Pepper On Sports

 

Between Adrian Wojnarowski, Marc J. Spears and their fellow hoops writers, Yahoo Sports’ coverage of the NBA is absolutely top notch.  

The aforementioned Wojnarowski hasn’t slept since the lockout began, and apparently the tentative deal between the owners and players hasn’t cured his insomnia as he posted the following scoop in the wee hours of Wednesday morning:

“As Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge aggressively pursues possible deals for Rajon Rondo, the Indiana Pacers have emerged as an intriguing suitor for the point guard, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
For the past few days, Pacers officials – and third-party surrogates – have been making calls and gathering information and insight into Rondo’s reputation as a teammate and leader, sources said.

The Pacers and Celtics have discussed the preliminary framework of a deal, but two sources said Indiana would need a third team to provide Boston with the talent it wants to do a deal. The Celtics are likely trying to gather the necessary pieces to make a bid for Ainge’s ultimate target: New Orleans point guard Chris Paul, sources said.”

Could Danny Ainge do it again?  Could he swing yet another blockbuster trade?  Which players are off limits?  Could we possibly see a new Big 3 in Boston?

Time will tell, because due to the recent end of the lockout, the trade deadline for this shortened season of 66 games has yet to be established.  I think it would be pretty tough to execute three-team trade of this magnitude before opening day on Christmas, but surely the league will provide ample time for trades given the lockout.  

As far as the Hornets finding any of this discussion attractive, it looks like swapping for players on the Celtics roster doesn’t top their priority list.

“New Orleans has shown no interest in a deal that would include Rondo and any combination of Celtics teammates,” wrote Wojnarowski. “Yet, New Orleans GM Dell Demps is determined to get maximum value for Paul, if it’s clear the point guard sees his future elsewhere. Demps has no desire to simply let Paul walk away as a free agent to New York.”

According to Wojnarowski’s article, the Celtics have been assessing Rondo’s trade value for more than a year despite the lack of consensus among the coaching staff, locker room and front office in regards to moving the two-time all star.  Wojnarowski raises the issue of Rondo’s sometimes-sour attitude as being a factor in whether or not he would be a good fit for the Pacers and Frank Vogel, their young coach.

Having covered the Celtics, I sometimes wonder why Doc Rivers doesn’t win the coach of the year award every single season.  The Celtics players are a good bunch; nice, smart, decent sense of humor, charitable, driven, hardworking and extremely talented. 

At the same time, the group is volatile with its mix of veteran all stars, youth and ego.  Rivers is the voice of reason and has proved to be a mastermind personality manager.  Regardless of his disposition, Rondo’s teammates respect his talent immensely and I find it hard to imagine him anywhere else right now.   

Should Rondo be forced to take his talents elsewhere, yes, he will still be a great player.  A different logo on his jersey won’t change that, but I can’t help wanting to watch this star-powered yet aging Celtics nucleus go for the title one last time. 

To read Adrian Wojnarowski’s article on the Pacers interest in Rajon Rondo, click here: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-wojnarowski_boston_celtics_rajon_rondo_112911

  

   

I feel like we’ve been talking about Dwight Howard leaving Orlando for the last few years, and sheesh, he still has one more year left on that dang contract with the Magic.  With the NBA now back in action after a 148-day lockout, the rumor mill is spinning double time as sources say the Magic center might be on the move. 

The suitors? My favorite NBA newcomer in recent years, Mikhail Prokhorov and the New Jersey Nets.  Sources told ESPN.com that the Nets are willing to trade center Brook Lopez (who is no slouch, might I add) and two future first-round draft picks to Orlando to get Howard, the reigning NBA Defensive Player Of The Year, winner of the award for three seasons straight.

Oh ya, New Jersey is also ready to pony up about $35 million — yes, the Nets are willing to absorb the remaining three years of Orlando forward Hedo Turkoglu’s contract, which is a huge financial incentive for the Magic.  Not only would they get an emerging center and two draft picks, but they would also ditch a stinky contract, the kind owners were hoping to protect themselves from in reworking certain systems issues during the CBA negotiations. 

Just think, only one full season removed from a 10-win debacle of 2009-2010, the Nets could truly compete with Deron Williams and Dwight Howard in the starting lineup.  If Jason Kidd could take Kerry Kittles and Brian Scalabrine to the NBA Finals (sorry Scal, you know you’re my boy!), DWill, Dwight and company can at least make the playoffs. 

Not only would this trade make a great rap lyric in the future, but it would be one heck of a shower gift from Prokhorov and Billy King to part-owner Jay-Z and his wifey Beyonce.  The combination of Williams and Howard would help make a roster full of young guys and journeyman players better and coupled with the excitement of moving to Brooklyn in 2012, the Nets would be a team worth watching for the first time in a long time. 

For more information about the Nets’ interest in Dwight Howard, click here: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7297170/sources-new-jersey-nets-prep-big-trade-offer-dwight-howard-orlando-magic

One would think Peyton Manning’s neck injury would make for true competition in the AFC South, a season in which any team would have a realistic shot to win the division.  Ok, well, everyone except for the Colts, but surely, the Texans, Titans with Matt Hasselbeck and a talented Jaguars team with its core group still in tact after a few years would all be competitive, right??

Well, not in Jacksonville’s case, as the Jags are 3-8, prompting management to fire Jack Del Rio in his ninth season as the team’s head coach.

On a small scale, it’s pretty bad to lose to the Texans when Matt Leinart is starting an NFL game for the first time since 2008 before an injury forced TJ Yates (or CJ, as I mistakenly referred to him for most of Sunday, because I had no clue who he was), Houston’s third string rookie quarterback to beat you. 

The Jags only made the playoffs twice during Del Rio’s tenure, as the team had an overall record of 69-73 in his nine-ish seasons. 

I will remember Del Rio’s time in Jacksonville for a few reasons.

1.  He seemed like a nice guy and appeared to be well-liked.  In the two seasons I worked for the NFL Network, I listened to A LOT of Jaguars news conferences, typing thousands and thousands of Del Rio’s words, verbatim.  He had a good sense of humor, which I very much appreciated while logging interviews in a dark edit bay, day in and day out.

2.  The guy had cojones.  First, he told the media (before the Jags players) he was starting then-rookie Byron Leftwich instead of veteran Mark Brunell in 2003.  A few years later  Del Rio gave the Jags QB carousel another spin when he cut Leftwich a few days before the 2007 season and named David Garrard starter.  Just five days before the 2011 season, Del Rio Leftwiched Garrard, giving him the axe.  Totally wacko.

3.  My best memories from the Del Rio era came in 2007 when the coach was vindicated in his decision to cut Leftwich loose as Garrard and company had a magical season.  Working for NFL Network at the time, watching the rags-to-riches story of Garrard unfold was wonderful:  the Jags went 11-5 and in 12 games, Garrard threw only 3 interceptions, tying an NFL record.  Garrard was known for smiling under any circumstance and his teammates adored him.  The Jags beat the Steelers in a thriller in the AFC wildcard game before their improbable season of success came to an end, losing to an undefeated Patriots team in the divisional round.  It sure was a fun ride though, no doubt about that.

