NFL
You know what's great about a fake holiday wish list? You don't have to finish it by the real holidays; no demanding deadline. It's no thesis paper that I must finish before spring break so that I don't receive a big fat zero on my understanding of Women's studies (a particularly troubling class to fail before a Vegas road trip). However, ESPN imposed a deadline for me, in its own cryptic way. My most obsessively watched network advertised its campaign for the new year: "The Year of the Quarterback." (YQB) I couldn't believe it. I've been delaying this post for a few days, but now I must speak before my thunder is blown away. I'm not aware of ESPN's approach, but the title gives it all away. YQB will expose the inter-workings of the most volatile and difficult position to master in all of sports: The Quarterback. The people at ESPN may have beaten me to the punch, but I'd like to divulge a little bit of my understanding of the position (don't worry, I plan on keeping an eye on you ESPN).
As my friends can attest to, I've had an itch with quarterbacking. I simply am astounded that there are not thirty-two people, at a given moment, that can master all that is required to be quarterback. Some do it well: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and leader of the defending champs Drew Brees. Some that did it well: Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Elway, Favre (sorry Brett, I admire your desire, but retire before you get pummeled into oblivion). And some that will do it well: Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, and I'm praying the next Niners' QB. However, the majority of people who attempt to tackle quarterbacking fail to achieve the level required in order to perform with true excellence. I do not blame them, for it is nearly impossibly difficult to achieve. One must conquer a treacherous obstacle course filled with Steel Curtain defenses, organizational misjudgments, pressure packed expectations, arduous personal journeys, and the list goes on and on.
By no means am I capable of stating how one surmounts these challenges, but I am capable of wishing for myself and everyone willing; to learn how "Greatness" ticks. Hence, I will proceed to discuss my wishlist.
My Holiday Sports Wish List (continued):
Playoff injuries and a 4-Down-Offense.
I know, it sounds sinister, unlike my last charitable wish. However, from grave circumstances arise revelations never before seen. I am not rooting for injuries in general, nor any serious consequences to good health. I am merely interested in the idea that an injury, something deemed negative, could revolutionize how we perceive our country's most popular sport. An injury to the kicking game. Basically, I am curious to see what would arise if the art of kicking, by some mysterious happenstance, is eliminated from a must-win scenario. If this happens, some quarterback will have to lead a group of men effectively enough in order to overcome a novel task. He will no longer have the luxury to rely on 2nd best; field goals are merely a dream.
Instead, this QB will have to manufacture points the old fashioned way; Touchdowns. With no kicking game but an eye on the prize, the QB will be blessed with a gift of an extra down. Another shot. A second chance. A Hail Mary.
A 4-Down-Offense (4DO) opens doors. Simple as that. I have no idea how it will progress, except that when it does, I hope I get a front row ticket. A 4DO catapults the QB from leading a battle for position to leading an entire team into battle. Points from field goals are comforting, but controlling the game and the outcome is what truly counts. Everyone examines great quarterbacks and observes their game winning drives. It is these drives that define them. Many times, such drives begin with only one of two possible outcomes: touchdown or bust. This gives them the ability (without the need for kicker-injury) to work with a 4DO. When their backs are against the wall, they dig deep and perform with excellence. It's impressive and the reward is just. The entire team wins, not just one man.
So, I'm wishing that the new year brings performances similar in nature to the above. Once again, we all will be further enlightened. A 4DO or quarterback masterpiece may not actually happen. But there will be flashes of brilliant play from a unified group achieving to reach an ultimate goal of team success. The more I think, the more I get this feeling... It may come from Defense...
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
My Holiday Sports Wish List: Part 1
NCAAF, NFL
Cheers! It's football season yay! Oops, my bad again. What I meant to say is it's holiday season, Woohoo! You'll be happy to know that these two seasons are not mutually exclusive. Yes, you can have it all... God bless America. With the holiday season comes gifts. Gifts can be tough. You can strike gold with some spot-on surprises, or you can strike-out, receiving polite but awkward "thanksss...." It's much easier if you can peek at one's wish list. However, I couldn't even construct a comprehensive one of my own. An unnecessary phone upgrade for my suddenly archaic 3G iPhone (thanks for nothing AT&T network) and a Wesley Sneijder Dutch national team jersey (in the Dutch orange of course) are as far as I got. I had more fun constructing a new type of wish list. It's a "sportacular" one.
My Holiday Sports Wish List:
Coaching for kickers.
Sounds like a charity, and I say it should be treated like one. These guys need some help, so give it to them! Kickers have been crumbling under pressure ever since the inception of the field goal or the beginning of Brett Favre's career, whichever came first. I'm not talking field goal attempts in the Candlestick wind or a Foxboro blizzard, nor the understandably difficult 50+ yarders. I'm talking about the ones that are "supposed" to be automatic. For example, playoff Nate Kaeding of the San Diego Chargers or Boise State's Kyle Brotzman (too soon? too bad, my blog). In fact, the Brotzman breakdown inspired me to readdress (a.k.a. blog about) this "kicking issue" that I'm tired of ranting to my buddies about. I'm getting really annoyed with watching teams fall to more and more kicking debacles and then blaming it all on the kicker as if the coach were helpless. FALSE!!!!
