Saints Aren't That Saintly

            Football is one of the most hardest, most physically demanding sport you can play. And at the highest level, the NFL, every player can end the game with multiple bruises, concussions or even broken bones.

            So when the bounty scandal that revolved around the New Orleans Saints and their defense came out, people were out right shocked. The NFL would be reviewing the hits and videos sent the league office and figure if any wrongful act was being done. And a wrongful act would definitely be what happened. Since defensive coordinator Gregg Williams began to orchestrate a system where defensive lineman, linebackers and other players were rewarded with any where from $1,000 of up to $50,000 for purposely hurting a player. One Notable occurrence of this happening was in the NFC championship game, where the defensive pounded on Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre was pounded to the point that he was forced out of the game, later requiring ankle surgery. A video would later surface of Williams telling his players to “Kill Favre”. 

            Four defensive players and four management/coaches for the Saints were suspended. The heaviest suspension fell onto Williams, who was suspended indefinite, as Commissioner Roger Goodell would review his possible return to football at the end of the 2012 season (he was reinstated on February 7, 2013, and was then hired by the Tennessee Titans)

            This disgusts me. If players, who are being paid well into the 7 figures, need a little extra petty cash, that’s just sad. The players that were being targeted did not deserve to have what happened happen to them, nor did they expect head-on-head hits. The coaches in this are to share if not equal blame, but more blame. They were the ones giving the incentive to go out and “Kill” someone. Sean Payton, head coach of the saints, was also involved in the scheme, but more of covering it up, then actually following through with it. He expressed sorrow for what he did, and I can accept that apology. But what these players and staff have done is mind blowing.

A Black Stain

            94 years ago, when the roaring twenties were just around the corner, 8 men did the unthinkable. They purposely lost a World Series for money from gamblers.

           

Not very many people get the chance to play in the World Series, the highest stage in the world for baseball. And you would think that for the 8 men who committed this crime, they would have realized that it was wrong on so many levels. And in the sport crazy city of Chicago, the White Sox became known as the Black Sox.

But they had reason. Back in the 1910’s and 1920’s, MLB, stipulated that once a team “owned” you, you could only sign with that team, or not play at all. The Chicago White Sox owner of the time, Charles Comiskey, underpaid his players, making them disgruntled and looking for other cash options. So when first basemen Arnold Gandil brought the idea to 6 other members of the White Sox, they agreed. One man, Shoeless Joe Jackson first admitted to, but then retracted that he accepted $5,000 from the gamblers. But after Jackson passed away in 1951, all remaining players confessed he never had any involvement, not attending any meetings or purposely playing bad. Jackson hit .375 in the series, good for any player even now.

So, for the entire 1919 World Series, vs. the Cincinnati Reds, they would try to commit errors, strike out and for the pitchers, walk as many as possible without raising any eyebrows.

But eventually, rumours began to swirl, and a grand jury was convened to investigate. Though all players would be acquitted, the 8 men would all receive lifetime bans from baseball, forbidden to play in the majors fro the rest of their lives.

I think that what the players did was unacceptable and that a lifetime ban was appropriate. But what happened to Shoeless Joe Jackson was wrong. After saying he took the money (which was so that he could stand by his team), he and all the other players confessed that he had no involvement in the throwing in the series. He had no errors, 6 RBI’s, the only home run in the entire series and the aforementioned .375 average. No way could a player throw a game with those stats.

The 8 men are;

• Arnold “Chick” Gandil
• Eddie Cicotte
• Oscar “Happy” Felsch
• Fred McMullin
• Charles “Swede” Risberg
• George “Buck” Weaver
• Claude “Lefty” Williams
• “Shoeless” Joe Jackson

How Long Is To Long?

                Lately, many games in the MLB have gone long into extras, with the Toronto Blue Jays playing 17 extra innings in less than a week and as I type this, an 18^th inning marathon just ended in Oakland. And last night, the first game of the Stanley Cup finals finished 8 minutes into the 3^rd overtime. So many sports critics have posed the question; How Long is to Long?

                For the MLB, they have suggested a cap on how many innings can be played before they call the game a tie and count it as half a game each in the standings. For the NHL, reducing the players on the ice to 4 per team has been the most suggested option, as it would open up the ice, giving more chances for odd man rushes.

                If players are giving 100% (as they always should), then forcing them to play virtually two games in one is too hard, even for a trained professional. In times like the playoffs, some players will throw up after a regulation game, due to the amount of try given. By having the game go on and on, players are putting themselves in harm’s way, possible dehydration or muscle tearing.

