Tim Thomas: The Man in the Arena

Enough Already!  I can’t take it!

We get it.  Tim Thomas didn’t go meet the President.  Very few people would have skipped that opportunity.  He might have bothered his teammates…or maybe he didn’t...who knows, but I beg everyone not associated with the NHL and the Boston Bruins please shut your pandering pie-holes and move on.

Example 1:  Keith Olbermann.

Olbermann has never played hockey.  He’s never been on a hockey team as far as I know.  The closest he’s come to hockey is covering it on ESPN from the sidelines or a studio somewhere in Connecticut.  He may have covered the Miracle on Ice but not with helmet and pads on from the bench.  So get off it.

Keith decided to run his mouth, as he is known and paid to do, about his opinion on the decisions of Tim Thomas.  He started on Twitter insinuating that Thomas was illiterate, saying he was a moron, and referring to those who responded to him in a vulgar way as “Tim Thomas’ America”.  For what?! Doing what Olbermann does every single day of his life?  Saying what he thinks? 

No, actually it’s because Thomas did something Olbermann rarely does and put his feelings into action.

I could go on about how bias and pompous Olbermann is.  He is a glorified talking head that has moved up from being a local talking head, to a sports talking head, and now to a crazed left wing nationally televised talking head.  But there is no greater way to sum it up than the immortal words of Theodore Roosevelt:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Keith Olbermann is that critic.  That man that sits outside the ring watching and judging those who try and fail in their efforts.  If I had a TV program I’d name Keith Olbermann the “Worst Person in the World”.

Example 2:  Deval Patrick

Like Olbermann, Patrick as the Governor of Massachusetts chimed in with his thoughts on Tim Thomas.  And like Olbermann, Patrick lives and works in the political universe.  He does not play for the Bruins and likely has never been in a hockey locker room, but why not throw out his thoughts, right?

Patrick expressed that Thomas not showing up was insulting and rude to the office of the President.  He pointed out, just as Olbermann did, that when his opportunities arose to meet the President and visit the White House he did not refuse over his own political beliefs but viewed it as a compliment and went anyway.

Things I will ignore: 

1.       Ok, so you chose to have views but not act overly dramatic about them….ok, your choice.

2.       Your political feelings we not so strong that you felt an urge to act? No problem.

3.       Would you call that selling out? Ignoring your issues just for the cool opportunity to meet someone famous?

What I will NOT ignore is one glaring fact.  Meathead Olbermann and Dingbat Patrick both work, FULL TIME, as a political pundit and a politician!  Of course they went!  Of course they played nice!  Adolf Hitler could be the President with the Devil himself as VP and both those men would at least show up because if they didn’t Olbermann would never be invited back and therefore he’d lose his ability to get political interviews and information.  And Patrick would never win his next election (and therefore lose his job) if the President said “I don’t like that man.  He blew me off after I invited him to my house.”

So let’s recap:

If Olbermann ditches the White House he loses his political favor, can’t land an interview and gets taken off the air.

If Patrick skips a Presidential visit he gets bashed by the highest office, loses political favor within his party, loses voters and ultimately loses his job.

Tim Thomas skips the White House and he has to deal with dopes like Patrick and Olbermann calling him names, but then he goes back to playing hockey.

Maybe that is what is driving the whole issue here.  Maybe Olbermann, Patrick and the rest of the political world is upset. Not upset at Tim Thomas, but upset that they are part of the problem.  They are part of a government (both sides) that is a fraternity where you can’t act alone. You can’t have a voice.  You have to stay in your line or bad things will happen. 

And maybe that is exactly the issue that lead to Thomas declining his invitation…

Atta Boy Timmy!

Today the majority of the Boston Bruins met with President Obama in the standard champions visit to the White House.  Almost everyone was there, but notably missing was Tim Thomas.

Undoubtedly, Tim will face a bashing from the media, fans, and democrats all over the nation. But none of it will be deserved.

See, maybe this is just a rare case where an athlete understands that his influence on people goes far beyond what he or she does with a ball, puck or stick. Despite what Charles Barkley would like to think, athletes are role models no matter what.   And worst of all, many look at athletes not just as role models on the playing field, but in real life as well.

If Tim Thomas went to the White House he would have no choice but to stand there with President Obama and smile, pose for pictures, and act like the best of friends with Big O.  The problem is, he doesn’t agree with Obama.  He doesn’t like Obama.  He didn’t vote for him and if he had his way he’d be replaced faster than you can say Newt Gingrich.

…Still not getting it?... Ok, let’s enter a parallel universe.

