Confidentiality

There is a reason for everything.
 I cant begin to count the number of times I've heard this phrase, most commonly as a rationalization when things go horribly wrong.

 But beyond the religious context in which this phrase is often invoked, there is a secular purpose as well.

Yes, there is a reason for everything. Including confidentiality.

In this age of information, one of the principles that has been thrown aside quite easily is the notion that some things are best kept out of the public eye.

Take Wikileaks: Many of us, myself included, felt somewhat sympathetic toward the perpetrator of the information leak, and especially to the site's operator, a man at one point wanted in three different continents. We feel that, with VERY FEW exceptions, information is best let out into the public, feeling in some innate sense that there should be nothing to hide.

I think right now, while we do not have all of the information yet, this Ryan Braun case is a pretty good example of how wrong we all were.

There are things that are best kept quiet and an ongoing appeal of a positive drug test is one of those.

Given the information that has come to light since ESPN rushed to break the (largely unsubstantiated) story last night, I feel it is safe to say that Braun isnt one of the prototypical "roiders". Whether he is able to fully prove his innocence or not, the latest breaking news that the test was positive not for a PED, but for another banned substance, should fairly well clear that point up.

But if you watched nothing but the almighty ESPN, the bastion of everything sports, you wouldnt know the real story.

That is because ESPN is now caught between a rock and a hard place. Their irresponsible decision to break an incomplete report may have done irreversible damage to Braun, a young star who is not only revered for his talents on the field, but also for his contributions to the Milwaukee community. Innocent or not, Braun's once-unblemished image is now stained forever.

Wherever the story takes us, whether Braun is able to avoid suspension or not, ESPN has proven why confidentiality continues to have a deserving place in our society, even in this age of endless information.

Major League Baseball chose to keep the proceedings private, knowing full well that a report of Braun's initial positive test would not only damage his image, but the game as a whole. That would be unfair to Braun, unfair to the Brewers, and unfair to the game.

Apparently, MLB has done this in the past. In yet another irresponsible piece of reporting, ESPN erroneously reported that no MLB player has ever successfully appealed a positive drug test.

Well, that is not completely correct.

Although ESPN continued to hammer that point home throughout the night, outside reports began to make it fairly clear that there had in fact been prior instances in which a positive test had been successfully appealed. What ESPN failed to realize is that MLB successfully kept these proceedings under wraps and thus the players involved were never subject to the type of unjust media outcry that the "worldwide leader" has brought upon the 2011 NL MVP.

In recent years, ESPN has struggled with how it wants to define itself. Looking at its connections with college athletic departments and sponsors, you would have trouble making the distinction between ESPN and a sports marketing company like IMG. In fact, ESPN has partnered with IMG in several instances and was increasingly becoming the broadcast wing of the Cleveland, Ohio behemoth.

But on the other hand, ESPN also purports to be a true sports news outlet. They break news as an independent outlet (many times failing to disclose the clear interest that they have in the outcome of the story) and provide analysis as any true news organization would.

If that is the case, if ESPN is a news outlet focused on the world of sports, then what they have done is irresponsible. They have broken a story without fully corroborating source material and in the process have tarnish the legacy of a young star who stands for everything that is good with the game of baseball.

But if that is not the case, if ESPN is the sports marketing organization they seem to be becoming, then the ramifications are far worse. Given ESPN's clear interest in keeping MLB supremacy on the coasts, one has to wonder the true intentions behind their breaking of such an incomplete story. One has to wonder why, despite fairly well-known (undisclosed incidents, names unknown) evidence to the contrary, ESPN sought to immediately go from breaking the story of a positive test to making the case for Braun's immediate demonization.

Based upon what has come out today, ESPN was only made privy of a positive test for a banned substance that involved Braun. In their initial reports, the television behemoth tacked on the label of PED to the positive test, further insinuating Braun's guilt. They then erroneously reported that an appeal has never been successful before finishing off the debacle by failing to note that Braun had been re-tested and had passed the re-test.

And just minutes later, they switched the discussion to what should be done with the MVP award, to whether Braun could ever recover his image, and to how the suspension (which they insinuated was a given) would affect the Brewers.

They took an incomplete set of facts, touched them up, reported them, and moved onto analysis immediately. Viewers had no chance to consider whether or not the story itself was fact or fiction, they were already discussing what comes next.

ESPN has failed miserably in this case. They have forever tarnished their reputation as a company and hopefully in the process they have not irreversibly tarnished the legacy of one of our nation's most admirable young professional athletes.

I could be wrong, Ryan Braun could be taking steroids.

But if not, ESPN has a whole lot of explaining to do.

Montee Ball: Heisman Trophy Winner

If only people in this country actually took the time to learn a thing or two about the world around them. I feel like I find myself saying this almost on a daily basis. And while the south certainly has a leg up in its proclivity for ignorance, Americans all across the board have given up their reverence for fact. 

But this isnt about how Herman Cain nearly became the Republican nominee for President of the United States.

No, this is about something much more important: the Heisman Trophy.

Montee Ball has scored 38 touchdowns this season, one touchdown for every 7.24 times that he touches the football. The NCAA record for single-season touchdowns, a record not even sniffed since Barry Sanders set it back in 1988, is 39. Barring unforeseen injury or futility in the Rose Bowl, Montee Ball will hold the record when you wake up on January 3rd. 

But while Ball will likely hold the once-untouchable single-season touchdown record, he will not hold the Heisman trophy. Somehow.

Not only will Ball almost certainly not win the award, he wont even come close. Given that Alabama's Trent Richardson has somehow already been awarded the Doak Walker award given to the nation's best tailback, Ball's chances are virtually nil. 

Why?

Because no one bothered to check the numbers, no one bothered to check the facts and see if Richardson and fellow Heisman frontrunners Andrew Luck of Stanford and Robert Griffin III of Baylor actually had better seasons than the junior running back at Wisconsin.

Reality: They didnt.

First of all, lets assess Luck. Andrew Luck is the best quarterback in the country and will be the top pick in the 2012 NFL draft. After deciding, against the advice of many, to return for his senior year at Stanford, Luck led the Cardinal to an 11-1 regular season and a Fiesta Bowl appearance. Luck's 3170 passing yards and 35 touchdowns are staggering numbers, but he dropped the ball when it counted most, only managing to complete 66% of his passes in the Cardinal's lone loss at home against Oregon. The two interceptions that Luck threw in that game cost Stanford a shot at an undefeated season and ultimately ruined Luck's chances of running away with the Heisman.

Robert Griffin III has a good case to be named the most valuable player in college football. The junior quarterback has single handedly put Baylor football on the map, leading the Bears to a 9-3 finish that included their first-ever win over Big 12 stalwart Oklahoma. But while Griffin's numbers are impressive, 3998 passing yards and 36 touchdowns to go along with another 644 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground, they come in the offensive-heavy Big 12 conference. The Big 12 is by any statistical measure the “best” conference in college football, but it is not known for its defenses.

And once again, Griffin’s few mistakes came when the Bears could least afford them. His 4^th quarter interception against Kansas State cost Baylor the game and ended their undefeated run after just three games. Against Texas A&M, the nation’s worst pass defense, Griffin did set a school-record with 430 yards through the air, but once again threw a crucial interception and Baylor got blown out. The following week against Oklahoma State, Griffin had his worst game of the season, managing just a 136.0 passer rating despite throwing for another 425 yards on 50 attempts. It was the two interceptions that once again led in part to a lopsided Baylor defeat.

Never mind that Baylor is 9-3, with their lone road win coming in overtime over 2-win Kansas, and headed to the Alamo Bowl. I don’t like the argument of team record or BCS ranking, but if we are going to go there, then Griffin cannot be the way to turn.

Then there is Trent Richardson. After reading through this, you probably wont like the fact that I intend to lob the majority of my disgust at this final supposedly “deserving” Heisman candidate. But that is exactly what I am going to do.

Richardson doesn’t even deserve to be in the conversation. His team coasted through an easy schedule, lost its one big-time matchup at home against LSU, and has somehow rode the wave of SEC bias all the way to a BCS Title game appearance.

And it is that SEC bias that has not only brought Richardson into the conversation, but probably has gotten him the trophy.

First of all lets look at the numbers.

Richardson has rushed for 1583 yards on 263 carries, an average of 6.0 yards per carry. Montee Ball has averaged 6.4 yards per carry.

Richardson has scored 20 touchdowns on the ground. Ball has 32.