I'm sure at least once you've seen an opposing coach "icing" a kicker by calling a timeout. Why do opposing coaches do this? Simple, Mental Warfare. What appears to be the next "Call of Duty" game is actually the most important aspect of an integral part of football: field goal kicking. Kickers may be an afterthought, but you can't ignore that whenever they hit the field it's because of a scoring opportunity (except kick-offs). And you can't ignore that the whole "scoreboard thing" is how you determine who wins. In fact, the only reason we consider kickers an afterthought is because we all assume, nay, expect a make-able kick to be converted. "It's not that difficult." "They do it all the time." "It's like a free-throw?" "These guys are getting paid boat loads to make these, no excuses." My counter: "Don't underestimate pressure!" Make-able kicks turn into choke artist displays because it's all in the head. Guess Chubbs from Happy Gilmore was wrong on this one. The physical demands are relatively the same each time, hence the he-should-make-it assumption, but the mental factors are not so stable. Game on the line, season on the line, and everything changes. The mental attack is how you get to these kickers. That's why in the past couple of years, it's been trendy to get that T.O. timing down to a Goldilocks "just right." Games have been won, lost, and "Sportcentered" because of coaches mentally phasing a kicker.
O.K. coaches, you've clearly demonstrated that you are aware kicking is mentally influenced. So, PLEASE, play some DEFENSE and protect your kicker! Stop letting the other coach get into your guy's head. Stop letting the crowd get into your guy's head. And stop letting the flow of the game get into your guy's head. Well, how do I do that? The same way you help your precious young quarterbacks; simplify. Just like you cut down the playbook so as not to overwhelm the QB's thinking, cut down what the kicker has to think about. Your field goal kicker should only have one worry: kicking a field goal from X many yards.
Here's my proposal. Isolate your kicker. Don't let him watch the game, nor let him be aware of the score, etc. They should be keeping warm, and listening to their headphones playing whatever jam helps them stay focused. I'm not privy to all the NFL rules and sideline iPods may not be kosher, but you get the idea. Make him a waterboy, I don't care. Just coach him, basically distract the kicker so as to limit the mental pressures. Glancing at the scoreboard should be a no-no (the prohibited kind, not the Roy Halladay type). Sure, one might be able to sense a big kick from the crowd feel. But at least he won't be entranced watching a Montana-esque drive, talking to himself, letting the pressure build, and folding before he even steps onto the pitch.
I apologize for putting you under the microscope again Brotzman, but I guarantee you would not have missed your second field goal attempt had your coach followed my rule. Brotzman would have been bummed, sensing the magnitude of missing the first one, but his mental breakdown would have ended there. He would not have been mulling over the fact that his miss with one second left in regulation cost Boise State's chance to basically wrap up their most "glorious" season ever. Come the overtime attempt, he wouldn't even have known it was OT. Lining up, he certainly wouldn't have been aware that he could be single-handedly responsible for losing the game (and season) with another miss. His performance showed that he obviously felt such pressures. Under my rules, Brotzman would have worked with "Big Kick, Big Kick," that's it. Instead, he got "National Championship Hopes Kick and Entire Season Kick." Ouch.
Forget focusing on more BCS hoopla (save us Mark Cuban) and let's transition to a Super Bowl Champion coach. Yes, I got beef with Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints. Payton committed a cardinal sin when playing the Falcons earlier this year. He allowed his young field goal kicker Hartley to kick from the right hash on first down in overtime! He chose not to center the ball? I absolutely hate this. I understand kicking it on an early down because any field goal under the regular season sudden death OT rules results in Game-Over. It makes sense to eliminate the turnover risk and kick the "automatic" field goal once you're in range. Good call, but c'mon Payton, take it a step further and coach the kicking game by...simplifying! A Drew Brees kneel to center the ball would be so easy with Hartley any risk. A chip shot slightly to the left turns into a chip shot down the middle. If you saw Tampa Bay beat the Saints last year in OT, you would know that a short field goal from the right hash is not exactly Hartley's forte.
So, next time Payton, if you got it, flaunt it and take the opportunity to center it. It's not like it's that important... Hartley's miss only cost you a loss to a division rival and depending on how their Monday night rematch goes, it may have cost the Saints the division and home field advantage in the playoffs, which the Falcons (of course) seem to be walking away with. Big swing from just kicking huh?
