It has been awhile since anything has really come to mind to write about. It''s a little surprising to me given the exciting NCAA Tournament we are having, but I really have nothing to offer in that department, although I did get one Final Four team right in my picks (UCONN).
Obviously this has been the year of the little guy in college basketball a mid-major guaranteed of making the championship game for the second straight year. Two astounding stories there: A team that was in the "First Four" is now in the "Final Four." That is unbelievable. Analysts are fond of saying things like "Duke and coach K are the kind of team that can win 6 games in March" insinuating that it takes 6 games in three consecutive weekends to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Well, VCU has already won 5, and they have two more games to go to be champions, because they played USC in one of these much maligned play in games (that the NCAA insists on calling "first round" games) on the Wednesday before everyone else started their games. And Butler, they made the Final Four for the 2nd straight year. That is absurd. Teams like UNC, Kentucky, Duke, Michigan State, UCLA and even Florida, Kansas and Connecticut might make 2 Final Fours in a row, but Butler? After their losing their best player to the NBA? That just doesn't make sense, so I won't really try to make any out of it.
College football and specifically the BCS system has tilted the scales to 6 power conferences (and Notre Dame) that are home to 90% of the premier football schools/teams in the nation. There is no tournament. Teams historically were always ranked, and at the end of the season the press & coaches would vote for who they thought was the champion after all the teams had played out their seasons, and especially in more recent history, after their bowl matchups, which were predetermined by your conference's commitment (Big Ten/Pac 10 in the Rose Bowl, Big 12/ACC in the Orange). Most of the time it was clear cut. But some split decisions in the 90s made the college football landscape want a more definitive answer as to who was the best team in the land. Why can't Michigan & Nebraska (1997) play, or Washington/Miami (1992) etc? Well, if a system could be set up that paired the top two teams to play in the championship game regardless of conference affiliation, that would solve our problems, right?
Sort of. Seemingly every year the BCS gets exposed as flawed. I won't go into the details, but lets be honest: Everyone hates the BCS. The little guy (Utah, Boise St, TCU) doesn't get the chance to prove themselves on the field. Sure, the BCS has made it possible for those teams to get an at large bid if they are in the top 12. But in the end, history doesn't really remember Utah's win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, or TCU's win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. They want to see David vs. Goliath.
This is what basketball offers. Not that often, but it offers the hope of it. And this year the hope came true for two small schools, one of which, in VCU, many pundits said shouldn't even be in the field in the first place.
But what is my point? None of what I've said so far is really news to anyone. Well, I've seen some comments made on Twitter by a few sports writers that I follow about the contrast between this NCAA Tournament and the College Football BCS System. The point being that this basketball postseason should make the football presidents and BCS committee realize that they need a playoff. Personally, I think it will not change their minds one bit, for one main reason. The big schools, presidents, and BCS don't want a small school (or even a BCS conference team) who played a "soft" regular season schedule to have a chance at the title. They want the power schools who every week have to play top 10, top 15 teams to get rewarded for the regular season battles they went through. Many people like to argue that every week is a playoff in the NCAA season. Games like Auburn/Alabama, Texas/Oklahoma, USC/Oregon, Ohio State/Michigan, and so on basically define a team's chances of going undefeated, or finishing with one or two losses and having the chance to play for the title or not. The old guard likes this week in and week out craziness that mirrors the 3 week basketball tournament in March, but for 3 months.
Is this fair? No. Every sport has a tournament or NCAA sponsored championship except football. BCS or AP National Championships aren't even recognized by the NCAA as national championships for their purposes of record keeping. But nothing is going to change. There is so much money in the current system, and those in control like it the way it is, and of course the fans complain, but in reality still come out to games in record numbers year after year. So, don't get your hopes up that a Butler or VCU championship will get the powers that be to change their minds.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Random Rantings
Miami Heat:
Tonight the Heat beat the Lakers ending their 5 game losing streak that has cause a lot of debate across the sports world. Everyone knows they brought the best player in the NBA, and greatest Free Agent in league history to pair with former NBA Champion and super star in his own right, Dwyane Wade. Throw in Chris Bosh, a former Toronto all star who was much coveted in his own right and everyone dubbed them a super team, the new Big 3.
Of course, there were questions going into this season of how effective this team could be. 5 people play at one time, not just 3. And you have to dynamic playmakers who like to have the ball in their hands and create for their teammates in Wade & James. Then you have Bosh who is more of a finesse big man. He is tall, but lanky and tends to play away from the basket. The one "muscle" type player they had, Udonis Haslem, got injured before the season started and the pick ups that they team has tried to make (Juwan Howard, Erick Dampier, and James' old teammate Ilgauskas) are too old and beat up to really make an impact on a daily basis.
