Jan. 12 | 4:10 p.m. ET
This is another one that goes in the much-ado-about-nothing file: Bode Miller had to apologize for talking about skiing while drunk.
I’m guessing this will make it all better with the various federations, national and international, that were so outraged about Miller’s confessions on CBS’ “60 Minutes.” I already know that ski fans never cared that much to start with. Our unscientific but always revealing online poll shows that a 42 percent plurality of respondents don’t care if his apology was sincere or not.
I agree with them. The whole issue wasn’t worth getting anyone’s knickers in a knot. Miller is one of the most refreshing athletes to come down the mountain in a long time. He’s home-schooled and grew up without the benefit of public schools or television. He’s his own man, a skier who enters every event. And he tries to win every event, never playing it safe and skiing to finish the course and add to his World Cup points.
He is, in fact, what America used to admire, a rugged individualist who’s out on the fringe, but in no socially harmful way.
He doesn’t bust up bars or assault women or flip off fans or sneer at little children seeking his autograph. He just skis better than any American ever has and enjoys the heck out of life.
And, he tells people what he thinks.
That’s the problem with growing up thinking for yourself. He never learned that society loves people who are different – as long as they’re the same as everyone else trying to do the same thing. If they truly are different, they’re in a whole world of trouble.
Miller has questioned policies on the use of performance-enhancing drugs. I don’t agree with him, but I don’t see why it’s a crime to ask the questions. He admitted he’s been on the slopes “totally wasted,” but didn’t say he’s done that in international competitions. Even if he had, he was giving an honest answer to a question. He didn’t recommend it.
Okay, it’s a bad example, but it’s not worth throwing him off the ski team, which American officials apparently contemplated. (They also don’t like the fact he has his own training regimen and doesn’t play the team game, but, heck, skiing isn’t basketball or football; you’re on your own on the mountain, and whatever gets you ready to excel is what you should do.)
Skiing officials should be delighted that Miller started yapping. Before he came along, skiing was just about invisible to mainstream sports fans. It was a sport you watched during the Olympics then forgot about for four years.
He’s drawn enormous attention to the sport, which translates to viewers which translates to money for everyone. The federations were upset because he made the sponsors nervous, but they, too, are probably delighted.
And now that he’s apologized, nothing has really changed, but everything is apparently all better.
But ski fans never really cared to start with. To read some comments, check this blog.
Let me know where you stand on Bode, and I’ll run your replies on Sunday.
Jan. 11 | 7:42 p.m. ET
Last week, it was NOW demanding that Joe Paterno resign as coach of Penn State because someone thought he might have perhaps possibly said something that wasn’t appropriate. Now, it’s the American Decency Association complaining about a calendar put out by the Detroit Pistons dance team, Automation.
One member of the group went so far as to call the pictures of healthy young women dressed in swimsuits “a form of prostitution,” which I’m willing to nominate for a hyperbole award. But, check out the calendar and judge for yourselves. It’s pretty demure as such things go, and the women are certainly healthy.
But the ADA says on its web site — and you have to check it out — “Women posed seductively is pornography.” It says a lot of other things and has bones to pick on the decency issue with outfits you’d expect, such as the show “Desperate Housewives,” and those you wouldn’t expect, such as Abercrombie and Fitch and Wal-Mart. It’s campaigned successfully to get the Sports Illustrated swim suit edition hidden from the view of young children in some chain stores.
This is beyond absurd, and I don’t care how much E-mail I get for saying so. There is nothing wrong with the human body, nothing dirty about a woman in a swim suit, even if she’s smiling for a camera and saying, “Hey, look at me!”
We’re not talking about decency here. We’re talking about the freedom of women and men to pose for calendars that meet no definition of pornography except that cooked up by people who really need to appreciate the world around them instead of condemning people for being less uptight than they.
We’re talking about the freedom of stores to sell products that appeal to all customers, not just those who agree with one particularly constipated mind-set. We’re talking about the right of all people to live their lives without harming others.
The people in ADA would turn this country into a theocracy. Their campaigns follow the general aims of a movement called Christian Dominionism or Christian Reconstructionism, whose long-term goals are to turn the United States into a country governed by the laws in the Old Testament.
Okay, this doesn’t have a lot to do with sports, but it’s something everyone should be aware of. These aren’t a group of loonies, but a well-organized, patient, well-financed and very intelligent group that wants to turn America into a Bible-based dictatorship different in no substantial way from Afghanistan under the Taliban.