I admit I watch far too much football, but I'm merely a spectator and not a coach (yet!). However, I'll diagram for you my expectations via my loving equation approach:
NFL Sunday Ticket + 47" TV + purposely never having Sunday plans + Dominos/whatever delivers to my door = I expect to watch some awesome football
Awesome football = awesome playing + awesome coaching
Awesome coaching = making the correct decisions (a la Bruce Bochy 2010)
Therefore, when I see a much needed coaching change, I shall demand it. Now that my charity group for kicker coaching is off and running, I'd like to direct you to my next wish/post, a potential coaching revolution: The Four Down Offense. It's exactly what it sounds like. Expect some Peyton Manning love as well as more kicking hatred. Enjoy the Holidays and stay tuned.
Cheers! It's football season yay! Oops, my bad again. What I meant to say is it's holiday season, Woohoo! You'll be happy to know that these two seasons are not mutually exclusive. Yes, you can have it all... God bless America. With the holiday season comes gifts. Gifts can be tough. You can strike gold with some spot-on surprises, or you can strike-out, receiving polite but awkward "thanksss...." It's much easier if you can peek at one's wish list. However, I couldn't even construct a comprehensive one of my own. An unnecessary phone upgrade for my suddenly archaic 3G iPhone (thanks for nothing AT&T network) and a Wesley Sneijder Dutch national team jersey (in the Dutch orange of course) are as far as I got. I had more fun constructing a new type of wish list. It's a "sportacular" one.
My Holiday Sports Wish List:
Coaching for kickers.
Sounds like a charity, and I say it should be treated like one. These guys need some help, so give it to them! Kickers have been crumbling under pressure ever since the inception of the field goal or the beginning of Brett Favre's career, whichever came first. I'm not talking field goal attempts in the Candlestick wind or a Foxboro blizzard, nor the understandably difficult 50+ yarders. I'm talking about the ones that are "supposed" to be automatic. For example, playoff Nate Kaeding of the San Diego Chargers or Boise State's Kyle Brotzman (too soon? too bad, my blog). In fact, the Brotzman breakdown inspired me to readdress (a.k.a. blog about) this "kicking issue" that I'm tired of ranting to my buddies about. I'm getting really annoyed with watching teams fall to more and more kicking debacles and then blaming it all on the kicker as if the coach were helpless. FALSE!!!!
I'm sure at least once you've seen an opposing coach "icing" a kicker by calling a timeout. Why do opposing coaches do this? Simple, Mental Warfare. What appears to be the next "Call of Duty" game is actually the most important aspect of an integral part of football: field goal kicking. Kickers may be an afterthought, but you can't ignore that whenever they hit the field it's because of a scoring opportunity (except kick-offs). And you can't ignore that the whole "scoreboard thing" is how you determine who wins. In fact, the only reason we consider kickers an afterthought is because we all assume, nay, expect a make-able kick to be converted. "It's not that difficult." "They do it all the time." "It's like a free-throw?" "These guys are getting paid boat loads to make these, no excuses." My counter: "Don't underestimate pressure!" Make-able kicks turn into choke artist displays because it's all in the head. Guess Chubbs from Happy Gilmore was wrong on this one. The physical demands are relatively the same each time, hence the he-should-make-it assumption, but the mental factors are not so stable. Game on the line, season on the line, and everything changes. The mental attack is how you get to these kickers. That's why in the past couple of years, it's been trendy to get that T.O. timing down to a Goldilocks "just right." Games have been won, lost, and "Sportcentered" because of coaches mentally phasing a kicker.
O.K. coaches, you've clearly demonstrated that you are aware kicking is mentally influenced. So, PLEASE, play some DEFENSE and protect your kicker! Stop letting the other coach get into your guy's head. Stop letting the crowd get into your guy's head. And stop letting the flow of the game get into your guy's head. Well, how do I do that? The same way you help your precious young quarterbacks; simplify. Just like you cut down the playbook so as not to overwhelm the QB's thinking, cut down what the kicker has to think about. Your field goal kicker should only have one worry: kicking a field goal from X many yards.
Here's my proposal. Isolate your kicker. Don't let him watch the game, nor let him be aware of the score, etc. They should be keeping warm, and listening to their headphones playing whatever jam helps them stay focused. I'm not privy to all the NFL rules and sideline iPods may not be kosher, but you get the idea. Make him a waterboy, I don't care. Just coach him, basically distract the kicker so as to limit the mental pressures. Glancing at the scoreboard should be a no-no (the prohibited kind, not the Roy Halladay type). Sure, one might be able to sense a big kick from the crowd feel. But at least he won't be entranced watching a Montana-esque drive, talking to himself, letting the pressure build, and folding before he even steps onto the pitch.
I apologize for putting you under the microscope again Brotzman, but I guarantee you would not have missed your second field goal attempt had your coach followed my rule. Brotzman would have been bummed, sensing the magnitude of missing the first one, but his mental breakdown would have ended there. He would not have been mulling over the fact that his miss with one second left in regulation cost Boise State's chance to basically wrap up their most "glorious" season ever. Come the overtime attempt, he wouldn't even have known it was OT. Lining up, he certainly wouldn't have been aware that he could be single-handedly responsible for losing the game (and season) with another miss. His performance showed that he obviously felt such pressures. Under my rules, Brotzman would have worked with "Big Kick, Big Kick," that's it. Instead, he got "National Championship Hopes Kick and Entire Season Kick." Ouch.
