For quite some time now, there has been an increase in speculation about the NFL expanding to countries outside of the United States. For the past few years, one regular season game has been played in England. The idea behind this is that by exposing Europeans to the NFL, the league might eventually be able to actually station teams in England (or other countries in Europe) permanently. The NFL has become the most popular sport in the United States, and like any good businessmen would do, the league executives are trying to increase their profits even more by globalizing the game. Some might say that this is a good idea, but I am absolutely not one of those people.
The National Football League is an entity that began in the United States, and has grown from a relatively unknown American sport, to the number one sport in the country. It is something that is played almost exclusively in the United States. Out of all the major professional sports in this country, football is far and away the "most American." Major League Baseball, the NBA, and the NHL are all the pre-eminent leagues in their respective sports worldwide, but there are numerous other countries that have prefessional baseball, hockey, and basketball leagues. Out of all major American professional sports, there is only one that is not played in the Olympics or any other international competitions. That sport, of course, is football. The reason behind this is simple. People outside of the United States simply do not care for football anywhere close to as much as Americans do.
The Super Bowl, the crowning moment of each NFL season, is always one of the most watched sporting events throughout the world. However, this is not nearly enough reason to think that the game should be played outside the country. The Super Bowl happens once each year, and there are millions of people watching the game that see it more as a show and not an actual football game.
The same can be said about the once-a-year NFL regular season game in England. It happens once each year. People go to the game because of its uniqueness. The game is played, people show up to watch, and then resume their daily lives without a need for seeing another NFL game the next Sunday. In Europe, American football is very far down on the list of most popular sports. Soccer is, of course, the most popular sport in most European countries, but hockey and basketball are popular throughout the continent, and even sports like rugby and cricket are probably more popular in most parts of Europe than American football is.
Popularity however, is only part of the reason that the NFL is not ready to expand outside of the United States. The biggest issue, in my opinion, is simply the issue of practicality. Having one team play all of its home games in Europe would be impractical. Teams, fans, players, TV and radio networks, as well as a whole lot of other people complain when a team from the west coast has to travel across the country and play an early game on the east coast. If the Seattle Seahawks have to fly across the country to play the Giants in a 1:00 PM game, it is the equivalent of playing a game at 10:00 AM in Seattle. While I would like to think that this three hour difference is not that big of a deal, statistics show that west coast teams playing 1:00 games do not fair nearly as well as west coast teams flying across the country and playing at a later time.
So now, take those three hours that it might take for the Seahawks to fly to New Jersey, and add another eight hours that it would take to get across the Atlantic Ocean and somewhere in Europe. The difference would be tremendous. If a team were moved to Europe, it would play eight home games in its new home stadium. That is eight different teams that would have to fly halfway across the world, and I have a feeling that would make eight different organizations somewhat unhappy. Even worse, the team that actually played in Europe would have to travel halfway across the world eight times. Eight hour flights are no piece of cake, and to make a team take such flights eight times each season would be, at least in my eyes, both unfair and unreasonable.
So that takes care of why moving an NFL team to Europe wouldn't make sense as far as the fans and the organizations go. Next would be the most important part of this whole equation, the players. Just about every player in the NFL has been born and raised in the United States. The only real exceptions are guys like Troy Polamalu and Sione Pouha (as well as some others) who were born on island nations in and around Hawaii. Yet, even these guys were at least exposed to American culture when they were young, and attended college in the United States as well. The NFL is made up almost exclusively of American-born and American-bred players. Moving a team across the Atlantic Ocean would likely be an enormous culture shock for most of the players on the newly re-located team. Whether it be learning a new language, learning new customs, using new currency, or even simple things like learning customary routines that are unique to Europe, the move would be a huge change for the players of the home team. The long flight would also undoubtedly play a role in how easily the European team could attract free agents. I'm sure there are some guys in the league that might like to live in Europe, but I would guess that the majority of the players wouldn't even consider going across the Atlantic to play. Add to that the fact that whatever team ended up moving would probably lose about 99.9% of its season ticket holders, and this all just does not add up to a success story. If the team struggled early on, it would most likely have a hard time selling tickets consistently, and just the general isolation of the team from the rest of the league (other players, American media, American fans, families) makes this seem to me like an impossibility.
No matter what anybody might like to think, football is an American game. At this point, it is solely an American game. Maybe one game in Europe each year will allow the game to grow and eventually moving a team could be a possibility, but if I were in charge, the chances of that would be slim, and the chances of it happening in the near future would be none. Our other major professional sports have a much larger following outside of the United States, so if we were to see any of our leagues expand to countries outside North America, it should be the NBA or NHL first.
Many times, the downfall of the most powerful entities is their endless thirst for more power. Expansion and growth are good, but there needs to be some common sense involved as well. The NFL is thriving right now. So my message to the league is this: don't get too greedy, because the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: It seems like every time we get good news, we get bad news as well. Stephen Drew finally came back and got a hit after missing almost an entire calendar year, but now it looks like Daniel Hudson will miss the remainder of the season. The long-awaited debut of Trevor Bauer is in progress right now, and he is pretty much as advertised. Good stuff, but he throws a lot of pitches and walks a lot of guys. It's only 2-0 in the fifth inning though, so I think for a major league debut he has done a fine job. Now if we could only score some runs...
Daily Giants Update: Once again, no news is good news for the defending champs.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
A look back at the NBA season
Now that the NBA season is officially over, and the Miami Heat are the champions, there are a number of things that we have learned. For the sake of clarity, I'll list five of the most important things that I have learned about the past, the present, and the future of the NBA.
1) LeBron James and Chris Bosh were correct.
Despite all of the controversy surrounding the formation of the current version of the NBA champions, we learned that Chris Bosh and LeBron James did the right thing. They took less money than they could have earned elsewhere in order to try to win a title. They were both (James more so than Bosh) criticized for doing what they did, but they got the last laugh. Now it isn't a matter of if they will win a title, it's a matter of how many they will win. I'll expand on this further on another day and tell you why I could not have been happier to see James win his first title.
2) The Oklahoma City Thunder are here to stay.
Losing in five games in a best-of-seven series does not look too good on paper, but aside from Game 5, we saw a great series. The other four games came down to the final minutes, and they could have gone either way, but the Heat just simply executed better than the Thunder. However, the entire country got to see how much potential this team has to be very good for a very long time. Kevin Durant is a legitimate superstar. Every time he went up for a jump shot during the Finals, I was shocked if it didn't go in. His shooting touch is exceptional, and he is going to be very good for a very long time.
Russell Westbrook, although not a true "point guard" in the traditional sense is still a star as well. His performance in Game 4 of the Finals was one of the best that we have ever seen, despite the Heat winning. The difference between "stars" and "superstars" though, is the ability to turn great performances into wins. However, he too, like Durant, is still very young and has plenty of time to improve. The only potential problem for the Thunder in the forseeable future is the fact that they might not be able to afford to keep both James Harden and Serge Ibaka, both of whom are key parts that will be free agents soon. If the two of them are smart though (like, say, LeBron James and Chris Bosh were), they will sacrifice some money to stay in Oklahoma City, where they will have the best chance to win.
