The Phenomenon of Sports

Some people don't get it, and that's ok. There are those who don't have that distinct desire to go home and spend 3 hours on a couch watching a bunch of people you've never met throw around a ball and engage in an event that in all honesty has no real affect on your life what so ever. So I understand how some people are baffled with the concept of watching sports and dedicating hours to researching, studying, and discussing the stories that surround us. But I'm here to explain that maybe it's not so foreign, here to give some insight to what goes through our heads, here to shed some light on why sports is so great in so so many ways.

Let's start with the obvious. Most of the people who watch sports, played sports. At one point in your life you lived, breathed, and died sports. You can remember laying in your bed an hour before you had to leave for a game picturing in your head all the things you're going to accomplish in that short time. So when many of us watch sports, we watch to relive that feeling just a little bit. Sometimes you feel as if you're there, as if it was you who prepared, and you believe your support can help the team. Sometimes you get the people who really o think they can help and clearly don't understand the concept of sound and distance (they are positive that the louder they yell, and the more frequent, that the TV will most certainly carry their sound to the arena and reach the players and coaches ears...solid logic obviously). So many of us watch to relive that feeling if even in the slightest, it reminds of who we once were, what we did, and knowing that we couldn't play at that level makes us in awe of what the athletes even that much more.

Now to the real fun ones, next we will address the sheer madness and unpredictability. Let's say you watch a show such as The Walking Dead or The Bachelorette (both shows which I have never seen nor have a desire to see...but somehow popular none the less), they both have story lines, main characters, situations set up by writers or producers, and there are things that you are certain will never happen in that show. The main character of Walking Dead won't die, he has a contract that says he's on for a certain amount of shows. The Bachelorette won't not pick a guy at the end, she has to that's the rule of the show. But in sports, there are no rules to what can happen to any person, any team, any situation. The game of sport has no sympathy to its players or viewers, it only answers to the sheer laws of the universe. Let's take 2012 for example, arguably the greatest linebacker of all time, Ray Lewis, gets hurt (ie. the main character being removed) from his team and they have to carry on without him for much of the year. How will the team adjust, cope, and react without its greatest leader on the field (I think we've all realized that the leadership on the field was definitely hurt). That's just one example of why we watch. But it happens so much in sports, Steve Nash, Mariano Rivera, Anthony Davis, the list could go on and on of people that got hurt that had no business getting hurt. Now lets address another crazy issue, who wins the games? Now yes a majority of the time the better team wins, but you really never ever know. This year at one point in college football there were four teams vying for the National Championship, Oregon, Alabama, Kansas State, and Notre Dame. There was a week where we were talking about how crazy it would be if they all went undefeated (which was expected) and who would then play for the title...then in two weeks three of the teams lost to teams they most assuredly should have beat. It was ridiculous, mind blowing, unexpected, and above all just crazy. The reason we love this, and always will, is the unexpected surprise of it. You wake up on a Saturday just expecting it to be another day, and then you find out all these games are goin on and you're just pleasantly surprised. There's not expectation of this happening in a one hour time slot on a Tuesday afternoon. The sheer randomness of it all yields the joy, the fear, the excitement, the hate, and the surprise in a manner that can't be matched by any other thing on earth, and that's what always brings us back (or in my case keeps me there for oh....7 hours at a time).

Yet, now we reach the ultimate reason that sports is the phenomenon that it truly is. It's the truth of it all, it's the stories that surround it, it's the great achievements and overcomes of trials that these athletes that just leaves us in awe. Here I will only leave a few examples, but know that there are an infinite amount more. The main one, that everyone should hear and know about is Notre Dame's linebacker Manti Te'o. Here is a man that was a Heisman Trophy finalist (the best college football player in the country), he's led his team to the national championship, he's a projected first round draft pick, and yet all of that does not remotely compare to what he did in September of this year. Te'o had voiced on many occasions that the only two women that he truly cared about, and were closest to him in his life, were his grandmother and his girlfriend. Well, on September within 24 hours, both passed away. And here Te'o was forced to decide whether to leave the team and fly to Hawai'i or stay and lead his team against 10th ranked Michigan State. He decided to stay, and he lead his team to 20-3 victory. Now I myself have never had an abrupt loss of anyone I care about, and I can't imagine what it is like to have one leave this earth...now its unfathomable to me how you react to losing the TWO most important people. Then go out and play a nationally televised game against a top 10 opponent and play the way he did. This isn't a script for a movie, its better. What we yearn for when we go and watch drama's, comedies, and action shows at the movies and on TV, sports spits out in real time. As I stated before, its so unexpected. You never knew how he was going to perform after all this, and even if he would play. But as the game unfolded, you saw a performance happening that you knew would live in the minds of fans forever...and in all truth would be portrayed on the big screen at some point I'm sure. There are many more stories like that even from this year. The injury of Marcus Lattimore, the story of Serge Ibaka, Kevin Durant's story, Europe's comeback in the Ryder Cup, the murder/suicide in Kansas City and so many more.

