a "true NFL quarterback". I do not see that happening for him in any other organization. If the Broncos do trade Tebow, it'll be interesting to see if the manning-euphoria can counteract the tebow-manic depression. My advice, John Elway, keep Timmy, he's more valuable as a backup here than a 5th rounder will be this season. If you can wrest a 2nd round pick from Jacksonville, good-bye Tebow. I would like to hear what Tim Tebow has to say about the whole deal. The way that the entire Manning pursuit has been conducted thus far is so much more palatable than how LeBron James conducted his orchestrated move out of Cleveland, or Carmelo Anthony's departure from the Nuggets.
I'd be surprised if Tim Tebow would subjugate his goal of remaining a QB in the NFL by agreeing to be a backup QB/fullback/tight end in the new Peyton Manning offense, but I wouldn't put it totally out of the realm of possibility. I'd like to see him stay, in any capacity, sports have so few truly good characters, that it'd be a shame to say good-bye to one. I'd also like to see Manning request the #17 to honor his pal, fellow Tennessee Volunteer alumnus, Todd Helton. All in all, a very uplifting day here in the Rocky Mountain sports scene.
I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge another bit of great news. My son Ted and his fiance Amber Boro have decided to get married this Friday. We will be celebrating this event at the Paris Resort in Las Vegas, at the roof-top Soleil Pool, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Ted and Amber have been together for seven years, are both in the midst of their Masters programs, both through the University of Colorado, Ted in Education and Amber in Nursing. Both Ted and Amber are gems that have exhibited great drive and focus in their scholastic, professional and personal lives. As a parent, I am proud and happy beyond explanation. Kudos to Amber's parents, Troy and Jenni, for molding such a grounded and bright daughter. And thanks and gratitude to Ted's mom, Kathy, for instilling excellent qualities in our son.
March Madness, indeed!
Feelings of Bronco fans, and Tebow fans, and football and sports fans in general, are split. Though Peyton Manning's credentials are hall-of-fame worthy, there is nagging concern over his surgically repaired neck. Tim Tebow was the focal point of one of the most incredible sports stories ever last season, as he led the Broncos from the doorstep of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, to a frenzied and unlikely march to a division title and a playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers with a jaw-dropping one-play, 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime. So, in a way, Tim Tebow's heroics in lifting the Broncos from a possible #1 draft pick, to the 25th overall pick, ensured the seriousness of the Bronco brain trust to aggressively court Peyton Manning. Until it became official that the Indianapolis Colts would not excercise the $28 million option due to Manning before the NFL free agency was set to begin on March 13, it was clear that he would be a very popular target as a free agent. Great insight, foresight, by Peyton Manning's representatives to add that contract deadline when they negotiated the restructured deal last year. It gave the Colts an escape clause if Manning's physical condition precluded a performance worthy of a $17 million salary cap hit, and it gave Peyton leverage to pick whatever team and circumstance would best fit his requirements. That he chose Denver over San Francisco and Tennessee was a mild shock. There had to be assurances from John Elway and the Bronco brass that the Tebow situation and other personnel issues would be addressed as the franchise moves forward.
In my mind, Tim Tebow would benefit greatly and progress as a backup to Peyton Manning here with the Broncos. But, it's becoming fairly clear that Denver wants to see what, if any, marketability that Tebow has in the eyes of the rest of the NFL. I do not sell Tebow's character, grit and determination short, that if given the situation as the #2 QB behind Manning, he would grab the opportunity with dignity and class, and really improve. I think that in this scenario, he'd have the best chance to satisfy the question of his ability to become a "true NFL quarterback". I do not see that happening for him in any other organization. If the Broncos do trade Tebow, it'll be interesting to see if the manning-euphoria can counteract the tebow-manic depression. My advice, John Elway, keep Timmy, he's more valuable as a backup here than a 5th rounder will be this season. If you can wrest a 2nd round pick from Jacksonville, good-bye Tebow. I would like to hear what Tim Tebow has to say about the whole deal. The way that the entire Manning pursuit has been conducted thus far is so much more palatable than how LeBron James conducted his orchestrated move out of Cleveland, or Carmelo Anthony's departure from the Nuggets.
I'd be surprised if Tim Tebow would subjugate his goal of remaining a QB in the NFL by agreeing to be a backup QB/fullback/tight end in the new Peyton Manning offense, but I wouldn't put it totally out of the realm of possibility. I'd like to see him stay, in any capacity, sports have so few truly good characters, that it'd be a shame to say good-bye to one. I'd also like to see Manning request the #17 to honor his pal, fellow Tennessee Volunteer alumnus, Todd Helton. All in all, a very uplifting day here in the Rocky Mountain sports scene.
I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge another bit of great news. My son Ted and his fiance Amber Boro have decided to get married this Friday. We will be celebrating this event at the Paris Resort in Las Vegas, at the roof-top Soleil Pool, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Ted and Amber have been together for seven years, are both in the midst of their Masters programs, both through the University of Colorado, Ted in Education and Amber in Nursing. Both Ted and Amber are gems that have exhibited great drive and focus in their scholastic, professional and personal lives. As a parent, I am proud and happy beyond explanation. Kudos to Amber's parents, Troy and Jenni, for molding such a grounded and bright daughter. And thanks and gratitude to Ted's mom, Kathy, for instilling excellent qualities in our son.
