In recent days, Phoenix Suns President Rick Welts and former Villanova basketball player Will Sheridan have each publicly admitted that they are gay. Welts, 58, has been involved in professional sports for 40 years and has taken an impressive road to the top (started as an NBA ball boy), while Sheridan was a three-year starter for the Wildcats, a perennial top 25 team, from 2005-'07. As a result of their success at such high levels, the announcements have become national news. Sheridan has even made appearances on ESPN's "Outside The Lines" and "The Jim Rome Show" on Fox Sports Radio to talk about his experience as a gay, Division 1 student-athlete and his life since coming out.
But here's what's crazy to me: we're so surprised when we hear that a high-profile athlete, specifically a male athlete, is gay. Don't get me wrong, my initial reaction is exactly the same, but honestly, why!? I've heard statistics that as many as 1 in 8 people are gay (doesn't mean it's accurate, but you get the point), so do we really think that the athletic world is devoid of homosexuality? No chance. The sad thing is that there is still such a high percentage of people that are not accepting of an individual's sexual orientation. This is the year 2011, not 1951. Grow up.
After Sheridan's interview on "The Jim Rome Show," Rome took feedback from his listeners via email, tweet, text and phone calls. Upon hearing what they had to say I was embarrassed to associate myself with the majority of them. With the exception of a few gay listeners, just about everyone complained that Rome was willing to do that interview, some commenting that it was more information than they wanted to hear. Umm...what part of that interview was more information than you wanted to hear? The fact that he's gay? If that's hard for you to hear then do me a favor and go play in traffic.
Still though, that's the way the world works and it's hard enough for a non-athlete to admit that they're gay because they know that a lot of people will look at them differently. So I can only imagine how tough it must be for a male athlete to admit it when they're faced with expectations of being completely masculine. That being said, there are undoubtedly gay athletes that are simply too scared to come out. One of the genius callers that Rome took today speculated that one of the reasons athletes are afraid to admit their homosexuality is this: If they ever make a mistake, the media might blame it on the fact that they're gay. Right. Just like the media blames errors on skin color and gender (if you don't know me personally, that's what we in the business like to call heavy sarcasm). I'm pretty sure this guy's IQ was about the same as the number of teeth he's missing.
The last issue that I want to address is something that I'm also guilty of: The overuse of gay slurs to refer to something that would be more appropriately described as "stupid." The words "gay," "fag," "homo" and many others get thrown around locker rooms in friendly banter like they mean nothing. It's not uncommon to hear someone say "that's so gay" when they're not pleased about something or to call a teammate, or anyone else for that matter, a "fag" as an insult. This doesn't necessarily mean that the person using these terms is homophobic, but it's something that we all need to be more conscious of. Most of us don't think twice about using these slurs but Sheridan admitted that it was hurtful to hear them when he played, even if he knew his teammates meant no harm by them. It might not seem like a big deal, but is it really that hard to eliminate a few potentially offensive words from our vocabulary?
"I still believe in man...a wise one asked me why. Cause I just don't believe we're wicked, I know that we sin but I do believe we try." -Frank Ocean
-Brusk Dollas
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Before I address the main focus of this post, I thought I would give you a little explanation behind it. I am a Kobe Bryant fan and the team he plays with (they don’t deserve to be called the name on their jersey’s) showed they are classless losers. I don’t think their actions were as bad as people have made it out to be but the game has changed, media coverage has changed and the definition of sportsmanship has changed. In the 80’s violence on the floor was not frowned upon, it was celebrated. The Detroit Pistons were nicknamed The Bad Boys for a reason. If you went through the lane without your head on a swivel you would catch a close-line followed by a body check on the way down, just ask Larry Bird. These Bad Boys were icons because they inflicted pain upon their opponents and, if you didn’t like their strategy, they would just fight you and everyone with you to let you know they were about business.
This post is a tribute to the 1989 Detroit Pistons. This post is the NBA's All-Goon squad. According to the amazing and always credible urbandictionary.com, a goon is described as someone hired to rough someone up, usually someone big and dumb who commits acts of violence. A goon doesn’t just end there, a goon commits acts that are deliberately disruptive and disrespectful toward their victims. After Sunday’s thrashing I wondered who would be considered the biggest goons in the NBA. Here goes nothing.
Point Guard – Delonte West – unless you have been living under a rock over the past year you have heard the rumors involving Delonte West and Gloria James (LeBron’s mom) during the 2010 Eastern Conference playoffs. LeBron James tanked the second round of the playoffs, Delonte was instantly shipped out of town and LeBron left the Cleveland Cavaliers at the altar. You can imagine what really went down. In addition to his disrespect for teammate’s mothers, Delonte was pulled over on his motorcycle for a traffic violation in 2009 where he was carrying a 9mm Beretta pistol, a .357 Magnum and a Remington 870 in a guitar case. Delonte West is a real life goon.
