Apathy

Apathy is an end result. It is the culmination of being inundated with information to the point that either one can become obsessed with an event or have a nonchalant attitude towards it. Think of how hype has ruined your favorite television show or music artist’s career. To become apathetic means that you have become so disenchanted or so bored with the information around you that the eventual information overload compels nothing more than a shrug. Usually this time of year, apathy sinks in as you get ready to hibernate for fall and have trouble staying awake because of the longer days. Since you are a sports fan, it has further effects.

Shawne Merrimen’s four-game suspension has carried much more weight than other performance-enhancing violations in the National Football League. After all, he was last season’s Defensive Rookie of the Year and has been considered by many to be the best defensive player in the entire game in his second season. Yet, if you believe what you hear, no one seems to give a damn. This is one of those moments where you have to sympathize with baseball. Maybe. There is a question posed on ESPN’s SportsNation which asks if Merriman’s suspension is the beginning of a larger performance-enhancing crisis in the NFL. In looking at the questions, you may be able to figure out what kind of responses they hope to illicit; however, there is an answer to the question. The only way that the suspension is part of a larger problem is if someone makes a big enough stink about it. It took a couple of reporters to ask about a small bottle in Mark McGwire's locker for any action from baseball itself, not long before Jose Canseco’s book shone some light on the issue. Until the recent scrutiny for baseball, football already has its poster boy for the use of performance enhancers; Lyle Alzedo. Even though it hasn’t been proven that anabolic steroids led to his death in 1992, he felt that his was a cautionary tale when he admitted to using ‘roids, especially since he was a star in the league. You’d think that it would be a reason that the public would clamor for a stricter response than a suspension for Merrimen. Yet, there is a general acceptance, if not acknowledgement of the brutal realities and history of the game. It wasn’t a beloved game until television and the numbers aren’t as (for the lack of a better term) sexy as baseball stats. To many people, performance enhancers destroy the meaning of numbers in one sport while they are an underlying layer of another that few care to realize.

You can also add the World Series to the list of “what we don’t care about”. Whether it’s been poor-to-no hitting, the talk about Kenny Rogers’ hand or the fact that these are two Midwestern teams that sputtered down the stretch, the Fall Classic between St. Louis and Detroit hasn’t captured the imagination of the country. You’ll hear a few redundant theories on why this is the case, but the most prevalent is that these are two small market teams flawed beyond comprehension. You’ll hear that if it were the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox in the championship that ratings would be so huge that every other network would bow to the power of FOX and shut down operations because of the impossibility to compete with Rupert Murdoch’s base-stealing machine. So maybe the CW would cease to exist, but the tone is there amongst fellow media heads. To quote Ignignokt, “your logic is flawless”. Actually, outside of die-hard fans and a few bars around town, the Yankees have been a poor draw in the World Series and considering that there are two teams in New York, at least half of the Five Boroughs could have cared less. There are a few teams in baseball that have what can be considered a true national following (Yankees, Red Sox and somehow, the Cubs) while several can be considered great regional teams (Cardinals, Dodgers, Giants, Braves, Mets, Phillies, Astros, Twins). It would be expected that the numbers would reflect the regions those teams play in, yet for the much-garnered national stage, only the Red Sox’s sweep of St. Louis in 2004 made the country take notice. Where region dictates the ratings for other teams, the utopia of another Yankee World Series is far-fetched: they are far more hated than loved over every hill and down every valley of the US and half of the streets of New York. As for this current series, it won’t matter if the rest of the week was rained out or if suddenly the sun wouldn’t set on the Midwest until the last pitch is thrown. ‘Dirtgate’ could have national security implications and Jeff Suppan can appear in thirty anti-stem cell research ads. It won’t amount to a hill of beans. The nature of any championship series is that unless you are a fan of the participants, you’ve cleaned out your locker along with your favorite team when the season ended. After investing nearly 200 days of the year to reaching the goal of a title only to fall short means now is the time to heal, rejuvenate and gear for next season. You’d just pay little to no attention to those still in the game.