March Madness, indeed!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Jap History Month
Just kidding, February is actually National Black History Month, celebrated in the US and Canada. The tradition began way back in 1926 with the formation of "Black History Week" by a group that was called The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and its co-founder, historian Carter G. Woodson. The second week in February was chosen to coincide with, and celebrate the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. One, freed the slaves, the other, a former slave that worked tirelessly for the abolition of slavery. In 1976, to bolster the USA's bicentennial, Black History Week was expanded to Black History Month, during the Gerald Ford presidency. I've often wondered why it is we need a national observance for a particular race of people, and therefore the underlying reason for the title of this blog edition. And when did it happen that Negroes became Colored, then African-Americans that are now just Black? Even famous Negro-Colored-Afro-Black person, Morgan Freeman, has decried, "I don't want a Black History Month. Black history is American history." I agree. The continuing commercialization of holidays, remembrances, birthdays, benchmarks, happenings and history plays into the capitalistic marketing opportunities of American consumerism more than it does to further education.
I do rather understand that this Month of Colored History is an opportunity to promote famous persons of black descent (not always through Africa, I might add), and their impact on American business, sport and entertainment. I didn't mention politics, because I can't think of any one colored person who's become famous or has positively contributed to American History. Oh, except for that one guy from Chicago by way of Kenya and Hawaii, allegedly.
I watched a two-part special about the history of blacks and the National Football League. The NFL was preceded by a group of professional football teams when the American Professional Football Association was formed in 1920. It was reorganized as the National Football League in 1922. The original idea for professional football, in large part, is credited to famous Native American athlete, Jim Thorpe, who had attempted to capitalize on his fame as a college and Olympic athlete to organize play-for-pay standards in American sport. He was actually elected and served as the president of the APFA for a time, though the league did not enjoy much success nor continuity until 1922, when it was restructured and named the National Football League. From 1920 through 1926 a total of nine black men suited up for games, and there were still five who played in the 1926 season, while never more than two or three black players were involved at any given time. In 1934, due to the influence of George Preston Marshall ("We'll start signing Negroes when the Harlem Globetrotters start signing whites"), owner of the Washington Redskins (how ironic), refused to employ black players and pressed other owners to do the same. The time frame also coincided with the Great Depression, so the idea that a black player might be considered to be 'working' in place of a qualified white player, also led to the practice of segregation in the NFL. The ban on black players was held in effect until after World War II. Marshall was forced to integrate the Redskins by John F. Kennedy, The Washington Post and the Federal Government in a prelude to the official Civil Rights Act of 1964. Wide receiver Bobby Mitchell was the first African-American player to suit up in a Redskin uniform, in the 1962 season, and proceeded to lead the league with 11 touchdowns, 72 catches and 1,384 yards.
The Cleveland Rams were granted permission to move to Los Angeles following the 1945 season, and the plan was to use the LA Coliseum as their home. The LA Stadium Commission reminded the Rams' owners that, because the stadium was supported by public funds, they could not field a segregated team.
Kenny Washington was one of four African-American football players on the 1939 UCLA Bruins team, along with Woody Strode, Ray Bartlett and a fellow by the name of Jackie Robinson. Washington led the country in numerous offensive categories, including 1,914 rushing yards, a school record that stood for 34 years. After graduation, Chicago Bears owner, George "Papa Bear" Halas, attempted to sign Washington, but was blocked by the other NFL owners. Washington played for the Hollywood Bears in the Pacific Coast Professional Football League until 1945, when he and Strode were signed by the LA Rams so that the franchise could conform to the integration requirement dictated by the Coliseum Stadium Commission. His NFL career only lasted three years, but his impact was instrumental and lasting. It's interesting to note that Kenny Washington in 1946 broke the color barrier in the NFL before his former teammate, Jackie Robinson, did the same for Major League Baseball in 1947.
Nowadays, especially at the running back position, a white football player is a rarity. As recently as 2005, not one single carry was registered by a starting white running back, and in 2010, Peyton Hillis was the only white starter at RB in the NFL. There were no Caucasian 1,000-yard-RBs in the league between Craig James in 1985 and Hillis in 2010. It is estimated that fully 65% or more of all NFL players are African-American, while the US population is closer to 35% non-white.
In Major League Baseball, the racial roster makeup is thus, in 2010: White 58%, Latino 29%, African-American 11% and Asian 2%. In the National Basketball Association, fully 75% of the players are black. There are a slew of socio-economic factors involved in the racial makeup of professional sports in this country. I cannot begin to explain them all here. But, it's clear that Afro-American influence in sports has grown exponentially since the 1920's when Negro-Black-Afro History was targeted for emphasis and recognition. Now that the thresholds of firsts: black coaches, black general managers and managers and black owners in sports have been crossed, maybe we shall all eventually take Black History for granted. At least in the sports world. Or probably not.
Black History Month. What a concept. I think, that after all this research, and digesting all the facts, it becomes even clearer why I like baseball the best. I mentioned a few blogs ago that when I compare baseball to football, I liken the corollary to baseball-is-chess, and football-is-checkers. If that is my premise, then basketball must be CandyLand. Call me a racist, but I'm not a bigot. I am prejudiced against all knuckle-heads, and most politicians. I think we should push for a National Politicians Are Fucking Us Month to bring awareness to, you know, the actual driving force in why it's so goddamn hot in here, and what the hell is a handbasket?
I do rather understand that this Month of Colored History is an opportunity to promote famous persons of black descent (not always through Africa, I might add), and their impact on American business, sport and entertainment. I didn't mention politics, because I can't think of any one colored person who's become famous or has positively contributed to American History. Oh, except for that one guy from Chicago by way of Kenya and Hawaii, allegedly.
