Sports Illustrated - Curse or Coincidence?

The way I see it...the Celtics are just one more victim of the Sports Illustrated curse. Now, I'm not usually one to be superstitious - the Best Actress Oscar curse, for example, is a bunch of hooey. But, there just may be something to this SI jinx.

It seems that whenever someone(s) grace the cover of the magazine, something terrible happens to them shortly thereafter. They get injured. They lose. They die. Or, as is the case with the most recent incident, they go from leading the NBA Eastern Conference finals 3-0 and off a resounding 23 point victory, to barely hanging onto the series at 3-2. Both of those Celtic losses were immediately after Rajon Rondo appeared on the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated.

If the Celts can win tonight, they will break the curse. And to be fair, they've broken it before, like in 2008 when the Big Three appeared on the cover, only to later that year win their 17th championship.

But, still...this curse does seem to have some backing to it. I did some research, courtesy of Wikipedia, my favorite always-reliable reference, and I found some really interesting anecdotes. Here are just a few:

1954 - The first instance of the curse occurred with the first person to ever appear on the cover: Milwaukee Braves 3rd baseman Eddie Mathews. After his appearance in SI, the Braves ended a nine-game winning streak and Mathews later missed 7 games with a broken hand.

1958 - One of the saddest examples. Four days after appearing on the cover, race car driver Pat O'Connor died on the first lap of the Indianapolis 500.

1961 - Just three years later, the same thing happened to 16 year old Laurence Owen, the 1961 U.S. National and North American Figure Skating Champion dubbed "America's Most Exciting Girl Skater." Two days after her cover was released, she was killed in a plane crash en route to the World Figure Skating Championships.

1978 - Pete Rose appeared on the cover the same week that his 44-game hitting streak ended.

2003 - The University of Oregon appeared on the cover cover after starting 4-0 and upsetting Michigan. They lost their next four games.

2008 - New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady appeared on the cover of the NFL season preview issue. Brady tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee minutes into the season opening game to the Kansas City Chiefs.

2009 - Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning appeared on the cover "Inside the Helmet of the League's Most Cerebral Quarterback" - the Colts lost 31-17 in SB XLIV. (This one proves the curse is true - because there can obviously be no other explanation for this loss.)

2010 - Kentucky point guard John Wall was featured in January. The next week, 19-0 Kentucky would suffer their first loss to 11-8 South Carolina.

2010 - The "Core Four" of the Yankees (Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada)appeared on the cover. By the next week, all but Jeter were injured.

And I could go on. So, I'm not saying there IS a curse; I'm just not saying their isn't. Depending on how this series plays out for the Celtics, I may be swayed one way or the other. Time will tell.

What do you think?

(Thanks, wikipedia, for your helpful information.)

Oh, Philly - where's your brotherly love?

The way I see it...Philadelphia needs to control its fans. The Eagles have long had a problem with their fans, beginning with the infamous 1968 loss to the Vikings, in which fans pelted Santa Claus with snowballs (even if the fans were just expressing frustration at the team and its management, you can't take it out on Santa, for goodness sake!) Then, in 1999, when Michael Irvin landed on his head, Eagles fans cheered, and cheered again as the stretcher was wheeled out to his motionless body. Pretty low, if you ask me. Their former stadium even had a section known as the Nest of Death, and a jail inside the stadium - with a court and a judge. You know - it comes in handy.

The Eagles aren't the only Philly team to earn the worst-fans label, though. The Phillies are no better. (I would say things about the 76ers, too, but they have enough problems without me picking on their fans.) In 1999 - which seems to have just been a rough year in Philadelphia all the way around - fans threw D batteries at J.D. Drew, because he hadn't signed with the Phillies who had drafted him, but rather with the Cardinals a year later. But even worse than that, when Matthew Scott, the first US hand-transplant recipient was asked to throw out the home-opening pitch of the 1999 season and the ball dribbled across home plate, the fans booed. A hand transplant recipient was booed on a ceremonial pitch. Just let that sink in for a minute.

It seems that lately, Philly is at it again. Earlier this month, a stupid teenager got the bright idea to run across the field at Citizen's Bank Park. He wasn't even streaking, so really, by Philly standards, this was a pretty tame offense. But stupid, nevertheless. As was the response by the Phillies' security, who tasered the poor kid. Seems the out-of-control behavior is spreading.

But there is one story that wins the prize for worst fan behavior. Ok, maybe second place prize - pretty sure nothing can beat booing Matthew Scott. But this dubious honor is awarded to a case that was settled just yesterday of a Phillies' fan who vomited on an off-duty cop and his little girl - on purpose.

