Forever Tarnished

While LeBron James parties in South Beach with his new teammates (yes, all three of them) the city of Cleveland is distraught. They were just punched in the gut, kicked in the groin, and spit in the face at the same time. As soon as LeBron said, "I am taking my talents to South Beach" you could hear all of Cleveland collectively moan. It's not like this is the first time this has happened to the "Mistake on the Lake". They've suffered from numerous heartaches and haven't won a championship in any sport in 45+ years. And the thing is...LeBron knows this. The boy who grew up in Akron and became the "Chosen One" was thought to be the savior of Cleveland sports. Luck was finally on the city's side. Those awful memories would disappear! The Cavaliers quickly improved, made the playoffs consistently, and challenged for championships. They made the NBA Finals once (in 2007, were swept 4-0 by the San Antonio Spurs) and LeBron was the captain of the ship. Things were going great. He mentioned how the city has been hurt, his knowledge of the events, his heartache for the city and how he wanted all of that to end. And then what does he do? He adds to the list of "The Drive", "The Shot", "The Fumble", the blown lead in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, and "The Move".

Now "The Decision" will be one of the most gut-wrenching moments in Cleveland sports history. The boy who understood, was one of them, would change everything...didn't. He simply said those things and then didn't back them up. And the sad thing is, he still thinks/hopes the fans of Cleveland will like him, welcome him back with open arms. Personally, I feel sorry for him. Hopefully he doesn't expect that, cause he certainly won't get that reaction. Quicken Loans Arena, or "The Q" as it is fondly known as, will be packed for the first game that number six is back in town. And he will be unmercifully booed. I just hope he is ready for it because everyone else knows it's coming.

In the end, it was about him, his legacy, and what was best for him. In a league that judges on championships, he needed (in his mind) to leave for greener pastures and win rings now. He seems to be worried about his comparison to Michael Jordan, how MJ won his first ring in his seventh season (LeBron just finished his seventh) and had quality people around him. If only he knew that what he just did will forever keep him out of that comparison. He isn't made of the same stuff that Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, and even Kobe Bryant are. As Stuart Scott mentioned on ESPN, Michael Jordan didn't go play for the Pistons when he couldn't beat them, he worked hard, buckled down, and willed his team to greater heights. He fought until he could beat them. He was loyal to his team.

While LeBron was on ESPN for an hour, stabbing his city in the heart, what was Kobe doing? Was he trying to get an hour long TV show to keep up with LeBron's popularity? No. He doesn't need that. He has five championship rings. And he wants more. Kobe Bryant doesn't need millions of people seeing his face, listening to him talk. He knows what greatness is. It's not being famous, it's working hard in the gym. LeBron thinks he's great. Kobe strives to be greater than he already is. LeBron did answer one question, "Who's better, Kobe or LeBron?" during his hour long special. A resounding "KOBE!" echoed across America Thursday night. Some had been saying it for a long time, others just realized it, but there's no doubt. Kobe makes his teammates better. LeBron looks for better teammates.

So while Miami fans celebrate, Cleveland fans cry, and ESPN counts it's money from LeBron's announcement show, I hope Mr. James didn't just set a precedent for other athletes in the future to follow. Hopefully all will see what a big storm he created and we will never see this again. Because while LeBron James, the phenom, was trying to further expand his image, win rings and be more beloved, he has, in actuality, forever tarnished his image and his legacy.

Needs more Spice

After watching the NBA Draft last night, I'm convinced it needs something. I mean, if the NBA Draft were a person, and said person was making out a grocery list, the number one thing on it would be "SPICES", written in red ink, really big, and circled about twenty times (crazily, like a kindergartener drawing on your pretty white wall). The Draft is so boring, that David Stern is left to make some jokes/small talk/? with the fans that attended it in person. He called the fans, who booed him the instant the edge of his left dress shoe slipped around the corner out of the back room, "unruly" and made a weak smile following the crowd reaction; a mixture of boos, laughter, and cheers.

I know the whole thing needs to be professional, and I'm all for it...in the actual draft. Let David Stern and company be formal with announcing each pick and all that but the fans at home want more from the ESPN guys doing the television broadcast. Bring in player personalities and let them give their feedback, even retired players (preferably those that are funny). If Charles Barkley isn't held down by his contract with TNT he would be perfect. Can you imagine Charles Barkley interviewing each guy after he gets picked?

