Breaking Up The Old Gang
Filed under: NBA, basketball, following the locals, sports
I realize that it had to happen. Had to go down this way.
I realize that Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood had to go. There was no way to keep playing out the charade of the Wizards being a viable playoff contender. Yet it doesn’t make it any easier to take. But the organization had to get what they could for them while their value was high. In what was becoming yet another lost season, the Wizards had to lick their wounds and come back to fight another day, even if that day is further in the distance than anyone thought.
I realize that only a cock-eyed optimist could see what was left of the Wizards after Gilbert Arenas’s departure and think that a playoff team was in residence. Even with Gilbert it was a stretch to believe it, given the way the team was playing. But as a fan, I had hoped for better. I hoped someone, somewhere would teach them how to defend. How to distribute the ball and get good, makeable shots. But it wasn’t to be.
And in a season that has seen the so-called “star” of the team suspended for what amounts to about 70% of the season for of all things, bringing his arsenal of weaponry into the locker room at Verizon Center-in what is not only a violation of Washington D.C. law, but the NBA’s own collective bargaining agreement-something drastic was going to happen. You knew it would, it was just a question of when.
The dominoes began to fall on Saturday of All-Star weekend, when general manager Ernie Grunfeld dealt Butler, Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to Dallas for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden and a couple of other bodies, but no draft picks. Gooden never even set foot on the court for the Wizards, having been traded four days later to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a three-team deal that sent Antawn Jamison to Cleveland to play with LeBron James. I can’t say how happy Butler and Jamison may be; both stated on several occasions that they wanted to win in Washington, but given the current state of the franchise they have to be happy that they have left basketball purgatory and now have a chance to play for a championship, something both of them have wanted to do. Haywood leaving doesn’t leave me feeling hot or cold; yes he was becoming a competent center, but I’ve never liked him all that much. Stevenson was never as good as he thought he was, in my opinion-so no real loss there. Grunfeld’s trade deadline dealing has freed up cap room for the Wizards to hopefully sign some decent free agents to begin the rebuilding process-if he is even around to do the rebuilding. No matter who the architect is that will attempt to rebuild this franchise yet again-who do they think they can bring in that would even want to play for the Wizards?
If you want to get an idea of what jazzes fans of the Wizards, the fact that there is talk of changing the team name back to the Bullets actually got people excited. They could be called Lez Boulet, it wouldn’t make them play any better. It’s the players IN the jerseys, not the name on the front that will make the team better. As for me, more losing is in store, for certain, but will I care? How much longer will I wait until the Wizards/Bullets/whatchamacallits finally climb back to respectability? If you know me, you know how I roll. I’ll stick with them no matter what. But this kind of rebuilding is hard to take. Especially since the brain trust would’ve had you believe that with Gilbert, Caron and Antawn the team was a few pieces away from contending for a championship. After Eddie Jordan took the fall last season despite not even having Arenas around because Grunfeld thought the team should have won more games-is Flip Saunders looking to get out or will he be pushed because the team should be better? No one could believe this team is better now than it was before Saturday-unless they are a cock-eyed optimist. Maybe if/when Ted Leonsis is given control of the Wizards a rebuilding we can believe in may take place. Or it just might be like I always say-the franchise is cursed.
Random Sports Thoughts 7
Filed under: MLB, NBA, NFL, baseball, basketball, college basketball, football, sports
Around and about in the world of sports:
- Congratulations to the seven members of the newest class of the NFL Hall of Fame: Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, John Randle, Rickey Jackson, Russ Grimm, Dick LeBeau and Floyd Little. Rice and Smith were no-brainers of course, and the other candidates deserved their nods as well. There is a backlog of great players that are eligible for the Hall; it will take some time to get all of them in. I would just like to put in a few words for Grimm. Given the fact that the Hogs were one of the best offensive lines of the last 25-30 years, it’s actually about time one of them got some recognition by the Hall.
- There was talk last week of the NCAA opting out of their contract with CBS and possibly expanding the NCAA basketball tournament from it’s current 65 team format to 96 teams. Okay, let me get this straight. No action is necessary for a college football playoff, but the greatest college event ever needs to break up the current format to let more teams in? I don’t think so…this thing reeks of a money grab. Not to mention, that if they really want to fix the tournament they should get rid of the play-in game, or at the least let the last two at-large teams play in that game. Don’t put a small school automatic qualifier in the game-they deserve the opportunity to have the full tournament experience much more than some BCS school mediocrity. Not to mention, if the tournament did include 96 teams, most if not all of those spots would be to BCS schools with unimpressive resumes.
