Pepper On Sports

                                          

Just last week I gave the marriage of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries until the end of 2012… apparently I gave them WAY too much credit.  Oops! Live and learn. 

After 72 not-so-blissful days of marriage, rumors of Kardashian filing for divorce from the New Jersey Nets forward were confirmed Monday with a tweet from Ryan Seacrest, who produces E!’s Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

@RyanSeacrest: “Yes @kimkardashian is filing for divorce this morning. I touched base with her, getting a statement in just a few mins”

After putting on a $10 million show (errr, wedding) with over 450 guests, Kardashian will not seek an annulment, and will cite irreconcilable differences in the divorce filing, according to TMZ.

Truly heartbreaking, I know.  As for the reason why these two lovebirds couldn’t make it work, well, no official details on that yet, and I have a feeling I know why.

This marriage was a sham.  Period.  Not to sound like an Obama Birther, but can I see their marriage license?  The original, not a copy please. 

A few weeks ago I was told by a source close to the situation that the Kardashian camp had contacted then-New York Knicks forward Danilo Gallinari’s “people,” asking if he would be interested in dating Kim for her reality show, Kim and Kourtney Take New York. Galinari declined, and shortly after, Kim “met” Humphries, and the rest was history.  This was confirmed with further detail in wetpaint.com’s exclusive story that was picked up by the New York Post last week. 

(read the original blog post here…  http://pepperonsports.tumblr.com/post/11996976421/knicks-before-nets-on-the-scouting-report-where-kim )

In response to the demise of this business relationship, errr, marriage, Darren Rovell, the host of CNBC’s Sports Biz gave us this enlightening tidbit via twitter:

@darrenrovell: “Kris Humphries grossed $16.9 million over his 7-year NBA career. His TV marriage to Kim Kardashian was worth $17 million.”

For Kim, the wedding was just one sliver of a projected $1 billion pie that she and her family will earn throughout the years.  As for the 26-year-old Humphries, the production surely provided him a pretty penny, and even more than that, gave him fame. 

If Kim actually files for divorce (and not at a courthouse on the Warner Brothers lot in Hollywood), that implies that she and Humphries are legally married, thus there goes my ‘birther’-like conspiracy theory.

Whether their union was fact or fiction, there’s no doubt that Humphries will receive a nice severance package that was surely in place from the get-go.  The timing is probably beneficial for Humphries who can wash his hands of the Kardashians, cash his check and get back to focusing on basketball with enough time to prepare for the start of a shortened NBA season, whenever that may be. 

As for 31-year-old Kimmy K, she’ll bounce back, like she always does.  I’ll give her three months of public mourning until she’s back on the dating scene, with cameras rolling.  On second thought, three months might be generous, just like my prediction of their marriage lasting more than a year.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me! 

(To read Kim’s statement on the divorce and a picture of the divorce paperwork, click on this link to Stiletto Jill’s blog…. http://jocksandstilettojill.com/2011/10/kim-kardashian-files-for-divorce-from-kris-humphries-after-72-days/ )

                                

Did anyone else find it curious that one day, Oakland Radiers owner Al Davis was dead, seemingly without explanation?  I couldn’t figure out why the family would withhold a cause of death from the press, leading my mind in the direction of conspiracy theory…. Tupac, Biggie, and Davis chillin on an island was my top choice. 

Turns out the Davis probably didn’t know what exactly happened to their patriarch.

My conspiracy theory has since been shot down with the release of Davis’ death certificate, issued by Alameda County, citing heart failure as the cause of death.  TMZ first reported the details of the document which I read in an Associated Press article:

“…Davis died at age 82 at 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 8 from an abnormal heart rhythm, congestive heart failure and a heart muscle disease.  He died at the Oakland Airport Hilton, where he lived during much of the football season.” 

This information still leaves us asking questions, such as, was Davis alone when he died?  If so, who found him, and when?  It’s not like the answers will change anything, but surely these are questions that arise in our hyper-invasive society. 

Davis’ death certificate paints a picture of poor health, aside from heart issues.  According to the AP, “Davis also had a form of skin cancer and had undergone throat surgery three days before his death. He also underwent heart surgery in 1996.”

Sounds like those last few days weren’t pretty for Davis, so hopefully he went quickly and somewhat peacefully. 

            

   

Ever find yourself watching a major tennis tournament on mute because you can no longer handle the obnoxious, over-the-top and sometimes inappropriate noises being purged from the players’ mouths?

The top dog in women’s tennis, world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki is speaking out about the grunting she wishes her competitors would hold in. 

Before being bounced from the WTA Championships in Turkey by Petra Kvitova on Thursday, Wozniacki bemoaned the moaning that she says opponents use strategically to gain an edge in competition. 

21-year-old Wozniacki told Simon Chambers of The Guardian, “I think there are some players who do it on purpose.  They don’t do it in practice and then they come into the match and they grunt. I think they [officials] could definitely cut it.”

What advantage can shrieking like a wild animal in heat possibly provide, aside from annoying your opponent (and everyone else within earshot)?

