The Bounty Program... Is there a double standard here?

Gregg Williams – Photo: AP

New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator, Gregg Williams admitted to NFL League Investigators yesterday that he was the ring leader of a bounty program that gave thousand dollar bonuses to defensive players for "knockout" or "cart off" hits for at least three years. What does this glaring and admitted violation of the "No Bounty Program" Rule in the NFL really mean?

Anyone who watches professional football on a regular basis cannot be surprised by this. Big hits are one of the reasons we watch this level of football. It's human nature to want to see this type of controlled violence. It goes all the way back to the Roman Times with the Gladiators and even today there are daily bull "fights" in Mexico in Colosseum-like arenas... We are entertained by violence... it's in our nature. We get a thrill out of seeing the shocking and amazing things that other humans do to each other and against each other in the name of competition.

If the NFL wants to push the "safety" awareness and does not condone big hits... the why does nfl.com post weekly "Top 10 Hits Of The Week" video montages? Why does it allow Fox and CBS to show big hits in the weekly promos? Why does this hypocrisy exist?

It seems as though NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell is trying to turn this massive ship around but if he is going to punish the Saints with fines and/or loss of draft picks and/or suspensions... he has to look inside his own house and make sure it's clean before he starts cleaning house in other places. The NFL also needs to take a hard look at their stance on helping former players who are dealing with the physical ailments caused by the impact injuries.

I don't agree with a Bounty Program. I don't think it's necessary in this sport. The violence is already there. Helmet stickers maybe?

One of the most violent players in the game, Ndamukong Suh, doesn't need a bonus incentive to give out big hits. When asked about the alleged bounty program in New Orleans, Suh told ESPN:   "I don't take part in those things and nor do my teammates and nor my coaches. We don't allow that," Suh said. "For me, personally, and I know my teammates, we don't want to put anybody out," he added. "Especially me, I would never want anybody to target me to take me out, so why would I do it against somebody else?"

Why would players who make unbelievable amounts of money, some millions of dollars per season, need a $1,500 or $1,000 bonus incentive to make a big hit on another player? They are already paid a base salary to do just that! It's not really about the money for them, is it? No, it's about the game within the game. Who can make the biggest hit and who can knockout the Quarterback on the other team. It's a competition within a competition.

Professional sports in America is, at its very basis, entertainment. Men and women are paid to play a sport in front of thousands of fans in an arena, who pay to watch and be entertained. Millions of people around the world tune in on their TVs and computers and even their phones to be entertained.

Should the NFL punish the Saints? Yes, they broke the rules.... but the NFL has to look at the big picture and itself. 

If Roger Goodell wants to limit big hits, knockouts, and cart-offs and make the NFL "safe" for it's players... get out the day-glo pink flags and let's call it The National Flag Football League.... then let's see if the money keeps rolling in.

That's what the NFL is all about in its core... it's a cash cow money maker and NOBODY wants that to go away! The owners don't want it to go away, the players don't, the agents don't... not even the beer man want's it to go away!

This is America! This is what America is all about!

Madoff payback could cripple The Mets

Today, when tickets went on sale, my wife purchased "opening day" tickets to the Mets at Citifield for my stepson for his 18th birthday. Hours later, I read a news article online in the New York Newsday about Fred Wilpon, owner of the Mets.

Photo credit: Alejandra Villa - NY Newsday | Mets owner Fred Wilpon 

 

 

 

 

A U.S. District Court Judge ruled that Fred Wilpon, his family, his businesses AND his charities must pay back over $83 million dollars to the trustee trying to recover monies lost in the Bernard Wilpon ponzi scheme. Recovery of this money is necessary in order to pay back people who lost everything.

I am not sure the Mets can afford an $83M hit... During the off season, they let go of Jose Reyes and in total, cut their payroll by $50 million. $50 MILLLLLLLION DOLLARS!!!! (using a Dr. Evil voice)

Last night I watched "Moneyball" for the first time. It's a great movie and I was impressed by it...  Why bring up the movie? Because the Oakland A's will NEVER know what it's like to have to cut their payroll by $50M. Some teams will NEVER have an idea what it's like to even HAVE a $50 Million dollar payroll. It's really all relative but worth mentioning because if this happened in Florida or Colorado or even Minnesota.... the team would be completely gone or sold or moved to some other market.

I am not so sure that the Mets will be able to survive another hit like this. It will go to trial and be dragged out in the courts and New York tax payers will have to foot the bill for all the court clerks salaries and the court officers salaries and EVENTUALLY they will get it resolved but... Somebody has to pay for the Madoff debacle.

The Mets know what they will be able to handle and maybe $83 Million is no big deal... but in the appeal process they are required to post a $90 million dollar bond. So they have to pony up $90M before they even go to trial.

