I’m sorry but it’s racist…

For the life of me I cannot figure out why blacks, along with other minorities, aren’t astounded by the so-called “need” for the Rooney Rule in the NFL.  As far as my understanding of this rule goes, I would be livid with its existence.  Why?  Because it only demands non-caucasian folks are considered for positions in “high places” in the sport such as head coach or management.  It does nothing to guarantee them a true shot based on qualifications.  Which could actually be far exceeding any caucasian candidate for the same position.
What’s the big deal?  Why the sudden outburst in opposition to this rule.  Because I heard stuff about on SportsCenter over and over today.  And was reminded how ridiculous it is.  How it would be deemed “racist” for a rule in similar stature to be in existence in favor of caucasians.  But that apparently it’s okay to have this rule for minorites?  Are you kidding?  That’s ridiculous.
Not to mention how really no one of any minority should need some “rule” in the favor to be considered for jobs in “high places”.  Besides, it’s not like the rule’s existence guarantees a job for minorities in those big spots.  Just an opportunity to be considered.  Which if you’re a human being with the right qualifications, skin color be damned, exists for you anyway!  And if in my thinking this way I’m wrong, this world…this country…is more messed up then I ever could have imagined.
Skin color should never matter.  If someone is qualified for a particular job, they should certainly get a fair shake at it.  Whether black, white, red, yellow, brown, purple or heck even striped!  I really wish CEO’s and presidents and owners would interview people with blindfolds on and pick the best man…or woman…for the job.  Based on what they hear and not the color of the skin!
As far as I know, there are no such rules in place in any other sports like the Rooney Rule.  And I’m glad for it too.  If those sports can get survive without a ridiculous racially-sensitive rule, why can’t football?  Please explain this to me because obviously, I don’t get it.
Equality does not nor should not require a need for ridiculous rules accommodating to race.  Demanding such a rule takes away the true equal opportunity that should be measured by qualifications of a man or woman.  Not the color of their skin.
Moral of my rant is this…throw the damn Rooney Rule out the proverbial window.

Werth it?

Jayson Werth signed a 7-year/$126m deal to go play right field for the Washington Nationals.  What a nut.  Leaving the first place team for the perenial last place team.  Looking at this deal, I can’t help but speculate that Jayson followed the “almighty dollar” rather than the chance to win.  Now.  Sure it was pretty much known that the Phillies are going in a different direction in right field for the future.  But the Nationals?  Better than the Mets, I guess, in terms of rivalries anyway.

Image via Wikipedia

On the flipside, I have to give credit where credit is due.  The Nationals threw all kind of money for seven years Werth’s way so the Red Sox couldn’t swoop in a few days to sign him themselves.  Undoubtedly for less money for a shorter amount of time.  That’s not to say Jayson Werth isn’t deserving of the big money he landed with this deal.  I’m just not convinced that he’s one of the league’s “$100M men”.
With this contract being signed, and its now very public knowledge, it begs the question of “what will Carl Crawford get for his services?”  He’s two years Werth’s junior and not at all the same kind of player as Werth.  And my personal favorite…Crawford’s a lefty.  And lefties in baseball are a premier desire for all.  Not just on the mound.  But in the batter’s box and out in the field as well.  So Crawford has that going for him.  And let’s not forget he’s ridiculous speed.  That kind of speed only comes around once in a while.  Right now, it’s in the majors in a few bodies.  The only one I know of who is a free agent though is Carl Crawford.  If you’re looking for a speedy guy who can hit with decent power too…Crawford’s probably your man.

Image via Wikipedia

Now…I know nothing about how contracts work or how people figure out the logistics behind them.  What I do know is if Jayson Werth can snag a deal like the one he’s got then Carl Crawford should be able to get something comparable for himself.  Just like I’m not convinced of Jayson Werth’s status a “$100M man”, I don’t think Crawford is one either.
Last offseason the New York Mets signed outfielder Jason Bay to a guaranteed contract of $66 mil over 4 years with a vesting option.  So he could, when it’s all said and done, get paid $80 mil for 5 years.  Bay is a great player, but I think, Carl Crawford is better and has more to offer a ball club willing to pay him.  If the best deal out there for Crawford is similar to Bay’s deal from a year ago, someone either pulled off a “steal” or they are not respecting his true value as a player.  Just because he’s not a constant home run threat.  Don’t get me wrong, I love when guys hit the long ball but I think someone who can run the way Crawford does, consistently is scarier.  Maybe Tampa Bay will find a way to pony up and bring Crawford back into the fold.  If that were to happen, I think, it would be the greatest shock of the 2010 MLB offseason.  Hands down.