3) At least one legitimate superstar is needed to win a championship.
In many cases, history tells us that you need more than one superstar to win a title (LeBron and Wade, Kobe and Shaq, Duncan and Robinson, Magic and Worthy, etc.) , but without at least one, you have no chance. Teams like Denver, Philadelphia, and Indiana all had very good years and put in valiant postseason efforts, but in the end all fell short. However, many casual fans of the league could not name the leading scorers in the playoffs of any of those teams (Ty Lawson, Lou Williams, and Danny Granger). In many cases, teams such as these have deeper rosters than some of the top teams in the league, but without a legitimate star, they will not win a title. If some of the biggest names in the game (James, Bryant, Durant, etc.) were to join one of these teams, they would instantly become title contenders, but until that happens, we won't be hearing about championship parades in Denver, Philadelphia, or Indiana.
4) Moves made during this offseason will play a very big role in determining who plays for a title next season.
There are a lot of guys that will be available this offseason that can instantly turn teams from mediocre into contenders. Deron Williams is probably the best of them all, and today said he would prefer to stay with the Nets, but until he signs on the dotted line, we can't be sure. Steve Nash is available and despite his age, is still one of the best pure point guards in the league. He has never been to the finals, let alone won a ring yet, so he is likely to be available to any contender that calls him. Ray Allen has just recently been rumored to be interested in joining the Miami Heat, and despite his age, he can still be a legitimate threat to spread the floor on any team that might need someone like that. Other guys like Eric Gordon, OJ Mayo, Jason Terry, Roy Hibbert, and Kevin Garnett will all be available as well. Although they might not all leave their current teams, it will definitely be interesting to see if any of them move because they could have a big impact on whatever team they play for next season. Add to this the fact that Dwight Howard may possibly be traded (Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Houston have all been rumored), and we could have a very eventful offseason.
5) The lockout did not matter.
Five years from now, no one will remember the lockout that began the 2011-2012 NBA season. The season may have started later than usual, but you wouldn't have been able to tell if you only started watching the NBA in January. Fans still came out to see the games, two of the best teams in the league still played for the title, and we will probably see even more excitement for the beginning of next season. The Heat defending their title, the up and coming Thunder, the "old" but not forgotten Celtics and Spurs, the Nets moving to Brooklyn, the list goes on and on. With a full training camp and a full season, next season might even be better than this season was. However, until then, the Heat are the champions, and the NBA is thriving.
Daily Giants Update: Still nothing major to report (which is of course, a good thing). Preseason predictions are starting to come out from various outlets and I don't see many of them picking the Giants to win much. That is a good thing though, because the less the team gets talked about, the better they seem to do. Week 1 is less than three months away, and then the title defense officially begins.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: The past week went well, as the team won 5 of 7 games to get us back over .500. A loss last night in Atlanta wasn't too pleasant, and neither was seeing Daniel Hudson exit the game early. He will have an MRI today and then we will learn what might be wrong with him. However, Stephen Drew will be back tonight (Finally!) after nearly one year of rehabbing his broken ankle, and Trevor Bauer will make his major league debut tomorrow night (FINALLY!). The Dodgers have struggled lately, and their lead over the Diamondbacks has been cut in half over the past few weeks. Like I've said before, if we can take care of business over the next eight games (six of which will be against teams with a losing record), we get the Dodgers at home for four games heading into the All-Star break. If things go as I hope they will, we could be in good shape come July 9th.
1) LeBron James and Chris Bosh were correct.
Despite all of the controversy surrounding the formation of the current version of the NBA champions, we learned that Chris Bosh and LeBron James did the right thing. They took less money than they could have earned elsewhere in order to try to win a title. They were both (James more so than Bosh) criticized for doing what they did, but they got the last laugh. Now it isn't a matter of if they will win a title, it's a matter of how many they will win. I'll expand on this further on another day and tell you why I could not have been happier to see James win his first title.
2) The Oklahoma City Thunder are here to stay.
Losing in five games in a best-of-seven series does not look too good on paper, but aside from Game 5, we saw a great series. The other four games came down to the final minutes, and they could have gone either way, but the Heat just simply executed better than the Thunder. However, the entire country got to see how much potential this team has to be very good for a very long time. Kevin Durant is a legitimate superstar. Every time he went up for a jump shot during the Finals, I was shocked if it didn't go in. His shooting touch is exceptional, and he is going to be very good for a very long time.
Russell Westbrook, although not a true "point guard" in the traditional sense is still a star as well. His performance in Game 4 of the Finals was one of the best that we have ever seen, despite the Heat winning. The difference between "stars" and "superstars" though, is the ability to turn great performances into wins. However, he too, like Durant, is still very young and has plenty of time to improve. The only potential problem for the Thunder in the forseeable future is the fact that they might not be able to afford to keep both James Harden and Serge Ibaka, both of whom are key parts that will be free agents soon. If the two of them are smart though (like, say, LeBron James and Chris Bosh were), they will sacrifice some money to stay in Oklahoma City, where they will have the best chance to win.
3) At least one legitimate superstar is needed to win a championship.
In many cases, history tells us that you need more than one superstar to win a title (LeBron and Wade, Kobe and Shaq, Duncan and Robinson, Magic and Worthy, etc.) , but without at least one, you have no chance. Teams like Denver, Philadelphia, and Indiana all had very good years and put in valiant postseason efforts, but in the end all fell short. However, many casual fans of the league could not name the leading scorers in the playoffs of any of those teams (Ty Lawson, Lou Williams, and Danny Granger). In many cases, teams such as these have deeper rosters than some of the top teams in the league, but without a legitimate star, they will not win a title. If some of the biggest names in the game (James, Bryant, Durant, etc.) were to join one of these teams, they would instantly become title contenders, but until that happens, we won't be hearing about championship parades in Denver, Philadelphia, or Indiana.
4) Moves made during this offseason will play a very big role in determining who plays for a title next season.
There are a lot of guys that will be available this offseason that can instantly turn teams from mediocre into contenders. Deron Williams is probably the best of them all, and today said he would prefer to stay with the Nets, but until he signs on the dotted line, we can't be sure. Steve Nash is available and despite his age, is still one of the best pure point guards in the league. He has never been to the finals, let alone won a ring yet, so he is likely to be available to any contender that calls him. Ray Allen has just recently been rumored to be interested in joining the Miami Heat, and despite his age, he can still be a legitimate threat to spread the floor on any team that might need someone like that. Other guys like Eric Gordon, OJ Mayo, Jason Terry, Roy Hibbert, and Kevin Garnett will all be available as well. Although they might not all leave their current teams, it will definitely be interesting to see if any of them move because they could have a big impact on whatever team they play for next season. Add to this the fact that Dwight Howard may possibly be traded (Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Houston have all been rumored), and we could have a very eventful offseason.
