It doesn’t take very long for a team to know its destiny in a particular season. Often by the end of September or mid October all hope can be abandoned for a Super Bowl parade in 10 cities. From that point on, life is a little less interesting as the beatings become almost routine. Once Thanksgiving rolls around, getting up on Game Day and throwing on the jersey, drinking before noon, and eating garbage loses its luster. You no longer talk trash to friends, there are no words to say. One finds himself throwing away paychecks on Caribbean online betting sites just so there is some reason to watch the games Sunday. But we (fans of the bottom feeders) have something to hold on to. Being a fan of a bad team has its own reward, the Draft in April. It’s the LIONS getting all the headlines on NFL Live, and the Browns making news concerning their top 10 picks. No one mentions Dallas, New England, or Pittsburgh; they are an afterthought. We fans of the low level franchises end up checking the Todd McShay Mock Draft Versions 1.0 – 6.0, and if we are privileged enough we will get to see what Mel Kiper has to say in his Blue Book, or ESPN Insider Mock Draft.
Yes, that is correct. Mel Kiper published a book annually detailing what each player who will be drafted has to offer; a complete, in depth analysis of these athletes that borders obsession. He is on ESPN nightly from Super Bowl Sunday to Draft Day, and then never heard of again. He has three months of fame, and 9 months of research. And all for what? MY entertainment. The NFL scouts do not need a member of the media’s assistance in their draft preparation. An NFL franchise knows its own strengths and weaknesses, as well as their opponents. They are at the combines, they are at the private workouts, they hold sit downs, they do research, they even create false Facebook accounts to trick potential draftees into revealing potentially harmful information about themselves. Is there even the slightest chance John Fox and Mike Tomlin are texting each other about the latest Mock Draft on espn.com? NO. Secondly, Mel Kiper has no critics, no contemporaries, and most importantly no competition. Therefore, there is no way to tell whether Mel is doing his job well at all. No one compares the real draft to Mel’s draft. ESPN doesn’t care whether or not Mel goes 32 for 32, only that we watch. I can tell you one thing, I am sick of watching. You are wasting my time Mel, and your expertise is being called into question. I can tell you the Lions need a quarterback, the Browns could use defensive help, and the Bengals most likely will not select a player with legal issues. I watch the college game, and can tell you who the top 32 players are, particularly after seeing combine numbers. Does this make me an expert? No, and it doesn’t make you one either.
Today, as I listened to Fox Sports Radio for my draft coverage, I was introduced to Mel’s counterpart: a man by the name of Jay Glazer. Glazer works for FSN as their hybrid version of John Clayton and Mel Kiper, the man who breaks news AND can analyze the draft. Glazer was on the radio with a panel of three or four other FSR regulars to break each selection is it occurred. It was almost comical the connections Jay Glazer had to executives of almost every NFL team. He broke the Jets Browns trade several minutes before ESPN did. He reported that a 49ers exec had told him that San Fran would take Michael Crabtree at ten overall while the Oakland Raiders were still on the clock, two picks ahead. I sat there thinking to myself THIS is what the media guru of the NFL draft should be doing. He was getting the information strait from the horse’s mouth, and he was not wrong. Glazer does not publish a book, and does not pretend to be a scout. He in turn reports what the scouts are saying and builds relationships that result in breaking news. All I know is top level NFL executives are texting Glazer while they are on the clock, not Mel.
Give me Jay Glazer, his text message inbox, and all the information he is able to report over Mel’s blue book any day. If you were that good Mel, you would be an NFL scout. You most definitely are not, so instead, work on being a reporter, because Jay Glazer is taking you behind the wood shed.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The Best Tournament In Sports?
Something struck me Monday night, struck me like Sean Avery at the Geisha House when I showed up with Cuthbert to grab some drinks. This fist of knowledge was nothing more than a light bulb being turned on. I sat through the entire National Championship game, every minute of it. My friend Matt was basking in the glory of a 2nd National Title in 4 years, and wearing my stolen UNC shirt in the process. You would think I would be excited over the biggest game in College Basketball, the culmination of the greatest tournament in sports. I enjoyed 6 minutes.