According to Wozniacki, “if you grunt really loudly your opponent cannot hear how you hit the ball.  Because the grunt is so loud, you think the ball is coming fast and suddenly the ball just goes slowly. In tight moments, maybe the grunt helps them with getting less nervous.”

Who knew?  The article also quotes WTA Chairman & CEO Stacey Allaster admitting to the annoyance of the tour’s lady grunters, even saying there has been an increase in fan complaints as of late.  Allaster said the matter deserves a look and that changes could come at the junior level. 

My Dad always yells at the TV when the female players grunt and shriek, often imitating them in the process which is, um, uncomfortable.  As the young feminist that I am, I always rebut with the fact that, “Dad, the guys do it too.  It’s not just the women.”  It’s beyond annoying regardless of gender, but the ladies do seem to pack an extra punch.

 

According to The Guardian, “the shrieks of the 2004 Wimbledon champion [Maria Sharapova] have been compared to a pneumatic drill and have been measured at more than 100 decibels. [Victoria] Azarenka’s grunts are longer and higher-pitched, and were described by one Wimbledon watcher this year as “like Mickey Mouse in distress.”

I’m all for Wozniacki sounding off on the subject.  I like how she criticized the action, which is really just subtly (or not) taking shots at some of the sport’s most popular women.  Finishing a second consecutive season ranked No.1, Wozniacki has recently opened up and shown a lot more personality. 

Back in January, she pranked the Australian Open press after media reports called her “boring.”  In September, Wozniacki imitated Rafael Nadal’s awkward press conference (where he moaned and fidgeted while suffering cramps) at her own post-match media session at the U.S. Open. 

It’s interesting that the world’s top women’s player two years running has yet to win a Grand Slam title, but I think Wozniacki will change that next season.   I like her because you never know what she’ll do next.   With the aging Williams sisters likely looking at their best days in the rear view mirror, women’s tennis needs the play and personality of Caroline Wozniacki. 


Watch Caroline prank the media here:  http://www.casttv.com/video/5fb15jq/caroline-wozniacki-funny-press-conference-video

Watch Caroline do her best “Cramping Nadal” impression here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/06/caroline-wozniacki-nadal-cramps-press-conference_n_950490.html

   

Apparently New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries wasn’t the first choice of his wife Kim Kardashian.  The New York Post cites a story on website Wetpaint.com revealing that before dating Humphries, Kim had inquired about then-New York Knicks forward Danilo Gallinari.

According to the Page Six article, “Kardashian was so eager to land a basketball player, the site says, that she had producers at E!, the home of her reality shows, contact NBA teams about potential beaus. Sources say that producers at the network called the Knicks to find out if the team’s handsome Italian import, Gallinari, was single.”

My own source close to the situation confirmed that when asked if he was interested in dating Kim for the reality series, Gallinari politely declined the offer.  From Wetpaint.com, “Danilo said he would love to meet Kim but was not interested in dating her or being on a reality show … Even though E! explained it would be great for his career, Gallinari turned the offer down.”

Isn’t it sad that I was tempted to give Gallinari a standing ovation in my living room for not taking the bait on this one?  In an age where fame has become more important than fortune (or anything else for that matter) among those in my generation, it’s encouraging that doing his job seems to be enough for Gallinari.  It’s nice that not everyone wants to sell their souls to the fame monster, feeding the self-centeredness that comes with a camera crew following your every move and the internet abuzz with details of your personal life. 

As far as Kim as concerned, I struggle to put my feelings in words.  “If you have nothing nice to say don’t say anything at all.”  Why didn’t she just go on The Bachelorette if TV-dating was so important to her?  Probably because she would have to share the spotlight with twenty men and surely casting couldn’t provide a line-up of All-Stars, literally. 

With all the rumors of relationship drama between Kris and Kim, I bet Gallinari looks in the mirror and thinks, “whew! I dodged a bullet.”  Yes you did buddy.  Gallinari for the win! 

Breaking up after 10 years together would be tough, regardless of the circumstances, and Theo Epstein’s split with the Red Sox was just the icing on a cake which had already melted into a big, ugly mess in previous weeks.  Despite a disastrous situation by sports standards, the former Red Sox general manager and executive vice president  left Boston with a classy, parting gift as he heads to Chicago.  Take a look at this full-page ad the native son took out in Sunday’s Boston Globe, thanking the fans, players, coaches and front office staff of the team he dreamed of working for as a kid.

After assembling two World Series Championship teams and ending an 86-year drought, any competitive, driven, perfectionist would jump at the chance to take on the Cubs’ North American sports team-record 103-year drought; especially given the way things unraveled with the Red Sox.

But Epstein isn’t just any competitive, driven, perfectionist.  He is a graduate of Brookline High School, just a few miles away from Fenway Park.  Epstein’s family roots run deep in the Boston community and his son was born in the city that haled him a hero and miracle worker for what he helped accomplish within the confines of the Green Monster and famous red clay. 

I can only imagine that for him to leave his hometown and life as he knows it, Epstein must have thought there was no way he could repair his Red Sox, and that perhaps, they weren’t even his anymore.