Let’s say you just won the World Series in 2005. You are handed an invitation to the White House to visit President George W. Bush.  The problem is you absolutely hate the man, and like most Americans you have the urge to punch him in the face rather than shake his hand.  Do you go? Could you see yourself smiling with Bushy having a grand ole time for the entire voting nation to see?

Tim Thomas, like many Americans, might not agree with Obama’s actions over the last 4 years and when he casts his ballot he will likely vote for the Not-Obama option, and by doing so he adds his 1 vote to the pile.  Yet, by choosing to sacrifice his personal visit to the White House he has sent a message: “I don’t have to like the President just because he’s in office.  I don’t have to agree with it.  I don’t have to suck it up and smile.  I am a free voice and just like everyone out there I can make my own decisions.” 

I don’t know about everyone, but to me that says more about Tim Thomas as a role model than his Goals Against Average or his playoff record.

…AND ANOTHER THING… why is it Tim Thomas gets grief for skipping the White House visit for his personal views but The White House itself can pick and choose who comes and sees the President (whoever he may be).  Why? Because these visits are absolutely NOTHING but a PR campaign for the current President.

Win a gold Medal? The President calls. Win the National Championship?  “It’s for you. It’s the President.”  Fired your job?  Hello Beer Summit!  These calls don’t happen off the air.  These visits don’t happen behind closed doors.  They don’t turn the cameras off for these sorts of things because they make the President likable and relatable.  These visits translate to votes. So if you don’t want the President to get votes off your success, why go?!

I would estimate based on NCAA Teams, Olympic Athletes, NBA, MLB, NFL, WNBA , NASCAR , etc… there are no fewer than 25 White House visits by sports teams.  That means the President spends almost an entire month just hosting teams.  Sure it only takes a few hours out of his day, but seriously?  The economy blows. The Middle East sorta hates us.  Our Debt is so bad our ratings are dropping world-wide… but let’s make sure I host a bunch of Canadians and Eastern Europeans to the White House so everyone knows I love hockey and hockey fans should vote for me.

This is not a Big O bash.  This is an system issue.  It’s no different for Obama as it was for Bush as it was for Clinton.

But if an athlete wants to make a statement and maybe the statement is stop wasting your time with me and fix this disaster we are in, good for them.

Good for you Timmy…and to everyone in D.:  Back to Work!

New Year's Resolutions for the Boston Sports Fan

Happy New Years.  Time for resolutions!

Eat less junk food?  Maybe.  Drink Less?  Probably not. Watch less sports on TV? Oh heck no!

Allow me to make this easier for you. Below are all the New Year’s Resolutions you, as a Boston sports fan, need in 2012.

1.      1.  Care about the Celtics a little less.

Seriously, we all would have been better off if the lockout canceled the season. The NBA is cramming 66 games into something like 80 days. The Celtics are old and won’t hold up the whole season.  One day you will watch the A-Team demolish the Charlotte Bobcats then 2 days later The Big Ticket and The Truth will be sitting on the bench resting up for the next game.  The problem I have with that is if I paid hundreds of dollars to take my family to a game I don’t care how sore these geezers are. They need to play.  If I wanted to see Marquis Daniels and other schmucks play I’d go get D-League season tickets.   Listen, The Celtics play in the Eastern Conference!  They only need to be a .500 team.  They will half-ass the season, make the playoffs, try and “turn it on” late, and then bomb against a younger, more talented squad. 

Do yourself a favor in 2012.  Boston fans should prepare for the inevitable.  The Celtics are on the verge of returning to irrelevancy like we saw in the 90’s.  Give up now.  Save yourself!

2.      2. Care more about the Bruins!

This one is pretty basic, but people still have not hopped on the Bruins Bandwagon.  The easy reason to love the Bruins was their unexpected, epic run to the Stanley Cup in 2011. Following a winner is simple, but it goes deeper than that.

The B’s did not just wake up in 2011 with the biggest, baddest team in the league.  They didn’t go out and buy the Big 3 which all but assures them a trip to the finals. Tim Thomas was not always the “Golden Boy” of the league. In fact, a few years ago in Europe Timmy almost quit the game all together. Patrice Bergeron, who has been with the B’s since before he could drink, battled and struggled back from very severe concussions that knocked many players out of the sport completely. For that matter the Bruins had to cope with Mark Savard, one of their biggest stars, having his career ended by concussions.  This wasn’t stars finally getting a ring.  It was hard working men, playing like men, and really caring about the team, eachother, and more importantly the city of Boston!

Oh, and when they got back from the Championship summer did they rest on there laurels?  Not so much.  Sure they had a little Superbowl Monday hangover, just like all of us would, but then they worked harder than any other team and rattled off an insane win streak placing them in 1^st place in the East.