But come on, it’s the Greatest Tournament in Sports, isn’t it? Well… not really. Known for its buzzer beaters, upsets, and epic battles that transcend into the NBA for decades, I would say the last few tournaments are 0 for 3. Buzzer beaters are magical, and Scottie Reynolds certainly had me out of my seat. But out of 64 games, the Reynolds layup and a VCU near upset were the only games that I even raised an eyebrow at. Sure the Western Kentucky Gonzaga match up was epic, but only if you live in Spokane or Western Kentucky. I’m sorry but the drama was not there. The reason for this is that most teams in the tournament just are not that competitive, and have no business being in the national championship picture. Was U of A one of the top 16 teams in the country? Nope. That is why they got ran out of the building by the 'Ville; a game in which the verdict was extremely apparent early on and I watched a total of 3 minutes. Nothing great about that. Last year all four number 1 seeds were in the final four, this year all 1 through 3 seeds made the sweet sixteen. The National Champion Tar Heals did not play a competitive game all tournament long. If one selected every favorite in his bracket, he would have been in the 98th percentile nationally on ESPN.com. This does not say much to the entertainment value of the Tourney, and certainly is not Madness.
Thirdly, the Ewing / Morning battles of the 80’s are long gone. The best players in college are one and done. Rose, Oden, Durant, Mayo. All household names for the month of March, and that’s that. The one and dones have changed basketball forever, stealing rivalries and replacing them with recruiting violations. I have no emotional connection to Blake Griffin, even after two years. But if next year he were to lead an undefeated OU team into Austin against D.J. Augustine and Kevin Durant, no one would miss a tick.
Because the magic, the Madness of March, has slipped away, I propose we rethink what we call the Greatest Tournament in Sports. Because if what you want is drama, controversy, competitiveness, passion, a connection to players, upsets, rivalries, and entertainment, than the tournament you want takes place between September and the first week in January. It’s called the College Football Season. The Madness in Corvallis, at the Texas State Fair, in the Georgia Dome, and in Lubbock all makes the NCAA Tournament resemble High School Badminton. Michael Crabtree’s catch still gives me chills. Everyone remembers where they were when they got the text that USC had lost. Everyone knows every word to Tim Tebow’s prophecy, and remembers thinking that it was coming true when he led his troops in the 4th Quarter against #1 Alabama. Drama? We got your drama. I give you Tyrrell Pryor, after giving the bird to the rest of the Big Ten, with the ball in his hands, down 7, with minutes to go against undefeated Penn State. I give you Jordan Shipley and Colt McCoy, two best friends from a town of 400 in West Texas single handedly winning the Red River Shoot Out. Texas? Florida? SC? Oklahoma? Who belongs in New Orleans? I know you have an opinion, and I have an opinion, and we can both be right. Now that is Madness. Mind you it is only ONE SEASON. ONE SEASON brought us all this magic. What did the NCAA Tourney give us? That’s right… Scottie Reynolds. I totally forgot for a second, and in about 2 weeks, I will have forgotten forever. I will never forget last fall, or the one before that, or the one before that. I give you The Best Tournament in Sports.
But come on, it’s the Greatest Tournament in Sports, isn’t it? Well… not really. Known for its buzzer beaters, upsets, and epic battles that transcend into the NBA for decades, I would say the last few tournaments are 0 for 3. Buzzer beaters are magical, and Scottie Reynolds certainly had me out of my seat. But out of 64 games, the Reynolds layup and a VCU near upset were the only games that I even raised an eyebrow at. Sure the Western Kentucky Gonzaga match up was epic, but only if you live in Spokane or Western Kentucky. I’m sorry but the drama was not there. The reason for this is that most teams in the tournament just are not that competitive, and have no business being in the national championship picture. Was U of A one of the top 16 teams in the country? Nope. That is why they got ran out of the building by the 'Ville; a game in which the verdict was extremely apparent early on and I watched a total of 3 minutes. Nothing great about that. Last year all four number 1 seeds were in the final four, this year all 1 through 3 seeds made the sweet sixteen. The National Champion Tar Heals did not play a competitive game all tournament long. If one selected every favorite in his bracket, he would have been in the 98th percentile nationally on ESPN.com. This does not say much to the entertainment value of the Tourney, and certainly is not Madness.
Thirdly, the Ewing / Morning battles of the 80’s are long gone. The best players in college are one and done. Rose, Oden, Durant, Mayo. All household names for the month of March, and that’s that. The one and dones have changed basketball forever, stealing rivalries and replacing them with recruiting violations. I have no emotional connection to Blake Griffin, even after two years. But if next year he were to lead an undefeated OU team into Austin against D.J. Augustine and Kevin Durant, no one would miss a tick.
