The NFL 2018: It's Lonely At The Top

When you're the most dominant force in American professional sports and in pop culture, as the National Football League is, everyone wants to take shots at you.  As the 2018 season gets underway, the reputation of the league has been fielding body blows.  To wit:

• Colin Kaepernick, the man whose taking a knee during the "Star Spangled Banner" to protest social injustice cost him a football career, continues to haunt the NFL with lawsuits and with becoming the new face of Nike's "Just Do It" ad campaign.  The controversy refuses to go away as long as Kaepernick sits, President Donald Trump yells about how un-American he and other (black) athletes are, conservative fans confuse protesting with disrespect for Our Flag and Our Troops while burning Nike apparel, and TV ratings go down. 
• Meanwhile, as long as Kaepernick sits, the NFL continues to employ alleged domestic abusers.
• New rules involving penalties on violent hits and the phasing out of kickoffs for the sake of lessening on-field concussions has its heart in the right place, but is confusing the heck out of everybody from players and coaches to referees, fans and broadcasters.  A little clarity, please?
• The NFL has replaced Papa John's with Pizza Hut as the Official Pizza of the league.  No amount of sausage and pepperoni could save former CEO and TV spokesperson John Schnatter from the wrath he faced over his use of the N word.  But Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still has his back.
• Terrell Owens is now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  For reasons known only to Owens, he chose to have his induction ceremony in Tennessee instead of Canton, Ohio.  But then, T.O. has always marched to the beat of a different drummer.
• Johnny Manziel is back playing football, this time in the Canadian Football League.  After being benched by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Manziel was traded to the Montreal Alouettes, where he promptly threw too many interceptions and got injured.  But he's still turning his life around, right?
• Fox is the new home for the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" package.  CBS gets the Super Bowl in Atlanta this season.  Mike Tirico replaces Dan Patrick as host of NBC's "Football Night in America".  And ESPN's "Monday Night Football" trades in Sean McDonough (went back to college football) and Jon Gruden (went back to coaching the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders)  for Joe Tessitore and Jason Witten.

Other than that, things are great in NFL-land.  Here's who we see as eligible for the playoffs come January.

NFC
East  Philadelphia Eagles
West  Los Angeles Rams
North  Green Bay Packers
South  Atlanta Falcons
Wild Card  Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints

AFC
East  New England Patriots
West  Kansas City Chiefs
North  Baltimore Ravens
South  Jacksonville Jaguars
Wild Card  Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills

At KSTP-AM, Reusse and Soucheray's Ride is Over

When KSTP-AM (1500) began running an ESPN-branded sports format in 2010, they built on the success of shows hosted by newspaper columnists Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Joe Soucheray of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, which was left over from the conservative talk format they had.  They were also the radio home of the Minnesota Twins, and the University of Minnesota's men's hockey and basketball programs.

Now it's 2018.  The Twins and Gophers broadcasts have gone elsewhere, but 1500 ESPN (as they're currently known) is still the proud home of Minnesota United FC soccer matches.  The station lags way behind KFAN (KFXN-FM 100.3) in terms of audience and prestige.  You could say that KSTP was doomed from the moment KFAN switched its signal from AM to FM a few years ago, because AM radio does not have the cachet it once did.  That's why nearly every AM station will spend whatever it takes to put their signal on any leftover FM frequency they could find, just so they could say they're on FM.

So the Hubbard Broadcasting-owned station is making a few changes.  They swept out nine hours' worth of local programming effective after September 7, including Soucheray's "Garage Logic", Reusse's drive-timer "The Ride", and their jointly hosted "Sports Talk".  These shows were also heard across Minnesota in syndication.

Reusse and Soucheray had been hosting shows on KSTP separately and together for about 35 years.  They have been heard on Monday nights and later Saturday mornings with the wackiest cast of callers ever heard on Twin Cities radio, rivaling anything Charlie Boone, Roger Erickson and Steve Cannon ever did.