Off the field victory counts too…

Last night the 2010 Texas Rangers squad experienced a first in the history of the franchise.  A postseason series victory.  While they should be applauded and congratulated for that feat, there is something else, something more worthy of applause and congratulations for them.
Most people have at least heard Josh Hamilton’s name.  Maybe they have even heard a piece of his longer than should have been road to the big league stage.  Others before him have had struggles with drugs and or alcohol in the midst of a professional sporting career, I have never heard of a team responding for one guy the one the Texas Rangers did for Josh Hamilton.
Instead of thrusting him in the middle of a tempting situation with wine and maybe even some beer, the Texas Rangers celebrated their ALDS victory over the Tampa Bay Rays with ginger ale so one guy amongst many wouldn’t be sent into a tailspin of relapse.  They could have been selfish and ignored the fact that one of their teammates would not join them in celebrating with alcohol.  He didn’t celebrate with them after winning the AL West title.  Nobody wanted that to happen again.  They made sure to include Hamilton in their celebration.
Last night was a great night for the Texas Rangers organization.  Not only on the baseball field but in the clubhouse.  Some may same the on-field victory is bigger but nothing can top the moral victory of being sensitive to a teammate’s past.
Congratulations to the Rangers for having love and respect enough to do something that is unheard of in the face of a selfish world.  Even if they don’t win the World Series, they won last night in a way that is bigger than any material victory can ever be.

(Obviously not brand new since the World Series is over now).

No love for the kickers…

New OT rules in the NFL aside…I was going to rant about kickers anyway.  Thanks to some guy calling in to the sports station that was on in the car on the way to work today.  Says some stupid thing about getting rid of the kickers to make the game more exciting.  What in the world is this guy talking about?  Getting rid of kickers will add excitement to the game?  Uhh….right.  What’s next?  Eliminate any kind of turnover?  Good grief.
If you ask me, though no one did, the NFL and its game structure both regulation and overtime were just fine the way they were.  For the regular season and the playoffs.  You play til the end and whoever has more points, however they got those points, wins.  End of game.  Noooooooo…now they want to see touchdowns end overtime games instead of field goals because apparently kickers don’t matter…or some such nonsense.  If kickers don’t matter…why is it a position in football…at all?!  Duh.
I guarantee you nobody would have squawked about the former playoff overtime rules had Brett Favre been on the winning end.  So much so that I would be willing to put every penny I have on the line for it.  Not that I have to worry about losing them since it’s already happened and the Vikings didn’t win.  Boohoo.  Get over it.
To say that a kicker is obsolete in the game of football is absurd.  However, it has been said and I heard it.  Totally disagree with it….clearly.  What would those of you who find kickers in the NFL like them to do, play soccer instead?  It’s quite sad to hear people say kickers don’t add excitement to games.  If someone can explain to me how kickers are not needed and don’t add more excitement, I dare you to try.  Though, you will not succeed.  But try anyway because I would be interested to hear what you think.

March Madness picks…

The funny thing about “March Madness”…it ends in April.  So I get the “madness” part but not so much the “March” if it starts halfway through the month and doesn’t end until the beginning of the next.  You know the other thing I find funny about this whole thing…the “science” of picking the winners in the bracket.  Seriously…unless you’re like some NCAA bracket guru or something, nothing about the picks you make has to be scientific.
Print bracket
Review teams in tourney
Pick winners for each game
How is that scientific?  I have no idea.  All I did was look at the teams and pick who I thought would win.  Not necessarily who I want to win.  Had I done it that way…Villanova wouldn’t make it out of the first round according to my picks.  Florida and Texas both would have but I don’t know about them…Are you ready for my bracket?  Here it is! We’ll see how this goes…

Baseball ramblings

Johnny Damon has once again returned to his “Idiot” ways.  He wants to stay in the Evil pinstripes.  Supposedly.  Just not at the cost of his pride.  Too bad for him the days of reckless Empire spending seem to be over in the Bronx.  Or they don’t want him back and don’t have the balls to say it.  Oh, maybe the announcement that they signed Randy Winn to a one year deal yesterday will do the trick.

As a fan of the sport in general, I am mildly horrified that the A’s would throw $10 million at an injury prone pitcher, after he missed an entire season.  Cripe, I’d hand that much dough and more, to Tim Lincecum before I’d even entertain the idea of Ben Sheets.  I guess mediocrity excites Billy Beane.  Either that or he forgot what it feels like to have an injury prone “ace” on his staff and he wanted to remember.

