Beyond Belief

When I sat down to construct my 2011 reading list, I made a point to visit a few older books that I have been meaning to read. In fact, the first five books on my list fall into that category, among them two political pieces–Richard Ben Cramer’s What It Takes and David Brooks’ Bobos* in Paradise–two music works–Jacob Slichter’s So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star: How I Machine-Gunned a Roomful of Record Executives and Other True Tales From a Drummer’s Life and David N. Meyer’s Gram Parson’s biography, Twenty Thousand Roads–and one sports memoir–Josh Hamilton’s Beyond Belief.  The books accurately reflect my interests in life–2 parts politics, 2 parts music and 1 part sports.

First up, I tackled Hamilton’s Beyond Belief, a light read that takes on a heavy subject–Hamilton’s well documented battle with addiction and his transformation into a sports superstar. The book was a Christmas present from my cousin. As huge Texas Rangers fans, we have both been fascinated with Hamilton’s story since he joined the Rangers. I have heard Hamilton recount his story on several occasions on local sports talk radio show, the evening news and read about it in the local paper, not too mention through the national media outlets who continue to harp on his tale of recovery. The book serves a mainly an expansion of these interviews. Indeed, nothing new is recounted in the book, but what the expanded version does provide is a glimpse at how far Hamilton had fallen, which makes his meteoric rise that much more amazing. To think that as recently as 2006, Hamilton was living with his grandmother in North Carolina, in the early stages of his fight against addiction, suspended from baseball, is unfathomable, considering that in 2008 he would be a MLB All-Star and put on a unforgettable show in the Home Run Derby and then in 2010 win the ALCS and regular season MVP trophies.

Beyond Belief is a perfect example of a book, where prose doesn’t matter as much as the substance. After all, Hamilton is a baseball player, not a writer. He gets help from Tim Keown, a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine, which helps hold the book together. I read the 256 pages over two nights and it could definitely be devoured in one sitting. It would make for the ideal travel book, where you know you will be on a plane, in an airport or riding in a car, but it’s definitely worth a few hours of your time.

Published in 2008, the book basically ends with Hamilton’s exploits in the Home Run Derby, before he had his infamous relapse and before winning the MVP award, but the gist of the story is there–Hamilton is a man who has overcome a lot and serves as an example to millions of people caught in a struggle. I admit; I am a bit more intrigued with Hamilton because of his uniform. If he played for the Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers, or any other MLB team, I doubt I would find the book as interesting, even though only a brief portion is devoted to his time with the Rangers. The one theme that extends beyond team affiliation is his faith, and those stories alone beg to be told.

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?

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.

What’s your problem with Jerry?

First, I’d like to apologize to my loyal readers. I’m using August as a vacation of sorts, to regroup and reset my blog. I’ll have some very exciting news to share regarding a new blog I’m launching within the next few weeks, so stayed tune.

Until then, football season is upon us and we need to talk some football. A couple of quick questions I thought about over my lunch break:

1.) I’m a life long Dallas Cowboys fan. I was 11 years old when Jerry Jones bought this team and fired my childhood hero, Tom Landry. During the past 20 years, I’ve experienced the highest highs and lowest lows with my team. Through it all, I’ve remembered not to give Jerry too much credit for the glory days and not to throw too much blame his way for the lean years.

I realize that Jerry’s personality rubs some people the wrong way, but I also realize that many of those same personality traits are traits necessary to building a winner. Jerry wants to win and will spare no cost in the attempt to reach his ultimate goal.

Why then do so many Cowboys fans despise Jerry so much? Do they not realize that the Cowboys owner wants to win more than any other owner in the NFL?

Does he make some bone headed decisions? Yes, but we all make mistakes.

2.) There is a small, but vocal, contingency of Rangers fans out there who complain about the amount of attention being placed on the Rangers wild card chase compared to Cowboys preseason action. They seem to be offended that more people want to watch a Cowboys preseason game than a Rangers regular season game.  At this point, ”baseball hubris” kicks in.

“Baseball hubris” is a trait possessed by some hardcore baseball fans who feel that baseball is the only true sports and all others should be ignored. They’ll berate the other leagues and belittle the fans of sports.  

I love baseball, but I don’t get “baseball hubris”. I think football, basketball and golf all have something to offer as well.  In the professional ranks, my love for the Cowboys has never caused me to hate the Rangers or Mavericks. In fact, I find that my love for these teams compliment one another.