5) The lockout did not matter.
Five years from now, no one will remember the lockout that began the 2011-2012 NBA season. The season may have started later than usual, but you wouldn't have been able to tell if you only started watching the NBA in January. Fans still came out to see the games, two of the best teams in the league still played for the title, and we will probably see even more excitement for the beginning of next season. The Heat defending their title, the up and coming Thunder, the "old" but not forgotten Celtics and Spurs, the Nets moving to Brooklyn, the list goes on and on. With a full training camp and a full season, next season might even be better than this season was. However, until then, the Heat are the champions, and the NBA is thriving.
Daily Giants Update: Still nothing major to report (which is of course, a good thing). Preseason predictions are starting to come out from various outlets and I don't see many of them picking the Giants to win much. That is a good thing though, because the less the team gets talked about, the better they seem to do. Week 1 is less than three months away, and then the title defense officially begins.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: The past week went well, as the team won 5 of 7 games to get us back over .500. A loss last night in Atlanta wasn't too pleasant, and neither was seeing Daniel Hudson exit the game early. He will have an MRI today and then we will learn what might be wrong with him. However, Stephen Drew will be back tonight (Finally!) after nearly one year of rehabbing his broken ankle, and Trevor Bauer will make his major league debut tomorrow night (FINALLY!). The Dodgers have struggled lately, and their lead over the Diamondbacks has been cut in half over the past few weeks. Like I've said before, if we can take care of business over the next eight games (six of which will be against teams with a losing record), we get the Dodgers at home for four games heading into the All-Star break. If things go as I hope they will, we could be in good shape come July 9th.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The MLB All-Star Game
On July 10th, Major League Baseball will hold it's annual "midsummer classic," or as it is more commonly known, it's All-Star Game. The only problem with this game is that it...well...pretty much everything is wrong with it.
The first and most obvious reason that the All-Star Game is a joke is that fans vote for the starting lineups. The game is supposed to be for the fans, and that is why we get to vote for the starters. The only problem with this is that fans have no clue whatsoever when it comes to who the starters should actually be. Each year, fans of a few teams stuff the ballot boxes with votes for their own players, and guys on these teams that are not deserving of even making the team end up in the starting lineups. Usually, this happens with teams like the Yankees or the Phillies, but this year that team in the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers have a member of their team at each position in the top four in voting, with four of them in the lead as the voting winds down. Now there is no question that a guy like Josh Hamilton should be starting. He is having, in my opinion, the best season of any offensive player in all of baseball, but some of the other selections are laughable. Miguel Cabrera is clearly having a better year at third base than Adrian Beltre, but Beltre leads the voting at that position. Jason Kipnis has a better batting average, more home runs, more stolen bases, and more RBI than Ian Kinsler, yet Kinsler leads the voting at second base and Kipnis has no chance to catch him. A.J. Pierzynski is not only better all around this year offensively than Mike Napoli, but he is also better defensively than Napoli, yet Napoli is the leading vote-getter at catcher. Edwin Encarnacion is having a far better year than Michael Young at DH, but has no chance to catch Young in the voting.
I understand that the Rangers have great fans this year and that is why their players are getting so many votes, and that is great for the team and the fans. The team has been great over the last few years, so more power to the fans for exercising their power to vote.
The problem with all of this skewed voting however, is the fact that Major League Baseball decided to make the winner of the All-Star Game have it's league gain homefield advantage in the World Series. Team records or seeds have no say whatsoever when the World Series comes, the deciding factor in homefield advantage is the winner of one game three months before we even knew who would play in the playoffs, let alone the World Series. This happened, once again, because fans are absolutely clueless. After an extra innings All-Star Game ended in a tie some years ago, fans killed the league and clamored for some way to make the game matter again. Therefore, Major League Baseball announced that homefield advantage in the World Series would be decided by the winner of the All-Star Game. Clueless.
However, it doesn't stop there. Making matters worse, a rule exists that says each team must have at least one representative in the game. That means teams like the Cubs and the Twins who have zero players deserving of an All-Star selection, will have one nonetheless. Once again, if the game had no meaning and truly were just an exhibition, this would be fine. Each team would get some kind of recognition in the game. But, since the game now decides homefield advantage in the World Series, why does this rule still exist? As if it isn't bad enough already that some guys are starting that don't even deserve to be in the game, now we have guys on the bench that don't even deserve to be in the game either. What if the winning run of the game is driven in by someone on the Padres as he bats against someone on the Royals? That will decide homefield advantage in the World Series. It's as if the league wants it both ways. They want to satisfy the clueless fans by adding meaning to the game, yet they also want to satisfy the teams by allowing players from all 30 teams to play in the game.
If the game is an exhibition, then let the fans vote in the starters, because that is who the fans want to see. If the game has such a huge meaning that it decides homefield advantage in the World Series, then the players that are having the best years should be playing. Major League Baseball is trying to have it both ways, and in doing so, I think they are looking almost as clueless as the fans voting in all these players that don't deserve to be there.
Daily Giants Update: Minicamp is underway and Justin Tuck has a new facemask that looks ridiculously close to what Anthony Hopkins wore in "Silence of the Lambs." When that is the biggest news, that means no one is getting hurt, and there is no controversy, and that is a good thing. Less than two months already until the first preseason game and defense of the title officially begins.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Wade Miley was brilliant again last night and Aaron Hill hit for the cycle in a victory over the Mariners. The game is just underway tonight, and a win would put us back at .500. Things have been getting better lately, and there is still plenty of time left to go in the season. Three of the next four series' are against teams with records below .500, and then the first place Dodgers come to the desert for the final four games prior to the All-Star break. A strong final three weeks of the first half of the season and things could be looking much better come mid-July.
The first and most obvious reason that the All-Star Game is a joke is that fans vote for the starting lineups. The game is supposed to be for the fans, and that is why we get to vote for the starters. The only problem with this is that fans have no clue whatsoever when it comes to who the starters should actually be. Each year, fans of a few teams stuff the ballot boxes with votes for their own players, and guys on these teams that are not deserving of even making the team end up in the starting lineups. Usually, this happens with teams like the Yankees or the Phillies, but this year that team in the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers have a member of their team at each position in the top four in voting, with four of them in the lead as the voting winds down. Now there is no question that a guy like Josh Hamilton should be starting. He is having, in my opinion, the best season of any offensive player in all of baseball, but some of the other selections are laughable. Miguel Cabrera is clearly having a better year at third base than Adrian Beltre, but Beltre leads the voting at that position. Jason Kipnis has a better batting average, more home runs, more stolen bases, and more RBI than Ian Kinsler, yet Kinsler leads the voting at second base and Kipnis has no chance to catch him. A.J. Pierzynski is not only better all around this year offensively than Mike Napoli, but he is also better defensively than Napoli, yet Napoli is the leading vote-getter at catcher. Edwin Encarnacion is having a far better year than Michael Young at DH, but has no chance to catch Young in the voting.