Center – Chris “Birdman” Anderson – the general public knows Birdman for his Rock star appearance and his intensity he brings to the game of basketball. What most people don't know about Birdman was his Rock star lifestyle. In 2006, Birdman was banned from the NBA for drug abuse. Under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement testing positive for banned drugs is a disqualifying offense. In the NBA marijuana is not on the banned drugs list but methamphetamine, cocaine; LSD; opiates, heroin, codeine, morphine and PCP are. Birdman might be a nickname for something other than flapping his arms up and down the court after an amazing play.
Power Forward – Kevin Garnett – On the floor KG can only be described as psycho. If you have seen KG play you know about the countless swearing, chest pounds and the look of a demon on a nightly basis. Those antics did not get KG on this list. Calling Charlie Villanueva a cancer patient and trying to break Pau Gasol’s arm in last year’s NBA Finals is what got Mr. Garnett on this list. Charlie Villanueva is living with a skin disease known as alopecia universalis which doesn’t allow him to grow hair. KG is just straight up ruthless.
Shooting Guard – Earl JR Smith – JR made the list not because of his “thuggery” on the floor but solely because of his appearance and actions on the floor. JR Smith is the ring leader of the most tattooed team in sports history. You cannot be a member of the Denver Nuggets without tattoos on your neck, hands, arms, chest, back and face. A sleeve of tattoos won’t even get you a tryout with the Denver Nuggets. JR is also a guy like I have never seen before. He's not a starter simply out of fear that he'll attempt 50+ shots. JR is the kind of guy that has never seen a shot he hasn’t liked. JR is the type of player that can give you 20 in a quarter, 40 in a game or straight up shoot you into a blowout, all from the bench. You can’t not love the guy.
Small Forward – Ron Artest – Ron Ron is the definition of a NBA goon. In the December 2009 edition of Sporting News, Artest admitted to drinking Hennessy in the locker room during halftime of games. On November 19, 2004, Artest was the focus of the most unbelievable day in sports, a player vs. fan brawl. The brawl begins when Ben Wallace is fouled from behind by Artest resulting in a multiple-player confrontation. During the argument, Artest lies down on the scorer's table while putting on a headset to speak with radio broadcaster Mark Boyle. At this point, there's still 45.9 seconds left on the clock. While Artest is acting like a buffoon, a spectator throws a drink at Artest while he's lying on the scorer’s table. Artest runs in the stands and all hell breaks loose. Maybe Hennessy wasn’t the best idea. It doesn’t end there as Ron Ron once pulled Paul Pierce’s pants down in the middle of a game, applied to circuit city for an employee discount and asked Rick Carlisle for a month off to record an R&B album. The kicker is Ron Ron won the 2011 NBA Citizenship award and the very same night hit JJ Barea with the infamous Rock Bottom. Some things are just laughable.
Coach – John Chaney – I felt I had to think outside the box on this one because this coach is a special kind of guy *pause*. Unlike Bobby Knight, who threw temper tantrums, Coach Chaney brought his disgust too opponents' front door. He is what we young folks refer to as an OG, Original Goon. On February 13, 1994 Chaney threatened to fight opposing coach John Calipari at a post-game news conference, nearly assaulting him before security pulled him away. Chaney entered the conference mid-speech yelling at Calipari that he would "kick his ass" before charging the stage like a Neanderthal. As security is physically removing Chaney from the stage, Chaney repeatedly yells "I'll kill you" and angrily admitted to telling his players to "knock your fucking kids in the mouth." And yes ladies and gentlemen he kept his job after a one game suspension. Chaney goes on to one up himself in 2005 ordering backup forward Nehemiah Ingram into the game to wreak havoc on Saint Joseph's players in response to what Chaney thought were several missed calls by the referees. In the post-game press conference Chaney stated that Ingram was sent on the floor to send a message and was quoted saying "I'm going to send in what we used to do years ago, send in the goons." John Bryant of Saint Joseph's suffered a fractured arm as a result of an intentional foul. God Bless John Chaney.
The Original Goon award goes to Bill Lambeer. I don’t have to say much about Bill because he was a man who played the game like none other. Bill was a glorified wrestler who took enjoyment in see other players suffer while he flopped around on the floor begging referees for favorable calls. How ironic. Actually, I will finish this tribute with a little video on what it was like in the NBA in the 1980’s. Enjoy!
-Jae Pierce
YouTube - Videos from this emailFriday, May 6, 2011
Potpourri
Readers of "Roast Beef Tech:" Do not get your hopes up. This blog will take me no more than 45 minutes to write, it's on short notice, I still don't even know what it's going to be about, and I have a feeling it might be more of a stream of consciousness technique than actual, good writing. Oh yeah, and I have a softball game in about 2 hours which means I've begun my required pre-game beer consumption. On that note, I had an epiphany today. So many times I've argued that golf and bowling are not "sports." Call them "hobbies," "games," "activities," or just about anything else you'd like, but please don't call them "sports." When I wrote the "golf is not a sport" column for "The Maine Campus" in college, I had at least a hundred people explain to me why golf is a sport. "You play it on a designated field, you keep score, blah blah blah..." I don't really care what your sports management 101 class told you is the definition of a sport. Here's my definition AKA the right definition: You must break a sweat, you must be better at age 25 than you are at age 65, alcohol consumption can NOT enhance your performance, and lastly, the epiphany I had today, an argument that I never thought of before, your "uniform" absolutely positively can NOT be dress shoes, slacks and a collared shirt. Can you imagine Blake Griffin trying to posterize Timofey Mozgov Cocktail in some penny loafers, Dockers and a Ralph Lauren button-down!?
