Steriods and Baseball: Baseball Players Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Training Supplements

Baseball needs to be more proactive in dealing with performance enhancing drugs...

Steroids are a dark mark on the legacy of baseball.  By no means is baseball the only sport that has been infected with the disease of performance enhancing drugs.   Sprinters have tested positive long before any baseball players were even thought to have been using steroids.  Professional football locker rooms have been infected with all manner of performance enhancing drugs since the late 1970’s.  What hurt baseball more was the way that steroids were brought to light, and how players continue to be exposed as performance enhancing drug users. 

                Baseball in the mid nineties seemed to be forgotten.  After a long and painful labor dispute a large portion of baseball’s fan base were turned off.  Attendance and television ratings were way down and it appeared that baseball might fall to the level of NHL hockey.  Yet, there is something that brought fans back in large numbers.  The home run.  The most exciting play in baseball.  Nothing is more exciting than seeing a hitter crush a long fly ball which screams over the outfield fence.  During the late 1990’s the home run was back, and the fans were watching.   Legendary home run records were being broken, and the ultimate home run mark, of 715 held by Hank Aaron and once by Ruth, was being approached and challenged.  The problem is that baseball came back and is now once again popular due to performance enhancing drugs.  Baseball, in a way, owes the illegal narcotic for its success.

                One of the problems with baseball’s spoiled blood bargain with steroids is that they are sending mixed signals to all those training to be a future ball players.  Baseball has been forced to support anti-steroid campaigns, but it still has a culture of encouraging upcoming players to gain a pharmaceutical edge.  Future prospects are faced with a tough decision of gaining an edge through steroids or watching teammates who are using outperform them on the field.  The decision is still being placed on prospects and high school athletes because baseball refuses to draw a hard line in the sand banning illegal and harmful performance enhancing drugs.  The current policy of three strikes and your out is laughable at best.  There are hardly any long term repercussions if a player is found using.

                What baseball needs to do is to support healthy supplements.  There are supplements on the market that will help a player to add muscle mass, and improve their physical conditioning.  Creatine is an excellent example.  Creatine hasn’t been proven to have any long term medical side effects.  Creatine is a substance that is naturally produced in your body.  It is also not a steroid.  Creatine just helps players to lift weights more often, without suffering such drastic lactic acid build up in their muscles which causes soreness.  Many people are reluctant to take any supplements fearing that the supplement will become banned and they will be retroactively guilty. 

                If baseball would come out and support the healthy training drugs, like Creatine, and ensure people that they won’t be punished for searching for a legal performance edge; then it would lessen the pressure that players feel to either take no supplements at all, or go all the way to using illegal performance enhancing drugs.  Competitive people play baseball, and they are looking for an edge.  They shouldn’t fell afraid to use legal supplements to train.  If baseball wants to get the steroids out of the game, then they need to help young players know just what they can take to get an edge.  

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Mark's Thoughts: National Pride for Sports - Has the USA forgotten true national sports pride?

A change has occurred with USA fans and players, and it isn't a great thing...

I was watching the finals of the World Baseball Classic and was thinking about a lot of different things. Will this competition survive, although there is little support in the US to keep it going? Is the game of the South East Asian (small ball) better than the the game we see in the major leagues? Will Bum Ho Lee become a house hold name due to his clutch hit in the ninth inning of the WBC Finals? (Seriously, Bum Ho Lee joins my list of names that should be a FCC violation, right up there with Fukudome.) Yet, the question that kept going through my head was; how did we as US fans become so negative?

During the semi-final game between the US and Japan it was interesting to watch the US fans at Dodger stadium. It appeared that the fans had the same feelings that I did while watching the game. How in the crap is the US team losing to the Japanese? This is an embarrassment to be watching the US team come up short again. Why was I feeling this way about the US team? Frankly, because the US team is the team that is least like a team in the tournament.

Sure team USA put it together against the Puerto Rico team, and they were able to survive and continue. They dog-piled on top of David Wright and said all of the right things after the game was over about how proud they were to represent the country. Then after the game the team unity started to go away. The players with minor injuries went back to their teams and left an already shorthanded USA team in an even tougher position. It would have be great for the US team to call down another of their talented players to take the place of the injured, but most players already turned down the request to play for the national team. Why? They were afraid that they might injure themselves or that they just didn't want to give the effort to play that competitive of baseball at this time of year. Those players don't care about national pride, but really just care about themselves. That is the problem with the US teams in international play.

Seeing a US team, an all-star team, a team that really deep down just treats the tournament like another exhibition, really will never truly succeed on the international stage. Playing for your country means something to every other player on the other international squads. This emotion could be seen by the players for both Korea and Japan yesterday. The players that were willing to risk putting their full effort out there, even in the face of perhaps injuring themselves, for the honor of their country. The emotions that the Japanese players had after the victory, and the evident emotions on the faces of the Korean players as they glared from the dugout after the game proved that they were playing for their country. The biggest difference of all came after the game. Japan coming together, jumping up and down, throwing their manager into the air, and most importantly, turning down the pre-made T-shirts and hats that the US staff were trying to hand out to the players.