"Garage Logic", which has been on the air since 1993 as the only non-sports program on the station, is expected to continue as a podcast.  Maybe Soucheray could ask Tony Kornheiser, who also left radio for podcasting, for some pointers?

Also out the door at the Big AM 1500:  Phil Mackey and Judd Zulgad's late morning show, and newscaster John Hite.

What will KSTP do with all the free time it just created?  Put on more ESPN or syndicated shows?  Go back to right-wing talk (the elections are only a few weeks away)?  Start over with new, younger hosts?  From what we're hearing, even station management doesn't seem to know.

But we do know this.  Joe Soucheray and Patrick Reusse will be ending their radio careers at KSTP shortly after a farewell run at the Minnesota State Fair, having said that they never expected to be on the air this long, and that they've enjoyed the run they had.  So did we.

Trump Fouls LeBron on Twitter

President Donald Trump has picked up where Don Rickles left off as the new master of the insult.  The difference between the two is that Rickles was a stand-up comedian who used to denigrate celebrities, minorities and others on TV and in his nightclub act, and everyone thought it was hilarious.  Trump does much of the same thing in his Twitter posts and during his campaign-style love-ins.  But in his position as Leader of the Free World, nobody seems to know whether he's kidding or not.

The latest of Trump's controversial missives concerns NBA star LeBron James, who did a TV interview with CNN's Don Lemon to promote the startup of a school for at-risk kids in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.  James told Lemon that, among other things, the President was using sports to divide the country along racial lines.

After the interview aired, Trump tweeted that Lemon was "the dumbest man on television" who made James look smarter by comparison.  The President concluded by saying he liked Mike, which presumably meant he preferred Michael Jordan to James in the debate over who was the greatest basketball player in the last 25 years.  Or is it because Jordan plays golf?

Up until now, Trump hasn't insulted James for his past criticisms the way he has with other African-American athletes--most of whom refuse to be seen with him even if they've won a championship.  The President's remarks about James' "low IQ" must have been due to his bypassing college for the NBA, but that really has nothing to do with his intelligence.

The other reason is more political:  James recently left the Cleveland Cavaliers (for the second time) to go play for the Los Angeles Lakers.  Ohio is one of the states Trump needs to win re-election for a second term in 2020.  With LeBron out of the way and is now considered fair game, Trump believes he has a better shot at doing that.

Dozens of NBA and other athletes, including Jordan, have come to James' defense with tweets of their own which criticize the President.  But LeBron is too busy to care about that right now, what with his charitable efforts, the TV projects he's lined up, and just getting ready for next season with his new team.

Rickles, who died in 2017, is now considered a comic legend for getting laughs with his insults.  President Donald Trump, who used his tweets and public appearances to hurt and belittle people with his insults, is on his way to becoming a legend in his own mind.

World Cup: Vive le France!

The FIFA World Cup, soccer's quadrennial spectacle, ended with a tricolor hue Sunday in Moscow.  The French team defeated Croatia 4-2 to win its first championship since 1998.

The French, who became heavy favorites once perennials Germany, Brazil, England and Mexico all went down, benefited from handball fouls in the penalty area and a Croatian own goal.  But they also dominated the play for much of the match.  Kylian Mbappe became the first teenager (at 19) to score in the World Cup final since Pele 60 years ago, to go along with the three other goals he made in the tournament.  And the team was made up of players who emigrated from other countries, which should be something for President Donald Trump to think about.

Croatia, the second-smallest country ever to compete in World Cup, was in the process of gaining its independence from a war-torn Yugoslavia when France won its title in '98.  This time they made the biggest splash of the tournament, receiving a hero's welcome back home for finishing second.

This was the highest scoring World Cup ever with 169 goals.  Three Round of 16 matches and one semifinal ended in extra time and/or penalty kicks.  And fewer players were kicked out with a red card.

