Penn State: Truth and Consequences

Joe Paterno (Photo credit: seng1011)

Jerry Sandusky, former assistant football coach at Penn State University, is on his way to prison having been convicted of molesting boys in incidents dating back 15 years.  Joe Paterno, who had been PSU's head football coach since the 1960s until he was fired, has been dead for a few months.

Both were named in a report released Thursday by former FBI director Louis Freeh, which pointed the finger at PSU officials--Paterno especially--for covering up and passing the buck on Sandusky's misdeeds.

Now there are calls for Penn State to suspend its football program for a year or two, and to tear down Paterno's statue, which currently sticks out like a sore thumb on its campus.  That big, hulking football stadium which stands as a monument to Paterno even without the statue can just sit idle and grow weeds.

The NCAA, which has the power to strip its member schools of its football programs--something they last did with Southern Methodist University for less heinous crimes back in the 1980s, is considering doing the same thing with Penn State.  But they probably won't, because in college football the NCAA has much less power and influence than it used to have.  Conferences such as the Big Ten (of which Penn State is a member), who recently set up a post-season football playoff without the NCAA's help, run the show now.  And football, along with the television money that comes with it, is what floats the boat on schools' athletic budgets.

Joe Paterno's legacy has taken a major hit in the past few months since the scandal broke.  He's gone from being a legendary coach who won national championships and who graduated most of his players on time, to a world-class manipulator former President Richard Nixon would have been proud of.  Paterno claimed up and down in interviews before his death that he didn't know how to handle Sandusky's preference for young boys, when the Freeh report said he did know and didn't do anything about it.

The report also mentioned that there were janitors who said they witnessed what Sandusky and his young male partner were doing in the locker room showers, but did not report it for fear of losing their jobs.

OK, folks.  Put yourself in the janitors' shoes.  If you had witnessed what they did, what would you have done?

The correct answer, of course, is to report the incident to the police and the proper authorities.  But out here in the real world, you'd be wise to keep your mouth shut.  Say one word about it and you can lose your job, get threatening phone calls, and your family might be harassed.

This is why whistleblowers go into hiding, in spite of new laws that supposedly protect them.  This is why some murder cases go unsolved, because witnesses either have a severe mistrust of law enforcement, or a fear of ending up dead themselves.  In other words:  Don't snitch, if you know what's good for you.

For the victims of Jerry Sandusky, most of whom are grown men now, the damage has already been done.  They must live with this the rest of their lives, whether anyone was brave enough to stop the abuse or not.

The football games will go on at Penn State sooner or later, because people tend to have short memories.  Students and boosters alike will put aside the horrors of young boys being abused while university officials looked the other way, as the pride of the school is put to the test on the football field.  Because that's college football.

Twins 2012: Perception Isn't Reality

Justin Morneau (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you've listened to Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven (and sometimes Ron Coomer or Roy Smalley) on Minnesota Twins baseball telecasts long enough this season, you might be under the impression that if the team caught a few breaks, they could actually have a shot at an American League playoff spot.

The reality is that, with another slow start out of the gate, the Twins are again bringing up the rear in the AL Central division after the All-Star break.  They are 36-49, eleven games in back of the division-leading Chicago White Sox.  That's not as bad as the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners in terms of who's the worst teams in Major League Baseball, but it's pretty close.

The offense on the Twins has improved because Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer have been relatively healthy for the first time in quite awhile.  Newcomers Josh Willingham and Trevor Plouffe have also shown an ability to hit the ball beyond the fences.  They won't make anyone forget Jim Thome (now with the Baltimore Orioles), but still . . .

As for the pitching--well, where do we start?  There have been 11 different starters so far this season, due mainly to injury or ineffectiveness, which has prompted the Twins to call up Cole DeVries and Samuel Deduno from their Rochester, N.Y. minor league team.  Francisco Liriano, an embarrassment at the start of the season, is now pitching well enough to possibly get traded to a contender.  And Glen Perkins has done a so-so job as the team's closer while Matt Capps nurses an injury.

By the time you see this, some of these players may be traded elsewhere or let go on waivers.  General manager Terry Ryan is having a tough time deciding whether or not the Twins should be buyers or sellers.  It comes down to this:  If you think you have a shot at the playoffs, then you'd better get yourself some starting pitching.  If you don't, then start getting rid of your high-priced talent in favor of prospects.

Unless you've moved on to your Netflix account, or are counting the days until the NFL training camps open, try this exercise.  The next time Dick and Bert (and Ron and Roy) give even the slightest hint of optimism about the Twins' play, clap your hands and make a wish.  It won't actually work miracles, but you might feel better about yourself and the baseball team you've been watching.

Wild Take Fourth of July Gamble

English: Zach Parise (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On the hottest July 4th in Twin Cities history (101 degrees), the Minnesota Wild threw a firecracker at the rest of the National Hockey League by signing two of the most coveted free agents this year.

Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils and Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators agreed to terms with the Wild, each armed with 13-year, $98 million contracts.  Both are from (or have ties to) Minnesota, and wanted to play together.  Both rejected offers from other NHL teams that have winning traditions and/or deeper pockets.