They say that the only way to get on the news is for something bad. The unfortunate part is that these are two stories that overshadow some of the good that has transpired for both sports over the past few days. In a relatively quiet fashion, baseball has done something right for a change in extending the current CBA for another five seasons, avoiding the usual mudslinging and pretentious hatchet-burying at the eleventh hour. While it should be celebrated by all fans of the sport, it received about one-tenth of the attention of the first three weeks of the New York baseball offseason and one-twentieth of Rogers’ palm. As for the NFL, the Saints are off to an unexpected 5-1 start and the Jets could be 5-3 at the halfway point of the season. Yet, you wouldn’t know it because on sports editors’ desks across the nation are drafts on impending Terrell Owens’ blowups, another DUI in San Diego and Cincinnati and another Denny Green press conference. Actually, I think I’d like another classic loss-of-sanity briefing to the scribes.

Say What?!?!: Raiders. Cardinals. Dolphin Stadium. Miami. Super Bowl XLI. The Rematch. Stop laughing. Please, I’m dead serious.

Peaked

One of the top twenty rushers in NFL history. The second best total yards from scrimmage season in history. Bucked the conventional thoughts that only a guy of Jim Brown’s size can lead a team to success. Overcame fumbleitis and a rift with one the premier defensive players in the league, who happens to be another loquacious media-driven players who wants the city by his side (and a teammate). Proved critics that only viewed you as a third-down RB wrong by carrying the team’s offense on your shoulders for the past six seasons. Showed that you haven’t broken down past the age of thirty.

And you still want more.

Most running backs in the NFL who punish their bodies by running into a minimum of twelve hundred pounds of man for a living have several motivators to keep them on the field. You play to prove someone wrong, that you should have been drafted higher or that you can return from a devastating injury or that you can bulldoze through linebackers instead of shying away from contact. You play for a major contract that can set yourself and your family for life, even at the sacrifice of your physical being. You keep running to show that this year’s draft pick needs to stay on the pine and watch you rack up 150 yards against the toughest D-lines in the league. You push hard to win that elusive Super Bowl, the championship that you will be forever linked to by fans and media alike.

Tiki Barber, on the other hand, wants to explore opportunities off the field. The New York Giants’ all-time leading tailback is leaning towards retiring at the end of this season. Now, for fans of Big Blue, Barber’s retirement talk can cause some heart attacks and visions of the dreaded 1970s. Okay, maybe not the seventies, but it would be a Herculean effort to replace his production and guile, even though Brandon Jacobs has some ability. The shame is that he has proven to be a stellar source of stability for a team that finds a way to fall on its own sword every season. Unless there's a bias towards smaller backs, Barber will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame and not just because he has been better with age, but because of his second calling. Most players long in years would be motivated by chasing that championship that every player desires to hold at the end of the Super Bowl. Pro Bowls and accolades from peers and former players are wonderful being that football is the consummate team sport, yet, Super Bowl champions are near deities in their towns. Tiki says that he would be okay to walk away without having played for a Super Bowl. Having all of your faculties into old age is another reason why he’d be okay (see Earl Campbell). Many other players likely feel similar sentiments, but it had me thinking. If you were at the top of your game, could you walk away confident in all that you have done despite a void here and there? How could you feed that competitive fire as the years from your career move forward? What would you do after building your young years into the one thing very few people can excel in and even fewer can play for more than three years?

This leads to that second calling for Barber. Those who watch Good Day New York on Fox 5 have likely seen him as a part-time co-anchor to the morning show. This isn't a hobby for him, in fact, he has the potential to be as good as a media talkie as a football player. Unlike most players when they have retired from the game, Barber is more vested into non-football works than others. Football, as any other sport for former athletes, is all some have ever known whereas Tiki (and twin brother Ronde) may have had more encouragement to have diverse interest outside of the game.

