Where is the Justice?

ESPN has a huge problem with latching onto a team and glorifying them beyond all others. When the Yankees lose, they speak of the Yankee loss, not the victory of the other team...even when New York is out of the playoffs and a team like the Texas Rangers should be enjoying the spotlight. ESPN is doing the same now with Boise State. It is spoken as if Boise State is so much more relevant than TCU. Why is that? Why would ESPN prefer seeing Boise State stick it to the BCS as opposed to TCU? I swear...you beat ONE University of Oklahoma Football team in a BCS Bowl Game...HA! Where is the justice?!

Tweet Tweet Tiger

Alert: Tiger Woods now has a Twitter account.
He has almost 200,000 followers in just a few days. He is following 7 accounts and the only actual person he is following is his friend NotahBegay3. Why is this relevant? Tiger Woods just now is on Twitter! For years celebrities have connected with fans via Twitter. Woods has never felt this need. This is the first sign I have seen that he actually wants (or at least sees the PR advantage of) to connect to fans. He gets a thumbs up from me on this...and most of you know how I feel about Tiger! In my opinion
Twitter has totally changed the way sports figures (and celebrities of all genres)have acknowledged and interacted with their fan base. By following those who are active on Twitter you get a personal inside look at the athlete's day-to-day life and how they interact with each other, as well. If you are not taking advantage of this opportunity you are missing out.

Keep it Clean Boys! The Cam Newton Issue

Now...Cameron (Cam) Newton of Auburn may not have asked for money...he may not have even wanted to be involved in the solicitation of money to play. Should he still be held accountable? Of course! You can bet on this...he KNEW his father was asking for a sum of money for Cam to decide which uniform... to put on. Would it be hard to tell Daddy you were going to take no part in that type of behavior? YES! However, it was still his responsibility to remain clean and ethical. You know who I feel sorry for? Second place. In the latest Heisman Race points Cam Newton had 73 total points. Second place belongs to LaMichael James of Oregon and Kellen Moore of Boise State with 53 points each. How would you like to win the Heisman in this case. Knowing that without this scandal there would be no way for you to win the award over the Auburn stud! No thanks. I would only want the honor if I KNEW it was really mine to have! What do you think?

What the Rangers are Really Made Of

The Texas Rangers made a dream come true for their organization and their loyal fans on October 22, 2010, by clinching a trip to the World Series for the first time. Dallas-Fort Worth has been a fun place to be this post season. I have been thrilled for all my friends who are huge Rangers fans. The Texas ball club exuded a spirit of excitement and confidence though their series with the Tampa Rays and the New York Yankees. Team members have demonstrated a boy-like charm that draws you in and urges you to cheer for no one else. However, during and after Wednesday’s Game 1 in the World Series against the San Francisco Giants, I began to wonder…What is this Rangers team really made of?
A Cliff Lee vs. Tim Lincecum match-up was sure to be a pitcher’s duel for the record books. Ultimately, the fascination was not at the astounding pitching, but how far off the mark each former Cy Young winner was. Cliff lee gave up seven runs and five doubles in 104 pitches before leaving the mound in the middle of the 5th inning. Prior to Game 1, Lee’s post season ERA was 1.26. You saw him against the Yankees, you saw him in the 2009 World Series with the Phillies. The Rangers have hung their momentum on this 6’3” starter from Arkansas. When Lee is dominating it is easy to follow his lead, but how will the Rangers push though when Lee is off balance? The answer to this question is what the Rangers are really made of.
With Lee in the dugout the Rangers’ bullpen allowed four more runs. You can credit Mark Lowe with three of those runs. In the meantime, Giants ace Tim Lincecum was taken out after 5 2/3 innings. He was lacking his freakish spark that normally follows him to the mound. Did the Rangers take advantage? Not as they should have. Though Texas had 11 total hits, All-Stars Michael Young and Josh Hamilton did not add to that number. It was worse in the field. The Rangers had four errors: one each by Young and Elvis Andrus and two by Vlad Guerrero. Additionally, where was the base running we saw in Game 5 against the Rays at the Trop (Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.)? In an ALDS 5-1 victory led by Cliff Lee on October 12, 2010, the Rangers showed the world what “run like a deer” really meant. This game showed some of the most impressive base running I have seen, with Andrus inspiring his team mates to follow his quick step. Speaking of Elvis Andrus, instead of stealing bases he was noted for his clumsiness Wednesday night, kicking a ball with his foot for an error. Andrus has what it takes to light a fire under this Rangers team. Signed by Atlanta at the age of 16 in 2005, Andrus was traded to the Rangers in 2007. In 2008, I was at Dr. Pepper Park in Frisco watching my friend Ole play for the Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros AA team) in a game against the Roughriders. (Ranger’s AA team) My friend said to me, watch out for that Elvis kid…he will be starting for the Rangers next year. I took one look at the skinny guy and said…no way! He was fast though, and he could hit the ball. “Skinny Kid” started the 2009 season with the Texas Rangers as a 20 year old short stop, after Young agreed to move to 3rd base. I am struck by how well he has done…and by his current size. He has grown into a big league star…now the Rangers need him to lead like one.
Question is...do the Rangers have what it takes to step and win after an off night? Thursday’s Game 2 of the World Series did not prove that they could. A 9-0 shutout by the Giants and starter Matt Cain was hardly the turnaround we had hoped for. Though fielding was improved with zero errors, Andrus, Nelson Cruz and David Murphy came up hitless. Andrus did steal one base, and CJ Wilson only gave up two hits. The Rangers bullpen continued their lack of control, allowing seven runs. Naftali Feliz did not make an appearance….shouldn’t he have?
I am hopeful that the answer to what the Texas Rangers are made of is not indicated by what we have seen thus far in the 2010 World Series. I am looking for some clawing and deer-like momentum that swings in favor of the Rangers. I want to see that boy-like giddiness, as seen in the ALCS against the Yankees, make its way back to the Texas dugout. Come on boys! IT’S TIME! (So I hear.)