There will be no more five minute cab rides to FuGaKyu Restaurant on Beacon Street.  No more sitting in the seats of an empty Fenway Park, the same seats in which he sat as a child rooting for his home team, soaking up the summer sun while watching the guys practice in the afternoons before night games. 

Chicago is a wonderful city, and the Cubbies have their own fantastic traditions and folklore.  But as friendly and iconic as the ivy may be at Wrigley, it will never be like home. 

(For a less-fuzzy look at the ad, click here: http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/assets_c/2011/10/609Theo_thank_you-thumb-609x1100-53948.jpg )

When Jahvid Best went down with yet another concussion, I’m sure Detroit Lions back up running back Jerome Harrison felt ready to seize the opportunity of getting on the field and contributing, as all competitors do.  Surely, Harrison’s spirits took a nose dive when shortly after, he found out he was being traded to the struggling Philadelphia Eagles (where he spent part of last season after being traded from the Browns) for Ronnie Brown.  Little did Harrison know this unwelcome move by the Lions would be a blessing in disguise.

While we don’t know the details yet, a brain tumor is a brain tumor… you don’t want one, no matter what kind it is, and that, unfortunately, is what 28-year-old Harrison, in his sixth NFL season has.  Eagles team doctors found the tumor while giving their new running back a physical exam which nullified the trade.  Now Brown will stay put in Philly and Harrison is having the tumor treated.  Hopefully we will get more information about his exact medical condition soon.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes, “The trade might have actually saved Harrison’s life, the sources said. Without the deal being made, Harrison would not have undergone a physical.”

If you have read my previous blog post about head injuries, concussions, depression and player suicide, you can guess where I’m headed here.

For many years, I’ve believed every player on a professional team should undergo three physical (including blood work, body scans) and psychological exams per season.  Once before the season starts, again at mid-season and a third time at the end of the work year. 

While I know my ideal is just that, an ideal (for many reasons such as cost, and teams surviving on “what we don’t know can’t hurt us” in regards to their players), imagine the impact such care could have in terms of both physical and mental health. 

Hank Gathers.  After collapsing during a game in December, 1989, the Loyola Marymount University basketball star was checked out and diagnosed with an exercise-induced abnormal heartbeat and prescribed medication.  Gathers was fortunate to survive that first episode, but we all know how this story ends.  Gathers had reportedly reduced his dosage of medication or perhaps stopped taking it all together because he felt it adversely affected his play on the court.  Just a few months later, he collapsed at a West Coast Conference Tournament game and died shortly after. 

Michigan high school basketball player Wes Leonard wasn’t as lucky as Gathers, never getting that initial second chance at life.  The first collapse, which came after Leonard and his teammates celebrated his game-winning shot, would be his last.  Shortly after his death in March of this year, the medical examiner said the 16-year-old died of cardiac arrest brought on by a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy.  According to an LA Times article by Eryn Brown, “people with dilated cardiomyopathy have enlarged and weakened hearts that cannot pump blood through the body efficiently.  The American Heart Association has advised that children with dilated cardiomyopathy should not play competitive sports ‘because of the possibility of a sudden collapse or increased heart failure.’”

The last sentence suggests that such ailments, like Gathers’ condition, can be diagnosed by a doctor, certainly, before death. 

Unfortunately, the idea of such screenings is a bit of a mixed bag.  Famed Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo passed a full physical, including a chest x-ray in July heading into the 1969 football season.  Four months later, the 26-year-old was diagnosed with cancer after a grapefruit-sized tumor was discovered in his chest cavity.  Piccolo died less than a year later.

David Epstein provides more details on the pros and cons of screening athletes in his Sports Illustrated column:

“A study published last year by doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital reported on a program that screened 510 Harvard University athletes. That study identified 11 athletes with heart abnormalities that had not been previously identified, and three of those athletes ultimately had to be restricted from sports…At the same time, about one in every six athletes was given a false positive result that required follow-up, begging the question of whether a mandatory nationwide screening program would be effective from a financial and emotional standpoint, given current diagnostic tools.”

Clearly this discussion opens up a massive can of worms and perhaps there is no easy or obvious solution to the problems faced by athletes, athletic institutions and medical providers.  But it’s still a discussion worth having.  Just ask Jerome Harrison. 


Read more of David Epstein’s story about athletes and heart conditions: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/david_epstein/03/08/enlarged.hearts/index.html#ixzz1bLkr1kLY

 

Yes, the NBA and the NBPA are in a third day of mediation which is certainly a better sign than silence between the owners and players, but who knows when professional basketball will truly be back.  In the mean time, I strongly suggest that hoops fans turn to hockey to fill the void.  Here’s why. 

When I asked a former coworker to teach me hockey, the first thing he said was, “just think of it as basketball on ice.”  Huh??? Come to find out, he was kind of right.   

Both sports are up and down, fast pace games involving both a transition game and a half court offense.  The word “goal” appears on stat sheets of both and you can play zone or man on man. Hockey and basketball both feature, assists, passing, blocked shots, rebounds, deflections, players on the wing and a five minute overtime period.  A face-off is a more complex version of the jump-ball.  When comparing the NBA and NHL, both leagues have 30 teams that play an 82-game regular season with the top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs.

