Category Archives: Sports news

Sports news

Vick has paid his debt to society — in full!

It’s interesting to me how some people’s transgressions never get forgiven, the transgressor never repays his debt to society in the eyes of those he has angered.

Stand up, Michael Vick. I’m talking about you.

The Atlanta Falcons pro football franchise wants to honor several of its former stars during the Falcons’ final regular-season game this weekend. More than a few fans, though, don’t think Vick — once a standout quarterback for the team — should be among the honorees.

My own view? The guy has paid his debt. Let him take his bow.

Vick pleaded guilty to animal abuse when he was involved in a dog-fighting ring. He served nearly two years in a federal prison, got out and tried to resume his playing career.

Last I heard, Vick had cleaned up his act, changed his lifestyle and has apologized profusely for what he did to the animals he abused.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/petition-calls-for-falcons-to-revoke-michael-vicks-invitation-to-saints-game/ar-BBxJ326?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

Shouldn’t there be at least some redemption in all of that? Shouldn’t the fans accept Vick’s apology and acknowledge that he paid his debt through that prison term?

Vick wants to retire from the NFL as a member of the Atlanta Falcons. He said this, according to the Sporting News: “With the city, the respect and the love was all there. It was genuine. When I think about my career and what I’m identified with, it is the Atlanta Falcons,” he said. “Maybe there are some conversations that need to be had. I look forward to it because that’s what’s dear in my heart. I’m just being honest and candid.”

I believe some of those “conversations” need to take place among the unforgiving fans.

local news, Sports news, State news

Not every Texas resident roots for Cowboys

Mom had a million of ’em … sayings, quips, one-liners that is.

If she said something that I didn’t quite get or understand, she’d say, “Don’t look at me as if I just grew another head.”

Ba-da-boom!

Today while at work a very nice woman asked me something and my response prompted that look from her that might have made me ask about the appearance of a second head.

“So,” she asked, “did you watch the Cowboys game last night?”

“Um, no. Not all of it. I was in and out of the game,” I said.

“It was a great game,” she said. “Sure it was,” I replied, “if you’re a Cowboys fan.”

“What? You aren’t a Cowboys fan?” she asked.

“No. Not really,” I said.

“How can you live in Texas and not be a Cowboys fan?” she asked, sounding borderline incredulous.

I proceeded to tell her that I am not much of a pro football fan. I mentioned that one of my sons lives in a Dallas suburb and he and his wife are huge Cowboys fans. He watched the game, I told her, and I assured her he likely is deliriously happy today that the Cowboys won.

I told her I’ve lived in Texas for nearly 33 years. I told her I went to a Houston Oilers (remember them?) game years ago in the Astrodome. My favorite pro football team growing up was the Oakland Raiders; I alluded to my upbringing on the Pacific Coast, so I guess it was a regional thing with me. I suppose it’s the same way here.

Then something occurred consciously to me that I’ve more or less felt for many of the past three decades-plus my family and I have lived in Texas: Mere residency in this state does not necessarily make one a Texan.

I suppose if I were a true-blue Texan, I’d be a serious Cowboys fan. Since my aforementioned Cowboys fan son came of age in Texas, he probably qualifies as a Texan — along with his brother — way more than their mother and I do.

I did mention to the nice lady that I used to cheer for the Cowboys back in the 1960s when they tried to beat the Green Bay Packers for the National Football League championship. Roger Staubach, Mel Renfro — a fellow Oregonian — and “Bullet Bob” Hayes were my go-to guys back then.

Am I wrong to dismiss the Cowboys? I wish them well as the playoffs commence. But if you’ll excuse me for identifying the team for which I plan to root, I’m going to stick with the Raiders.

They’re having a stellar season, too.

Sports news

What in the world is ‘fantasy football’?

I guess I need to get out more.

I had been listening to the commentators on ESPN2 for the past hour or so and I’m trying to figure out what in the world they’re talking about.

They’re explaining “fantasy football.” For the ever-lovin’ life of me I don’t get it. They talk about “fantasy points” and how certain quarterbacks rank higher than others in this category.

What’s more, the commentators are chatting back and forth as if this stuff really matters, as if they’re talking about actual games involving actual opponents.

I turned the channel off to watch a cable news network tell me about things such as worldwide arrests of terror suspects, the upcoming inauguration of Donald J. Trump and whether he’s going to have any A-list entertainers performing.

Fantasy football has a big following. One of my sons takes part with some of his buddies in assembling fantasy teams and then he follows the athletes on his fantasy teams throughout some sort of “fantasy season.”

I think I’ll have to ask him to explain it to me. He’ll just need to keep it simple.

Sports news

How does one ‘prepare’ to be drafted by the NFL?

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I once thought Christian McCaffrey was a pretty cool kid, a great athlete and apparently a stellar student at Stanford University.

He has been a key part of the Stanford Cardinal’s football success. His team is going to play in the Sun Bowl.

