Cheaters Sometimes Prosper

I have a hard time with cheating in professional sports. I'm conflicted with the morality at play. "Deflate-gate" is just the latest in a long series of issues (not the first for the Patriots, either) that sully the most basic concepts of sportsmanship. Or do they?

As far as deflating a football goes, I am aghast that both teams don't use the same ball in a game. This seems less like cheating and more like the league missing an opportunity to add more parity. The NFL should provide any and all balls, and they should never be in the hands of equipment personnel from either team. Simple enough. I believe that the only way the playing field is actually level is if everyone has the same access to performance enhancement.

Performance-enhancing drugs? If I understand them correctly, many of them are meant to assist in recovery after exertion. I would allow those immediately. Yes, there's the concern of health issues down the road, but any professional athlete is risking life-altering injury every time they compete. Hell, a 25-year-old cricket player just died after being hit by a ball. Doesn't matter if he was on the juice or not. Besides, who can say that steroids are worse than Splenda in the grand scheme of things?

I want to see my favorite basketball/baseball/football/hockey/soccer/tennis/etc. player do what they do best. If that means Adderall to focus or HGH to recover and hit the field faster, how is that more dangerous than telling football players they can only tackle knees? Concussions are a bigger concern, in my opinion.

The bigger travesty than Lance Armstrong getting caught for using PEDs is that he essentially buried the guy who originally outed him. It's pretty well known that everyone in cycling does some kind of performance enhancement; the crime here was slander, and Armstrong was the villain. I could have forgiven him for getting caught doping, but ruining another person's life to maintain his ridiculous lie is unfathomable.

It's worthwhile to consider the concept of cheating within the realm of professional sports. The ultimate draw of sports is competition, but professional sports is also entertainment. The key word is "professional". At the point when sports becomes a career, I believe any advantage an athlete can gain to win or be the best in their position should be available to them, with the exception of substances that are illegal in general.

Whipped and Gassed (2014 Bears)

This past summer, I bought a new Bears cap and shirt. Last year, I put the shirt that lasted through most of the Lovie Smith era out to pasture (too many holes) and was excited to see the promise from last year's inaugural season in the Trestman era take the next step. My assumption was that the newly contracted QB and the hand-selected offense around him would put the Bears into the playoffs for the first time in a while, and they'd have a shot at advancing for a change.

What I got for my investment was two embarrassing games against the rival Packers. They were not only terrible games on the field, but a very clear display of two different methods of running a football organization. I'm not convinced the Bears can win another game this season, and worse, they're locked in with a number of components. Rebuild is not an option, so we'll see the same futile micro-adjustments (Mel Tucker as sacrificial lamb, for instance) that don't address the fundamental organizational issue. 

I'm not sure what the core issue is, honestly, because in the off-season, I thought they made some decent acquisitions again. It wasn't a total transformation like the offense in 2013, but they got a good corner and brought in a number of safeties. One or two of them should have converted into good players. I believe they still could be, but I think the biggest issue is a lack of clear leadership on the team. 

It's exacerbated by the lack of a permanent captain. The Bears rotate the "C" on the jerseys; they say it's to show how many leaders they have, but I get the impression that it's more about a dearth of actual leadership. In the past, it was pretty clear who the leaders were. Not now. And that extends to the coaching staff. 

Defensively, I've never seen a Bears unit less prepared. There's talent on the roster, but also some significant deadwood. At two very important positions lie failed experiments. Chris Conte runs very quickly, but it's always late and he can't finish a tackle. He's the safety - his job is to make sure nothing bad happens, but everything bad happens. Then there's Shea McClellan: another "looks good on paper" player who either doesn't have the drive or the smarts to be either a defensive end or a linebacker. Athletic? Sure - so is Conte. Running fast is like doing all your homework. You ultimately get graded on your tests, though, and these two are consistently failing on Sundays. 

I want to like Phil Emery, but he might be a big part of the problem. I can't blame him - I was excited about most everything he's done, except for the extension of Cutler, where even Cutler seemed nonplussed by it on his radio show. I still think the players he's amassed represents a lot of talent and upside. What he might have missed is the killer instinct. It's more than just leadership - it's a fearlessness and a willingness to do anything to win, including holding people accountable. Brandon Marshall has it, but his history and position marginalize his leadership potential, whether that's fair or not. 

