A New Dawn for Buffalo Football?

First of all, I promise, I do care about other sports. I know the last couple posts have been a little pigskin-centric, and I apologize for that. We are getting into my favorite time of the year though, so I would ask for a little forgiveness regarding the plethora of football related posts.

That being said, went to training camp last night at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, NY, about an hour drive east of here. Great night for watching football practice; not too hot, not too chilly, and the sound of pads popping on the field. You heard me right. There were pads on the players on Day 2 of a Buffalo Bills training camp. And I have to tell you, there were really no instances of players standing around with twiddling their thumbs like in years past either. BOTH fields were being used; offense and special teams on one, and defense on the other, which was a huge shift from the Dick Jauron era. (For those unfamiliar, the special teamers used the practice field and basically kicked for 2 hours every practice, while the offense and defense shared the main field, leaving most of them to stand around and watch. Silly really.) I have to say, the practice had a completely different feel than it had. There were several instances where players got a little engrossed in what they were doing and perhaps hit a little harder than they normally would, and that certainly elicited oohs and ahs from the crowd. Those of us who go to camp every single year were definitely taken aback by the intensity in the practice. There were few lobbed balls, and every single receiver and running back ran through to the end zone even if the play was called. It really was refreshing to see. That's not to say there weren't a couple moments where the mood was a little lighter. We saw Corey McIntyre practicing his golf swing with one of the training stakes, and Rian Lindell practicing kicks down the sideline to the screams of 'Laces Out.' And on the subject of McIntyre, can I just say the man looks like a bowling ball on legs?! And I stand by my previous assertation that Marshawn Lynch was an Uruk Hai from the Lord of the Rings in a former life. (No disrespect meant in any way. The man deserves the moniker Beast Mode. . . he's a scary looking dude.)

All in all, I have to say I can't wait for the first preseason game. I'm not going to be as pessimistic as some of my friends and say 4 wins. . . I could say I could see 10-6, if the O-line gels well and the QB of choice is able to get the ball down the field a little more than last year. And in case you wondered, I'm pulling for Brohm. Boy had Brett Favre ahead of him. That's gotta count for something!

Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks?

I keep writing about athlete entitlement and how I wish that people would go back to their roots and do things the right way instead of the quick and easy way. Yesterday, I was honestly delighted to learn that Maurice Clarett re-enrolled at Ohio State this week after serving 3 1/2 years behind bars for being stupid. I'm well aware his prison sentence was due to two incidents in 2006, and he was released early from what could have been a seven and a half year sentence. But really, he was sent to jail for being stupid. Maurice felt like he was the king of the world when he helps OSU win the national championship in 2002. In the offseason, he was, let's say, less than academic, and was suspended for the entire 2003 season. At that point, someone in his life, obviously looking out for his best interests, told him to declare for the NFL draft despite not having been out of high school for 3 years. David decided to take on the Goliath (NFL) and fight the powers that were keeping him from realizing his dream as an NFL running back. . . except by the time the court case was all said and done, he was looking at the 2005 draft after being declared ineligible for 2004. (Note to MC: The idea of time stopping for no man would have been covered at some point in your junior years of college HAD you attended.) Despite already being known as a problem child, the Broncos took a chance and drafted him in the third round. And his football career lasted less than 30 days. (Note to MC: Math and Logic would have been classes which would have helped you realize that wasting two years of fighting the NFL instead of going to college does not in fact equal a 30 day NFL career.) So no education, since he didn't graduate. No job, since he washed out of the Broncos prior to training camp. And no money, because the contract that he signed guaranteed him nothing. What did Maurice learn in his year of college? Rob those more fortunate of their items, in the hopes to further his own financial situation? Run from the police? (Note to MC: The Police are NOT, I repeat, NOT like the defenders you evaded while on the football team. You had mad skills as a running back and juked your way through them like a hot knife through butter. Police officers have guns. Again with the logic. . .) So Maurice winds up in prison. It's truly a shame, because he was pure talent on the football field and an utter joy to watch weaving in and out of players like they were standing still. The SMARTEST thing he could have done was go back to college. Unfortunately, he's 7 years older than he was when he won the national championship, and without any NCAA eligibility. Perhaps this time, Maurice can focus on something else other than the glitz and glam of Tier 1 college football, and learn some lessons that will help him beyond the football field. Best wishes to him.

