A different kind of Death Penalty

Penn State deserves the Death Penalty. That has become the battle cry of many now that the truth behind the atrocious and evil acts committed by Jerry Sandusky over a 14 year period at Penn State have now come to light. What started as the "apparent" actions of a rogue former coach; I say "apparent" because anyone who truly believed he acted alone was doing little more than fooling themselves; has ballooned into a scandal the likes of which not seen in college sports.
For those who have read all of, or at least some of, the report published by Louis Freeh, you are now aware that the university as an institution (and I cannot stress that enough) willingly looked the other way while Sandusky was molesting young boys in the institution's football facilities. They, the president, vice president, athletic director and even Joe Paterno himself, allowed a man who was not even a coach anymore, to maintain offices on campus, to attend practices, to bring young boys to practice to watch dear old Penn State. Despite a preponderance of evidence, they opted to sweep things under the rug and intimidate eye witnesses from coming forward. You don't cross Joe Pa.
In the end, at least 10, possibly more, children were subject to the whims of a sexual deviant of the worst kind and for that, the institution should face punishment the likes of which never seen. Not at SMU, not at Morehouse College, not at MacMurray College.
Now what that punishment is remains to be seen. Yes the NCAA could and quite possibly will impose the Death Penalty as was seen at the three colleges I just noted. Each was banned from athletic competition for at least one season amongst other sanctions such as loss of scholarships, a cut in funding and so on.
Generally the Death Penalty, or "repeat offender rule" as it is technically known, is used in the case where an institution violates NCAA bylaws while it is currently on probation for another violation, or within 5 years of that probation. However, like most large organizations the NCAA does have the freedom to bypass the preliminaries in the event of particularly egregious violations and do "what is in the best interest of the NCAA."
In most cases these violations have to be such that they give the violating school an unfair competitive advantage as was the case in the previous Death Penalty punishments. Some will argue that Penn State does not deserve the Death Penalty because they gained no competitive advantage from this. I would however argue that the university displayed a complete and utter lack of institutional control (the highest capital crime in the eyes of the NCAA) and that the willful cover up by Penn State officials and Joe Paterno that allowed for the use of an NCAA Division I football team as bait certainly falls under "egregious violations."
Many have chimed in on the other side saying that those who perpetrated these crimes are being, or will be punished already and that the rest of those connected to the school, the so-called innocent bystanders, should not be punished. While I agree that the former president, vice president, AD, and Sandusky will face their punishments, and that Joe Paterno is now answering to a "higher" authority, I don't think that they are the only ones who should be punished.
I think of, when this scandal came to light and Joe Paterno was fired, the student reporter who stood up in a press conference by the Board of Trustees and verbally attacked them for letting go of dear old Grandpa Joe. I think of the students who rioted when the same bit of news was released. I think of all of those who spoke at Joe Paterno's memorial service about what a great man he was. I think of all of those who believed that even though he was the head coach and had the responsibility to know and report any and all incidents occurring in his program, that Joe Paterno simply didn't know. Lastly I think of all of those who allowed the success, passion and love of a football team cloud their sense of judgement and moral decency; who allowed a culture where football was god and Joe Paterno was its patron saint to thrive.
For that Penn State deserves the Death Penalty.
I'm not so sure however that the Death Penalty as currently constituted should be used. The NCAA needs to really make a statement that on-field or not, crimes of this nature will not be tolerated and for that they need to get creative. I propose that the team be allowed to compete with the following criteria:
1) All games occur on the road or, if games are to be played at home then no one is allowed to watch other than scouts, opposing fans and families of the players for a period of 2 years
2) No games are to be televised for two years
3) No tailgating for games for two years
4) The statue comes down permanently
5) All references to Joe Paterno are stricken from the university permanently
6) The program loses all scholarships for all future classes for a period of 5 years
7) Every penny earned on football or other Penn State merchandise is to be given to charities and shelters that help children who have been molested and sexually assaulted
8) The program is barred from postseason play for 5 years.
This way, the players do not get punished for acts (I pray) beyond their knowledge, but the rest of the community gets a true wake up call that football, or any game, is not everything and that does not excuse them from their responsibilities as civilized human beings.

