Do We Really Need Sports Announcers?

Friday night, TBS scored huge numbers for their coverage of the 2010 American League Championship Series between my Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. TBS did particularly well in the Dallas market earning a 21.9 rating (13.9 rating in NYC), but I have a feeling that given the choice most Rangers would prefer to have an empty announcers booth. The trio of Ernie Johnson, Ron Darling and John Smoltz continue to trivialize the Rangers appearance in the Series and appear to be on YES’s payroll, showering the Yankees with unending praise.

It’s just one more example of how useless sports announcers are in national broadcasts. In basketball and baseball, each team fields their own television and radio broadcast crew. During the course of the regular season, the Rangers and Mavericks crew provide excellent in-game analysis on their respective teams. However, once the post-season begins, the big networks’ contracts kick in, and the local TV crews get pushed out of the picture. Keep in mind, the local TV guys travel with the team throughout the season and know the nuances of the team better than anyone.

The national crews bring in their own guys who know very little about the teams involved. Much of the information they pass along is very basic and adds absolutely nothing to the game itself. Yet the networks sell these guys as the “best in the business.”

I have a couple of suggestions for the networks:

1.) Get rid of announcers completely. As indicated above, they add nothing to the game. Instead, give fans a realistic sense of being at the stadium/arena by showing the game with nothing but the crowd noise and PA announcer. Imagine the money the networks would save in salaries alone.

2.) Use one announcer from each team involved in the game. This way the announcers will have first hand knowledge about the teams the average fan might not be privy to or allow each home market to sync their radio feed with the television broadcast. Again, you’re not losing any revenue. The announcers are still on their respective team’s payroll and the networks end up pocketing more money. It’s a win, win situation.

 

The Continuing Story of Dugout Ron

The theater of the absurd surrounding the Ron Washington’s ride on the “white horse,” continues to evolve into one of the strangest, most wheels-off sports story, in the history of Dallas, which considering the Dallas Cowboys, says a lot.

Randy Galloway, a favorite target of Geoausch.Com, wrote a piece for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram this morning alleging a blackmail scheme, on the part of a disgruntled Rangers’ employee, brought this festering pustule to a head. While I may not agree with everything Galloway writes, I do acknowledge that of all the Dallas/Fort Worth media members, his connections in the Rangers’ organization are the deepest.  I tend to believe what I read in his column and have no doubt that the Rangers would have never spoken a word of this incident had Sports Illustrated not obtained the leaked information.

According to Galloway, some of this former employee’s demands were met; however, the officials inside the organization refused to write the employee in question a letter of recommendation.  In other words, team officials were afraid their integrity would be tarnished if they fudged on a letter extolling this guy’s (or gal’s) worth as employee, but didn’t think twice about the reputation of the club being ran by a junkie manager.

Yes, I called the man a junkie, because Ron Washington’s drug history goes far beyond this one little bump.  Anthony Andro, writing for the Rangers blog on the Dallas Morning News’ website, reports that Washington admitted to using “amphetamines” and “marijuana” during his playing days. It was the 1970′s and everyone was using “bennies” and smoking grass, but it makes Washington’s statement yesterday-that he only used coke once-even that much more unbelievable.

While I’ve never had the desire to snort anything up my nose, I have been around cocaine and have had several friends fall victim to the drug’s addictive agents.  One thing I know about the drug is that you don’t do it just once and you certainly don’t try it for the first time when you’re 57-years old. While cocaine may not spawn daily cravings–users can go months or years without using–the taste for the drug never leaves your system. Let’s hope Washington is lying about his past cocaine use, because if he really did try coke out on a whim at the age of 57, his problems are much deeper than they appear on the surface. First of all, does that type of person have the maturity necessary for leading a professional sports team?

This story is just beginning to sprout. I firmly believe that as we near the start of the season (and the official sale of the franchise) more information will come to light regarding this situation and Washington’s past use of illegal substances. Based on Washington’s own statements, we can construct a history that leads us to believe that this type of behavior will repeat itself. Whether or not the Rangers will be open with their fans when such an event occurs is open for debate.

