2014: Harder to Breathe

English: Baltimore Ravens Training Camp August 20, 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Athletes who get paid millions in team salaries and endorsement contracts, then go out in public and protest police brutality should know one thing:  They are not LeBron James, whose influence and celebrity status transcend the basketball court.

Athletes who abuse the women and children in their lives, and otherwise break the law, should expect their employers to come down hard on them in fines and suspensions.  Well, sometimes, depending on how valuable you are to the team and how competent the investigation was.

Whatever happened to Michael Sam?

Just because the World Cup was a huge hit on TV, that doesn't mean soccer has arrived in America yet.

NBC will be televising the Olympic games through 2032.  In other words, FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!!!  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Bird enthusiasts want the Minnesota Vikings to put a special film on the glass in their new football stadium, so our flighty friends won't suffer as many concussions outside as the players do inside.  Why does this sound like a Windex TV commercial?

Donald Sterling no longer owns the Los Angeles Clippers, thanks to his unrepentant bigotry being caught on tape by his mistress.  Who's to say there aren't other Sterlings out there, only they're smart enough to keep their racism to themselves?

Bud Selig is retiring as Major League Baseball commissioner.  Time for a checklist of his accomplishments.  Labor peace?  Records forever altered by steroid use?  Rich teams getting richer through lengthy TV contracts?  More playoffs?  Making the All Star Game a grudge match for a World Series advantage?  Interleague play?  Being more beloved by owners than players and fans?  Check and double check.

Stephen A. Smith, Bill Simmons and other sports media hosts who make a living out of saying stupid things on the air sometimes goes too far and get suspended.  Is it too much to ask to think before you speak?

Mo'ne Davis made a big splash as a 13-year old girl who pitched in the Little League World Series.  Let's hope her newfound celebrity status doesn't affect her future college eligibility.

Becky Hammon is now an assistant coach for the NBA San Antonio Spurs, following a long career in the WNBA.  This shouldn't be a big deal, but it is.

Rory McElroy is the number one golfer in the world, and is getting better.  Tiger Woods, because of injuries and related things, is sinking slowly into the sunset.

Maybe someday, Johnny Manziel will become the stellar NFL quarterback everyone thought he'd be.  They said the same thing about Tim Tebow, and look where he is now--on ESPN as a football analyst.

The Federal Communication Commission ruled that "Redskins" is not obscene enough to ban it from TV, and have also refused to take away the license of one of Washington NFL owner Dan Snyder's radio stations.  By any other name, the Redskins will continue to be a dysfunctional franchise as long as Snyder owns it.

We say goodbye to . . .  Tony Gwynn, Jean Beliveau, Ralph Kiner, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Gilles Tremblay, Pat Quinn, Alvin Dark, Orlando Thomas.

The 2014 Owljock Bowl Guide

English: The Rose Bowl stadium before the 2009 Rose Bowl game. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Once more, what has become an annual tradition (just like, say, fruitcake), we bring you our list of college football bowl games you can watch or ignore at your peril this holiday season.

Nearly 40 games will be played between December 20 and January 12, 2015, spanning the North American continent from Hawaii to the Bahamas (both of which are on islands).  Four of them are new this year, and there are several that have added, changed or dropped sponsors.

This is the first season of the College Football Playoff, which replaces the late and unlamented Bowl Championship Series.  The format for the playoff is for a committee to choose four schools with winning football records, shoehorn them into two existing bowls on New Year's Day, then have the winners duke it out in a new championship game a week later at a neutral site.

The four CFP schools, by order of ranking, are:  Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State.  But even this system isn't perfect.  Institutions of higher learning such as Baylor, Texas Christian and Mississippi State started hollering about being left out of the CFP.  So naturally college football pundits are wondering how long it will be before the playoff resembles the NCAA Men's basketball tournament.

With that, here's this year's Bowl Guide.  It contains the name of the bowl, where it is, matchups, who televises them, and a brief description of what the title sponsor sells or represents.  Good luck to all the teams, and good luck to you for figuring all this out.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:  Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (New Orleans, LA 12/20)  ESPN  
Shipping firm.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:  Utah State vs. Texas-El Paso  (Albuquerque, NM  12/20)  ESPN
Active wear.

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl:  Utah vs. Colorado State  (Las Vegas, NV  12/20)  ABC
Auto products.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:  Western Michigan vs. Air Force  (Boise, ID  12/20)  ESPN

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl:  South Alabama vs. Bowling Green (Montgomery, AL  12/20)  ESPN
Broadcasting company.  First season.

Miami Beach Bowl:  BYU vs. Memphis  (Miami, FL  12/22)  ESPN
First season.  Played at Marlins Park, home of baseball's Miami Marlins.

Boca Raton Bowl:  Marshall vs. Northern Illinois  (Boca Raton, FL  12/23)  ESPN
First season.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:  Navy vs. San Diego State  (San Diego, CA  12/23)  ESPN
Financial services.

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl:  Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky  (Nassau, Bahamas  12/24)
ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.  First season.

Hawaii Bowl:  Fresno State vs. Rice  (Honolulu, HW  12/24)  ESPN

Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl:  Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech  (Dallas, TX  12/26)  ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.  Played at Cotton Bowl Stadium.

Quick Lane Bowl:  Rutgers vs. North Carolina  (Detroit, MI  12/26)  ESPN
Auto care shops.  Formerly Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl.

Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl:  North Carolina State vs. Central Florida  (St. Petersburg, FL  12/26)  ESPN
Digital currency.

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman:  Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech  (Annapolis, MD  12/27)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Hyundai Sun Bowl:  Arizona State vs. Duke  (El Paso, TX  12/27)  CBS
Automobile manufacturer.

Duck Commander Independence Bowl:  Miami vs. South Carolina  (Shreveport, LA  12/27)  ABC
Duck call manufacturer, owned by the guys from TV's "Duck Dynasty".

New Era Pinstripe Bowl:  Boston College vs. Penn State  (Bronx, NY  12/27)  ESPN
Sports apparel.  Played at Yankee Stadium.

National University Holiday Bowl:  Nebraska vs. USC  (San Diego, CA  12/27)  ESPN
Private, online college.

Auto Zone Liberty Bowl:  Texas A&M vs. West Virginia  (Memphis, TN  12/29)  ESPN
Auto parts stores.

Russell Athletic Bowl:  Oklahoma vs. Clemson  (Orlando, FL  12/29)  ESPN
Active wear.

AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl:  Arkansas vs. Texas  (Houston, TX  12/29)  ESPN
Nutritional supplements.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl:  Notre Dame vs. Louisiana State  (Nashville, TN  12/30)  ESPN
Financial services.

Belk Bowl:  Georgia vs. Louisville  (Charlotte, NC  12/30)  ESPN
Department stores based in the South.

Foster Farms Bowl:  Maryland vs. Stanford  (Santa Clara, CA  12/30)  ESPN
West Coast-based poultry firm.  Formerly Fight Hunger Bowl.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl:  Mississippi vs. Texas Christian  (Atlanta, GA  12/31)  ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.

Vizio Fiesta Bowl:  Boise State vs. Arizona  (Glendale, AZ  12/31)  ESPN
Consumer electronics.

Capital One Orange Bowl:  Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech  (Miami Gardens, FL  12/31)  ESPN
Financial services.

Outback Bowl:  Auburn vs. Wisconsin  (Tampa, FL  1/1/15)  ESPN2
Steak restaurant chain.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic:  Michigan State vs. Baylor  (Arlington, TX  1/1/15)  ESPN
Tires and blimps.

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl:  Missouri vs. Minnesota  (Orlando, FL  1/1/15)  ABC
Chicken wing restaurant chain.  Formerly Capital One Bowl.

