Weekly Sporties

-The only thing which was more predictable than Richie Icognito filing a grievance against the Miami Dolphins for being indefinitely suspended as the face of the Jonathan Martin bullying incident was the inevitable over-correction around the rest of the sports world which follows any kind of scandal. Putting distance between your organization's behavior and something a notorious person has done happens in all walks of life but since sport teams are often pointed to as needing to set a better example for kids, they not only try and go the other way faster than the rest, they tend to go further than everyone as well. Obviously, no team wants to have a situation like this happen to them and are deathly afraid a player could accuse them of allowing this sort of behavior, which is why I was hardly surprised to see stories popping up all over the web in which teams are essentially being told to end all rookie hazing and instead gather round, hold hands and sing campfire songs. It has even reached the professional level of other sports as this week Minnesota Timberwolves rookie forward Shabazz Muhammad was told he no longer has to carry around the Jonas Brothers backpack he was given by the team's veterans and ordered to wear when the Wolves traveled to away games. Here's the thing I feel like people are failing to grasp: just because Richie Icognito and the Dolphins let their rookie hazing get out of hand, that doesn't mean hazing in all forms is a bad thing. I think some good-natured razzing in small amounts is a good thing because not only does it humble guys who are coming out of college (and Muhammad could stand to be a little more humble given the hype he had last year in college versus what he has done so far in the pros), but it also lets the team know how much these rookies want to be there. Like I said last week, professional sports takes a certain mindset and sooner or later you need to know if guys really want to do this for a career of if he is only interested in the paycheck. I don't think asking a guy to carry around an embarrassing backpack, carry shoulder pads to the locker room or bring donuts to the Friday meetings are the worst things in the world. Obviously, asking rookies to pay for $30,000 dinners or leaving them menacing voicemails is too much but there is no need to get rid of all this stuff just because one team is a poorly-run, dysfunctional mess. It's too much of a black/white response to a question with a lot of gray areas. Besides, if the Miami Dolphins were allowed to set the standard for all of professional sports than I am pretty sure the NFL would have folded years ago.

-While we're on the subject poorly-chosen enforcers, the other night the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder were facing off when Thunder forward Serge Ibaka got tangled up with Blake Griffin and the two started jawing back and forth. Griffin has a reputation for being soft in many basketball circles, so this is a common occurrence as people think they can push him around and there will be no retaliation. Since this was a basketball "fight", nothing but words were going to be exchanged, until Clippers guard Matt Barnes came over to get his two cents in, escalated the proceedings and got himself ejected. Barnes considers himself something of an enforcer - if there can be such a thing in basketball - so this also happens a lot. The difference is that this time when Barnes was back in the locker room he took to Twitter to voice his frustration and declared he was never going to do this anymore because it costs him too much money (he usually gets fined for his actions and this will be no exception). Here's the thing about Barnes - no one asked him to intervene and he was not involved in the play. The situation was winding down and he ramped it back up, which is why he got ejected. Now, it is entirely possible that Doc Rivers has told Barnes he is on the roster to provide toughness and that he should have Griffin's back which is why he rushed to his side, but having watched Doc Rivers coach for the last few years I can guarantee this is not the kind of toughness he had in mind. Rivers is more about mental toughness because you can't help the team win from the locker room. I can't help but wonder if Barnes has started to believe he is actually a tough guy, even though no basketball player can ever be considered truly tough (truly tough guys don't whine that much). The sad part is Barnes is actually a talented player and exactly the kind of guy every fan would want on their team - he often takes shorter deals for less money to make sure he is playing for a championship instead of getting a higher salary while being out of the playoff race in January. But thanks to his actions instead of being celebrated he has turned into the guy who needlessly elevates a situation to the point of starting a fight than wants you to thank him for doing so. Also, I don't think Barnes or the Clippers are doing Griffin any favors by assigning him a bodyguard, because having someone else fight your battles is not the way to show people that you are tough. For both those reasons I hope Barnes is true to his words and this never happens again. I'm sure his accountant is hoping that is the case as well.