Here’s a snippet, borrowed from the religioustolerance.org Web site, of what life would be like if these people have their way:
“The use of the death penalty would be greatly expanded, when the Hebrew Scriptures' laws are reapplied. People will be executed for adultery, blasphemy, heresy, homosexual behavior, idolatry, prostitution, evil sorcery (some translations say Witchcraft), etc. The Bible requires those found guilty of these "crimes" to be either stoned to death or burned alive. Reconstructionists are divided on the execution method to be used.
A church or congregation which does not accept the Mosaic Law has another god before them, and is thus guilty of idolatry. That would be punishable by death. That would include all non-Christian religious organizations. At the present time, non-Christians total two-thirds of the human race.”
I didn’t think the Pistons calendar is all that special, but reading the above makes me want to go out and buy a copy.
Jan. 9 | 11:20 a.m. ET
This one’s for the National Organization for Women: Lay off Joe Paterno until you hear what he said, know what he meant, understand the context in which he said it, and examine the body of his work.
This is from the AP story on the incident: “Joanne Tosti-Vasey, president of the National Organization for Women in Pennsylvania, said Sunday that she was ‘appalled’ by Paterno’s comments last week and that they represent an institutional insensitivity that endangers women.”
Tosti-Vasey asked that Paterno resign the post he’s held with honor, integrity and decency for 40 years because of what she thinks he said before the Orange Bowl regarding the suspension of Florida State linebacker A.J. Nicholson, who was suspended after he was accused of sexual assault.
He has not been arrested and more than a week later the incident is still under investigation. So no one knows what happens, and there’s a good chance we never will. There will be just his version and her version and a couple of lives made much the worse for something that most likely involved bad judgment on both sides.
Paterno said he thought it was a shame Nicholson was suspended. He also tried to address the pressures star athletes are under from the opposite sex.
It’s a delicate topic, one that’s far better to ignore altogether than to attempt to address in a sensible manner. All decent people agree that sexual assault is despicable act and should never be tolerated.
Paterno isn’t the saint he’s made out to be – no one’s that good. But he’s among the very best who’ve ever held his job, and he’s tried to do it the right way. I have no doubt he is appalled at sexual assault, as we all should be.
I didn’t hear his remarks, and Penn State officials say you have to hear them to understand how he was speaking. But you get the sense from reading them that he was trying to address realities that seldom are mentioned;
“There’s some tough — there’s so many people gravitating to these kids. He may not have even known what he was getting into, Nicholson. They knock on the door; somebody may knock on the door; a cute girl knocks on the door. What do you do?”
He left it there and didn’t ask what you do if there’s alcohol involved – maybe lots of alcohol. Hormones, youth, booze and fame are a heady brew. And, yes, Virginia, young women seek out famous athletes to make their acquaintance, sometimes by whatever means necessary.
Sometimes, both young man and young women can be in over their heads before they realize it. But mutual stupidity or doing something you decide in the sober light of the next day you didn’t want to do isn’t the same as sexual assault. Kids know that. Most adults know that. Understanding that kids do stupid and regrettable things, even things they didn’t really mean to do isn’t condoning criminal acts.
Paterno was talking about what a shame it is that this happens to kids, that great athletes can find themselves in situations that can ruin them for life, and that sometimes, they did nothing to deserve it.
Sexual assault is always wrong. But these cases aren’t always clear; it’s not always black and white. There is a lot of gray area when men and women start comparing notes on what actually happened.
There are a lot of people worth condemning on the sexual front. Joe Paterno isn’t one of them. And there is a lot of good NOW could do if they’d take one day out of every five years to instruct our daughters and sisters about the realities of the sexual jungle and the advisability of exercising discretion and caution. The rest of the time, they can go back to attacking icons who have never done anything to deserve the label that’s slapped on them for one less-than-clear remark.
Jan. 6 | 7 p.m. ET
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard someone wish out loud that someone, somewhere would finally demand accountability from athletes, I’d be sitting on my sailboat in the Caribbean.
Well, somebody finally did something. Virginia Tech University, whose stature just grew to Brobdingnagian proportions, kicked its best player, Marcus Vick, off the football team for crimes against human decency, not to mention the laws of Virginia.
Back in July 2004, the university suspended Vick for getting caught speeding with marijuana in his car after he had earlier been arrested for drinking with 14- and 15-year girls. He sat out a semester and the football season, then came back, vowing to be a credit to the university and a good citizen.