Russia excelled on and off the field as the host country in spite of such things as alleged doping of athletes, harassment of journalists covering the World Cup, and the specter of President Vladimir Putin.  And, oh yes, the punk rock band Pussy Riot made an unscheduled appearance on the pitch during the final to protest Putin's policies before they were led off by security.

Fox, which was televising the World Cup for the first time, did the best they could with the U.S. team not present and the decision to have their announcers call some of the matches off the TV monitors in their Los Angeles headquarters.  Predictably, with earlier starting times and lack of rooting interest, ratings took a tumble from the previous World Cup.

The U.S. did get a consolation prize when FIFA announced that they would co-host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico.  They're probably betting on better relations between the three countries after Trump leaves office.

All over France, they're still celebrating their victory.  As soon as the afterglow fades, it's time to defend their title in the desert kingdom of Qatar come 2022  Who or what emerges from the mirage remains to be seen.

They Are The Champions: Capitals, Warriors and Justify

In the past 36 hours, three champions have been crowned in hockey, basketball and horse racing.  These are their stories, in order of appearance.

Capitals Hit the Stanley Cup Jackpot

The Washington Capitals, established in 1974, won their first NHL Stanley Cup Thursday night in Las Vegas in five games over the Golden Knights.  They were established only last year.

The Capitals erased years of disappointing DC fans and hockey pundits when their expectations exceeded their grasp, having great regular-season records before flaming out in the early playoff rounds.  The fans would have been forgiven this season if they didn't quite warm up to what was going on with the Caps' playoff run.  They defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins (their long-time nemesis) and Tampa Bay Lightning on their way to representing the Eastern Conference in the Cup finals.

Alex Ovechkin, generally rated one of the best players never to have won the Cup, finally got his chance to drink from it in his 14th season.  He also won the Conn Smythe trophy for being the most valuable player in the playoffs.

The Vegas Golden Knights have just become the new standard for how to put together a winner in its first season, drafting a better crop of players than are usually allowed for expansion teams.  (Seattle and Quebec City, candidates for the next NHL franchise, should be so fortunate.)  After disposing of the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference playoffs, Vegas became the first expansion team in 50 years (St. Louis Blues in 1968) to make the finals.

But the Stanley Cup now resides in the nation's capitol, not the entertainment and gambling capitol.  Maybe we need a new version of the old line about the baseball Senators:  "First in war.  First in peace.  First in the National Hockey League."

Three Times Golden

The Golden State Warriors won their third NBA title in four years Friday night in Cleveland, sweeping away the Cavaliers in four games.  This was the first Finals sweep since 2007, and the Cavs were on the receiving end of that one too (to the San Antonio Spurs).

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and the rest of the Warriors played their roles successfully, with Durant taking home the playoff MVP trophy.  This wasn't the powerhouse squad of past season, but they had just enough to get past the Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets to win the Western Conference.

The Cavs didn't have such a stellar year either, due to injuries and internal drama.  But LeBron James almost single-handedly pushed his team past the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics for another try at a championship in his home town.

Like we said, neither the Warriors nor the Cavaliers dominated the NBA during the season.  But everyone thought those two teams for the championship for the fourth consecutive year, and there they were.  Whether they meet again for the fifth time depends on James' decision to either stay in Cleveland, or go somewhere else.

One thing we do know:  The Warriors will not be saluted at the White House by President Donald Trump.  He doesn't seem to want them there, and neither do the players.  But the Capitals are willing to fill the void.  Most of its players weren't born in the United States.

Justified at the Track

Until 2015, the horse racing world had been waiting since 1978 for a three-year old horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in the same year.  Then came American Pharoah.  Now, for the second time this century, we have another Triple Crown winner.  His name is Justify.

Having won his first two TC races on muddy tracks, one wondered how Justify would do on the dry track at Belmont.  He did rather well, staving off the challenge of the other horses by half a length over the long distance to claim victory.