What’s Not to Hate? Why it is Easy to Despise the Yankees.

Another season…another exciting trip to the post season…another humiliating sweep by the Yankees. This is the status of the Minnesota Twins and all who invest their loyal fandom into this club. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach the day I heard the Twins would face the Yankees in the 2010 ALDS (American League Division Series). This immediate reaction to a defeat not yet realized, was the result of knowing all too well the history of the Twins vs. Yankees post season play. 2003, 2004, and 2009 resulted in a 9-2 record in favor of the Yankees over the Twins in post-season match-ups. For the second season in a row, the Twins would face the Yankees in round one. The 2009 remarks of “David vs. Goliath” rang in my head. However, in 2010 Minnesota had home field advantage and would play their first playoff game outside in the Twin Cities (Target Field) for the first time since 1970. The American League Central Champs should be able to knock off the AL wildcard right? No…second year in a row equaled the second 3-game sweep in a row for the Yankees over the obviously mentally blocked Twins. Remember that sinking feeling I mentioned? This wasn’t just the feeling of a fan who knew the upcoming challenges her team would face…I hate…despise…detest…the New York Yankees. To a point that leaves me a bit nauseous.
The New York Yankees…you love them or you utterly hate them. Am I right? It’s like Notre Dame, or the Dallas Cowboys. The Yankees are the most beloved baseball team in America, as well as, the most loathed. I can’t tell you why people dislike the Yankees. I can, however, touch on why I personally flinch when they are mentioned. See if you can relate…or are you a Bronx Bomber faithful?
1. All of the above: They lord over my team every year! In this decade I would guess that the Yankees are hated most in the Twins Cities…second only to Boston. What’s not to hate?
2. Money isn’t everything. Just ask the Tampa Bay Rays. However, it obviously does not hurt. The Yankees have a current payroll of $206,333,389. Nasty. This is the second highest payroll in MLB history. I must note that money, though it does not hurt, doesn’t always help either. The highest payroll in history was the New York payroll of 2008 ($209, 081,577). Ask Yankees fans who they cheered for during that post season, as their boys also watched the playoffs from home. Still…with all that money and clout being thrown in our faces…what’s not to hate?
3. New York, exorbitant amounts of cash flow, celebrities vowing allegiance, clean-cut pretty boys. This could go one of two ways. But, I say give me down-home All-American boys (or even one hot 1st baseman from British Columbia), raised up from a successful farm system, playing in a smaller market, with fans like you and me. You can’t walk a mile in NYC without seeing Derek Jeter in some advertisement, in some window. Those Yankee boys even pose when they are sliding home! Their every movement is calculated because they know all eyes are on them. A little too much like Paris Hilton for me! What’s not to hate?
4. Last, the “there is nothing and no-one money can’t buy” principal. I was somewhat of a Rangers fan a few years ago. My favorite players? A one Alex Rodriguez and a one Mark Teixeira. A-rod (or as I like to call him…A-fraud) was brought to Texas making history with his $252 million contract that would have ended in 2010 (can you imagine?). A-rod was the 2003 AL MVP (leaving the illegal substance thing alone here). However, the Rangers came in last place in their division the three years he was on the roster. In 2004 New York bought out this contract. A-rod has won MVP awards in 2005 and 2007 since that trade. Mark Teixeira (Big Tex) started his rookie season in 2003 for the Rangers. After brief stints in Atlanta and LAA, he was signed to a contract of 180 million over eight years for the Yankees 2009 season. Perhaps the most shocking and unsettling trade…Johnny Damon’s jumping of the ship from the Boston Red Sox team he pivotally helped win a World Series for in 2004 to his arch rival. In 2006, after campaigning for a larger contract, even to Red Sox skipper Terry Francona, Damon signed a $52 million over four year contract with the Yankees. In reports, Damon basically said the he urged Boston to pay him more money, but the Yankees players were calling to recruit him and they did a good job of it. Please note the agent for all three of these All-Stars: Scott Boras. Mammas don’t let your babies be represented by Scott Boras! While you’re at it…pray your favorite player doesn’t get nabbed by New York. Every offseason fans fear the Yankee front office, as well they should. What’s not to hate?
Fact is…the Yankees are good. A little too good. A little too easy to hate!