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual (CFP Semifinal):  Oregon vs. Florida State  (Pasadena, CA  1/1/15)  ESPN
Financial services.

Allstate Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal):  Alabama vs. Ohio State  (New Orleans, LA  1/1/15)  ESPN
Insurance and financial services.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl:  Houston vs. Pittsburgh  (Fort Worth, TX  1/2)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Taxslayer Bowl:  Iowa vs. Tennessee  (Jacksonville, FL  1/2)  ESPN
Online tax preparation.  Formerly Gator Bowl.

Valero Alamo Bowl:  Kansas State vs. UCLA  (San Antonio, TX  1/2)  ESPN
Energy company.

TicketCity Cactus Bowl:  Washington vs. Oklahoma State  (Tempe, AZ  1/2)  ESPN
Ticket reseller.  Formerly Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

Birmingham Bowl:  East Carolina vs. Florida  (Birmingham, AL  1/3)  ESPN or ESPN2
Formerly BBVA Compass Bowl.

GoDaddy Bowl:  Toledo vs. Arkansas State  (Mobile, AL  1/4)  ESPN
Domain names.

College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T.  (Arlington, TX  1/12)
ESPN
Communications giant.  Teams to be determined.

Gopher Football '14: Almost Golden

Goldy Gopher, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities mascot. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The University of Minnesota football program has been mediocre for so long that its remaining fans are the ones who know where to find the games on TV on Saturdays.  It's where the cartoons used to be.

Well, thanks to the kind of season the team has had, an 8-4 record that included five BIG Conference (our name for the ever-expanding Big Ten conference, which just added two schools this year), a lot more folks are waking up to the fact that coach Jerry Kill in his fourth year has finally fielded a competitive team.

The gophers finished 5-3 in the BIG's West division, tied for second with Nebraska.  They would have won the division outright had they beaten Wisconsin, but too little passing and too much Melvin Gordon (a Heisman Trophy candidate who ran for 151 yards) gave the Badgers a 34-24 win at Madison in the season-ender.

Signature road wins at Michigan and Nebraska (who were admittedly having down years) and competitive losses--meaning they didn't lay down and die--versus Ohio State and Wisconsin, plus bad losses at Texas Christian and Illinois typified the Gophers' progress on the field.  Kill's defense was the key to many of their victories, but the offense led by quarterback Mitch Leidner and backs David Cobb and Maxx Williams helped themselves out a lot.

Realistically, it's going to be tough to convince anyone outside of Minnesota that the Gophers really have turned the corner.  It's been since 1962 that they've played in a New Year's Day bowl game, something they have a better-than-average chance of doing this year.  But when the Gophers are suddenly contenders and Ohio State is the BIG's only hope of getting into the new College Football Playoff, you know the conference is having a bad year.

Another byproduct of decades of mediocre football is the effect on recruiting.  The University of Minnesota is not considered a destination school like Notre Dame, USC, Alabama or Ohio State.  That's why they don't get the blue-chip athletes to play for Goldy Gopher, even if they're from Minnesota.  And they don't have the massive practice facilities that other schools do.  The U's board of regents must have figured:  We gave you a new stadium.  What more do you want from us?  We have enough problems getting funding from the state.

Then there's Jerry Kill, whose success has led to the inevitable rumors of him taking off for a better job somewhere else.  Though he keeps denying it, Kill could very well be the next Lou Holtz, who hightailed it for Notre Dame after bringing the Gophers a little success in the mid-1980s.  Kill could take his entire staff, most of whom have been with him for decades, to his new school.  And the Gophers would have to start all over again.

So enjoy this respite from mediocrity, Gophers fans.  Sooner or later, there won't be a reason to set the alarm for Saturdays at 11 a.m.   You can watch videos of cartoons with your kids.

Vikings '14: Waiting for Adrian Peterson

Peterson splitting defenders in the 2008 Pro Bowl. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Vikings are struggling to move forward under new coach Mike Zimmer, with a rookie quarterback and the enforced absence of their greatest offensive threat.  They are 4-5, which is good enough for third place in the NFC North.  But none of those four wins have been against divisional opponents.

The big question is what the Vikings should do about Adrian Peterson, who until recently was the face of the franchise.  He has been off the field and into a media firestorm over his legal troubles involving being accused of taking a wooden switch to his young son's behind, along with the revelation that he's been a prolific father.  Now Peterson has pled no contest to reckless assault charges, thus eliminating the need for a trial, and is free to go back to playing football.  The NFL, which is having enough problems with other alleged domestic abusers, hasn't said yes or no to Peterson's reinstatement pending a hearing.  The Vikings are even less certain.

Depending on what the NFL does with Peterson--reinstate him after what amounts to a half-season suspension, or have him sit out a few more games--the Vikings have a decision to make.  Do they want Peterson back, knowing they're going to take another PR hit because of the way they mishandled his status the first time?  Do they need him back, given that there's a small chance the team could make the playoffs?  Or do they simply let Peterson twist in the wind until they find a way to get rid of him?

Otherwise, how are things?  Quarterback of the Future Teddy Bridgewater became Quarterback of the Present two weeks into the season, when starter Matt Cassell went down with an injury that ended his year.  Bridgewater excited the Purple Faithful briefly, until it became obvious that the offense has sputtered under his leadership, and the defense has improved to the point where they've been winning games.  The offensive line has not done a good job of keeping Bridgewater from getting pummeled by opposing defenses.  Teddy Bridgewater may be a rookie, but he's learning about life in the NFL the hard way.

But consider the alternative:  Christian Ponder, who was once where Bridgewater is now, did so poorly subbing for him during a Thursday night game at Green Bay against the Packers that the Vikings were out of the game by the second quarter.

Cordarelle Patterson, Mike Asiata and Jerick McKinnon do not have the collective rushing power and impact of one Adrian Peterson, but they've proved capable of taking up the offensive slack in his absence.  Now if only Patterson could stick to playing like Randy Moss without acting like him . . .

Everyone know this is a rebuilding year for the Vikings with half the season remaining.  Nobody knew it would be anything like this.  But if they get a few more victories under their belt, the new coaching staff and the young players could lay the groundwork for better things in 2015.  Meanwhile, the elephant in the room remains Adrian Peterson and what happens to him going forward.  Therein lies the immediate future of the Minnesota Vikings.

UPDATE (11/18):  The NFL has decided to suspend Peterson for the rest of the season without pay, and he has until April to comply with their demands for counseling before there's a hearing to determine if he can go back to playing football.  Neither Peterson nor the players' association were too happy about the ruling, so they're going to appeal.  And as long as they're appealing, Peterson will remain on Commissioner Roger Goodell's exempt list so he can get paid.

This is the only decision the NFL could make after their bungling of the Ray Rice case.  They now realize that domestic and child abuse aren't "boys will be boys" issues that can be explained away with a fine and a mild suspension, not while answering to corporations whose survival depends on what their customers think.  And the Vikings?  It wouldn't surprise anyone if we've seen the last of Adrian Peterson in purple and gold.
'r

Paul Molitor: Hometown Hero Turns Twins Manager

Former Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers baseball star Paul Molitor is introduced to the crowd Sunday, July 24, 2005, at a Tee Ball game on the South Lawn of the White House, where he participated as first base coach. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After a fourth-consecutive season of more than 90 losses, the Minnesota Twins gave the old heave-ho to manager Ron Gardenhire.  They promised an extensive search to find a replacement, including some outside candidates like former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon (who ultimately went with the Chicago Cubs).  But everybody suspected the Twins would once again hire from within, with coach Paul Molitor and Fort Myers Miracle manager Doug Mientkiewicz the only real possibilities.