You want me to do what now?

The sports universe as we all know it was flipped on it's head last night with the news that Dez Bryant didn't carry Roy William's shoulder pads after practice. *GASP* What's that? A rookie refusing a veteran*? (*Veteran as defined by this article - someone who has been in the league for more than one season, even if his stats for the last several seasons don't really indicate that.) Not only that, but a rookie that has what appears to be a lot to prove, after all the hullabaloo that happened with him pre-draft? The chutzpah! How dare he!

I'm still laughing over here, because honestly, I don't blame Dez Bryant for not carrying Roy Williams shoulder pads. Maybe if Williams actually used them to play a little more, then I could understand the uproar. But Roy Williams is on the verge of being foisted out of Dallas, just like he was foisted out of Detroit for being all talk and no action. For all intents and purposes, Williams should have been the next Michael Irvin. (Or at least the next guy who could talk the same game as Michael Irvin, since Dallas has been lacking that kind of production since Irvin left.) He's got the size, he certainly has the talent, but a lot of what Williams lacks is what he can't be taught. He can't be taught drive. He can't be taught self-motivation. Instead, his sense of entitlement is going to find him on the unemployment line because this hot shot rookie Bryant is on his heels and coming up fast. Bryant wasted NO time being signed. His show of determination since prior to the draft made the Cowboys make the reach at the time to pick him in the first round. Bryant's quote after the whole "Shoulder pad-gate" says it all.

"I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player’s pads."

It's a novel concept this playing football thing, because that's what you were drafted for. Williams has had one good year since he was drafted in 2004, and that was in 2006. . .his stats from the 4 seasons since then look positively anemic at best: 2007 - 838 yds, 2008 (Lions) - 232 yds, 2008 (Cowboys) - 198 yds, 2009 - 596 yds. (Granted, he was with the Lions, so I guess I can give him a little break.) Since he's been in the league, he's caught 37 touchdowns. That's a shade over 6 touchdowns a year. He's only caught 8 TDs since being with the Cowboys. He's caught 319 passes, for 4678 yards. It's a decent average at a touch over 14, but when you calculate that he's supposed to have the talent of a number one receiver, he's averaging only 53 catches a year. (As a point of reference, Terrell Owens caught 55 passes, for 829 yards and 5 TDs on a Buffalo Bills team as the number two receiver with a QB rotisserie, offensive lines issues, and a brain dead head coach with zero play calling skills.)

I understand the need and the tradition of rookie hazing. But I also am a firm believer that respect has to be earned, not embarrassed, humiliated or threatened out of you. Make him sing his alma mater's fight song in front of the team. Have him buy everyone dinner. Roy, you've done nothing on the field to make Dez Bryant respect you. Your attitude on and off the field isn't conducive to being the number one, go-to receiver for your team. Maybe you should take a page out of Dez's book and play football.



On a completely separate note, condolences to the Cowher and Siegel families. Both Kaye Cowher and Leah Siegel were in the prime of their lives, and taken down by a disease that unfortunately is indiscriminate. As someone who's lost family too soon due to cancer, my thoughts are with you.

It's not how big you are, it's how big you play

I've been reading up on a story I first heard about back in 2009, about a female little league baseball player who threw a perfect game. Big deal, right? Well, she was playing against the boys, on a team of boys. Still, pretty cool, but not really a huge deal. Oh, it was in an all-star game too. And did I mention she just did it again? And pitched her team to a 12-0 record this season? And I guess I should say she's being scouted by a former MLB GM. Chelsea Baker doesn't want to play softball, and I don't blame her. I always felt it was demeaning in a way, that girls had to play with a bigger, heavier ball, and throw it underhand. Of course it's not going to go as far. Of course they aren't going to throw 100mph fast balls, or knuckleballs. Most of the time when a girl first picks up a softball, she has to put down a baseball, because there aren't any baseball teams for her to play on. Chelsea Baker has been playing with the boys since she was old enough to. Check out these stats. She hasn't lost a sanctioned game in 4 YEARS. Her team is 95-8-2 in 4 years with 3 championships. She's struck out 127 batters in 60 innings this year. I know MILB and MLB team owners and GMs who would weep with gratitude for stats like that. And that's playing against boys who are bigger, stronger and in some cases, older than she is.