But there are stark differences as well.  Ball vs. Puck, for starters.  Hands vs. No Hands.  Hockey plays six men on the ice while hoops is a true 5-on-5 game.  Basketball is played in four 12 minute quarters while hockey is played in three 20 minute periods, and there is constant scoring on a basketball court while often the best hockey games involve very few goals scored.

If a regular season game remains tied after one 5 minute overtime period, hockey settles the score with a shootout where players go one-on-one against the opposing team’s goalie for the win.  The NHL uses a points system (2 points for a win, 1 point for a loss in overtime or a shootout and no points for a loss in regulation) to rank its teams while the NBA uses a straight wins and loss record. 

Once the playoffs begin, it truly is a new season for NHL teams as the lowly eight seed routinely beats the top dog in the first round.  That is a rarely accomplished feat in the NBA, making the Stanley Cup Playoffs positively exciting and fascinating regardless of the matchups. 

Then, there’s the fighting.  If a basketball player as much as throws the basketball down at his feet after the whistle blows, thats a technical foul.  Two of those, and you’re tossed from the game. Don’t even consider throwing a punch because if ya do,  you’re looking at an ejection, suspension and fine.  In hockey, you can throw off your gloves, go one-on-one (or engage in a brawl if you choose) and wrestle your opponent to the ground with your only punishment being the equivalent of a child’s “time out” on the playground.  In fact, there’s usually one guy on each team whose primary objective is to strategically use fighting to benefit his team. 

Basketball is considered a contact sport, as players do a bit of bumping down low, and perhaps get a tad physical setting screens, but the physical contact is minimal compared to hockey which is a collision sport.  These guys throw their bodies into each other while traveling at high rates of speed, sometimes sending the opponent flying into the air resulting in a crash landing back on the ice.  Players slam one another into the boards which makes for a dramatic in-game soundtrack.  The physical exertion of both athletes is remarkable but between the padding, hitting, high speeds, and the skill level of skating, stick handling and shooting, hockey players take the cake.   It’s the most physically demanding of the major American team sports. 

If hockey is so fabulous, then why is it still not considered mainstream in America? Most kids in the U.S. grow up playing basketball in their driveways, neighborhoods and schoolyards.  You don’t even need a real court to play and improvising is easy.  The same cannot be said about ice hockey in many parts of the country which is why I think the popularity difference is so great.  It’s harder to understand a sport you’ve never played and many Americans have never played hockey.  I think that is the root of the problem. 

The NBA is my first love.  My unwavering affection for my hometown Lakers as a kid is what made me want to be a sports reporter.  I grew up “liking” the Kings, but I didn’t understand hockey, therefor wasn’t a true fan.  Once I moved to Boston, a place where hockey is king, and began covering the Bruins for work, I had to learn the sport real fast.  The truth about hockey is that once you learn it, you can’t not love it.   In the last two seasons, I found myself choosing to watch NHL games over NBA games at times, which shocked me. 

The point is that if you are an NBA fan, you do have an equally enjoyable alternative during the lockout;  it’s called hockey. 

 

     

Have you ever set foot in an MLB dugout? I would rather lick a city sidewalk then walk barefoot in a dugout.  I’m not kidding.  The dirt, water, Gatorade and sunflower seeds aren’t so bad, but puddles of brown chew spit with floating pieces of tobacco, mucus, and bits of food that only one’s dental floss should see is what really gets me. 

The truth is that disgusting dugouts doesn’t even make the list of important reasons why a group of senators and health officials from St. Louis and Dallas are asking the players union to agree to toss the tins and play a tobacco-free World Series. 

In April of this year the U.S. Congress held hearings on banning smokeless tobacco in Major League Baseball and even MLB commissioner Bug Selig supports the idea.  With the players not on board (we’ll get to that in a minute), all that a group of senators could do was send letters to the players union urging them to consider the impact that chewing tobacco and dipping during the nationally televised World Series, which begins Wednesday, could have on millions of children. 

The Associated Press obtained the letters sent by Democrat senators from Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut and Iowa to union head Michael Weiner,  which read, in part, “when players use smokeless tobacco, they endanger not only their own health, but also the health of millions of children who follow their example.”

Baseball’s current collective bargaining agreement expires in December of this year so putting the pressure on at this time is a strategic move in hopes of implementing a ban through the next CBA.  In June, Weiner said the union would make an effort to address the issue in negotiations, but a few months earlier when the issue came up on Capitol Hill in April, the Major League Players Association said it discourages players from using smokeless tobacco but would not encourage a ban on the practice. David Prouty of the Players Association said at the time, “We will educate players as to why they should not use it. There is a tension here, because many players do not think they should be banned from using a product which congress has so far, deemed to be legal.”

Flawed logic my friend.  Alcohol is legal, yet not allowed to be consumed on the baseball diamond (don’t feel bad for these guys, as we now know, some are drinking during the games inside the clubhouse instead of on the bench, so no biggie there).  Cigarettes are also banned from stadiums, and are even outlawed from being smoked on city streets in places like Calabasas and Santa Monica, California, yet are still legal to purchase and use elsewhere.  In fact, smokeless tobacco has been banned in both collegiate and minor league baseball for decades. 