Richardson has caught 27 passes for 327 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ball has caught 20 passes for 255 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Against AP-ranked teams, Richardson has 95 carries for 507 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and 4 touchdowns. Ball has 100 carries for 559 yards (5.6 yards per carry).

So much for the SEC schedule being so much more difficult.

Oh, and Ball has scored 12 touchdowns against those ranked teams.

In games decided by less than 15 points, Richardson has just 23 carries for 89 yards, 3.9 yards per carry. And not a single touchdown.

Ball has 100 carries for 561 yards and 7 touchdowns in games decided by less than 15 points.

Six of Ball’s touchdowns have either tied the game or given Wisconsin the lead. Just two for Richardson.

Who is more valuable to their team?

The answer is clear. If you bothered to read the facts.

But the problem is that there is this assumption that SEC players are better, that SEC teams are better, and that SEC schedules are flat out tougher.

Alabama had arguably a far easier schedule than Wisconsin:

Home against Kent State. Automatic.

At Penn State. The Nittany Lions were young and at the time still gelling as a team. Plus the weather was still picture perfect. Try coming to State College in November.

Home against North Texas. Seriously? North Texas went 4-4 in the Sun Belt for crying out loud.

Home against Arkansas. The Razorbacks are a potent team, but not a potent defense. The Hogs gave up an average of 174 yards on the ground in 2011. Richardson had just 126. At home.

At Florida. Another team that, while ranked at the time, was in the top-25 by name only and Richardson torched them for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns. Florida’s defense was still strong and that was probably Richardson’s best performance.

Home against Vandy. 107 yards. Vandy? They are a bowl team this year, but if Vandy is going to be one of the tougher conference matchups, how can you argue the SEC is that good?

At Ole Miss. Richardson picked 203 all-purpose yards. But Ole Miss had just one win over a FBS team this entire season. And they gave up an average of 225 yards on the ground alone. 203 all-purpose doesn’t mean much against the Rebs.

Home against Tennessee. 77 yards and two touchdowns. Not bad. But again, the Vols gave up 163 yards per game on the ground.

Home against LSU. In the greatest sporting event the world has ever seen, the game that every American had a patriotic duty not only to watch, but to enjoy, Richardson managed just 89 yards on 23 carries. No touchdowns. 9-6 loss.

At Mississippi State. 127 and a TD.

Home against Georgia Southern. Not Georgia. Not Georgia Tech. 179 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns.

At Auburn. 203 yards on just 27 carries. In the Iron Bowl. The annual “greatest game of the year, no matter what”.

Yeah, don’t mind the fact that Auburn gave up an average of 195 yards per game on the ground and was just 79^th in scoring defense.

That was in the Iron Bowl. Come On!

For all the grief that gets lobbed onto the Badgers and onto Ball’s Heisman candidacy for having a weak schedule, this argument simply doesn’t match up with reality.

In games against UNLV, South Dakota, and Northern Illinois (all 3 non-BCS opponents for Wisconsin), Ball picked up just 242 yards and 7 touchdowns.

In games against Georgia Southern, North Texas, and Kent State, Richardson tallied 379 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground.

On the other hand, in Wisconsin’s games at Michigan State (5^th in total defense), at Illinois (7^th), and Penn State (10^th), Ball rushed for 495 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also caught 5 passes for 38 yards and another two touchdowns.

Against Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship game Ball rushed for another 137 yards and 3 TDs, all while catching 3 passes for 7 yards and a touchdown and finally throwing one ball for 32 yards passing.

At the same time Ball was doing this, Richardson was sitting at home watching.

Richardson faced just three teams in the top 10 in total defense as well (Georgia and South Carolina are in the SEC, sure, but Alabama got the benefit of skipping them this season). One was LSU. Not exactly his best performance.

The other two were Penn State and Florida.

In addition to the 89-yard dud against the Bayou Bengals, Richardson rushed for 111 yards against the Nittany Lions, a full 45 yards short of the total Ball had against the same defense.

The 181 yard afternoon at Florida was the best performance Richardson had all season, but then again, doesn’t 242 on the ground against the 7^th best defense in the country outdo that?

Total for Richardson against top-10 defenses: 381 yards, 4 touchdowns. Ill give him a slight edge with 11 catches for 128 yards. But again, just the 4 touchdowns on the ground.

Advantage Ball.

The reality is that every number out there suggests that Montee Ball is the nation’s best running back. Not only that, Ball is also the clear most valuable back to his team.

The reason that Richardson is winning this award season is because of the perception that the nation has about the SEC being the dominant conference in college football.

First of all, the computers seem to disagree, with every statistical measure pointing to the Big 12 in terms of conference supremacy. And by a landslide.

But beyond that, Alabama did not play the entire SEC. Alabama was fortunate to have a schedule devoid of games against South Carolina or Georgia, essentially the only two competent football teams in the 6-team SEC east. They faced both LSU and Arkansas at home, with their toughest road test coming against a reeling Florida Gator squad on the first day of October.

That paragraph should not only show you why Alabama has no business being in the BCS Title game (the “no rematch” argument probably won Alabama the rematch after all), but also why Trent Richardson has no business being in the Heisman trophy candidate.

Even the SEC faithful profess that the SEC is a defense-heavy conference. The numbers don’t lie there. But so is the Big Ten.

And if the SEC in general, and Alabama specifically, is so consumed with defense, then why does Richardson become so valuable to Alabama?

Without Montee Ball, Wisconsin is nowhere near the Rose Bowl. Even with Russell Wilson, the Badgers don’t have the type of aerial attack that can overcome a weak running game. And while they have arguably the nation’s best offensive line, that only adds to the argument that Ball and the Wisconsin running game stood out above the rest.

Our country has always had, and the South is home to some of the most egregious offenders, a problem with blind faith.

Faith in god, faith in the word of political leaders, faith in the conventional wisdom.

This is just another case in which faith simply isn’t properly yielding to fact. There is a blind faith across the country in the SEC being the most dominant conference in college football. Each and every Saturday, we witness the dominant performances by Alabama, LSU, and………, well, at least Alabama and LSU and simply assume that those are clear evidence of conference supremacy.

But for every Alabama or LSU there is an Ole Miss and a Kentucky.

Don’t pay attention to the fact that the Big 12 only lost 3 games out of conference (SEC-6) or that the Big Ten has as many teams ranked in the top 25 of the coaches poll as the vaunted SEC.

The SEC has to be dominant.

After all, didn’t they win the last six national championships.

Yes, they did. They won the last six national championship GAMES.

But how about the process that got them six straight national title appearances. Heck, the Big East hasn’t even had one since the BCS started.

Its impressive that the SEC has won the last six title games, but that doesn’t say anything about the strength of the conference as a whole. Sure, they produce top-level teams year-in year-out, but the perception of the SEC as the dominant conference is now becoming part of the reality and that is dangerous.

This year proves it. Two SEC teams? Alabama’s best win was against an Arkansas team that struggled to overcome a halftime deficit against Texas A&M, had to rely on a missed chip-shot field goal to beat Vanderbilt, and scraped out a 5-point win after trailing 17-0 to lowly Ole Miss. Not exactly the greatest 6^th-ranked team in the history of the BCS. Beyond that, Alabama hasnt beaten another top 20 team.

The SEC isn’t that great. Montee Ball is.

It’s a shame that blind faith will cost him the Heisman, but that is what it is.

Ignoring the facts: It’s the American way.