Speaking of Blake Griffin, lets move right along to topic number two: Should Blake have been eligible to win NBA Rookie of the Year even though this was essentially his second year in the league? For those of you who don't know, Griffin was selected first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the LA Clippers. He then suffered an injury before the year started that kept him out of action for the entire 2009-2010 season thus making the 2010-2011 season the first that he actually played. Recently he was named Rookie of the Year. There are some people who believe that Griffin should not have been eligible to win the award because he had the unfair advantage of going through a full year of NBA workouts with NBA players and adjusting to the way the league functions. To answer the question I posed in the first sentence of this paragraph in one word, yes. And my explanation is simple. Blake Griffin essentially got the NBA's equivalent of an NCAA medical redshirt. Should collegiate athletes not be eligible to win ROY in their respective conferences if they're not true freshmen? Maybe you believe that they shouldn't, but the reality is that every year there are redshirt freshman winning ROY in different sports and conferences around the country. AND, the majority of collegiate athletes that redshirt do so because they simply are not physically or mentally ready to play at that level, not because of injury. Therefore, Griffin may have had some unfair advantages, but lets not forget that he was rehabbing a stress fracture on his knee cap for close to 6 months.
Oh yeah, one more thing...Shout out to my man Gary Williams...Retired after 22 seasons as the head coach of my favorite college basketball team, the Maryland Terrapins...The now 61-year old led the Terps to the school's only men's basketball national championship in 2002, a joyous night for myself and fellow fans...
-Brusk Dollas
Speaking of Blake Griffin, lets move right along to topic number two: Should Blake have been eligible to win NBA Rookie of the Year even though this was essentially his second year in the league? For those of you who don't know, Griffin was selected first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the LA Clippers. He then suffered an injury before the year started that kept him out of action for the entire 2009-2010 season thus making the 2010-2011 season the first that he actually played. Recently he was named Rookie of the Year. There are some people who believe that Griffin should not have been eligible to win the award because he had the unfair advantage of going through a full year of NBA workouts with NBA players and adjusting to the way the league functions. To answer the question I posed in the first sentence of this paragraph in one word, yes. And my explanation is simple. Blake Griffin essentially got the NBA's equivalent of an NCAA medical redshirt. Should collegiate athletes not be eligible to win ROY in their respective conferences if they're not true freshmen? Maybe you believe that they shouldn't, but the reality is that every year there are redshirt freshman winning ROY in different sports and conferences around the country. AND, the majority of collegiate athletes that redshirt do so because they simply are not physically or mentally ready to play at that level, not because of injury. Therefore, Griffin may have had some unfair advantages, but lets not forget that he was rehabbing a stress fracture on his knee cap for close to 6 months.
Oh yeah, one more thing...Shout out to my man Gary Williams...Retired after 22 seasons as the head coach of my favorite college basketball team, the Maryland Terrapins...The now 61-year old led the Terps to the school's only men's basketball national championship in 2002, a joyous night for myself and fellow fans...
Before I wrap up this blog that a third-grader could have written better, I want to introduce something new that each of my posts from here on out will close with: a quote of some sort that is on my mind. Some will be song lyrics, some will be movie lines, and others will be quotes from famous people. Most will be comical, very few will be serious, but all will be random. That being said, I leave you with this:
"Call me Spongebob, stackin krabby patties..."-Brusk Dollas
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Cool is the Rule
Before I begin to discuss the focus of this post, I thought it necessary to fill in the readers of "Roast Beef Tech" on the most important topics you missed if you didn't read my weekly column in "The Maine Campus." Here goes nothing: Tim Duncan sucks, golf is not a sport, NASCAR is even less of a sport, Tim Duncan sucks, Lane Kiffin is a loser, Kobe is awesome, and Tim Duncan sucks. All of these facts were the subject of a column of mine at one point or another and will likely appear periodically in this blog. Just wanted to make sure we're all on the same page.
Now that we've taken care of our first order of business, it's time to talk about cool people. After my co-author wrote his piece about the NBA MVP race between Derrick Rose and Lebron James, I approached him with a much more important question about the two stars: Which one of them would you rather hang out with? His response, which I completely agree with, was, "Neither...They're both lames." Lebron James is corny and Derrick Rose seems nice, but he's way too quiet for me to consider him cool at this point in his career. And that's when it became clear that my next blog had to be about which professional athletes would be the most fun to hang out/drink a beer with. I've chosen the top three athletes from each major sport that I'd like to party with and the only requirement is that they're not retired and their name is not Tim Duncan.