A few months ago, HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumble did a story on smokeless tobacco in baseball, claiming nearly one third of MLB players use it.  Ike Davis of the New York Mets, who started the habit at age 16 said, “why would you want to start that? It dissent make sense.”  Reporter Jon Frankel followed up asking, “so why do you keep doing it?” Davis replied, “it’s called addiction.”

Many baseball players who dip or chew will tell you it’s a disgusting habit they wish they never picked up.  So why would you want to expose others to that same fate? In his piece, Frankel interviewed a dentist and professor of public health at Harvard University who studied the topic.  The New England native conducted a study using the 2004 World Series featuring his hometown Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.  The study found nine whole minutes worth of public use, as in, noticeably seeing tobacco on screen (chewing, spitting, bulge in the mouth, etc), and that five million children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old were watching. 

While many players feel like an official ban is too much policing for their liking, I would argue that they are already policed in just about everything from daily schedules to the uniforms they wear.  The AP article about the tobacco-free World Series plea says that some players are open to the ban on smokeless tobacco, which is great.

Athletes and entertainers alike often say that they shouldn’t be our children’s role models, but that we, as parents should be the ones setting examples for our kids.  I agree, in large part, which is all the more reason why I think smokeless tobacco, which is a proven cause of several cancers, should be banned from major league ballparks.

As a reporter covering the Boston Red Sox, not one day went by where I didn’t see several canisters of chewing tobacco in almost every locker in the clubhouse.  Those shiny tins were always the first things on the shelves to grab my attention for some reason.  I wonder if the same was true for now 7-year-olds D’Angelo Ortiz and little Victor Martinez, both of whom would come to work with their daddies, David and Victor, donning little uniforms and all, nearly every single home game.  I hope Cardinals and Rangers players consider their own children before scooping some dip into their mouths on Wednesday night. 

For the Associated Press article with all of the details of the senators’ efforts to have a tobacco-free World Series, click here  http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ivlkZ-nWu3Um7FF-xOcWDxhf91Jw?docId=833af3149044498e8e6a6d05a26974f7

To watch the Real Sports with Bryant Gumble story on tobacco in baseball , click here  http://tobaccofreeaz.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/hbo-real-sports-looks-at-potential-smokeless-tobacco-ban-in-baseball/

  

British born race car driver Dan Wheldon died Sunday after injuries sustained in a 15-car wreck early in the Las Vegas Indy 300, according to the Associated Press.  The AP reports that drivers were told of his death in a meeting around two hours after the crash.  

The 33-year-old won the Indianapolis 500 for the second time in May (he also won the race in 2005), among other major racing accomplishments including earning the title of IRL IndyCar Series Champion in 2005. 

The trouble began on Lap 13 when Weldon’s car flew over another car involved in the massive wreck, and into the catch fence outside of Turn 2.

Wheldon’s participation in the Izod IndyCar World Championship involved a promotional aspect, as IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard offered to pay a non-regular series driver $5 million if they won the race, and although Wheldon didn’t technically qualify, Bernard extended the offer to him anyway.  Wheldon would’ve split the $5 million with Ann Babenco of High Bridge, N.J a randomly selected fan.  As a part of Wheldon’s special circumstances in the race, he started in the very back of the field, 34 cars deep, but had quickly worked his way through his competitors when the wreck happened. 

After the crash stopped the race, driver Paul Tracy who was also involved in the wreck told the AP, “Just a horrendous accident.  Lot of prayers right now for Dan, because it’s going to be a long recovery. They’re scrambling in there right now. There’s 20 doctors in there.”  The accident left cars crumpled, upside down and on fire on the track with debris strewn down the straightaway. 

According to the AP, “drivers had been concerned about the high speeds on LVMS’ 1.5-mile oval after they reached nearly 225 mph during practice.”

Fellow drivers J.R. Hildebrand and Pippa Mann were taken to the hospital because of dizziness and Will Power because of back pain. 

In a Driver Blog series on usatoday.com, Wheldon wrote Saturday about problems with his car throughout practices and qualifying sessions.  He said he was more than 3mph off pace, so the problem had to be technical and his team would have to take the car apart to figure out the source of the slow-down. 

After blogging about how great his team was and how hard they were working to diagnose the problem and fix the car , Wheldon wrote, “This is going to be an amazing show. The two championship contenders, Dario Franchitti and Will Power, are starting right next to each other in the middle of the grid. Honestly, if I can be fast enough early in the race to be able to get up there and latch onto those two, it will be pure entertainment. It’s going to be a pack race, and you never know how that’s going to turn out.”

Fellow drivers honored Wheldon with a 5-lap tribute in which ABC’s broadcast of the race went silent.  I have seen Wheldon interviewed many times in the last year (in fact, I just saw him on Dan Lebatard Is Highly Questionable a few weeks ago) and he seemed like such a nice, upbeat person, despite falling on tough times in his career.  Unable to get picked up by a team this season, Wheldon had worked on three race broadcasts on the Versus network as a commentator.