Because the magic, the Madness of March, has slipped away, I propose we rethink what we call the Greatest Tournament in Sports. Because if what you want is drama, controversy, competitiveness, passion, a connection to players, upsets, rivalries, and entertainment, than the tournament you want takes place between September and the first week in January. It’s called the College Football Season. The Madness in Corvallis, at the Texas State Fair, in the Georgia Dome, and in Lubbock all makes the NCAA Tournament resemble High School Badminton. Michael Crabtree’s catch still gives me chills. Everyone remembers where they were when they got the text that USC had lost. Everyone knows every word to Tim Tebow’s prophecy, and remembers thinking that it was coming true when he led his troops in the 4th Quarter against #1 Alabama. Drama? We got your drama. I give you Tyrrell Pryor, after giving the bird to the rest of the Big Ten, with the ball in his hands, down 7, with minutes to go against undefeated Penn State. I give you Jordan Shipley and Colt McCoy, two best friends from a town of 400 in West Texas single handedly winning the Red River Shoot Out. Texas? Florida? SC? Oklahoma? Who belongs in New Orleans? I know you have an opinion, and I have an opinion, and we can both be right. Now that is Madness. Mind you it is only ONE SEASON. ONE SEASON brought us all this magic. What did the NCAA Tourney give us? That’s right… Scottie Reynolds. I totally forgot for a second, and in about 2 weeks, I will have forgotten forever. I will never forget last fall, or the one before that, or the one before that. I give you The Best Tournament in Sports.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Sports E.D.
The four letter word at the center of my world is not girl, beer, and most definitely no class. It is ESPN, and ESPN runs the sports world. It is impossible to be a sports fan and be informed through an agency other than ESPN. Whether you want to watch and event or be informed about a league, ESPN is the intermediary. They determine who announces the game, which will catch the lead in Sportscenter, what analyst will have an opinion and what that opinion will be. With four networks, a magazine, national and local radio, a flourishing website, immensely popular columnists, the broadcasting rights to MNF, MLB game of the week, the NBA three nights a week, 14 hours of in season college sports on Saturday and opinion shows such as PTI, Rome, and the Horn, there are more sports media outlets than can be consumed at any one time. ESPN is unquestionably at the center of the sports world.
A sports media monopoly such as ESPN can have a highly positive impact on the fanatic. With the multitude of outlets, the information is reported as soon as it breaks on the internet, radio, and every television channel. Not only is the information there, but the analysis is almost instantaneous as well. Consider the release of Terrell Owens by the Dallas Cowboys after 11 PM EST on a weeknight. Within 15 minutes of the release, Ed Werder, Michael Smith, and the entire NFL Live crew had all put in their two cents on the impact this would have on the Cowboys, the NFC East race, how T.O. would handle the situation, possible suitors, and where he would fit in best. This type of coverage would be unimaginable in 1979, when the fan in San Diego would find out about the release the following morning in the newspaper, with little to no analysis. For the information hungry fan, ESPN is the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. This is a good thing.
However, like with any other Monopoly, there are drawbacks. The gaping flaw in ESPN’s dominance over sports is the “ESPN Darling” (ED). The EDs are the stories, teams, and topics that ESPN beat into the ground with no sign of letting up. For instance, the coverage given to Owens was not even remotely matched for any other player news over the entire NFL off season. This includes the signing of arguably the best defensive player in the league, Albert Hayneswerth. This is, of course, because Owens is an ED. Need more proof? Terrell Owens may have or may not have had a thought and/or dream about committing suicide in the prime of his career. This is a 10 second story, yet there were press conferences, shows preempted, and a suicide watch on the 6th best receiver in the league. A little over the top? Absolutely. I remember watching the breaking news on Terrell’s personal battle with life waiting for there to actually be news to break. Unfortunately, there was not. I am still bitter about those 20 minutes I will never get back.
Other EDs? The NFC East. The fourth best division in the NFL, yet somehow it is a crime all four teams do not make the playoffs. It is also impossible, but there is still time to change that. Brett Favre? Fine quarterback. Two Super Bowls, one Ring. He strapped it up, regardless of health, for good and bad teams for nearly two decades. Favre was truly blessed with a rocket and a competitive spirit. A fine football player. However, since he has become an ED, the Legend of Brett Favre has transformed into something that no man can ever live up to. The saga over his retirement was completely unnecessary. There were two days over the 08 off season that Bret Favre was a news story: When he retired and when he was traded to the Jets. There was no reason for me to know about the texts he was sending the GM from Mississippi, or for me to watch him run stairs and throw passes at a high school. This is not newsworthy, let alone headline material for the worldwide leader. The only reason it is presented in such a fashion is because ESPN falls in love with certain stories and topics, and runs with them, telling the viewer it is important; and because it is on ESPN it is important. And yes, there actually are THIRTEEN other teams in the American League, and some of them may have signed a free agent or two this off season. I really don’t know, it isn’t on the web site. But I can tell you how Jeter feels about the Mirror Photos, that C.C. is an Oakland Raiders fan, and that the Mark Tex-whatever signing will put Jeter in an awkward position when he no longer has Short Stop range in 3 years but is still under contract. Yes, that is correct, 2012 position battles taking place in the War Room between Steve Phillips and John Kruk. The Greatest Rivalry in Sports? You bet. Nationally Televised 19 times, five minute montages that will undoubtedly include Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone, the A-Roid Slap, and will most likely conclude with lightning bolts, thunder, and Petey “ole”ing Don Zimmer’s malicious and/or sexual advances.