But wait! McCaffrey isn’t going to join his teammates. Why? He says he wants to devote his entire energy to “preparing” for the upcoming National Football League draft. Meanwhile, his Stanford teammates are going to do some actual training and prep for their Dec. 30 game in El Paso against the University of North Carolina.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/surprise-mccaffrey-to-skip-sun-bowl-to-prepare-for-draft/ar-AAlKrBS?li=BBnbfcL

I always thought McCaffrey was a team guy. He always lauded his fellow Cardinal players for the success he enjoyed on the field.

Now he’s going to quit on them to get ready for the NFL draft? Is he hurt? No. Does he have any emotional problems that force him to take his mind off of football? Uh, no again. He’s healthy at all levels.

Let’s see. Doesn’t one just sit by the phone on draft day and wait for a call? Someone has to explain a few things to me. How much preparation is involved with that, young man?

Sports news

Pro sports team owners should remain hidden

2 Comments

We’ve heard the term “narcissist” tossed around during the past year or so, usually while referencing Donald J. Trump, the next president of the United States.

Trump is one of them, for sure. He might place a fairly distant second to the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones.

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Jones, of course, isn’t your typical sports team owner. He doubles as the Cowboys’ general manager, which means he gets to make all the critical decisions related to running the team. He doesn’t hire some high-powered GM to make those calls; Jones does it himself.

He’s got his own radio show in the Dallas area. He fairly routinely pre-empts the head coach, Jason Garrett.

Just recently he said he foments rumors about former starting quarterback Tony Romo resuming his role just to stir things up, apparently with little regard to how it might mess up the psyche of Dak Prescott, the team’s current starting QB.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/jerry-jones-says-he-fuels-qb-controversy-on-purpose/ar-AAlIJZJ

I just wish Jones would find it within himself to do what sports team owners usually do: write the checks that pay the salaries, make an occasional public appearance at sports banquets — and step away from the spotlight.

I get that he isn’t the first sports owner to make a spectacle of himself. Al Davis did it with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL; Donald Sterling managed to do so with the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA; Georgia Frontiere of the LA Rams did, too.

I don’t “follow” the Cowboys the way a lot of Texas residents, too, let alone “worship” them.

However, I do grow weary of seeing and hearing the team’s owner.

Put a sock in it, Jerry.

https://highplainsblogger.com/2013/12/would-the-cowboys-owner-fire-himself-please/

 

Sports news

U of O Ducks set a lasting fashion trend

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Say whatever you want about how far the University of Oregon’s football fortunes fell during this past season.

I believe they’ll be back. They have a new coach, Willie Taggart, and some good young talent coming up.

But … today we’ll talk briefly about my beloved Ducks’ football fashion trend.

They have created something of a gridiron monster. Other college teams have been experimenting with uniform changes the way the Ducks began doing it a couple of seasons ago. Some of the outfits have been, well, embraced while others have been scorned.

Texas Tech trotted onto the field this year wearing black uniforms, rather than the traditional red jerseys and white pants. Ohio State has monkeyed around with different uniform combos. Baylor did as well. There have been others.

Now we’re seeing at least one pro team suiting up in colors that bear little resembles to tradition. Did you notice the Seattle Seahawks’ get-up the other night? It was kind of a lime green ensemble. Social media posts indicated fans were none too happy with that color scheme.

Meanwhile, the Oregon Ducks — with lots of money to spend on frills such as weekly uniform changes — need to get back to the basics of blocking and tackling. I am confident they’ll rediscover their winning ways.

It’s still fun to await their wardrobe when they take the field each week. I’m fascinated by the trend the Ducks have set.

I’m now waiting for the University of Texas Longhorns to take the field in something other than burnt orange and white. Go ahead. I dare you.

local news, Sports news

Is MPEV a better site for baseball than what we have now?

MPEV

Potter County Memorial Stadium won’t be the home field for a minor-league baseball team.

Hmm. Imagine that.

The rat hole ballpark is going to be leased to a high school baseball program. Remember the Amarillo Dillas, which morphed into something called the Texas AirHogs? Well, the AirHogs decided to split their home schedule between Amarillo and Grand Prairie, and then decided to play all their future games in Grand Prairie.

Now comes news that the Pecos League won’t be playing at the stadium, either. The place isn’t worth the expense that Potter County would have to spend to make it a suitable athletic venue.

The place is a dump!

http://amarillo.com/local-news/2016-12-13/minor-league-baseball-amarillo-strikes-out

Which brings me to another key point.

They’re wrapping up the demolition of the Coca-Cola distribution center in downtown Amarillo. The city is trying to lure a more serious minor-league franchise, the Class AA San Antonio Missions.

Construction is set to begin — eventually — on a $45 million multipurpose event venue at the old Coke site. The city, though, needs to get a commitment from the Missions that they’re coming here.

We won’t have baseball in Amarillo next year, which will be the first time in a couple of decades that we’ll be without some professional version of the Grand Old Game being played in the city.

The Potter County stadium isn’t worth the effort, let alone the money, to repair, renovate and revive.

As the Amarillo Globe-News reported, quoting count facilities director Mike Head: “Head said it would take $14 million to bring Memorial Stadium ‘back to what I call a suitable stadium. I have to say this. This $5,000 and $10,000 stuff, all they are doing is nickeling and diming stuff. You can go out there and put down $5,000 to kill grub worms and you won’t see the impact.