It seems that in April, Matthew Clemmens, the vomiter, and his buddy were being pretty obnoxious throughout a Phillies-Nationals game. After Michael Vangelo, the cop, and his daughters had asked Clemmens and Friend to clean up their acts, the buddy was ejected, which, naturally, caused Clemmens to lean over Vangelo and his eleven year old daughter and vomit on them. Because isn't that what you do when you're irritated with someone? No? Really?

Clemmens did plead guilty, and the charges were dropped. But the point is, he was a Phillies fan, following in the great tradition of Philadelphia fans who have gone before. And, he probably will not be the last, leading me to the conclusion that something needs to be done in that city - and soon before someone really gets hurt.

Thanks to this article by Thom Loverro of the Washington Times for some of the background Philly horror stories.

Super Bowl XLVIII - New York, New York

The way I see it...it's only fair that New York get a Super Bowl. The same concept that's behind moving the Olympics around applies here - share the wealth. Really, think about it. Why should only the warm states get all the revenue that inevitably comes from hosting the Super Bowl? Well, warm states and dome states. New York should be able to have some of the fun - it's only fair.

The obvious argument against the Super Bowl in New York is that it's, well, FRIGID in New York in February, and the Meadowlands, is, of course, an open-air stadium. But, that's part of the atmosphere of football. It adds a unique element to the game - everyone's in this together, huddled together, drinking together, cheering together. Cold weather didn't keep people out of the 2008 Ice Bowl II NFC championship (Go Giants!) - or out of any Packers' game, for that matter - and I'm pretty confident that it won't keep anyone out of the Super Bowl, either. Let's play a game: I dare you to ask twenty people if they would skip the Super Bowl if it was outside in below-freezing temperatures. If you find more than one person, I'll wear a Patriots jersey for a day.

I also like the prospect that the Giants (or Jets) might get to play on their home turf. New York fans, say what you will about them, love their teams. It'd be exciting for New Yorkers to be able to celebrate their team(s) being in the Super Bowl - in their own city. (I would say this would be the first time this home-court advantage in a Super Bowl will have happened, but the Colts will likely take that honor in 2012. Right, Peyton?) But a word of warning - if both teams are in the Super Bowl, the universe might explode. Way too much excitement to be contained in one stadium or one city, even one the size of New York.

So, kudos to you, New York. I'm happy for you, and I'm glad the NFL sided with you on this one. Here's to 2014, when I will still be in my 20s, and hopefully, freezing in the stands of a historic Super Bowl.

As American as Apple Pie

The way I see it...baseball really is America's favorite past-time. Or, at least, it should be. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm a much bigger fan of football, in terms of the sport itself. Nothing like watching someone get plowed into the ground to get your blood pumping. And with a shorter season and only one game a week, football is easier for me to keep up with - plus, what else do I really have to do in November? Not a whole lot.

However, there's just something about baseball that's special. Tonight, I went to a Triple-A game, and although the home team lost by a landslide, I had a great time. The cool, early summer weather was perfect for sitting back, hoping to catch a fly, and enjoying time with friends. There's a certain culture at baseball games. Everyone there knows the rules of this culture. We know all the words to the chants and songs: "Bum-bum-bum-BUM-bum-BUM!...Charge!" Or, "Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks..." We eat the same foods - hot dogs and pretzels and ice cream in helmet shaped bowls. We all clap whenever someone catches a fly, or laugh when someone gets pegged by one, and, we stand reverently for the Star Spangled Banner and during the 7th inning stretch for God Bless America. And, if it's a fireworks game, we all ooh and ahh at the same places. It's kinda like we're all friends for a few hours, held together by the bond of a common love for the sport.

All of these factors are what endear baseball to us, year after year. They're what keep us coming back, even after scandals, business, and politics seem to have otherwise corrupted the sport. And, they're what make baseball America's sport, and one of my favorite ways to spend a summer evening.

Floyd Landis:Tattle-Tale

The way I see it...athletes don't really need to take everyone else down with them when they fall from grace. Cyclist Floyd Landis is, of course, the latest professional athlete to "come clean" about using steroids, long after the investigation in which he swore his innocence is over. But he's also one in a long list of athletes who, while they're coming clean, feel the need to dirty the name of their teammates or competition - in Landis' case, Lance Armstrong.

Now, I'm not a big fan of Armstrong, and in all honesty, I wouldn't be that surprised if evidence emerged that he did, in fact, use performance enhancers. But I don't understand why Landis just had to throw Armstrong under the bus. For the sake of argument, let's say Armstrong did use performance enhancers - is it Landis' responsibility to tattle? It almost sounds like the "but, Mom - he did it first!" excuse. Which really has no relevance at all to the fact that you used steroids, Landis. (Nor you, Jose Conseco.)