The Boston/New York rivalry dates back to the beginning of baseball, the Highlanders and the Pilgrims were flagship franchises in the original American League; no one debates this. However, until ESPN made the rivalry more important than any other aspect in baseball, no one cared outside of Boston and New York. The Dodgers and the Giants hate each other just as much as Boston and New York, and the fans have felt just as passionately for just as long. The same can be said for the Cubs and the Cardinals, where a three game weekend series at the end of August can make or break careers. Imagine if Peter Gammons got his start with the St. Louis Post Dispatch instead of a Boston paper, the Cubs /Cards series would be the greatest rivalry in sports. The dynamics are undeniably similar; two major cities, intensely passionate about their teams that are more popular than any other team in the city. The one franchise going decades without a World Championship, decades of futility, while the other has a history of championships and a boat load of Hall of Famers. Both teams have historic stadiums, premier managers and elite players. The Cubbies and Cards are consistently in the playoff push as of late, and have marketable, extremely talented players. Nothing means more to the two cities than when the hated rival is in town, you can feel it in the air when walking towards the stadium at Busch. The Cubs are here, and we need to defend our home. This is baseball and this is a rivalry. However, only two cities know about it. The rest of the country is force fed Boston/New York not because the rivalry is better, or that the teams are better; but because ESPN has chosen the two teams as their baseball ED’s.
Does the NFC East get all the attention because it is the most popular division in football, or is it the most popular division in football because it gets all the attention? One thing is for certain, it is most definitely not the best division in football. The NFC South, as a division, had a better overall record. The AFC South, AFC East, and NFC East all had 38 wins. There is no reason to say the best teams in football are found in NFC East. The benching of McNabb was national news, but the quarterback toggling in Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Tennessee, Kansas City, and Cleveland flew under the radar without daily Jaworski analysis. McNabb is clearly a talented quarterback, he lead his team to within one game of the Super Bowl; but why does his benching and his overall importance take precedent over all others when only Philly fans care? ESPN tells us to, and like good sports fans, we obey.
Opening Day is this Sunday, and we as a nation should do our very best to passionately cheer for the teams close to our hearts; even if that team plays in Tampa, Kansas City, or Oakland, and not the Northeast. Eventually that Dodgers/Giants rivalry, that for years pit one coworker against another in a cross town battle will be on the same plane in our minds as the Yanks and Sox. Eventually a Matt Ryan led Falcons will find themselves under the same microscope after a blowout loss in the Superdome that the Cowboys find themselves under weekly. There is just as much charisma and talent in the rest of the sporting world, and it’s about time we all found out.
A sports media monopoly such as ESPN can have a highly positive impact on the fanatic. With the multitude of outlets, the information is reported as soon as it breaks on the internet, radio, and every television channel. Not only is the information there, but the analysis is almost instantaneous as well. Consider the release of Terrell Owens by the Dallas Cowboys after 11 PM EST on a weeknight. Within 15 minutes of the release, Ed Werder, Michael Smith, and the entire NFL Live crew had all put in their two cents on the impact this would have on the Cowboys, the NFC East race, how T.O. would handle the situation, possible suitors, and where he would fit in best. This type of coverage would be unimaginable in 1979, when the fan in San Diego would find out about the release the following morning in the newspaper, with little to no analysis. For the information hungry fan, ESPN is the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. This is a good thing.
However, like with any other Monopoly, there are drawbacks. The gaping flaw in ESPN’s dominance over sports is the “ESPN Darling” (ED). The EDs are the stories, teams, and topics that ESPN beat into the ground with no sign of letting up. For instance, the coverage given to Owens was not even remotely matched for any other player news over the entire NFL off season. This includes the signing of arguably the best defensive player in the league, Albert Hayneswerth. This is, of course, because Owens is an ED. Need more proof? Terrell Owens may have or may not have had a thought and/or dream about committing suicide in the prime of his career. This is a 10 second story, yet there were press conferences, shows preempted, and a suicide watch on the 6th best receiver in the league. A little over the top? Absolutely. I remember watching the breaking news on Terrell’s personal battle with life waiting for there to actually be news to break. Unfortunately, there was not. I am still bitter about those 20 minutes I will never get back.
