James Harrison wants us to know that context is important.
“I did make comments about my teammates when I was talking about the emotional Super Bowl loss,” the Steelers linebacker said in reference to a controversial Men’s Journal story. “But the handful of words that were used and heavily publicized yesterday were pulled out of a long conversation and the context was lost.”
Hmmm.
So, what context would make calling Rashard Mendenhall a “fumble machine” sound better, I wonder.
Or what frame of reference are we lacking to correctly assess Harrison’s words about his quarterback, Ben Roethlsberger: “Hey, at least throw a pick on their side of the field instead of asking the D to bail you out again. Or hand the ball off and stop trying to act like Peyton Manning. You ain’t that and you know it, man; you just get paid like he does.”
Then there’s the anti-gay slang word Harrison used to describe NFL boss Roger Goodell, whom he also called “a crook” and “the devil” and whom said he “hated.” There was worse, actually, but you get the picture.
Harrison teammate Lawrence Timmons doesn’t. According to Timmons, James is a really great guy who’s just … wait for it … that’s right — misunderstood.
The misunderstanding is all Harrison’s.
At 33, Harrison’s no child. If he lets resentment and ego open his mouth and says stupid things to a national publication, he should expect as much “understanding” as a receiver gets going across the middle of the Steelers defense.
* * *
Harrison teammate Rashard Mendenhall wants us to know the importance of free speech.
Free speech is why he’s suing the parent company of Champion, the sports apparel maker; the cool million he’s seeking in damages has nothing to do with it.
Mendenhall, you see, lost his endorsement gig with Champion after tweeting offensive nonsense about the killing of Osama bin Laden.
“For Rashard, this really is not about the money,” his lawyer said. “This is about whether he can express his opinion.”
Well, yes, Rashard, you can express an opinion, and so can Champion — by ending your employment.
* * *
North Korea wants us to know that sometimes things happen beyond our control.
Its loss to the U.S. in the Women’s World Cup, for instance, was the result of five of its players being struck by lighting at practice.
Really.
Oh, and so was the fact that several of its players tested positive for steroids. It has to do with musk deer and glands and traditional Chinese medicine but it all started with that darned lightning strike.
Lightning strike — the sort of thing usually referred to as an Act of God, a legal term for events outside of human control. But as North Korea imposes atheism on its people and doesn’t believe in God, I wonder how they …
Must be a contextual thing. Perhaps James Harrison can explain it.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Friday column: A touch of class breaks out in sport
Abby Wambach first came to my attention three years ago.
In July 2008, Wambach broke her leg in the United States’ final tune-up match before the Beijing Olympics — a devastating blow to an elite athlete.
Yet, instead of bitching and moaning, the then-28-year-old soccer player was the epitome of class, turning the focus away from herself and onto her teammates.
“Yes, I know I’m a very important player for the team,” Wambach told the Los Angeles Times. “But (the injury) made me realize even more how insignificant one player is in a team environment. It really does take a team to win championships.”
Wambach could no longer play, but she still could contribute, and she did by encouraging Natasha Kai, Lauren Cheney and Amy Rodriguez — the three players called upon to replace her.
“So many more people are getting involved. And I’m excited to see how it all turns out,” she said.
As you might remember, it turned out rather well, the Americans taking home the gold medal.
And as for her personal loss, Wambach said, “I don’t feel sorry for myself. I’m not going to cry victim. I’m a moving part on this team. I do not encapsulate the whole. I am a part.”
Sunday in Germany, Wambach, working as part of her team — as always — took a pass from Megan Rapinoe and headed it into the net in the 122nd minute of the match.
The latest goal ever scored in a Women’s World Cup match tied the showdown with Brazil at 2, forcing a shootout, which the Americans won to stay alive in the tournament.
This Sunday, they play Japan for the championship.
To the surprise of no one, Wambach credited a teammate.
“Megan Rapinoe just put that ball on my head. Luckily I didn’t miss and the rest is history,” Wambach said. “It was a perfect ball.”
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter shares Wambach’s propensity to deflect praise and preach team, but doing that Saturday proved impossible.
That’s because Jeter, needing two hits to become the first Yankee to reach the 3,000-hit plateau, went 5-for-5 with a stolen base and the game-winning RBI.
In the midst of a .257 season and talk that the 37-year-old veteran is no longer carrying his weight, Jeter responded with a magical performance that included a home run — his first of this season at Yankee Stadium — for hit No. 3,000.
Like Wambach, Jeter is an athlete who embodies effort and class. Players like that, regardless of the uniform they wear, are worth noting and emulating.