How can someone who’s been elected to the baseball HOF…finally…be unhappy with the cap he’ll be wearing as a member of the elite club?  Give me a break, Dawson.  You should just be thankful to finally be inducted and shut up.  Duh.

Mark McGwire used steroids.  How shocking.  I mean really, no one on working out alone can go from the scrawny kid to the gigantic man without the aid of some kind of drug.  I think it’s funny that people are commending him for admitting to the steroid use.  Really, I find nothing commendable about a man who won’t tell the truth in court because he doesn’t have “immunity”.  Then continues his silence on the subject for another five years.  Only deciding he should probably tell the truth because of his new job as the St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach.  What a fool.

While I know uniforms aren’t exactly a deciding factor in where a player signs, in any sports, I have to confess something.  I saw a picture of Jason Bay in his NY Mets duds and he looked stupid.  Not just stupid…but sick.  Honestly, I knew the guy was thin but my word, Bay looked deathly ill in the photo.  Someone get him a cheesecake…or some other fattening food…quick!

Joe Mauer is a Minnesota kid playing for his hometown team.  At season’s end, he is scheduled to become a free agent.  If at the very least, the Twins organization doesn’t make every effort to keep him long term, they would deserve it if he walked away.  I don’t think that they won’t try and I definitely don’t think Mauer will go anywhere else.  Whether they extend him now or at the end of the season.

Does it seem stupid to anyone else that the Red Sox would try to trade Mike Lowell and hold on to Jason Varitek?  Yes they are both getting up there in age.  But their production at the plate is moving in opposite directions.  Varitek keeps getting worse and Lowell, while not terrible, remains status quo for his capability.  All this with a screwed up hip.  What’s Varitek’s excuse?  Never mind, I don’t care.  It’s not only time for him to be the back up, or even gone, but it’s also time for Boston to name someone else as captain…don’t you think?

Newsflash people…!

Well isn’t this fun.  The image of a “perfect” Tiger Woods has been blown to bits.  Over and over again.  Why anyone would be shocked is far beyond me.  He’s human and we humans…well to be brutally honest…we suck.  Obviously that doesn’t excuse any of the things about Tiger’s private life (past and present) that have been brought to light in recent days.
Honestly though, I’m not sure how his private life is the entire world’s business.  I wouldn’t even be ranting about it if not for some things I heard this morning.  Or the sheer fact that I’m tired of it.  Every time I turn on the tv to a sports station or the radio…there he is in all of his scandalous splendor.   Or some knucklehead talking about how it makes sense to him that Tiger would cheat on his wife.  Seriously…how the heck cheating makes sense to anyone…is beyond me!
On to this morning.  I thought I was Tiger Woods scandal free for a day.  Haha good joke!  Not even twenty seconds of hearing the radio and the two monkeys are talking about him.  In the midst of saying they wanna talk about other stuff…they wanna talk about the Red Sox, the possible trade between Boston and Texas for Mike Lowell, they wanna talk sports but…are you ready for this…Tiger won’t let them.  A man who is no where near Boston, MA won’t let two grown men talk about what they wanna talk about?!  Give me a break!  No, I think they wanted to talk about Tiger…just so they could listen to the “chat show” interview of some porn star who…you guessed it…is claiming she too slept with Tiger.
I don’t care when this started.  I don’t know if I care when it ends…if ever.  What I would like is for everyone in sports…to get over it!  He’s a big wig in the spotlight.  Why they’re so surprised about all this makes no sense.  I swear it seems like everybody with minimal exceptions in the spotlight via some public venue or another has cheated on or will cheat on their significant other at some point or another.  It’s one of those unfortunate givens.  With money comes appeal…and apparently not even “perfect” Tiger Woods can resist cashing in on that appeal.  Over and over again.  What a fool.
I honestly hope his wife does the right thing.  Not just for herself but for her kids and even Tiger.  Even a man who’s net worth is as astronomical as his should face consequences…right?

Sad news for softball internationally :(

I just read the most disappointing thing in terms of softball in Jennie Finch’s blog.  Instead of recreating what she said I thought I would just post the link and you could read it yourselves if you want.  But the gist of the sadness I feel is that not only is there not going to be softball in the 2012 Olympics but also there won’t be softball in 2016 Olympics either.  http://jenniefinch27.blogspot.com/2009/08/international-olympic-committee-will.html