I understand that the Rangers have great fans this year and that is why their players are getting so many votes, and that is great for the team and the fans. The team has been great over the last few years, so more power to the fans for exercising their power to vote.
The problem with all of this skewed voting however, is the fact that Major League Baseball decided to make the winner of the All-Star Game have it's league gain homefield advantage in the World Series. Team records or seeds have no say whatsoever when the World Series comes, the deciding factor in homefield advantage is the winner of one game three months before we even knew who would play in the playoffs, let alone the World Series. This happened, once again, because fans are absolutely clueless. After an extra innings All-Star Game ended in a tie some years ago, fans killed the league and clamored for some way to make the game matter again. Therefore, Major League Baseball announced that homefield advantage in the World Series would be decided by the winner of the All-Star Game. Clueless.
However, it doesn't stop there. Making matters worse, a rule exists that says each team must have at least one representative in the game. That means teams like the Cubs and the Twins who have zero players deserving of an All-Star selection, will have one nonetheless. Once again, if the game had no meaning and truly were just an exhibition, this would be fine. Each team would get some kind of recognition in the game. But, since the game now decides homefield advantage in the World Series, why does this rule still exist? As if it isn't bad enough already that some guys are starting that don't even deserve to be in the game, now we have guys on the bench that don't even deserve to be in the game either. What if the winning run of the game is driven in by someone on the Padres as he bats against someone on the Royals? That will decide homefield advantage in the World Series. It's as if the league wants it both ways. They want to satisfy the clueless fans by adding meaning to the game, yet they also want to satisfy the teams by allowing players from all 30 teams to play in the game.
If the game is an exhibition, then let the fans vote in the starters, because that is who the fans want to see. If the game has such a huge meaning that it decides homefield advantage in the World Series, then the players that are having the best years should be playing. Major League Baseball is trying to have it both ways, and in doing so, I think they are looking almost as clueless as the fans voting in all these players that don't deserve to be there.
Daily Giants Update: Minicamp is underway and Justin Tuck has a new facemask that looks ridiculously close to what Anthony Hopkins wore in "Silence of the Lambs." When that is the biggest news, that means no one is getting hurt, and there is no controversy, and that is a good thing. Less than two months already until the first preseason game and defense of the title officially begins.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Wade Miley was brilliant again last night and Aaron Hill hit for the cycle in a victory over the Mariners. The game is just underway tonight, and a win would put us back at .500. Things have been getting better lately, and there is still plenty of time left to go in the season. Three of the next four series' are against teams with records below .500, and then the first place Dodgers come to the desert for the final four games prior to the All-Star break. A strong final three weeks of the first half of the season and things could be looking much better come mid-July.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Aren't these supposed to be rare?
Sadly, before I went to sleep last night, I didn't take a look at the box scores around the league close enough, and I missed another historic night in Major League Baseball. So instead, when I woke up is when I found out that Matt Cain had pitched a perfect game in San Francisco against the Houston Astros.
Pitching a perfect game is a historic achievement no matter when and where it happens, but Cain's last night included 14 strikeouts, which was the highest number of strikeouts in a perfect game since Sandy Koufax in 1965. And when it comes to pitching, any time your name is mentioned in the same breath as Sandy Koufax, it means you did something extra special. I heard talk about Cain's outing being possibly the best game ever pitched for that reason, but my response to that is an absolute no, it was not the best game ever pitched. It wasn't actually close in my opinion. However, this morning I was still disappointed that I missed the game, but I also realized that the way things are going this season, I could get another chance to see one, maybe even as soon as today.
We haven't even reached the All-Star Game yet, and we have already seen two perfect games, as well as three no-hitters. Perfect games are obviously no-hitters as well, so technically it has been five no-hitters, but to keep it simple I'll separate them. Last year, we saw three no-hitters, and the year before that we saw two perfect games, as well as four no-hitters (one of which was in the postseason).
Since the start of the 2000 season, we have seen six perfect games thrown. That is one every two years. From the year 1880 until 2000, we saw 16 perfect games. That is one every 7.5 years. That's a pretty big difference. So is this just a fluke? Or is it a sign that pitching rules the baseball world? In my opinion, the evidence is beginning to clearly point to the latter.
The first piece of evidence to prove this point is probably the crack down on the use of performance enhancing drugs. While I firmly believe that records set by players that have failed drug tests should stand (because if Major League Baseball wasn't testing for these things when they were being used, they should not be able to save face by going back and retroactively changing the record books), it is starting to look more and more like the drugs did change the game quite a bit. 50 home runs is now a rarity, and we are unlikely to see anyone approach 60 or 70 for a long time. The single season and all-time home run leader, Barry Bonds (who has never failed a drug test by the way) probably can feel good about his records standing, no matter what some fans and Hall of Fame voters might say. It has been proven that pitchers were indeed using performance enhancers as well though, so I don't think more stringent testing policies are the only reason we are seeing such good pitching.
The next reason for the return of dominant pitching, as much as I hate to admit it, has to have something to do with pitch counts. Such a big deal is made now by managers and coaches about pitch counts. From the big leagues all the way down to Little League, it sometimes seems like pitch counts are more important than even getting hitters out. What seems like babying pitchers must actually be having a positive effect on their arms. The days of pitchers like Walter Johnson or Cy Young just throwing complete games every time they pitch are gone. There is a reason that Cy Young leads all pitchers in the history of baseball in both wins and losses. When you are out there just pitching games from start to finish, there isn't even a chance to get a no-decision. Starting pitchers today throw multiple games each year in which they get neither a win nor a loss. The all-time leader in complete game shutouts in Walter Johnson, with 110. The active leader in complete game shutouts? Roy Halladay with 20. That puts him in a tie for 243rd all-time in that category. Halladay is also the active leader in complete games with 66. Cy Young is the all-time leader in complete games with 749. 749! That is more than 11 times as many as Halladay. These days, it seems like every pitcher is on a pitch count, and maybe this thinking has also played a part in the recent trend of great pitching.