- The days are growing short leading into spring training for another baseball season, and I wonder what exactly will the Orioles look like this year. I’ll have more to say about them as the season gets closer, but it has been a pretty quiet offseason for Baltimore’s baseball birds. For some fans, it has been too quiet. I’ll reserve judgement until things get going, but once again, I am hoping for progress. I’m not expecting a worst-to-first season, but at least be competitive past the All-Star break, and if possible, make an approach to .500.
- Gilbert Arenas was suspended for the remainder of this season, and has probably seen his last days as a member of the Washington Wizards. Has there been a more stunning fall from grace? Arenas was once the prince of the city; his blog was popular and his skills on the court made fans sit up and take notice. His absence serves as just a symbol of the Wizards’ season; where they were counting on him to finally be healthy enough to play, he ends up missing another large chunk of a third consecutive season. I don’t see how the Wizards can keep this core of players together, with Arenas surely gone it may be time for Ernie Grunfeld (or someone else) to blow this team up and build it back from the ground up. It will definitely be interesting to see how the Wizards proceed from here.
Light The Fuse…
Filed under: NBA, basketball, following the locals, sports
…and blow it up! Right now!
Given that we recently had a scare with a person who attempted to blow up a flight headed for Detroit on Christmas Day, that may be an unfortunate choice of words. But those are the words I thought of when thinking about the Washington Wizards, who now have been relieved of the services of one Gilbert Arenas, effective immediately, for an indefinite period of time. With the loss of Arenas, possibly for the remainder of this season though not specifically stated as such, any hopes the Wizards had of improving on last season’s debacle have imploded with his horrible sense of judgement. Given that the team wasn’t exactly setting the league on fire at the moment perhaps this is the impetus Ernie Grunfeld needs to tear down this version of the team, keeping only the real salvageable parts (if there are any) and start all over. Of course, that is if Grunfeld is even around to do the rebuilding. While I haven’t heard anything suggesting he may not be long for the general manager’s chair, with Ted Leonsis about to take over primary ownership of the team, anything is possible.
Back to Arenas’ suspension-I know that he has described himself as a “goofball,” but really-did he think this was something you could make jokes about? One day after being interviewed by law enforcement officials about bringing a gun or guns-never mind if it/they were loaded or not-in the locker room, he’s running around pointing fingers like they were guns at your teammates? Did you really find this funny, Gilbert? In a city where the murder rate was so bad, heck isn’t exactly great now, that the gun laws are some of the strictest in the nation (and of which you are probably in violation)? Where crime was so bad that the venerable Abe Pollin changed the team name from Bullets to Wizards because of the mere association of bullets to gun crime? I know how we all seemed to love Gilbert in his “Hibachi” days, scoring points in bunches, launching game-winning shots and turning his back on them before they fell through the net, blogging and generally being his off-kilter self. But guns are nothing to joke about-if nothing else Arenas appears to have been flouting the law and his own league’s collective bargaining agreement rules, which forbid firearms in team NBA arenas. Now there is talk that the team may try to void Arenas’ contract-a contract that was paying him over $16 million this season.
As for the team which must now soldier on without the one player they had been counting on returning to his pre-injury form…it doesn’t look like they are going anywhere anyway…so cut ties and start over. I know people have tried to convince me otherwise, but the franchise is living under some kind of curse. Perhaps the “Curse of Lez Boulez” is real…real enough anyway. Playoff appearances have been few and far between for the franchise, which hasn’t won an NBA title in over 30 years. Every few years there are glimmers of hope, only to see them dim. Who can forget the Chris Webber/Juwan Howard years? The playoff appearances that always seemed to hit a dead end against Cleveland’s Cavaliers? Fans were looking forward to better things this season, with Gilbert completely healthy for the first time in three seasons, the additions of Mike Miller and Randy Foye and a new coach in Flip Saunders. Despite all that, and Tuesday night’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Wizards remain one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, having won just eleven of thirty-four games so far this season. I don’t see things getting any better, but I have been wrong before. Even with Gilbert, the team played very little defense; and you’re not going to win many games in any league if you don’t do that.