How often do you hear of former athletes, musicians and other celebrities adjusting to life after the fanfare and the freebies? The glorified stories are on the extremes: either a successful transition for former jocks into media or many stories of those who have succumed to constant failures and karma (insert your celebrity here). What you can appreciate about what Tiki hopes to accomplish is that he has taken advantage of the media market that is New York City; having seen the positives and the negatives of the largest hype machine in the world. As he shifted through the Falcons' defensive line on Sunday, he could use his experience as a subject of interviews to possibly become a different media figure, knowing how words and actions get misconstrued and how negativity sells more than objectivity. What you may worry about is that despite his skills and willingness, his peers may not respect him because there is still the existence of the dumb jock mentality. Maybe he follows the lineage of Peter Jennings for all we know. Just pray that he doesn't become overfrizzed, self-absorbed and, well a walking catchphrase... like Ryan Seacrest.

Say What?!?!: Would you be buried in a Tampa Bay Devil Rays coffin? Well, now you can!

Ballllllin'

Word has it that the NBA is making a comeback.

Yes, that’s supposed to sound absurd if you are a true fan of hoops. The rule changes have opened up the game much more compared to even the late nineties. Walt “Clyde” Frazier coined the term ‘matador D’ and for good reason as the league has instituted clear path fouls, focused more on calling technicals and enforced defensive three-second violations. Last season’s playoffs, highlighted by an amazing first-round series between the Lakers and Suns as well as the Cavaliers-Pistons set in round two, were a boon for the NBA as its ratings had not witnessed national heights since Michael Jordan last played in Chicago. There was a good chance that your co-worker remembered that there was a pro team in your town (unless you were here in New York… or Boston… or Portland) and put away his UCLA hoodie for a while. Speaking of the NCAA, did you know that Florida won the national title?

Exactly. I think the players in Florida forgot, too.

While we are all fixated on the NFL and the baseball playoffs, we almost forgot that the NHL season started last week. Okay, you don’t care as much as I do, but when the puck drops, the leather roundball… wait, synthetic roundball isn’t too far behind. Here are a few things that are worth looking at during the year:

Is that a witch doctor or a real one?: Okay, I didn’t mean to insult anyone who prefers alternate medicines, but if you’re a fan of the Rockets, Grizzles, Magic or any other team that has dealt with (or in Memphis’ case, is about to deal with) significant injuries, you better pray that the team hired both as part of the medical staff. Houston, a team that was considered a playoff contender by critics to start the 2005-06 season, could not succeed without Tracy McGrady or Yao Ming. They lead the league in games lost to injury (274 "man games" including 35 by McGrady, 25 by Yao - a 21-10 record with both players on the floor). As defensive minded a coach as Jeff Van Gundy is, at least for most of his time in New York, he had Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell or Larry Johnson to carry some offensive load. The Rockets couldn’t expect Luther Head to drop buckets until both players were at full strength. Though they have added Bonzi Wells, Shane Battier and Kirk Snyder, T-Mac and Yao need to be on the floor. In another southern state, Orlando has been used to having to play without Grant Hill, who rebounded to have a stellar season in ‘04-’05. Missing him was exasperated by the eventual trade of Steve Francis to New York as Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson were still forming a chemistry on the court. Hill’s presence could have counted for at least five more wins in a Southeast Division that while not winnable (Miami), was capable of a third playoff team. There were other injured stars that were unable to help their teams compete, but the major injury of last season occurred during a preseason game where Phoenix Suns C Amare Stoudemire sprained his right knee and struggled when trying to return in March. The Suns were predicted to be at least in the Finals in part to the fast break offense lead by Steve Nash, the insane athleticism of Shawn Marion and the acquisition of F/C Kurt Thomas from… you guessed it, New York! Having Thomas would have allowed Stoudemire to switch between the pivot and around the key to create matchup havoc in the Western Conference. Amazingly, the Suns looked as if they didn’t miss a beat with 6’7”Boris Diaw playing center (even when Thomas himself missed 23 games). Amare’s return to the lineup once again has Phoenix talking championship, but how game-ready his knee will be is a question to be answered. Here is something that’s certain, Memphis is in for a world of hurt without C Pau Gasol. Gasol broke his foot playing for his native Spain in the World Championships this summer, and Grizzles management was none to happy to hear the news (or Pau for that matter). He is expected to miss the first three months of the season, which does not bode well for a team in the Southwest Division that has to deal with the Texas Triangle and a remodeled Hornets team.

