Just Shut Up

This past Saturday, during a post-game press conference, UConn's Head Men's Basketball Coach, Jim Calhoun found himself in a bit of a pickle. He was less than enthused to answer questions regarding his salary of $1.6 Million to coach teenagers at a public university in leiu of the current national deficit of $944 Million. He 'advised' one reporter to "Shut Up." Why so sensitive Jim? Is it because you realize, that even though your program alone generates about $12 Million in revenue for the university, you are just one man. Or is it because you realize, that despite this astounding figure, you have little to do with the actual generation of any fiscal benefits, and coaches half as qualified being paid half as much as you, would be able to generate just about the same amount? I'm going to go with 'C', all of the above on this one. While Jim Calhoun is a fantastic coach (551-202 as head man at UConn), it is the prestige and the tradition that makes UConn's men's and, for that matter, women's basketball programs so successful year in and year out. This continual success leads to larger revenues. Alumni are willing to pay top dollar year after year to check out the current squads in action.

Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily have an issue with Calhoun making money doing what he does best, molding young men into some of the game's elite, grooming college studs into NBA Superstars (Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Omeka Okafur, Ben Gordon ring a bell?). However, let's put the whole thing into perspective. Calhoun, like many other high profile coaches, (i.e. Pete Carroll topping the charts for college coaches at $4.4 million per year) are paid exuberant amounts of money to be the voice of reason and driving force of motivation behind 12 or so college athletes. This isn't brain surgery. He isn't leading a team of experts in the field of neurophysics (I reall don't know if this field exists, but if it does, kudos to those who partake) he is trying to break the Georgetown full court press, and implement defensive tactics to stop Luke Harangody of Notre Dame. He's coaching a children's game. The whole idea of coaches and athletes alike being paid ridiculous amounts of money to display their talents for our entertainment is part of a much bigger problem. People place so much of an emphasis on dollars and cents, on endorsement deals, incentives, and buyout options. I really wish that people, myself included, would start worrying more about the integrity of the sports that we enjoy rather than the number of zeros included in our favorite athlete or coach's paycheck. I never thought that I would say this, considering my overly-competitive nature, but people are taking sports too seriously. I blame technology and more specifically, ESPN for making information too accessible. Why do I care what Brook Lopez of the New Jersey Nets has to say about Devin Harris's amazing half court shot from last night? Why can't I just enjoy the shot for what it is, amazing.

In summation, Jim Calhoun is a tremendous head coach, and has his team, once again, in position to make a run to the Final Four. In regards to your salary though, maybe it would be best if you, "Just Shut Up."

Be Well.

God Save the NBA

New reports released today are saying that the NBA will be taking a loan to the sum of $175 Million. This newly acquired money is to help 15 teams struggling as the result of the tumultuous economic conditions nationwide. One team, the Orlando Magic, will be taking $10 Million of the alotted $11.7 Million available to help cover operating losses that have been incurred throughout the past half decade. I think that this newly acquired debt is a sign of the times unfortunately. Even the wealthiest of the wealthy are affected by economic instability and duh duh duh...recession. One report compared the NBA to Wall Street in saying that the top executives are needing to take a paycut to help the national economy recover in a timely fashion. Similarily, the executives and players alike, will most likely be taking significant pay decreases in order to keep their teams afloat during this economic squall...sorry I couldn't resist the pun. Hopefully this will show the current administration the severity of the present status of the economy and that it needs help and will prompt swift assistance. May God be with and continue to bless David Stern, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and yes, even you Jason Scalabrene.

God Save the NBA

Be Well.

It's Just Manny Being Manny

What does 25 million dollars get you?  Apparently, if you're the Los Angeles Dodgers, it does NOT get you an aging, eccentric, yet still productive outfielder in Manny Ramierez.  Last week, Manny turned down a 1 year- $25 Million dollar contract proposed by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  This off-season has shown that no amount of money is too much. Hell, the Yanks threw nearly half a billion bucks to three players, and all anyone can talk about is who's been juicing and who hasn't been.  It is obscene to think that in the current state that our economy is in, anyone should be making $25 million, let alone be earning it by playing a game.  However, it just isn't enough for Manny.  He has had a reputation of being a controversial premadonna, but his statistics will depict that if you don't mind a gigantic ego and some on and off the field distractions, Manny will put fans in the seats and help your team win some games.  I'm sick of it though...I'm sick of the athletes making millions of dollars to play a game and provide us with entertainment when people who make differences in people's lives (i.e. teachers, social workers, and all of the "little people" that make this country great) get the proverbial shaft financially.  It does not make any sense to me.  I realize the dedication and large amounts of hard work that go into becoming a professional athlete, but they are not the only people who make sacrafices to achieve a goal.  It utterly disturbs me that we create this barrier between athletes and non-athletes.  Athletics and entertainment are two of the only industries where such a distinct barrier exists.  Because Manny Ramirez was blessed with the ability to grow dreadlocks, hit a flying piece of rawhide a great distance and wear baggy pants in the outfields of Dodger Stadium does not make him any better of a human being than I, a 21 year old college student, who played third base for a very mediocre high school program.  The only difference is the number of zeros included in his salary.  I am not a socialist, and I do not believe in universal pay standards. I believe that some professions deserve larger salaries because of the need for special training, skills, and/or degrees in order to perform their job effectively.  However, I would not lump professional baseball players, or any other professional athletes into a group worthy of the pay that they receive.  Some may make the argument that athletes give away a large amount of their earnings in the form of charitable contributions.  While this is commendable, I almost expect it to be a no-brainer.  If i had seemingly endless income, starting a charity would be at the top of my list of things to spend money on.  In closing, I do not think that Manny Ramirez is a bad guy.  I simply think that he should re-evaluate himself, those around him, and realize just how blessed he is to be playing the sport he loves in a country of fans who adore him.  Hopefully he will realize this fact sooner rather than later so as to avoid destroying his reputation even further.

