Eric Prisbell and Steve Yanda of the Washington Post often team up on big reporting efforts that generate insights into collegiate and amateur sports in the US. In yesterday’s edition, they wrote about fans of various colleges who acquire media credentials and then interact with potential recruits for their favorite colleges. The NCAA rules say fans cannot be involved in recruiting; the NCAA is not likely to try to forbid credentialed media members from talking to high school/AAU players who, at the time of the conversations, have nothing to do with any NCAA member school. Nonetheless, here is an avenue ripe for abuse and this excellent article by Prisbell and Yanda deserves to be read in full. Take a moment, it is lengthy…
While I am in the mode of sending you to the Washington Post website for something in yesterday’s paper, allow me also to recommend Sally Jenkins’ column on the ESPN coverage of the Little League World Series. Let us just say that she does not think the coverage here is helpful with regard to the noble mission of the Little League to develop qualities of “citizenship, discipline, teamwork and physical well-being”. She is not criticizing Little League; she is criticizing the coverage that encourages players to emulate some less than positive traits/mannerisms of adult players such that:
“Watching them [the players in the LLWS], you get the same creepy feeling you do watching little girls in beauty pageants, wearing hair spray and wiggling their hips as they belt out Broadway tunes.”
The situation with regard to a possible fight between Raiders head coach, Tom Cable, and assistant coach, Randy Hanson, has taken on a new dimension. Recall that Hanson went to a hospital and was treated for a broken jaw. Rumors circulated that Cable had punched him out and/or choked him. Cable denied anything happened and the wagons were drawn into a tight circle. Then there were reports that Hanson had to go back to the hospital and that he had hired an attorney. Now it appears as if he will be pressing charges because the latest reports say that the police in Napa, CA have “reopened” their investigation into this alleged assault and battery.
At the moment, all we really have here is a “he said this/he said that” situation but a police investigation should change all of that. Allegedly, other Raiders’ coaches were present when Hanson was injured meaning they will probably need to “lawyer-up” and become part of the investigation. Football coaches always bitch and moan about “distractions” and how those dreaded “distractions” can become almost insurmountable obstacles for a team. I would have to think that a police investigation into the behaviors of the coaching staff itself would be the Mother Of All Distractions…
According to the NY Post, the Mets have known for at least a month that Johan Santana’s arm/elbow was not right. According to the Post, Santana has not been throwing in the bullpen between starts since before the All-Star Game (five weeks ago). Now there are reports that Santana will need surgery on his elbow to relieve the soreness and that his season is done. CBSportsline.com says the surgery is to “fix a lingering elbow issue.” Question:
At what point in the operation of a major league franchise that spends in the neighborhood of $150M a year on player salaries would you think that “adult supervision” becomes an important element.
Johan Santana is the best pitcher the Mets have by a wide margin. He still has years to go – - and guaranteed money left – - on his contract with the Mets. If he has had a sore arm since “before the All-Star Game”, why didn’t he see a doctor before this? Why did they risk losing a critical building block for that team? Recall that Santana pitched on a partially torn meniscus in his knee last year that required surgery after the season; this is not the first time the Mets’ braintrust has rolled the dice with regard to the long-term health of their best pitcher. If the owners of the Mets do not inject some “adult supervision” into the team now, then maybe they really are dumb enough to deserve having been screwed over by Bernie Madoff.
Here is an interesting observation from Elliot Harris in the Chicago Sun-Times:
“Not sure if this is one of the SAT questions Derrick Rose took (or didn’t take): If the people running the NCAA are on a train that leaves a Memphis station at 9 a.m. and travels at 50 mph, how long does it take them to realize they are doing so with their eyes intentionally closed and John Calipari is the locomotive’s conductor?”
Last weekend, the Florida Tuskers – - the Orlando entry in the new United Football League – - held open tryouts for players. They expected a couple hundred aspirants to show up; they got 1200 people to the tryouts hoping for a chance to make the team. I have not read anything to suggest that the other 3 teams in the UFL are planning to do anything similar, but assume they are for a moment and assume they get a similar turnout. With only four teams in the league and this level of interest in playing there, the teams might actually have respectable talent levels. I am not saying UFL teams will be equivalent to NFL teams; they will not. However, the UFL looks as if it could be a big step up from semi-pro football.
From the 1200 hopefuls, the Tuskers signed 12 players to their preseason roster. I recognized three of the names on the list – - albeit the depth of my recognition is that none was welcome on an NFL roster. The Tuskers open their season on 10 October at home against the NY Sentinels. A ticket in the lower level at the 50-yardline will set you back $55…
I could not make this next item up on a bet. Tim Donaghy had served sufficient time in the hoosegow for his conviction regarding links to gambling on NBA games that he qualified for parole to a halfway house. Donaghy has now been arrested again and is being held without bail for violating his parole. What did he do to go back to the slammer? He did not show up for work. Sorry, but that is mind-numbingly stupid!
Finally, Greg Cote had an observation in the Miami Herald related to Mets’ outfielder, Gary Sheffield:
“And in baseball news, Gary Sheffield marked the 10th anniversary of his being perpetually disgruntled.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…