Forget focusing on more BCS hoopla (save us Mark Cuban) and let's transition to a Super Bowl Champion coach. Yes, I got beef with Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints. Payton committed a cardinal sin when playing the Falcons earlier this year. He allowed his young field goal kicker Hartley to kick from the right hash on first down in overtime! He chose not to center the ball? I absolutely hate this. I understand kicking it on an early down because any field goal under the regular season sudden death OT rules results in Game-Over. It makes sense to eliminate the turnover risk and kick the "automatic" field goal once you're in range. Good call, but c'mon Payton, take it a step further and coach the kicking game by...simplifying! A Drew Brees kneel to center the ball would be so easy with Hartley any risk. A chip shot slightly to the left turns into a chip shot down the middle. If you saw Tampa Bay beat the Saints last year in OT, you would know that a short field goal from the right hash is not exactly Hartley's forte.
So, next time Payton, if you got it, flaunt it and take the opportunity to center it. It's not like it's that important... Hartley's miss only cost you a loss to a division rival and depending on how their Monday night rematch goes, it may have cost the Saints the division and home field advantage in the playoffs, which the Falcons (of course) seem to be walking away with. Big swing from just kicking huh?
I admit I watch far too much football, but I'm merely a spectator and not a coach (yet!). However, I'll diagram for you my expectations via my loving equation approach:
NFL Sunday Ticket + 47" TV + purposely never having Sunday plans + Dominos/whatever delivers to my door = I expect to watch some awesome football
Awesome football = awesome playing + awesome coaching
Awesome coaching = making the correct decisions (a la Bruce Bochy 2010)
Therefore, when I see a much needed coaching change, I shall demand it. Now that my charity group for kicker coaching is off and running, I'd like to direct you to my next wish/post, a potential coaching revolution: The Four Down Offense. It's exactly what it sounds like. Expect some Peyton Manning love as well as more kicking hatred. Enjoy the Holidays and stay tuned.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
No Defense for a King
NBA
Last week, The Lebron James returned to Cleveland for the first time as an opposing player. This spurred talk about his highly publicized exit. In case you've been quarantined from the sports world or just overwhelmed by all the Brett Favre talk, here's a quick recap:
Last season, Lebron James (2-time defending MVP) was headed towards a highly anticipated free agency; the hype building for about two years. His Cavs went down to the Celtics in the conference semis with a three game collapse after a 2-1 series lead. Lebron's play was not so Lebron-esque. Then came "The Decision." This was an unnecessary ESPN special where Lebron "addressed the nation" to divulge his future path culminating with the infamous quote "...I'm going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat." There, he would join forces with fellow Team USA stalwarts Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. This "collusion" of free agent superstars was unprecedented. Some were excited for this monster team while others (including MJ himself) disagreed with Lebron's actions.
As a result, Cleveland got burned. At least, that's how they felt after Lebron stunned the city during his TV special. His approach to delivering the message was received critically by media across the nation. Everyone condemned this spectacle, disgusted with Lebron's disrespectful treatment of his supposedly loved home state. This controversy became the center of attention (again!) during The King's return last week. I'm not here to condone his actions, but to explain them thanks to a story I heard from my buddy Trevor.
While Lebron and the Heat were murdering the Cavs on their home court, Trevor informed me of a rumor that one of Lebron's teammates may have had some involvement with a family member of LBJ's. Apparently, Lebron found out after ALL his teammates and sometime around game 4 against the Celtics. As the rumor goes, The King would not have reacted favorably to such a rumor. This rumor is of course unconfirmed (as it should be). However, it's interesting to notice Lebron's disinterested play, a certain player's sudden drop in minutes played, and the demise of the Cavs in the next three games.
"Goodbye Cleveland." That's what got into LBJ's head. He had to know he was peace-ing out at that point. He can't feel uncomfortable around his teammates; you know, the people you are supposed to bond with to create the perfect formula for a champion. Lebron probably remembered a quote from one of his favorite movies (or maybe just one of mine) Office Space. "Mr. Samir Naga... Naga... Naga... not going to work here anymore, anyway." The true competitors need to win, which requires team chemistry. Even in a highly individualistic sport that is professional basketball, you still need a complete set. That's why they call it "team" sports, kids. No team, no win. O.K. Lebron, what's next?