Other EDs? The NFC East. The fourth best division in the NFL, yet somehow it is a crime all four teams do not make the playoffs. It is also impossible, but there is still time to change that. Brett Favre? Fine quarterback. Two Super Bowls, one Ring. He strapped it up, regardless of health, for good and bad teams for nearly two decades. Favre was truly blessed with a rocket and a competitive spirit. A fine football player. However, since he has become an ED, the Legend of Brett Favre has transformed into something that no man can ever live up to. The saga over his retirement was completely unnecessary. There were two days over the 08 off season that Bret Favre was a news story: When he retired and when he was traded to the Jets. There was no reason for me to know about the texts he was sending the GM from Mississippi, or for me to watch him run stairs and throw passes at a high school. This is not newsworthy, let alone headline material for the worldwide leader. The only reason it is presented in such a fashion is because ESPN falls in love with certain stories and topics, and runs with them, telling the viewer it is important; and because it is on ESPN it is important. And yes, there actually are THIRTEEN other teams in the American League, and some of them may have signed a free agent or two this off season. I really don’t know, it isn’t on the web site. But I can tell you how Jeter feels about the Mirror Photos, that C.C. is an Oakland Raiders fan, and that the Mark Tex-whatever signing will put Jeter in an awkward position when he no longer has Short Stop range in 3 years but is still under contract. Yes, that is correct, 2012 position battles taking place in the War Room between Steve Phillips and John Kruk. The Greatest Rivalry in Sports? You bet. Nationally Televised 19 times, five minute montages that will undoubtedly include Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone, the A-Roid Slap, and will most likely conclude with lightning bolts, thunder, and Petey “ole”ing Don Zimmer’s malicious and/or sexual advances.
The Boston/New York rivalry dates back to the beginning of baseball, the Highlanders and the Pilgrims were flagship franchises in the original American League; no one debates this. However, until ESPN made the rivalry more important than any other aspect in baseball, no one cared outside of Boston and New York. The Dodgers and the Giants hate each other just as much as Boston and New York, and the fans have felt just as passionately for just as long. The same can be said for the Cubs and the Cardinals, where a three game weekend series at the end of August can make or break careers. Imagine if Peter Gammons got his start with the St. Louis Post Dispatch instead of a Boston paper, the Cubs /Cards series would be the greatest rivalry in sports. The dynamics are undeniably similar; two major cities, intensely passionate about their teams that are more popular than any other team in the city. The one franchise going decades without a World Championship, decades of futility, while the other has a history of championships and a boat load of Hall of Famers. Both teams have historic stadiums, premier managers and elite players. The Cubbies and Cards are consistently in the playoff push as of late, and have marketable, extremely talented players. Nothing means more to the two cities than when the hated rival is in town, you can feel it in the air when walking towards the stadium at Busch. The Cubs are here, and we need to defend our home. This is baseball and this is a rivalry. However, only two cities know about it. The rest of the country is force fed Boston/New York not because the rivalry is better, or that the teams are better; but because ESPN has chosen the two teams as their baseball ED’s.
Does the NFC East get all the attention because it is the most popular division in football, or is it the most popular division in football because it gets all the attention? One thing is for certain, it is most definitely not the best division in football. The NFC South, as a division, had a better overall record. The AFC South, AFC East, and NFC East all had 38 wins. There is no reason to say the best teams in football are found in NFC East. The benching of McNabb was national news, but the quarterback toggling in Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Tennessee, Kansas City, and Cleveland flew under the radar without daily Jaworski analysis. McNabb is clearly a talented quarterback, he lead his team to within one game of the Super Bowl; but why does his benching and his overall importance take precedent over all others when only Philly fans care? ESPN tells us to, and like good sports fans, we obey.
Opening Day is this Sunday, and we as a nation should do our very best to passionately cheer for the teams close to our hearts; even if that team plays in Tampa, Kansas City, or Oakland, and not the Northeast. Eventually that Dodgers/Giants rivalry, that for years pit one coworker against another in a cross town battle will be on the same plane in our minds as the Yanks and Sox. Eventually a Matt Ryan led Falcons will find themselves under the same microscope after a blowout loss in the Superdome that the Cowboys find themselves under weekly. There is just as much charisma and talent in the rest of the sporting world, and it’s about time we all found out.
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