                For the sake of players and  fans, who might have to play hooky after watching the game well into the morning, let’s put a cap on the game.

The Colourful Nicknames

            A team’s nickname can represent part of a teams heritage in their respective country or area (i.e. Montreal Canadiens) something that happened in the history of the town or city the team plays out of (i.e. Calgary Flames), or simply a colorful name to strike fear into the opponent (New York Giants).

            Unfortunately, some nicknames are unsettling and disrespectful. There has been growing debate in the world of sports that many teams named after Native American “names”, like the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins change their name.

           

The U.S. Commission of Civil Rights has called onto schools that are non-native to change their names to a non-native nickname. What would be so hard in the teams changing their names to the “Tigers” or the “Bears”? People supporting it say that by keeping that name, they are honoring the Native Americans. They aren’t honoring them at all. The nickname “Redskin” is akin to usually a very offensive word in the African-American race… I wouldn't call that honoring.

Some people are just too blind to see who they are affecting. A 2002 Sports Illustrated poll found that 90% of Native Americans living on reservations found the nicknames to be offensive. If you’re offending the very people whom you try to entertain on a Sunday afternoon or Saturday night, then it’s kind of a catch 22.

The New Orleans Pelicans just changed their nickname, as it used to be the Hornets. If a sports franchise can change their name to honor the city they play for, then why can't we honor the people that first stepped onto this great continent?

But good news is on the way, as in April 2013, a DC city counsel member proposed that the name Washington Redskins be changed. But people. Look at the date! 2013, we shouldn’t have to deal with petty racism problems like this. Deal with them and move on.

Flopping- Isn't Just For Fish Anymore

            It used to just be fish that would flop. But now, humans are starting to act a lot like their aquatic friends. And when I say humans, I’m not talking about kids acting silly or fishing show host copying the trout they just hooked. No, I’m talking of the 6 ft 6 in kind of humans. The ones that take pride in dunking a orange ball into a mesh net every night for 2 points. The NBA is finding that more and more players are taking on the art of flopping. Flopping is where the defensive player will on purpose fall or embellish when an offensive opponent touches or barely hits them. The reason? To draw an offensive foul and give his or her team the ball while punishing the opponent.

            While flopping can be effective, it is highly looked down upon, even though top brand names such as LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Griffin (note the high number of Miami Heat players…) are taking on the act of flopping. The NBA starting in the 2012-2013 season has implemented fines for players who flop. While many believe this to be the right step, many agree that more has to be done, as the average salary is 5.5 million a season.

            I personally find flopping very hard to watch as it makes the players look weak. They would rather go the short way and pretend to get hit, as opposed to doing it the hard, tough way going for the ball. There are aspects of the game that is very tough, the taking of elbows in the chest under the net or the racing for the boy when it’s rolling down the court.

But if they are getting paid an average of 5.5 million, they can go the extra distance.

                                   

Below, a link to a video showing what and what is not a flop.

                                                           Flopping

Tebowing for Boston

                Tim Tebow isn’t so much a controversies, but more of a story maker, for both the right and wrong reasons. He was the first ever Heisman winner that was home school throughout college and thanks to his very deep religious views, there is now a rule in the NCAA dubbed “The Tebow Rule”. The rule was created after Tebow wore Bible verses on his eye black, one being ‘John 3:16’, was searched 90 million in 24 hours after donning the eye black in a game.  

                Tebow was drafted 25^th overall to the Denver Broncos and played there for 2 seasons before being traded to the New York Jets. While in Denver, his talents were a bit more utilized then in New York, as Tebow was able to win a playoff game for the underdog Broncos vs. Pittsburgh in only his second NFL season. But in New York, he had only 8 passes and 32 runs, far shy from his 271 attempted passes and 122 runs. Tebow’s use as part of Jets was heavily critized, as the Jets struggled, but Coach Rex Ryan would not play him.

                I feel bad for Tebow for all he has gone through. A former Heisman winner and very capable quarterback has now had 3 teams in his first 4 seasons, as he was signed by the New England Patriots today. After making a great play or before or after the game, Tebow would go on one knee and pray, later going on the being dubbed ‘Tebowing’. SNL and other comedy satire programs did skits and pulled jokes about ‘Tebowing’, his non-playing and other jabs.

                Tim Tebow deserves his chance in the NFL, and as a backup to Tom Brady, he may finally have his chance.   

Tim Tebow, 'Tebowing'

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