Hmm, tough decision. Probably should look for some advice. How about family? Oh no... Your other family, Cavs' teammates? Ouch... What's left? How about your more extended family, Team USA. Yeah, the one you spent a summer with in a foreign country, actually won a team championship, played not for a city, but for the redemption of an entire country, and had fun at the same time. Nice in, Wade. Insert Pat Riley and South Beach is a done deal. Personally, I was rooting for a New York landing, predicting that The Garden would be the perfect launching pad to catapult a king of a sport to a king of the world. My selfish desire to witness an Ali 2.0 was outweighed by a man, a boy, a beast's desire to play a kid's game with his pals. An understandable dream, yes?
So, Mr. Lebron James knows that he is leaving for Miami, but hasn't informed the public. You know what would be a great idea? Making a ridiculous media bonanza about it that would show massive disrespect towards Cleveland. While that's the effect it had, it was not the King's intention. The purpose was to fuel the fire that is the Lebron James hype. Let's not forget that attention and expectations are pretty much all Lebron has experienced since puberty. His "King" moniker was already known as a junior in high school! For those struggling with math, that's usually a 17 year old. Far from a mature mind that understands the world. I remember his high school games seemed to be more nationally televised than a handful of professional teams (my poor Warriors...). His unique abilities were showcased nightly on Sportscenter's Top 10, every time he stepped onto the court (pre-game practice highlights even made it). You cannot blame Lebron for thinking he is bigger than Cleveland because, it is true. We've been oohing and aahing at his mythical abilities for nearly a decade starting when he was just a teen. Akron, Cleveland, and Ohio couldn't contain Lebron. Society demands that he venture into something big, real big.
The "American Dream" took over. A region's most precious natural resource was extracted (obviously, to the detriment of the area) for a bigger more profitable splash elsewhere. It's tragic, but it's been the course all along. I'll admit, my roommate and I have been salivating for several years in hopes of investing in LBJ inc. You know how valuable those shares would be worth if the man went public? Someone work out the legal loophole here.
The inevitable path of LBJ inc. exodus from Cleveland was widespread knowledge. Hence, why last week you kept hearing "It's not a problem with that fact that he did leave, but how he left." Many wanted to see him leave, but still couldn't agree with how he said goodbye, paying zero tribute and even taxing his formally loyal fans. True, however, his dishonorable departure is "un-defendable." It's only explainable with the reasons for leaving, which is Classified Information. Then why keep Dan Gilbert (Cavs' owner) in the dark until the last minute? Because, we taught him how valuable the hype of Lebron James is. Respectfulness and manners took a back seat to maintaining the confidentiality of where The King could end up. Everyone was far too giddy. The secret would be poor treatment of some, but a treat for many.
Thus, I find LBJ's actions understandable. I don't like it, but I can't expect anything else. Understanding the psychological roots is important for us to separate the thinking of the idolized versus the common man. Sports figures are role models. Their role is in sports, they are not model people. Realize it and learn from it properly. It's more useful to learn why such things happen, rather than to simply learn about the goods and bads of an outcome. Lebron will always take shots for his "decision," but it won't matter if he suits up his kevlar of basketball powers. Because as we learned with Kobe and Bill Belichick your sins are either forgotten or ignored when you win in this country.
Americaaaa! It's all about coming out on top and ignoring the fine print.
Your actions are exploitative and harmful. This pattern of behavior may be falsely rewarded but future generations will suffer because of your irresponsibility.
Last week, The Lebron James returned to Cleveland for the first time as an opposing player. This spurred talk about his highly publicized exit. In case you've been quarantined from the sports world or just overwhelmed by all the Brett Favre talk, here's a quick recap:
Last season, Lebron James (2-time defending MVP) was headed towards a highly anticipated free agency; the hype building for about two years. His Cavs went down to the Celtics in the conference semis with a three game collapse after a 2-1 series lead. Lebron's play was not so Lebron-esque. Then came "The Decision." This was an unnecessary ESPN special where Lebron "addressed the nation" to divulge his future path culminating with the infamous quote "...I'm going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat." There, he would join forces with fellow Team USA stalwarts Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. This "collusion" of free agent superstars was unprecedented. Some were excited for this monster team while others (including MJ himself) disagreed with Lebron's actions.
As a result, Cleveland got burned. At least, that's how they felt after Lebron stunned the city during his TV special. His approach to delivering the message was received critically by media across the nation. Everyone condemned this spectacle, disgusted with Lebron's disrespectful treatment of his supposedly loved home state. This controversy became the center of attention (again!) during The King's return last week. I'm not here to condone his actions, but to explain them thanks to a story I heard from my buddy Trevor.
While Lebron and the Heat were murdering the Cavs on their home court, Trevor informed me of a rumor that one of Lebron's teammates may have had some involvement with a family member of LBJ's. Apparently, Lebron found out after ALL his teammates and sometime around game 4 against the Celtics. As the rumor goes, The King would not have reacted favorably to such a rumor. This rumor is of course unconfirmed (as it should be). However, it's interesting to notice Lebron's disinterested play, a certain player's sudden drop in minutes played, and the demise of the Cavs in the next three games.