Christian Lopez apparently agrees.
Lopez, the 23-year-old fan who caught Jeter’s milestone home run ball, a man with $100,000 in student debt, didn’t even think about holding onto the ball to gain a big payday. He simply gave it to Jeter.
Why?
“Mr. Jeter deserved it,” Lopez said. “It’s all his.”
Mister Jeter. Ms. Wambach and, sure, for doing the right thing, let’s call him Mister Lopez.
If you’re a fan of class in sport, last week was a very good week, indeed.
In July 2008, Wambach broke her leg in the United States’ final tune-up match before the Beijing Olympics — a devastating blow to an elite athlete.
Yet, instead of bitching and moaning, the then-28-year-old soccer player was the epitome of class, turning the focus away from herself and onto her teammates.
“Yes, I know I’m a very important player for the team,” Wambach told the Los Angeles Times. “But (the injury) made me realize even more how insignificant one player is in a team environment. It really does take a team to win championships.”
Wambach could no longer play, but she still could contribute, and she did by encouraging Natasha Kai, Lauren Cheney and Amy Rodriguez — the three players called upon to replace her.
“So many more people are getting involved. And I’m excited to see how it all turns out,” she said.
As you might remember, it turned out rather well, the Americans taking home the gold medal.
And as for her personal loss, Wambach said, “I don’t feel sorry for myself. I’m not going to cry victim. I’m a moving part on this team. I do not encapsulate the whole. I am a part.”
Sunday in Germany, Wambach, working as part of her team — as always — took a pass from Megan Rapinoe and headed it into the net in the 122nd minute of the match.
The latest goal ever scored in a Women’s World Cup match tied the showdown with Brazil at 2, forcing a shootout, which the Americans won to stay alive in the tournament.
This Sunday, they play Japan for the championship.
To the surprise of no one, Wambach credited a teammate.
“Megan Rapinoe just put that ball on my head. Luckily I didn’t miss and the rest is history,” Wambach said. “It was a perfect ball.”
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter shares Wambach’s propensity to deflect praise and preach team, but doing that Saturday proved impossible.
That’s because Jeter, needing two hits to become the first Yankee to reach the 3,000-hit plateau, went 5-for-5 with a stolen base and the game-winning RBI.
In the midst of a .257 season and talk that the 37-year-old veteran is no longer carrying his weight, Jeter responded with a magical performance that included a home run — his first of this season at Yankee Stadium — for hit No. 3,000.
Like Wambach, Jeter is an athlete who embodies effort and class. Players like that, regardless of the uniform they wear, are worth noting and emulating.
Christian Lopez apparently agrees.
Lopez, the 23-year-old fan who caught Jeter’s milestone home run ball, a man with $100,000 in student debt, didn’t even think about holding onto the ball to gain a big payday. He simply gave it to Jeter.
Why?
“Mr. Jeter deserved it,” Lopez said. “It’s all his.”
Mister Jeter. Ms. Wambach and, sure, for doing the right thing, let’s call him Mister Lopez.
If you’re a fan of class in sport, last week was a very good week, indeed.
Friday column: Roger Clemens beat rap? Fat chance
Narrow-faced men: Rejoice — you are trustworthy and true.
Or more likely to be, anyway.
Fat-faced men: Rejoice, too.
Yes, you're more likely to lie than your slim-faced brethren but, on the other hand, you're probably more successful in business.
This according to a study reported in The Independent.
The British newspaper said that the study, which tested 192 business students to see how readily they were prepared to lie or cheat in order to gain an advantage, showed "that the width of a man's face relative to his facial height is an indicator of how powerful he feels and of his willingness to surreptitiously break social rules to achieve his goals."
Why? Well, according to the director of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee study, "Men with larger facial ratios feel more powerful, and this sense of power then leads them to act unethically."
Said The Independent: "The findings suggest that the width-to-height ratio of the face could be an ancient evolutionary signal of a man's aggressiveness when dealing with competitors."
Willingness to bend the rules and to lie might be a selective advantage in Darwinian terms, but it's got to have its drawbacks.
Witness the plight of one William Roger Clemens, whose aggressiveness on the mound helped propel him to 354 big-league wins over a 23-year career. If you believe Major League Baseball's Mitchell Report, many of those wins were also the result of Clemens' willingness to bend the rules when it came to using performance-enhancing drugs.
Was all this good for business? You bet — to the tune of $150 million in career earnings.
On the other hand, Clemens' aggressiveness and sense of power led him to inexplicably charge before Congress and make a number of bald statements — under oath — about never having used steroids or human growth hormone.
His performance was, to put it charitably, a little less than believable, and this week resulted in Clemens being put on trial for perjury.
To a large degree, Clemens' likelihood of becoming a guest of a federal institution depends on the believability of his main accuser, former trainer Brian McNamee, who presented prosecutors with syringes that connect Clemens' DNA with steroids and HGH.
Clemens has an explanation, and of course, it's just possible the pitcher could be telling the truth when he claims that McNamee doctored the syringes in order to blackmail him. We'll wait to see the evidence presented.
In the meantime, let's check the evidence we already can see, keeping the UWM study in mind: Look at Clemens' melon, and now McNamee's.
Hmmm ...
Is it too late for a plea deal?
Or more likely to be, anyway.
Fat-faced men: Rejoice, too.
Yes, you're more likely to lie than your slim-faced brethren but, on the other hand, you're probably more successful in business.
This according to a study reported in The Independent.
The British newspaper said that the study, which tested 192 business students to see how readily they were prepared to lie or cheat in order to gain an advantage, showed "that the width of a man's face relative to his facial height is an indicator of how powerful he feels and of his willingness to surreptitiously break social rules to achieve his goals."
Why? Well, according to the director of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee study, "Men with larger facial ratios feel more powerful, and this sense of power then leads them to act unethically."
Said The Independent: "The findings suggest that the width-to-height ratio of the face could be an ancient evolutionary signal of a man's aggressiveness when dealing with competitors."
Willingness to bend the rules and to lie might be a selective advantage in Darwinian terms, but it's got to have its drawbacks.
Witness the plight of one William Roger Clemens, whose aggressiveness on the mound helped propel him to 354 big-league wins over a 23-year career. If you believe Major League Baseball's Mitchell Report, many of those wins were also the result of Clemens' willingness to bend the rules when it came to using performance-enhancing drugs.
Was all this good for business? You bet — to the tune of $150 million in career earnings.
On the other hand, Clemens' aggressiveness and sense of power led him to inexplicably charge before Congress and make a number of bald statements — under oath — about never having used steroids or human growth hormone.
His performance was, to put it charitably, a little less than believable, and this week resulted in Clemens being put on trial for perjury.
To a large degree, Clemens' likelihood of becoming a guest of a federal institution depends on the believability of his main accuser, former trainer Brian McNamee, who presented prosecutors with syringes that connect Clemens' DNA with steroids and HGH.
Clemens has an explanation, and of course, it's just possible the pitcher could be telling the truth when he claims that McNamee doctored the syringes in order to blackmail him. We'll wait to see the evidence presented.
In the meantime, let's check the evidence we already can see, keeping the UWM study in mind: Look at Clemens' melon, and now McNamee's.
Hmmm ...
Is it too late for a plea deal?
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Don't miss it
Recommended reading: Today's article by the L.A. Times' David Zucchino on a Libyan, Salah Fatour, who cares for the graves of Allied soldiers who died in his country in World War II.
I repeat: Do not miss it.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-libya-military-cemetery-20110716,0,674939.story
Friday, July 1, 2011
Soul searching? We don’t need no stinking soul searching
Well, give Ohio State trustee Jerry Jurgensen credit — he tried.
"We have a lot to look at in sort of the soul-searching of what is most important in the game of life," Jurgensen said in the wake of the football scandal that cost coach Jim Tressel his job and certainly will cost the school something in the way of NCAA penalties.
"The cracks here weren't really cracks of rules and procedures," he said. "They were cracks in a value system."
How well did that fly in Columbus? You may easily imagine.
"I don't think we have a lot of soul-searching to do, not at all," blurted board chairman and major donor Lex Wexner. "We have a lot of heart-celebrating to do for the good that this university does."
What a clown.
Speaking of clowns, OSU President and Main Bozo Gordon Gee quickly echoed the sentiment of Booster Boy:
"The university is moving forward,” he said, “and we feel very strongly about the fact that we have much to celebrate today."
A little Three Dog Night anyone?
Cel-e-brate … Cel-e-brate … dance to the sanct-ions
An agent lied? My nitrate! My nitrate!
So.
When ESPN last month asked Terrell Owens’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, if Owens had been injured, the answer was no.
Now word has leaked that the aging Owens — hoping to hoodwink some team into giving him one last, lucrative contract — had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees after suffering an injury while taping a reality television show.
And now Rosenhaus is confirming Owens was, indeed, injured, and while he won’t say how it happened, he vigorously denies it was during the taping of a TV show.
And we should believe him … why?
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