There's this odd thing that always tends to happen, sports movies never truly make it to that "great" status. Sure there are a few ones that everyone loves such as Remember the Titans, Rudy, and Hoosiers. But a lot of times you're like eh...it was ok. But everyone, literally everyone, loves the documentaries that ESPN has released in their 30 for 30 series over the past few years. Now why is this? How many 27 year old single men who play video games and go to bars at night say they "oh yea I wathced this documentary last night"? None. Until these came out. The reason they are so popular is they aren't doctored by Hollywood, not written to follow the hero story, not fictional stories created in the mind of some creative writer, they're the real stories of athletes that we all watched on TV everyday. It's true internal struggle, external consequences, mind baffling decisions, and emotionally stimulating events that happened just as they are told...unfolding before our very eyes.

So this is why we watch, this is why we love, this is why we dedicate all the time and money into watching these people we don't know throw around a ball. It's so real, it's so true, and so unexpected and unpredictable. On any given day you can have a story going on in sports that could make for a million dollar movie script, but we enjoy it so much more because it's real and happening right in front of us. I'm not here to say that sports is better than any of the things other people watch on TV...ok yes I am. So if you haven't given it a try, this holiday season (especially on Christmas day) you can watch struggling teams try to regain confidence in themselves, watch some of the greatest players of all time check it up with each other, and watch hundreds of athletes overcome internal struggles and problems. And the best part of it...I can't tell you what will happen...not in the slightest.

Y'all Gonna Call Me Crazy

Compare this to the pic
of MJ...Eerily similar right?

I'm just gonna throw it out there so you don't have to wait to call me a fool, crazy, stupid, or ignorant. When all is said and done LeBron won't be the greatest player of all time, neither will Kobe, neither will Jordan...you read that right (coming from probably the biggest MJ supporter out there). When it comes down to it, about 20 years from now I whole heartedly believe that Kevin Durant will be the GOAT. (I'll pause here for expletives and give you some time to give a hardy grunt or laugh). We good? You get it all out of your system? Ok, then bare with me and let me explain why.

I'm not denying that right now, this very instant, LeBron is the best player in the league. That position was up for grabs in the NBA Finals last year, whoever won that was going to snatch the title of "best" up from an aging Kobe, and LeBron took it and he earned it. He finally showed he can finish games and finish a series. So he currently holds that spot if you will, but I'm not sure how long he will. Don't get me wrong, I think the Heat will win it again this year, they most certainly have the team to do so, but lets think 4-5 years down the road, how many more people can LBJ surrond himself with to win more titles? Because that is the thing about him, and its not fault of his he plays the game the way he thinks he should and he is a blast to watch, but he needs a supporting cast. Jordan never did (he had a dynamite cast of role players, but in the end he coulda won with any other 4 on the court). So with those points being made I'm going to begin to list off my crazy reasons why in the end Durant will snatch that spot from MJ.

A skinny boy turned into the man
we know as MJ...Durant will do
the same

1. Look at the way he plays and his frame. I remember when he first started playing for Seattle, as I watched him score in bunches I saw a young MJ, not just in game but in stature. He has the same build as MJ did when he came in. Long, lanky, not quite filled out. We forget that Durant couldn't bench 185 lbs when he came into the league (no joke he couldn't), and we always remember the tone and physical Jordan of the 90's, but before that he was this skinny kid out of North Carolina. Once Durant fills out a little bit more and learns to play in the post better, he will be able to score more and more (if you think about it look at MJ, Kobe, and LBJ's early careers vs. the later career they all learned how to post better and scored more points closer to the basket as they got older). And Durant is 3 inches taller than MJ and a wayyyyy better 3 point shooter...Jordan took on average about 150 3's a year with an average of 32.7%, Durant is at about 675 right now with a 36.6%. Combine all those and we've got a man that score in bunches. Which brings me to my next point, what is it we as fans truly value and measure?