The Japanese players weren't playing for their own glory, they didn't want to put on the fake T-shirts and hats, and spray each other with champagne to prove how great of players they were and to bask in their own greatness. No they wanted to keep their uniforms on, because those were the uniforms that they were representing the entire tournament. Team Japan was playing for the Japanese, and not for themselves. This mentality was rewarded by the fans in the stadium, and by those thousands gathered together for both teams in their own country.

That is the mentality that is missing from both the US players and the fans of the US national team. Call is arrogance, or capitalism, or lack of patriotism, but something is missing from the US fans and players. Not all fans are like this, and I wouldn't want to put all the players from Team USA in the same category; however, there is a difference and it is making less of our fans and players to lose what the Japanese and Koreans have in bulk. Even if their fall in defeat. National Pride!

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The Wife's Outburst: 3D Live Baseball cards

I saw of the future of baseball cards, and I don't know if I like it...

Today at school when I was watching Channel One (how many of you remember "watching" Channel One in junior high and high school?) and they did a story about the next generation of baseball cards.

When you get a 3D baseball card in a pack of Topps baseball cards, you log-on to their website, put it up to your webcam, and it comes alive. "You can take batting practice, pitch, and even play catch all right on your desktop using your keyboard" (www.channelone.com).

But is this really the next big thing? Come one. You can do this right now with the many baseball video games out there. You don't need a baseball card to play baseball with your favorite player. Just pop MLB 2K9 into the Playstation and there you go. You can do batting practice, pitch, and play catch...and even play a game or two with your favorite player and you don't even need a webcam to do it.

What do you think? Are 3D Live baseball cards the next generation of baseball cards? Or are old fashion paper ones here to stay?

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Mark's Thoughts: World Baseball Classic - Just Awesome

If anyone questioned how good this tournament is, then you needed to see the USA vs Puerto Rico game...

I have already written about how pumped up I was for another World Baseball Classic, but I can't believe how much fun I have been having watching top notch baseball in March. There is something very interesting about how determined all of the players are in each game.

Especially after the comeback 6-5 victory of the USA over Puerto Rico. The drama was there throughout the entire game. Shane Victorino tried, successfully, to run into a cut off throw and take a base. Carlos Beltran stole a home run from Adam Dunn, and then hit a two-run shot himself. David Wright was mobbed by teammates after hitting the game winning double, and "The New York Mets star called the hit the biggest of his career. 'You're talking about representing the United States of America,' he said. 'You've got that across the front of your chest. To be able to get that hit, that's got to be right up there at the top of the list'"(espn.com).

If that isn't showcasing what is the best things about the game of baseball, then there might not be hope for international baseball to be appealing to the U.S. audience. The Puerto Rico game, before the ninth inning comeback, was one of the most intense and better games I have seen for quite some time.

What makes this tournament even better is the fact that I was flipping through channels and stopped on the Cuba vs. Mexico game the previous night. After about five minutes I was hooked. Though not a sell out crowd by any means the Mexican supporters at Petco field in San Diego were loud and fun. The baseball was very good, the pitching was great for March, and the passion was visible as both teams played to save being eliminated from the tournament.

The Dutch being able to beat the mighty Dominican Republic, not once but twice, was also inspiring. The Netherlands really put together two impressive outings against a stacked lineup from the Dominican Republic. The Dominicans after being eliminated called their performance a national embarrassment, and they weren't really stretching the truth about the national (Dominican) opinion of their performance!

Sure there has been injuries, and there are still some problems with the format. (How is it far that Puerto Rico beats the US by the mercy rule on Saturday, then loses to Venezuela in a close game, and then has to beat the US again or be eliminated? All the US had to do was beat the Netherlands and then rematch Puerto Rico and they advanced.) Yet, there has been opportunities to see great talent that Major League Fans wouldn't have a chance to see for a few years. The pitching by both the Koreans and Japanese teams is upper level Major leagues, and must have pro scouts drolling over the chance to bring an Asian ace over that could win twenty games in the major leagues.

The problems will be fixed, but the current product isn't that bad to watch. The WBC has had me cheering many times already, and should just get better as the games head to Los Angeles.

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Mark's Thoughts: Five Unheralded Things That Need to Change About Sports

The start of a list of many things about sports that need to be changed, but items that aren't being talked about...

There are some major things that need to change about the world of sports.  The BCS, the Designated Hitter, NFL overtime rules, voters in the college football polls being uninformed, star treatment for NBA players, and so on.  These are major problems that do need to be addressed; however, they have all been discussed by many writers.  I would like to start to compile a list of things that need changing in sports that have yet to be addressed at any great length.  

1) There needs to be an increase of quality nicknames in the world of sports.  There is just a huge lack of good nicknames in sports.  There are a few, but the problem is the majority of them belong to Shaq.  The other nicknames are just shortening names, or using initials. For example, LeBron, CP3, Manny, A-Rod, etc. The excessive marketing that has encompassed sports might be one of the reasons that nicknames have gone away. Poor nicknames are forced down the throats of fans by announcers, ESPN, and marketing executives. No longer are nicknames able to come about naturally. It would be nice for nicknames to come about, and then for the nickname to be used by commentators and commercials.