I watched a two-part special about the history of blacks and the National Football League. The NFL was preceded by a group of professional football teams when the American Professional Football Association was formed in 1920. It was reorganized as the National Football League in 1922. The original idea for professional football, in large part, is credited to famous Native American athlete, Jim Thorpe, who had attempted to capitalize on his fame as a college and Olympic athlete to organize play-for-pay standards in American sport. He was actually elected and served as the president of the APFA for a time, though the league did not enjoy much success nor continuity until 1922, when it was restructured and named the National Football League. From 1920 through 1926 a total of nine black men suited up for games, and there were still five who played in the 1926 season, while never more than two or three black players were involved at any given time. In 1934, due to the influence of George Preston Marshall ("We'll start signing Negroes when the Harlem Globetrotters start signing whites"), owner of the Washington Redskins (how ironic), refused to employ black players and pressed other owners to do the same. The time frame also coincided with the Great Depression, so the idea that a black player might be considered to be 'working' in place of a qualified white player, also led to the practice of segregation in the NFL. The ban on black players was held in effect until after World War II. Marshall was forced to integrate the Redskins by John F. Kennedy, The Washington Post and the Federal Government in a prelude to the official Civil Rights Act of 1964. Wide receiver Bobby Mitchell was the first African-American player to suit up in a Redskin uniform, in the 1962 season, and proceeded to lead the league with 11 touchdowns, 72 catches and 1,384 yards.
The Cleveland Rams were granted permission to move to Los Angeles following the 1945 season, and the plan was to use the LA Coliseum as their home. The LA Stadium Commission reminded the Rams' owners that, because the stadium was supported by public funds, they could not field a segregated team.
Kenny Washington was one of four African-American football players on the 1939 UCLA Bruins team, along with Woody Strode, Ray Bartlett and a fellow by the name of Jackie Robinson. Washington led the country in numerous offensive categories, including 1,914 rushing yards, a school record that stood for 34 years. After graduation, Chicago Bears owner, George "Papa Bear" Halas, attempted to sign Washington, but was blocked by the other NFL owners. Washington played for the Hollywood Bears in the Pacific Coast Professional Football League until 1945, when he and Strode were signed by the LA Rams so that the franchise could conform to the integration requirement dictated by the Coliseum Stadium Commission. His NFL career only lasted three years, but his impact was instrumental and lasting. It's interesting to note that Kenny Washington in 1946 broke the color barrier in the NFL before his former teammate, Jackie Robinson, did the same for Major League Baseball in 1947.
Nowadays, especially at the running back position, a white football player is a rarity. As recently as 2005, not one single carry was registered by a starting white running back, and in 2010, Peyton Hillis was the only white starter at RB in the NFL. There were no Caucasian 1,000-yard-RBs in the league between Craig James in 1985 and Hillis in 2010. It is estimated that fully 65% or more of all NFL players are African-American, while the US population is closer to 35% non-white.
In Major League Baseball, the racial roster makeup is thus, in 2010: White 58%, Latino 29%, African-American 11% and Asian 2%. In the National Basketball Association, fully 75% of the players are black. There are a slew of socio-economic factors involved in the racial makeup of professional sports in this country. I cannot begin to explain them all here. But, it's clear that Afro-American influence in sports has grown exponentially since the 1920's when Negro-Black-Afro History was targeted for emphasis and recognition. Now that the thresholds of firsts: black coaches, black general managers and managers and black owners in sports have been crossed, maybe we shall all eventually take Black History for granted. At least in the sports world. Or probably not.
Black History Month. What a concept. I think, that after all this research, and digesting all the facts, it becomes even clearer why I like baseball the best. I mentioned a few blogs ago that when I compare baseball to football, I liken the corollary to baseball-is-chess, and football-is-checkers. If that is my premise, then basketball must be CandyLand. Call me a racist, but I'm not a bigot. I am prejudiced against all knuckle-heads, and most politicians. I think we should push for a National Politicians Are Fucking Us Month to bring awareness to, you know, the actual driving force in why it's so goddamn hot in here, and what the hell is a handbasket?
Monday, February 13, 2012
Sunday Best
I watched a lot of TV this weekend. Everything from the Food Network to golf to the Grammys and highlights of the two Bronco Super Bowl victories. All in all, just biding time until baseball starts.
The big news this weekend, I suppose, is that singer/entertainer Whitney Houston apparently succumbed to a tragic lifestyle that seems oh-so-familiar to celebrity entertainers. She was six months short of her 49th birthday. The death of Whitney Elizabeth Houston came on the eve of the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, a woeful irony in that all of the music world had come together to honor the talents of both emerging and established entertainers for their accomplishments in the last year. This same ceremony had bestowed the iconic Grammy Award to Whitney Houston for top female pop vocal in 1986 ("Saving All My Love For You"), the first of her six Grammys, and a small portion of her total 415 awards in a professional career that began at the age of 16. Who can forget her rendition of The Star Spangled Banner, our national anthem, at the 1991 Super Bowl? The XXVth SB was held in Tampa during the Gulf War, when patriotic fervor was stoked by her memorable performance. (Giants beat the Bills 20-19, Scott Norwood, wide right). Many people blame her ultimate demise, in large part, to her destructive relationship with singer Bobby Brown and her addiction to cocaine and a variety of prescription and non-prescription medications. It's sad to see that an entertainer, or any person for that matter, fall to such depths of low self-esteem that success at the highest level cannot assuage a broken ego. The Grammy Awards Show paid numerous tributes to her passing, along with others who died in the past year. Another troubled entertainer who died from a doomed lifestyle in the past year was Amy Winehouse, who died of alcohol poisoning last July, two months shy of her 28th birthday.
In stark contrast to troubled, tragic entertainers, Taylor Swift and Adele (full name Adele Laurie Blue Adkins) seem to represent grounded and secure individuals, free from the bondage of self-doubt and low self-esteem. I have watched 60 Minute features on both singers, and it was refreshing to see how secure they both seem to be, even in the face of world-wide idolization and accolade. History is filled with both sides of the story when it comes to famous entertainers. On one side, we all know the troubled stories of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Freddie Prinze. On the other side of the coin are some others that performed Sunday night at the Grammys: Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, Glen Campbell and Tony Bennett. Campbell, the original Rhinestone Cowboy, is suffering from Alzheimer's and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in what will probably be his last public performance. We all have our own troubles to bear, and fame and wealth would probably change most of us. Athletes and entertainers get too much blame, and credit, for the attention they get. Kinda like NFL quarterbacks. Enjoy them while you can.
Another odd imbalance this weekend is that Tiger Woods gets more attention for playing like a hack in the final round of the PGA tournament at Pebble Beach than Phil Mikkelson gets for winning with a final round 64, and besting Tiger's final round 75. Mikkelson (who won by two strokes) began the final day 6 strokes behind the leader, Charlie Wi, and 2 strokes behind the "surging" Tiger Woods. Poor Tigger, was in the same group as Mikkelson, and didn't smile all day, nor did he have any reason to. What a contrast: the crowd pulling for good-guy, family man Phil Mikkelson, as he triumphed and was met by his beautiful and equally popular wife Amy with genuine affection as he walked off the 72nd hole, championship in hand. Meanwhile, a dour and lonely (at least publicly) Tiger Woods was left to explain his meltdown in the final round, again, in a situation where he used to routinely throttle his opposition. Everybody I know, knows how much I dislike Woods. I have, ever since I determined that he was a smug, arrogant, holier-than-thou celebrity put up on a pedestal by his phony father and a blind, adoring army of sycophants who swooned at his magical skills and beautiful wife. How's that workin' for ya, Eldrick?
This year's Super Bowl has come and gone, and it was relatively satisfying to see the Patriots, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady get ambushed by the New York Giants. It's hard to believe that it's been 13 years since our beloved Denver Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, in John Elway's last game. The NFL Channel is playing 30-minute recaps of all the Super Bowls and I watched the SB XXXII and XXXIII episodes. I still get chills when I see Elway dive for, and get helicoptered on a third-and-six against the Packers to keep a drive alive for the go-ahead touchdown when the score was tied 17-17. Remember that block by Ed McCaffrey on the Packer linebacker Brian Williams? The score was tied 24-24 as the Broncos were on the Green Bay 32, second down and nine, just before the two-minute warning. Elway scrambled to his left, popped a check-down pass in the flat to fullback Howard Griffith, who caught the ball right at the line of scrimmage and began heading upfield. As he was turning the corner at the 35, Packer LB Williams was angling towards Griffith, intent on laying the wood to the Bronco runner. Eddie Mac peeled back from his route and just blind-sided the unsuspecting Green Bay defender, sent him abruptly onto his backside, stood over him and wagged his index finger at him, like former Denver Nugget Dikembe Mutombo used to after he blocked a shot.
It was fun to hear the sideline planning in SB XXXIII between John Elway, Mike Shanahan and Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak about how Falcon safety Eugene Robinson was cheating up to support the run defense on play-action pass situations. The Falcons' kicker Morten Andersen missed a gimme 26-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter with Denver nursing a 10-3 lead. The Broncos took over at their 20 and on first down, Elway faked the handoff to Terrell Davis, backpedalled, and found a wide open Rod Smith, who victimized Mr. Robinson's neighborhood for an 80-yard touchdown. The Broncos were never threatened the rest of the game, and won 34-19. That same Eugene Robinson, was on the Green Bay Packer team that Denver spanked in Super Bowl XXXII. The same Eugene Robinson who was captured on video exhorting his teammates on the sidelines that, "C'mon now. This team (the Broncos) is not better than us, they're not even good!" The same Eugene Robinson who was honored the night before SB XXXIII by Athletes In Action with the Bart Starr Award for "high moral character". The very same Eugene Robinson that was arrested by a female undercover police officer for solicitation of oral sex for $40, that very same night! Remember John Elway scoring the final Bronco touchdown on a quarterback sneak, and smiling in the end zone, on the ground alongside guard Mark Schlereth? Super Bowl XXXIII MVP John Elway left the game with a few seconds left, to a standing ovation and tribute from the crowd as he was replaced by Bubby Brister for the final kneel-down. We sensed at that time that we had seen the last of the John Elway Era. He officially retired a couple months later.
It's still a few weeks away from baseball being on TV. The first spring broadcast is on St. Paddy's day against the Dodgers. I'll have to be content with watching stuff on MLB Network, anticipating Alanna Rizzo's appearance in her new gig with the network. And reading blogs and articles that give hints to the potential fate of my beloved Yankees and Rockies during the yearly spring Training rituals.
Beyond all that, I still have Japanese Iron Chef and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to keep me entertained. Allez cuisine!
The big news this weekend, I suppose, is that singer/entertainer Whitney Houston apparently succumbed to a tragic lifestyle that seems oh-so-familiar to celebrity entertainers. She was six months short of her 49th birthday. The death of Whitney Elizabeth Houston came on the eve of the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, a woeful irony in that all of the music world had come together to honor the talents of both emerging and established entertainers for their accomplishments in the last year. This same ceremony had bestowed the iconic Grammy Award to Whitney Houston for top female pop vocal in 1986 ("Saving All My Love For You"), the first of her six Grammys, and a small portion of her total 415 awards in a professional career that began at the age of 16. Who can forget her rendition of The Star Spangled Banner, our national anthem, at the 1991 Super Bowl? The XXVth SB was held in Tampa during the Gulf War, when patriotic fervor was stoked by her memorable performance. (Giants beat the Bills 20-19, Scott Norwood, wide right). Many people blame her ultimate demise, in large part, to her destructive relationship with singer Bobby Brown and her addiction to cocaine and a variety of prescription and non-prescription medications. It's sad to see that an entertainer, or any person for that matter, fall to such depths of low self-esteem that success at the highest level cannot assuage a broken ego. The Grammy Awards Show paid numerous tributes to her passing, along with others who died in the past year. Another troubled entertainer who died from a doomed lifestyle in the past year was Amy Winehouse, who died of alcohol poisoning last July, two months shy of her 28th birthday.
In stark contrast to troubled, tragic entertainers, Taylor Swift and Adele (full name Adele Laurie Blue Adkins) seem to represent grounded and secure individuals, free from the bondage of self-doubt and low self-esteem. I have watched 60 Minute features on both singers, and it was refreshing to see how secure they both seem to be, even in the face of world-wide idolization and accolade. History is filled with both sides of the story when it comes to famous entertainers. On one side, we all know the troubled stories of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Freddie Prinze. On the other side of the coin are some others that performed Sunday night at the Grammys: Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, Glen Campbell and Tony Bennett. Campbell, the original Rhinestone Cowboy, is suffering from Alzheimer's and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in what will probably be his last public performance. We all have our own troubles to bear, and fame and wealth would probably change most of us. Athletes and entertainers get too much blame, and credit, for the attention they get. Kinda like NFL quarterbacks. Enjoy them while you can.
Another odd imbalance this weekend is that Tiger Woods gets more attention for playing like a hack in the final round of the PGA tournament at Pebble Beach than Phil Mikkelson gets for winning with a final round 64, and besting Tiger's final round 75. Mikkelson (who won by two strokes) began the final day 6 strokes behind the leader, Charlie Wi, and 2 strokes behind the "surging" Tiger Woods. Poor Tigger, was in the same group as Mikkelson, and didn't smile all day, nor did he have any reason to. What a contrast: the crowd pulling for good-guy, family man Phil Mikkelson, as he triumphed and was met by his beautiful and equally popular wife Amy with genuine affection as he walked off the 72nd hole, championship in hand. Meanwhile, a dour and lonely (at least publicly) Tiger Woods was left to explain his meltdown in the final round, again, in a situation where he used to routinely throttle his opposition. Everybody I know, knows how much I dislike Woods. I have, ever since I determined that he was a smug, arrogant, holier-than-thou celebrity put up on a pedestal by his phony father and a blind, adoring army of sycophants who swooned at his magical skills and beautiful wife. How's that workin' for ya, Eldrick?
This year's Super Bowl has come and gone, and it was relatively satisfying to see the Patriots, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady get ambushed by the New York Giants. It's hard to believe that it's been 13 years since our beloved Denver Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, in John Elway's last game. The NFL Channel is playing 30-minute recaps of all the Super Bowls and I watched the SB XXXII and XXXIII episodes. I still get chills when I see Elway dive for, and get helicoptered on a third-and-six against the Packers to keep a drive alive for the go-ahead touchdown when the score was tied 17-17. Remember that block by Ed McCaffrey on the Packer linebacker Brian Williams? The score was tied 24-24 as the Broncos were on the Green Bay 32, second down and nine, just before the two-minute warning. Elway scrambled to his left, popped a check-down pass in the flat to fullback Howard Griffith, who caught the ball right at the line of scrimmage and began heading upfield. As he was turning the corner at the 35, Packer LB Williams was angling towards Griffith, intent on laying the wood to the Bronco runner. Eddie Mac peeled back from his route and just blind-sided the unsuspecting Green Bay defender, sent him abruptly onto his backside, stood over him and wagged his index finger at him, like former Denver Nugget Dikembe Mutombo used to after he blocked a shot.
It was fun to hear the sideline planning in SB XXXIII between John Elway, Mike Shanahan and Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak about how Falcon safety Eugene Robinson was cheating up to support the run defense on play-action pass situations. The Falcons' kicker Morten Andersen missed a gimme 26-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter with Denver nursing a 10-3 lead. The Broncos took over at their 20 and on first down, Elway faked the handoff to Terrell Davis, backpedalled, and found a wide open Rod Smith, who victimized Mr. Robinson's neighborhood for an 80-yard touchdown. The Broncos were never threatened the rest of the game, and won 34-19. That same Eugene Robinson, was on the Green Bay Packer team that Denver spanked in Super Bowl XXXII. The same Eugene Robinson who was captured on video exhorting his teammates on the sidelines that, "C'mon now. This team (the Broncos) is not better than us, they're not even good!" The same Eugene Robinson who was honored the night before SB XXXIII by Athletes In Action with the Bart Starr Award for "high moral character". The very same Eugene Robinson that was arrested by a female undercover police officer for solicitation of oral sex for $40, that very same night! Remember John Elway scoring the final Bronco touchdown on a quarterback sneak, and smiling in the end zone, on the ground alongside guard Mark Schlereth? Super Bowl XXXIII MVP John Elway left the game with a few seconds left, to a standing ovation and tribute from the crowd as he was replaced by Bubby Brister for the final kneel-down. We sensed at that time that we had seen the last of the John Elway Era. He officially retired a couple months later.
It's still a few weeks away from baseball being on TV. The first spring broadcast is on St. Paddy's day against the Dodgers. I'll have to be content with watching stuff on MLB Network, anticipating Alanna Rizzo's appearance in her new gig with the network. And reading blogs and articles that give hints to the potential fate of my beloved Yankees and Rockies during the yearly spring Training rituals.
Beyond all that, I still have Japanese Iron Chef and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to keep me entertained. Allez cuisine!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Who's Who This Year?
Less than four weeks (February 19) until pitchers and catchers report to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Twenty-seven days to familiarize yourself with the new and improved(?) Colorado Rockies. Dealin' Dan O'Dowd has been a busy beaver this off-season. Gone from the 2011 Opening Day lineup are:
OF Seth Smith (traded to Oakland for two pitchers),
UTIL Ty Wigginton (traded to Philadelphia for nothing definite, yet),
INF Jose Lopez (cut on June 7, signed by Florida, released in July, signed with Cleveland) and,
C Chris Iannetta (traded to Anaheim for a pitcher).
Still with the Rox from that Opening Day lineup are Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton.
On the bench for the Rockies last April were: C Jose Morales, 3B Ian Stewart and OF Ryan Spilborghs (all gone), with Jonathan Herrera and Jason Giambi still in purple pinstripes.
