John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Thinking out loud…and wondering whatever happened to Cuttino Mobley?
• My Tweet of the Week came from Barking Carnival: "You never hear announcers say: ‘He's the son of a bad coach.' "
• Tweet of the Week Part II came from RIC hoop coach Bob Walsh: “Golf tournaments and airports - two things that give normally reasonable people a reason to drink Bud Light before 10 AM.”
• I give credit to Melky Cabrera for some honest remorse. On the 50-game disqualification list for his use of a banned substance, the Giants outfielder asked that he be withdrawn from candidacy for the National League batting crown because he cheated. You love it when an athlete — or anyone — is accountable for his mistake…
• Which is exactly the standard Tom Brady is holding himself – and his teammates – to, after the Patriots lost to Baltimore. “We have to dig ourselves out of a hole that we put ourselves into…we just have to do a better job in certain areas,” Brady said earlier this week. “If we do that, we'll start winning close games. If we don't, we'll have a miserable year. No one wants that around here." Now that’s accountability…
• The “Real Refs” are back to work, and the replacement refs are now a mere footnote in football history. While I know their time in pro football has largely been considered disastrous, by players, fans and media, I still get the feeling we’ll look back on this in a few years with amusement, if not bemusement. Kinda like replacement players when the real guys went on strike in the ‘80’s. I wanted to root for them, but they were just so “different…”
• Not for nuthin’…but the call made by Lance Easley last Monday night in Seattle was certainly “different.” But I’ll give him credit. He now goes down in league history for making perhaps the worst call by an official – ever. How else could a junior college referee make a name for himself? He’ll be remembered for years…
• Seattle receiver Golden Tate, who “caught” the controversial touchdown pass against Green Bay, now says he pushed off on the Packers’ Sam Shields to get to the ball? Well, duh. It’s only been the most viewed piece of footage the past few days since the Zapruder film…
• Let me get this straight. Bill Belichick was fined $50K for grabbing an official after the loss to Baltimore, simply trying to get an explanation on the field goal that won it for the Ravens. But Ravens’ coach Jim Harbaugh also makes contact with an official, trying to get his attention to call a time out, and doesn’t even get a slap on his wrist? Why has there been no explanation for this?
• No explanation needed here, however. Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft was nominated as a “contributor” this week for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. One of the league’s most influential owners, he is widely seen as a major factor in ending last season’s labor strife with the players. And speaking of players, Pats’ HOF’er Drew Bledsoe is also a candidate for Canton, with Ben Coates, Fred Smerlas and coach Bill Parcells…
• URI’s hoop signings are great news, to be sure. I know Rhody fans perceive me as the “PC guy,” after 24 years as a play-by-play voice…but honestly, I love the rivalry and it’s always better for basketball around here when both teams are good. And to the knucklehead who hacked my Facebook account this week…I know where you live. Just sayin’…
• My buddy Statbeast sez he thinks he qualifies as a hacker…he keeps getting up at 3 AM to go to the bathroom, and always stops to check his email…
• I also have it on good authority that the Rams are not yet done with making news on the signing front. Another big one could very well be on his way to Kingston…
• The Cowl, Providence College’s student newspaper, ran a story this week on the men’s and women’s basketball players receiving free Mac books for school, and it caused some misunderstanding among students and other athletes. Look, it’s very simple, really. What the basketball players received is allowed by the rules. And, while we’d all love to get free computers, not all of us bring in the revenue that the men’s team brings in…helping to keep other sports at PC afloat…
• Overshadowed by NFL replacement refs and the NHL lockout…NBA camps are getting started, and the Celtics’ Avery Bradley is apparently nowhere near ready to return. Uh oh…
• And the NHL has decided to cancel the rest of their preseason games, by the way. Good thing, since every player, it seems, is now skating in Europe…
• CSNNE.com had a great story this week on the real reason behind Keyon Dooling’s retirement from the Celtics. Dooling said he was abused years ago, and the mental toll after years of repression was making things tough on him – and his friends and family…
• Some of the buzz around the NBA relates to the league cracking down on the act (or “art”) of “flopping” – when players fall down with little to no contact in order to trick an official into calling a foul. Apparently, there will be video reviews conducted postgame, rather than take the time during a game, as is already done with flagrant fouls. An offender could then be fined by the league…
• Hey soccer! Take your cue…and follow suit…
• Sign of the times? Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers missed five games because of blurred vision and balance issues…due to too much caffeine. That now explains my wobbling around noontime every day…
• Former Cy Young closer (and Red Sox bust) Eric Gagne alleges in his new biography that 80 percent of his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates were using performance-enhancing drugs. Gagne, who set a major league record while converting 84 consecutive save chances, admits that he used human growth hormone over five cycles in a three-year period toward the end of his career…
• Clearly, you weren’t juicing in Boston though, were you Eric? Stupid is as stupid does…
• I got hammered by a lot of people (Scott Cordischi and my girlfriend Robin, for two) when I suggested a few weeks ago that Jason Varitek might make a good candidate for the Red Sox to consider as manager. He was hired this week as a “special assistant” to GM Ben Cherington. It might not be as manager right away, but the Sox want him involved. Hmmm…I don’t want to gloat, but…
• Along those lines, Bobby Valentine said this week he thinks he’s coming back to manage again next season. Why didn’t a member of the always-sarcastic Boston media ask if he thought he would manage in Boston next season?