Since I'm already on the NBA, I'll begin with them. 3. Shaquille O'Neal - Say what you want about "The Big Aristotle," he has been giving some of the best soundbites in all of sports since the day he stepped foot in the NBA. There are so many to choose from but my favorites include a sideline interview with Craig Sager in which Shaq tells Sager that he's going to buy him a new jacket because the one he's wearing is "horri-awful," and O'Neal's response to a reporter asking him if he visited the Parthenon when he was in Europe: "I don't know. I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went to." 2. Delonte West - D West was easily my first pick of NBA players to hang out with before he went Mad Max and strapped up with three guns on a motorcycle ride back in September of 2009. Call me conservative, but I have to be a little cautious of anyone who carries a shotgun in a guitar case. But the St. Joe's alum is one of the most entertaining personalities in the sport and never fails to make me laugh. Need proof? Check out the youtube video of him freestyling while waiting at a KFC drive-thru or, better yet, his correspondent piece on "Jim Rome is Burning:" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67ufrcQlKt4&feature=related. And my Number 1 choice of NBA players to hang out with is none other than the Birdman, Chris Anderson - Dude has more ink than the Old Testament and spends his entire life doing nothing but blocking shots, dunking on fools and getting neck tattoos. All you have to do is look at this cat to realize that he knows how to party. Enough said.
Honorable Mention: Matt Barnes.
Now on to the NFL. 3. Peyton Manning - Unlike his younger brother Peyton actually has a personality, and a great one at that. His appearance on Saturday Night Live was epic and he has countless other commercials that prove his ability to entertain. His ability to flip the switch between serious, successful quarterback and funny, laid-back layman makes him a no-brainer for the list. 2. Chris Cooley - The Redskins tight end is always playing pranks on his teammates and is as quirky as Charlie Sheen minus the drugs. His life is committed to having fun regardless of what he's doing and that's never more evident than the day he was wired up for an entire practice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMO2FsrRKhQ. Oh yeah, and it doesn't hurt that his wife was a finalist for Maxim's list of Hottest Football Wives. 1. Clinton Portis - At this point, I don't even know what team Portis plays for and he may not either. But that doesn't take away from the fact that he is still the most humorous man in the game. As a teammate of Cooley's for several years, that Redskins locker room was/is? undoubtedly the most fun in the business. Portis is famous for the multiple costumes he dresses up in to conduct press conferences and never breaks character (except for an occasional chuckle). My personal favorite has to be Dolemite Jenkins, a parody of Napoleon Dynamite, but for a little taste of Portis' sense of humor check out this priceless video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaO-s3-RLHE&feature=related. Next leading vote-getter: Jared Allen.
I must admit, I'm not overly informed when it comes to the NHL so I'm gonna have to keep this one short and sweet. 3. Barry Melrose - OK, Melrose isn't a player but I did some research, and the NHL isn't exactly overflowing with great personalities. But anyone who watches Sportscenter during hockey season knows that Melrose is cool enough to play the title character in the next James Bond movie. And he's the only man in all of sports who manages to make a mullet not look completely atrocious. 2. Alexander Ovechkin - Ovechkin has a couple of funny interviews, but the clip that sealed the deal was his Sportscenter commercial where he plays a Russian spy. Arguably the best player in the game, Ovechkin doesn't take himself too seriously and probably drinks vodka like it's Vitamin Water. 1. Scott Gomez - Gomez was born and raised in Alaska making him one of only two things that state has ever contributed to society (the other is Carlos Boozer). Check out some of the interviews he's done and you'll find him making perfectly normal conversations as awkward and uncomfortable for the reporter as possible. He once told a reporter he should be wearing a green suit because he's the grinch and when another thanked him for doing the interview he responded, "I didn't really want to." The guy is brutally honest and I love it. Honorable Mention: Jeremy Roenick (also no longer active)
And finally, we have Major League Baseball. 3. Adam Dunn - It's common knowledge that baseball players perform more pranks than any other athletes, simply because the game itself is so boring that pranks are their only source of entertainment. But Dunn likes to go the extra mile. When he was playing for the Cincinnati Reds, it wasn't uncommon for him to prank call the radio announcers during rain delays. Points for creativity and originality. 2. Nick Swisher - Any athlete that appears on funnyordie.com instantly has my respect but Swisher is also one of the most light-hearted, easy-going guys around. Back in April of 2009, Swisher was forced into pitching duty when the Yankees were getting mauled by the Rays. The Yanks were down 15-5 when Swisher entered, but the utility man still managed to have fun with it. Swisher occasionally opted to throw sidearm and shake off signs that weren't being given. He retired three batters, not allowing a run and recording a strikeout. And finally, the coolest baseball player on the planet is Brian Wilson. The self-proclaimed, soul-mudering technician of the mouth says the most random, hilarious things anytime you put a mic in his face. He became a certified ninja in his dreams, got fined for having too much awesomeness on his feet, and compares his beard to a reptile when asked how it changed from brown to black: "Ask a chameleon why it changes colors; it adapts." The list of ridiculously amazing things that Wilson has said and done is far too long to include them all here. But do yourself a favor and type his name into youtube. As long as you're not watching The Beach Boys (Wilson shares his name with a former member of the group), you'll be laughing for days.