"Goodbye Cleveland." That's what got into LBJ's head. He had to know he was peace-ing out at that point. He can't feel uncomfortable around his teammates; you know, the people you are supposed to bond with to create the perfect formula for a champion. Lebron probably remembered a quote from one of his favorite movies (or maybe just one of mine) Office Space. "Mr. Samir Naga... Naga... Naga... not going to work here anymore, anyway." The true competitors need to win, which requires team chemistry. Even in a highly individualistic sport that is professional basketball, you still need a complete set. That's why they call it "team" sports, kids. No team, no win. O.K. Lebron, what's next?
Hmm, tough decision. Probably should look for some advice. How about family? Oh no... Your other family, Cavs' teammates? Ouch... What's left? How about your more extended family, Team USA. Yeah, the one you spent a summer with in a foreign country, actually won a team championship, played not for a city, but for the redemption of an entire country, and had fun at the same time. Nice in, Wade. Insert Pat Riley and South Beach is a done deal. Personally, I was rooting for a New York landing, predicting that The Garden would be the perfect launching pad to catapult a king of a sport to a king of the world. My selfish desire to witness an Ali 2.0 was outweighed by a man, a boy, a beast's desire to play a kid's game with his pals. An understandable dream, yes?
So, Mr. Lebron James knows that he is leaving for Miami, but hasn't informed the public. You know what would be a great idea? Making a ridiculous media bonanza about it that would show massive disrespect towards Cleveland. While that's the effect it had, it was not the King's intention. The purpose was to fuel the fire that is the Lebron James hype. Let's not forget that attention and expectations are pretty much all Lebron has experienced since puberty. His "King" moniker was already known as a junior in high school! For those struggling with math, that's usually a 17 year old. Far from a mature mind that understands the world. I remember his high school games seemed to be more nationally televised than a handful of professional teams (my poor Warriors...). His unique abilities were showcased nightly on Sportscenter's Top 10, every time he stepped onto the court (pre-game practice highlights even made it). You cannot blame Lebron for thinking he is bigger than Cleveland because, it is true. We've been oohing and aahing at his mythical abilities for nearly a decade starting when he was just a teen. Akron, Cleveland, and Ohio couldn't contain Lebron. Society demands that he venture into something big, real big.
The "American Dream" took over. A region's most precious natural resource was extracted (obviously, to the detriment of the area) for a bigger more profitable splash elsewhere. It's tragic, but it's been the course all along. I'll admit, my roommate and I have been salivating for several years in hopes of investing in LBJ inc. You know how valuable those shares would be worth if the man went public? Someone work out the legal loophole here.
The inevitable path of LBJ inc. exodus from Cleveland was widespread knowledge. Hence, why last week you kept hearing "It's not a problem with that fact that he did leave, but how he left." Many wanted to see him leave, but still couldn't agree with how he said goodbye, paying zero tribute and even taxing his formally loyal fans. True, however, his dishonorable departure is "un-defendable." It's only explainable with the reasons for leaving, which is Classified Information. Then why keep Dan Gilbert (Cavs' owner) in the dark until the last minute? Because, we taught him how valuable the hype of Lebron James is. Respectfulness and manners took a back seat to maintaining the confidentiality of where The King could end up. Everyone was far too giddy. The secret would be poor treatment of some, but a treat for many.
Thus, I find LBJ's actions understandable. I don't like it, but I can't expect anything else. Understanding the psychological roots is important for us to separate the thinking of the idolized versus the common man. Sports figures are role models. Their role is in sports, they are not model people. Realize it and learn from it properly. It's more useful to learn why such things happen, rather than to simply learn about the goods and bads of an outcome. Lebron will always take shots for his "decision," but it won't matter if he suits up his kevlar of basketball powers. Because as we learned with Kobe and Bill Belichick your sins are either forgotten or ignored when you win in this country.
Americaaaa! It's all about coming out on top and ignoring the fine print.
Your actions are exploitative and harmful. This pattern of behavior may be falsely rewarded but future generations will suffer because of your irresponsibility.
Friday, December 3, 2010
San Francisco Giants are World Series Champions!
MLB
One more time. San Francisco Giants are World Series Champs! That sounds so effing sweet. Growing up as a sports fan in the bay area, I know that we all have been championship starved. I was too young to take in the 49ers' or A's championships, but not young enough to live without the expectations of winning it all. The Giants have been the closest to my heart but also the most painful. 2002 took part of my soul, but 2010 gave it back. After the series, I was asked how I felt. While expected emotions of excitement and elation occurred, I was surprised to find that "relief" was high on my list. Finally, I am able to let go of my bitterness towards the Angels and steer away from Bonds immortality. When you expect to win, strive to win, nothing satisfies that until you do win. Sure, you can make temporary solutions; winning seasons, postseason appearances, MVPs, Cy Youngs, but all of those are rooted in the hope of a championship. If winning is the end all, you better find a way to achieve it.