The "Amazins," as they are STILL known to this day even though they have been FAR from it for some time, have some major MAJOR financial hardships even though Mr. Wilpon has continuously denied it for some time. A stadium that they are still paying for, a $50M payroll cut... The tell tale signs of money problems are there! I am sure Mr. Wilpon doesn't want the stakeholders to have ANY doubt that the net worth of this team has been maintained but come on! I'm no economist and I don't hold an MBA but even I can tell that this is a big hole in the middle of Queens that the Wilpons have been shoveling money into.

Only time will tell if The New York Metropolitans will still be a New York team in two years or not... but I doubt it.

Bernie Madoff's illegalities have a far more reaching affect than we will know for a long time. I'm not a Met's fan but I know a lot who are.... If this does go down in a bad way... we may go back to the days of lynch mobs with pitch forks and torches... New Yorkers don't play.

Back to blogging...

Hey there my dear readers, I hope you are all well and good and I hope that the past 9 months have all treated you well.

I have been distracted by a few things... like work and twitter... I have been to some dark places and I won't bore you with my story because if I have learned anything in life, it's that we all have our own metal crosses that we bear. You deal with yours and I will handle mine.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way.....

Baseball Spring Training has arrived and with that, Fantasy Baseball. I was never into fantasy sports in my life... I was just a fan but as I grew older and knowledgeable about how the world works... I turned to fantasy sports to make it more interesting... it did and more. I paid more attention to ALL the games.. not just my favorite teams. I paid attention to all the trades and transactions... not just my favorite players... It opens a whole new world!

Like everything in life that you find enjoyment in.. there's always a side of it that raises it's annoying ugly head. 

I know... it's a cheesy photo but..

Last year my wife's cousin invited me to join his Fantasy Baseball League. A points league that all you really can do is watch. After the draft, there are no trades or drops... the ONLY way you can dump a player is if they are injured and go on the DL... I was excited because I had never been in such a league.... Then draft day came.. I logged onto ESPN and settled down with a cold beer. There was no online live draft set up though.. at least not that I could find.. I was confused... and then I got the first email... OK... an email draft... I can adapt... but what was about to happen was just NOT what I was expecting.

The draft, that I was expecting to take maybe 2 hours at most dragged on and on for 4 weeks.... picks took hours and hours to occur. Insane! I complained but I soon found out that this was what everyone had expected... I guess I "didn't get that memo" as my wife so often says.

This year, I reluctantly joined again, but ONLY because it was explained via email blast that the draft would occur expeditiously. The draft began on this past Thursday morning at 7 am with the first pick occurring at 7:08 am... looking good I thought. The next pick occurred..... are you ready for this? The second pick occurred at 8:30 pm... yes PM! I had the fourth pick in the first round. The person with the 3rd pick never picked. The commissioner finally allowed me to pick, skipping the owner with the third pick, at 9:30 pm. The fifth pick of the first round didn't happen until 6:55 am the following day.... We are currently in the fifth day of the draft and I am waiting to see who gets picked second in the fourth round... yes, the FOURTH round.

I understand that people have jobs and work and families and church and all of life's daily day to day stuff... but COME ON!!!! 

I have my own league that I am the commissioner of and I would be happy to invite anyone who is interested. It's a head to head league with a live, online draft that shouldn't take more than a couple hours of a Sunday evening.

Thanks for reading.... I promise there will be less ranting in the posts that follow!

BREAKING INSIDER NEWS: A comeback of my own....

Hey readers.... I am making a comeback of my own on this blog... I have been away for a LONG time but stay tuned... I will have something shortly.

A gift he never got to give...

Last night in Arlington, TX a fan, a father, a fireman died trying to do something that just about everyone who goes to a ballpark in America tries to do... catch a ball and take home a piece of the game.

I remember the first time I went to Tiger's Stadium with my Dad. I wanted to take my glove even though my Dad explained that I wouldn't need it since we were sitting under the overhang of the upper deck. I wanted to catch a foul ball, a thrown ball, I didn't care how I got it, but I knew I wanted it! I even remember saying "you never know Dad!" He said "you're right! Why don't you bring it?" The only use that glove got that day, was as a pillow on the arm rest for the ride back home from Detroit. I will never forget that day!

Shannon Stone's son will never forget yesterday either... but not for a good reason. He watched his father die at a baseball game.

I am sure that Josh Hamilton will never forget yesterday either. He was the player who flipped the foul ball up into the stands towards Stone. Something ballplayers do hundreds of times in a season. I am sure Hamilton thought nothing of tossing that ball up towards the seats at the time... now, I am sure he will never forget the way it felt to throw that particular ball.