Other "athletes" I'd like to hang out with: Andy Roddick, Anthony Kim, "Rampage" Jackson
-Brusk Dollas
Now that we've taken care of our first order of business, it's time to talk about cool people. After my co-author wrote his piece about the NBA MVP race between Derrick Rose and Lebron James, I approached him with a much more important question about the two stars: Which one of them would you rather hang out with? His response, which I completely agree with, was, "Neither...They're both lames." Lebron James is corny and Derrick Rose seems nice, but he's way too quiet for me to consider him cool at this point in his career. And that's when it became clear that my next blog had to be about which professional athletes would be the most fun to hang out/drink a beer with. I've chosen the top three athletes from each major sport that I'd like to party with and the only requirement is that they're not retired and their name is not Tim Duncan.
Since I'm already on the NBA, I'll begin with them. 3. Shaquille O'Neal - Say what you want about "The Big Aristotle," he has been giving some of the best soundbites in all of sports since the day he stepped foot in the NBA. There are so many to choose from but my favorites include a sideline interview with Craig Sager in which Shaq tells Sager that he's going to buy him a new jacket because the one he's wearing is "horri-awful," and O'Neal's response to a reporter asking him if he visited the Parthenon when he was in Europe: "I don't know. I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went to." 2. Delonte West - D West was easily my first pick of NBA players to hang out with before he went Mad Max and strapped up with three guns on a motorcycle ride back in September of 2009. Call me conservative, but I have to be a little cautious of anyone who carries a shotgun in a guitar case. But the St. Joe's alum is one of the most entertaining personalities in the sport and never fails to make me laugh. Need proof? Check out the youtube video of him freestyling while waiting at a KFC drive-thru or, better yet, his correspondent piece on "Jim Rome is Burning:" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67ufrcQlKt4&feature=related. And my Number 1 choice of NBA players to hang out with is none other than the Birdman, Chris Anderson - Dude has more ink than the Old Testament and spends his entire life doing nothing but blocking shots, dunking on fools and getting neck tattoos. All you have to do is look at this cat to realize that he knows how to party. Enough said.
Honorable Mention: Matt Barnes.
Now on to the NFL. 3. Peyton Manning - Unlike his younger brother Peyton actually has a personality, and a great one at that. His appearance on Saturday Night Live was epic and he has countless other commercials that prove his ability to entertain. His ability to flip the switch between serious, successful quarterback and funny, laid-back layman makes him a no-brainer for the list. 2. Chris Cooley - The Redskins tight end is always playing pranks on his teammates and is as quirky as Charlie Sheen minus the drugs. His life is committed to having fun regardless of what he's doing and that's never more evident than the day he was wired up for an entire practice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMO2FsrRKhQ. Oh yeah, and it doesn't hurt that his wife was a finalist for Maxim's list of Hottest Football Wives. 1. Clinton Portis - At this point, I don't even know what team Portis plays for and he may not either. But that doesn't take away from the fact that he is still the most humorous man in the game. As a teammate of Cooley's for several years, that Redskins locker room was/is? undoubtedly the most fun in the business. Portis is famous for the multiple costumes he dresses up in to conduct press conferences and never breaks character (except for an occasional chuckle). My personal favorite has to be Dolemite Jenkins, a parody of Napoleon Dynamite, but for a little taste of Portis' sense of humor check out this priceless video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaO-s3-RLHE&feature=related. Next leading vote-getter: Jared Allen.