Even if the Bears win out this season, there's virtually no way they could make it into the playoffs now. 2014 is a disappointment after so much excitement. The pundits shared fan enthusiasm and ranked them pretty highly before the first regular season game. Going into week 11, at least one outlet ranks them at 28 of 33. I think that's generous at this point.

The worst part of it is wearing my new Bears cap in Wisconsin and being pitied instead of jibed. Painful stuff.

Net Dreams

Update - 7/14/14: Well, that was uneventful. I guess everyone who follows the NBA knows where Carmelo's loyalty lies (and I'm not talking about NYC). Now I hope that Gasol and his championship experience (along with McBuckets and Mirotic) can still overtake the Cavs. (I'm not worried about the Knicks as a threat. For a while, anyhow.)

Here’s my take on Derrick Rose and the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes. If Derrick throws his hat in the ring and recruits, and Carmelo doesn’t end up here, then Rose loses. There are so many factors beyond whether the two stars can get along that it seems silly that it’s an issue whether he is involved in the pitch or not.

I don’t remember Carmelo Anthony being voted MVP of the league, so it’s even more odd to think that a former MVP would need to plea with another player to help him. LeBron didn’t exactly do that – he worked with Wade, Bosh, and the Heat to get what he wanted. I’m not sure why there’s this expectation of Rose to do a song and dance. His presence at a pitch meeting seems pretty low on the list of reasons why Carmelo might come here. 

Further, there’s a reasonable chance that Rose recruits heavily but then never plays another game in the NBA. His health is probably the biggest unknown in this entire situation. If he doesn't come back at elite player status, then the Bulls are saddled with his salary and another huge contract with Melo, relinquishing any hope of adding or changing other good players. They'd be stuck for a few years. *

The simple take, in my eyes, is whether Carmelo Anthony is more driven by long-term financial security or his legacy as a player. Neither Los Angeles nor New York seem like they're on the verge of a championship; Chicago offers him the best opportunity to win in the 2014/2015 season. If it's even somewhat about the money, then he might as well stay in NY and help the Knicks try to get his hometown a championship. 

While most people would take that cash grab and try to rebuild, I think he's already done that when he left the Nuggets in the past. He's got the money already (and he's not looking at playing for free, either), so I could see him being enticed to try to win a title at this stage in his career. Besides, if he wins a title in Chicago, his endorsements could make up for any contract deficit, and probably exceed it.

I hope he gets to the Bulls without turning them into the Knicks (trading away too much talent to get him) and being hamstrung by his contract for years to come.

* - I don't think Rose is soft, but I definitely think he's accident/injury-prone. One of the first stories I remember hearing about him when he was a rookie was an accident with a knife, where he couldn't practice and almost severed tendons. (http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/Roses-Thorn-is-a-Knife.html)

On Basketball and Ownership

[6/11/14 Edit: More drama - Sterling opted to go quietly and the NBA found a suitor in Steve "DEVELOPERS" Ballmer. A week went by without a peep, then we got word yesterday that Sterling will now retain his team and sue the NBA for a lot of money. In a statement loaded with veiled threats, he basically said that the NBA bullied him, his private discussions are his own and shouldn't be grounds for anything, and that his rights were violated. I've heard more than one radio personality question what his lawyers are doing, but I'd submit that Sterling is a lawyer, himself. Clearly, he's used to being the autocrat and possibly there's some dementia mixed in as well. But, this move is just dumb. Playing cooperative and then springing back to action once things have settled, only to reaffirm in everyones' minds just what a jerk he is - if it's not dementia, it's megalomania in its worst form. I hope his wife has actual proof that can finalize this mess and get Donald out of the spotlight again, as quickly as he got into it.]

[5/19/14 Edit: Donald Sterling was not only banned, but is also being forced to sell the team. He was fined $2.5 million as well, and he has decided to fight that. The league has rules, and to be an owner, he must have agreed to be bound to those rules. At the same time, losing the franchise and being banned from the NBA for life seems like a punishment to fit the crime. The fine seems like he's being charged for his views, and this was a private conversation in his home. Not that I have any actual sympathy for the man, but it seems like he should be able to say what he wants. Again, no longer being able to profit from or even attend NBA functions seems like an appropriate punishment for damage done to the league. I'm quite surprised he didn't deny things, claim the tape was altered, mention some new medication, or anything. In fact, maybe the fine is fit punishment for his subsequent and idiotic interviews since the initial episode.]