Personally, I would love to see Gilbert back on an NBA court…but he has some serious growing up to do. He just turned 28, so he still has some time. But if he misses another season, how much harder will it be for him to return as good as he was, not to mention to get in the good graces of fans after this display of immaturity and foolishness? I know athletes are no better than regular folks; they are human after all. But at some point, most of us stop waving guns around because we get past playing cowboys and indians and war games (except on video screens). If and when he does return, what are the chances it is in a Wizards uniform? And if he’s in a Wizards uniform after missing the remainder of this season, who will he be playing with?
Am I too gloomy…are the Wizards about to turn things around? Will Gilbert return this season? Tell me what you think in the comments.
A Wish List For My Teams
Filed under: MLB, NBA, NCAA Football, NFL, baseball, basketball, college basketball, college football, following the locals, sports
Since it is Christmas Eve, I thought I’d take the time to write out a few wishes that I have for my favorite teams Most of these can’t be completed for Christmas, but are more long-term wishes that I will hopefully see come to fruition over the coming months.
For the Baltimore Orioles:
- A plan that makes the O’s competitive in 2010. I think I’ve given up hope on making the playoffs next season, but something other than a last place finish would be great.
- An effort to pry Adrian Gonzalez out of San Diego. If you’re looking for a power-hitting corner infielder, he fits the bill.
- Failing at #2, please find the following: some players with pop in their bats to play first and third base, a healthy complete season out of Adam Jones, and at least one frontline starter. Regarding the frontline starting pitcher, he may already be in the fold, but finding one, anywhere would be terrific.
- Hope. All we want is some hope that things will get better (a very common wish).
For the Baltimore Ravens:
- Playoffs! Of course, it may not be a long run when or if you get there, but still, I’d like to see you there-preferably while the hated Steelers stay home!
- Ozzie Newsome, please, please please find some playmakers…on both sides of the ball. While you’re at it, find some depth on the defense, the old stalwarts aren’t getting any younger. If Demetrius Williams is the playmaking wide receiver we all wanted around draft time, his grade is an incomplete. Dominique Foxworth has only recently been the cornerback we thought we were getting.
- Not much else, so there really isn’t a third wish.
For the Washington Wizards:
- It may be time to admit that this plan of Ernie Grunfeld’s isn’t working. To be fair, Flip Saunders needs at least one season to see what he can do with the parts he’s got, and it would be nice if those parts could stay healthy. Grunfeld fired Eddie Jordan because he didn’t win enough games at the start of last season, even though he didn’t have Gilbert Arenas healthy. Now Arenas is healthy and still the Wizards aren’t winning.
- Can someone on the Wizards brain trust teach these players how to play defense? The song still remains the same, this club doesn’t play defense worth a damn. Unfortunately, I don’t think any changes are going to be made to increase the importance of defense, so the Wizards are going to have to rely on outscoring foes yet again.
- Ted Leonsis, you are poised to take control of the Wizards. Please follow the hallowed footsteps of Abe Pollin and yet build upon the great foundation he laid. While Mr. Pollin was only able to witness one NBA title for his franchise, here’s hoping you can do what is needed to really build the team up for contention in the seasons to come.
- See Wish #4 for the Baltimore Orioles.
For the Maryland Terrapins (football and basketball):
- Ralph Friedgen, the ball is in your court. There has to be improvement in the football program immediately. 2-10 seasons are not going to cut it. Somehow, someway, you and your staff (those of whom are still around) have to find the players that will bring Maryland football back, if not to Orange Bowl or BCS levels, then at least to respectability. Goodness knows, Terp fans would like a diversion in the fall other than waiting for…
- Gary Williams and the basketball squad. Thank you for showing the fan base that indeed, you can coach. If you can take a team that had as minimal talent and no real inside presence to the second round of the NCAA tournament, imagine what you can do with this year’s team. I would advise you not to get close to the NCAA tournament bubble or suffer any losses “supposedly” beneath your level, though, or the squawking about whether or not you’ve lost it will begin anew.
- For both of you: recruit, recruit, recruit! You don’t necessarily have to get the best one and done players, but you do have to get some players in order to compete with the powerhouses. Maybe even a few victories against them wouldn’t hurt (that’s for the football team).
- See Wish #4 for the Orioles and Wizards.
Do you agree with the wishes? Do you have some you would like to add? Put them in the comments. Hope everyone out there has a very Merry Christmas!