Why is it that some Rangers fans HATE the Cowboys (and the NFL) so much?

A Tale of Two Outfielders: Cruz v. Murphy

Last year, David Murphy emerged as a rising star in the Texas Rangers organization.  The Josh Hamilton, “prodigal son” story overshadowed Murphy’s achievements for the majority of the season, but his stats don’t lie. Murphy hit .275, with 15 homers, 28 doubles and a .321 on-base percentage in his first full season in the majors. After beginning the 2009 season a woeful 0 for 29, Murphy has rebounded and now leads the team in on-base percentage (.368), is second on the team in batting (.284) and has been the one consistent bat in a very anemic line-up. Murphy continues to be patience and shows extreme discipline at the plate, even as the rest of the roster swings from their heels. He’s proven that he has bright future in this league, which makes the manner in which Ron Washington uses Murphy that much more perplexing.

As of this point in the season, Murphy has appeared in only 69 games, while Nelson Cruz, a free swinging slugger with questionible defensive skills, has appeared in 82 games and can do no wrong in the eyes of Washington. Obviously, Murphy does not look like, nor does he play like the typical Rangers’ slugger. Over the past few years, well decades, Rangers’ fans have grown accustomed to sluggers in the mold of Josh Hamilton–large, hulking figures who can smash the ball 400 feet with consistency. Murphy is tall, lanky, knows how to work a pitcher and makes his living as a contact hitter. Yet since becoming a Ranger, Murphy has had to scrap to get playing time in the outfield.

Cruz, on the other hand, fits the Rangers prototype and has produced the power numbers (23 HR’s) that make Rudy Jaramillo smile, yet he fails to show the consistency of Murphy. Since being called up by the Brewers in 2005, Cruz has been a virtual yo-yo, bouncing back and forth in between Triple-A and the big leagues.  Through it all, the Rangers have remained committed and given Cruz every opportunity.

If the Rangers need a baserunner to manfacture runs, I’d rather have Murphy’s eye. If the Rangers need a hit in the bottom of the 9th with a runer in scoring postion, I’d rather have Murphy at the plate. If the Rangers need a great defensive stop in the outfield, I’d rather have Murphy’s glove.  Even in this modern age, home runs are a luxury, not a necessity, and as such I can think of no point in a baseball game where I would rather have Cruz over Murphy, but this manager seems to disagree on every point. One player puts up impressive numbers, yet can’t impress the skipper. One player is terribly inconsistent, but is heralded as the next great Rangers’ outfielder. It’s just one more reason I continue to question Ron Washington as the manager of this team.

The Evil of Empire (of sports) comes to Dallas…

I’m not your typical sports fan. I love sports, but only if my teams are involved, either directly or indirectly. During football season, I care about only the Cowboys. I’ll watch other NFC East games, because I know the outcome will have a direct effect on the Cowboys’ in the standings, but I have no interest in the performance of Chris Cooley, Donovan McNabb or Osi Umenyiora. I don’t watch basketball to see Kobe, LeBron or D’Wade.  I care about only the players who wear my teams’ uniform.

Since I live in Dallas, I’m lucky enough to have a ton of media coverage for each of my favorite teams. Before moving to Dallas, I had to depend on the limited coverage in the local papers and ESPN. With ESPN, I had to sit through 58 minutes of New England Patriot talk or New York Yankees talk, just to get a two minute segment on the Cowboys or Rangers. Maybe that’s why since moving to Dallas I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve actually watched Sports Center. Additionally, the advent of the league owned networks (i.e. NBA TV, NFL Network, MLB Network, etc.) have allowed me to keep up with my rivals without tuning into ESPN.

Based on a recent article in the New York Times, ESPN is targeting sports fans such as myself. In April, they launched ESPN Chicago, a website devoted to the city’s professional sports teams and local collegiate programs. ESPN plans to launch similar sites in three other cities, including one in Dallas in the fall. You would think that I would welcome their arrival, especially since the website promises local flavor; however, as I have weened myself off of the ESPN teet over the past few years, I’ve gained a sense of clarity and see ESPN for what it really is–a superfluous conglomerate that has destroyed the world of professional sports as we know it. What MTV did to music, ESPN has done to sports!

