Farewell Beijing

First appeared on August 27th, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

The games of the 29th Olympiad came to an end Sunday with a truly remarkable closing ceremony. Before the Olympics even began we were of the opinion that China was not a worthwhile host given their disgusting record in the arena of human rights. While our opinion of the Chinese government remains unchanged, we were captivated by everything the Beijing games brought us.
Simply put these games were spectacular. In every phase and fashion Beijing left us wanting more. Between transportation, security and event scheduling the Olympics are no doubt a logistical nightmare for host nations and yet the Chinese pulled everything off so marvelously.
It is estimated China shelled out 40 billion dollars to put on the summer games. And from the opening and closing ceremonies to competitions amongst athletes inside state of the art facilities, it appears to be money well spent. In fact Beijing’s version of the Olympics may do more to resurrect the stature of the games than anything we have seen in the last 20 years.
With the exception of a few protests and one journalist being detained, the summer games were not marred by the ugliness of any international incidents- though the potential for it was obviously great. This is either a credit to the effectiveness of the authoritarian regime that rules China or perhaps we are beginning to see glimpses of a new era of tolerance from the Communist party.
China has long been a mystery for those in the west given how painstakingly choreographed and limited the flow of information to the outside world is. The media control is so tight at times that if a guy was writing this in Beijing chances are some government goons would have already kicked down his door and tossed his laptop in front of a speeding rickshaw by now. What these games have revealed however is that the Chinese are actually part of a vibrant society living inside an exciting and beautiful country.
Early on Michael Phelps looked to be the only story in town but by Friday night it was clear these games had produced so many dramatic moments that they would live on in history forever. Jamaica’s Usain Bolt dominated the sprints, winning one race by more than a car length. And by “car” here we mean stretch limo or 11 Smart cars for our environmentally friendly readers. Despite running up against the best China’s pre-school gymnastics program had to offer, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin both managed to win gold medals as well.
And, outside of Al Gore’s claim he invented the Olympics, perhaps the high point of the games for Americans came when the USA Men’s basketball team, millionaires who are larger than life to some, all hung their medals around the neck of head coach Mike Krzyzewski in a show of solidarity. Seeing those superstars caped with U.S. flags and jumping around like giddy schoolboys is enough to make even the crustiest and cynical of Americans well up. Rumor has it Michael Moore even asked to borrow Sean Penn’s hankie when he saw it.
While there were the expected controversies, the drama did not begin to approach the spectacular level of competition and overall showmanship of Beijing’s Olympic effort.
Now the world is curious to see where China goes from here. Though they are the most populous nation on Earth and home to one of the fastest growing economies, we still view these games as their coming out party. For so long now many have overlooked the sleeping giant and future superpower that is China. If you doubted the Chinese before, don’t make the same mistake twice.

Phelps is great, but so was Spitz

First appeared on August 20th, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