Settling Conference Scores

Last week’s 13th edition of the ACC/Big 10 challenge was just one of many such challenges spread across the world of college basketball throughout the month of December. While most of the teams focus on the individual games themselves and not as much on winning the challenge as a conference, there is no doubt that conference bragging rights are at stake. In the world of college basketball, it is just that, bragging rights. But if there were to be the same type of challenge played on the gridiron, the outcome could give a conference more than just the satisfaction of victory. In fact, it could be the way we finally get to a system that allows the BCS to truly determine a worthy national championship. Anyway, it comes down to the notion that the only way to reasonably determine which conferences are better than others is to put them on the field, with six teams from each conference hosting non-conference games. So lets say we have the Big Ten/ACC Challenge the first week. Right then and there instead of debating whether a 30-point win is enough against a weak opponent like UNLV, we can see for ourselves whether Wisconsin is better than, say, Virginia Tech. But even that wouldn’t be enough. You could pit the SEC against the Big East, the Pac-12 against the Big 12, and the Big Ten against the ACC and still find yourself in the position we are at today, stuck with two teams that many feel are the best two in the nation and a third out in Stillwater, Oklahoma that feels differently. So why not have another series of challenges the second week? In week two, pit the SEC against the Pac-12, the Big East against the ACC, and the Big Ten against the Big 12. But even though we could determine that the SEC and the Big 12 are better from top to bottom than the Big East and ACC, we could still be left with the dilemma we find ourselves in right now. So why not keep it going? Week three you pit the ACC and SEC, the Big Ten and Pac-12, and the Big East and Big 12. Same problem? Week four you could match up the Big 12 with the SEC, the Big Ten with the Big East, and the ACC and Pac-12. 4 weeks. 4 challenges. Figure out which is the best conference. No more argument. What is there to lose? Really the only thing that stands to disappear in this scenario is the irrelevant non-conference game. Sure you wont get an opportunity to see LSU try to put 75 up against Northwestern State or Oklahoma State attempt to throw up a triple digit score against Sam Houston State, but then again would you really miss it? If you are the average college football fan, I guarantee that the answer would be no. And while this wont necessarily avoid the debate, especially in terms of undefeated non-AQ teams, it will make it much more clear come time to set up a championship matchup. Enough with the computer projections, the comparisons of NFL draft picks (honestly, this is the worst argument in favor of SEC supremacy. Am I the only one who realizes that an NFL draft pick no longer plays in the conference they hailed from?), and enough with the entire concept of subjective national champions. I know that a playoff will never happen. Many people try to convince themselves that a playoff will eventually happen, but the reality is that as long as the bowl committees are in bed with the athletic departments at major universities, a college football playoff will never happen. Having non-conference games of consequence would totally change the landscape of college football. First of all, it would take the power of scheduling out of the hands of the teams themselves and into the hands of (at least supposedly) neutral arbitrators. And who wouldn’t want to see Stanford play Oklahoma State to open up the season? Who wouldn’t want to see a late November matchup of Alabama and Oklahoma? From the standpoint of the fan, these challenges would be a welcome respite from having to sit through analysis of Georgia Southern’s visit to Tuscaloosa with a game left in the season. The BCS often talks about how their system ensures that every game matters. But honestly does a game between LSU and Arkansas-Pine Bluff really matter? Pit power conferences against power conferences and then you can honestly say that each and every game matters. It is not a perfect system that I am proposing. The notion of using polls and hypothetical computer rankings to determine the participants in a national championship game is about as arbitrary as it gets in the world of big-time athletics. But it would help out a ton. It would give us a true picture of which conferences truly do reign supreme. It would allow us to point to specific games and specific statistics to argue for the best teams and best players in the vast world that is college football. And in time, it may even give us a true national champion. What do you have to lose?

Childhood Lost

I just turned 21 last Tuesday. Certainly one of those "end of an era" moments when you begin to realize that your childhood is in the past. But it wasnt until today that I realized my childhood was in fact over. Why today? American Airlines filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. American has been a part of my life from day one. I got into my first fight on an American flight when I was a year old and a flight attendant woke me from a deep sleep. I learned to walk climbing up and down the stairs at the San Juan Admirals Club. I had multiple birthday parties inside Terminal 3 at O'Hare, running around the Admirals Club playing hide and seek. To be honestly, no where on earth can you find a better glass of sprite than in the original concourse H/K club at O'Hare. I feel in a big way that American in part raised me. It inspired me to dream of a life of business travel, to dream of being the next (and I guess the first non-fictional) Ryan Bingham. And I feel let down. I have drifted away from my parental airline slowly over the past several years. In fact, Southwest has become a mentor to me, showing me how air travel can in fact work in the post-9/11 era where birthday parties in the Admirals Club are no longer a possibility. But I still considered myself a loyal customer of American and made sure to skip out on Southwest whenever American was convenient and whenever I wasnt checking bags (I refuse to pay for bags, period). I couldnt wait until the day I got my first job that involved travel and set out on a life of AAdvantage miles and Admirals Club membership. Now I dont know what to think. My airline has let me down and I feel like a piece of me has declared bankruptcy right alongside AMR. It is a sad day, the end of a childhood I really did enjoy. But now it is time for me to refocus on my life moving forward, just like I know American will refocus itself on emerging from bankruptcy a better airline. Right now, they arent ready for the big time. They are too big, too impersonal, and too caught up in their own bureaucracy to be a functioning business, one dependent on customer service no less. I hope they can recover their sense of what air travel means, their sense of what it takes to make a customer happy and to make money in the process. American needs to change and I hope they do so that all of those fond memories I have of a childhood spent at the airport arent tempered by a reality in which American is simply a terrible airline to deal with. I need them to do my childhood justice. Anyway, no pressure, just do better.

One Final Rant Against the BCS (for tonight at least)

"No more than two teams from a conference may be selected, regardless of whether they are automatic qualifiers or at-large selections, unless two non-champions from the same conference are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the final BCS Standings." This was taken directly from the BCS's own explanation of their system. Think about this clause, seriously think about it. Should this even be necessary? Doesnt the mere fact that this has to be included and that we sit one upset away from it becoming reality put into perspective the stupidity of the entire system? Yes, if LSU loses to Georgia in Saturday night's SEC Championship game, then we will likely face a situation in which LSU maintains a top-2 position, facing Alabama in the BCS Championship game. But the reality is that we dont need this to happen in order to face a situation in which controversy will ensue. Assuming LSU wins, the situation is fairly simple. Does Alabama get in as #2 despite losing at home to LSU? Probably. Totally unfair considering the weakness of the SEC beyond LSU, Bama, and Arkansas (now completely out of the picture, I hope), but likely to happen given the fact that perception is reality when it comes to BCS standings and the perception is that the SEC is king. In reality, Oklahoma State should go if they beat Oklahoma and win the Big-12. Oklahoma State would have 1 loss, on the road, right after a devastating tragedy hit the school. More importantly, they would have won the other top conference in FBS. Two one-loss teams. Two conference champions. The best two conferences. It should be simple. But then again, Montee Ball should be the unanimous winner of the Heisman Trophy and yet Trent Richardson of Alabama is going to run away with that crown as well. Now let's say that LSU gets upset. The likely situation is that LSU and Alabama stay at 1 and 2. The SEC would then have found the sole exception to the two-team cap on a conference's BCS representation and likely would bump a worthy Boise State (who beat Georgia, in Atlanta), Michigan, or potentially even Stanford out of the running. But if common sense prevails and Oklahoma State gets their chance, then what happens? Well, either Alabama or LSU would be left not only out of the BCS Championship but out of the BCS altogether. If LSU stays in the top 2, at least you can argue that they beat Alabama, played the tougher schedule, and won the division. But likely the move would be made by LSU as Alabama sits on the sidelines at #2 and unlikely to move back considering all 5 teams over the course of BCS history to sit out the final team while ranked in the top 2 have held their ground. In that case, Alabama goes to the national championship game and LSU goes to the Capital One Bowl. All this while LSU beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, played non-conference games against Oregon and at West Virginia, and won the SEC West outright. But they would be headed to Orlando. Any way that you roll the dice, the situation that this weekend presents spells controversy. The BCS just invites it each and every year. But while controversy is to be expected, that last situation, one that if you really think about things, is fairly likely, spells absolute disaster for the BCS. College football fans should be rooting for Georgia to give us a chance to see potential chaos come to fruition. Only when the rules get in the way of a beloved SEC power will the BCS powers that be get things right. They will never go to a playoff unless they have to and if either LSU or Alabama is left out of the BCS altogether, that might just be the situation that gets the ball rolling.

NBA More than A Bunch of Whining Millionaires

The perception that many people have of professional athletes is that they are overpaid, under worked, arrogant individuals who get paid way too much money to essentially play a game for a living. Though it is a reasonable perception given what the public sees of professional sport, it is far from the truth. The median salary among NBA players is in the $2 million range. But what people forget, in addition to the fact that many players are paid salaries well below this median, is the limited career span of an NBA player. The 10-year guaranteed contracts may be what get the publicity, but the average career of an NBA player is just under 5 years. Do the math and that comes out to a median earnings potential of around $10 million. Dont get me wrong, these guys arent poor and in fact are probably part of the infamous 1% crowd. Given that the average career of your everyday white-collar worker is upwards of 35 years, NBA players make on average the equivalent of about $285,000 spread out over that 35 year span. That is definitely a lot of money, but it isnt so much that players can go about their lives without financial worry. And when you think about the consequence of losing a season's worth of salary, the impact is tremendous, the equivalent of losing 7 years of work in a "normal" job. Say what you want about the decision to reject the final offer that NBA owners gave this week. In fact, I would probably agree that they lose leverage with each passing minute. But to say that the players should stop whining and go back to their multi-million dollar mansions is simply an ignorance of the realities that many NBA players face. This lockout fight isnt about the Lebron James' and Chris Paul's of the world, although their decision to stand up for their teammates is to be commended (not Lebron's, but certainly Paul's). Rather, it is about the average players, those guys you see on the bench who have made the game of basketball their livelihood and who are fighting to ensure that they can continue to do so. Just keep that in mind when you call for an end to the fight.

