SportsNetUSA Blogs

You must be amazed by the comments of some of our sports broadcasters on “Friday Nite Mics” on SportsNetUSA.net as they openly look to fill our “halls of fame” with those modern day athletes that refused to follow the rules. Some of my fellow broadcasters will try to tell us that the individuals in question were not, cheaters but were just individuals that might have been classified as unethical.  Hmm….ethics in sports, could it mean the same thing it does in ever day life: the system or code of morals of a particular person, religion, group, profession.

Ethical: conforming to moral standards

You see this is the dilemma when we talk about those cheaters because most of our broadcasters will try to point out to the average listener that nobody in sports like baseball did anything wrong. They will try and convince you that many of the wrong doers of a sport (baseball) were doing it long before baseball ever recognized it as a problem.  But in fact baseball did recognize the use of performance enhancing substances many years before it became rampant in the sport.

Commissioner Fay Vincent Issues Memo Regarding Steroid Use June 7, 1991

After the U.S. Congress raises penalties for steroid possession, Commissioner Fay Vincent sends a memo to each team indicating that steroids would be added to Major League Baseball’s banned list. The memo stated: “The possession, sale or use of any illegal drug or controlled substance by Major League players or personnel is strictly prohibited … This prohibition applies to all illegal drugs … including steroids.” The seven-page document didn’t include a testing plan — that had to be bargained with the union — but it did outline treatment and penalties.

So on June 7, 1991, baseball did in fact tell all those unethical players that they were now cheaters if they continued their use of steroids or other banned substances in baseball, but as we look at those future hall of famers it looks as if they did not heed baseballs warning: Canseco-1991- home run leader, Bonds 1993, 2001 home run leader, Troy Glaus, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez-home run leaders and steroid users after 1991, the list could continue, but why?

Why do we defend those heroes that constantly let us down as fans, why do we feel as if we must play a game of semantics for the modern day player who tried, or tries, to circumvent the rules and then flashes a smile and tells us, “he wasn’t sure”, “he didn’t know”, “nobody told him”.

If you are a cheat, you are a cheat and let us get it very clear that those baseball players who used and are still using steroids and other banned substances by Baseball are just one thing CHEATERS. And, if you want to look at other players that have broken rules, and say that they too don’t belong in the Hall of Fame because of what they did, then please do. Then, someday, perhaps we will have a Hall of Fame that represents those that truly belong there.

As many of you might know there is a sports talk show on Sportsnetusa.net “Friday Night Mics” and some of us on that show would like to consider ourselves golfers. Now for some of you who do not know golf is defined as: an outdoor game played on a large course with a small, hard ball and a set of clubs, the object being to hit the ball into each of a series of nine or eighteen holes in turn using the fewest possible strokes. THAT IS GOLF.

So why then do modern day viewers and players who step on a golf course in search of winning their first or their tie breaking chase of major titles believe that all the elements should be perfect for everyone? Like life, golf is unfair, unjust, unforgiving and in life we as human and golfers are in control of our own destinies, we are our own creators and destroyers of our path.

There are scapegoats; it is we against nature and ourselves. The golf course relies on us to make a mistake or to allow Mother Nature to weave her treacherous thoughts into our minds. It is our clumsiness, errors, our miscalculations that causes our misfortunes on a course; it tests our performances to the maximum.

Randomness in golf can play havoc with any golfer, rolling into secondary rough instead of stopping short, finding a divot left by a fellow player, a ball bouncing a different direction than you thought it should or finding the discomforts of a sand trap around a green. Remember there are hazards and misfortunes for everyone who plays the game; trees, rivers, lakes, sand, wind or rain. Whatever lies a head of a golfer that golfer plays his own style and reaps the rewards or consequences. Remember a golfer is the captain of his own ship, no crew, no passengers, just him alone on a sea of competition.

The game of golf is unreliable, every stroke is counted, no second chances like in other sports and when a golfer hits a bad shot or plays in treacherous terrain or in less than ideal weather conditions, he or she must deal with it and no later acts of bravery on a golf course will counteract their earlier misfortunes.

So the next time you the viewer watches Tiger Woods elusive chase of Jack Nickalaus’ record, remember that Jack, Arnie, Ben, Gene and Tom all played in the same sort of conditions as the modern day golfer with less than the modern equipment. This is what Adam Smith must have thought when he invented the game that no matter how it may change, the rule and game of golf would be the equalizer.