Random Sports Thoughts 6
Filed under: NBA, NCAA Football, NFL, basketball, blogs, college football, death, football, random sports thoughts, sports
Dusting off the Random Sports Thoughts post:
- First of all, prayers to the family of Chris Henry. Again, another young life in the process of turning things around has been cut short before its potential could be realized. Immediately upon hearing of the young man’s passing, I instantly thought of Sean Taylor, who was also in the process of getting his life in order when he suffered an untimely passing. These young men were going through life and had made some mistakes, but to dwell on the mistakes as the cause or symptom of their passing is misguided. Sure, the mistakes they suffered were part of their lives, and should not be excluded; but to harp on them at the expense of the turnaround that was taking place is short-sighted. It’s too bad we were not able to see what the lives could have been had the changes these young men were making had come to fruition.
- For the Redskins fans who stop by, I hope you are pleased that Vinny Cerrato has been shown the door. They call it a resignation, but he apparently was gone for a while, or Bruce Allen’s hiring and acquiring of the general manager title was the fastest in history. How is it that the supposed director of football operations has his resignation announced and within hours his replacement’s hiring is announced? Seems to me the deal was already in the works. Nevertheless from this seat, it looks like a good first step for the franchise. His next move should be to find a head coach he can work with-no scratch that. His first move should be, if he hasn’t already, gotten assurances that Dan Snyder will stop his meddlesome ways and let Allen and the new head coach (if indeed Jim Zorn is shown the door) can run the operation the way that they want with minimal or no interference. No one needs the owner to go on scouting trips, or playing fantasy football with the roster. That’s what got the Redskins in the mess they are in. As for a head coach, Mike Shanahan has been rumored to be the Redskins’ man, but it remains to be seen if he will take the job.
- Thanks to @Inkognegro on Twitter, I was convinced to sign up for a fantasy basketball league. I have to admit, I’ve enjoyed it (the 5-2 record so far may have something to do with that). What it has done is made me pay more attention to the NBA way earlier than I have in years. Usually, I’m still in football mode (pro and college) with a little college hoops thrown in. I usually give the NBA no attention until the Christmas Day games. Let me say that the NBA season so far has picked up where last season’s postseason left off. I am enjoying the games, as well as following how my fantasy players are doing. From Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry, to the work done by the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and the retirement and return of Allen Iverson, the League has provided lots of excitement so far. I had drifted away from the NBA to the college game; now I find I have to make room for both.
- Probably against my better judgement, I also entered the College Bowl Pick’em Challenge being run by Ed The Sports Fan. I’ve watched my share of college football games this season, but never have I picked winners, especially using the confidence system. Right off the bat, I’ve lost the top point total as Fresno State’s overtime loss to Wyoming has more than likely sunk my chances at victory. I did make some of it up, by picking Rutgers to beat Central Florida, so the first night of bowl games wasn’t a total loss. By the way, if you get a chance, check out the Ed The Sports Fan blog-it’s very good.
Local Hoops Notes
Filed under: NBA, NCAA, basketball, college basketball, sports
A few words about the upcoming hoops season (college and pro):
The 2009-2010 college hoop season began this past Friday-did anyone really notice? Like college football, there is opening day, but it’s scattered as teams play all over the weekend, not to mention a few exhibitions aimed at getting the team into a rhythm to start the season. ESPN, of course has a made-for-the-network gimmick in place that it debuted last season. Opening day for college hoops, ESPN style begins at midnight on Tuesday with a game featuring Cal State Fullerton taking on UCLA. From there, games will be played live for 24 hours straight. Now of course, I won’t be able to catch them all, but if you want a schedule of the games to be played throughout the day, look here.
As for the local angle, yours truly will be looking toward the flagship hoops school, the Maryland Terrapins. Maryland’s season began on Friday, with an easy 89-51 win over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. The Terps return four starters from a team that was heavily criticized, yet rebounded well enough to make a trip to the NCAA tournament and beat California before falling to Memphis in round 2. Leading this year’s team are seniors Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes, with Landon Milbourne and Sean Mosley expected to be key contributors. One of last year’s team’s major deficiencies was a lack of size up front; this year that has been addressed with the addition of freshmen Jordan Williams and James Padgett. Both played well in their first games at the college level, though the competition will get tougher once the team gets into ACC play. For me, it will be interesting to see what Vasquez and Hayes do in their senior seasons. Vasquez has many talents, but can be erratic; it was great to see him look to set his teammates up when his shots were not falling. Hayes scored a quiet 10 points in the opener, but hit three three-pointers. At the end of last season, it was great to see Hayes look for his offense; he practically carried the Terps in the ACC tournament run that got them into the big dance.