Finally, what I think is probably the biggest reason we have seen such an upswing in pitching numbers is simply talent (even though I hate that word). Cy Young didn't have a repertoire of pitches that included a cut-fastball, a slider, a two-seam fastball, and a splitter. Guys now are able to throw such a variety of pitches, that it has to make hitting much harder. In any given game, a hitter might get two at bats against a pitcher with a four or five pitch mix, then see a submarine style pitcher out of the bullpen throwing frisbees up to the plate, followed by a closer throwing 98 mph. It has come to the point that starting pitchers can't get by with less than three above-average pitches. Most starters have even more than that, and it has to keep hitters off balance. Then, in any given game it seems that all 30 teams have at least one guy coming out of the bullpen throwing 95 mph. Guys you've never even heard of are just coming into games, facing three hitters, and getting them out by blowing two fastballs by them, and then changing pace with a curveball that is about 20 mph slower than their fastball. A lot of hitters have no chance to hit a guy like that if he is locating his pitches well.
So while there is no concrete answer as to why we have seen such a rise in great pitching over the last few seasons, there are definitely multiple things that might be combining to bring this about. One thing that is for sure though, is that saying about always having a chance to see something historic at a baseball game on any given day seems more and more applicable as each day goes by. Who knows, by this time tomorrow, Matt Cain's perfect game may not even be the most recent one. There are still seven games that have yet to begin today, so that is seven more chances to see history repeat itself.
Daily Rangers Update: The Kings beat the Devils to win the Stanley Cup last week. The fact that it didn't include the Rangers was a huge disappointment. All we can do is count down until the start of next season, so there won't be any more daily updates unless something big happens.
Daily Giants Update: Everyone is at training camp and seemingly happy (which is not the case for many teams). Now we just need to figure out how to fill some of the holes we need to be filled. A #2 running back, as well as a re-tooled linebacking corps and secondary are probably at the top of the list. There is still plenty of time until Week 1 against Dallas, and then the quest to repeat officially begins.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: After a fun series sweep of Oakland that included all kinds of crazy games, it has been tougher against the two-time American League defending champion Rangers. Wade Miley was excellent again last night, and he is making a case for an All-Star selection, but we couldn't get him any run support so it turned into a 1-0 loss. Daniel Hudson goes tonight against Scott Feldman, and hopefully we can avoid being swept by a very good team. It's off to Anaheim next to face another very good team, so two wins in the next four games would be a positive.
Pitching a perfect game is a historic achievement no matter when and where it happens, but Cain's last night included 14 strikeouts, which was the highest number of strikeouts in a perfect game since Sandy Koufax in 1965. And when it comes to pitching, any time your name is mentioned in the same breath as Sandy Koufax, it means you did something extra special. I heard talk about Cain's outing being possibly the best game ever pitched for that reason, but my response to that is an absolute no, it was not the best game ever pitched. It wasn't actually close in my opinion. However, this morning I was still disappointed that I missed the game, but I also realized that the way things are going this season, I could get another chance to see one, maybe even as soon as today.
We haven't even reached the All-Star Game yet, and we have already seen two perfect games, as well as three no-hitters. Perfect games are obviously no-hitters as well, so technically it has been five no-hitters, but to keep it simple I'll separate them. Last year, we saw three no-hitters, and the year before that we saw two perfect games, as well as four no-hitters (one of which was in the postseason).
Since the start of the 2000 season, we have seen six perfect games thrown. That is one every two years. From the year 1880 until 2000, we saw 16 perfect games. That is one every 7.5 years. That's a pretty big difference. So is this just a fluke? Or is it a sign that pitching rules the baseball world? In my opinion, the evidence is beginning to clearly point to the latter.
The first piece of evidence to prove this point is probably the crack down on the use of performance enhancing drugs. While I firmly believe that records set by players that have failed drug tests should stand (because if Major League Baseball wasn't testing for these things when they were being used, they should not be able to save face by going back and retroactively changing the record books), it is starting to look more and more like the drugs did change the game quite a bit. 50 home runs is now a rarity, and we are unlikely to see anyone approach 60 or 70 for a long time. The single season and all-time home run leader, Barry Bonds (who has never failed a drug test by the way) probably can feel good about his records standing, no matter what some fans and Hall of Fame voters might say. It has been proven that pitchers were indeed using performance enhancers as well though, so I don't think more stringent testing policies are the only reason we are seeing such good pitching.
The next reason for the return of dominant pitching, as much as I hate to admit it, has to have something to do with pitch counts. Such a big deal is made now by managers and coaches about pitch counts. From the big leagues all the way down to Little League, it sometimes seems like pitch counts are more important than even getting hitters out. What seems like babying pitchers must actually be having a positive effect on their arms. The days of pitchers like Walter Johnson or Cy Young just throwing complete games every time they pitch are gone. There is a reason that Cy Young leads all pitchers in the history of baseball in both wins and losses. When you are out there just pitching games from start to finish, there isn't even a chance to get a no-decision. Starting pitchers today throw multiple games each year in which they get neither a win nor a loss. The all-time leader in complete game shutouts in Walter Johnson, with 110. The active leader in complete game shutouts? Roy Halladay with 20. That puts him in a tie for 243rd all-time in that category. Halladay is also the active leader in complete games with 66. Cy Young is the all-time leader in complete games with 749. 749! That is more than 11 times as many as Halladay. These days, it seems like every pitcher is on a pitch count, and maybe this thinking has also played a part in the recent trend of great pitching.
Finally, what I think is probably the biggest reason we have seen such an upswing in pitching numbers is simply talent (even though I hate that word). Cy Young didn't have a repertoire of pitches that included a cut-fastball, a slider, a two-seam fastball, and a splitter. Guys now are able to throw such a variety of pitches, that it has to make hitting much harder. In any given game, a hitter might get two at bats against a pitcher with a four or five pitch mix, then see a submarine style pitcher out of the bullpen throwing frisbees up to the plate, followed by a closer throwing 98 mph. It has come to the point that starting pitchers can't get by with less than three above-average pitches. Most starters have even more than that, and it has to keep hitters off balance. Then, in any given game it seems that all 30 teams have at least one guy coming out of the bullpen throwing 95 mph. Guys you've never even heard of are just coming into games, facing three hitters, and getting them out by blowing two fastballs by them, and then changing pace with a curveball that is about 20 mph slower than their fastball. A lot of hitters have no chance to hit a guy like that if he is locating his pitches well.
So while there is no concrete answer as to why we have seen such a rise in great pitching over the last few seasons, there are definitely multiple things that might be combining to bring this about. One thing that is for sure though, is that saying about always having a chance to see something historic at a baseball game on any given day seems more and more applicable as each day goes by. Who knows, by this time tomorrow, Matt Cain's perfect game may not even be the most recent one. There are still seven games that have yet to begin today, so that is seven more chances to see history repeat itself.
Daily Rangers Update: The Kings beat the Devils to win the Stanley Cup last week. The fact that it didn't include the Rangers was a huge disappointment. All we can do is count down until the start of next season, so there won't be any more daily updates unless something big happens.