-Due to the influx of one-and-done players, college basketball has become something of a niche sport, getting the majority of its attention only during March Madness. The problem is people only care about their own schools because the truly great players aren't around long enough to form an attachment to them. However, there is one thing college basketball has going for it which college football does not and that is basketball coaches are willing to schedule tough regular season match-ups. Unlike football teams in the SEC, who figure their conference schedule is hard enough as it is so they fill out there remaining games against weak competition, college basketball coaches want to see how they stack up against the best of the best, which how we got a night like what happened this week. On Tuesday in Chicago #1 Kentucky played #2 Michigan State, followed by #5 Kansas against #4 Duke. Depending on whose draft board you believe, there were as many as 16 future first-round picks playing in those two games, which is why 80 NBA scouts got credentials for the United Center. It was a great night for college basketball in the minds of everyone except Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who doesn't like all the scouts being there because it leads him to believe teams in the NBA could be tanking to get better draft picks and he thinks tanking is un-American (seriously, those were his words). I happen to agree that tanking in the NBA is a bad idea, but that is only because I have seen my team try that strategy twice and never get the first pick. But, even though I agree with the message, I think in this case the messenger needs to stop talking. While I have seen that he knows how to put a team together, Coach K has never coached in the NBA and thus has never had to navigate the murky waters of player movement (the closest he has come was coaching Team USA and all he had to do there was ask the players). Krzyzewski is at one of best college programs in the country, which means if he sees a player he wants he can just recruit him, all it will cost him is time and because of who he is he will probably get that player. That isn't how it works in the NBA, especially if you are in a small market or cold-weather city. Those teams don't get free agents, which means they have to build through the draft. If that means having a down season leading up to a draft which is supposed to be among the deepest in history, so be it because it could be the only way some of these franchises will ever be able to compete. Let Coach K take over a team like Milwaukee for a couple of seasons and we'll see if he's singing a different tune.

-Nothing makes me want to stop watching sports forever more than when a professional organization which makes millions of dollars in profits every year holds a city hostage by threatening to leave if the city doesn't build them a new stadium. As much as I hate to see loyal fans lose their beloved franchises, I have to respect the city leaders who think paying teachers and repairing roads are more important than raising tax rates to make sure some billionaire owner has enough luxury boxes (especially since many studies have proven the "economic benefits" the team always promise a new stadium will bring are totally made up). That is why I was very disappointed to learn that the Atlanta Braves found a willing sucker in nearby Cobb County, who will give the team nearly $400 million for a new stadium, which will move them out of downtown in time for the 2017 season. Adding another layer to this is that Turner Field, where the Braves currently play, is only 17 years old. It was originally built for the 1996 Olympic Games and converted for baseball, which the Braves say is the problem. Since it was originally designed to only be used for two weeks, the fact they have played in it for 17 years is apparently the worst thing which has ever happened in the history of baseball. (I do like the fact that the city of Atlanta has already said they will demolish Turner Field as soon as the Braves leave. Not only is that a nice middle finger to the team, it will stop Atlanta from turning into yet another city full of empty buildings that it constructed for the Olympics and then never used again. Part of me wants Atlanta to tear down the stadium and then have there be a construction delay at the new park.) I think a major part of my problem with the Braves is that I happen to live in a city where the team has used the same ballpark for 101 years and they don't have any trouble competing for Championships. That kind of makes it impossible for me to have any sympathy for you simply because the stadium you play in wasn't built for you, specifically. Also, the irony which is in play because of the way that the Braves have taken it upon themselves during the last year to be the "classy" franchise that does it "the right way", yet here they are screwing over their state is not lost on me. Now, from a business standpoint this makes some sense because Cobb County has a large number of Braves season ticket holders and it will make it easier for them to get to games. However, considering Braves fans don't show up for playoff games I am not sure putting a stadium in their back yards would get attendance figures up.

-But since we are on the subject of baseball franchises with an inflated sense of self worth, the New York Yankees are looking for a new closer for the first time in nearly 20 years following the retirement of Mariano Rivera. According to reports this week it look as though former Giants closer Brian Wilson won't be heading to the Bronx anytime soon and it has nothing to do with money. You see, the Yankees have a long tradition of not allowing facial hair and Wilson has become famous in the last couple of years for having a thick black beard, so even though there was mutual interest the deal won't happen because the Yankees won't change their "no facial hair" policy and Wilson won't shave his beard. This is a hard one to take sides on because I'm not sure who is being the bigger douche in this scenario. I have a visceral reaction anytime I hear about corporations imposing any kind of ban on personal style. It is one thing to require an appropriate dress code (though, even some of those make my skin crawl), but I don't think any company has the right to dictate how people decide to groom themselves. It would be one thing if they just decided not to hire that person, because that is totally their right, however the Yankees have a history of trading for players and then demanding they conform to this rule. I know this will come as a shock to some people in that organization but not everyone grows up dreaming of playing for the Yankees, so if a player who has and likes their facial hair gets sent to a team when they have no say in the process than I hope they rebel and end up looking like Grizzly Adams. On the other hand, there are few things in life I hate more than people who try way too hard to make themselves look interesting and in that regard Brian Wilson has become one of the more obnoxious athletes of the past five years. Everything he does off the field, from dying that beard black to showing up at award shows in kooky outfits, screams, "Please, for the love of God, pay attention to me!" I understand it can be hard to be an individual when everyone out there is dressed in the same uniform, but it has gotten to the point his antics have begun to overshadow the fact he was once a very good picture before Tommy John surgery. So, really, there are no winners here. Ultimately I guess I will have to side with Wilson, only because for as obnoxious as I find him he's only a player and will be gone from the public eye soon enough and, unfortunately, the Yankees and their annoying grandstanding will be around for much longer. Still, just for my peace of mind it was probably for the best these two decided not to team up.