Those suspicions were confirmed when the Twins named Molitor its 13th manager since coming to Minnesota from Washington in 1961.  The last two managers current owners the Pohlad family have hired--Gardenhire and Tom Kelly--were on the job for a combined 27 years.

Molitor is well known in the Twin Cities area, having grown up in St. Paul.  He attended and played baseball for Cretin-Derham Hall high school and the University of Minnesota.  In a 21-year career spent with the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays and the Twins, Molitor had 3,319 hits, 234 home runs, 504 stolen bases, and a lifetime .306 batting average.  He's been to two World Series with the Brewers and Jays.  He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004 on the first ballot.

Molitor has had coaching gigs with the Twins and Seattle Mariners, but he hasn't managed a game until now.  At 58, he doesn't have much of a learning curve.

Molitor inherits a Twins team that's an uninspired mix of players who are either not ready for the majors, or are earning their paycheck just by showing up at the ball park.  Players who are traded or otherwise let go usually did better with their new teams than they ever did in Minnesota.  The new manager's task (as well as the coaches he hires) is to get the most out of the talent he's been given.

That's not going to be easy with a management that's not exactly known for thinking outside the box.  The Pohlads and General Manager Terry Ryan have been spending their money carefully, if not always wisely, on bargain-basement free agents and other talent that so far have not panned out.  All those rookies they drafted have yet to show the promise that was predicted for them.

Paul Molitor, despite his hometown-hero status, is not going to draw any more flies to Target Field as a manager any more than fellow St. Paulite Joe Mauer already has.  Molitor has to earn his keep by steering the Twins in a direction that shows marked improvement on the field and in the standings.  If he succeeds, he can be a Hall of Fame manager.  If not, well, he's already made his mark on Minnesota sports history.

Giants Are Baseball Royalty Again

Madison Bumgarner (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The San Francisco Giants won the World Series in 2010 and 2012, which were even numbered years.  So is 2014, and they won here too.  They defeated the Kansas City Royals 3-2 in the seventh game at Kauffman Stadium Wednesday night for their third title in five years.

Madison Bumgarner was the Series' MVP, pitching the last five innings of Game Seven in relief on two days rest after defeating the Royals in Game Five.  That made his record 3-0 during the Series, with plenty of help from teammates Joe Panik, Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence.

This Series was marked by great pitching (mostly by Bumgarner) and sometimes not-so-great pitching and fielding, leading to lopsided blowouts that sent Fox's TV ratings south.

Neither the Giants nor the Royals won a division title, so they had to get here through the Wild Card route, only losing one game between them.  The Giants defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals to take the National League crown.  The Royals, which had not been to a Series since Ronald Reagan was President, won the American League pennant by defeating the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles.

Now that the Series is over, San Francisco radio stations can start playing the Lorde hit "Royals" again.  They had banned the tune for the duration in the mistaken belief that this was the official song of the Kansas City team.  Let's just say that the good citizens of San Francisco will never be royals, but the Giants are once again kings of baseball.  At least until next season, which will be in an odd-numbered year.

Wolves 2014-15: Starting Over

Washington Wizards v/s Denver Nuggets January 25, 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a train wreck for most of its 25-year history.  Bad teams, bad deals, turnovers in the front office and in the coaching ranks, etc. have turned this franchise into not just one of the worst in the NBA, but in all of pro sports.  Even the once-in-a-lifetime players--Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love, to name a couple--that have passed through have honored the new Minnesota tradition of doing better somewhere else.

So here we are again, about to start another NBA season of the Timberwolves' commitment to mediocrity.  The big news, of course, is that Love has gone to the Cleveland Cavaliers to play with his new best friend LeBron James.  In Love's place are the Cavs' #1 draft pick Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Zach LaVine and Thaddeus Young--all highly-touted young players who haven't had much (or any) NBA experience.  Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic are still here, of course.  None of them have yet to whine their way out of Minnesota.

All of this dealing was engineered by general manager Flip Saunders, who has gotten good marks for getting whatever he could from the Love trade.  Now the task of taking these new players and molding them into a competent basketball team falls on coach Flip Saunders, who took the job for the second time when no one else wanted it after Rick Adelman resigned.

It goes without saying that the Wolves will not make the playoffs this season.  They haven't been there since the last time Saunders coached here, and that was over a decade ago.  Instead, they could end up challenging the Philadelphia 76ers for the worst record in the NBA.

Until then, enjoy Wiggins, LaVine and Rubio while you can.  It won't be long before these players get attractive offers to jump to competitive teams in bigger (and warmer) markets.  Or they become complete busts.  And the Wolves will once again be starting over.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for the rest of the NBA . . .

• LeBron James returns to Cleveland as the conquering hero.  Is it possible that James has already won his championships in Miami, and is winding down his career?
• Oh, by the way, the San Antonio Spurs are the defending champions.
• The Charlotte Hornets are back, but only after New Orleans gave up that nickname to become the Pelicans.
• The NBA no longer has a Donald Sterling problem, having forced him and his wife to sell the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer.  For two billion dollars.
• But they do have an Atlanta Hawks problem.  That team is for sale because their owner also uttered racially insensitive remarks, forcing him to sell his stake.
• The Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks are still in the league under new ownership.  Seattle continues to wait its turn.
• The NBA has re-upped with TV partners ESPN/ABC and TNT for the next decade.  Which means that the only way Rupert Murdoch can get Fox's foot in the door is to buy out Time Warner, TNT's parent company.  Oh wait . . . Murdoch tried that already and failed.

Here's who we think will survive the 82-game schedule come April.

EAST:  Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks.

WEST:  San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers. 

Wild 2014-15: An Oasis of Stability

Minnesota Wild (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Wild are in a unique position among the local men's professional sports teams.  They are the only ones that have made the playoffs in the past year.  They have the longest-serving coach in Mike Yeo, who's just signed a contract extension.  They don't have a player who demanded to be traded, or is in trouble with the law.  And the future is, at least on paper, better than it used to be.

The Wild, who made it as far as the second round of the NHL playoffs last spring, have added Thomas Vanek to their collection of blockbuster free agent signings.  Unlike the signings of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, this one has considerably less impact because everyone knew the Wild coveted the former Gopher Vanek.  They should compliment Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund rather nicely on offense.  Now if they could only get through a season without forgetting how to put the puck in the net.

Because of injuries, infirmities and other shortcomings, the Wild had to use every Tom, Dick and Harry they could get to play goal.  That is still a problem, because the Wild have somehow decided to stick with Niklas Backstrom, Josh Harding and Darcy Kuemper in the nets.  If those three can stay healthy and effective, the Wild can become real contenders.  If not, then you can start up the merry-go-round.

The Wild will make the playoffs again, but the issues with goaltending and offense must be resolved if they want to compete with the big boys in their own division (Chicago, St. Louis, Colorado, Dallas).  If not, then there won't be a dime's worth of difference between themselves and the other Minnesota pro sports teams in terms of mediocrity.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for the rest of the NHL, we find that the defending Stanley Cup champions are royally ensconced on the West Coast for the second time in three years. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs are generally considered to be the worst-run franchise in pro sports.  And this is supposed to be the league's flagship franchise.

The NHL can't shake rumors of a pending expansion.

In related news, it's the Arizona Coyotes now.  Which makes sense because the team has been playing in an empty building in Glendale instead of Phoenix for several years.

There are just two outdoor games this season:  The Winter Classic in Washington, and another game in the new San Francisco 49ers stadium in Santa Clara.  Maybe the novelty has worn off?

Our choices for who will be in the playoffs come April 2015 are as follows:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:  Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings.

WESTERN CONFERENCE;  Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild.