The starting pitchers: Ubaldo Jimenez (traded to Cleveland for three arms and a backup infielder), Jhoulys Chacin, Jorge DeLa Rosa, Jason Hammel* and Esmil Rogers. Chacin is the early favorite to be the Opening Day starter, DLR is recuperating from Tommy John surgery, Hammel is still in the rotation (for now) and Rogers is destined to be a reliever or starter at Colorado Springs with the AAA Sky Sox.
The 2011 Opening Day bullpen: closer Huston Street (traded to San Diego for a LHP), setup man Rafael Betancourt (now the closer), the three Matts, Belisle, Lindstrom* and Reynolds (all three remain), Felipe Paulino (sold to the KC Royals) and Franklin Morales (traded to the Red Sux for undetermined player or cash). Aaron Cook, the all-time Rockies franchise winner (72 career wins), started the 2011 season on the injured list, was released after the 2011 season, and signed a deal with the Red Sux for the 2012 season.
I anticipate the starting lineup this year to be:
CF Dexter Fowler (needs to be a threat to steal more and improve OBP)
2B Marco Scutaro (stay healthy and play sound 2B)
LF Carlos Gonzalez (stay away from the wall and improve plate discipline)
SS Troy Tulowitzki (just be Tulo, a healthy Tulo)
RF Michael Cuddyer (bang those gaps and make consistent contact)
1B Todd Helton (#3 active player in OPS, behind only Pujols and Ramirez)
3B Casey Blake (please strike out less than one in four ABs)
C Ramon Hernandez (solid professional, bring along Rosario)
DO'D has accummulated a boatload of arms to compete for pitching spots on this year's roster, and the competition during Spring Training, hopefully, will determine who stays, and who goes down to the minors for seasoning. There are a whole bunch of question marks, and not too many positive exclamation points with this roster entering in to Spring Training.
Juan Nicasio appears to be fully recovered from a horrific injury incurred on August 5th, when he was hit flush on the head by a line drive off the bat of Washington Nationals SS Ian Desmond. The combination of the blow to the head and the subsequent fall to the mound fractured Nicasio's C-1 verterbra. After life-saving treatment on the field by Rockies training and medical staff, he underwent emergency surgery at Denver Health Medical Center. After near-miraculous rehab and determination by the 25-year-old right-hander from the Domenican Republic, he is poised to compete for a spot in the 2012 Rockies starting rotation. At the time of his injury, he was the owner of a 4-0 record and a 1.58 ERA in 4 decisions at Coors Field before being felled in the second inning in that fateful game against the Nationals. IF Nicasio can prove he's fully recovered and pick up where he left off before the injury, it would qualify as a minor miracle. IF Jorge DeLa Rosa is fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery and capable enough to resume his career with his pre-surgical quality stuff by May or June, that would qualify as minor miracle #2. IF Jason Hammel can harness his grade-A repertoire and pitch with a bit more consistency, and IF Drew Pomeranz and Alex White can live up to their so-called potential, maybe, just maybe, the Rockies can survive in the upper half of the NL West. And, just what do we have in Tyler Chatwood, Guillermo Moscoso, Josh Outman and Zach Putnam? Chatwood came from the Angels in exchange for Chris Iannetta. Moscoso and Outman came from The A's for Seth Smith. And Putnam came to the Rockies from Cleveland for Kevin Slowey who came from the Twins.
Will Eric Young, Jr, Chris Nelson, Charlie Blackmon, Jonny Herrera, Wilin Rosario, Nolan Arenado, Jordan Pacheco, DJ LaMahieu, Tommy Field, Tyler Colvin or Jamie Hoffman hold the surprise keys to a muddled puzzle that Dan O'Dowd has assembled? Or, is there more conjumbling that DO'D has in store? That's what is great about Spring Training. Everybody thinks their team has hope. As I wrote last year, Eternal Hope and Spring are as timeless as Man and Baseball. So far, manager Jim Tracy and pitching coach Bob Apodaca haven't fucked anything up, and the Rockies are still undefeated for the 2012 season.
Get the goddam Super Bowl over with, so we can get on with the real reason that a real sports fan can get back in the saddle. YANKEES and ROCKIES in the 2012 World Series! Why not? Check back with me in June. As long as the Red Sux and Giants fall on their asses......................and DUCK the FODGERS!
*An update: Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom were traded to Baltimore on February 6th for a proven Major League starter, RHP Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie had started opening day for the Orioles three out of the last four years, and has averaged nearly 200 innings each season as a regular in the majors. Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd is unhappy with Jhoulys Chacin's off-season conditioning, so Guthrie becomes the odds-on favorite to begin the regular season as the Rockies' Opening Day starter.
OF Seth Smith (traded to Oakland for two pitchers),
UTIL Ty Wigginton (traded to Philadelphia for nothing definite, yet),
INF Jose Lopez (cut on June 7, signed by Florida, released in July, signed with Cleveland) and,
C Chris Iannetta (traded to Anaheim for a pitcher).
Still with the Rox from that Opening Day lineup are Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton.
On the bench for the Rockies last April were: C Jose Morales, 3B Ian Stewart and OF Ryan Spilborghs (all gone), with Jonathan Herrera and Jason Giambi still in purple pinstripes.
The starting pitchers: Ubaldo Jimenez (traded to Cleveland for three arms and a backup infielder), Jhoulys Chacin, Jorge DeLa Rosa, Jason Hammel* and Esmil Rogers. Chacin is the early favorite to be the Opening Day starter, DLR is recuperating from Tommy John surgery, Hammel is still in the rotation (for now) and Rogers is destined to be a reliever or starter at Colorado Springs with the AAA Sky Sox.