2. Points and rings. Isn't that always the argument with MJ vs. the world. Minus the old Celtics of the 60's that won about 442 NBA titles in a row, MJ commanded the greatest dynasty in modern basketball. He wont 6 straight rings in season he played in, 6 straight. And when he left the team, they didn't win any. Then if it isn't that its the fact that he could score whenever he wanted to. 30.1 ppg (that includes the 2 years he spent in Washington when his stats went way down), that is ridiculous. He averaged 37.1 is third year in the league, averaged 40 ppg in the 93 finals (CRAZY). These are always the arguments. Now look at KD. That's what he does. He has won three consecutive scoring titles. Beating out players like LeBron, Kobe, Melo, and countless other perennial scorers. And you want to know the crazy thing? He does it taking way less shots than Jordan. In the 97-98 season MJ averaged 28.7 ppg (won scoring title), in the 2010-2011 season KD averaged 27.7 ppg (won scoring title). Yet MJ took 1,892 shots, KD took 1,538. That's a difference of 354 shots. So lets just say for easy math that 154 shots of those are 3 pointers and 250 are 2 pointers. According to Durant's averages thats an additional 424 points on the year, which raises his average to 33.1 ppg (all these numbers are rounded to the highest tenth to obviously make my argument look better). 33.1 is a lot more than 27 when that comes out to an average. Now why does this all matter? It's all hypothetical isn't it, you could say the same about LeBron you're probably saying. But there's one thing here...Russell Westbrook. We all know him and the fact of the matter is without Westbrook there, Durant probably gets those extra 424 shots. Now I think we all know that the two of them won't be together forever. I truly believe that Westbrook will leave one day to become "the guy" at another team. And when that happens it will become Durant's team, no questions. He will get those shots us and he can start to take on the role that Jordan did when they won those titles. He can form a team around him and be the scorer that can take a team to many many titles. His shots will go up, his ppg will go up, and as his skills continue to develop, so will his ring total.

I think there's no doubt MJ's GOAT throne is in
jeopardy...just a matter of which one will take it

3. Closer. Ask yourself this, if the game is on the line who do you want taking the final shot. Jordan. No question. Now in the NBA today, who do you want taking the final shot. Kobe. No question. Once Kobe leaves, who do you want taking the final shot. Durant. No question. Don't say LeBron, please don't say that. Just because he won 1 title does not erase all the problems he's had in closing games. Sure he did it for the Celtics series and a bit in the Finals, but those were more putting the game away. Buzzer beaters, last possessions of games with it tied or you're down, I want the ball in Durant's hands. LeBron will do what he does best in those situations and find the "right guy" to take the shot, but that's not what I want. I want a man who will shoot over 3 guys vs passing it to a guy in the corner because in his mind his shot is going to go in, that guy in the corner eh I'm not so sure. That's what Jordan had. Rarely did he pass up a game winning shot. Watch the highlights, I kid you not sometimes he takes a 18 ft. jumper with three guys on him when a guy is wide open 4 ft from the basket, but in his head MJ knew his shot was better and it was his job to win the game. I don't think LBJ knows that, but I think Durant does. Once he begins to diversify his game even more, he will be deadly in closing games. Losing leads and games like they did in the Finals won't happen and he will win titles. More than LeBron will.

Now I know this is out there, and in terms of this I'm gonna say what my Dad always says about the LDS Church, "we are either 100% correct or not even on the map". That's how I feel about this, I'm not writing this to spark up controversy or an argument, this is what I truly see happening in the future. Durant has all the potential Jordan had, with a better outside shot. He takes less shots than Jordan did. He got the the finals quicker than MJ did. Remember it took Jordan 7 years to win a title, took LeBron 9, and Durant his currently in his 6th season. I legitimately feel that as he develops and learns to score in more ways then he already does and  learns to play better defense, that Durant will win multiple championships. And because LeBron is so naturally athletic, so gifted, so talented, that when Durant over shadows him and beats him and takes the reigns as greatest in the NBA, that we as fans will have to admit that somebody who took that from someone like LeBron has to be the greatest of all time. I'm not trying to take anything from LeBron, I admit he is amazing and the best all around player I've ever seen to be honest, but that's not always what we want. Oscar Robertson averaged a career triple double but he's not in the talks as much as Dr. J was, same thing here. It may be weird to see, but 15 years from now a bunch of kids in gyms around the world will be sporting 35 on their jersey and doin little shakes at the free throw line. You don't have to believe me, but if that time ever comes you just remember what I said.

Say Goodbye to Hollywood?...Nah

My my, sometimes living in Utah is a bit of a challenge. I understand passion but sometimes that's not passion you have, it's well...bias. All I heard was "we beat the Lakers, I think this is the year" and "Utah are runnin the table". Oh how you forget the road losses so quick. Yea the Jazz beat the Lakers, but who hasn't these days? Trouble in LA, that's a fact but I don't think its as big of a problem as everyone says, and even more so, I don't think the problem is what everyone always claims it to be.

Look, no matter what you think professional athletes are people, very talented people, but people all the same. Just because they make millions of dollars and get to play a sport as their job and get to go to all sorts of cool events, and only have to "work work" for part of the year and get to travel all over the world and be idolized by billions...wait where was I going with this? Oh yea, that doesn't make them any different than you or I. Ok that's a complete lie it makes them totally different but in terms of personality, sometimes we overlook these people have imperfections like us, and in this particular case (as it has been a lot in the past) they have trouble adjusting to different situations. I'm referring to the Lakers issue of late.