The Washington Wizards have begun the 2009-2010 season as well with some of the same issues as last season: injuries and losses. Before the season began, Antawn Jamison was injured, he has yet to play. While the Wizards won over Dallas on opening night, they have gone 1-6 since and have seen new acquisitions Mike Miller and Randy Foye injured as well. Gilbert Arenas though, is back and is healthy (except for a calf injury which threatened to scratch him from a game last week). Arenas, in a interesting change, has decided to let his play do the talking this season, going so far as getting himself and the team fined in preseason for not being available to the media. With a new coach in Flip Saunders, the return of Brendan Haywood from injury and also a new addition in Fabricio Oberto, it looks to be taking some time to get the team on the same page. The Wizards are expected to make a run to the playoffs after only winning 19 games the previous season.
It looks to be another exciting season, both college and pro…can’t wait to get my fill of games of both, and to see some questions answered. Can the Lakers repeat? Will the Celtics bounce back? Who looks to be the team to beat in the NCAA’s? Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina? What teams look to surprise in both the NBA and NCAA? Time will tell.
High Scorers: Magic Is 50
Filed under: NBA, baseball, blogs, college football, football, high scorers, media
And now, another round of High Scorers:
- Perhaps the greatest NBA player of all-time, and certainly my favorite player growing up, Magic Johnson yesterday turned 50. While I’ve always respected Michael Jordan’s greatness, Magic Johnson was my favorite player in the game. I always admired how he did so many things so well. Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals, where he played center and scored 42 points, collected 15 rebounds, dished out 7 assists and even added three steals may have been the greatest individual perfomance in an Finals game that I ever saw. While this article isn’t from a blog, ESPN’s J.A. Adande sums up Magic at 50-on and off the court.
- In other news, the NFL season has begun…haven’t you heard? If you travel in the circles I travel in these days, there was no way for you not to know. Football themed stories have been piling up in my blog reader like dirty laundry this week…and as usual I’m lagging behind trying to keep up. Yet and still, I have a few I’d like to highlight in High Scorers. First off, the NFL Chick! has been in Public Service Announcement mode this week. Two great posts to help folks increase their enjoyment of football: one, describing the four types of fans you DON’T want to be, and second, football game etiquette for watching the game at the stadium. Maybe she better get a sponsorship deal from the league for providing these services…
- The collective known as Steeler Nation has its hopes running high for a repeat of last season’s result-a Super Bowl victory. Steelergurl takes a look at what it takes to repeat and assesses the Steerlers chances this season to do so. Naturally, around these parts we’re hoping that dream dies hard and fast. The harder and faster, the better. Yet, they will be tough to beat; and the AFC has no shortage of good teams looking to take the trip to Miami and retrieve the Lombardi Trophy.
- MKRob, while covering the doings in the NFL, has been looking toward his home state of Florida for some inspiration this week. First, with some help from the Miami Herald, he looks at the many football players who played in the state who are now in the Canadian Football League. And it wouldn’t be football season without some love for his Miami Hurricanes; in a video-filled post he brings back the swagger of great Hurricane teams gone by. I know he’s hoping Randy Shannon can get the team to improve this year; perhaps a loftier bowl game or even ACC conference champions could be goals on the Hurricanes’ radar. Although pre-season favorites the Virginia Tech Hokies will have something to say about that, I’m sure.
- The Pigskin Loving Lady has a good post on how the media seems to be trying to take down the Steelers from being “King of the Hill” long before any real games are being played. On the field, the “king” is the king until someone knocks them off. In the media, anything goes, apparently-even pictures from the season after the Steelers won SB 40. Can anyone say “relevance”? Some of those players aren’t even on the team anymore. In addition, she sums up the feelings of football fans across the country with this post celebrating the beginning of the NFL preseason.