Simply put-Michael Phelps can’t be human. We’ve decided it’s more likely he is half man, half horse and half fish; if it’s even possible to have that many halves. The majority of his races haven’t even been close. There have been stretches where he has looked more like a pace car than an actual competitor. He has been the top story of these Olympics since the opening night and rumor has it when the games are over Michael Phelps is going to swim home.
The world slid to the edge of their seats Saturday night as he zeroed in on one of those few remaining records so many believed would never be broken; seven gold medals in a single Olympics. In 1972 Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at the Munich summer games swimming for team USA. Now, in breaking the record, Phelps has somehow made achieving the impossible appear ordinary. He is a 12,000 calorie a day water rocket (we don’t know what that is, but it sounds fast) that has taken Beijing by storm. Yet as he shattered that which so many believed indestructible there was one notable figure missing from the stands of Beijing’s water cube.
Inexplicably Mark Spitz was not invited to attend the Olympics in Beijing. One might think that, given it was so widely predicted Phelps would break Spitz’s record, the U.S. Olympic Committee might have extended the guy a personal invitation to witness history.
It seems only fitting that there be some sort of controversy surrounding Mark Spitz. It has shadowed him for most of his life. His first widely publicized taste came in the 1968 games in Mexico City where he brashly predicted he would win 6 gold medals only to leave with 2. From 1968-72 he trained at Indiana University where he earned both a bachelors degree and the nickname “Mark the Shark” after amassing 8 NCAA titles. But all this came at the expense of some who dismissed him as aloof.
In 1972 Spitz dominated the Munich summer games amidst a whirlwind of controversy. For starters he spit in the eye of conventionality by swimming with a mustache that would have made even Magnum P.I. jealous. After winning 6 gold medals and setting 6 world records, Spitz also drew the ire of some when he contemplated sitting out his last race for fear of jeopardizing his perfect record. At the last moment he raced and won; setting yet another world record.
Spitz’s participation in the German backed games was also controversial because of his Jewish faith. Beyond the lingering animosity of the anti-Semitic Hitler regime, the hostage standoff involving members of Israel’s Olympic team only complicated matters. As a Jewish athlete who had dominated the games, the West Germans feared for his safety and didn’t allow him to hang around for the closing ceremonies; he was assigned a special security detail and hustled back to the states.
After his Olympic days were over, many involved with USA swimming hoped Spitz would become an ambassador for the sport. Instead he answered the call of Hollywood, cashing in on lucrative endorsements and cameo parts. He was Peyton Manning before Peyton Manning was Peyton Manning.
The man who held 26 world records, was named one of the five greatest athletes of the century by the International Olympic Committee and was also the only swimmer to crack ESPN”s list of the 50 greatest athletes of all time was not present to see his own record being broken. Say what you want about the guy, Mark Spitz should have been there.

Rest in peace Brett Favre story

First appeared on August 13th, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

We are gathered here to say, “Rest in peace annoying Brett Favre story that seemed as if it would never go away. May you find greener pastures and plenty of open receivers in the Meadowlands. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, the Packers owners surely hope Aaron Rogers won’t be a bust.” The story that captivated the sports world has finally ended with the legendary quarterback’s trade from Green Bay to New York.
The Packers powers that be have seemingly put all their eggs in the basket of a young, yet to be proven back up quarterback named Aaron Rogers. The man who has thrown the most touchdown passes in NFL history will, fittingly, be replaced by a man who has tossed only one.
Although the media from Kenosha to Kathmandu have already talked the story to death this is the greatest train wreck in professional sports history and, try as we may, we can’t resist the temptation to pile on. Our frustration can be summarized in five words: What was Green Bay thinking? Why would they not want one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and the man who resurrected their franchise back?
ESPN reported recently that during the height of the standoff, Packers GM Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy were greeted with a standing ovation during a Packers shareholders meeting. Now far be it from me to question the intelligence of a fan base who wear wheels of cheese on their heads and hunter orange sweatshirts to cheer their team on, but-what were Green Bay fans thinking?
Brett Favre had you one play away from the Super Bowl and finished second in league MVP voting; how could you not demand management bring him back? At the very least, how do you not let him come back to compete for the starting job? If he isn’t good enough he’ll get the message when you hand him a clipboard and ask him to keep stats for Aaron Rogers.
When it became painfully clear to everyone but Brett Favre and his agent that the Packers didn’t want him back, we found ourselves imagining how an interview with a prospective coach might go when the gun slinging hall of famer suddenly found himself tossed to the curb as if he were a nothing but an assistant equipment manager who had died all the road jerseys pink.
Prospective head coach: “So Mr. Favvv-ree…do you have any experience playing quarterback?”
Favre: “Well I have completed over 5,000 passes for 61,000 yards and 442 touchdowns, all of which are NFL records. I’m also the only 3 time MVP in NFL history too- so yeah, I’d like to think I know what I’m doing.”
So now as Favre rides gingerly into the fading sunset of consequentiality that is the Meadowlands and the Jets organization, we are all left to ponder if there isn’t another story to be found somewhere in all this. Surely there is something we don’t know buried underneath this fiasco. There must be a reason it was bungled so badly by the Packers talking heads. Someday the real story will come out, until then- we wish Aaron Rogers the best, whether he is celebrating his teams Super Bowl championship this time next year or bagging groceries at the Pick N’ Save in Sheboygan. Still we just can’t help but wonder- what was Green Bay thinking?