Oh my gosh there 1-4, it's the end of the world, fire Mike Brown, move the team to Hawai'i, they're all old and selfish. Overreactions I say. Do you realize if the lakers go 2-1 over a 3 game stretch for the rest of the season they'll be 26-15 at the half way mark? That's win-lose-win, something I'm sure they can do so lets all just relax right now and try to understand why they struggle. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say something that many people would probably disagree with, NBA players, and many professional athletes in general, are not that selfish. I think a lot of people are trying to say what they said when the heat got together (and sometimes what happens when the Olympic basketball teams get together as well), and that is that they can't play together because they all want the ball and all want to get their stats and their minutes and fulfill their needs. I don't think thats the case, its a comfort thing to me, and they are just trying to get comfortable.

He's used to having the ball in his hand more
often than not (also kinda looks like Drew
Brees in this picture right? weird...maybe Brees
is actually both people and that scar on his face
is just a cover up...wouldn't put it past him)

Let's look at the facts for the team that won the NBA title last year. Remember this whole fiasco in 2010. They started off 10-8, went 1-4 through and early stretch in their season, and ended up making the NBA finals that year. Do you really think its because Wade, Bosh, and LeBron all wanted to score more than the other? All of the Olympic teams, do you really believe that most of those people (I say most because there definitely are some) put their personal gain over the nations? No, they find it tough to play together not because they are selfish, but because they are comfortable with their games. Lets throw in a real life example in here because by this point I usually have about 14 references so I'm falling behind. New kid moves into school sophomore year of high school. Kid was a stud at this last school; knew everyone, had a girlfriend, great student, good athlete, the works. So he moves into this new school and for the first two months hasn't made any friends because he's trying to figure out how to meet new people because he's never been in this situation before. Did the kid himself change? No he still has the same personality, same beliefs, all that, he's just not getting results because he's not comfortable yet. So let's focus this onto the Lakers.

Let's start with Nash. If anybody watched the first couple games you saw what I saw, Steve Nash kinda floating around. He's used to having the ball in his hands because he needed to have the ball in his hands, now he doesn't need to hold onto the ball for 17 seconds of the shot clock so what does he do...he doesn't really know. He's not comfortable not having the ball in his hands and isn't sure how to help the offense without it.

Dwight's just gotta get used to him always being right there

Next to Dwight, in Orlando (and really the east for that matter) he was THE big guy. Now he has another perennial all start down in the post with him. Now I think he's flourished the most because of this on the offensive side of the ball because of the freedom Pau has given him, but I also think it has thrown the offense off. He can't just post up (pun intended) in the paint because Pau may be flashing across or have a better mismatch than him. Pau's gonna be there all season, he's gotta get used to that. 

Don't you fret...this man will get 'em right.

Now to Kobe. Get over it people he's legit, it wasn't rape like you think it was rape and for probably a good 8 years he was the greatest basketball player on the planet. Now he does want his shots and its been documented that he has had a selfish attitude, but of late he's shared the ball with Pau and been much more of a team player. If you watched the Olympics you saw him take 2 shots in a half (that's like a girl only watching 5 minutes of the Bachorlette...just doesn't happen they always need more) so don't tell me its all for him. Kobe, like Jordan, is a competitor and wants to win, if he thinks shooting 30 times will win the game he will shoot 35 just to make sure. Call it a fault but its the reason he was the greatest in the league for a long time. Now his job in this situation, which is throwing him off, is maximizing Nash and Dwight's game. In the past Pau has been a little different, and in the triangle I think he was utilized better, but now Kobe must manage the team from the court and make sure that Nash and Dwight are being themselves.

So how does this all happen, let's look back at the teams that fixed it and managed it. 1992 Dream Team - Chuck Daly (R.I.P. Chuck we all miss you). This is the man that defeated the greatest player ever at the time three straight years in the Eastern Conference Finals (the difference between Jordan and LeBrown will always be Mike stuck it out and didn't leave to make his own all-star team). The dream team in 2008 & 2012 compared to the one in 2004...Mike Krzyzewski, one of if not the greatest coach of all time. Lakers when they won it with all that talent, Phil Jackson. The difference is coach, even Spoelstra has proven to be able to deal with it. This is where it is Mike Brown's duty and job to make the comfortable, not change their game, not change who they are, but make them comfortable while doing it. That's why if they end up at 10-15 or even under .500 I'm fine with firing him, but give him some time and give the players some time.

We have all had times where we feel off because we don't feel right, don't feel calm and collected, don't feel comfortable, and its been weird. That's how LA is feeling, and how they might feel for a few more weeks. But mark my words they will be a force at some point in the year and I'll be able to wear my Lakers jersey around Utah and laugh (funny thing is I'm not even a Lakers fan). Just give it time.



e. moats

And. Here. We. Go.

