Posted on July 9th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
I’m neither a Baylor University alum nor a fan of the Baylor Bears. But I know what I’d say to outsiders who oppose Robert Griffin III’s upcoming statue outside the school’s new stadium:
Mind your business.
This isn’t just college football we’re talking about. It’s college football in Texas, a state with 12 FBS schools spread across five conferences. If their babies can’t grow up to be Cowboys, parents cross their fingers and hope for Longhorns, Red Raiders, Horned Frogs, or Aggies at the very least.
Only recently have Bears cracked the wish list and they’re rising quickly. The $260 million, 45,000-seat McLane Stadium will help.
So will the 9.5-foot bronze sculpture of RG3, whose role in Baylor’s resurgence is bigger than anyone not named Art Briles.
RG3’s immortalization doesn’t have a thing to do with his nascent NFL career. He has played only 28 games for the Washington Redskins. His record as a starting quarterback is 12-16. He ended last season on the bench after his team lost five straight games.
Folks in Waco reply: So what?
Griffin’s accomplishments at Baylor are substantial and permanent. There’s nothing he can do to tarnish his legacy or diminish his role in reviving a moribund program. Even if he goes from NFL Rookie of the Year and NFC East division champ to injury-plagued bust and perennial loser, it won’t change a thing on campus.
Baylor is preparing to play its 109th season of intercollegiate football. It had won 10 games in a season only once before RG3 led the Bears to a 10-3 record in 2011, including an Alamo Bowl victory.
He lifted the program while improving his completion percentage each season and helped put butts in seats. Home attendance increased in each of his four seasons, rising from 34,124 per game to 41,368 in his final year.
Critics say that’s well and good, but it doesn’t necessarily warrant a statue.
They’re absolutely right.
So here’s the trump card, the fact that should end any debate and shut-up every detractor:
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Posted on July 7th, 2014
Melky Cabrera says he’s safe (and appeared to be safe) but was called out.
By DERON SNYDER
Upon further review – and we knew this beforehand – we’ll never totally eliminate “the human element” that baseball loves and used as a defense in resisting instant replay all these years.
Cutting-edge technology at every conceivable angle still can’t overcome the old-fashioned synapses found in baseball umpires and MLB’s New York-based replay officials.
No matter how many bad calls are made right, the resentment is palpable when incorrect rulings are allowed to stand. Such was the case with Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who ripped the system Saturday after a 5-1 loss against Oakland.
Bautista couldn’t believe that umpires upheld a call in which Melky Cabrera was called out on a close play at home, although one replay during the two-and-a-half minute delay showed Oakland catcher Derek Norris missing Cabrera’s back with a swipe tag.
“I don’t really know which replay they were looking at, but clearly they must have had a different video feed than the one we had,” Bautista told reporters. “… This whole replay thing has become a joke in my eyes. I think they should just ban it, they should just get rid of it. I don’t really understand the purpose of it, but getting the right call on the field is not the purpose. That’s pretty obvious and evident.”
Bautista’s emotions got the better of him, partially because the Blue Jays have initiated so many replay challenges at crucial, game-turning junctures and been on the wrong end so often.
According to baseballsavant.com, Toronto and Tampa Bay tied for the most challenges through Sunday at 29 apiece. In MLB this season, the first in which the system has been used, 48 percent of calls have been overturned. The Blue Jays’ success rate is 31 percent; only the St. Louis Cardinals (15 percent) are worse. Miami (81 percent) leads all of baseball.
Delays can be maddening when umpires linger while TV viewers see clear-cut looks that should make for quick and easy decisions. All of us have experienced Bautista’s incredulity when officials take all that time and then refuse to reverse obvious bad calls.
Nonetheless, growing pains and all, baseball is better off for entering the 21st century and taking advantage of replay technology. A measure of protection from egregious gaffes, such as Dan Denkinger’s infamous blown call in the 1985 World Series, is worth the accompanying interruptions.
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Posted on July 3rd, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
Once again, it’s time to check off some items on my “TIDU List” – Things I Don’t Understand:
*Why Bryce Harper thinks he’s entitled to manage.
Full-blown jerkdom is ahead for the Nationals’ wunderkind unless he changes course. Coming off the disabled list (again) and offering unsolicited lineup advice is wrong for established vets, let alone 21-year-olds in their third season. Defending Harper’s excesses will always be easier in Washington – or wherever he plays – but it will be harder to like him if this behavior continues.
Memo to Harper: Matt Williams has a job; focus on your own.
*How goalie Tim Howard didn’t feel all alone.
During Howard’s incredible performance against Belgium, LeBron James had flashbacks to Cleveland. Someone on Twitter wondered if Howard can save their marriage. Another person suggested the GOP should recruit Howard and bring him to Washington to help with blocking. He set a World Cup record with 16 saves, many in spectacularly awesome fashion.
His teammates didn’t leave him on an island; they put him in solitary confinement.
*Why the Milwaukee Bucks trust new coach Jason Kidd.