Keep College Athletics In College

I, like the rest of college basketball fandom, cannot wait to see North Carolina take on Michigan State friday on the USS Carl Vinson docked in San Diego. But the more I sit and think about this game, the most it honestly repulses me. I have no problem with having a marquee game on Veterans Day to honor the troops, but I think the "carrier game" is way over the top. Think about it: Two east coast teams traveling across the country during the week, during the middle of the first semester, to play one basketball game lasting 2 hours on an aircraft carrier that is charged with the defense of our nation. When you take away the novelty of the whole thing, it is quite honestly a crazy idea. What it definitely is is simply another example of college athletics getting too big for its own good. To have these student-athletes travel across the country for an exhibition like this is an absurd waste of resources and an even more absurd waste of the student-athletes' time. The two teams could have just as easily honored the troops with a game played in Washington, DC, our nation's capital, in front of an all-military crowd. And guess what? That could have been done without the time and expense of cross country travel and without the added distraction from the academic obligations of these student-athletes. For an NCAA (and a BCS, for this point) that time in and time out talks about keeping time in the classroom in mind when scheduling or setting up games, tournaments, or a potential FBS playoff, this is where the grand hypocrisy begins to rear its ugly head. Because the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic is not really about honoring the troops on Veterans Day, it is about making money. For the schools. For the promoter. It might be politically incorrect to say it, but they are simply using the military backdrop as a means by which to add to the intrigue and the money-making potential of the game. Again, if it was simply about the troops we would have no need to take the teams across the country to an aircraft carrier. Never mind the enormous diversion of military resources that the game requires. So the hoopla that surrounds the carrier game, to me it is a disturbing sign of the influence money has come to have on collegiate athletics. Its not about the student-athletes, its about the money. Solution? Keep college athletics in college. No more NIT in New York. No more Maui Invitational. No more bowl games in resort areas. No more final fours in New Orleans. UNC-Michigan State should be played either in East Lansing or in Chapel Hill. Not San Diego. Not New York. On campus. That's how you clean up collegiate athletics. Keep them in college.

The Loss of a Legacy

Its often been said that it takes years to build a legacy and just 5 minutes to bring it down.

Never has this phrase rung more true than with this week's unveiling of the ongoing issues concerning Jerry Sandusky's pedophilia and its impact on a Penn State football program that sought to keep it under wraps. 

Joe Paterno is a man of integrity, I do not doubt that. He is arguably the greatest coach in the history of college football, although one has to recognize that many of his records are as much the result of longevity as they are of prowess. Just to be a voice of reason, Penn State has only won three conference titles since joining the Big Ten in 1993, two of those being titles shared with Ohio State. 

But Joe Paterno's legacy for integrity and football dominance has been completely wiped away by the allegations that were made public Saturday. Joe Paterno's legacy is now that of a football coach who ignored sexual abuse going on in his program. Even his 409 wins will fail to overshadow that.

While many in the Penn State community are likely to be angered at this point, it is set in stone at this point. Unless Sandusky is found innocent of the crimes he is charged with, Paterno will find himself unable to avoid the association. 

The problem for Paterno is that this wasnt just some rogue assistant, this was his heir apparent, his defensive coordinator, his "number 2". 

Whether he knew or not, Paterno should have known. The allegations against Sandusky were not new and yet he didnt see all that interested in taking Sandusky out of the program, let alone off the streets. 

Joe Paterno should not coach on Saturday. The storm of emotions that are sure to swarm Beaver Stadium will do disservice not only to current players, players trying to hold onto a two-game lead in the Big Ten leaders' division, but more importantly to victims who right now deserve not to have to see the man who had the power to keep them away from harm cheered in his final home game.

Paterno should go out quietly and a final home game will certainly but anything but. Retire now and in a year or so, you can come back and get the warm farewell that you still deserve.

But right now is not the time to do a victory lap. Because with sexual abuse allegations like this, there are no victors.

New Years Day For College Basketball Fans

Its finally here. 216 days. 5184 hours. 311,040 minutes. Thats how long those of us who consider ourselves true college basketball fans have gone without anything to do. Sure, the college football season provides a brief distraction from the boredom, and baseball is always something to while away the hours with, but for true college basketball fans, the summer and fall is spent waiting for November to finally roll around. And tonight, it has. The lineup of games to start the season isnt star-studded (at least until Friday), but it isnt bad. First up is an east coast matchup between William and Mary, perhaps best known as one of the five remaining Division 1 schools to have never played in the NCAA Tournament, and St. Johns, a school fresh off a revival year under first-year coach Steve Lavin that found them in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. The story out of Carneseca Arena, however, is clearly Lavin's bout with cancer and the impact that it has had on his young Red Storm squad. Returning just one scholarship player from last year's 21-win team, the Storm do have the luxury of one of the nation's top recruiting classes but Lavin's illness has made it difficult for those freshman to become acclimated with the ins and outs of college basketball at the pace that St Johns would like. But assistant coach Mike Dunlap, formerly interim head coach at Arizona during Lute Olson's similar bout with cancer, is a capable replacement. Add in the presence of special assistant and former Purdue head coach Gene Keady and the Johnnies should be ready to go against the Tribe. That is, however, provided they are able to overcome a lack of depth in the face of 3 of those heralded freshman- Jakarr Simpson, Norvell Pelle, and Amir Garrett- being ruled ineligible for at least the fall semester. As a result, the Red Storm roster is down to just ten players, including walk-on Sam Sealy. Then again, William and Mary returns a young roster that produced only 11 wins last year and is projected to finish 6th in the CAA. An upset doesnt appear to be in the making. Next on the docket is Mississippi State and Eastern Kentucky. Again, the Bulldogs have a talented roster and should not face much adversity against EKU. But MSU is also facing issues with eligibility, losing Kristers Zeidaks for the remainder of this season and for 11 games next season. But with the Colonels just 1-32 all time against SEC opponents, I dont think Renardo Sidney and crew have much to worry about. The final matchup of the opening night trio pits Arizona and Valparaiso, no doubt the most intriguing of the three. Arizona is on the uptick under Sean Miller, having come within an eyelash of reaching the Final Four for the first time since 2001 last season and riding a wave of recruiting momentum that has Wildcat nation hopeful that the glory days of Lute Olson and company will return under Miller's watch. But the challenge for U of A is obviously replacing Derrick Williams. The #2 pick in the NBA Draft, Williams was Arizona last season and it will be difficult to replace his production, even with the addition of four freshman ranking in the top 30 at their respective positions. If you need anymore evidence of Arizona's vulnerability in the wide open Pac-12, look no further than their 69-68 exhibition loss to Seattle Pacific. Valparaiso is a team that might jump onto some people's radar screens this season and a win in Tucson tonight would certainly help accelerate that process. The Crusaders finished 23-11 last season, racking up a respectable 12-6 record in the competitive Horizon League. As the Horizon League continues to get more attention on the national stage with the success of Butler and the expectations of Ray MaCallum's Detroit squad, Valpo could become a household name with a few key victories. Tonights matchup with Arizona is the first of two non-conference dates with ranked opponents, the next coming on November 25th when Bryce Drew's squad heads to Columbus to face #3 Ohio State. A win in either game would thrust Valpo back into the Sportscenter queue. So while the real action starts on Friday with 126 games, including the "carrier classic" between Michigan State and UNC, tonight is an appealing first course. Its been 216 days and with just a half hour remaining, the college basketball season is just about here.

Forgetting The Context

After a year of NCAA violations ripping through some of the nation's preeminent college football programs, the latest scandal involving the Penn State football program takes the disgust over what happened at Ohio State and Miami to a completely different level. Penn State didnt just violate NCAA bylaws (in fact, they probably didnt violate those at all), they violated our nation's laws and more importantly, the laws of human morality.