Defense wins Championships.
The 2010 Giants won because of Defense, hands down. Every team they matched up against had a more formidable offense, but that did not matter because the Giants had the superior D. To clarify, in baseball I define defense to encompass all that you do in every half inning that your team is out on the field. This includes pitching and fielding. Offense, on the other hand, is all you do to score runs in your half inning of batting, including base running. San Fran was able to scrap together whatever results they could in their half innings of O and that was good enough to compliment their D. Simply put, they dominated defensively.
It doesn't matter how many runs you put up or how often you score, (even if it takes more than 9 innings) the only thing that distinguishes who wins is run differential. Defense is the best and steadfast way to do this. Not letting the other team score guarantees a win. Baseball can't end in ties (except crappy exhibition ones) and nothing is more valuable than a big fat zero in the other team's run column. Interestingly, there are no guarantees offensively. You score 7, they can score 9. 10 you, 11 them. All day. No number can match the guarantee of that defensive zero.
The structure of baseball allows an effective separation of Church and State, I mean offense and defense. Unlike many other sports, in baseball, defense cannot be directly influenced by your own offense. You can't score negative runs and you cannot give up runs unless you are playing defense. An inning ending double play (a far too popular entree of Giants) hurts your chances, but a pick 6 is punishing. Other sports are not structured to keep that guarantee of a dominant defense. See the Chargers special teams this season or anyone who plays quarterback for a Urlacher led defense. Enough cross-sports talk. In case your interested, I do plan on ranking the relative impact of defense across sports in a future post.
Back to baseball and my loving G-men. The most difficult opponent this season was the Padres. I'll give you one chance: Guess what the Padres did well? An incorrect answer means you are illiterate. Zero tolerance if you've read this far. Furthermore, The Phillies presented the toughest challenge for the Giants this postseason. The reason for this, I'll be more specific. Roy Halladay (my sweet 1st round fantasy pick) and Roy Oswalt.
Mathematically: 2Roys < a Freak + a Cain
It helps if you throw another variable into the equation. Chase Utley. Yes, the UCLA product who is a juggernaut at second base. Before you get offended that I brought an offensive player into a post about defense, remember what I mentioned about D; fielding. Utley was booting balls and killing the phrase "dropping it like it's hot." Even Jimmy Rollins' (Bay Area!) outstanding defensive effort couldn't make up Utley's defensive miscues on the Phillies' overall D. I find Utley's mistakes forgivable only because he didn't learn defense from Ben Howland. Errors are often the ignored column, but oh man, are they important come postseason. Bill Buckner anyone? And for the Giants faithful, Jose Cruz Jr. Defensive excellence is either overlooked or comes far too easily in the marathon of the regular season. The bottle-necking pressures of the postseason squeeze out the truly great defenses from the ones that have just managed to get by. The greater defense won the pennant and honestly, the series wasn't even close. Despite overwhelming "expert" opinion favoring the Rangers to win with their vaunted offense and the "unstoppable" Cliff Lee, the Giants' team defense shut them down and shut everyone else up.
I say let 'em keep believing in their offensive fallacies en route to more Giants championships and more wasted Yankee money. But if you want to win championships, follow Journey as Giants fan did this fall and "Don't Stop, Believing..." in Defense."
One more time. San Francisco Giants are World Series Champs! That sounds so effing sweet. Growing up as a sports fan in the bay area, I know that we all have been championship starved. I was too young to take in the 49ers' or A's championships, but not young enough to live without the expectations of winning it all. The Giants have been the closest to my heart but also the most painful. 2002 took part of my soul, but 2010 gave it back. After the series, I was asked how I felt. While expected emotions of excitement and elation occurred, I was surprised to find that "relief" was high on my list. Finally, I am able to let go of my bitterness towards the Angels and steer away from Bonds immortality. When you expect to win, strive to win, nothing satisfies that until you do win. Sure, you can make temporary solutions; winning seasons, postseason appearances, MVPs, Cy Youngs, but all of those are rooted in the hope of a championship. If winning is the end all, you better find a way to achieve it.
Defense wins Championships.
The 2010 Giants won because of Defense, hands down. Every team they matched up against had a more formidable offense, but that did not matter because the Giants had the superior D. To clarify, in baseball I define defense to encompass all that you do in every half inning that your team is out on the field. This includes pitching and fielding. Offense, on the other hand, is all you do to score runs in your half inning of batting, including base running. San Fran was able to scrap together whatever results they could in their half innings of O and that was good enough to compliment their D. Simply put, they dominated defensively.
It doesn't matter how many runs you put up or how often you score, (even if it takes more than 9 innings) the only thing that distinguishes who wins is run differential. Defense is the best and steadfast way to do this. Not letting the other team score guarantees a win. Baseball can't end in ties (except crappy exhibition ones) and nothing is more valuable than a big fat zero in the other team's run column. Interestingly, there are no guarantees offensively. You score 7, they can score 9. 10 you, 11 them. All day. No number can match the guarantee of that defensive zero.