The 2011 Opening Day bullpen: closer Huston Street (traded to San Diego for a LHP), setup man Rafael Betancourt (now the closer), the three Matts, Belisle, Lindstrom* and Reynolds (all three remain), Felipe Paulino (sold to the KC Royals) and Franklin Morales (traded to the Red Sux for undetermined player or cash). Aaron Cook, the all-time Rockies franchise winner (72 career wins), started the 2011 season on the injured list, was released after the 2011 season, and signed a deal with the Red Sux for the 2012 season.
I anticipate the starting lineup this year to be:
CF Dexter Fowler (needs to be a threat to steal more and improve OBP)
2B Marco Scutaro (stay healthy and play sound 2B)
LF Carlos Gonzalez (stay away from the wall and improve plate discipline)
SS Troy Tulowitzki (just be Tulo, a healthy Tulo)
RF Michael Cuddyer (bang those gaps and make consistent contact)
1B Todd Helton (#3 active player in OPS, behind only Pujols and Ramirez)
3B Casey Blake (please strike out less than one in four ABs)
C Ramon Hernandez (solid professional, bring along Rosario)
DO'D has accummulated a boatload of arms to compete for pitching spots on this year's roster, and the competition during Spring Training, hopefully, will determine who stays, and who goes down to the minors for seasoning. There are a whole bunch of question marks, and not too many positive exclamation points with this roster entering in to Spring Training.
Juan Nicasio appears to be fully recovered from a horrific injury incurred on August 5th, when he was hit flush on the head by a line drive off the bat of Washington Nationals SS Ian Desmond. The combination of the blow to the head and the subsequent fall to the mound fractured Nicasio's C-1 verterbra. After life-saving treatment on the field by Rockies training and medical staff, he underwent emergency surgery at Denver Health Medical Center. After near-miraculous rehab and determination by the 25-year-old right-hander from the Domenican Republic, he is poised to compete for a spot in the 2012 Rockies starting rotation. At the time of his injury, he was the owner of a 4-0 record and a 1.58 ERA in 4 decisions at Coors Field before being felled in the second inning in that fateful game against the Nationals. IF Nicasio can prove he's fully recovered and pick up where he left off before the injury, it would qualify as a minor miracle. IF Jorge DeLa Rosa is fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery and capable enough to resume his career with his pre-surgical quality stuff by May or June, that would qualify as minor miracle #2. IF Jason Hammel can harness his grade-A repertoire and pitch with a bit more consistency, and IF Drew Pomeranz and Alex White can live up to their so-called potential, maybe, just maybe, the Rockies can survive in the upper half of the NL West. And, just what do we have in Tyler Chatwood, Guillermo Moscoso, Josh Outman and Zach Putnam? Chatwood came from the Angels in exchange for Chris Iannetta. Moscoso and Outman came from The A's for Seth Smith. And Putnam came to the Rockies from Cleveland for Kevin Slowey who came from the Twins.
Will Eric Young, Jr, Chris Nelson, Charlie Blackmon, Jonny Herrera, Wilin Rosario, Nolan Arenado, Jordan Pacheco, DJ LaMahieu, Tommy Field, Tyler Colvin or Jamie Hoffman hold the surprise keys to a muddled puzzle that Dan O'Dowd has assembled? Or, is there more conjumbling that DO'D has in store? That's what is great about Spring Training. Everybody thinks their team has hope. As I wrote last year, Eternal Hope and Spring are as timeless as Man and Baseball. So far, manager Jim Tracy and pitching coach Bob Apodaca haven't fucked anything up, and the Rockies are still undefeated for the 2012 season.
Get the goddam Super Bowl over with, so we can get on with the real reason that a real sports fan can get back in the saddle. YANKEES and ROCKIES in the 2012 World Series! Why not? Check back with me in June. As long as the Red Sux and Giants fall on their asses......................and DUCK the FODGERS!
*An update: Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom were traded to Baltimore on February 6th for a proven Major League starter, RHP Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie had started opening day for the Orioles three out of the last four years, and has averaged nearly 200 innings each season as a regular in the majors. Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd is unhappy with Jhoulys Chacin's off-season conditioning, so Guthrie becomes the odds-on favorite to begin the regular season as the Rockies' Opening Day starter.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Tim Tebow, Playoff Post-Mortem
I googled tebow and had over 31-million hits to choose from. I have never witnessed, nor participated in, such a frenzied outpouring of follow-like-dislike-love-hate exposition and exhibition in all my years of following sports. The media hype and discourse world-wide over Tim Tebow and the Denver Bronco quarterback situation crossed the boundaries of mere sports journalism. All in all, I think it was a very good thing to be a part of, to join in the discussion, debate the propriety of his performance, on and off the field. Reactions were varied, dialogue was often heated, opinions were opined, arguments and debates raged, and meanwhile basic football definitions were skewed. His footwork, his throwing motion, his overall quarterbacking skills, his constant reference to his Lord and Saviour, his consistent platitudes to teammates and coaches and fans..........all were fodder for criticism and implacable, often rancorous, denigration.
I watched and listened, and threw my two-cents-worth in, too. What I came away with, is that the young man has come a very long way, and by all accounts, in a steadfastly consistent manner, from humble, almost legendary beginnings, to a place where he could, should he choose to, capitalize in a very lucrative fashion. What I hope for, is that he remains resolute to his commitment to further his own, simple agenda: that of being a good person, who genuinely cares for others, works hard, and continues to prosper humbly and honestly. He got criticized for his underwear commercials and his auto-biography as examples of just another money-hungry, self-promoting jock personality. But, these endeavors were done way before he became a household subject, at least as an NFL shooting star. One thing that cannot be argued (until his lustre dulls as NFL history marches on, maybe) is that he wins. And what is a winner, exactly? Each individual can ascribe their own notion of what a winner is. Statistics abound that can support, and also contradict any definition thereby.
