Technology Killed The American Sports Hero

Have you ever asked yourself what happened to the American Sports Hero? The simple answer is the new age arrogant prima dona sports athlete shirks the responsibility of being a role model. The real answer is more complex. The truth is there never were any sports heroes. The truth is athletes of the past had their infidelity and indiscretions covered up. They had affairs back then, it's just that their wives saved face with public appearances and their mistresses kept quiet. They knew their place unlike the vixens of today who post text messages and graphic pictures trying to get their piece of the spotlight. The other woman is no longer satisfied with being in the background. They still had DUI's and bar brawls, but that news was kept off the front page. The media was much more forgiving and much less sensational. They protected the athletes because they understood their importance. They knew young kids would emulate them and they covered up their flaws. Nowadays an athletes worth is measured by how big a story they can generate. The more controversial the better. If you follow a young millionaire around 24/7 and report to the world everything that happens in their life at some point they will engage in behavior the public will deem inappropriate. The camera phone, twitter, and facebook all but guarantee this outcome. Without these devices would Tiger Woods, Charles barkley, Shaq, or Aquaman even get into trouble? Unless we change the unrealistic definition of what makes a sports hero athlete after athlete will fall into the technological trap and we'll have to hear numerous apologetic press conferences. If we realize the concept never existed, maybe we'll stop chasing it.

There Is No Racism In The NFL

I may not like Roger Goodell, but I respect the hell out of him. I'm impressed the commish hasn't applied a double standard for quarterbacks and players not of color. If you mess up you get the book thrown at you no matter who you are. No one player is going to derail the money train that is the NFL. Enter Ben Roethlisberger. This 2 time Super Bowl champion armed with a $102,000,000 contract had the nerve to rape a girl while still under investigation for raping a different girl. Was he crazy? No, just confident the rules of entitlement for rich white quarterbacks applied to him and therefore he was untouchable. I would have agreed until yesterday. Instead Roger Goodell handed down a swift and ruthless punishment that has caused the downfall of one of the proudest franchises in professional sports. The Steelers will recover from a public relations standpoint, but they won't make the playoffs this year and possibly may trade their franchise quarterback to make a point. That's quite a price to pay for someones bad judgement. Notice has been served. Roger Goodell would suspend his mama if she acted up. Unless your name is Peyton or Eli you better watch yourself.

Seattle Sports 5 Most Heartbreaking Losses

Seattle has had its fair share of heartbreaking losses. It could be argued that the 206 has suffered on the same level as Cleveland, Boston, Utah, or Sacramento. The losses take a toll on the emotional psyche and are almost impossible to recover from. These are the 5 most heartbreaking losses in Seattle sports history:

5. Shadle Park over Mercer Island. I rarely take it down to the grass roots level, but this is an exception. The Islanders were so distraught over losing the state high school basketball championship that they took it to court to have the ruling overturned. They lost again.

4. UCLA over the Huskies 1990. I can still see Mark Brunell throwing that little out in the flat that got picked off after the Huskies battled back to tie the game. Had they won they would have been the #1 team in the country.

3. Rip over the Huskies in the NCAA tournament. This one is especially painful because they show it over and over again. I still think Fremerling played solid D on the play.

2. Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Nevermind the bogus calls, if Jerramy Stevens could catch the Hawks would have a Lombardi trophy right now. Damn you Jerramy!

1. Nuggets over the Sonics 94'. I don't think I will ever fully recover from this one. The Sonics had the best record in the league in the first Jordanless season. Up 2-0 the Sonics lost 3 straight games (2 in overtime) and became the first #1 seed in NBA history to lose to an 8 seed. How embarrassing is that?

Dirk Will Win The Chip This Year

If Dirk Nowitzki is truly over his meltdown in the 2006 NBA finals the Dallas Mavericks will win the championship this year. Here are the 5 reasons why:

1. Weapons. Dirk has never played on a team with this much talent before. Trading a disgruntled Josh Howard for a hungry Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood has really paid dividends. When you combine that with Terry and Kidd the Mavs have all the ingredients to bake a championship cake.