Ladies and gentlemen start your engines. No no, not talking about NASCAR, I don’t have a broke down car in my front yard or a severe enough of a tan line to be an expert on stock car racing. I’m talking about the best 2 months of the year that have come upon us, November and December. There are many many reasons why these two months dominate the year. First of obviously is the birthday or a certain awesome man…I mean I know he’s a big deal but I never thought Ryan Moats birthday would really make November the month it has come to be. There’s also the greatest holiday ever in December (boxing day obviously) and Christmas music for two months. Just a little sidebar here, people who say November is too early to listen to Christmas music fall into the following categories: 

A. “Too cool” to listen to it which means are inherently tools.

2.  Don’t have enough Christmas music to last them for two months. (You can only hear Winter Wonderland by Amy Grant so many times)

Thirdly. Can’t hear the bell anymore and don’t “believe” in Santa, whatever that means.

D. Are dumb and have a scrooge like factor to them…but not the scrooge at the end of the play, the guy at the very beginning who everyone dislikes. 

Anyway I digress, since this is a sports blog (if you can even call it that) I am going somewhere with this. November and December happen to be the best months of sports that we get all year as well. Don’t believe me? Well then you’re probably the guy listening to Tik Tok by Ke$ha instead of Merry Chirstmas, Happy Holidays by N*Sync.

Let’s begin with the obvious; we have the most sports going on during this time. College football, college basketball, high school football, high school basketball, NFL, NBA, and NHL are all being played during these times, and in my opinion most of them are in some of the best part of their schedules.  

Let’s begin with NCAA football. The BCS championship is in January, not December, along with all the other BCS bowl games, I hear you. However, think about what those games mean. Yes the BCS championship game crowns the victor at the end of the season, but until we go to a playoff (2014 I believe) the other BCS games truly mean nothing. A bowl game isn’t a playoff game, and in the end it really means nothing. It’s a way to reward players, coaches, fans, and sponsors for the effort they put in during the season. The truly great games are the ones that are before the bowl games, the ones that decide which team goes where. These tend to be the last 2 games of the conference schedule and all the conference championship games. You truly see the players taste that championship, and in many cases get to see rematches of already great games throughout the season. It’s these games I love to watch so much more than the bowl games because they matter.

Next to NCAA basketball, now many people may believe the best time is in March, I am one of those people as well, but excluding that tournament, the best games are in November and December. These are when you get matchups that might happen in the tournament. You get the Big 10 ACC challenge, Gonzaga palying a ridiculous non-conference schedule, and you get to see teams like Kentucky, Pitt, Syracuse, and tons of other great schools play the best teams they play all year. 

NFL, now obviously the playoffs and the SuperBowl are the best, that’s a no brainer, but just like college football here are teams that are fighting to get into the playoffs playing huge divisional games down the road. Don’t think I have a valid point? Look at the last two SuperBowl champs, the Packers and the Giants, both went 9-7 in the regular season and had to win their last game (in the Giants game the last 2) to even have a chance to make the playoffs. The playoff pictures are shifting around and those final few weeks in December you somehow become best friends with that weird guy at work with the mustache just because you know he has DirecTV and NFL Sunday Ticket (then all of sudden once the playoffs roll around you don’t seem so interested in his in house art studio or his kid that seems to see you as a jungle gym not a human being…hmmm wonder how that happens). 

NBA, the season begins. I know most people aren’t as big of NBA fans as I am but I love the NBA. Here you get a feel for how teams really are going to be. Its early enough in the season where there aren’t a whole lot of injuries and the guys are still playing all four quarters…wish I got paid to only “really” perform for a fourth of my work day. Now the playoffs are obviously the best time but just the beginning of the season gets me as excited as a teenage girl if they came out with a movie where Twilight meets Justin Beiber and they save Selena Gomez from the evil Rebecca Black on Friday and then all go to Katy Perry’s house and sing Lady Gaga while watching the Bachelorette…yea MORE excited than that. 

NHL, well highlights are fun to watch...even though there may not be any this year. Barry Melrose will still go on SportsCenter and do highlights for games that didn’t even happen…that’s how good he is. PS if hockey doesn’t start I’m anticipating Canada goes crazy and may just go absolutely nuts on the world…I think that’s what the Mayan calendar was referring to when they said the world will end in 2012. 