So what’s next for the Jaguars?  Who knows.  Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert needs some serious grooming as he has struggled this year.  Maurice Jones-Drew is kicking butt and deserves better than a 3-8 record. 

In Del Rio’s nine seasons, the Jaguars never won the AFC South, and defensive coordinator turned interim head coach Mel Tucker won’t have the chance to change that this season. 

But who knew these facts would be secondary to the fact that the day in which Del Rio is fired, Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver announces he has sold the team!

(Sound of a car slamming on the breaks….) … as I’m writing this blog, Weaver held a press conference announcing the sale of the team to Illinois businessman Shahid Kahn.

Meanwhile, the team is having trouble selling tickets for its Monday Night Football game against the Chargers in Jacksonville.  The Jags are one of a handful of teams who are rumored have interest in relocating to Los Angeles once the city completes construction on a new stadium.  Especially given the fact that Weaver has sold the team, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the Jaguars ended up in L.A. in hopes of starting over and actually being able to sell tickets for a change. 

To read more about the Jaguars ownership change, click here:  http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2011/11/jaguars-owner-wayne-weaver-agrees-to-sell-team-to-shahid-khan/1

As a football fan, it would be hard not to appreciate the talent and tenacity of Ndamukong Suh.  While the the Detroit Lions defensive tackle plays the game with skill and heart, his apparent disregard of the game’s rules has called his intentions and character into question.  New York Jets guard Matt Slauson has seen enough of his former college teammate to form an educated opinion, and sadly, the portrait he paints of Suh isn’t pretty. 

I have defended Suh, wanting so desperately to love him as a player, but his sad Thanksgiving day display was the last straw for me.  Suh, in his second NFL season was ejected from the game in the third quarter after slamming Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith’s head into the ground before stomping him with his right foot. 

I tweeted that Suh has become out of control, thus indefensible and that he might want to consider therapy to get his emotions and anger in check.  I took some criticism from the twitter world for that one, but I explained to the doubters that while yes, football is a physical sport, the violence falls within the structure of the game.  It is not a free-for-all, nor a boxing ring or octagon. 

Apparently Slauson agrees with me, telling the New York Post that he wonders if Suh needs medical help.  “Somebody needs to get him under control, because he’s trying to hurt people,” Slauson told the Post.  “It’s one thing to be an incredibly physical player and a tenacious player, but it’s another thing to set out to end that guy’s career.”

Not including the Thanksgiving game incident, Suh has already been fined more than $42k for his unsportsmanlike play in his young NFL career and also met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his style of play.

According to the Post’s exclusive interview, Slauson said, “I have no idea what the league can do, because apparently what they’re doing now isn’t working.  I don’t know what’s going on with him, but something isn’t right. I mean, they’ve fined him out the butt, but he still doesn’t think he’s doing anything wrong. I don’t know what they’re going to have to do, but something has to be done.”

Something must be done.  I expect the NFL to fine and suspend Suh, but clearly he hasn’t shown much respect for the league’s rules and penalties.  I think the only way he’ll get the message is if the Lions organization and head coach Jim Schwartz hand Suh an additional suspension.  The problem is, the team hasn’t exactly condemned Suh’s behavior, at least not publicly, so I’m not sure they truly want him to change his behavior.

Slauson told the Post that while Suh was respected by his college teammates at Nebraska for his play on the field, he was not well-liked on a personal level.  

Hopefully this latest incident will serve as the last straw for the Lions’ before Suh really hurts someone.  Sadly, I won’t hold my breath. 

For more of Slauson’s comments, which there are plenty of, I highly recommend reading the Post’s article here:  http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/jets_slauson_suh_is_out_of_control_hZS50vtS1Ti4VvUGhd44pN#ixzz1elWAY8fX

                               

Less than two days after Thanksgiving, it looks like I can toss out my depressing Halloween costume for good…or for at least the next 10 years. 

On the 148th day of the NBA lockout, the owners and players reached a handshake deal to end the five-month work stoppage.  News of the tentative agreement, which was first reported by cbssports.com, came after 16 hours of negotiations which ended after 3 a.m. in New York. 

Aside from players, owners and team personnel, thousands of “peripheral workers,” such as stadium employees and outside vendors will get their sense of financial security back.  Hopefully Staples Center employees will now have enough hours of work to qualify for health care benefits through their union, one of the many disasters threatened by a long-term work stoppage.

NBA commissioner David Stern said in a news conference (starting at 3:40 a.m. EST), “We’re optimistic that the [agreement] will hold and we’ll have ourselves an NBA season.”  Players Association executive director Billy Hunter and player president Derek Fisher were with Stern as he made the announcement.

Assuming the tentative deal passes a player vote and is signed by both sides, Dec. 9 would be the start date for training camps and free agency while Dec. 25 would be the first day of a 66-game season.  Stern said opening day on Christmas would feature a triple-header of the Celtics and Knicks in the early game followed by the Heat at the Mavericks and finishing off with the Bulls taking on the Lakers at Staples Center. 

Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski explained how the players union will proceed from here:

“After disbanding as a union and filling an antitrust suit against the NBA, the Players Association can immediately reform as a union and hold a vote to ratify the deal. The terms of the agreement included a 50-50 revenue split, a source said.”

After posting his story, Wojnarowski posted the following tweets:

@WojYahooNBA: One vet player texting me, doubting he’ll vote to approve deal. “We (bleeping) caved,” he said. He’s been entrenched on issues entire way.

@WojYahooNBA: There will be a significant number of players who will not vote to approve this deal, but there won’t be a majority. The deal will pass.

“Ratification requires a simple majority of the N.B.A.’s 30 teams and a simple majority of the 430-plus players,” wrote Howard Beck, who has covered the lockout for the New York Times.   “The players must first reconstitute their union and drop the antitrust lawsuit they filed against the league last week.  The deal features a 50-50 split of revenues — a $300 million salary cut for the players — along with shorter contracts, smaller raises and harsher penalties on the top-spending teams. The 10-year agreement is the longest in N.B.A. history, although either side can opt out after the sixth year.”

At a birthday party Saturday night, I stood in the kitchen with a group of my girlfriends’ husbands talking about the lockout.  While the guys were adamant that there would be no NBA season (much to the delight of their wives) I was the only person who said I thought we would indeed get a shortened season.  I told them that I just had a gut feeling that these latest negotiations would yield real results. 

Less than two hours later, the phone rang, and it was one of the party guests calling me from a taxi cab to let me know the handshake deal had been reached.  As usual, the girl was right, and the boys were wrong.  ;)
To read Howard Beck’s article on the likely end of the NBA lockout, click here: http://nyti.ms/uxnSTP

Although they call them an “every down back,” no running back is in the backfield for every single offensive play of a football game.  It’s too hard, too taxing and physically exhausting. 