2) Arenas need to stop selling beer at halftime. Too often people come to the game after drinking up a storm at a restaurant or bar and sit down with a beer in each hand. Then at the end of the third quarter comes the run to get another two beers for the last quarter. I don't know if the limiting of the beer sales at halftime would cut down on alcoholic incidents.

3) Leagues and conferences need to stop creating networks and placing quality games on those networks without first having a way to have those networks seen by a wide audience. The problem is not just the Mtn. or the NFL network, but every network that has been created by a league or conference to date. It seems that these networks never learned the lessons of the Internet or mortgage collapse. You can't just want something to be profitable and magically it becomes profitable. Let the people see the network, and have it be a good product.

4) The NBA is just too nice. What happened to the intensity that used to be on the court, and the anger that can be seen from players after they lose games? It just seems that too many players are just playing to collect a paycheck. The problem isn't that the players are making too much money, this same problem of people not caring about what they are doing exist at all workplaces. It is frustrating to see people mail in performances regardless of what profession that they do, but it is very frustrating when it comes from performers who are paid to come and give it their all for the entertainment of others.

5) Innovations in broadcast and improvements in sports shouldn't be stopped due to a blanket argument of "purity of the game." Hockey is a really good example of this fact. In the 1990's hockey had an argument that it was one of the top sports in America along with the NBA, MLB, and NFL. Yet, hockey really made a lot of mistakes. One of the major mistakes they did make was trying to cater their sport to fanatical base. In the nineties the NHL was trying to make changes to make hockey more watchable; however, the "hockey purists" didn't like the changes and constantly complained about it until the league altered the changes they made that improved the watch-ability. The league didn't try to attract new fans to the sports, and hockey has suffered ever since. There are things about sports that shouldn't change. There just needs to be a better reason for keeping them than because of the "purity of the game."

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Quick Hits: Utah Jazz, BYU Football, Utah State Football, MLB Playoffs, and More...

A quick look at many sports stories...

Could Andrei Kirilenko work? - Maybe.  It will all depend on AK's attitude.  Something that is very hard to judge until you see how Andrei plays on the court.  If AK doesn't feel like he is being snub by the move to the bench, then you might be looking at the sixth man of the year award winner.  Sure it stings a little to have your highest paid players be coming off the bench, but look at Manu Ginobili to see what AK could become.  The Spurs, like the Jazz, run a set offense that is based around the pick and roll.  Tim Duncan needs to be feed the ball early to get his game going, just like Carlos Boozer on the Jazz.  The problem in the past with AK has come with getting him touches early in the game.  Bringing him off the bench would solve that problem.  When Manu enters the game for the Spurs the post has normally been established, and the Spurs are looking to expand their offense.  That would be the same principle applied to AK and the Jazz.  It would be easier to get AK involved later in the first quarter keeping him happy.  A happy AK, is a great AK.  The Jazz struggled last season when Deron left the floor.  AK would be a stabilizing influence on the court with the younger/newer back-up point guards the Jazz have.  AK also plays well with Millsap, with both of them being active play makers that create instant offensive opportunities.  AK would also be playing more with Korver than Brewer.  That would help open up the Jazz offense.  Last season teams would pack their defenses into the paint knowing that neither Brewer or AK would beat them from the outside.  Korver being on the court would make the other team more honest, and AK would make-up for Korver's lack of defensive abilities.  Having AK come off the bench makes a lot of sense; however, it all hinges on Sloan selling AK on the idea.

BYU's defense yet to face a solid quarterback - This Saturday BYU face the New Mexico Lobos, and another quarterback that is sub-par.  New Mexico's quarterback Brad Gruner has yet to throw for more than 100 yard in a game.  His high came against Tulsa with 98 yards.  He has just 55 yards against New Mexico State, and 33 yards passing against Wyoming. Gruner doesn't look to be a quarterback that will challenge the secondary of the Cougars.  The poor level of opposing quarterbacks has made it is hard to judge just how good/bad BYU's defense is at this point in the season.  Sure, you could make a valid argument that Jake Locker is a good football player, and he was the quarterback of Washington.  Yet, Locker isn't a good quarterback, he is a good athlete.  His athleticism is what gave BYU problems.  IF Jake Locker had been able to complete a pass BYU's defense would have been in real trouble.  Looking ahead TCU's quarterback is not a great passer, and BYU's first real test will come against UNLV's Omar Clayton.  How much a test Clayton will be is debatable, but the Mountain West Conference is not a quarterback strong conference this season.  

Will Utah State carry away the momentum from the end of the BYU game - If the Aggies played the way they did in the fourth quarter against BYU every game, then they could compete with any team that they have left on their schedule.  It will be important for the Aggies to play well against San Jose State this weekend.  The Spartans are the first major non-ranked conference opponent that the Aggies face this season.  (Lets face it Idaho is not good at all. UNLV was a non-conference)Borel showed that he has the ability to move the Aggies' offense, and the defense proved they are able to get key stops against a good offense.  The Aggies are 1-4 right now, but they aren't going to be a cellar dweller in the WAC.  Winning on the road at a tough place to play (San Jose State's field is the worst kept field in all of college football.  It might be easier to play a football game in three feet of mud, because that is normally less mud than there is on San Jose State's field.) would help the Aggies going forward.