The structure of baseball allows an effective separation of Church and State, I mean offense and defense. Unlike many other sports, in baseball, defense cannot be directly influenced by your own offense. You can't score negative runs and you cannot give up runs unless you are playing defense. An inning ending double play (a far too popular entree of Giants) hurts your chances, but a pick 6 is punishing. Other sports are not structured to keep that guarantee of a dominant defense. See the Chargers special teams this season or anyone who plays quarterback for a Urlacher led defense. Enough cross-sports talk. In case your interested, I do plan on ranking the relative impact of defense across sports in a future post.
Back to baseball and my loving G-men. The most difficult opponent this season was the Padres. I'll give you one chance: Guess what the Padres did well? An incorrect answer means you are illiterate. Zero tolerance if you've read this far. Furthermore, The Phillies presented the toughest challenge for the Giants this postseason. The reason for this, I'll be more specific. Roy Halladay (my sweet 1st round fantasy pick) and Roy Oswalt.
Mathematically: 2Roys < a Freak + a Cain
It helps if you throw another variable into the equation. Chase Utley. Yes, the UCLA product who is a juggernaut at second base. Before you get offended that I brought an offensive player into a post about defense, remember what I mentioned about D; fielding. Utley was booting balls and killing the phrase "dropping it like it's hot." Even Jimmy Rollins' (Bay Area!) outstanding defensive effort couldn't make up Utley's defensive miscues on the Phillies' overall D. I find Utley's mistakes forgivable only because he didn't learn defense from Ben Howland. Errors are often the ignored column, but oh man, are they important come postseason. Bill Buckner anyone? And for the Giants faithful, Jose Cruz Jr. Defensive excellence is either overlooked or comes far too easily in the marathon of the regular season. The bottle-necking pressures of the postseason squeeze out the truly great defenses from the ones that have just managed to get by. The greater defense won the pennant and honestly, the series wasn't even close. Despite overwhelming "expert" opinion favoring the Rangers to win with their vaunted offense and the "unstoppable" Cliff Lee, the Giants' team defense shut them down and shut everyone else up.
I say let 'em keep believing in their offensive fallacies en route to more Giants championships and more wasted Yankee money. But if you want to win championships, follow Journey as Giants fan did this fall and "Don't Stop, Believing..." in Defense."
Welcome!
I finally decided to start a blog. Why? Fame, Fortune, and Glory...False. I am starting this blog simply because I want to. I had to start with a theme, and not surprisingly I chose sports. The passion of mine since day one. Dad, did you know of the consequences when you tossed away the unwanted "Sporting Green" section onto my bed as a child? If not, I'm sorry, this train can't be stopped. When it comes to sports there are no limits for me. Playing, watching, talking, analyzing, arguing, whatever.
My family was on top of it:
"He doesn't like to read, hmm, he loves sports, at least we can get him to read that."
Well done mom and dad.
"College, he needs one with sports"
Well Hello... UCLA. Couldn't of chosen a better school. You were good to me. Special thanks to UCLA basketball.
"You should look for a job in sports" (my mom, duh)
Work in progress.
My brother's breakdown: "Sports, Sports, Sports, Sports, Sports." (imagine a geeky voice)
Yea, Yea. My rebuttal: "Film, Film, Film, Film, Film." Why have a blog unless you can talk about what you want AND take shots at your only, and older brother? I see a sports inspired film in the future...
Anyhow. I chose the title "Defense Wins Championships" because it is my numero uno sports philosophy. If you want to argue with me, let's start with that. It's also a phrase that I've always felt transcends the sports world. As I continue with this blog, I hope to start with a foundation on sports and discuss other applicable situations, and vice versa.
Enjoy, Learn, Discuss, Take what you want from this blog.
My family was on top of it:
"He doesn't like to read, hmm, he loves sports, at least we can get him to read that."
Well done mom and dad.
"College, he needs one with sports"
Well Hello... UCLA. Couldn't of chosen a better school. You were good to me. Special thanks to UCLA basketball.
"You should look for a job in sports" (my mom, duh)
Work in progress.
My brother's breakdown: "Sports, Sports, Sports, Sports, Sports." (imagine a geeky voice)
Yea, Yea. My rebuttal: "Film, Film, Film, Film, Film." Why have a blog unless you can talk about what you want AND take shots at your only, and older brother? I see a sports inspired film in the future...
Anyhow. I chose the title "Defense Wins Championships" because it is my numero uno sports philosophy. If you want to argue with me, let's start with that. It's also a phrase that I've always felt transcends the sports world. As I continue with this blog, I hope to start with a foundation on sports and discuss other applicable situations, and vice versa.
Enjoy, Learn, Discuss, Take what you want from this blog.
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