Gold not certain for USA

First appeared on August 6th, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

Some will remember days when there were three constants in life: death, taxes and the U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team winning gold. While death and taxes look to be unfortunate facts of life for the foreseeable future, the U.S. winning gold is not. When a rule change in 1989 allowed professional athletes to participate in the Olympics, the U.S. began a run of total basketball domination. And we mean unquestionable domination, not unlike a 40 year old playing dodgeball against second graders.
Domination isn’t a strong enough term for the original Dream Team of 1992. Those guys obliterated everyone, imagine 40 year olds playing dodgeball against second graders in wheelchairs. With a roster that included Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Team USA posted an average margin of victory of over 40 points. Perhaps even more ridiculous, head coach Chuck Daly never used a time out during his team’s entire gold medal run. The world stood absolutely no chance back then. Look in your rearview mirror America, the world has caught up. See bronze medal in the 2004 Athens games for proof.
Let us be the first to say, there truly are no guarantees in life (does mission accomplished ring a bell?). While many experts are predicting total U.S. domination on the hardwood in Beijing this summer, we believe the U.S. winning gold is not a lock. It is highly probable, but not a guarantee.
It’s not a lock because this team will have to play defense, which many on the roster are accustomed to doing little of; or none at all unless it’s the fourth quarter of a playoff game. Team USA’s defense has already proven vulnerable in the past when facing the European teams that move so well without the ball.
Secondly superstars like Kobe and LeBron will not get bailed out every time they go to the hole by the bogus NBA calls they have made their fortunes on. These games will be officiated by international referees and, unfortunately for us, they are men Tim Donaghy doesn’t have on speed dial. The lack of bail out calls will ultimately translate into players settling for 15-20 foot jump shots. And, like playing defense effectively, making these shots is something we are not convinced anyone on Team USA will be able to do with regularity either.
The largest difference between the Dream Team of 1992 and those we have seen since is experience. Every player on the original Dream Team had substantial college experience and, consequently, a high skill set and knowledge.
Fast forward 16 years and we see a roster full of fantastic athletes with less than fantastic skills. We are of the opinion that ESPN has helped usher in an era of highlight reel players that are exciting to watch, but whose lack of experience (skipping college) and skills are ultimately ruining the NBA product.
As a general rule, foreign born players learn the nuances of the team game and work hard at honing their individual skills. This enables them to compete with the upscale Americans. If you look at the rosters of those NBA teams that have experienced the most success over the last 5-10 years you will find numerous foreign born players.
From NBC’s perspective we understand that a Team USA on the ropes makes better drama than the Dream Team pounding Angola to a lifeless 116-48 pulp, but we still long for the days of Charles Barkley stiff arming a 95 pound Chinese power forward to the ground. The quest for gold starts when Team U.S.A. begins pool play on August 10th against the host country China.

The State of Indiana

First appeared on July 30th, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