• Maybe they didn’t have to. Cherington told Dennis & Callahan on WEEI that he hoped “to spend less time on it (a managerial move) this offseason, that’s for sure.” Say what?
• David Ortiz is a free agent. Again. Do we really need to go through contract hassles here? Ortiz said this week he plans to retire wearing Red Sox. He might have just cost himself some $$$ with that one…
• Cherington also said those talks will begin soon, but if you read between the lines of what was actually spoken, expect negotiations to be contentious. Ortiz’ age and health are certainly legitimate concerns…
• Andy Williams’ death this week left me feeling empty, with another significant piece of childhood leaving this earth. If you are at least 40 years of age, hearing his smooth voice may have been your signal that the holiday season had arrived. Williams was more popular than Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga put together during the ‘60’s, as his TV variety show on NBC routinely dominated ratings…as did his holiday specials. Did you know the late astronaut Neil Armstrong took Williams’ song “Aquarius” with him to the moon?
• ProJo columnist Bill Reynolds had an outstanding piece on 93-year-old retiring PC golf coach Joe Prisco this week, who stepped down from coaching the Friar golfers after 65 years earlier this month. 65 years? Coach Prisco is truly one of those rare people who has seen, and probably done, just about everything. Here’s hoping he gets to see and do a lot more…
• Second chances, indeed, are rare. Adam Greenberg gets his next Tuesday for the Florida Marlins. If you don’t know his story, it’s a good one…
• So let me get this straight. The Oakland A’s set the American League record for striking out the most in a single season? And yet, the A’s are about 20 games better than the Red Sox this season as well? What am I missing here?
• Yes, it was very odd to be celebrating the “8th anniversary” of the 2004 World Series team this week past. Never let it be said Red Sox management can’t come up with reasons to put butts in seats…
• What I did like, however, was the announcement of the 100th anniversary “all Fenway Park” team. And Carl Yastrzemski said he thinks someone will grab baseball’s Triple Crown (average, RBI and HR champ in the same season) again, like he did last in 1967. Maybe even Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera THIS year…
• Talk about a guy who has just about done it all…Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne had one of the most successful careers as a head football coach in college football history. As an AD, he re-established Nebraska as a national name brand. And he served in the US Congress. How did he ever lose when he ran for Governor of that state? Osborne is retiring in January, at age 75…
• Speaking of AD’s, congrats to old friend Dave Roach, the former athletic director at Brown. Roach left Brown for Colgate in 2004, and this week was named AD at Fordham in the Bronx. Also a former swim coach, Roach is in both the RI Aquatics Hall of Fame and the Brown University Hall of Fame…
• Another slice of sports history and tradition was sliced away this week, all in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. Notre Dame said “see ya” to its long-standing football rivalry with Michigan, because they no longer have room for the Wolverines on their ACC-dominated schedule in the future…
• I know the Irish won the match-up this year, but the overall series has been dominated by Maize and Blue. The skeptic in me might think the Irish are simply dodging a formidable future opponent, in an effort to feed their bellies with plenty of ACC patsies…
• ND is leaving the Big East…but Memphis is coming into the Big East next year, and the basketball program under Josh Pastner has three Top 100 recruits in its class, ready to play in 2013…
• All that bluster by the ACC about playing their post-season basketball tournament in New York, maybe even at Madison Square Garden? MSG did not submit a bid to host it, and neither did Brooklyn’s new Barclays Center. The Big East Tournament is nearing an extension to continue its’ 30-year relationship with the Garden, through 2026…
• As much as the NCAA gets hammered – and rightfully so – because of their decision-making process, they deserve credit for reaching a compromise that allows the North Dakota Fighting Sioux to retain their logo in their arenas, even though the nickname has been criticized as being insensitive to local tribes…