In these two months, we have all those sports, all on TV, all over the news, every day. We also have English Premier League Soccer too if you’re into that (I am). Not a day goes by that you can’t turn on SportsCenter and be entertained for literally 4 hours, and the Top 10, oh the Top 10, it’s no longer overweight baseball players falling to make a catch, it’s actually good plays. You have football games on Thanksgiving, basketball and football on Christmas, high school football championships, you’re families together, Santa comes, its cold outside so you just stay in and watch the games, you have tons of food, presents, fantasy football champions crowned, Santa comes, Barkely’s back on TNT, Santa comes, and Christmas music. Need I say more, it’s truly is the “most wonderful time of the year”. Enjoy it, because before you know it it’s a Tuesday in July and the top slot on SportsCenter is a highlight of the Marlins and Astros game where Houston won 4-2.

 

The Best Week Ever in Sports...and I Bet You Missed It

Ok, clarification, the best week ever in sports for this sport, just had to get your attention somehow, looks like that Marketing degree I got in the mail yesterday is already paying off. So you are probably wondering what did I miss? I listen to sports radio every day, watch more hours of SportsCenter collectivley then I do sleep, and always correct random conversations when somebody who knows nothing about sports blurts out "yea I think the Jazz can go all the way this year". Now I'm not here to say that you missed it completely, that you didn't know it was happening, the odds are you just probably didn't see it live. I'm talking about "America's Pastime", yes ladies and gentlemen, I'm referring to the first round of the MLB postseason.

Hold up hold up, before you click that little back button and return to your Facebook and Twitter feeds where the Kardashian's update on its left hang nail seems to be more important than this (yes I called them an "its"...i refuse to acknowledge them as human beings), hear me out. I know baseball is boring to watch, I get it. I played baseball from age 4 to age 18 and at one point considered it my favorite sport, even thought about playing it in college, and I still hate to watch it on TV. Going to a game is completely different, those who live in Utah can't really understand this (Bee's games are fun but its like dating a girl who's friend is much much hotter than her...you're like yea she's hot but eh eh eh... somethin better is literally right in front of you), but games live are an event and even going to a Rockies game when they're 380 games out of first place (actually happened this year no joke) when the stadium is half full is a blast. But just like hockey now a days, baseball just isn't appealing on TV anymore. However, this postseason was entirely different.

Let's begin with some facts.

• Even before the playoffs started we had two play-in games, how on earth teams can play 162 games and then be tied for first place in the same division is mind boggling to me but it happened twice this year. Controversy happened in one of those Wild Card games in which a basic rule was evaluated and challenged and eventually had an effect on the game. While this sucked for Braves fan it made for a little flare and drama. We also had the O's and the A's make the playoffs (it was the year of the vowels) and the A's basically just created a sequel to Money Ball this year (so be ready for that to hit theaters in a year because we all know Hollywood is running out of ideas...seriously Fast and the Furious 6?) 
• This is the first time in baseball history that every series went to the max amount of games, 5 in this case being the first round. Going into the last day each team had a chance to make it to the next round, people were talking about Yankees and Cardinals World Series matchups as well as A's and O's. 
• The Giants came back from a 2-0 deficit to win their series against a good Cincinnati team, complete with a blustering home run but Posey in game 5 to put the Giants in cruise control for that last game. 
• 6 of the games were decided by 1 run or fewer. In this case if you would've just watched the 7th, 8th, and 9th inning, the game would've been gripping, especially with how much is on the line.
• Out of those 6, 3 went into extra innings. There's nothing better in baseball because at this point the bullpens are bare and the hitters are tired so if there ever was a time to dig down and beat the other team on sheer fight this is the time in baseball. 
• Playoffs are actually strategy based and its fun to watch managers play chess with each other. Send in a pinch hitter and then they change pitchers, lefty on lefty, righty on right, small ball, and players actually springting to first base...sprinting!!! Crazy I know

I'll admit, I fell victim to the same thing. I may have decided to watch a rerun of a Family Guy episode (ok maybe 4 episodes) instead of watching the games. But when I turned on the radio and ESPN.com for an update on the status of my fantasy quarterback (it was Jay Cutler at the time so....still sucks), I saw the status for games 1 and 2 and decided that I'm def def gonna start watching. And even though I decided to watch the last few innings only, I felt as if I had watched one of the most captivating things I've seen in sports all year. (Also the Yankees got smashed in the next series and A-Rod struck out...and he wasn't even playing!!!!)

So with the World Series in the full swing and the fall classic more captivating than ever with the Giants up 2-0 (on the other side of where they've been the whole playoffs), take a night and go out to a bar and have dinner and causally watch a baseball playoff game, or put it on the background in your house while you have family night or are folding laundry, you'll be surprised at how with 8 innings left your glued to your couch and chatting about how a .301 average against a lefty in a ball park like Detroits means they'd be better off with a advancing that runner with a bunt to get to that hitter even though it means two outs. It's America's Pastime, don't let the time pass you without enjoying it.

e.moats

Dear Kansas City...

