Posted on December 15th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
BALTIMORE – In a major way, the 115th rendition of Army-Navy was like the first 114 meetings, because it was more than just a game.
On the field, though, it resembled the previous 13 contests in the only way that matters; Navy extended it series-record win streak Saturday with a 17-10 victory.
The outcome at MT&T Stadium disappointed the Black Knights and their followers, who must endure another year of ribbing from the Midshipmen family. Army hasn’t had the last word since it capped Navy’s 0-10 season in 2001, one month before George W. Bush was sworn in as president.
But an event earlier that year – hijacked jetliners crashing in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania – reminded us that the Army-Navy rivalry is unparalleled in all of sports. Its beats anything that college offers, in addition to Yankees-Red Sox, Lakers-Celtics, Cowboys-Washington or you name it.
It’s easy to become jaded watching Alabama-Auburn, Michigan-Ohio State, Oklahoma-Texas and other noted football clashes each year. Even if you believe those athletes are inadequately compensated for their time and trouble, you know they’re enjoying at least some fruit from a million-dollar industry. You also know they’re free to pursue whatever they chose when their college days end.
That’s not the case with players in the Army-Navy series, who have five-year military commitments awaiting after graduation. The solemn nature of their pledge is drummed in when the Corps of Cadets and the Brigade of Midshipmen, dressed in their gray and blue uniforms, respectively, march onto the field during pre-game ceremonies.
If you don’t feel a surge of emotion watching those young men and women representing their service academies and their country with pride, then something is wrong with your wiring.
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Posted on December 12th, 2014
Could you be King?
If the world needed you, would the kids eat or starve because they trusted you?
If the mothers and daughters depended on you, put their faith in you, said they’d never ever stray from you?
Could you be King?
If the sons tossed hollow points for you, would you steer them through, tell them they didn’t have to torch for you?
Could you be King?
Would you make every second, moment, hour or day your last, build up from your past?
Would you show them which shadow to cast, as they play in the sun and wait patiently for your Kingdom to come?
Can you be King?
Will you settle for anything, fake talk about wings and rings, or will you “Lift Every Voice and Sing?”
Can you be King?
The answer is yours my friend. Will you rise again or continue to feed poison to the massses as they live in sin?
WILL YOU BE KING?
— Warren Jay Lowe
A native of Lackawanna, N.Y., outside of Buffalo, Lowe is a former public school teacher who was forced into retirement due to injuries sustained on the job during a student’s blindside attack. Now a freelance writer, he’s battling life-threatening heart failure while waiting for a transplant. Those who wish to assist – either monetarily or with encouraging words – may visit his page on Help HOPE Live. He can be reached at wllowe@yahoo.com.
Posted on December 11th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
A series of recent public service announcements about domestic violence and sexual assault features celebrities as well as current and former NFL players.
Other athletes and celebrities – such as Lance Armstrong, Drew Brees and Jim Kelly – have been outspoken advocates for funding and research in the fight against chronic diseases.
I don’t recall any complaints about stars using their platforms for those causes.
But that’s not the case when players raise their hands in “Don’t Shoot” fashion or wear T-shirts that read “I Can’t Breathe.” In those instances, critics argue that athletes should shut up and play.
Let me get this straight: It’s perfectly fine for players to take stands on certain issues and illnesses, as long it’s not the issue and illness of racism?
Sorry, but that reasoning fails the sniff test. Thankfully, some athletes are no longer willing to hold their nose and look away.
Nearly a half-century has passed since U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised black-gloved fists on the medal stand during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. The gesture was dubbed a Black Power salute, but the men said it was a call for human rights reform everywhere.
They were suspended from the U.S. team, banned from the Olympic Village and roundly criticized.
Few black athletes since then have been willing to speak out on rights – human and/or civil – with notable exceptions such as Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali and Arthur Ashe. But there’s been a shift lately and here’s hoping its permanent.
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Posted on December 9th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
It takes a lot to make grown men cry.
Like losing their college football team.
On Sunday, teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision awaited the announcement of postseason pairings. But fans, coaches and players at the University of Alabama-Birmingham remained in mourning over their recently-departed program, killed last week by school president Ray Watts.
One final indignity was ahead: Bowl-eligible for the first time in a decade, the Blazers were left at home, going 0-for-38 in possible invites. The team has played its last game, compiling a 6-6 record in its 19th and final season.
Watts claims he had his reasons – 20 million of them. But there’s also cause to question UAB’s suitability as a case study for mid-majors weighing football’s costs.