As a freshman in 1994, Kidd led a successful revolt against Cal coach Lou Campanelli. As a rookie coach last season, Kidd made Lawrence Frank the league’s highest-paid assistant but quickly banished him to a desk job. Now, Kidd just lost a power play in Brooklyn, stabbed Larry Drew in the back and is measuring GM John Hammond’s office.
Milwaukee’s new owners deserve to make their own hire and they’ll get what they deserve.
*How Trevor Ariza can pass on the Wizards.
Playing for six teams over 10 seasons can make you long for stability. That – plus a plethora of open looks thanks to John Wall – is what Washington offers its free agent. The Los Angeles native will receive strong interest from a number of teams, including the Lakers. But he has a good thing going in D.C.
With Martin Gortat re-signed, Ariza is the last piece on a strong starting five he can call his own.
*Why Luis Suarez’s penalty should be reduced.
The Uruguay striker keeps his hands to himself better than his teeth. He has finally apologized to Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini, days after chomping his shoulder and receiving a nine-game suspension and four-month ban from FIFA. Previously, he gnawed an opponent’s neck and munched another opponent’s chest, yet Suarez says the sanction is too stiff.
Let’s sign along: “ … For it’s one, two, three bites, you’re out at the old ball match.”
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Posted on July 1st, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
Jurgen Klinsmann was correct in December, although his brutally honest assessment seemed all wrong coming from a coach:
“We cannot win this World Cup, because we are not at that level yet,” Klinsmann told the New York Times Magazine in an interview that was published in June. “For us, we have to play the game of our lives seven times to win the tournament. Realistically, it is not possible.”
Critics howled and accused him of being un-American.
They were right, because such frankness is virtually nonexistent. It is considered tantamount to quitting before the competition begins.
Klinsmann wasn’t conceding anything, however, except the obvious fact that the United States isn’t close to elite status in international soccer. Escaping the treacherous Group of Death, with Germany, Portugal and Ghana as obstacles, would be a difficult feat.
Advancing through the knockout stage to reach the World Cup final would be close to impossible.
I never understood the big deal about Klinsmann’s comment. It seemed like the perfect combination of tampering public expectations and challenging the team to reach deeper. Coaches always do the latter in private, during practices and meetings, but they usually refuse to let unfiltered truth seep out during interviews.
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Posted on June 26th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
Life is better with options and it couldn’t be much better for LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. They wrested control and leverage from management in an industry where labor typically has little.
Pro athletes in major team sports have no say in choosing their first employer, as 60 young men will experience firsthand Thursday night in the NBA Draft. They often play no role in deciding if and where they’re traded. They’re expected to treat loyalty as a two-way street, though teams can erect “Do Not Enter” signs at any point, especially in the twilight of a career.
Don’t get me wrong; I’d sign up for that deal in a heartbeat. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Americans with bachelor’s degrees can expect $2.1 million in earnings during their working life.
So, yes, being a pro athlete for even a few years would be awesome.
Being in James’ or Anthony’s position would be even sweeter.
By exercising the early-out option in their contracts with Miami and New York, respectively, James and Anthony essentially become assistant general managers any for interested teams. They will ask questions and their opinions will carry weight with teams that are anxious to sign them.
Which other free agents are you pursuing? Which veterans are you retaining? Which players are you dangling as trade bait?
Special bonus question for the Lakers: Who’s going to be the coach?
Some observers grumble about players having that much influence. But it’s called “star power” for a reason. Keeping them happy – whether it’s James and Anthony, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout or Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III – can go a long way toward keeping them in your uniform.
While I love the fact that James and Anthony took charge of their own destiny, another aspect of their decision is equally appealing.
The NBA offseason became a lot more interesting, filled with drama, suspense and intrigue that otherwise wouldn’t exist. Imagine how dull it would be if James and Anthony turned down their shot at free agency.
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Posted on June 24th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
Every 48 months, certain events produce a fever-like rise in interest among the general populace.
Olympiads create passionate enthusiasts of figure skating, swimming and track & field. Presidential elections lead to exponential increases in the number of people enthralled by politics. Leap years send people scurrying for primers on numerology and the Gregorian calendar.
And the World Cup generates extraordinary affection for soccer.
For four weeks (even with the inevitable dip when the United States is eliminated), headers, corner kicks and equalizers are mentioned in a high percentage of sports conversations. Folks who don’t know the difference between yellow cards and green cards become temporary soccer buffs every four years, like clockwork.
I am one. And I am not ashamed.
Diehard fans know the biggest international stars and the most-promising domestic players. They follow the English Premier League, the Champions League and Major League Soccer. They can hold in-depth discussion on different styles of play and tactical strategies, including the pros and cons of using solo attackers versus a duo.
That’s not the case for Johnny-come-latelies and Mary-just-got-heres. We embrace “the beautiful game” momentarily and then proceed with our soccer-free lives until the next World Cup rolls around.
But even with that lack of background and knowledge, our emotional deposits can match any true believer.
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Posted on June 17th, 2014
R.C. Buford
By DERON SNYDER
In the end, R.C. Buford was way better than Pat Riley. Their matchup was more lopsided than the last three games in the NBA Finals.