Time to jump on the Rays' bandwagon - As a Mets fan I find only one team left to rout for in the playoffs.  The Tampa Bay Rays.  Red Sox have won too much lately (which is a big difference from my Mets).  The Phillies are a divisional rival (I don't get people that cheer on teams inside their favorite teams division, after their team has been eliminated.  I hope the Phillies crash and burn!).  Their is too much history between the Dodgers and Mets to hope they win it all (Although I am hoping they destroy the Phillies and make it to the series).  The Rays are fun to watch, they are young, and the franchise has never done anything in the past.  Plus, I don't feel the guilt with jumping on the bandwagon, because if you watched a Rays' home game this season they had about 10-20 loyal fans in the stadium.  The rest of the people at the game were cheering for the other team.  All their fans are bandwagon fans!  It is cool because it is like seeing a fan base being born.  Go Rays!!!

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Matt's Brain Stowell'n Questions

Lots of lists to be formed in this weeks Q&A...

Well Mark another great week of college football coming up tomorrow, cats vs. dogs up in Washington, I expect a big win from the cougs. But my questions aren’t going to be focused on the cougs this week. This weeks questions will be more focused on classics. So for my first question.

1. Last week when I woke up and heard the opening theme song for college football chills ran up down my neck as a tear rolled down my cheek, and then earlier this week I was watching some classic Jazz games and heard the intro for the NBA on NBC’s theme song and thought man this brings back some good memories. There’s just something about these songs that just get ya going. So what are your top 5 theme songs for intros to shows? Here are some to chose from: NBA on NBC, NFL on FOX, Sunday Night Football on NBC, Monday Night Football, Election 08 MSNBC, NFL on CBS(Matt’s favorite), NBA on FSN, NBA on TNT, NBA on ESPN, ESPN College Football, SportsCenter old school, SportsCenter new theme, College Football on ABC, MLB on FOX, NHL on NBC, Olympics on NBC, NBC Nightly News, NHL on ESPN, and CBS College Basketball.

The five best themes that I enjoy from your list, in no particular order, would have to be:
Monday Night Football

Sunday Night Football on NBC

NBA on NBC

NBC Nightly News

ESPN SportsCenter old school


Other that aren't from the list that I enjoy, and are worth looking into include:
ESPN Baseball Tonight
ABC Wide World of Sports (classic edition)
The Colbert Report
Meet the Press
ABC Nightly News (because if this music interrupted your regularly scheduled programming you know it is a big deal)


2. What are your top 5 all time favorite sports video games?

I have actually written about this question before about the greatest sports video games. Here is a link to that story http://thebigpodcast.blogspot.com/2007/11/marks-thoughts-10-best-sports-video.html . Yet, I would like to modify the top five on that old list. Here is the new top five rankings:

5) RBI Baseball (NES) - RBI is still the best baseball game that was ever made. It kept the game simple; however, the pitching had enough variety to make the game interesting. Each player was unique, and the management of the roster was key to winning the game. RBI is just as enjoyable now as it was when it originally came out.

4) Mike Tyson's Punch Out (NES) - Another example of the advantages of keeping the controls of a game simple. Anyone can play this game and enjoy it, but the AI on the game made it extremely difficult to beat. The game also max out the sound track ability of the original NES system. Plus, being able to say that you beat Mike Tyson was a real badge of honor among closet nerds.

3) Wii Sports (Wii) - I tried to find a reason to leave this game off the list, and I just couldn't find a single reason. How many times before the Nintendo Wii did you hear of grandparents wanting to play video games? Now Wii bowling tournaments are common place in retirement communities.

2) Madden/NCAA Football (Every system) - I was going to keep these two franchises separate; however, the game play is so similar that there really is no reason. It is more of a matter of preference of whether a person enjoys college or pro. Either way these games are a must have on any system. Plus, the online play eliminates the displeasure of endlessly destroying the AI 100-0. Now you can have a challenging game anytime that you turn it on. This franchise will one day have the top spot on the list.

1)Tecmo Super Bowl (NES) - The best sports game ever made. The development of a play book, the ability to throw to more then one receiver, diving on defense, and the start of the kicking game in video games. This was the forerunner of football video games. Yet, you could still play this game now and it is just as enjoyable as when it first came out.

3. Top 5 memorial Jazz moments of all time? My favorite...



My five most memorial Jazz moments would have to be, again in no particular order:

-Frank Layden giving the halftime report about the Houston Rockets during the 1996-97 Western Conference Finals. The Jazz/Rockets rivalry had reach its high point of the 90's and it was absolute war on the court. There was nothing but pure hatred between the two teams, and Frank was showing every ounce of his Jazz pride during halftime. He went into the commentary about finding the weakness of the other team and exploiting it. The Rockets had a point guard that wore a rather large knee brace during the series, and Frank wasn't going to let that slip by. "What do we know about this guy? He's got a bum knee (as he circled the Rockets PG's brace multiple times, John Madden style on the telestrator) and we should be running him into the ground..." The best part of this commentary was that all Jazz fans felt this pure hatred for the Rockets and really wanted to beat this poor guys knee to a pulp. Classic Layden.