Wild owner Craig Leipold was finally willing to spend his way out of mediocrity in going all out to land Parise and Suter.  Suddenly, the team is a Stanley Cup contender after having missed the playoffs for the last four seasons.  Ticket and jersey sales are stating to pick up.

Are Parise and Suter really worth all that money?  Who knows?  Other NHL teams who have locked up their best players in contracts that last at least a decade have had varying results.  No wonder, as the new collective bargaining agreement is being negotiated, some NHL owners tend to plead poverty.  TV money can only take you so far.

Then there's the unavoidable fact that, once a player signs a big contract, his career goes downhill and his team is stuck with a financial albatross.  Look no further than the Minnesota Twins, who signed Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer to long-term deals just to keep them from going elsewhere in free agency.   Injuries have prevented Morneau and Mauer from being more productive on the field.  And Mauer's contract has become a financial impediment for a now-struggling Twins franchise.

The Wild had better hope they got what they paid for with the acquisition of Parise and Suter.  Otherwise, this could turn out to be a long-term dud, if the franchise doesn't go bankrupt first.  Thirteen years is a long time.

Miami Heat: A Championship Decision

Miami Heat (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

When LeBron James made his nationally-televised decision to take his talents to South Beach, the city of Cleveland erupted in anger because he abandoned not only the Cavaliers, but his native state of Ohio so he could win a championship in sunny Florida.  He joined the Miami Heat along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form a potential superteam that would dominate the NBA for years to come.  It hasn't worked out that way.  Until now.

The Heat won their second NBA championship in franchise history Thursday night with a 121-106 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, winning the Finals in five games.  James, who was unanimously chosen as the Bill Russell Finals MVP, scored 26 points, and had 11 rebounds with 13 assists.

LeBron, to be sure, had plenty of help from Wade, Bosh, and the other members of his supporting cast:  Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller and Shane Battier.  But it was James who worked the hardest to give the Heat its title.  In the tradition of Willis Reed playing hurt while leading the New York Knicks to the 1970 NBA title, and Michael Jordan leading his Chicago Bulls past the Utah Jazz even though he was sicker than the dog, James tried his best to play late in Game 4 with leg cramps before being taken out.

The Thunder, who used to be the Seattle Supersonics, blew through the Western conference with its lineup of twenty-something players such as Kevin Durant and Russell Westerbrook.  In Game 5, Durant was the leading scorer for the Thunder with 32 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.  This team is seen by everyone outside Miami as the antidote to the Heat, not to mention as future champions.

These Finals had the distinction of (A) having color-coordianted crowds, with a sea of white t-shirts inside Miami's arena and blue and white t-shirts inside Oklahoma City's arena.  Individualists need not apply.  (B) Both teams not only have nicknames depicting weather phenomena, but they also happen to have the letter 's' missing at the end.  (C) Pat Riley, now in the Heat front office, winning another title.

Basketball fans will never forgive, nor forget, the way LeBron James handled his departure from the one city in America that has nothing but its sports teams to hang its hat on, to a city that has everything going for it, including sunshine and a definite lack of smokestacks.  But for today, don't call him a villian.  Call him a champion.

Birdman of the U.S. Open

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 17: Webb Simpson of the United States (R) poses with the trophy as Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland looks on after Simpson's one-stroke victory at the 112th U.S. Open at The Olympic Club on June 16, 2012 in San Francisco, California. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

The outcome of the U.S. Open golf championship in San Francisco was as foggy as the weather itself.  Nobody broke par over the four days on the Olympic Hills course.  Leaders were many, but no one player seemed to take command without using questionable judgment on their shots.

The winner was Webb Simpson, who finished at one over par.  More to the point, he was the only one on the course who didn't lose the tournament.  Graeme McDowell and Ernie Els (among others) had their chances, but Jim Furyk--who had been tied for the lead going into the final round--was just painful to watch as he finished at three over.

We need to talk about Tiger Woods.  Ever since his life (and his game) fell apart on that fateful Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, the world has been waiting for him to reclaim his spot as the dominant golfer of the 21st century.  So far, that's not happening.  Oh sure, every time he wins (or comes close to winning) a PGA Tour event, people get excited talking about whether Tiger's back or not.  But majors are what Woods lives for, because in his mind, that separates a great golfer from being merely a good one.  The last major Woods won was the 2008 U.S. Open.  In the state of California.  Playing on what turned out to be a broken leg.

Woods was tied for the lead going into the third round Saturday before his play  caused a slow fade down the leader board.  On Sunday it cratered when he finished seven over par.  At this point, all the talk about how Tiger was going to obliterate Jack Nicklaus' record of winning the most majors is simply that.  Tiger Woods is no longer the greatest golfer on the planet.  He can still be a very good one when he puts his mind to it.

Which leads us back to Simpson.  Nothing personal, but he's become the umpteenth no-name golfer who happened to be in the right place at the right time to win a major in the past few years.

How insignificant Simpson's victory turned out to be was underscored during his post-match interview with NBC's Bob Costas.  While they were talking, some idiot in a bird costume stepped in front of the camera and started cawing before security removed him.  At least he wasn't naked.