First among equals

After 40 long years and, in the last decade, after watching every other major sports team in New England win championships, the Boston Bruins hoisted the Stanley Cup following a Game 7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks forever spoiling Boston fans and solidifying the city's place as the Sports City of the decade and a year.

It was an amazing run by the Black-and-Gold and, perhaps, might sit as the greatest of all of the recent Boston champions. Better than three Patriots win, better than the Celtics victory in 2008 and maybe even better than the Sox of '04 and '07.

I'm not trying to detract from any of the other six combined titles because they were are remarkable. But when you look at the Bruins, there seems to be that level of one-upsmenship over the other teams.

To begin let's look at how the Patriots compare. Of the three Superbowl championships the only one that comes close to comparing is the victory in 2001 in which the Pats were colossal underdogs throughout the playoffs and especially in the Superbowl against the defending champion Rams. Like the Bruins the Patriots had several relatively unknown players and no one at the time would have known that Tom Brady would become the MVP he has. Both teams were also pushed to the brink with the Bruins twice going down two games to none just as the Patriots had to engineer a game winning drive.

Despite the similarities the Bruins get the nod here because of the Pats, as I recall, didn't lose an emotional and physical leader like the Bruins did with Nathan Horton.

The remainder of the Patriots titles, as great as they were, I don't think anyone saw them as the underdogs the Bruins were.

Next let's look at the Celtics. I don't think anyone expected the Celtics in 2008 to lose the finals with a healthy Big-3 and the beginning of the emergence of Rajon Rondo. No one expected the Bruins to win beginning this season. And even at the start of the playoffs, after the nightmare of last year fans were absolutely hesitant to hitch to the Bruins wagon.

Like the Celtics and the second two Patriot titles, I don't think anyone expected the 2007 Red Sox to lose. They were clearly the best team in baseball that year and it showed throughout the season. Perhaps though the closest competitor was the 2004 Red Sox.

It was a year that no one expected to happen and especially after going down 3-0 to the Yankees, fans were ready for the seemingly inevitable, another year of heartbreak. Yet the Sox responded to the adversity, rallied around each other and responded by overcoming their 86-year-old demons. Likewise the Bruins responded to adversity, coming back from two-down to both Montreal and Vancouver, rallying around each other in reasons to Horton's injury and winning three game-sevens in the postseason, a first in the NHL.

So where do the Bruins get the edge? It comes down to the finals. After the Sox took down the Yankees, I'm sorry St. Louis, but there was no way the Sox weren't going to win. Lifting the weight of the Babe energized the Sox to the point that the '04 World Series was a mismatch to end all mismatches. Meanwhile the Bruins victory was not a foregone conclusion and they had to band together one more time against a team who most people thought would beat them.

So that's my case and my evidence as to why this Championship will rank first among all of the championships we've gotten to enjoy. At the end of the day though whether you agree or disagree, one thing is certain, Boston's revitalized love-affair with its sports teams just got another joyous boost and the honeymoon shows no signs of letting up soon.

A pointed message to the Pink Hats

Pink Hats noun: A term attributed to a group of Red Sox fans who freely hop on and off the bandwagon showing little knowledge or intellengence in regards to the game of baseball or the Boston Red Sox. Can be, and often are, the loudest critics of the team when struggling. See Also: The first month and a half of the 2011 regular season.

Well, whatdya know? I guess the Red Sox aren't so sucky of a team after all. After a difficult start and near omnipresent struggles the Red Sox have found their way back to .500 after knocking the Yankees back in a three game sweep. The same Red Sox who started 2-10 have won 18 of their last 28 and now sit at 20-20, a managable three games back of the Tampa Bay Rays with a grand total of 122 games remaining in the regular season.

I think now is a good time to tell all the panicky, worrying, average fans out there to chill out. Stop calling the talk radio stations moaning and complaining about "your" team. Stop calling for this guy to be benched and that guy to be cut. Most important of all, stop pretending to be true fans; because true fans, through frustrated with the start, didn't whine, they didn't complain.

