Boys of Summer...

Or should I say Spring and Summer? It is baseball time again. My time of year. I am not sure when or why it started, but baseball has always been my favorite sport. Even today with both the NFL and NBA probably passing it in popularity with the younger generation I still would rather watch baseball.

One of the big criticisms of baseball is how long the games are and how slow they can be. I do not have a problem with either thing. I like the idea of a game with no clock. Everyone is always in a hurry and wants their life in short bursts before moving on to the next activity. Baseball refuses to play that game. Each team gets three outs an inning and can take as long as they can before moving to the next one. More of life should be like that.

I have never been a cold weather fan. Give me the warm weather all the time. Baseball fits in perfectly here. I love the idea of sitting outside on a warm day with a cold beer and watching or listening to a game. You will never catch me freezing outside at a football game. I never have and I never will. I will admit to some fond memories of playing football in the cold weather. That is a whole different story.

Sunday is the start of the new MLB season. The time when we all are in first place and can dream about this being the year our favorite team finally wins the World Series. My team is the Cleveland Indians. They have two World Series Championships in their history. Both Long before I was born. They have three other appearances in the series which the lost. Two of those were when I was able to watch. I still have not got over the 1997 loss in Game 7. We have a good team this year. We also are in a division with three other good teams all of which can easily win our division. We have a long way to go before we know who will end up on top. For right now we are in first place and the dream of a championship is still a possibility. Maybe this could really be our year...

The Price of Keeping a Sports Franchise...

I love sports. I just wanted to make that clear. What I don't love is how the public is forced to pay for the privilege of having a sports team. The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article about the high costs the residents of Hamilton County are paying for the privilege of keeping the Reds and Bengals in Cincinnati. It sure is something to think about as we listen to billionaire owners argue over money with millionaire players during the football lockout.

Let's be honest--what does the average fan get out of having a local professional football team? Bragging rights over having a home team? And if they suck then what? We always hear about how much money a sports franchise brings to a community, but what about how much they take? With public financing of new stadiums and tax breaks on revenue what do they really contribute? Sure some local restaurants and bars get extra business during the season, but does that really offset what we lose out as a whole on taxes?

Again I love sports. And love to watch to watch them. Still, at some point we have to ask ourselves at what cost is it worth to keep our teams? And are we really prepared to pay it?

Lebron, the Cavs, and who really cares?

Woke up this morning and guess what? The World did not end after Lebron's decision to leave the Cavs and head down to Miami. Of course we all knew that would be the case. Be honest now do we really care? Sports long ago stopped being about sports and instead is just another business. Athletes come and go as do teams. Cavs fans at least we still have a team, not like when the Browns packed up and left for Baltimore.

I never got to see Lebron play in person. Why? Because I just don't care about the NBA. It has been at least 20 years since I have been to a game. I can't tell you the last one I actually watched from start to finish on television. Even when the Cavs were in the finals a few years ago I never cared enough to watch a whole game. I have Browns and Indians apparel but have nothing from the NBA. That is just how I feel about basketball. It was never one of my favorite sports.

Will I watch the Cavs this season? The Heat? I will probably turn on the tv from time to time to catch a bit of action. I may even play in a fantasy league again. Just something to pass the time. As far as rooting for any team that is what the Browns and Indians are for. We can even throw in the NHL to root for before I worry about the NBA. Life goes on. As it should...

Superbowl and the Home Team

So the Superbowl is this Sunday. Will I watch? Yes. I am a sports fan after all and do try to catch the major sporting events. But the more important question is who to root for? My local team did not make the playoffs so I can't root for them. Do I root for the Colts since they are from the same conference as my home team? I don't know yet who I will be rooting for Sunday.

What do people who live in cities that don't have a football team do? Who do they root for? Thanks to cable, satellite and the internet is there a reason to root for the home team anymore? I know a lot of people who root for other teams than the one from their city. Part of it is because they moved here from another town, but part is they just prefer other teams.

There is also the issue of teams moving from city to city. Also players change teams regularly. There is no loyalty to the fans anymore. So why show loyalty back to the home team? The rise of fantasy sports also plays a part. I have played for years now and find that it makes me root more for individual players without caring which team actually wins. As long as my players do well I am happy. If my team wins too well that is a bonus. Is this a good thing for sports? The lack of identification with the home team? I am not sure. Only time will tell.

Decline of the athlete

Last night the wife and I were watching the Graham Norton show on BBC America. One of his guests was Martina Navratilova. Martina still holds the open era record for most singles titles with 167. She commented that because of changes in today's game no one will ever break her record. She feels that today's players will break down playing on the harder surfaces and with the advanced rackets. True?