It is troubling enough that a division one defensive coordinator would use his position of power to take advantage of young boys and satisfy his pedophilic desires, but it is perhaps more troubling that those around the program would ignore this man's transgressions in the hope of continuing to win football games.

For nearly a decade.

Yes, nearly ten years passed from the time an unsuspecting graduate assistant first witnessed former Nittany Lion defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulting a young boy in the team's shower area and reported his frightening observation to program superiors, specifically to head coach Joe Paterno.

Over those ten years, Sandusky was able to walk the face of the earth in freedom, freedom to continue ruining the lives of young children whose traumatic experiences would no doubt haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Why?

Because allegations like this, concerning a man in Sandusky tapped by many at one point to be the likely successor to the legendary Paterno, would spell disaster for the Nittany Lion program and would tarnish the legacy of the great JoePa.

Because allegations like this would hurt recruiting and make it difficult for Penn State to continue fielding a team that could compete at the highest level on a national stage.

Because allegations like this threatened to take Penn State back to the pre-Paterno days during which State College was simply a cloistered town in central Pennsylvania that just happened to house a state university.

Because to those involved, it wasnt worth saving numerous young boys from the terror of Sandusky if it meant the end of Penn State football.

It is sickening just having to imagine how this thought process played itself out, how despite these allegations making their way all the way to the desk of Penn State President Graham Spainer's desk, the only result was Sandusky's ban on use of PSU football facilities.

No police report. No further investigation.

Perhaps even more sickening is the reality that Penn State probably isnt the only program in today's landscape of college football that would choose the same path of immorality in order to save their program. College football has become too much of a money-maker, too much of a measuring stick of the viability of major research universities that despite the sickening nature of what went on, I do not think it is crazy to conclude that other programs out there would choose the same course of inaction.

Football has become larger than life and that is a dangerous reality that we as Americans must reevaluate.

It is sad that we have to hear comments such as "Well, Tuscaloosa was destroyed and people died, but at least Bryant-Denny Stadium was spared from damage". And yes, I didnt pull that out of thin air, someone actually said that on the set of College Gameday on Saturday.

It is sickening that despite the evidence showing how NFL players across the board are dying at a significantly younger age than the population, it is more important that we keep the game hard-hitting and exciting.

And it is sickening that a university would even think for a second to hide away the transgressions of one of its own in order to maintain the football program's ability to recruit at a high level.

What has happened at Penn State will forever tarnish one of the game's great personalities in Joe Paterno. Whether or not Paterno is fired (which he should be, but likely wont), JoePa will now be remembered for allowing this abuse to occur under his watch, perhaps even more so than for his Division 1-record 409 wins.

But one can only hope that this incident gives rise to a national rethinking of the role football plays in our society. One can only hope that other programs dont simply shrug this incident off as an isolated event, because while the actual disgrace is confined to State College, the principles that led to it are prevalent throughout college athletics.

Football is just a game. The spectacle with which games are conducted may seem to some as "larger than life", but the reality is that nothing overshadows the importance of life itself.

Nothing.

Even football.

Lawless Law

We here in America have some serious issues. In a country of over 300 million, many of us have never read even a part of our own constitution, know nothing of any of our federal, state, or local laws, and no nothing of the history of legal development in our country.

We love to banter around phrases such as "freedom of speech", "innocent until proven guilty", "right to bear arms", "all men created equal", yet not many of us actually know what those phrases really mean and how they came about.

The reality is that the United States today has a legal system that is too complicated for its own good. As a result, a new form of persecution has arisen in our modern society, one in which those versed in the complicated laws that govern our nation are in a position to twist those laws in such a way that allows them to take advantage of those who don not and many times cannot hope to master the American legal system.

America needs to simplify things. No, not some stupid "9-9-9" or "5-5-5" or "1-1-1" plan, but a truly consolidated set of laws that retains the integrity of what is currently in place.

Enough with the debate over congressional bills that are thousands of pages long. Not even the congressmen can hope to read an entire bill right now and it has resulted in the stalemate that our country finds itself in, one in which diametic disputes over facts have stunted any attempt to right the economic ship of the nation.

Enough with the earmarks, enough with the addition of thousands of corporate exceptions, enough with the complicated legal vocabulary.

Simple, straightforward laws. That is the best way to give the "99%" a chance to take back their country.

If we simplify our legal system, anyone who dedicates his or herself to understanding the law and the needs of their neighbors can run for congress (the development of the lifetime, professional politician is what got us here, as I have argued in the past). Anyone wishing to take up a grievance against their landlord, their boss, or their police chief will have the ability either to take that right to court or the wherewithall to know whom they should consult.

Part of the problem is certainly ignorance. Our country prides itself on being an economic power, a center of innovation, and a bastion of higher education. Yet our children are coming through the ranks unprepared for college, unable to read or do math. Our adults arent much better, 40% being illiterate (and this is far from just immigrants) and many more ill-educated in the history of our own nation despite their blatant willingness to cite such history as justification for their conservative attitudes.

But ignorance is not the entire issue. Sure we need to be a much better educated nation, but we also need to be a nation that makes it possible for its people to understand the legal context in which they are to lead their lives.

Right now, that is simply not the case. If we among the "99%" want "our country" back, this is where we must start.

Chicago, WI

So here I was sitting in my Real Estate law class listening to a lecture about the Great Lakes and I kept thinking, "there's something wrong with that map". Struggling for a second, I realized it: Chicago is stuck in Illinois.

Ok, I know it sounds weird to say that a place is stuck in a place that it is in, but I really mean it. Seriously, why is Chicago part of Illinois?

Does Chicagoland have a similar geography to the rest of the state? Definitely not.

Political similarities? Have you looked at the electoral map?

Population densities? I dont think I need to answer that one.

Cultura....cant even finish the rhetorical.

Basically, there is no reason why Chicago should be part of the State of Illinois.

For many years now I have argued that Chicago should remove itself from the state, someway, somehow. I think that while it would be devastating for the rambling right-wing nutjobs that occupy the other 97% of the state, the 97% of residents that reside in the Chicago area would benefit by having state and other governmental bodies working in their best interests rather than in the interest of the rest of the state, an interest that is essentially summed up as vultureous.

But today I realized that Chicagoland does indeed have a home: Wisconsin.

No, not the Scott Walker-led conservative renaissance Wisconsin, the Wisconsin that is probably going to wear itself out of the way by 2012. But the liberal-minded, nature-loving, independent-thinking Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin that realizes a drinking age of 21 is unrealistic.

The Wisconsin that preserves its lakefront while still maintaining a major metropolitan area on its shores.

The Wisconsin that works.

Yes, Chicago would be a perfect fit for admission into its stately neighbor to the north. Similar geography, similar people, similar politics.

Ok, its crazy. But anyway, its an interesting thought.

Phil: Stop Worrying About the "Average" Player

What Phil Mickelson fails to realize is that Dubs was never supposed to be "playable" for the average player. That is why there are 4 courses on the property and while the other three aren't the 7,000 yard plus standard length for today's "average" golfer to pay attention, they are every bit as enjoyable and certainly plenty playable.

Cog Hill, Kemper (when public), Cantigny, even Thunderhawk, Big Run, and Stonewall Orchard are not meant to be "playable". These are the courses that charge the big bucks and are designed to be once or twice-a-year venues for the average player.

On the other hand, there are "playable" layouts everywhere you look in the Chicago area. From Bonnie Brook in Waukegan to White Pines in Bensenville and Oak Meadows in Wood Dale, Chicago has plenty of courses designed to give the "average player" an adequate challenge and an enjoyable round at a reasonable price. These are the courses that are conditioned for heavy play and should be the site of the "average player"''s regular games.

The problem isnt the design of so-called "Championship" courses, but rather the overuse of the term and the idiotic insistance of average players that they only play courses with such a designation. The USGA has tried to curtail this epidemic of arrogant course selection through their "Tee It Forward" program, but that program is too narrowly focused on tee selection.

More important than tee selection is course selection and nearly every "average player" does a terrible job in this respect. There is no reason for beginners to hold up a group at Thunderhawk, no reason for me to sit on the tee at Shepherds Crook watching a husband give his wife a putting lesson on the green up ahead, and certainly no reason why anyone should have a regular time at Pine Meadow and never break 90 the entire season.

Championship courses are not for the "average player" and the problem is not that this is a reality, but rather the fact that no one seems to recognize it.