2. Timmy D is on borrowed time. Tim Duncan will never score on 10 straight possessions in a playoff game ever again. The 4 time champion is vulnerable and Big Shot Bob or The Admiral aren't walking through that door to save him.

3. Phoenix is not a playoff team. Phoenix can't play defense and has no idea what a half court offensive set looks like. The playoffs don't cater to Nash's strengths.

4. LA isn't healthy. If ever there was a time to steal one from the Lakers, it's now. Kobe's banged up, Bynum is hobbling, and they will most likely play Denver in the 2nd round. That series will will take a lot out of them.

5. No champs in the East. Boston is done. Lebron has never won a chip and we don't know how he will mesh with Shaq come winning time. Dwight Howard has no go to move in the post and after seeing his ex-girlfriend on Basketball Wives I question his ability to make good decisions in crunch time.

It's now or never for Dirk. If he doesn't win it this year he will end up on the list with Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, Patrick Ewing, and Charles Barkley. Good Luck.

Women Are Ruining Sports Part 2

As for Chili, I have to admit she was always my favorite of the TLC trio and I found it quite amusing to hear her checklist to perfection. Just to recap she needs a man who doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, doesn't eat pork, has a 6 pack washboard stomach, no more than 2 babies mamas, believes in god, and is well endowed. It's a list only a diva could come up with as a realistic expectation. Watching Chili set forth on the path to loneliness and heartbreak was all fun and games until she started messing with Floyd Mayweather Jr. At that point I realized she could potentially change the course of history. Floyd is 5 good fights away from stating his claim as the best ever. The last thing he needs is a neurotic headcase foiling the plan. I can just see Chili walking into Floyd's dressing room minutes before the Pacquiao fight dropping one of these bombs:

1. My cousin told me she saw you with Rihanna. It's over!
2. If you say you love me why don't we just get married right after the fight?
3. I slept with Usher last night. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.

It is complete and total selfishness on Chili's part to jeopardize a man's lifelong dream. She should keep her insecurities and unrealistic standards to herself. I got 2 words for you Floyd, Robin Givens. Run away while there's still time.

More Money No Problems

The first week of the Major League Baseball season is over and I'm ready to make my prediction. The New York Yankees will win the World Series. You guys can have the field and I'll take the Yanks straight up. With a revamped outfield and the best infield in baseball I see no reason New York won't continue their dominance. This is a franchise that prides itself on winning at all costs. If money is no object, why would you ever play fair? If the The Yankees discover a weakness in their lineup they simply throw money at the problem. The rest of the league is essentially a farm system for the guys in pinstripes. If the Mariners struggle to keep pace with the Angels down the stretch don't be surprised to see Ichiro shipped off to the Bronx for some top prospects. Big Bank Hank is not about to let the wheels come off this train. Don't hate the players, hate the game. The Yankees can't be stopped.

Fishing Is Not A Sport

Don't get me wrong, I like Bassmasters. I marvel at the contestants ability to catch 100 pound fish and I realize there's a great deal of skill involved. I just don't want to see it on ESPN. Fishing is right up there with canine obstacle courses and the lumberjack olympics. I refer to those events as space fillers, something to pass the time until football season starts again. Fishing is something you do with your grandpa as a bonding experience or with your boys talking about past glory and hot chicks. It is not a sport. You don't even have to be in shape to fish. There is no advantage gained by running a 4.5 or bench pressing 400 pounds. If you want to label something a sport it needs to have an athletic component. With fishing all you have is nets, poles, lines, and lures. Fishermen don't use the cream or the clear. The solution is simple, move fishing to the food network and replace it with Nerf indoor basketball. The ratings would be off the hook.