They accepted that this was an unusually difficult start but have since moved on. They accepted that it's not so easy to simply cut a guy who you owe $20 million to. They accepted that for better, or worse, this was our team and it was more important to support them as true fans do than to pull them down. They accepted that this team was simply too good to be kept down forever.

During the midst of the early weeks of the season I recall talking with the good fans and coming to the consensus that if this team has any hope of making noise in October they needed to get to .500 and only 5 games out by June 1st. And wouldn't you know it, they got to a better point with 16 days to spare.

So to all the fair weather fans out there and especially to all the Pink Hats, remember that this division is too tightly packed for anyone to get a huge lead in the standings. Remember that this team is talented and is still capable of special things. Above all, learn what it means to be a Sox fan and keep the faith.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should

Hey Richie Whitt! Shut your mouth.

Yes, a bit of a harsh way to begin a blog but read on and you'll find out why.

Recently Texas Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis opted to skip his scheduled start to be in the delivery room as his wife gives birth to his second child.

Now you're probably thinking: "What's the big deal, it makes perfect sense for a guy to want to be there when his wife gives birth."

Not if you're Dallas Observer writer Richie Whitt it seems. In a column published after the event, Whitt took serious issue with Lewis' absence claiming that athletes who make millions of dollars have no right to "miss work for childbirth." I'm not making this up, Read the story in the link I'll post below.

Whitt claims to understand all about how great children are but has deemed missing a start for a child's birth an inexcusable offense. He even has the audacity to say that if childbirth should be scheduled around the season then so be it. He further pointed out to an NBA player who opted to suit up rather than be with his wife.

Now I don't know the story behind the NBA player but maybe, just maybe, he and his wife agreed that he should play. I don't know what went on, and quite frankly I don't care. The point is who are we to judge. Better yet, who is Richie Whitt to judge someone just because their decisions don't coincide with his own deluded sense of reality.

What makes Whitt's argument even more ridiculous is that Lewis was completely within his rights to not start under the new Paternity Leave rules introduced by Major League Baseball which allow players to leave the team for a period of time for childbirth.

But before you think Whitt is totally heartless he does make one concession.

"If it was a first child, maybe. But a second child causing a player to miss a game? Ludicrous."

I don't have children yet but I hope to someday. And you better believe I'm going to find a way to be there in the delivery room no matter what stands in my way.

So actually Richie, you're the ludicrous one. I've ready some of your blogs and I get the whole contrarion thing always taking issue with everything. It's your shtick, though you don't do it very well. And yes, maybe I'm judging you, but when you open your mouth and spew this kind of nonsense in attempt to diminish what is one of the most joyous occasions someone could ever experience, you open yourself to the same kind of judgement you lay on people.

So take a hint, next time show that you have some concept of journalistic integrity and keep your fat mouth shut. Just because you can write basically whatever you want doesn't mean you should.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31751_162-20055731-10391697.html

Why the winner of the Masters doesn't matter

On the eve of the 75th Masters Tournament from Augusta Georgia the going conversation between golf enthusiasts and the pundits is who has the best shot at winning.

Some say Phil Mickelson has the best shot by virtue of his victory last week and his recent history at Augusta National. Others point to one of the young guns like Rory McIlroy or Ryo Ishikawa, who has also honorably vowed to donate all of his 2011 winnings to relief efforts in Japan (and if his over $2million in earnings last year is any indication he will be able to write a much-needed, hefty check at the end of the year). And of course there's always stories of a lurking Tiger.

Personally I feel like the field is wide open and any one of a number of guys has a good chance at winning. That may be a bit of a cop-out but as the title says, the winner doesn't really matter.

So why doesn't the winner matter? Because this tournament is so much more than any one winner. The mere fact that after a brutal winter we in the Northeast can sit back and get a glimpse of the Spring that is quickly approaching, that we so desperately need, is immeasurable in its value. Having the opportunity to see, and for those lucky enough to be there, stroll through the dogwoods, pines, blooming azaleas and lush green grass that Augusta is famous for is so heartwarming in its reminder that no matter how bleak winter gets there will always be the rebirth and renewal.