True Grit

I try to state the facts…as any so-called journalist would. So fact: my post for today was going to come from a far different angle till I had a change of heart this morning. I had decided yesterday to blog about women in sports, commentators in particular, and raise the question of how the public views women athletes, coaches and media representatives and weigh in with my opinion. However, after receiving the heart breaking news of the death of former University of Oklahoma Women’s Basketball standout Rosalind Ross, I quickly changed my path.
Let’s face it. I’m a baseball fan, a PGA tour junkie, and I get hyped over Sooner and Irish football and Blackhawks hockey. Not much in there speaks of a devotion to women’s athletics. Little known fact: I have some pretty strong ties to the University of Oklahoma Women’s Basketball Team. I attended every OU WBB home game in the four years I was at OU in a working capacity. For two school years (1998-2000) I worked for The University of Oklahoma Athletic Media Relations, my senior year (2001-2002) I was in charge of the Lil’ Sooners program through the marketing department and I lived with a couple of team members. However, my junior year (2000-2001) Oklahoma Women’s Basketball was about 50 percent of my life. I worked in the office, was a member of the team manager unit (shout-out to Kamoche, Mary and Lindy), stayed at Lloyd Noble Center at all hours of the night doing their nasty laundry, house-sat for Coach Jan Ross and begrudgingly ran errands for Coach Sherri Coale. The works! Was it my fondest job? No. Thankfully though, I have some incredible memories. One of my best friends is a result of this opportunity and I was blessed to be a part of the lives of some truly strong, talented, fun and memorable women.
From the outside, we had a pretty unique team of girls. No offense, but take a look at most women’s athletic teams and you don’t always find the most attractive, witty, smart, well-rounded group. These girls were different. Diverse all-american girls. The kind you are proud to travel with…as a group of tall attractive confident women draw quite the attention! Take away all the fluff and you are left with some real substance. Former Oklahoma forward Caton Hill earned her medical degree and is now a U.S. Army Captain serving as a flight surgeon in Afghanistan. Caton could hammer down some rebounds with great authority…now she is putting that same strength to use in such a powerful way to serve our country.
No matter who the girls are though…you are still working with a bunch of girls. Being a Division 1 athlete leaves you privileged, does it not? Somedays, the demanding prima donna bug would bite. Oh nothing too bad, just the typical I don’t want that flavor of Gatorade type thing. Ha! There were three girls that always stood out to me as winning the “award” for laid back, grateful and no complaints. Emily Britt (Page) who is still one of my very best friends, and still never complains or speaks a harsh word. LaNeishea Caufield (-Daniels) who is an Oklahoma WBB legend, a proud mother of two and has a heart as big as Lloyd Noble Center itself.