One thing is for sure, I bet the Dallas Morning News is regretting cutting the Rangers’ beat writer position.

Ron Washington v. Josh Hamilton

As the local sports talk shows begin to go heavy into Ron Washington talk, some of Washington’s defenders are starting to emerge. One of the more popular arguments among Wash’s defenders is to bring up Josh Hamilton–the Texas Rangers’ star outfielder who has had his own well documented struggles with drug abuse in the past, including a binge cycle last year prior to spring training. The logic is that the Rangers have remained supportive of Hamilton, in spite of his slip-up last spring, getting rid of Washington would create a double-standard.

Is there double-standard? Yes, and it’s well justified.

Josh Hamilton is a player.  Ron Washington is the MANAGER, and as such is held to a much higher standard. When a player decides to abuse drugs, he risks having a negative impact on his own personal performance. The manager is charged with making every critical decision for the team. If he chooses to abuse drugs, he risks having a negative impact on the entire organization. If we accept that cocaine impairs decision making abilities, the possible scenarios for disaster to strike with a manager under the influence become infinite.

When a player makes a mistake under the influence, the manager, assuming he is lucid, can take the necessary steps to remove the intoxicated player from the game and limit the damage to the team. If the manager is under the influence, there is no one directly able to replace him, unless he retires to the locker room on his own.

What do you guys think? Is it defensible to have a double-standard when dealing with Ron Washington and Josh Hamilton?

What’s the Deal With Ron Washington

The news is breaking that Texas Rangers’ manager Ron Washington has either admitted to using cocaine, tested positive for cocaine use or both, depending on what source you read.  Either way, it appears evident that Ron Washington used cocaine while serving as the leader of this ball club.

As a lifelong Rangers’ fan, I am OUTRAGED!

Just as this team is turning the corner and entering a season with serious hopes of contending for a division title, this news drops.  I firmly believe that a person’s rights end at his or her nose, but when you are the leader of a professional sports team–a person who is responsible for making critical decisions that affect the course of the season–your free pass to engage in recreational drug use is revoked. Your decision making skills affect far too many people.

I could spend the next month pointing out in-game situations from Washington’s tenure here that may have directly been affected by his recreational drug use, but that will accomplish nothing. The Rangers’ fan base needs to take action. We need to let the team, specifically the new ownership group know, that we will not support this team if they continue to support Ron Washington.

Simply put, Ron Washington must be fired NOW!

I want to hear from the Rangers fan base. How do you feel?

Why all the hatred for Duke?

As I wrote about earlier, I am not a huge college basketball fan. Compared to the NBA, I find it to be very dry and boring. As such, I’ve watched approximately 10 minutes worth of college basketball this season. However, I have not always felt this way and I have followed college basketball in the past. After reading the sports columns today, it sounds like not much have changed. Kansas and Kentucky still field powerful basketball programs and everyone hates Duke. 

Almost immediately following the official announcment of the tournmant pairings, my Twitter feed was alive with angry college basketball fans and “experts” railing against the NCAA for “giving” Duke a #1 seed. Jason Whitlock from the Kansas City Star, penned a column setting out his own unique Duke/NCAA conspiracy theory.  I read all of these posts, comments and columns and was left scratching my head–why all the Duke hate?

It seems like it’s been popular to hate Duke as long as I can remember.  My interest in college basketball reached its peak in the late 90′s early aughts, when I was a college student myself. Although, I considered myself a fan of the game back into my grade school days  and throughout middle school and high school. During this time period, Duke won several national titles and appeared in even more Final Four’s.

Though I have no connections to the university and wouldn’t consider myself a Duke fan, I’ve always admired their basketball program and enjoyed seeing them win. They’re led by a class-act coach and recruit only high-character student athletes to represent their university. Lacrosse aside, you seldom hear any negative stories regarding Duke student athletes, nor do you read of any NCAA investigations into their program. Why is that since I’ve watched college basketball everyone seems to hate Duke.

