By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
I’m not a big fan of fighting, not on street corners, in bars, on pay-per-view, or in hockey. But, yeah, I’ll watch pro athletes exchange blows on occasion (while ignoring the gratuitous videos of random brawls between random people).
My
affection for boxing has waned over the years, and mixed-martial arts never
completely grabbed me. However, I do understand that tempers can flare and
emotions can run hot in the heat of sports where fighting isn’t the be-all and
end-all.
In
hockey, it’s a given, a longstanding tradition that players will at times drop
their gloves and throw punches.
True
confession: In my lifetime I have visited hockeyfights.com and scrolled through
some of the featured bouts. Something about the fact that guys are throwing
haymakers, keeping their balance, and trying to defend themselves on ice skates
– ICE SKATES! – makes hockey fisticuffs a different, more-intriguing breed.
(P.S.:
The website asks visitors to declare the winner. Amazingly, in Monday’s bout
between Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov, four
jokers called the beatdown a draw. Two other knuckleheads voted for the guy who
got knocked the bleep out!)
There’s
no debating who won that clash. But the sight of Ovechkin – 33 years old and
235 pounds – pummeling the face of Svechnikov – 19 years old and 195 pounds –
has re-ignited the timeworn discussion on fighting and its place in hockey.
By DERON SNYDER: (as published in The Washington Times)
His
first official Nike commercial, way back in 1996 – before anyone imagined the
incredible highs and devastating lows ahead – was brilliant in capturing what
Tiger Woods meant to golf and the outside world.
The
ad featured roughly four dozen youngsters, boys and girls of various hues and
ages. They walked city streets and picturesque courses. Some of the kids swung
golf clubs. Others carried golf bags. The rest looked directly into the camera
and made a simple declaration:
“I’m
Tiger Woods.”
If
he was inspiring back then as a 19-year-old – fresh off a five-year, $40
million contract that instantly made him the highest-paid black golfer in
history – what can we say about him as a 43-year-old – fresh off his first
Masters win since 2005 and first major triumph in 11 years?
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Being
president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers is a great job, a
dream job for hoops addicts.
But
it can’t beat the great job and dream life of simply being Magic Johnson.
Being
Magic comes much, much easier for Johnson. He’s a natural at the role, having perfected
it since leading Michigan State to the NCAA title against Larry Bird and Indiana
State 40 years ago.
Few
existences are as charmed. Johnson went from college star, to Los Angeles
Lakers legend, to international celebrity, to wildly successful entrepreneur, all
while using his megawatt smile and electric personality to inspire and uplift
those he met.
By
comparison, running the Lakers’ front office is pure drudgery.
Besides
that, he wasn’t very good in two years on the job as the team’s playoff drought
reached six seasons.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Welcome
back, Bryce!
How
about that schedule maker, huh? If you had signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers
instead of the Philadelphia Phillies, your return to Washington wouldn’t occur
until July 27, with nearly two-thirds of the season behind us. Emotions wouldn’t
be as raw then as they’ll be Tuesday night, when take the field at Nationals
Park for the first time with your new team.
Oh
well.
Not
sure how much you’ve followed the discussion since leaving, but you’ve remained
a focal point and hot topic around here. We’ve barely gotten used to seeing you
in a Phillies No. 3 jersey; now you’re about to face Max Scherzer and roam
right field for the enemy. We’ll all grow accustomed to this arrangement in due
time.
But
right now, it’s still a bit weird.
Lots
of folks are wondering about the reception that awaits when you head to the
batter’s box. I see the subject came up over the weekend and your response was
perfect. “I’m sure there will be some cheers and some boos as well,” you told
reporters. “It’s part of the game. It’s part of sports.”
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
A
baseball team has “only” 162 regular opportunities to claim victory each year, from
opening day to the season finale. In the roughly 20 percent of contests typically
started by Cy Young winners like Max Scherzer or Jacob deGrom, the odds of
being triumphant improve significantly.
Fortunately
for opponents, they aren’t forced to face such elite pitchers on a regular
basis. Batters usually get to do some damage against lesser hurlers who might
be merely good, at best. On those occasions, the hits and runs can pile up to
keep the scoreboard operator busy.
But
that wasn’t the case Thursday at Nationals Park – unless you’re referring to workers
constantly updating the strikeout totals.
The
Nationals’ Scherzer finished second to the New York Mets’ deGrom in the Cy
Young voting last season, and Scherzer was on the short end of a 2-0 score in
Washington’s season-opener. His final line was award-worthy – two hits and two
earned runs with a dozen strikeouts in 7-2/3 innings – but his counterpart matched
that with a masterpiece of his own.
The
Nats figure to have plenty of scoring chances before the season ends. Presumably,
they’ll even have a few more against deGrom, who scattered five hits and struck
out 10 batters in six innings.
But
they failed to break through the few times when deGrom allowed a crack.
“You
see what happens when two Cy Young winners go head-to head,” Nats right fielder
Adam Eaton said. “That’s a heckuva battle.”
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Bryce
Harper is gone and the Nationals’ streak of fruitless postseasons remains.
Nothing
is going to change the first fact, but obliterating the latter is well within
the realm of possibilities.