Be Well.

A-Rod = A-Shame

It may seem cliche to be talking about Alex Rodriguez considering his name is amongst nearly every headline at the bottom of the screen on ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNEWS, and the like. The man has his own damn title for the ticker.... NBA, NHL, NCAAM, A-Rod, Top Stories: A-Rod..You get the idea. Anyways, I am sick and tired of it. The man screwed up. He cheated. Move on. I would rather watch rerun highlights of Warren Sapp on Dancing with the Stars than hear about A-Rod's confession to taking steroids. By no means do I condone A-Rod's behavior or personal choices, but who am I to judge. Sure, his image, or brand if you will, may be tarnished, and this new evidence against him will undoubtedly affect his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame someday, but honestly, give it a rest. As sports fans we are all victims of redundancy. We are held at the mercy of media outlet giants like ESPN who will provide us with way too much information about way too few subjects and story lines. This morning was refreshing because the Heat-Bulls game took over as a top story line for Sportscenter, but much to my dismay, as I read the sidebar of upcoming stories, sure enough sandwiched between the Coors Light Cold Hard Facts with John Clayton and the highlights of a thrilling Gonzaga-St. Mary's matchup was Alex Rodriguez Saga. I realize that A-Rod is A-Big Deal due largely in fact to the obscene gobs of money that is thrown his way by New York Yankees. However, every off-season it seems to me, that no one, including the Dallas Cowboys, can begin to measure up to the level of scandal that surrounds the New York Yankees. The pin-stripes seem to be ruling the MLB off-season this year, even more so than usual. Whether it is the nearly half a billion dollars they have thrown to free agents, the Joe Torre book release, and now the latest A-Rod steroid scandal, the Yankees seem to overcome it. I may come acrossed as being somewhat biased in my opinions, especially since I am a Tigers fan and hate everything associated with the Yankees, but I must give credit where credit is due. It seems to me that no one can circle the wagons, regroup, re-align, or whatever other cliche metaphor you would like to use to describe the method of moving from an area of scandal and uncertainty to a level of prestige and dominance like the Bronx Bombers. Next week, the remainder of the Yankee's team will report for Spring Training. I look forward to seeing how A-Rod is received by his teammates, but am not looking forward to the hours of coverage and discussion/debate that will undoubtedly exist between Peter Gammons and the rest of his Baseball Tonight cronies.

God Bless.

Michael Phelps: High Times Stoner of the Year?

2008 Beijing Olympic 8-Time Gold Medalist. American Hero. The Golden Boy. The Man of Gold. The Man with King Midas's touch. Flipper. A Symbol of Hope. Olympic Legend. Closet Stoner? The recent photograph of Michael Phelps which portrays him in a compromising position...with a piece of marijuana paraphernalia..aka a bong appeared in a British tabloid a few days ago has caused quite a stir. The image of this great Olympian and symbol of everything that is good and decent about America is on the verge of being tarnished. While marijuana is not only an illegal substance in America (with the exception of medicinal uses) it is also a banned substance by the IOC, and had Phelps taken a drug test in which the marijuana showed up during competition, he could have been stripped of his medals and his name would be going down in history for a much different reason. While Phelps appeared apologetic and embarrassed by the photograph which allegedly was taken at a party Phelps attended after a University of South Carolina football game, the fact remains that his image, and the image of American Olympians as a collective group is on the verge of being altered in the minds of many. In my personal opinion (which is all that matters since this is my blog) I feel that Phelps made a mistake. As hard as it may seem to believe, especially after his total and complete domination in the Olympics, Phelps is a human being. A 23 year old human being. He is not legally able to rent a car yet and people expect him to say and do the right thing in each and every situation. As a college student, I understand the temptations that exist in a college party setting. I believe that Phelps became a victim to his own success. Had this been any other 23 year old college student, lighting up and smoking down, no one would think twice about shrugging it off as one of those "college things." I understan that he has endorsements and an image to uphold, but give the guy a break. After all, he did win 8 gold medals and restore America to the powerhouse in the pool that it once was.

Be Well.