Forgot for a moment ESPN’s “East Coast bias,”  as exhibited by not only their content, but also the birthplace of many of their personalities.  Look at ESPN for what it has become, generic sports television, full of “know-it all” personalities and Captain Obvious comments and observations. Indeed, ESPN is no longer relevant in the world of sports.

Do they have deep pockets? Yes.  Are they well connected? Without a doubt, but being connected and being relevant are two completely different things.

If you read through the article, you will find that ESPN is trying to connect on a local level, that they plan to utilize fans as cub reporters, or “citizen journalists”, to send in pictures, video clips and scores from local sporting events, including high school sports. The way the ESPN executives speak, they feel that this is a completely new concept. What it shows is how out of touch ESPN is with the “flyover” states.

There are websites all over the state of Texas where fans can get together to discuss local sports, share scores, pictures and videos. The websites are run and maintained by members of the community and the writers, editors and forum moderators mix and mingle with their audience at the local high school football or basketball games.  These same sites provide the opportunity for fans to come together and discuss local pro and college teams as well. Basically, everything ESPN hopes to accomplish with their local websites has been in place since the turn of the century in many communities. The biggest difference is that they lack ESPN’s name and all that goes with it.

If there is anything we love as much as our sports in Dallas, it’s our Tex-Mex food. We have literally hundreds of restaurants where you can order tacos, fajitas and margaritas. Some of these restaurants are family-owned and operated, with family recipes that go back several generations.  Other restaurants are chains run by large corporations. While the chain may boasts fancy new digs and clever marketing, their food cannot compete with the family owned restaurants. They also lack the intimacy that makes the customer feel at home. At the end of the day, if you’re hungry for Tex-Mex in Dallas, you have the choice between Mia’s or On the Border. Nine out of ten Dallas-ites would choose Mia’s.

A little hint to the mental midgets running ESPN, in Dallas we consumer our sports like do our Tex-Mex food. A sparkling web design and clever marketing will only hold an audience for so long, eventually you’re going to have to cook up something worth eating and serve it in an intimate environment.

105.3 The (Irrelevant) Fan

In the past, I’ve offered my analysis of both ESPN 103.3 and The Ticket. In all fairness, I think it’s time that I offer my assessment of the newest sports talk radio station in Dallas, 105.3 The Fan. I first became aware of The Fan flipping through the stations shortly before the start of baseball season. I heard the familiar voices of Ben & Skin, made famous by their weekend show on The Ticket, and thought I would give it a chance. Though their show lacked some of the comedy from their Ticket days, I still thought the station had potential to serve as an alternative on days when The Ticket was involved in shameless self promotions (i.e. Girls Night Out, Ticket Stock, The Great Game, etc.).

Over the next few months, I had the opportunity to catch some of the other shows, but never found a show that really engaged me. Based on the latest numbers, not many people have. The Ticket continues to dominate the male 25-54 demographic, ESPN is a distant second and The Fan brings up the rear of sports talk radio. Ironically, the Kevin Scott-Greg Hill experiment was the only Fan program not to finish dead last in head-to-head time slot competition with the other two stations, yet The Fan still decided to part ways with them.

They weren’t the only casualty, just ask Ben and Skin.  Ben and Skin pulled horrible numbers, but that says less about their appeal and more about the appeal of The Hardline. Look at it this way, a large part of Ben and Skins audience are loyal listeners to The Hardline and when given a choice between the two, the old reliable will win out. It would have been interesting to see what the numbers might have been if The Fan had decided to move the Ben & Skin time slot, say up against Norm Hitzges.  Instead, they canceled the show out right.

Why is The Fan in such bad shape and what can they do?

In addition to simply recycling on-air talent thrown away by other stations, The Fan takes their name too seriously. Sure, obnoxious, self-absorbed, know-it all hosts drive listeners away. Most people desire a radio program that engages the listener, not a program where the host spouts his opinions for 3 hours. The secret to good radio is knowing how to engage your audience without using the phone, text or e-mail as a crutch. These mediums should be used to supplement the programming, but never be the main focus of a program or a station.

The Fan throws out several, unrelated, inane topics to their audience over the course of a segment.  The on-air personality rarely issues an opinion and as such never develops their on-air persona. We learn more about “Gary in Garland” or “Joe in Prosper” than we do about the actual hosts. Contrast that with the personalities on The Ticket, loyal P1′s can you tell you everything about their favorite hosts. Vanilla hosts create vanilla programming, which in turn will drive down the ratings. In essence this is what plagues The Fan.