Wheldon is survived by his wife Susie, and two young sons, Sebastian, born in 2009 and Oliver, born in March of this year. 

                               

Before he was The Logo, Jerry West was an abused child, a source of anguish that followed him throughout his storied basketball career.

In an interview to air Tuesday night on HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumble, the hall of famer’s description of his childhood was nightmarish, as West spoke of anger and low self esteem resulting from being beaten by his father.  In his memoir which hits stores Wednesday, West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life, West writes of his fathers beatings with a belt, saying, “It was brutal,” in the HBO interview. 

West spoke of eventually standing up to his father, keeping a shotgun under his bed for protection, and his father’s death in the sit-down interview. 

Currently an adviser to the Golden State Warriors, West told HBO that he gave up therapy, but takes Prozac and deals with the depression on his own.

Here’s what I found interesting.  According to USA Today, “West says his depression never bothered him as a player during 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers because he was so driven by a fear of failure. However, once the season ended, he would dwell on the defeats, including the Lakers’ six NBA Finals losses to the Boston Celtics.
“He wouldn’t speak for days at a time … It worried me,” Karen West says, adding that “Jerry doesn’t say ‘I love you.’… Maybe once a year.”

Sounds like the depression was there all along, it just manifested itself in different ways during various phases of West’s life. 

We hear all kinds of ‘rags to riches’ stories regarding pro athletes, as many come from tough upbringings and use their athletic abilities as a way out.  But I doubt most of us really think about just how deep and dark some motivations run.  Every athlete is competitive by nature, driving their success, but the pressure West apparently put on himself seems unbearable.

The good news is that West says he has improved since leaving his job as Lakers general manager 10 years ago.  He said, “I’m the luckiest person in the world.”  Hopefully coming clean with his past will be therapeutic for West, who should be commended for publicly discussing the taboo topics that have so deeply impacted his life. 

  

 

Remember that dope who was arrested after throwing a hot dog at Tiger Woods last weekend as he was attempting a birdie putt at the Frys.com Open?  If you had hoped that would be the last you’d ever hear of Brandon Kelly, sorry to burst your bubble. 

Luckily for us, the 31-year-old gave us a peek into his psyche, telling the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, “I threw the hot dog toward Tiger Woods because I was inspired by the movie ‘Drive.’ As soon as the movie ended, I thought to myself, `I have to do something courageous and epic. I have to throw a hot dog on the green in front of Tiger.’”

Well that makes perfect sense!  Thanks for clearing that up for us. 

All “Drive” inspired me to do was ask for my $12.50 back.  It was that awful.  I actually booed and hissed when it ended.  My friends and I couldn’t understand how such good actors would agree to be in such a horrendous film.  They must have been paid a pretty penny.  Ryan Gosling’s good looks can only take a bad script so far, you know?

Anyway, as if that source of inspiration wasn’t enlightening enough, the Sausage Sultan said of his hot dog toss target, “I honestly wish Tiger the best.  One day I hope he breaks Jack Nicklaus’ record.”  With Kelly’s positive mojo behind it, perhaps that wiener will bring Woods some good luck next season. 

To watch the video of the classic hot dog hurl, click this link.  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/13/sports/main20119862.shtml

                      

When a professional athlete says, “my goal is to get thrown out midway through the second quarter,” and “I don’t know if it’s throwing a football 15 yards in the bleachers and getting a 15-yarder or punting the ball and getting thrown out of the game. But something’s going to happen,” it has to make you wonder.  Compound those statements with a mental illness diagnosis and the Miami Dolphins have a sticky situation on their hands.

‘Fins wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who made public his borderline personality disorder diagnosis at the start of training camp, said in a media session Thursday that he was not kidding about seemingly wanting to be ejected from Monday night’s game against the New York Jets. 

Between rumors of head coach Tony Sparano on the verge of getting canned, QB Chad Henne’s season-ending injury and Marshall’s strange rant, there is no shortage of drama surrounding the 0-4 Dolphins. Take a look at some of the other comments made by Marshall on Thursday:

“I’m serious. They want to fine me, it’ll probably be like a $50,000 fine. But I’m going to play. That quarter and half I’m out there, I’m going to play like a monster. I might get in a fight with Bart Scott. Cromartie, we pretty much matured our relationship and grew a little bit. We used to fight … If that happens, it happens. We’ll see.”

“The past four games, it’s been tough for me trying to control some things.  I’m just going to let it out. I don’t care if they have two, three cameras on me, I don’t care if I have penalties. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to let it all out.”

“I’m best when I play emotional, I’m best when I play with passion, and you guys are going to see that on Monday Night Football. I don’t know if it’s throwing a football 15 yards into the bleachers and getting a 15-yarder, or punting the ball and getting thrown out of the game, but something is going to happen.”