-I was at Jazz game with my buddy Jake (Matt's brother) the year after Stockton retired. The Jazz had surprised the entire league and was in the playoff race. The game was coming down to the wire, and the Jazz needed a bucket. All night Ostertag had played awful, and I was making my feelings known about the disgust I was feeling towards his play. With the game on the line the Jazz ran an isolation play for Tag about ten feet away from the basket. As soon as he touch the ball I lost it. I just started going off about what a terrible decision it was to run that play, and how the game was over. There was no hope of Tag doing anything with the ball ten feet away from the basket. To my surprise Tag turned and fired in a line drive sky hook at the top of the key that banked in, and he was fouled on the play setting up a three point opportunity. Everybody in my section went nuts cheering, and then turned and verbally assaulted me for losing faith in Ostertag. As if Tag was an offensive machine that never missed. I think Jake laughed for about twenty minutes over how bad I was attacked by angry Ostertag supporters.

-Hearing the "He's the enemy now speech..." from Karl Malone live on the radio. That speech from Karl was a classic.

-Being in the arena when Karl Malone reach the number two spot on the all time scoring list.

-The shot by Stockton. It still brings a grin to my face, and I think it always will.

For an added bonus the five memories I wish I could erase

-MJ's shot.
-MJ's steal on Karl before the shot.
-Finding out that Stockton retired when I was in Brasil.
-David Bennoit/B. Russ/Chris Morris/random white guy Jazz player trying to take over games by jacking up three pointers in the corner.
-Game 4 of the 2007 Western Conference Finals and the terrible officiating (Steve freakin Javie!!! I will curse that name until I reach the grave.)

4. With the Office returning here in a few weeks, what are the best Dwight moments?

I really like the Jim's Pranks on Dwight. Here is a best of video:


5. This new Forever Strong movie looks like it’s going to be pretty sweet. It’s the story of an LDS seminary teacher who became a championship Rugby coach for Utah's Highland Rugby team. He coached them to over 18 national Rugby championships. His story was published in the LDS Church News, and his extraordinary success caught the attention of a movie production company. It comes to theaters September 26th. http://www.foreverstrongmovie.com/. I like how they have Rudy in it. And speaking of Rudy what are some of your favorite classic sports movies?

After watching the preview the movie looks like it might be good; however, that sure didn't look like Highland High School in the preview, but I could be wrong. Here are some classic sports films I love:
-Rudy
-Field of Dreams
-The Natural
-Karate Kid
-Hoosiers
-The Legend of Bagger
-Rocky (Any movie in the series but V)

All classic movies.

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Weekend Links and Videos

A Welcome Back Edition of the Links/Videos...

BYU is the non-BCS darling this season. Hopefully the Cougars will live up to the hype.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3458435

Former BYU quarterback, John Beck, is fighting for the starting spot for the Dolphins. After the miserable season he had his rookie year, he has a lot to prove. Yet, it appears that he is going about it the right way. http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10874990

Duke Football wins the battle, but loses the war. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3455278 (This story should help recruiting there!)

Add this to the classic professional sports injuries file. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-27-doubletakejun27,0,6460488.story

If you can't wait to plan out your NBA fantasy team next year, then here is an article to get you through the off-season.http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/basketball/fba/story?id=3463823

Here is the highlight film of Utah Jazz first round draft pick, Kosta Koufos

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Mark's Thoughts: What is Worse Computer Crash or Lack of Sports

My computer went down hard, but it would have been easier to bear with some sports to watch...

The blue screen of death.

Yes, everyone knows the screen that Bill Gate's designed to basically tell you that your computer is about to kick the bucket.

That blue screen of death came over my notebook computer yesterday, and instantly my computer croaked! Needless to say that I was a little upset about what occurred. Especially about the timing of the crash, right before midterms. (Yes, for all of the reader that don't know I am still in college, and I am taking a heavy load of class during the first half of the semester. This is also an explanation for the lack of consistent postings since mid May.) I would take my notebook to school, and all of my notes for all of my classes were on that machine....

What was worse about this experience was the fact that I had to make the tech support phone call. Which is somewhere between being forced to work with anyone on Top Chef this season (seriously! It is as if the producers thought, lets get the worst human beings we can find that are also chefs and have them on the show) and having to remove my own kidney. To my relief, I didn't get transferred overseas for the call. That alone cut two hours off an all ready long two and a half hour tech phone call. The good news after going over the computer with the tech guy. I might be able to save some of my files, and my computer is still under warranty(thank goodness!). The bad news, although it is possible, it will be a miracle if I am able to get any of my files off.

So Billy boy won this round, and Vista takes adds to its list of casualties. Yet, during the phone call, of which the larger duration was spent on hold, all I could think about is it would have been nice to have some sports to take my mind off the computer.

What?!? But Mark, there is the NBA Finals, isn't that the best of basketball?

Sure I admit I will be following the Finals, but the match up seems way over hyped. All the major news outlets keep saying how great it is to have Boston and LA in the Finals; however, there are holes on both teams. This isn't like the teams in the 80's with All-star talent stacking both benches. No, this is a watered down version of the rivalry. Also I am torn on who to rout for in the series. I really don't like either team. KG is awesome to watch, but Boston fans are really annoying right now(Although they do have a valid reason for being annoying). Also the help that LA received in getting to the Finals angers me. If you listen you can hear me pound the side of my head every time ABC shows the statistic of free-throw attempts per series for Kobe Bryant. (Thud! Dang I can't think about that stat, I need my brain for classes.)

