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: The World Baseball Classic is Here Again

What is not to like about the WBC?

Three years ago baseball started a great experiment. A World Cup style format to showcase the global interest in their game. The result was a success. The tournament had better than expected ratings. The teams were well represented (not including Italy which was a joke four years ago). The players seemed to enjoy representing their countries, and the atmosphere for the games were electric in some cases in 2006. The World Baseball Classic takes everything that is great about the FIFA World Cup and makes it better. The WBC does this by playing a superior sport. If the WBC is managed correctly, then the WBC could be an international event in the coming years that the world would celebrate.

The one great argument that opponents of the WBC constantly use is the affect of playing in the WBC has on players performances for their MLB teams, especially how the WBC affects pitchers and their performances. What is the difference between the players training and playing with their MLB teams for spring training or practicing and playing for their country during the same time as spring training? The biggest difference might be that the players who train for their countries will come into the season in better shape compared to the players that went to spring training. Is there a greater chance of injury for players playing in the WBC compared to meaningless spring training games? NO! The players have the same chance of injury in either venue, and both teams have a staff of doctors that wouldn't want to risk the future of the players by overplaying them.

Early March is a great time to hold the tournament. There is a dead zone in sports at the present moment. March Madness is right around the corner, but the end of the season is dragging to a close before conference tournaments. Opening day is still a month away. Then baseball is only intense for the first month before teams settle in for the long marathon season. The intensity only returns during the latter part of the pennant race. To have intense competitive baseball played in the dog days of March is just great timing.

Baseball fans can also follow the drama of who will represent which country in the tournament. The social and political pressure used by certain countries to get their players to play. There is also the insane pressure placed on team USA to not only win the tournament, but with the tournament convincingly! If the USA enters any baseball tournament second place is a huge failure.

Could the teams be better? Sure, a lot of the bigger names in baseball decided not to play this year. Yet, the baseball that was played three years ago was pure, intense and fun. If you missed watching the WBC three years ago, then be sure to watch in this year.

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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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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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