UAB and the University of Alabama share a board of trustees, and that governing body leans heavily toward the Crimson Tide’s interests. Alabama has made life miserable for its little sibling ever since the latter decided to start a football program. One trustee in particular, Paul “Little Bear” Bryant Jr., son of the legendary coach, is thought to carry a grudge that his father had against UAB.
The board in 2011 killed UAB’s proposal for a 30,000-seat, on-campus stadium. Five years earlier, trustees nixed a deal for UAB to hire Jimbo Fisher, who’s currently shooting for back-to-back national titles with Florida State.
So it’s understandable why the Alabama Media Group wrote in an editorial, “We don’t trust the process that ended UAB football.” Making a call on the decision is too difficult given the circumstances and a lack of transparency from Watts.
However, regardless of the route UAB took, the destination undoubtedly will be considered by other schools facing financial challenges.
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Posted on December 7th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
Jay Gruden faced a gargantuan task when he accepted the job as head coach of Washington’s NFL team in January.
The franchise has been mired in less-than-mediocrity for the better part of two decades and changing such a culture isn’t a snap. The undertaking has been more difficult that Gruden imagined.
We don’t know yet if it’s too much for him to handle. But we know he has firsthand experience with organizations that consistently fielded the type of atrocious football that is commonplace in Washington.
The latest example of D.C.’s ineptitude might be the most thorough yet, Sunday’s 24-0 spanking courtesy of the St. Louis Rams, dropping Gruden to 3-10 in his rookie season as an NFL head coach.
“Obviously, before the season started we had high hopes,” Gruden said after his team’s fifth consecutive loss. “Things happened to us and now we are where we are.”
Destined for its 14th non-winning record in 18 years, Washington is where Cincinnati used to reside. The Bengals posted 14 consecutive non-winning seasons between 1991-2004. But they turned things around under coach Marvin Lewis, who has led them to winning records in five of the last six seasons.
Gruden caught the tail end of that resurgence, serving as Lewis’ offensive coordinator for three years – making the playoffs each time – before accepting Dan Snyder’s offer.
That’s not even the best example of fortuitous timing on Gruden’s part.
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Posted on December 5th, 2014
Engulfed in my madness
While keeping a straight face
No jurisdiction, over this occupied space
Through the comfort of chaos
I continue to win
Hollow victories on the outside
Mass destruction within
My good friend dysfunction, steady by my side
The truth, a constant reject, by my bodyguard, PRIDE
With each erratic moment, comfort builds and stocks supplies
Surviving constant nightmares, the sources of new lies
As I evolve in the chaos, my comfort grows stronger
But chaos is chaos, and the days just get longer
I see the exit door, just ahead to the right
But chaos is comfort, so I alter my sight
I see the exit door, just ahead to the right
But through this chaos is comfort so I gracefully accept my plight…
NOT, to be continued!
— Warren Jay Lowe
A native of Lackawanna, N.Y., outside of Buffalo, Lowe is a former public school teacher who was forced into retirement due to injuries sustained on the job during a student’s blindside attack. Now a freelance writer, he’s battling life-threatening heart failure while waiting for a transplant. Those who wish to assist – either monetarily or with encouraging words – may visit his page on Help HOPE Live. He can be reached at wllowe@yahoo.com.
Posted on December 3rd, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
Benching Robert Griffin III didn’t work, at least not in terms of beating Indianapolis.
Can Jay Gruden bench the entire secondary? Can he demote defensive coordinator Jim Haslett and promote any assistant not named Raheem Morris? Hired for his know-how on offense, can Gruden find anyone to play or coach competently on the other side of the ball?
If he’s counting on help from the front office, it’s unlikely to arrive. But he has enough to worry about as is.
President and general manager Bruce Allen has gotten very little right in Washington; who’s to say he didn’t whiff on Gruden hire, too?
Like a jalopy that should be junked but remains on the road, different parts of this team keep breaking down. Changing the starter might’ve led to a smooth ride against Indy if not for the massive leaks that sprung up and allowed Andrew Luck to disassemble the secondary in a 49-27 rout.
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Posted on November 24th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
The Washington Wizards would never wish misfortune upon their football counterparts. But the D.C. hoopsters certainly don’t mind reaping benefits in a market that’s weary of gridiron futility – and weary of dissecting it, digesting it and discussing it.
While Dan Snyder’s team continues to resemble a steaming pile of mess, the Wizards are off to their best start since President Nixon resigned. Even the specter of a prolonged absence from injury-plagued Nene can’t dampen spirits at Verizon Center, where the Atlanta Hawks visit for a road game Tuesday night.