Strasburg who?

I know, I know, it's early to say that Chelsea will still be playing when she's his age. But at 13, she's entering an age where plans for the future start to form. She's planning on trying out for the baseball team when she enters high school in a year. She's already throwing 60+mph with her fastball and is becoming an accomplished knuckleballer. If she's 13, and throwing better than the boys, who's to say that can't and won't continue? Currently, there is only one female player who is playing professional ball in a development league in Cali. Who's to say that a female couldn't pitch in the minors or majors though? The gender barrier hasn't really been tested in baseball yet. Once in a while you'll hear the errant story of a girl playing little league football and then for her high school team, and then silence. And women playing hockey just aren't as quick as the men playing the same game. And it's easy to understand why. Physically speaking, female physiques aren't able to get the mass and size of male physiques. But as a pitcher on a baseball team, technique could mean more than size and could overcome gender.

Marilyn Monroe said 'Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.' I think Chelsea just wants to play baseball. And it just so happens that she plays with the boys, and plays well. She said she'll play as long as she keeps winning. I'm hoping she does.

End run around the Salary Cap

My follower has requested I blog about my opinions of Ilya Kovalchuk's recent contract. So I'll begin by saying I was surprised the NHL took a stand for a change. Lately, the NHL has played Devil's advocate (truly no pun intended there) with their procedures and policies, placating the masses, while still trying to keep the product on the ice relevant. That being said, the NHL has always been a player's league. Suspensions for on-ice and off-ice conduct have been notoriously light, or non-existent, contract arbitrations are historically player friendly, and the NHL has been loathe to rein in their more colorful representatives. Kovalchuk's contract was so abhorrently obvious in what it was attempting to do, that to ignore it, the NHL would have set a precedent it couldn't have done anything about.

Let's think about this logically. Players of Kovalchuk's talent level are more common than they used to be. The kids being drafted now are stronger, faster and more ready to play in a professional setting than even those of 5 or 10 years ago. Players of a more advanced age, to be politically correct, are more likely to play less than 10 minutes per game, and act more of a on ice coach than an actual go-to guy. I admit that your Sidney Crosbys and the Staal brothers are more anomalies than the norm, but the talent levels just keep increasing. Not only that, but it's easy to turn and burn these kind of players. (Which is not something I advocate by any stretch.) Get them on the team young, let them build their rep all while winning the team games, and then find the next young stud in the following year's draft if the talent is unwilling to stay. While it's understandable to get a guy of Kovalchuk's talent level on your team in his prime, it was begging the NHL to question the veracity of the deal by issuing it in the form of a 17 year contract. Over 40 year old players are hard to come by in today's hard hitting, fast paced game. Chris Chelios is very possibly a freak of nature by playing at his age. So the Devils' honestly couldn't have been shocked by the NHL's decision. No one involved in this signing believed for one moment that Ilya would be playing through the end of the deal. So honestly, why the ruse? I would have to believe that someone in that room said there might be an issue with the league. I'd also imagine it was because of the more recent contracts which have passed inspection by the powers that be that led them to think they could skate this one by. They let Hossa's deal stand, didn't blink at Luongo's 12 year deal, and Pronger's deal with the Flyer's was close to laughable. None of them though, were quite as ridiculous as this one.

While I wouldn't normally applaud the NHL for much lately, I have to say it was about damn time they put their reading glasses on and actually looked at the contract in front of them. Of course in this case as in so many others, the NHLPA can step in, the lawyers will come into play, and the League can hem and haw but will eventually let something almost as asinine slip through. And Kovalchuk will be smiling as the Brinks truck backs up to his house. Welcome to today's NHL.