I feel my early prediction of Lakers in 5, can still come true. It will depend on Jackson out coaching Doc Rivers in the second game. (I still see that happening.) Yet, with the questionable circumstances leading up to the current Finals I wouldn't be surprised to see this series be encouraged to go seven games by the league. (That is all I am saying about the conspiracy theories.)

Also, what didn't help was the Stanley Cup Finals actually being good. I watched the final overtime of game 5, which was great. Then I watched, for the first time since the strike, a complete game of hockey, game 6. WOW! It was awesome. It was up tempo, it was fun, and it had drama. It came down to a save with 3.2 seconds left to preserve the win. With the puck sliding behind the goalie in front of the net as time expires. The HD also helped me to follow the puck, and might be what hockey needs to try and make a comeback.

There is baseball. Yet, it is hard to follow the games of a single team from Utah. What else is there to watch right now...Soccer? Please, I would rather be on the phone with tech guy Mike. Until the fix, I guess I am on the school computers. I guess it could be worse. My computer could have caught fire like a Dell, and there is less than 90 days until college football.

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Weekend Links and Videos

A short and sweet edition this week...

Great baseball article by Kirby Arnold of Heraldnet.com
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080420/SPORTS/48217425/1004/SPORTS#The.meaning.of.baseball

The TNT crew's response to Kobe jumping a car (KENNYYYY!!!)


Seeing that it looks like an early exit for Shaq-Fu and the Suns,here is a little playoff good-bye tribute to the Big Shaqtus.

And lastly, I continue strong with my theory that the Jazz should have traded Boozer for Kevin Garnett. If after watching the turn around in Boston after he arrived, and the dismantling of the Hawks(who have a very good big man in Al Horford) you still need more evidence of KG's greatness, this clip is for you. A taped interview with John Thompson while he was still on the T-Wolves. (just skip ahead to about the 4:00 mark and enjoy).

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Weekend Videos and Links

Links and videos I found this week...

Trying to curse the Yankees, a Red Sox fan buries a Ortiz jersey during the construction of the new Yankees' stadium:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3344825

Amazing pass by Stockton-to-Malone


You know things are bad for, former Ute, Andrew Bogut in Milwaukee when...


T-Mac just being T-Mac

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Mark's Thoughts: The Worst Feeling as a Sports Fan

Your Team has the game in hand, and then it all falls apart...

The third and fourth quarter of the Utah Jazz victory over the New Orleans Hornets, was a quarter of joy followed by a quarter of sheer dread. The Utah Jazz put the hammer down on the Hornets, in New Orleans, in the third quarter yesterday. Paul Millsap ending the quarter with a steal and a lay-up was the high water point of the night for the Jazz. You could put this game in the refrigerator and lock the door. Then it started... turnovers, missed shots, poor defense, and the Hornets started to make their run. The Jazz had their starters on the court, and the second unit made them look like they were walking in quick sand. They couldn't do anything for the first six minutes.

This situation might not have seemed so bad, except for the national championship game the night before. The Memphis Tigers had that game won. They had put away the Jay-Hawks with two minutes left in the game. Then it started... the officials review Rose's three and make it a two, Dorsey fouls out of the game on a touch foul, Kansas steals the inbounds pass and hits a three making it a four point game, and the free-throw shooting went ice cold. There was a huge momentum shift, and the Memphis sports fans were taken on a terrible ride of a melt down. Sure the Jay-Hawks made the three to send it to overtime and they played an excellent game in that overtime, but they didn't win that game, Memphis lost.



The Jazz had enough toughness to play some hard-nosed defense(which was great to see out of the Jazz because that is the missing piece for them to make a run in the playoffs) and made some key buckets to manage to win by double digits; however, the threat of the melt down was there and it scared the snot out of Jazz fans everywhere.



What is it about the "Melt Down" that kills sports fans? It is the fact that your team is close, so close, to achieving victory. I don't care who you are, if you are a fan of a team and you team is about to win, you are celebrating that victory in your head before it happens. You can see the writing on the wall, even if you don't vocalize it you still see it, the writing that says we are going to win this game. You, as a sports fan, are so happy about the victory that the defeat is that much harder to swallow.



There are different degrees of sports "Melt Downs." For example if the Jazz were to melt down last night and drop the game to the Hornets, it would hurt. It would be a frustrating loss that could affect the remaining part of the season. Yet, at the same time there would still be games left in the season, so the bitterness of the loss would be thick but not overwhelming. At the same time if you placed a sub .500 team in the place of the Hornets, and the Jazz were to lose, then the sting wouldn't be so bad. Of course it would be embarrassing to drop a game like that to an inferior team(especially considering that the Jazz have done that twice this season back-to-back, against Atlanta and Charlotte). Yet, the game was just one of a long season and you as a sports fan can move on from it.



Who your teams melts down to also makes a difference. The BYU vs Utah football games have proven that. If Utah loses on a last second pass in the end zone against San Diego State, it hurts. If that same pass came from John Beck to Harline, or Hall to Collie...it is a major melt down. The added sting of the rivalry is salt in your fandom's wounds. This is also one of the factors that made the Yankees melt down in the ALCS to the Red Sox, after being up 3-0 in the series, is arguably the greatest melt down ever. The melt down happened to a team the other team hates. For Yankee fans, if the melt down happened with another team it would still be hard to deal with, but having it happen to the Red Soxs...OUCH!