It is an interesting thought. I think it has more to do with the mindset of today's athlete though. To break career milestones takes longevity and a single-minded desire to be the best. With the huge amounts of dollars involved in professional sports today how many athletes still have that desire to put their bodies through such training and abuse long term? Once they win enough money and fame how many still are willing to sacrifice everything else to do what is necessary to keep pushing themselves to stay on top long enough to break career records?

Today's athletes do not have any more skill than previous era athletes. The advantage today's athletes have is in technology and training methods. The wild card though is the game changes along with the athletes. Martina is right in that tennis has changed. The rules, scoring and size of the courts are the same. The surfaces of the courts and the rackets have changed along with the size, strength and speed of the athletes. She mentioned how retired players such as John McEnroe would struggle today because his game was more about finesse and today's game is more about power. Every sport tweaks their rules over time for various reasons. That does make it harder to compare athletes across eras. But the best players always rise to the top. That is true in any era. And they will dominate their sport for a period of time. The question though is how long they are willing to stay on top which means doing whatever it takes. I just think today's athletes don't have that all consuming drive to be the best ever. That's what it takes to set all the records...

Boycott the Olympics...

I am not understanding the thought of boycotting the opening ceremony or any part of the Olympics. The reasoning for doing so seems to be the Chinese suppression of religious freedom in Tibet. I can't begin to say how hypocritical that would be. Go into almost any store in America and you will find products manufactured in China. No one is boycotting those. If we really want to take a stand then shouldn't we be refusing to buy anything produced in China? Our priorities are so messed up in this country...

Greatest tv sports highlight

ESPN is running a promotion for the greatest tv sports hightlight of all time. It has got me thinking of what my personal highlight might be. I used to be a huge sports fan and would watch almost any sport on tv. I have to say over the years I do not watch near the amount of sports I used to watch. Looking back I have to say I have watched some good moments. November 20, 1982 probably is the most bizarre sports moment I can remember. What a college football game that was. And the ending when Cal took the kickoff and after several laterals ran it in for a touchdown while avoiding the marching band was incredible. Edgar Renteria getting the game winning hit in the bottom of the 11th inning in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series is probably my biggest disappointment. I still cannot believe we did not win that game. I actually feel very lucky as a sports fan. I have seen a lot of great moments and even better games. One I will never forget is April 18, 1987 - Pat LaFontaine scores at 8:42 of quadruple overtime as the Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 4-3 in Game Seven of the Patrick Division semifinals. I am not the biggest hockey fan in the world and admit I usually don't watch much until the playoffs. That game will I never forget. It is funny how things like that stick in your mind. Len Barker's perfect game on May 15, 1981 is another game that I will never forget. John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg in the 1980 finals of Wimbledon is up there too. The 22 minute fourth set tiebreaker will never be matched in tennis for me. The USA beating Russia in the 1980 Winter Olympics in hockey. I could go on and on. The more I think the more special moments I remember. I really have been lucky all these years to have seen these games. I just hope I am lucky enough to keep seeing them...

Why compete when you have no chance?

The last two nights my wife and I watched the U.S. Nationals for figure skating. Yes, I watch skating. I am a sports fan at heart and will watch almost any sport. I even admit to being hooked on watching curling during the last Winter Olympics. The men's final tonight was particularly interesting. The two main competitors obviously do not like each other at all. It was fun watching them being interviewed together before the free skate. Neither one wanted to look at the other and they made it clear they had no real respect for each other. So much for the joy of competition. The competition ended in the first tie I ever remember seeing in skating with Evan Lysacek winning on a tie breaker. As a sports fan it does not get much better. The thing that kept going through my mind both nights though was why a number of competitors were even there. I watched the finals in dance, womens, and mens. In all three there were competitors who knew going in that they never had a chance of finishing in the top 3. So why were they there? Some of them were appearing for their first time as a senior skater so I can understand why they were there. But what about the skaters who knew that they will never be good enough to win a medal? To be blunt they are just not that good. Has no one told them that? Do they think that by some miracle they will skate better than they have ever done before and surprise us? I am all for the underdog coming out of no where and beating the favorite. But lets be honest here. There were way too many skaters that are just not that good. And they never will be championship material. Where is the benefit for letting them compete at such an event? I have been to the Nationals when they were in my hometown. The tickets are not cheap. So if I am paying top dollar shouldn't I only see the best of the best? The sad thing is these athletes compete in other events and do well enough to qualify for Nationals even though everyone, including them, know they have absolutely no chance of finishing in the top three for a medal. I played sports. The fun of competing was always there, but I also wanted to win. If I could not compete well enough to have a realistic chance of winning I stopped playing. Isn't that how we all react? Why compete if you can never win? Does this reflect the idea we somehow came up with in this country that everyone is a winner as long as you do your best? Lets be honest here. Not everyone can be a winner. In this example say you like skating. Fine then keep skating. Just don't waste our time and yours by competing in events you have absolutely no chance in winning. I know this sounds harsh, but somebody needs to say it. In this example skate all you want. Be the big fish in your small pond. No one will take that from you. Just be honest with yourself about how you stack up with the cream of the crop...