The place was electric Friday night during the Wizards’ last contest there, when LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were thumped in convincing fashion. A capacity crowd delighted in the 91-78 blowout as the Cavs trailed for the final 38 minutes. The victory was a nice bounce back following Washington’s first home loss two days earlier.
Knocking off the league’s most-hyped team was sweet.
But beating Milwaukee in Milwaukee on Saturday night was like eating vegetables: not as enjoyable but more important.
The Bucks represented a classic trap for the Wizards, who were at risk of being emotionally hung over after Friday’s nationally televised statement game. When Milwaukee opened a 15-point lead in the second quarter, it appeared Washington might waste an opportunity to secure back-to-back wins that real contenders devour.
Before the team flew to Milwaukee, Paul Pierce warned his mates about the pitfall that awaited. He also did something about it once the Wizards teetered on the edge, pulling them away by scoring 14 of his team-high (and season-high) 25 points in the second half.
“He’s ‘The Truth’ for a reason,” guard John Wall told reporters afterward. “It’s great to have a guy like that to take the pressure off you at times. He’s been in that situation multiple times, making big shots and big plays. He made big shots for us and that’s what we needed.”
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Posted on November 19th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says it’s time to end the modern-day equivalent of prohibition and allow widespread, legalized gambling on pro sports.
By sheer coincidence (not), NBA owners recently purchased an equity stake in the daily fantasy sports contest FanDuel. Technically, fantasy isn’t gambling. But it’s a game of chance nonetheless, attracting an estimated 41 million participants who invest a total of $4.55 billion, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.
It’s impossible to determine how much money is spent on illegal, real-life sports wagers. But the National Gambling Impact Study Commission estimates the amount is somewhere between $80 billion and $380 billion annually.
The NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB have long supported the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, passed in 1992, which prohibits authorized sports wagering outside of Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana. But in a New York Times op-ed column last week, Silver executed a reverse pivot that would make Hakeem Olajuwon proud.
He said “sports betting should be brought out of the underground and into the sunlight where it can be appropriately monitored and regulated.
“Times have changed since PASPA was enacted,” Silver wrote. “Gambling has increasingly become a popular and accepted form of entertainment in the United States. Most states offer lotteries. Over half of them have legal casinos. Three have approved some form of Internet gambling, with others poised to follow.
“There is an obvious appetite among sports fans for a safe and legal way to wager on professional sporting events.”
He’s right about folks’ hunger. But not all cravings should be fed automatically.
Large segments of the population fuel demand in the sex and drug trades, too.
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Posted on November 16th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
On the record, and for the record, NFL players and coaches insist that they never consider the upcoming opponent’s ledger as game day approaches. They know that any team can beat any other team on any given Sunday.
Yet, human nature being what is, players and coaches can’t help feeling at least slightly better about their chances when they’re facing, say, an 1-8 team versus an 8-1 team.
But enough about Washington’s football team.
Tampa Bay had to be licking its chops, too, flying to D.C. with thoughts of discarding a five-game losing streak like empty cups and used tape in the locker room before boarding a return flight. Misson accomplished.
Washington and Tampa Bay have little in common as cities and their football teams are fairly dissimilar as well – except when it comes to winning percentage. While Oakland has the inside track in the NFL’s Race to Wretchedness (and the No.1 draft pick), the squads that battled Sunday at FedEx Field aren’t far behind.
But instead of Washington picking up its fourth victory of the season, Tampa Bay flew home with its second, in a 27-7 game that felt worse than the final score.
Beating the Cowboys on Monday Night Football in Dallas was great. That was winning a game you’re supposed to lose. Alas, it doesn’t matter when you lose games you’re expected to win.
No one told Tampa Bay that Washington was supposed to win. The Bucs figured it was their turn after blowing fourth-quarter leads in three consecutive games and five times overall this season.
“We feel like we’re better than a 1-8 football team,” Bucs coach Lovie Smith said afterward, probably while counterpart Jay Gruden espoused the same thoughts about his 3-7 outfit. “We haven’t been able to finish games, but at times I have seen progress and at times we have looked like a really good football team.
“Coming in, we saw an opportunity and for us, we needed to finish the game and play 60 minutes. They did that.”
Tackle Demar Dotson spat out a politically correct comment at first, talking about how it doesn’t matter if an opponent is 9-2 or 3-8. Whatever.
It wasn’t long before the truth came out.
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