Charles: "Hey, Wesley Johnson! What's happening, man? How's it feel to be drafted while wearing those cool looking checkered pants?"
Johnson: "I'm doing well, Chuck. The pants are awesome, but not as cool as your Taco Bell commercial!"
Charles: "Oh thanks, man, you're too kind. I'm sure you will bring so much style up to Minnesota. You guys may not win much, in fact, hardly at all for awhile until that Rubio kid comes over, but you will always look good."

Charles instantly raises any television production's quality up about twelve notches. I'd love to see him, Dwight Howard, and Dwyane Wade all walking around with each other doing the broadcast, interviews and insight. Who would you rather see? An ex-college player who couldn't make it to the NBA, a former coach in the NBA, and a former role player in the NBA talk for four and a half hours or a former NBA all-star and two current all-stars crack jokes and talk for that time? Choice seems clear to me. T-Mobile would endorse it too, giving much more money to ESPN to market their phones!

Back to David Stern. Ever wonder what he does during the Draft? Me too. ESPN gave about a minute long look into what goes on "behind the scenes" on draft day and I got really excited, only to see little more than people on phones, a flustered looking man carrying a slip of paper from the printer to Stern, and Stern walking out onto the stage. I want to know where Stern goes, who he talks to, who tells him how to pronounce the harder names of guys, etc. He had about a year to practice "With the first pick, in the 2010 NBA Draft, the --------- --------- select, John Wall, of the University of Kentucky." Everybody knew Wall would go number one and thankfully his name is incredibly simple to pronounce. But who helps Commissioner Stern learn Tibor Pleiss (of Germany, 31st pick by New Jersey, rights traded to Oklahoma City) or Nemanja Bjelica (of Serbia, 35th overall by Washington, rights traded to Minnesota) in the half a minute before walking out on stage?

Backstage-hand-paper-to-Stern-guy: "Alright, so his name is Pape Sy, of Senegal. Ok, got it? Like "Pap" and than like "See" as "I see you standing next to me" or the letter C. Got it?"
Stern: "Like "Pap" and than like "See". Pape Sy. Got it."

And then, on this occasion, whoever was in control of Stern's microphone turned it on a little bit too soon and we all heard Stern say, "Listen to this" with a weird grin on his face to someone directly in front of the stage, suggesting he thought it was a pretty crazy name. How's that feel as a man from Senegal who is in a foreign country on the biggest day of your life? Imagine if Stern went to Senegal on an "NBA Cares" event or some basketball promotion thing and the lead spokesman said, in French, "Listen to this", while laughing before quickly composing himself and announcing David Stern. I doubt Stern would feel real good at that moment. In fact, he may look more flustered than when he shook the hand of DeMarcus Cousins last night. You could see it written all over his face that he was shaking the hand of a potential trouble-maker coming into his league.

But anyway, the NBA Draft is exciting some years, but this past year just didn't do it. Jay Bilas said on ESPN Radio this morning that the crowd was playing a drinking game in which they would take a drink each time he said "wingspan". Considering that Jay Bilas says "wingspan" for just about every big man or small forward, I would say the real winner on draft night at Madison Square Garden wasn't the Wizards or any other team, but rather whatever big company was selling alcohol. If I were the head coordinator/strategist of a beer company, I'd circle this night on the corporate calendar. Big crowd? Check. Big Crowd who will stay awhile? Check. Big Crowd, full of New York fans, who will stay awhile and be emotional, either good or bad, on who their team picks? Check. Big Crowd...on who their team picks, and strongly dislike the guy who walks on stage thirty times in one night? Check. Sounds like a night of huge sales.

Hopefully next year when the NBA Draft (primarily ESPN's coverage of) goes to the grocery, they remember the spice. Cause right now there isn't much of it. If there was, viewership would be up, and the people who are watching waiting for their favorite college player to be selected wouldn't look forward to the commercial breaks. And the crowd would be far less drunk afterwards...maybe.

Necessary Evil

For the moment, expansion has ended...thankfully. Along the way it was all controlled by money and greed, two things the Big Ten and the Pac Ten wanted/already had. Each conference had dreams of expanding and improving their conferences and while one succeeded, the other wasn't as lucky.