Twins Contract Ron Gardenhire

English: Minneapolis, Minn. (July 17, 2006) - Minnesota Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire the Minnesota Twins vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays game. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When Ron Gardenhire became Minnesota Twins manager in 2002, the team's lousy record and inability to acquire a new ballpark made them a candidate for contraction by Major League Baseball.

Thirteen years and a change of residence from the Metrodome to Target Field, the Twins are still members in good standing with MLB.  Gardenhire managed the Twins to six American League Central division titles, one League Championship appearance, and consistent playoff futility against the New York Yankees.  His overall record was 1068-1039, which may or may not take into account the 72 times he was thrown out of games for arguing with the umpire.  He was also named American League Manager of the Year in 2010.

Gardenhire was let go Monday as Twins manager, when the team finally realized that four consecutive seasons of losing more than 90 games wasn't cutting it any more.  It wasn't all Gardenhire's doing, of course.  Management should share the blame for the injuries, steady stream of callups from the minors and the overall lack of talent caused by their unwillingness to spend any more than the bare minimum despite the revenues coming from the new ballpark.

There was also a long list of former Twins players--Joe Nathan, Justin Morneau and Francisco Liriano, just to name a few--who did much better with other teams than they ever did in Minnesota, and that's also a knock on Gardenhire's managerial style and The Twins Way.

Since the Pohlad family bought the Twins from Calvin Griffith in 1984, they have had four managers--Billy Gardner, Ray Miller, Tom Kelly and Gardenhire.  The last manager they had to fire was Miller, and that was in 1986.  Kelly lasted 15 seasons with two World Series championships before resigning in 2001.

So who's next?  General Manager Terry Ryan--who's been under fire himself, but says he's staying on--has indicated that he will look far and wide for Gardenhire's successor.  But most believe the next manager will come from within the ranks, just like the other ones.  Paul Molitor and Terry Steinbach are two of the most often mentioned candidates.

Whoever the Twins end up hiring as manager had best prepare for a long stay.  The Pohlads are not in the habit of disposing their personnel like tissues, no matter how much grief they get from critics and fans.  It would also help the new manager if the Twins started winning 90 games on a consistent basis instead of losing 90 games.  Then that really would be the Twins Way.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our projected World Series matchup:  Baltimore Orioles vs. Los Angeles Dodgers.

Burning Questions

English: Hope Solo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How can we miss Derek Jeter when he won't go away?

Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson aren't playing football because of allegations of domestic abuse.  What about Hope Solo?  Why is she still playing soccer when she's charged with doing the same thing?

When is Jameis Winston going to grow up?  And when is Florida State going to stop enabling him?

Is the Big Ten a bigger conference or a bigger mediocrity?

If Major League Baseball is serious about shortening games, why put those with connections to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox (the game's version of "War and Peace") on a committee to study it?

Is Bud Selig really going to retire as commissioner of baseball?

Where has Roger Goodell been hiding?

How long will it be before it becomes less fashionable for commentators to refer to the Washington Redskins as "the Washington NFL team"?

How can the 49ers claim to be San Francisco's team when their new stadium is closer to San Jose?  Shouldn't they be called the Golden State 49ers?  And why don't we ever hear about the New Jersey Giants and Jets, or the Fort Worth Cowboys?

So when are London and Los Angeles going to join the NFL?

After Donald Sterling, is there any NBA owner who doesn't have a racist bone in his body?

Has a certain brand of toilet bowl manufacturer bought the naming rights to the proposed Golden State Warriors arena in San Francisco?  Will the name still be "Golden State"?

When is the NBA returning to Seattle?  And when is it leaving Minnesota?  Or has that already happened?

Why would the NHL want to expand when there are a number of teams on thin ice?  If there's a second Toronto franchise, what happens to the Buffalo Sabres?

Shouldn't Major League Soccer and its teams forge their own identities instead of copying the European leagues?  Or don't they have one?

With TV rights for major sports events locked up for the next decade or so, how can networks like Fox Sports 1 and NBCSN expect to survive?

Should commercial broadcast TV bow at the feet of the NFL for keeping them in business?

Should Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers be credited or blamed for bringing back every third-rate "Saturday Night Live" character in those State Farm insurance commercials?

Is "All Day" All Done in Minnesota?

U.S. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, left, commander, U.S. Pacific Command, poses for a picture with Adrian L. Peterson, a professional football player with the Minnesota Vikings, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, Feb. 10, 2008, during the pre-game ceremonies for the National Football League's 2008 Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl brings together the top players in the National and American Football Conferences. VIRIN: 080210-N-8623G-008 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To date, Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings has rushed for more than 10,000 yards and scored 91 touchdowns as a running back, setting many team and NFL records.  From the moment he was taken in the 2007 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma, Peterson has been the man people thought of when they thought of the Vikings.  His image hung on giant-sized posters, cereal boxes, tickets, and an artist's rendering of what the new football stadium in Minneapolis would look like.

Peterson's football career right now is suddenly in jeopardy.  A grand jury in Montgomery County, Texas has indicted him with the accusation of physically abusing his four-year old son with a tree branch, also known as a switch.  Peterson faces up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine if he's convicted.

The Vikings responded by leaving Peterson out of their game Sunday against the New England Patriots, which they promptly lost 30-7.  Some of the fans at the University of Minnesota's stadium were wearing Peterson jerseys in support.  One woman thought it would be hilarious to come to the game wearing Number 28 while holding a wooden stick.  One wonders if she regrets it today.

On Monday, it was announced that the Vikings have reinstated Peterson, who will be in the lineup for Sunday's game at New Orleans.  The NFL has yet to weigh in on this matter.

What were the Vikings thinking, you ask?  In a week that saw Ray Rice lose his job with the Baltimore Ravens over a video that showed him knocking his wife unconscious, the Vikings blew an opportunity to send the message that child abusers will not be tolerated.  Just like they've been slow to support gay rights or get drunk players off the road.

The Vikings and others may believe that Peterson is innocent until proven guilty, and that's certainly true.  In this climate, however, the charge of child abuse might be too much to overcome.  Peterson has said that he never intended to hurt his son, but the pictures purporting to show the child's injuries are nothing to gloss over.  Can you imagine what would have happened to Peterson if this were child sexual abuse?

Corporal punishment is legal in Texas, but it is no longer considered an appropriate form of punishment by most parents due to its bordering on child abuse.  Throughout history, whippings have been used as a way to keep certain people in line.  We would like to think that the human species have evolved from such barbarism.  But three beheadings by members of the Islamic State have proved us wrong.

Adrian Peterson should consider himself fortunate that the Vikings have chosen to take him back, at least temporarily.  Until a Texas jury renders a verdict, it will be impossible for him to go anywhere without the media following his every move and fans reminding him of what he's accused of.  It will also be difficult for us to see Peterson on the football field without thinking of the Pat Benatar song "Hell Is For Children".  All day and every day.

UPDATE (9/17):  The Vikings have just placed Peterson on the "Exempt/Commissioner's Permission" list, meaning he is no longer welcome to participate in team activities until his legal issues are settled. (But Peterson would still get paid, according to the team.)  In politics, this would be known as a "flip flop".  It seems the team was more motivated by companies who have either pulled their sponsorships, or were threatening to, than they were to the torrent of criticism laid down by commentators, politicians and ordinary fans alike.  Whatever the case, the Vikings hope this lessens the chances of this season being turned into All Drama, if it hasn't already.  And the players on the field can do a pretty good job of turning people's stomachs without Peterson in the lineup.

Football, Lies and Videotape

U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander, U.S. Central Command, poses for a photo with NFL Hall of Famers Lynn Swann, Roger Craig, John Elway, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during Super Bowl XLIII, Feb. 1, 2009, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The world has now seen the video of Janay Palmer Rice assaulted in an Atlantic City casino elevator by her significant other, NFL star Ray Rice, courtesy of TMZ.  No need to go into the details, except to say that it makes Rice look like he should have picked on someone his own gender.

