If You Can't Beat Em' Join Em'

I never really thought much about the week leading up to the Super Bowl. I never thought about the entourage the big game would bring to the host city, the media frenzy, the nightly parties, nor the mass of fans that would visit. Then again, I have never had a reason to. This is the first year I have lived in the host city for a Super Bowl. Sunday, Super Bowl XLV was held in Arlington, Texas. However, for the entire week prior, all of Dallas-Fort Worth was overtaken with NFL hype. I am not a big fan of the National Football League. I try to follow the Cowboys and I do follow quite a bit of NFL conversation during my daily ESPN Radio fix. I just wouldn’t say I am a fan and I certainly don’t get excited about it. I have always taken a lot of heat for that. I have many friends that do not understand my apathy toward the sport, claiming that the NFL is far more entertaining than college football. I must admit I took on somewhat of an “if you can’t beat em’ join em’” approach last week. I tried to get into the spirit and even spent an evening in Packers Territory (downtown Las Colinas) amongst the players and fans.
Ironically, one evening last week, I came across a GQ article from September of 1999, listing “50 Reasons Why Pro Football is Better than College Football.” I often tear out articles I want to read and put them in a pile. Obviously, the pile is slow moving, but the timeliness of this particular article was perfect. No doubt, I saved this article to compare it to the arguments I am frequently presented from friends. Below are the 10 points I feel are most worthy of notation (direct quotes from the article and in no particular order) and would add value to a conversation on the subject. I still wouldn’t pass up an Oklahoma Football game for any match-up the NFL has to offer, though.
1. No male megaphone-toting cheerleaders.
2. Real play-offs.
3. Tailgating the way it ought to be, by fat guys in sweats, not moms straight out of the Talbots catalog.
4. You can give a pro player a Cadillac and two new suits and not go to jail for it.
5. We all know what a Lion is. What the hell is a Nittany Lion?
6. Of Miami’s two professional teams, the Dolphins draw twice as many fans as the Hurricanes and half the felonies.
7. No pimply-faced, cable-holding teenager following the head coach around the sideline.
8. Division III?
9. Papa Bear Halas-player, coach, owner. Let’s see Bobby Bowden do that.
10. Ditka!

What Happens in the Mornings....

Every morning I wake up and watch Mike & Mike in the Morning on ESPN2. This week…due to some tennis tournament…probably a big deal but I don’t know and don’t care what the event was…I have been unable to do so. Since I started my Fantasy Golf (yahoo sports) this week and I am supper pumped about it, I detoured to the Golf Channel’s Morning Drive with Erik Kuselias and Gary Williams. (We will re-visit this topic shortly.) Thursday, John Feinstein was on as a call-in guest. Feinstein, author of Season on the Brink and A Good Walk Spoiled, was blabbing on about how Lee Westwood was a “bogus number one” and other such comments. The topic of conversation was concerning Westwood’s decision not to take part in the 2011 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in May. Let’s quickly look at this decision by Westwood. Simple enough, Westwood does not own a home in the U.S. He has chosen not to be a PGA Tour player this year and instead stick with the European Tour because of his location (supposedly.) This stance in consideration, and since he was a 2009 PGA Tour member, Westwood is allowed to play 10 tournaments in the U.S. and also the Players. That leaves this equation: Four Majors, plus three World Golf events in the U.S, plus the Houston Shell Open before the Masters, plus the Honda Classic in between events and last the FedEx St. Jude Classic the week before the U.S. Open and also where Westwood will be defending. This leaves no opportunity to play stateside the week before The Players, so the world’s number one golfer bowed out. Going back to the Feinstein blasphemy...I was in a state of high irritation. I like Lee Westwood. I really enjoy him as a golfer and as a sports figure in general…he entertains me. It just so happens, that part of this entertainment is from frequent banter on Twitter. At the time of this interview on Morning Drive, Westwood and Poulter were blowing up Twitter from Abu Dhabi, which in turn was blowing up my iPhone. I don’t always pay keen attention to these tweets, but I thought to myself that Westwood was surely not aware of the foul comments Feinstein was sharing to the world. Thus I decided to advise him. Very quickly a response ensued. Needless to say, I was cheered that the world number one decided to acknowledge my informative Tweet with a witty response almost immediately. I do what I can folks…I’m here to take a stand for the golf elite! This was only the start of what seemed an irritating day (evening in Abu Dhabi actually) for Westwood. There were continued comments on Twitter about what Westwood viewed as a non-story of his decision to forgo The Players. However, I tend to agree with Brian Katrek of the PGA Tour Network’s radio show Teed Off, “In order for this not to be a story we would have to say that he is not that important, and that wouldn’t be very polite.”
About this new show on the Golf Channel called Morning Drive. Here is an example of the Golf Channel getting it right in my opinion. The live show debuted on January 3rd and airs from 7-9 A.M. Hosting the show are former ESPN commentator Erik Kuselias and former Mad Dog Radio (Sirius/XM) host Gary Williams. There is a definite ESPN feel to the show, but it works. Popular music going into and coming from commercial breaks, sporadic chatter of football and other pop culture topics, and celebrity guests liven up the show and leave a different feel than typical Golf Channel shows. To my liking, since Kuselias was such a staple on Mike & Mike (filling in for Mike Greenberg), I felt even more content in watching Morning Drive. I may leave it on the Golf Channel for a while.