A Cordial Letter to the Fans of Kansas City:

First off, it's disguesting, how dare you, and you should be ashamed to even consider yourself a sports fan. The fact that you would cheer, yes I said it CHEER, when your quarterback Matt Cassel suffers a concussion in the latter stages of last week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens sickens me for so so many reasons. But I’m only gonna focus on one thing because otherwise I could write a novel longer than War and Peace about how much said “cheering” upsets me. I won’t speak on how the over abuse of alcohol probably contributed to this or even on this certain entitlement that fans feel (because believe it or not professional athletes owe you nothing. Yea you pay for tickets but that is your choice, just because you fork up $50 for a seat and $30 for beer doesn’t mean the man playing on the field is now in your debt…trust me athletes do it for the fans, they want the fans to be happy but in the end this is THEIR job, not yours, this is their life and their career, not yours. Don’t think they owe you something just because you wish you were there…and please please please don’t think just because you can put up 50 in Madden on semi-pro against the Jaguars defense that you know more about football then these players and coaches.) Sorry that just upsets me, but that’s for another time. No, what I’m going to write to you Kansas City fans about is how what you did is a perfect example of what has happened to the fans of the NFL. While the NFL has become progressively more advanced in so many ways (Plays, Equipment, Strategy, etc.), we as fans (and yes I’m including myself in this) and especially you certain few (not all) in Kansas City have become a dumber fan, and less sophisticated fan, and it’s ruining one of the greatest games ever invented.

Let’s start with the obvious. You cheered someone who is injured. That’s just stupid. Now I know we all love to see the big hits, love to see people getting leveled on the sideline or coming across the middle, when you see J.P.P. comin off the edge to the quarterbacks blindside you get giddy and anticipate seeing someone get smashed. That’s ok, but only if the person gets up and plays on, or is out for a few plays. That’s at least civil. But when someone goes down and stays down and then has to be escorted to the locker room because they can’t walk straight…and you cheer, that’s terrible. With all the media coverage of how the NFL, and especially concussions which Cassel suffered, affect players in the long run how can you seriously wish that upon somebody and rejoice when it happens. It is literally the equivalent of walking into a firestation and cheering a fallen comrade or someone who got hurt putting out a fire, there’s no difference. To add on top of that, IT WAS YOUR OWN PLAYER!!!! What kind of fan does that? A dumb fan, that’s who.

I understand he wasn’t playing the best, but you want me to tell you why it was dumb? Let’s start here with the obvious, you were playing the Baltimore Ravens. One of the top teams in the NFL, an elite defense with an ever increasing offensive attack, a legitimate super bowl contender. Throughout the course of this game, your Kansas City Chiefs had rushed for 240 yards…240 yards on one of the premier defenses in the league. Sure Cassel didn’t throw for 300 yards, but how are you to know that he didn’t audible passes and turn them into runs that went for 6-10 yards? You don’t. And if you really want to throw the ball against an elite defense 40 times with no true slot threat and not establishing the run, then the game probably would’ve been 90-6 instead of 9-6. In this day and age, with everything at our finger tips and the emergence and huge popularity of fantasy football you expect way too much way too quick. You have an amazing defense, and that is what your team should be based off of. Don’t think it works, look at San Francisco, what is the difference between your team now and their team a year or two ago. Not a great offense, exceptional defense, good running attack…that only led them to NFC championship, no big deal. But you don’t see that do you, you want to throw the ball, put up 70 points in an offense that right now can’t handle it. You held the Ravens to 9 points…is nobody pointing that out? Why can’t you cheer about that? An almost elite offense with weapons everywhere and you kept them from scoring any touchdowns. You need to lean on your defense, play the time of possession and field position game, please why can’t you be a true fan and understand that 9-6 games can be just as entertaining as 45-42 if you understand how the game is supposed to be played, but you obviously don’t.

Ok so you wanna say that even with the defense and stopping the ravens and the run game and all that it was still an awful performance from a quarterback, and has been subpar each year. Ok, that I will agree with you, but while that doesn’t allow you to cheer his life possibly being changed forever, I’ll tell you another reason its despicable. You’re a Kansas City fan, be a fan no matter what. You can be frustrated you can talk trash about your team, but please support them. What kind of man cheers his own team doing bad. Try being a Rockies fan, they had one good year where they went to the World Series, other than that they’ve been like last all the time (I know that’s not historically accurate but they’ve been bad), and yes I make fun of them and say jokes, but when they play I cheer my heart out for them. Whether it’s a terrible play or an amazing play I’m there all the same. You can’t say you’re doing that, you have to be patient. Have to trust the coaches, the players, the owners, and it’s your job to support them, not judge, not make decisions, not cheer when a man gets knocked out, but to support. And eventually they will make a run, they will win a super bowl, they will have a great team and then you can be there supporting your team in the freezing cold in December just as your were in all the years before when those week 16 games where the team was 3-15 didn’t matter.