The work of a sports writer can feel similar, minus the the violent hits.  Baseball writers have it the worst, covering a 162 game regular season schedule that includes an absurd amount of travel, rain delays and other annoyances while only allowing for a few days off per month, and even on those off days, your paper or website still requires a story, regardless of whether or not a game is played.

That is what makes the story of MLB.com’s Kansas City Royals beat writer Dick Kaegel so impressive.  Fellow MLB.com writer Anthony Castrovince’s story is less about Kaegel and more about the importance of becoming an organ donor; saving someone else’s life after losing your own.  While it is a scary and depressing thought, thousands of lives are saved every year because of organ donations, and thousands are lost as well due to a lack of donors.

A few years after receiving a life-saving liver transplant, Kaegel, who recently turned 72, offered himself quite the challenge by attempting to cover every single game on the Royals 2011 schedule.  Like an every down back, even baseball beat writers skip plays from time to time, missing a few games here and there for various reasons.  But Kaegel did no such thing, fulfilling the promise he made to himself to work every single day required to fulfill the needs of his employer.  No calling in sick, no vacation days, just pure baseball and hard work.  All 162 games, plus most days in between. 

This is a very sweet, informative and inspirational story that is perfect to read on Thanksgiving.  Check out Anthony Castovince’s story about his colleague Dick Kaegel here:  http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111123&content_id=26032706&vkey=news_kc&c_id=kc

For information on organ donation, visit www.organdonor.gov and www.giftdonor.org

Update: While Paul Deutsch took part in pre game warmups, Matt Hackett, from the Wild’s AHL team made it to the arena just in time for the game, leaving Deutsch as a late scratch.  Definitely a bummer for him, but the experience was thrilling nonetheless.  The Wild beat the Predators 3-2.  Click here to see what Deutsch had to say about the experience: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=602911

Every once in a while we hear these great stories about unlikely athletes who somehow manage to beat the odds and make it on to a sports team. 

In 2011, we saw 61-year-old Alan Moore, a Vietnam veteran make the football team as a kicker for Faulker University and then we also saw Bree McMahon, 19, make the soccer team at Brevard College just two years after losing a leg.

We can’t forget about 73-year-old Ken Mink who was a guard on the Lambuth University basketball team in 2008. 

But Paul Deutsch is taking this storyline to the next level.  The 51-year-old beer league hockey player (yes, any of us could play for a beer league team) will serve as the backup goalie for the Minnesota Wild in tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators. 

How the heck did THAT happen?

Well, it started Wednesday afternoon when Minnesota’s starting  goaltender Niklas Backstrom was announced out for the game citing personal reasons. Naturally, backup Josh Harding got the call to start in net for the Wild, but with only two goalies on the roster, Minnesota needed to call up a backup to play behind Harding.

The Wild made the routine call to its AHL team, the Houston Aeros, but according to the Wild website, goalie Matt Hackett wouldn’t even land at the Minneapolis airport until 30 minutes before puck drop.

Apparently Minnesota was left with no choice but to hit up the adult equivalent of your kid’s club hockey team.  That’s when Deutsch, who “runs a screen printing and embroidery store in Richfield,” got the call.

Should anything happen to Harding during the game, Deutsch would take the ice, log minutes and make an NHL stat sheet.  Unreal. 

As great as this story is, Deutsch was not a completely random pick.  “Deutsch is no stranger to the Wild, however. As a good friend of former assistant Mike Ramsey, Deutsch has been used in many Wild practices when one of the top goalies gets an off day,” said the Wild on the official website. 

Awesome.  This is just begging to be made into an Adam Sandler movie, or perhaps Will Farrell would like to write this script. 

Oddly enough, Deutsch was going to be at Wednesday’s game anyway, but just as a fan, not wearing the sweater and serving as the backup goalie.  Deutsch was to accompany a youth hockey team to the game.  Hopefully the last-minute change of plans still left the kids with enough time to call up a backup chaperone to replace Deutsch. 

 

Of the four commercial North American sports, modern-day baseball has the deepest roots and oldest traditions.  People on the inside will tell you that baseball is still a good ol’ boys club and adverse to change in many ways, but today, baseball seems to have finally caught up with the times.

A joint news release from Major League Baseball and the Players Union confirmed a New York Daily News report that “sexual orientation” will be added to the discrimination clause of the league’s new collective bargaining agreement.  The league announced the new five-year agreement on Tuesday (which also includes more wildcard teams in the playoffs, expanded use of video replay and testing for human growth hormone).

From the Daily News, “Article XV, Section A of MLB’s expiring Basic Agreement, in effect from 2006-2011, states: ‘The provisions of this Agreement shall be applied to all Players covered by this Agreement without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.’ In the new agreement, the words “sexual orientation” were added to Article XV.”

As a side note, the National Football League added a similar clause to it’s new CBA during the lockout last summer. 

The website Wide Rights, Info And Commentary On Gay Rights And The Sports Industry makes a great point about why this addition is so important. 

Tico Almedia, the president of LGBT organization Freedom to Work told the website, “In a majority of states in our country, it is still perfectly legal to fire someone just for being gay, and 13 of the 30 Major League teams are located in those states that allow anti-gay firings. No player should have to fear harassment or workplace retaliation if he were to publicly come out as gay.”

For a list of the teams located in states which do not have laws protecting against gay discrimination in the workplace, click here http://www.widerights.com/?p=1383

This news reminded me of Glenn Burke’s story.  Remember Burke, the young outfielder who showed a lot of promise with the Dodgers in the mid-1970’s and was mysteriously traded to the Oakland A’s for next to nothing, seemingly out of nowhere?  At 26 years old, Burke abruptly retired in 1980 and went into a tailspin using drugs and eventually being diagnosed with AIDS in 1994.  Only 42 years old, Burke died of complications from the disease in 1995.

As a favorite among fans and Dodgers teammates alike, Burke slowly revealed his sexuality to his teammates throughout his brief tenure in L.A.  In Out:  The Glenn Burke Story, filmmakers tell the story of Burke’s life and how coming out as a gay man derailed his baseball career.  In the film, Dusty Baker, who was Burke’s best friend on the team said, “I think the Dodgers knew; I think that’s why they traded Glenn [to Oakland].”

“I was shocked that he was traded… I walked into the clubhouse…and guys were visibly distraught over the trade, and that told me that my sense of how important he was to them internally was accurate,” said former Dodgers beat writer Lyle Spencer.  “I even remember a few players crying when they found out about it at their lockers, which is stunning.”

One might ask, how do you know the Dodgers organization knew?  There is plenty of anecdotal evidence which confirms suspicions.  Vincent Trahan, a friend of Burke’s from high school told the following story in the documentary.