A winner is one who finishes in first place. Does that, then, define everybody else as a loser? No, we as a society cannot abide the definition that rigidly. Winners can be losers that don't "win" but compete courageously, overcoming almost all obstacles, bringing honor from the manner in which they compete, with graciousness in their pursuit. And yes, it is eminently obvious, that in many instances, a person who "wins" is also a loser (Charlie Sheen or any Kardashian).
Last Saturday, January 14th, the Denver Broncos traveled to Foxborough to battle the New England Patriots for a chance to play for the AFC Championship. The Broncos had shocked the football world the previous Sunday on Wild Card Weekend in Denver by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers on the 80-yard lightning bolt from Tim Tebow to Demaryius Thomas on the first play in sudden death overtime. The prelude to the game against Bill Belichick and his Patriots was filled with discourse and rhetoric about how the Broncos could win, what Tebow needed to do, how Denver's defense had to perform and countless hopeful presumptions that the Denver Broncos had a chance to win. I didn't think for a minute that the game would be close. I think the game unfolded just about how it should have. For all their metaphysical spunk and ethereal fortune, Tim Tebow, and the Denver Broncos, were exposed for what they are: a mediocre football squad that played hard but ultimately lacked the overall skill to compete at an NFL Championship level. In spite of the fact that Tebow had made marginal improvements to his skill set since taking over as a starter in Miami on October 20th, his weaknesses and inexperience were magnified by Belichick and the Patriots' defensive discipline and intelligence. The Broncos are a team that has weaknesses in the interior of the defensive line, the deep secondary and at linebacker. Their team speed is a notch below competitive equality in the NFL. The wide receivers and tight ends are not consistent in their ability to get open, and in their actual ball-catching skills. And Tim Tebow........he will benefit from an off-season that is repleat with OTA's (official team activities), hands-on coaching from John Elway and Adam Gase (quarterbacks coach, assuming that Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy might be coaching in Miami next year) and rigorous study and practice in "traditional" NFL quarterback film study and drills.
Do NOT put it beyond Tim Tebow that he can improve. Also, do not put it beyond John Elway and the Denver Bronco brass to pick a QB early in the draft (I don't think they will). I think they'll concentrate early-on in the draft on defensive playmakers, but what can they expect drafting at #25? Hopefully, a good fat guy in the defensive middle, and a solid safety or tough linebacker to complement Elvis Dumervil and Vonn Miller defensively. And an improved, still motivated Timmy Tebow. He has proven, much to the consternation of many, that he IS a winner.
I watched and listened, and threw my two-cents-worth in, too. What I came away with, is that the young man has come a very long way, and by all accounts, in a steadfastly consistent manner, from humble, almost legendary beginnings, to a place where he could, should he choose to, capitalize in a very lucrative fashion. What I hope for, is that he remains resolute to his commitment to further his own, simple agenda: that of being a good person, who genuinely cares for others, works hard, and continues to prosper humbly and honestly. He got criticized for his underwear commercials and his auto-biography as examples of just another money-hungry, self-promoting jock personality. But, these endeavors were done way before he became a household subject, at least as an NFL shooting star. One thing that cannot be argued (until his lustre dulls as NFL history marches on, maybe) is that he wins. And what is a winner, exactly? Each individual can ascribe their own notion of what a winner is. Statistics abound that can support, and also contradict any definition thereby.
A winner is one who finishes in first place. Does that, then, define everybody else as a loser? No, we as a society cannot abide the definition that rigidly. Winners can be losers that don't "win" but compete courageously, overcoming almost all obstacles, bringing honor from the manner in which they compete, with graciousness in their pursuit. And yes, it is eminently obvious, that in many instances, a person who "wins" is also a loser (Charlie Sheen or any Kardashian).
Last Saturday, January 14th, the Denver Broncos traveled to Foxborough to battle the New England Patriots for a chance to play for the AFC Championship. The Broncos had shocked the football world the previous Sunday on Wild Card Weekend in Denver by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers on the 80-yard lightning bolt from Tim Tebow to Demaryius Thomas on the first play in sudden death overtime. The prelude to the game against Bill Belichick and his Patriots was filled with discourse and rhetoric about how the Broncos could win, what Tebow needed to do, how Denver's defense had to perform and countless hopeful presumptions that the Denver Broncos had a chance to win. I didn't think for a minute that the game would be close. I think the game unfolded just about how it should have. For all their metaphysical spunk and ethereal fortune, Tim Tebow, and the Denver Broncos, were exposed for what they are: a mediocre football squad that played hard but ultimately lacked the overall skill to compete at an NFL Championship level. In spite of the fact that Tebow had made marginal improvements to his skill set since taking over as a starter in Miami on October 20th, his weaknesses and inexperience were magnified by Belichick and the Patriots' defensive discipline and intelligence. The Broncos are a team that has weaknesses in the interior of the defensive line, the deep secondary and at linebacker. Their team speed is a notch below competitive equality in the NFL. The wide receivers and tight ends are not consistent in their ability to get open, and in their actual ball-catching skills. And Tim Tebow........he will benefit from an off-season that is repleat with OTA's (official team activities), hands-on coaching from John Elway and Adam Gase (quarterbacks coach, assuming that Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy might be coaching in Miami next year) and rigorous study and practice in "traditional" NFL quarterback film study and drills.
Do NOT put it beyond Tim Tebow that he can improve. Also, do not put it beyond John Elway and the Denver Bronco brass to pick a QB early in the draft (I don't think they will). I think they'll concentrate early-on in the draft on defensive playmakers, but what can they expect drafting at #25? Hopefully, a good fat guy in the defensive middle, and a solid safety or tough linebacker to complement Elvis Dumervil and Vonn Miller defensively. And an improved, still motivated Timmy Tebow. He has proven, much to the consternation of many, that he IS a winner.
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