- Finally, there is a baseball season still going on. Zach at the Baltimore Sports Report explains his confusion at “What’s Going On With The Orioles?”. Suffice it to say, that despite last night’s 16-6 rout of the Los Angeles Angels, the O’s have been downright dreadful since the All-Star break. It is now mid-August and the club has yet to win 10 games since the break. As I opined in an earlier post, perhaps it’s the annual Oriole swoon. However, it could also be the growing pains a young team like the Orioles has to experience when you bring up young talent, particularly young pitching talent. At least, that’s what I’m hoping. If the Orioles are on the slow train to nowhere at this point, things will be mighty bleak in Birdland.
Enjoy these articles and your weekend!
High Scorers: In Defense Of Andy MacPhail
Filed under: NBA, NFL, baseball, basketball, blogs, following the locals, football, high scorers, sports
This week, High Scorers leads off with Zach from the Baltimore Sports Report’s passionate defense of Andy MacPhail’s efforts to rebuild the Orioles. He was responding to WNST’s Drew Forrester, who went all in on MacPhail’s work so far, even suggesting that the Orioles were not trying to win games. Anyone who follows the Orioles knows this team is not built to win right now; even suggesting that bringing Chris Tillman or anyone else is going to automatically turn things around seems foolish on his face. Read here how Zach takes down his man.
JC of the Stet Sports Blog (whom I thought was away on vacation) has a post on the youth of the Washington Wizards, mentioning JaVale McGee, Nick Young, Andray Blatche and Dominic McGuire by name. His take in this post is that the youth of these players is going to keep the Wizards from joining the NBA elite. His reasoning is not based on talent-but on other, non-basketball related factors. See what you think.
With the recent news about Ben Roethlisberger being involved in a civil suit for a possible sexual assault, the Pigskin Loving Lady asks the question, “Are Athletes Targets?” Former Raven TE Daniel Wilcox is quoted in the post from a post he did at Yardbarker. My take: perhaps they are targets, but they have to be smarter about who they associate with, where they go, and what they do. It’s a 24-hour news cycle now, and athletes aren’t treated with kid gloves like they may have been over a generation ago. Athletes are looked at just as much as celebrities in other fields, so they have to be extra careful with their words and actions.
Not necessarily a sports blog, Carolinaware often makes posts about sports at his spot The WareHouse. Sticking with the Big Ben story, Carolinaware makes his feelings known about Colin Cowherd’s explanation as to why ESPN didn’t cover the story right away. Sorry ESPN, your excuses don’t wash. If you are a first-class sports news organization as you purport to be, you have to be on that story. Even if it amounts to be nothing, I think it warranted the network’s coverage. I would like to welcome The WareHouse to High Scorers; I have a feeling it won’t be the last time I feature a post from there. (There is a mature content warning that appears before entering the site; this post is fine and safe for work or your eyes and ears).
My fellow Ravens fan The NFL Chick! (got to get the exclamation point in) is getting busy this week. She’s already written an open letter to Ozzie Newsome, imploring him to get some receiver help for the Ravens, like, RIGHT NOW! The post I want to highlight for High Scorers, though is this thoughtful (yet funny) take on Michael Vick’s conditional reinstatement to play in the NFL. Vick has served his time, and whether or not you believe he deserves a second chance, he is going to get one. Other players have done worse and been offered a second chance to play in this and other sports.
Finally, some blogs are getting makeovers this week, just in time for football season. The folks at Tailgate365 have set up a blogging network, and have given three (or is it four) blogs that I check out some new looks. Check out the new: The Mile High Salute, The City That Reeds (a combination of the former Ravens365 blog and The City That Reeds blog at Wordpress), and Steelergurl. Looking good folks! There may (or may not) be more blogs on the way, or even in existence in the Tailgate365 network. Even so, stop by the site and sign up, if you haven’t already.
Can You Bet On It?: The NFL Strikes Back
The NFL, along with the NBA, MLB, NHL and NCAA, have sued the state of Delaware to block its proposal to have sports betting in the state. The story can be found here.
This comes as no surprise. All sports leagues should view betting on games as a plague, and should do anything to protect the integrity of their games. However, in Las Vegas, sports betting already exists. So essentially what these organizations are trying to do is prevent the spread of Vegas-type sports betting in states where it can possibly occur. Delaware is one of a handful of states grandfathered by federal legislation that can pursue sports betting because it had done it prior to the passage of that law. Earlier this year, Governor Jack Markell had signed into law a bill that created the ability for the state to have betting on games, with a timetable set to start for the upcoming NFL season. After the law’s passage, the state asked for and got an opinion from the state’s Supreme Court that affirmed that the sports betting law did not run afoul of the Delaware constitution. With those things in place, the sports leagues and governing bodies may have felt their only option was to file a lawsuit.