Now imagine what would have happened if Woods instead of Simpson were talking to Costas, and Birdman tried to do the same thing.  NBC could not have used the delay button fast enough.

This is the state of golf in 2012, folks.

Kings of the Stanley Cup

The Kings' primary logo from 2002–2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another championship banner is headed up the rafters of Staples Center in Los Angeles this fall, and this time it's not the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Kings, who began in 1967 as one of six teams the National Hockey League added when they expanded west, won its first Stanley Cup Monday night.  They defeated the New Jersey Devils 6-1 to take the best-of-seven series in six games.

The Kings were nobody's choice (outside of diehard fans and brave hockey pundits) to win the Cup at the end of the regular season, having just barely made the playoffs as the Number Eight seed in the Western Conference.  Then the waves parted.  Favorites fell left and right.  The Kings won all but one road game as they made short work of Vancouver, St. Louis and Phoenix on their way to a 16-4 playoff record.

If you want to make a successful playoff run, sometimes all you need is a hot goaltender.  The Kings had one in Jonathan Quick, whose stellar performances between the pipes earned him the Conn Smythe trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.  Other than that, name one player on the Kings besides team captain Dustin Brown and coach Darryl Sutter.  These guys did what Wayne Gretzky could not do when he played in L.A.:  Bring a championship to the Southland.

The Devils were also not considered Cup material with their Number Six seed in the Eastern Conference.  But behind goalie Martin Brodeur (who's hoisted a few Cups in the past) and Zach Parise (who just priced himself off the Minnesota Wild as he becomes a free agent), they swept past Florida, Philadelphia and the New York Rangers in hard-fought series to get to the finals.  But falling behind to the Kings 3-0 before threatening to become only the second team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to make the ultimate comeback was simply too much to ask.

It has already been a successful year in terms of the NHL spreading the gospel of hockey to places where ice is what you put in your drink.  In addition to the Kings, San Jose, Phoenix, Nashville and Florida all made the playoffs--which more than made up for half-empty arenas during the regular season.  But if your team is in Tampa Bay, Anaheim or Dallas and they didn't make the playoffs, then you have a problem.

The Phoenix Coyotes used to have that problem, being a bankrupt, league-owned team on the verge of leaving town.  But one long playoff run later, it looks like they're going to get new owners who'll keep them in the desert.

Winning a Stanley Cup will also do wonders for the Kings off the ice.  Its current owners are reportedly putting the franchise up for sale, which means they can now charge a heftier price than they would have if they hadn't won the Cup.  They also signed a new TV deal with Fox Sports West that takes them to 2024.

There are storm clouds on the horizon for the NHL.  The collective bargaining agreement, which has been in place since a lockout canceled the 2004-05 season, expires in September.  The league and the players association, now headed by Donald Fehr (who helped take Major League Baseball into the abyss in 1994), have yet to negotiate on a new deal.  They have a lot to negotiate, from salaries to concussions to realignment to participation in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.  Let's all see if the NHL's owners dare to cancel another season.

For now, the Stanley Cup takes its spot on the beach next to surfer dudes and those California girls Katy Perry keeps talking about.  In Southern California, it's good to be the Kings.

For what it's worth, this is our 100th post.  Thanks for your support.

Dark Star at the Finish Line

Dark Star was the name of a horse that won the 1953 Kentucky Derby.  It was also the pseudonym of George Chapple, who initially used it as his handle for a Los Angeles newspaper as a track handicapper while working in the financial business by day.

After Chapple moved to the Twin Cities to work in the auto leasing business, he made his radio debut in 1985 calling into "Monday Night Sportstalk" on KSTP-AM.  Identifying himself as "Dark Star", he told hosts Joe Soucheray and Patrick Reusse that he had information that Bud Grant would resign as Vikings coach--for the second time.  Which eventually turned out to be correct. 

For the next quarter-century, Dark Star parlayed that phone call into a media career that included handicapping columns, TV shows, and a long-running late night talk show on WCCO-AM.  And he still found time to play the ponies at Canterbury Park in Shakopee.

Off the air, Dark was reputed to be a world-class schmoozer, chatting up sports, business and political leaders at his favorite hangouts.  So much, in fact, that he was accused of kissing up to the powers that be in forming the opinions that he did.

After CBS (the owners of WCCO) bought out Dark Star's contract in 2010, he moved to KFAN on a part-time basis, mostly being a frequent guest on Dan "Common Man" Cole's show.

On June 1, Dark Star was scheduled to go on the air with Cole, but never showed up.  He was found dead in his Minnetonka home at the age of 66.  The cause is under investigation.

Dark Star was unlike anyone you ever heard on the radio in the Twin Cities, which is what made his passing so shocking.  He wasn't a professional broadcaster, a former athlete, a sports columnist, or had anything to do with politics.  Instead, he acted and sounded like a regular guy who got the break of his life and was making the most of it.  Now it's time to cash in the chips.

For more on Dark Star's life and career, we invite you to read a profile the Star Tribune did on him back in 1993, written by John Carman.  Find it at http://www.startribune.com/.