I remember a comment from one of my friend’s father when we were in high school. We were at his house, filling out our brackets for a tournament in the late 90′s. They were giving me grief for picking the Blue Devils to win the national championship. My friend’s father rushed to my defense and issued this line: “You guys only hate Duke because they can play basketball and know their ‘A,B,C’s’ “.

There’s no doubt that among serious contenders, Duke has the most literate roster. Does this factor into the mass hatred for Duke? Because not only are the athletes successul on the court, but also successful off the court?

I’m interested in hearing theories….

Are Pro Athletes Too Friendly With One Another?

The New York Knicks defeated my beloved Mavericks 128-94 tonight. A 34-point loss is probably one of the more curious ways to end a 13 game winning, but after we handed the Knicks their worst loss ever at Madison Square Garden in January, I knew they would be looking for a revenge. Streaks are made to be broken and I knew that eventually the Mavs’ streak would end, but for it to come in such an embarrassing fashion makes it that much worse. There were moments in tonight’s game where I couldn’t tell if the Mavs wanted to be at Paquiao/Clottey fight instead, spent too much time at the Lower Greenville St. Patrick’s Day Parade or if they just wanted to play down to John Hollinger’s expectations. Whatever the case, this was one of those games in an 82 game season a NBA time is going to have.

What made tonight’s loss extremely disappointing is what happened on the court following the game.  Not that it was anything new or unusual, but rather a disturbing trend I’ve seen play out in sports more and more often. As the clock ran out, I saw several Mavericks’ players laughing and carrying on with several of the Knicks’ players. Let me be clear, I have nothing against a friendly handshake at the end of a game as a show of sportsmanship. What bothers me is when professional athletes buddy up with their opponents after a game, especially after a thrashing like tonight.

Rush Limbaugh caught a lot of heat last year when he said he hoped Barack Obama’s policies failed. Whether you agree with Limbaugh or not, his philosophy–to see your opponent defeated–should be one adopted by all professional athletes. When I see athletes goofing around with their opponents, before or after a competition, I immediately begin to question whether or not they truly desire to be the best at what they do. If I were to take such a half-hearted approach at my job–not caring that my competition was destroying me–I would surely be fired.

Not to sound like the “old man,” but when I was a kid, athletes weren’t like this. When I watched Randy White (the Cowboys Hall of Famer, not the Mavericks spare), I knew he wanted to destroy his competition. I didn’t see “The Manster” discussing dinner plans with John Riggins. Likewise, when I saw Nolan Ryan pitch, I saw a man burning with a desire to win. I never saw him fraternizing with opposing batters.

What do you guys think? Do you think professional athletes are too friendly with each other?

March Madness: 5 Ways to Improve the College Game

While it may not be a popular opinion, I personally feel the NBA is far more entertaining brand of basketball than the college game. I’m familiar with all the arguments against the professional game–no defense, questionable officiating, overpaid superstars–and I’m not naive enough to argue those elements don’t exist. However, I am firmly attached to the Dallas Mavericks and have no connections to any Division I college basketball program. When the Mavs play, I watch and celebrate when the team fares well and sulk when things go wrong.

Tonight, I watched approximately ten minutes of a college basketball game between Butler and Wright State. It marked the first college basketball game I’ve watched in almost two years. Almost immediately, the warts of the college game became apparent. In observance of March Madness, I thought I would provide a few ideas to improve the college game.

• No Zone Defenses – This is something that drives me crazy about the professional game as well. Zone defenses may be pleasing from a technical standpoint, but they ruin the overall tempo of the game, turning every game into a half court affair. If nothing else, the college game should adopt the NBA policy of a defensive 3-second violation, preventing teams from camping out in the paint.

• Reduce the shot clock – Nothing irritates me more than watching a “four-corners” game develop during the NCAA tournament. Simply put, the shot clock in college basketball is far too long. Twenty-four seconds is more than enough time for a team to advance the ball to the front court and run an offense. The current shot clock actually encourages team to take the air out of the ball.