Speaking of those guys, are we going to get our team back?: The Saints return to the Bayou has, for a moment, reenergized the Gulf Coast, notably the city of New Orleans. While it was a moment that will be hard to forget if you watched their triumphant return against the Atlanta Falcons, the reality is something that is seeping out of the minds of most Americans. Surely, New Orleaneans won’t forget that Hurricane Katrina ripped through their home, but many of them are displaced and may not ever return. The Hornets had just arrived from a nasty divorce from Charlotte in 2003 and was still a team whose roots were not firmly set into the city soil. This wasn’t a playoff team, either, despite the talent that arrived in town. Jamal Mashburn’s career was ended by injuries and Baron Davis was shipped overnight mail to Oakland. They were left with Louisiana native PJ Brown and… Chris Paul. Though he was drafted in June ‘05 and prepared to play in the Crescent City, Katrina washed out the city two months later. Oklahoma City welcomed the team with open arms; so open in fact that the college-like atmosphere seemingly charged up a young, but rootless franchise. For Oklahoma City, this was not just a civil effort, but a tryout for an expansion franchise or any team looking to relocate. The experiment continues this season as once more, the Hornets will make their nest there while playing six games in the New Orleans Arena. Though owner George Shinn has said that he will bring the team back to N.O., there are significant economic questions; some are similar to what the Saints face. Unlike their football counterparts, the Hornets were a toddler in the house; waddling its way though trying to figure out its place. Having to move to a third city in five years, the team doesn’t have a true fan base compared to the rest of the league and the potential fans are now scattered throughout the country or trying to rebuild in a city without the financial wherewithal. Because the future of the Gulf is uncertain, Oklahoma City has already planned for a permanent next. Yet there is a wild card in all of this; the Saints have San Antonio and Los Angeles, the Hornets have Las Vegas. Sin City will host this year’s All-Star Weekend, but has pined for a pro sports team for decades. Even the XFL’s Outlaws had a following for the one fateful season of its existence. While one weekend may not determine sustained viability, Vegas is a larger market than several current NBA cities, (New Orleans was actually the smallest pre-Katrina). Keep a watch on Commissioner Stern’s desk to see what he may decide in the coming months regarding the future of the Hornets.

Oh, and about Vegas: Dipset performs prior to the All-Star tip-off. It will be the debut of the Cam’Ron/Elivis Costello collabo, “Touch It or Not” remix and Jim Jones will actually test his baaaaaaaaaaaalin’ skills during the 2-Ball challenge with Becky Hammon. Welcome to Dip City.

Another chance to chase a dream, another chance to feel alive: Alter Bridge’s “Metalingus” would be a perfect theme song for the Dallas Mavericks. Reason One, it is blaring though these speakers as of this writing. Reason Two, it is the theme track of WWE superstar, Edge and considering how I want a WWE-style entrance to my apartment, the song works even more. Reason Three, a 2-0 series lead headed to Miami. O’Neal hasn’t dominated. Dwayne Wade is nicked up. Jason Terry had already torched Tony Parker and Nash (a back-to-back MVP), what were Jason Williams (White Chocolate) and Gary Payton going to do? The Mavs’ defense has propelled them throughout the season and playoffs against stiff competition while the Heat clawed itself through offensively-challenged New Jersey and Chicago before dispatching Detroit. The Miami Heat were older, slower and fatigued. Except for D-Wade. The bigs rebounded, Antoine Walker was effective and Wade got fouled and fouled and fouled some more. Miami won four games. Dallas lost four straight games. Dallas reloaded. For Marquis Daniels, Adrian Griffin and Darrel Armstrong arrived Austin Croshere, Devean George and Anthony Johnson (whose offense against the Nets in the playoffs raised his stock). They added players who've been in the Finals in hopes to close out games. Yet while young players are believed to be overwhelmed in the postseason, veterans can reflect to past failures. There is a good chance the Mavs may return, but the games don't play themselves.