The Big Ten got a traditional powerhouse with a big name and an even bigger fanbase. Cha-ching! The Big Ten Network will gain many more viewers and, wait for it, WAY more money. A huge success in itself without adding the fact that the Big Ten will finally be able to have a football championship game, something it desperately needed with its powerhouse teams having such huge layoffs before their January bowl games.

The Pac Ten on the other hand added one team (woopie, still no championship game) in Colorado that has struggled in recent years in the Big Twelve. Both their football and basketball is down, which certainly doesn't add to the Pac Ten's strength as a conference. In addition, the Pac Ten didn't add another huge, high profile team in a different market area of the country (still part of the money game with a potential Pac Ten Network in the makings). Instead, they add the state of Colorado, a state with many Pac Ten alumni and fans already living there (Pac Ten is also thinking of adding Utah to get to twelve teams, still in their alumni "fan zone" area of the country).

Yet, while the Big Ten gained some prestige (and new fans/viewers) and the Pac Ten sputtered to find any success, the real winner is the Big Twelve. The conference that a week ago was guaranteed to be "nonexistent" within a few weeks by every "expert" on television (further proof that they all think they know everything, yet know hardly anything) is now going to continue to be one of the best overall conferences in America. Yes, they will lose their football championship game (for now) but will hardly miss a beat. Apart from losing Nebraska in women's hoops, no champion has left. In fact, the conference only improves in basketball. Think about it. The Big Twelve was the number one RPI conference in America during the 2009-2010 basketball season. Now take out two of the bottom five teams in the conference (Colorado finished eighth, Nebraska twelfth). This has the potential to be the best basketball conference in America next season without two poor teams there to lower the RPI ranking. This in itself is a huge win for the Big Twelve. It will also raise the strength of schedule rankings for each team remaining in the conference because each team, especially the "North" Big Twelve schools who played them twice, will no longer face Colorado or Nebraska, instead playing other schools with better records. Guess what, this raises a teams RPI. Wins against stronger opponents count more than a win over a sub-.500 team. The conference with the highest RPI out of any in America will only improve, proof of how the Big Twelve will only benefit from expansion.

What started as a potential collapse for the Big Twelve will end up being a big boost. It will increase competition and further prepare each team for potential bowl games in football, tournament games in basketball, etc. Although it caused the schools' President's and Athletic Director's much frustration and long nights, expansion will ultimately go down as a positive for a conference that already has it pretty good.

Quick Hits

Alright so I'm back from my never ending hiatus from posting blogs (not intentional, just have other things above blog on priority list). Lots of stuff going on in wide world of sports so lets get to some of the more interesting ones, at least I think they're more interesting...

-Ben Roethlisburger was suspended for six games due to detrimental conduct. It's not exactly a good sign when you've been accused of two separate sexual assaults in a fifteen month time period. Could these girls be blowing smoke? Sure! But the fact that each, on two separate occasions, accused Big Ben of this makes you wonder what's going on in the world of the two time Super Bowl champ. Some people think six games is too harsh, others consider it to be too lenient, but as one national analyst said, if it doesn't sting, it doesn't help prevent future problems.

-Jimmy Clausen, the "Golden Boy" with the golden arm (any gold teeth?), has slipped into the second round of this year's NFL Draft and certainly isn't all that pleased. Pre-Draft Clausen went on record saying that he should be taken number one overall by the Rams due to his experience in a pro-style offense, which Notre Dame ran in his years by the Golden Dome under ex-Irish coach Charlie Weis. Obviously, sliding out of that slot and then free-falling out of the first round can't make the guy happy. At least his buddy and favorite receiver Golden Tate (man, how much Golden stuff can Clausen have?) is still with him and without a professional team. And of course, in addition to the blow to his ego, Clausen has to deal with the loss of all that guaranteed gold in his bank account.

-Tim Tebow was selected by the Broncos. Not going to talk about it cause all the talking heads on all major networks are already talking about him enough to give twenty people laryngitis.

-The Mountain West Conference is closing in on acquiring an automatic bid to the BCS. The automatic bid is much needed due to the conferences recent dominance. If they continue their dominance for the next few years, they should have this bid locked up. I think the Pac Ten should just discard their bottom five to the Mountain West who can then send their top four to the Pac Ten (plus Boise State from the WAC). Suddenly, the little conferences cries disappear and the Pac Ten is a dominant conference.