Perhaps this brings up a bigger issue than just sports, though. When does it become an individual's responsibility to report wrong-doing? I think we would universally agree that if we knew a murder had been committed, we would have a moral obligation to turn in the offender. Or, back to the sports level, if we knew a game or series was being thrown, one would probably argue the need to report it, rather than just turn a blind eye. But, when it's on an individual level like this - whose responsibility is it to be the whistle blower? Is it anyone's? Everyone's? Does the motives of the snitch affect your answer - for example, I would venture to guess that Landis was not just reporting Lance out of his concern for the integrity of cycling.

I don't necessarily have an answer here, but the situation reminds me a little of the McCarthy Communist trials in the 1950's. Just label everyone that you don't like a Commie/steroid-user. And the way I see it, that's just not right. How do you see it?

#18 on the program, #1 in your heart

The way I see it...there are not enough songs like this.



Is it football season yet?

(P.S. My favorite line is at about 2:17.)

You know it's a slow day when...Uniforms

The way I see it...uniforms are about the least important thing in sports. Yes, the Bucs' creamsicle throwback jerseys are ridiculously ugly, but then, what throwback jersey isn't? And yes, Penn State's simple uniform always looks clean and classy, but does that really have anything to do with the Nittany Lions' performance? Perhaps. But I doubt it.

However, May is a slow month. We could talk about poor T.O. still being team-less, but that will only make me think of Marvin Harrison last year, and that makes me sad. Or, we could talk about how the Red Sox are terrible right now, but I'll withhold any Sox commentary until we see the results of tonight's game against the Yankees. And the NBA playoffs bore me to tears (but, go Celts!)

So uniforms it is, and college baseball uniforms, at that. According to an article by Paul Lukas, Under Armour has developed some new fabric for baseball uniforms that looks like old-school flannel greys, yet performs like typical Under Armour. So far, only three schools are using them:

Mizzou:

source

Just kidding!

source

Texas Tech:

source

and Pepperdine (a picture for which I couldn't find. Probably because who knew Pepperdine even had a baseball team?).

Here's what I think. I like them. A lot. Football throwback uniforms, I don't really get - the colors aren't even the same (poo brown and yellow, Broncos? Really?). And please don't EVER let guys wear throwback basketball uniforms - I can't take the short shorts. But, I like the baseball ones, because baseball is different. Baseball is a sport that should stay timeless - as American as apple pie and all that. It's a simple sport, not one where the rules change every time a pretty boy gets knocked around a little bit. And it's a sport that has been plagued by scandals and greed, player hold-outs and steroids, no salary caps and over-priced tickets. But these uniforms, in some small way, remind us of when baseball was pure, even if that was only 15 years ago on your little league team. They make me think of lemonade and lazy summer afternoons, and I'm pretty sure that's what baseball is supposed to make you think of.

So, here's to new old-school uniforms for everyone. Maybe they will have a cleansing effect on the whole sport.

How do you see it?

A Public Service Announcement

The way I see it...that bottom right picture needs a disclaimer. It is common knowledge that of the 32 teams in the NFL, the Patriots are my 33rd least favorite team. So, ordinarily, I would not grant precious blog background space to Tom Brady and Randy Moss. In my opinion, that space would be much better served with a picture of, say, my other favorite Manning, or a certain Mets 3rd baseman, or even a picture of my favorite coach of all time - Mr. Tony Dungy. But, even deeper than my disdain of the Pats is my loyalty to my friends and my desire to be true to my word. When I was designing this blog, I had promised one of my New England friends that he could pick one of my pictures. Naturally, he picked the Pats pic (and, sneaky guy that he is, he picked one with two players). However, this is a sports blog, and like them or not, Belichick's Boys are talented football players. So, in the very bottom corner they will stay. But, please do not misunderstand their presence to be anything more than a fulfilled promise to a friend and a commitment to you, readers, that I will always be totally somewhat objective.

Russell a Bengal? They would.

The way I see it...JaMarcus Russell is about the last thing the Bengals need. But, appropriate for the team who revels in giving undeserved second chances, the Bengals are rumored to be considering the free agent for the 2010 season. To Russell's credit, he hasn't been in any major legal trouble, unlike so many of Cincy's players (including recent addition Pacman - or is it Adam?? - Jones). But, he also hasn't been of any use in the NFL, considered by some to be the biggest bust of the NFL draft EVER (topping even Ryan Leaf, and making my fave Alex Smith look fabulous!)

Side note: I'm calling this year as the big one for Smith. Add the 49ers to the list of teams on whose bandwagon I'm jumping this season.

Time will tell if a change of scenery is really all that the 300 pound QB needs, but my money is not on Russell or, sadly, the Bengals. Unless Carson Palmer can find a way to work under pressure; Ochocinco can start scoring touchdowns; and Cincy can keep all of their players out of jail this season, when the playoffs roll around next January, America will still be saying, "Who dey?" about the Bengals. But not in a good way.