I must admit, I'm not overly informed when it comes to the NHL so I'm gonna have to keep this one short and sweet. 3. Barry Melrose - OK, Melrose isn't a player but I did some research, and the NHL isn't exactly overflowing with great personalities. But anyone who watches Sportscenter during hockey season knows that Melrose is cool enough to play the title character in the next James Bond movie. And he's the only man in all of sports who manages to make a mullet not look completely atrocious. 2. Alexander Ovechkin - Ovechkin has a couple of funny interviews, but the clip that sealed the deal was his Sportscenter commercial where he plays a Russian spy. Arguably the best player in the game, Ovechkin doesn't take himself too seriously and probably drinks vodka like it's Vitamin Water. 1. Scott Gomez - Gomez was born and raised in Alaska making him one of only two things that state has ever contributed to society (the other is Carlos Boozer). Check out some of the interviews he's done and you'll find him making perfectly normal conversations as awkward and uncomfortable for the reporter as possible. He once told a reporter he should be wearing a green suit because he's the grinch and when another thanked him for doing the interview he responded, "I didn't really want to." The guy is brutally honest and I love it. Honorable Mention: Jeremy Roenick (also no longer active)
And finally, we have Major League Baseball. 3. Adam Dunn - It's common knowledge that baseball players perform more pranks than any other athletes, simply because the game itself is so boring that pranks are their only source of entertainment. But Dunn likes to go the extra mile. When he was playing for the Cincinnati Reds, it wasn't uncommon for him to prank call the radio announcers during rain delays. Points for creativity and originality. 2. Nick Swisher - Any athlete that appears on funnyordie.com instantly has my respect but Swisher is also one of the most light-hearted, easy-going guys around. Back in April of 2009, Swisher was forced into pitching duty when the Yankees were getting mauled by the Rays. The Yanks were down 15-5 when Swisher entered, but the utility man still managed to have fun with it. Swisher occasionally opted to throw sidearm and shake off signs that weren't being given. He retired three batters, not allowing a run and recording a strikeout. And finally, the coolest baseball player on the planet is Brian Wilson. The self-proclaimed, soul-mudering technician of the mouth says the most random, hilarious things anytime you put a mic in his face. He became a certified ninja in his dreams, got fined for having too much awesomeness on his feet, and compares his beard to a reptile when asked how it changed from brown to black: "Ask a chameleon why it changes colors; it adapts." The list of ridiculously amazing things that Wilson has said and done is far too long to include them all here. But do yourself a favor and type his name into youtube. As long as you're not watching The Beach Boys (Wilson shares his name with a former member of the group), you'll be laughing for days.
Other "athletes" I'd like to hang out with: Andy Roddick, Anthony Kim, "Rampage" Jackson
-Brusk Dollas
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Overrated
This topic is an ongoing battle that I will never understand and, with each argument I hear, I develop more of an opinion on the subject. If you are the person who believes that championships are everything and nothing else matters, please stop reading. Over the past three years I have heard every homer, sophisticate, guru, snob and analyst praise this athlete as if he's the reason for his team's success. I have watched this athlete perform over the past five seasons and I continue to scratch my head wondering what he does to warrant such high regard. If you've known me all of ten minutes you know exactly the direction this post is going. The most overrated player in sports is Rajon Rondo.
Whenever Rajon Rondo is the topic of discussion everyone defending him will state that he's a "true" point guard. That asterisk shows why he is not elite and is overrated because the word "true" negates all the things he does poorly. I don't know many elite players that cannot perform necessary tasks. I understand he is a work horse and does all the things asked of him by his coach and organization but that describes a role player, not an elite star. Top point guards in this prestigious league don’t fit a system, they are the system. They are functioning at a higher level with a degree of difficulty that trumps Rajon Rondo. Do we ever say a kid at Northwestern Missouri Valley State Community College with a 4.0 GPA is more accomplished than a 3.0 student at Harvard? I’ll answer, absolutely not.
In many cases Point Guards can be known as the Quarterback of the team. The descriptions of the two positions nearly parallel each other. Both occupations run, control and orchestrate their respective offensives based on ability, system and coaching style. Trent Dilfer will never be the Quarterback Dan Marino was at any point in his career. No disrespect to Trent Dilfer, who has a Super Bowl ring, but he himself will tell you he doesn’t compare to some of the Quarterbacks that have never won the big one. Trent Dilfer’s game was to manage, control tempo, minimize mistakes, hand the ball off and make life easier for one of the best defensives to ever grace the football field with their presence. That’s Rajon Rondo’s game. Manage the flow of the game, play aggressive, make few mistakes and get the ball into the hands of the three Hall of Famers around him. His specific job description fits his skill set perfectly but we should not rate his success on the same level as others who is asked to do more to win consistently. Rajon Rondo is the NBA’s version of Ken Dorsey, Zack Robinson and Graham Harrell. When Ken Dorsey was the star at University of Miami he played with eighteen first round draft picks. I think I could put up a few stats and win a couple games taking snaps on that team. My point is Rondo is not asked to be the dominating force that makes his team march, but the force that keeps them in line. He’s not asked to take over the game, but to not let it take over him. Every manager in the world looks amazing when they have the best talent operating under their control. But how good they are when the talent no longer exists defines how talented they are as an individual. A test Rajon Rondo hasn’t yet been forced to take.
Don’t get me wrong, Rajon Rondo is an extremely talented athlete but my biggest problem is his ability to perform as a guard. He’s a 6’1 165 guard who shoots like he is a 7’3" center. Rondo’s abysmal fifty-six percent free throw percentage is below Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard who are two of the NBA’s worst free throw shooters, which is flat out putrid for any player. If you’ve ever seen Rajon Rondo play, he is guarded as if opponents are daring him to shoot fifteen foot jump shots. A fifteen foot jump shot should be automatic for any starting guard in the NBA. If you don’t think so refer to Chris Paul and Derrick Rose’s school for point guards clinic that took place this past weekend. I have watched guys over the past few years that were never jump shooters develop an effective jump shot, but not Rondo. It’s as if his skill and fundamentals have not progressed since the big three was assembled in 2007. I hear a lot of comparisons between Rajon Rondo, Gary Payton and Jason Kidd, which is just plain laughable. Jason Kidd is third all-time in three point field goals made and second in total assists. Gary Payton is a top thirty scorer of all-time with more points than Larry Bird. You cannot be elite at the professional level without having the tools to produce the single deciding factor between winning and losing, points. That’s like praising an NFL Quarterback for being excellent at handing the ball off all season. Can you name a worse shooting point guard in NBA History? I won't hold my breath.