[Editor's note: I forgot to actually publish this, but I wrote it before NBA commissioner Silver passed his verdict to ban Donald Sterling for life, and before Sterling further imploded in front of Anderson Cooper on national television. Glad to see the NBA take such a stance, but I'm wary of the "contrite" Sterling, and I expect he'll have a reality show before long.]

I'm not sure of the best way to approach this conundrum of an NBA owner having such racist beliefs. It's hard to parse. On the one hand, he's clearly the worst kind of insulated, rich asshole, where having money is proof that his way is the right way. On the other hand, he is rich and he has a right to be a bigoted, racist asshole if he so chooses.

We're back into the Chik-fil-a/Komen/Mozilla mire, where an entire organization doesn't necessarily reflect the thoughts and insanity of the owner/CEO/management. In each of these cases, there was some major disconnect or hypocrisy that made the exclusions egregious. In this case, Sterling makes the case of a slave owner, talking about how he gives his players food and shelter. He says he knows Magic Johnson well and he's a person deserving of admiration, but he doesn't want a black guy like that going to his basketball games. Not sure how the spin team will fix that outright racism, but I'm looking forward to hearing the explanation. *

I heard Mike Greenberg on ESPN radio talking about getting Magic Johnson to sit court-side at a Clippers game if Donald Sterling is suspended or sanctioned. I think Magic's original plan of never going to a Clippers game as long as Sterling is the owner is a better plan. Rubbing his nose in it is petty. Boycotting his business is appropriate; but this is where it gets sticky.

Like the similar cases I mentioned earlier, the players, the support team, the arena workers, and even the fans who have bought Clippers gear should not have to be penalized for one man's ideology. But, like the other cases, he's not just a customer service representative, he's the owner of the team.

So, what's the appropriate action in a case like this? It's hard to imagine someone so ingrained in the NBA (he's the most tenured owner) would simply retire and hand over the business to someone else - especially when they have the best Clippers team in the history of the organization.

Boycotting hurts everyone down the line, but I think in this day and age, that it's the only real way to get a message across that the belief system he's relied on is no longer one that works for his business. I love chicken sandwiches, Firefox, and fighting against cancer, but there are alternatives for each of those businesses, so I could switch pretty easily. I never cared about the Clippers, and now I wish they'd change ownership.

* My bet is on "new medication" that has had him out of sorts.

What the Hanie?

Football is a soap opera for men (as evidenced by the ridiculous Dr. Pepper 10 ads). Tebow's magic meets Belichik's discipline, Orton and Jones put one on the Packers, and Johhny Knox gets folded in half on his first catch of the last meaningful game of the season.

For the Bears, they're basically out of contention for post-season play, but with Hanie at the helm, it wouldn't have mattered if they made it. I'm not sure if it's that he's that bad or if he's just never gotten any practice time with the first team, but he's not capable of running that offense. Seems like a nice enough guy, but he's yet another indictment against Jerry Angelo.

Winding the clock back, Lovie fires Ron Turner, looks for a new offensive coordinator, and after all of the quality options get snapped up by other teams, he gets down to one guy - his former boss in St. Louis - Mike Martz. Martz is known for being a great coordinator, but that's based on the seasons he had in St. Louis, with top-tier talent at nearly every position. In Detroit, he put up tons of yards with a mid-grade QB and overrated WR (now on the Bears) but didn't win many games.

Since he's the last man standing, Lovie hires him to be the OC, likely knowing the team doesn't have the components to fill out Martz's system. The second year in, the Bears get rid of their prized draft pick in Greg Olsen and pick up the aforementioned Roy Williams as a veteran receiver. The idea was to replace Olsen with a blocking TE (Spaeth) and add a real WR (Williams), but they only got part of that deal done, and the cost was losing a sure thing for pass plays. The Bears would have been much better off moving Olsen to WR and NOT HIRING WILLIAMS.

They also got Sam Hurd, but you may have seen something about him in the news this past week.

It's time for the Bears to abandon their old philosophy (all we need is defense and a running game) and to adopt an offensive mentality. Yes, it means they'll have harder choices to make at draft time, but it also means that they'll finally have depth at key offensive spots for a change.