Despite all of this the Heat went on a streak during the early part of the season where they won 21 of 22 games, and really seemed to put to rest many of the doubts that had been raised in their lackluster 9-8 start. But since the end of February the Heat have struggled to put games away, once again raising loud concerns from NBA analysts & pundits across the country that this team's present construction is not suitable for beating top teams (Magic, Bulls, Celtics especially, being their eastern conference foes) when the game is on the line.
Having said all that, I think it is absurd to immediately crucify this team. In today's age of social media and 24 hour sports coverage on the internet, blogs, and ESPN it is very easy to get caught up in the latest good/bad news. After a couple games won/lost teams are instantly crowned as great or terrible. Anyone who doubts how good Lebron James really is needs to know one thing. The team that James left is the worst team in the NBA. And he is the only significant player they lost. So in one year they go from being one of the 3 best, to the worst team in the league. I don't think that the Heat will win this year, but it sure seems like they will figure it out, get some role players who figure out how to play with the stars, and definitely make a run in the next 6 years that they have all three players signed.
NFL Labor (Again):
I read a great article the other day about the NFL CBA situation as it relates specifically to Roger Goodell as the NFL Commissioner. When I say great article, basically that means I agree with it, because I think I am always right. Nevertheless, here is the link to Gene Wojciechowski's article. Basically, his point is that his job is to lead his sport, not just to be a "mouthpiece" for the owners. He should be one of the voices of reason in this debate, not someone who just continues to project the hardline stance of the owners.
But here is the main point that I want to make regarding Goodell and these negotiations. This is the first time in his tenure as NFL Commish that he has actually had to negotiate. This is a man who unilaterally makes league wide decisions year after year. The NFL Personal Conduct Policy? After Pac Man Jones' run in with the law at a strip club Mr. Goodell decided the NFL needed a Personal Conduct Policy and retroactively applied it to Pac Man Jones and suspended him for an entire year. For what? Going to a strip club, tossing dollar bills in the air, and then being present while a fight broke out. Ok, pretty dumb behavior, but it is very rare for players to get a one year suspension. You only get 4 games for a steroid violation. Then this season he set out to "reinforce" the league's policy on illegal hits. From Wikipedia: "On October 19th, 2010, the NFL handed out fines to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, Falcons Cornerback Dunta Robinson, and New England Patriots Safety Brandon Meriweather after they were involved in controversial hits the previous Sunday." Once again, he unilaterally decided something needed to be done for the good of the game. That is his right as the caretaker of the game. Yet apparently he doesn't consider having a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players & owners as something "good for the game." He would rather hold on to a stance that the owners have taken that their business model is broken, and they need concessions from the players to fix it. Nevermind that they don't want to provide any detailed financial information to back it up.
Imagine your job coming to you and telling you that things are tough and that you need to take a 25 percent pay cut after they previously gave you a record raise 4 years ago. By all accounts you are working for a supremely successful business. One that dominates its industry across the country and collectively keeps putting up record numbers year after year. But concerns about further development of franchise locations & a few huge payments that have been made to employees who turned out to be not ready for their jobs have caused the management to threaten cost cutting measures across your company. I have a feeling that you wouldn't be that thrilled about it, and if you could band together as a union of employees and have legal representation to make sure that your side was heard and a fair agreement could be reached, that you would.
And as I heard a caller into a nighttime sports radio show say the other day, no one cares about the owners. The American public is enamored with football games, which are played by the PLAYERS on the gridiron.
Tonight the Heat beat the Lakers ending their 5 game losing streak that has cause a lot of debate across the sports world. Everyone knows they brought the best player in the NBA, and greatest Free Agent in league history to pair with former NBA Champion and super star in his own right, Dwyane Wade. Throw in Chris Bosh, a former Toronto all star who was much coveted in his own right and everyone dubbed them a super team, the new Big 3.
Of course, there were questions going into this season of how effective this team could be. 5 people play at one time, not just 3. And you have to dynamic playmakers who like to have the ball in their hands and create for their teammates in Wade & James. Then you have Bosh who is more of a finesse big man. He is tall, but lanky and tends to play away from the basket. The one "muscle" type player they had, Udonis Haslem, got injured before the season started and the pick ups that they team has tried to make (Juwan Howard, Erick Dampier, and James' old teammate Ilgauskas) are too old and beat up to really make an impact on a daily basis.
Despite all of this the Heat went on a streak during the early part of the season where they won 21 of 22 games, and really seemed to put to rest many of the doubts that had been raised in their lackluster 9-8 start. But since the end of February the Heat have struggled to put games away, once again raising loud concerns from NBA analysts & pundits across the country that this team's present construction is not suitable for beating top teams (Magic, Bulls, Celtics especially, being their eastern conference foes) when the game is on the line.