This team may not win the Stanley Cup again this year, but you can bet your butt they will lay it on the ice every single game.  It’s time we all care a little more.

3.     3.  Trust Bill Belichick a little more.

The defense is terrible… but the Patriots are winning

They can’t establish a running game.  But they won the AFC East.

We have a backup receiver and a third string running back starting in the secondary.  Yet the New England Patriots are the #1 team in the entire AFC.

Either every other team in the league stinks, or Bill Belichick knows what he is doing.  In 2012 Boston fans need to calm down and realize The Hooded One knows more that we do.

I’d love to explain this further, but only BB knows what is going on.  In Bill I Trust. 

4.    4.   Give The Sox a second Chance.

In 2011 The Red Sox had what most thought was the best starting rotation in baseball.  What’s changed?  Lackey is sitting out, so that’s a plus.  Maybe Bard is a stud starter.  We have Lester, Becket, a finally healthy Bucholtz, a healthy Dice K, and maybe Bard as a #5.  That’s not bad to my eyes. Plus Lester and Beckett are two embarrassed, motivated men who will go out in 2012 to prove they are still studs.  Look for 20 wins out of both of them. Seriously.

Sox have a stud closer, Andrew Bailey, to replace the highly overrated Jonathan Papple-bomb, so even if Bard stays in the pen innings 8 and 9 are locked up.  Color me optimistic.

Then finally look at the stars in the Red Sox lineup and try and say it isn’t top 5 in the league. Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youk, Gonzalez, Big Papi, and Carl Crawford.  Oh yeah, I said it, Carl Crawford!  With high expectations in 2011 he didn’t pan out.  But give the kid a break.  He went from working in a nursing home to being the star surgeon in the ER!  But now pressure is off. There is a new manager in town with more of the spotlight.  The pitchers are in trouble for chicken and beer.  Crawford is story number 3 or 4.  He can just go play baseball.

If there is one thing to fear in 2012 it will be the crash to Earth of Jacoby Ellsbury.  But it’s not all bad.  Is he going to hit 30+ Home Runs and 100+ RBIs again?  No.  Why not?  Because before 2011 he hadn’t even hit 10 HR in a season and his high RBI total was 60. Don’t expect 2011 numbers again, but we will watch him go 15 HR, 75 RBI and get back to stealing bases like an All-Star.  Ellsbury won’t be in the MVP conversation but he will help the Sox win games, and he will make everyone behind him in the lineup better. 

I know we’ve all been scorned, but in 2012 we need to forget what is done and let the Sox win our hearts back, because you can be sure they will try.

So there you have it. 2012 resolutions all done. Wasn’t that easy.

Happy New Year!

Jimmy Rollins?! Really?!

Yesterday before the Red Sox/Phillies game there was an exhibition of the absurd.  One that attracted a crowd to watch something that was simply not possible.  Red Bull Sponsored a contest to see if Jimmy Rollins could beat a world record of the longest batted ball (575 ft) achieved by Babe Ruth back before Home Runs could be measured accurately.

Sorry to be the hater here, but

1.       The Babe's HR never went 575 ft. IN THE AIR!  The measurement was from where the kid found the ball after it came to a stop.

2.       Jimmy Rollins?!  What?!  The dude averages 10-15 HR a season.  Why not bring back Ozzie Smith for a home run derby.  Seriously Red Bull…that was your choice?

3.       Breaking 575 is not possible in Philadelphia.

If you haven’t done so already, do yourself a favor and read The Physics of Baseball.  Yeah, it’s a ton of math, but it’s fun math.

One thing you will learn is that under normal conditions a ball cannot travel more than 545 ft. in the air. That’s based on max bat speed, max pitch speed, and optimal trajectory.  So if somehow Jimmy Rollins were to put together the perfect swing he’d land 30 feet shot of the record.

Sure they doctored the bat and used loaded balls. I know I know.  But remember, it’s Jimmy Rollins!

Tangent: Ok, wait a minute.  Red Bull was trying to break the record held by The Bambino with a loaded, doctored bat?  Let’s say somehow they pulled it off.  Can you really say it’s real?  Babe Ruth, in a game, off live pitching, with a regulation bat versus Jimmy Rollins off a juiced ball and a loaded bat getting soft-toss down the center?   Come on Red Bull!

For argument sake let’s say the juiced bat and balls give Jimmy Rollins the ability to swing the bat with maximum force and that the juiced balls give the effect of a max speed pitch.  So a ball hit perfectly on the ideal trajectory…30 feet short.

So how do you make up those 30 feet?