• Do away with the possession arrow – There is no reason why the college game cannot institute a NBA-like  “jump ball” in situations where the possession arrow is currently used. Simply alternating the possession arrow between teams is unfair.

• No 3-pointers The three point shot encourages jump shooting. Sounds fairly obvious, but for a game that stresses the fundamentals, the college game should embrace the “old school” philosophy of driving the ball to the basket and EARNING three points the real way with a basket and free throw.

• Fewer timeouts It seems like the final 2 minutes of a college game last an eternity because coaches save ALL of their timeouts until that time. Again, the NCAA could learn from the NBA. Limit the amount of timeouts a team can use during the final  2 minutes, maybe one full timeout and one 20 second time out. This would allow a much more organic feel to the game.

Rules for being a fan…

Last night the Dallas Mavericks recorded their 336 straight sell out. A couple of things made this game stand out from the rest. One, Dirk Nowitzki became the 34th player in NBA history, and the first not to have played college or high school ball in the U.S., to top the 20,000 point mark in his career. But what really made this night stand out was the large size of the crowd for the opposing team. The Los Angeles Lakers were in town and their t-shirt fandom was out in full force.

It goes without saying that 99% of the Lakers fans in attendance last night have never been to L.A. They have no real connection to the team, but they like to be associated with winners, so based on the past success of that franchise they buy the team’s merchandise and tickets to the game when the Lakers swim through Dallas. The Chicago Bulls attracted a similar following in the 1990′s and the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Red Wings and, yes, my beloved Dallas Cowboys attract similar followings in their respective sports.

While I am a die hard fan of the Cowboys, I grew up in the Dallas area to a family of Cowboys fans. Simply put, I am a Cowboys fan because they are the home town team and I have never turned my back on them, regardless of how tough times might have been. Similarly, I’ve been a Mavs fan my entire life–yes, even during the 90′s when the team was historically pathetic, and while I still haven’t got to celebrate a NBA title, I have had the opportunity to see the Mavs make it to the Finals, win 67 games in a season, see Dirk win the MVP and enjoy one of the most successful decades in NBA history (9 straight 50 + win seasons & 9 straight playoff appearances). With the Rangers, there hasn’t been much payoff for my loyalty, but even those gray skies seem to be clearing up.

It’s impossible for me to fathom rooting against any of the Dallas area teams. When the Lakers come to the AAC or when the Yankees visit the Ballpark, I see thousands of people who live in the same metropolitan area as me turn their back on their hometown teams and I’m left scratching my head, just as I’m sure fans in other cities wonder where all the Cowboys fans come from on Sunday afternoons. Shouldn’t there be some rules to being a fan? I think so…

1.) Live or Lived in the City – You live in Dallas; you root for Dallas teams. You live in Dallas and move to Boston; you can still root for Dallas teams. However, if you are born and live in Philly you should probably root for the Eagles instead of the Cowboys.

2.) Live in market for the franchise – This rule mainly applies to those people who live in areas without professional sports franchises. I grew up in East Texas. Dallas was the nearest city with a professional sports franchise. However, the local sports affiliates carried games for New Orleans, Houston & San Antonio teams in addition to the Dallas franchises. It’s acceptable for someone in this situation to be a fan of any of those teams.

3.) Family Ties – This is similar to rule #1, but allows for generational gaps. Your grandfather moved to Dallas in the 1940′s from Brooklyn. He was a die hard Dodgers fan, raised your father to be the same and your dad raised you the same way. It’s understandable and acceptable for you to be a Dodgers fan.

It is unacceptable to be a fan of a team simply because you like their star player, you like their team colors, or you like the fact that they have won numerous titles.

Congratulations Andre Dawson!