When basketball coach Tom Crean took the job at Indiana University, one has to wonder what his initial reaction was upon seeing his roster. In the wake of Kelvin Sampson’s blatant disregard for NCAA rules, Indiana has seen coaches fired, players transfer, recruits asking to be released from letters of intent and a total of three scholarships lost (at press time the future of the other 38,000 students on the IU campus remained unclear).
All of this combined has left Crean with one returning player. While his roster is reminiscent of the Ukrainian countryside after the Chernobyl meltdown, Crean remains upbeat. Despite toxic streams choked with glow in the dark fish and poisoned cows giving birth to calves with more eyes than legs, Crean insists he is in a good place.
On February 22nd Indiana agreed to a buyout of former head coach Kelvin Sampson for $750,000. In exchange, Sampson promised to hand over his cell phone, hop the first bus out of Bloomington and, oh yeah, to not sue the pants off the University. Knowing full well he had enough information to prove Sampson had been reckless and dishonest, one can only imagine how shaky President Michael McRobbie’s hand must have been while signing his John McHancock on Sampson’s check.
In late June the NCAA ruled that Indiana was negligent in supervising Sampson, charging the University with “failure to monitor”. This translates to mean the Athletic Department did not follow NCAA guidelines for compliance. Which of course translates to mean they didn’t follow the rules very well (like not at all). These latest findings were likely a major factor in AD Rick Greenspan’s decision to step down come December (that coupled with his skyrocketing unpopularity).
The head scratcher in all of this is the legal trouble Indiana finds itself in. The University has a very well respected law school after all. One that has been in operation for over 150 years and boasts alums working in all 50 states; including one justice on the Indiana Supreme Court.
Greenspan and the athletic department had one of the largest groups of law professors in the state at their disposal and yet they still apparently failed to decipher the NCAA legalese properly when it came to monitoring Sampson and his staff. Maddening.
Surely there are some attorneys out there who would have been willing to come to the defense of their alma mater by taking on Sampson. With this in mind, why would Indiana fear the proposition of flat out firing him? Why buy a guy out when some of the brightest attorneys in the nation cut their teeth in B-Town?
With the reputation of an entire University swirling at the bottom of the bowl, I’m certain Indiana could have easily found a former graduate willing to tackle the case (most likely pro-bono to boot), just to be sure someone plunged the tradition and good name of Indiana University from the depths of despair.
To put this into perspective, IU experiencing legal trouble is a lot like someone from Purdue’s Aeronautical Engineering School struggling to get a kite off the ground. It’s a mess. No, it’s more than a mess. It’s a disaster. In the world of sports it’s a disaster of biblical proportions. What happened to “We will fight for the glory of old IU”? If there was ever a time when the glory of old IU was in jeopardy, and worth fighting for, it‘s definitely now.

The Hoosier Gunslinger

First appeared on July 23rd, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

Al Michaels had the call as Cleveland Indian reliever Doug Jones strode across the lime green Astroturf to take the mound under the bright lights of Riverfront Stadium. In front of a frenzied crowd of 55,000 screaming fans, American League Manager Tom Kelley handed the ball to Jones. The skipper was placing full trust in the young pitcher and his deceptive two seam fastball. Jones came through for the stars of the Junior Circuit, striking one batter out in 2/3 of an inning. His performance helped the American League earn a 2-1 victory in the 59th annual midsummer classic.
To be honest the only thing I remember about that particular evening is that it was the first time I had ever even heard of game MVP Terry Steinbach. However this past July 12th did mark the 20th anniversary of that first major league All Star appearance for Indians Pitcher and Lebanon native Doug Jones.
Drafted out of Butler by the Brewers in the third round of the 1978 draft, Jones made his Major League debut in April of 1982 with Milwaukee. Even the most diehard Brewers fan, you know the one who dresses up like Bernie Brewer for Halloween and has a lifetime subscription to beer illustrated, could not have predicted the type of career the right hander from small town Indiana would have.
After logging a solid and productive16 seasons in the majors Jones stands 20th all time in saves with 303. For me personally, he will most likely forever be associated with the Houston Astros teams I loved to hate. Looking back, my hatred/jealousy was most likely a combination of one part Jones was a great closer who always seemed to be slamming the door on my beloved Cubs and two parts the Astros were often having the type of success Chicago was not.
Closers have to be confident and intimidating as theirs is often a position filled with “meet me in the street at high-noon” type pressure. To Jones’ credit, his ability coupled with a six foot plus frame and Wyatt Earp-like stache helped him fill the role of Texas gunslinger well and during his time in the majors he dueled down a wide array of tremendous players. A formidable list that includes everyone from Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson, Cal Ripken, George Brett, Ryne Sanberg and Tony Gwynn to future Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and Manny Ramirez.
In a career that saw time spent with 7 different teams, Jones averaged 24 saves per season and retired with over 900 strike outs. Perhaps the high-water mark of his career came in 1990 when he saved a personal best 43 games for Cleveland. That season Jones made his 3rd of 5 All Star appearances and finished 15th in the balloting for the American League Most Valuable Player. For those unfamiliar with MVP balloting, it is quite impressive for a reliever to receive such consideration.
Jones pitched his final game in September of 2000 for the Oakland Athletics. After a successful career in Major League Baseball, Doug Jones is a name that is slowly fading from the Lebanon community lexicon. However he does stand as yet another example of the rich athletic heritage garnered by the Friendly City. A heritage of proud accomplishments this community should never hesitate to celebrate. For more information, Jones’ doting father can be found hanging around Memorial Park cheering on the Lebanon Merchants most Thursday nights during the summer. He’ll be the one sporting the Indians cap.