At first, Rice was suspended by the NFL for two games.  Then the more graphic video came out, prompting the Baltimore Ravens to cut him loose.  The league, after much public pressure, revised Rice's punishment to an indefinite suspension.  Define "indefinite".

As bad as the video was, this situation has turned into a sports version of Watergate.  You know, what did the NFL know and when did they know it?   Commissioner Roger Goodell, who seems to be channeling President Richard Nixon, claims not to have seen the full video before everybody else did.  But there was one report that the tape had been made available to the league office for months, and whoever was in charge must've sat on it.

The NFL should have had all the evidence at their disposal before making their judgment on Rice.  The fact that they did not, and that they chose to look away, makes the league and Goodell look like incompetent fools.  To save face, they've asked former FBI director Robert Mueller III to launch an independent investigation into the matter.  How "independent" the investigation will actually be is anyone's guess.

Some wonder why Goodell hasn't already resigned or been fired for his negligence in this and so many other matters.  Because the NFL owners who employ him are happy with the way he has kept the league rolling in the dough, they see no reason to unload him.  Yet.

Domestic violence isn't the only serious problem the NFL must address.  There's also drug use, driving under the influence, and illness caused by concussions.  With the Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson indicted by a grand jury in Texas for allegedly swatting his son with a switch, you can add child abuse to the list. 

Women make up nearly half of the NFL's fan base.  They should not be patronized by pretending to care about breast cancer awareness by donning pink every October, or giving light sentences to those players who mistreat their women and children, or paying less than minimum wage to cheerleaders. 

Obviously, the NFL and its fans want all of this negative stuff to go away and just play the games.  We are ready for some football, thank you very much.  Just don't forget that many of the players on the field have wives and girlfriends.  We have no idea how they're treated off the field, but chances are real good that there may not be video evidence the next time someone decides it's OK to hit a woman.

Lynx '14: One More Run?

Augustus in 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Lynx have been to the WNBA championship finals for three consecutive years, winning titles in 2011 and '13.  Not this year.

The Lynx dropped two out of three to the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Western Conference finals.  Both of these teams had the best records in the league this past season, but the Mercury had a slightly better year.  They will now face the Chicago Sky for the WNBA championship.

With the relatively brief women's pro basketball season in North America, the key to success seems to be having your team play well and be as healthy as possible.  That's what happened with Phoenix and its stars Diana Taurasi and Britney Griner.  The Lynx did not have that luxury, with Seimone Augustus (among others) sitting out at various times during the season because of injuries.

It also helps if you play well enough to take care of your opponents early and often.  The Lynx were 25-9 during the regular season, but some of their wins and losses came after slow starts--something they couldn't have afforded to do if they wanted to win another trophy.

Maya Moore had another season worthy of being the WNBA's most valuable player, which is why she won that this year.  Moore will be a star in this league for years to come, but what about some of her Lynx teammates?  Mother Time is ticking for Augustus, Lindsay Whalen and Janel McCarville, who are nearing the end of their careers.

According to media reports, coach Cheryl Reeve's squad seems to believe they have at least one more shot at a WNBA title and do not need to make many changes to make it happen.

So 2015 will be a crucial year for the Lynx.  Not only will they once again be favored to contend again, but the competition will be a lot fresher and better.  In short, the window is closing and it's time to prove they've still got it.

Vikings '14: Out In The Cold

English: TCF Bank Stadium on September 12, 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This Minnesota Vikings season will be spent mostly outdoors for the first time since 1981.  For the next two years, they will be playing at the University of Minnesota's football stadium while their new home in downtown Minneapolis is under construction.

Do the Vikings have a team that can survive in all kinds of weather?  In their last Metrodome season, they were 5-10-1.  Leslie Frazier and most of his coaching staff have been replaced by Mike Zimmer and his new coaching staff, which includes former NFL head coach Norv Turner as offensive coordinator.

Nothing's wrong with the offense if you have Adrian Peterson and Cordarrelle Patterson in the backfield.  It's the quarterback position that needs work.  After a disastrous 2013 season in which three different signal callers were used, Matt Cassel has been named the starter for this season.  Rookie Teddy Bridgewater is apparently the Vikings' quarterback of the future, but right now he's an understudy.  Christian Ponder?  As of this writing, he's still a Viking.  What the team plans on doing with him, who knows?

It also appears as if Peterson is reaching the end of his effectiveness as a playmaker, having reached the advanced age of 30.  Oh, he could fool us all and his greatest seasons could be yet to come.  But when reports surface that Peterson has allegedly been calling Dallas owner Jerry Jones about possibly finishing his career as a Cowboy, it makes you wonder.  Didn't another superstar just leave the Twin Cities?

The defense will be even less capable of stopping the other team's offense, now that Jared Allen has taken his talents to Chicago.  Chad Greenway will have to take up the slack in leading a team of rookies and free agents in improving its numbers on turnovers, and that won't be easy.

A neck-and-neck battle for third place in the NFC North with the Detroit Lions, along with a 6-10 finish, may or may not be enough to warm the freezing hearts of Vikings fans.  But as we've said before, the team is in transition mode until 2016.  And Mike Zimmer is a transition coach.  Don't expect too much.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our picks for who will make it to the playoffs in January.

NFC EAST:  Philadelphia Eagles
NFC WEST:  Seattle Seahawks
NFC NORTH:  Green Bay Packers
NFC SOUTH:  New Orleans Saints
WILD CARDS:  Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers

AFC EAST:  New England Patriots
AFC WEST:  Denver Broncos
AFC NORTH:  Cincinnati Bengals
AFC SOUTH:  Indianapolis Colts
WILD CARDS:  Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans

The Emmys: Breaking Same

59th Primetime Emmy Awards (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In a world where everything changes in the blink of an eye, the Emmy Awards are a blessed oasis of sameness.  Whether out of inertia or just plain laziness, the Television Academy (with few exceptions) awards those who have been nominated year after year and usually win year after year.  Consistency is a good thing, unless you're trying to keep an audience from going elsewhere.

The evening begins with a monologue from a late night talk show host of the network that is televising the Emmys.  This year it was Seth Meyers.  He's NBC's way of reminding folks that he's no longer on "Saturday Night Live", and has his own talk show now.  He follows Jimmy Fallon.

Stop us if you've heard these before.  "Modern Family" won for best comedy for the fifth consecutive year.  "Breaking Bad" for a second year as best drama.  "The Colbert Report" repeated for best variety show.  And "The Amazing Race" has, not so amazingly, won another Emmy for best reality competition.

Even some of the actors who won Emmys have been to the podium before.  First, the comedy category:  Ty Burrell ("Modern Family") for best supporting actor.  Allison Janney ("Mom") for best supporting actress.  Jim Parsons ("Big Bang Theory") for best actor.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Veep") for best actress.

In the drama category:  Aaron Paul (supporting actor), Anne Gunn (supporting actress) and Bryan Cranston (lead actor) all won for "Breaking Bad", which just completed its final season.

There were exceptions to the sameness.  "Fargo" won for best miniseries.  "The Normal Heart" won for best movie.  And broadcast TV was thrown a bone when Julianna Margulies got the best actress nod for the CBS drama "The Good Wife".

Even the "In Memoriam" seemed familiar.  Hire a pop star--in this case Sara Bareilles--to sing a mournful tune while images of the dearly departed who had anything to do with TV float by to polite applause.  Then save the biggest name for last.  In this case, it was Robin Williams who was saluted by Billy Crystal.  Watching clips of Williams reminded us that he never stopped trying to make us laugh.  Sometimes he tried too hard, and that might have been part of the reason why he burned out.