He probably meant to be, but it didn’t work out. It’s now come out that back in December, he was arrested for speeding and driving with a suspended or revoked license. Then there was an incident during the year when he flipped off the fans in West Virginia during a football game. The last straw came in the Gator Bowl, when Vick stomped on the leg of a Louisville opponent.
So now we know how much it takes to get kicked off the team and out of school is you’re one of the best athletes in the nation — three arrests, a vulgar gesture and a vicious display of unsportsmanlike conduct. There may have been more; that’s just what’s on the public record.
As you can see, Vick had to work really hard to blow it. Virginia Tech gets credit for suspending him the first time. It gets more credit for making it permanent. A lot of schools would have figured out a way to give him yet another chance.
He’s 21 and eligible for the NFL draft, and some team will probably take a shot at him if he wants to come out, the same as Denver took a flyer on Maurice Clarett last year. But he won’t go high. He won’t collect millions of dollars. And, if he doesn’t clean up his act, all those comparisons with his big brother, Michael, are going to stop. As we saw with Terrell Owens, pro teams have their limits on bad behavior, too.
I feel sorry for Hokie fans, and I hope Marcus Vick can work out his problems before he destroys a life that had held so much promise. But there’s an object lesson here about just how much goes into true greatness.
A couple of weeks ago, in advance of LeBron James’ 21st birthday, I wrote about how incredibly mature James is, and how he really is the complete package. I talked about how it’s not enough just to have surpassing talent; you also need character, a work ethic, a bright personality — all the things we admire in the few true all-around superstars in sports. James won the cosmic lottery when everything lined up just right in the genetic game of chance that is life.
Vick didn’t win that game. Where James has a level head, Vick has one that’s put on lopsided. Where James lives clean and pays attention to the things that matter, Vick is living beyond the edge. Where James appreciates what he has, Vick doesn’t.
It’s a terrible waste of a life and a great talent. Maybe he’ll get it back together. And maybe he’ll blow up altogether.
The point is that it’s really as rare for a great talent to go as bad as Vick has as it is for one to go as right as James has. Both are extremes, living on the tails of the bell curve. And if we didn’t have people like Vick, we wouldn’t appreciate those like James.
The extremes are inevitable and even necessary. We rejoice to find one at the good end. We mourn when we get one on the other end.
I truly hope Vick grows up and realizes what he has. I truly fear he never will.
Jan. 5 | 2 a.m. ET
I don’t know how many gold medals Bode Miller will win in the Olympics. It could be five. It could be none. Neither result would surprise me.
I don’t suppose most casual sports fans even know who Miller is — yet. Come February and Turin, though, they’ll know. If he were playing football, baseball or basketball, he’d already be one of the most famous of American athletes. But he’s a skier, and most people don’t pay attention to that sport until the Olympics.
It’s probably a good thing. I’m not sure Miller would survive the slings and arrows of outraged commentators if he were in a mainstream sport. Already, he’s made more headlines for things he says than any athlete you may never heard of — ever.
He’ll be on “60 Minutes” this week, and with good reason. Miller is the greatest skier America has ever produced. He’s also the freshest personality you’ll find, the result of being home-schooled in New Hampshire in a cabin without running water or electricity. Not having had the benefit of public education or television to tell him how to think and behave, he’s had to make it up as he goes along.
In the piece, he talks about skiing drunk. He’s done it and says he’ll probably do it again, even though it’s not the safest way to get down a mountain.
This isn’t going to make him popular with the role-model crowd. There’s nothing like a guy who’s the best in the world at something talking about doing dumb things. In this case, the example may be moot; a lot of skiers already ski drunk, so many that in Europe it’s something of a problem. In Britain, for example, insurance companies won’t pay for accidents on the slopes suffered while drunk. Some European resorts have mobilized slope police who will kick drunk skiers off the mountain.
ALSO ON THIS STORY |
Miller’s not going to be popular with the forces of sense and sobriety. But he’s used to saying things he’s not supposed to say, which is what’s going to make him so much fun at the Olympics.
A couple of months ago, he was getting into trouble for saying drug rules should be eased in skiing. He had plausible arguments for saying that, but he didn’t think it through to the conclusion. The reason drugs should be banned — in my opinion at least — is because if they aren’t they’ll kill a lot of athletes. And athletes who would rather play clean will be forced to do drugs, thereby seriously jeopardizing their chances of living long and healthy lives.
|
This is a rather rambling entry, and the final place I’m going is beyond left field, but Bode Miller made me think of it. Miller’s problem is that he gives voice to dangerous thoughts. Like the drug thing. It’s dangerous because if performance-enhancing drugs were legal, a lot of people would die. The drinking comments are just talking about what a lot of people do. But you’re not supposed to say it.