This is the Year

First appeared on June 5th, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

Good news Cubs fans, this is the year. No more will you be forced to utter “Wait till next year.” This is the year that 100 years of suffering and sorrow come to an end. This is the year that the proverbial monkey on the back of one of professional sports most storied franchises is granted a permanent vacation. Riding a 9 game winning streak, the Cubs are in first place in the National League Central and currently have the best record in baseball. No, you don’t need to read that again, the Cubs really do have the best record in baseball.
While in years past the Cubs have found themselves in similar positions, never before have we seen this level of dominance from the northsiders. Coming into the week Chicago led major league baseball in runs scored, they were also first in hits and first in runs batted in. They have the highest on base percentage in baseball as well as the highest team batting average and their slugging percentage ranked second overall. Getting dizzy yet?
Offense can only get a team so far you may be thinking and most retired players turned color analysts/prognosticators/experts will present the plausible argument that to do well in October a team must have solid pitching. With this in mind, the Cubs pitching staff has the most wins in baseball, the team is third in saves and fifth in strike outs.
Statistics aside, it has just been one of those years so far. One of those years where everything the Cubs touch seems to be turning to gold. Take the signing of a little known Japanese all-star in the off season for example. Kosuke Fukodome has been a pleasant surprise, leading the team in walks while also stealing the second most bases. His performance has ushered in Fukudome mania which has the bleacher bums at Wrigley affectionately wearing headbands that have opposing outfielders questioning if they have wandered into a Japanese dojo instead of the Friendly Confines. The Cubs also moved Kerry Wood to the bullpen. The end result of this is that the once formidable flame-throwing starter has found new life, leading the team in saves with 15 while striking out 34 batters in just 31 innings. When it became evident the Cubs needed a left handed bat with some power they resorted to pulling a centerfielder off the waiver wire, MLB’s scrap heap of discarded players. Even this gamble seems to have panned out for Chicago as, over the weekend, former Cardinal Jim Edmonds was stellar in the Cubs homestand versus the Rockies.
I realize it is only June and yes, I realize that there over 100 games left to be played. Cubs fans, and baseball fans in general for that matter, realize that 100 games is plenty of time for a historic collapse. And history has told us that if any franchise is capable of such a collapse it would be the bedraggled Cubs.
It has been 100 years since Chicago last won a World Series title and the last time they managed to make an appearance in the fall classic was the year the big one ended (1945). Their last appearance also marked the infamous curse of the goat. This purported hex has supposedly haunted the franchise since 1945, preventing them from winning in the post season. The good news for Cubs fans is that the warranty life for goat curses happens to be a convenient 63 years, this means the Cubs should be able to focus on baseball and shelve their voodoo dolls and incense sticks come October. But alas, if by chance all does not end well this season, Cubs fans can rest safe in the knowledge that there’s always next year.