Simple:  Go to Denver.  Every 1000 ft. elevation adds 7 feet of flight.  And for that matter, if you can get the perfectly hit ball on a 100-degree day in Denver add 8 more feet to the  ball (4 feet for every 10-degrees of air temp.  It was 80-degrees in Philadelphia yesterday).   Voila... 588 Ft.  New Worlds Record!

How about this: The perfect bat speed + the perfect pitch speed = the perfect trajectory + Denver, Colorado + 100-degree heat + a 25 MPH tailwind + a heated ball 20-degrees above normal + the ball being hit down the foul line!  All that would equal a 682 Foot HR!!!!!!!

…Or just next time, Red Bull, don’t have Jimmy Rollins as your batter.

Metta World Peace

It is all too easy to dismiss Ron Artest’s decision to change his name to Metta World Peace.  It’s just a publicity stunt, right?  It’s just Ron Artest trying to be controversial and interesting…right?

It seems like every article written about Artest harkens back to World B. Free.  But that is inaccurate.  And the parallel to Chad Johnson is downright irresponsible.

World B. Free, born Lloyd Bernard Free, changed his name because he wanted to.  His friends and teammates already called him World, so why not make it legal.   So he did.  End of story

Chad Johnson changed his name to Ochocinco out of selfishness.  He wears number 85 and he nicknamed himself Ochocinco years back.  The name change was simply stepping up his own level of arrogance.

Now the lazy sports media looks at Artest and says, “His new name has World in it, and World be free does too.  Bam! There’s my story!”   or “Ron Artest and Chad Johnson are both currently active. It’s like the same thing!”   In-Co-Wrecked

Look at Ron Artest in the last few years.  I’m not talking about the fighting in the stands Rodman-esque behavior of years back.  I’m looking at the dedicated athlete who helped the Lakers beat Boston for a Championship.  I’m looking at the Ron Artest who sold his NBA championship ring to support Mental Health Awareness.  I’m looking at the Ron Artest who was just awarded the 2011 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his off the court actions.

Does this sound like a man who wants to drive self promotion through a name change?

Maybe there are two other comparisons that make more sense.

Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr and Cassius Clay. Better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabar and Muhammad Ali

Clay changed his name to transcend what he felt was his slave name.  He believed he was given the last name Clay by his ancestor’s masters.  He wanted to step out of that shadow and be his own man.  A man not owned by any masters. 

Alcindor changed his name after converting religions.  Alcindor again was the name given to his family by a slave owner and for personal reasons the change was made to Kareem Abdul-Jabar, meaning “noble, powerful servant”

Ron Artest has chosen the name Metta World Peace.  Metta is Buddhist with definitions ranging from “kindness” to “friendliness” to “benevolence”.   The World Peace part is pretty straight forward. 

It is clear that this proposed name change is one grounded in the same “transcending” attitude of Ali and Abdul-Jabar.  It is a common man with a checkered past changing him name to stand for what he now believes in.  Peace, caring, friendship and world peace.   

Plus, it’s a far more meaningful name change than others in the entertainment and sports culture.

You don’t hear much about Robert Zimmerman, Carlos Ray, Marion Michael Morrison, or Maria Nuñez but when they become Bob Dylan, Chuck Norris, John Wayne, and Mariah Carey the world pays attention.

To lump Artest in with World B. Free and Ochocinco spits in the face of all the good Artest has done in the last few years and puts an unneeded hurdle in his path to being a better person and a better citizen of this planet. 

The Curious Case of Derek Jeter

When it comes to sports, ALL sports, I am a conspiracy theorist.  I know deep in my fanatical soul that there are usually reasons for the way things just seem to work out.

The bail-out calls by the refs to ensure the big market NBA team triumphs.  Duh.  The extra tight strike zone on pitchers that fans love to see flip out. Yup. The Tuck Game…yeah, no one wanted the Raiders to win that game.

So why not baseball, and why not the Yankees.

Derek Jeter is barely batting over .250.  He has 20 RBI which is second worst in the lineup squeaking by the immortal Brett Gardner.  Plus he pissed of management with his contract holdout.  With all this, his minor, grade 1, lowest grade calf strain lands him on the DL.  This is a day-to-day injury at best!

“But wait,” you say “why would the Yankees want to hold Jeter out of the lineup?”

Great question. Because they are money grubbing, attention hogs that care more about their image than what is right for the team or players.  That’s why.

It was often said during the contentious contract negotiations that Jeter had the Yankees over a barrel just as much as the Yanks had Jeter.  Jeter IS the modern day Mickey Mantle. They couldn’t let him walk, but how could Jeter walk away from HIS team.  Furthermore, many said there is no way the Yankees would let Jeter reach 3000 hits in another uniform.  Let’s rephrase that…in another stadium.