When the melt down happens plays a key role in the level of bitterness. The Mets breaking down at the end of the season, to miss the playoffs was bitter indeed. The length of the season of the MLB season added to the heartbreak of that melt down. The Major League regular season is the greatest marathon season in all of sports. For the Mets to be on top of the division for the entire season, and then lose the division on the last day of the season...that is what really kills you if you are a Mets fan(which I am by the way). The length also made it seem like a slow motion train crash, you could see it happening but you couldn't do anything about it or look away. Then as a Met fan you had to live with the shame of the melt down for the entire off season.

The timing of the Yankee melt down to the Red Soxs, in the ALCS, is another reason that it was so bitter to Yankee fans. They were in position to win another World Series, and then they became the butt of every ones jokes for the off season.

Melt downs in championships are the worst! That is what made the Memphis game almost gut wrenching to watch at the end. You had to feel bad for the Memphis Tigers players(unless you are a Jay-Hawk fan). They will have to live with the title of melt down for the rest of their lives. When they show historic comeback/melt downs they will always be on that list. Buckner, Portland vs. Lakers Western Conference Finals, Yankees vs. Boston ALCS, Chirs Webber's timeout in the corner, and the Memphis Tigers. That is not a list that you ever want yourself to be as an athlete. Or is it ever a place you want your team to be if you are a fan of that team/player.

Now there is the close call effect, which is what happened with the Jazz last night. Where your team starts to melt down but somehow holds on. That is one of the better feelings as a sports fan. Why? Your as a sports fan went to the edge, and saw the terrible disaster! You felt the dread and the hate of the loss. Then your team pulls it out! The BYU vs. UCLA bowl game is a great example of that effect. Manumaleuna wouldn't be a house hold name in BYU homes if he didn't save the Cougars season by getting his hand of the game winning field goal attempt by UCLA. That close call buzz was one of the best in sports.

Nothing is greater that victory for a fan, but the feeling you have after seeing your team melt down can haunt fans for years. Just say, "game six," in Utah if you think that Jordan's shot doesn't still sting Jazz fans. The melt down is the worst!

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Weekend Links and Videos

Weekend links/videos with a playoffs twist...

Here is a quick break down, by Daily Dime on ESPN, of the MVP candidates:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080401

Here is also an interesting write up by Gordan Monson (although I don't know if I agree with him), in the Salt Lake Tribune, about the most powerful people in the Jazz franchise:
http://www.sltrib.com/columnists/ci_8779517

Here is D-Wills "Where Amazing Happens" commercial


A great BYU spoof of the Where Amazing happens commercial


Classic Jim Mora, "Playoffs?!?"


I don't know why, but I think it is mandatory to show Allen Iverson's Practice rant every time the Jim Mora's clip is shown. So....here it is!


Lastly, since Korver arrived in Utah the question has been asked, why do women love him? Duh! "Chicks Dig the Long Ball."

(Side-note: After all the steroids revelations in Major League Baseball, this commercial seems to take on a whole new meaning.)

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Sports Etiquette: Be a Good Fan Around Kids

What is your obligation as a fan to kids sitting next to you...

Whether you bring them yourself or you're just sitting next to them, kids come to sporting events. It is a great thing, for the most part, to sit next to young kids at a sporting event. Usually, there is a little more work (putting up with a more movement in the seats, more cheering, and entering/leaving of the seat) you have to put forth while watching the game. Yet, seeing the happiness in victory or the disappointment of defeat in the attitudes of these young fans really makes it fun. Lately though the family friendliness of sporting events have taken hits. Too much beer being sold, and crude language has taken a toll on the behavior of fans. Seeing grown men climb over the top of kids to get a free T-shirt or fuzzy basketball is also disheartening. The majority of us have memories of going to sporting events growing up, and of having good/bad experiences with the older fans sitting around us. It is important, and should be the responsibility as a fan, that when you are sitting next to a young fan of your team at a game to make their experiences great. Here are some suggestion for making this happen:

1) Language! Language! Language! It is annoying to sit next to a foul mouth fan in general, but when you are sitting next to one and a young fan that goes over a line. Man up and tell the person to keep that type of language to themselves. The person that brought the younger fan to the game is usually looking for this back up to get those fans to shut up with the foul language.

2) Talk to younger fans. This is a little tricky. You have to play most situations by ear, but for the most part the younger fan is looking to feel included. Asking some simple questions, giving a high five, or explaining a question that they may have makes their experiences much better. You DON'T want to step on the toes of the person bringing the kid to the game. Also you don't want to hound the kid if they don't want to talk. Be smart, but do go out of you way to bring them into the game.

3) If you get a give away item (T-shirt, ball, Frisbee, etc...) give it to the kids. What are you going to do with a crappy little give away item after the game? Something like that makes the kid extremely happy, and will keep them following the team. Don't, under any circumstances, run over a kid to get to any prize, no matter what that prize is. There is no bigger jerk in all of sports than the drunk guy slamming a kid to a the ground to get a little stuffed item, with a corporate logo, thrown into the crowd.