“Al Campanis and Walter O’Malley had called him into the office and offered him $75,000 to get married. And Glenn, being his comic self, said, ‘I guess you mean to a woman?’… He was hurt because they traded him not for his baseball ability but for his life choice.”

This is the type of treatment that the new addition to the CBA is designed to stop.  While the clause will hopefully protect gay players from discrimination on a structural/organizational level, it will do little to curb the homophobia that is still so deeply rooted in male sports culture.

The closing paragraph in the Daily News article about the CBA addition highlights the potential for prejudice among players within a clubhouse.

“Still, there remains disagreement within locker rooms whether an MLB team is ready to accept an openly gay teammate. When news of the same-sex marriage law broke, several Mets said privately they would be uncomfortable with an openly gay teammate (while others said they would be comfortable). ‘Most of us are still Neanderthals,’ one Met explained.”

While I feel like one public admission of being gay would be enough to get the ball rolling and help change the anti-gay culture in sports, I can’t blame athletes and coaches for staying in the closet.  Having spent hours upon hours in locker rooms and clubhouses, the thought of being the sacrificial lamb to brave that new world is a terrifying one, as anti-gay language is quite prevalent in that environment. 

Having said that, there are some teams out there right now that have the personnel to handle having a gay teammate.  There are hundreds of professional athletes who would welcome gay teammates with open arms.  As the laws change and society adjusts, so will the athletic community, which is why I believe we will see the first openly gay player in North American sports come out within the next five years. 


Read more from the New York Daily News’ article on the new MLB CBA here: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mlb-collective-bargaining-agreement-add-sexual-orientation-discrimination-clause-article-1.981161#ixzz1eZHCoSOB

                                    

Sad news coming from the Netherlands Monday morning as Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman has been killed, reportedly stabbed to death by his brother.

According to the Associated Press, “Rotterdam Police spokeswoman Patricia Wessels said police were called to a home in the port city in the early hours of the morning and found the 24-year-old Dutch player bleeding from a stab wound.  The officers and ambulance paramedics were unable to resuscitate Halman.”

Wessels said Halman’s 22-year-old brother was arrested but did not release his name, in accordance with Dutch privacy laws.  Although publicly stating the brother of the victim is the suspect  pretty much narrows it down. 

Halman’s death comes on the same day that Mariners-great Ken Griffey Jr. turned 42 years old.

As a rookie in 2011 Halman played all three outfield positions and hit .230 in 35 games with the Mariners before being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma and, “returning home to the Netherlands to prepare for a shot at earning a full-time job in Seattle’s outfield,” according to the Mariners website. 

The AP reports that Halman was in Europe participating in the European Big League Tour where players held baseball clinics for kids.  The tour was organized by Baltimore Orioles pitcher Rick Van den Hurk who is also dutch. 

Here are some tweets from the baseball community:

(Mariners Outfielder Casper Wells) @UpstateBaller: Good men must die, but death cannot kill their names ~proverb. I won’t forget you brother. Rest in peace Greg.

(Mariners First Baseman Mike Carp) @CarpusMaximus20: Hard to process such a tragedy. Thoughts and prayers are with the Halman and Mariners Family Right now. You’ll be missed Brother Love You

(Mariners Pitcher David Aardsma) @TheDA53: Greg everyday would try to teach me something new in dutch. It was fun everyday trying to figure out what he was saying.

(Diamondbacks pitcher Jarrod Parker) @JarrodBParker:  R.I.P. Greg Halman speechless after hearing about this… Condolences to family and friends

(Mariners Third Baseman Matt Mangini) @Mangini_Matt: RT @ashleymroth: There was a rainbow this morning beyond Left Field at Cheney Stadium. RIP Greg Halman. http://t.co/kUU93ul

(Fox Sports writer and broadcaster Jon Morosi) @jonmorosi: Stunned today by the death of Greg Halman at age 24. Such tragic news. He was a great ambassador for baseball in Europe. #Mariners


Click here for the Seattle Mariners official press release on the death of Greg Halman:  http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111121&content_id=26015348&vkey=news_sea&c_id=sea

Click here for an interesting look at how Halman played a crucial role in the emergence of Dutch baseball: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111121&content_id=26017014&vkey=news_sea&c_id=sea&partnerId=rss_sea&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

             

 

From the looks of the pictures above, Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee and Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson have a lot in common.  They wear the same numbers, their team colors are similar, heck, it looks like they could be buddies!  Unfortunately, the chances of these two playing video games, grabbing a cold one together, or doing any other form of male bonding is probably slim.

Apparently Scobee didn’t appreciate Jackson’s taunting the Giants’ sideline during the Philadelphia Eagle’s win in the Meadowlands on Sunday.  Or maybe Scobee didn’t like how Jackson slept through a team meeting, thus being benched in Philly’s game against the Cardinals last weekend.  Perhaps it was the fact that Jackson held out for 11 days of training camp in hopes of getting a new contract in hopes of bringing home a bigger paycheck.

Maybe it was all of the above and then some that inspired this tweet from Scobee (who like Jackson, also wears the number 10) late Sunday evening:

@JoshScobee10: Desean Jackson is a punk. #growuputinybastard

WOW!  Right or wrong, gotta love a placekicker who takes a stand and tweets from the heart. 

The 29-year-old, who has made 15 of 16 field goals this season (including five +50 yarders, three of which came in the Jags win over the Ravens in Week 7) clarified his tweet… kind of:

@JoshScobee10: Relax people. He’s just a punk, which to me means he doesn’t respect anyone or anything around him. Therefore, I don’t respect him.

Ok then!  Scobee sure is fired up about this.  I’m sure word of Sobee’s tweets will eventually get back to Jackson, who at this point, would be wise to refrain from commenting. 

While Jackson’s image might be down in the dumps, he beat Scobee where it counted Sunday, which was in the win column.  The Browns toppled the Jags, dropping Jacksonville to 3-7 (a distant third place in the AFC South) while Jackson and the Eagles managed to squeeze out a victory over the Giants behind Vince Young at quarterback.  The 17-10 win breathed a bit of life back into the Eagles, improving (I’m using that word loosely) their record to 4-6, still leaving them behind the Giants and Cowboys, both at 6-4. 

It’s too bad the Eagles and Jags don’t play each other this season.  Can you imagine the media  talking about the twitter beef between Scobee and Jackson heading into the game?  That would be classic. 

I was lucky enough to cover the Boston Marathon when I worked for Comcast Sportsnet New England as it was easily one of the top five reporting experiences I had in perhaps the best sports town in America.

Boston turns into a different city on Marathon Monday as thousands cheer on complete strangers with genuine excitement and toast each other in the streets as Patriots’ Day is a state holiday.  It’s sad to think that what is, by far, the best day of the year, at least for Bostonians, could take a turn in the direction of tragedy. 