A site called The Edge has a feature up right now about dangerous thoughts. The editors asked a wide range of scientists and thinkers to write essays about a dangerous thought. (It’s an annual event; last year the essays were on the subject, “What do you believe to be true but can’t prove?) It’s a long document — 75,000 words by 119 contributors. But if you’d like to read some original — and dangerous — thinking on a wide range of topics, give it a browse. If nothing else, when you’re done, Bode Miller won’t seem so strange.
Jan. 4 | 1:20 a.m. ET
Matt Leinart, who plays (or played, depending on when you’re reading this) his last college game in the Rose Bowl, is probably going to be the second pick in the NFL draft come spring; Reggie Bush, his teammate, will probably go first. But being the first quarterback taken doesn’t make him a sure-fire pro prospect.
I don’t have good feelings about Leinart as a pro. That doesn’t mean a whole lot. As of today, the next call I get from an NFL personnel director of general manager seeking advice on draft choices will be my first. I’m guessing there’s a good reason for that, similar to why I’ve yet to call somebody with one of those jobs for writing advice.
You might want to check out the interactive we have up comparing Leinart to his Rose Bowl counterpart, Texas QB Vince Young. I filled in the appropriate blanks and the computer told me I had them dead even. But the computer didn’t ask me which one I’d rather have running my NFL team.
Regardless of what happens (or happened) in the Rose Bowl, I’d take Young ahead of Leinart. (Okay, I know that’s not likely given that Young has indicated for now he's coming out until next year, but the opinion still stands.) And I’d rather not have to take Leinart at all, although if I had a pick in the top three or four and he were still on the board, I know I’d have to take him; you never pass up quarterbacks who might be franchise material.
|
Lack of mobility isn’t fatal, but Leinart has a few other shortcomings. His arm isn’t the strongest. Okay, they said that about Joe Montana, too, and they say it about Tom Brady. So it’s not a career-ender. But Montana could move pretty well and Brady can move decently. Leinart moves better than Drew Bledsoe, but not a lot better. If you have a pure pocket passer, you want rifle arm, and Leinart doesn’t have that.
|
The more concussions you have, the easier the next one is to get. And those guys in the pros hit harder than college players. And it’s no good arguing that he was the victim of a late hit — those are part of the game. If pros know they can knock him woozy, they’ll do everything in the rules — and not a few things outside of them — to do it.
Leinart’s no Ryan Leaf. He’s a capable and smart quarterback with deadly accuracy. He could do well in the NFL. But couple a lack of mobility with a propensity to get concussed and you have a person I’d rather not have to draft because I simply don’t think he’s going to last.
So go ahead and rate him and Young, as I did. The computer will probably tell you that you put Leinart ahead of Young. But think of which one you’d rather have running your NFL team — the pocket passer with the average arm or the guy with the bazooka arm who can sit in the pocket or scramble the length of the field.
I’d rather have Young.
Jan. 2 | 2:03 a.m. ET
Just a couple of days ago, I wrote about LeBron James. In celebrating his talent and personality and work ethic, I talked about how rare it is for any athlete to have the total package as he does. There are so many things that have to line up, so many factors that have to go right. The wonder isn’t that there are so few like him, but that there are any at all.
It works the other way, too. Just as the superstar who does everything right is rarer than sincerity in politics, so is the great talent who does everything wrong. It’s just as had to behave unspeakably badly as it is to behave unbelievably well. Most of us are somewhere in the middle, wishy-washing our ways through lives, and that’s a good thing. We need most people to be something approaching average to appreciate — or revile —
those at the extremes.
Which brings us to Maurice Clarett, who was just a couple of years ago the hero of a national championship Ohio State team and a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore.
Only he never became a sophomore. Instead he got in trouble with a "borrowed" car, then tried to sue his way into the draft, then took a year off, then showed up this spring at the scouting combines slow, fat and still thinking he was special.
The Broncos drafted him, then cut him loose because he neglected to work out, practice, or take either himself or his game seriously. He was hoping to get a job in NFL Europe, but apparently needed to work out the financing.
Having spent a year in college without being ruined by education, he hit on the perfect way to get money to pay for his eats and drinks.