Fans everywhere go to the ballpark to watch a game, but deep down everybody wants to take home a 5-1/4 ounce ball made out of cork, rubber and tightly wrapped in leather.... that was used in THAT game. Not just for the memorabilia but for the story that they will share with their child for the rest of their lives. People holding babies or beers, people sitting in the front row at field level or the 3rd row from the last in the upper deck, they all are watching and waiting and hoping.. but none of them think that they could die trying!

I never knew Mr. Stone but I can tell you in that moment when Josh Hamilton turned and tossed the ball towards him, I am sure he felt that joy and happiness that everyone feels when they realize they will actually be able to have a small piece of the game. To be able to catch the ball, turn and hand it to your child is a feeling that every American father wants to have one day. I know I do.

I can't imagine the anguish that Mr. Stone's son felt when he saw his father fall over the railing. I can't imagine the worry that Mr. Stone had when he was being taken out of the park, asking the EMT's to make sure that his son was ok. I just can't imagine... not without hurting in my heart.

It's all because of the fact that I can personally relate to the whole situation, both the attempt and then the worry about your child's safety... I think most fathers in America can.

It's a sad and tragic day in all of sports...

#STSW

Is the human factor in sports a good thing anymore?

Nowadays there is video review in the NFL and the MLB, even tennis has computer verification of where a ball lands near the line. There is an element in sports that  is what many feel is the best thing about sports... the "human element". Referees and Umpires who make the calls in every game, the players who make the mental mistakes contribute to the "reality" of sports. The only authentic reality show on TV anymore.

But are there aspects of the human side of sports that can be better?

Doug Fister after allowing a 3 ball walk.

On Saturday, July 2nd, during the Padres-Mariners game an umpiring mistake allowed a walk on a 2-2 pitch. That's right.. a 3 ball walk. The walk actually wound up being the winning run so the human mistake changed the entire game. The score board operator was the originator of the mistake showing a 3-2 count when it was actually a 2-2 count. But the count on the field of play is supposed to be held by the home plate umpire. The scoreboard is not supposed to play a  part.

When you think about it, EVERYBODY should have known what the count was! The pitcher, the catcher, the team manager, the ENTIRE umpiring crew... they ALL should have known what the count was. No one knew what the count was and the Mariners lost the game because of it.

Is it a good thing that this happened? Yes, it absolutely is! If only to prove that that the game is a game played by and officiated by... humans! If the game becomes too automated and computers or video become too integrated, the game loses it's humanity, charm, honesty, and integrity. The human aspect of ANY sport makes the sport attractive because as fans (humans also) we can relate. We have all made mistakes and bad decisions and we know what it's like to be in those shoes. It also gives us something to be frustrated about with the game. A bad call or a mistake by a player ultimately makes the sport or game more appealing and popular because we then talk about it and complain about it and then we watch more.

What is also important to remember is that the players and umpires are being watched by future players and umpires. That's right, kids are watching. Kids are like big sponges, the soak it ALL up, everything!

Jon Rauch loses his shirt and his temper after being ejected.

In a game that was also played on Saturday between the Blue Jays and the Phillies, Toronto pitcher John Rauch was unhappy with the call of two pitches that ultimately became a walk. On the next pitch the run scored. As he was walking by the home plate umpire Rauch made the comment that it was too bad that the umpire couldn't have an ERA because that run was his. Rauch was ejected. Rauch had to be restrained and the altercation became so violent that he lost his uniform shirt and threw his hat down in disgust and anger. He was ejected from the game, not for arguing balls and strikes but for disrespect.

In a game Sunday, Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves was unhappy with the called strike 2 and 3 in the 9th inning. Although he didn't argue at the plate, he did say some things in a post game interview that even he admitted he could be fined for. He didn't care if he was fined and he said so.

Kobe Bryant was fined earlier this year for an offensive comment he made toward a referee. It happens in all of sports!

Behaving disrespectfully towards the officials will never help your cause, not as a ball player or in life. If you have a smart mouth, you will get fined or ejected, just as much as if you have a smart mouth towards a police officer will get you locked up. A young man who was forced to testify in the Casey Anthony trial flipped the bird to one of the prosecuting attorneys. The Judge immediately had him removed and gave him 6 days in jail. There is a consequence for every action!

Athletes in any sport have an obligation to show respect towards the officials. Not because they need to keep from being fined or ejected or penalized... but because the officials are the authority at that moment.

Athletes need to set the example. Having a smart mouth or behaving badly towards an official will result in a penalty of some sort. Be a professional and act like a man, not a 14 year old who didn't get his way!

There was a time, not long ago, when players in major sports acted like gentlemen. That time is sadly over!

Promotional Spot for Saturday's (6/25) show!

Here's what you can look forward to on Saturday! http://www.upload-mp3.com/files/299720_yht1n/STSW%20Show%20Promo%200002.mp3


Keep spinning it!