Daily Giants Update: Everyone is at training camp and seemingly happy (which is not the case for many teams). Now we just need to figure out how to fill some of the holes we need to be filled. A #2 running back, as well as a re-tooled linebacking corps and secondary are probably at the top of the list. There is still plenty of time until Week 1 against Dallas, and then the quest to repeat officially begins.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: After a fun series sweep of Oakland that included all kinds of crazy games, it has been tougher against the two-time American League defending champion Rangers. Wade Miley was excellent again last night, and he is making a case for an All-Star selection, but we couldn't get him any run support so it turned into a 1-0 loss. Daniel Hudson goes tonight against Scott Feldman, and hopefully we can avoid being swept by a very good team. It's off to Anaheim next to face another very good team, so two wins in the next four games would be a positive.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
My least favorite word in all of sports
So as I got home today, I turned on SportsCenter, and the first two stories I saw were about the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia Eagles. These are two teams that have come together in recent years and been constructed because of one word: talent. I can't stand the constant use of the word talent in the world of sports, and the Miami Heat and Philadelphia Eagles are two examples of why the term annoys the heck out of me.
The current version of the Philadelphia Eagles came together prior to last season and Vince Young dubbed them the "dream team" of the NFL. All of that talent that they brought in was sure to lead to a Super Bowl title. Michael Vick had his new contract, Nnamdi Asomugha was the big free agent splash on defense, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Asante Samuel, they had a roster full of talent. And what did that get them? An 8-8 record and a ticket home before the playoffs even started. They started the year 4-8, and it took a great final month of the season just to prevent themselves from having a losing record. I guess all that talent finally paid off after they had been eliminated from the playoff picture.
Today, a number of Eagles players mentioned the word talent as they were being questioned by reporters. All of this talent that we have here, it's our time to win now. That is more or less what each member of the team could be quoted as saying. We have too much talent to let another year go by without winning a Super Bowl. Talent, talent, talent.
Next, there is the Miami Heat. The current version of the Heat came together based on talent, and that talent has led them to become the most scrutinized team (in my opinion) in the history of sports. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, all of them are so talented. The expectations last year were championship or bust, and all that talent wasn't able to overcome the veteran-laden, experienced Dallas Mavericks. This year, all of that talent has them on the brink of elimination before even reaching the NBA Finals. Again, a Boston Celtics team full of veterans that have been through everything possible (including an NBA Championship) together is proving to be able to overcome all that talent that the Miami Heat possess. Talent, talent, talent.
Next on the list? Anthony Davis. The consensus number one draft pick in the upcoming NBA Draft who is coming off an NCAA title as a freshman at Kentucky. So far, so good. However, it seems like I am the only one that has any doubts about him as he transitions to the NBA. He is a great defensive player, there is no denying that. However, his offensive game is nothing spectacular, yet he is already being hailed as the savior of the New Orleans Hornets franchise. He will be thrown into the starting lineup at center from day one, and instantly win Rookie of the Year without even having to play a game. Yet, with a limited offensive arsenal (although he has plenty of time to improve on that, do not get me wrong), and tipping the scales at only 220 pounds, I have my doubts. He is tall and lanky, and by no means has the body of a star NBA center. Dwight Howard is an inch taller and 45 pounds heavier than Davis. Andrew Bynum has two inches and 65 pounds on Davis. Al Horford is 30 pounds heavier than Davis. Roy Hibbert has four inches and 40 pounds on Davis. These are just some of the guys that Davis will be matched up against. I don't care how well he can block shots, those size differences will cause huge disadvantages for Davis. He might have ben great in college, but the NBA is a man's game, not a kid's game. If he doesn't get a lot bigger and stronger, all of that talent will mean nothing when he gets knocked on his backside a few times. Talent, talent, talent.
Finally, the biggest and most glaring culprits in this are by far the Dallas Cowboys. For YEARS (and that is no exaggeration) the one word that has been associated with the Cowboys is talent. Unlike the Heat or the Eagles, two teams that have only undergone facelifts recently, the Cowboys core group has been together for a long time. Tony Romo, DeMarcus Ware, Miles Austin, Jay Ratliff, Dez Bryant, the list goes on and on. At the start of every season, it is always about how talented the Cowboys are. They have so much talent, it is impossible for them to lose. On paper, they are the most talented team in the division / conference / league, whatever the prognosticator decides to say. They have so much talent that every year has to be their year. The Giants and the 49ers played in the NFC Championship game last year, but they had nowhere near the talent that the Cowboys had. The talent on the Cowboys is unbelievable, they should just be handed the Lombardi Trophy every year. Yet, what has all that unbelievable talent led to? One playoff win in the last 16 years. 16 years! That puts them ahead of only five other teams in that span. The Cardinals, Seahawks, Raiders, and Redskins have been models of inconsistency, and they have all won more playoff games than the Cowboys over the past 16 seasons.
So, the next time someone talks about how talented a team or a player is, make sure to remember that if there is one thing that is highly overrated in the world of sports, it is talent. Don't show me how good someone is on paper. Tell them to go out and actually prove it because those three magical words will get you nowhere. Talent, talent, talent.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Well talk about a great night at the ballpark! Ian Kennedy struck out 12 and gave up no runs, the ball was jumping off the bat of pretty much everyone in the lineup, and even Josh Collmenter and Mike Zagurski pitched scoreless innings! 10-0 victory. Wade Miley goes tonight, and he has been very good so far this year, so hopefully the good times carry over into tonight.
Daily Giants Update: Tom Coughlin got an extension through 2014 today, and it seems like every time he is on the brink of being fired, he defies all the odds and re-ups with the team. I'm glad to have him back, and I think he has earned the benefit of the doubt and can coach as long as he wants to.
Daily Rangers Update: Sadly, there won't be any good news for a while. Game 4 of the finals is tonight, and the Kings will be looking to sweep the Devils and complete one of the most dominant runs in the history of the NHL playoffs. The Rangers however, will be waiting until next season.
The current version of the Philadelphia Eagles came together prior to last season and Vince Young dubbed them the "dream team" of the NFL. All of that talent that they brought in was sure to lead to a Super Bowl title. Michael Vick had his new contract, Nnamdi Asomugha was the big free agent splash on defense, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Asante Samuel, they had a roster full of talent. And what did that get them? An 8-8 record and a ticket home before the playoffs even started. They started the year 4-8, and it took a great final month of the season just to prevent themselves from having a losing record. I guess all that talent finally paid off after they had been eliminated from the playoff picture.
Today, a number of Eagles players mentioned the word talent as they were being questioned by reporters. All of this talent that we have here, it's our time to win now. That is more or less what each member of the team could be quoted as saying. We have too much talent to let another year go by without winning a Super Bowl. Talent, talent, talent.
Next, there is the Miami Heat. The current version of the Heat came together based on talent, and that talent has led them to become the most scrutinized team (in my opinion) in the history of sports. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, all of them are so talented. The expectations last year were championship or bust, and all that talent wasn't able to overcome the veteran-laden, experienced Dallas Mavericks. This year, all of that talent has them on the brink of elimination before even reaching the NBA Finals. Again, a Boston Celtics team full of veterans that have been through everything possible (including an NBA Championship) together is proving to be able to overcome all that talent that the Miami Heat possess. Talent, talent, talent.