“’This is just my opinion, and nothing against you Mr. Elliston, I wish you (commissioners) would cancel the contract. Get out from underneath it and let’s start all over.’”

How about removing the Potter County rat hole from the equation and ensuring we get an affiliated minor-league team to play hardball in Amarillo? A new ballpark downtown would be a suitable place to throw out the first pitch.

Sports news, State news

Former UT football coach lands in good place

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Charley Strong didn’t coach his team to enough football wins to suit the boosters, the athletic director and the fans who follow the University of Texas Longhorns.

UT fired the coach, sent him packing. Then the coach landed another gig, at the University of South Florida, where he succeeds Willie Taggart, who has headed off to coach the University of Oregon.

Despite the dismal win-loss record, Strong left the University of Texas football program better off. Why? Because of what he did in his first season in Austin. He cut loose a bunch of bad boys on the team, student-athletes who weren’t acquitting themselves properly off the field. He tossed them over, telling them, in effect, that they needed to live by certain standards to play for his team.

When it happened, I recall some of the players were stars on the team, gridiron studs, big men on campus. Coach Strong believes that character matters.

The loss of that athletic talent might have hurt the Longhorns’ football performance. It helped the team understand what their coach stood for: integrity.

I am not a UT grad. I didn’t attend school there. Neither of my sons attended UT; one of them graduated from Sam Houston State University, the other from the Art Institute of Dallas. I don’t have any particular vested loyalty in the program.

I do have an interest in seeing young men develop the right way when they are given a chance for a fully paid college education. Athletic scholarships aren’t just tickets to sports stardom. They also give these young people a chance to obtain a good education — paid for by their athletic skill — that will shepherd them through the rest of their life.

Coach Strong, by my way of thinking, sought to imbue that ethic in young men who play big-time college football.

He didn’t win enough football games. Big deal. I’m betting he likely produced a sufficient number of winners who played football for him — and will do so again at his next stop.

Thanks, Coach, for setting a great example.

media news, Sports news

Fighter of the Year … finally!

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The Ring Magazine has been called the pre-eminent publication about professional boxing.

It made a huge mistake in 1966, though, in failing to name the then-heavyweight champion of the world its Fighter of the Year.

The magazine declined to give the honor to a fellow named Muhammad Ali, who defended his title five times that year, wiping out the competition with ease. Ali was at the peak of his boxing powers.

The magazine, though, disliked his objection to the Vietnam War as well as his affiliation with the Nation of Islam. It refused to call him by the name he chose and used his birth name, Cassius Clay, when referencing The Champ.

Times change — and so do attitudes.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/retroactive-ring-magazine-names-ali-1966-fighter-of-year/ar-AAlk6a2?li=BBnba9I

The magazine has decided to grant Ali the title he deserved all along. Fifty years later, Ring has named Ali its Fighter of the Year for 1966, to along with several other such honors the magazine had granted him. It didn’t select a Fighter of the Year in 1966.

It’s a curious thing, though, about the timing of this decision.

Ali won his court fight over his suspension from boxing in 1971, when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that boxing authorities had violated his constitutional rights by denying him the chance to earn a living. Ring honored him with Fighter of the Year accolades in 1972, 1974, 1975 and 1978. It also honored him in 1963, before he announced his Muslim faith.

Ali died this year at the age of 74.

A more fitting tribute would have been to grant the honor denied to Ali while he was still able to accept and appreciate it.

Those of us — along with his loved ones — who marveled at the man’s skill in the ring and his courage outside of it will accept the honor on The Champ’s behalf.

Sports news

Baseball strips its all-star game of any meaning

baseball-catcher-collision

I detest major sports leagues’ all-star games.

National Hockey League all-star matches produce 14-10 results, with players refusing to check each other hard to prevent goals.

National Basketball Association all-star games routinely end in scores such as 160-152, which are the product of dunk fests and zero defense being applied.

The National Football League might produce a 42-35 result at its Pro Bowl all-star game as the players refuse to hit each other with the same ferocity they do during the regular season or postseason.

Now we have the baseball all-star game, which until this week actually meant something. The winning league gets home field advantage during the World Series. That’s a big deal, man!

Now, though, Major League Baseball has just agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement with the players union. For the next five years — the length of the new agreement — the MLB all-star game will not determine which league gets home field advantage in the World Series.

That means base runners won’t necessarily try to stretch doubles into triples, or try to score from first base on a single, or try to take out the shortstop with a hard slide into second base.

Sure, occasionally big-leaguers play some serious hardball during these all-star games. Cincinnati Reds infielder Pete Rose in the 1970 all-star game? He barreled into Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse at the plate, bowling Fosse over, injuring him so severely that he never recovered fully. Must’ve been an Ohio rivalry thing.

Oh well. These big-leaguers don’t want to provide further risk to injury by playing an all-star game to a result that actually means something of value to the eventual winners of the American and National League playoffs.

It was nice while it lasted.