I would think that this lawsuit will put the kibosh on Delaware’s plans to go forward for this season with betting on NFL games. Yet still that league’s hyprocrisy on allowing its member teams to associate and make contracts with state lotteries for part of the proceeds still renders their argument hollow, as does its silence on Vegas betting. And that silence is like a knowing wink that the betting there, while not in agreement with their anti-gambling stance, is an avenue that helps grow the popularity of the game. Certainly it is one piece that has made the NFL the behemoth that it has become today. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if you are against gambling on your sport, you need to be against it wherever it is, in any and all of its forms. But with the NFL, it is about the cash, I think we all know.
As for the State of Maryland, itself with the same types of budget troubles as Delaware, I would think the government in Annapolis is breathing a small sigh of relief. With the voters having approved slot machines in selected locations back in November, over eight months later nary a slot machine or even a site has been approved or put in place. If Delaware had been able to go forward with its sports betting plans, you can bet (pun intended) that citizens of the Free State would have made the pilgrimmage across the state line to place bets on NFL games. Now the state only has to worry about that money still going over the line to play the one-armed bandits at Delaware’s three sites. Maryland has been dragging its feet on this issue so badly, that it passed the buck on to the voters. Now that the voters have spoken, they seem to be back to the same old foot-dragging.
Stay tuned…I’m sure there will be more twists and turns before Delaware gets (or doesn’t get) its wish to allow sports betting in the state. It will also be interesting to see how long Maryland takes to try to slow the flow of dollars going to Delaware with its own slot machines.
My earlier post on this issue: “Can You Bet On It?”
Passionate Fan…Or A Homer?
Filed under: MLB, NBA, NFL, baseball, blogs, following the locals, football, media, sports
Being a fan is a serious business. Many fans are and should be passionate about their favorite team. But what differentiates a passionate fan from a homer?
In a post inspired by a comment conversation I saw recently at The NFL Chick blog (check her out ya’ll), she explained to me how she was called a “homer” by Ed The Sports Fan (don’t sleep on him either), because in her post about running back tandems to take notice of, she included one from her team and mine, the Baltimore Ravens. As a fellow fan of the Ravens, I’ve got to have her back on this one. The “three-headed monster” was a force last season for the Ravens, and I don’t see any reason why they can’t be as good or better, even without Lorenzo Neal blocking. But does the fact that she even included Willis McGahee and Ray Rice make her a homer? I told her that I didn’t think so, that being a homer means that you drink the kool-aid no matter what, even in the face of evidence to suggest otherwise. I’d say that she falls on the passionate fan side of the ledger.
To me, a homer is someone who roots for the home team but doesn’t give the other team any credit if they come out on top over your squad. A homer is also someone who won’t admit that something the team did was wrong, but places blame on anyone or anything outside the team. By a basic definition, I would suppose that I am a homer because I root for my local teams. However, I am not someone who can’t give the other team some credit when they beat my team. I am a passionate fan for the squads I like (and it ain’t easy when the Orioles and Wizards are on your list). But if another team comes in and whoops my team, unless there is some egregious mistake by the team or the officiating, I can give the other team credit and admit they were better on that particular day. I can also criticize my team if they make a personnel decision I don’t agree with, or a player who doesn’t make a play at a crucial time. In the history of sports, every team has made a mistake at one time or another. To not even acknowledge any mistake or error by your team or its management puts you in the homer category.
Perhaps the worst type of homer is the press box homer. Now I suppose when you are hired by the team and they sign your paycheck, you have to “root” for the home team some. But the motto used to be “no cheering in the press box” (or at least I think it still is). The good announcers can support the home team without being overzealous about it. One of the rumors as to why John Miller was sent packing as the Orioles radio announcer years ago was because Peter Angelos didn’t think he rooted for the Orioles enough and was too critical of them when the team made mistakes. Now, I’ve always thought that Miller broadcast the right way…but I can remember watching Atlanta Braves games back in the day when Skip Caray would root for the Braves unashamedly from announcer’s booth, often invoking “we” as in “we (the Braves) need to score some runs.” I was never a fan of that style of announcing, but some fans may like it. To me though, Carey was a homer.
If you have an opinion on this, let me know in the comments.
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