This whole blog stems from people using the word elite when referencing Rajon Rondo. I would consider elite to be top 3 in every position. Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, Chris Paul. If you think it’s arguable, you obviously don't watch basketball. Those three elite point guards are their team, not a piece to the puzzle. They are the heart and brain and without them their team has no chance to even be competitive, forget about winning. Derrick Rose had to score 39 points and record 6 assists to limp by a less than mediocre Indiana Pacers team in Game 1. Chris Paul had to have a near perfect game with 33 points and 14 assists to outlast the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in their first playoff game. I have seen countless nights where Rondo records 4 points contributes 7 assists and the Celtics win soundly. They could get Bobby Frasor to that. I'll even give you two better, Steve Nash and Russell Westbrook.
I listened to an argument of top twenty players in the NBA hosted by Colin Cowherd. All the people arguing anointed Rajon Rondo as prince of the elite. This is where I have to draw the line. The guy who got cut from the USA Dream B-Team? Where he was beat out by Eric Gordon and Stephen Curry. He most certainly is not a top twenty player in the NBA. I'll even play the game. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love, Pau Gasol, Zach Randolph, LaMarcus Aldridge, Monta Ellis, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Russell Westbrook, Paul Pierce. I know people want to say Steve Nash is not better than Rajon Rondo in 2011. Steve Nash averaged more points and more assists in 2011 and is statistically the best shooter of all-time. I think Steve Nash gets the nod. Rajon Rondo is a glorified role player who is, at the moment, the third or fourth best player on his team. Rajon Rondo is not elite by anyone’s standards.
John Hollinger has developed an all-in-one basketball player efficiency rating that accounts for positive accomplishments such as field goals, free throws, 3-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals, and negative ones such as missed shots and turnovers. Unlike Quarterback rating (the most overrated stat in football) the best player to ever play the game is at the top of the all-time list, Michael Jordan. Rajon Rondo is currently hanging out in the 70th most efficient player range this season behind players like Devin Harris, Earl Boykins and Ty Lawson. You can’t be elite in any industry being the 70th most efficient anything. For all those who think it’s a quack stat, the top six most efficient players currently according to Hollinger’s PER statistic in the NBA are LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Love and Chris Paul.
I’m sorry, I may be biased against Rajon Rondo but his praise is not warranted. "Elite" should be a relatively small group that is dominant within a larger one, having a privileged status perceived as being envied by others of a lower line of order. Do other effective point guards in the NBA envy Rajon Rondo? Maybe his Championship or the four Hall of Famers he plays with, but not his skill set.
-Jae Pierce
Monday, April 11, 2011
"Masters" of the Universe
Chances are if you knew who Charl Schwartzel was before the 2011 Masters, you're either 70+ years old, retired with nothing better to do with your time than read every edition of Golf Digest, or you're related to him. To some, that's the beauty of the event: It can transform an unrecognizable individual into a man that will forever be remembered in a single weekend. Schwartzel may never win another major (although I'd be shocked if that's the case after seeing the ability he has) but I can guarantee you two things: The South African with the German-sounding name earned more money in four days than I probably would in four lifetimes, and his resume went from scrawny high school chess club member to HGH injected body builder.
But there are a few major stories that surfaced on the final day. The first is the unimaginable collapse of 21-year old Rory McIlroy. Most people that I talked to called it "tough to watch" and felt almost empathetic for the man who led for 63 holes. I thought it was fascinating. Sure I feel bad for the kid because he seems like a humble, genuinely nice person. But other than that, I'd rather watch someone mentally crumble than succeed. Not because I like to see good people fail, but because it's incredible to me that sports have a way of causing people to psych themselves out. How is it possible that someone whose highest score in three previous rounds on the same course was a 70, needed ten more shots to finish his fourth? It's like the baseball catcher who finally makes it to the show and then suddenly can't throw the ball back to the pitcher anymore (yes, that really happens). Imagine an insurance actuary (shoutout to my very intelligent sister, Mallory) who shows up to work one day and, out of nowhere, forgets how to perform basic addition and subtraction. Seems far-fetched, doesn't it? But that's essentially the equivalent of what happened to McIlroy. He struggled with the most fundamental tasks required of him, things that were second-nature Thursday through Saturday.