Jack Bauer: To borrow notoriousjtb's moniker for Mr. Bryant, Kobe was nothing short of amazing last season. Most kept labeling his performances as Jordan-esqe, giving more fodder to critics who believe that he is trying to emulate the legend. Even the new numero adds fuel to their bonfire - as one has already envisioned, some will say "24? What, he thinks he's above Mike?". Kobe Bauer... er, Bryant carried an offensive load unlike any player since Wilt Chamberlain. For the first time since his arrival in the NBA, his play was the story, not his former teammate, not his former coach-turned-current coach, not Colorado (well, not so much). The corny cliche truly applied to his game last year as he willed the young and lithe Lakers into a sixth seed in the Western Conference and a seven-game war with the Phoenix Suns. The on-court questions are simple: how much more can he do? Will he fade at points in the season to prove that the team needs some help as he was accused of doing in the fateful Game 7 against the Suns? Off the court will be interesting as he has hoped to rebuild his image to the basketball public. The basketball public being the subject because as his recent endorsements have shown, he has taken a similar route to Baltimore Ravens LB Ray Lewis, who after his trial in 2000, was absorbed into a strictly football diet in terms of his image.

There are plenty more scintillating stories throughout the season and those will be rightfully reflected. Just remember one thing; everyone has something to hope for... until Halloween.

Say What?!?!: R.I.P. Mr. Lidle.

Snapped

Like all of our work here, we would like to believe that we are not limiting our audience, as we try to bring our thoughts to fans and non-fans, casual onlookers and obsessed hermits, all generations, ethnicities and crazy people (those with and without medications). This post, however, I hope that you read and think of carefully by applying this to your own occupations and passions. In other words, you don't have to know which Manning plays for which team or if Derek Jeter's cologne smells like Michael Jordan's. Just read on.

While taking a week off because of a badly-twisted ankle during my senior year in high school, I was scheduled to attend a day tour of my eventual alma mater with fellow minority candidates from New York City. During the first forum, one of the school's law professors decided to have a simulated class with all of the students (parents excluded). Considering that it was a crisp Veterans' Day in suburban Boston, he decided to present a hypothetical scenario on the football field. We were placed on the field as a wide-open receiver on the way into the end zone. Now unless your opponents tackle like Deion Sanders and get distracted like they were in a strip club afterhours, the receiver had several angry men in full gear chasing him/her and the ball. The receiver is tackled as normal by one of the defenders. Sore, battered and a little disappointed that (s)he didn't get the six points, the receiver moves on. Normal, correct?

The professor then asks the question "what if the receiver was severely injured on the play? Is there any legal issue here?" Students began to ponder for the sake of thinking, yet came to the conclusion that it's part of the game. Hundreds of players suffer season and even career threatening injuries on the most normal of circumstances in football at all levels, yet because the nature of the game is a violent one, it is a risk that is assumed when they step on the field.

Finally, the real meat of the dinner is served. Because I was in the professor's direct line of view, I was chosen to be the receiver. I am now being chased down by a defensive player who suddenly decides to whip out a 2x4. The professor asks "is there a legal precedent involved here? How does the NFL (in this scenario) handle it?"

In addition to talking with the school's former president for a half-hour weeks before, this response sealed my acceptance. Any action on the field and within the game is under the jurisdiction of the NFL as it is considered similar to any action (insubordination, for example) in the business world. However, if a player brings an outside object onto the field of play, (s)he is also inviting the jurisdiction of local authorities. A 2x4, a Mossburg, any object that has no relevance with the game used for any harm invites punishment from the league and even more damning, potential legal repercussions. This is stating the obvious to all of us. Yet, the slippery slope has no rail if there wasn't a foreign object involved, such as if someone commits an act on the field that either intentionally threatens the well-being of a player with or (at least) a horrible act that could be in the heat of the moment.