The station is not going anywhere. They have deep pockets and just signed contracts to carry both the Rangers and Cowboys, still they will continue to struggle with ratings as long as they continue down this path. What can they do to fix the problem?

First, address their identity problem. What type of radio station do they want to be?  From the outside looking in, it appears that they experimented with two different philosophies–the ESPN way and The Ticket way–bringing in personalities from each discipline. Kevin Scott and Ben & Skin got the ax, while Sean Salisbury and Newy Scruggs remain, so it appears that they have opted for generic sports talk, yet their hosts still engage in “man talk”, which can either be awkward or just plain terrible radio.

My best advice to program director at The Fan–talk to David Smoak. As we reported earlier this week, Smoak resigned as sports director and talk host at KTBB radio in Tyler. He brings close to 20 years of on-air experience and is well connected in the Dallas community.  Start him in the Noon-3 slot, against BaD Radio and Michael Irvin. Smoaky’s style would appeal more to the Irvin audience, but he might be able to steal a few from BaD Radio occasionally. No one is going to displace Dunham & Miller in morning drive (I still don’t understand the show) and The Hardline and GAC will be 1 & 2 as long as Galloway is still working. The noon-3 slot is the weakest point, relatively speaking, for both stations and is where The Fan should attack first. They can then build around that time slot.

—————-
Now playing: Pearl Jam – In My Tree
via FoxyTunes

The professional athlete as a fan…

A local talk radio program conducted an interview with Quinton Ross this morning. Now that he is officially a Dallas Maverick, Ross has the opportunity to do something very few athletes get to do–play ball in the same city for high school, colleges and the pros. Udonis Haslem is the only current athlete whose name I can think of off the top of my head, but I’m sure Miami, L.A. and Houston have had a few in the past.

I began to think about what it means for an athlete to play professionally for his hometown. Does it mean anything at all? Is there any emotional attachment between a pro-athlete and their hometown team or does a professional athlete automatically shed all childhood allegiances?

For better or worse, I am emotionally invested in the Cowboys, Mavericks and Rangers. I’ve followed these teams my entire life. As a kid, I collected the trading cards, autographs, the Starting Lineup action figures, and any other type of memorabilia you can possibly imagine associated with the guys on my team.

Throughout the years, Ive devoted my time to watching their games in person and/or on TV. Consider the fact that since 1990, I have missed only two Cowboys’ games (1.) a December 28, 2003 game against the New Orleans Saints 2.) a September 30, 2001 game against the Philadelphia Eagles). Similarly, I saw all 82 Dallas Maverick regular season games, either in person or on TV, in 2006-2007 and I have missed only 24 Mavericks regular season games since the 2005-2006 season.

As I grow older, I find that my devotion to these teams grows only stronger.  I invest countless hours each year to reading about my teams, writing about my teams, talking about my teams and listening to others talk about my teams. For what? So I can impress friends at a cocktail party by naming every Cowboys’ kicker since 1985? No, I do it out of love, love of and for my teams.

I was about a .230 hitter in youth league baseball (although I knew how to work a walk and had a .800% OBP one summer) and at 6 feet, 160 pounds, I was a back-up center and defensive tackle on my high school’s JV football team before I decided to quit.  Needless to say, I knew from an early age that professional sports were not part of my future.

Not only do I lack the set of physical skills necessary to be a pro-athlete, I lack the mindset as well.  You see, even if I had Tom Brady’s skill set and contract, I could not bring myself to, either directly or indirectly, compete with the Dallas Cowboys.

How does a professional athlete deal with this emotional schism? Let’s say a kid grows up in New England, idolizing the Sox. He’s a five tool player and he gets drafted in first round right out of high school and singed to a million dollar contract. The only catch is that the team that drafted and signed him is the New York Yankees.

I’m sure situations like this must arise in the professional sports world and when they do, I’m interested to find out how the athletes deal with it.

I realize that many professional athletes may grow up as a fan of a particular player or sport and not necessarily loyal to their local team, but I know there are some athletes with passions like mine. Would a multi-million dollar contract and the promise of a championship give me the motivation necessary to temporarily set these this emotional investment aside? I tend to think not.

—————-
Now playing: David Paich, Don Henley & Jeff Porcaro – New York Minute
via FoxyTunes