4) Be patient! If the kids are standing and cheering...you can join in. Don't be the sit down guy. Who likes the sit down guy? Why do the sit down guys come to the games to begin with? Friends don't let friends be the 'sit down' guy!

Remember that the building of a fan base is always important. It is fun to talk sports with fans that actually know what they are talking about. This all start with getting the fans when they are young. You remember that fan you were sitting next to at a sporting event that made it fun, be that fan for the next generation!

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Quick Hits: Utah Jazz, Spring Football, MLB's Second Opening Day and More

Quick thoughts on the Jazz, baseball, spring football...

Utah Jazz Drop Key Game in Minnesota. At the end of any sports season people always look back and point out games that the team should have won. This year there are a few games that jump out of the loss column for the Utah Jazz: two games at Minnesota, on the road against the Heat, and dropping one in New York against the Knicks. After looking at these games the blame starts, the blame that the team wants to put on those games for not finishing higher in the standings. It is difficult to blame the lower finish of the season on these few games. Yes, the lose against the Timberwolves wasn't good for the Jazz; however, last night they weren't the better team on the court. The Jazz had key injuries to Okur, Kirilenko, and Brewer. Yet, flat out the team on the court last night for the Timberwolves wanted the victory more then any of the Jazz players on the court. Reality is any team in the NBA can beat any other team in the NBA on any given night. The games that people should point out at the end of the season are game when the Jazz just didn't show up at all. The December 29th loss to the Celtics at home, the January 17th loss at Denver, the February 29th blowout loss at the Hornets, and the March 20th egg laying against the Lakers. Those are all games that the Jazz just didn't show up to play, and could have had a much great impact on the final standings then loses against lower level teams.

Who Do the Jazz Want to Play in the Playoffs? - Here is the rankings from DON'T want to play to DO want to play:

Want to avoid at all cost
1)Spurs - When was the last time the Jazz won a game at San Antonio? 1998
2)Lakers - These first two could be interchangeable, but the injuries the Lakers have made them the better match up for the Jazz.
Would prefer not to play.
3)Suns - The Jazz match up well with the Suns, but they have the playoff experience to make the Jazz worry.
4)Mavericks - The Mavericks are slipping and might not make the playoffs, but they still have player the Jazz don't match up well with. Howard, Nowitzki, and Dampier have all had career games against the Jazz.
Tough series but they would be manageable.
5)Nuggets - If the Nuggets ever decided to play defense they would be a scary team to face. The key word though is, "if."
6)Rockets - No Yao Ming, big advantage to Utah. Yet, last year in the series against the Jazz, the Rockets almost played better in the series when Yao was on the bench. Just a thought to give pause to Jazz fans seeing this match up.
Bring Them On!
7)Hornets - Deron Williams owns Chris Paul. If somehow Chris Paul won the MVP, what more incentive would Williams need to humiliate Paul in a series.
8)Warriors - Baron Davis wake up screaming Boozer's name at the mention of another series against the Jazz.

Spring Football Panic - Fans seem to always panic when hearing reports about spring practices/games. Everyone just take a deep breath. Most of the key players are held out. The spring is an opportunity for coaches to teach schemes to new players, and set up an off season routine so players are ready in the fall. Calm down! Just enjoy watching and learning about the future stars of your team.

The Real Opening Day for MLB - Hoorrrrrrrrrrrray!!! Memo to Bud Selig: It isn't hard to do opening day right. Just plan games all day, in the United States, open the stadiums and enjoy. Yet, you even managed to get this wrong. No one else could have blown it worse than you did this year for opening day... oh wait, Craig Thompson just called and assured me he could have screwed it up much worse, point conceded. PLAY BALL!!!

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MLB: Opening Day Done the Wrong Way

Bud Selig ruins one of the best sports days of the year...

Spring is here! With it comes the high point of the sports year. The NBA is getting geared up for the playoffs. NCAA march madness is steam rolling towards the championship. The NFL draft brings new hope to fans of all teams of better times in the future. Spring training is finishing and opening day is around the corner...oh..wait...opening day is ...TODAY!

Yes the Boston Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics 6-5 in 10 innings. The game would have been a great way to start the season, if it would have even taken place in the United States. America's pastime again began in Japan. Baseball is trying to be a more global game, but opening day in Japan! What a way to destroy one of the best things about the sport of baseball.

Opening day should be a national holiday. (Like the Friday before the Super Bowl, and the first two days of the NCAA basketball tournament should also be) Baseball is an American game and really marks the official start of spring. (I know spring was a week ago, but no one cares until baseball starts) Starting the baseball season in Japan, in the early hours of the morning, should be considered a crime against every fan of the sport.

The other problem with this years opening day is the fact that both the Red Sox and A's are still going to be playing exhibition games after the official start of the regular season. That is just plain dumb! Even if you wanted to do the start of the season over seas, why would you at least schedule the first regular season game to be after all the exhibition games were played.

Bud Selig has never been a great commissioner; however, having opening day this early in the year, before all of the exhibition games are finished, over seas, and not taking into account the time change for fans of the team is a new low for his miserable tenure as commissioner.

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