Think about this: Does it make sense to start kids off with t-ball on a regulation sized baseball diamond? Certainly not.

Then if we accept youth baseball being played on a smaller field, and slow-pitch softball games dont have to be played with 90-foot basepaths, then why do bogey-plus golfers insist on frustrating themselves (and the people behind them) on courses that are clearly not meant for their skill level?

Comments like those made by Mickelson just fuel the fire. Its time we recognize that there is a difference between venues designed for pros and top amateur players and venues conducive to play by the average player, just like we recognize the difference between Yankee Stadium and the local little league field.

Once we get this concept straight, people will start to find themselves on courses they will enjoy, playing and scoring better than they ever have, playing more as a result, improving to the level where they can play those championship courses, and as a result, the game of golf will clearly be better off.

Moneyball for the Modern Era (Chapter 1)

Everyone in baseball wants to hire Theo Epstein. His precipitous career ascent from up and coming star in the Padres front office to 2-time World Series champion GM with the Red Sox is the stuff of legend. In fact, his life story is the foundation for my “dream” career path and I am not afraid to admit it.

But when you break down what Epstein has done in Boston, the genius doesn’t seem that overwhelming. In fact, the argument could be made that those who played the biggest role in turning the Red Sox from lovable losers to perennial favorites are the business people responsible for ensuring that Fenway is sold out each and every night (and yes, I realize that Epstein is involved in these endeavors, but lets face it, he’s firmly on the baseball side of things). By protecting this guaranteed stream of income, the business operations staff of the Red Sox has enabled the club’s baseball people to essentially create a “dream team” of free agent stars.

Sure, there are the hometown heroes like Ellsbury, Pedroia, Papelbon, and Lester, but the brunt of the Red Sox talent has come via free agency or the quasi-free agency that is the trade deadline. From Adrian Gonzalez to David Ortiz, from Kevin Youkilis (ok, stretching it, but still a trade acquisition) to Carl Crawford, the Red Sox have been able to climb the last hurdle and break the “Curse of the Bambino” not by a stroke of luck, but by the stroke of a pen more than anything.

But beyond the Red Sox, Yankees, Phillies, Mets and Cubs, most teams in baseball today have to think creatively. They don’t have the room on the payroll to sign a Daisuke Matsuzaka for $100 million only to see him spend more time on the DL than on the mound. They don’t have the guaranteed revenue streams to sign a hometown hero like Derek Jeter to multiple free agent contracts, arguably at a rate above what the market would demand. It isn’t that the front office minds in cities like Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Baltimore aren’t as sharp as those in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles (ok, maybe the guys in Baltimore aren’t that bright, I will give you that), its just that they don’t have the checkbook in their back pocket ready to bail them out of even the slightest mistake or bad break. Simply put, anyone could do Brian Cashman’s job.

As the nation becomes more and more a matter of the haves versus the have nots, a trend almost certain to continue along with the decline of American manufacturing, the job of a small market GM will become increasingly more difficult to succeed in. Unable to count on 40,000 fans a night even when the on-field product is good, these GM’s are faced with the unenviable position of being one injury, one slump, or one missed opportunity away from a string of losing seasons and, in all likelihood, unemployment.

But while success in the small markets of today’s baseball landscape is not easily found and even less easily maintained, long-term success is not out of the realm of possibility. The Minnesota Twins have proven this, winning 6 of the last 9 division titles largely without the benefit of a new stadium or a plethora of free agent acquisitions. But even they found themselves unable both to sustain that success as well as to take it to the next level and win a title, their no-name pitching staffs unable to compete with the star-laden rotations of the Yankees and (in their day) the Athletics over a short series. Unable to climb that hurdle, the Twins (with the benefit of a new stadium) made the fatal mistake of resigning hometown stars Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, giving up the no-name bullpen that had become the staple of the Twins’ regular season domination throughout the decade. A few injuries later and the once strong Twins organization doesn’t look ready to contend anytime in the near future.

The Moneyball Athletics were able to flourish in a small market, in large part due to their unique approach to building a team and their groundbreaking reliance on statistical analysis over first-person scouting. But after dominated the AL West throughout the first half of the 2000’s, the Athletics organization has withered into a hopeless club whose only hope seems to be a new stadium and the potential tapping of additional market share in the Bay Area. While the A’s may not have made the mistake of sacrificing depth to keep beloved stars, they were unable to translate their knack for player evaluation into a knack for player development. The club also found out rather quickly that their Sabremetric approach didn’t translate as well to the amateur circuit as it did in the minor leagues, a problem come time where the loss of big name players to free agency netted the club nothing but compensation draft picks. A few poor drafts later the A’s seem relegated to fighting with the Mariners for 3rd place (out of 4) in the very AL West over which those two clubs reigned supreme throughout the first half of the 2000’s.

While seemingly every club has struggled with the realities of modern small market baseball, there is a formula for sustained success that can be had even without the benefit of the nine-figure payroll. It takes a tremendous amount of attention to detail, an excrutiating level of restraint, and a big picture attitude that is never set aside in favor of emotionally-charged attempts to increase the short term odds of a division title, a league pennant, or even a World Series championship.

First and foremost, baseball operations cannot accept the notion of the “hometown hero”. As difficult as it may be, small market teams have to convince their fan base to become emotionally attached to the team, to the team philosophy, even to the manager, but never to a player or group of players. Just as a farmer must fall in love the beef and not the cow (perhaps not the best of analogies to think about before a meal), a small market fan base must be convinced to accept the realities of seeing their jerseys become obsolete (there’s always a no-name replica), of childhood heroes moving on to greener pastures, of seemingly harmonious relationships with players coming to a sharp end the minute the clock strikes midnight on the eve of free agency. Instead of falling in love with the talent, fans must fall in love with the approach and show up at the ballpark accordingly.

The bottom line is that a string of four, five, six division titles in a row is just not within the realm of reality for many clubs. However, by staying focused on the process and on the long-term (with the support of a fan base willing to show up as much during the “off” years as during the years of contention), there is nothing stopping even the most desperate markets from supporting teams that are in a constant cycle of “one year away” followed by “true contender”, “division favorite”, and finally “World Series pick”.
That is the process that a small market team and its fan base have to accept. Those able to do so will not only find themselves able to rack up 4, 5, 6 playoff appearances in a given decade, but in the process will find perhaps as much joy in the “rebuilding years” as they do in the pennant chases.

For a while, the Twins had this formula down pat. Then they became frustrated with losing to the Yankees and chose to go all in by resigning Mauer and Morneau. This August 17th, I would bet any Twins fan out there would happily take another division series loss to the Yankees.

With the focus needing to stay on the long term process, on the meat instead of the cow, it is crucial that clubs turn free agency-eligible stars into two to three potential future stars each and every time that final contract year comes around. You have to be willing to trade away Lebron before “the Decision”, Manny Ramirez before “the Contract”, and Braylon Edwards before “the DUI” (ok, I couldn’t think of an example for the Browns).

When you boil it down, professional athletes are the commodities one needs to create a successful franchise. As a result, it is crucial that you do whatever necessary to ensure that you create more than adequate return on each and every investment.

As much as we like to criticize the Indians front office, they have done a pretty good job throughout the years of upholding many of the principals of this philosophy. While they made mistakes in signing both Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner (Fausto Carmona as well) to long-term contracts, they have learned from these mistakes and made sure that more recent talent has not gone to waste. Yes, the organization will be known as the first to trade away Cy Young Winners in consecutive seasons, but let’s not forget that the first of those two netted a starting left fielder and very promising leadoff hitter in Michael Brantley (in addition to the fate-to-be-determined first baseman Matt Laporta). Cliff Lee then netted a plus-defensive catcher, a potential third basemen (and trade bait), and another young arm still making his way through the system with plenty of upside.

The biggest move might yet prove to be the trade of beloved catcher Victor Martinez (to be replaced by Carlos Santana, a prospect acquired earlier from the Dodgers in a trade for another beloved star in Casey Blake) to the Red Sox for Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone. Hagadone still has the upside potential making his way up and Masterson is, less than two years later, a true ace (Boston actually committed a cardinal sin of their own by refusing to relinquish favorite prospect Clay Buchholz, only to see Buchholz struggle with injury for a large portion of the time since. But as I said, mistakes can be overcome much more easily with the back pocket checkbook).

By refusing to let the emotion of losing Martinez, a homebred and deeply respected leader in the clubhouse, get the best of them, the Indians front office set the stage for contention much sooner than many could have expected.