Kansan City, you disappointed me. I implore you to be a smart fan, try to learn the game and understand what is going on around you and that the NFL season matters more than your fantasy league, support your players and your team win or lose, and don’t you ever ever ever cheer someone getting knocked out again. That’s disgusting.

 

e. moats

Above All, It's a Business

Let me paint a picture real quick. Imagine the owner of a company starts to see a dip in sales. What are you taught to do in business school? Evaluate your product, which he/she does (lets just say he for now...no offense ladies it's just one letter shorter which obviously makes a huge difference when typing...carpal tunnel can wait). So he sees that his product is not performing as predicted, so he goes out and speaks with all the members on his board, his VP his CFO, the product team, etc. They all evaluate and decide that the product needs to be upgraded. So they make a concise decision on a new product that they believe will have a larger R.O.I., and invest capital in that product.

Now, go back and put "player" in for product. Now instead of some owner, put John Elway, and instead of sales, put...oh wait sales. What is the difference between what John Elway did with Tebow and Manning and what Apple did with the iPhone 4 and 5? Nothing, except the iPhone 4 doesn't have John 3:16 written on the back. Ok, ok, seeing as this is a sports blog you probably could've guessed where that was going (the title may have given it away), but what sparked my interest to write about this subject? The new IOS 6 Update...I mean the replacement refs, a sub par piece of equipment that doesn't live to up expectations and compromises the product.

We all saw the Green Bay, Seattle game, we all know what happened, "The Golden Push" (as I have so ineptly called it) which led to the new NFL rule "Catch the guy who caught the ball and that is now a catch". But I don't want to talk about the call, nor directly the people who made the call, but the reaction to the call and all the calls that had been made leading up to that. As I stated before, sports is a business, the NFL is a company above anything else, out there to do what every other company tries to do, turn a profit. What happened on that night led to an immediate deal between the NFL and the normal refs. Two days before that call, ESPN had reported that the referees and the leagues meeting had gone horribly, and that neither side seemed to budge. Then all of a sudden they magically agree on everything and chose to give and take? Roger Goodell had a sudden change of heart a la the Grinch?Do you think it was because the NFL really cared that the call was made wrong?  No, never, and well kinda. The real reason, in my opinion obviously, is the product was compromised. The product (remember the trade in word for product).

 The deal got done because you had a proven product, a $9 Billion a year industry, not performing to its expectations, and the entire world not only knowing about it, but talking about it in a negative manner. Turn on sports radio any of those three weeks, especially the day after that horrendous call, it is all anybody could talk about. Nobody mentioned how Aaron Rodgers was running for his life that game, or the fact that a relatively unknown Seattle defense dominated one of the most prolific offensive attacks the game has seen the past 4 years, no it was the refs. A game that should've been embellished the NFL for its parody and ability to captivate audiences instead turned the league into a laughing stock.  In the business world this simply does not do. Do you remember the Toyota recall with the whole brakes situation? That turned out to originally be because a car rental company put the wrong floor mat in a Toyota rental and it pushed up against the brake pedal so the driver couldn't put it down. But it went public and people freaked out. Now when you ride along with someone in a Toyota, you are thinking in your head jump, tuck, and roll while your hand is on the handbrake instead of focusing on the fact that your significant other is trying to have that all important DTR with you.

So what happens when the public screams for you to change the product? When its on as big of a national stage as that game was (and when it hits every paper in the world just like the Toyota thing did), you budge, just like the NFL did. I can almost guarantee you Ed Hochuli broke his record for curls on that night because he knew 100% that the NFL couldn't let its product be shamed and ridiculed like that any longer. You can't put a Sketchers sole on a Nike shoe and expect people not to know the difference. Sure to the casual shoe wearer they may not be able to tell what's wrong. But to those who truly love Nike, they will walk around and be like wait wait a minute, something's not right. Then when that ankle sprains, they'll say enough is enough and go buy a different shoe (ok ok no more metaphors I promise).

So what's the take home message here? Next time you try to figure out why Aaron Rodgers makes $8 million a year, how the NFL can charge on average $78.38 per ticket, or how you yourself are enamored with a backup quarterback to the point where you'll buy the jersey of a guy that doesn't even play, just take away the ball, take away the jerseys, take away the pads, and the colors, and the announcers, and look at the players and the games purely as an item of output. Do they perform to their expected value (salary)? Does the company meet the shareholders expectations (record)? Do they receive bonuses from exceptional output (extra ticket prices for playoffs)? And can poor performance force a company to yield to a union (self-explanatory)? In the end, all it really is is a business, and quite the business if I do say so myself.

E. Moats