Justify is now the 13th horse to win the Triple Crown.  The wait for number 14 begins now.

The NFL and The Anthem: Love It or Leave It

Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the National Football League's owners (without so much as a vote) decided to give its players a choice when it comes to Honoring America with "The Star Spangled Banner".  They can either stand for the anthem on the sidelines, or they can sit in the locker room until it is finished.  No more taking a knee unless it's to run out the clock.

This action meant that the league has caved to outside pressures.  They are afraid of President Donald Trump's attacks on players who take a knee.  They are afraid of plummeting TV ratings.  They are afraid of turning off fans when they should be worried about other things that threaten their sport, such as concussions, long games and hiring players with criminal records.  Most of all, they are afraid of losing money.  They'll gladly take payments from the Department of Defense in exchange for jamming "patriotic" messages down our throats to increase recruitment.

We seem to have forgotten that players such as Colin Kaepernick, whose football-playing career came to a screeching halt because of this, have resorted to taking a knee during the anthem to protest incidents of police brutality against African-Americans.  It was never intended to be an attack on America's manhood.  But that's the way it was interpreted by Trump, conservative activists and holier-than-thou veterans groups.  They'd rather see these players check their First Amendment rights at the door, or they can leave.

And what athlete wants to sit in the locker room while his teammates are saluting the flag, then risk getting booed and called a traitor by fans once he goes out onto the field?  This doesn't sound like much of a decision at all.

It's getting difficult, if not impossible, to separate sports from the rest of society.  Racial issues, sexual harassment, violence and other things have injected themselves onto the playing field, and athletes are making their voices heard.  We may not like what they have to say, but we should defend their right to say it.  Forcing them (and us) to salute a piece of cloth and a bygone way of life is not the way you Honor America.

UPDATE (6/5/18):  The Philadelphia Eagles will not get to celebrate their Super Bowl championship at the White House.  Trump disinvited them because not all the players agreed with his "my way or the highway" approach on standing for the anthem.  That's not how patriotism is supposed to work, but Trump seems to have a different set of values and we're all paying the price.

Lynx 2018: What Do You Do For An Encore?

The Minnesota Lynx have won four WNBA championships in this decade, more than anyone else in the league's history except for the Houston Comets in the 1990s.  They are excellence personified in a sports market where every other pro franchise (Vikings, Twins, Wild, Timberwolves and United) have had their hand-wringing moments.

But now it's a new season.  All the regulars are back--Seimoine Augustus, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsay Whelan--along with new faces Lynette Kizer, Danielle Robinson and Tanisha Wright.  The Lynx have said goodbye to Renee Montgomery (traded to the Atlanta Dream), Natasha Howard (traded to the Seattle Storm), Jia Perkins and Plenette Pierson (both retired).  And after a sojourn in St. Paul last season, the Lynx return to their newly remodeled digs at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Coach Cheryl Reeve has seen her status rise too, having also taken on the role of being the tean's general manager, which means she's now responsible for her players on and off the court.

Forgive Whelan if she's sometimes distracted this season.  She recently became head coach of women's basketball at the University of Minnesota (her alma mater), replacing Marlene Stallings, who has moved on to Texas Tech.  Whelan has never coached before, so the Gophers must see something in her besides boosting the program and selling tickets.  So far it's not a problem, since she's playing basketball during the summer and coaching it during the winter.

The challenge for the Lynx this season is not just to repeat as champions, but to do so in consecutive years.  They've won WNBA titles in 2011, '13, '15 and '17--all odd numbered years.  Which is why most basketball pundits are looking at the Los Angeles Sparks (the most recent champion besides the Lynx), Connecticut Sun and Phoenix Mercury as possible title contenders.  And the San Antonio Stars are now the Las Vegas Aces.

So what does the Minnesota Lynx do for an encore?  It comes down to how much longer they can delay Mother Time, and how much they want that one for the thumb.  We'll see what happens.