New Beginnings

One of the things we suffer through during the holidays is the time off. Not our own time off…that of our dearest sports radio hosts of course! It is quite painful at times to listen to their “replacements.” However, as I was listening to Doug Gottlieb cover for Mike and Mike one day last week, I was reminded of a few points. First of all, every sports journalist takes time from their focus to enjoy the holidays, thus, I am also justified as a mere sports blogger (this is my hobby and not profession at that), in taking a break. Second, and more relevant, I took a sharp left down memory lane. During the broadcast there was a mention of a Notre Dame men’s basketball game the night prior that triggered the thought of former Notre Dame men’s basketball player Ryan Humphrey. He is the first player I think of when I think of the program. Let me explain further. Humphrey was a highly touted recruit for the University of Oklahoma in 1997 out of Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa. This guy was seriously decorated with awards in high school: McDonald’s and Parade All-American and finalist for USA Gatorade Player of the Year, to name a few. However, after earning little playing time at OU, Humphrey transferred to Notre Dame after his sophomore year. There are some reports of health issues contributing to the lack of court-time, however, his success at Notre Dame leaves one speculating. I was personally saddened by the loss of Ryan Humphrey from the OU squad. Not only was he a super nice guy, I grew up in Oklahoma so I knew of his history and potential. However, sometimes you need a fresh start…and a fair chance. After being drafted in 2002 by the Utah Jazz and a somewhat short NBA career, Humphrey now plays ball in Europe. Going further down this path, I thought back to Doug Gottlieb. When I think of Oklahoma State basketball I almost immediately think of Doug Gottlieb. The Californian was an integral part of the success that OSU had during the 2000 season and trip to the Elite Eight. Gottlieb was the 1998 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Have any idea why he came in the first place? Notre Dame decided Gottlieb should move on after the starting Irish point-guard stole credit cards from a roommate and ran up a $900 bill. He found his fresh start and identity (that he claimed legally I might add) with the Cowboys.
Do Sooner fans think of Ryan Humphrey as one of their greats? No. Do Notre Dame fans even remember that Doug Gottlieb played ball for the Irish? No. I can also personally speak of two very talented and exciting high school basketball stars that left the University of Oklahoma women’s program due to false promises of playing time and contribution not realized. Sometimes that just happens…we don’t always see or hear the full story and excuses. However, more often than not, it works out in the student athlete’s favor to make the change. So here’s to new beginnings…looking forward to the fresh starts and changes in 2011…as long as they don’t involve any of my favorite athletes making a change to another team!

Exactly Who is Getting Paid What?

Not every athlete has THAT contract. Not every athlete is Alex Rodriguez…or Sam Bradford as a rookie. The league minimum in the National Football League (NFL) is currently $325,000. This of course goes up with each year of experience, so the highest minimum salary paid is $860,000. Though this is a solid bread winning…it is far from the contract of 2010 first round draft pick Sam Bradford with the St. Louis Rams. Bradford signed a six year $78 million contract with $50 million guaranteed. Major League Baseball (MLB) is home to some of the largest contracts in sports history. Alex Rodriguez signed a 10 year, $275 million dollar contract with the Yankees back in 2008…the largest MLB contract to date. Joe Mauer, short stop of the somewhat conservative Minnesota Twins, will begin his eight year $184 million contract in 2011 (well worth it to seal his stay in the Twin Cities if you ask this Twins fan!) Yet the average MLB salary in 2010 was 2.5 million with a minimum of $400,000. A game of exorbitant salaries yes…yet it till seems like uneven distribution of compensation. If you go down the rungs of the minor leagues you will notice YOU make far more than these boys! Though if one is lucky enough…and I do mean luck…to gain a spot on a 40-man roster as a minor league ball player for two years or has one day of major league service, a salary of $65,000 is earned. We think of athletes as excessively paid…frivolous, sickening contracts. Is the league minimum still considered excessive? Do we as fans even know that some of our favorite athletes are receiving a minimum salary? Do we generalize without knowledge of who is actually getting paid what?

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?