Unfortunately the Philadelphia Marathon took that tragic turn Sunday as two runners died while participating.  According to CBS News, race organizers confirmed the deaths of a 21-year-old Asian male and a 40-year-old white male.

The younger man collapsed at the finish line while the latter collapsed just a quarter-mile from the finish line. According to CBSNews.com, “CBS Station KYW reports that both runners were taken to Hahnemann University Hospital where they were pronounced dead of apparent heart attacks.”

It looks like the weather wasn’t a factor as, “cool temperatures, light winds and mostly cloudy skies were the rule during the race, which began at 7 a.m.,” according to CNN.com. 

Much like the Boston Marathon, the route in Philadelphia is not only scenic but historic, taking runners past, “Betsy Ross’s house and the Liberty Bell, in and out of Fairmount Park, and through districts such as Manayunk and University City,” according to CNN.com. 

Unlike some marathons the race in Philadelphia, in it’s 18th year, is open to everyone and does not require a qualifying time.

The identities of the deceased have not yet been released as their families are still being notified.

Just last month a 27-year-old woman gave birth just hours after finishing the Chicago Marathon while 39 weeks pregnant. 

At least somebody has found a way to make money off of NBA players during the lockout - that somebody is President Barack Obama who, according to his website is holding “a game featuring basketball’s greatest super stars in support of the Obama Victory Fund.”

Shell out $200 for a general admission ticket or up to $5k for a courtside seat at the first ever Obama Classic Basketball Game on Dec. 12 in Washington DC at a location to be announced later. 

Here’s the roster of confirmed players thus far, straight from barackobama.com :

Ray Allen - Carmelo Anthony - Chris Bosh - Vince Carter - Tyson Chandler - Jamal Crawford - Kevin Durant - Baron Davis - Patrick Ewing - Derek Fisher - Rudy Gay - Blake Griffin - Tyler Hansbrough - Dwight Howard - Juwan Howard - Antawn Jamison - Dahntay Jones - Brandon Knight - Kevin Love - Jamal Mashburn - Cheryl Miller - Alonzo Mourning - Dikembe Mutombo - Chris Paul - Quentin Richardson - Doc Rivers - Steve Smith - Jerry Stackhouse - Amare Stoudemire - Tina Thompson - John Wall - Russell Westbrook

Nice mix of super stars, role players and retirees on the roster, but who will coach? I vote for either Doc Rivers and Cheryl Miller, or Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as surprise guest coaches.  Just a thought.

Man, if I weren’t unemployed and without any income right now, I’d definitely be there (in the cheap seats, of course).  Even if you don’t like President Obama’s politics, he has impeccable taste in various areas of the arts and entertainment, as was evident in the Motown tribute concert he and the First Lady hosted at the White House that I watched on PBS last night.  DVR it if you get a chance; Martha Reeves’ diva on-stage takeover of the finale is absolutely classic.

Okay, I digress.  From filling out brackets on ESPN to sitting courtside at the Carrier Classic on Veteran’s Day, it’s no secret that President Obama loves hoops.  He has hosted a BBQ and pick-up game for NBA players in the past and even got elbowed in the lip (requiring several stitches) while playing with his staffers. 

According to ESPN.com, “Proceeds will go to the Obama Victory Fund, which is jointly held by the Democratic National Committee and Obama’s re-election campaign.  Whether Obama will directly take part in the event was left an open question.”

For the sake of entertainment, I hope Obama suits up and even better, since it’s a co-ed event, I would love to see Michelle out there too.  I bet she could post guys up, no problem. 

Since the event is a fundraiser, I doubt it could be televised on a network because of equal time laws, but what about Pay-Per-View?  People could pay $60 to watch from their couch for a cause.  This way folks who might not normally pay attention to politics can find a way to get involved while simultaneously getting perhaps the only opportunity to watch NBA players this season. 
Good call on this one Obama.  Sounds like fun.  Now, if you could somehow convince both parties to compromise…. and by both parties, I mean the owners and players :)


For more information or to purchase a ticket to the Obama Classic Basketball Game, click here  https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/o2012-decemberobamaclassic?source=20111118_Athletes

             

The return of familiar yet unwelcome feelings of shock and sorrow swept over Stillwater, Oklahoma as news emerged of a plane crash killing women’s head basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna Thursday afternoon.  The two were on a recruiting trip.

The single-engine plane went down in steep terrain in Arkansas killing all four on board including the pilot, former Oklahoma State Sen. Olin Branstetter and his wife Paula, according to university president Burns Hargis. 

The deadly crash comes ten months after the 10th anniversary of a plane crash in a snow storm that killed 10 members of the OSU men’s basketball program near Denver after the team played a game against the University of Colorado.  Nobody survived that crash which killed two players, four team officials, a play-by-play announcer, a radio engineer and two pilots.  The accident rocked the campus and local community and led the school to change its policy in regards to team travel. 

The plane that crashed in 2001 had been donated by a booster, and according to ESPN.com, “the university began requiring a firm to check out the condition of any plane used by a school sports team. It wasn’t immediately known if that policy also applied to planes that carry only coaches or other school employees.”

In his seventh season as the Cowgirls’ head coach, Budke, 50, is survived by his wife Shelley, daughter Sarah, a student at OSU and two sons.

Serna had played under coach Budke as a member of the 1996 national team at Trinity Valley Community College and had served as his assistant during his entire tenure as head coach at OSU.

Foxnews.com provided more details about the crash:

A deer hunter’s wife called 911 at about 4:30 p.m. local time after the plane crashed into a steep ridge in a rugged area of national forest land, according to the report. She saw the airplane swirling. It basically nose-dived and crashed,” said Mike Surrett, chief deputy criminal investigator at the Perry County Sheriff’s Department. “They were ejected. Debris was scattered over about a 300 or 400 yard area.” The wreckage was located at about 6:00 p.m. local time by a police helicopter. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Newsok.com posted several tweets from those close to the situation:

OSU football coach Mike Gundy: “My thoughts and prayers are with the families of Kurt, Miranda and @OSUCowgirlHoops.”

OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden: “My thoughts and prayers go out to the Budke and Serna families. 2 great people #osufamily”

Former OSU offensive lineman/Seattle Seahawks tackle Russell Okung: “Amazing how we go to sleep every night thinking we are guaranteed to wake up the next morning. My heart goes out to all of their families.”

Oklahoma guard Whitney Hand: “Praying for the entire OSU family. Life is so precious. We love you all and are with you through this.”

Former OSU forward Marshall Moses: “Coach Budke was an EXCELLENT EXCELLENT coach, and Coach Serna believed in me when no one else did. she always encouraged me…”

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly: “When I heard the news of another OSU tragedy I had to stop the car as I honestly felt like I was going to be sick—HUGE LOSS-TOO SOON!!”