Marshall’s comments worried me when I first read them.  It seemed like his thoughts were scattered, and that he wasn’t all there, if you know what I mean.  Your mind can’t help but think maybe Marshall’s mental illness is involved here.  But then I remembered that this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this behavior in the NFL.  Players have often kept “hit lists” of one-on-one match ups from opposing teams and sometimes players make threats in the media.  Steelers linebacker James Harrison comes to mind, when, after vicious hits on Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi last season, he said, “I don’t want to see anyone injured, but I’m not opposed to hurting anyone.”  He also hinted at retiring because of the NFL’s clarification on legal vs. illegal hits.  Last time i checked, Harrison has never been diagnosed with a mental illness, at least not to our knowledge. 

So is there extra cause for concern in the case of Brandon Marshall?  I think it is worth a discussion, given the fact that the 27-year-old attributed incidences in his troubled past (domestic disputes, several arrests) to his mental issues.

When told of Marshall’s comments, Coach Sparano defended the two-time Pro Bowl selection receiver saying, “I know one thing about that guy, he’s not going to do anything to hurt this football team…I know people in that locker room are important to him and this guy has worked really hard… He wants to be more passionate with the ball in his hands and he wants to be more passionate and doing all the things that are necessary to help us win.”

Marshall hasn’t been able to make much happen with the ball in his hands this season.  He has one touchdown on 22 catches and five drops (tied for third in the NFL), three of which came in the end zone.  Clearly, it’s been tough for Marshall both on and off the field.

“Dealing with the things I’ve been dealing with, I’ve been trying to control too much instead of being myself and play ball,” said Marshall.  “I think after camp and me coming out and saying I worked on some things this offseason, no I’m not on no medicine or anything like that. I’ve worked on some things and I’ve gotten better at it. I think every game there’s one guy just charged with following me around to track my emotions. So I’m going to give them what they want. I’m going to play with a lot of emotion and passion, and I’m going to be that monster, not ‘The Beast.”

According to the Associated Press, “Sparano said he hasn’t talked to Marshall in depth lately about the being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.” 

I think this might be a good time for Marshall’s coach to intervene and have that in-depth discussion, don’t you?  It can’t hurt for Sparano and a mental health professional to check in with Marshall.  Playing it safe is the solution. 

                   

As if President Obama doesn’t have enough on his plate right now.
I’m sure he’s heard by now that a pro Italian basketball team is enlisting his help in convincing Kobe Bryant to sign a contract with Vitrus Bologna. 

After weeks of reported negotiations between the Lakers guard and the Italian squad have failed to yield a signed contract, team president Claudio Sabatini has gone into desperation mode.  Take a look at this fairly pathetic plea in the form of a letter sent by Sabatini to the White House and posted on the team website.

“Dear Mr. President,
We have a dream: to see Kobe Bryant playing for our Team Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, the Italian town well known in the world as basket City.
According to your wishes we hope that the Nba lockout will shortly stop but in the meanwhile let us have the chance to see at least for one game the great Kobe Bryant playing with our black and white jersey and be part of our history.”

Is this dude for real?  First of all, if Sabatini purposely channeled his inner Martin Luther King Jr. with the “we have a dream” line, he should be ashamed of himself.  Maybe this phraseology was purely coincidental, but if not, using a civil rights slogan in the same conversation as the struggle to sign a basketball player it is downright offensive.

Then there is the issue of President Obama using even one second of his day to think about Bryant playing overseas. Maybe he has more pressing matters to deal with.  Has Mr. Sabatini heard anything about the U.S. economy lately? Unemployment, perhaps? The Los Angeles Times article on this story summed up President Obama’s possible interest in the issue, “of course, it wouldn’t really match Obama’s political interest to help outsource American jobs overseas just as he’s seeking approval of the American Jobs Act.”  Love that.  Witty and true. 

But the biggest truth is that we’ve all played right into Sabatini’s hands with this publicity stunt.   Clearly, President Obama has nothing to do with the situation.  Sabatini’s letter to the President was the bait and we the media took it, just as he had planned. 

We’re talking and tweeting about him, blogging about this letter and keeping Sabatini and his team relevant despite Bryant’s reluctance to officially agree to play in Italy.  The problem now for Sabatini is that this method doesn’t match the target.  Dealing with a career full of negative press, you can bet Bryant doesn’t want to be attached to this dog and pony show.  I’m not sure that Sabatini’s letter to President Obama will hurt Vitrus Bologna’s chances of landing Bryant, but it certainly won’t help. 

            

Well this just got  interesting, didn’t it? Browns running back Peyton Hillis  answered questions in front of his locker for nearly 11 minutes on Monday discussing a range of topics, including his future in Cleveland. 

After having a breakout season in 2010, Hillis is in the final year of his contract, making $600,000 and his agent and the team have not been able to work out a contract extension at this point. 

Hillis is taking some heat for sitting out of the Browns’ third game of the season against the Miami Dolphins on September 25 with strep throat.  He’s not being criticized for not playing sick, but some think strep throat was a cover, using the missed game as a form of protest against management. 

Hillis didn’t do himself any favors by saying that he would’ve played sick, but decided to sit out after his newly hired agent Kennard McGuire convinced him otherwise, opening the door to speculation. 