That is why the Ubaldo Jimenez trade is so puzzling. No one expected the Indians to contend in 2011, including the front office. The long term plan had been to put the club in a position to contend during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, up to the point at which the contracts of Sizemore and Hafner would expire and the organization could once again re-evaluate its approach. The hot start the club got off to in April and May was a surprise, much more so than the precipitous decline that put the Indians in a position of desperation come trade deadline time. With a bright future ahead, there was no reason for the club to make a move to get back in the race this year. The plan to contend in 2012 would be left intact and the experience of a pennant race would do nothing but good for a team that simply needs time to learn how to win at the major league level.

Adding Kosuke Fukudome made sense. The outfield had been decimated by injury and the Cubs weren’t asking much for the disappointing former star of the Japanese league. Add in the fact the Cubs picked up the majority of the $4.7 million remaining on Fukudome’s contract and it was clear this was a solid move that helped the present without sacrificing even the slightest bit of the promise the club had for the future.

Then the front office goes after Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez. While Jimenez was at one time in the not-too-distant past a budding star, his stock was clearly in decline after he followed up a 16-1 start to 2010 (including an oft-noted no-hitter) with X starts in which he finished just X-X with a worrisome X.XX ERA. Rumors of health and/or mental game issues were everywhere. Yes, the contract was good considering the upside Jimenez still had at the fairly youthful age of 27, but there were plenty of signs pointing toward him being damaged goods.

Alex White, the Indians’ 1st round pick in 2009, was on the path toward Major League stardom. Drafted as a closer out of UNC, he dominated the minor leagues out of the bullpen and as a starter, eventually earning a cup of coffee with the big club that came to an end with a worrying finger injury that put White on the 60-day DL after posting a solid 3.60 ERA in his first stint at the major league level.

Drew Pomeranz, the club’s 1st rounder in 2010, was certainly less polished a commodity, but the upside potential for this flame-throwing lefty was enormous. After dominating the A level in less than a year of professional time, Pomeranz was promoted to AA just prior to the all-star break, continuing a rapid climb that seemed to have the former Mississippi State star headed to the majors sometime in 2012.

These two young phenoms were to be the catalyst of a future for the Indians organization that seemed destined to result in the return of playoff baseball to the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. With the division lead having slipped away and the Tigers starting to catch their stride, it didn’t seem time at all for the Indians to go “all in”, good contract or not.

But they did it anyway.

The Breaking Point?

Add Miami to the list of major college football programs engulfed in scandal. Ohio State, USC, Alabama, Auburn: the list goes on and despite promises from the NCAA that a long-term solution is the number one priority, one has to wonder if that is in fact the truth or just a means of avoiding the real problem while they continue to profit off the system. Between the BCS and the charade that is amateurism in modern collegiate athletics, the NCAA clearly faces a situation that calls for some serious reform. However, as long as the schools that comprise the NCAA continue to profit from collegiate athletics, division one football more specifically, the impetus for this necessary reform will never reach critical mass.

When you break down this latest scandal involving the often-controversial Hurricane program, it seems that if the NCAA doesn’t view this as the breaking point, then no such breaking point will ever come about. Between the prostitution, the drugs, the drinking, the crime, the sex, this Miami scandal is about as bad as it could possibly get. Bounties placed on the heads of opposing quarterbacks? If that doesn’t ring the warning bells, then nothing ever will.

The cash, cars, and tattoos given out as USC and Ohio State are petty crimes compared to what has been going on at “The U” under the intentionally ignorant administration of President (and former UW Chancellor) Donna Shalala and former Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt.

But while many are rightfully placing the blame squarely on the laps of these well-paid and well-off administrators, the implication that this scandal justifies paying college athletes is so far off base it is almost not worth addressing. The fact that this is where the focus has gone is precisely why the national dialogue on college athletes has gotten nowhere.

The time is now for change, but the change is not the kind that’s been often bantered around on the airwaves and in the newsstands.

What the NCAA needs to do is remove the overhanging burden of revenue creation from the job descriptions of college AD’s. As much as football (and basketball, to an extent) has done for the academic standing of many institutions (remember when Boise State was a community college?), it seems we might be getting to a point at which the good football brings, namely money, is not worth the cost to the integrity of the American university system.

Need proof?

The University of Miami is an elite private institution. It features world-renowned Marine and Atmospheric Sciences program, a nationally-acclaimed medical school and hospital system, and one of the best jazz programs in the country. Situated on a gorgeous campus in the swank Miami suburb of Coral Gables, “the U” is a top-notch academic institution.

But the image of “the U” is far from this reality. Drawing upon the images of flashy football stars, scandalous behavior, and a seeming lack of interest in the academics of college shown by a group of players dead set on a beeline for the NFL, many of us less familiar with the University had developed a less than flattering impression of the school even before this latest scandal broke.

Unfortunately, many within the school’s administration have gotten caught up in this false perception, reaping every ounce of its potential monetary rewards. Case in point: while the school has raised undergraduate tuition beyond the $50,000 mark, University administrators continue to pull in checks in the upper 6 and even 7-figures with ease. In 2008 alone, Shalala took home over $1.2 million in compensation, much of it in the form of bonuses given as incentive toward the continuing growth of the donor pool, growth fueled in no small part by the contributions of crooked boosters like now-infamous Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro.

The iconic picture of this scandal, capturing Shapiro at a bowling event with former UM Head Basketball Coach Frank Haith and Shalala (staring down a $50,000 check sitting in her hands), should tell the story and give us a hint as to where we need to go next.

We need to take away the importance of those checks before they corrupt not only the collegiate athletic community, but the entire University system in our country.

Players don’t need to be paid any more than they already are within the confines of the rules and this scandal provides plenty of evidence for this point. However, there does need to be a serious crackdown on the compensation packages offered to administrators and athletic department officials who have taken advantage of the rules and profited enormously from the talents of the students under their authority.

Coaches are no exception either. While his team spent the weekend sulking over an upset loss to Morehead State, Rick Pitino spent the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament getting paid to serve as a studio analyst for TBS. That makes no sense but the answer isn’t to allow players to reap those same rewards, it is to crack down on coaches overextending the benefits of the head coaching position. If players are subject to the confines of NCAA-defined amateurism, then the coaching staffs have to be held at least to a similar standard.

In fact, these coaches and administrators should be held to a higher standard than anyone else. They are responsible for the corruption of the system and they should bear the burden of fixing up this mess.

Program-wide punishment will never serve as deterrence as long as those adults who perpetrate the violations are allowed to walk away on a golden platform, if they are even required to walk away at all.

The only way to start fixing college athletics is to hold each and every coach, administrator, and support staffer fully liable, personally and financially, for the integrity of their program. Whether they knowingly allow violations or not (because they should know even if they don’t), these individuals should face not only the automatic loss of their job, but a fine in the amount of 50% of the compensation they received from and through the university during the time that elapsed between the first proven violation and the time of their dismissal (not resignation, these must be firings).

Unless and until those involved are fired and have paid their fines in full (to a non-athletic scholarship fund at the University), the program in question will be ineligible to compete, period. If further punishment is deemed necessary, then it may be assessed, but for any major violation that is proven, this must be the absolute standard.

In addition, each and every paid professional proven to be knowingly (or intentionally made ignorant of) involved in the process will be barred from ever working for another division one program in any capacity. NO EXCEPTIONS.

That is a deterrent. It is certainly harsh, but it needs to be when it comes to the actions of the very individuals who have for years profited off rules they themselves continue to be in charge of administrating.

By making even those major violations in which the university is left out of the loop potentially destructive to the careers of school officials and coaches, programs will be left without the current option to “turn a blind eye” while also being put in a position in which proactive compliance is a must.

Programs will not only have to evaluate their actions, but also their personnel. Coaches with a history of controversy or corruption? Hire at your own risk. Players potentially connected to agents or prone to accepting illegal benefits? Do your due diligence and don’t recruit potential disasters waiting to happen.

Compliance in this world of strict enforcement would not be easy, but the costs of overlooking even the most minor of holes in the system would far outweigh the potential benefits available to a program from attempting to circumvent the system.

Instead of turning back the dials on NCAA enforcement, we have to turn them up and quick. Payment of players will make the actions of the Miami program more the exception than the norm and I know even Jay Bilas would agree that sex, drugs, and alcohol should not become an everyday part of the student-athlete experience.