Roy Jones Jr: A Legacy Tarnished

It's been sad and embarrassing to watch the last 6 fights of Roy jones Jr. 22 years ago I watched him get robbed of a gold medal in Seoul, Korea. 22 years later I watched him get robbed of his greatness after the bashing he took from Bernard Hopkins. No one will remember the middleweight crowned heavyweight champion of the world. No one will remember the boxer that played a basketball game before a fight just to make the fight more interesting. No one will remember he beat Bernard Hopkins in his prime. The superior skills Roy Jones possessed are no longer. The diminishing hand speed and the accumulation of punches have taken their toll. It happens to all champions. With the exception of Lennox Lewis, a champions last fight is a beating. The same qualities that make a champion great are the same qualities that force a champion to fight longer than they should. His record doesn't reflect it, but Roy Jones Jr. was the greatest fighter of his era. It's a shame people will forget that.

Is It Wrong To Impersonate A Professional Athlete?

I have a friend that goes down to spring training every year and pretends to be a Seattle Mariner. He dresses up in Mariner's attire and tells everyone he's nursing a sore hamstring. Soon everyone is buying him drinks and hot dogs and young women in skimpy outfits are giving him their phone number. Another friend of mine waits until Seahawk training camp to pull off his shenanagins. He dresses up in Seahawks attire and claims to be a DB on injured reserve. By mid August he has at least 3 or 4 women texting him all day and he eats at various teriyaki spots for free. I've even had the privilege of wearing a friend's super bowl ring and let me tell you the indecent proposals roll in like a tidal wave. If my friends and I get this much attention as imposters, imagine what real players go through? Before you start criticizing the modern day athlete ask yourself 3 questions:

1. Can you check into a hotel using your real name?

2. Can you go grocery shopping?

3. Can you go to the mall?

If you answered yes to these questions you can't possibly relate to what these people are going through. The perks are endless and temptation is everywhere. Unlimited options can lead to chaos so don't be surprised the next time a high profile athete gets themselves in hot water. Before judging someone ask yourself what would you do if you could do whatever you wanted?

Nabb in DC fits TOO Well

As I predicted on ESPN.com last week Donovan McNabb has ended up with the Washington Redskins. Although I thought it was a great fit for Donovan and a great option for Washington I am completely shocked Philly pulled the trigger. The NFC East is the toughest division in football and trading within the division all but guarantees they won't win it. Donovan knows the Eagles inside out and he didn't leave on the best of terms. He's going to try and stick it to them every chance he gets Brett Favre style. Mike Shanahan runs the purest form of the west coast offense and now he has a veteran quarterback to help make a seamless transition back into the NFL. Donovan will not get lost in translation and terminology. When you combine a coach and a franchise quarterback with Stonehenge size chips on their shoulders you have a very hungry football team with something to prove. The league should be nervous.

Bobby Cox: A decade of Winning

The Atlanta Braves won the NL East 10 years in a row and featured one of the best pitching staffs of all time under the management of Bobby Cox. Those are very impressive stats at first glance, but if you look deeper you uncover the true irony of the story. The Atlanta Braves were consistently good during Cox's tenure but never great. Despite all those division titles the Braves only won 1 world series in a strike shortened season. The Florida Marlins have won 2 in the same time frame. It's hard to fathom a team with 3 Cy Young pitchers unable to turn the corner and win more world series championships. Does that failure fall on the shoulders of the front office or Cox himself? In my opinion The Braves organization has always been willing to spend money to acquire the players they needed for the stretch run. If you have talent it is always the managers responsibility to get the best out of them. As Bobby Cox enters his final season as the Braves skipper we'll remember a lot of good times. It's just unfortunate they couldn't have won more titles under his watch to solidify his legacy. As it stands he's 1 ring shy of Cooperstown.

#23 is really #5

Lebron James recently submitted paperwork to change his uniform number from 23 to 6. It is his belief that the league should officially retire the number 23 to honor the the greatest player of all time. Lebron's gesture is genuine, but misguided. Michael is not the greatest player of all time. If you could start a franchise with anyone that ever played the game the list would go as follows:

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar The sky hook is the most unstoppable shot the league has ever known.
2. Earvin "Magic" Johnson You'll wake me the next time we see a 6'9 true point guard.
3. Bill Russell The greatest winner in professional team sports.
4. Wilt Chamberlin The most dominant player in league history.
5. Michael Jordan The most competitive player with a will to win unsurpassed by any other.