The twitter accounts of the OSU women’s basketball players were all locked (smartly), so I couldn’t read their tweets, but freshman guard Taylor Schippers’ bio reads, “Treasure every moment of your life, #itsvaluable”

 

 

- Former Penn State Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky is charged with 40 felony counts relating to alleged sexual abuse of eight young boys, resulting in the firing of several school administrators, including Head Coach Joe Paterno.  The New York Times reports ten other alleged victims have since come forward. 

-Two adult men accuse Syracuse Associate Head Basketball Coach Bernie Fine of sexual abuse spanning more than a decade, resulting in Fine being placed on administrative leave.

-Former U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach Don Peters is permanently banned from the sport and removed from the Hall of Fame after an investigation of sexual abuse involving two teenage girls.

And that was just in the last 10 days!

Whether or not such allegations are true or false, it’s been a rough week for the athletic coaching profession.  

The flood gates have officially opened as one person speaking out typically provokes bravery in victims who were once too afraid or ashamed to come forward with their stories.  A single accusation can also get the attention of fame-seekers who don’t care how many lives they ruin en route to those precious 15 minutes. 

Perhaps the scariest piece of this puzzle is the fact that coaches, the men and women who are supposed to teach and care for our children, might be child predators. 

I come from a family of teachers, some of whom have coached sports in public schools.  Most of my favorite teachers in high school were also the coaches of various athletic teams.  I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with the coaches I know.

Having said that, I stumbled upon some scary facts regarding coaches and sexual abuse. 

The Seattle Times published a story in December 2003 called “Coaches Who Prey.  The Abuse of Girls And The System That Allows It,” written by Christine Willmsen and Maureen O’Hagan.  The article covers several topics including different cases in Washington state of coaches being fired for sexual abuse, how many of these men were then hired by other schools, and how easy it is for offenders to become private coaches due to a lack of regulation. 

Here a some facts from the article:

- “Over the past decade, 159 coaches in Washington have been fired or reprimanded for sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to rape. Nearly all were male coaches victimizing girls. At least 98 of these coaches continued to coach or teach”

- “The number of offending coaches is much greater. When faced with complaints against coaches, school officials often failed to investigate them and sometimes ignored a law requiring them to report suspected abuse to police. Many times, they disregarded a state law requiring them to report misconduct to the state education office.”

- “Even after getting caught, many men were allowed to continue coaching because school administrators promised to keep their disciplinary records secret if the coaches simply left. Some districts paid tens of thousands of dollars to get coaches to leave. Other districts hired coaches they knew had records of sexual misconduct.”

- “In the growing field of private club teams, coaches can get a job or start a team with almost no regulation or oversight. Men who coach teams sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union have been convicted of such crimes as assault, indecent liberties with a child and drug possession.”

The article describes how the passage of Title IX in 1972 created a huge need for coaches in order to comply with the law and most of those hired to coach girls were men. 

According to the article, “As a profession, coaching has one of the highest rates of sexual-misconduct complaints, according to Bill Lennon, a Bellevue licensed sex-offender therapist and expert on sexual abuse by teachers.”

It makes sense for a sexual predator to use coaching as his or her gateway to children.  Coaches work with athletes for several hours at a time, have plenty of one-on-one interaction, travel together and go mainly unsupervised. 

“The Times analysis shows that Washington teachers who coach are three times more likely to be investigated by the state for sexual misconduct than noncoaching teachers. (Coaches who teach at private schools are not required to have a teaching certificate. Without public records, reporters could not include them in the analysis.)”

The article also cites a North Carolina study that found in schools, “the No. 1 reason for dismissal of a coach — accounting for 1 in every 5 firings — was not a team’s poor performance on the field, but the coach’s sexual relationship with a student.”

Okay, so after reading such nightmare statistics, what can people do to protect their children? 

Criminals exist in all walks of life and many will slip through the cracks.  It’s the sad, scary truth.  Not every child can be protected.  But hopefully the public outcry surrounding recent coaching sex scandals will scare the crap out of encourage school administrations to do their homework diligently before hiring any staff member. 

Hopefully with every survivor who recounts his or her story, millions of kids and parents alike will listen and learn how to recognize the telltale signs of a predator, preventing them from becoming future victims. 

Hopefully this public forum will release survivors from their shame and parents will feel more comfortable having difficult conversations with their children. 

From Pee-Wee to the Pros, there are probably a million athletic coaches in this country.  The vast, overwhelming majority of those men and women enjoy instilling values and teaching the games they love to kids.  It is sad that a few bad apples have managed to spoil the rest of the bunch of such an honorable profession.


To read the disturbing yet fascinating and important Seattle Times article in its entirety, click here:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/local/coaches/news/dayone.html

News of Puerto Rican officials seizing nearly 500 pounds of Cocaine worth more than $4 million from a home owned by professional boxer Ivan Calderon reminded me of something.

First thing that came to mind was a scandal in Tuscon, a 2-for-1 scandal of sorts, involving the Arizona Wildcats football team.

For starters, the Puerto Rican boxer has denied any knowledge of the cocaine found in his home, which he cited as one of many investment properties. 

Now back to Tuscon… I was a sophomore, the year was 2002, circa mid-November when some of my buddies from the football team stopped by my dorm room for a little chat one evening.

The players told me that then-head coach John Mackovic had dished out verbal lashings to some players after an ugly 37-7 loss to UCLA all hell had broken loose since. 

Athletes are used to being yelled at by coaches, right?  Well apparently everyone has a breaking point, even big, tough football players.  According to the players, verbal abuse was Mackovic’s every-day-way, and after the UCLA loss, the coach crossed the line when he hurled expletives at junior tight end Justin Levasseur and told him he was an embarrassment to the team and a disgrace to his family. 

Didn’t anyone ever tell Coach Mack you DO NOT bring up mamas and families when trash talking?  It’s a rule.

Anyway, the incident prompted more than 40 players, led by then-senior linebacker Lance Briggs, to head over to university President Pete Likins’ office for a  chat where the players voiced their concerns and complaints about the 59-year-old coach, in his second year at Arizona at the time. 

The meeting with President Likins led to Mackovic apologizing publicly and privately for his actions, but the team remained divided.   The Wildcats went on to win only one more game and finished the season 4-8 overall with only one Pac10 victory. 

In a strange twist of fate, only a few weeks later Levasseur was arrested on drug trafficking charges after he was stopped while driving through Illinois with 87 pounds of marijuana in his truck. 

OOPS.

Perhaps Coach Mack was on to something… but both men would be punished in the end.

Mackovic was unable to regain the trust or respect of his players and was fired 5 games into the 2003 football season.  He has not coached at the collegiate level since. 

As for Levasseur, he pleaded guilty to a Class 1 felony charge (while two others were dropped), saying that he got mixed up with the wrong crowd in college, and low on cash, made a terrible decision.  Levasseur’s father publicly claimed that his son’s actions were spurred by greed.  While Levasseur’s football career was over at age 22, he was lucky to avoid serving jail time as he was sentenced to four years of probation and ordered to pay more than $275,000 in fines.