According to Columbus police, he held up two patrons of a bar at gunpoint.
As if to prove that he’d have to live in an igloo to have an IQ within 10 points of room temperature, Clarett allegedly picked a bar in which the bartender knew him as well as the people he is accused of robbing. Then he committed the robbery in an alley behind the bar, apparently attracting enough attention to get noticed — and fingered — by the bartender.
Good luck on that football career, Maurice. Good luck on any career.
All you can say is that he’s not as bad as Lawrence Phillips, which is like congratulating a tornado for not being as destructive as a hurricane.
Phillips is the former Nebraska star who has been in more jails than football games. So far, Clarett is accused only of armed robbery, which isn’t exactly laudable, but it’s not as low as beating up women, which Phillips excels at.
Yet, as long as Phillips could play, his college coach, Tom Osborne, who retired from football for a career in politics, let him. Even after he assaulted his girlfriend, Osborne let him play in the Fiesta Bowl and help the Cornhuskers win a national championship. You can read all about it at bighuskerfan.com.
Phillips is the anti-LeBron, and Clarett is trying to get there. It’s nothing you can aspire to. Like greatness, you have to be born to it.
Dec. 29 | 11:03 p.m. ET
In my last entry, I took issue with the Associated Press’ ranking of the top sports stories of the year. I feel that Lance Armstrong’s seventh consecutive Tour de France victory is the top story, as do those taking part in our informal online poll.
I asked you what you feel the top story of the year was, and you weren’t timid in telling me. Not a few of you also took the time to let me know, as one reader put it, that I’m a “New Yorker and an idiot,” which, to many people who don’t live in the Northeast, is redundant.
I also said I’d print your e-mails. So, with thanks for taking the time to write and wishes for a most prosperous and satisfying new year, here they are:
Mark from Riverside, Calif.:
I agree about Lance Armstrong. His story far surpassed the White Sox winning the title. To be honest, I didn't even watch the World Series for the first time in years. But Lance Armstrong did something that, like you stated, probably won't be duplicated. THEN, on top of that, he has had so many people trying to pile garbage on top of his accomplishments. To be honest, it smells like a whole lot of regurgitated humble pie. Hold your head high Lance, you deserve it.
CeCe from Chicago:
Lance Armstrong rode a bicycle in Europe - seven times. Who cares? And there's allegations he took illegal steroids/performance enhancers. The White Sox changed the dynamic of an entire city - something not easy in a two-team baseball town, especially if the Cubs are the other team. They represented the heart and soul of Chicago's working class with low ticket prices and family friendly promotions. I agree with the AP.
Larry from Des Moines:
How is it "the White Sox’ fault" for not having a national following? Wait till they repeat in '06. Frankly, I don't care about national followings. Give me a World Series winner. The Cubs are the perfect example of why a so-called national following (which I'll dispute about them) carries little significance. Your East Coast favoratism reeks.
Debbie from Avon, Ind.:
It has to be Tony Dungy and his family.
Pat from Winona Lake, Ind.:
I agree with the other fans' assessment that Lance Armstrong is a great story, if for no other reason than he made the nation pause and notice cycling for three weeks in the July. . .who remembers any other rider names now in December?
John from Tallahassee:
The real story is Lance Armstrong. Period. Just to survive cancer is enough. But to do what he's done........it blows me away.
Brian from Naperville, Ill.:
Steroids. Anytime you can make ballplayers act like Frank Costello, hey, that's a great story.
James from Whitelaw, Wisc.:
There are so many to pick from in a year. But in my opinion, how about a guy who had a stroke and heart surgery? Comes back to lead his team to the playoffs. When a lot of people counted him out and his team out. I would choose Tedy Bruschi's story.
Don from West Warwick, R.I.:
No doubt in my mind. The comeback of Teddy Bruschi from a stroke to play pro football. A true inspiration to anybody with heart problems. Don't give up and work hard.
Sue from Chicago:
Wow, just when the White Sox finally get the respect they deserve nationally, someone still has to knock them. How is the White Sox winning the World Series NOT as good as Boston winning it last year? Just because Boston had more fans? The White Sox were an underdog, - a team nobody expected anything from - and they come out swinging - in first place from day one and stayed in first each and every day of the season! And tied for the best post-season record EVER. They proved EVERYONE wrong. That's what makes the White Sox story SO great!