Now what?

This scenario has presented itself in some scary, real-life events such as Todd Bertuzzi's vicious actions against former NHLer Steve Moore in 2004. How about Marty McSorely's use of his stick against Donald Brashear in 2000 (and the racial backstory that made it even more repugnant)? You might say "so what, no one watches hockey."

Before you think of the Malice at the Palace for the NBA, I remind you of Kermit Washington's punch on Rudy Tomjanovich during a Lakers/Rockets contest in December 1977. Marcus Camby and Chris Mills waited for players after incidents in recent years. Danny Ainge bit Tree Rollins' finger back in 1983. The list brings several more incidents.

Your boy Zinadine Zidane during the World Cup final in July.

How about Juan Marichal's bat-throwing incident back in 1965? Izzy Alcantera kicking the catcher en route to the pitcher that threw at his head five years ago? Delmon Young a few months ago? The Red Sox/Yankees bruhahas not too long ago? Just to name a slight few in the sport's history. And you love baseball.

During the Week 4 contest between the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans, T.O. played, Vince Young started his first NFL game and fans in Nashville were wondering why they were even at the stadium. Then, Albert Haynesworth, a Titans defensive tackle, displayed an act that has this country screaming louder than the recent allegations on former Congressman Mark Foley (at least today). After a Julius Jones touchdown during the third quarter, Haynesworth was seen kicking Cowboys lineman Andre Gurode in the face... a helmetless Gurode in the face. Gurode received thirty stitches and did not return to the game. Haynesworth was ejected and by the looks of things, will be suspended by the league for three-four games. The Titans may tack onto the league penalty as its head coach, Jeff Fisher, is not only one of the most respected men in the game, but is the head of the league's competition committee that shapes the rules of conduct for its players.

Now what?

It's too easy to throw out an opinion on Haynesworth's actions. It's even easier to indict athletes as criminals with money and size. Yet, despite his apologies and the five-week punishment, most of us would likely ask for a little more than a temporary ban from the field. I'd bet that you'd sue, at least. And to be brutally honest, most of us would find out where he lives, trains and eats... you know the rest. That would be even more trouble and at day's end, you're serving a few years at the nearby penetentiary. So what would be the legal ramifications? In several past incidents, victims have filed civil suits and criminal charges. In the case of Bertuzzi and Moore, the city of Vancouver (where Bertuzzi's Canucks played in a home game against Moore's Colorado Avalanche) stepped in before Moore got his head straight and filed charges against Bertuzzi. Though doubtful, it would not be above and unprecedented for Nashville Police to take a similar action, even though Garude may not. Players have sued each other for violent acts and many things less significant. Though Garude's actual ability to play next week has not been affected, the fact that Haynesworth justmissed his eye is going to play a large role in what he and his family may decide to do.

There is a seed of viciousness within us all, no matter how much we deny and suppress it. When you deal with so many different temperments and personalities, you might want to snap once in a while. However, you have some restraint and you don't slug the people you hate. As good as it might feel and as much as you believe people deserve it. If your co-worker hit you in the face because you're at odds about what slides to use in next week's presentation, what would you do? It might happen in sports, but it happens in life as well.

Consider everything.

Seriously, I'm soliciting responses, whether you're reading this from the blog, MySpace or on Facebook.

Say What?!?!: Personally, I am rooting hard for Alex Rodriguez to hit .500. I am rooting equally harder for three things: 1) that the Yankees other than Rodriguez hit as if they're playing the Angels again, 2) that the Tigers win the Series just for a different flavor to baseball and 3) the start of NBA training camps. In the meanwhile, as usual, here is some reading material.