For the both of you that continue to stop by, I have to apologize. There is little worse than a blog with no new posts and this past week was pretty pathetic around here. I could easily say that I was busy at my other blog, Big Ten Hardball, because I did post far more over there than here. That, however, would be more of a cop-out than a decent excuse.
The truth is I really didn't feel much like posting. Mostly because I'm still not really sure what to say about the two most dominant stories in sports this past week-the NHL lockout and MLB's steroid controversy. Frankly, both have thrown me for a loop.
It's not that the cancelled hockey season or the fact some knuckleheaded baseball players chose to inflate more than their egos is keeping me awake at night. No, it's a bit deeper than that. These two ongoing stories, and the fact there just doesn't appear to be any good way around or through these issues, has me in a mood I almost am never in. I have had enough of sports.
When I say I had enough of sports, I mean I was plain tired of it all. The leagues, the teams, the athletes, the controversies, the labor problems, the money, the egos, the greed, the media, the fans, everything. The continuous coverage of the blatant stupidity that is the lockout and the steroid problem were just to much for me to overcome. I just needed a break. So I took it away from this blog.
That really only hurt me. The two of you who stop by on a regular basis just lost out on some crummy writing for a few days. I, however, probably alienated more than a fewer people who stopped by here over the last week. They were looking for a timely blog, but instead found this place barren. I owe them an apology, too. In the long run, my annoyance with the sports world hurt this blog more than my break away from here helped me.
Honestly, I am only in a slightly better mood today. I have improved, in part, because time and rest do tend to rejuvenate. It also helps that the Mickey Mouse operation known as the National Hockey League is so laughable that I cannot help but snicker at their ability to shoot themselves in the foot at every available opportunity. (Fellow Detroiters should also think Detroit Lions here.)
When I heard last night the NHL might un-cancel their 2004-05 season, I actually laughed out loud. These guys cannot even cancel a season without screwing it up. Of course, the league does appear to be shut down for good after today's meeting solved nothing. This meeting, called by the NHL's ownership group, only served to make the league look like the dog and pony show most non-hockey people think it is anyway. At least they provided me with some much needed comic relief.
Although, I continue to be bemused at the NHL, the lockout itself is just ridiculous. Everyone who isn't a NHL player or owner knows that. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. Unfortunately, neither party seems willing to admit they have a problem. They both openly admit that the other side of the table does have issues, though.
I learned something several baseball labor disputes ago. If they want to crush their own league, I now support that cause. If the owners and players cannot reach an agreement, I say let's start a new professional league. I don't even care what sport we are talking about anymore. Even my beloved baseball can blow itself up and a new league can form and I am going to watch the newbies play.
Apparently, common sense and history are the casualities of our own obsession with sports. Because of us, the fans, the leagues make billions of dollars. Ticket revenues, beer sales, advertising, broadcast fees, jersey sales and the like have generated so much money that everyone involved can't see straight.
The athletes and owners are now willing to toss logic, tradition and their checkbooks overboard in pursuit of securing even more of our money. They are also willing to cancel the World Series and the Stanley Cup Finals to "assure the future" of the sports they have ruined financially by over-expansion and over-spending.
Forget labor disputes for a moment. Does anyone think Jose Canseco or any of the others took 'roids for anything other than to make more money? They weren't even worried about the long-term health issues or the legal ramifications of using an illegal substance, do you think they care about the history of their sport? Do you think they care about what we fans think?
These steroid using players have not only thrown the national pastime for another public relations hit, but have further confused the Hall of Fame process. I admit the Hall of Fame is far from being perfect, but when it comes to voting for the steroid generation, I am equally confounded by the legitimacy of their candidancy and angry at their assualt on records I'm not sure they obtained legally. Thanks for ruining the sport-past, present and future-so you could cash in, guys.
Then, since I am clearly on a tirade now, comes the media. We have all of these "insiders" providing us with information on their respective sports. Did any one of these guys-in-the-know break the steroid story a decade ago? Only Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post gets a hall pass on this one. That's one guy out of how many? Hundreds? Thousands?
They can provide us with leads on trades that will never happen, but break the biggest story in baseball in a quarter century? No, they collectively turned their heads. Many of these media types now suggest that the fans didn't want to face up to the steroid story amidst the homerun chase. Hey, gang, it was your job to tell us the story. Or did I get our job descriptions confused?
Even the "insiders" that are former jocks laugh at each other's lack of knowledge about their respective sport. For years, we've heard that only the guys "who played the game" really know what's going on. Well, if we listen closely it appears the athletes cannot even agree on what's going on. At this point, we all know that these ex-jocks will lie through their teeth about what "really" happens anyway.
Let me not leave us, the fans, out of my wrath. During the last week, I've heard more nonsense out of the mouth of fans than I can stomach. From the lockout to steroids, fans have suggested some of the most self-serving, ignorant things I have heard from my fellow fanatics in quite a while. Maybe it's time we all get some perspective. Maybe we all need a break from our sports addiction. For others, it's time to seek professional help.
I'm guessing by this point, assuming either of you are still reading this, that you can see my frustration with the sports world and why I stayed away the last few days. You are no doubt thankful I didn't write daily in this mood.
I apologize for the poor quality of writing. This is a true rant, not something scripted so I can be "Caller of the Day". Hopefully, this prolonged cry into cyber-space will be beneficial for my mental health. I thank those of you who stop by here and hope any new visitors will give me a second chance. It will be much better in the days to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment