ESPN

"It's days like this that make us wonder if sports really matter."

This statement (and many like it) has been said dozens of times over the last two days, as people react to the shootings at Virginia Tech. It is also heard whenever there are major tragedies in this country. It speaks to the thin line that sports lives on as an escape from reality; the average fan uses sports as a way to escape from politics, society, and dozens of other important daily occurrences. However, what is it also seems to say is something that gets addressed very rarely in this world: are sports too important?

It's a valid enough question. Sports these days make billions of dollars from fan attendance, advertisements, television deals, and so on. Should something that boils down to "shooting/running/hitting/kicking an object into another object" be of such worth in the modern world? Should someone really be getting paid anywhere near a million dollars to throw a ball?

However applicable, these are ultimately trivial questions. People will keep buying tickets, jerseys, shoes, hats, and everything else they can get their hands on from their favorite team, and so the money will continue to flow. Perhaps the better question is less about the sport itself, and more about the coverage it receives. Thanks to ESPN, sports is only rivaled by politics in sheer levels of punditry. Every visible moment in sports is scrutinized, analyzed and reanalyzed until everyone knows every conceivable aspect of every play ever. Hours are spent waxing on whether or not someone might be drafted, or someone might be signed, or someone might be hurt. And because these are mostly sports writers we're talking about, the opinions that get endlessly regurgitated on show after show tend to be identical, with the only discourse coming from those who are bored from the lack of discourse and feel the need to spice things up a little bit (Around the Horn is COMPLETELY built around the idea of making an argument, whether you believe it or not).

So why do people who cover sports constantly wonder if sports are that important in the face of tragedy? Because they're worried. Their livelihoods are at stake. The local sports writers will always remain; I'd be surprised if Sid Hartman hears Virginia Tech and doesn't automatically think about their offensive scheme. However, on a national scale, there simply is not that much to talk about. Unless a player makes an offensive comment or somebody says something insulting towards another player or a coach calls out the referees, basically all that is available to talk about is what is Inside the Lines. And that can't really fill a whole days' worth of programming (ask ESPNEWS)

The best example of this mentality permeating sports media happened a few years ago at a journalism workshop I attended. Throughout the days at this workshop, we would attend seminars taught by certain industry professionals. One of the last seminars we ever attended was about sports journalism. This, of course, was particularly exciting because 1) IT'S SPORTS and 2) it was being taught by a woman. However, my initial excitement died when she started to talk about how sports coverage wasn't about scores anymore; it was about the people behind the games. It was about knowing what and who these people were more than what they were producing on the field. She even went so far to insinuate that those who read sports coverage for the scores and stats were a dying breed.

This is something that I have a fundamental problem with. It is this sort of analysis of character that turns the possibility of one of the most momentous events in American sports history happening this season into 2nd-tier news. Sure, Barry Bonds will soon cement his place as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, but he's such a jerk! Phrases like "clubhouse killer" and "bad character guy" get thrown around with such reckless abandon that you'd think someones personality affected his ability to swing the bat or catch a ball.

It would help if they represented multiple points of view, but that also never happens. The best example of this would be the Pacers-Pistons fan brawl a few years ago. The next day, in response to the attacks, the correct idea would have been measured responses about how no one made the correct decision. Instead, what happened was all three panelists - Greg Anthony, Stephen A. Smith and Tim Legler - completely and only attacked the fans for their actions. You had THREE PEOPLE! Couldn't you have convinced ONE to say "hey, maybe running into the stands a punching people was worse than throwing a beer". To hear these three grown men essentially give the "they started it!" excuse was absolutely inexcusable. ESPN is less fair and balanced that FOX News.

What does all this add up to? ESPN makes its bread and butter by banking that people are willing to shape reality around something that, at its core, is meant to be an escape from reality. After finally admitting this to myself, I'm going to make a concentrated effort to watch less ESPN. I think my life will be better for it.

Cricket Is Scary

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/6555009.stm
Go on, I dare you to try and understand a word of that.

Waaah, it's wet and cold!

I am slowly being converted into a baseball fan. It started with my manager at my high school job being a die-hard Red Sox fan and turning me on to the sport, and continues now with my roommate, a die-hard Twins fan, turning me on to the Twinkies. It's gotten to the point where I do my best to watch every Twins fan I can, though I am still learning all the goofy rules and terms that go along with a sport.

However, even with my growing appreciation for the "American past-time", I still cannot ever see it moving above football, lacrosse, or college basketball on my list of sporting priorities. It's not that I think baseball players are less athletic (although one does have to question how someone like David "Boomer" Wells can be considered an athlete...) or less talented. I just cannot become passionate about a sport that is afraid of a little cold or wet weather.

When you think of famous NFL games, some of the top spots belong to games that have been played in ridiculous terrible weather. The Rams and the Vikings squaring off in the "Mud Bowl", the Packers and Cowboys playing in the Ice Bowl, the Bears and Eagles in The Fog Bowl, etc. etc. However, it seems baseball players refuse to play in any sort of bad weather at all.

So far, 17 baseball games have been called in the infant stages of the MLB season. I can somewhat understand snow; it's pretty hard to see an all-white spheroid amongst a crap ton of snowflakes. But rain? Sorry you don't wanna get mud on your pretty uniforms. And don't get me started on canceling a game cause it's too cold. Put on a sweater you freaking pansies.

Au stade du Twins

Some thoughts on the newly released drawings of the Twins stadium:

• It looks really, really nice. I love the idea of putting an entrance behind the actual outfield table area. I also love the possibility of sitting on the top of a parking structure and watching the game.
  
• Glad to see the right field wall will still be raised, although I wish it would be as high as the baggie. Also, if they could still find a way to make it out of old trash bags, that would be killer.
• This looks to be a hitters park - what with the lack of deep foul ground and clearly defined alleys. This should make for a fun home run derby.
  
• I never liked the look of parks with an unrounded warning track. Can't we just make the grass rounded? It bothers the living hell out of me, I mean it.
  
• I'm not quite sure what to think of the outside. It looks like a mixture of something cool and of an airport concourse. I think it will work in the same city with the Guthrie, however.
  
• I don't care how cold it is, I would give anything to be there on opening day.
  

Tonight's Twins game, abridged version:

Carlos Silva: Ouch, it's kinda hot out here. (note: I never doubted you, Carlos. JK BFF)

Cuddy: The first time always feels so right

Juan Rincon: Okay well I think I'm just going to come out here and pitch OH NOOOOOOOO!

Joe Nathan: le sigh

Carl Crawford: (runs to third, gets lead runner thrown out) Oh no! (runs back to second, gets self thrown out) Oh no! (cries)

Torii Hunter: Your shame is funny to me.

Morneau: No one said I had to work overtime this week! Oh fuck this.

Fin

Does this mean I'm pretentious?

Look at me Ma, I'm part of the "blogosphere"!
Did I spell that right? I'm usually pretty good at made-up internet words.
My first post will be short, and sweet:
If Alex and I disagree, I'm right. The End.

Standing Up for Barry

By now, most people know about the plan to celebrate Jackie Robinson's 60th anniversary by having various players wear No. 42 on April 15th. The number was retired in 1997 to celebrate his 50th anniversary. The number will be worn by various African-American players for each team. It is a classy, tasteful way to honor such an important figure in baseball. I am very excited that both Torii Hunter and first base coach Jerry White will be wearing it for the Twins on Sunday.

Now, if there was only a way a sports writer could ruin such a nice gesture with personal prejudice...

Oh, that's right. There's a reason most Page 2 writers exist.

Normally, we here at the BKHFH are big fans of ESPN.com's Page 2 - they're one of the few venues where creative, thoughtful and emotional sports writing seems to come in bunches. Jemele Hill is still sort of new, but she takes some big chances that tend to pay off. Bill Simmons is great. DJ Gallo and Paul Lukas are personal faves.

The rest, however, we can take or leave.

Jim Caple is generally okay because of the gratuitous Minnesota references (a guaranteed ticket to our heart), but sometimes he gets a little...off in our opinion. Scoop Jackson is the epitome of hit and miss. Pearlman, Keown and Neel are generally either browsed or skipped. We know what we like from Page 2, and those three writers either stay too negative or too Outside the Lines to garner our full appreciation.

These were all known going into Pearlman's article today, which features a headline of "Bonds Shouldn't Wear No. 42" on Page 2's main page. However, with a headline like that, I at least have to look at the article - the Barry Bonds v. Media battle is still endlessly compelling to me. I know the general sentiment against Bonds that lives in most ESPN writers, with Jim Caple's insane homerun king tale (requires ESPN Insider) being the sites' Sgt. Peppers. But the Pearlman article takes a whole different angle towards hating Mr. Bonds - criticizing his actions as a black ambassador to the game.

There are a few different problems I have with this article. The first has to do with the section about Bonds never helping a black rookie teammate, ignoring black fans and doing a disservice by not visiting the Negro League Hall of Fame after being invited several times. While these are all fair points, do any of these make him unworthy of wearing the sacred number? They all point to a bad guy who is kinda selfish, but Bonds is still the most accomplished black baseball player in modern history. In fact, early in Bonds' career, he was a contact hitter who stole bases - a style of play that was a hallmark of Robinson. I would hope that sports haven't evolved to a point where personality is more important that playing ability.

The second is Pearlman's criticism of Bonds support of Republican Governor Pete Wilson. Granted, Wilson's track record on racial issues is not enviable or even respectable. But my question is WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH BASEBALL?! Who cares who Barry Bonds supports in the political realm? If we want to look at this in a scrutinizing light, shouldn't we support Bonds for supporting the candidate he believes in? This is a free country, chock-full of democracy, right? The most Robinson did during his career as an ambassador for black America was play baseball. Why should Bonds be held to a higher standard?

The final argument tossed out by Pearlman is that Bonds showed no respect towards those pioneers who came before him by taking steroids to pass the likes of Reggie Jackson and (soon enough) Hank Aaron. I don't really see this as being that big of a deal. I'm sorry, I just don't. He's still never failed a steroids test, never received a suspension based on drug tests, and the worst descretion on his record is a failed amphetamines test last year (which- according to many baseball analysts- is pretty damn widespread throughout the league) . If he did take steroids, he's certainly not the only one-he just happened to have a more fully developed swing than those others who took the drugs, which helps hit home runs just as much as strength.

I don't think, as Pearlman suggests, that Bonds owes anyone anything. He isn't an ambassador to the game. He isn't a future spokesperson or cult of personality. He is simply an excellent black baseball player.

If that's not honoring Jackie Robinson, I don't know what is.

No Pacman Fever :(

So today the NFL suspended Pacman Jones and Chris Henry, the former for the entire season and the latter for half. I must say, what a wonderful decision on the part of the NFL. Truly Roger Goodell is showing that he is the new sherrif in town, and he is not going to take no guff from no one. Good show! Umm...I...er...

Hmm...

I'm sorry. Give me a moment.

Ya know what? I don't care. There we go. Right out there. I do NOT care about the indecscretions of players off the field. I try reeeeally hard to care that someone decided to "make it rain" at a strip club, and that these incidents led to three people getting shot. Off the field, yes, it's terrible. If Jones had anything to do with the shooting (especially if he ordered the shots to be fired), then he should be punished severely.

Except he should be punished severely by the law.

Today on Sportscenter, Chris Mortensen made the argument that this policy is simply concurrent with the policies of almost every other organization and business around. To be sure, most employers hold the right to terminate an employee if said employee is charged with a felony, just like universities have the right to expel students who get in similar trouble. However, the employee rights handbook at Target should have nothing to do with the NFL players policy because it's different. Most jobs don't involve the need for a high level of skill to perform the necessary duties. The NFL does. Those businesses can plug just about any Tom, Dick or Pacman into their roles and be on their way. I'd really like to see anyone off the street return four touchdowns in an NFL season.

I understand why these issues are becoming more prevalent: Sports have gone from being covered in the daily paper to having 24-hour news cameras pointed towards it. Every move is analyzed and commented upon, and then bloggers get to have the fun of picking it all apart. I don't necessarily believe more viewpoints to be a bad thing, but I do believe that once sports loses that separation from reality it has lost something terribly valuable, and we no longer can have fun watching our favorite team.

Rather than "What's the score?", all we will ask is "What's that guy getting paid?"

Ponson era!

I've missed a lot in my life. High school was mostly boredom for me, sadly NOT filled with naked girls, illegal drugs and drag races around Dead Man's Curve like those TV shows would have you believe. God damnit, I never even had a chance to have Marissa shoot my brother. I'm getting upset just thinking about it.

With the Twins, however, I almost never miss. I watch every game I could possibly care about. Last year, when Johan struck out all kinds of Red Sox and Kubel hit a Grand Slam to win the game in extras? Yeah, I watched on TV. When Morneau hit that little Bush League single to beat Mariano Rivera? I was there. Saw Kirby get hit in the eye and his press conference. Erickson's no-hitter. Wells' drunken perfect game.

Sadly, I did not see Sidney Ponson's first start. This was heartbreaking for two reasons: 1) This would signal the official start of the Matt Garza era and 2) There is nothing more watchable than the meteoric fall of a sports star. I must admit, I'm a sucker for watching old glories fall flat on their face, to the point where everyone wants them to succeed just because it's so sad. It happened last year with Rondell White. He seems like he might be back on-line, but he was terrible for the first few months last year. The 400 bar in Minneapolis had a "Domestic beer at Rondell White's batting average" deal last year, and until about mid-July it was a really good deal.

Anyway, I had hopes. I'm a Twins fan. Of course I'm going to hope. I really wanted him to walk out there, put his whole body behind every pitch, maybe strike out some of the big guns for the Yanks. There would have been a huge, loving smile on my face if I looked up his line and saw something akin to 6 innings, 4 runs, 6 hits. That would have made me smile.

Of course, his actual line made me smile, too. Just in a mean way.