Oh, that’s right.  Jeter is 6 hits from 3000 but averages about a hit per game.  Unless he rattled off three consecutive 2  hit games the Yanks would be on the road.  Not just on the road, but visiting arguably a team with more “history” than the Yankees.  Thanks-Dad Steinbrenner doesn’t want to see Jeter reach 3000 at Wrigley and not get to profit off it! So a calf strain is the perfect excuse to put him on the shelf.  After Chicago, New York was off to Cincinnati meaning Jeter would have to go five for around 45 to be looking to reach the milestone at home. 

Or you give him a 15 day vacation.  Then a slightly extended rehab in AAA because, to anticipate the press conference, “We’re bringing Derek back slowly.  We don’t want to rush him back and risk re-aggravating his injury.  He means too much to this team.  We need him down the stretch.”  Puh-lease.

Target July 4 for Jeter’s return my friends.  Why July 4?

Yanks are in Cleveland.  Jeter will play Monday because it’s a holiday and his mug will be all over TV for all the vacationers to see. (Cha-Ching).  They will give him Tuesday off staying on the “easing him back” routine, but it’s more to ensure he doesn’t rattle off too many hits in stinky Cleveland.  Then we’ll see him Wednesday for the series third game.  Jeter will be a couple hits away and would you look at that! Home for a 4 game stand against Tampa.  3000 hits = done.

But wait, there is more! What happens after the Tampa series?  All-Star Game!  Three days of Jeter loving on the National Stage!   

Well played again New York.  Classless move to create you’re ideal moment.

 I’m sure your half empty stadium will go nuts when Jeter reaches 3000. 

McIlroy Wins...Tiger's Still Better

Congratulations to Rory McIlroy on his U.S. Open victory, but let’s make something very clear…this was not even close to Tiger’s 2000 U.S. Open dominance.

Sure Rory beat the field like a rented mule.  And yes his game looked tighter than anyone else allowed within the ropes.  He won.  He deserved to win, and he should take Grahame McDowell’s advice and enjoy it.

But when the media starts in with the “next Tiger Woods” and drawing comparisons to Tiger’s beat down of the 2000 U.S. Open field I lose it.

Fact: Rory McIlroy topped the lowest score to par in U.S. Open history set by Tiger Woods in 2000 (-12).

Reality:  This course was barely ready to host an AT+T Invitational, not to mention the U.S. Freaking Open.  Soft greens, playable rough, and pin placements where the ball fed to almost every hole?!  The U.S. Open is supposed to be the toughest challenge in golf. I watched close to 5 shots feed back to the hole and almost go in for an ace.  That’s muni-course crap.  The grounds crew at Pinehurst and Pebble Beach are laughing their butts off saying “Is that all you got?”

I know the weather screwed up the plans and made things softer. So what?  If the rains made the greens softer then why didn’t they make the rough gnarly and lush.  We should have seen caddies searching for balls in the primary cut.  Instead we watched Rory and the field slash 7 irons onto the green.  Where is the punishment for a wayward tee ball?  Again, congrats on the win, but…

How much different than 2000 was this.  Look at a few details.

The top 7 finishers in the 2011 U.S. Open have a combined 1 major championship (Not including the one Rory just won).  That would be Y.E. Yang, who by the way hasn’t won since his major victory at the PGA Championship in 2009. But those Top-7 would have all won the last SEVEN U.S. Opens!  Does that seem right to anyone?  If you put Rory’s scoring on par with Tiger’s does that mean we should put Kevin Chappell and Robert Garrigus on par with the late Payne Stewart for all posting -6?!  Of course not!

When Tiger Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open he bested the entire field by 15 strokes.  There were 18 players in this Open within that mark of Rory. 

When Tiger posted the record -12 the next closest competitor was +3…AND  within that Top 7 were 8 major wins at that point.  Does that compare to the field Rory toped?  Nope. 

I’m not saying Rory won’t be great.  He may challenge every record in the book someday.  But can we all please step back and show Tiger some respect?  He won by more. He beat a tougher field. And he did it on a tougher course.   Give the man credit before you announce a 22 year old first time major winner is the second coming.

The good news is in life there will always be some constant.  In this case it’s our favorite golfer.  The beloved Phil Mickelson.  In both 2000 and 2011, despite Tiger and Rory lighting up the board…Phil puked up a +9 and a +7 respectfully.  By my math that means if you take Rory’s Open plus the 2000 Open he lost by a combined 44 Strokes!  Well done Phil!

Well done Rory and I hope the best for you, but you’ll have to do more than that to be up there with the greatest players in the game.