Price of extreme skiing...

My wife and I enjoy watching any of the Warren Miller documentaries. Neither of us ski or snowboard, but it is fun to watch these people enjoying life and doing what they love. I always knew in the back of my mind that what they were doing was risky. It takes an incident like this though to drive the point home. What a shame for it to happen. He was only 28 years old...

College Football...

What a weekend. Thursday night we saw the number 2 ranked team in the country go down. Number 4 went down tonight. I managed to catch the fourth quarters of both games. Wow is all I can say. That is why I think college football is better than the NFL. Anyone can lose any game. Don't think so? Ask Michigan fans about Appalachian State. I had an email conversation earlier today about fans supporting their team. Actually it was about people who never went to a university being rabid fans. I just don't get it. It is nice if a team from your state does well, but if I did not go there I will not automatically give them my allegiance. And I don't think anyone else should. Now that is not what happens though. Countless people who never even went to college claim the local team as their own--especially if they are a good team. People love jumping on the bandwagon.

People also love the underdog. Tonight in the Oklahoma--Texas Tech game I was rooting like crazy for Texas Tech. For one thing I wanted Oklahoma to lose since they were the 4th ranked team. They lose and my team moves up in the rankings. But as I was watching it was more that I wanted unranked Texas Tech to win. I wanted the underdog to upset the favored opponent. Why? Does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Of course it doesn't. But I still wanted it. We all love it when the favored team loses. Ok, maybe not all of us. There is a sizable group of people that root for the favorite. But there is a large group of us that love it when the underdog is able to defeat the unbeatable opponent. I am a sports fan. I love the whole idea of competition and love it when I see an event where the opponents fight a good fight. Win or lose--if it was a good battle than it was a good fight. That is what competition is all about. And the college game knows that better than the pros. In the pro game it is more about how much am I paid and what are the business aspects. At least the college kids play because they love the game and winning and losing really matters to them....

Football blahs...

I won my match up in fantasy football today. That was good since I played the team that was tied with me for first place in my division. Real football pissed me off today though. What happened to my Browns? That was a game we should have won. We played so good in the first half and then looked so bad in the second half. We came out tight and scared. That is the only way to describe it. The offense was horrible in the second half which meant the defense was on the field way to long. It really showed in their performance. Still, we should have won. Except the coach blew it. No other way to describe it. I still can't get over the lack of leadership at the end. What was he thinking about calling time out after the Steelers scored a td? And then throwing the challenge flag when it was obvious it was a good catch? So we burned two timeouts for nothing. And that was the difference in the game. We lost because of that. If we would have had one of those timeouts we could have run at least one more play to get closer for the last second field goal. But no, we have a coach who is clueless on how to manage the clock.

Another team I really like is Indianapolis. My parents used to travel there on business when I was younger and they would bring me back Colts shirts. I became a fan as a result. So yes I was rooting for them tonight against the Chargers. And down 23-0 I was not expecting a win. But it should have been. They fought all the way back to 23-21 and had 4th down on the 6 yard line. So what do they do---they come out and at least look like they are going to go for it. They then get flagged for a penalty and lose 5 yards. So they attempt a 29 yard field goal which barely misses. The thing that I cannot understand is why they did not kick the field goal immediately. The coach got cute and sent the offense on the field and tried some stupid move to attempt to draw the Chargers offside to get the first down. Those five yards they gave away with the penalty cost them the game. The field goal would have been good if they would have been five yards closer. WTF was the coach thinking off. Another complete blunder by a coach to cost his team the game.

I still cannot believe either ending. Two games that ended up as losses that would have been wins if not for their coaches inept decisions. Unbelievable...

Highs and Lows of a Sports Fan...

To be a Cleveland sports fan is a special thing. We have had to put up with a lot of losing seasons over the years. Still, I stand by my teams. Today was one of those days that lift you up and then smack you back down. First my beloved Indians clinched the American League Central Division title this afternoon! This is our first divisional title since 2001. From the home opener being snowed out to having a home series moved to Milwaukee this title is very sweet. Then came the smack. My Browns were playing the Oakland Raiders. Which is ironic in itself since the Indians clinched today playing the Oakland A's. This was a very winnable game for us. Down by 2 with a last second field goal try---it is up and it is good. But wait, the Raiders had called time out so no play. The Browns line up for another attempt and---disaster. The kick is blocked and game over. Unbelievable. It is tough to be a Cleveland sports fan...