-I continue to maintain that of all the professional sports leagues, the NHL is the most open about its problems and the most proactive (not to mention creative) when it comes to coming up with ways to solve those issues. Currently the NHL is dealing with the fact that 24% of all their games go to overtime, which doesn't sound like a particularly high number. The problem is that once those games reach that point teams get defensive and start playing not to lose so they can still get 1 point in the standings. As a result 60% of overtime games go to a shootout. Now, I am not fundamentally opposed to shoot-outs for the regular season because it is certainly better than a tie. As long as the league has teams keep playing however long is required until a goal is scored during the playoffs than making sure people don't have to watch 6 hours of hockey between the Panthers and Coyotes on a Tuesday night in March is fine with me. (This is why I can't take the World Cup seriously. How can you have the biggest prize in your sport decided by a shoot-out? That would be like the World Series getting decided by a homerun derby.) Still, the NHL would like to send fans home feeling a bit more fulfilled, which is why they have begun toying with the idea of having teams play 3-on-3 in overtime periods. I can not stress enough how much I love this idea. I may be a terrible skater, but even I know space and speed make the game much more fun to watch. If you don't believe me just watch the Olympics - they play on a bigger rink and the difference in style is staggering. Removing a couple of hulking defensemen and just putting out a couple of wingers and a center out there for the overtime period would make for a much faster and offensive-minded game. Not only would the teams be able to spread things out, the finesse players wouldn't worry about having their heads taken off by guys who never intend to shoot the puck. I am not saying this would automatically decrease the number of games which would end in a shoot-out, but I don't seem the harm in trying. Now, even though the NHL has a habit of flying by the seat of their pants and immediately implementing any rule it thinks will improve the games, I don't see this one being added to the rulebook before this season ends. The change would just be too drastic and it should probably be studied in leagues such as the AHL first. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if this were installed before next season. By this time next year NHL fans may stop dreading a game going to overtime and actually start rooting for it to happen.

-A couple weeks ago I talked about how I instinctively feel the need to defend everything and everyone who is from Boston, even when it is something I am not particularly proud of. My territorial nature kicks in and it simply can't be helped. Well, I am the same way whenever I meet people from foreign countries who try and talk down about American sports. One of the more heated debates I get into is the difference between NASCAR and Formula One. The Formula One crowd seems to think that given the short tracks and oval shapes of most NASCAR circuits, combined with the big cars they get to drive, the sport is somehow easy compared to all the turning Formula One drivers are asked to do in cars which are little more than rockets with wheels. Even though I am a casual NASCAR fan at best I feel the need to defend it, often by pointing out that if that were true than anyone could do it, yet somehow most Formula One drivers flame out spectacularly when they come over and try to drive a stock car despite the fact they tend to land with well-established teams who provide good equipment. It appears I will soon be able to make a similar argument to the rally-cross people as this week it was announced rally champion Travis Pastrana's attempt to drive in NASCAR will be short-lived, as he won't be back next year. Pastrana had been in NASCAR's Nationwide Series (think AAA-level) and most people had assumed he would go up to Sprint Cup Series next season, but it is not to be. Now, Pastrana only had a few top-10s to show for his effort so it is not like he had really earned a promotion but surprisingly Pastrana isn't leaving the sport because of poor results but rather because he reportedly can't find a sponsorship for his ride. This has to worry all the NASCAR teams because if you think their drivers are slaves to corporate marketing you should see rally drivers. Even in their daily lives those guys are essentially walking billboards. They are often sponsored by clothing companies and energy drink vendors and don't wear one stitch of clothing without it having a label on it while drinking from a can which has been duct-taped to their hands. If a high-profile guy with an impressive resume like Pastrana can't get a company to fork over enough money to fund his ride what chance do the small, one-car operations driven by talented-but-unknown drivers have to secure sponsorship? If this keeps up much longer we may see more NASCAR drivers try and find rides in Formula One. Not only will their aggressive driving style make things more interesting over there, it may finally settle the debate once and for all.