I spent a lot of summer afternoons in the 80′s watching Chicago Cubs baseball on WGN. It didn’t take long for Andre Dawson to become my favorite baseball player. During that same time period, I began to amass a sizable baseball card collection and focused heavily on collecting any and all Dawson cards and memorabilia. On the diamond, I chose to “honor” Dawson by wearing his number 8 (not that I was ever a great baseball player) and was one of the few kids who actually wanted to play right field. Needless to say, today is a special day for me. Andre “The Hawk” Dawson has FINALLY been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Dawson won the National League Rookie of the Year in 1977 with the Montreal Expos and went on to become one of the best all-around players of the 1980′s. While I vaguely remember his Montreal playing days (his rookie season was the year before I was born), and became a temporary Red Sox and Marlins fans during his tenure with those two franchises, I will always think of Dawson as a Cub.

In 1987, Dawson became the first player in Major League Baseball to win the MVP while playing for a last place team. That season Dawson hit 49 home runs and drove in 137–pretty gaudy statistics in the pre-steroid era of baseball. Dawson finished second in the MVP voting two other times in his career. Dawson’s career stats may not seem like much when compared to some of today’s superstars, but no one ever questioned his work ethic or integrity. The numbers Dawson posted, he earned the old fashioned way and has the knees to prove it.

Indeed, it was his knees that cut his career short. After playing several seasons on the unforgiving turf of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, Dawson suffered several knee injuries that plagued him until his retirement.

I wasn’t sure if Dawson would ever receive this honor or not. I knew a lot of people viewed Dawson as a “solid” player, but not among the elite of Cooperstown. When I heard the news this afternoon, I could not believe it. The guy I grew up idolizing had earned baseball’s highest honor.

Congratulations Hawk!

Who does Steve Dennis think he is?

At Monday’s Wade Phillips’ press conference, CBS 11 sports reporter Steve Dennis asked the Cowboys’ coach if he considered his team “winners.” By virtue of owning a winning record, this Cowboys team is, by definition, a “winner.” Of course, “winning” can mean a lot of different things. Dennis posed this question to Wade Phillips to drive home a tired Dallas media talking point–the dreaded “December swoon.” While the Cowboys have enjoyed success September through November under Phillips’ watch, they have not performed well when the season really matters–December and beyond.

In and of itself, this is fine. The Dallas market is flooded with sports media personalities, some good and some bad. If a member of the media wants to talk about the same generic talking points, he has the right to do so, but it makes for very boring radio, TV or print. However, what makes Dennis’ question different is the pattern he has established for himself.

In the summer, he made our “Bottom 5 Dallas Sports Media Personalities,” where we described him as “loud, obnoxious, and pompous,” descriptions we stand by to this day. As part of the best TV sports team in the market, it appears that Dennis feels threatened by his compatriots and seeks to stand out anyway possible. He does this by making himself part of the story, which is exactly what happened with this one.

In addition to his duties at CBS 11, Dennis also hosts “The Keith Brooking Show” on Sunday mornings on their sister station KTXA 21. Somehow, footage of the taping for the upcoming episode was leaked to the media. In the opening, an upset Keith Brooking (Cowboys linebacker) confronts Dennis about his questioning of Wade at the Monday press conference. Evidently, Brooking and other members of the Cowboys team felt that Dennis’ question implied that their team was full of losers. Dennis handles himself very well and seeks to explain his question more thoroughly, but the entire clip I heard was extremely tense.

Tonight, I tuned into the 10 PM news on CBS 11 and when it was time for sports who do I see prancing around the Cowboys locker room but Steve Dennis. They framed it as a segment showing how the Cowboys team is rallying around their coach and using the media as motivation for a successful December, but again it appeared that Dennis was trying to make the story about himself.

I do not know Steve Dennis personally. He may be a great guy for all I know. I only know the Steve Dennis I see on TV and hear on the radio and when I see or hear that Steve Dennis, I scratch my head and ask, “who does Steve Dennis think he is?”  If I could pass along any advice to him, it would be this:

When people tune into a Wade Phillips press conference, they do so to hear Wade Phillips talk about the Cowboys, not to hear Steve Dennis.  When people tune into watch sports on the local news, they do so to catch the latest on their local teams, not to see the local reporter injecting himself into the center of a story. If Mr. Dennis wants to be the center of a program, get your own radio show or start your own blog. Until then, report the news and stay out of it.