When
John Wall has endured extended absences from the Washington Wizards, some
observers have posited that the team is better without him. From a long-term point-of-view, that might
true where Harper and the Nationals are concerned, provided that outfielders
Juan Soto and Victor Robles produce as imagined.
Manager
Davey Martinez’s lineup card for Thursday’s opener, against the New York Mets, will
feature a void impossible to ignore, the spot that No. 34 filled. A
middle-of-the-order featuring Harper, Anthony Rendon and Soto, is much more
imposing than Rendon-Soto-Ryan Zimmerman.
So it’s clear that Harper will be missed as the Nats cross their fingers that: new second baseman Brian Dozier returns to his 2015-2017 form when he averaged 35 homers and 90 RBI; right fielder Adam Eaton plays more than 118 games, his mere total for the last two season; and Soto avoids a sophomore slump after a dazzling inaugural campaign that nearly netted Rookie-of-the-Year honors.
But
if all of that happens – and the back of the rotation and middle of the bullpen
hold up – we like the Nats’ chances, even though Sports Illustrated picked them
to miss the playoffs.
Oh
well. Considering that the magazine predicted Washington would win the World
Series last season, maybe it’s for the better.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Once
again, it’s time to check off some items on my “TIDU List” – Things I Don’t
Understand:
*I don’t understand how New England can replace Rob Gronkowski.
The
future Hall of Famer has elevated the Patriots’ offense since catching 10
touchdown passes as a rookie in 2010. Injuries stunted his all-time numbers,
but Gronk he still ranks among the best tight ends in history. He’s arguably
No. 1 if equal weight is given to receiving and blocking. Tom Brady said the
Pats were “almost unbeatable” with Gronk on the field.
They’ll
figure something out, but it won’t be the same.
*I don’t understand why the
Nationals would let Anthony Rendon walk.
Prominent
homegrown players like Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond and Jordan Zimmermann already
departed via free agency. The Nats apparently made the right decision with the
latter two, and it’s too early to tell on Harper. But Washington needs to
extend Rendon – like it extended Ryan
Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg – to bridge the past with the future and avoid a hole at third.
Drafting
and developing without retaining gets old after a while.
*I don’t understand how teams can
defend Duke’s Zion Williamson.
Players
who stand 6-7 and weigh 285 pounds aren’t supposed to have 40-inch verticals
and moves that are equally deft and explosive.
“It’s hard to match that level of special athlete,” Florida State coach
Leonard Hamilton told reporters. “You can put him down as one of the greatest
athletes that has ever come through the ACC, and there have been quite a few.”
But
none like Williamson, which Virginia Tech is about to learn.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
In
a classic hit, “For the Love of Money,” the O’Jays outline a few things some people
do to obtain “that mean green.”
They
lie, rob and cheat. They don’t care who they hurt or beat. They steal from
their mother and their own brother. They’ll let money drive them out of their
minds.
However,
most reasonable people agree that cash isn’t everything. The same remains true when
the pile approaches a half-billion dollars, like, the $430 million contract reportedly
being discussed by outfielder Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels.
Undoubtedly,
that’s a whole lot of money, money, mon-ey.
But
here’s what I don’t understand: Some folks use baseball contracts to mock
Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray for choosing football with its non-guaranteed
deals. And then those same folks criticize athletes like Bryce Harper and Antonio
Brown for chasing the last dollar.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The Division I men’s basketball tournament is upon us once again, bringing together 68 schools of varying hoops pedigree to create arguably the most precious event on our sports calendar.
We
don’t have to wonder about the bonafides of superstars like Duke’s Zion Williamson,
Murray State’s Ja Morant, or North Carolina’s Coby White. They clearly were admitted
based on their merit as ballers, if not bookworms.
But
what about some of those players at the end of each bench, the guys who rarely
take off their sweats and check in prior to garbage time? Someone needs to check and make sure those acceptance
letters weren’t bought and paid for by the players’ parents.
This
is too rich.
In
revenue sports like men’s basketball and football, the universities and sneaker
companies hand out bags of money in hopes of landing blue-chip recruits. But in
Olympic sports, like soccer and water polo, devious parents write checks in
hopes of getting their nondescript kids enrolled.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Like
Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady,” Cleveland was a gutter snipe, one of the
league’s most raggedy franchises for nearly a quarter-century before John
Dorsey showed up as Professor Henry Huggins.
The
Browns didn’t know how to speak or act properly. They didn’t know how to be elite,
or at even look the part. They were straight-up laughingstocks, national objects
of scorn and ridicule.
Kind
of reminds me of another NFL team, one that plays nearby but not in Baltimore.
Dorsey
began transforming the Browns as soon as he was hired in December 2017, cutting
wideout Kenny Britt within the first 24 hours. Cleveland won more games (seven)
in Dorsey’s first year at the helm than it won in the three previous seasons combined
(four).
First
Dorsey had to clean up after the previous regime. He traded three players
during the 2018 draft and traded three more before Week 1 kicked off. Then he
began applying lipstick to his new project, using the No.1 overall pick on quarterback Baker Mayfield and
acquiring wideout Jarvis Landry via trade. The first draft class also included cornerback
Denzel Ward and halfback Nick Chubb, who along with Mayfield all won Rookie-of-the-Week
awards at least once.
Don’t
look now, but Eliza Doolittle suddenly is smoking hot.
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