• I’ve always thought the Ryder Cup seemed “out of place” among golf’s best offerings, even if it is interesting to watch. The competition is a team event, and golf being an individual sport, I like seeing whether the game’s elite can co-exist (and win) when you know you need to lean on a teammate. Its why, for all of his talent, I’ve never been a huge Tiger Woods fan. He’s been terrible in Ryder Cup play…largely because he’s been all about himself…
• The patriotism is kind of goofy at the Ryder Cup. You have the USA taking on the world, really…or at least challenging the European continent. Cheering and screaming has always been odd for a sport that requires quiet, and demands decorum. It’s fun to look at the facial expressions of the players when they hear “USA! USA!” They simply don’t know what to do…and it humanizes them, and the sport, a little bit more…
• Former URI hoop star Cuttino Mobley has been retired from the NBA since 2008, ending a 12-year career (in Houston, Orlando, Sacramento and LA) after a trade to the New York Knicks – but never playing for them. Mobley was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle that can make the heart work harder to pump blood…an ailment that eventually killed Reggie Lewis and Hank Gathers. While initially praising the Knicks for helping him save his life, Mobley later sued the team for discrimination…alleging they deprived him of the ability to play elsewhere. His lawsuit against the team was dismissed this past summer…
• Our mailbag question/comment this week comes from Kevin in Lincoln, RI via e-mail: "I have nothing against the program, I'm sure Coach Trainer and the kids are doing the best they can, but try as they might, I don't see much of a future for URI Ram football. Is it time to deal with reality, downgrade football to a club sport and upgrade ice hockey from club?” Kevin: This is a question that has been asked quite a bit over the years - and answered again recently - by the athletic department at the school. Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn is on record as saying the department is committed to keeping football, even with the program remaining in the CAA with fewer scholarships than their competitors. In other words, some tough times still lie ahead. It's not as easy as dumping football and upgrading hockey, however. Whatever is added for the men, must also be added for the women (or an equivalent). And the committment to fund these sports must remain in place...which is tougher to do in these fiscally stressful times...
• Interested in having your questions on local RI sports (including the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send ‘em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions and comments to jrooke@golocalprov.com. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Follow me on Twitter, @jrooke0722…and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...
• And you’re up early anyway…don’t forget to join us for GoLocal Sports on 103.7 FM, every Saturday from 7:00-9:00 am! Call in (401) 737-1287, or text 850850…and send email to the show - golocal@weei.com .
• Looking for your midweek football fix? Jump into the “Patriots Playbook” on Patriots.com Radio, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 2:00-4:00 pm ET. We’re live with commentary, interviews and your calls and questions on the Patriots and the NFL via social media. It’s a great way to break up the day at work! But if you can’t make it for the live webcast, never fear…the podcast will be near…
Comments:
E.J. Dunn
12:06pm on Saturday, September 29, 2012
Good column, John.
Eric Gagne is writing his biography, which no doubt will sell tens if not dozens of copies. Sheesh.
Yes, Lance Easley will be remembered. But Roger Goodell could have reversed that call, according to NFL rules, "for the good of the game." No matter how you slice it, Seattle was awarded the win that rightly belonged to Green Bay. And that outcome jolted Las Vegas -- the real reason the referee charade was called off.
"Aquarius" is from the 1967 musical Hair. Andy Williams did a cover of the song, but to call it "his" is a stretch.
Tim Fogarty
12:09pm on Saturday, September 29, 2012
"Hey soccer! Take your cue…and follow suit…" They are actually a step ahead of the NBA!
The officials in this country already have, instituting rules that allow them to retroactively punish both players whose transgressions during a game aren't seen by a ref, and to suspend and/or fine players who "embellish" or feign contact and injury, among other things. http://www.mlssoccer.com/mls-disciplinary-summary
MLS is also on the forefront of the game in regards to these issues and they also plan on instituting recently-approved goal-line technology systems for next season.