In Sports, as in Life

During the Espys last night, High School football coach Ed Thomas' family was honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. During the video presentation, a quote by Ed Thomas was shown.

"If all I have taught you was to block and tackle, then I have failed you as a coach."

Despite the fact an ex-player was convicted of murdering the coach, those words are something I wish more high school coaches believed in. Something more college coaches thought was important. Something even professional organizations prized more than championships and money. Lately, we hear continuous talk of the various shenanigans professional athletes get into, some of which turn into acts more sinister and illegal. The sense of entitlement which comes with being a professional athlete today is overpowering the common sense, and perhaps the lessons they were taught from the time they learned to play the game. Honestly, if more players were to go back to their roots; to the place where they first learned to love the game, we might not have hour long ESPN specials to tell us where Lebron James was going to play basketball next year. We might not have Pacman Jones making it rain in a Las Vegas strip club. Rae Carruth's girlfriend might still be alive. Obviously, there are going to be bad apples in every bunch of fruit, whether it's football players, basketball players, hockey players, or whether it's Joe Schmoe down the street. Everyday there are cases of the average Joe getting in trouble with the law. What makes it worse as an athlete, is the attention given before, during, and after something bad happens. These players aren't always being punished the same way the average citizen would be punished for the same crime. We, as a society, elevate these men and women to a position above ourselves, because of their abilities. Unfortunately, some of these people don't believe the rules we all are bidden to follow apply to them. If more players absorbed not just the lessons of the game, but the life lessons as well, and applied the discipline they use to be elite at their sport to their entire lives, we might not have the Ben Roethlisberger spectacle. Kobe might not have been in the hotel room. I don't mean to get up on the soap box against the evils of professional sports. I guess my point is this: in sports, as in life, we are all held to a standard. Sports do not supersede our responsibilities as humans. Ed Thomas tried to impart something a little more important than how to block and tackle to his players. He asked that you choose to live right and be your best everyday, both on the field and off the field. Every player of every sport should heed his legacy.

An open letter to the city of Cleveland

Dear Cleveland,

I'm sorry you've been waiting for the past year to find out if your beloved Lebron James is going to re-sign with the Cavs. It's a damn shame that he's strung you along for so many months. But Cleveland, while I can understand the need to bring him back into the fold, let me ask you if you honestly believe you couldn't do better. This is the guy that took plays off during the post season this year. Don't tell me you didn't see it. He was laughing on the court while the Cavs were down. Kobe wouldn't do that. Jordan certainly wouldn't have, and that's who Lebron wants you to think he's like. He wears Jordan's number, but he doesn't have Jordan's heart, his drive, his utter desire. He calls himself King James, but he's not translating any bibles. He's driving a wedge between the people of Cleveland SO desperate to win, that they'll give up any semblance of pride in order to do so. Is he worth it? Couldn't you find 3 or 4 or 5 players willing to play for your team for the same money Lebron wants, and who want to play for you? Honestly, if he so badly wanted to play for the Cavs, the money wouldn't matter. Lebron had his agent play town crier across the NBA and brought the masses into your city to court the King. That's like showing up for prom and realizing you weren't the only one bringing a corsage to your date. And while yours might have cost more, maybe one of the others smells better. Looks a little nicer. Maybe it'll last longer. Puts a sour taste in your mouth, doesn't it, Cleveland? If King James doesn't bring the title to Cleveland, how long will it take for the coup d'état? How long till you can't stomach the sight of him? I'd imagine it'd be like watching the Browns year after year. . . sorry, had to get that in there.

So Cleveland, I hope you aren't disappointed tomorrow night. And if you aren't, I hope you aren't setting yourself up for a future revolt. For some reason, I liken King James to another famous king. . . King Henry the VIII. The first wife wasn't good enough, and well, neither was the second, or the third or the fourth, etc. Henry cut off most of their heads. . . let's hope Lebron will be a little more benevolent to you.

Love, Nikki

P.S. One more thing. Jake Delhomme?? Really?

Sure you do. . .