The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, rescheduled for a Monday night in late August this year because of NBC's commitment to Sunday night NFL football, may have found its niche in what used to be called summer rerun season.  As long as they nominate the same shows and the same actors year after year, the Emmys may as well be a rerun in itself.

Summer of (Kevin) Love Is Almost Over

Wizards v/s Timberwolves 03/05/11 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Turn on almost any form of media, and you're likely to encounter the latest scuttlebutt on where Kevin Love will be playing in the next NBA season.  Next to the return of LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers, this is all anyone's talking about.

Love has one more season on his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves before he enters free agency.  After years of never making the playoffs in the tough Western Conference, Love now wants to find out what life is like on a real NBA team.

So the Wolves have been shopping Love around, with the team's president of basketball operations (and also coach) Flip Saunders holding out for a player or two who might make a deal worthwhile.  The parade has so far gone through Boston, Chicago, Phoenix and Golden State.  Then James made his decision to come home, which made the choice a bit clearer.

The latest batch of media reports tell us that a Wolves-Cavs deal is imminent.  According to those reports, Love goes to Cleveland for Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Williams and next year's top draft pick.  The thing is, nothing is official until August 23 because the Cavs had just signed Wiggins to a contract and, under NBA rules, no deal can be made for thirty days. 

Whether the trade goes through or not (and if it does, it'll be the worst-kept secret in sports), the summer of Kevin Love should be winding down.  Everyone knows Love doesn't want to play in Minnesota any more, and the Wolves have done everything possible to get what they could for him before he could walk away, leaving them holding the bag.

So if Kevin Love wants to trade in one cold city for another in search of a championship, that's his business.  When it finally happens, we'll all be looking for the next disgruntled athlete seeking greener pastures.

The NFL: Trouble In Paradise

U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander, U.S. Central Command, poses for a photo with NFL Hall of Famers Lynn Swann, Roger Craig, John Elway, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during Super Bowl XLIII, Feb. 1, 2009, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The National Football League occupies the loftiest penthouse in North American sports, basking in high revenues and TV ratings.  They like to keep themselves in the news beyond the football season with the draft in the spring, team practices (also known as "Organized Team Activities") in the early summer, and training camps in mid-July.  They also tinker with the rules, create prime time specials on NFL Network showcasing its 2014 schedule, and let others ruminate about whether the league will ever expand to London or Los Angeles.

Unfortunately for the NFL and its commissioner Roger Goodell, controversy is always in season on and off the field, threatening its immediate and long-term future. 

• Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens has been served with a two-game suspension from the NFL for alleged domestic abuse.  That's right.  Two games.  That should go over real well with the female fans the league has been trying to court, other than the patronizing display of pink this and that every October to promote breast cancer "awareness".
• Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was arrested for driving under the influence.  Players have been fined and suspended for similar violations under the league's drug policy.  NFL owners?  Please.  Goodell's job status depends on those people.
• The continuing controversy over the Washington Redskins' nickname.  The more pressure there is to change it to something less offensive, the more Goodell and team owner Dan Snyder push back against it, the longer the name continues to exist.
• The presence of Michael Sam, the first openly-gay player in NFL history.  So far, Sam has been warmly welcomed by the St. Louis Rams.  Others, such as former Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy, really step into it when they publicly consider Sam a "distraction".
• The NFL settled with some of its former players for an increase in compensation for diseases that result from head injuries.  Some of the biggest stars who used to play the game, you may (or may not) be surprised to learn, now have symptoms of dementia.
• Some NFL cheerleaders are suing their teams for failing to pay them so much as a living wage.
• Parents are steering their kids into other sports as concern about concussions in football mount.  Even Brett Favre, who was knocked around a few times during his career, has said he would not let his kids play the game.

There have been predictions of the eventual demise of the National Football League, or at least the diminishing of it.  While such talk clearly is as exaggerated as premature reports of Mark Twain's death, the signs are troubling.  Even though the league is raking in billions through sold-out stadiums and new TV contracts, they are threatening to kill the golden goose to the point where only the wealthy can afford to attend games (if that's not happening already) and schedules are expanded, risking life-threatening injuries to its players.

But who cares about all that?  Who gives a flying pig about wife beaters, drug cheaters, oversensitive crybabies, and old-timers who can't remember what they had for breakfast?  Bring on the beer, the nachos and the big screen, man!  It's time for the GAME!

At least that's what the NFL hopes you'd want.  Selective amnesia. 

The Derek Jeter Game

Derek Jeter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The American League defeated the National League 5-3 Tuesday night in The Derek Jeter Game (also known as the 85th Major League Baseball All-Star Game) at Minneapolis, thus achieving home field advantage for the World Series.

The focus of this game, Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, obliged by hitting a double and a single in his two at-bats.  Then he was ceremoniously replaced in the fourth inning to thunderous applause from the Target Field crowd, applying the famous "Minnesota Nice" touch to a man they would otherwise refer to as "that Yankee jerk" whenever his team played the Twins--or in much stronger language than we use here.

Jeter, who's currently on his season-long Retirement Tour after two decades in Yankee pinstripes (in much the same manner as Mariano Rivera last season), is a great player who certainly deserves the Hall of Fame-worthy career he has had.  All-time Yankee hit leader.  Team captain since 2003. A five-time World Series champion.

But Jeter is also baseball's most enigmatic player.  In this age of social media, sports talk radio and the tabloid press, Jeter has somehow managed the feat of keeping his life to himself.  Which is tough to do when you play in New York City.  According to some reports, even his teammates don't know him.

Major League Baseball seemed to have built this All-Star Game around Jeter, but at the expense of recently deceased icons such as Tony Gwynn and Don Zimmer.  Jeter's first at-bat, for all intents and purposes, was sponsored by Nike.  Gwynn and Zimmer?  Gwynn played his entire career with the San Diego Padres, and Zimmer was a lovable old coot who spent several decades in baseball in various roles.  But the Padres aren't the Yankees, and there's no money in marketing the dead.

So when the season ends and the last cap is tipped, Derek Jeter will fade into baseball history.  He will be remembered by teammates, opponents and fans alike for his competitiveness and his class.  Which is something Major League Baseball should also learn when it comes to honoring its legends, whether they played in New York or not.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The circus has left the Twin Cities, and Target Field will once again host a Minnesota Twins team that wants to believe they have a shot at an American League Wild Card playoff spot.  Problem is, they are 44-50 and 10 1/2 behind the division-leading Detroit Tigers.

Pitcher Glen Perkins and catcher Kurt Suzuki distinguished themselves in The Derek Jeter Game by shutting down the National League in the ninth inning to preserve the American League's victory.  They, along with Phil Hughes, Brian Dozier and Sam Fuld have been bright spots for yet another Twins team beset by injuries and incompetence.  Even the acquisition of Kendrys Morales has been a disappointment so far.

If the Twins come out of the gate running in the second half of the season, a lot of us who wrote this team off will be in for a big surprise.  If they stumble?  To paraphrase former Vikings coach Dennis Green, the Twins are who we thought they were.

World Cup '14: Number Four for Germany

FIFA World Cup 2014 logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In spite of the protests, the bloated budgets for stadiums (and the political fallout that might result), and the failure of its team to win at home, Brazil did well as hosts of the 2014 FIFA Men's World Cup.

Everyone seems to agree that the right team--Germany--won soccer's world championship this time.  Mario Goetze scored the only goal in the finals late in extra time to giver his country a 1-0 victory over Argentina.  Not only was this Germany's fourth World Cup title, but the first since East and West were reunited.  It was also the first time a European team has won this tournament in the Americas.

