By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
With
all due respect to No. 2-seed Denver and No. 3-seed Portland, there’s a sense
that the Western Conference finals are underway as we speak, even while the aforementioned
teams toil to advance.
The
Nuggets and Trail Blazers have produced a scintillating back-and-forth in their
semifinal matchup, particularly Game 3’s instant-classic, four-overtime
thriller. Neither squad has won consecutive contests and neither has protected its
homecourt, with Denver’s road win Sunday knotting the series at two games
apiece.
Great
stuff.
But
most attention is focused on the other Western conference semi, featuring
three-time champion Golden State and would-be nemesis Houston. Denver and
Portland have plenty of talent between them, but not the star power of Kevin
Durant and James Harden, nor the teams’ recent history and bad blood.
In
Durant and Harden, we’re witnessing the reigning MVPs for the NBA Finals and
NBA regular season. Durant is staking his claim as the league’s best player and
Harden is right behind him, pushing like he did when they battled in practice
as Oklahoma City teammates.
“Hopefully,
he pulled a couple of things from me, but I probably pulled way more things
from him than he got from me,” Durant said via The San Francisco Chronicle.
A
rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals, the Warriors-Rockets series
was looked forward to with great anticipation all season. Unfortunately, Denver
won 54 games to Houston’s 53 (clinching the second seed), while Portland also
won 53 games (securing the third seed on tiebreakers), leading to an
earlier-than-expected reprise.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Substances
and athletic competition go back a long way. For all we know, the ancient
Greeks cultivated a mix of “special” olives to help Olympic runners go faster. If
nothing else, doping was evident in the 1964 Tokyo Games, when East Germany’s national
program began to bear fruit.
Since
then, the use of assorted supplements and steroids have occurred in baseball,
cycling, football and weightlifting, among other sports. Athletes turn to such
regimens because they deliver results in many cases, the same reason governing
bodies forbid certain substances.
But
Wednesday’s ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport could be
unprecedented.
CAS
didn’t announce a new ban on performance-enhancing drugs. Instead, it issued a
mandate for the use of performance-DIMINISHING drugs.
In
support of rules imposed by the International Association of Athletics
Federations, CAS says South African track star Caster Semenya has done nothing
wrong. She just has to lessen her natural state.
Semenya
is believed to have an intersex condition, giving her levels of testosterone
that are substantially higher than most women. Now, the three-time world
champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist must take medication to suppress
her testosterone in order to compete.
Eat
right and train hard. Work on your form and get proper rest. Develop the single-minded
focus and determination of a champion.
And,
oh yeah: Ingest these hormones to decrease your edge.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Here
we go again … with a twist.
Another
athlete has made national headlines for his political views, for stances that drew
attention from the White House. But this time, President Trump has sung the
player’s praises instead of calling him an SOB.
“Congratulations
to Nick Bosa on being picked number two in the NFL Draft,” POTUS tweeted last
week after San Francisco selected the Ohio State defensive end. “You will be a
great player for years to come, maybe one of the best. Big Talent! San
Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself.
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
Ha!
You thought sports and politics don’t mix!
Actually,
this is good. Anything that causes us to look inward and ask difficult questions
– like who we really are and what we really believe – is welcome. Maybe some of
us will pull our heads from wherever and open our eyes.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The
NFL has a laundry list of things done poorly, including its handling of concussions,
player discipline and Colin Kaepernick. But there’s no denying the league has mastered
at least one thing:
Making
a buck.
The
Super Bowl once was just a championship game. Now kickoff merely culminates a
weeklong festival, giving host cities a boost that puts major conventions to
shame. The early offseason once was a dead zone. Now the annual Scouting
Combine is circled on calendars, sort of an Olympics for NFL hopefuls in shorts
and T-shirts.
And
then there’s the draft.
It
once was a dull, drab event held in unvarnished ballrooms. Now the “NFL Draft
Experience” is a slick production that takes place over three days, drawing hundreds
of thousands of fans for interactive festivities. Held in Nashville this year,
beginning Thursday, “the Experience will be the largest to date and the first
to integrate a free concert series,” the league said in a statement.
Considering
the draft’s expense and the attention it draws in the ramp up – let alone on national
TV when the first round gets underway – there’s no way the NFL wants Arizona’s
intentions known ahead of time.
That
would be a waste of perfectly fine drama, suspense and intrigue, even if the
Cardinals know exactly what they plan to do once they’re on the clock. “We’re
still working through things,” Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters
Tuesday. “It is a process. I wouldn’t say the hay is in the barn.”
Either
way, the league likely told them to keep the barn doors closed until Thursday, when
the dominoes – and maybe the quarterbacks – start falling.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Maybe
it’s not completely his fault. But I blame agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Nearly
14 years ago, standing alongside client Terrell Owens in front of the star
receiver’s home, Rosenhaus answered several consecutive questions with a dismissive
phrase that pops up sometimes when interview subjects object to the query:
“Next
question.”
Owens
had just read an apology in hopes of returning to the Philadelphia Eagles, who dismissed
him the day before facing Washington in Week 8. Rosenhaus stepped forward after
Owens’ statement and proceeded to embarrass himself in front of the assembled
media, repeatedly uttering the unprofessional and unclever response.
(Rosenhaus
obviously had a different take on the matter, considering that he later wrote a
book titled “Next Question.” The best one that day in New Jersey was from a
reporter who asked what Rosenhaus had accomplished exactly – in eight months as
Owens’ representative – besides getting him kicked off the team. Classic.)
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)
The
savior turned out to be the executioner.
Tom
Dundon came to the AAF bearing gifts – a $250 million investment in February –
which just so happened to give him complete control. Then he took the fledgling
spring league by the throat and choked it to death.
“I’m
extremely disappointed to learn Tom Dundon has decided to suspend all football
operations of the Alliance of American Football,” Bill Polian said in a
statement last week. “When Mr. Dundon took over, it was the belief of my
co-founder, Charlie Ebersol, and myself, that we would finish the season, pay
our creditors and make the necessary adjustments to move forward in a manner
that made economic sense for all.”
That
would’ve been the decent thing to do.
Instead,
Dundon drop-kicked the players, coaches and other league personnel with just
two weeks left in the inaugural season. The league had made it this far,
opening to strong ratings that remained respectable, and an on-field product that
was deemed decent. He at least could’ve ridden it out through the playoffs and a
championship game.
“The
momentum generated by our players, coaches and football staff had us well
positioned for future success,” Polian said. “Regrettably, we will not have
that opportunity. … Unfortunately, Mr. Dundon has elected this course of
action.”
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times
The
Washington Wizards’ situation reminds me somewhat of Mark Wahlberg’s character in
“The Perfect Storm.”
Remember
the final scene, after the rest of the crew and a would-be rescuer are dead? Wahlberg
escapes from the sinking boat and pops up from underwater. Hooray!
He
represents the Wizards, who just (finally) threw Ernie Grunfeld overboard.
We
thought it was a happy ending and Wahlberg survived. Then the camera pulls
back, ever so slowly, and we realize the full extent of his horrific plight. He’s
alive, yes, but bobbing in the midst of ginormous waves, with raging water all
around for as far as the eye can see.
He’s
doomed. Dead man treading.
The
Wizards’ predicament isn’t quite as dire. But ditching Grunfeld doesn’t come
close to fixing everything that ails the franchise. It just represents a chance
to right some wrongs – and hopefully avoid further damage – moving forward.
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