It is over and the Lakers are once again the NBA Champions!  It is a sad day for Lakers haters and Kobe haters.  I can hear it now, did you see all the stuff the Lakers fans were doing, the fights, the car burnings and whatever else cameras capture.  Some will use anything to avoid saying the Lakers were the best team and deserved to win.

Now Kobe will think he is vindicated…well, Kobe you never won a championship without Derek Fisher and you never won without Phil Jackson…so there Kobe.  So what if you went straight to the NBA from high school, so what if you have won four NBA titles, an MVP of the year, an MVP of the finals, eleven All Star appearances, made an All-Star team at 19, won his first NBA tile at 21, brought back the Olympic gold medal, has passed Larry Bird and Elgin Baylor on the all-time scoring list and has done all of this having just turned 30.  So what Kobe, you did not win without Fisher and Phil!!!  Hopefully the crazy talk around Kobe can die down. He is a polarizing figure and some will always hate him but to deny his NBA legacy well..that is just ignorant.

Congratulations to the Lakers.  I would like to hear from Kobe and Lakers haters about why you hate them.  I would like to hear from some people in Southern Cal on why you hate them. Luke Walton and Bill Walton become a father and son to win NBA Championships.  I do not know how many others have done that but the number is not too high.  Off the top of my head I think Rick and Brent Barry may have done it as well.

The future of the NBA looks bright.  I do not know if the Lakers will have a run here or not.  The talent in the league is mind-boggling.  If Kevin Garnett comes back healthy next year, the Celtics will be strong, the Magic are a young team, Howard is only 23 and just scratching the surface, the Cavs with LeBron will be strong and the Shaq to the Cavs makes for fun speculation.  The Trailblazers have great young talent.  The Houston Rockets should be tough with Ming back.  Denver should have Billups at the start of the season and Anthony having tasted some playoff success.  The Sacramento Kings with, well they have a new coach. The Clippers have, let me see, wait a minute, let me see, they have the number one pick.  Okay so the last two teams are not so good but the point is there are good teams and will be fun to watch.

Now I can turn to baseball and find out how that season is going and how my favorite sports owners, the baseball owners are doing.  Bud Selig, are you awake?

I need to disclose that I am a Lakers fan and believe they will defeat the Magic in this NBA Finals.  The experts are saying the Lakers present match up problems for Orlando however as I was watching the Magic throttle the Cavs it became clear that Orlando causes the Lakers match up problems as well.  Dwight Howard will be tough on Gasol.  The key for the Lakers is the performance of Lamar Odom.  The anticipation for the series is great but before that we need to go back in time and take a look at recent Laker History.

Yes, I hate to do it but let’s drudge up the Kobe vs. Shaq experience again and Laker fans reaction to it.  Right now, all of you Laker fans that slammed Kobe, Dr. Buss, Mitch Kupchak and Phil Jackson need to come forward. If you stepped up, good job, now confess and apologize to these men for all the nasty things you said.  This must be done before so the finals can begin with a clean slate.

Remember those that said Dr. Buss was stupid?  Well he took inventory and realized Shaq was declining and unwilling to take less money and turn the offense over to Kobe.  Remember those that said Kobe ran Shaq out of town?  Now he is over the hill and has the Suns saddled with his bloated salary. Shaq was not innocent and since his departure he has blasted Kobe, Phil, Dr. Buss, Eddie Jones, Penny Hardaway and Stan Van Gundy.  Mr. Clean he was not.  Good Laker fans have been heard to say, ” Phil never does anything but sit there.”  Yes, I know he is not up waving his arms like fan favorite Pat Riley, but please!!

Last Laker fans, no he is not Jerry West but Mitch Kupchak has stolen Shannon Brown, Trevor Ariza and Pau Gasol.  Mitch will accept all apologies now.  Kobe is not Michael Jordan.  He’s not funny like Shaq but Kobe is a once in a lifetime talent, enjoy what he is, not what he isn’t.  Kobe will not play forever!  So confess you were wrong and feel better.

We should also give a MMP award this year in the NBA to Kevin Garnett: Most Missed Player award.  How confident would you feel if the Lakers were about to play the Celtics with a healthy Kevin Garnett?  Just asking the question.  Lakers in six.

Last question.  Whose career would you rather have?  Robert Horry’s or Vince Carter’s?  Horry played 16 years and averaged 7 points and 4.8 rebounds a game.  He won seven NBA championships with three teams.  Carter has played 11 seasons and is an eight time All Star, has averaged 23.5 points a game and been an endorsement dream.  He was also the 5th overall pick in the 98 draft