Having said all that, I think it is absurd to immediately crucify this team. In today's age of social media and 24 hour sports coverage on the internet, blogs, and ESPN it is very easy to get caught up in the latest good/bad news. After a couple games won/lost teams are instantly crowned as great or terrible. Anyone who doubts how good Lebron James really is needs to know one thing. The team that James left is the worst team in the NBA. And he is the only significant player they lost. So in one year they go from being one of the 3 best, to the worst team in the league. I don't think that the Heat will win this year, but it sure seems like they will figure it out, get some role players who figure out how to play with the stars, and definitely make a run in the next 6 years that they have all three players signed.
NFL Labor (Again):
I read a great article the other day about the NFL CBA situation as it relates specifically to Roger Goodell as the NFL Commissioner. When I say great article, basically that means I agree with it, because I think I am always right. Nevertheless, here is the link to Gene Wojciechowski's article. Basically, his point is that his job is to lead his sport, not just to be a "mouthpiece" for the owners. He should be one of the voices of reason in this debate, not someone who just continues to project the hardline stance of the owners.
But here is the main point that I want to make regarding Goodell and these negotiations. This is the first time in his tenure as NFL Commish that he has actually had to negotiate. This is a man who unilaterally makes league wide decisions year after year. The NFL Personal Conduct Policy? After Pac Man Jones' run in with the law at a strip club Mr. Goodell decided the NFL needed a Personal Conduct Policy and retroactively applied it to Pac Man Jones and suspended him for an entire year. For what? Going to a strip club, tossing dollar bills in the air, and then being present while a fight broke out. Ok, pretty dumb behavior, but it is very rare for players to get a one year suspension. You only get 4 games for a steroid violation. Then this season he set out to "reinforce" the league's policy on illegal hits. From Wikipedia: "On October 19th, 2010, the NFL handed out fines to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, Falcons Cornerback Dunta Robinson, and New England Patriots Safety Brandon Meriweather after they were involved in controversial hits the previous Sunday." Once again, he unilaterally decided something needed to be done for the good of the game. That is his right as the caretaker of the game. Yet apparently he doesn't consider having a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players & owners as something "good for the game." He would rather hold on to a stance that the owners have taken that their business model is broken, and they need concessions from the players to fix it. Nevermind that they don't want to provide any detailed financial information to back it up.
Imagine your job coming to you and telling you that things are tough and that you need to take a 25 percent pay cut after they previously gave you a record raise 4 years ago. By all accounts you are working for a supremely successful business. One that dominates its industry across the country and collectively keeps putting up record numbers year after year. But concerns about further development of franchise locations & a few huge payments that have been made to employees who turned out to be not ready for their jobs have caused the management to threaten cost cutting measures across your company. I have a feeling that you wouldn't be that thrilled about it, and if you could band together as a union of employees and have legal representation to make sure that your side was heard and a fair agreement could be reached, that you would.
And as I heard a caller into a nighttime sports radio show say the other day, no one cares about the owners. The American public is enamored with football games, which are played by the PLAYERS on the gridiron.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Labor
Finally it is time for my NFL Labor post.
Interesting that in a year when the NFL & NBA collective bargaining agreements between the league & players expire setting up likely lockouts & court battles that my home state, Wisconsin, is also going through a controversial labor situation. I'm not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of collective bargaining and the rights of workers vs. the rights of the employer, but I definitely have an opinion on the NFL situation.
The NFL has revenues of 9-10 billion dollars a year. The split is currently 60/40 players/owners. This is after a 1 billion dollar credit for expenses that the owners get to develop the league and theoretically create more revenue, which then gets split with the players. The primary source of revenue for NFL owners, besides the enormous TV contracts is their stadiums The hilarious thing about this to that the public finances most of the stadiums across the country, sometimes in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Including the "expense credit" it is basically a 50/50 split, however at this point the owners determine this to be a "unsustainable business model."
The argument is that if they do not get expenses under control now the league will be under financial hardship in the future and the league & players will both suffer as a result. Most observers find this hard to believe as the NFL continues to be a powerhouse that enjoys incredible popularity among the US public. What muddies the waters further is that the NFL is a private organization of separate entities that all operate individually and are not required to reveal their earnings like a publicly traded company. The only team that does release and financial report every year is the publicly held Green Bay Packers. In 2010 the Packers "only" made $9.8 million. This was compared to $20.1 million the previous year. The main cost for the decrease in profit was "player expenses." The NFL is pointing to this report to show that teams are on a downward trend towards becoming fiscally unstable due to rising player costs. The problem that the NFLPA has is that no other team will reveal their earnings statements.