The other story is the "return" of Tiger Woods. He shot a final-round 67 to finish tied for fourth at 10 under par. Many people believe this is a sign of Tiger's inevitable return to glory and dominance and for whatever reason, just as many people seem to be rooting for that to happen. I, on the other hand, hope that's the closest he ever comes to winning another tournament. There are several factors that have contributed to my disapproval of "The Cat," and his "transgressions" are only a minor one. I haven't liked him since long before that ridiculous day on Thanksgiving, 2009. The guy just comes off as an unappreciative, pompous prick. And he put that on full display once again on Sunday with his post-round interview, or lack thereof. Honestly Tiger, do you really think that was an effective way to repair your public image? But anyone that has actually paid attention to him when he's NOT on top shouldn't have been surprised. This is a guy that yells at fans for snapping polaroids of him as he walks the course because it's distracting. God forbid he'd ever have to play under conditions that real athletes do, where a fan is not only allowed to distract you, but required to. Not to mention that these fans that are taking snapshots of him are doing so out of admiration, not in an effort to agitate him. On second thought, maybe he really just doesn't care what people think. Now THAT's a role model.
-Brusk Dollas
But there are a few major stories that surfaced on the final day. The first is the unimaginable collapse of 21-year old Rory McIlroy. Most people that I talked to called it "tough to watch" and felt almost empathetic for the man who led for 63 holes. I thought it was fascinating. Sure I feel bad for the kid because he seems like a humble, genuinely nice person. But other than that, I'd rather watch someone mentally crumble than succeed. Not because I like to see good people fail, but because it's incredible to me that sports have a way of causing people to psych themselves out. How is it possible that someone whose highest score in three previous rounds on the same course was a 70, needed ten more shots to finish his fourth? It's like the baseball catcher who finally makes it to the show and then suddenly can't throw the ball back to the pitcher anymore (yes, that really happens). Imagine an insurance actuary (shoutout to my very intelligent sister, Mallory) who shows up to work one day and, out of nowhere, forgets how to perform basic addition and subtraction. Seems far-fetched, doesn't it? But that's essentially the equivalent of what happened to McIlroy. He struggled with the most fundamental tasks required of him, things that were second-nature Thursday through Saturday.
The other story is the "return" of Tiger Woods. He shot a final-round 67 to finish tied for fourth at 10 under par. Many people believe this is a sign of Tiger's inevitable return to glory and dominance and for whatever reason, just as many people seem to be rooting for that to happen. I, on the other hand, hope that's the closest he ever comes to winning another tournament. There are several factors that have contributed to my disapproval of "The Cat," and his "transgressions" are only a minor one. I haven't liked him since long before that ridiculous day on Thanksgiving, 2009. The guy just comes off as an unappreciative, pompous prick. And he put that on full display once again on Sunday with his post-round interview, or lack thereof. Honestly Tiger, do you really think that was an effective way to repair your public image? But anyone that has actually paid attention to him when he's NOT on top shouldn't have been surprised. This is a guy that yells at fans for snapping polaroids of him as he walks the course because it's distracting. God forbid he'd ever have to play under conditions that real athletes do, where a fan is not only allowed to distract you, but required to. Not to mention that these fans that are taking snapshots of him are doing so out of admiration, not in an effort to agitate him. On second thought, maybe he really just doesn't care what people think. Now THAT's a role model.
-Brusk Dollas
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
MVP: Rose vs. LeBron
I will start this post by stating I have zero allegiance to the current front runners in the 2010-2011 NBA MVP race. Derrick Rose, point guard of the Chicago Bulls, is this year’s probable NBA MVP. I do acknowledge that the accomplishments Rose has achieved this season have been MVP worthy and if I had a vote it would go to him. But is he truly the league’s most valuable player? Is Derrick Rose having the best individual season in the NBA? Or is Derrick Rose just the most electrifying player on the best team in an extremely top heavy Eastern Conference?
Before looking at the numbers I was convinced that Derrick Rose was this year’s Most Valuable Player, hands down. He has done the unthinkable by helping his team to the top seed in a conference where the media didn’t choose Chicago to win, but rather Miami, Boston and New York. He has taken the team he inherited to heights analysts only thought possible for two teams: Miami and Boston. Both those teams currently trail the Chicago Bulls by 3 games. But is that the definition of MVP?
LeBron James is averaging 27 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1 block per game. He is outperforming Rose in every one of those statistics, with the exception of assists, which Rose leads by just one per game. Last I checked, that's expected out of a point guard. LeBron has the size and ability to guard any position from point guard to power forward and the skill to play any of them on the offensive end. Isn’t that value? He is currently 12th in the NBA in assists as a small forward and Rose is 10th as his teams quarterback. LeBron is 2nd in the NBA in scoring and plays with two other superstars. The one stat I believe really symbolizes value is the plus/minus statistic. Plus/minus is a statistic that evaluates how your team performs with you on and off the court. No team plays worse without their star player than the Miami Heat without LeBron. So what exactly is Derrick Rose’s value over LeBron? Is it public perception? Was it the “decision?” Perhaps voter fatigue? One thing is certain, for some reason no one wants to state the obvious, LeBron James should be this year’s NBA MVP.
-Jae Pierce
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