BlackDoor Ventures, Inc.

Baseball’s latest Hall of Fame ballot, a referendum dreaded for several years, was released this week. Now all of the hypothetical debates on enshrining steroid users will play out for real, argued by roughly 600 members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. And those fine folks receive a lone instruction for making their determination:

“Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”

That doesn’t help much.

Is each category weighted the same? Are they listed in order of importance? Do overwhelming “yeas” in a few areas override “nays” in some others? Voters are on their own, answering those questions as they see fit.

I don’t have a vote, but I wouldn’t have the slightest hesitancy in selecting Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens at the very least. Their record, ability and contributions are exceedingly and abundantly above the threshold for inclusion, notwithstanding nebulous concerns about integrity, sportsmanship and character.

That wasn’t the case Monday night at Barclays Center, where the Brooklyn Nets hosted the New York Knicks for the first time. Single-cup coffee makers don’t brew faster than the league’s newest rivalry took root.

It was a historic moment for the Big Apple, but it embodied time-honored themes that are recognizable in any region and any season. Upstarts butting heads with bigwigs. Newcomers fighting for turf against the old guard. A young sibling wrestling his big brother in the backyard.

Most of us love a good underdog story, and it’s hard to imagine one turning out better — for at least one night. The Nets, who moved to Brooklyn this season after 36 years in the Knicks’ shadow/New Jersey, prevailed in an overtime thriller before nearly 18,000 fans. For the first time in history, whether they were home or away, the Nets had more fans than the Knicks. They were noisy and exuberant, chanting throughout the game, never louder than with 20 seconds left, when Jerry Stackhouse sank two free throws for the final margin, 96-89.

“Every time some sort of Knick contingency started to cheer, our fans got louder,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “This is what we have been dreaming about since I’ve been here. It is a nice feeling, and I’m glad we rewarded our fans with a victory. They deserved it.”

Continue reading…

Woeful Wizards. Not only does the phrase roll off the tongue much easier than Washington Wizards, it’s an accurate description of current conditions. The NBA’s only winless team is a national laughingstock, a punch line waiting to happen for comics, columnists and late-night TV hosts. What a joke!

Except there’s nothing funny about the pained expressions of coach Randy Wittman when he addresses the media after yet another loss. Humor is nowhere to be found in the Wizards‘ locker-room as players — their voices barely registering as whispers — try to explain the latest setback. There’s nothing but broken hearts and wrenched guts, grown men in a public battle against their ravaged emotions and sinking spirits.

The Wizards have no victories through 11 games. Ten of the defeats were tightly-contested affairs, none more so than the past two, a pair of excruciating, overtime losses against Charlotte and Atlanta. The Bobcats and Hawks won by a total of three points with Charlotte needing a couple of extra periods Saturday.

Some folks believe blowout losses are easier to digest than nail-biters, that being hopelessly behind in the last quarter is better than a punch in the stomach at the final horn. But neither style makes a “0” look any slimmer in the win column, or reduces the weight of figures in the opposite column.

Continue reading…

n attempting to predict Russia’s role in World War II, Winston Churchill called it “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” I could say the same thing about finding a solution to the NFL’s safety problem.

But not Ray Anderson, the league’s executive vice president of football operations. Anderson seems to disagree with the degree of difficulty in reform. He suggests that players can change the nature of the game as easily as they change their clothes on game day.

Anderson appeared Tuesday on ESPN Radio’s “Mike and Mike Show” — before Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed successfully appealed a one-game suspension for illegal hits — and argued that defensive players simply have to adjust their approach.

“The burden is on the defender to alter his target in situations like that, where a [receiver] is defenseless,” Anderson said. “Here’s the bottom line for us — hits to the head and neck area are potentially life-altering, as well as career-altering. We believe that, and we have enough to show us that. Illegal hits to the head and neck area are our biggest concern, and we are absolutely intent on getting those out of the game.”

It’s a noble and worthwhile goal, spurred by more information on concussions and more litigation on concussions. Regardless of the motivation, no one should be opposed to making the game safer. All you need is one look at the debilitating effects suffered by scores of former players.

Anderson accurately assesses the danger of blows to the head and neck area. He also correctly notes that fewer defenders attempt to wrap up ball carriers during tackles, opting instead for big, missile-launch hits. The threat of making helmet contact increases with that technique.

But it’s not always the defensive player’s fault.

Maryland’s move to the Big Ten went from rumor to fact at a dizzying rate over the weekend. Likewise, personal opinion about the switch lurched sharply during those 48 hours. By the time the news was official Monday, my feelings had traversed every extreme of the emotional spectrum.

Athletic director Kevin Anderson said the process for fans who mourn Maryland’s departure from the Atlantic Coast Conference is akin to the stages of grief. There’s denial, anger, depression and acceptance. They essentially morphed into one glob of sentiment, because this case moved too fast for separation.

However, the final stage doesn’t necessarily involve a sad ending. Leaving the ACC doesn’t automatically amount to a terminal prognosis for Terrapins athletics.

Some longtime fans might equate the move to the loss of a loved one. That’s totally understandable; remembrances from a 60-year-old relationship don’t fade easily, if ever.

But falling in love with the past is a certified threat to your preparedness for the future. Though no one is certain how events will play out for Maryland in the Midwest, the Terps’ present circumstances cleary aren’t as good as they used to be. And nothing about the ACC suggests a significant uptick is ahead — at least nothing that can match the Big Ten’s enticing prospectus.

Yes, Maryland has a rich history in the ACC. But nostalgia and tradition — like aura and mystique — don’t pay any bills.

When wins for the Redskins have been scarcer than African-American votes for Mitt Romney, complaints about the quality show a lack of gratitude. Victories in the NFL are not to be taken lightly, no matter the opponent or whatever transpired during the game. The standings only reflect the ends, not the means.

So the joy is understandable, now that the Redskins snapped their three-game losing streak. A cloud has lifted and the stench in D.C. has been washed away, left to continue plaguing the City of Brotherly Love. Let the Philadelphia Eagles search for positives in their 31-6 shellacking by the Redskins; Washingtonians are content to gaze fondly at the ‘W.’

But since the typical post-mortem involves explaining away Redskins losses, the wins should be subject to the same scrutiny. And despite all the positives in Sunday’s performance at FedEx Field, there’s reason for concern looking forward, when future opponents won’t enter the game lugging five-game losing streaks with a coach who appears headed for the unemployment line shortly.

We knew the Wizards would struggle without John Wall and Nene in the lineup to start the season. Even an elite team, which Washington certainly is not, would labor to replace its two best players. Viewing the Wizards through that lens casts them in a more forgiving, sympathetic light.

But the strongest pair of rose-colored glasses can’t obscure the hideous basketball we’ve witnessed for large stretches during Washington’s 0-7 start. The Wizards who suit up and take the floor for coach Randy Wittman have been shockingly awful, among the league’s worst performers by several measures besides wins and losses. All of that wretchedness can’t be attributed to two players’ absence.

“We’ve got to keep fighting,” Wittman told reporters Wednesday night, after Washington became the NBA’s lone winless team. “We haven’t had too many nights where we haven’t fought. Here and there are things that we have to do better and be more consistent at.”

You have to find small victories when actual triumphs are scarce. At least they have mastered that art, opposed to putting the ball in the basket. Except for the sixth game, when they were blown out Tuesday by the Charlotte Bobcats, the Wizards have scratched and clawed their way to narrow defeats, usually after falling behind by large margins.