Jay Bilas and The Epitome of Arrogance

Ok, so I didnt nail down a great title for this one but there are not many catchy ways of summing up the ignorance in Jay Bilas' recent ramblings about the need to "pay" college athletes (the quotation marks will make sense by the end). In an age where the cost of higher education is getting out of control and scholarship money is virtually non-existent (at least for those of us without a tragic story, a cure for cancer, or immigrant status- yes, I did say that about the DREAM Act), it is pure arrogance to start a campaign for additional compensation to the only group of students who continue to be comfortably compensated, revenue sport athletes. For the Bilas camp to argue that these student-athletes deserve a paycheck ignores the fact that they already do receive a paycheck in the form of a full academic scholarship, complete with more than adequate stipends for room, board, books, and materials. While Bilas and others have won many people over by arguing that participation in college athletics is a job and thus worthy of compensation, even this fails to recognize the arrogance inherent in the argument itself. So I guess after weeks of bantering on twitter with Bilas himself, its time to break down his argument and show the doubters why college athletes, especially those in revenue sports, are more than adequately compensated both for their time commitment and for their financial contribution to the school's coffers.

First of all, I cant say that I disagree with Bilas about participation in college athletics being a full-time job. Both as a basketball manager and as a sports writer, I have seen first hand the commitment required of student-athletes and greatly respect those who are able to balance their time in the classroom with their commitments on the playing surface. I would hire a student-athlete in a heartbeat for any job out there. So on that point, I have no problem with stance taken by the Bilas camp.

Where I diverge from the "pay em all" camp is that I feel they ignore the realities of compensation when it comes to the jobs college students, both athletes and non-athletes alike, are involved in. With their full academic scholarships, room and board stipends, book and material grants, and the numerous free meals and other items they quite legally receive, student-athletes figure to receive somewhere in the range of $45,000-$60,000 each year. How can Bilas say with a straight face that this is not compensation?

But other students are able to get "real jobs" and the time commitment of college athletics doesnt allow student-athletes the opportunity to take such jobs. I will concede this point as well, although there are many ways (sports camps, etc.) in which these student-athletes can work a bit on the side. That said, I think it is fair to say that they are unable to have a consistent job and thus need schools to fill in the gap.

Many people see this as the prime selling point. After all, revenue sport athletes are very much "employees" of the school, responsible for producing one of the main products a big time university sells to its students, alumni, and fans. But let's not forget that we arent talking about slavery here. The problem many people have is that they forget where most students throw the money they earn in their part-time jobs at school. Sure, their are some who use a job strictly for extra spending money, but the vast majority of today's undergraduates contribute to their own education by working themselves through school. For a big shot attorney and college basketball analyst (who went to, for free, to a school that charges its students $50,000-plus for a year's worth of tuition alone), this conspicuous omission is the epitome of arrogance.

The bottom line is that paying college athletes would only give them extra money to get in trouble, to pay for the booze, drugs, and fast cars that are the downfall of seemingly each and every flameout prospect. This money isnt going to pay for student-athlete's rent (that is already paid for), its going to pay for the Escalade, for the night at the bar, for the "bling".

We already pay our student-athletes a hefty sum, providing those of them in revenue sports a completely free education with all expenses (necessary expenses!) included. At a time when many students are deprived of this education because of those very expenses that student-athletes have taken care of, it is simply outrageous to call for additional compensation, money that would no doubt add to the troubles of college athletics.

Jay, if any student athlete wanted to give up their scholarship, they could go to the D-League, the UFL, or Europe and blaze their own trail. The allure of college athletics is that it gives student-athletes the opportunity to get a free education while continuing to pursue their passion. If a few of them find themselves not too interested in the "student" part, they are more than welcome to take their talents elsewhere. But I challenge each and every one of the wannabe Jeremy Tyler's out there to find another job that pays all their expenses, pays for their degree, and all of that just for playing a game they love. If they dont want that job, there's a line stretching as far as the eye can see of young men and women more than willing to take it from them.

Lessons Not Learned

Tonight, Colorado Rockies RHP Ubaldo Jimenez was sent to the Cleveland Indians for minor league prospects Alex White (really a major leaguer already, making rehab starts), Drew Pomeranz (1st rounder in 2010, one year away from bigs), Matt McBride (AA 1B/OF with a solid bat), and Joe Gardner (2009 3rd round pick-starting pitcher).

As an Indians fan, I should be thrilled, right? WRONG

This trade smacks of the Bartolo Colon trade of which the Indians, including current team president Mark Shapiro, were obviously a part. A hard throwing young starter with a short history of success sent off to a team on the verge of contention and willing to give up several future stars for an immediate jolt. Just as with the Jimenez deal, the Colon trade appeared to be not only a move for the current season, but for the future as well, with both young (at the time) arms seen as the building blocks for a revival of the franchise.

But what Omar Minaya failed to remember (and what Chris Antonetti clearly has not learned) is that small market teams cannot build a team capable of long term success (see: Minnesota Twins) with one or two headline stars. In order to breed consistent contenders, small market clubs need to find a unique approach and build that approach into their minor league development process, keeping that message consistent throughout. You have to build a dynasty from within, from A through AAA all the way up to the big league club.

The A's under Billy Beane did that (see: Moneyball), the Twins have done that more recently (see what happens when they give Mauer and Morneau large contracts?- lose entire bullpen and fall out of contention immediately), and the Indians had a real opportunity to do that come 2012. Using that development philosophy (and remaining committed to developing internal prospects into internal stars), the Indians organization won league titles at A (Kinston), AA (Akron), AAA (Columbus), and the Cactus League (ok, Spring Training) in 2010. With a focus on the future and on getting into contention in 2012, things were beginning to look up for a franchise that was depleted not only by necessary trades, but also by declining production and injury from so-called "franchise players".

In order for small market teams to find success in today's MLB, they must have the ability to run baseball operations without attention to the name on the jersey. As hard as it might be, small market GMs have to treat players as commodities and ignore the personal attachment to or loathing for a player or players. When the Twins chose to let Johan Santana walk, they continued to rack up division titles. When they signed Mauer and Morneau long term, they got themselves into trouble. Even the Indians have experience with this in their failed long term deals with Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, and even Fausto Carmona. These deals handcuffed the cash strapped organization and made the rebuilding process that much more difficult.

What this deal does is completely undo all the work that has been done since July 2009 to build this organization back to where it once was thought to be headed. Staying true to their "recycling" approach, President Mark Shapiro and Antonetti devoted themselves to improving their draft classes, reaping the benefits in the form of hot commodities Alex White, Drew Pomeranz, Jason Kipnis, and others. They watched Justin Masterson grow into a true ace of the staff and have found a quality number 2 in Josh Tomlin. They flooded the organization with talented young arms, powerful young bats, and a system-wide philosophy that each and every guy brought into the system was to be treated as a future major leaguer.

Now all of that work has been thrown down the drain for a pitcher in Ubaldo Jimenez who has been dominant for the span of a half season (2010 first half) and average at best the rest of the time. Jimenez has struggled to a ERA over 4 this season (yes, Colorado, but also it is the NL) and his 1 inning, 4 ER performance immediately before getting pulled to head to the airport didnt help calm the anxieties of the Tribe faithful. True, he has kept his road ERA below 3 for the season (away from the mile high city), but keep in mind that the transition from the NL to the AL arguably adds more to the challenge presented to a pitcher than the humidor-era Coors Field could ever put forth.

Though Jimenez is under contract through 2013 (2014 option voided due to trade), the Indians have put themselves in a position where it is now do or die over that span. Jimenez is only going to be an Indian through the end of his contract and with the 2 top arms coming up through the organization now gone, Jimenez has to win and win a lot in order to justify the cost. He has to produce not just a division title this year, but a World Series title in 2012 or 2013.

With Jimenez having health issues (see: Hafner, Sizemore, Choo, .......), this is just a bad decision. If the Indians wanted to go after Jimenez for 2012, that would be worth looking into come the offseason, having given White and Pomeranz some more time to prove or disprove their apparent value. But to give these high ceiling guys up before they've had a chance to get into the organization is simply an irresponsible decision.

Anyway, I could continue to make an argument against this deplorable trade but I am hungry and you are probably sick of reading this. Bottom line is this trade is bad, division title or not. It is an irresponsible decision given the financial situation surrounding the organization and is a mortgaging of the future for a potential short term ticket boost in the coming months.

As an Indians fan (at least for the time being), I am disgusted with this move, utterly disgusted.

On to dinner.