The Masters is timeless, even just watching it there is a sense of somehow existing outside of reality in your own personal utopia. It's that reason why people, even those without any real knowledge of the game, know of Augusta in April and the Masters.

It's for that reason why the mere mention of the Masters elicits glowing smiles from golfers, fans and patrons alike. I know that's the way it is for me. And I also know that it is for that reason that the winner doesn't matter. The Masters isn't about an individual golfer, it's an ideal, a representation of the beauty of renewal, and I can't wait for it to start. See you at 7:45 tomorrow.

A special moment

Ok, so I know I should be working right now but every now and then there are things that are more important than work. Things like the Masters Par 3 contest.

You might be asking why am I so excited about a Par 3? Simply because it's the last chance to watch these professionals kick back and have some fun before business picks up early tomorrow morning. It's also the opportunity to watch the legendary champions like Palmer, Nicklaus and Player return to the place where their legacy was spawned.

Speaking of the legendary trio, golf's Mount Rushmore, there is also something so special about watching them laughing and joking with each other and the gallery. Even to watch the players with their families on the course with them, kids caddying, grand kids sinking putts, it makes the guys we see on TV every Sunday seem so much more real. I think it also speaks to the tradition of the Masters and all that is good about the game.

The commentators for the Par 3 spoke during the event about the drive to grow the game and the idea that maybe, just maybe, one of those children out on the course with their dads, or even a young man or woman from the gallery may see just how fun this game can be and decide to pick up a club. Events like this Par 3 contest make those dreams a possibility. So to truly answer the question; that is why I've come to enjoy this event. Because if the smiles on the faces of those involved are any indication, then the game I love has a secure and prosperous future ahead of it.

New Beginnings

I'm back. Yes, I have returned to the blogosphere triumphantly riding in on a white horse. Ok maybe not really on a white horse, and maybe not so triumphantly, but I am back and no, I did not forget about you. The past few months have just been a period of upheaval for me, all in good ways fortunately.

As of my last post in October I was engaged to the love of my life planning a wedding to take place this October in 2011. Now, I am happily married to that same woman living in a quiet little town southwest of Boston.

Speaking of employment, as of my last post in October I was working for a small newspaper in Greenwich, Connecticut. Now I am working for a major medical information technology company just five miles away from my new home.

It's funny the directions life takes you.

Understandably, at least to me anyway, all that change meant some things had to fall to the back burner and unfortunately this blog fell into that category. Every time I felt like coming back to writing here something would come up and draw my attention. Again, every one of those somethings have been good and I am easily the happiest I've ever been for the reasons stated above. Now things have settled down and my new bride and I have contentedly settled into our routine leaving me with the opportunity to return to something I enjoy, writing about sports.

It's fitting in a way, and no small coincidence, that I've decided to begin posting on Opening Day of the 2011 Major League Baseball season. You might almost say I planned it this way. But it is Opening Day, a day for new beginnings, and probably my favorite day of the sporting year followed closely by the start of the Masters (which conveniently is next week).

There's something uniquely special about today, even as winter refuses to roll over and die in the northeast. It's more of a feeling, a sense of the electricity in the air as 30 ball clubs will take to the field for the first time over the next two days all with dreams of October glory. Maybe it's cliche of me to say that one of the things that makes today so great is everyone is starting 0-0 and nothing can dampen any of their dreams but like a true baseball fans out there I can feel it.

Does every team really have a chance? No. To believe otherwise would require an incomprehensible level of naivete. But the truth is none of that really matters. What matters most is the fact that baseball season is back and regardless of whether you cheer for the Red Sox, the Yankees, the Phillies, the Giants, or even the Royals, today is a day to celebrate new beginnings.

So to conclude I encourage you all to forget about wins and losses, trophies and awards; and simply sit back, relax, and enjoy. It's going to be a helluva fun ride.