It looks like Levasseur is doing just fine these days, as he is “in a relationship” and living in Phoenix, according to his Facebook page

The last major character in this story is Lance Briggs.  In reading his quotes from the Arizona Daily Wildcat back in 2002 ( http://wc.arizona.edu/papers/96/57/02_1.html ), one can see that Briggs was well on his way to bigger and better things on the football field and as a leader. 

This was a time when young men were not afraid to stand up for themselves and speak out against something they felt was wrong.  They displayed a type of bravery that has been lacking in today’s NCAA.  Perhaps current students and faculty alike should borrow this page from Briggs’ old playbook.

While the Arizona football program has suffered several miserable seasons (until recently), the Chicago Bear and six time Pro Bowl selection is one of the few guys us Wildcats can brag about.   So for that, I say thanks Lance, and Beardown! 

                                      

Update - 11:00pm est : Apparently, the NBA read this blog post and got the message, loud and clear, from the media and fans regarding the confusion surrounding the league’s latest collective bargaining agreement offer to the Players Association.  Check out a summary of the owners’ latest offer, from the NBA itself… http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/11/14/sports/basketball/20111114-nba-proposals.html?src=tp

I don’t know what to believe anymore. 

Billy Hunter and Derek Fisher are fighting.  No they’re not.

Players can be sent to the D-League and have their salary dropped to $75k in their first five seasons.  Not true.

Players have no idea what is going on and team reps aren’t effective.  Yes they are, everybody is informed.

If they players don’t take this deal, the league will stop negotiating. Not true.

Well which is it? What the hell is going on with this lockout? 

Chris Sheridan attempts to clear the air in his piece, “Lockout Update: Misinformation Rules,” by exposing allegedly false reports that nobody has bothered to correct (read his entire piece here, it is quite enlightening: http://shar.es/onN4z ).

I say “allegedly” because I don’t know who to believe at this point.  It seems like neither side can be trusted, nor have their words taken at face value. 

One point of contention is the story about the owners’ right to send players down to the D-league during their first five NBA seasons and drop their salaries to $75,000.     This notion had twitter abuzz as fans, media and players alike openly criticized this part of the owners’ latest proposal.

But according to Sheridan, this clause is nowhere to be found in the owners’ current proposal.  HUH!?!?!

Sheridan cites a New York Times article by Howard Beck (that includes comments from NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver) in trying to make sense of this nonsense.

From Beck’s story, “These and other concerns filled Twitter timelines on Friday, a day after labor talks concluded. They turned out to be unfounded, speculative or simply false. The D-League is not mentioned anywhere in the seven-page proposal that was delivered to the union on Friday — a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. Nor are there any measures that could curtail “Bird” rights. While some provisions might crimp the N.B.A.’s middle class, others could boost it. In the absence of official documentation — neither the league nor the union released the proposal publicly — the rumors have prevailed.”

I’m at the point of becoming a nutty conspiracy theorist.  Since the documents have not been made public, how can the New York Times be positive they have the actual proposal given to the players?

Meanwhile, some players are skeptical of the owners’ alleged need to split basketball related income 50-50.  Months ago, NBA Commissioner David Stern said that 22 of the 30 teams in the league were losing a combined $300 million.

Check out this tweet from Omri Casspi of the Cleveland Cavaliers:

@Casspi18 : I have a question! I wasn’t really involve in all the talks between the Nba and the players… My question is…If the NBA claim loses of 300mil dollars, why they aren’t opening the books to the players and letting us see it?

Casspi is saying quite a bit in this tweet.  First of all, the union has representatives for a reason, but I get the feeling A LOT of players are in the dark and don’t know any more about the situation than the public does. 

Casspi went on to tweet about his desire for union decertification as well as the public relations mess caused by the lockout:

@Casspi18: It’s sounds like we are the bad guys here after we agreed to 50/50 which means 2.8 billion dollars to the owners in the course of 10 years.

I’m pretty close to giving up on this situation considering I can’t believe any of the information, rhetoric or gossip coming from either side.  I wish the mediator (who has been present during some of the negotiations) could disseminate information to the public so we could trust somebody, anybody to tell us the truth.

In the mean time, thousands of working and middle class families are without paychecks as the lockout not only keeps players off the court, but leaves every day employees struggling to stay above water.

Kudos to Sheridan for attempting to sort it all out.   http://shar.es/onN4z .  Hopefully the league and it’s players will soon do the same. 

**In case you were wondering, I went as the “NBA Lockout” for Halloween.  Sad, but true.**

 

It had to happen.  He had to go. 

Child rape. The mysterious disappearance of an investigating district attorney.  Insensitive front lawn pep rallies.  An absolute nightmare. 

Penn State had to clean house in order to rid the university of the stench left by Jerry Sandusky and those who kept allegations of his sexually abusive behavior a secret.

While this scandal goes far beyond it’s impact on the football team, naturally the focus shifted to one of college sports’ national treasures, Joe Paterno in his 46th season as the Nittany Lions head coach. 

As the layers of a seemingly substantial coverup began to unravel, many (including a grand jury) were asking who played what role in the former defensive coordinator’s alleged sexual abuse of several young boys. 

Paterno has admitted to playing a role.  While he said in a statement Wednesday morning that he planned to retire at the end of the season, that was not a decision for him to make, despite his power and influence. 

We’ve seen several prominent college head coaches lose their jobs in recent years, with these few coming to mind:

Jim Tressel: Resigned as Ohio State’s head football coach in May 2011 after emails proved that he attempted to cover up the fact that some of his players had received free tattoos, which is a violation of NCAA rules. 

Bruce Pearl: Fired from his post as head coach of the University of Tennessee’s men’s basketball program in March 2011 after the NCAA charged him with “unethical conduct” as a result of Pearl lying to  investigators about hosting high school juniors at a BBQ at his home. 

Rick Neuheisel: Fired from University of Washington in 2003 for participating in college basketball pools during March Madness.  As the school’s head football coach, any type of gambling is a violation of NCAA policy. 

Most people’s actions are governed by two things; written law and a society’s moral code.  Tressel, Pearl and Neuheisel were indeed guilty of breaking institutional rules, but didn’t exactly breach any major moral contract. 

On the other hand, we have Paterno who followed the rules, albeit at a bare minimum, in reporting alleged abuse to his cronies, yet allowed common sense, ethics and humanity to fall by the wayside.  For those who cheered Paterno, jeered detractors and rioted in the streets of State College, you must understand that being a figurehead comes with its benefits and drawbacks. 

Despite not actually coaching for the last several years, the 84-year-old Paterno brought in top recruits.  Paterno was a living legend who inspired his players in the locker room and a man who had positively represented the university and the state of Pennsylvania for several decades.

With such notoriety comes love and adoration, respect, signing autographs, accepting free meals and taking credit that you don’t always deserve.  But with the good, must come the bad.  Often times someone with such status takes the fall when things go wrong, is made an example of and absorbs more personal criticism than is perhaps warranted.   

