After spending a relaxing weekend away from the heat and humidity of the DC area, I have returned with a sense that even though there are some things in the world that are constant, people continue to report them in newspapers and readers express surprise/dismay when they hear about them. Here is a prime example from my reading of back issues of the Washington Post as I am in catch-up mode. Kerry Wood left a game in the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds because of stiffness in his shoulder. This is not something that ought to be surprising to anyone who follows baseball even a little bit. Wood had problems in spring training and was on the DL at least once earlier this year. (Cubs' fans will tell me if it was once or twice that he went on the DL, I don't have to worry about ferreting out that factoid.) After that “stiffness”, Wood is now slated to miss a start and the team is contemplating another tour on the disabled list.
Coaches get recycled in sports; it happens all the time. So why the shock and amazement when the Sonics found a way to recycle Bob Weiss and give him his fourth stint at the head of an NBA bench? Well, maybe the surprise was over his less than stunning record in his previous stops in LA, Atlanta and San Antonio. [Cumulative record is 210-282. Pro-rated over an 82 game season, that translates into winning 35 games a year.] So, maybe I'll give people a bit of a break here about their shock at this news. Actually, I think the real reason Weiss got the job is that Gene Shue's agent never returned the Sonics' phone calls…
A local lawyer in the DC area has sent a letter to the major TV stations here in the area saying that he and other civil rights groups will oppose the renewal of the stations' licenses if they do not restrict severely the use of the word “Redskins” in their news coverage. This is not news. But it could get interesting because journalistic outlets reflexively react to others telling them what they can and cannot say or print. Obviously, they react a lot more vigorously if the government or a political person or organization makes such a demand, but they don't like it under any circumstances. I don't know how this will play out, but I do know this. So long as Danny Boy Snyder's team produces the highest amount of revenue in the NFL using that team name, you can bet that he isn't going to change it. These groups that want the name changed have a very direct way to do that available to them. It's called a boycott. Now all they have to do is organize one and keep it together…
I noticed that the Redskins have not yet signed their two first round picks. That's not news either because there seems to be a tradition that top picks for NFL teams do not sign contracts until there are less than two weeks left to go until training camp opens. I don't really understand that. If I were in a position to get a $5M signing bonus – just to pick out a number here – I think I'd instruct my agent to get moving on that front as quickly as possible. But they never do…
Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France. Congratulations to him. Now let me say something about bicycle racing. I do not care even a little bit about bicycle racing. And without the feelgood story of Lance Armstrong, I wonder just what the media will do next year to try to make the Tour de France marginally interesting for a couple of weeks. Me? I'll just do what I always do and ignore it…
Glancing over the “Transactions” sections of recent papers, I see that the Minnesota Timberwolves have signed Mark Madsen to a five-year contract. Other than his embarrassingly bad dancing as part of the LA Lakers championship celebration, I really don't think that Madsen has done anything even remotely noteworthy in his entire career. So, why a five-year contract? Did the NBA mandate that because they know the Wolves are not going to win a title any time soon and therefore Madsen's dancing won't be on display any time soon?
I also see that the Minnesota Vikings must have it in for the broadcasters in the area and maybe even for headline writers at the local papers. If not, why did they sign RB, Adimchinobe Eschemandu?
Travis Henry is a pretty good running back. But the Bills also have Willis McGahee and Henry did not want to be a back up for another year and so a trade had to be made. I had kinda thought Henry would bring a pretty good price but the Titans picked him up for a third-round pick next year. Then again, the Titans have Chris Brown at running back and so they weren't going to pony up a lot to get another running back.
Speaking of the Titans, a look at their web page shows the players that have been “subtracted” from the squad this off-season. I count twelve players gone including recognizable names like Kevin Carter, Andre Dyson, Derrick Mason, Fred Miller, Joe Nedney and Samari Rolle. When the Titans break training camp and go to meet the local fans, the team ought to start out with a showing of the movie, Remember the Titans.
Tim Brown signed a one-day contract with the Raiders and then retired. Brown probably held on a year or two longer than his top-flight skills remained in his body, but everything he did on and off the field was laudable and classy. In the future, Brown hopes to be the first minority person to be the lead owner of a NASCAR team. When Brown held his retirement “ceremony”/press conference, there was a significant absentee – Al Davis. Despite Brown's contributions to the Raiders, people say that Davis always held it against him that Brown sided with Marcus Allen when Allen and Davis were at odds. The Raiders did not foot the bill for the press conference either; Brown paid the tab. And according to the Contra Costa Times, just about everyone in the Raider organization was too busy to attend. That's kinda sad – just about as sad as Brown's season last year in Tampa Bay…
Finally, a great line from Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle:
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“Bozo the Clown's grandson was drafted by the Angels, which begs the question: If your first name is Bozo, do you really need 'the Clown'?”
But don't get me wrong, I love sports...
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