Earlier, Germany stunned the world with their 7-1 pasting of Brazil in the semifinals, plunging that country into mourning.  The loss of Neymar, the Brazilians' best player, was a contributing factor.  But nobody expected a collapse like this, a situation compounded by their getting shut out in the third-place game by the Netherlands.

As the soccer world looks toward Russia in 2018, ESPN will be handing off its World Cup TV coverage after two decades to Fox.  This has been causing a lot of nervousness among American soccer fans, because ESPN had finally started taking the sport seriously.  For one thing, they replaced novice American announcers with more seasoned British commentators such as Ian Darke and Derek Rae.  This approach, along with the United States team being more competitive, has resulted in the highest TV ratings soccer has seen in this country.

The problem lies with what Fox might do with its World Cup coverage, starting with the women's tournament in 2015.  Would they follow ESPN's lead and treat the sport and its viewers with respect, or would they just dumb it down with animated robots and the "NFL on Fox" theme--just like they do with everything else?  (We can't wait to see how they'll do golf's U.S. Open starting next year.)

One sign that Fox might pander to the lowest-common denominator is the inclusion of Gus Johnson as its lead soccer voice.  Much better known for covering football and basketball in a style that suggests he should be calling NHL hockey instead, Johnson has not gotten high marks from soccer fans in the matches he's done so far.

It's true that soccer in the U.S. needs its own Al Michaels, Marv Albert, Vin Scully and Mike Emrick.  Ian Darke and Derek Rae have come the closest to achieving this level.  But Fox believes Johnson is the future.  Is he that guy?  We don't know.

One thing we do know:  Soccer is a sport that can unify a nation in victory.  It can also break your heart.  Just ask Germany.  Or Brazil.

The Decision II: Back to Cleveland

English: LEbrick banGS playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers Español: LeBron James con los Cavaliers (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The King of the NBA has spoken.  He's taking his talents back to the shores of Lake Erie.

LeBron James, instead of another drawn-out TV special, chose to make his plan known via Sports Illustrated's website.  After four years on South Beach and winning two of the last four NBA championships for the Miami Heat, James announced he's returning home to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers next season.

Imagine that.  No more speculating on ESPN and elsewhere on where James would turn up next, which has dominated basketball for the past year or so.  No more logjams among NBA free agents such as Carmelo Anthony, who have been on pins and needles waiting for LeBron to make up his mind.  And no more "Big Three" in Miami, though Chris Bosh is reportedly sticking with the Heat.

Does this also mean the end of the Kevin Love trade rumors?  The Cavaliers appear to be interested in taking Love off of the Minnesota Timberwolves' hands, and Love appears interested so long as James is in the picture.  The main stumbling block is whether or not the Cavs want to part with Andrew Wiggins, the number one pick in the recent NBA draft.

LeBron's decision puts the Cavaliers in the category of contending for the NBA title.  However, James would be working with a much younger cast than he did in Miami, when he had Bosh and Dwyane Wade to lean on.  Whether Love comes to Cleveland or not, James would have Wiggins and Kyrie Irving (who had been holding down the fort while James was in Miami) in his backcourt.

Akron, Ohio is where LeBron James hails from, and the nearby Cavaliers was his first NBA team.  Yet he left it all for the bright lights and bigger bucks of Miami, where he did very well for himself.  Now James says it's all about coming home.  How's Cleveland supposed to feel, having been jilted once?

In the SI essay, James said that just because he's back with the Cavs, the fans shouldn't expect a championship.  At least not right away.  It's been 50 years since a Cleveland team won a professional sports title, when the original Browns won the NFL championship in the pre-Super Bowl year of 1964.  Even LeBron tried and failed to bring an NBA championship to his hometown, with the San Antonio Spurs sweeping the Cavs in the 2007 NBA Finals.

A famous author once said that you can't go home again.  LeBron James will be testing that theory for the next few years.  Can he be the one who finally breaks the Curse of Cleveland?

World Cup '14: America Is Not a Soccer Power. Yet.

Soccerball with USA flag (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At the halfway point of the 2014 FIFA Men's World Cup, teams vying for soccer (or football, if you prefer) supremacy have been whittled down to eight.  The expected teams are still here:  host country Brazil, Argentina, Germany and the Netherlands.  Some left unexpectedly:  England, Spain, Mexico and Italy.  The major underdog in this bunch?  Costa Rica.

Other than Luis Suarez of Uruguay getting suspended by FIFA for four months for allegedly taking a bite out of an opponent, reports of members of the Cameroon squad allegedly throwing matches, and demonstrations in Brazilian cities questioning the wisdom of their government in building so many potentially useless stadiums, it's been a quiet World Cup so far.

The United States side was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Belgium, who scored two goals in extra time to move on to the quarterfinals.  It was a surprise that the Americans made it this far, considering how goalkeeper Tim Howard almost single-handedly saved their rear ends while the offense sputtered, and the defense failed to get the ball out of their own zone.

The U.S. beat Ghana in the opening round, then tied Uruguay when they lost their lead with seconds left, and then were shut out by Germany.  But the Americans still had more goals in that round than either Ghana or Uruguay, so they got out of the "Group of Death", whether they deserved it or not.

Granted, the United States is nowhere near ready to contend for the World Cup.  Even coach Jurgen Klinsmann has admitted as much.  It is also folly to suggest that, because of record TV ratings on ESPN and Univision, soccer has arrived as a major sport in America.  It just means that Olympics-style jingoism is alive and well.

Millions of kids play soccer growing up because their parents feel better about not paying for expensive equipment, and because they believe the risk of injury is minimal.  Just a ball, shorts, and the ability to kick for long distances is all that's necessary.  However, there is a concussion risk if you head the ball or crash into your opponent--that is, unless youth leagues, high schools and colleges start requiring helmets and other safety equipment.

Once they grow up, though, most kids abandon soccer in favor of other sports.  Watching soccer is not the same as playing it, because Americans won't sit through scoreless ties with hardly any action.  If they did, Major League Soccer would be packing them in at NFL stadiums instead of dinky little "soccer-specific" parks.

Speaking of MLS, the two groups that want to bring a franchise to the Twin Cities had better take another look at the TV ratings.  While cities with MLS teams (and some who don't) have posted gains in viewership. Minneapolis and St. Paul seem to be lagging toward the bottom of the ratings.  Does this mean that Minnesotans aren't all that interested in the World Cup, and that an MLS team would be a waste of time and money?  Or does it mean that having a pro team would have greatly accelerated interest?

Soccer in the United States, it's been said, is the game of the future.  And it's been that way for decades.  Not to dismiss the efforts of the women's soccer team, who won their own World Cup in 1999 and have been contenders ever since, but if the sport is to attain major status in this country, the men's team has to win a world championship.  That could happen in the next 10-20 years, if things fall right. Only then will people say that for American soccer, the future isn't what it used to be.

The San Antonio Spurs' Last Roundup?

Spurs logo 2002–present (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Over the course of 18 seasons, Greg Popovich has coached the San Antonio Spurs to four NBA titles (1999, 2003, '05 and '07) with the same basic cast of players from around the world, including Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.  They just added a fifth, defeating the Miami Heat in five games and avenging their finals loss of a year earlier.

The Spurs won Game 5 Sunday night 104-87 at AT&T Center in San Antonio.  Kawhi Leonard, who won the award for most valuable player in the playoffs, scored 22 points with ten rebounds.  LeBron James led the Heat offense with 31 points and ten rebounds.

The tone was pretty much set in Game One, which was played with the air conditioning inside the Spurs' arena broken.  Miami had the lead, but James left the game in the second half with cramps in his leg.  The Spurs ended up winning the game, and the Heat never really recovered.  It could also be argued that James was the offense for Miami during the series, and all his teammates did was stand and watch.