His status as a figurehead, coupled with the substantial role he played in the Sandusky scandal provided the perfect storm in which to fire Paterno.  While reporting the alleged abuse is legally suitable, allowing the suspect (before completion of a law enforcement investigation) to continually bring young boys into your university’s athletic facilities for years is negligent and unjustifiable.

Despite the disgust, there is an explanation.  While a publicist or media relations professional surely wrote the statement released by Paterno on Wednesday morning (click here for the statement: http://usat.ly/rNNFFP ), its the words that came out of Paterno’s mouth Tuesday night which offered true insight.

In an impromptu pep rally of sorts on Paterno’s front lawn, he told reporters and supporters, “it’s hard for me to tell you how much this means to me, alright? You guys have lived for this place. I’ve lived for people like you guys and girls. I’m just so happy to see that you could feel so strongly about us and your school.  And as I said I don’t know whether you heard me or not, as you know with the kids who are victims, or whatever they wanna say, I think we all ought to say a prayer for them…. Tough life when people do certain things to you, but , anyway, you’ve [people cheering for Paterno outside his home]  been great.  You’ve been really great, alright.”

The dismissive and egocentric nature of Paterno’s comments might ultimately be what did him in.  When a person can’t show any genuine remorse in a situation like this, he is a liability and a public relations nightmare. 

In an article posted on the Beaver County Times website last April, seven months ago, Mark Madden detailed the grand jury investigation and apparent coverup at Penn State, writing in regards to Sandusky possibly getting off the hook, “don’t kid yourself. That could happen. Don’t underestimate the power of Paterno and Penn State in central Pennsylvania when it comes to politicians, the police and the media.”

Looks like Madden was right.  Where was the media when all of this was going on?  Why didn’t the story get picked up, either locally or nationally?  There are so many questions that we will hopefully get the answers to in the coming months. 

For now, power and narcissism are where many answers lie. 

After reports of sexual abuse, Sandusky was investigated in 1998, although then-Centre County district attorney Ray Gricar decided not to prosecute. Sandusky retired in 1999, and in 2005, Gricar, who must hold some answers, went missing and has since been legally declared dead.  You can read about the unsolved mystery here ( http://nyti.ms/s4yBGn ). 

Six of Sandusky’s alleged victims reported being abused in the eight years after then-graduate assistant coach Mike McQueary told Paterno what he witnessed in the locker room showers in 2002. 

Paterno had the knowledge and power to stop Sandusky, but did not do so.  Surely,   Paterno, Penn State president Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president of finance and business Gary Schultz were not protecting Sandusky.  They were protecting 409 wins.  They were protecting 37 bowl appearances.  They were protecting the legacy of Joe Paterno. 

A large ego can be dangerous and deceiving.  A narcissist not only loves himself, but also feels a sense of invincibility.  From coverups to corruption, he assembles a crew of people who will do anything to protect him.  It seems as though Paterno and his cronies thought he was untouchable because he was Joe Paterno;  That any misgivings could be swept under a nice Nittany Lion rug and the legend of Joe Paterno would keep on living, blemish-free.  Sadly, they were right…until now.  All it took was a courier and a phone call to to remind Paterno that he too, is human.  


To read Mike Madden’s article from April 2011, click the link:  http://www.timesonline.com/columnists/sports/mark_madden/madden-sandusky-a-state-secret/article_863d3c82-5e6f-11e0-9ae5-001a4bcf6878.html#user-comment-area

                           

Updated 2:27pm EST: From the LA Times,

“A Venezuelan police Twitter feed says: “State law enforcement officials confirm ballplayer Ramos alive,” according to the Washington Post.

Venezuelan officials said Thursday that they found the vehicle Ramos’ kidnappers used to abduct him. The Ramos family, which had not been contacted by the kidnappers, urged the public to stay calm.”

Between Joe Paterno’s firing and the NBA lockout, a major news story has slipped through the cracks.  Washington Nationals starting catcher Wilson Ramos was kidnapped in Valencia, Venezuela on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Venezuela native was abducted from his mother’s home in the Santa Ines sector of Valencia by four gunmen, according to El Nacional newspaper, and while the police were notified, the family was still awaiting word from the kidnappers as of Wednesday night. 

Many Major League Baseball players are Venezuela natives and participate in Winter League play there.  Valencia is the hometown of both Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez and Yankees catcher Francisco Cerevelli

Ramos’ Winter League team, Tigres de Aragua confirmed the kidnapping on their twitter page.  Ramos had yet to play for the Venezuelan team. 

In 113 games for the Nationals this year, Ramos batted .267, with 15 home runs and 52 RBI. 

According to the Washington Post, “The Caracas newspaper, El Universal, reported in its online edition that the kidnappers had driven past the Ramos home twice before finally stopping and forcing Ramos into the vehicle. The catcher and his family had been just outside the house, enjoying the early evening, when the gunmen arrived.”

Officials have since found the SUV in which Ramos was taken, abandoned in a nearby town.  Police are reportedly processing evidence from the vehicle.   

While kidnappings of athletes and their family members is nothing new in Venezuela, the outcomes of such cases have varied. 

In 2009, the 11-year-old son of then-Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba, along with two of the boy’s uncles, were kidnapped in Venezuela and returned safely after Torrealba paid a ransom.

The ending wasn’t a happy one for Diamondbacks catcher Henry Blanco, playing for the Cubs in 2008 when his brother Carlos was kidnapped and murdered in Venezuela.  Carlos was shot to death, despite the fact that Henry negotiated with the kidnappers who were seeking ransom. 

According to David Brown of Yahoo Sports, ” Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has some thoughts on this, including this note: Venezuela has the highest kidnapping rate in the world.”

Regarding the fans at baseball games in Venezuela, Ramos told the Washington Examiner’s Brian McNally, “The fans in the stands, there are a lot of good ones. A lot of them understand that it’s a sport.  But during the game when they drink and they get drunk they forget everything — they boo you if you’re not hitting, or make errors. Everybody wants to kill you.”

According to the Washington Post article by Adam Kilgore and Juan Forero, “Many of the kidnappings that take place in the country are so-called “express” kidnappings, in which armed men drive a victim around and take money from him before releasing him. The Department of State crime and safety report stated that “groups that specialize in these types of crimes operate with impunity or fear of incarceration.”

As of 3:55am EST, I have yet to see any further updates on Ramos’ whereabouts or whether or not his family has heard from the kidnappers.  Hopefully this incident is indeed an “express” kidnapping and Ramos will be returned to his family soon and safely. 


For more on the Ramos kidnapping and the history of kidnapping in Venezuela, here’s the link to the Washington Post article cited in the above blog post:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/washington-nationals-catcher-wilson-ramos-kidnapped-in-venezuela/2011/11/09/gIQAS8tz6M_story.html