Ok, I will be the first person to admit that I am not the hugest soccer fan. I appreciate the talent it takes to play the game, admire (for lack of a better word) the players, and think honestly, there are worse sports out there. That being said, I admit to being a little tired of the bandwagon jumpers who pop out of the woodwork every 4 years when the World Cup is on. Really? You can't name a player on any team, but you root for some random European nation once the US is out. You can't even tell me you can name a player on team USA that's not Landon Donovan. Seriously, I like to look at the hot soccer players just as much as the next girl, but if you're going to claim to be a huge fan of the Dutch team, don't you think you should at least be able to tell me who they last played, and at least their goalie's name? Or, you're rooting for Portugal JUST because Cristiano Ronaldo is a stunning piece of humanity. Shouldn't you at least be able to tell me how many minutes are in the game?* Or what a yellow card is?** I understand it's a huge event not just for people who know soccer, but people around the world because it's another global event like the Olympics. But please, don't purport to like a team, just because the US isn't in it anymore. Don't say you know such and such country was going to go far, because honestly, you didn't. Two of the teams that were in the semis last time are out, and a ragtag team from Uruguay is in. YOU DID NOT KNOW THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. And if you don't even know who was involved in the Hand of God play, you should take your vuvuzuela and shove it.*** And don't tell me you're rooting for Russia. . . or England, because that's where David Beckham is from. Ok. . . I feel (slightly) better now.



*I put the question about how many minutes are in the game, and then realized, hell, half the time the refs don't know, the fans at the stadium certainly don't know, and most of the TV broadcasts have it wrong. So I guess you don't NEED to know how many minutes are in the game. . . but you should know how many minutes SHOULD be in the game if the stars align and there's no overtime or injury minutes or whatever halfcocked excuse the refs came up with to cause the game to go over it's regularly scheduled time.

**Seriously, they should give out freaking OSCARS to some of these guys rolling around on the ground. It's better acting than most of the twits out there in Lala land now. . .

***It was Diego Maradona. He's also the coach of the Argentinian team. Wiki it.

****And no, Russia didn't even field a team this year, and David Beckham didn't play for England. Seriously, there ARE other soccer players in the world who actually PLAY soccer instead of prance around from country to country admiring his Armani billboards!

As a nation celebrates, we reflect. . .

This weekend, we as a nation stop what we're doing and commemorate our independence. We celebrate our freedom by singing our national anthem at any number of sporting events. We take our hats off, hold them over our hearts and salute our nation's soldiers for fighting for something we all take for granted. For some, removing their hat is just something that's supposed to be done. For me, as it always was, it's also a salute in my own way to my dad and something ingrained in me from the time I was very young. You see, my dad wasn't a great athlete, or the smartest man. He wasn't even the best man he could have been sometimes. But, to me, he was the best dad he could be. He was a soldier in Vietnam and fiercely patriotic till the day he passed away. He also loved every sporting event imaginable. We watched hours of boxing, and auto racing, and football, and hockey. He went to every track meet I ran at, taught me to bowl, and came to all my tournaments. He even came to my pick up basketball games when I didn't score a point. I'm not telling you this as a dissertation of what a dad should do, or even what my dad did. I say this because at every meet, every tournament, every game on TV, EVERY time, my father removed his hat and held it over his heart when the national anthem came on. And it was taught that regardless of whether or not a girl had to remove her hat, it was something I should do to show my thanks. If not for the soldiers who fought in wars on this continent and others, I wouldn't have the luxury and freedom to play or watch the sports I did. To remove my hat, and sing the anthem is more than something I should do just because. It's a very small token of my appreciation for having the freedom to do so.

This weekend, I'm sure there will be parents at games cheering on their children as only a parent is able. And there will be the singing of our national anthem as teams peewee to big league take the field of play or as cars prepare to race. For those freedoms, removing your hat is not only something which should be done, but a privilege. It's my hope that every father's child looks up to their dad, sees him remove his hat, and know to do the same as a show of gratitude.


***As a sign of respect to my mother, I learned the Canadian national anthem as well. (Although anyone who frequents Sabres games can probably say the same.)

A very happy belated Canada Day to my family and friends to the North.***