Jim from Crest Hill, Ill.:
Once again, just because the White Sox don't have the glamour of the Red Sox or Yankees, it is not supposed to appeal to the rest of the world. To that I say, who cares? To the fans of the Chicago White Sox, they can care less. They won it all! Finally! And the Cubs did not!
Jamil from Montgomery:
Hurricane Katrina was the biggest story of 2005. Teams on every level were and are still displaced as a result of her devastation. Perhaps being that I'm in Alabama has an effect on my perception; however, I can not understand how Lance could be number one because, quite frankly, I've seen it before. I haven't seen the White Sox win anything but you're correct in that they don't have the cult following of the Red Sox and Cubs. Katrina's impact disrupted sports and destroyed lives. Tell the Saints, the Hornets, Tulane, Southern Miss, Southern University, the Sugar Bowl and the New Orleans bowl officials, the Superdome officials and the countless other collegiate and high school athletes Katrina isn't number one.
Ken from Vineyard Haven:
I think the biggest story is that the Yankees failed miserably after spending 10 zillion dollars to buy a World Series. Hey, as the "Grinch" has said..."maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store"! If you're in Boston or Chicago, all you can do is enjoy it.
Randy from Mt. Shasta, Calif:
Lance — a miraculous story — beginning to end
Brad from Gaithersburg, Md.:
Lance Armstrong is the story of the year no question. Second is how the media over-hyped the T.O. story. If he'd not been given a microphone he would be a forgotten foot note. But that's the way it has become these days. The bad guys get the press because it's something to talk or write about. It's making a mess of sports. Too many talking heads.
Kevin from Tinley Park, Ill:
You're nuts! Who cares about bicycle racing? If you think that the Sox don't have a passionate following, look at the millions of people who showed up on LaSalle Street after they won the series. The Sox are easily the #1 story. Leave any mention of the Cubs out of future stories about the Sox. Those losers can have all the so-called fans they want.
Mike from Clearfield, Utah:
Danica Patrick is definite. T.O. doesn’t rate.
Jennifer from Chicago:
White Sox - #1 story. Who cares about the Cubs? You're obviously biased on that account or you wouldn't have mentioned them.
Mary B. from Lancaster, Pa.:
Mike, the White Sox were the story of 2005. Just like the Red Sox were in 2004. The other stories pale in comparison during both years. I am interested in all of the sports - but clearly the 88-year wait for the White Sox warrants it to be the story of the year. Your article leaves a lot to be desired. I can't stand when a "journalist" tries to sway the uninformed masses toward their warped opinion.
James from Southampton, Mass.:
Maybe not "Top Story," but Johnny D. going to the dark side.... Ouch! Add another chapter to the best rivalry in baseball
George from Chicago:
It's called the "Top Sports Story of the Year!” What idiot would equate what the White Sox accomplished and the way that they accomplished it with an unknowing national following? Are you a true sportswriter or a Hollywood publicist?
Michelle from Fontaine le Port, France:
I agree with you! Armstrong’s success was the big one and the bad-mouthing from the French newspapers shown us it was fairy sport adventure.
Dave from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia:
I live in a country fanatical about hockey, so, I guess the canceling of the 04/05 NHL season would get my top billing; a close second would have to be drugs in sports and the impact this causes on kids who regard these guys as heroes. My 17-year-old son grew up idolizing Mark McGwire, but now his admiration has turned to cynicism. Let’s hope there are more positive stories than negative ones this year.
Jim from Hudson, Ohio:
The top story should be how professional and college major sports programs have gone too far from reality with respect to the average "Joe" sports fan. Today it's all about money and the average so-called fan has lost touch either because he can't comprehend the magnitude of the wealth being tossed around, or he's caught up in this insanity expecting the owners to out-spend anyone just to be able win....something? Hopefully one day soon the "sports bubble" will burst and bring sport back to something more important than T.O.
Jason from Fort Wayne, Ind.:
I think the greatest story of the year is when the U.S. Team won the Presidents Cup. There is no better example of individual Athletes with large egos coming together to honor America. Watching Tiger and Phil embrace after the victory just shows that this group of guys put the past behind them to get a victory for the U.S.
Rick from Chicago:
You are right on the money...and who cares about the White Sox? As a Cub fan, I am sick of hearing about an over-achieving team that stunk in the second half, almost blowing a 15-game lead, but for whatever reason won the title. Yippee!!! Now we can only hope that Reinsdorf sells them, and they can go back to sleep for another 90 years.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
- Rate Story:
LowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM SPORTS |
 Sports Section Front |
| Add Sports headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links