Next on the list? Anthony Davis. The consensus number one draft pick in the upcoming NBA Draft who is coming off an NCAA title as a freshman at Kentucky. So far, so good. However, it seems like I am the only one that has any doubts about him as he transitions to the NBA. He is a great defensive player, there is no denying that. However, his offensive game is nothing spectacular, yet he is already being hailed as the savior of the New Orleans Hornets franchise. He will be thrown into the starting lineup at center from day one, and instantly win Rookie of the Year without even having to play a game. Yet, with a limited offensive arsenal (although he has plenty of time to improve on that, do not get me wrong), and tipping the scales at only 220 pounds, I have my doubts. He is tall and lanky, and by no means has the body of a star NBA center. Dwight Howard is an inch taller and 45 pounds heavier than Davis. Andrew Bynum has two inches and 65 pounds on Davis. Al Horford is 30 pounds heavier than Davis. Roy Hibbert has four inches and 40 pounds on Davis. These are just some of the guys that Davis will be matched up against. I don't care how well he can block shots, those size differences will cause huge disadvantages for Davis. He might have ben great in college, but the NBA is a man's game, not a kid's game. If he doesn't get a lot bigger and stronger, all of that talent will mean nothing when he gets knocked on his backside a few times. Talent, talent, talent.
Finally, the biggest and most glaring culprits in this are by far the Dallas Cowboys. For YEARS (and that is no exaggeration) the one word that has been associated with the Cowboys is talent. Unlike the Heat or the Eagles, two teams that have only undergone facelifts recently, the Cowboys core group has been together for a long time. Tony Romo, DeMarcus Ware, Miles Austin, Jay Ratliff, Dez Bryant, the list goes on and on. At the start of every season, it is always about how talented the Cowboys are. They have so much talent, it is impossible for them to lose. On paper, they are the most talented team in the division / conference / league, whatever the prognosticator decides to say. They have so much talent that every year has to be their year. The Giants and the 49ers played in the NFC Championship game last year, but they had nowhere near the talent that the Cowboys had. The talent on the Cowboys is unbelievable, they should just be handed the Lombardi Trophy every year. Yet, what has all that unbelievable talent led to? One playoff win in the last 16 years. 16 years! That puts them ahead of only five other teams in that span. The Cardinals, Seahawks, Raiders, and Redskins have been models of inconsistency, and they have all won more playoff games than the Cowboys over the past 16 seasons.
So, the next time someone talks about how talented a team or a player is, make sure to remember that if there is one thing that is highly overrated in the world of sports, it is talent. Don't show me how good someone is on paper. Tell them to go out and actually prove it because those three magical words will get you nowhere. Talent, talent, talent.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Well talk about a great night at the ballpark! Ian Kennedy struck out 12 and gave up no runs, the ball was jumping off the bat of pretty much everyone in the lineup, and even Josh Collmenter and Mike Zagurski pitched scoreless innings! 10-0 victory. Wade Miley goes tonight, and he has been very good so far this year, so hopefully the good times carry over into tonight.
Daily Giants Update: Tom Coughlin got an extension through 2014 today, and it seems like every time he is on the brink of being fired, he defies all the odds and re-ups with the team. I'm glad to have him back, and I think he has earned the benefit of the doubt and can coach as long as he wants to.
Daily Rangers Update: Sadly, there won't be any good news for a while. Game 4 of the finals is tonight, and the Kings will be looking to sweep the Devils and complete one of the most dominant runs in the history of the NHL playoffs. The Rangers however, will be waiting until next season.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
A sad trend that is far to common in sports today
When most people think of professional athletes, they think of them as overpaid men who do not deserve the money that they are paid. While I definitely do not agree with those opinions, that is a topic for another day. However, a sad topic that is for today is the addition of another former player to a growing list of athletes who, after their careers have ended, have gone bankrupt. The latest athlete who has had to file for some type of bankruptcy is former NFL running back Jamal Lewis.
Over the course of nine NFL seasons, Lewis ran for over 10,000 yards and scored 58 touchdowns. His best year was 2003, when he became only the fifth player in the history of the NFL to rush for over 2,000 yards (Chris Johnson accomplished the feat in 2009, making him the sixth running back to do so). During that year he also ran for a single game record 295 yards (a record that has also since been broken), and was named as the AP Offensive Player of the Year. Lewis also won a Super Bowl with the Ravens and starred at the University of Tennessee in college while playing alongside Peyton Manning.
Yet, despite his stellar playing career, Lewis was just another athlete who was unable to handle his money and is paying for it now. Now while former athletes going bankrupt has happened to players in all sports, it is especially troubling to hear it happen to a football player. Because of the nature of the game they play, the players have a very short amount of time to turn their skills into profit before their careers are over. Lewis retired in 2009 at the age of 30. In probably about 99% of other professions, people are decades away from retirement at age 30. Most football players do not last more than a few years in the league. They are thrown into the fire at a young age, and many of them know only football and are unable to earn any money after they retire because they either do not know of anything but a life of football, or because they suffer injuries that do not allow them to find a job after football. Lewis played long enough to at least sign a contract as a free agent and not just earn the money from his rookie contract and nothing else.
That contract still didn't allow Lewis to learn how to handle his finances, and he claimed to have over $10 million in debts as he filed for bankruptcy. Sadly, this pales in comparison to some other cases of athletes and their financial problems. Mark Brunell claimed $25 million in debts when he filed for bankruptcy in 2010. John Daly claimed to have lost over $50 million due to gambling, and claimed to have once lost over $1.5 million in five hours playing slot machines. Latrell Sprewell turned down a three year, $21 million contract by saying that it wasn't enough money to feed his kids. He has since been sued for $200 million due to unpaid child support, and had a yacht repossesed that he still owed over $1 million on.
The example of an athlete losing millions that is probably most famous is the case of Mike Tyson, who, for a multitude of reasons, filed for bankruptcy in 2003 after reportedly earning over $400 million during his boxing career. Despite his meteoric rise to fame in the boxing world, he was far from able to handle his money, and has since paid dearly for it. While Tyson was surrounded by a ton of money hungry hangers-on (just look up the name Don King), he also had no clue when it came to finances, as his purchase of a $2 million bathtub is evidence of. Today, Tyson can be seen making cameo appearances in any movie he can get an offer from, is performing in Las Vegas in his own one-man show, and is known as a relative clown instead of one of the greatest boxing stories in the history of the sport.