Riley would win soundly in a popularity contest. Many NBA fans don’t know what Buford does for a living and most couldn’t identify him in a lineup.
He didn’t play for the legendary Adolph Rupp at Kentucky or come off the bench (and guard Jerry West in practice) for the Los Angeles Lakers. He didn’t coach the “Showtime” Lakers to four NBA titles or lead the New York Knicks to their first Finals’ in two decades.
And he certainly didn’t build the Miami Heat into a championship team, first by drafting Dwyane Wade and trading for Shaquille O’Neal, later by luring LeBron James and Chris Bosh to South Beach to join Wade.
While Riley was becoming a fashion icon and celebrity coach-turned-executive, Buford was working his way up the San Antonio Spurs organization. He went from assistant coach to head scout to director of scouting to vice president/assistant GM before being elevated to general manager in July 2002.
His handiwork was on display again Sunday night, as the Spurs routed Miami for the third consecutive game and won the club’s fifth NBA title. San Antonio outscored Miami 322-265 in the series, exposing the Heat as a surprisingly thin, limited and poorly-constructed team.
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Posted on June 12th, 2014
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive
By DERON SNYDER
The NCAA that we’ve come to know and despise is in critical condition with a prognosis that suggests the end is near.
The equivalent of flesh-eating bacteria are close to devouring the body from within. Outside, it is suffering injury from a series of blows that ultimately could be fatal.
External attacks include the trial in Ed O’Bannon’s class-action antitrust lawsuit, which enters day four Thursday in Oakland. Just as those proceeding got underway, the NCAA announced a settlement to pay $20 million to current and former college athletes who sued in a lower-profile case involving their likenesses in video games.
Organizations such as the National College Players Association also pose great harm. The NCPA has led a series of reforms to improve student-athletes’ rights and benefits since 2001, but the biggest victory yet could be on the horizon.
Northwestern is appealing a National Labor Relations Board regional ruling that the school’s scholarship players have the right to unionize; the full NLRB will hear the appeal later this year.
Even if the full board overturns the decision – or even if a majority of the team voted not to unionize when secret ballots were cast in April – damage has been done and the issue will continue to simmer on back burners.
But the greatest threat to the NCAA as we know it could come from its own members.
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Posted on June 10th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
Four months into his new job, commissioner Adam Silver has kept his cool a lot better than AT&T Center in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Neither Donald Sterling nor faulty a circuit breaker has cramped Silver’s style.
His first Finals news conference, prior to Game 2, was much like his first major press conference six weeks earlier. Both can serve as case studies in crisis management, handling a disgraced Los Angeles Clippers owner and fallout from San Antonio’s Game 1 victory in oppressive conditions.
The issues are no way similar in long-term impact and consequences. Donald Sterling is more like a massive hurricane compared to the solitary lightning bolt of “Heat-gate.” But they represent the biggest flashes in Silver’s brief stint and isn’t looking for new candidates anytime soon.
LeBron James’ severe cramps in the opener hijacked the Finals’ storyline for three days. “I’m glad that this isn’t single elimination,” Silver said.
“… I would say that [the lack of AC] is certainly not one of my prouder moments in my short tenure as commissioner so far, but it’s the nature of this game. There always are going to be human and mechanical errors and it’s unfortunate.”
However, all of the crazy talk about a Spurs’ conspiracy and James being a wimp didn’t topple the Clippers from atop Silver’s to-do list. The first two questions dealt with the team’s pending sale to Steve Balmer and pending litigation by Sterling. Silver responded to 22 queries overall and 14 involved the Clippers.
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Posted on May 29th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
You couldn’t find many NBA coaches or situations less inspiring than Randy Wittman and the Wizards a year ago. They were evenly matched – inept coach and sad-sack team – a perfect combo deal to maintain the franchise’s status as national punch line.
Nothing about Wittman’s background, or the Wizards’ outlook under him, was the slightest bit promising.
His teams in Minnesota and Cleveland never finished within a whiff of .500. Even after the Wizards’ exciting playoff run this season, no one has coached as many NBA games (520) and produced a worse a record (.367 winning percentage).
Washington Bullets legend Wes Unseld is second on that list with a .369 percentage in 547 games.
Strangely, realizing that Big Wes had better results makes Wittman’s futility seem far worse.
But Wittman wasn’t relieved of his duties before this season and owner Ted Leonsis isn’t the type to do it now. Not after a 44-38 campaign that included a postseason berth, a series victory against Chicago and a strong challenge against Indianapolis. According to a report by Yahoo Sports, the Wizards are about to give Wittman a three-year extension.
You can say he earned it, much like he earned John Wall’s trust and respect. Wall could’ve soured on him after Wittman replaced Flip Saunders and went 18-31 in 2011-12 and 29-53 the next season. Few would’ve complained if Leonsis had cleaned house and installed a regime untainted by its link to the Knucklehead Era (Gilbert Arenas, Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee, etc.).
Wittman isn’t the most exciting or alluring coach. He isn’t flashy or snazzy. But he eliminated the nonsense and instilled a gritty toughness, forging a team mindset that actually takes pride in defense.
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