Only one of the four NFL teams that had a first-round bye and homefield advantage in this weekend's playoffs lost.
My team, the Panthers.
Their decisive loss to the 49ers capped a pretty lousy Sunday -- despite the fact that I spent most of it looking splendid in my Keyshawn Johnson #19 Panthers jersey circa 2006.
I had decided I wanted to watch the game with like-minded folks, so Roberta and I went to what I thought was a sports bar. We got there about 15 minutes before kickoff to find about 3 other people, none of whom seemed especially interested in the game.
That wasn't the vibe I wanted, so we left and went to an establishment I knew would be hopping. Getting there just before kickoff, the place was packed. So packed, there was not a single seat available. So we left to go to a place just a few minutes from where we live.
That place might have been even more packed than the previous establishment, so, with the game now well underway, we left and went to one just down the street.
That one had available seating in a room adjacent to the bar so we decided to stay. The place was fine. The burgers were fine. The beer was cold and cheap. The game was on. But most of the like-minded folks were at the bar a whole room away, so it didn't feel like much of an occasion at all.
And then the Panthers failed to score from the 1/2-yard line. And then they failed again. And then the 49ers took a halftime lead on a last-second TD. And then San Fran dominated the second half. And then Robbie and I went home halfway through the fourth quarter to watch the bitter end to what had been an extremely enjoyable season.
And then I took off my Panthers jersey until next season.
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At least I, unlike Alex Rodriguez, will have a "next season" to enjoy.
Sunday's 60 Minutes expose on A-Roid was fascinating. Yes, the primary witness against him is a sleazebag with a history of fabricating the truth. But I had to laugh when A-Roid's lawyer intimated that his client was more believable than the sleazebag. Interesting, given that A-Roid spent years and years lying about juicing, only admitting the truth after being caught.
A-Roid is an admitted serial liar and a proven cheat. But now we're supposed to believe him. Funny!
Is it sad that a guy who could have been among the greatest players in baseball history thought cheating was the only way to do it? Nah. Pathetic is a much better word.
I doubt the courts will help A-Roid overturn his suspension for the entire 2014 season. And if there truly is any justice, he will never play another inning in the majors.
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Alex Rodriguez will always be among the more memorable parts of my tortured Seattle sports soul. In 1995 as the Mariners were making their improbable run to the playoffs, few remember that Alex was brought up in September and was on the post season roster. Had Edgar Martinez only hit a single to score Cora, it would have been Alex (at 20) who was up next. At the time he wasn't the guy he turned into, I've only had one chance to talk to him, it was spring training in 1996, He was great with kids, a bit awkward and shy. If you saw him then, you'd never believe the way he's turned out.
ReplyDeleteFast forward five years to the spring of 2001, Alex had signed with Texas, I was a senior in college and everyone thought the Mariners were dead in the water. The big three were all gone, they'd be replaced with Ichiro, Mike Cameron and Bret Boone. Leading up to the season, the family had a 16 game plan, but I bought single game tickets for a couple games that seemed interesting, the first of which was Alex's first game back in Seattle with the Rangers. Five years earlier I'm watching this shy kid sign autographs, now I'm watching fans thrown monopoly money at him. By the time the Rangers came in, they were already 15 games back, Seattle was on its way to winning 116 games and that game would be one of them.
Even then, I would have never seen him going on the path that he'd already seemingly started down. He'd gone from shy and awkward to confident and awkward. You can't deny the talent that he had, but he threw it all away.
I don't think the courts overturn his suspension, but I do think they enforce that the Yankees have to pay him (outside of the first 50 games of his suspension). MLB did a lot of shady things to get him, they tried to make a point using him, they violated their own rules. If you really want to hurt Alex, don't keep him away from the game, make him fulfill his contract. You keep him off the field you make him a martyr, you put him out there and he's the shell of what he was. If you want to hurt Alex, the best thing you can do is let him embarrass himself.
Scott
Scott:
ReplyDeleteI love your last sentence, and I haven't seen that suggestion anyplace else.
The best thing in years to happen to A-Rod was the 2012 postseason, when he utterly and completely humiliated himself through his own incompetence, leaving his manager with no choice but to bench him.
As you said, more of that would be the best sentence of all.
Mike