However, not every athlete suffers this fate. Undefeated, multiple division boxing champion Floyd Mayweather is known for being his own financial advisor, and meticulously arranges all of the arrangements of each of his fights. He, despite the exploitation of most of his other opponents, usually always negotiates ways to earn more than 50% of the profits of his fights, and has been involved in the three largest grossing, non-heavyweight fights in the history of boxing. His fights with Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, and Victor Ortiz combined to bring in total profits of over $293 million. Mayweather does live a lavish life, but his earnings have come largely from his own negotiating talents.
Bobby Bonilla is another example of an athlete exemplifying financial prowess. Despite retiring from baseball as a New York Met in 2000, in a strange but savvy display of financial artistry, Bonilla is being paid a $1.19 million yearly salary by the Mets from now until 2035. The Mets were so eager to rid themselves of Bonilla that they agreed to pay him that annual salary in a buyout of his contract in 2000. Bonilla lives comfortably in a modest sized (relatively speaking) home, and can collect his paycheck once each year for the next 23 years despite not having played baseball in 12 years.
Sadly though, not all athletes are as financially adroit as Mayweather and Bonilla. The list of athletes filing for bankruptcy is continually growing larger and larger, and right now Jamal Lewis can only dream of handling his money as well as Floyd Mayweather and Bobby Bonilla. Maybe all those years of being punched in the face by opponents has done what the expression says, and actually knocked some sense into Floyd Mayweather.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: The road has still been rocky, with more downs than ups. Daniel Hudson is back, so aside from Stephen Drew, the team is near full-strength. The good news is that the Dodgers seem to be coming back down to Earth a bit, but a 25-30 record still isn't going to cut it no matter who is ahead of us. Ian Kennedy goes tonight against the Rockies, following a win against Tim Lincecum in his last start. Hope for the best...
Daily Giants Update: Osi Umenyiora is officially back for another year. Hakeem Nicks broke his foot during workouts, but should be back for Week 1, when the defending champs open the year against the Cowboys on September 5th.
Daily Rangers Update: The season came to a sad close in New Jersey against the Devils. I really felt like the Rangers could have won the Stanley Cup this season, so anything less was a disappointment. So now all there is left to do is sit back and watch the Kings roll to what seems to be an inevitable championship and wait for next season.
Over the course of nine NFL seasons, Lewis ran for over 10,000 yards and scored 58 touchdowns. His best year was 2003, when he became only the fifth player in the history of the NFL to rush for over 2,000 yards (Chris Johnson accomplished the feat in 2009, making him the sixth running back to do so). During that year he also ran for a single game record 295 yards (a record that has also since been broken), and was named as the AP Offensive Player of the Year. Lewis also won a Super Bowl with the Ravens and starred at the University of Tennessee in college while playing alongside Peyton Manning.
Yet, despite his stellar playing career, Lewis was just another athlete who was unable to handle his money and is paying for it now. Now while former athletes going bankrupt has happened to players in all sports, it is especially troubling to hear it happen to a football player. Because of the nature of the game they play, the players have a very short amount of time to turn their skills into profit before their careers are over. Lewis retired in 2009 at the age of 30. In probably about 99% of other professions, people are decades away from retirement at age 30. Most football players do not last more than a few years in the league. They are thrown into the fire at a young age, and many of them know only football and are unable to earn any money after they retire because they either do not know of anything but a life of football, or because they suffer injuries that do not allow them to find a job after football. Lewis played long enough to at least sign a contract as a free agent and not just earn the money from his rookie contract and nothing else.
That contract still didn't allow Lewis to learn how to handle his finances, and he claimed to have over $10 million in debts as he filed for bankruptcy. Sadly, this pales in comparison to some other cases of athletes and their financial problems. Mark Brunell claimed $25 million in debts when he filed for bankruptcy in 2010. John Daly claimed to have lost over $50 million due to gambling, and claimed to have once lost over $1.5 million in five hours playing slot machines. Latrell Sprewell turned down a three year, $21 million contract by saying that it wasn't enough money to feed his kids. He has since been sued for $200 million due to unpaid child support, and had a yacht repossesed that he still owed over $1 million on.
The example of an athlete losing millions that is probably most famous is the case of Mike Tyson, who, for a multitude of reasons, filed for bankruptcy in 2003 after reportedly earning over $400 million during his boxing career. Despite his meteoric rise to fame in the boxing world, he was far from able to handle his money, and has since paid dearly for it. While Tyson was surrounded by a ton of money hungry hangers-on (just look up the name Don King), he also had no clue when it came to finances, as his purchase of a $2 million bathtub is evidence of. Today, Tyson can be seen making cameo appearances in any movie he can get an offer from, is performing in Las Vegas in his own one-man show, and is known as a relative clown instead of one of the greatest boxing stories in the history of the sport.
However, not every athlete suffers this fate. Undefeated, multiple division boxing champion Floyd Mayweather is known for being his own financial advisor, and meticulously arranges all of the arrangements of each of his fights. He, despite the exploitation of most of his other opponents, usually always negotiates ways to earn more than 50% of the profits of his fights, and has been involved in the three largest grossing, non-heavyweight fights in the history of boxing. His fights with Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, and Victor Ortiz combined to bring in total profits of over $293 million. Mayweather does live a lavish life, but his earnings have come largely from his own negotiating talents.
Bobby Bonilla is another example of an athlete exemplifying financial prowess. Despite retiring from baseball as a New York Met in 2000, in a strange but savvy display of financial artistry, Bonilla is being paid a $1.19 million yearly salary by the Mets from now until 2035. The Mets were so eager to rid themselves of Bonilla that they agreed to pay him that annual salary in a buyout of his contract in 2000. Bonilla lives comfortably in a modest sized (relatively speaking) home, and can collect his paycheck once each year for the next 23 years despite not having played baseball in 12 years.
Sadly though, not all athletes are as financially adroit as Mayweather and Bonilla. The list of athletes filing for bankruptcy is continually growing larger and larger, and right now Jamal Lewis can only dream of handling his money as well as Floyd Mayweather and Bobby Bonilla. Maybe all those years of being punched in the face by opponents has done what the expression says, and actually knocked some sense into Floyd Mayweather.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: The road has still been rocky, with more downs than ups. Daniel Hudson is back, so aside from Stephen Drew, the team is near full-strength. The good news is that the Dodgers seem to be coming back down to Earth a bit, but a 25-30 record still isn't going to cut it no matter who is ahead of us. Ian Kennedy goes tonight against the Rockies, following a win against Tim Lincecum in his last start. Hope for the best...
Daily Giants Update: Osi Umenyiora is officially back for another year. Hakeem Nicks broke his foot during workouts, but should be back for Week 1, when the defending champs open the year against the Cowboys on September 5th.
Daily Rangers Update: The season came to a sad close in New Jersey against the Devils. I really felt like the Rangers could have won the Stanley Cup this season, so anything less was a disappointment. So now all there is left to do is sit back and watch the Kings roll to what seems to be an inevitable championship and wait for next season.
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