Does anyone really believe that such power franchises like New England, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and the New York teams are in financial trouble? Get serious. Jerry Jones is not going broke. The Rooney family is not struggling to get by. Meanwhile the players are facing greater and greater physical risk every game that they play. The ironic thing about this is that this past season the NFL cracked down on what is deemed to be dangerous play (ie. leading with the head as a defender) with the emphasis on taking care of players with head injuries being greater than ever before.
I don't think that anyone in this country feels bad for NFL players, nor should they. Like their counterparts in professional sports in the USA they live a dream that few will ever realize, and get paid large sums of money for it. But if I am an NFL player in 2011 I am sacrificing nothing to the Shield to get back on the field and resume playing. The average career of an NFL player is 3 and a half years. No matter how much you are making as a player, a 3 1/2 year career is insignificant. Many of these guys end up with traumatic health issues, physically and mentally - see the recent suicide of former Bears defender Dave Duerson. He even left a note saying that he wanted his brain studied because he knew something just wasn't right. The longer this game which has 1700+ players every year continues to put players at the risk that they do I don't think that there is any amount of money that can make up for it. Many average joes like myself say "I would play for free for the love of the game." Really? You would take the equivalent of 30+ car crashes a game to your body to earn a few million dollars and die, on average, by the age of 50? I suppose many would, and that is the culture that these players are brought up in, and is fostered by the NFL. So quit bickering over dollars and cents, get this thing settled, and please let the NFL Billionaires old boys club of owners figure out how to settle this with their employees that rake in so much money for them.
Interesting that in a year when the NFL & NBA collective bargaining agreements between the league & players expire setting up likely lockouts & court battles that my home state, Wisconsin, is also going through a controversial labor situation. I'm not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of collective bargaining and the rights of workers vs. the rights of the employer, but I definitely have an opinion on the NFL situation.
The NFL has revenues of 9-10 billion dollars a year. The split is currently 60/40 players/owners. This is after a 1 billion dollar credit for expenses that the owners get to develop the league and theoretically create more revenue, which then gets split with the players. The primary source of revenue for NFL owners, besides the enormous TV contracts is their stadiums The hilarious thing about this to that the public finances most of the stadiums across the country, sometimes in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Including the "expense credit" it is basically a 50/50 split, however at this point the owners determine this to be a "unsustainable business model."
The argument is that if they do not get expenses under control now the league will be under financial hardship in the future and the league & players will both suffer as a result. Most observers find this hard to believe as the NFL continues to be a powerhouse that enjoys incredible popularity among the US public. What muddies the waters further is that the NFL is a private organization of separate entities that all operate individually and are not required to reveal their earnings like a publicly traded company. The only team that does release and financial report every year is the publicly held Green Bay Packers. In 2010 the Packers "only" made $9.8 million. This was compared to $20.1 million the previous year. The main cost for the decrease in profit was "player expenses." The NFL is pointing to this report to show that teams are on a downward trend towards becoming fiscally unstable due to rising player costs. The problem that the NFLPA has is that no other team will reveal their earnings statements.
Does anyone really believe that such power franchises like New England, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and the New York teams are in financial trouble? Get serious. Jerry Jones is not going broke. The Rooney family is not struggling to get by. Meanwhile the players are facing greater and greater physical risk every game that they play. The ironic thing about this is that this past season the NFL cracked down on what is deemed to be dangerous play (ie. leading with the head as a defender) with the emphasis on taking care of players with head injuries being greater than ever before.
I don't think that anyone in this country feels bad for NFL players, nor should they. Like their counterparts in professional sports in the USA they live a dream that few will ever realize, and get paid large sums of money for it. But if I am an NFL player in 2011 I am sacrificing nothing to the Shield to get back on the field and resume playing. The average career of an NFL player is 3 and a half years. No matter how much you are making as a player, a 3 1/2 year career is insignificant. Many of these guys end up with traumatic health issues, physically and mentally - see the recent suicide of former Bears defender Dave Duerson. He even left a note saying that he wanted his brain studied because he knew something just wasn't right. The longer this game which has 1700+ players every year continues to put players at the risk that they do I don't think that there is any amount of money that can make up for it. Many average joes like myself say "I would play for free for the love of the game." Really? You would take the equivalent of 30+ car crashes a game to your body to earn a few million dollars and die, on average, by the age of 50? I suppose many would, and that is the culture that these players are brought up in, and is fostered by the NFL. So quit bickering over dollars and cents, get this thing settled, and please let the NFL Billionaires old boys club of owners figure out how to settle this with their employees that rake in so much money for them.
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