Doing a bit of backtracking/damage control, Hillis tweeted, “if I could have physically played against the Dolphins I would have. I love this city and hope to retire here.”  Hope to retire there?  Cleveland?  After only one season?  That has to be a first.

Regarding his agent’s role in taking a sick day, Hillis said in Monday’s media session, “It was his recommendation, but it was ultimately my choice in the end.  We both knew how sick I was and how bad it could be for the team and for myself if I had tried to play”

Strep Throat is no joke, so it was his responsibility to stay away from his teammates and get better.  In fact, the team doctors should have forced him to stay home, although an argument can be made that one isn’t contagious after 24 hours on antibiotics (can you tell I’ve had strep before?).  Where Hillis went wrong was publicly admitting that he would’ve played had his agent not intervened.  The reason isn’t important because all people will hear and see is that his agent pushed him to sit.  Most won’t bother to find out why. 

From the Browns perspective, I can see why they are dragging their feet on signing Hillis to an extension.  Barring any Browns managerial history (can’t say I’m well versed in Cleveland’s front office moves of yesteryear), it looks like they are playing it safe.  Although Michael Vick has a much longer and impressive track record than Hillis, look what happened in Philly.  Vick comes back from prison, has a once in a lifetime season, the Eagles sign him to a 5-year, $80 million contract, and as of now (in the short term), that gamble hasn’t paid off, as Vick is taking a pounding every game and the Eagles are 1-4. 

While Vick had proved himself over a long period of time prior to the Eagles coughing up the mega contract, the Browns have a lot less to go on with Hillis.  Yes, he was an absolute maniac last season, playing all 16 games racking up 1,777 yards rushing, 477 yards receiving, 13 TDs and throwing plenty of nasty blocks on defenders.  Hillis was wonderful and made Browns gams worth the price of admission. 

But you have to consider what came before what might have been an anomaly last season.   Remember how Hillis landed in Cleveland?  He was a recently promoted running back (from fullback) that Denver traded to the Browns, along with two draft picks, in exchange for Brady Quinn back in March 2010. 

On Monday, Hillis said of his contract situation (or lack thereof) with the Browns,  “Whenever something’s not set in stone, then I guess anything is possible, which means your career’s not here. So, yeah, that definitely worries me.”  Career uncertainty stinks, you can’t blame him there.   

Back to Hillis’ career, pre-Cleveland.  2008, rookie season: 12 games, 343 rush yards on 68 carries. 2009, sophomore season: 14 games, 54 rush yards on 13 attempts.  These low numbers involve a variety of explanations, such as playing fullback, injuries, and issues with Broncos then-head coach Josh McDaniels.  None of that changes the fact that the majority of Hillis’ career doesn’t come close to matching his production last season. 

In three games thus far, Hillis is averaging 3.6 yards per carry, running the rock 54 times for 197 yards.  Fair or foul, strep throat or not, I’m guessing the Browns are waiting to see if last season will, in fact, only come once in a lifetime. 

                            

I want Jahvid Best to be my personal Polly Pocket.  Listed at 5’10, 199lbs (listed, being the key word… I don’t believe either number), the Lions running back is a perfect, petite specimen who looks like he doesn’t belong on an NFL field, yet is physically capable of much more than most of his associates. 

Best is a little beast; the sidecar to Calvin Johnson’s Harley.  These two are inherent mismatches on the football field making a defensive coordinator’s job pretty tough when preparing for the Detroit Lions.  Just ask the the Lions latest victim, the Chicago Bears, who dropped to 2-3 after Detroit beat them 24-13.  The Lions are now 5-0 for the first time since 1956.

Best helped make that long shot record a reality  with a breakout game Monday night, racking up a career best 163 rushing yards on only 12 carries, good for one touchdown.  In his sophomore year in the league, this was the first time Best broke the 100 yard mark on the ground (he logged 154 receiving yards against the Eagles in week two of last season). 

The highlight of the night for Best (and there were plenty to choose from) came in the third quarter when he ran through the defense, humiliating Bears DB Brandon Meriweather in the process of going 88 yards down the field for a touchdown.  I literally stood up once he broke free, inspecting the TV as it appeared that someone in the ESPN truck had hit the fast forward button.  Best went from 0-60 in about three seconds, Porche-style.  Counting a few receptions on the night, Best accounted for 172 of the Lion’s 359 offensive yards, that’s 47.9 percent of Detroit’s total offense!  Seriously?? Seriously.  

Best’s performance tonight gave me flashbacks of his glory days at Cal Berkeley where he broke several records, serving as Reggie Bush’s replacement as the most exciting and explosive back in the then-Pac 10.

I admit to jumping on the Lions bandwagon big time, and I hope to stay there for a while.  Considering a plethora of weapons on both sides of the ball, plus Best seemingly hitting his stride, I think it’s safe to say the Lions are for real.  Hopefully we’re witnessing the collision course that will lead to one of hell of a game between the Lions and Packers on Thanksgiving Day. 

Here’s the link to Jahvid Best’s 88-yard touchdown run.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/auto/09000d5d82305eb4/Best-bests-Chicago-s-D-for-TD