The Spurs, with the best record in the NBA this season at 62 wins, dominated a tough Western Conference.  In the playoffs, they got past the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder (in that order) to get to the finals.

The Heat kind of coasted through a weak Eastern Conference, feeling confident enough to give up the top seed to the Indiana Pacers.  They went through the Charlotte Bobcats and Brooklyn Nets before dispatching the Pacers in the conference finals.

Over the off season, Miami's Big Three--LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh--have some decisions to make.  Should they stick with the Heat and possibly add some talent (maybe Carmelo Anthony, if the scuttlebutt can be believed), or should they take their talents elsewhere?  The balance of power in the NBA might depend on the answer.

As for the Spurs, nearly two decades of excellence could be on the line.  It is not known how long Popovich, who's a man of few words to TV sideline reporters, will continue coaching.  Duncan, Ginobili and Parker, among others, might decide to call it a career.  Whatever happens, the good folks of San Antonio, Texas might do well to enjoy the championship team they have now.

Stanley Cup Goes Hollywood, Again

Los Angeles Kings (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Los Angeles Kings are the NHL Stanley Cup champions for the second time in three years, needing two overtime periods to defeat the New York Rangers 3-2 Friday at the Staples Center to take their series in five games.  Alex Martinez scored the winner with nearly six minutes to go in the second overtime.  After the game, the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP went to the Kings' Justin Williams.

The Kings would never have gotten here if the San Jose Sharks, who had a 3-0 lead in the opening round of the playoffs, had won one more game.  They didn't do that, and the Kings won the next four.  LA then went on to beat the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks in the next rounds.  They had plenty of help from goaltender Jonathan Quick and goal scorers Martinez, Williams, Marion Gaborik and Willie Mitchell.

(If you are a Rangers, Minnesota Wild or Columbus Blue Jacket fan, how galling it must be for Gaborik to win the Cup and your team didn't.)

The Rangers made it this far thanks to the big pads and stick of goaltender Henrik Lundquist and goal scorer Martin St. Louis.  Their road went through the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens.  Still, the Rangers have not won the Cup since 1994, and the Madison Square Garden faithful will keep reminding them of that fact until they do win one.

So the Stanley Cup will be chilling on the beaches of Southern California for a second summer.  Also for a second summer, there are reports that the Kings are about to be put up for sale by its owner AEG.  If it ever happens, the sale should go a lot smoother than that other Staples Center tenant, the NBA Los Angeles Clippers.  No need to go into why right now.

But the Los Angeles Kings, while they weren't the most dominant team in the NHL this past season, have proven that the Western Conference is where the best hockey is being played right now.  The Kings and Blackhawks having won four of the last five Stanley Cups is proof enough of that.

World Cup Soccer: The Not-So-Beautiful Game

Foto da minha viagem de helicóptero pelo Rio. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From the jungles of the Amazon to the clothes-optional beaches of Rio de Janeiro, everyone in Brazil is waiting with bated breath as the 2014 FIFA Men's World Cup begins.  Because, in the land of Pele, they've had several years to prepare for this and the 2016 Summer Olympics.  From what we're hearing, they're still not ready.

What will greet visitors and a worldwide TV audience are the unfinished stadiums (nothing says unfinished like uninstalled toilets), the possible violence and political unrest, because the government in Brazil was apparently too slow and corrupt to deal with the challenges that came with hosting such an event.

Brazil, being the world soccer power that they've been for decades, is considered the favorite to win this year's Cup.  That's what people thought back in 1950, the last time the Brazilians hosted this tournament, before Uruguay walked off with the trophy.   Should that happen again . . .well, you don't want to know what's going to happen.

As for the United States men's soccer team (also known as USMNT, which sounds like an old Lucky Strike cigarette ad if you say it a few times), coach Jurgen Klinsmann is charged with leading them to respectability and nothing more.  Klinsmann hasn't made many friends doing it, having bounced Landon Donovan (its best-known player) from the team, and suggesting that the U.S. has no shot at winning the World Cup.  It may not be politically correct, but Klinsmann is just stating the obvious for a soccer-indifferent nation.   Oh, and they also happen to play in the so-called "Group of Death" in the first round, facing Germany, Ghana and Portugal.

For FIFA, the governing body that runs the World Cup, Brazil is only the beginning.  In 2018, the tournament goes to Russia, where Vladimir Putin's land grab in Ukraine is a sore spot.  In 2022, it goes to Qatar. 

Most soccer observers believe putting the World Cup in Qatar, a country based near the Persian Gulf, in the middle of summer is a recipe for disaster.  Temperatures hovering near the top end of the thermometer could be dangerous for players and spectators, meaning many matches would have to be be played late at night and early in the morning.  There have also been reports of alleged bribery involving FIFA and Qatar officials, which might have influenced the vote in awarding the World Cup to that country.  Efforts to move the tournament out of Qatar have so far been unsuccessful.

So that's how it is prior to one of the biggest sporting events in the world.  With any luck, what goes on the field during the next month should overshadow anything that occurs off of it.

Is Horse Racing Fading Down The Stretch?

horse racing (Photo credit: micheleart)

It's been 36 years since horse racing has had someone of the equine persuasion win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes--three of the sport's biggest races--in the same year.  California Chrome will attempt to become the 12th horse to do that Saturday at the Belmont in New York.

A brief history of the Triple Crown from the mid-20th century to today:  In the 1940s, four horses--Whirlaway in '41, Count Fleet in '43, Assault in '46 and Citation in '48--accomplished this feat.  A quarter century passed before Secretariat completed horse racing's hat trick in 1973, to be followed by Seattle Slew ('77) and Affirmed ('78).

Then it was nothing, zip, nada for the last three and a half decades.  That doesn't mean there hasn't been horses who have gone two-thirds of the way, but for some reason never got it done at the Belmont.  Maybe it's the length of the track, which is a mile and a half, the longest of all the Triple Crown races.  Maybe the owner or trainer decided to pull him from the race.  Or maybe some other horse had a better day.

Horse racing has changed a lot in the past 36 years.  What was once the Sport of Kings has devolved into something less than that as more states allowed pari-mutuel betting and other forms of gambling (thereby limiting the need to book a trip to Las Vegas or Atlantic City), tracks going bankrupt, and attendance and TV ratings decline.

Drug scandals have also taken its toll, with some state racing associations issuing rules that prohibit horses and jockeys who have certain types of performance-enhancing substances in their system from competing.  Sometimes they border on the ridiculous.  California Chrome would not be racing in the Belmont if the New York Racing Association hadn't rescinded its ban on nose strips, the kind you and I would use to breathe better at night.

Whether California Chrome (or any future horse) wins the Triple Crown or not, the horse racing industry can't count on it to reverse its decline.  Perhaps we're become more enlightened about horses and what they're put through to make it in racing, but it's still something to watch them perform at their best.  Perhaps we've also become sensitive to those who bet their life savings again and again at the track, only to lose them again and again, creating heartache for family and friends.  Or maybe there's just too many other things competing for our attention.  Whatever it is, horse racing is fast becoming a losing bet.

UPDATE (6/5):  The wait continues.  California Chrome finished out of the money at the 146th Belmont Stakes, tied for fourth behind the winning horse named Tonalist.  Well, maybe next year.

UPDATE (6/7/15):  Next year just happened.  American Pharoah became the first Triple Crown winner of this century, and the first since Affirmed in 1978.  He was the only horse to compete in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes this year--and won all three.  Now all that's left is to retire to stud.  American Pharoah won't save the horse racing industry like a lot of people hoped, but at least he's brought it some attention.