Lastly, and the reason for this posting, was Rosalind (Roz) Ross. Roz never, and I mean never, complained…to anyone as far as I was aware. Roz was from Milwaukee and was very proud of her hometown. I recall the first time I met her. Roz and LaNeishea were riding with me to a team event and Roz was telling me all about coming from Milwaukee to Norman, Okla. Some days Roz was quite, focused on working hard and her job as a strong force on the team. Most days though, Roz was silly. Chatting, laughing and teasing. She was always so respectful and kind. She did not want special attention, that is just not who she was. The news of her harsh death in her beloved hometown of Milwaukee has pained so many who knew her. In a statement, former teammate Caton Hill is quoted, “Roz was a true, good person who was one of the grittiest, hard-working teammates I have ever had. I am incredibly sad that I will never hear her high-pitched, speedy banter again or be able to joke back and forth with her again.” True grit. I know this is how all of her teammates would respond. Grit is exactly the word. Not simply because she hailed from Milwaukee. Roz was an integral part of a 2002 national runner-up team that put Oklahoma Women’s Basketball on the map and in the record books. She helped to lead the 2001 team to the NCAA Women’s Sweet Sixteen in Spokane, Washington. Topping off her success she was drafted in the first round (16th overall) of the 2002 WNBA Draft, by the Los Angeles Sparks. She did all of this, working hard day-in and day-out…with a torn ACL. The injury was received in high school and she did not even know it until she reported for preseason practice at OU in 2000. She played without surgery and without anyone ever thinking about it, because she never brought it up. What an amazingly strong woman. What a blessing to have personally witnessed this strength.
To the memory of Roz Ross and her dear friends, her Sooner family, and her sister LaNeishea Caufield.
Photos: #33 Rosalind Ross, #10 Caton Hill and #20 LaNeishea Caufield-Daniels (photo of Ross and Caufield-Daniels from Sports Illustrated)

The Other Uniform: A Tradition of College Football

We all like to predict the outcome of upcoming sports seasons. Pre-season rankings give us an indicator of how our team is expected to perform. More often than not, a few teams move several rungs from their pre-season ranking after only two outings. In 2009, the University of Oklahoma football team began the season ranked third. After quarterback and 2010 number one overall NFL draft pick, Sam Bradford received a season ending injury against Brigham Young, Oklahoma dropped to 13th in the week two USA today poll. Anything is subject to change in sports.
Well, almost anything. When you picture Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel in your mind, what do you see? Ohio State neck tie, short-sleeve, white collared shirt and red Ohio State sweater vest…or possibly a silver one to dice it up. What about Bob…Stoops? Oklahoma golf shirt and white Oklahoma visor hat with a breast cancer awareness pin on the side. Bobby Bowden? Some version of a Florida State coat or jacket. Isn’t it warm in Florida? Speaking of jackets…how old an un-kempt might that blue Penn State jacket of the legendary Joe Paterno’s be? Of course, these staple coaches uniforms, steeped in superstition and tradition, are not exclusive to NCAA football. You can usually count on Bob Huggins, head coach of West Virginia Men’s Basketball, to wear a warm-up suit to his games. Level of game deep into the NCAA Tournament having no affect on his wardrobe. Oh, and I see a lot of MLB managers consistently wearing baseball uniforms to the ballpark. Well, you can cross that one off this list, but let this stand as a side note that I have never understood that tradition. Hey…borrow Huggins’ warm-up suit idea!
One appeal of college sports is the plethora of traditions held by each university and nation of fans. I certainly celebrate that! Ladies, I do advise you to make an effort to keep that Oklahoma visor your significant other has to golf course outings only.