-The TD Banknorth Garden in Boston should've charged every Miami Heat player money for a front row ticket to get in. Just like everyone else in the stands, they appeared to have showed up to watch the game, especially when Dwyane Wade had the ball in his hands and was forced to try and play one on five. Not exactly good offense...

Final absurdity: Oakland Athletics starter Dallas Braden screamed at Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez after A-Rod cut across the mound after a foul ball. Rodriguez simply brushed the entire thing off saying Braden needs to relax but Braden was fuming, throwing his glove around while going nuts in the dugout afterwards. Braden said postgame, "The guy ran across my mound. He had his foot on my pitching rubber. Any kind of disrespect like that has got to be handled and that's what I did. If my grandmother did what he did, I'd tell her the same thing." Poor grandma. Look Braden, this "unwritten rule" of baseball is worth A-Rod knowing, but not worth starting a UFC match over. This is borderline ridiculous. So instead of getting your panties in a wad and giving your best audition for post-audition tantrum on American Idol, focus on your game. Cause last I checked, you aren't exactly Cy Young.

Home Field Advantage?

Sitting here watching the Vikings vs. Saints game, I'm wondering why the Vikings players are allowed to wear earplugs to compensate for the crowd noise. The Superdome is acknowledged by many to be one of if not the loudest stadiums in the nation. The dome helps trap the noise, the fans are passionate, and the noise is tremendous. High noise levels like this often cause opposing offensive linemen to commit false start penalties.

So, when thinking along these lines, why then does the league permit the Vikings players, most notably their offensive linemen, to wear earplugs? Teams fight all season for home field advantage so that they don't have to play in hostile stadiums. I believe they shouldn't be allowed to wear earplugs because if they didn't want to be in a hostile building, they (the Vikings) should have won more games in the regular season. That would've allowed them to play in the Metrodome in front of a home crowd who would remain quiet while they had the ball.

If homefield advantage is to remain a big deal, the league should prevent things such as earplugs that neutralize the disadvantage for the opposing team.

Athletes make the coach, not the other way around

Many people mention certain coaches as being the best in their respective sports. While I'll agree that not all coaches are the same, I will disagree that one coach's strategies or policies can change a team of bad athletes.

Consider this, head basketball coach Glenn "Doc" Rivers was hired by the Boston Celtics in 2004-05. He found some success in his first two seasons, including a playoff appearance his first year (lost in first round). His talent tailed off and the Celtics record in 2006-07 was 24-58 (.293 win percentage) and Celtics' faithful were calling for his job. When people named the elite coaches in the NBA, hardly anyone mentioned Doc Rivers (even after being named NBA Coach of the Year in 2000).

Enter Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. GM Danny Ainge brought in talent, kept star forward Paul Pierce, and drafted well to create a team with all the pieces to win an NBA Championship. That following season, the Celtics rolled to a record of 66-16, won the Atlantic Division, and won the NBA Championship over Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Oh and guess who was credited with an outstanding coaching job and mentioned by many as an elite coach in the NBA? Yep, you guessed it, Coach Rivers.

My point in all of this is that the coach didn't change, yet he went from being on the hotseat with a poor record to being on top of the world as the coach of an NBA Championship team. So what changed? Uh, those new guys certainly helped. A solid young point guard with tremendous upside plus two future hall of famers in Garnett and Allen made Rivers an instant genius in Boston.

Also, before anyone comes to the conclusion that this is just a personal attack on Doc Rivers individually, that's certainly not the point. I'm simply using his situation as an example to prove my point. Any sport on any level that you look at, coaches without talent don't succeed and those with talent do. Notice Urban Meyer at Florida in college football and Roy Williams at North Caroline in college basketball. Both dominate the recruiting battles in their respective sports and both have found tremendous success. Currently Florida has seven of the top 33 recruits for the 2010 recruiting class according to espn.com's ESPNU 150 and North Carolina had the top recruiting class in basketball this past year according to multiple recruiting websites.

So before anyone tells you that one coach is on a different level than any other coach, check their rosters. I'd be willing to bet their athletes are also on a different level than anyone else.